Chapter 258: An Urge Of Power
After having his arm broken, his dominant arm, no less, Max was finding it incredibly difficult to keep up the fight against Dud. Every movement felt sluggish, every dodge a second too slow, and the pain pulsing from his injured limb was impossible to ignore.
It appeared even Dud had gained confidence. No longer relying solely on his grappling skills, he was now using his fists and legs to dish out brutal, punishing strikes. Each hit was more devastating than the last, and Max could feel the damage piling up.
Getting hurt in a fight affected someone more than they usually expected. It wasn’t just physical, it was everything. It messed with your head, shattered your concentration. It robbed you of your ability to breathe properly, and it made calling upon your strength feel like trying to lift a mountain. With every heavy blow, it felt like Dud was hammering away at more than just Max’s body, he was chiseling away at his will.
Max’s thoughts spiraled in every direction. His breathing was ragged, his vision blurred, and somewhere deep in his mind, a question kept ringing: How am I supposed to solve this? How do I get out of this mess?
In that haze of pain and confusion, only one thing crossed his mind, relying on others. Depending on someone else to step in.
But he crushed that thought almost as quickly as it came.
"Relying on others..." Max gritted his teeth, shaking his head. "I can’t believe I actually thought of that."
He clenched his jaw tighter, feeling fury rise from deep within him.
"The leader of the White Tiger Gang relying on people? What a joke. I guess... I guess I really did start doing that in our later days."
His mind raced as memories surfaced, those final moments before everything fell apart. He had stopped pushing himself. He had started trusting others to handle things, stopped sharpening his own edge.
"When I think about it," he thought bitterly, "that was probably the beginning of my downfall. I got weaker... complacent. While everyone else who did things for me, they kept getting stronger."
Max’s remaining hand clenched into a tight fist, his knuckles pale and trembling. But then, something shifted.