Elsewhere in the forest, Troy's casual stroll starkly contradicted the impending battle between the boxing brothers and Volker, another formidable member of the Hendriks.
"Oi Trev, let's mess up this yute, yeah?" Troy said, a playful edge in his voice.
"Focus, Troy. He's a Herd member," Trevor replied, his tone serious.
"So? I ain't scared of this mug—" Troy started, but in the blink of an eye, Volker appeared in front of him, fist pulled back.
"Shit!" Troy exclaimed, flashing to the side just in time to dodge the punch by a hair.
Volker assessed him, a slight frown of curiosity on his face. "His speed's impressive…"
Troy retaliated with a rapid 1-2 punch combo, aiming to catch Volker off guard.
"It's a shame I can't say the same for his punches," Volker remarked, brushing off the hits with ease. He immediately swung a wild punch, but Troy flashed away again, creating more distance between them.
High above, Trevor descended towards Volker with a colossal punch. Volker dove out of the way at the last second, leaving Trevor to decimate the ground where he had stood.
"Interesting," Volker mused.
Amidst the dust that filled the air, Troy appeared behind Volker, ready to strike. He delivered quick punches, zipping away whenever Volker swung back, frustrating his opponent.
"Fucking annoying…" Volker growled.
As Troy threw another punch, Volker grabbed his arm and, with a swift motion, slammed him onto the ground over his shoulder. With Troy's arm still in his grip, Volker prepared to stomp on his shoulder.
"Shit!" Troy muttered, struggling against Volker's hold.
Suddenly, Trevor appeared at Volker's side and clobbered him with a powerful punch, sending him flying. Volker landed on his feet, a smirk spreading across his face.
Volker's eyes gleamed with a predatory glint. "That's right, at the end of the day… they're just boxers," he muttered, settling into a fighting stance. "Gonna need to up my vibration temperature for this…"
He blitzed to Trevor's side, catching the boxer off guard.
"What the—" Trevor exclaimed, swinging a desperate right hook, which Volker effortlessly ducked under.
Volker chuckled. "With my temperature this high, that would've killed me." He grabbed Trevor by the lower body, lifting him with ease before slamming him to the ground.
Troy, urgency written on his face, appeared above them. "Trev!"
Troy descended with a punch aimed at Volker's face, following it up with a rapid uppercut.
"Fuck off!" Volker muttered, scrambling to Troy's legs in the blink of an eye.
"Huh!?" Troy gasped.
Volker leapt into the air with Troy, spun, and hurled him to the ground, sending him crashing. As soon as Volker landed back on the ground, a massive shockwave came booming towards him.
The shockwave blew Volker miles away, leaving shallow cuts on his skin in the process. He broke his fall with his feet, sliding backwards.
"Still fascinated by his power..." Volker muttered, flexing his leg muscles before bolting back to Trevor, immediately closing the distance at an alarming speed.
Trevor swung another shockwave at him, but Volker shifted out of the way. He then clobbered Trevor with a rapid spinning kick to the gut. Trevor winced, swinging another desperate punch, but Volker slipped it and followed up with a snappy kick to the inside of Trevor's leg.
Trevor fell to one knee, and Volker grabbed him by the collar, slamming him over his shoulder.
Troy returned to the fray, dancing around Volker while delivering quick punches.
Volker parried all of Troy's punches, then performed a lightning-quick leg sweep, grabbing Troy mid-air and hurling him away.
The battle continued as Volker gracefully outmatched both Troy and Trevor with a series of precise kicks and grapples.
"MMA will always be superior to boxing, always!" Volker declared, his voice filled with conviction and triumph.
The fight carried on as Volker parried Troy's punch with a swift motion and delivered a powerful kick to his head, sending Troy tumbling across the ground.
Laying defeated, Troy stared at the sky, spotting Volker's silhouette rapidly descending towards him with a sinister grin.
From the ground, Trevor watched helplessly, shouting in desperation, "Troy! Move!"
Volker's voice echoed through the chaos. "One down!"
Milliseconds before Volker could crash down on Troy, a figure swooped in, moving the boxer out of the way just in time. Volker's attack obliterated the ground, leaving a massive crater in its wake. As the dust settled, Volker stood at the crater's centre, frustration etched on his face.
"What now?" he sighed, looking up.
Above, a masked figure stared down at him with an intense gaze.
"Who the…" Volker muttered, squinting to make out the newcomer.
None other than Udo Iche stood above, his presence imposing and unwavering.
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The starlit sky cast a soft glow over the decimated forest, setting the stage for the climactic battle between Leah and Charlotte. The tension reached its peak as Charlotte stood at the wrong end of her own gun, held by Leah, who chuckled with malicious delight.
"I'm gonna enjoy every second of this bullet blasting through your skull," Leah sneered. "Sleep tight, bitch."
Just as Leah tightened her grip on the trigger, she felt an arm casually drape around her shoulder.
A female voice, calm and composed, whispered in her ear, "Her bedtime's at 9. She's got about an hour left..."
Leah froze, her eyes bulging with shock. "Wh-who is that? Did she use masked vibration?"
Slowly, Leah turned her head to see a girl with a mask on, her presence both intimidating and reassuring.
Kimberley Holland had arrived.
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The battle had taken an intense and unpredictable turn. Kimberley stood behind Leah, her gun pressed firmly against the side of Leah's head. Leah, in turn, had her gun trained on Charlotte, creating a tense standoff that crackled with energy.
Leah, despite the dangerous situation, sneered, trying to maintain her composure. "What's the mask for? You're an ugly one, aren't you?"
Kimberley chuckled softly, her voice calm yet menacing. "You go on one date, and you think you're the hottest thing around? Get over yourself."
Leah sighed, feigning exasperation. "Great, another spectator. So, what are you? A secret Dove Corp officer or something?"
Kimberley's voice turned cold. "I don't work for those scumbags. Drop the gun."
Leah's eyes flickered with disdain as she looked at Charlotte. "Then what the fuck's your problem?"
Kimberley's grip tightened ever so slightly. "I just hate you Fiend fucks. Now drop the gun."
For a moment, Leah's expression softened into a subtle smirk. Without warning, she pulled the trigger, aiming at Charlotte. But at the exact same millisecond, Kimberley reacted with lightning speed, firing her own bullet, which was also aimed at Charlotte.
Kimberley's bullet intercepted Leah's in mid-air, causing both to ricochet away from Charlotte with mere seconds to spare before they would have struck their target.
Leah, refusing to back down, immediately followed up with a backward elbow thrust aimed at Kimberley's midsection. The blow was quick, but Kimberley was quicker. She shifted Leah's hand just before Leah could fire again, causing the bullet to miss its mark. Kimberley countered with a swift left hook, aiming her gun at Leah's head.
But Leah wasn't finished. She grabbed Kimberley's arm, shoving it downward. Kimberley's shot went into the ground, but then something unexpected happened—the bullet rebounded off the ground.
Leah's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh?"
The bullet grazed her ear as she barely managed to tilt her head to the side. Kimberley broke Leah's grip on her arm with a forceful motion, following up with a rapid spinning kick that sent Leah flying through the air.
Kimberley didn't waste a second. She fired a shot that split into six bullets, all aiming at the airborne Leah. Leah reacted just as quickly, firing a bullet that multiplied into eight. Six of Leah's bullets intercepted Kimberley's, while the remaining two headed straight for Kimberley.
With a smirk, Kimberley dodged both bullets effortlessly as Leah landed on her feet, frustration evident in her eyes.
Kimberley assessed her opponent with a hint of admiration. "You even stole her skill level," she muttered under her breath, noting Leah's speed. "But she's even faster…"
Leah's frustration grew as she stared at Kimberley, struggling to comprehend the power she was facing. "Who the hell is she? She's even stronger than Captain Holland…"
The two women stood facing each other, the air thick with tension and the promise of more violence to come. Each knew that this battle was far from over, and both were prepared to do whatever it took to come out on top.
Charlotte watched the fierce exchange between Kimberley and Leah, her gaze filled with a mix of wonder and bewilderment. The way Kimberley moved, her precision, her confidence—it all felt strangely familiar.
"That girl… she fights just like…," Charlotte whispered to herself, unable to shake the sense of déjà vu.
Kimberley didn't let her thoughts linger. "Captain Holland. Run. You're out of the fight."
Charlotte, still processing the surreal situation, looked at Kimberley, speechless. But her expression quickly hardened, frustration boiling to the surface.
"Me? Run? Who does she think I am?" Charlotte muttered defiantly.
Kimberley's voice cut through her thoughts, sharper this time. "Charlotte!" The urgency in Kimberley's tone made Charlotte's eyes widen in surprise.
Kimberley's next words were quieter, almost pleading. "Run. Please."
Charlotte stared at Kimberley, her hands slightly shaking. Could it be? Was Kimberley really…
Leah's mocking laughter broke the tension, her voice dripping with scorn. "The great Captain Holland running away like a pussy. Who would've thought?"
The taunt made Charlotte's blood boil, but before she could react, Kimberley's gun fired a shot at Leah. Leah dodged it with a nonchalant tilt of her head, her amusement fading into a glare of annoyance.
Kimberley's voice was ice-cold, her focus entirely on Leah. "I'm your opponent, bitch."