From Bullets To Billions

Chapter 735: A Group Effort

Stephen was glad that his plan had worked out. If his overall strength wasn’t enough to overpower his opponent and Na was too slow to catch hers, the solution was simple: the two of them just had to team up. By combining their strengths, they were able to corner and eliminate their target just as planned.

The good thing was that while both Stephen and Na had picked up several wounds and bruises across their bodies, none of the damage was severe. However they had been in their respective fights for a while, so they were worn down in a lot of ways other then just physically. Now, they could turn their attention to the woman in office attire, who had been giving Stephen so much trouble.

"Thanks for that," Na said, shaking out his arm. "She was fiddly to deal with."

His body was still stinging from all of the puncture wounds, and oddly now his opnnent was dealt with they were hurting slighty more then they did before.

"Right, and I could say the same for my opponent," Stephen replied. "Do you mind giving me a hand with this one now? She’s quire annoying"

Na started rubbing his knuckles, feeling a slight sting from how hard he had punched the previous Black Hand member. He didn’t hold back in his strength because he wanted to finish the fight, and although his Vow had given him specially made muscles that supported him to throw hard punches, his bone structure wasn’t incredibly dense like a certain someone in the group.

The strategy still relied heavily on Stephen. He needed to use his speed to grab hold of the woman so Na could land a decisive blow, but Stephen hadn’t had much success getting past her long-range kicks so far.

"Alright, I’ll just focus everything on grabbing her instead of trying to beat her. That’s all I need to do!" Stephen said. He bent his knees, preparing to unleash the fastest burst of speed he had used all day, completely ignoring the toll it would take on his stamina—one of his major weaknesses.

Stephen kicked his foot off the stone floor, but the instant he moved, a heavy coin struck him right on the top of his head. The sudden impact shattered his concentration, and the momentum from his burst of speed caused him to trip over his own feet and tumble hard onto the ground.

"Stephen!" Na shouted. He swung a heavy fist that dragged the air with it, narrowly missing the young man who had just intervened and backed away.

"Two against one, and against a woman no less?" the newcomer taunted.

When Stephen pushed himself up off the ground, they could finally see who had stepped in. It was the young Trickster from the Black Hand.

"What the hell? What is he doing over here?" Stephen asked, wiping blood from his forehead. Looking around the battlefield, he spotted Wolf lying motionless on the ground nearby. "Damn it... he got Wolf. Who the hell is this guy?"

"Just because we’ve managed to win a few victories here and there doesn’t mean this was ever going to be easy," Na commented, his face turning grim. "We need to stay on high alert."

It served as a harsh reminder to all of them: even though they were engaged in individual duels, this was very much a team battle, and outside fighters could intervene at any moment.

It made them wonder how the other two critical fights were progressing—Aaron, who was going up against the Rank One agent, and Darno, who was locked in combat with Rank Two.

The Rank Two Black Hand member stood holding a pair of gleaming daggers in his hands, his eyes locked on Darno.

"I think you drew the short straw in the end," the assassin sneered. "Because you see, I’m the only one here who exclusively deals in weapons—and mine are meant to kill."

As the agent lunged forward, Darno wished with all his heart that he could dodge or retreat, because those blades were undeniably dangerous. But due to the nature of his Vow, he couldn’t step back. In a way, that restriction worked to his advantage—knowing he had only one option forced him to execute his defense with absolute commitment.

Darno struck down at the top of the assassin’s wrists, smacking his hands away before the daggers could get close. He continued to systematically slap the blades aside. Even as the agent repositioned himself to strike again, Darno blocked every angle with mechanical precision.

However, there was one crucial thing Darno had yet to do: counterattack.

If I try to strike during an opening and his daggers catch me... it’s going to be extremely painful, Darno thought, his mind racing. So what the hell am I supposed to do?

"Come on!" the agent shouted, growing visibly frustrated. "All you’ve done so far is stand in the exact same spot! You’re not even moving!"

The assassin suddenly halted his assault, standing tall as his eyes narrowed. "Wait a second... is there a reason you can’tmove?"

It was just a theory forming in the agent’s head. Normally, a fighter plans their attacks assuming the opponent will attempt to dodge or reposition. But if an opponent knows they cannot move from the spot they are standing on, that knowledge can be exploited.

The agent charged in again, slashing his dagger forward. His hand was slapped away as expected, but he instantly spun his body, launching a flurry of strikes from every conceivable angle. He maneuvered all the way around to Darno’s back before Darno could turn his torso to face him. The dagger struck deep, slicing through the fabric of his ranger jacket and leaving a long, painful gash across his back.

"Damn it... this jacket," Darno muttered, gritting his teeth through the pain as fire ignited in his eyes. "I worked really hard to earn this thing, and the guys aren’t going to be happy that you ruined it!"