I pulled back my fists, feeling the sickening sound of bones crunching under my knuckles for the last time as Jake fell unconscious.
I stood up.
The Rite of Valor was over.
Just like that.
Yet, something didn't sit right with me for some reason.
I exhaled, stepping off Jake's unconscious body.
The moment I did, his head lolled to the side, blood pooling from his busted lips.
His face — swollen, bruised, and mangled — was barely recognizable anymore. A broken tooth lay beside him on the bloodstained ground.
I didn't bother looking twice.
Instead, I gently rolled my shoulders, and my gaze shifted to my right arm — more specifically, toward my shoulder where Jake had managed to hit me.
Blood had poured out from an open wound there and painted my vest red.
To be honest, I let him do that.
But still.
The brutal force behind his punch was actually very impressive.