As soon as the fight broke out, the surrounding Enhanced quickly closed in, forming a tight circle around Ethan's group. From farther off, more people turned to watch, curiosity spreading like wildfire.
"Chris, fall back," Ethan finally said, his voice calm again, the fury in his eyes slowly cooling into sothing colder—controlled, deliberate.
Chris nodded and stepped back behind him without a word.
That single move made Kyle's heart skip a beat.
The Tier 7 Awakened… was taking orders from Ethan?
Tyler's expression darkened. He leaned toward one of his n and whispered urgently, "Go notify the boss. Now."
Ethan started walking toward Kyle, slow and steady.
The surrounding Enhanced imdiately stepped in to block his path.
Fwoooosh—
A sudden downpour of fla erupted from above—[Rain of Flas].
The Enhanced in front of Ethan didn't even have ti to scream before they were reduced to ash.
"Get the hell out of the way!" Big Mike roared, his eyes blazing. "Anyone who dares block our captain's path—I'll burn you to dust!"
The crowd recoiled in shock, scrambling to clear a path.
"Peak Tier 6… or maybe even Tier 7!" Tyler's face twisted in disbelief.
He was a fire-type Awakened too. He had [Rain of Flas] in his arsenal. But his version? Nowhere near that powerful. No way it could instantly incinerate Tier 5 Enhanced like that.
At that mont, Tyler felt like throwing up.
What kind of monsters had he brought back?
Ethan, unfazed, kept walking forward like nothing had happened.
Kyle, still on the ground, was finally starting to panic.
He didn't want to believe it. Couldn't believe it. This guy—this pathetic loser he used to treat like dirt—was stronger than him?
But if his subordinates were this powerful… how weak could Ethan really be?
In the apocalypse, no one followed the weak.
"E-Ethan! What are you doing? This is my compound! If you try anything, you'll die horribly!" Kyle stamred, trying to sound tough, but his voice cracked.
"Oh yeah?" Ethan stopped, sweeping a cold gaze across the crowd of Enhanced. "You all gonna stop ?"
The Enhanced looked to Tyler.
Tyler's face shifted through a dozen expressions in seconds.
If those two were Tier 7… what about the others? Could they be Tier 7 too?
And if Ethan was their captain—what kind of monster was he?
Tyler's heart clenched. He didn't dare move.
Ethan let out a low chuckle and started walking again.
Kyle wasn't far—Chris had only knocked him about thirty feet back. Ethan could've reached him in a blink.
But he didn't.
He walked slowly, deliberately, each step pressing down like a weight on Kyle's chest.
He wanted to crush him—not just physically, but ntally. Break him. Make him feel helpless. Make him rember.
"Kyle!"
A voice rang out—sharp, familiar, and full of panic.
A middle-aged woman shoved through the crowd and rushed to Kyle's side, dropping to her knees to help him up.
"Kyle, baby, are you okay? Who did this to you? Which bastard hurt my son!?" Diane's voice trembled with rage and tears.
"Him…" Kyle pointed a shaking finger at Ethan.
Diane followed his hand—and froze when she saw who it was.
Then her face twisted into pure fury.
"Well, well, if it isn't you, you little bastard," she spat. "You've got so nerve showing your face here! You dare lay a hand on Kyle? I'll skin you alive!"
She charged at Ethan, blind with rage, completely forgetting that this wasn't the old world anymore.
SMACK!
Ethan didn't even flinch.
His hand lashed out, and Diane was sent flying. She hit the ground hard, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, a red handprint blooming across her cheek.
Diane clutched her face, staring at Ethan in utter disbelief.
Maybe it was because the image of the timid, obedient boy who never fought back had been burned too deeply into her mind. For a long mont, she just sat there, stunned that he'd actually hit her.
Then she snapped.
"You heartless little bastard!" she shrieked, voice cracking. "After everything I did to raise you, you dare lay a hand on ?!"
She threw herself on the ground, flailing and wailing like a street perforr.
"Everyone, look! This monster hit his own aunt! I fed him, clothed him, raised him like my own, and now that he's grown up, he turns around and beats !"
That did it.
Ethan's rage, which he'd barely managed to rein in, surged back like a tidal wave.
In a blink, he was in front of her, hand clamped around her throat, lifting her clean off the ground.
"You stole my parents' death compensation and treated like a slave," he growled, voice low and cold. "And you've got the nerve to say you fed and clothed ?"
"You really think you've got the right to talk?"
BAM!
He slamd her into the ground.
Guh—! Diane coughed up a mouthful of blood, but even then, she kept screaming.
"You little bastard! If I hadn't taken you in, you'd have died in a ditch like your cursed parents! And now you dare hit ?!"
THUNK!
A machete dropped from above, stabbing straight through her hand and pinning it to the ground.
"AAAHHH!" Diane scread, her face going ghost-white.
"Mom!" Kyle shouted, eyes wide. "Ethan, you animal! How could you do that to your own aunt?!"
Ethan turned to him, voice flat. "Didn't you hand her to yourself?"
"You know exactly what kind of person your mother is. You saw her coming and didn't stop her. You even told her I was the one who beat you. What, were you gambling I wouldn't dare touch her?"
He sneered. "You used your own mother as a shield. And you call the animal? Please. I couldn't compete with you if I tried."
"You're lying! You—!"
"Save it," Ethan cut him off. "I know exactly what kind of person you are. Even if I kill her, it's still you who handed her over."
He grabbed Diane's other hand, which was trying to yank the machete free, and forced it open. Then he stomped it to the ground.
THUNK!
Another machete dropped, pinning her second hand in place.
"AAAAHHHH!!" Diane's scream echoed through the entire compound, sharp and piercing.
"You cursed little bastard! You'll die a horrible death!" she shrieked, still spitting venom even through the pain.
"Ethan! Are you even human anymore?!" Kyle roared. "If you've got the guts, let my mom go and fight instead!"
Ethan looked at him and gave a cold, humorless laugh. "Sure."
He started walking toward Kyle again.
Kyle, who'd been trying to act tough, imdiately started to panic.
Just then, the crowd parted.
A man in his late twenties or early thirties walked in from outside, calm and composed.
"Boss!"
"Boss!"
"Boss, help !" Kyle shouted like he'd just seen a lifeline.
The man walked straight into the center of the chaos, took one look at the scene, and frowned.
Then he turned to Ethan, forcing a polite smile. "Once you're inside my compound, we settle things calmly. No need for blood right away."
Ethan glanced at him, eyes cold. "Are you trying to teach how to handle my business?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers