Dipanshu and Tarun had tried their best, but against Toji, they were no match. Both stood bruised and battered, struggling even to remain upright. Together, they looked weak — the Shield's image faltering before the monstrous opponent.
Just then, a familiar sound echoed across the street — the deep growl of a Royal Enfield GT650 engine.
Rounak's ears perked up immediately.
"That sound…!"
Dipanshu, exhausted but smiling faintly, gasped, "It's Wick's GT650!"
Relief washed over Vaibhav's face. "Wick? We're saved!" he muttered, a wide grin spreading across his bruised face.
Moments later, the crowd parted slightly as Wick arrived, stepping off his bike with casual indifference. His sharp eyes scanned the scene — bruised friends, hostile strangers, and tension so thick it could be sliced with a knife.
"Hello, everyone," Wick said lightly, rolling his shoulders. "Black Dragon, huh?"
Dipanshu immediately dropped his gaze in shame. "Wick... It's my fault. Because of my impulsiveness, everything went wrong."
Wick's expression hardened slightly as he walked forward. "Nick always warned me about your impulsiveness," he said coolly. "Guess I kept giving you the benefit of the doubt."
"It's all my fault," Dipanshu repeated, his voice cracking.
Wick sighed and ruffled Dipanshu's hair roughly. "Don't beat yourself up too much. I'm here now, aren't I? Let's clean this mess."
He glanced around and asked, "How long have you guys been fighting?"
Vaibhav wiped blood from his lip and answered, "Almost an hour."
Wick raised an eyebrow. "One hour? And you're still standing? That's either impressive… or sad."
Dipanshu huffed in frustration, pointing at Toji. "They jumped me from behind with iron rods, man! And look at him! He's a damn mountain!"
Wick chuckled. "Uhehehe. Calm down already. Or else, I'll just head back home."
From across the lot, Toji roared, recognizing Wick. "King Wick! So you are King Wick, huh?"
Wick turned lazily toward him, unimpressed. "I just came to pick up my sister... but looks like you've been troubling my friends."
He tilted his head, pretending confusion. "Btw... who's Toji?"
Dipanshu gaped at him. "Are you blind? It's that walking mountain right there!"
Wick pointed at Lynch, then Kyne. "You? You?"
"You moron, can't you see the one who's bigger than all of us combined?!" Dipanshu barked, exasperated.
Toji, growing angrier by the second, shouted, "I'm Toji!"
Wick finally shrugged. "Ohh. Cool."
Vaibhav, still recovering, muttered, Amit was right... Wick hasn't fully recovered from the last fight. He's... different now.
Without warning, Toji charged and landed a brutal punch square into Wick's chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. The entire Shield stared, stunned into silence.
Vaibhav gasped, "Impossible... with just one blow?"
Dipanshu made a move to rush in but froze mid-step when Wick... stood up.
Slowly, Wick dusted himself off, a dangerous glint entering his eyes.
"Playtime's over," he said coldly. "Now... it's my turn."
Lynch sneered. "You should know, you can't beat our boss."
Toji cracked his knuckles, impressed. "I'll admit it. No one's ever stood up after one of my full-powered punches. But if you think you can beat me... you're dreaming."
Wick smirked. "Nice introduction."
Toji lunged again, roaring — but before he could even react, Wick leapt into the air with blinding speed.
BAM!
Wick's signature missile kick struck Toji's jaw with thunderous impact.
The giant staggered once... then crashed to the ground, unconscious.
The entire street fell deathly silent.
Vaibhav's jaw dropped. "What... just happened?"
Lynch stuttered, "B-Boss?!"
Kyne took a step back, eyes wide in fear. "He got Toji with one move...?"
Dipanshu blinked, stunned. "He actually did it..."
Tanvi whispered, "He's a freak…"
Tarun shook his head in disbelief. "Unreal..."
Dipanshu, finding his voice, laughed nervously. "You really scared me at first!"
Wick grinned and teased, "But you lost to him, didn't you?"
"I got jumped with an iron rod, you maniac!" Dipanshu protested.
"Come on, admit it!" Wick pressed.
"I didn't lose!" Dipanshu snapped.
Wick chuckled. "Fine, fine. Anyway, why did I even come here?"
Dipanshu shrugged. "How would I know?"
Wick smirked. "Oh yeah, to pick up Bhumi. Oi, Bhumi! Let's go!"
Suddenly, behind them, Toji stirred — full of rage.
"Hold it right there!" he bellowed, struggling to stand with Lynch's help. His pride wounded, his eyes burned with fury.
"You think this is over?" Toji spat. "Kyne! Bring everyone! We'll wipe them out — all 56 members of Black Fire!"
The threat was real — Black Fire's full force was deadly.
Wick, standing tall and unshaken, replied coolly, "If you come at us, you'll be crushed. I'm taking Tarun with me. Try and stop me."
Toji trembled with anger. "Kyne! Do it!"
But Kyne hesitated... then whispered something that left Toji frozen.
"Boss... we've already lost."
Confused, Toji staggered outside — and his heart dropped.
The Black Fire members — all 56 of them — lay scattered across the ground, groaning in pain, utterly defeated.
Sitting casually on a broken crate, Nick and Deep looked up and waved lazily.
"Huh, you're here too? Tell Wick I'm done over here."
Vaibhav and the others stumbled outside, wide-eyed at the unbelievable sight.
Rounak blinked, barely believing it. "The Shield... won?"
Shristi covered her mouth in shock. "2 of them... defeated them all... alone?"
Dipanshu grinned. "Never underestimate the Shield."
Shristi turned and shyly thanked Wick, who simply waved it off as if it was nothing.
Later that night, after Wick had dropped Shristi and Bhumi safely home, a different tension settled.
Vaibhav hesitated but finally found his courage.
"Wick," he said quietly. "I think... I think Shristi is a traitor."
Wick's eyes darkened, but his voice remained eerily calm. "What?"
"I'm sure of it," Vaibhav insisted.
Wick leaned back in his chair, thoughtful. "If that's true... in two days, her cover will be blown anyway. Until then... pretend you don't know anything."
Vaibhav stood there, stunned. He had expected anger, disbelief — anything but this cold, calculating acceptance.
He believed me… just like that? Vaibhav thought, feeling a chill run down his spine.
Wick's sharp eyes glinted in the dim light.
"Two days, Vaibhav," he repeated softly. "Then we'll see who's loyal... and who isn't till then don't react to anything."
---
To be continued...