"Now, ladies and gentlemen! I'm certain you're all waiting for this moment! Here are the stars for the final round! Firstly, let's call in our favorite vicious competitor who quite literally slaughtered all of his opponents without remorse and under just a minute!" The emcee comically shivered.

The audience went wild with their booming cheers. Lillie and Ethan calmly observed everything while everyone around them was jumping and screaming their heads off.

​​

Even their adorable little siblings were joining in the fray.

Indifferently munching on her popcorn, Lillie tuned out the chaotic excitement and listened to the emcee.

"Just don't let his name deceive you because he's anything but sweet! So without further ado, let's give it up for our disturbingly deadly dessert, Mochi!"

Smoke engulfed one of the tunnels where there emerged the man Lillie and Ethan's been searching for.

"And for his opponent, who we can't forget for his amazing display of strength and honor, who we recognized for his gentle decorum—someone who we didn't expect to go this far! A complete opposite of the ruthless devil who looks cute and sweet on the outside but with a belly as black as coal, let's give it up for our resident saint and a certified underdog, Faithless Monk!"

The audience seemed to be divided equally between Mochi and Faithless Monk.

Some live for Mochi's ruthlessness while the others commend Faithless Monk for respecting and showing mercy to his opponents despite the Underworld Society's culture in regards to fighting.

"Because we were late, we haven't seen Mochi fight. But when the emcee described him, I feel like he could easily defeat Faithless Monk." Gabriel shared his thoughts with Yifei.

"I don't completely agree. Faithless Monk's movements were deadly, he was just holding back because he didn't want to seriously injure his opponent."

"I get that. It was our lucky guess when we betted on him. But I really feel like Mochi will win."

"Hard to admit it, but your instincts are rarely wrong." Yifei conceded. "Fine, we'll bet on Mochi this time."

Gabriel, who was sitting beside Lillie, turned to her. "What are your thoughts about the contestants, brother?"

"There's no denying that Faithless Monk has skills unique to his own. Those movements of his are reminiscent of a Shaolin monk, so his moniker may not be baseless. Regardless, he can't afford to use his saintly nature in this particular fight." Lillie supplied.

"You're saying he's likely to lose?"

"Not likely. He will."

"That Mochi guy, is he the one you two are after?" Yifei chimed, inclining forward from where Gabriel blocks her from view.

"Yes." With that monosyllabic reply, Gabriel and Yifei leaned back to their seats and silently watched the match.

They attempted to keep their focus on it, but questions began to brew relentlessly in their minds, curious who Mochi was and why their elder siblings were after him.

Explanations will have to wait, unfortunately. This place is not safe for sensitive discussions.

"CONTESTANTS, ARE YOU READY?" The emcee gathered the tension before the gong let out an ear-piercing ring. "BEGIN!"

Mochi made the first move by bolting head-on towards Faithless Monk, bracing his right hand into a fist and seemingly aiming for his throat.

"It's a diversion. He's going to jump over his head and strike from behind."

It was exactly what Ethan said that happened. Faithless Monk staggered forward but did two front flips to get a better grip on his landing.

It was a wise move as it managed to make him accidentally dodge Mochi's unwavering kicks.

"Hoh, you're good." Mochi cynically grinned at his opponent. "But not good enough."

Faithless Monk's expression remained neutral, seemingly unbothered by Mochi's provocative words.

"Impressive. How old are you, by the way? You look as old as my brats. I wonder where those punks are now? I haven't heard of them in years after I left the country."

"You sound like an old man but you only look like a few years older than I am." Faithless Monk humored him as he swiftly leaped to Mochi's side and swung his legs on the back of his knee to make him lose his balance.

But Mochi immediately saw through his attempt and jumped, then perched on Faithless Monk's offensive leg like a bird on a branch.

"Oho, I'll take that as a compliment! How old are you then?"

"I'm in my late twenties." Faithless Monk vaguely replied, shaking him off of his leg.

"Quite young. So you are close to my brats' ages. Then I'm about 10 years older than you."

"Who are these brats you're talking about, senior? If they're my age, they can't be your children."

"Correct! They're my students, whom I'm incredibly proud of for how they turned out. I'm certain you've heard of them before. Like, who hasn't?" Mochi sounds like a proud father bragging about his children to his friends.

***

"Are those two...chatting?" Yifei squinted her eyes at contestants fighting and seemingly having a good conversation.

"They are." Gabriel deadpanned at the large screen above the stadium displaying the match.

"My instinct tells me to feel annoyed. That old man must be talking about me." Ethan grumbled and glared at the monitor.

"There, there." Lillie patted his hand to soothe him—which worked.

This fight doesn't seem like the ones before them. It feels like these two were just having a good-natured spar.

"What the f*ck?! I paid good sh*t for this show! Where's the blood and gore you were bathing with earlier, Mochi?!"

"What's taking you so long to beat this sissy?! One minute has already passed!"

"Don't be a chicken, Faithless Monk! My livelihood depends on you!"

***

The audience screamed in anger at the contestants who don't appear to be taking their fight seriously.

But their protests fell deaf in their ears as they went on with their conversation.

"If you tell me who you're referring to, then perhaps I must've heard about them. Especially if you're so certain." Faithless Monk's tone was smooth and respectful as if he was talking to his elder—which in this case, he was.

"I don't want to sound that guy who's all bragging and stuff, but I'll humor you. Consider this as an apology gift once I beat you."

Faithless Monk nodded, not taking his arrogance in mind.

"The leader of my pack of brats goes under the name of Dragon, last time I heard." Mochi feigned cluelessness.

"Unfortunately, there's a lot of names that are associated with the word dragon." Faithless Monk finally landed a harsh hit on Mochi's spleen when he was distracted with his thought.

"Ow~" Mochi whined petulantly, but obviously unhurt. "That was my mistake. I shouldn't be distracted."

"How long have you been gone from the country?"

"Very long."

"Then you must've missed a lot."

"That I did, sadly. I didn't get the chance to see my brats grow. Abaddon and his ragtag group were so cute back then. It was amusing seeing them suffer under my training." Mochi laughed almost sadistically.

Faithless Monk suddenly felt sorry for whoever went under this deranged man's training.

Wait.

Abaddon?

"It was nice talking with you, Monk Boy, but the fight has been prolonged than necessary."

"I agree. Shall we finish this then, Senior?" The name sounded really familiar. Faithless Monk could've sworn he'd heard of it a long, long time ago.

"You know what? I really like you. So I'll consider being merciful with you."

"By all means, don't hold back. I need to determine where I'm lacking."

"I'm afraid I'll kill you if I don't."

"If it's my fate, then I shall accept."

Mochi grinned. "I like your spirit, boy. But if you insist. I hope you don't regret it."