Chapter 6: The Weight of Momentum

The gong’s echo was still ringing in Leo’s ears when he stepped off the mat, his leg trembling from the force of that borrowed heel kick. He’d won—barely, messily, against a guy whose entire style was designed to turn opponents into pincushions—but the victory felt less like a triumph and more like a stay of execution. His ribs ached from the palm strikes he’d absorbed, and his right ankle, the on...