"You actually hid in this pile of corpses the whole time… If you hadn't been unlucky enough to run into us, maybe you really would've escaped, you leftover rat from the White Town."
"Stop wasting time! Just kill him, find the stash, and get out of here."
"Kid, blame your bad luck."
One of the soldiers grinned viciously as he raised his gun toward Law.
They felt no guilt whatsoever.
To them, Law — still breathing — was an inconvenience, an eyesore that needed to disappear.
With nowhere to run, Law gritted his teeth, eyes filled with hatred and desperation.
He hated his own weakness… and he hated the inhuman executioners who slaughtered everyone in Flevance.
"Is this how it ends? I haven't even begun to take revenge on this hopeless world… I'm not ready to die!"
As the soldier's finger slowly tightened on the trigger, images flashed through Law's mind — his father, his mother, his sister, the nuns, the other children in the church…
But no one noticed a figure quietly creeping up behind the soldier about to fire.
[Leg Strength Enhancement Shoes] — instantly switched to maximum level three. Electric and magnetic stimulation targeted foot acupoints, forcing the right leg to its physical limit.
Secret Technique—The Kick That Cuts Off Offspring!
Abel drove his foot upward with all the strength he had, aiming directly between the man's legs.
The result was catastrophic.
It wasn't the raw power — it was the devastating effect.
In that moment, something visibly gave way.
The soldier felt a pain erupt between his legs, then a total loss of strength. He collapsed, kneeling, face drained of color, eyes bulging, drool spilling from his mouth.
His scream came out silent — the kind of pain that crushed sound itself.
It was the sort of agony worse than death.
Within seconds, the soldier blacked out and toppled over.
Everything happened so fast that both Law and the other soldier froze, stunned.
They couldn't process what just happened. Someone else had been here hidden among the corpses all along… and that kick alone made their legs clench involuntarily.
Even with "I'm Just a Passerby" active, Abel would've been discovered eventually. Reduced presence didn't mean actual invisibility.
But Abel didn't hesitate. He didn't fumble for the fallen gun, nor did he freeze.
He simply hurled something at the second soldier.
That abrupt motion snapped the man out of his shock. He instinctively rolled aside — just in time to avoid…
A banana.
Yes. Abel had thrown a banana.
"You little—!"
Rage surged through the soldier, burning away his confusion. He'd been fooled — by a kid throwing fruit.
He leapt to his feet, raised his gun, and aimed—
"Huh? Where'd he go?"
"DOWN!"
Abel had already ducked behind cover but saw Law still standing there in a daze. He could only shout.
Whether Law understood didn't matter — he reacted instantly, recognizing Abel, and dove to the ground.
A heartbeat later, the banana near the soldier's feet exploded.
A deafening BANG sent him flying.
He would never understand what happened — not even at the moment he died.
Only Abel silently mourned the loss of five trading points spent on the [Banana Grenade].
But considering its power and perfect disguise, it was absolutely worth it.
After all… who in their right mind was afraid of a banana?
The sensation of killing for the first time wasn't pleasant, but it also wasn't as unbearable as Abel had feared when he'd first awakened surrounded by corpses.
Bang!
A gunshot echoed, snapping his attention around.
Law, eyes blazing, had picked up a fallen gun and shot the soldier who'd taken the infamous kick — finishing him off with a cold, merciless stare.
In that moment, Law radiated a murderous aura that kept anyone from approaching. Within a single day, he had watched his parents murdered, his sister burned, and the nuns and children shot down… despair on a scale that would break anyone.
For a ten-year-old child, it was unimaginable.
What did killing someone for the first time feel like?
Abel slowly took the gun from Law's hands, voice unreadable.
He removed the weapon because he didn't want Law to suddenly snap and turn on him.
The reason he chose to save Law in the first place was simple — Law had investment value, and the risk was low.
As a fellow survivor of Flevance and someone who grew up in the same church, this life-saving grace was something Law would remember forever.
Utilitarian? Maybe. Abel didn't care.
He wasn't anyone's saint — why help someone for nothing?
Law didn't answer Abel's question right away, nor did he resist Abel taking the gun.
That was a good sign.
Abel didn't want to save someone unstable and suicidal… at least Law wasn't gone completely.
Law took several slow breaths. The emptiness in his eyes faded slightly before he finally spoke.
"This feeling is terrible… but it won't stop me."
"Abel, why are you here? I saw the nun and everyone else earlier, they were—"
Abel's expression twisted into resentment right on cue.
"Those bastards tricked Sister Mary. They set a trap to lure us in. Everyone was shot. In the chaos, I was hit too and went down. When I woke up, I was dumped here with the bodies. Only this bulletproof vest saved me."
"Law, honestly, it's good you didn't come with us. You might not be standing here. By the way… how did you make it?"
Law pulled his spotted hat low, voice trembling as he explained:
"Everyone's dead… my parents… my sister who was hiding in the hospital… I was thrown in with the corpses and brought here, but I still got caught. If you hadn't saved me, I'd be with them now."
Sometimes, living was more painful than dying.
For Law, the only thing keeping him alive was revenge.
Revenge on this twisted, hopeless world.
After exchanging accounts of what happened, the two boys fell silent.