"Bang, I'm here. Where is he?"
A figure leisurely appeared within everyone's line of sight. His appearance was strikingly similar to Bang's, except for one obvious difference: one had hair, and the other was bald.
Yet, the powerful aura radiating from this man was impossible to ignore.
Especially when he spoke, the intensity of his fighting spirit was palpable, making the very air seem to freeze momentarily.
"Big brother, I'm sorry to have you rush over here."
Bang quickly stood to greet him, an apologetic look on his face.
However, Bomb brushed it off with a wave of his hand, cutting off what Bang was about to say.
"You're being too formal, Bang," he said.
"As your elder brother, it's my duty to have your back. If someone comes to your house to humiliate you, there's no way I'm going to sit by and do nothing! So, where's this person you mentioned?"
Bomb's words were sharp, his eyes scanning the surroundings, as if searching for the one Bang had spoken of.
"Big brother, it's not like that!" Bang's face changed at his brother's words, quickly trying to explain, fearing that the tense atmosphere would escalate once again due to Bomb's aggressive tone.
If things spiraled out of control, it would become troublesome.
"Big brother, you've got it wrong."
"Brother Yami didn't come here to humiliate me. He challenged me to a sparring match, and although I lost, he didn't mean any harm. The dojo was destroyed during the fight, but if it were as serious as you think, I wouldn't have been able to wait for your arrival."
"Charanko and Sitch can both testify to this."
Bang's explanation managed to calm Bomb's initial anger.
As a seasoned martial arts master, Bomb was even better than Bang at controlling his emotions, so he wasn't going to let his temper get the better of him.
"Then why did you call me here?"
"Are you asking this old man to help you save face?"
"Bang, when did you fall so low? You've really disappointed me!"
A moment ago, he was speaking like a protective older brother, but now he was acting like a strict father. The sudden shift in tone left everyone present feeling a bit stunned.
Especially Charanko, who was momentarily frozen in place. He had never seen anyone scold his master like this before, but since this was his master's elder brother, it seemed natural.
Left with no choice, Charanko pretended to look elsewhere. As a disciple, it was better to avoid witnessing this kind of awkward scene.
"Big brother, you're misunderstanding me!"
Bomb's words made Bang smile wryly.
"Do you really think I'm that pitiful?"
"Sure, losing the match was frustrating, but it's not like I can't accept it. Why are you making it out to be something more?"
Being criticized like this by his elder brother, especially in front of others — including his disciple — was really testing Bang's patience.
If it were just the two of them, it would've been easier to brush off, but now, with so many people around, including Charanko, it was a different story.
Bomb, however, seemed completely oblivious to how his words were affecting Bang.
"Since you're not asking me to avenge you, and there's nothing serious going on, why did you call me over in such a hurry?"
"Don't you know I have a dojo and disciples of my own to take care of?"
"I'm not as free as you, Bang!"
Bang felt like he might have a heart attack from frustration. His brother's words were as irritating as ever!
"Ahem, big brother, it's not what you think."
"After defeating me, Brother Yami healed my injuries and expressed a desire to challenge you. That's why I called you over."
"So you are asking me to help you take revenge, aren't you?"
Bomb cut in immediately after Bang finished speaking.
Hearing this, Bang felt utterly helpless. How had he never noticed before how frustrating his big brother could be?
This conversation was going nowhere!
"Well, if you want to see it that way, fine," Bang sighed, resigning himself to the situation.
"Actually, Brother Yami doesn't just want to challenge you; he wants to challenge both of us together."
Bang could only accept this interpretation, realizing that if the conversation continued in this direction, things might get even worse.
He was more concerned about dying of irritation at his brother's hands than losing to a monster in battle!
"Heh, are young people these days really so arrogant?"
"It's surprising that he managed to defeat you, but thinking he can handle both of us is beyond overconfident. That's really starting to tick me off."
"Bang, did you just agree to this without thinking?"
Bomb looked furious again. The veins on his bald head bulged visibly.
After finally managing to get his brother to take things seriously, Bang was feeling somewhat relieved, though he didn't dare show it.
If Bomb knew what he was really thinking, he'd be the first one to get beaten!
"Big brother, don't underestimate him."
"Brother Yami's strength is even more overwhelming than you can imagine. I barely managed to scratch him during our fight, and he didn't lose his combat ability."
"He's definitely strong enough to face both of us, and..."
Bang's expression suddenly sharpened.
"Even if we join forces, there's still a strong possibility that we'll lose. So please, take this seriously."
"This sparring match will be an unforgettable experience, and you'll learn a lot from it."
Bang's words hit Bomb hard, and slowly, his dissatisfaction faded away completely.