They all looked at each other in dismay when they heard his coercion.

"What should we do?" Pete inquired

Kuhn Lau lowered his gaze to inspect the ground. He deliberated long and hard, knowing that his decision would result in the deaths of thousands of innocent people. At the very least, that would be a burden he'd bear for the rest of his life, knowing that he could've made the right decision to avoid having their blood on his hands.

"We have no choice but to follow his orders."

"He will have all our talismans if we do as he commands. God knows what he'll do with them!" Murmured Vanessa.

Kuhn Lau took a look around before responding. He did this to assess his surroundings and avoid getting caught. Fortunately, his foresight saved them from being apprehended as a nearby thug patrolled past them. He responded when the coast was clear.

"We have no choice; otherwise, we risk having these people's blood dripping from our hands."

They dropped their hands and advanced towards the stairwell. All eyes were drawn to them as they walked there. It's as if a magnetic aura radiated from their bodies and attracted a pair of eyes toward them. A small group of thugs left their stations and followed them down the bleacher staircase. They made their way to the battleground, but there was a swarm of thugs waiting for them. Finally, they entered the stage and stood before Sir Khunta.

"Is this a joke? Where is Yung Fu?" He yelled

They said nothing.

Khunta then whispered in Apisko's ear. He exited the battle stage and took Mike Coomson and Fei Long. He dragged them onto the stage and left them groveling at his feet. Khunta snatched an M16A2 from Steve Joe while the two crawled up to their knees. He shot them with several bullets without hesitation, and the crowd screamed in horror. Indistructo's face turned red. He was so enraged that it looked like smoke would emanate from his ears. He clenched his fist and was about to destroy him when Kuhn Lau grabbed his wrist.

"You better make sure that you hold onto me tightly, Kuhn Lau, or else I'll beat the living shit outta him!"

"I understand your frustrations Nicholas, but remember what's at stake."

Fortunately, his words were able to curb his rage.

After inflicting a dreadful onslaught, he placed the gun on the tiles and grabbed the speaker, "Do you now take me seriously, Yung Fu?!"

Khunta's subordinates cleared a path for Yung Fu to pass through outside the battle stage. He fulfilled his duty and stood alongside his fellow Guardians. Pete's stomach was filled with a kaleidoscope of butterflies.

Khunta extended and unclenched his hand, revealing the two talismans still in his grasp's widths.

"You know what to do, surrender the talismans, then we will be on our way!"

They all looked at each other, now sandwiched between a rock and a hard place. Finally, they took a deep breath and placed their talismans in Khunta's hand.

With the talismans in his possession, Khunta's grinned with glee. His smile was so vast that it stretched to his eyes. He stuffed the valuable ornaments into his pocket. He then turned to Apisko and issued a command unlike any other.

"Kill 'em all!"

Kuhn Lau roared angrily as he prepared to exit the stage.

"Khunta, you snake! You promised that you wouldn't touch the hostages!"

A sinister smirk crept up from the two corners of his mouth.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I never promised you anything. I just said I wouldn't kill anyone if you gave me the talismans! Now that I've found what I was looking for, I have no use for these pathetic fools."

He walked away as Apisko uttered another command, "Kill everyone now!"

Every thug in the arena aimed their guns at the hostages. Ace jumped to his feet and stomped the ground violently as they were about to pull the trigger.

Then, the entire arena was jolted by a 1.30-magnitude tremor. Despite its insignificance, it caused every vessel to capsize.

After a while, the hostages crawled to their feet and ran toward the entrance.

They pushed against one another as the thugs crawled up to their feet and began shooting at them. Unfortunately, they could smite more than three indeed and fifty people. In response, Viper summoned a large coil of vines.

The vine coil slithered around them and shared a lovely embrace. Within seconds, you could hear them wailing as their bones began to implode.

"You stupid girl!" Khunta exclaimed as he extended his right hand toward her. In doing so, he activated his Betòkinesis kinetic abilities.

He intended to subdue her by turning her back into a statue. A deluge of liquid cement then engulfed her body.

Yung Fu emerged from behind him and landed a spinning kick to the left side of his face. His kick shattered his metal mask to smithereens, repelling him across the arena.

Khunta touched his face and felt the crisp sensation of his burnt cheek after such a devastating landing.

"That bastard, I'm going to make him pay!" He murmured

He (Khunta) modulated his right hand into a concrete fist. His fist was so large that it dwarfed that of a typical house. When Yung Fu was close to him, he clobbered him with his massive fist, sending the latter flying.

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

The Guardians were embroiled in a heated duel with Khunta's subordinates on the battle stage. Indistructo levitated and extended his hand toward a group of people who were shooting at him. Using the iron fist appeared profitable, but the consequences would be disastrous. This is because half of the arena would be rubles. He then used a less drastic tactic and extended his hand toward them. He discharged an ultramarine laser.

Kuhn Lau approached the stage's edges from behind. He soared above another posse of subordinates like an enchanted phoenix. Kuhn Lau then mounted the lower sections of his palms on each other, resembling the shape of a crocodile's mouth. He then launched a whirlpool of water, gushing out of his palms.

The whirl Pool grew significantly larger with each consecutive second. It grew so tall that it surpassed the height of a two-story building. The whirlpool swept them all away immediately as it touched the surface. Once Kuhn Lau landed on the floor, a swarm of thugs charged at him.

He then looked down at the ground where they stood and summoned a geyser. The geyser splashed through the concrete base and sent them flying.

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

Meanwhile, the crowd was on their way to the arena entrance when two of Khunta's men suddenly stood before them and directed their guns at them.

"Everybody, knees on the floor now!" They ordered.

The crowd halted and was hesitant to oblige to their commands. The two thugs felt disrespected, and because of that, they loaded their guns and placed their fingers slightly far from the trigger.

"I said knees on the floor!"

They knelt, their hands on their heads, overcome with dread.

"Good to know. Now the next thing that will happen is that we will kill all of you!"

When the thugs turned their firearms toward the front row, Pete heard their screams of terror from outside.

Pete approached the bunch of terrorists with a bamboo stick from outside the arena. He undertook something incredibly honorable but foolish. He was risking his life for people that he didn't know.

More than that, he began to doubt himself, keeping him from taking the necessary action. Even though doubts took root in his mind, he found the strength and courage to claw his way deep into the soil to uproot them. He needed an axe, though, for these doubts were deeply rooted. He couldn't exhume them with his bare hands.

His doubts grew more robust with each step he took from the outside. He leaned on the wall before the arena's facade, not far from the thugs. He spoke to himself for a moment to consider the possible long-term repercussions before he came to terms with his final choice.

"I'm not going to allow my fears to hold me back. I will do what's right even if it's at the cost of my life!" He stated with narrowed brows.

He arrived from behind when the thugs were preparing to shoot the crowd. Before they had time to react, he swiftly and accurately flogged them. He continued to thrash the weapon against their flesh, focusing on their arms and legs.

As he proceeded with the assault, their sobbing only increased their suffering. Finally, they let go of their firearms, allowing him to grab them. Once he took possession of the weapons, he aimed them at the helpless goons lying on the ground.

The crowds got to their feet and joyfully moved toward the entrance.

Some people showed their appreciation by thanking him.

Their appreciation moved him. Additionally, he was motivated to do more under the influence of his selfless deed.

***********

Ace then charged into the fray, clearing the way by savagely dispatching every thug in his path. For example, a group of them was shooting at Viper. They were unaware that he was standing behind them. He clenched his fist and punched one of them in the back. The force of his punch invited a shockwave, therein sending them flying. Then, Steve Joe moved closer and met his eyes.

"I see that you have escaped, comrade. Unfortunately, you prolonged your demise just a bit longer."

Steve Joe then put on two gauntlets while Ace cracked his knuckles, "Oh, I could say the same about you! Let's dance, pretty boy!"

The two charged at each other, each trying to strike the other with clenched fists. However, as their fists brushed against one another, a subsequent shockwave drove them apart. They crawled to their feet after falling to the ground as Steve Joe leaped into the air and attempted to punch him from above.

Ace predicted this move and countered it with a shoulder tackle. The tackle's force constrained blood out of his mouth. They both fell to the ground and crawled back to their feet. Steve Joe moaned in pain and rubbed his potbelly.

"Oh, me stomach!"

Ace smirked with delight and went for the attack. Steve Joe grabbed a tile and smashed it against his face.

However, it would seem that the tile shattered into shards. In response, Ace headbutted him, causing him to black out.

Yung Fu was set to be struck by a hook kick from Khunta. Instead, he deflected the kick and retaliated with his strike. He steered a double-turning kick in the direction of his left cheek. Khunta was on spaghetti legs from the impact of that attack.

When he found equal footing, he regained his impairment. He then jabbed Yung Fu in the jaw. He was sent flying by the onslaught, so much so that he hit the bleachers at a further distance.

Though the gigantic fist of concrete could land a tremendous blow, it burst into fragments.

"Not bad, but if it's all you got, I am disappointed!" Yung Fu said as he flew to him after recuperating from that audacious landing.

Khunta furrowed his brows, "Oh, there is more of where that came from. Just wait and see!"

With his regenerative skills, he modulated his concrete fist once more. Khunta then charged at him and made a bug-swatting effort.

In response, Yung Fu moved from his position. He manifested behind him in three seconds and blasted him with a red ki blast.

After the explosion's incision, a pool of liquid cement modulated into a man's figure. The liquid-like substance transmogrified into a man and then developed clothing, skin, and hair. Khunta modulated a wrecking ball from his right hand in reaction to that despicable act. He then embarked on a violent blow-for-blow battle with Yung Fu.

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

The sky changed into a black hue, occupied with the rumbling of thunder. A flash of lightning energized the presence of a menacing creature. The warfare ceased due to the gods' wrath. Everyone cocked their heads upward, staring at the structural tension ring.

All of them were captivated by the sight of a godlike man whose presence was not to be taken lightly. Yet fewer people would feel the need to look directly into his eyes. A black mask obscured his mouth and nose.

It was Slicer, the fleet commander of over a thousand Dark Raiders. The wind diligently blew his long, black hair to the side, thus complimenting his ominous presence.

"Who is that?" Inquired Khunta

"I think that would be Slicer," Yung Fu said sternly.

Indistructo approached Kuhn Lau from behind with draught.

"Kuhn Lau, tell me that my eyes are deceiving me. You never mentioned that Slicer can manipulate lightning!"

Seeing that the odds were against him, Kuhn Lau refused to accept what materialized before his eyes.

"Impossible; during our last altercation, Slicer never could manipulate lightning."

Slicer abruptly changed direction and descended to the ground at the speed length of Mach three, utilizing rapid movement. The integrity of his speed left them all in a state of shock. The aura of lightning coated his body. He then sauntered over to them and gave each of them a glance.

"This day has been chosen for your reckoning. I stand before you not as an enemy but as your executioner. Whoever desires to die now, by all means, step forward and cease to function without regret!"

Indistructo approached him and scoffed at him.

"Yeah yeah yeah, we already learned about Shakespeare in High School. We don't need another lecture! How about we skip to the part where I kick your ass!"

Indistructo suddenly pursued him at Mach one without any prior warning. Even his fellow Guardians had been unable to detect his strike because of his speed and accuracy.

He then clenched his fist and attempted to implement his assault. Remarkably though, Slicer blocked his attack by encasing his fist in the palm of his hand.

What the...? He muttered as he struggled to get free of his hold.

After that, Slicer raised his gaze to the heavens and summoned a lightning strike with a one million degrees Celsius heat signature.

When the lightning struck him, a massive explosion followed. When it was over, he was in a horrendous situation. The severity of the assault harrowed his garments. A haze of smoke departed from his nostrils. They were flabbergasted. Slicer diverted his gaze back at them.

"Anyone else?"

To Be Continued