The second chunk of concrete came faster than Taeyang could react.
His body twisted on its own, narrowly avoiding the jagged rock flying at his head. The wind pressure stung his cheek, even missing, it still hurt.
Giseok was already throwing another.
His hands were split open, bones probably fractured… even then he dug into the ground, yanking out more broken pieces of the pavement. Shards of the city itself.
He didn't hesitate.
Didn't care that his fingers were pierced through with stone, that his own blood mixed into the rain-soaked asphalt.
Another chunk. Bigger. Faster.
Taeyang ducked.
It shattered the wall behind him.
A deep crack snaked up the concrete, jagged veins splitting through the brick. Pieces rained down, clattering against the wet pavement.
Taeyang's eyes flicked back to Giseok.
This guy…
This guy was actually insane.
Taeyang's foot shot forward. His strongest claw, a low kick—brutal, fast. His shin crashed into Giseok's leg—a hit strong enough to destroy most people's legs.
CRACK!
But—
Giseok didn't move.
Instead, his hand latched onto Taeyang's leg, ignoring any damage he'd taken from the kick.
His fingers dug in.
A grip like iron, like a trap snapping shut.
Pain flared up Taeyang's nerves. He moved on instinct, his other leg already swinging up, another claw aimed straight at Giseok's jaw.
But Giseok adapted.
He yanked.
Taeyang's body lurched sideways, his kick missed.
Shit.
Then Giseok swung him through the air.
Taeyang barely had time to register the movement before his back slammed into the wall.
CRACK!
The impact sent a shockwave through his bones.
The building shuddered as rain pelted down harder, soaking into the growing fractures in the concrete.
Giseok was already moving. No pause. No hesitation.
Taeyang lunged.
His teeth sank into Giseok's arm and hot iron flooded his mouth. The blood was warm as it stained his lips.
Giseok roared.
Taeyang bit down harder.
Survival.
Giseok's free hand shot forward—aiming for his throat.
Taeyang reacted instantly.
His whole body twisted, his leg swinging up.
Heel. Ribs. Full force.
The impact reverberated through his shin, a dull shock traveling up his leg. The moment his teeth let go, he dropped, flowing straight into another kick.
Giseok took it. Barely flinched.
But Taeyang wasn't done.
Another.
His foot cracked against Giseok's leg.
Another.
A sharp, snapping impact, his shinbone colliding against flesh and bone.
His rhythm sharpened. The pattern solidified. Low. Hard. Relentless.
Giseok's stance wavered—not because of the force, but because Taeyang's strikes weren't giving him a second to breathe. No time to think. No time to adjust.
Taeyang kept going.
The pain in his legs didn't matter. The burning in his muscles didn't register.
He could feel something.
Something shifting.
Something breaking free.
It was dangerous. He knew it.
He could die.
Right here. Right now.
Facing an opponent who ate everything he threw at him. Someone who wouldn't hesitate. Someone who would kill him.
And yet—
It felt like something was getting clearer.
His body moved faster, reacting before his mind could even process it.
Instinct.
The attacks kept coming, the rhythm of the fight accelerating beyond thought.
Heel. Ribs. Shin. Knee.
Giseok wavered for the briefest moment, shifting back just slightly, a crack in the momentum.
Now.
Taeyang drove forward, pushing harder, feeling it click.
This was it.
This was—
Giseok spat out blood.
And grinned.
Not like before. Not his usual half-lidded depression. Not that slow, disinterested glare.
Something had changed.
Taeyang saw it too late.
Giseok learned.
He didn't resist the low kick.
He let it take him down.
He adapted.
His entire upper body dropped, rolling with the momentum instead of fighting against it. The force of Taeyang's kick became his own weapon.
And then—
He countered.
Forehead. Skull. Full force.
CRUNCH!
Taeyang's vision exploded in white. His body rocked back.
His head rang.
Giseok was already moving.
He grabbed the nearest shard of concrete, not to throw…
To stab.
Directly into Taeyang's shoulder.
SLICE!
The force shot through him.
Taeyang's back slammed into the pavement.
The rain soaked his face.
His head spun.
His fingers twitched against the ground. He was right there. Right fucking there.
He could feel it.
That edge.
That instinct.
But…
It wasn't enough.
Above him—
Giseok exhaled, tears still dripping out of his eyes.
His breath fogged in the cold air, steam that was rising off his very body
The temperature dropped.
And then—
Giseok stepped forward.
His skin was red, burning brighter than ever.
***
Rain poured like gunfire, drumming against the cracked pavement, running in streams down the ruined alley.
Jinhwan was already stepping forward, rolling his neck, muscles loose, ready. His movements were fluid… too fluid. He fought like water, weight shifting effortlessly between his legs, open stance, forward hand twitching slightly, waiting for an opening.
Jeet Kune Do.
Daehyun exhaled through his nose.
This bastard.
A real fight would take forever. He didn't have that kind of time.
Taeyang was still fighting. His people were still fighting.
So this needed to end.
Fast.
Jinhwan smirked. "You don't even look happy to see me, Dae."
Daehyun's foot slid back. Heel anchored. Hands low. His frame still sunk slightly—coiled tension, hidden force.
Bajiquan. The Eight-extremities fist.
Jinhwan's smile faded. He saw it.
"...Oh. You're actually serious."
Daehyun didn't respond. He pushed forward.
The style of the Chinese Imperial bodyguards.
The moment he entered range, Jinhwan's body blurred—a straight lead punch, lightning quick.
Daehyun didn't dodge.
He stepped in.
It was not a style for duels. It was not meant to impress crowds.
The elbow came first.
Jinhwan barely managed to twist, but Daehyun followed through. Forearm slammed into Jinhwan's chest—power compressed into a single strike.
Jinhwan staggered back, gasping as blood burst out of his mouth.
It was a weapon.
A weapon designed to protect—to eliminate.
"Shit," he muttered, shaking out his arms. "So you're actually using it."
Daehyun rolled his wrist. "Didn't plan to."
"Yeah?" Jinhwan's voice sharpened, hoarse after his strike. "Then don't."
He was already moving again.
Tough. He always was durable.
The rain blurred as Jinhwan lunged. Feint low. High hook.
Daehyun took a half-step forward—broke the distance.
The hook brushed past his temple.
He countered.
There was no retreat. Only the shortest distance between two points—an extremity and the enemy's destruction.
Shoulder ram—straight into Jinhwan's chest.
Jinhwan's balance cracked.
Daehyun followed through. Low step. Waist twist.
Elbow.
Full fucking force.
Jinhwan barely managed to block. The impact still sent him skidding back through the rain, leaving deep scratches in the concrete.
His arms shook slightly. His stance stayed loose—but Daehyun saw it.
He felt it.
Jeet Kune Do was versatile. Fast. Adaptive.
Bajiquan was overwhelming.
Jinhwan spat to the side. "Still a monster, huh?"
Daehyun tilted his head. "You still a bitch?"
Jinhwan clicked his tongue. "Fuck you."
He charged. No hesitation.
Daehyun didn't move.
Jinhwan feinted a jab—shifted into a side kick, pivoting on the ball of his foot, aiming straight for Daehyun's ribs.
Sharp. Crisp.
It would've worked... on someone else that is
Daehyun stepped in.
Jinhwan's foot barely left the ground before Daehyun was already inside his space.
Fist. Short. Explosive.
Sunk straight into Jinhwan's ribs.
The bones of those who stood against it… they did not bend.
They shattered.
The sound he made wasn't human.
Jinhwan choked on air, body folding, stumbling back.
Daehyun exhaled.
This was the difference.
"This is what that old man taught you?" Jinhwan rasped. His fingers twitched slightly, his footwork shifting again—resetting. "The one who ran away?"
Daehyun's jaw tightened.
Jinhwan laughed, short and breathless. "Didn't he get sick of you too?"
Daehyun moved.
Jinhwan braced, but there was nothing to brace against.
Bajiquan doesn't give space.
It takes everything.
Daehyun's palm slammed into Jinhwan's sternum.
The impact ripped him off his feet.
Jinhwan crashed into the road, hard.
The street ruptured.
The shockwave blasted shards of concrete upwards.
Daehyun closed the distance.
His hands shot forward. Shoulder slam—brutal, no wasted motion. Momentum behind it like a wrecking ball.
Jinhwan barely had time to brace before—
CRASH!
His body flew.
He hit the opposite wall—hard.
The wall caved inward from the impact. Cracks splintered outward, cracks spider-webbed through the windows from the force, dust and concrete bursting into the air like a bomb had gone off.
Rain poured through the new hole in the structure.
Jinhwan groaned. And then—he moved.
Daehyun watched as he forced himself out of the wreckage.
No hesitation. No pause.
He was grinning.
Daehyun's eyes narrowed.
Jinhwan spit blood onto the ground. His lip was split. His breathing was off. But he didn't stop.
He wiped his mouth.
"You always fought like a fucking monster," he muttered. "No control. No restraint."
Daehyun exhaled, slowly.
"You don't know shit."
Jinhwan scoffed. "I know enough."
His stance shifted—weight rolling onto the balls of his feet again. Tougher now.
"That place," Jinhwan's voice dropped, cold. "You destroyed it."
Daehyun's fists clenched.
Jinhwan saw. And he fucking grinned.
"You think I don't know why you left?" Jinhwan spat. "You weren't a hero. You weren't saving anyone. You just couldn't handle it."
Daehyun moved before he even realized it.
Jinhwan braced, but Daehyun was already inside his guard.
Palm strike. Close range.
Jinhwan barely twisted out of the way and launched a counter.
Side kick—full body force behind it.
Daehyun didn't dodge.
He caught it.
One hand.
Jinhwan's eyes widened.
Daehyun twisted his grip—ripping Jinhwan off the ground.
And slammed him into the street.
BOOM!
The pavement caved. A crater formed beneath Jinhwan's body.
The rain hissed against the ruined asphalt.
Daehyun exhaled.
He stepped back, shaking the dust from his hands.
Jinhwan groaned, coughing hard. Still trying to push up.
Still trying to fight.
Daehyun stared down at him.
"You were never my problem back there," he muttered.
Jinhwan's breath hitched. His fingers curled against the ground.
Daehyun turned away and ran, sprinting in the direction of the karaoke bar, destroying whoever else was in his way.
He had to save the others
Behind him…
Jinhwan watched him go and through the blood in his mouth— let out a roar.
A roar of desperation, a roar of anguish… a roar of defeat.
***
The shard had gone in deep.
Taeyang felt the moment it pierced through muscle, grinding against bone. A sharp, electric agony lanced through his shoulder, his entire arm spasming as blood ran hot down his skin, mixing with the rain.
Giseok had let go.
The shard stayed.
Taeyang barely bit back a snarl. His fingers twitched against the concrete beneath him, legs unsteady as he tried to push himself up.
Above him—
Giseok moved.
Not rushed. Not eager.
Deliberate. Heavy.
The ground shook beneath each step.
Cracks spread through the pavement. Small at first, then wider, deeper, the very earth splintering beneath his weight.
Taeyang sucked in a breath through his teeth.
Get up. Move. Now.
His muscles screamed as he staggered upright, blood trailing from his temple, mixing with the rain-soaked asphalt. He could feel it now… the slow, eerie heat pressing against his skin.
Distortion.
The air itself warped around Giseok's clenched fist, rippling like heat off the pavement.
His face was still streaked with tears.
Even now. Even after all of this.
His breathing was ragged, uneven. His fists trembled—not from exhaustion, but something deeper, something heavier.
And then he spoke.
"You don't even know, do you?"
Taeyang's chest rose and fell, his breathing slow, sharp. He barely forced out the words.
"Know what?"
Giseok's fingers clenched tighter.
The distortion around his fist deepened, pulsing outward.
His voice came hoarse, rough.
"What kind of person Minho really is."
.
.
.
.
.
.
Some cheeky Daehyun lore there... maybe even more cheeky Minho lore coming up eh?
Anyways yeah, Bajiquan, no joke it literally translates into eight extremities boxing. Explosive short range power in close combat... coupled with Daehyun's seemingly innate strength, yeah brother's basically just a hair's breadth away from the level of maybe a weak first gen king. Or something like that.
And SungJinMori... you can stop guessing now.
Also, I binged invincible s3 and.... MY GLORIOUS KING REX SPLODEEEEEE
Lwk want to make a fic about a self insert into him now. (the RQ fic is on hiatus right now since I got super tired of writing about that)
Okay
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