Chương 48: Leonardo VS Rafael
The rain fell harder and harder. Dark clouds covered the sky. Leonardo gripped the iron knuckle tightly, daggers popping up at both ends. Rafael took a deep breath, taking a penknife out of his backpack.
"One on one!" shouted Rafael, his body still not recovering from the wounds left over from jumping off the train last night. If he had to fight with all the people there, of course, Rafael would lose and be badly injured.
"Of course, I'm not a coward," Leonardo smirked.
"What is your goal in challenging me?" Raphael started to felt the cold water from the rain.
"Just wanted to kill you," Leonardo replied, the rain starting to wet his clothes.
The splash of water that poured down the capital was a silent witness to their current battle.
Leonardo raised his knees slightly high in front of his body, placing his fists in front of his chest. The fighting pose looks perfect —to those who understand Leonardo's martial arts.
"Muay Thai?" Rafael confirmed Leonardo's fighting pose.
"Jes, iru supren, ni batalas!" replied Leonardo. (Right, come on, let's fight!)
Rafael took his position too, standing straight with his right foot in front, one hand clenched in front of his chest, the other holding a knife, lifting him forward.
"Systema?"
"Do you know?!" Raphael tightened his grip on the knife.
"Well, I've been studying Systema for quite a while because my secretary is also half Russian."
"Then you know how deadly systema is?" Rafael bluffed. As much as possible, he wanted to delay or even avoid this fight. His entire body was still throbbing with pain, and so were his arms. The wounds seem still trembled in pain, especially when it was exposed to the cold rain.
"Stop babbling. All martial arts have their beauty and merits. Systema is no better than Muay Thai. Neither is Muay Thai nor is it better than Systema. It all depends on how the fighters use the technique." Leonardo immediately gave a stiff jab to Rafael's face as soon as he finished his sentence.
Rafael managed to dodge, but a knife from Leonardo's iron knuckle slashed his face. Rafael gasped. Leonardo was fast, almost as quick as Light. Rafael is not a close combat type like Light, his older brother. Rafael only studied martial arts as a form of military training, not as a specialty.
"Tro malrapida!!" Leonardo pouted. (Too slow).
Leonardo had swung a stiff jab in Rafael's face. Rafael dodged again, but suddenly Leonardo's left hand grabbed his shoulder and hit him on the knee. A straight knee strike or Kao trong hit him straight into Rafael's solar plexus. It was making him fall in pain.
"Is that all you can do?" scorned Leonardo.
Rafael spat blood from his mouth, then stood up. Leonardo was still staring at his opponent with a sharp gaze, so was Rafael. Although exhausted, he tried to gather the rest of his strength to fight Leonardo.
[Damn it, if only I weren't hurt], Rafael thought, the pain all over his body making Rafael lose his speed and focus.
"Give up already?" Leonardo approached.
Rafael straightened his body back to take a position. Systema is a martial art from Russia that focuses on attacking vital organs. The eyes, head, chest, and groin are the primary targets. This martial art is quite complex and deadly. Rafael learns Systema from Light. His brother does master some melee martial arts. Now Rafael regrets why he didn't know more about martial arts before.
"Come on!" Raphael gripped the knife tightly.
"Okay! I won't hesitate anymore." Leonardo approached Rafael, jumping slowly with one foot while another leg was ready to kick.
Leonardo kicked Rafael, foot jab right in front of Rafael's face. Rafael Quickly backward, accelerate his body to dodge. Leonardo added to his attack combo with an ax heel kick. Leonardo, with all his might, slashed Rafael's shoulder with his heel. Rafael fell, kneeling in front of Leonardo. At this position, Leonardo's thighs are not protected. Rafael sees an opportunity. He gives a supercut just under Leonardo's thigh. The knife in Rafael's hand injures Leonardo's thigh.
Leonardo was struck. He fell backward. Kato tried to help him, but Leonardo refused. Leonardo wagged his aching leg, and blood was seeping. The expensive cloth pants were torn.
Rafael got up, his shoulders heaving from his heavy breathing. Blood started pouring from the stitches on Rafael's arm. Using too much force makes the stitches tear again.
"Why do you want to kill me? Does all this have something to do with King?" Raphael asked again.
"Who's King?" Leonardo was confused. He doesn't know King. He wants Rafael to die so that Jasmine becomes his.
"If not King, then what do you want from me?" asked Raphael.
"Something of value, which you've only been wasting all this time." Leonardo brushed off the pain and returned to his fighting stance.
"What do you mean?" Raphael was confused.
"Trovi la respondon en infero!!" cried Leonardo. (Find the answer in hell!)
Leonardo launched a blind attack on Rafael. Starting from hooks, jabs, elbow strikes, to knee kicks. Rafael avoided all of that, choosing to defend because he had not found an opening to attack Leonardo.
"Tch," Leonardo squeaked. He again threw a punch at Rafael, missed, but his dagger managed to rip Rafael's shirt.
"I'll grant your wish, what? Name it?! But let me go!" Rafael blocked Leonardo's attack, gripping his arm.
"It's useless, even if you give her to me. If you don't disappear, she won't be mine either. So, you still have to die," Leonardo's answer made Rafael's eyes widen.
"Jasmine?! You want Jasmine?"
Rafael slammed his fist on Leonardo. His anger ignited when he found out what Leonardo's motives were to end his life. Rafael's fist hits Leonardo's handsome face. Rafael raised his fist again, about to deliver another punch. But Leonardo was able to defend. He crossed his arms in front of his chest.
A fierce battle re-occurs. Neither Rafael nor Leonardo has given up. Both of them got into their anger and emotions because of jealousy. Blow after punch, fistfight, and also defense fight. Rafael and Leonardo were both hurt, both exhausted, but neither had given up.
[Damn, he's so strong,] Rafael thought.
[Damn, he's stronger than I thought,] Leonardo thought.
— MI VOLAS VIN —
Wow, who will win the match?
Quà tặng
-- Nhận quà Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực