Ansan 11

*BANG*

The moment Daehyun stepped in, his fist flew toward Taesoo's chest like a cannonball.

Baji Zhen Chui - (Shocking fist)

But Taesoo didn't move.

His right fist shot forward to meet it—a raw, brutal collision. 

Knuckles crashed against knuckles, the impact ringing through the ruined karaoke bar like a gunshot. 

The force sent a shockwave through Daehyun's forearm, but Taesoo barely flinched, only rolling his shoulders, eyes gleaming with excitement.

Daehyun exhaled sharply, shaking out his hand. "Tch. That all you got?"

Taesoo smiled. "Not even close."

He lunged.

Daehyun barely had time to brace before Taesoo's right fist came crashing toward his ribs. He twisted, narrowly avoiding the full force, but even the grazing impact felt like a sledgehammer.

A normal guy would've had his ribs shattered.

Daehyun exhaled through gritted teeth. "Is that all you do? Just throw your right fist over and over?"

Taesoo shook his hand and readjusted his stance. "I use nothing else."

Another punch. Faster. More brutal.

Daehyun intercepted it—a sharp elbow deflection followed by a brutal shoulder slam to Taesoo's chest. 

Pi Shen Kao - (Splitting body strike)

The impact sent Taesoo skidding back a step, the first time he had budged since the fight began.

Daehyun grinned, rolling his shoulders. "That's what I thought."

Taesoo cracked his neck. Then, just as relaxed as before, he stepped forward again.

"Good," he said. "Again."

Daehyun wasn't one to repeat attacks.

He surged forward, feinting high before twisting low, a sharp sweeping kick meant to take Taesoo's legs out.

Chan Tui - (Entwining leg)

But Taesoo didn't even try to dodge.

He just stomped down hard… an iron pillar against Daehyun's momentum.

Daehyun clicked his tongue. "Do you just take every hit?"

Taesoo shrugged. "A real man doesn't run away."

"You're full of shit."

Daehyun drove forward, his entire body smashing into Taesoo like a collapsing wall.

Tie Shan Kao - (Iron Mountain Lean)

*BOOM*

Taesoo staggered, only slightly… but he was smiling now. Blood dripped from his lips and nostrils as he brought himself up to his full height, almost towering over Daehyun.

"You hit hard," he admitted, rolling his jaw.

Daehyun exhaled sharply. "You take hits like an idiot."

"Yeah?" Taesoo cracked his knuckles. "Then let's see how long you last."

He lunged again—his right fist whipping forward, faster than before.

Daehyun barely managed to block, but the force still sent him skidding back. Before he could recover, another punch came. Then another.

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

Each strike was like a cannonball. Each one heavier than the last.

Even Daehyun… someone who had never struggled with raw strength before, was being pushed back.

Daehyun ducked under another punch, countering with a brutal shockwave punch to the chest.

Baji Beng Chui - (Collapsing fist)

Taesoo barely reacted.

"What the fuck are you made of?" Daehyun muttered.

Taesoo grinned, wiping blood from his chin with his right hand. His left hand still remained in his pocket, untouched.

Daehyun narrowed his eyes. "You gonna keep that hand in your pocket the whole time?"

Taesoo's eyes gleamed. "A real man fights with just his fist."

"That the reason you beat the shit out of Jinhwan?"

Taesoo scoffed. "Nah. I just don't like being ordered around."

Daehyun's gaze flickered to Jinhwan's unconscious body. "So you're not even part of this?"

"Nope."

"You just showed up and decided to fight?"

Taesoo cracked his knuckles with his thumb one by one. Daehyun didn't miss how each knuckle was rounded, each bone almost protruding out of the skin, fist made up of more calluses than actual skin. 

"I like fighting."

Daehyun exhaled through his nose. "Tch. You're a goddamn lunatic."

Taesoo smirked. "And you're still standing. That's good."

Daehyun clenched his fists, bracing himself.

Enough of this shit.

His feet slammed into the ground, the entire floor beneath him shattering as he unleashed a piercing elbow strike.

Bai Shi Qiang (White Horse Spear).

Direct. Brutal. Aimed straight for Taesoo's ribs.

But just as it was about to land—

*BAM*

Taesoo's right fist came down like a meteor.

The entire force of their attacks collided in a split second of pure, unfiltered power.

A beat.

The room shook.

Wood splintered.

Glass shattered.

Both fighters staggered back, breathing heavy.

For the first time, Taesoo's left hand twitched slightly in his pocket… but he didn't pull it out.

Instead, he grinned. "Now this…" He wiped the blood from his nose. "This is fun."

Daehyun rolled his shoulders. "You're not that shitty."

Taesoo exhaled, cracking his neck. "Neither are you."

The two locked eyes.

Neither backing down.

Neither willing to stop.

The air was thick with dust. Every breath tasted like blood and adrenaline.

Daehyun rolled his shoulders, feeling the raw power behind Taesoo's punches reverberate through his bones. He wasn't about to admit it out loud, but the bastard could take a hit.

But this wasn't working.

The floor was already starting to crack beneath them. The walls groaned under the force of their blows. If they kept going like this, the whole damn karaoke bar was coming down.

Daehyun clicked his tongue, glancing around the wreckage. "Tch. I actually like this place."

Taesoo tilted his head. "What?"

Before he could answer—

Daehyun moved.

A blur of motion.

He surged forward, planting his foot deep into the ground every muscle in his body coiling like a loaded spring.

Taesoo smirked, his right fist already flying forward to intercept…

But Daehyun wasn't aiming for his face.

Instead, he twisted his hips and slammed his foot down—

Kaika Shen Tui (Opening Mountain Shattering Kick)

A brutal stomp designed to crack the earth itself.

Only this time, it shattered Taesoo's stance.

The floor beneath Taesoo's feet exploded as the impact rippled through the ground, breaking his balance.

His right foot wobbled.

His weight shifted for ust for a second.

And that was all Daehyun needed.

Before Taesoo could recover, Daehyun grabbed him by the waist.

A full-body grip. Ironclad.

Taesoo's eyes widened slightly.

"The hell—?"

*BOOM*

Daehyun drove forward with everything he had, tackling Taesoo straight toward the massive window at the end of the room.

Glass shattered around them in a rain of jagged shards.

For a moment, they were weightless.

The world rushed past them as they fell from the first floor, the city lights flashing in the distance…

Then Daehyun adjusted his grip.

Mid-air.

Bringing his knee up.

And then…

*CRASH*

They crashed into the street below.

Daehyun's knee slammed into Taesoo's chest, driving him straight into the asphalt. The ground beneath them caved in on impact, a massive crater forming where Taesoo's body hit.

Dust and debris shot up in all directions, glass raining down like deadly snowflakes.

Silence.

For a long moment, the only sound was the distant hum of neon lights and the muffled echoes of the bar still shaking above them.

Daehyun exhaled, standing up from the wreckage, rolling his shoulders.

Taesoo was still alive.

Still breathing.

But he was on his back, eyes staring up at the night sky.

For the first time in their fight… he wasn't smiling.

Daehyun stepped back, wiping blood from his lip with his thumb. "You still think a real man just takes every hit?"

Taesoo coughed, spitting out a bit of blood before exhaling sharply.

He grinned, eyes still burning with excitement. "You're strong."

Daehyun narrowed his eyes. "I just kneed your ass through the goddamn street."

Taesoo slowly sat up, stretching his neck, completely ignoring the fact that there was a literal crater beneath him.

Then he cracked his knuckles, one by one.

"Alright," he said. "Again."

Daehyun groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Are you fucking serious?"

Taesoo wiped the blood from his chin with the back of his hand, his right fist tightening. Even now, his left hand remained tucked in his pocket. 

His breath was steady. His posture was loose, but firm.

Daehyun rolled his shoulders. He wasn't even breathing hard.

"Still think you're a real man?" Daehyun scoffed. "Your fist barely even touched me."

Taesoo exhaled sharply through his nose. "Not yet."

Daehyun shook his head. "Don't worry. I'll end this quickly."

Then he moved.

*BOOM*

The ground cracked beneath his step as he closed the distance, his fist blurring forward—

Taesoo swung his right fist to meet him.

A mistake.

Daehyun sidestepped, just enough to let the punch skim past his cheek, feeling the wind rush past him. Close. But not close enough.

Then… 

*CRUNCH*

His fist slammed into Taesoo's ribs, a perfectly executed upper strike.

Tiǎn Dǐng (Heavenly Upward Strike).

Taesoo stumbled.

Daehyun didn't let him breathe.

Another step. Another blow.

Beng Quan (Crushing Fist). 

His knuckles buried themselves into Taesoo's gut like a cannonball, bending him forward with a sharp gasp.

Then Daehyun grabbed him by the collar.

And hurled him.

Taesoo's body smashed into a nearby car, crumpling the metal like paper. The vehicle alarm screamed in protest.

Daehyun didn't stop.

He was already there before Taesoo could even react, grabbing him by the arm and swinging him like dead weight—

*BOOM*

Straight into the side of a building. The concrete shattered on impact, cracks spiderwebbing outward from where Taesoo hit.

Taesoo coughed, spitting out blood. His chest rose and fell sharply, his blazer torn, his muscles battered and bruised. But even now—

His left hand stayed in his pocket.

Even now he wasn't falling.

Daehyun's gaze changed, annoyance slowly shifting into begrudging respect.

"You're persistent."

Then, just as he stepped forward for the finishing blow—

*CRACK*

Taesoo's right fist connected.

Full force, square to Daehyun's jaw.

Daehyun's head snapped to the side, blood spurting out of his mouth.

Silence.

The street went still. The remaining fighters watching the clash held their breath.

Daehyun's jaw throbbed. The impact still rang through his bones.

Slowly, he turned back to face Taesoo, rolling his jaw. He licked the blood from his lip.

"…Damn." Daehyun cracked his neck. "You might be an actual man after all."

Taesoo exhaled, his smirk returning.

"You still standing?"

Daehyun grinned.

"You still breathing?"

There was one last option left… one last attack, one with everything he had put into it. Focused into one.

Daehyun leapt, his entire body coiled like a loaded spring…

And then exploded.

*BANG*

Zhen Jiao (Shocking Foot).

A downward strike straight to Taesoo's skull.

*BOOOOOM*

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I hope I did them both justice, this is the toughest fight Daehyun's had so far, although that's not saying much. This is all before Kings become Kings anyways so of course they're weaker than canon but even then, they're still monsters.

Except Taesoo is more than a monster. He's just a real Man.

The part where Daehyun knees Taesoo into the street all the way from the first floor is just a homage to how Daniel beats Hudson in that One Night arc, I always loved that fight.

Anyways, the chap came late because I had a tonne of shit to do today. 

You know the drill, reviews, stones, all the good shit.

Hope y'all enjoyed.