Chapter 67 — Not an Ordinary Person
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"All men are not the same." Brawyn defended, pointing at her... "I can't fall for such a thing."
"Maybe you're right... At least he's out there fighting hundreds of your comrades while you hide in here like a coward..." Kamira slammed back.
"How dare you slander me? Have you forgotten your place?" Brawyn cried out...
"What can you do, huh? Or do you want me to reopen your wounds?" Kamira fired back as her toy spider rushed down from her shoulder to her palm...
They both stared intently at each other, sparks flying from their eyes...
"Forget it..."
"Hmmph..."
They both turned toward the direction of the fight, where they saw Ephram charging into the destroyed structure, snow dust trailing behind him...
"Your friend's a goner. Once we have him, it's only a matter of time before we capture you—and I'll personally unravel that little body of yours..."
"Tsk... All men are the same..." Kamira shook her head...
...
Meanwhile, Socrates grunted as he pushed away the wood that had fallen atop him, splinters scraping against his skin—just for Ephram to land atop a broken beam right before him... 'Won't this guy let me rest?'
Socrates complained with a grim expression as he executed a scissors kick at once, kicking the beam from under Ephram—which broke instantly, allowing Ephram to drop heavily to the ground...
This action gave Socrates the time to also get on his feet as he faced off against Ephram again—this time with full seriousness...
The muscular man, with all his bulk, swung the club toward Socrates with all his strength, sending out a crushing attack—when Socrates crouched slightly and struck out with his fist...
"SMASH.."
The word didn't come from a voice, nor was it spoken or translated by anybody... It came out from the fist of Socrates, whose blow shattered the very air current before connecting with the club—sending out another ripple of sound as cracks spread across the weapon instantly before it broke into pieces...
Ephram's eyes widened... 'What just happened?'
His weapon had just been destroyed—and with a single blow at that...
What Ephram didn't know was that the silhouette in front of him had destroyed a boulder with just his fists, talk less of a club that didn't weigh more than four tons...
Socrates didn't smile... He just moved...
His enemy was shocked, which made him defenseless, his guard completely down... The Son of Trueblood wouldn't hesitate to make use of such a moment...
He closed in with another punch, another fist that had been building up... Ephram saw it and raised his hands to block—
But before his hands could even reach his face, that very instant, Socrates' fist had already smashed into his face—nose, eyes, teeth, and mouth alike...
As every feature of his face seemed to collapse inward, a powerful force sent him flying backward before he crashed onto the ground on his back, skidded, and then slammed face-first into the ground right before Malena's feet...
"He's strong..." Ephram admitted before passing out...
Malena then smiled as she rose to her feet... One member of the Brownhounds guild passed her a pair of daggers, which she wrapped her hands around as she strolled toward Socrates...
She catwalked—moving step by step gracefully while leisurely showing off her clean thighs... Her chest rose and fell subtly as she moved, and Socrates couldn't help but stare at her, watching every step as sweat dripped down his back despite the cold...
Then she suddenly stopped and looked toward Socrates before pouting...
"Ouch... My legs... They hurt... They hurt badly..." She cried as she stumbled and fell onto the ground, her breath trembling softly...
Socrates bit his lips as he watched her on the floor... 'Is she hurting?' He thought as he fought against the urge to move closer...
But then her soft cries drifted into his ears...
"Young Mister... I never wanted to be part of the Brownhounds guild... He forced me... Mr. Brown forced me... I'm trapped... Come and rescue me..."
'Damn... Mr. Brown... How can he do this to the poor lady? I'll go rescue her and give that Mr. Brown a real beating...' Socrates said to himself as he rushed toward Malena, who was seated on the ground...
"No... Fool... No..." Kamira cried out from where she stood—but Socrates couldn't hear her...
"Hahaha... Seems your friend can't ignore pretty ladies after all... I see the reason why he saved you..." Brawyn chuckled as he watched the scene unfold...
"Where... Where are you hurt?" Socrates asked the moment he got closer to her as he crouched before her...
She looked up—and their eyes met...
Malena had black hair and black pupils... So the moment her gaze locked onto Socrates', his ocean-blue eyes dimmed softly, as if pulled into something deeper...
"My legs..."
Socrates directed his gaze to her legs—and at that exact moment, she raised it sharply, using the edge of her brown heel to strike directly at his injured chin, sending him flying backward before crashing onto the ground in front of Kamira...
She quickly rushed forward and helped lift his upper body, while Brawyn returned to Malena's side, who had already stood back up as if nothing had happened...
"You're losing blood... Are you okay?" Kamira asked with visible concern, her breath uneven...
"I'm fine..." He said as he slowly got up, allowing Kamira to steady him...
"She's rank 85 in the outer ranking... She's dangerous..." Kamira warned...
"And beautiful..." Socrates' eyes gleamed faintly—
Smack
Kamira struck him hard at the back of his head...
"She's our enemy... Go take her down..." Kamira pushed Socrates forward—
He accelerated instantly...
But at the other end, the remaining members of the Brownhounds guild gathered around Malena...
"We won't let you touch our Queen..."
"We won't allow you to harm her..."
They cried as they charged toward Socrates, their weapons raised high...
Socrates' eyes sharpened as he rolled his fist and threw it into the air...
"SCATTER.."
The men were blown apart instantly, bodies thrown off balance as they crashed into the snow-covered ground...
But not all...
One managed to push forward with a straight slash—
Socrates saw it coming and used his mind to guide his body into a sidestep—which he did...
But then—
Slash...
The cut landed on his shoulder, drawing a sudden line of blood, causing his eyes to widen in surprise...
The member, seeing his strike connect, stepped forward excitedly and performed a horizontal slash...
Socrates bent his torso backward to evade the attack—and he did—
But then a tear ripped across his stomach, blood spilling out into the cold air...
'What the hell?' Socrates exclaimed as the force pushed him backward while he clutched his bleeding stomach... 'I clearly dodged that strike...'
"Look—I landed a hit... Not once, but twice... He's not invincible... We can hit him..."
"Fight with everything you've got..."
"Attack..."
Before, none of the members had been able to inflict even the slightest injury on Socrates except Ephram... But now, it was different...
They all grabbed their weapons as they rose from the ground—and then charged at the Son of Trueblood once more...
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Meanwhile, at a corner...
A lady leaned against the wall in a seductive pose, watching the exchange with a faint, knowing smile playing on her lips...
Whatever was going on—she clearly had a hand in it...
This lady...
Malena...
Was not an ordinary person...