The three of them stood facing each other, forming a triangle beside the bridge, just in front of the river.
Today...
Their final task would take place.
They didn't have to defeat Thomas.
They only had to do one thing.
Land a single clean hit on him.
(And no... another kick to the nuts didn't count.)
The fight began.
Conrad opened with a quick jab, expecting Thomas to dodge it.
That was exactly what he wanted.
The moment Thomas moved, Tom would attack from behind with a knee kick before following it up with a punch to the face.
Simple.
Efficient.
Perfect.
Or so they thought.
Thomas didn't dodge.
Instead...
He jumped.
The punch that was meant for his face landed harmlessly on his chest instead.
At the same time, Thomas launched a back kick straight toward Tom.
But Tom already had a backup plan.
He spun through the air and aimed another kick...
Straight at Thomas's nuts.
Again.
Thomas sighed.
"Not this again..."
He blocked it with his shin before immediately driving an elbow into Conrad.
Tom saw the opening.
One of Thomas's hands had moved away.
Perfect.
He launched a double kick toward Thomas's shoulders before preparing to finish with a headbutt.
Thomas read the entire plan before it even happened.
As if he could see the future.
He flipped into the air...
Grabbed Tom's leg...
And threw him straight toward Conrad.
It should have been over.
Except...
Tom had loosened his shoelaces before the fight even began.
The moment Thomas threw him...
The shoe came off.
Tom slipped free in mid-air.
Using the momentum, he launched himself upward and came crashing down with a devastating stomp kick.
A technique...
He had invented himself.
For the first time...
Thomas hadn't expected it.
So he had no choice.
He blocked it head-on.
With one fist raised above his head.
The impact echoed beneath the bridge.
Tom cried out in pain.
Thomas's knuckles were like steel.
His own leg had taken almost as much damage as Thomas's hand.
The moment Thomas focused on Tom...
Another figure appeared from the shadows.
Conrad.
After taking the elbow earlier...
He had secretly climbed onto the bridge above them.
The instant Tom jumped...
Conrad jumped as well.
He came falling from above with a punch aimed directly at Thomas's fist.
Fist against fist.
Thomas smiled.
"You're insane."
But then...
Conrad's real plan revealed itself.
A rope.
He had tied one end to the bridge.
Just before reaching Thomas...
The rope pulled tight.
Instead of crashing into him...
Conrad swung around him like a pendulum.
Using the momentum...
He launched a kick straight toward Thomas's face.
Thomas calmly leaned back.
The kick missed.
But...
It was the first time in the entire fight...
That Thomas had actually dodged.
A proud smile appeared on the old man's face.
Unfortunately...
That still wasn't Conrad's real plan.
After landing...
Conrad performed one backflip after another.
Each time...
He quietly grabbed a handful of sand.
Thomas laughed.
"These goofy tricks won't work on me."
And he was right.
The sand wasn't the plan.
Conrad closed his eyes.
He remembered everything.
His family.
The fire.
The blood.
The massacre.
Every painful memory...
Poured into a single moment.
His fists tightened.
He combined...
The jab.
The hook.
The uppercut.
Thomas's own signature technique.
But he added something more.
His rage.
"The Rage Buster."
Conrad exploded forward.
BOOM.
The punch landed directly on Thomas's stomach.
For the first time...
The old man took...
One step back.
Then another.
Silence.
Conrad and Tom froze.
They had done it.
Thomas smiled.
"You boys win."
He slowly lay down on the ground, pretending that the punch had completely exhausted him.
The two boys celebrated like children.
Tom could barely walk because of his injured leg.
Conrad's stomach still hurt from the earlier punch.
Yet...
They couldn't stop laughing.
That evening...
Thomas used the last bit of money he had to throw them a small celebration.
As he watched the two boys laugh together...
He smiled.
Teaching them...
Had been one of the best decisions of his life.
Deep inside, however...
He was afraid.
Redware was filled with monsters.
And today...
Conrad and Tom had only managed to land one hit on an old man who wasn't even in his prime.
But despite that...
Thomas believed in them.
Not because of their strength.
Because of their courage.
Their determination.
And their will to keep moving forward.
The next morning...
Thomas packed his things.
"I'll be leaving tomorrow."
"Maybe outside The Ware."
"So..."
"This is probably the last time we'll ever meet."
He looked at both of them one last time.
"Be happy, boys."
"And succeed in everything you do."
Without looking back...
The old man walked away.
Leaving behind...
Two students...
Ready to step into the Land of Cruelty.