Ch 539 – Do You Concede?

Jacob howled and curled in on himself, unable to avoid Alex's blow.

"Do you concede?" Alex asked, casually examining his nails. He seemed completely unconcerned about everything going on, acting as if he were merely out for a stroll.

Ten minutes ago, Jacob had been regarded as a sure bet, and now he was lying on the ground, totally defeated.

"I concede," Jacob said grudgingly. He seethed with resentment, but he knew he was in no state to keep fighting. Alex had won, and he was helpless to do anything about it.

Why isn't he hurt? He wondered. He isn't injured at all! He's not even breathing hard!

Surprised and confused, he really hated Alex at that moment.

Once I've recovered, I will find him and destroy him, he vowed.

He kept his head down, hiding his hostility. No matter how strong Alex was, he was only one man, and Jacob would bide his time until he got the chance to seek revenge.

You might be strong, he thought. But we live in the modern world, and I doubt you can survive a sniper's bullet. Your power won't save you from that.

With the strength of the Ghosts behind him, it wouldn't be difficult to arrange such a thing.

Seth swallowed hard as he watched Jacob admit defeat. His face was ashen, and his eyes were dull with disappointment.

All of Jacob's followers were stunned. It had never even occurred to them that Jacob might lose.

Alex smiled. "So, you're actually admitting you've lost." He shook his head. "I can't believe it. I never thought I'd see the day."

Jacob blinked up at him. "Mr. Ambrose, the last time we fought, I let you go. Won't you be as generous as I was?"

"Oh?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow. "You think I don't know you intended to kill me during our last fight? You only let me live because you were also badly injured, and there were too many witnesses."

He frowned. "You want to unify the martial arts communities and use that to intimidate all the young people in the world. I just happened to be the first one you picked on. But you've now realized the error of your ways, haven't you?"

"Yes. Mr. Ambrose," Jacob said, his attitude outwardly respectful, even though Alex was so much younger than he was.

Seth gritted his teeth, furious at Alex gaining the upper hand, but he said nothing.

Marie was also indignant, and she was humiliated that her idol had yielded to Alex.

Hugo was enraged to see Jacob practically groveling in front of Alex. He had hoped Jacob would win and put Alex firmly in his place. Instead, he was watching Alex publicly shame Jacob and look down on him.

It was an absolute nightmare.

"Alex!" Hugo yelled, standing up. "Don't be so arrogant." He turned to everyone. "I apologize for Alex's poor behavior. We respect Jacob, and Alex was out of order." He glared at Alex. "Apologize to Jacob right now, and I'll consider not having your conduct investigated. And remember, you have each won once, so there is no clear winner!"

Kenneth snorted. "Alex, apologize, or the consequences will be serious. Mr. Sherridan isn't joking. He has the entire martial arts community behind him, so you don't want him as your enemy. No matter how strong you are, you can't defeat the entire community by yourself."

Alex shook his head, amazed at how shameless these people were.

"Alex, I know you want to declare victory and show everyone how powerful you are," Hugo said, looking at him. "But it's not that easy. Jacob is our guest, and we owe him our respect. If you don't apologize, it could damage our relationship with his people. Do you want to be responsible for that?" He shook his head. "If you don't do as we say, we won't be able to protect you from Mr. Paxman."

Seth gave a small nod, and more than a dozen of the Ghosts drew swords and surrounded Alex.

"Step back!" Jacob said, unhappy at the show of force. "Mr. Ambrose, I apologize for the rudeness of my men. They are not acting on my behalf." He looked around. "I recognize Mr. Ambrose as the winner of our battle."

Jaws dropped, and no one spoke.

The great Jacob Randolph, leader of the Ghosts, had once again conceded to Alex.

His men scowled, unable to bear the shame.

Alex stared down at Jacob, saying nothing.

Jacob coughed, a trickle of blood spilling from his lips. Alex's final attack had caused a lot of damage, and Jacob was finding it difficult to breathe.

He realized he was fading fast, but there was nothing he could do. It seemed that Alex had already killed him, and now he was just waiting for the end.

"Just because you conceded, that doesn't mean this is over," Alex said.

Jacob's vision was growing dim. He hadn't expected to die here in this arena, and he certainly hadn't expected Alex to be the one to kill him.

Hugo's warning meant nothing to Alex, who cared nothing about the consequences. Whatever happened, he would deal with it later.

Jacob coughed weakly, his breath growing labored. Then his eyes fluttered closed, and his head dropped onto his chest. He was gone.

Everyone watched, horrified, knowing everything would change after this. The Ghosts had been weakened, and it would take them a while to recover.

The Ghosts had lost their hero, and without him, they might lose their will to continue.