“Dmitri Novikov, you’ll start,” the Pakhan said. “Mikhail Kuzin, you’ll face him.”
Mikhail cracked his tatted neck after he stood up from his seat. I’d heard muttered grumblings from him when the Pakhan announced the rankings. He didn’t like being ranked fifteenth, and it was obvious from his bold strides he thought this was his opportunity to increase his standing.
Dmitri’s expression of boredom didn’t lift as he approached the blue mats at the front of the room.
Mikhail’s hand clenched into a fist as he glared at Dmitri. The last time the candidates had been gathered, Mikhail hadn’t even had the balls to look Dmitri in the eye when he passed. What had changed?
And then I noticed that Mikhail’s arm muscles had seemed to double in size in the span of a few weeks.Roids.
Hell, maybe with all that roid rage he’d actually be able to get a punch in, and mess up Dmitri’s obnoxiously chiseled face.
“I will fucking destroy you,” Mikhail snarled.
Dmitri raised an eyebrow. Dark humor flickered across his face.
Mikhail charged towards Dmitri with a roar. Dmitri remained casually still as if he was waiting for a taxi instead of a roided out asshole who wanted to kill him. When he was a foot away, Mikhail raised his beefy arm towards Dmitri.
Dmitri’s fist slammed into Mikhail’s throat, and Mikhail collapsed backwards onto the mat while clutching his neck. Mikhail’s face purpled as he tried to gasp air back into his lungs.
Dmitri stepped over him. “What was that? I thought you were going todestroy me.”
Rage flared in Mikhail’s eyes, and Dmitri smiled back icily.
“I-I’m going to-” Mikhail gasped out.
Dmitri slammed his foot down on Mikhail’s throat. When Mikhail started thrashing underneath him, Dmitri’s eyes glowed. He kept pressing down even as Mikhail’s face turned blue.
Eventually, Mikhail went limp, but Dmitri still didn’t remove his foot.
“You’re not allowed to kill him,” the Pakhan warned.
For a moment, I thought Dmitri was going to defy the Pakhan. A tendon ticked in Dmitri’s jaw, anger flaring across his face. But he picked up his foot…
And slammed it down on Mikhail’s wrist. Bone snapped underneath the force of the strike.
The room was completely silent while someone cleared away Mikhail’s unconscious body.
“Andrei Nosik, you’re up next,” the Pakhan said.
Andrei’s face went paler than snow. He stood up from his chair unsteadily, but he still approached the mat.
For a moment, Andrei trembled on the mat, just absorbing Dmitri’s stormy temperament.
“Don’t make me come to you,” Dmitri said.
Andrei’s eyes widened before he jerkily rushed towards Dmitri.
Dmitri grabbed Andrei by the neck and lifted him. Andrei kicked his legs out ineffectually as Dmitri tightened his grip.
When Andrei’s eyes rolled into his head, none of the sadism in Dmitri’s gaze seemed to dissipate.
“Can you pick someone a little less boring?” Dmitri drawled before dropping Andrei’s unconscious body unceremoniously to the ground.
I felt bad for whoever the Pakhan called to the mat next.
“Alisa Solovyova, you’re up,” the Pakhan ordered. My soul fled my body when I heard my name.
But then something even more terrifying happened.
