Chapter 54: I'm Not Like You
Chapter 54: I'm Not Like You
Daiki swung low, the bat colliding with Haruto's thigh, tearing into his leg with the sharp edges.
He gasped, nearly falling, but he clenched his teeth and retaliated with a punch to Daiki's gut, landing blow after blow as if his life depended on it.
All his pain and Haruka's pain were the only things on Haruto's mind and in this ring, he could punch and kick the person he hated the most in life whatever he liked.
And it makes him thrilled.
Even when his body and legs were tearing apart by the wire on that bat.
Daiki grunted, forced back as Haruto's fists connected again and again, a relentless, feral intensity taking over.
His knuckle buster was slick with blood, his own and Daiki's mingling as the concrete beneath them turned dark and sticky.
"Not so tough without your little bat, huh?" Haruto sneered, his voice a growl as he pressed forward.
But Daiki only grinned, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Don't worry," he wheezed, clutching the bat tighter.
"I've got more where that came from."
With a sudden burst of strength, he swung the bat in a desperate, wild arc, catching Haruto across the shoulder with a vicious blow.
"Shit!" Haruto cursed.
His shoulder exploded in pain, but he was too far gone to care. Ignoring the throbbing ache, he grabbed Daiki by the collar and slammed him against the wall, his fist driving into Daiki's stomach with brutal force.
Daiki choked, his knees buckling as Haruto's relentless onslaught continued.
But just as Haruto raised his fist for another blow, Daiki swung the bat up, catching him under the chin.
Haruto's head snapped back, stars dancing across his vision, his grip on Daiki loosening as he staggered back.
The skin under his chin was almost torn apart by the wire. The blood keeps dripping from it.
"Fuck! This face is precious! You asshole!" Haruto glared at his opponent who just laughed.
It was the first time Daiki had this fun. Every man he fought was easy to break. They would bow down to him, licking his feet if he asked when he punched them with his lovely bat.
But the man in front of him?
Haruto became more vicious and faster even though his body was covered in blood and scars, and then the same man protested to him about his face?
"You are fucking ridiculous, it's interesting." Daiki grinned.
He seized the moment, rushing forward and slamming Haruto into the opposite wall, pinning him with the bat pressed against his throat.
"Had enough yet?" Daiki sneered, pressing harder as Haruto's air supply thinned.
Haruto's vision blurred, but he summoned the last of his strength, gripping Daiki's arm and twisting sharply.
Daiki yelped, the bat clattering to the ground as Haruto broke free, sucking in a deep, desperate breath.
Without hesitation, he launched himself at Daiki, his fist connecting with a brutal right hook that sent him sprawling.
Blood poured from both of them, pooling on the cracked concrete as they stumbled, gasping for breath.
They were both at their limit, bodies battered and broken, but neither would yield.
Haruto took a shaky step forward, his knuckles throbbing, his vision swimming. But he couldn't stop, not until he knew Daiki was finished.
Not until his anger subside, not until he could at least make Daiki in so much pain he hoped he died. Like what he did with his sister.
He grabbed the bat, the twisted barbed wire glinting darkly, and raised it over Daiki, who lay sprawled on the ground, barely able to lift his head.
Haruto's hands shook, a mix of exhaustion and rage, but he tightened his grip, preparing to bring it down one final time.
In his mind, he wanted to ask Daiki, why? Why did he do all of that? Why his sister? Why?
But deep down he knows the answer. He was just a damn psychopath who enjoyed torturing people. A bastard that makes his sister's life hell just because he likes it.
So why bother asking?
He brought the bat down hard, barbed wire sinking into Daiki's chest, tearing fabric and flesh alike.
Daiki managed a weak groan, too drained to fully react to the pain, his eyes dull but faintly mocking.
Daiki's voice echoed off the walls, but Haruto's only response was a bitter, mirthless laugh, watching the man finally taste his own medicine.
"This… This pain still couldn't pay Haruka's life, not even a bit…" Haruto murmured, hia voice too soft to be heard by anyone but him.
Haruto's chest tightened, and he swung again, ripping at Daiki's skin as a scream tore from his lips, raw and desperate.
"Aaaargh!"
Daiki's voice echoed off the walls, but Haruto's only response was a bitter, mirthless laugh, watching the man finally taste his own medicine.
Raising the bat once more, Haruto prepared to bring it down with everything he had left, but Daiki's voice cut through the haze of his fury.
A rough, broken whisper escaped Daiki's bloodied lips. "Y-you're… just like me… I like it."
The words stopped Haruto in his tracks, a chill racing down his spine. The bat slipped from his grasp, landing on the concrete with a dull thud.
Haruto's body went rigid as he knelt over Daiki, grabbing him by the collar. Their faces were inches apart, and he could see every twisted line of the smirk on Daiki's battered, bloodied face.
Haruto let out a bitter laugh, his voice low and dark. "Just like you?"
He grinned, the fire in his eyes fierce and unyielding. "I'm worse than that."
With a surge of fury, he drove his fist into Daiki's face, feeling the crunch of bone as blood splattered across his skin.
He pulled back only to slam another blow into Daiki's jaw.
"I'll be your worst nightmare if I have to," he said, his voice shaking with suppressed rage.
"But even then, Daiki… I still have more dignity than you could ever understand."
He steadied himself, his knuckles trembling from the impact, his body screaming in pain.
This was his last punch, the last reserve of strength he could muster as his vision blurred. The blood loss and broken bones weighed him down, threatening to drag him into darkness.
But he couldn't care less—not when the man in front of him had caused so much pain, had destroyed Haruka's life without a second thought.
Rage bubbled inside him, raw and overpowering. He was ready to end it, to finish Daiki right there.
But then Daiki laughed, his voice a raspy crack through bloodied lips. "Interesting…" he choked out, his eyes gleaming with a twisted delight.
"But no one… no one can be worse than me, you idiot."
Before Haruto could react, Daiki's fist shot forward, slamming into his stomach.
The pain was instant and excruciating, targeting his most vulnerable spot, and Haruto felt bile rise as he coughed up blood, the strength draining from him.
His vision dimmed, and his head felt heavy, like he was being pulled under.
"F-Fuck you… Daiki," he managed to curse, his voice barely a whisper, before his consciousness faded, leaving him with the lingering echo of Daiki's laughter ringing in his ears as he sank into oblivion.