Eve and Leon rested on one of the wooden benches surrounding a magnificent fountain. A few meters away are many sets of wooden picnic counters, not far from food stalls that stretched on both sides of the food court. The numerous lanterns and shops rendered the place a vibrant and lively atmosphere. The soft jazz playing in the background and voices of people chattering and laughing added to the zestful scene.
" Are you full, cousin?" Leon cupped his chin as he watched Eve devour her fifth corndog, wondering if she had a black hole for a stomach or didn't eat enough back home. They, after all, combed every stall there is.
Eve did not reply but retrieved the ice cream from Leon. It was dessert he volunteered to hold on temporarily, seeing her hands occupied with sundries of snacks.
" I'm glad you enjoyed our night out, but I believe we should head home." It was only short past midnight now, way early for his usual clock out, but he is uneasy since his old man might wrangle him if he knew their little escapade.
" Okay." All that walking made her yearn to hibernate on the bed.
Getting her affirmation, Leon stood up, ready to go to their parked car.
Trying to get to their destination immediately, he guided Eve into a shortcut- a hidden alley. It was dark since the only light source was a lamppost, emitting yellow light, on the other side of the road.
They marched right through, failing to notice five pairs of eyes glued to their figures and lingering no more than few meters away from their shadows. The sinister individuals then followed them into the dim alley to enact their plan.
When Leon found their presence, it was too late.
He scanned the group of men hindering their path and grasped that they were up to no good.
Leon cursed in his mind- It's such a pain to be so famous. His conscience didn't even hurt for his narcissism.
" The fuck you want?" Despite the hostile situation, he retained his flagrant nature. He wasn't perturbed one bit despite realizing he is outnumbered or by the fact that the burly rascals were waltzing with daggers and clubs.
" Truly an arrogant bastard, aren't you, Carlaeon Iyvan Cross." A snort came from the man in the center. He seemed like the boss of the group.
" You even knew my complete name, huh. What's this? Are you a little fan of my beauty? Sorry to break it to you buddy, but I'm not interested in swordfights." Ridicule was spouted, matching his frivolous smile.
" Fucking asshole, who wants you?" The man barked back.
"Anyone who has excellent taste." Leon shrugged and answered matter-of-factly, showcasing his inherited shamelessness in full blast.
" Enough!" Irritated at his banter, the leader finally decided to get down to business.
" Do you know Kiryen Derune?"
" The hell I care about your little lover? " Leon spewed another critical hit that annoyed the other, who appears as if he'll blow up any minute. On the other hand, Leon remained languid, even retained his original lackadaisical pose of keeping his hands in his pockets.
" He's my younger brother, and you, scoundrel, broke his leg. I'm here to break both of your limbs and make you pay for hurting him!" Like answering his proclamation, the men behind him stepped forward, displaying their weapons.
" How sweet. Should I be moved to tears for your devotion?" Leon rolled his eyes, not affected by the threats.
He has tons of enemies and didn't have a hobby of memorizing their names. Hence, he doesn't recall what kind of garlic Kiryen was. In any case, he never backs down when it comes to brawls but, he glanced at his cousin standing nearby. He is a little anxious that she might get hurt.
" Eve, return to the food court for a minute. I'll be back to fetch you."
" No. I'll wait here." She responded with alacrity.
How could Eve pass this thrilling 1v5 live action? Surely, she had to stay.
Leon scrunched his brows, wondering how to deal with her. The situation is kind of dire, and he lacks time to coax this angelic cousin of his to turn back and not witness any bloodshed. Just thinking of how his Dad might threaten his allowance for months over this blunder makes his heart bleed.
" Okay, but step back and be sure to close your eyes and cover your ears." He could only compromise in the end.
" Alright." Eve retreated to a position where she could appreciate the view in a better way. Not only was she planning to ignore his kind words, but she will also peel her eyes open lest she misses some good moves and perks her ears up to enjoy the painful groans.
She is excited. Who could have thought she'll run into a wondrous scene simply by following Leon? Somehow, she appreciated this person more.
The unbridled conversation between the two fell into the other's ears. The mixed feelings of annoyance and finding it amusing to see their nonchalant attitudes when facing danger is noteworthy.
They peeped at the girl and couldn't suppress the malice brewing upon seeing her alluring visage. They didn't know her identity but surmised that she might be someone important to Leon. Anyhow, they can focus on her later after dealing with the annoying bastard.
After another tit-for-tat battle of the mouths, unanimously won by Leon, the fight eventually started.
Her cousin, who shed the haughty facade, turned into a beast. With agile moves and accurate heavy punches, he managed to dodge the attacks and send his fists towards their vulnerable parts in a ruthless manner. The sound of jaws breaking and punches raining was like a symphony of carnage in the dark alley.
When one of the antagonists wanted to break his skull secretly, he moved sideways as if he had eyes on the back of his head. Leon elbowed the other's chest, disrupting his attempt. Then he turned around, and chopped his clavicle, and kicked him in the stomach.
The man flew backward and hit the floor. Leon picked up the wooden bat and proceeded to beat his legs in two successive heavy blows as if wanting to crack them to smithereens. The man screeched like a dying pig annoying Leon that he kicked the other's face, rendering him unconscious.
He then faced the other uglies, while tying his shoulder-length hair. From start to finish, his movements were fluid, clearly having done the routine a thousand times.
" Who's next?" Leon smirked while taking off his leather jacket. He walked towards the metal waste bin and mounted his garment. Afterward, he stretched his limbs as he returned to where he placed the club and practiced swinging it.
The dumbfounded group could only watch him, waiting for his next move.
Leon, perceiving that they won't move, taunted,
" Come on, don't be shy. Come to papa." A devilish grin bloomed on his beautiful face as he rested the bat on his shoulder.
The other cronies, seeing how brutal their target was, became apprehensive. However, the leader commanded them not to flinch. Their conflict is irreparable, and they knew they couldn't escape unscathed for touching the Cross family. They gritted their teeth to finish what they started. They decided to strike simultaneously, and Leon welcomed their attack with open arms.
Another round of blood bath transpired.
Eve was delighted to witness such a fragrant scene. Body parts kept on colliding, and mournful wailings never stopped reverberating the area. The combination of metal clacking sounds, clothes ripping, and bones breaking was wild as hell. It was simply amazing.
[ Truly, he is the most interesting one.] She chuckled as she licked her vanilla ice cream, savoring the lovely dessert displayed before her.
In truth, the system guide notified her that the group was trailing them. She anticipated their wicked plans, especially after knowing their sinister aura and evil points. Acknowledging their nefarious intentions, she didn't speak a word to Leon and opted to wait for things to unfold.
In any case, she knew this cousin of hers was not easy prey, and if everything else fails, she could just poison them to death. But of course, she'll do that as the last resort if they incite her.
Nevertheless, recognizing how easily Leon handled them, she wasn't concerned anymore and truly focused on enjoying the play until she saw the leader stagger to her place.
She narrowed her eyes as she watched the other approach her.
When Leon noticed the rascal planned on involving Eve, he tried breaking away from the entangled bastards immediately.
" Fukc!" He cussed as he urgently tried to rip the vexatious rats off him. If something happens to her, he'll be whipped to fragments, or worst, kiss his inheritance goodbye.
Comprehending that they failed, Kervin Derune resolves to take Eve as a hostage. Seeing how frantic Leon had become, he was ecstatic. He can't wait to turn the tide around. The evil in his eyes burned brightly. He hastily ran but tripped when he was a few steps away from her. The inertia compelled him to send himself to her direction.
Leon witnessed how the bastard carrying a blade, plunges onto Eve. The desperation pushed his aggressive movements to step up a notch and finished the henchmen in three moves. Still, the distance hindered him from saving Eve.
For a moment, he felt his nerves go numb.
[ Shit! She'll get stabbed!] Fear enveloped him.
" Eve!!!!" He roared.
Like watching in slow-mo, Eve observed how the man dives to her, how she staggered backward due to instinct and witnessed how her ice cream fell due to the sudden action, leaving only the tasteless wafer cone in her hand.
[ I haven't even eaten half of it.] She glimpsed at the white mush on the dirty concrete floor.
She felt her blood flow in reverse and a millisecond later grabbed the only available melee weapon she could from inside the space.
Then an astonishing scene followed.
Leon watched Eve lift her hand and bitchslapped the shit out of the dude, so hard that his face got planted to the nearby wall. The split-second action was unforgiving and full of force that only the crisp sound of face-slamming permeated the dimly-lit area. Few seconds have passed, but he remained rooted in place, with his mouth wide open.
Then his face changed from fright to bewilderment to awe.
" That was amazing!" He shouted as he sprinted to her. He shifted his sight between the unconscious bastard and Eve.
" I know." She gazed at the system manual that didn't even shatter nor had a dent with that vigorous action.
" You've hidden deeply, huh." His eyes glistened in delight as he examined the weak-looking but low-key strong-ass lady in front of him.
Leon was too distracted that he didn't even question where she got her weapon nor noticed it vanishing when he inspected the bastard, K.O'ed on the wall.
" Not really." She was curious why Leon arrived at that conclusion since she didn't hide that deeply when watching the carnal passion.
" Anyway, you're not hurt, are you?"
" No." Eve neared the culprit and stabbed his forehead with the cone left on her hand. Only then was the annoyance she felt soothed.
Leon was surprised by her petty move. He was fascinated by discovering that Eve also has a wicked side. Somehow, he conceived a feeling that he finally found a confidant.
Before they left, Leon excused himself for a bit and went back to Kirven. Suddenly, he stamped his foot, crushing the other's legs that directly roused him to scream at the top of his lungs.
He crouched beside him and met the other's fearful eyes.
" I'll break your third leg the next time you annoy me, understand?" Leon spoke a friendly reminder while patting the other's head, like an elder reproving a misbehaving kid.
Kervin trembled furiously, choked by the screams he desperately held. Inwardly, he regretted provoking the demon.
Eve raised her eyebrow, wondering if the ugly, squirming like a worm sprinkled with salt, has an accessory limb hidden in his pants.
Unfortunately, Leon had ushered her out of the alley, before her curiosity is piqued.