PENG FU!!" The shout cracked through the air, raw and violent — not just rage, but anguish laid bare.
Sayuri's eyes flew open. She sat up, dazed, stunned. Brother? She had never seen her brother like this. Not once. Not this furious. Not this broken.
Peng Fu sneered and lunged. Ryo did the same. Their fists met — or nearly did — until Ryo slipped under and drove a brutal uppercut into Peng Fu's chin. A guttural growl escaped him as Peng Fu's head snapped back.
"You insolent—"
Peng Fu's foot slammed into Ryo's stomach. Ryo gasped, the impact folding him, but he gritted his teeth and rolled back onto his feet, ignoring Sayuri's distant cry.
Peng Fu's fist came next — a hammering blow aimed for Ryo's skull. Ryo ducked just in time. Two wind arrows flared to life and launched forward, screaming through the air.
Too shallow. Not compressed enough. Fast, but not fast enough.
"Pathetic."
With every step, Peng Fu created a staircase of stone beneath him, elevating rapidly. He jumped — like a predator pouncing.
Ryo snarled and released a blast of wind, stalling Peng Fu midair. Then he bent his knees and fired upward, riding a vortex like a cannon shot. His body cut through the air — and he twisted, slamming a full-force punch into Peng Fu's chest.
The blow landed with a thunderous crack. Peng Fu's body crumpled backward, crashing into his own stone staircase before tumbling to the ground.
Ryo panted. His limbs ached, but he lunged forward, twin wind blades framing his hands like ghostly talons.
"NO!"
Sayuri's voice.
Ryo's eyes flicked to her — just for a second.
It was enough.
Peng Fu surged up and grabbed him by the waist, his massive arms coiling like iron bands. Then —
Boom! — a suplex. Ryo's spine slammed into the ground, stones cracking beneath the impact.
But Ryo's hands had stabbed wind-blades into Peng Fu's ribs mid-throw. Blood sprayed, yet Peng Fu roared through it and twisted, slamming Ryo back down with even more force.
Ryo gasped — the world spinning. His body wouldn't respond fast enough. His head bled. His limbs twitched.
Peng Fu didn't stop. He yanked Ryo by the leg, lifted him, then slammed his head into the shattered remains of the staircase. Again. And again.
'Fuck… I'm gonna die to… this guy…' Ryo's vision swam. His breathing turned ragged.
Peng Fu straddled him, fists raining down like meteors. Crunch. Splatter. Crunch. Ryo flailed a hand, trying to gather wind.
Too slow.
Peng Fu caught his wrist and drove an elbow into his skull.
Ryo's world darkened.
Until —
"LET GO OF MY BROTHER!"
A small fist collided with Peng Fu's face. A light pat. He turned.
Sayuri.
"I hate you!" Another soft punch landed.
Peng Fu sneered, raising his arm. "I was gonna let you watch me kill him. But we could do it the other way. No?"
His fist snapped forward.
Ryo's fingers moved.
A gust of wind threw Peng Fu's arm off-course. His fist missed Sayuri's face by inches — just before Ryo headbutted him, breaking his nose with a sharp crack.
Blood ran freely.
Ryo's face was mangled, his jaw crooked, his breath wheezing. But he didn't stop. He opened his mouth and bit into Peng Fu's neck, fangs of rage tearing into flesh.
"AGGHH! YOU FUCKER!"
Peng Fu kicked him off.
Ryo staggered, scooped up Sayuri, and began to run.
Each step was laboured. His limp dragged him down. His arms trembled. But he held her tight.
Through the haze, he saw the edge of the forest.
Towering trees. Lush green. Wild, forbidden — a place no one was allowed to enter alone.
He crossed the threshold.
Sayuri murmured in his arms, half-asleep. "No… no… no…"
Ryo clenched his jaw. Behind him, Peng Fu's roars echoed.
"Get back here!"
The blood loss made the world tilt. But Ryo disappeared into the trees.
Peng Fu ran to follow—
And a hand grasped his shoulder.