Gun crushed the cigarette under his heel and launched himself at Seongji again.
His spinning kick came high, aimed at Seongji's temple. Seongji ducked under it, closing the distance. Gun's knee drove up immediately. Seongji caught it, fingers digging into the back of Gun's knee. Gun's leg went numb for a second.
Gun twisted free and landed, throwing an elbow. Seongji grabbed Gun's sleeve, pulling him off-balance. Gun rolled with it, escaping the throw, and came up with a low kick to Seongji's broken ribs.
The kick connected. Seongji grabbed Gun's leg with both hands, fingers finding the bones in Gun's ankle. He squeezed. Gun felt his bones grinding together.
"Hah! Now that's interesting!" Gun grinned through the pain.
Gun's other leg shot up, knee aimed at Seongji's face. Seongji had to let go and lean back. Gun landed and threw a spinning back kick. Seongji sidestepped, grabbed Gun's collar, and threw him over his hip.
Gun's body lifted off the ground, but he hooked Seongji's neck with his arm mid-throw and twisted. Both men hit the concrete hard. Gun wrapped his legs around Seongji's arm, trying to break the elbow.
Seongji punched Gun in the ribs with his free hand. Once. Twice. Gun held on. Seongji's fingers found Gun's wrist bones and squeezed. Gun's grip weakened. Seongji pulled free and rolled away.
"Come on! Don't stop now!" Gun called out, getting to his feet.
Behind them, Goo twirled his sword like a baton. "Your friend's pretty stubborn, huh? Like a really angry pitbull or something."
Baki cracked his knuckles, a relaxed smile on his face. "Yours too." He stretched his neck lazily. "Though I gotta say, watching two guys fight is pretty interesting. I haven't seen Seongji this serious in a long time."
"Aww, thanks! We make a great duo, don't we?" Goo grinned. "Brain and brawn!"
"Mm-hmm." Baki's eyes tracked Goo's sword movements with casual interest. "So which one are you again?"
Goo moved first. The sword came down fast. Baki stepped to the side, the blade missing by inches. Goo spun the sword back up.
"Ooh, close! Almost got your pretty hair there!"
"Yeah, close." Baki's tone was easygoing, but his eyes sharpened. "Do that again. I want to see something."
Baki twisted away from it. He stepped in close and threw a punch at Goo's face.
Goo brought the sword across. The flat of the blade hit Baki's fist. The impact rang out, but Baki's fist didn't pull back like it should have. Goo felt the force travel up his arms. He spun, the sword cutting horizontally at Baki's neck.
"Oops! Head's still attached? Let me try again!"
Baki ducked under it. The blade cut through empty air. He came up and threw an uppercut at Goo's chin.
Goo leaned back. His sword came down diagonally. Baki moved with it, letting it graze his shirt. The fabric tore, but the blade barely touched skin. Baki's hand shot forward, grabbing at Goo's wrist.
Goo pulled back just in time, the sword slipping away. He put distance between them.
"Hehe! I like how strong you are," Goo laughed. "Most people just fall over when I swing this thing. You're actually making me work! How rude!"
"You're not bad with that thing," Baki said.
"Not bad? NOT BAD?" Goo gasped dramatically. "I'm amazing with this thing! I'm like... a sword genius! A blade prodigy! The second coming of—okay, I don't actually know any famous sword people, but you get the idea!"
"Sure, sure." Baki rolled his shoulders. "Come on then, sword genius. Show me what you've got before I fall asleep here."
---
Gun came at Seongji fast—punch, kick, knife hand. Seongji blocked the punch, pushed the kick aside, and caught the knife hand. He grabbed Gun's wrist and twisted. Gun had to bend forward or his wrist would break.
"Yes! Just like that!" Gun laughed.
Gun dropped low, then exploded up with a spinning kick. Seongji let go and stepped back. The kick passed by his face.
Gun didn't land on his feet. He kept spinning, going into a handstand. His legs came down like an axe. Seongji crossed both arms to block. The impact pushed him back.
Gun landed and rushed forward—palm to the chest, elbow to the jaw, knee to the body. Seongji slipped the palm, caught the elbow, and used Gun's speed against him. He threw Gun over his hip.
Gun flew through the air and slammed onto his back. The air left his lungs. Seongji dropped down on him. Gun's legs came up, wrapping around Seongji's arm.
Seongji didn't pull away. His free hand grabbed Gun's ankle, fingers digging into the bones. He squeezed hard. Gun's legs loosened. Seongji pulled his arm free and stood up.
Gun rolled to his feet, his eyes wild with excitement. "Ah! I've missed this feeling! It's been ages!" He wiped blood from his lip. "Show me more! I want to see everything you've got!"
---
Goo thrust the sword forward. Baki turned sideways. The blade passed. Baki shot in low, reaching for Goo's legs.
"Whoa! Going for the legs? That's cheating!" Goo jumped back. The sword spun in his hands. He slashed down at Baki's back. Baki rolled forward. The blade missed. He came up faster than Goo expected and was already inside his range.
"Okay, okay, you're fast! I get it! No need to show off!"
Baki threw a punch at Goo's body. His relaxed demeanor was gone now, replaced by something predatory. "You talk a lot, you know that?"
Goo brought the sword up between them. Baki's fist hit the flat of the blade. The sound echoed. Goo was sent flying and crashed into a wall. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" He looked at his sword. "I don't think these decorative swords will last tonight. These are expensive. This is like the third one this month!"
Baki pressed forward, his movements becoming more aggressive. "Decorative? Huh. And here I thought you were trying to kill me." He grinned. "Guess I can stop being polite then."
Goo slashed at him. Baki weaved back, the blade passing inches from his face. Goo thrust again. Baki slapped the blade aside with his forearm. It cut through his sleeve.
"Have you fought a sword user before?" Goo asked, backing away.
"Nah. I'm just better," Baki replied, his tone casual again. He glanced at the cut on his arm with mild interest.
"Just better? JUST better?" Goo pouted. "That's so unfair! Where's the justice in that?"
"Life's unfair." Baki shrugged. "But hey, look at it this way—you're giving me a good workout. That's something."
Goo came at him again. The sword moved in patterns—slash, thrust, slash, reverse. Baki weaved between the attacks. Every time he tried to close in, Goo blocked his advance.
"See? I'm getting better! Watch this move—I call it the 'Super Goo Special Slash of Doom!'" The sword came at Baki's shoulder. Baki stepped in, closer to Goo than he should've been able to get. The blade passed behind him.
"Creative name." Baki's eyes narrowed.
Baki threw a punch. Goo twisted away, barely avoiding it.
"Whew! That was close! You almost messed up my beautiful face!"
"Almost." Baki's smile returned. "Next time I won't miss."
Goo created distance again, breathing slightly harder. "Hey, timeout! Can we have a timeout? No? Okay, just checking!"
"No timeouts in a real fight." Baki stretched his arms casually.
---
Gun threw a push kick. Seongji caught his foot with both hands, fingers finding the bones and squeezing. Gun felt them grinding. "This! I've been wondering—by any chance, is it Jin Mujin Ssireum?" Gun's grin widened. "A bone-crushing technique like this... it's been years since someone made my body scream like this!"
Gun jumped off his other leg and spun. The spin broke Seongji's grip. Gun's heel caught Seongji across the jaw. Seongji stumbled back.
Gun landed and pushed forward—spear hand to the throat, knife hand to the collarbone, kick to the knee. "Don't hold back on me now!" Seongji redirected the spear hand, took the knife hand on his shoulder, and caught the kick.
His fingers dug into Gun's calf, finding the bone. He pulled Gun forward and dropped for a hip throw. Gun's body lifted over Seongji's hip.
Gun twisted mid-air, hooking Seongji's neck. Both men crashed down. Gun tried to take Seongji's back. His legs hooked in. Seongji spun, stopping him. His hand shot up and grabbed Gun's wrist, fingers crushing the bones together.
Gun's hand went numb. Seongji reversed position. He ended up in Gun's guard. Gun's legs wrapped around Seongji's waist. Seongji sat up and threw a punch at Gun's face.
Gun deflected it and grabbed Seongji's collar. He pulled him down, breaking his posture. "This is what I live for!" Gun's legs shifted, trying to choke Seongji. Seongji's hands found Gun's knee, fingers digging in, crushing the joint. Gun had to open his legs.
Seongji pulled free and stood. Gun got up, breathing hard but grinning. "Magnificent!"
---
Baki watched Goo's sword carefully. Goo thrust it forward. Baki's hand came up and caught Goo's wrist. Goo's eyes widened slightly. He tried to pull back, but Baki's grip held.
"Hey! No touching! This is my sword arm! I need this!"
"Relax. I'm not gonna break it." Baki's tone was calm, almost friendly. "Probably."
Goo twisted, bringing the sword around at an awkward angle. The blade cut across Baki's forearm—a shallow cut. Baki pulled Goo forward instead of letting go. His other hand drove toward Goo's face.
"Personal space! Ever heard of it?"
"Sure. I just don't respect it much." Baki's eyes flashed with intensity.
Goo had to release the sword with one hand to block. He pushed Baki's punch away and yanked his wrist free. He jumped back, adjusting his grip on the sword.
"I haven't had this much fun since fighting Gun," Goo said, then paused. "Actually, that's a lie. Fighting Gun isn't fun. He's too serious. You're way more fun! You don't lecture me!"
"Is that so?" The cut on Baki's arm was barely bleeding.
"Yeah! See? You're a man of few words! I like that! Unlike Gun who gives me a thirty-minute speech every time I—"
Goo came at him harder now. The sword moved faster, the attacks coming from more angles. "—break something or mess up a plan! It's exhausting!"
Baki dodged and weaved, his movements fluid. "Thirty minutes? That's rough. I can give you some advice."
A slash came at his chest. He leaned back, the blade passing inches away. "Just plug your ears and tape your mouth."
A thrust came at his stomach. He turned sideways, let it pass. "Life will be a lot easier after that."
"You're still dodging! Stop dodging and let me hit you at least once! Just once! For my ego!"
"Can't do that." Baki's expression shifted, becoming more serious. "You've already ruined my clothes."
Goo pressed harder. Slash, thrust, slash. Baki kept dodging, but he was moving forward at the same time, closing distance bit by bit. Every exchange put him a step closer.
Goo noticed. "Oh no. No, no, no. I know that look. That's the 'I'm about to do something cool' look."
He thrust the sword at Baki's chest. Baki slapped it down with his palm. He grabbed Goo's collar.
"Yep! There it is!"
Baki pulled him in close, his casual demeanor completely gone. His eyes were focused. "Now let's see what you've really got."
Goo twisted and threw an elbow, but Baki's head turned and the attack missed. He pulled Goo in and threw a punch. Goo ducked under it, but the punch curved midway and smashed into Goo's face. Blood splattered.
"OW! MY NOSE! MY BEAUTIFUL NOSE!" Goo quickly slashed with his blade, aimed at Baki's throat. "That's it! No more mister nice Goo!"
They separated. Goo was breathing harder now. Baki had a cut on his hand and forearm, a scratch on his ribs. Nothing serious.
Baki rolled his shoulders, his breathing still relaxed. "See? Now you're taking it seriously. Way more fun this way."
Goo wiped the blood from his nose. "Okay, new rule. No punching the face. Everything else is fair game, but the face is off limits. I have a reputation to maintain!"
"Sorry, can't promise that." Baki's grin widened. "But I'll make it quick if it makes you feel better."
---
Gun threw a spinning kick. Seongji caught the leg, fingers digging into the muscles and bones. Gun's other leg came up, trying to kick while balancing on nothing. Seongji pulled. Gun fell.
Seongji dropped down, trying to control Gun's legs. Gun's hands grabbed Seongji's broken ribs and squeezed hard. "Let me hear you!" Seongji's grip weakened. Gun pulled his legs free and rolled away.
Suddenly sirens began to sound. Everyone looked at the police vehicles heading toward the Hostel base.
"Oh! Oh! Is that the cops?" Goo perked up, lowering his sword.
Baki cracked his neck, his intense expression melting back into something more relaxed. "Do you guys still want to continue?" He glanced at the approaching sirens, then back at Goo with a lazy smile. "I mean, I'm cool either way."
Goo looked at Gun, then at the police cars, then back at Baki. "Hmm, tough choice. Keep fighting the really strong guy who keeps hitting me, or run from the cops..." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Decisions, decisions..."
"Take your time. I'm not going anywhere." Baki stretched his arms behind his head casually. "Though if you run, I'm gonna assume I won this one."
Gun took out a cigarette and lit it. He took a drag, his hand still trembling with adrenaline. "Tch. What a waste." He looked at Seongji with genuine respect in his eyes. "Let's go, Goo."
"Finally! Someone makes a decision!" Goo brightened up, then remembered something. "Oh! Wait!" He turned to Baki and gave an exaggerated bow. "Thanks for the workout! You're really strong! Like, annoyingly strong! We should do this again sometime! Maybe with less face-punching though!"
"Anytime." Baki's smile was genuine now, friendly even. "But next time, bring a better sword. That one's gonna break if we keep going."
Goo asked Gun, "Won't you take Olly back?"
Gun started to walk away, smoke trailing behind him. "No. The four crews are bound to be destroyed."