Daredevil

The crowd in the Shenloong Arena is almost deafening, but I can still hear my opponent’s heart beating louder than the drums of war.

It has all come down to this — the final battle in a legendary tournament between the Immortal Weapons representing the Capital Cities of Heaven. Eight of us were chosen for this epic fight, but only two remain: Lin Lie, the current Iron Fist representing K’un-Lun. And me. Matt Murdock. Daredevil. Or as most in these parts know me, Dizang of the Eighth City.

The series of trials we just faced were set into motion when Doctor Doom challenged Lin Lie’s legitimacy as K’un-Lun’s chosen protector. By ancient decree, whoever wins this contest will be deemed worthy of claiming Shou-Lao’s chi and the mantle of the Immortal Iron Fist. Seems like a great reward. But it’s not the one I’m after.

For me, the real prize isn’t found in the heart of an undying dragon. It’s found inside of Lin Lie himself. A while back, he absorbed the broken fragments of the Sword of Fu Xi into his arms. According to Yinglong, my patron in the Eighth City, that sacred blade is the key to setting free the mighty Chiyou and ending the war between gods and demons in my home reality once and for all. Lin Lie may be fighting to keep his job, but I’m fighting to save the entire timeline. And I’ll do whatever it takes to prevail.

“What’s the matter, Dizang?” Lin Lie taunts as his charged fist narrowly misses my face. “You seem distracted. Not used to fighting in front of a crowd?”

“I usually perform for a smaller audience,” I respond as I dodge his next blow. “I’ll take a jury of twelve over a stadium of hundreds any day.”

“Well, I’m sure at least a dozen of ‘em are cheering your name,” Lin Lie says, landing a swift kick into my torso. The crowd roars. “But the rest are clearly on my side!”

“I can hear that,” I say. “There’s no denying that the Eighth City came into this tournament as an underdog. But perhaps we can reach a settlement that would make everyone happy.”

“I’m listening,” Lin Lie says, putting up his guard anyway, just in case I’m bluffing.

“I’ll concede the battle,” I offer, “and you’ll earn the indisputable right to claim the power of the Iron Fist.”

“And what do you get out of it?” Lin Lie asks, justifiably suspicious.

“You give me the Sword of Fu Xi,” I say. The second the words leave my lips, I already knowing what my opponent’s answer will be.

“You have got to be out of your mind!” he says, refocusing his chi energy to his fist once again. “That sword has belonged to my family for generations. And I just got the missing piece of it the other day. It’s not just a part of my legacy, it’s also a part of me now… literally! I couldn’t hand it over to you if I wanted to. Which I don’t.”

“I assumed as much,” I reply. “But I need that sword. And one lesson you should have learned as an Iron Fist: things that aren’t given freely can always be taken.”

Of course, Lin Lie never had to learn that lesson. Unlike all the other Iron Fists before him, he never forcefully took the chi of his master by plunging his fist into Shou-Lao’s immortal heart. Instead, K’un-

Lun’s Immortal Beast gave his chi to Lin Lie to save the boy’s life. Just as the Sword of Fu Xi was passed down to him by his father, Lin Lie has always been handed power without having to earn it. Time for that to change.

I refocus my senses, blocking out the noise of the crowd and homing in on Lin Lie alone. I manage to deflect his incoming punch, pushing him past me and landing a powerful kick to his back, sending him to his knees. Lin Lie gets up quickly and dusts himself off. But I can tell from his breathing that he isn’t as confident as he was when this fight began.

“I knew the Eighth City was full of criminals and demons,” Lin Lie says, attempting to hit me with his words where his fists failed to connect, “but I always thought you were a hero. I wanted to believe that the legendary Dizang might actually be the one to lead his people out of the darkness. But you’re just another pawn too stupid to realize he’s fighting on the wrong side.”

Despite my best efforts to remain calm, his words hit a nerve. I can feel my veins throbbing in my temples and my temperature rising. I can’t let him get under my skin.

“I am trying to end a war that is consuming the entire universe,” I tell him.

“That’s not what Shou-Lao thinks,” he replies. “He thinks you’re being played by Yinglong. Chiyou is a god of war! Do you really think he’ll end the strife in your home dimension if you set him free? Of course not! He’s going to revel in it!”

“That’s… that’s not true,” I say as I deliver a series of fierce strikes, trying to knock Lin Lie off kilter. But I’m the one who’s losing balance.

As someone who has always paid attention to the facts of every case in front of me, I wonder if I’ve let myself be swayed by my loyalty to Yinglong. Still, after all I’ve been through, all I’ve seen, I know I don’t have another choice. My timeline is on the brink of destruction, and I’ve tried every possible method to save it. Even now, the power of the demon who tormented me and those I love for years courses through me. Unsealing Chiyou’s tomb is my last hope. And that sword is the only thing that can break the seal. I have to take the risk… even if it costs me what’s left of my soul.

“Was that all you’ve got?” Lin Lie asks, feigning disappointment as he tries to catch his breath.

Asking Lin Lie to hand over the sword willingly was a long shot. He knows he has to prove himself in front of his master and all of K’un-Lun, so he’s not about to go down without a fight.

“I’m just starting to let the Devil out,” I say.

As much as I didn’t want it to come to this, I didn’t enter this battle unprepared. Yinglong taught me an ancient technique to strike the Quchi Acupoint on Lin Lie's right arm. I lunge toward him and hit the spot with perfect precision. Lin Lie howls in pain as all the Fu Xi fragments embedded in his arms are forced from his body against his will, scattering across the arena floor.

I can sense the panic in Lin Lie as he realizes what just happened. Without the sword’s enchanted shards giving his powers an extra boost, Lin Lie knows he will be severely weakened and easily defeated. That will give me the chance I need to seize the Sword of Fu Xi and end this fight.

Aware that the tide has turned in my favor, I begin to race toward the broken blade, but then something unexpected happens. I feel every hair on my body stand on end as intense energy radiates toward me from where Lin Lie stands.

“Whatever you just did to me…” Lin Lie says, sounding stronger than ever before, “…thanks.”

Before I can react, I’m knocked back by the full force of the Iron Fist. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. Even Danny Rand couldn’t have hit me that hard in his prime! And that’s when I remember what Danny once told me about how his powers worked. His fist may have been the focal point for his energy, but the chi had to flow freely through his body in order for it to reach its maximum potential.

What if the sword fragments embedded in Lin Lie’s arms had been blocking his meridians, preventing the chi from flowing smoothly to his fists? By removing the fragments, could I have accidentally opened up those internal pathways, allowing Lin Lie to wield the full potential of Shou-Lao’s chi for the first time? I have a feeling I’m about to get my answer…

As Lin Lie leaps toward me, I dig down and summon the dark energies I’ve been carrying within me since I defeated the Beast in the depths of Hell. Demonic fury and draconic chi clash again and again, the shockwaves rippling until the entire arena trembled beneath us. The crowd’s cheers have long since gone silent — an awesome yet stagnant display, neither of us able to gain the upper hand. And yet, somehow, I feel the Beast's power within me slowly slipping away. On instinct, I swing my clubs to fend off Lin Lie's onslaught, but I steadily lose ground, and worse, my rage and will begin to grow hazy…

“You’re one hell of a fighter, Dizang. But the chi of Shou-Lao doesn’t just destroy enemies,” Lin Lie said with a newfound peace. "It is also meant to heal. Time for a wake-up call, Murdock!"

His voice leaves me dazed for a moment — or perhaps, after such a long time, awakened. Either way, I fail to brace for Lin Lie's full-strength strike, and I am hurled to the very edge of the arena. And as the pain finally gives way to the numbness of defeat, I am fully aware that I inadvertently handed my foe this victory.

My ears are ringing so loud from the beating I just took that I can’t hear a thing, but I can feel the crowd’s unending roar reverberating through the floor of the Shenloong Arena. I may not like the outcome, but Lin Lie has been named the champion — and the one true Iron Fist — fair and square. To make matters worse, he’s already reclaimed his sacred sword… which means I’ve failed my city. Failed master. And failed my timeline yet again.

While the celebration spreads into the streets of K’un-Lun, I silently depart the arena and retreat into the shadows of the Eighth City. I’m reluctant to deliver the news to Yinglong, for obvious reasons. But I’m pleasantly surprised when he praises me for making a name for the Eighth City within the Heart of Heaven.

“This is but a delay,” Yinglong assures me. “Let Shou-Lao and his champion rejoice. Their days are numbered. Shan-Zhizhu, the Mountain Spider, has already fallen to a mysterious assassin prowling the Capital Cities of Heaven… and the other Immortal Beasts are bound to follow before long.”

Yinglong sounds convinced that our greatest victory still lies ahead. All we need to do is bide our time and wait for the right moment to reclaim the Sword of Fu Xi. Then we can break Chiyou's seal and end all wars.

But after what Lin Lie said during our battle, I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve chosen the right path. And if I haven’t, I fear that I may already be too far down that road to turn back now…