Chapter 142 - The fair (3)
He fires two bullets, both traveling faster than a human can react. They exit the barrel of his gun with a thunderous noise, and while the first is aimed at me, the second isn’t. At a speed surpassing that of sound, it flies toward Piper, or rather Asher who instinctively covered her with his body before the shot was taken.
Why them? I’m not sure. Perhaps both bullets were meant for me, and Crooked Nose is just a lousy shot. Or perhaps they were the easiest target after me, or it could even be an entirely different reason. Regardless, he took the shot, and now both of them are in danger.
They’re in danger, and yet, I’m calm.
I’m not Zora, so it’s impossible for me to move at even half the speed of these bullets, but reacting to them is another matter entirely. I knew where he was going to shoot long before his finger sunk into the trigger. From the movement of his muscles, his gaze, his mannerisms, it was all too obvious. He and I just live in completely different worlds of perception. What he believes was a lightning-fast movement looks unhurried to me, slow, even.
I let the first bullet bounce off my chest, and catch the second with my outstretched hand. Just like that, the threat is neutralized.
Crooked Nose’s eyes widen, and his face sinks with disbelief. “N-No way!!” He stammers, taking a hesitant step back.
I don’t give him the chance to run. In the blink of an eye, I’m already upon him, my hand wrapped around his neck. He’s quite tall, so I can’t lift him off the ground. Instead, I squeeze his throat and bring him to his knees.
Fear finally floods his eyes. “I-I’m sorry sir [enlightened]!! I-I didn’t know..!!” He manages to say between rugged gasps.
Behind him, Dirty Hair tries to flee as well, hoping to leave his comrade behind.
He doesn’t make it far before I address him though. “Move another step and you’re dead.” I tell him, not bothering to look in his direction.
Heeding my warning, he freezes, allowing me to shift all my attention onto one person. I’m not sure if it’s because of the face I’m making, or if he knows how easily I could snap his neck, but the only word that can describe Crooked Nose’s expression is terror.
Seeing his horribly contorted face, much different from the one he was showing just moments prior, I can’t help but scoff. “That’s the problem with you all.” I say, my voice low and dangerous. “Strong in front of the weak, but weak in front of the strong…”
He’s not even listening. “S-Sir, p-please, just forgive me this once! I-it won’t happen again…!!”
My grip tightens ever so slightly, sending Crooked Nose into even more of a panic. “You think the lives of others are toys, and if they break? Who cares, right?”
For a moment, all I can hear is his desperate, pathetic wheezing, and I know that with just a bit more pressure, I could end him. It would be easy, so easy.
Before I do so, a voice breaks through. “A-Alden! I-it’s okay now! You can probably let them go, right? Let’s just-”
“Aurora.” Her name snaps from my lips like a whip. I glance at her from the corner of my eye, still holding onto Crooked Nose. “What would have happened today if I wasn’t there? Do you think he would have just let you go?”
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She finds my words hard to rebuke. “W-Well…”
I don’t give her time to string something together. My grip tightens again, and Crooked Nose gasps, his complexion paling to a sickly gray. “Do you think this trash would have let you leave?”
She knows the answer to that question just as well as I do.
My fingers itch. Just a bit more pressure, that’s all it’d take. If I squeeze with just a bit more strength, he dies, and he won’t ever be able to harm anyone else.
No one dares to speak another word, and I hold him like that, staring into his eyes for what seems like an eternity. He is at my mercy, and he deserves what’s about to happen… and yet, that final push never comes.
“Tsk.” I click my tongue, disgusted not with him, but with myself, and throw him away. He hits the ground hard and grovels as he wraps his own hands around his reddened neck to soothe it.
It’s not like I had a sudden noble change of heart, or that I’m now against killing trash like him, but this is different. I’ve been taught many ways to kill while I was at Lauderdale and at DaiKar. There exists no [enlightened] who will never kill.
Truth is, while I never dwelled on it, I know that I never needed to surmount the natural barrier that many face when killing for the first time. Whether it was during the Golden Gate District mission or during that night in the forest, I didn’t hesitate. They were evil, and they were trying to kill me, so I killed them, that’s all. Why should I feel bad? They deserved what happened to them.
But this…
This just feels like an execution. He can’t even defend himself. Killing evil, and villains… that’s one thing, but killing the powerless, even if it’s him…
“You’re lucky my sister was here.” I turn away from Crooked Nose, hands in my pockets. “Now scram… before I change my mind.”
He doesn’t reply, but I can’t be bothered to care. Turning toward the rest of them, I notice Scrawny standing with difficulty, his knife still in his hand. I wonder if he’d been thinking of taking someone hostage while I was looking away. He freezes when he sees me, and I’m certain any such thought immediately vanishes from his mind.
“Didn’t you hear me? Scram.” My glare pierces through him like a sharpsong.
He moves back, flustered, but doesn’t seem quite willing to flee. There’s hesitation in his movement, but he definitely isn’t running. A strange silence fills the air as he warily stares at me. He seems hesitant, frightened, and yet, he’s still here.
He should be taking this chance to escape as far as he possibly can. Why is he still here? Is he still unconvinced I’m an [enlightened]?
A piercing noise breaks through the silence.
The sound is unmistakable. I’ve heard it a few times by now. It’s the sound of someone crushing something in between their teeth.
“Y-You all look at me like I’m some pathetic piece of sh*t!!” Crooked Nose’s voice rises behind me, filling the empty street, and thick with desperation and rage. “I’ll show you!!!”
The sound comes from Scrawny this time, standing in front of me. His hands tremble as his face distorts into a manic grin. “I didn’t believe him at first, but he said we could even hurt people like you with this!!” Instantly, his soul burst with power, power rivaling even the first stage.
“Yeah!! I feel invincible!!”
Without wasting another second, clearly drunk on their newfound power, they both lunge at me. Their speed is considerable, and at this level, their punches could actually harm me. Truly their power does rival the first stage.
I close my eyes, and a faint sigh escapes my lips.
My aegis manifests itself, catching the moonlight as it forms. In the first second, it reaches a lethal speed of rotation. I've been practicing to make the process faster, sharper. In the next second, before they can even react, it slices through both of their necks, sending their heads rolling on the ground, and their bodies tumbling lifelessly.
Blood sprays into the air, painting the streets crimson red. “AHHHHH!!” Piper’s screams shatters the silence, raw and shrill. If before she had kept quiet, it seems she’s reached her limit. She falls to her knees, her hands covering her face and tears leaking from her eyes.
Asher is holding firmly onto her, trembling himself as he stares in shock. Similarly, Aurora is holding tightly onto Calliope, and there’s a clear tremor in her hands. Strangely, the little girl and the unassuming butler are the only two who seem utterly unaffected by the ordeal.
Reginald steps forward, his demeanor no different from usual. “Here, Lord!” He says as he hands me a handkerchief to wipe the splatter of blood off my face.
I take it without thinking about it too much. “Thanks…”
I guess FullCastle butlers really are different.
He looks around him, stroking his chin. “I’ll take care of the aftermath. You may go home, Lord!”