"Uhm, can't you guys leave them alone?" The man asked, addressing the group of Hybrids who were clearly irked by his presence.
The man who spoke was none other than Kazuichi. As soon as he got out, the two groups felt stupid since they tried to monitor each other to gain an advantage. They were so focused on themselves that they didn't even notice the third party overseeing their groups.
"Kazuichi, what are you doing?!" A muffled voice called out to Kazuichi from the small alleyway intersecting the two streets. A further inspection by Aya revealed that the voice came from a woman who was at least the same age as them.
"They're getting into a fight. I'm trying to appease them." Kazuichi answered straightforwardly. As to why he wanted to intervene in their affairs was a big question mark in tris's head.
"And who are you? You don't seem like you're from here." The supposed leader of the Hybrids spoke up with leering eyes. This was the first time he saw Kazuichi, so he was more or less convinced that he wasn't part of the city.
"As if you're from here. You're hybrids, right? There's no way a group of Hybrids would stay in one place. You're not from around here; you're just passing by." Kazuichi continued. For someone who's not well-versed in conversing with other people, he sure floored the breaks with his harsh words.
"Yeah, we're from around here. Unlike you, sir, we're Hybrids who stay in our territory. We don't trespass on other territories and act as if we own it."
"What? Is he a Hybrid too? I thought he was human." Sander whispered to Robert, who was beside him.
"There's no way a regular human would go out of his way to provoke a group of Hybrids. Either he's crazy, he has a death wish... or he's a Hybrid. That's a more logical explanation." Tanaka chimed in on the conversation, cupping his hand on his mouth as he spoke. He didn't want to add to the provocation of the group of Hybrids. That's why he consciously lowered his voice.
"Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some pressing matters to attend to." The leader of the Hybrid group spoke as he took one step forward. Pretty soon, he was already walking towards Kazuichi, intimidating him.
The other Hybrids followed suit, licking their lips while they approached Kazuichi in a poor attempt at encouraging his retreat. That didn't affect Kazuichi at all, however, and he just stood there, not budging an inch.
Meanwhile, the group behind him was slowly taking a few steps backward to keep their distance from the approaching Hybrid group.
"Oi, is that guy crazy? There's no way he could face a dozen Hybrids. There's just one of him." Sander stated the obvious as he turned to Robert for the second time.
"Of course not. Even two Hybrids are problematic enough against one. There's no way he'd survive if they attacked him. Hounds are weak to Bulwarks, Bulwarks are inferior to Mercs, and Mercs are weak to Hounds. However, these don't apply if it's two against one. Even two Hounds could defeat a Bulwark if they teamed up together. " Tanaka spoke as if he was citing a passage from an encyclopedia.
"I get that he's trying to help us, but he didn't have to put himself in danger. He's just going to die, and then we're going to die. There was no need for such pointless sacrifice." Aya commented as she finally regrouped with her party.
"Maybe... maybe he's just suicidal? That might be the case." Robert said.
"Whatever the case may be. He's trying to give us a chance to escape. He might die, and there's a greater chance we'll die, but he's giving us the opening we need right now. As soon as they start ganging up on him, we leave." Sander instructed, extending his hand while their group continued walking backward.
He didn't let his gaze wander off from the Hybrid group. One wrong move and their neck would be decapitated. Hybrids are known to be much speedier than humans, after all. That's why they have to be wary of them at all times.
Then there was Tris, who remained by the alleyway while urging Kazuichi to change his mind. She was well aware that he would meet instant death if he were to pick a fight with them, but there was not much she could do at that moment.
Her calls didn't reach Kazuichi, or rather, they reached him, but they just went in one ear and out the other. For some reason, Kazuichi fully intended to rile up the Hybrids.
There was no going back. Not for Tris. Not for the party of the uninfected. And certainly not for Kazuichi.
Clicking his tongue, the Hybrid leader came face to face with Kazuichi. He was too close for comfort, which caused Kazuichi to step back so he won't touch lips with him.
"You have one last chance. Do you want to die trying to save those uninfected behind you, or will you let us pass and have our way with them?"
"This is such an easy choice. You go your way, we go our way, we're both happy, and no one has to die." He continued.
Of course, there would be casualties even though the Hybrid leader said otherwise. He may not have planned on killing Kazuichi, but they have already decided to kill the uninfected people behind him.
"You know, I'm not one to play the hero." Kazuichi scratched his head. "I've destroyed countless nests of Aberrants in hopes of stopping their continuous evolution... it was relatively easy. That's why I wanted to try if I could go up against a dozen Hybrids."
"I don't care what happens to the group behind me. They brought this upon themselves. I'm just here to pick a fight with you guys, that's all."
"You want to pick a fight? Then you're going to get one." The Hybrid leader responded as the eleven other Hybrids surrounded Kazuichi, cutting off all his escape routes.