đ„ THE DEATH TOURNAMENT BEGINS
A blimp hovered over Eastgrave, blasting the names of the fighters through loudspeakers. Every screen in the city flickered with one word:
VENDETTA.
And below, in an abandoned steel factory turned arena, crowds flooded in like animals chasing blood.
Round 1: Ryder vs. Pyro.
The bell rang at midnight.
đ„ INFERNO CAGE: RYDER VS. PYRO
The cage wasn't normal.
Flames roared from every corner. The floor steamed from heat coils. Chains hung from the ceiling.
Pyro enteredâshirtless, tattoos of fire, and twin blades lit with real flames.
The man was unhinged.
"Welcome to Hell, Ryder," he spat.
Ryder circled slowly, gloves on, eyes never blinking.
The fight exploded.
Pyro slashed â Ryder dodged. Fire scraped his shoulder, burning flesh.
Ryder punched back â Pyro twisted, grabbed a chain, swung like a lunatic.
They clashed midair.
Ryder caught Pyro's wrist mid-swing, twisted hard â CRACK.
One blade down.
Pyro roared and sprayed fire from a hidden wrist nozzle â burning across Ryder's chest.
Ryder screamed in pain â then grabbed the chain, wrapped it around Pyro's arm, yanked him forward, and headbutted him straight in the jaw.
BLOOD FLEW.
He didn't stop. One punch. Two. Twelve.
Pyro dropped.
The fire died.
Ryder walked out smoking â half burned, but undefeated.
âïž THE TOWER
High above the ring, Razor watched from a throne of metal, flanked by fighters.
Krypton leaned beside him.
"He's still got it," Razor admitted."But he's slower. He's bleeding."
Krypton smirked. "Good. Round 2 will break him."
"Brick's ready."
𧱠ROUND 2: RYDER VS. BRICK
No fire this time.
Just a concrete pit. No weapons. No tricks.
Only fists.
Brick entered â 7 feet tall, 400 pounds. Silent. Solid.
They called him "The Wall That Walks."
Ryder was exhausted, taped up, but unshaken.
The bell rang.
BOOM.
Brick rushed like a train â shoulder slam â Ryder flipped over him and landed hard.
Ryder scrambled. Punched. Kicked. Nothing worked.
Brick grabbed him mid-swing â lifted him like a ragdoll â and slammed him into the wall.
Ryder gasped. Blood from his mouth.
Another hit.
Another slam.
He was breaking.
But in the haze, Ryder saw a visionâTommy, smiling.
"Get up, bro. We're not done."
Ryder stood. Limping. Spitting blood.
He ran up the wall, flipped back, and hit both knees to Brick's skull.
The giant staggered.
Ryder climbed onto his shoulders, locked a chain around his neck, and choked him out like a lion killing a bear.
Brick crashed down. Out cold.
Ryder collapsed beside him â barely breathing.
But victorious.
đ THE WARNING
In the med room, Ryder lay on a stretcher. A medic stitched his wounds.
Suddenly, a shadow stepped in.
Master Kael.
Old. Blind. Calm.
"You are losing yourself," Kael said."This path... is not only vengeance. It is destruction."
Ryder grunted, "I don't care."
Kael placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You should. Because the next fighter... is her."
Ryder's eyes widened.
"What?"
Kael nodded. "The one Razor trained to kill you. Your mirror. Your punishment."
A screen lit up in the corner.
NEXT ROUND: RYDER VS. SHIRA
A masked figure appeared â female, fast, lethal.
Kael whispered:
"Your final test is not Razor.It's what Razor built⊠to end you."
END OF CHAPTER 3đ„ Up Next: Chapter 4 â Mirror of PainRyder vs. Shira. A fighter who knows every move he's ever made. And the truth behind Razor's plan finally gets revealed.