The King Of War Returns (Jaden Rift) novel Chapter 74

Stanwell's face twitched.

“How dare you?” he barked. “You got a death wish or what?”

The crowd erupted again — laughter, gasps, shouts.

“Yo, this kid got some nerve!”

“He crazy or just stupid?”

“Somebody tell him who Stanwell is!”

“Bro’s gonna get folded in the first minute.”

Stanwell stepped forward, eyes burning.

“You come in here and talk like you own the place?” he said, slamming his gloves together. “You’re dead meat.”

Jaden raised one brow, then looked down at his gloves and started loosening them.

Stanwell frowned. “What the hell are you doing?”

“To make this fair,” Jaden said, pulling one glove off slowly, “I’ll only use one hand.”

He let the glove drop to the floor. The crowd gasped.

Then he took off the other glove too and tossed it outside the ring.

“You know what? Let’s take it a step further,” he said. “If you can land just one punch on me... I’ll let you walk out with your pride.”

The whole dome went silent.

Stanwell’s face turned red.

“You cocky piece of—!”

The crowd exploded.

“DID HE JUST—?”

“No way.”

“He’s done for.”

“That’s suicide.”

Stanwell turned to the ref. “Start the damn match!”

The ref hesitated. Looked at Jaden, then back at Stanwell. “Are you sure you wanna—?”

“START IT!”

The bell rang.

Ding!

Stanwell charged like a bull. His fists swung with bad intentions.

“DIE!”

He threw a wild right hook.

Jaden didn’t even flinch. He just leaned slightly back and let the punch miss by a breath.

Then came the left jab. Fast. Sharp.

Jaden tilted his head to the side.

Miss.

Uppercut.

Dodge.

Cross.

Dodge.

He was dancing. Gliding like smoke.

The crowd started murmuring.

“Wait... what?”

“Is he dodging everything?”

“No freaking way.”

Stanwell kept going. Sweat flying off his face, fists swinging harder and faster.

Jaden kept his hands behind his back, leaning, turning, shifting like he was doing ballet in a warzone.

One girl screamed, “He’s not even trying!”

Stanwell growled like a mad dog. “STAND STILL!”

He fired a straight right with full force—Jaden ducked under it, spun behind him, and gave a light tap to the back of his head with a smirk.

Stanwell spun around, humiliated.

The crowd lost it.

BOOM!

A left jab to the ribs. You could hear bones crack.

WHAM!

A straight punch to the jaw. Stanwell’s head snapped back. Blood sprayed.

CRACK!

Elbow to the collarbone. Snap.

Stanwell collapsed on one knee, coughing, choking, trying to breathe.

Jaden grabbed his hair and lifted his head.

“I told you... if you land one hit, you get to walk out with your pride.”

Then he punched him in the face — hard.

CRACK!

Stanwell’s body flew backward, crashing against the ropes. Blood and spit flew from his mouth.

The crowd went insane.

“OH MY GOD!”

“He killed him!”

“WHAT IS THIS???”

Stanwell tried to get up, but his body didn’t move. His wrist was shattered, jaw dislocated, ribs broken. He looked like a ragdoll tossed from a roof.

Jaden stood over him, eyes calm.

“You done?” he asked.

Stanwell groaned.

“I can’t hear you.”

Stanwell coughed. Blood spilled from his lips.

“I... I’m done...”

The ref called it.

Ding ding ding!