Chapter Eleven

Lars' POV

Five days later...

I bounced a few times on the balls of my feet, punching my fists together once, letting my blood rush through my veins, needing the adrenaline and the courage that came with it.

They had not released the other fighter's identity to me, this being a surprise match to wow the many, faithful viewers who followed the tournament, and I could not suppress the nerves that were keenly trying to battle my determination to win, to fight, to move forward.

More than anything, I was ready to do what I needed to do...for us.

I turned my sapphire eyes towards Dragunov currently sitting cordially in one of the reserved seats close by the traditional arena; my lover a picture of suave control and silent power as he had his arms crossed over his chest and his right ankle resting on top of his left knee.

I was not just fighting for myself anymore...I was fighting for the both of us.

The crowd continued to clap and shout and remain on their toes while Sergei sat calmly in the midst of them all, and I smiled once I saw him nod at me.

I was ready and I punched my fists together again.

"And now...the match you've all been waiting for..." the announcer's deep voice echoed dramatically across the vaulted room, causing even higher screams and I held my breath for my opponent to finally show his face.

Then, out from the south corner's holding area, I saw an unmistakeable pair of black sunglasses accompanied by a puzzling X-shaped scar across the face of the fighter known as Raven.

"...fuck..." I cursed under my breath, watching as Raven stalked up to the arena, his completely black attire and distasteful frown on his face unsettling me to my core, making me think that he was angry that he even had to be here in the first place.

I knew this fighter was unbelievably fast, his movements often hidden one way or another, as Raven was a master of ninjitsu, and could come up with techniques to use practically on the spot in order to defeat his opponent.

I had to be careful.

I glanced to Sergei once more, knowing that in my one look over to him, he would know what I was thinking, what I was asking of him.

Sergei had his jaw locked tight, his light-colored eyes narrowed and serious and I saw clearly that he was telling me to focus, to be strong, to think confidently and without hesitation...just like how he would.

I felt my adrenaline surge once more as I bounced on my toes a few more times, my eyes trained hard onto my opponent now, as I slid into my fighting stance.

I would make Sergei proud.

I would.

Raven's expression was pulled taut and disproving, but I no longer let that bother me like how I had before...now it only made me furious.

The announcer's voice sounded again over the speakers, roaring a commanding 'begin' to Raven and myself, which had me moving forward in an instant.

I was ready to win, to claim this match as mine, and advance even further in this tournament...I was ready to take Raven down.

I reared my right fist back as I swiftly closed the distance between my silent opponent, hating how he had barely even prepared himself by assuming a proper fighting stance for our match, hating his confidence and needing to shatter it with my own.

Then, in a move too bold or too fast for my own eyes to catch completely, Raven caught my fist in an iron grasp, halting my momentum and taking me totally by surprise.

His shaded gaze fixed on me for only a second before he was moving.

Raven used his hold on my fist as he suddenly pivoted his body so that his shoulder was turned towards me and then volleyed me up and over his back, slamming me into the floor with brutal force.

My teeth rattled together for a moment while I absorbed the shock through my body of fully connecting with the ground as I had, but my instincts had me moving in the next breath to avoid Raven's leg as it came crashing down intending to flatten me.

I jumped to my feet, my fists and senses on the defensive and I blocked punch after punch from the black-clad man, my steps having to move backwards from the sheer force of them all.

Suddenly, Raven ducked down low and swiped his leg out for a lightning-fast sweep kick, succeeding in knocking my own legs out from under me as I fell back to the floor once more.

This time, I could not move away fast enough and Raven hopped on top of me, crushing me with his weight on my stomach, as he punched my cheek, making my whole face feel like it was going to explode, as I took another and then another.

The pain was excruciating, my cheekbone felt too battered and sensitive, and it was with a growl that I threw Raven off of me, scrambling to stand up in order to regain my composure as quickly as possible.

Raven had lost his footing for only a split-second upon being tossed up from me as he had, and I used that miniscule amount of time that his defenses were down to upper-cut him squarely in his jaw, my knuckles connecting firmly and accurately in just the right place below his chin to send him flying.

I watched with hopeful glee as Raven stumbled back, his teeth grit in glorious pain, but my small advantage was short-lived, as Raven recovered from the blow faster than I had anticipated.

The fighter dashed towards me at a remarkable speed before leaping high into the air, my arms automatically raising in order to prepare for the blow I knew was coming from above.

However, whence Raven's momentum started to descend, he suddenly shot out an arm, planting his hand on the top of my shoulder and somersaulted completely over me so that he landed behind me.

"He's too fast...I can't keep up with him...!" the thought crackled through my mind like a sickening confession, as I only had time to turn my head towards my opponent that had somehow gotten behind me before he was on the move again.

My eyes widened and the crowd went wild as Raven spun his body around and delivered a crushing roundhouse kick to my already aching jaw, his particular angle making me spin a few times in mid-air before toppling to the ground.

My ears were ringing, my vision blurred, one of my eyes being swollen shut, and I could feel an alarming amount of blood oozing from my lips and from a cut about my right eye.

I could only just barely make out the bleary, inky image of Raven approaching me with fire in his steps, his fists clenched and ready to strike, and it was in this moment, that I turned my head towards the one person I needed to see the most.

I swallowed the mouthful of blood that had collected underneath my tongue as my fogged vision could just barely make out Sergei sitting in the same place he had been, his black hair and light-brown attire standing out the most to my faded senses, but as soon as I had laid eyes on him, he was gone.

"No..." the single word was whispered in my thoughts, my heart needing Sergei more than ever in this dire moment and my whole body felt even more of the physical pain from the strikes already sustained now that I could not find him anywhere.

I squeezed my eyes shut tight, hating the sting that I felt as a result, as I knew that Raven would be right before me by now, and I tried to prepare my beaten body and mind for that one, crucial blow that might mean certain critical damage.

However, no such blow came.

Way too much time had passed; Raven would have acted by now...

I opened my eyes as best as I could to assess the situation and my mouth dropped open immediately as I beheld the image of Sergei's strong back, the Russian soldier standing in his fierce fighting stance in front of me.

Once I expanded my vision, I could clearly see Raven's form sprawled out on the ground several feet away from Sergei and me, his hand cradling his jaw from a blow that had to have come from Sergei with such speed and force that both Raven and I had completely missed it...and it did not go unnoticed by me that Raven was not getting up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what a show!" the announcer's voice pierced through my shock and haze, the viewers rioting in the chairs and tossing various drinks and snacks in every direction amongst themselves, "...Sergei Dragunov has entered the ring to deliver a devastating attack to Raven and he is down for the count!"

I struggled to my feet, my head feeling like it was going to fall right off of my shoulders, and the instant I wavered, I felt a large hand grip my elbow and steady my stance.

I laid a hand on Sergei's back, leaning heavily into him as I fought to catch my breath and deal with the bursts of pain that continued to riddle throughout my body, Sergei remaining tall and solid beside me as he slowly turned around to face me.

"Our judges have just ruled..." the fight announcer spoke to all of us as Sergei frowned sympathetically while gently bringing his gloved fingers to my chin, lifting it for me since I was too exhausted and in too much pain to do it myself, "...due to the unsanctioned entry of Sergei Dragunov in the match...Lars Alexandersson is hereby disqualified and Raven is the winner!"

The people in the crowd booed and wailed at the ruling, but all of it was still lost on me, as I struggled to keep my gaze on Sergei's pained expression as he carefully wiped away some of my blood from my chin, his crystal-colored eyes hurting for me.

My head was swimming, my vision only choosing various shapes and colors to latch onto as I desperately wanted to take in as much of Sergei's beautiful face as I could since he and I were so close together, but the moment I raised my hand to touch Sergei's fingers, I felt all of it slip away.

Like diving into black water, like collapsing through a cloud too high, I felt all of my rooted senses vanish in an instant...and everything became black and void and...nothing.

I did not feel the ground as I fell.