Weren't You the One Who Knocked Him Out?

Yuri drew a dagger from his waist and thrust it at Karen.

Karen smiled faintly. Just as the dagger was about to touch him, he leaned back, effortlessly dodging Yuri's attack with an almost elegant motion.

"Why did you switch from a toy to a knife? Want me to give you a few pointers?"

"But no can do. Once I draw my blade, it has to taste blood. You haven't earned that privilege yet."

Before he finished speaking, Karen drove his right leg forward, delivering a vicious kick to Yuri's knife-wielding wrist.

A sharp pain shot through Yuri's wrist. The dagger slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground.

Karen immediately kicked again, slamming his foot into Yuri. Yuri crossed his arms to block, but the tremendous impact still sent him crashing into a nearby wall with a dull thud.

Yuri had to change tactics. He quickly retreated a few steps, putting some distance between himself and Karen.

"Oh, you're getting better at taking hits. Last time, you passed out after just four. Now you've taken this many and you're still standing."

A flicker of excitement crossed Karen's eyes. The corners of his mouth lifted, and he looked rather pleased.

"That's because all four of your kicks hit me in the head last time." Yuri growled and charged forward.

Karen reacted instantly, driving his right fist toward Yuri's face.

This time, Yuri chose not to dodge. He intended to trade blows with Karen!

Since he was no match for the Black Nightmare, he would trade injury for injury. As long as he made Karen bleed, the National Security Service could use his blood to uncover information about the Black Nightmare.

Karen tilted his head slightly, easily avoiding the blow, then drove his left fist into Yuri's ribs.

A sharp pain tore through Yuri, but he didn't back down.

He lashed out with his left leg at Karen's knee, trying to throw him off balance.

But Karen's body was like forged steel. Yuri's attack barely seemed to tickle him, let alone move him.

Karen whipped his right leg around and slammed it into Yuri's abdomen, sending him flying several meters.

Yuri fell to the ground, his chest heaving as blood slowly trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Pain flashed in his eyes, but he still struggled to his feet, picked up the fallen knife, and took a fighting stance again.

Karen slowly approached Yuri, his eyes glinting red and the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

"How many times do I have to tell you? You're still inexperienced, and your punches are far too predictable."

"You're nowhere near qualified to fight me."

"Don't lecture me like you're my senior! I'm a secret police officer, not someone a mere assassin like you gets to preach to!" Yuri roared angrily and kept punching.

His right fist shot toward Karen's face, his left following close behind to strike at Karen's abdomen.

Karen smiled faintly and easily dodged both punches.

Undeterred, Yuri threw another punch.

Karen once again intended to sidestep it.

But the punch suddenly changed course and struck Karen's arm hard.

Karen's brow furrowed slightly, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Yuri opened his fist, revealing a syringe hidden inside.

"That's the maximum dose of anesthetic a human body can withstand. You've already lost, Black Nightmare! Even if you knock me down this time, you won't get far!"

"I've had this syringe strapped to the dagger's handle all along, waiting for this chance."

"You're fast enough to dodge my bullets, and I'll admit I'm no match for you in close combat or experience."

"But I can improve!"

Yuri declared loudly, a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

Karen looked at the syringe in Yuri's hand and smiled, one corner of his mouth lifting.

"That was a good trick. Unfortunately for you, I'm immune to anesthetics and poison."

He spoke calmly, casually pulling the syringe out of his arm and crushing it to pieces.

Yuri's expression changed. He realized he was in trouble.

Karen slammed his right fist toward Yuri's face. Yuri instinctively raised his arms to block, but Karen was simply too strong. The blow drove him back several steps, and blood once again trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Yuri felt dizzy. His body had reached its limit.

He no longer had the strength to keep fighting.

Yet he refused to accept it. He couldn't fall here. He had to protect his sister and his country.

"I already told you, you're not the protagonist..." Karen attacked again.

His right fist swung at Yuri once more. Yuri instinctively raised his arms to block, but the result was the same. The blow sent him flying straight into the wall.

Yuri fell to the ground, his body wracked with pain as his consciousness began to fade.

He struggled to stand, but his body would no longer obey him.

Karen slowly walked over, his eyes glinting red and a faint smile on his lips. He crouched down and rubbed Yuri's cheek. "You lost. Surrender, and I'll let you off with half a loss. How about it?"

Suddenly, an angry roar came from the parking lot entrance.

"What do you think you're doing to my brother?!" Yor stood at the entrance, roaring with boundless killing intent. Her eyes locked onto Karen as she raced toward him.

Karen: I think I'm in a bit of trouble.

The sudden roar made Karen shudder from head to toe.

Yor was astonishingly fast. He barely had time to stand, much less do anything else.

He simply hoisted Yuri off the ground and held him in front of himself.

Like a bolt of lightning, Yor reached Karen in an instant, raised her right leg, and unleashed a fierce front kick.

The tremendous force sent Karen flying into the parking lot wall with a deafening crash, throwing up clouds of dust.

"Cough, cough." Amid the coughing, a figure leaped high out of the dust before landing steadily.

Karen looked down at Yuri by his feet. After serving as his human shield, Yuri now lay unconscious, his eyes rolled back.

"What do you think you're doing to my brother, you bastard?!"

Karen hadn't expected Yor not to recognize him. Then again, she couldn't even recognize Twilight with a pair of glasses on. She was rather innocent, so of course she wouldn't recognize him after he had disguised himself with an entirely different face.

"So you're the sister this guy said he wanted to protect? With strength like that, it's hard to say who'd be protecting whom. So... who are you?"

Yor ignored Karen's question and repeated herself. "What do you think you're doing to my brother?! And... where is my brother?"

Karen: "..."

He looked down at Yuri, who had already been knocked unconscious, and shook his head helplessly.

"Um... weren't you the one who knocked him out?"

Yor: "..."