CHAPTER 57: GROUND RULE OF TWINSTER

Silas glanced sideways at Lucien, voice smooth and amused.

"You can stay behind us or maybe give your stepbrother a lesson?"

His chin lifted toward Vincent, who was already waiting, shoulders squared, eyes cold and fixed on the Serpent like he’d been preparing for this moment his whole life.

Lucien’s answering smirk was sharp enough to cut glass.

"Of course, I’m gonna show him the Lucero way of punishing rats."

Without another word, he stalked toward Vincent. The air between them tightened like a stretched wire.

Then the two vanished into the left hallway—one shadow slipping after another—ready to settle a debt on their own private stage.

Back in the alley, Adrian stepped forward with a casual swagger, but his eyes were razor-focused.

"As usual," Adrian said, "this is men’s fight. No weapon needed as the fists talk."

The three of them reached down and tossed their guns onto the concrete, metal clattering against stone like a bell announcing the match.

Victor cracked his neck once, then again, grin spreading slow and wicked.

"Come here, Twinster," he growled. "I will break your legs and arms like the last time we fought."

Victor moved first, closing the distance with a heavy step that echoed between the walls.

Adrian slipped aside and Silas cut in from the right, their timing sharp and instinctive.

Silas struck for Victor’s jaw, Adrian swept at his stomach, and both attacks collided with Victor’s forearms as he blocked with a grunt.

"You two still fight like fleas," Victor said, grabbing for Adrian’s collar.

Adrian twisted out of reach, laughing. "And you still swing like a gorilla."

"Bigger doesn’t mean winner, Victor, I know you know it so well." Silas darted in again. His fist drove toward Victor’s ribs, but Victor caught his wrist and shoved him back, forcing Silas to stumble half a step.

Adrian used that distraction to jump in low, aiming a quick hit to Victor’s knee. Victor shifted just enough to take the impact without buckling.

"Come on," he growled. "Hit me like you mean it. You are the highest pay assassins in the Blackshore aren’t you? Or is it just another useless title."

Adrian answered with a sharp hook to Victor’s cheek. Victor’s head jerked to the side with a clap of skin on bone, but he retaliated immediately, ramming his forehead into Adrian’s face.

Adrian staggered back, hand over his mouth, eyes flashing with irritation.

"Fuck, you are still as impulsive as ever. Move more elegant, fuckers."

"And be like you? Hah!" he spit on the ground, "I thought you changed, but still the same."

Funny enough, their confrontation in the past was exactly the same situation as this.

Back then, Dominus was nothing more than a small-time group pushing narcs from place to place.

One wrong turn into Lunox territory had ended with Victor and his crew getting ambushed.

He remembered trying to surrender, even attempting to slip away, but the Twinster blocked every exit.

His men had only one goal that day: stall the twins long enough for the shipment to be moved.

Victor won in the end, but it cost him more than he liked to admit, and the humiliation burned hotter than the injuries that followed.

That fight was the reason he trained his body until it felt carved from stone, preparing himself for the day they met again.

Now that the moment had finally come, he knew he was stronger and more skilled than before.

But the Twinster? Not so.

Silas moved again. A fast combination, three strikes in succession, each one aimed to disorient.

Victor blocked one, absorbed another, but the third clipped his jaw. He hissed at the sting, eyes narrowing with rising fury.

"You two really didn’t learn anything," Victor said.

He lunged. His hand locked around Silas’s shoulder and threw him into Adrian, knocking both of them off balance.

Before they could recover, Victor stormed forward and slammed Adrian against the wall. The impact sent dust drifting down onto their shoulders.

Adrian pushed back even as Victor’s fist drew back for another hit. "Hah! So you really improved."

"Told you," Victor replied.

He punched, but Silas reappeared at his flank, hooking an arm around Victor’s neck and pulling hard.

Victor snarled and elbowed Silas in the ribs, breaking the hold. Silas stepped back with a sharp breath while Adrian lunged again.

They attacked together in perfect rhythm. Silas went high, Adrian went low, every movement clean and practiced.

Victor tried to block both sides, but their speed widened the gap between each hit. Silas’s fist struck his jaw again.

Adrian’s kick hit his thigh. Another punch landed on his shoulder.

Victor pushed forward through the barrage, catching Silas by the front of his shirt. He tried to lift him, but Adrian crashed into Victor’s side and shoved him into the opposite wall.

The moment of imbalance cost him. Silas jumped back in, striking twice across Victor’s cheek before Victor could pull his arms into position.

"Getting slower," Silas chuckled, "You know you look like a fool when you think you can win against us."

"Or you two finally growing balls," Victor snapped.

Adrian stepped behind him and kicked the back of Victor’s leg. This time the knee bent. Victor caught himself with one hand against the wall, but Silas was already moving.

He grabbed Victor’s arm, twisted it, and forced him down further. Adrian hooked Victor’s other arm and pulled, locking him in.

Victor roared and tried to break the hold. His muscles bulged, boots scraping against the uneven ground, but the position was unforgiving and the coordination between the twins held firm.

Adrian leaned over him, breath steady despite the brawl. "Still think you can take both of us?"

Victor spat blood onto the dirt. "I can take the whole Lunox if I want."

Even he knew it rang hollow.

Silas tightened his grip, shifting his weight to pin him more securely. A low laugh slipped out.

"See, Adrian? This is why we stay grounded. Look what happens the moment we pretend we’re losing."

Adrian sighed, annoyed but resigned. "I just hate pretending to lose. It feels humiliating."

"It’s fun once in a while," Silas said, glancing down at Victor’s flushed, furious face.

"You know why you walked away that day? Because we let you. Our boss changed his mind at the last minute."

Adrian flashed a grin. "And you’re hilarious for thinking you ever had a chance."

"Fuck all of you! I’ll destroy you next time!" Victor snarled, straining against their hold.

"There won’t be a next time. Ground rule of Twinster, we never lost," Adrian murmured and drove a sharp blow into his neck.

Everything went black as the Giant lost consciousness.