But Jake wasn't buying into the ghost story. "You all are nuts! A true General, a slayer of thousands, a man who commanded empires... You think he’d be hiding out here? He’d be in a palace, not a dusty gym!"Thomas looked at the hole in the ceiling and then at his own shattered wrist. "Then who else would make us look like amateurs? Who else hits like a god?"Sophia, who had been listening to the exchange with a hammering heart, stepped closer to Lance. She searched his eyes, looking for a spark of the legend. "Tell me... are you somehow General Colton?"Before Lance could answer, the silence of the gym was interrupted by a flicker of blue light. The large flat-screen TV mounted on the wall, which usually played workout videos, suddenly hissed to life. A news announcer appeared, her expression solemn."...and tomorrow night, the nation prepares for a moment of silence," the announcer’s voice echoed through the gym. "In the capital city, a grand memorial is being held for the legendary

At the center of a sunken stone pit, a young man stood over a collapsed opponent. This was Daniel. He was lean, muscular, and moved with a practiced aggression. With a predatory grin, he hoisted his half-conscious opponent into the air and delivered a final, crushing blow to the man’s solar plexus. The victim crumpled like wet paper."Look at him!" a massive gambler near the front row roared, slamming a stack of bills onto the betting table. "That’s the Colton bloodline right there! He’s undefeated, just like the old man was. He took that guy out with one breath!""I'm doubling my bet!" another shouted, leaning over the railing. "All in on the Son of the General! He’s a god in that ring!"Sophia walked beside Lance, her eyes wide with a mixture of disgust and fear. "This isn't like the gym, Lance. This is a death hole. They aren't just betting on points; they’re betting on people's lives."Daniel basked in the praise, throwing his arms wide as the crowd screamed his name. He looked up

"Oh, cute. So cute," Daniel laughed, leaning back against a rusted pillar as he watched Lance prep for the slaughter. "This bravado of yours is actually quite charming. But playing the hero in my house has consequences." He snapped his fingers, and a slim man in a tattered suit hurried forward, holding a single sheet of stained parchment. "Get him the permission slip to die," Daniel commanded. The document was shoved toward Lance. It was a waiver—a legal death warrant that stripped away any responsibility for what happened in the pit. "Sign it," Daniel said, his voice dropping to a low, jagged hiss. "Sign it, and your life stops being yours. Not everyone has the privilege to die at the mercy of the General’s descendant." "Sign it, punk!" a drunk gambler screamed from the rafters. "Sign your own death! Daniel knows the moves of the General! He inherited the power of a god! You're looking at a dead man!" Sophia’s voice trembled as she tried to pull Lance back. "It’s enough! Just

Daniel flexed his muscles, his chest heaving. "You see that, weakling?" He pouted in Lance’s direction, though he couldn't see him. "That is a signature move from the General himself. You wanna try it? Or are you too busy shitting your pants?"One of the high-stakes betters laughed, pointing at Lance. "Look at his face! He’s petrified! He can’t even talk!""Come on, junior!" Daniel dared, beckoning with his hand. "Come on, step up and die!"Lance looked at the shattered stones and slowly shook his head. "That isn't Blind Kill. It isn't even close. If I taught a three-year-old child to swing a stick, he would honestly do better than that."The insult hit Daniel like a physical blow. Rage boiled over. "You piece of shit! What do you know? You don't get a say in what the General's arts are!""You want to learn the real Blind Kill?" Lance asked, stepping into the center of the pit. "I'll teach you. The first lesson is free."Daniel laughed, a manic, jagged sound. "Sure. I’ll show you the

Lance stood in the center of the pit. The chanting was incredibly loud. He raised his hand in a sharp, silencing gesture that cut the noise like a blade."Enough," Lance said, his voice dropping to a dangerous tone. "I have told you, I am not the General. And the real General would not be happy about underground dogs barking his name in a place of filth."He looked around at the blood-stained sand, the gambling tables, and the broken men. A look of profound disgust crossed his face. "This arena is a disgrace to a legend’s name. It is a rot in this city. Tonight, this place will be erased from history and burned to the ground."The crowd stared, paralyzed. Daniel, still shivering on the floor, looked up with wide eyes.Lance reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and sent out a message.The message contained one order. "Burn the underground club to the ground. Leave nothing but ash."Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel without looking back.Sophia, her heart