Is this destiny?

Sarah's eyes were glued on Aiden. She loves when he fights and hopes not to miss a single contraction of his muscles.

Sarah and Aiden sparred many times and fought side-by-side. This is a rare treat for Sarah to watch him fight without participating. And this is not training, this is the real fight where he needs to stay focused. The way he intently observes his opponent is thrilling.

Aiden's eyes were on Pavle, his opponent. Pavle is about the same height as Aiden, with slightly broader shoulders.

"They call you pretty boy…", Pavle sneered. "Let's see if you will be pretty once I'm done with you."

Aiden smiled in response. If Pavle wants to provoke him, he is doing a lousy job. The only thing that can rile up Aiden is if someone talks smack about Sarah.

Pavle flexed the muscles of his arms in front of his chest like a bodybuilder before grabbing his t-shirt around the collar. With a loud roar, pieces of fabric fell on the ground, and Pavle's muscular physique was revealed. Sarah zoomed in with Eve-lens and observed numerous scars, definitely from his previous fights. Or maybe from rigorous training that involves blades.

The crowd cheered for Aiden to remove his top as well, and females screamed louder than the others. To their disappointment, Aiden ignored them. He has no need to show off in front of these nobodies. He is here to fight. Also, Sarah might get upset. 

The lady on the screens with ash-blonde hair announced the start of the fight.

Both Aiden and Pavle assumed fighting stances.

Pavle won all of his matches without making many waves. Sarah noticed that while fighting, he used only how much he needed to win. That means he is calculated and there is a good chance that he is still hiding the extent of his abilities.

Compared to Pavle, Aiden was flashier. He finished most of his matches with explosive kicks and there were a few punches here and there. But Aiden's record is that so far, he didn't get hit. He would nimbly avoid all the attacks, no matter what they are.

Hong advised Aiden to receive few hits and make himself look vulnerable, but Sarah was against it. Aiden decided to listen to Sarah. Why would he let people hurt him? He came to fight, not to be a punching bag.

Back to the present…

Aiden and Pavle cautiously circled over the raised platform while maintaining distance like two animals fighting to prove who is better. The hostility between them was tangible and neither of them paid attention to the deafening noise of the crowd around them.

Pavle's muscles tensed and he dashed toward Aiden with his hands up, ready to attack.

Aiden blocked Pavle's left, by pushing it to the side and changing its trajectory. Pavle's right one was a split second behind it. Aiden blocked that hit as well.

Pavle continued attacking, with every hit faster than the previous one.

Aiden was dodging and blocking while confirming that Sarah is faster than this. However, Sarah never went to hurt him, and on rare occasions during sparring when his attention slipped, Sarah would hold back at the last moment. Pavle is different. He would not be phased if Aiden ends up disfigured or worse.

Aiden had to interrupt Pavle's momentum, but attacking was risky, so the only thing he could do was retreat.

Aiden stepped to the side and increased the distance between them.

Pavle's confidence soared and he dashed after Aiden.

Aiden didn't have any time to catch his breath, so he decided to attack. After two swift blocks, Aiden swung his body slightly to the left. Pavle assumed that Aiden will move away again but Aiden's fist in the chest caught Pavle by surprise and Pavle instinctively dashed backward.

Aiden took this chance to get a breather and analyze the situation. It's obvious that Pavle is either getting close to attack with hands or is maintaining a distance that is too much for the reach of Aiden's legs. Well, everyone who watched Aiden's previous matches would be afraid of his legs.

Aiden reminded himself not to idle for too long, because that might give Pavle enough time to attack again, and Aiden does not want to be stuck defending.

Aiden closed the distance between him and Pavle, and attacked with hands. Some were feints, some real, but Pavle blocked all of them.

Aiden took a step back and rotated his hips swiftly, ready to deliver his signature kick.

Pavle's lips stretched into a smile. He was waiting for this.

Pavle moved slightly backward, just in time to grab Aiden's right leg.

Instead of trying to get his leg free, Aiden jumped with his left leg and executed a perfect somersault. Pavle was holding onto Aiden's leg firmly, but Aiden's momentum was too much, and he had to let go.

Caught in Aiden's rhythm, Pavle didn't have enough time to move and Aiden's foot grazed Pavle's nose which immediately started bleeding.

Aiden landed on his legs, with the grace of a cat and cursed internally. If he was one inch closer, he would kick properly, and this fight would be over.

Pavle was still dazed and Aiden rushed toward him, ready to attack.

Pavle's reaction speed was significantly reduced and he received several heavy punches in his torso that made him stagger backward.

Aiden stopped his hits and took a step back.

"You said something about my pretty face before we started. I thought that you were serious about this fight, but now I realized that you are interested in me. Sorry, man... I don't sway that way. My woman is right there...", Aiden taunted Pavle.

Pavle wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his palm and stared at his now bloody hand for a second. He does not remember when someone played with him like this. It was like Aiden can predict his movements. Pavle can't move any faster than this, and the fact that his head is buzzing from Aiden's kick will make him slower. The only thing he has is his strength. Will that be enough?

For the first time, in a long time, Pavle felt that the victory is slipping from his grasp.

Other than being on the losing end and bleeding, did Aiden call him gay? Pavle looked at Aiden who was staring back at him with a mocking smirk. Pavle lost it.

Pavle balled his hands into fists and lunged toward Aiden. He was confident that Aiden's strength is in his legs, and as long as he is close enough, Aiden can't get enough momentum for a kick.

Aiden didn't move. He watched Pavle approach him at a stunning speed.

Pavle's fists were aimed toward Aiden's head and Pavle was observing if Aiden will dodge to the left or to the right, but Aiden didn't do any of those two.

Pavle's right almost connected with Aiden's face when Aiden fell on his knee.

An explosive punch from below hit Pavle's chin, and Aiden felt cracking of the jawbone against his knuckles.

Pavle was frozen in the air for a moment before he fell on the ground backward.

The arena was completely silent for two seconds. 

Screams and cheers erupted as Aiden stood up slowly and flexed his right hand while waiting to hear that the match is officially over and that he can get off the platform.

"The winner is 257, Alex!", the woman's voice boomed from the speakers.

At these words, Aiden turned to Sarah and his vicious expression was replaced by a warm smile.

"How was it?", Aiden asked Sarah when he joined her on the seats.

Sarah knows that he is asking for praise, and she was happy to give it. "Amazing. I could watch you fight all day. Everything you did was perfect."

Aiden hummed happily. More than her words, it was how she looked at him. Her gaze was full of admiration and love, like he is the only man in the world. He will take that.

Hong joined them after collecting the winnings from the bet.

"We should go to our room. I don't want you inhaling this smoke more than necessary.", Aiden told Sarah.

Hong assured them that he will stay behind and observe the remaining matches. "I will contact you when the fights are over. Put some ice on that hand…"

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