“Ladies and gentlemen. It’s time for the final match of tonight’s preliminary card, and boy, you're in for a treat!” A man wearing a tuxedo stood inside a caged ring. A cordless microphone was amplifying his voice so that it would drown out the noise from the crowd.
His words echoed over the shouts of nearly a thousand blood-crazed spectators. “Fighting out of the Marino gang, standing at six-foot-three and weighing in at two-hundred and forty pounds,” the announcer’s voice boomed across the room. “With a professional record of fifteen wins and twenty-one losses, Michael, the Dagger, Davis!” and the crowd erupted with excitement as a very muscular Caucasian man with short brown hair and a five o’clock shadow came out from the opposite lobby doors and made his way down to the arena. Michael's manager walked next to him and whispered in his ear.
“You can't fucking lose this match, Mike. Losing five matches in a row is one thing, but if you take an L to a teenage amateur, Don will force you back into the barracks. You'll lose everything," the manager looked worried, but his fighter scoffed.
“Tee, I'm not going to lose. This guy isn’t even a top-five fighter in his gang, and you think he can beat me? I don't care how many matches he's won, I'm a top-five, and I've only ever lost to the best of the best. He doesn't have a chance.”
“I told you not to underestimate him,” said the man named Tee, “He’s young, but he's a fucking beast. He's easily the most talented fighter I've seen since Garth. His only problem is that he's still young and inexperienced. Does the word undefeated mean anything to you?" The referee opened the cage door, but before Michael could enter, he turned to face his manager.
“Relax,” he said, "I’ve beaten Ahmed twice, and barely lost to Wolf. I’m not going to lose to a kid,” Tee didn’t have time to argue back as Michael was nearly pulled into the cage by the flustered referee.
“And his opponent!” The announcer shouted, “Fighting out of the Hurts Gang, standing at exactly six-feet tall, and weighing in at two hundred and twenty pounds.”
From just that information alone, the crowd began to go insane and people were leaping, pushing, and shoving just to see their favorite fighter burst forth from the lobby doors. “With a professional record of thirteen wins and zero losses, the undefeated phenom: Jonas, the Comeback Kid, Ariel!” The room exploded in a deafening roar as the lobby doors opened, and two men appeared into view.
The first man appeared quite strange. He had a brown ponytail that bobbed around, and eagle-like eyes that were yellow and dangerous. He was dressed in a black suit, and he had hands full of gold and diamonds. If Brow was alone, he might've been eye-catching, but he appeared unspectacular when compared to the young man that was walking next to him.
Seven months had passed since Jonas’ near-death experience at the hands of Wolf, and in that time, the teenage slave seemed to have gone through many changes. The undefeated record wasn't the most obvious change, it was the twenty pounds of muscle he had put on his frame through hard work and his talent for Sin.
Jonas' figure was incredible, and both men and women in the crowd couldn't help but admire him. His tanned skin glowed with youth, and his body was fit as an Olympic athlete. He had a confident strut that belonged to a champion, a handsome face with traces of youth, and flowing golden hair that fell about his neck. Jonas Ariel looked the part of a handsome hero, and he was most definitely a crowd favorite.
He and Brow made their way down to the arena, and the pony-tailed man couldn’t help but grin as he watched Jonas high-five and shake hands with people from the crowd. He remembered that skinny, cocky youth who had been sold to him just over a year ago, and he marveled at how far he had come. He'd never say it out loud, but Jonas Ariel was the best thing that ever happened to him.
Brow watched as Jonas approached the cage door, and he said the same thing he always said before his fighter was locked in the cage."
“You better not fucking lose.”
“Just get my beers ready,” Jonas' voice seemed deeper, and Brow smirked as he watched his fighter climb through the cage door.
Jonas pulled the red shirt off his torso and tossed it to the floor just outside the ring, and Michael did the same as they stared each other down. Their eyes spoke volumes, and they were both trying to intimidate each other. They wanted to win the battle before it began.
'Michael Davis, huh,’ Jonas examined the fighter in front of him, and he recalled that time when Ahmed had been two-and-two against him. It was obvious to Jonas that things hadn't been going great for Michael if he was forced back into the preliminary card.
Not many people knew why Tee had accepted the fight proposed by Brow, but those who did know that it was because the Marino gang wanted to end one of the two undefeated streaks that belonged to the Hurts gang. It was common knowledge among the various gangs of Little Wrath City that having another Garth looming over their shoulders was bad for business.
“The fight won’t end until one opponent taps by submission or is knocked unconscious. There are no judges, only carnage. Let's get ready to rumble!”
“Are you ready?” The presiding referee pointed at Jonas, but unlike before, the referee waited for Jonas to nod his head. “Are you ready?” He pointed to Michael, but the lack of respect was obvious as the referee chopped his hand down before Michael could respond. “Fight!”
Michael Davis was pissed, and that wasn’t just because he was a Berserker. The lack of respect he had been getting lately, his fall from grace, and the constant bullying he had been facing from the other fighters of his gang had been weighing down his heart. He felt in his heart that by obliterating the undefeated youngster, Jonas Ariel, he might be able to earn just a bit of his honor back.
Neither opponent waited for the other to make the first move, and they both charged at the same time, running across the arena with heavy steps. Jonas was the first to attack with a nasty head kick that bounced off Michael’s blocking arm with a loud clap, and it nearly staggered him. However, this wasn’t some amateur who Jonas was fighting, this was an incredible gladiator that was once considered a top-five in his gang, who had bested Ahmed, and nearly beaten Wolf.
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Jonas was immediately forced into a defensive position as he blocked, dodged, and parried an onslaught of Sin-infused attacks that seemed to be never-ending. From what Ahmed had told him about Michael, Jonas knew that his opponent excelled at every aspect of fighting, but was an expert at none of them. Ahmed had told Jonas that the best method to win was to wear Michael down and finish him off with a submission.
Michael Davis had no openings, Jonas noticed while dodging a haymaker aimed at his chin. He did a back-step, and as soon as he did, Michael launched himself forward for a grapple. Jonas's bait had worked, and he whirled on the spot like a tornado. His foot crashed heavily against Michael’s face, shattering his nose, and blood sprayed everywhere as if a fire hydrant had broken.
The biggest problem with trying to land a knockout attack on a Berserker, in Jonas' experience, was the fact that if he messed up, all he had to look forward to was fighting a Wrath-infused maniac who was even angrier than before.
There was a fire in Michael's eyes as he growled like a foul beast from Hell, and he began launching every attack known to man as his opponent. Jonas grimaced as he felt half his rib cage fracture due to an uppercut he hadn’t been able to dodge. However, his experience revealed itself, for he hadn’t winced in pain, nor did he panic. Instead, Jonas quickly back-stepped away from his opponent while trying to find the perfect position to take.
Michael was like a double-edged sword, and Jonas felt that no matter how long he waited, and no matter what stance his opponent took, it was nearly impossible to find an angle that seemed dull or weak.
Three hits to the nose were all it took for Jonas to spill blood, and he felt his face grow hot as crimson leaked down his face. His Original Sin was triggered as his blood leaked into his mouth and down his body, he knew that it was filled with his Sin, and it represented his Will. He could feel a certain connection with it, one that had been delicately grown over time.
The crowd screamed jovially at all the blood that was staining the arena floor, and the atmosphere in the room changed from excitement to craziness as the members of the crowd pushed and shoved each other.
The fight picked up in pace as soon as Jonas tried a new approach. Instead of dodging his opponent's angry attacks, Jonas took a few of them head-on. One punch was so strong it should have knocked Jonas unconscious, and one kick was so vicious it should have broken his neck. Instead, the attacks seemed to bounce off of Jonas while causing minimal damage, and Jonas counter-attacked each time he had been hit. Michael was soon missing a few teeth, and he looked to be in tremendous pain.
Although the fight seemed to be in Jonas' favor, the young fighter could tell he was at a disadvantage because Michael had still yet to show signs of mental fatigue, muscle exhaustion, or unconsciousness.
Jonas felt that he was slowly being worn down, but he knew he had plenty of fight left inside himself, and he also knew that as long as Michael didn’t land a knockout punch or get him into a submission hold, he would be able to have a chance at victory. Jonas and Michael’s attacks became noticeably slower, but the crowd was still happy because there was so much blood around the arena, and it looked like someone had tried covering the floor with red paint.
Jonas wasn’t sure how the match was going to end, but he knew that he needed to be patient, and victory would eventually present itself. His opponent would slip up and make a mistake, and Jonas would capitalize on it, just as he had been taught.
Michael looked slightly dizzy and because of his bleeding nose, he was forced to breathe through an open mouth. Jonas managed to make things worse for him by landing a knuckle-grazing punch across his lip that completely split it open.
It looked like a bloody waterfall had erupted from Michael's mouth, and his guard broke as he tried to feel his damaged lips. Jonas made a move to end the fight, unfortunately, it had been a feint. As Jonas went in for a final haymaker, Michael Davis ducked under it and dive-tackled Jonas with enough force to rupture his stomach.
Jonas still wasn't panicking, but he regretted his last attack, and he felt Michael climb on top of his stomach as they struggled against each other. Michael managed to get excellent positioning and was saddled across Jonas. Then he began an onslaught of punches that hit both his opponent's face and head, while also trying to catch his breath, and look for a suitable submission.
The crowd went wild, as they always did when the conclusion of a fight was near. Michael Davis grew frustrated with the fact that he couldn’t break Jonas’ guard, so instead, he began spitting blood at his opponent’s eyes, trying to blind him.
‘Fucking disgusting,’ Jonas felt sick as Michael's warm spit dripped into his open mouth. It was a dirty tactic, and on his next attempt, Michael Davis hit his target and managed to force Jonas to close his eyes as they were drenched with sticky, bloody spit.
Jonas subconsciously used his forearm to wipe his eyes, but he instantly knew that he had screwed up because Michael Davis managed to wrap his bicep around Jonas' neck.
‘Goddamn!’ Jonas was livid that he had ended up in the worst circumstances possible, and he attempted one last struggle before Michael’s headlock became snug and perfect. The two men looked like they were spooning in a puddle of blood, as the bigger fighter tried to force Jonas from his side and onto his stomach, and Jonas used his legs to maintain his balance, with one hand preventing the submission from being completed.
Michael Davis grew frustrated, and with his free hand he began punching Jonas on the head and wherever his bloody fist could pummel, but Jonas knew that enduring the punches was the best chance he had at victory. He tried his best to slip out of the headlock, and he could feel with his cheek that the arm was extremely slippery with blood. Jonas felt Michael's forearm press against his broken nose, and he could feel a fresh load of blood gush out of it and all over the arm.
Jonas and Michael struggled against each other, on the ground, trying their best to gain the advantage. Just when the crowd thought that Jonas was a goner, something happened.
Jonas could feel it in his very being, his release was seconds away. He needed to endure, he needed to fuel his muscles with everything he had. It was like a voice in his mind was screaming in protest, but he soon realized it was Michael who had been screaming. It wasn't a berserker's roar, it was a deep, painful scream, and Jonas felt the arm around his neck pull away. Not thinking twice about it, Jonas seized the opportunity and slipped out of the chokehold, rolled to his side, and jumped to his feet.
He looked and saw that Michael Davis was holding his forearm while screaming in pain. Jonas had no idea what he was doing, but the referee didn't stop the fight, so the young fighter charged his opponent while the crowd roared with excitement.
Michael was too late to receive Jonas' attacks. The pain he had been in was the worst of his life, and no one could see because of all the blood, but his arm was burnt red, and the top layer of skin was nearly gone.
The first of Jonas' attacks hit Michael in the stomach with such force that he involuntarily bent over. Next, Jonas leaped into the air and felt his knee crash against Michael's chin. His opponent's eyes rolled back as his face bounced off the bone, and he fell over, hitting the bloody floor with a sound like raw meat slapped against a countertop.
“He did it again!” The announcer screamed excitedly through his microphone, “The Comeback Kid manages to break the submission and knock his opponent unconscious. Jonas Ariel wins the fight by knock-out!”