Aeon and Cross continued to face each other, the tension between them suffocating. Their movements blurred with speed and precision, each strike carrying the weight of their pasts. The former’s fists connected a few times, bruising the latter’s ribs, while the latter’s calculated counters sent jolts of pain through the former’s arms and chest. The sound of their blows echoed like thunderclaps in the confined space, neither man willing to yield.
Blood trickled from the corner of Aeon’s mouth, his breathing ragged, but his eyes burned with unrelenting determination. He swung wildly, his knuckles grazing Cross’s jaw with enough force to make the vigilante stagger. He recovered quickly, his expression unreadable but with a flicker of irritation breaking through his calm facade.
“You’re stron
