Chapter-55
"Mr. Chapman, what are you doing? Why did you interrupt?" Natasha frowned in annoyance. She hadn't even made her decision, but Stephan had accepted the challenge without consulting her. He was overstepping his boundaries!
"Ms. Harmon, there's nothing to be afraid of! I'm sure I can handle anything they throw at me," Stephan said confidently. He was utterly unaware of his mistake.
"What if we lost the death match? Have you thought about the consequences?" Natasha narrowed her eyes.
"You must be joking! It's impossible that they will defeat me. Just watch, I'll put on an amazing performance later!" Stephan patted his chest assuredly.
"Ms. Harmon, there are only two choices. You can either pay the ransom with half of your business, or you bet on the deathmatch with all your assets at stake." Edwin repeated his conditions.
"I will accept the death match. However, let my sister go first," Natasha said coldly. Even though she knew that she was walking into Edwin's trap, there was nothing else she could do. Thankfully, she had come prepared.
"Of course." Edwin gestured to his men, and they brought Ruth out, bound up tightly with ropes. Thankfully, despite the ordeal, she seemed none the worse for wear.
"Ruth, are you injured?" Natasha quickly cut the ropes away.
"Sis! Thank God you are here. This time, it's not my fault. I fell into Edwin's trap!" Ruth whined.
"It's alright, go and have a rest. I'll handle this." Natasha nodded.
"Ms. Harmon, now that I have released your sister, isn't it time to sign the agreement for our death match?" Edwin already had a document prepared, and a servant brought it to Natasha.
The document was both a signed consent and agreement stating the terms and conditions of the match. The loser had to comply with all the conditions of the bet, which everyone would witness.
"Since you insist on a death match, I'll take up the challenge!" Natasha signed her name on the document without hesitation.
"Alright! I admire your decisiveness!" Edwin smirked triumphantly as if he had already won.
"I'll be your first opponent!" Stephan stepped forward confidently. He taunted Edwin's men on the opposing side. "Who wants to fight me? I'll send you all to hell!"
"Wolverine, you are up." Edwin pointed toward a hulking, muscular man with tanned skin who stepped forward as well.
"Mr. Chapman, you must be careful of the Wolverine. He is a Muay Thai fighter and notorious among the underground fighting rings in Swinton!" One of Natasha's bodyguards whispered to Stephan.
"A Muay Thai fighter? Defeating him would be child's play!" Stephan scoffed. Stephan and Wolverine stood in the ring, facing each other off.
Wolverine was obviously used to combat. He stretched his limbs, cracked his knuckles, and struck a stance. His muscles were contracted tensely as he was poised to strike.
On the other hand, Stephan folded his hands behind him and seemed to be at ease.
"I'll let you have the first move." Stephan motioned to his opponent.
Wolverine did not hold back. He leaped high into the air and threw a flying kick at Stephan. At this level, his strength could even cause a metal pole to bend.
"Child's play!" Stephan avoided the attack easily and landed a punch to Wolverine's chest. Wolverine lost his balance and retreated a few steps, panting heavily.
Stephan did not give him a chance to catch his breath, landing several heavy blows on Wolverine's arms, abdomen, and legs. After a few minutes, it was clear that Stephan had the upper hand. Wolverine did all he could to fight back, but he could not recover from his injuries. Finally, Stephan landed the final blow, and Wolverine fainted on impact.
The first round went to Stephan! Seeing the outcome, relief appeared on the faces of Natasha's men.
"Who would have expected that Mr. Chapman was so strong? It's no wonder he is the key fighter of the Harmon family!"
"With Mr. Chapman on our side, we will definitely be victorious!" The audience was whispering in excitement. They were all in awe of Stephan's fighting ability. Even though he was a little brash, he did have the ability to back it up.
"Who else wants to fight against me?" Stephan sized up the rest of Edwin's men.
"This explains why Natasha agreed to the match so quickly. She brought in outside help." Edwin scratched his chin in surprise.
"Have you all gone dumb? Come up to fight me!" Stephan taunted.
"Mr. Lawson, you are up next to prevent any further surprises." Edwin turned to an older man, Fletcher Lawson.
"No problem." Fletcher nodded and stepped into the ring with his head held high.
"Old man! With your thin and fragile limbs, how can you ever dream of defeating me? Give up now and you shall live!" Stephan laughed scornfully.
"Don't overestimate yourself!" Fletcher replied with a poker face and attacked Stephan immediately. His agile movements were as quick as lightning.
"You are just asking for trouble!" Stephan sneered and rushed toward Fletcher as well.
When they met in the middle of the ring, there was a deafening explosion as both punches landed on their targets. However, after the debris settled, Fletcher was the only person still standing. Not a hair on his head was harmed.
On the other hand, Stephan was lying helplessly on the ground. His arm was obviously broken, and he was bleeding profusely. Fletcher's immense power had struck Stephan's body, Incapacitating him.
Fletcher was not done yet. He went up to Stephan and landed two more blows on his chest. Stephan gave a loud cry of pain as his body was flung against a tree. On Impact, blood spurted out from his mouth.
"How could this be?" Natasha's men were all dismayed at the sudden turn of events. No one expected Stephan to be defeated so quickly. Fletcher had Stephan Injured and bleeding within three turns. Their difference in powers was just too significant.
"That's terrible! How can this old man be so strong? Even Mr. Chapman couldn't defeat him!" Ruth exclaimed worriedly.
Stephan was one of the Harmon family's best fighters. It was unthinkable that he couldn't even withstand three attacks from an opponent!