The underground arena buzzed with a familiar tension as Shadow and May returned under the cover of nightfall. Lanterns cast flickering shadows across the blood-stained sand of the central pit, the scent of sweat, metal, and smoke thick in the air. The betting crowd had already begun to gather, laughter and jeers echoing through the hall as fighters warmed up in corners and wagers were placed.
"We're back," May said with a grin, jingling the pouch of silver coins from the last fight. "And tonight, we double up."
Shadow didn't respond. His hollow eyes scanned the arena as he moved with silent purpose, knuckles strapped to his fists, his robe now slightly more worn than before. He could sense it—this night would be different. Stronger enemies were waiting.
They approached the fight administrator's desk. The man gave them a half-smile, chewing on the end of a cigar.
"Shadow, huh?" he muttered. "Didn't think you'd come back so soon. You sure you're ready for this one?"
"He's ready," May said before Shadow could open his mouth. "And we're here to win."
The man snorted. "Alright, your opponents tonight… You're up against Jester and Thorn. Twin assassins. They've been unbeaten in tag matches for the last four tournaments. Jester's got cleavers. Thorn uses daggers. They're fast, smart, and completely ruthless."
"Women?" Shadow asked quietly.
"Yeah," the administrator replied, eyebrows raised. "You got a problem with that?"
"No," Shadow said, stepping away. "I don't discriminate."
May grinned. "That's the spirit."
Within minutes, the announcement blared across the arena.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight's featured fight will have our returning dark horse—Shadow—facing off against the twin terrors of the underground ring: Jester and Thorn!"
The crowd roared, placing their bets feverishly.
"Ten silver on the twins!"
"Fifty on Jester alone!"
"I'm going all in—three hundred gold coins! They'll dice this shadow freak up!"
May stepped up to the betting table and dropped her silver. "Five hundred silver coins on Shadow."
The bookmaker looked at her, puzzled. "You really think he's going to take on both of them and win?"
"I don't think," May said. "I know."
From the crowd emerged the opponents. Jester walked first, long-legged and poised, twirling two butcher-style cleavers in her hands, licking the blade of one with a slow grin. Her purple-streaked hair was tied back in a thick braid, her eyes dancing with playful menace.
Thorn followed, smaller and quicker in build, twirling her dual daggers between her fingers like they were part of her bones. She wore tight leather armor and a mask that only covered the lower half of her face. Her stare was sharp and calculating.
"Well, well," Jester purred as she looked Shadow up and down. "This is the fighter everyone's been whispering about?"
"He doesn't look like much," Thorn said, stretching her shoulders. "Let's see if he bleeds."
Shadow cracked his knuckles. "Try me."
The host raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Thorn was first, darting forward like a viper, her daggers flashing. Shadow pivoted, barely avoiding her first two strikes before countering with a hard swing from his knuckles. Thorn flipped back, avoiding the hit with fluid grace.
Jester came next, swinging her cleavers downward with surprising speed and force. Shadow blocked one with the flat of his forearm and sidestepped the second, the impact ringing through the metal of his knuckles. The crowd gasped.
"He blocked that?"
"Damn, that guy's fast!"
Thorn returned, this time attacking low, slicing at his legs. Shadow jumped, spinning and delivering a kick to her shoulder that sent her sliding back. She grunted but stayed on her feet.
"I like him," Jester said with a grin. "He makes it fun."
She swung again, faster now, her cleavers cutting through the air in deadly arcs. Shadow dodged left and right, eyes narrowing. She was wild but calculated, her style more chaotic than Thorn's. He'd have to deal with her unpredictability first.
He stepped inside her guard, slamming a knuckled punch into her ribs. She let out a surprised cough and staggered back, just as Thorn came in again.
Shadow ducked low and swept Thorn's legs from under her, slamming an elbow into her back as she hit the ground. She rolled away, winded but not out.
Jester, recovering fast, spun and landed a shallow cut across Shadow's left arm. The crowd cheered at the first blood.
"He bleeds! Finally!"
May frowned, hands clenched. "Come on…"
Shadow didn't react to the blood. Instead, he gripped his wounded arm tightly, eyes locked on Jester. He charged in with a flurry of punches—left, right, hook, uppercut. Jester managed to parry a few but couldn't keep up. One punch smashed into her chin and sent her sprawling.
Thorn lunged again, this time going for a kill. Her daggers aimed for Shadow's heart. At the last second, Shadow turned his body, letting one dagger scrape off the side of his ribs while his fist rocketed into Thorn's gut. She bent forward, and he smashed a second punch into her face, sending her flying backward and tumbling across the arena floor.
"Shadow's turning the tide!"
"Those knuckles are no joke!"
Jester tried to get up, blood at the corner of her mouth. "You think… you can stop us both?"
"I don't think," Shadow said. "I win."
With a final dash, he closed the gap between them. Jester swung one cleaver, but Shadow deflected it, drove a knuckled fist into her shoulder, and then hit her across the jaw. She dropped to her knees. One more uppercut, and she collapsed unconscious next to Thorn.
The crowd went silent for a heartbeat—and then erupted into chaos.
"No way!"
"He beat them both?!"
"Those were the undefeated twins!"
May leapt up and ran toward the betting table. "I'll be collecting my fifteen thousand silver coins now, thank you very much!"
Shadow stood still in the center of the arena, breathing steady, his body showing signs of strain but far from defeated.
The host raised his hand.
"And the winner is… SHADOW!"
The roar of the audience was overwhelming. Cheers, gasps, curses from gamblers who lost their bets—all mixed into a cacophony of disbelief and awe.
May rejoined Shadow as he stepped off the arena floor, both heavy with sweat and triumph.
"You did it," she said. "Fifteen thousand silver coins! That's more than double last night!"
Shadow nodded. "We'll need every bit of it."
"For better weapons?" May asked, already calculating in her head.
"And better armor," he replied. "Lynx is watching. And he's sending stronger fighters each time."
May grew quiet for a moment, glancing back at the unconscious bodies of Jester and Thorn being dragged from the arena.
"He's testing you. Seeing where your limits are."
"Then I'll show him I don't have any," Shadow said, walking toward the exit.
From the shadows above the arena, Brick watched with a smirk. His muscles bulged beneath his cloak, and his large steel batons leaned against the stone wall beside him.
"Interesting," he muttered. "Guess it's my turn next."