Zeras fought desperately, but he was no match for Mikey's skill and power.
Mikey delivered a powerful blow to Zeras's stomach, doubling him over.
To me, it was like Mickey using just 0.1 percent of his power to defeat that guy...
I couldn't help but wonder...
How strong is he really?
As Zeras struggled to breath, Mikey grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
He then said something to Zeras...
From his expression, I could tell he was saying something like "You shouldn't have come here," "You're weak," or "Nice try, puny human."
And, a sound resounded throughout the silence of the streets and, neighborhood.
Mikey threw Zeras into a nearby house with a force that made him crash hard against the wall.
The impact was so severe that Zeras immediately felt a wave of intense pain, and he coughed up blood as he slid down to the floor.
As Zeras tried to regain his footing, he struggled to stand, using the wall for support.
However, Mikey didn't give him a chance to recover.
In an instant, Mikey closed the distance between them and delivered a powerful punch to Zeras's stomach.
The blow was so intense that it knocked the wind out of him, and he crumpled back to the ground, gasping for air.
Zeras lay there, panting and breathing heavily, his clothes stained with blood.
Mikey loomed over him, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
He began speaking to Zeras, though I couldn't make out the words from my hiding spot.
The smile on Mikey's face suggested that maybe he was happy about killing so many people at once, or maybe he was just having fun.
The conversation between Mikey and Zeras didn't last long.
Suddenly, I noticed a change in Mikey's demeanor.
Something Zeras said seemed to ignite a fierce anger within him.
Mikey's face twisted with anger as he cursed at Zeras and kicked him hard in the stomach.
The kick sent Zeras sprawling, groaning in agony.
Mikey didn't stop there.
He continued to kick the collapsed Zeras, each blow more vicious than the last.
Zeras tried his best to defend himself, curling up and raising his arms to shield his torso, but it was clear he was struggling to withstand the relentless assault.
After hitting Zeras for countless minutes, Mikey finally stopped, his chest heaving with exertion.
He took a deep breath, surveying his surroundings while his members stood silently, watching the brutal scene unfold.
Mikey them turned away from Zeras and spoke to his members in a low, commanding tone.
What is he saying?
Is he going to kill him?
Though I couldn't hear the exact words, it was clear he was giving them some kind of instructions.
Then, without another word, Mikey disappeared from my sight.
Huh? Where did he go?
I watched closely, trying to figure out where he went.
Wait! Did he just...
Disappear?
With his speed, there's no doubt he could vanish from my sight without me even knowing which way he could go.
After a moment, I realized that Mikey had left the area entirely.
I could feel...
His presence, which had been so threatening, was now gone.
But why did he disappear without finishing off Zeras?
Now that I think about it, during his earlier conversation with his team, he might have said something like, "I'm leaving now, you guys finish him off," or "Finish him off, I have important things to do, so I'm going."
Those are the sorts of things he could have said beside other things.
I shifted my focus to his leftout team.
They stood there in tense silence, not moving or doing anything.
Their first move resembled that of my dummy robot allies, which helped me to lessen the distance more...
I reached into my bag and pulled out two smoke grenades that I had bought from a nearby weapon shop.
I stumbled upon that shop by chance before encountering the rebels and decided to grab a few grenades.
But let's set that discussion aside for now.
With a swift motion, I hurled them towards the rebels, the grenades exploding into thick clouds of smoke.
The surroundings were completely covered in thick white smoke, making it difficult for anyone to see clearly and distinguish between Ally or foe.
The rebels hesitated momentarily, disoriented by the sudden cover.
However, I had no issues because I also grabbed night goggles from that shop, commonly used by the military in my previous world.
Taking advantage of the situation, I closed the distance to Zeras amidst the swirling smoke.
Once I reached him, I did what anyone would doI stealthily attacked two rebels who were near Zeras.
They were momentarily stunned, so I stabbed one in the stomach and the other in the legs.
Both yelled, "Ahhhh!"
And, fell to the ground.
Their cries drew the attention of the others, who rushed toward the noise to investigate.
I quickly grabbed Zeras's hand. He shouted, "Who are you? What are you doing? Let me go!"
I replied urgently, "I'm Michael. Stop resisting and run! We don't have much time left before the smoke clears."
"Oh, Michael, you are her-"
I interrupted him and said frustratingly, "Shut the fuck up and get up!"
He responded immediately, "But I can't. My legs are already broken when those guys threw me against the wall."
"What?"
Damn it, he couldn't run in his current condition. If he doesn't run, I might get caught by them too.
For a moment, I thought about giving him my Ace rank potion, but I quickly dismissed the idea because I prefer to keep that potion for myself, and only myself.
Instead, I said, "Get ready, I'm going to run as fast as I can."
He looked confused and asked, "Wha-what... Do you mean?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Without waiting for his response, I lifted him up and placed his body over my shoulder like a towel.
But he was heavy, making it a challenge for me to carry him like this.
(Dash skill (Level 3) has been successfully activated!)
Activating my dash skill, I accelerated away from the rebels, the burst of speed propelling me past their grasping reach.
After the surroundings got clear from the smoke, we finally came in to the view of the rebels..
We were running at a speed uncommon for Iron rankers, making it hard to keep track of our position.
They could barely see us but still chased after us.
Despite their determined pursuit, they couldn't match my speed.
I ducked into alleyways and turned sharp corners, using every advantage to elude their pursuit.
Finally, I spotted a house ahead between two buildings.
I hurried inside and swiftly locked the door behind me, then I threw the asshole onto the floor.
Zeras said, "Ouch, it hurts Michael!"
I ignored his voice and focused on the house, specifically the room.
There wasn't anything unusual about the house, just some family photos hanging on the wall.
I didn't think there were any monsters here.
I also mainly chose this place because I saw the Abomination guys destroying things and roaring loudly outside on the road.
In this condition, I couldn't even consider fighting, especially since my dash ability ended as soon as I turned into the alleyway.
Breathing heavily, I leaned against the door, listening intently for any sounds of pursuit.
I also retrieved my platinum rank potion from my inventory or seemingly out of nowhere, and immediately drank it all in one go.
Gradually, the chaos outside quieted, replaced by an eerie stillness.
I had escaped, at least for the moment, and was now waiting for my finger to heal back to its normal state.
I sighed...
"Damn, that was the most riskiest backup plan I could ever come up with. I swear, I'll never make a plan like that again."