Izuna knew he couldn’t fight anymore. His muscles screamed in protest, and his vision was beginning to blur. His body had taken far too much damage, yet Riban stood tall, with only a few jagged cracks showing on his rock-hard skin.

  “And boy, this is the end for you,” Riban growled. He charged toward Izuna, his right fist glowing with a dull grey light as it grew significantly larger and heavier than before.

  I'm done for, Izuna thought, his heart sinking. I can’t dodge this in time.

  “Now die, kid!” Riban roared, swinging the massive stone fist downward.

  BAM!

  The impact echoed through the valley, kicking up a cloud of dust. But when the air cleared, Izuna wasn't crushed. Kale had moved like a shadow, leaping from his hiding spot just in time to shove Izuna out of the way.

  Both Kale and Izuna tumbled across the dirt, landing in a heap a few meters away.

  “Big bro... you saved me,” Izuna panted, coughing as he looked up.

  “Izuna, you idiot!” Kale snapped, his voice thick with frustration as they lay on the ground. “Didn’t I tell you to just distract them? Why did you have to go all out and get yourself half-killed?”

  “I’m sorry,” Izuna muttered, a weak, sheepish grin on his bloody face. “I just... I got carried away.”

  Riban pulled his fist out of the ground, leaving a deep, jagged crater where Izuna had been kneeling seconds before. He turned his head slowly, his eyes locking onto Kale.

  “My, my, just look at this,” Riban said with a mocking chuckle. “Another frog jumping out of the well after seeing his friend almost die. Well, that’s fine. It saves me the trouble of hunting you down later. Now I can just kill you both at once.”

  Kale stood up, ignoring the villain's threats as he wiped the dirt and grass from his clothes. He reached down and offered a hand to his friend. “Hey, Izuna. Can you still get up?”

  “Yeah... I can still move,” Izuna grunted, grabbing Kale’s hand and hauling himself to his feet. He swayed slightly but managed to stand. “So, what now, big bro?”

  Kale looked from the massive stone-skinned man to the boat, then back at Izuna’s battered body. “Well, I don’t have a perfect plan yet,” Kale admitted, his eyes narrowing. “But it’s clear we have to escape for now. We’ve taken too many hits. If we keep going like this, both of us are going to end up dead right here.”

  "I understand," Izuna replied, his voice strained. "But what about Kevin’s mom?"

  "We’ll think of that later," Kale responded, his eyes locked on Riban. "Izuna, can you still run?"

  "Yeah, I think I can... but I won’t be as fast as before."

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  "Then that’s enough. One more thing—can you still use those fire flares of yours?"

  "They won’t be very strong, but yes," Izuna said, nodding.

  "Good. Before we escape, I want you to put every bit of strength you have left into a strike at the lower part of that boat. Right after that, we jump into the river. The current will carry us away faster than they can follow."

  "Understood," Izuna responded, a new spark of determination in his eyes.

  "Then let’s go! We’re charging them one last time!" Kale shouted. Without another word, both Izuna and Kale rushed toward Riban.

  "Oh? So you’re coming at me together? Well then, come on!" Riban roared, charging to meet them.

  They were only a few steps away from a collision when Kale suddenly veered toward Izuna. "Now, Izuna!" Kale yelled. He grabbed Izuna with both hands and used his momentum to hurl his friend high into the air.

  Riban froze, completely blindsided by the maneuver. Before he could look up, Kale lunged forward, sweeping Riban's legs and knocking the giant off balance. The massive stone man crashed to the ground, unable to recover quickly due to his heavy weight.

  "FIRE FIST: FLARE BURST!" Izuna roared from above.

  He descended like a meteor, slamming his fist into the lower hull of the boat with everything he had. BAM! Inside the cabin, the tattooed leader was still sipping his drink when a thunderous explosion rocked the floorboards. A massive hole ripped through the bottom of the ship, and freezing river water began to geyser upward.

  Izuna landed inside the sinking boat, his eyes darting around as the water reached his ankles. Suddenly, he stopped. In the corner of the hold, he saw a woman, unconscious and bound with heavy ropes.

  "What? I never imagined they’d keep her down here!" Izuna grinned, feeling a sudden surge of adrenaline. "Yo, big bro! Guess we got lucky!"

  Izuna scooped the woman up into his arms and leaped from the splintering hull into the churning river.

  Well, I didn't expect that, Kale thought with a surprised smirk as he followed, diving into the water. The two of them let the heavy current sweep them away into the darkness, leaving the chaos behind.

  The boat groaned as it settled deeper into the water. The tattooed leader stormed out onto the deck, his face twisted in rage. "What the hell is going on?!" he screamed. "Where is Riban?"

  "Sir... I think that kid blew a hole in the boat and escaped!" one guard stammered.

  "And you idiots were just standing there? Why didn't you say anything?!"

  "We wanted to help, sir, but Riban told us not to interfere!"

  "You bastards!" The leader ran below deck to check the hold, but he saw nothing but rising water. "Damn it! They escaped... and they took that woman with them!"

  Riban could only watch from the shore, struggling to push his heavy, stone-encrusted body off the muddy ground. "We're screwed," he muttered.

  A few miles downstream, Kale and Izuna managed to pull themselves and the woman onto the muddy shore. They collapsed, gasping for air.

  "Whoo... we actually did it, big bro," Izuna panted, lying flat on his back in the mud.

  "Yeah, we did," Kale said, staring up at the sky. "But the danger isn't gone yet. We need to move soon."

  They both sat up and looked at the unconscious woman, then looked at each other and began to laugh—a tired, relieved sound.

  "Guess you got beaten up pretty good, huh?" Kale joked, looking at Izuna’s bruises.

  "Nah, it was nothing," Izuna joked back. Then, his face turned serious. "I'm sorry, big bro. I'm still too weak. But I promise, when I get back to the Special Forces camp, I'm going to become even stronger. The next time I meet that guy, I’ll defeat him fair and square."

  Kale looked at Izuna and smiled warmly. "Well, I’m far weaker than you. I guess we both have to get stronger if we ever face something like this again."

  They bumped fists—a silent promise to grow, to learn, and to never be helpless again.

  They had learned a vital lesson: Strength always matters, but being smart is just as important. Sometimes luck is on your side, and sometimes it isn't, but the greatest tools in life are a will that never breaks and a mind sharp enough to navigate the storm.