July 2025 (RC 1207)

.......... The next round begins. The bell rings—sharp, merciless. Lara rises from her corner in one smooth, deliberate motion, muscles coiled, her eyes never leaving Tiana. Across the ring, Tiana pushes herself off the ropes, her towering frame unfolding. The deep red streak across her face has dried in places, yet it still glistens fresh enough to sting with every breath she takes. They meet in the center—not circling, not hesitating. Tiana strikes first, a heavy hook that cuts the air like a sledgehammer. Lara slips just in time, the wind of the blow grazing her cheek. Her answer is immediate: a sharp jab to the ribs—not to finish, but to chip away, to make the giant bend little by little. The crowd roars as the rhythm shifts. Tiana’s punches still carry devastating weight, but now there’s a flicker—just a flicker—of hesitation in her movements. Lara sees it, feels it in her bones. Every step, every breath from Tania is a beat in the song she’s beginning to control. Her feet dance over the canvas, weaving in and out of reach, striking in the narrow spaces between Tania’s heavier, slower shots. Then Tiana finds her opening. A stiff jab slams into Lara’s face, snapping her head back. The crack of the impact is dry and brutal; the skin along the bridge of her nose splits, and a warm trickle runs down her lips. But she doesn’t step back. Her gaze stays locked on Tiana, her body moving with the same unshaken rhythm, refusing to yield an inch. They collide again—no space, no pause. Leather thuds against flesh, gloves smack into forearms, the air itself feels split by the force of their exchange. Their breaths grow ragged, merging into a coarse rhythm under the deafening cries of the crowd. And then—there it is. A fraction of a second too slow in Tiana’s shoulder roll, a door left open. Lara surges forward, her right cross cutting through the heat, smashing flush into the side of Tiana’s jaw. Sweat explodes off her skin, her head whipping violently to the side, the sound of the hit lost in the roar of thousands. The giant staggers back, her frame shuddering under the blow. Her eyes blur, her balance wavers. Can she still stand? Or is this the first crack in the fortress she’s fought so hard to keep unbroken? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lara (Black outfit) Tiana (Blue Navi outfit) Commissioned by Armstrong #boxing #bruised #commission