"Is that really Alex?" Rose asked as he came closer. "He looks so different."
"He seems more handsome than before," Sharon said, frowning. "And is he taller, or am I just imagining it? I don't remember him looking that good."
Kelly stared at Alex, transfixed by his appearance. She had always liked him, but she had to admit that the determined look on his face was particularly attractive.
For a while, everyone stood quietly, unwilling to break the spell.
Nelly sighed as she looked at Alex, knowing she would never be able to walk away from him.
"You'll always be the same to me, Alex," she whispered.
The boat floated down the river, and the old man rose slowly, his white hair blowing in the wind. He turned to face everyone, his movements are graceful and his posture perfect.
"Alex! You're here at last!" he called. "I've been waiting a long time for you to show yourself. I was starting to think you weren't coming."
His voice was audible even over the roaring sound of the river, and people clapped their hands over their ears, trying to stop the ringing noise.
Kelly was scared, and her legs trembled, threatening to give up and drop her to the ground.
Alex looked up. "I assume you're Tyson," he called.
The old man nodded. "Yes, that's me."
"Good," Alex said. "I want to make sure I'm killing the right person." As he spoke, he leapt off the boat and landed on the banks of the river.
The movement rocked the boat, tipping it over and causing it to fill with water. Then the current smashed it into a rock, breaking it to pieces, which floated off down the river.
The bystanders gasped. The river was so fast, and Alex had managed to simply hop onto dry land, not getting even slightly wet in the process. That took a lot of skill, and they were all impressed.
To arrive on time, Alex had hired a small boat further up the river, deciding that would get him there faster than travelling by car. Still, most people wouldn't have attempted it.
Tyson laughed. "Ah, the arrogance of youth," he said. "You really do believe that you can kill me. Excellent. This should be fun." He wasn't annoyed at all. He was looking forward to taking on Alex. He knew few people could match his skills, and he had grown lonely in the far north with only polar bears for company. It would be good to spar with this young man. Hopefully, Alex was as skilled as he was confident, otherwise, Tyson would be embarrassed to crush him so easily.
Alex stepped into the water, making his way toward Tyson. The river dragged at him, trying to pull him off balance, but Alex kept his feet.
"You're really not afraid, are you?" Tyson asked, surprised. When he had been waiting for Alex to arrive, he had been perfectly still, but now he exploded into action, rushing at Alex.
The two men collided, coming together in violence. Alex fought hard, his movements are elegant and fast. He used the techniques he had learned at the Moon Palace, determined to win. He blocked Tyson's strike, hitting back and refusing to give ground.
The next attack had them both staggering backwards. Tyson was ferocious and full of brute strength, but Alex was faster and more graceful, adapting quickly to whatever Tyson threw at him. Their audience was shocked, too stunned to look away for even a moment.
They stood still, breathing harshly, realizing that this fight would not be settled quickly. Neither of them was able to gain the upper hand, no matter how hard they tried. Alex clenched his fists and forced himself to breathe deeply remaining calm.
Kelly's heart was pounding as she watched him. Alex, she thought. If I were to die today, I'd just be happy that I got to see you like this.
Nelly stared fiercely at Tyson, as though she wanted to attack him.
"Tyson, you made the mistake of attacking Debbie," Alex called to him. "Now I won't stop until I've destroyed you."
Tyson laughed. "As lord of the Moon Palace, you're surrounded by women. Why do you care about that particular one? Concentrate on your martial arts. That's what's really important." He shook his head, sighing. "Imagine what you could accomplish if you weren't distracted by worldly matters like love."
Tyson only cared about improving his fighting skills, and he had never understood why people were so obsessed with love. As a result, he had no idea why Alex was making such a fuss about Debbie. Tyson couldn't care less about the woman. He had only used her to provoke Alex into fighting him. Besides, he knew that if Alex had tried to heal Debbie, then it would have used up much of his strength. And if he hadn't healed her, then he would be distracted by her loss. Either way, it gave Tyson an advantage.
But Alex had used what he had learned to save Debbie without draining himself of the power needed to battle with Tyson.
"If you don't care about the rest of the world, then why did you come all the way here?" Alex asked. "I thought you wanted revenge for Lee? Isn't that what you said?"
"There are so many members of the Blood Brothers," Tyson said, shrugging. "Who cares if one dies? Hate or love, it's all the same. Only martial arts endure forever."
The spectators listened to Tyson, realizing that he looked down on them all. Tyson was cold-blooded and merciless, and he cared nothing for other people. Only his own life seemed to be important to him.
Tyson smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "But you've come here to challenge me, and you're getting in my way," he said. "So now I will kill you and prove my skills to the world."
He dashed toward Alex, his eyes narrowed in concentration, determined to kill his opponent.
Alex met him halfway.
The two men attacked each other, striking out with hands and feet, and the momentum carried them both over the falls.
As they plummeted, Tyson seemed to glide, totally in control of his descent, riding the water toward the bottom. Alex held his own, staying upright.
Everyone held their breath. Tyson and Alex seemed well matched.