Everyone stumbled as the ground continued to shake, and they stared at the hole where Alex and Falcon had disappeared. The gang leaders expected that Falcon would kill Alex while they were inside the hole, and the Moon maidens were all worried. They knew how powerful Falcon was.
A moment later, two figures burst out of the hole, and the Moon maidens were relieved to see Alex wasn't dead.
Alex was quick to react. Before Falcon could pull the wire tight around his neck, Alex grabbed him, preventing him from moving.
Falcon knew that this was his only chance to kill Alex, and if he failed, he would be in trouble. He used all his strength, but Alex resisted him.
Alex surprised him by dropping to the ground, and Falcon lost his grip on the wire, setting Alex free.
"It's not so easy to kill me!" Alex said, hitting out at Falcon's chest, sending him staggering. He kicked out, striking Falcon's abdomen, making him grunt with pain. Then he continued to pummel Falcon, never letting up.
Finally, Alex kicked him solid in the chest, and Falcon dropped to the ground. He raised his head a little, but he couldn't get back up.
Falcon lay there, panting heavily as he glared at Alex. His hands clenched at nothing, as he tried again to get up. Finally, he gave up and let his head fall back with a thud.
The other gang leaders were scared stiff as they stared at Alex.
They had stopped fighting the Moon Maidens and watched Alex, afraid he would attack them next.
Alex stamped his foot on the ground and looked around at the Moon disciples.
The women sprang into action, hitting out at the invaders. The men screamed as they fell, scrambling to escape.
Alex fought with several gang members, dealing with them swiftly, and protecting the disciples of the Moon cult.
"Stop! Please!" one of the gang members cried. It was clear that they couldn't possibly win, and if they continued to fight, they could die.
All the gang members stopped fighting and began to plead for mercy.
"We give up!" one of the leaders yelled. "Let us leave, and we'll never dare to invade the Moon Palace again."
The other men cried out, abandoning their pride.
"We swear!" cried one with a bloody nose and missing teeth.
"Just let us go", said another with a broken limb.
"It was all Blaze's fault! And Falcon's!", cried another laying on the ground panting.
The four Moon Maidens walked over to Alex.
"Blaze was the one who instigated the attack," Callisto told him. "He has always wanted to control these mountains, and now he has killed some of my sisters. We cannot let him go."
Alex nodded. Then he looked at her with concern. "Sit down and rest," he said.
"And Blaze?" Callisto asked. Then she looked around and gasped when she couldn't see Blaze anywhere.
Alex's eyes swept the crowd, locking onto something, and then he stalked off.
Everyone hurried out of his way. They had seen what he could do, and they didn't want to be next. Terrified, they ran for cover.
As the crowd parted, Alex spotted Blaze.
When Blaze saw Alex bearing down on him, he raced forward to meet him.
He tried to use all his skills to block Alex, but nothing worked. Although Blaze was a big man, he was no match for Alex.
Alex slapped Blaze's face, leaving him dazed. Then Alex grabbed his arm and pulled it hard, twisting it a little. Blaze screamed as his shoulder was dislocated.
Alex grabbed Blaze by the shirt and threw him in the direction of the Moon Palace disciples. The women fell on him, yelling at him as they attacked.
"Avenge our sisters!" cried some.
"Deal with him once and for all", cried another. "Not so tough now, are you?"
They all hit and kicked at him, crowding in, and blocking Alex's view. When they eventually stepped back, Blaze was lying motionless, his eyes closed, and his clothes torn.
The disciples were satisfied with their revenge on the man who had invaded their home and hurt their sisters.
The gang members trembled with fear when they saw what had happened to Blaze. Again, they began to beg for their lives.
"Please let us live! Forgive us!" said one man with a blue eye.
"I swear we'll never bother you again", cried the others.
They all dropped to their knees, not too proud to plead with Alex to spare them.
"Mr. Alex, these lowlifes invaded the Moon Palace," Callisto said, her hand holding her injured shoulder as she looked at the gang members. "That is unforgivable, and they deserve to die."
The gang members began to shake even harder, their eyes wide with terror.
"Callisto, let Mr. Alex decide," Celeste said, looking at her sister. She knew it was wrong for them to interfere with Alex's decision. They were sworn to serve him, not give him orders.
"What do you think should be done?" Alex asked the four women. He didn't understand the situation with the gangs in this area, and he didn't have enough information to know what to do. The Moon maidens had stayed in the Moon Palace before, so he wanted to hear their advice.
"Mr. Alex, the gangs here fight with each other, killing and injuring countless people every year," Luna said. "Only when the Moon Palace is superior in strength can we maintain the peace around here. I suggest we make these gangs answerable to the Moon Palace. If any of them try something like this again, then some of the other gangs might warn us." Luna rarely said much, but she often saw things clearly.
"Luna is right," Celeste said. "That way, whenever there are conflicts among the gangs, we can intervene." "Besides," she thought, "We can also ask them to pay a tribute."
"We agree!" Callisto and Selene said.
"Okay," Alex said. "Then we'll go with Luna's suggestion." He turned around to announce the decision, but Celeste stopped him.
"Mr. Alex, wait a minute!" she said. She walked up to Alex and looked around at everyone. "This is Mr. Alex," she called out. "He is Georgina's apprentice, and two months ago, Georgina passed on the leadership of the Moon Palace to him!"