Chapter 58: The Black Belt’s

The gym had gone strangely quiet.

The music was still playing somewhere in the background, and the machines were still humming, but the usual chatter had faded. One by one, people had stopped what they were doing and turned toward the open training area.

Everyone wanted to see what would happen next.

Brandon Shaw stepped into the center of the mat.

He moved with the confidence of someone who had spent years convincing himself that he was unbeatable. His feet settled shoulder-width apart, his knees bent slightly, and his hands rose into a practiced fighting stance.

There was no hesitation in his movements.

Only confidence.

A smug smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

He looked across the mat at Jason.

"Pretty boy," Brandon said, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear. "You still have time to apologize."

Jason simply stared at him.

Brandon’s smile widened.

"Get down on your knees, admit you were wrong, and I might let you walk out of here without embarrassing yourself."

A few people nearby exchanged uneasy looks.

Brandon rolled his shoulders.

"Otherwise, I’m going to show you what a black belt can really do."

Jason sighed.

"You talk too much."

A few people in the crowd quietly laughed.

Brandon’s expression immediately darkened.

Behind Jason, Sabrina stepped closer.

Her earlier anger had disappeared, replaced by genuine concern.

She reached for his arm.

"Jason..."

Her voice was quieter now.

"Maybe we should just leave."

Jason looked at her.

Sabrina lowered her voice.

"You already knocked Derek out. There’s nothing left to prove."

Her fingers tightened around his arm.

"I’ve heard about Brandon. He’s not just some guy who took a few classes. He’s competed before. People say he’s beaten experienced fighters."

There was fear in her eyes.

Not fear for herself.

Fear for him.

She didn’t want to watch Jason get hurt because of her.

"Please," she whispered. "Don’t let this turn into something worse."

Jason studied her expression for a moment.

The worry in her eyes softened something inside him.

He gently placed his hand over hers.

"It’s okay."

Sabrina looked up at him.

Jason’s voice was calm.

"This isn’t ending peacefully. Not after what they tried to do to you."

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I’m not going to let anyone think they can threaten you and walk away."

Sabrina’s lips parted slightly.

"Jason..."

"I’ll be fine."

He smiled.

"You trust me, right?"

She hesitated for only a second.

Then nodded.

"Yeah."

Her grip loosened slightly.

"I trust you."

The words came out softly, but they carried more emotion than she intended.

Jason turned back toward Brandon.

Behind him, Sabrina watched silently.

Something about the way Jason stood there—calm, confident, completely unafraid—made her chest tighten.

He wasn’t fighting because he wanted to show off.

He was standing there because someone had threatened her.

And somehow, that made the situation feel different.

Ding!

The familiar system notification sounded inside Jason’s mind.

[Sabrina’s favorability toward the host has increased by 3.]

[Current favorability: 75.]

Jason’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

Seventy-five?

The timing almost made him smile.

Looks like protecting her worked better than flirting.

Across the mat, Brandon had noticed none of it.

He had been watching Jason and Sabrina interact.

And the longer he watched, the angrier he became.

His face reddened.

His jaw tightened.

His hands curled into fists.

The sight of Sabrina standing so close to Jason had scraped away whatever patience he had left.

Who does this guy think he is?

Brandon took a slow breath.

Then another.

He lowered his center of gravity.

His eyes narrowed.

Enough talking.

He suddenly exploded forward.

His right leg whipped upward.

Whoosh!

The kick cut through the air with frightening speed.

Several people in the crowd instinctively stepped backward.

"Whoa!"

"That was fast!"

"That guy actually knows what he’s doing."

"If that landed clean, he’d put someone on the floor."

The kick came toward Jason’s head like a swinging blade.

But Jason didn’t panic.

He simply shifted his weight.

One small step.

A slight turn of his shoulder.

The kick swept past him, missing by inches.

Brandon’s eyes widened.

He dodged it?

His foot hit the mat.

Before Jason could counter, Brandon pivoted and immediately tried to follow with another strike.

His movements were quick and aggressive.

For an ordinary person, they would have been difficult to read.

But to Jason, they were painfully obvious.

The system-enhanced strength and reflexes coursing through his body had pushed his physical abilities far beyond what Brandon could imagine.

Jason watched his opponent’s shoulders.

His hips.

His feet.

Every movement gave away what was coming next.

Brandon attacked again.

Jason slipped away.

Another kick.

Jason stepped aside.

Another strike.

Jason moved just outside its range.

Brandon’s breathing grew heavier.

His confidence began to crack.

Why can’t I hit him?

He lunged forward again.

Jason continued to retreat.

The crowd began whispering.

"Is he actually dodging everything?"

"That guy hasn’t even thrown a punch."

"Brandon looks frustrated."

Brandon heard them.

His face burned.

He couldn’t stand the feeling.

He had walked onto the mat expecting to humiliate Jason.

Instead, he was the one being made to look foolish.

His attacks became faster.

Wilder.

More desperate.

Jason watched him closely.

Then he smiled.

That’s enough.

Brandon threw another powerful kick.

This time, Jason didn’t move away.

He stepped forward.

Brandon’s eyes widened.

What is he—?

Jason dropped his weight.

His fist drove forward.

CRACK!

The punch connected squarely with Brandon’s face.

The impact echoed through the gym.

Brandon’s head snapped backward.

For one frozen second, his eyes remained open.

Then everything went black.

His body lifted off the ground and flew backward.

He crashed into a nearby group of gym members before tumbling onto the rubber floor.

Several people stumbled and shouted as they scrambled out of the way.

"Whoa!"

"Get out of the way!"

"Brandon!"

Silence followed.

Brandon lay sprawled on the mat.

Blood trickled from his nose.

He didn’t move.

The entire gym seemed to freeze.

Jason lowered his fist.

He hadn’t even looked winded.

A few seconds passed.

Then whispers erupted around the room.

"He dropped Brandon with one punch..."

"No way."

"Brandon’s a black belt."

"I’ve seen Brandon spar before. He’s good."

"Then what the hell was that?"

Someone shook his head.

"That wasn’t normal."

A woman near the weight racks stared at Jason with wide eyes.

"He didn’t even look nervous."

Another woman whispered, "He’s actually kind of terrifying."

Her friend nodded slowly.

"Terrifyingly impressive."

Jason ignored all of them.

His attention shifted to the only man still standing beside Brandon.

Ethan Cole.

The moment their eyes met, Ethan’s face went pale.

Jason tilted his head.

"And you?"

Ethan immediately shook his head.

"No."

Jason raised an eyebrow.

Ethan took a nervous step backward.

"No, no. I’m good."

He lifted both hands.

"I don’t want any trouble."

Jason stared at him.

Ethan swallowed hard.

Brandon had been the toughest fighter among them.

And Jason had knocked him unconscious with a single punch.

There was no chance Ethan was volunteering for the same treatment.

Jason pointed toward the two men lying on the floor.

"Then here’s what you’re going to do."

Ethan nodded immediately.

"Anything."

"Get them out of here."

Jason’s voice remained calm.

"They’re blocking the gym."

Ethan nodded rapidly.

"Absolutely."

He turned toward a few nearby guys.

"Guys! Help me out."

Several men reluctantly stepped forward.

It took all of them to haul Brandon and Derek away from the center of the gym.

Ethan kept glancing over his shoulder at Jason as they dragged them toward the exit.

He wasn’t going to admit it out loud.

But he was terrified of the man standing behind him.

Once they were gone, the noise in the gym slowly began to return.

Jason turned around.

Sabrina was still standing exactly where he’d left her.

She looked stunned.

"Jason..."

He walked toward her.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded.

"Yeah."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"I just..."

She glanced toward the exit.

"That happened so fast."

Jason smiled gently.

"It’s over now."

He reached for her hand.

"You don’t have to worry anymore."

Sabrina looked down at their hands.

Then back at him.

Something inside her finally relaxed.

The fear that had been sitting heavily in her chest disappeared.

Without thinking, she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him.

Jason paused.

Then gently returned the embrace.

Sabrina rested her forehead against his chest.

She could hear his heartbeat.

Steady.

Calm.

As though nothing had happened.

Her own heartbeat was considerably less calm.

She closed her eyes for a moment.

For the first time since Derek had started causing trouble, she felt completely safe.

Jason lightly patted her back.

"I’m here."

Sabrina’s fingers tightened slightly around his shirt.

"I know."

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

And for a moment, neither of them said anything.

The chaos of the gym continued around them.

But inside that small space between them, everything seemed strangely quiet.