Virtual Sword God!

Watching one of your friends get hurt in front of you was a horrible sight and that was exactly what the VSW team was looking at now. Dan wasn't faring well against Tony and with each hit the team cried inside wishing the fight would stop.

But more frustrated then anyone was Novis, he had been training this whole time to get stronger and better at the game. But after the incident with Scarlett and the Ruman family, Novis also wished that he wouldn't be put in another situation where he felt week again.

So he had trained harder not only for the game but to also protect his friends. A part of him felt bad that he had never checked In with Dan to see if everything was okay. Novis didn't even know why Dan was fighting at the moment and he felt like a terrible person for not finding out.

And this time not even Arthur or George could help him. There were too many people around and they had connections throughout, not just this town but other cities and places as well. To cross and anger these people would mean to be made a target for the rest of your life.

Maybe Novis could deal with that but not his friends and family.

"Dan, you have to win!" Novis said silently. He didn't care what he was fighting for but if he was to get this badly hurt and not quit, it had to be important.

****

Dan had just about made a recovery from the kick to the side of his face, his head was no longer spinning and he could see Tony clearly in front of him.

Not once while Tony was hitting Dan, had he hesitated and his facial expression had remained unchanged. It was like a beast had set its eyes on its prey and Dan was on the food list.

Tony then threw out another kick to the side but Dan jumped back once again staying light on his toes bouncing up and down.

The crowd booed once again thinking Dan avoiding a confrontation was a weakness.

"To be hit without getting it back," George said watching. "It's the sign of a perfect style don't you agree?"

Novis looked and George and could see a smile on his face and he could only hope it meant good things.

Dan waited again for another strike but this time he lent back avoiding the kick, then pivoting of his toes Dan dashed in with his knee forward. After a powerful kick, the opponent was always slightly off-balanced and had little time to recover.

The knee hit Tony in the stomach but over the years of training his stomach was well trained and he threw a punch back Towards Dan's face.

But his hand and glove had blocked the shot.

"Always keep your guard up," Dan said. "Isn't that what you taught me."

Dan threw a punch out and it hit.

"No matter how hurt or how tired you are, always keep your hands up!" Dan shouted as he swung in for a huge uppercut but missed.

Tony was now the one who had stepped back a few steps.

"He just got faster." Tony thought, "He's improving even in the middle of the match, you truly are a genius who is wasted here."

Then Dan charged in again throwing another uppercut, but this time Tony countered with a hook.

"Slip to the side and counter with a hook." Said Tony.

Then Tony charged up his right hand and came out with a full-strength blow aiming to finish Dan off, and at the last moment, the blow was parried away.

"And finish with a right straight," Dan answered. "I know how you fight."

Both of them stepped back and were now ready, they looked at each other and knew the next attack would end the match. Although Tony was still physically fit, Dan was not. He was worn out and beat.

Fighting took a different kind of energy compared to other sports such as running or swimming. A huge amount of mental energy wore you out quicker and with every punch, it had the energy to try to knock your opponent behind it.

At the same time, the two of them charged in off their toes and when Dan was within striking range, he threw out a roundhouse kick towards the head. Tony had seen the reaction of Dan's legs a few seconds before he acted, the muscle twitch had given it away. He leaned back and avoided the strike, then he pivoted forward on his foot.

However, when Dan's attack missed and his foot landed on the ground, he twisted his body and his other leg came over him.

"A spinning kick, I don't remember teaching him this?"

At the last second, before the kick had reached Tony's head, A smile appeared on his face.

The kick landed hitting Tony perfectly and sending him down to the ground. Although Tony was still conscious, his legs would no longer listen to him and he couldn't get off the ground.

"It looks like you win," Tony said.

"Ladies and gentlemen for the first time in Ruman history, the undefeated Tony the tiger had been defeated by the little black wolf!"

Cheers and groans erupted throughout the warehouse as there were those who had made a killing off the match and also those that had lost a lot of money. But the people who were cheering the loudest where the VSW members on the side line.

That's when Dan had spotted Novis and the others standing by the side.

"What are you guys doing here?" Dan said holding his mouth as the pain started to return.

"Why did you have to fight?" Scarlett said sniffling away. "You worried us, you worried us all."

Dan looked at his teammates who themselves looked like they had gone through a battle of their own, at least an emotional one at that. Every single person had come, even Alex who Dan would have never imagined seeing in a place like this.

He smiled at them.

"You guys are some good friends."

While Dan was busy talking away to the others, Tony was busy watching them still sitting down on the floor recovering. The truth was, Tony was planning to give up this fight in the first place, but before he did, he wanted to test Dan push him to his limits.

There were multiple times where Tony had the opportunity to finish Dan off, but he allowed him to recover hoping he would show him more. And each time Dan came fighting back stronger and harder and the last attack, was simply too fast and powerful of a blow.

It had broken through his guard and he had truly been defeated. The Dan in the future was going to become an incredible fighter and Tony knew it.

"So those are the people you fight for Dan." Tony mumbled, "You have good friends."

Then a large muscular man stepped into the ring, he was almost giant like nearing six and a half foot. He wore a well fitted black suit and had a large scar that went over his right eye.

Half of the crowd continued to cheer while the other half of the crowd started to go silent. Those who went silent exactly knew who the man was. He was the leader of the Ruman gang and Mac's father.

David Ruman.

"Sorry about the loss," Tony said.

David looked at Tony up and down, he could see that he didn't look too damaged apart from the last blow to the head.

He then opened up his suit blazer and pulled out a cigar. A man from the crowd immediately came out and brought out a lighter.

"Under the bridge just outside Momo's coffee shop. Four, no four-thirty was it?" David said.

Suddenly Tony's heart started to sink, he immediately knew what David was talking about.

"What is this David, you put guys on my back, I thought you said you wouldn't do this anymore. Don't you trust me?"

David then took a single puff of his cigar before giving an answer.

"No."

At that moment, with his other hand without a second thought, David reached into his jacket and pulled out his Gun.

*Bang *Bang *Bang

Three shots went off and echoed throughout the hall. Each blow was aimed at the head and David knew what he was doing making sure Tony had died quickly.

"I let you leave this world quickly as a favour. Thank you for your service to the Ruman family."

Now everyone in the room had gone silent after hearing the devastating loud shots. They all had turned to look at the arena floor and that included Dan.

He had been busy chatting away with his friends, he hadn't even noticed that David had walked into the ring and everything had happened so quickly. When Dan heard the sounds, he flinched at each shot and as he turned all he could see was Tony's lifeless body.

The blood oozing out of him had reached his foot, Tony was dead.