Chapter 106: The weak don’t deserve to live

Gustavo approached the group of youths blocking the road, their weapons glinting in the fading evening light.His head was bowed as he drew near, but as he reached them, he slowly raised his gaze. The change in his demeanor was evident, his eyes now cold and hard.

He realized that the same men who had shown him the way to Zafron's house were now blocking the road, although there were a few new faces among them.

"Well, well," Gustavo said, his voice low and menacing. "Isn't this a familiar sight? Though I see you've brought some friends this time."

His eyes locked onto the spiky-haired youth, recognition flashing in his gaze. "Was the 200 Thalens not enough for you, boy? Now you think you can rob me outright?"

It was as if his words fell on deaf ears; they remained silent, staring at him with unwavering resolve, as if trying to intimidate him.

Gustavo's lips curled into a cruel smile as he addressed the entire group. "Let me make this abundantly clear. There will be no second chances here. You've made a grave mistake, and I've harbored some rather... unpleasant thoughts about you especially him, since we met earlier." He said pointing at Taki.

His voice dropped to a chilling whisper. "By taking up arms and blocking this road, you've all signed your own death certificates. I'm sure you understand that."

Taki, the spiky-haired youth, stepped forward, bravado masking his nervousness. "We're not afraid of you," he spat. "Look around. There are 13 of us and only one of you. You don't stand a chance."

Gustavo's eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. "Numbers?" he scoffed. "You think numbers will save you? How naive. Each of you should be counting the breaths you have left, not your companions."

"It's been a while," Gustavo whispered as his hand instinctively reached for the blade that hung at his waist.

As he unsheathed it, the steel gleamed in the darkness, but the eager anticipation in his eyes shone even brighter. He studied his weapon for a moment, then raised his head, his body coiling with tension.

With explosive energy, Gustavo lunged toward his opponents.

"I've got this!" the first attacker shouted, brandishing his own blade as he rushed to meet Gustavo's charge.

'How foolish,' Gustavo thought, a grim smile playing on his lips.

The attacker swung his blade in a wide arc, aiming for Gustavo's face. With practiced ease, Gustavo leaned back, the blade whistling past his nose. In the same fluid motion, he grabbed his opponent's wrist, halting the swing mid-strike.

"This is how it's done!" Gustavo snarled, his grip tightening.

In one brutal movement, Gustavo drove his own blade deep into the man's arm. The attacker's scream pierced the air, but Gustavo was far from finished. He wrenched his weapon upward, splitting flesh and muscle as he went. Blood sprayed in a red arc, painting the ground around them.

The man's agonized cries meant nothing to Gustavo; he'd heard far worse in his time.

With cold efficiency, he yanked his blade free and, in the same motion, thrust it down into his opponent's gaping mouth.

"Shut the fuck up!" Gustavo roared, silencing the screams forever.

The scream muffled as Gustavo's blade burst through the skin behind the man's mouth.

With brutal force, he wrenched the weapon upward until it could go no further, then yanked it free.

The victim collapsed, his body convulsing as he teetered between life and death. Blood gushed from his mouth, staining the ground beneath him.

"Huh? He... he butchered Ansa like...like a helpless animal!" one of the remaining attackers gasped, his face transforming from shock to bitter rage. "Die, you monster!" he roared, charging forward with a club raised high.

Another assailant followed close behind, brandishing a knife, their eyes blazing with fury at the sight of their fallen comrade.

Gustavo faced them head on, the expression on his face was cold and unreadable.

He shook his head slowly, almost pityingly. "Anger makes you careless, and a careless person is weak. And the weak..." he paused, a cruel smile playing on his lips, "don't deserve to live!"

With inhuman agility, Gustavo leaped into the air. His foot connected with the knife-wielder's face in a thunderous kick, sending him sprawling. Before he could turn, the club smashed into his forehead with a sickening thud.

Gustavo paused, touching the impact site gently. Noticing no blood, he grinned at his attacker, who stood frozen, waiting for his blow to take effect.

"You're lucky I didn't bleed," Gustavo taunted. "I might have shoved this club down your throat. But don't worry, I'll still do it... just more slowly."

The club-wielder charged again, swinging wildly. Gustavo dodged the first two strikes effortlessly, but the third never came.

Instead, Gustavo closed the distance and seized his opponent's throat, squeezing mercilessly.

Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded in Gustavo's back. The man he'd kicked down had recovered, leaping onto his back and plunging his knife in repeatedly. Gustavo's grip faltered as the blade struck again and again, each impact a fiery burst of agony as his blood ran down his back.

"Let... go... of... him, you devil!" the attacker shouted between ragged breaths as he continued his frenzied stabbing.

Before he could finish his sentence, Gustavo silenced him.

In one fluid motion, he grabbed the man's head and slammed him to the ground, the attacker's own knife still clutched in his hand.

As the man struggled to regain his footing, Gustavo pinned his head to the ground with his foot. The trapped assailant screamed, "Argh!!! Help! ....Help me!"

The others stood frozen, shocked by the brutality before them. Their hands trembled as they watched the slaughter unfold.

The man Gustavo had been choking was now helpless, feeling his life slip away as the club fell from his limp fingers.

"You all will—" Gustavo began, but a violent cough suddenly overtook him. He flung his victim aside, trying to maintain his composure, but fell to the ground himself.

'Damn that doctor,' was all he could think.

Gustavo quickly pulled himself up, desperate not to appear weak, especially now. S~eaʀᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Is that a good sign or something else?"

The remaining attackers wondered aloud as they observed Gustavo's sudden vulnerability.

Gustavo's heart pounded in his ears, and he could feel his body temperature rising. 'What is this?' he wondered. His vision blurred, and he struggled to focus on the moving figures around him.

"I think... I think that's our cue! He's hurt. Let's attack!" Taki shouted to his gang.

"Are you... are you sure?" one of them asked, uncertainty and fear in his voice.

"What if he's faking it?" another chimed in, his voice trembling at the memory of Gustavo's earlier brutality.

Ignoring their hesitation, Taki rushed forward with a club in hand and began smashing it against Gustavo's head.

Seeing this, the others joined in, albeit with trepidation.

"Come on, guys! Let's outnumber and kill this beast!" Taki shouted to his friends as they swarmed angrily around Gustavo's fallen figure.