ARCEUS'S POV
The four men surrounded me, convinced that I was the leader. For any ordinary person, being cornered by such imposing individuals would have been a desperate situation. However, after facing for so long the goblins that had tirelessly tried to end my life, these thugs didn't impress me much.
Despite my apparent calmness, I couldn't ignore the terrifying and cruel aura emanating from them, similar to that of killers who had reaped countless lives. I knew that a single mistake could cost me my existence, so I didn't hesitate to play my hidden card.
[The private attribute has been activated: The Man Who Overcame Adversity]
I watched as a blue light bathed the area while feeling the world slow down and all my senses sharpen with an overwhelming intensity.
Under the yellowish glow of the streetlamps, we exchanged glances, and with tense expressions, each one unsheathed their weapons. The reason was simple: the kid they believed to be an easy prey had turned out to be an Enlightened. And no Enlightened, no matter how weak, should be taken lightly. I didn't want this to end in a bloodbath, but they left me no choice. It was kill or be killed.
One of the men lunged at me without hesitation, roaring:
—Bastard... die!
My body reacted like lightning, spinning with precision to deliver a devastating kick to his jaw.
—¡Guah! —Was all he managed to utter before his body soared nearly three meters into the air.
As expected, he crashed heavily to the ground, confirming that humans lacked the ability to fly. The sword he wielded also flew out of his hand, spinning in the air before landing perfectly in my outstretched palm.
I maintained my stance, observing them with an impassive expression. The only difference was that, in a fleeting instant, one man lay on the ground and now I wielded a sharp steel blade.
I watched as the scarred man's face contorted into a grimace of disbelief. He had sent one of his subordinates to test my skills, but the trial had concluded in the blink of an eye, not even giving him time to form an opinion.
—This isn't just some ordinary guy —murmured one of them with a trembling voice.
However, they didn't seem willing to back down just because their opponent showed strength.
—Brother, what should we do? —asked another with palpable nervousness.
—Don't be afraid. After all, he's just a kid. No matter how strong he is, how could he block four swords with just one?
Despite his encouraging words, the scarred man didn't dare approach without caution. The four hesitated before attacking, their eyes brimming with tension as they studied me.
They all took a deep breath and gripped their swords with determination. They braced themselves for my attack with strained expressions, but they weren't even able to follow my movements with their eyes.
—¿¡What!? —exclaimed one in astonishment when, the moment I took a subtle step forward, I had already closed several meters of distance.
In an instant, I deflected the sword of the bewildered man and directed mine toward his unprotected body. However, I briefly halted the trajectory in the air. Noticing that the children were watching from the rear, I abruptly changed the direction of my thrust, grazing only the tendons of his wrist.
—¡Arghh!! —the man howled in pain.
It was enough to incapacitate him. As they watched their companion clutching his bloodied wrist while screaming, the others' expressions turned ruthless.
—Now's our chance! Let's finish him off!
The sight of blood flowing was enough to enrage them. With furious roars, the three remaining men attacked me simultaneously.
—¡Arceus! ¡It's dangerous! —I heard Reinhardt shout in anguish.
In contrast to his anguished voice, I wielded my sword without hesitation. My movements were swift and precise; each time my steel struck, it invariably severed the limbs of my adversaries.
—¡Ay! ¡My arm!
—¡Arrgghhh!!
In the blink of an eye, all the men lay bleeding and incapacitated, collapsed on the pavement. The scarred man was no exception. His wound prevented him from properly wielding his sword, causing it to fall weakly from his hand.
—Ja, ja, ja... What kind of monster are you...? —he let out a hollow laugh, as if unable to comprehend that his entire group had been defeated by a single individual.
The only reason I managed to win so easily was that none of them was an Enlightened or, worse still, an Ascendant. I realized that not everyone was qualified to be chosen by the Paradise Tower, and obtaining a stellar core was as difficult as ascending to the heavens themselves.
I remained impassive after subduing the five men, showing no emotion. For a moment, I hesitated whether to spare their lives or not.
The children waited behind me and weren't prepared to witness such a gruesome scene. Moreover, it could instill terror in them. I gazed at the bodies sprawled before me with an ambivalent look, but soon I bit my lower lip and exhaled a resigned sigh.
Unfortunately... the answer was obvious. The situation would complicate if they ever returned seeking revenge or, worse still, if they attacked when I wasn't present to protect the little ones.
Before I could react, I caught it out of the corner of my eye. A silhouette emerged from the shadows, as if the very air had torn apart to give it passage. It was a man dressed in an immaculate black tuxedo, crowned by a top hat split in half, as if an invisible axe had cleaved it with precision. His hair, a vivid red like the flames of a blazing twilight, fell in long, undulating cascades that spread over his shoulders, evoking the fury of an eternal fire dancing with the wind. This mantle of hair framed a singular face, composed of geometric and angular facets, as if carved from stone by a craftsman, with large, expressive eyes that seemed to see beyond the visible. Around his neck hung an ornate collar, made of red beads that resembled petrified drops of blood, culminating in a spherical red pendant that dangled like a mystical talisman.
The corners of his lips curved into a disproportionate smile, characteristic of a madman, a gesture that clashed grotesquely with the formal elegance of his attire. From the collar emanated a feminine voice, melodious and captivating, that recited a serene poem, its verses seeming to weave the very essence of the night, enveloping me in a hypnotic calm that captured me completely.
The echo of his recital reverberated through the environment, as if the alley walls conspired to amplify it. As I listened, my body succumbed to a dangerous laxity; the tension that kept me alert faded, and my mind fought against a treacherous sleep. My eyelids grew heavy as lead, and my body swayed like an unbalanced pendulum.
The suited man flashed that smile again, an expression both hilarious and disturbing. With one hand, he pressed his split hat, while with the other he pointed at me, his index finger extended like the barrel of a deadly pistol.
¡Estallido!