Novels by adarighofuamena49

The result settled slowly.At first, no one spoke.Jasper stood where he was, chest rising and falling. His arms hung loose by his sides. There was a faint tremor in his hands, not from fear, just exhaustion. The last man had already stepped back. He didn’t argue the outcome. He didn’t need to.The referee looked between them, then raised his hand. “Winner,” he said, voice loud but careful, “Jasper.”The crowd reacted a second later.Murmurs spread. Then louder voices. Some surprised. Some impressed. A few disappointed. Most just confused. They hadn’t expected it to end that way. Jasper hadn’t dominated. He had endured.One of Jasper’s men exhaled. “That was close.”Jasper didn’t respond. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and turned away from the arena center. He didn’t look at the man he’d just beaten. There was no need.The girl stood off to the side. She had been watching the whole time.Her expression didn’t change much. But her shoulders were tense. Her jaw was set tig

The arena was tense. Every eye was on Jasper and the last man. The two circled each other slowly, neither committing fully, waiting for the other to make the first serious move.“You ready?” the man asked, breathing evenly but visibly tense.“I’ve been ready,” Jasper replied, calm. His eyes never left the man’s, tracking each small movement, each shift of weight.The referee raised his hand. “Continue.”Jasper stepped forward first, throwing a series of small, controlled strikes. The man blocked the first, then the second. He tried to counter, but Jasper stepped back just enough to avoid the blow. Neither moved aggressively. Both tested, measured.“You’re cautious,” the man said, almost a challenge.“I observe,” Jasper replied. “And I wait.”The man swung again, this time with more force. Jasper leaned back, letting the punch glance past him. He countered immediately, a short jab to the man’s chest. The man twisted to the side, avoiding it.“You think too much,” the man said between b

The arena was quiet for a moment. Everyone stared at the girl, still panting heavily, her fists trembling slightly. Sweat dripped down her face and arms, soaking the edges of her clothes. No one had expected it, not even her.She had thought herself stronger than Bai Zhe, faster, more prepared. But somehow, a fluke, a small misstep on his part, and she had managed to land a hit that gave her the win. That was all it took. Just one moment, just one mistake, and she took it.The crowd erupted, voices clashing, some cheering her name, some murmuring disbelief. Even some of the men who had doubted her now looked surprised.Bai Zhe stepped back, breathing heavily, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He nodded slightly toward her. “Lucky,” he said. His voice was calm, steady, but there was a hint of respect in it.She shook her head, exhaling through her nose. “Not luck,” she said. “Skill.” Her voice cracked slightly, tiredness catching up, but she tried to hold onto p

The fight began faster than most people expected. Bai Zhe stepped forward first. The girl stepped forward too. No one said anything. They both just stared at each other, waiting for the other to move.Jasper sat with the others. He leaned back. “This one might take a while,” he said.Bai Zhe shifted his feet. The girl did the same. She kept her eyes on him. He didn’t blink.“Ready?” she said.“Yeah,” Bai Zhe replied.The referee raised his hand. “Begin!”Bai Zhe rushed in. She blocked instantly. Their fists collided. They both paused for a second from the impact. She swung at him, but he bent back and avoided it. He tried to sweep her legs, but she jumped. She tried to kick him when she landed. He caught her leg. She twisted out of his grip.They both stepped back again.“Not bad,” Bai Zhe said.“You too,” she said.He charged again. She met him halfway. Their fists kept meeting. Every punch sounded heavy. The crowd got louder. Some people already stood up.Bai Zhe tried to grab her a

Dinner that night was quiet in a way that felt heavier than any argument. Everyone sat around the table, eating slowly, each of them lost in their own thoughts. No one seemed eager to speak. Even Bai Zhe, who always had something to say, kept his gaze on his bowl.Jasper sat at the end. His posture was straight, his expression unreadable. He didn’t say much either. He only observed them, and the room itself, as though he was filing everything away in his head.One of the men who had lost twice cleared his throat. “Long day,” he muttered.Bai Zhe nodded. “Very long.”The girl sat two seats away. She poked lightly at her food. Her hand was steady enough, though Jasper noticed the slight tension in her shoulders.“You should eat,” Jasper said.She looked at him for a moment, then nodded and took a small bite.Another one of the men sighed. “Tomorrow will be worse.”“It won’t be worse,” Bai Zhe said. “It’ll just be annoying.”The man huffed quietly. “Same thing.”No one laughed, though a

The clock kept ticking on the wall, each minute dragging a little longer than it should. Everyone in the arena seemed tired. Even the crowd sounded drained. After the last match ended, the referee finally raised his hand and spoke loudly enough for the room to hear.“That’s all for today. We continue tomorrow.”A few people sighed in relief. Some clapped weakly. A couple of the fighters just walked off without waiting for anything else. It had been a long day, and most of them didn’t have much strength left to pretend otherwise.Jasper stood near the side, arms folded. He didn’t react to the announcement. He just watched his men walk over to him one by one. Some of them looked embarrassed. Some just looked disappointed.Two of his men had lost twice already. Their expressions told the whole story before they even opened their mouths.“Boss,” one of them said quietly.Jasper nodded. “You did what you could.”The man didn’t look convinced, but he nodded back.The second man approached.