CHAPTER 305: FLAMES ON THE SAME STREET

Chad could only stand there, staring at the chaos before him in wide-eyed awe. He’d seen fights before, small ones, quick bursts of violence in back alleys or behind closed doors. He’d seen the Black Hounds handle unruly guests, the kind of beatdowns that sent a message loud and clear.

Even those short, sharp skirmishes had rattled him to his core. The way those men moved, the force behind their blows, he’d known instantly that they could take down his guards without breaking a sweat.

But this... this was on another level entirely. A large-scale fight, dozens upon dozens of people clashing all at once, and somehow, no one outside this street even knew it was happening. It was chaos, but it was organized chaos.

And every single fighter wearing that black-and-red insignia belonged to Max.

How did he even pull this off? Chad thought, his mind scrambling for answers. How did he manage to gather so many people under him? Did he pay them all?

Then he hesitated, frowning. No... I even paid Dipter once, and in the end, his group still turned on me. Sure, you could hire this many people to fight, but to stand toe-to-toe with gangsters?

He narrowed his eyes, trying to make sense of it. Maybe that’s why they’re fighting. They’re high school kids, they don’t understand the danger. They think they’re untouchable, blinded by a bit of money.

"You’re an idiot," Sandra’s voice cut through his thoughts like a knife. She stepped up beside him, arms crossed, eyes locked on the scene. "I can tell exactly what you’re thinking as you stand here gawking. Let me make it clear, " her tone sharpened, ", not a single one of them is getting paid to fight like you think."

She jerked her chin toward the melee. "If they were, do you honestly believe they’d fight this hard? That they’d wear that uniform with pride? The Bloodline Group isn’t here for a paycheck. They’re here because they chose to be."

Her gaze followed the fighters, and her voice softened, almost reluctantly. "Max is someone they’ve all chosen to follow in this moment. He’s... a natural leader."

Sandra didn’t say the rest out loud, but the thought lingered heavy in her chest. To her, Wolf was a natural leader too. Yet here they were, fighting in the same battle but not as one unit. Wolf had joined without the rest of the Pit members because of a personal matter that had pulled them away.

And that worried her. Because when two flames burned side by side, one always risked being swallowed by the other. Right now, Max’s fire was burning higher, brighter, threatening to draw in everything around it, including Wolf’s.

On the street below, those two flames stood shoulder to shoulder, Wolf clad in gold, Max in black.

"You two betrayed us! I’ll kill you!" a voice roared from the ranks of the Rejected Corps. One of their members broke from the crowd, rage etched across his face as he charged forward.

Wolf moved first. In a single, explosive motion, he leapt into the air, his body twisting with precision. His heel connected with the man’s face in a devastating kick, the impact ringing out over the chaos. The force of the strike sent the attacker crashing backward to the ground, out cold before he even landed.

"You fools were the ones who blindsided me, hit me in the back of the head, and then kept beating down on one person," Wolf growled, his voice cutting through the noise of the brawl. "If someone didn’t betray you after that, or didn’t pay you back for it, then they’re the real fool."

As Wolf straightened, his gaze swept over the chaos ahead until it locked onto a figure in the distance. Almost perfectly in line with them, standing out from the crowd, was Chrono. Wolf raised a hand and pointed, his finger like the tip of a spear.

"Max," Wolf called over the roar of the fight, "you need to get to Chrono, no matter what. As much as I want to take that guy down myself, that’s not my job. It’s yours!" His expression hardened, voice deepening with resolve. "But I’m not going to just stand by. I’ll help you. I’ll clear the path, whatever it takes, so you can reach him... Now let’s go!"

Max gave a sharp nod, his jaw set. Without another word, the two launched forward together.

The first man to cross Max’s path swung wide, but Max slipped just out of range. In a fluid motion, he seized the attacker’s arm, twisted his grip, and hurled him sideways. The man crashed into the crowd, where several Bloodline members surged forward to deal with him.

Two more opponents rushed Wolf, each wielding heavy meat cleavers. The blades glinted as they came down, but Wolf reacted with explosive speed. He caught both attackers by the wrists, locked his grip, then leapt into the air. His boots drove forward, striking each man squarely with a double kick that sent them sprawling.

When Wolf landed, he rolled backward to his feet in one smooth motion, already scanning for the next threat. His fighting style had always been unpredictable, reckless at times, but there was no denying it worked. Somehow, in that chaos, his wild movements always found their mark.

More enemies pushed in. One lunged for Max, but Max stepped forward into the attack, spinning on his heel and delivering a powerful kick to the man’s chest. The force sent him flying backward, air bursting from his lungs in a painful gasp.

Another swung toward Max’s head, but Wolf appeared in an instant, intercepting the blow. His fist cracked against the attacker’s face, sending him stumbling away. Together, the two continued to carve their way forward, pushing closer and closer toward Chrono’s position.

From his vantage point, Chrono’s eyes narrowed. The sight of them moving together, two skilled fighters cutting through his men like a sharpened blade, was unsettling.

I knew the reports weren’t exaggerating when they said these two were strong... but to see them both this skilled, both surrounded by so many capable allies, it’s something else entirely, Chrono thought, a flicker of unease gripping him. I got caught up in Max’s wave, thinking about how I could use him... I never once considered that power could be turned against me.

"Na!" Chrono barked suddenly, snapping out of his thoughts. "What are you waiting for? Are you just going to stand there and watch them? Go get them!"