Chapter 1151: Contempt |
"You useless waste!"
Thrwak!
The sound of a palm striking flesh echoed in a narrow alleyway, and in the next instant, an unusually short boy was sent flying into a wall with force.
Loud ringing filled the boy's ears as blood and drool streamed from his mouth.
He raised his trembling gaze to see a group of vampyros race youths surrounding him, their faces twisted with wicked grins.
"P-please… d-don't," the boy choked out, but his assailants weren't listening.
They laughed, their eyes brimming with bloodlust as they stared down at the dwarven boy crumpled on the floor.
"Ahh, please don't!" one of them mocked, mimicking the boy's plea in a high-pitched voice, earning laughter from the rest.
The leader of the group, the one who had started the fight, stepped forward, his expression filled with contempt.
The dwarven boy coughed, still shaking. "P-please… we're all allies now… facing the same enemy…"
The vampyros boy sneered.
Without warning, his leg lashed out, slamming into the boy's face and sending him rolling across the alley until he hit the wall again with a sick thud.
"How dare you compare your lowly self to us!" the vampyros boy shouted. "It's the vampyros, and the other superior races, who are holding this place together! Without us, you'd all be gone!"
He walked toward the dwarven boy, who writhed weakly on the floor, and raised his foot.
"The least you ungrateful weaklings can do is become our slaves!"
His leg came down, but before it could land, a flaming fist dropped from above, crashing into the vampyros boy's skull with brutal force.
Boom!
His head slammed into the ground, the impact knocking him unconscious in a single blow.
The gazes of the other vampyros youths shot up in shock, then darted backward at high speed, just as a figure landed violently atop the fallen boy's body, driving him even deeper into the ground.
"A-a human?" one of the vampyros youths stammered, their expressions quickly shifting from surprise to contempt as they gazed at the girl wrapped in flames.
A lowly human had dared?
Just as they were about to hurl insults, the figure exploded forward without a word, blazing toward one of the boys.
Before the youth could react, a flaming fist slammed into his chest, sending him hurtling backward, crashing violently along the ground.
The expressions of the remaining vampyros changed at once.
"This bitch!" one of them snarled.
Their eyes flashed crimson as streams of blood surged from their hands, forming gleaming blades. But just as they prepared to strike, the light from above dimmed.
Their heads shot upward to a massive purple hammer descending at blinding speed.
The one farthest away managed to leap back in time, but the two others were too slow. The hammer crashed into them with crushing force, flattening them to the ground.
The gaze of the surviving youth trembled as another figure, wrapped in purple light, descended slowly into the alleyway.
Rage surged through his body. The thought that lowly humans had beaten them clawed at his pride, but he wasn't a fool. He knew when to retreat.
He turned, ready to run from the alley, but a figure suddenly appeared in front of him, moving with blinding speed.
Before he could react, a raging fist slammed upward into his chin, snapping his head back as his body launched into the air and slammed into the opposite wall.
Boom!
The trio met eyes briefly, then a laugh echoed from beneath the purple hammer.
Zoey lifted it, revealing two battered youths underneath. One of them was unconscious but other glared at them with bloodied lips and burning hatred.
"You humans are even worse than those midgets," he spat. "At least they have some use. You lot? You're nothing. Especially your useless so-called apex. He's probably dead."
He burst into laughter.
But before he could finish, his eyes snapped upward, just in time to see a blazing Aurora plummeting toward him like a comet.
With that speed and force, it landed, he wasn't going to survive.
His eyes widened. He tried to move, but before the Aurora could strike, a fist collided with his face from the side, sending him flying and knocking him out cold.
Boom!
Aurora landed on the exact spot he had just been, the impact releasing a wave of raging fire that surged through the alleyway.
As the haze began to clear, Aurora's cold gaze snapped toward Zoey.
"What was that?" she asked sharply.
"You tried to kill him," Zoey replied calmly.
"And was that so wrong?" Aurora said, her voice simmering. "The bastard was running his mouth. I wanted to teach him a lesson."
She clenched her fists tightly.
Zoey sighed. She understood more than Aurora knew. She too had been seething with rage when he insulted Atticus.
"I understand," she said. "But we've been tasked with roaming the streets, stopping any fights or violence. We can't just go around killing people."
Thirteen different races were trapped within the same domain. Space was tight. Tensions were high. Fights were bound to break out.
Zoey, Aurora, and Kael had been amongst the many volunteers to help keep things under control.
Aurora's eyes burned brighter.
"Well, maybe we should," she said. "It'll end the violence once and for all. We've stopped dozens of these bloodsuckers today alone. And don't forget, if not for Atticus, their race would've ravaged the human domain by now!"
Zoey paused slightly.
"I know. But killing these youths just because they badmouthed him is wrong. I understand, Aurora, yo—"
"You don't understand anything!"
Aurora's voice exploded. Flames surged out around her as her fist slammed into the nearby wall, sending cracks and fire racing across it.
"Stop saying you understand!"
Zoey fell silent, her expression narrowing slightly.
"Stop."
Kael's calm voice echoed as he approached. His gaze moved between them.
"We have to move."
The alleyway fell into silence. Aurora inhaled deeply, then exhaled, forcing herself to calm down. She cast one final glare at the unconscious boy before turning and walking out of the alley.
"I'll handle this," Zoey said to Kael, who nodded before following Aurora.
After a moment, Zoey turned to the dwarven boy.
"It's alright now. Try not to wander too far from your people next time."
The boy nodded quickly, gratitude written across his face, before running at full speed out of the alleyway.
Zoey then gathered the unconscious vampyros youths, dragging them together before walking out of the alleyway, her mind deep in thought.
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