Chapter 54 Nora

"Now then, everyone, we have a special fight in store for you all. A ranking match! Are you ready?!" the announcer yelled.

His voice resounded throughout the underground fight club as those watching began to chant and cheer in excitement since the opportunity to watch such matches was rare.

Ranking matches were big events that would be scheduled, more expensive to watch and of much higher skill, so for one to be announced so suddenly, it was to be expected for them to be excited.

"And the challenger isn't just any fighter, but the legendary Unstoppable Killer!" the announcer continued.

Hearing that, it had been quite a while since her fighter name had come up in the fighting club, but she appeared to be quite well known as the crowd began to cheer even more.

Giving the audience a moment to settle down, the announcer revealed, "Going up against the Unstoppable Killer is none other than the Wild Dog Fight Club's 97th most skilled fighter, Iron Fist Nora!"

And as soon as Achara heard that, she visibly shook slightly and her face became pale.

"What? She's only 97th on the ranking. I'm sure you can beat her easily," Xavier reassured her as he patted her back.

But that didn't seem to be the issue.

"N-Nora. She's the sister of..."

She didn't even need to finish, and Xavier already figured out why Achara seemed so surprised and hesitant about taking her on.

"No wonder that bastard was so sure the opponent would want to take you on. It doesn't matter, you still have to fight," Xavier said to her.

"B-but... I don't want to become that person again..."

"Achara. Humans are violent creatures. Look at all of these hooligans, watching as people put their lives on the line to entertain them. And look at the fighters and us, who are fighting for money, thrill, fame or whatever else. We all have that animosity within us, and you should channel it. And with your skill level, I'm sure you know that remaining level-headed is important."

His words still didn't seem to be getting to her, and she was clearly starting to have her doubts about letting loose in a fight, afraid that she would end up losing control once again.

"Achara. That person that you don't want to be anymore, is a part of yourself, and if you can't accept it, improving any further as a fighter will be impossible," he said to her sternly.

She had clearly been shaken after taking a life for the first time, and that was understandable, but Xavier needed her to steel her resolve.

Despite how nonchalant and jovial he acted, he certainly wasn't taking being a gangster as a joke and he needed to be able to rely on her.

Slapping her own face a few times, she got up and clenched her fists.

"Fuck it. I killed her brother, but he was out to do the same to me. If she wants revenge, she can come and get it."

She seemed to have snapped out of it, but despite her strong display, Xavier could see that she still had her qualms.

"The Unstoppable Killer. A name that suits that animosity within you, but control it, Achara. Once you let it control you, that's when you will regret your actions."

She nodded her head and there was no turning back as the guard that led them to their room came inside to lead her to the arena.

Xavier was unsure how her battle would turn out, but either way, she needed to confront whatever was holding her back head-on, and this was the perfect opportunity for that.

Win or lose, she would be better off, and all he could do was watch as her fight was set up.

-

Led to a changing room, she was patted down to ensure she didn't have any weapons on her, and it was a very thorough search. Then she was told to wait there for a short while.

Cleaning the bloodied cage in which her fight was set to take place, she was then led there and had a grand entrance with the crowd cheering, eager to watch her performance.

And it brought back a lot of memories for Achara.

Known for her ruthlessness and unstoppable attacks, she made a name for herself quite quickly, taking on any opponent that came her way and leaving them all with severe injuries.

And in a matter of months, she became very well known in the underground fight clubs, treated like those on the top 100 ranking by the one-eyed demon, who especially enjoyed her battles.

But it was a time that she was blinded by her desperation and the desire to become the best.

She would continue attacking until she was pulled off her opponents, and despite the gore and dangers of the fights, she was drawn toward the thrill, fame and money.

However, her fight with Nora's brother was the one that caused her to never want to fight in a fight club again.

He was definitely a skilled fighter, and they had a close fight, but in the end, she got the upper hand and, after sustaining many injuries in that fight, she became even wilder.

Pounding on his face even after he had fallen onto the ground and by the time those on standby were able to stop her, it was already too late.

He suffered such a bad beating that he didn't even make it to the hospital and the emergency first aid was to no avail.

There and then she was announced as not only the victor but also a killer.

-

Despite all the cheering she received after the close fight and the praise from the one-eyed demon who even offered her a position under him, she was rattled to her core.

​ She looked at her hands, that were drenched in blood, with disgust and even after cleaning herself up and continuously washing her hands, she could still feel his warm blood over her hands.

Imagining how her family would view her, she was ashamed and knew that her mother, the one that trained her in combat from a young age, would certainly be disappointed.

She felt like she was a monster and the truth of the matter, despite the blood on her hands, she didn't feel any guilt and instead still wanted to continue fighting.

But that's what ate her up the most, and it wasn't actually killing him that affected her, but seeing how much it affected his family.

-

Going to his sister's home to pass on her condolences and support them with some money, she found that he had a daughter, wife, and a sickly mother who all relied on him.

And also at the time didn't even know that she was his sister.

Training in a local mixed martial arts club, she came across a young skilled fighter and they began sparring and were good opponents for each other, and respected each other.

It was rare to find such a skilled female fighter that took combat seriously, so their friendship was natural and they met up quite regularly.

But never did Nora think that it would be none other than the first person she respected and regarded as a friend that would kill her brother.

And, Achara, seeing how distraught the man's family was, vowed to herself to never fight in an illegal fight club again and she had saved enough money to open the dojo.

Not only had she killed, but it was also the brother of her first friend and she didn't have the excuse of money to revert back to fighting in the underground fight club.

And yet here she was, about to take on none other than that man's sister and her first friend.

-

Nora was certainly skilled and arguably even more skilled than her brother was, and she had trained together with him in multiple martial arts from a young age.

But becoming desperate for money, unlike his sister who fought official bouts and was famed as one of the greatest young prospects in the country, he opted to fight in underground fight clubs.

Eventually, he built a reputation for himself and was happy that he could provide for his family, but that was all until his fight with Achara.

And now out for revenge and taking on the responsibility for money in her family was his younger sister, and Achara didn't want to have to fight her.

While Achara was also pretty sure that Nora didn't have the same hesitance since she was too ashamed to tell her the truth.

-

After connecting the dots and realising that the man that she helped her friend grieve over was none other than the man she had killed, the guilt began to eat Achara up.

And she was ashamed to even show her face before her and eventually became more distant with Nora.

Who would've thought their reunion would be against each other in the Wild Dog Fight Club?