ch5:one punch

Chapter 5: The Awakening of the Beast

The arena was alive with thunderous chants, the energy so thick it was almost suffocating. In the center, Ali stood, a striking contrast to Raza, who stood battered but unbroken. The cheers for "The Blood King" echoed, but so did the roars for "The Beast," both sides unwilling to back down.

Raza stumbled, blood dripping from the gash above his eye, but he didn't fall. Instead, with every hit Ali landed, Raza seemed to absorb it, his eyes growing wilder, more intense. The crowd could feel it—THE BEAST WAS AWAKENING.

Smack! Thud!

Another punch from Ali, this time to Raza's ribs, echoed across the arena. It was brutal, surgical, like every move was meant to dismantle his opponent. Yet Raza still stood tall, his body bearing the full brunt of Ali's onslaught.

"You're just a punching bag at this point," Ali said, as his speed increased.

Raza's lips curled into a bloody grin. "A beast… doesn't fall that easily."

With a sudden, animalistic roar, Raza lunged forward, catching Ali off-guard for the first time in the fight. His fists swung wildly, not with technique but with pure raw power, a desperate attempt to break through Ali's defenses.

Thud! Crack!

Ali felt the force of Raza's claws, managing to deflect some blows. The crowd roared as Raza fought back, the chants for "The Beast" swelling with every strike.

But Ali in the chaos, used his agility. With a swift roundhouse kick, he knocked Raza back, his foot connecting with the side of his head.

BAM!

Raza staggered, blood spraying into the air as his body jerked sideways, but still, he didn't fall. Instead, he roared again, charging at Ali like a wounded predator, his resilience terrifying.

But Ali had been waiting for this. As Raza lunged, Ali sidestepped him, and with one precise, devastating punch, he struck Raza right in the temple— adn straight into the ground.

CRACK!

The impact was like thunder, reverberating throughout the arena. Raza's body went straight to the ground with a brutal crash, the sheer force of his fall causing the rings beneath them to shatter. Cracks appearing on the ring, the very foundation of the arena trembling under the impact.

The crowd fell silent.

And then, Ali's eyes changed. They burned a deep, blood-red, glowing in the dark. He stepped forward, towering over Raza's fallen body, fists clenched with fury.

Without hesitation, Ali began to unleash a barrage of punches. Each one faster, stronger, and more merciless than the last.

THUD! SMASH! CRACK!

Raza's body jolted with every hit. Ali's fists hammered down relentlessly, his movements growing wilder. The sound of bone and flesh being struck echoed through the shattered arena, but the Blood King didn't stop.

With every punch, the ground beneath them crumbled further, the cracks spreading as the structure of the arena began to give way. The walls shook, dust and debris raining down on the screaming crowd as they watched in horror and awe.

BAM! CRUNCH!

Ali's final punch came down, smashing into Raza's chest with a force so powerful that the entire arena seemed to break apart. The floor beneath them split open, sending chunks of concrete flying as the ground itself gave way. The arena collapsed, leaving a crater where the ring once stood.

Raza lay motionless, knocked out cold, buried beneath the rubble. His body was broken, utterly defeated.

The sound echoed, and for the first time in what felt like hours, Raza's body crumbled to the ground, collapsing with a final, heavy thud. Silence hung in the air for a heartbeat, then the crowd erupted in cheers and shouts, the tension breaking like a dam.

"Blood King! Blood King!"

The Beast had fallen, and Ali showed smiled slightly under his mask and gave a hand to Raza,Th beast who was lying down knocked out cold suddenly caught the hand and stood up as the person who was getting his ass kicked was not him.Thi was the Beast one of the 8 Gang leaders known for his ferocity and tenacity.

Later That Night…

A shadowy building hidden deep within the city, Ali sat on a grand, leather chair, his hands still bandaged from the fight. Around him, his closest allies—Fatima, Bilal, and others—stood, watching as more than two hundred members of their gang, ONI, moved around the room. This was their base, their fortress.

The walls were lined with monitors displaying the city's streets, security feeds, and maps showing the territories they controlled. The room was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from neon signs scattered across the walls and the constant flicker of monitors.

Ali leaned back in his chair.

"Another day, another victory," Bilal said, as he tossed Ali a bottle of water.

Ali simply taking a drink and letting the cool liquid wash over him. His mind was elsewhere—on the future, on the next challenge. The Arena International Combat Tournament was coming, and he knew it was bigger than anything they had ever faced.

As Fatima leaned against the wall, she glanced at Ali. "You think it's really going to be worth it? This tournament could bring more trouble than it's worth."

Ali's eyes flickered with intensity. "It's not just about fighting. It's about power—beyond this city, beyond anything we've ever known."

Before anyone could respond, the scene shifts.

The National Arena Headquarters…

In a gleaming, high-tech office overlooking the entire city, the powers behind the Arena International Combat Tournament sat around a large oval table. On the screens surrounding them were faces from all over the world—powerful figures, sponsors, governments, cartels, and billionaires.

At the head of the table, a man in a sleek black suit sat with a knowing smile. He was one of the masterminds behind the tournament, the architect of the chaos that would soon unfold.

"The fighters are ready," one of his associates said. "Each gang boss will have their champion."

"Good," the man in the suit replied, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table. "This tournament is going to change everything. The underground world will never be the same."

He leaned back, satisfied, as the screens flickered with the faces of those who were about to become players in a much larger game.

And at the top of the list—Ali, the Blood King, and his ONI gang.

To Be Continued...