She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother

Chapter 431: Four vs One

Six days had passed since that night with Elyria.

Yet, no matter how hard he tried, Alex couldn’t forget it.

He could still feel the overwhelming, crushing force of her palm strike. It hadn’t felt like being hit by a person. It felt like being struck by a cataclysmic wave that had swept him off his feet and slammed him into the wall like he weighed nothing.

One single attack. That was all it took.

In that moment, Alex had truly understood the terrifying gap between realms. The difference between Enhanced and Apex wasn’t just a matter of strength. It was like the difference between a candle and the sun.

And he wanted to bridge that gap as fast as possible.

He had dedicated every waking hour to training. Morning, afternoon, and night... he pushed his body to its limits inside Viktor’s basement facility.

The only thing that mattered to him now was Battle Sense.

And it had paid off.

[Battle Sense: 5%]

His Battle Sense had jumped from 1.5% to 5% in just six days. It was still far from where he needed to be, but the progress was undeniable.

Tonight, however, was different.

The atmosphere in the underground training hall was heavy... thick with tension. The air itself felt charged, like the calm before a storm.

Alex stood in the center of the large sparring area, shirtless, his body glistening with sweat. His breathing was steady, but his eyes were sharp.

Surrounding him in a loose circle were four men.

Damien. Dimitri. Andre. Pavel.

They weren’t standing casually. They had taken positions like predators circling prey. Their stances were low, balanced, and ready. Their eyes never left Alex for even a second.

No one spoke.

The only sound was the faint hum of the lights above and the occasional creak of the reinforced floor.

Alex could feel it... the pressure. The weight of four trained killers focusing entirely on him. This wasn’t training anymore. This was a hunt.

And he was the target.

From the edge of the ring, Viktor stood with his arms crossed, watching silently. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes were sharp.

Alex took a slow breath and glanced at everyone.

Then, he turned his gaze toward Viktor.

”Viktor...” Alex said, his voice calm but firm, carrying a quiet weight. ”I hope you will honour our agreement.”

Viktor smiled.

A slow, knowing smirk spread across his face as he looked directly at Alex.

”Yes,” he said calmly, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. ”I will... if you defeat them all together.”

Alex wanted to increase his Battle Sense in the fastest way possible.

After thinking deeply, he came to a clear conclusion... the fastest method was the same one that had worked with Elyria.

Getting beaten.

He believed that facing overwhelming power head-on, surviving it, and letting his body adapt from the damage was the quickest path to real growth. That’s why he had directly asked Viktor to hit him with full power.

But Viktor had refused.

He told Alex that he was still not ready. That taking a full-powered strike from him right now would only break him, not help him grow.

Instead, Viktor gave him a different challenge... defeat all four of his men together in a single fight.

Only then would he even consider facing Alex with his full strength.

The air in the room grew even heavier.

Alex’s eyes slowly moved across the four men. Damien. Dimitri. Andre. Pavel. All of them were watching him with calm, focused expressions.

He had already defeated each of them one by one over the past few days. He knew their styles. Their strengths. Their weaknesses.

But fighting them all at once?

That was a completely different story.

Viktor’s voice cut through the silence.

”No cultivation enhancement. No extra abilities. No tricks. Just pure skill. If you can do that... then maybe, just maybe, I’ll consider hitting you myself.”

Alex stared at Viktor for a few seconds.

Then a slow, dangerous smile spread across his face.

”Fine,” he said quietly.

He rolled his shoulders and dropped into a fighting stance, eyes locked on the four men around him.

The tension in the room spiked to its peak.

Damien cracked his knuckles.

Dimitri shifted his weight.

Andre’s eyes narrowed.

Pavel gave a small, approving nod.

Viktor’s voice echoed through the hall.

”Begin.”

The moment Viktor gave the signal, the air in the training hall turned razor-sharp.

Damien was the first to speak. His voice was calm, almost respectful, but carried a clear warning.

”Be careful, sir,” Damien said, rolling his shoulders as he took a step forward. ”I’ve improved a lot since our last fight. Last time you beat me easily. Tonight... it won’t be that easy.”

Pavel smirked from Alex’s left side. ”He’s not lying. We’ve been training harder than you think.”

Dimitri cracked his neck on the right. ”Four against one. Even if you’re stronger, numbers change everything.”

Andre stayed silent, but his eyes were locked on Alex like a hawk, calculating every breath he took.

Alex didn’t reply. He simply adjusted his stance, knees slightly bent, hands loose at his sides. His eyes moved slowly across all four of them.

Then it began.

Damien moved first... a sharp jab aimed straight at Alex’s face. It looked real. Fast. But Alex’s instincts screamed feint.

He didn’t bite.

Just as he expected, Damien’s real attack came from below... a low kick aimed at his knee. Alex stepped back, narrowly avoiding it.

At the same moment, Pavel attacked from the left with a spinning backfist. Alex ducked, only for Dimitri to rush in from the right with a knee strike. Alex twisted his body at the last second, letting the knee graze past his ribs.

Andre didn’t attack. He simply moved.

The four of them began circling him like apex predators, constantly changing positions.

Every few seconds, one of them would shift... left, right, behind... forcing Alex to keep turning. They weren’t attacking blindly. They were testing. Probing. Looking for the smallest opening.

Alex’s eyes narrowed.

’This is... completely different.’

Fighting them one by one had been difficult, but manageable. He could focus on one opponent, read their rhythm, and counter.

But now?

Four different fighting styles. Four different rhythms. Four different threats attacking from multiple angles at once. It was overwhelming.

Every time he focused on one, another would move into his blind spot. Every time he tried to create distance, they would close in like a pack of wolves.

’This is much harder than I thought...’

A cold sweat formed on his back, but Alex forced himself to stay calm. His breathing remained steady. His mind sharpened.

’Focus. Don’t panic. Read them.’

Damien came in again with a combination... jab, cross, low kick. Alex blocked the first two and stepped over the kick. But the moment he did, Pavel was already there, throwing a sharp elbow toward his temple.

Alex raised his forearm just in time. The impact stung.

Before he could recover, Dimitri swept low from behind, trying to take his legs out. Alex jumped, barely avoiding it, only for Andre to appear in front of him like a ghost, throwing a devastating spinning heel kick toward his chest.

’Too fast—!’

Alex crossed his arms in front of his chest at the last second. The kick landed hard, sending him sliding backward across the mat. His arms burned from the impact.

The four men didn’t give him a second to breathe.

They moved again... repositioning instantly. Damien took the front. Pavel moved to his left. Dimitri circled to his right. Andre stayed behind, waiting for the perfect moment.

Alex’s chest rose and fell faster now. His mind raced.

’They’re not just attacking... they’re coordinating. Every move forces me into the next one’s range. This is teamwork at its highest level.’

He clenched his fists.

’But I’m not the same person I was six days ago.’

Alex took a deep breath and dropped even lower into his stance. His eyes became calm. Focused. Dangerous.

”Come on then,” he muttered under his breath. ”Let’s see how long you can keep this up.”

The four men exchanged quick glances.

Then they attacked again... this time with even more coordination.

The four men moved like a single organism.

Damien came from the front with a lightning-fast combination... jab, cross, elbow. Alex blocked the first two, but the elbow slipped through and clipped his shoulder.

At the same time Pavel attacked from the left with a low sweep. Alex jumped over it, only for Dimitri to appear on his right and throw a sharp knee toward his ribs. Alex twisted mid-air, taking the hit on his forearm instead.

Pain flared up his arm, but he didn’t have time to react.

Andre was already behind him.

A spinning back kick slammed into Alex’s lower back, sending him stumbling forward.

Before he could regain his balance, Damien was there again... this time with a powerful roundhouse kick aimed at his head.