PeakWEST - 11 : Monster

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 𝟿𝟽 - 𝙺𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚗 - 𝟷

The battle continues to intensify, with Zen, Rogue, Kanaeo, and Timp all giving their best in the 1vs1vs1vs1 showdown.

The air is thick with the sounds of fists meeting flesh and the determined grunts of the fighters.

Zen ducking under a punch from Rogue, then countering with an uppercut,

“You’re not getting past me that easily!”

Rogue: taking the hit but quickly retaliating with a spinning kick,

“I don’t need to get past you—I just need to knock you down!”

Zen blocks the kick with his forearm, but the impact forces him back.

Meanwhile, Kanaeo and Timp are locked in a rapid exchange of blows, neither one willing to back down.

Kanaeo: [dodging a strike and countering with a knee to Timp’s side]

“You’re tough, Timp, but I’ve got more in me!”

Timp: [grimacing from the hit, but quickly spinning and delivering a backhand punch]

“We’ll see about that!”

Zen charges toward Timp, aiming to take advantage of the moment, but Kanaeo intercepts him with a well-timed kick to his midsection.

Zen: [coughing as he’s pushed back]

“Ugh... you’re not making this easy, Kanaeo.”

Kanaeo: [with a determined look]

“It’s not supposed to be easy!”

Rogue, not wanting to be left out, leaps toward Timp with a powerful punch.

Timp narrowly avoids it, rolling to the side and springing back up to his feet.

Timp: [smirking]

“Nice try, Rogue, but you’ll have to do better!”

Rogue growls in frustration and rushes at Timp again, but Timp is ready this time.

He sidesteps Rogue’s attack and delivers a swift kick to his back, sending Rogue stumbling forward.

Rogue: [recovering quickly but visibly tired]

“Damn it… I’m not done yet!”

Kanaeo, sensing an opportunity, presses his attack on Zen, delivering a series of quick jabs that force Zen to stay on the defensive.

Kanaeo: [relentlessly attacking]

“Come on, Zen! Is this all you’ve got?”

Zen: [gritting his teeth as he blocks the attacks]

“Not even close!”

But before Zen can mount a counterattack, Timp comes in from the side, delivering a powerful punch to Zen’s ribs.

The impact sends Zen reeling, and he struggles to stay on his feet.

Zen: [panting, trying to regain his balance]

“Damn... these two are relentless…”

Rogue, seeing Zen’s moment of weakness, charges at him with a roar.

But just as he’s about to strike, Kanaeo intercepts him with a spinning kick, knocking Rogue to the ground.

Rogue: [gritting his teeth as he lies on the ground]

“Damn it… I can’t keep up…”

With Rogue down and Zen on the verge of collapse, it’s clear who the victors are.

Timp and Kanaeo exchange a glance, both of them breathing heavily but still standing strong.

Timp: [smiling at Kanaeo]

“Looks like it’s just you and me now.”

Kanaeo: [nodding, a grin on his face]

“Yeah… but I think we’ve proven our point.”

Zen, realizing he’s outmatched, finally drops to one knee, conceding the fight.

Zen: [panting, with a faint smile]

“You two... you’ve won this one.”

Rogue, still on the ground, lets out a frustrated sigh and finally taps the ground in defeat.

Rogue: [breathing heavily]

“You got me... this time.”

Timp and Kanaeo stand victorious, both of them clearly exhausted but proud of their performance.

They extend a hand to their fallen comrades, helping them to their feet.

Timp: [smirking as he pulls Zen up]

“That was a good fight.”

Zen: [smiling back, despite the pain]

“Yeah... it was.”

Kanaeo: [helping Rogue to his feet]

“We all gave it our best. That’s what matters.”

Rogue: [grumbling but with a hint of a smile]

“Next time, I’ll take you down.”

The four of them, despite the fierce battle, share a moment of camaraderie, knowing that they’ve pushed each other to their limits and grown stronger because of it.

[ a blurry vision of someone training intensely, blood dripping from their exertion, before the scene fades ]

Mike: [thinking] “I have to defeat Timp... Once I surpass him, I can take on the others.

"I’m certain Timp is the strongest among us right now... No, more than that... He was holding back against me."

"I wonder what his full power looks like."

Zen: "On the other hand, Kanaeo... Kanaeo is the strongest in my opinion."

"Whether he’s weaker or stronger than Timp doesn’t really matter."

Mike: "Yeah... There’s no way we can beat them in the training sessions."

"We’ll have to put in extra training on our own."

"Plus, their experience is on another level."

Zen: "We can do it, I’m sure of that... But something’s off... My mind feels blank."

"It’s like I’m only focused on one thing."

Mike: “I feel like I’m entirely focused on these 27 days, but I can’t shake the feeling that,

"I’ve left something important behind."

Zen: “You feel that too?”

Mike: “Yeah... I wonder what we’ve missed...”

[ Alan’s face appears on the panel as a flashback from an earlier chapter. ]

Ace: “Ahh... man...”

Zen: “Oh, Ace! How did it go?”

Mike: “Wasn’t Rogue in the battle with you?”

Zen: “That means Rogue defeated you.”

Ace: “Yeah... I wasn’t taking it seriously. Plus, I’m not used to pushing myself too hard... It’s just boring and a pain in the ass.”

Zen: “Right, but you have to. We need to be ready for new challenges.”

Ace: "Challenges? Like a war on our clan?"

"We’re not even worth it..."

Mike: “He’s got a point, Zen.”

Zen: “I know... but as a precaution, we need to be prepared.”

Ace: “Whatever, just don’t expect me to go all out.”

Ace walks away

Mike: “Don’t worry, Zen... I’ll get him on board.”

Zen: “I trust you.”

𝚃𝚘 𝙱𝚎 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍...