"If you make me such an excellent offer, then I guess I can only... refuse," Kaden said while spreading his arms apart with a grin, causing Tony's smile to falter.
"Are you sure that is your answer?" Tony asked with a frown as he glared at Kaden.
"I already told you the brat wouldn't listen to reason," Marcus said with a scowl, barely hiding a pleased smile. "Let's hurry up and kill him, along with everyone else in this shit hole," he added while gesturing towards Kaden.
"Patience, my friend," Tony said as he placed a hand on Marcus' shoulder. "Look around you, Kaden," he said as he turned to look at Kaden again, gesturing towards the army of thugs surrounding the compound.
"Don't let your pride be the death of you and the fine ladies and gentlemen behind you," Tonny added, trying to sow discord amongst Kaden's group, though it fell on deaf ears.
The game's survivors were all hardened men and women who've been through hell and back. Their wills and convictions were too strong and tempered for Tony's mellow words to sway them.
They followed Kaden because they respected his ability and the tiny ray of hope he inspired in them for a better future hanging on the horizon.
Each and every one of them would fight for that hope and even die for it if it comes to that, as it was the only thing they had left.
Kade, of course, understood Tony's intentions and their lack of effect on the people standing behind him. "You hear that, guys?" Kaden said as he turned to look at his subordinates with a grin.
"Our new friend, tony, seems to be concerned for your well-being," Kaden remarked while gesturing towards Tony. "Why don't you show him how much you appreciate his goodwill?" he added with a laugh as he paused.
"Go fuck yourself, pretty boy!" One of the men, standing near Kaden, exclaimed with a toothy smile. "Or better yet, come here and let me fuck you instead," he added while giving Tony a weird look, causing the other men standing nearby to start jeering and making wolf whistles.
"Birds of a feather flock, I see," Tony murmured in a gloomy tone as he looked at the jeering man with cold eyes. "It seems that we wouldn't be able to avoid shedding blood today, after all," he said in a decisive tone.
"However, there is no need for a massacre today," Tony remarked, his eyes scanning everyone on the compound's walls. "Only one person needs to die," he added, his eyes settling on Kaden.
"Oh, what do you have in mind?" Kaden asked in an amused tone, deciding to humor Tony out of curiosity.
"Marcus here tells me you're quite strong," Tony said, regaining his smile while gesturing towards Marcus, causing Kaden to shrug.
"Fight one of my subordinates to the death," Tony added while gesturing towards a muscular, middle-aged man wearing nothing but a pair of black pants.
The man's body was packed full of muscles, and he displayed them proudly along with the many tribal tattoos covering his body and even his bald head.
"You win, and we leave and forget this ever happened," Tonny said while raising a finger. "You lose, you die, but we leave your subordinates alone," he added, gesturing his hand to the side in a dismissive manner.
Kaden heard his words and began laughing loudly, his head jerking backward. "What's so funny, brat?" Tony asked with a frown, even forgetting to put on the pleasant, indifferent expression he usually wears.
"I'm just laughing at how dumb and pathetic your attempts to sway my guys with your nonsense," Kaden said, heaving a sigh as he stopped laughing.
"But little do you know, you're only pissing them off more and more," Kaden added with a smile as he gestured for the man who told Tony to fuck himself earlier.
"Tony here seems to think you're some kind of damsel in distress that needs me to fight in his place," Kaden said as he turned to look at the man while gesturing towards Tony.
The man heard Kaden's words and grinned as he turned to look at Tony, giving him two middle fingers.
"You see, these guys aren't a herd of sheep I need to protect and shepherd away from the wolves you and the thugs behind you seem to view yourselves as," Kaden said while shaking his head.
"On the contrary, they're a bunch of bloodthirsty wolves, waiting for me for me to let them loose so they can tear your flesh apart," he added in a cold tone, his green eyes glowing in a sinister light as he looked at the thugs.
The people inside the compound heard Kaden's words, and they had different reactions. Some howled playfully, some cheered, while others merely laughed in amusement.
"Why don't you just admit you're too afraid to fight for your subordinates, brat?" Marcus asked in a mocking tone, scowling as he did.
"But if you want your subordinate to die so badly, then by all mean..." Kaden shrugged his shoulders with a lazy smile, ignoring Marcus as he jumped down and landed in front of Tony.
"You Showe'm boss!" cheered one of the men standing on the compound's walls. "Yeah, fuck this guy up, boss!" cheered another.
"We'll see who is going to die in a minute," said Tony's muscular subordinate as he began walking towards me. "My name is Bernard," the man said as he stopped to stare at me a couple of meters away.
"Don't bother with introductions. You'll be dead in a couple of minutes, and I'll have already forgotten about you by then," Kaden said with a shrug, still smiling lazily.
"So, let's just get this over with," he added as he lowered his center of gravity, taking a lazy, loose fighting posture.
"So be it," Bernard said with a snort. "I'll make you regret refusing the boss' generosity," he added as he began sprinting towards Kaden at an incredible speed no man his size had the right to as he did.
He quickly closed the distance and immediately swung his muscular left arm at the side of Kaden's head. Kaden merely ducked under the swing, whistling in appreciation at the gust of wind Bernard's swing generated above his head as he spun around in an impressive display of agility, stopping behind Bernard.
"Those muscles of yours aren't just for show at least," Kaden said in a playful tone, taking a step back to avoid another swing from Bernard as the latter turned around, trying to swipe Kaden's head again with his arm.
Bernard moved towards Kaden again and began raining punches at the latter while aiming at his vitals at an incredible speed, rendering any regular person watching the fight unable to follow the movement of his hands with their eyes.
However, Kaden did not retaliate as he seemed content with dodging for now as he performed multiple side steps at a rapid pace while swaying his shoulder and neck to the side while avoiding Bernard's onslaught.
"Is dodging all you can do, brat?" Bernard asked with a frown as he continued to try and hit Kaden with his seemingly unending barrage of punches while the latter merely dodged with a lazy posture.
"You know, it's one thing that your boss is eager for your death...," Kaden said with a smile as he continued to dodge. "But I didn't think you'll be just as eager to die," he added as he suddenly stopped moving, unphased as Bernard's punch drew closed and closer to his face.
Kaden's expression suddenly turned cold as he unleashed his aura in the form of mental pressure, aiming it straight at Bernard's mind. It was a new technique that Kaden became able to perform after increasing his energy rank, but that is neither here nor there.
Bernard suddenly froze with his fist merely an inch away from Kaden's face, making the latter smirk coldly, a gesture which spooked Bernard for some reason, causing him to jump backward in panic with sweat running over his forehead.
"It seems you already realize the position your boss put you in now," Kaden said with a smile, taking a step forward. "Unfortunately, you realized that too late," he added, slowly walking as Bernard unconsciously took a step backward.
And much to Bernard's horror, Kaden suddenly disappeared, appearing in front of him. His panic took over his mind, triggering his fight or flight reaction as he hastily punched forward, aiming at Kaden's abdomen.
Kaden merely extended his hand and caught Bernard's fist, squeezing it hard as he pushed down, causing the latter to grunt in pain and helplessness as Kaden forced him to his knees.
And with a single swift motion, Kaden coated his hand in a sharp aura and swiped Bernard's head, decapitating the muscular, bald man cleanly as he quickly caught the flying head before it hit the ground.
"I've upheld my end of the bargain!" Kaden exclaimed as he turned to look at the gangsters surrounding the area, holding Berard's head high for all to see.
"And this guy has upheld his," He added while gesturing to Bernard's head with his free hand before throwing it away as he spat on the ground.
"Your so-called leader has promised mercy for fighting this pathetic enemy," Kaden remarked as he dramatically spun around with his hands spread to the sides.
"My name is Kaden Fucking Solomon, and I make no such offer," he exclaimed while slapping his chest. "Kill them all," he concluded, releasing a much bigger shock wave of mental pressure as the men and women behind the compound's walls jumped down, shouting battle cries in excitement as they charged the gangsters with frenzied, bloodthirsty expressions.
(Author's note: Those of you who understood the speech reference, make sure to leave a comment and let me know XD)