A beautiful day it was to grace the thoroughfares of the Upper Cross streets with one's feet. Chaos was far from sight while peace was nigh. Feel the breeze of the gentle zypher as it caresses your skin and cushions you from the severity of the relentless sun.

The Upper Cross streets are a peaceful and relaxing part of Singapore, Or so we thought. That peace was taken from the city's inhabitants as a storm of terrifying black vans drove past them with ferocious speed. The speed was so fierce that a gust of wind exhilarated with force, repelling everything it came in contact with.

Inside the storm of black Vans, Sir Khunta and his loyal subordinates sat harmoniously in one accord. They were dressed in black tuxedos. Each of Khunta's subjects gathered into ten groups, consisting of twenty men in each group. They had different species of M16 rifles, born from a typical military family. Much more, they wore a set of shades just as their leader did.

Trailing from behind the storm of vans was a black limousine. Now Seated in the vehicle's back seat were Sir Khunta and his right-hand man, Steve Joe. Steve Joe looked down at the radar, in which something of great interest intrigued him. The radar acquired the location of three more talismans. It would seem that the area of the talismans was just a few blocks away, where else they were closing the gap between them and the fourth wielder. He turned to face Khunta, who had just removed a roll of marijuana from his lips, and exhaled a cloud of smoke through the frame of the gaped window.

"Boss, three more talismans have appeared on the radar. It looks like they are drawing closer to Yung Fu's proximity."

Khunta smirked with delight because his plan fell into place very smoothly. Lest he knew t, he wasn't the only predator lurking in this deadly field.

"Of course, Steve Joe, man. We are not the only ones who will partake in the martial arts tournaments. The other Guardians have decided to join us. How generous of them; this makes things a lot easier. With all four talismans in one place, our only objective is to use hostile force."

He pushed his shades back to the truss of his nose, "Are you ready, man?" He inquired in a Jamaican accent.

Steve Joe cracked his knuckles, "I'm ready, boss."

"Then let's go take what is rightfully ours."

Khunta once again shoved the roll of marijuana between his lips and inhaled a large chunk of smoke into his respiratory system.

Yung Fu's Siheyuan

A Royce Rolls ghost, accompanied by a Pagani huayara, arrived at the parking lot. Both luxurious vehicles parked next to each other on two empty lanes. The passengers that walked past were mesmerized by the sight of these stunning beasts. The cars were worth five hundred million Us dollars put together. Vanessa was the one who drove the Pagani huayara since it was the only vehicle with two seats. Meanwhile, the other three were inside the Royce roll.

As soon as her fellow Guardians gushed out of the Royce roll, she awaited their driver to open the door. So he did as he grabbed her hand and gently pulled her up. After that, he closed the door as soon as she got out.

At the main entrance, she stood toe to toe with a guard named Kim. Kim was a very tall, large, and bulky man.

"Ticket, please. You will be prohibited from entering the arena if you do not have a ticket."

She imploded with laughter and took out four VIP cards from her purse.

"Oh please, who needs a ticket when we got VIP? Now if you can excuse us, we have a tournament to attend."

The rest of the guards stood on both sides, enabling them to pass through. One guard by the alias of Hashim lead them to the arena.

The arena was grandious; not only was it grandious, but the spectators filled it to the brim.

Hashim led them to the upper tiers of the arena at the VIP lounge. As soon as they were seated on the comfy chairs, they were catered with scrumptious cullinaries from expensive restaurants. And as for Pete, he ordered as much food as to fulfill his heart's content.

Many chefs delivered more than twenty plates of cuisine. The other three watched him devour his food like a wild beast.

Kuhn Lau placed his hand on his forehead and sighed.

"Never has there been a time when I'm glad I'm not food."

A dew of marinade sauces dripped off his left cheek.

*********

Ace climbed out of a taxi at the parking lot and strolled towards the entrance. As usual, Kim stood before him and crossed his arms while tilting his face down to face him. When Ace looked up, an enormous behemoth towered over him.

"Hold it...No one is allowed to enter without a ticket," Kim ordered in a drone and demanding voice.

"Unfortunately, I don't have one, mate," he said with a chilled tone.

"Then your entry to the arena is prohibited!"

Ace smirked, "Then, in that case, you won't mind if I do this..."

He grabbed his collar and pulled him down for an audacious head-butt. Kim blacked out after coming in contact with his head.

Yung Fu washed his hands thoroughly in the basement. After that, he dripped his hands as water droplets slid off. He grabbed a towel and dried his hands. He then looked at his reflection in a mirror. As a result, a stream of memories played like a tape in his mind, allowing him to reminisce about his past.

A century ago

He was sparing with his former Sensei, Douglass. The two engaged in a duel of Filipino kali.

Douglass was about to strike Yung Fu with a bamboo stick in the face, til Yung Fu shielded himself with his bamboo stick.

"Focus, Yung Fu! Your body might be here, but your mind is far!"

Yung Fu gnashed his teeth with frustration and attempted to strike Douglass on the shoulder with the stick. Douglass shielded himself with the stick.

"All I wanted was to obtain the power of the Golden Phoenix master!" He yelled with frustration.

Since the dawn of his Innocence, a passionate Yung Fu vowed to join the Utopian Army. He was inspired by the great Jin Li Wei Guang, the Utopian messianic figure. He partook in a rebellion to liberate his race from the oppressive rule of a race viciously called the Konquerers.

During the rebellion, Jin Li Wei Guang unlocked a form called the Golden Phoenix. Hearing legends of this form centuries later, Yung Fu desired to achieve it.

Douglass twirled the stick and struck him with it on his right shoulder.

"Aah!"

He yelped while Douglass twirled the stick again, sweeping him off his heels with another attack toward the calves. Yung Fu fell on his back and held his shoulder.

Douglass centered the weapon toward him and continued, "It is because you dropped your guard!"

After sparring, the two took a stroll nearby a river bank.

"Yung Fu, why do you want to achieve the Golden Phoenix so badly?"

"It is because I want to be powerful like Jin Guang and Ken Sou! And put the Elite Force to shame!" He said with conviction.

Douglass sighed and explained a scenario that his student did not understand. After all, the lad was still young and arrogant. He did not know many things and therefore needed to be educated.

"The truth is that not every Utopian can unlock the Golden Phoenix. Only those born with exceptional genes can usurp its power."

Douglass continued as he pushed his shades back up to the roof of his truss.

"You cannot partake in martial arts if you only desire to harm another individual. On the contrary, martial arts should be used for self-defense and elegance."

Yung Fu then glanced at the mirror once more and clenched his fist.

"Perhaps I'm now ready to usurp the power of the Golden Phoenix."

*************

At the Arena, As soon as everyone was settled, the tournament announcer, Chai Lin, stood at the center of the battle stage. The roar of the salivated fans moved him.

He then spoke with a microphone, "Good afternoon Singapore! My name is Chai Lin, and I am honored to host the thirtieth Annual Tseng martial arts tournament once again."

The crowd roared at the sound of his words. Their excitement connected with him. He felt an indescribable feeling aroused by their spiking energy.

"I love the fire burning in every one of you! Now without further ado, allow me to introduce you to the founder of the Tseng tournament! Yung Fu!"

Their roars grew even louder as this carved a smile on Yung Fu's face. He walked towards the arena from backstage.

Outside the ring, closer to the barricade, a group of taiko drummers waited for him. As soon as he entered the battlefield, they began to hit against the drums which were strapped around their chests. Meanwhile, the other two hit against the gong. After entering the arena, Yung Fu sat on a luxurious chair across the ring. Then there was silence.

"Now that our special guest has arrived, this tournament can officially begin!"

The taiko drummers hit against the drums and the gongs to declare the beginning of the tournament. Fireworks sparkled like diamonds across the sky.

The announcer then introduced the first contender.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, entering first from South Korea. He is a ten-time world World Champion. He is the legendary Fei Long!"

Fei Long stepped into the arena. The hurling roars did not move him. Instead, he directed his gaze to the circular battle stage. And that's what he did; he slowly went to the ring with his manager.

Indistructo was baffled by Fei Long's physical features, "This guy is a ten-time world champion? This must be a joke! He looks more like a twig than a deranged fighting machine!"

"Raw muscle and size are not everything. Sure, he may be scrawny, but one strike can bust a man's teeth off," said Pete.

Kuhn Lau nodded, impressed by Pete's knowledge of martial arts. "I guess you weren't joking about being an ordained martial arts fan club member."

When Fei Long entered the battle stage, he set his eyes toward the entrance wherein his adversary would enter.

"And from West Africa, weighing in three hundred and sixty-five pounds. He is a five-time MMA champion and a six-time UFC champion...Riley Coomson!"

Riley entered the arena and made his way to the ring. The crowd roared louder at the sight of his presence. He was accompanied by his manager as well. As both martial artists were on the battle stage, they slowly walked around the edge of the ring while keeping in contact with one another. The Inspector entered the ring. When he got inside, the two contenders stood toe to toe with one another. The Inspector then signaled the match to start as both of them bowed.

************

From outside the Arena, Hashim patrolled back to the parking lot. From afar, he witnessed Kim's body lying on the ground. Therefore, he rushed to his aid with urgency. When he got there, he began to use all kinds of methods to revive him, but nothing worked. Afterward, he contacted other staff members with his walkie-talkie.

While doing so, a storm of vans barged into the parking lot at full speed. Upon arrival, the vans were parked in front of the two bodyguards. Khunta's limousine then parked behind the group of vans.

Khunta's subordinates stormed out of the van and huddled in one atmosphere, waiting for Apisko to lead them into the arena.

Apisko stood in front of them and shone a gaze at Hashim. He tried to alert the other staff members with the walkie-talkie at hand. However, Apisko shot him instantly and led the army of thugs into the arena.

Khunta's subordinates split into fifteen groups and covered the entire area. The atmosphere was frightening. The terrorists fired thousands of bullets from each arena corner to immobilize them with trepidation.

"Hands in the air now! If you do anything stupid, we will kill all of you!!!" The thugs demanded.

At the usher of their commands, the spectators raised their hands. Ironically enough, even the Guardians were victims of this circumstance.

"What should we do, Kuhn Lau? Aren't we powerful enough to mop the floor with these guys?"

Before responding to his inquiry, Kuhn Lau checked the coast first.

"Unfortunately, we are backed into a corner. If we attempt to oppose them, they will eliminate everyone within a split second."

Apisko then entered the arena with a speaker at hand. His subordinates then removed the contenders from the battle stage. He addressed everyone in the middle of the battle stage.

"It's a lovely day for a hostage situation, isn't it, Singapore? Now my men and I only came here for one objective. If everyone obliges to our demands, you'll be allowed to live! Before we begin, the day's first order is for all of you to kneel and make a grand entrance for the mastermind of this operation!"

Some of the hostages refused to cooperate; therefore, some thugs began firing bullets in the air to intimidate them. Every hostage in the arena followed the command and placed their knees on their floor.

"Good. Allow me to introduce the mastermind behind this operation, Blood Shot!"

Khunta entered the arena with his accomplice trailing from behind. Vanessa recognized the deceit under Blood Shot and his accomplice's disguise. She caught a glimpse of long dreadlocks sticking out from his metal mask. She also noticed the large span of weight that his accomplice was bombarded with.

As soon as Khunta placed his foothold upon the circled ring, he gently took the speaker from Apisko.

"Without further ado. If all the five Guardians do not surrender the talismans, I'll give the order to have all of you killed!"

To Be Continued