Kai enters a cellar fight ring in Dor and realizes the masked champion called Shadow is Paedyn. Instead of quietly following her, Kai publicly challenges Shadow to another match under the name Flame, deliberately forcing Paedyn into a corner. Paedyn accepts to protect the fearsome reputation she has built, but when the announcer grants her a short break, Kai recognizes that Paedyn will use the delay to flee.

Paedyn slips through the crowd and escapes into the night, and Kai chases her through the alleys. Kai tracks Paedyn to a rooftop, where Paedyn greets Kai with a dagger at his heart and proposes terms: they will return to the cellar, fight, and if Paedyn wins, Kai will let her go; if Kai wins, Paedyn will return quietly to Ilya. Their negotiation turns personal and cruel, with both of them invoking the king’s murder and testing whether the other can truly kill. The confrontation then collapses into a fierce kiss driven by hatred, grief, and lingering desire, but Paedyn quickly breaks away and insists on the deal.

Kai agrees, and they return to the ring separately. Once inside the cage, Kai and Paedyn taunt each other while keeping their identities concealed from the crowd. The fight is brutal and fast, with Paedyn landing hard blows and Kai countering with equal force. Their attacks are shaped not only by training but by shared history, as flashes of past intimacy interfere with Kai’s focus and deepen the emotional violence of the match.

Eventually Kai gains the upper hand by pinning Paedyn against the cage. Kai reveals the leverage that truly matters: if Kai exposes even a strand of Paedyn’s silver hair, the bounty hunters in the room will turn on her immediately. Kai claims that means Kai already won the moment Kai entered the ring, but Paedyn answers by reminding Kai that a hidden prince also has enemies. The chapter ends with Paedyn ripping off Kai’s bandanna, exposing Kai’s face and abruptly shifting the balance again.