Jinchoel Park suggested, "Let's go to the HQ. Upon arrival, everyone's role will be assigned. The hostages will also—"
Tom Lee sneered. "Heh. 'Everyone' my ass. We're not going with you. You want me to ride in the same car as smelly military grunts like you? From now on, the White Tiger Job Centre will move separately, so piss off!"
A car stopped behind Tom Lee. Manager Shin called out, "Director."
Tom Lee turned around. "Manager Shin, you're here?"
Manager Shin nodded. "Shall we go?"
Tom Lee answered, "Yeah."
The White Tiger forces climbed into the car.
---
A plane flew over South Korea. Inside sat the number one of the black market, King. He heard everything. A smile appeared on his face. It wasn't the smile of someone happy to know their plan. It was the smile of someone who knew something more.
He turned to his assistant. "We should match their level. Get ready, Sasha."
---
Jinchoel Park and Kim Daesik drove down the road, talking. A fluttering sound echoed overhead. A helicopter appeared above them. A black man pulled out a bazooka, targeted the military car, and fired.
Boom!
The military car flipped.
A man stood directly beneath the hovering helicopter. He spoke into his earpiece. "Well done."
Sasha followed behind him.
The black man jumped off the helicopter and rushed to check the car. Something sent him flying back.
Tom Lee grinned as he watched King and Sasha approach. "We did it. We got them good!"
Behind the car emerged Jinchoel Park, Manager Shin, Kim Daesik, Yeongcheol, and Albert Kim.
Tom Lee said to Jinchoel Park, "We outsmarted the brainiacs and got them good."
King laughed. "Haha. This is interesting. You used the wiretapping to your advantage?"
Tom Lee laughed. "I did it. I made my debut as an actor."
Albert Kim, Kim Daesik, and Yeongcheol rushed at King. King threw a backhand punch to Daesik's jaw that sent him flying. "I wonder..."
He grabbed Yeongcheol's strike. "From what I see..." He kneed him in the elbow joint. "You're only stalling for time at best."
He smashed the incoming Albert Kim headfirst into the ground. "You don't get it? The moment I arrived here, all those clumsy techniques became nothing but useless."
Jinchoel Park shook his head and threw some devices at King's feet. "No. They are effective. These are the bio chips you had implanted in your subordinates. Though it was a pain in the ass to get them out." He pointed at the empty military car and smiled. "I'm sorry to say, but your dear subordinates aren't here."
He continued, "The reason we lured you here is to save our juniors and..." The memory of Manager Kim looking at Ghost with a pained expression flashed through his mind. He took a battle stance. "To save a friend who's wavering."
Jinchoel Park punched at King's ribs. No impact. King looked at Jinchoel Park with disappointment. He threw an uppercut at Jinchoel Park's jaw, sending him flying back.
Tom Lee rushed at him with a punch. King dodged and countered with his own punch. It smashed into Tom Lee's face, sending him backwards.
A woman pointed a gun at King. Alexander Alyssa belonged to that bloodline from which monsters are born. Before she could fire, a bullet pierced her shoulder. Sasha stood behind her. "You shouldn't meddle in this, Alexander."
King walked towards Alyssa. "Alexander, you only lived thanks to your name. This entire situation is your cousin's fault. I don't want to kill two Alexanders at once."
Jinchoel Park attacked from behind. He brought both fists together and smashed down at King's head.
Boom!
King had raised his guard at the last moment, blocking the attack. He muttered, "Otter One, you—"
Jinchoel didn't let him finish. He started throwing punches. King dodged them easily.
King asked, "Hey, War Hero. Is that all you got?"
He threw a straight punch at Jinchoel's chest. Jinchoel crossed his arms to block it but crashed into a tree. King kneed him in the stomach. "I think you've mistaken something. The only reason you gained the title of war hero is because we weren't participating in that war."
He punched Jinchoel Park in the face, smashing his head into the tree. Jinchoel Park gritted his teeth.
King continued, "You were just lucky."
Tom Lee appeared in front of him and started slashing with his claws. King weaved through the attacks.
Tom Lee said, "I knew it. I've been feeling it from the first attack. Wondering why my fingertips felt so off the whole time."
His claw found its mark.
King's face tore open. It was a mask.
Tom Lee said, "A fake was running around and we fell for it."
---
Manager Kim and Jung Taeyang drove down the road in a van. Manager Kim noticed a body lying on the road. "S-Santiago?"
Taeyang pressed the brake and steered right. The car skidded, stopping just before Santiago's body.
Taeyang and Manager Kim rushed to Santiago. Manager Kim picked him up. "Are you alright! Why are—"
"Don't worry. He's not a fake and he's still breathing."
King appeared behind Manager Kim.
Manager Kim rushed towards him. King continued, "Did you really think I wouldn't know about the little trick you were pulling?"
King grabbed Manager Kim and flipped him upside down. Manager Kim's broken left hand took the impact again. King walked towards him. "Your little rebellion... It was fun to watch."
Manager Kim punched at him. King dodged. "Particularly from you, who I thought had nothing to offer. To my surprise, I felt amused."
He performed a sidekick, sending Manager Kim flying back. His body crashed against the van, almost flipping it over. A grunting noise came from the van. The door kicked open. A red-haired man emerged, grinning wildly.
Manager Kim looked at Baki with relief. "...If it's him, maybe he can do it."
Baki cracked his neck. "Old fool, I'm knocking you down right here... I'll keep stepping on your face until there's nothing left to step on!"
King's subordinates started to surround them. Everyone was sent flying back. Baki hadn't moved from his spot. Or so it seemed to others. In reality, Baki had moved during the 0.5 seconds of unconsciousness.
King watched with amusement. "I see the fire in your eyes, kid. I'll make you an offer you can't refuse."
Baki had no time to listen. He rushed forward and rotated his leg upward to kick King into the air. King grabbed his kick. "But first, it would be best to show how insignificant you are."
He spun Baki by his leg, threw him in the air, and smashed down with his fist onto Baki's face, slamming him into the concrete road. Baki crossed his arms in guard. Blood sprayed out of his nose, but his grin didn't falter.
King kept smashing down on Baki's face with rapid punches. Then he kicked Baki away.
Baki rolled back and stood up. He pressed his nose with his thumb and squirted blood out. Baki rushed King and elbowed him in the face. King stopped it. Baki followed up with a palm strike to his chest and then a final dropkick, sending King skidding backwards.
King slapped the dirt off his shirt. He rushed at Baki. Baki leaned his back into King and delivered a double elbow to his head and gut, then grabbed his right arm and drove his shoulder into his chest.
King threw a flurry of punches at Baki. Baki weaved through them and performed an uppercut to his chin. King grabbed his wrist and crumpled Baki with a hefty kick to his midsection. Next, King vaulted over Baki's back, threw him off balance by pulling his leg, and punted his gut with a kick.
Baki fell on his back while kicking King in the air, then sprang upward with a flying kick, sending King flying.
King recovered mid-air and landed on his feet. He brushed his shoulder and grinned. "Not bad, kid. You've got some moves."
Baki charged forward, feinting a left hook before spinning into a devastating roundhouse kick. King blocked with his forearm. The impact created a shockwave that cracked the pavement beneath them. Baki immediately followed with a spinning backfist. King ducked under it before countering with a gut punch that made Baki cough up spit.
Baki caught King's extended arm and twisted it, attempting a joint lock. King headbutted Baki, forcing him to release the grip. King then grabbed Baki by the collar and delivered three rapid knee strikes to his ribs.
Baki's body shook from the impacts. He suddenly went limp, dropping his weight and slipping out of King's grasp. He swept King's legs. King jumped over the sweep and came down with a double axe-handle strike aimed at Baki's head.
Baki rolled away at the last second. The strike created a small crater where his head had been. He sprang to his feet and rushed King again, this time with a series of rapid jabs targeting King's pressure points. King weaved through most of them, but a few connected, making him grunt in irritation.
"You're starting to annoy me."
King caught one of Baki's punches mid-strike. He twisted Baki's arm behind his back and kicked him in the spine, sending him stumbling forward.
Baki caught himself and turned around, his grin even wider now.
He charged again, this time lowering his center of gravity. King threw a straight punch. Baki ducked under it and tackled King around the waist, driving him backwards into a parked car. The vehicle's side caved in from the impact. Baki then delivered a series of rapid punches to King's midsection while keeping him pinned.
King grabbed Baki's head with both hands and slammed it against the car's roof once, twice, three times. On the third impact, Baki's grip loosened. King shoved him away. King then grabbed the car door and ripped it off its hinges, swinging it at Baki like a club.
Baki ducked under the first swing, jumped over the second, then caught the door on the third swing. For a moment, they engaged in a tug-of-war over the car door before King released it, causing Baki to stumble backwards. King used that opening to deliver a powerful front kick that sent Baki crashing through a nearby fence.
Baki emerged from the debris, wiping blood from his mouth. His body was covered in cuts and bruises, but his eyes burned with excitement. "This is it! This is what I've been looking for!"
King rushed back at Baki. Baki did a front flip and struck King overhead with his falling heel, followed by a double rear kick delivered while performing a handstand, sending King flying back again.
King slid backwards, his feet carving trenches in the ground before he stopped. He rotated his shoulders and cracked his neck. "Alright, kid. You've earned my respect."
King's stance shifted. He closed the distance between them in an instant. Baki found himself on the defensive. King's punches came from blind spots, making them hard to guard against.
A palm strike to the solar plexus. An elbow to the jaw. A knee to the liver. Baki tried to counter, but King gave him no chance.
Baki's vision blurred as a hook connected with his temple. He stumbled. King grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground. "Come under me. I can make you stronger. Stronger than you ever could be."
King prepared to deliver the finishing blow. Baki's eyes suddenly focused. Despite being choked, that wild grin returned to his face. He grabbed King's arm with both hands and pulled himself up, wrapping his legs around King's arm in a flying armbar.
King's eyes widened as Baki hyperextended his elbow joint. The pain was immediate and intense. King roared and used his free hand to grab Baki's leg, then jumped up and came down hard, driving Baki into the ground with enough force to create another crater.
Baki didn't let go. He tightened his hold even as his back screamed in agony from the impact. King jumped and slammed him down again. And again. And again. The ground beneath them shattered with each impact.
On the fifth slam, Baki released the hold. His whole body was in pain, blood trickling from his mouth and nose.
King stepped back, his right arm hanging at an odd angle. He grabbed it with his left hand and, with a sickening crunch, snapped it back into place. He flexed his fingers, testing the arm. "Impressive. You actually managed to damage me."
Baki slowly got to his feet, swaying slightly. His breathing was ragged, his body battered, but that insane grin never left his face. "Damaged? Old man, I'm just getting started."
King rushed at Baki with rapid punches. This time, something was different. Every punch he threw, Baki dodged without even looking. It was as if his body was reacting automatically.
The pain Baki had felt moments ago was gone. Instead, his body was filled with pleasure.
'This feeling... It's BETTER THAN ANYTHING I COULD EVER FEEL!'
King's punches became faster, more aggressive. He combined them with kicks, elbows, knees. A complete arsenal of techniques. But Baki slipped through them all like smoke, his body moving on pure instinct. He was entering a state beyond conscious thought, where his fighting spirit took complete control.
Baki suddenly grabbed King mid-punch and hit him with an elbow strike that made King's head snap back. Before King could recover, Baki delivered a devastating liver shot that made even the stoic King gasp. Baki then transitioned into a clinch, delivering rapid knees to King's midsection.
King tried to break free. Baki's grip was firm. King powered through and grabbed Baki's head, delivering a brutal headbutt that split Baki's eyebrow open. Blood poured down Baki's face, but he just laughed.
Baki released King and took a step back. Then, with terrifying speed, he swung King onto his shoulders and performed a high-flying somersault, rotating himself several times in midair. Baki then slammed King back-first to the ground, creating a massive crater that sent debris flying in all directions.
King lay at the bottom of the crater, motionless. Baki stood at the edge, breathing heavily, blood dripping from his wounds.
For a long moment, there was no movement.
'Is this it?'
Baki turned his back and started walking away.
Manager Kim was unconscious from all the damage he had accumulated. Jung Taeyang was trying to fight a black man with a gun, but he was unable to do anything. Taeyang noticed something and was about to scream at Baki, but his opponent exploited the opening and put a gun inside his mouth.
Baki saw all this happen. Before he could react, King rose from the crater behind him. Without warning, he executed a high axe kick, smashing Baki's head into the ground with devastating force. Then he stomped on his head again and again, each stomp driving Baki deeper into the pavement.
Baki's body, which should have reacted instinctively, couldn't react in time due to the massive damage he had accumulated throughout the fight.
That wasn't the case for King, who had the perfect body. Throughout the fight till now, his body had always been at its peak.
King raised his foot for one final stomp, intending to crush Baki's skull.
Screech!
A yellow van stopped in front of them. The Blue Dragon members walked out of the van.
King muttered, "Another beast has appeared."
From the back walked out Hansu Seong. His face twisted with anger as he saw the battered figures of Baki and Manager Kim.