Yanis had just finished his day's work, marked by a leisurely stroll down a quiet street in his neighborhood, where a few cars were circulating under the setting sun. Although it hadn't been particularly exhausting for him, his day was nonetheless hectic because of the fight he'd had with Akim.
Suddenly, as he caught sight of a river of blood flowing through an adjacent alleyway, Yanis made out the battered body of his friend Léa. Words cannot describe how horrifying and cruel the scene was for the teenager at that moment.
Yanis couldn't muster the courage to move a limb in the face of the cruelty his eyes reflected. He was completely paralyzed by his emotional shock. He didn't know what to say, what to do, what to think. His friend's poor body was unrecognizable, the glow of her face gone, her bones shattered, her blood running through the alley. And worst of all, to see her body half-naked, the assailant had probably raped her.
"What have they done to you..."
The only thoughts that crossed his mind at that moment were of the dearest, happiest moments he'd spent with her. His first friend: the most loyal, joyful and caring of all teenage girls. Yanis was devastated to see how violent people could be in pursuit of revenge. But vengeance was all he could think about now: vengeance and anger.
"I'm gonna kill 'em! I'll disembowel them! I'll tear them to pieces!"
With these words of vengeance, he heard behind him the arrival of the enemy city, armed to the teeth. They were dressed in jogging suits and casual outfits, and accompanied by enraged dogs. They were also equipped with firearms and melee weapons. More than anything, they have a strong determination to kill Yanis was palpable.
"Hey, guys! It's him!"
Yanis tore off his jacket and threw it sharply to the ground as he heard the evil wannabes' call to war, displaying abysmal anger on his face.
"You dare to come back after what you've done"
"Stop playing the big guy! There's at least four hundred of us, and we're going to beat the shit out of you, you clown!"
With his hand on the Glock 17 in his saddlebag, Yanis flashed a vengeful, Machiavellian, sadistic smile.
"I pray you have a miracle in this fight, because no one's getting out of here alive but me! And I swear to slaughter you, all of you!"
Immediately after Yanis' intimidating words, the thugs engaged in hostilities, releasing the furious dogs towards him.
"You sons of bitches..."
The uncontrollable rage that had seized Yanis was coupled with a deep hatred, so intense that Yanis was no longer himself. He had become ruthless and emotionless, except that unlike his former self, the only difference was that he was now driven by animal anger. He delivered a kick of inordinate power to the two pit bulls that were about to devour him.
"Okay, bitches! Playtime's over!"
He aimed at the assailants, who were holding firearms, and shot them without the slightest hint of hesitation. One bullet, two bullets, three bullets were enough to take down the men who were armed.
"THE FIRST PERSON I SEE PICKING UP A GUN OFF THE GROUND I'LL BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF HIS ASS FUCK, OK?!"
To them, it was as if they'd just heard a demon who'd taken control of his speech. But more than that, they'd finally understood why they'd brought an entire hood to get rid of this man. Because he was, quite simply, the strongest man on Earth.
"We're gonna fight like men now!"
"Come on, guys! Let's kick his ass!"
The determined men pounced on Yanis at the dawn of a bloody battle. For Yanis was doing what he knew best: killing.
Yanis, the son of a seasoned assassin, had learned from his father the deadly techniques of fighting. Using these weapons with incredible agility and strength, he picked off his enemies one by one. No one was a match for Yanis, and it wasn't long before he was spreading unconsciousness over the mountain of opponents piling up by the second. His grace and power were like those of a god, and no one had ever seen anyone fight with such skill and ferocity as he.
When ten minutes had passed, Yanis stood before them, still in a black rage, covered in blood from head to toe. A bloody pile of a hundred unconscious men lay at his feet, forming a shadow in the sun. From afar, one could feel the unheard-of rage that seemed to rise within him, forcing his opponents to back down in the face of the monster of power that was Yanis.
"So, you bitches give up?!"
"Absolutely not, ahah!" shouted Tony.
An intimidating, dark-eyed man strode towards them. Tony, the boss of the enemy hood, appeared before Yanis in a black leather jacket and matching jeans. He was armed with his red iron nunchakus, and his posture was straight and without weakness.
"Who are you, you son of a bitch?"
Nunchaku clenched in his hand, Tony struck Yanis's face with a super-powered blow that broke his nose.
'First of all, you're going to start by talking to me properly!"
Yanis took the blow with a spit of blood on the floor. He stood facing Tony, who laughed at him and looked down on him.
"Oh, I can see you're taking it pretty well!"
"So, who are you? Do you want to die like the others?"
"You're pretty good at fighting, I must admit. I'm the hood boss who sent Harry. They call me Tony."
"Just because you're his boss doesn't mean I won't beat the shit out of you! You think your nunchakus will save you?!"
"Shut the fuck up! If I'm here, it's to beat you up instead of my men."
As they stared darkly at each other, a pregnant woman and her husband walked past, watching the scene with atrocity. This did not leave Tony indifferent.
"Hey, you whore! Get out of here before I break your face, too!"
"Leave my wife alone! She hasn't done anything to you," assured the husband.
The shadow of malevolence fell over the innocent young couple, as Tony advanced dangerously towards them, his face enraged under the twilight. Yanis witnessed the horrified expressions of the victims as Tony's nunchaku slammed into them. A gust of indignation and injustice erupted from Yanis, who threw himself at Tony to bring justice to these innocent souls.
"YOU JUNK BITCH!" Yanis yelled.
Seized with impending fury, Yanis was about to kick Tony, but was interrupted by a bullet that lodged in his right leg. The shot came from one of the assailants who was still standing. Then another shot, this time in his shoulder, followed by another in his stomach. Armed with his Glock 17, which he held firmly in his hand, Yanis put an end to the massacre by returning fire with three bullets into the assailant's torso. His breath came in gasps and his body was bathed in a pool of his own blood.
"Fuck... I can't see straight, and I can't breathe... I'm gonna die if this keeps up."
Yanis aimed at Tony, who was still on his knees facing the pregnant woman. Tony continued to slaughter the woman with repeated blows, laughing sadistically and obnoxiously. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yanis aiming his pistol at him. So, in one swift, brutal move, he struck his weapon with his nunchaku, and shoved Yanis with a kick in the face. This widened an even more sadistic smile on Tony's face, thinking of what he was about to do to Yanis.
"No more jokes. You're going to join the whore I fucked, in Hell."
It was with this revelation that he realized with horror who had committed the crime. It was he who had unjustly killed and tortured his friend Lea. In a last effort, his face tinged with vengeance, he launched his favorite kick: the question mark kick. A kick he delivered with all his might and as quickly as possible, despite his serious injuries. This propelled Tony to the ground, creating a crack in the sidewalk.
"Ahah, that's a nice kick!" he exclaimed, flashing a sadistic grin.
Rubbing his nunchakus against the ground, Tony ignited them, then performed various freestyle moves with them.
"I'm gonna pop you so hard, your head's gonna look like the pregnant lady's baby, ahah!"
[Back in the present, at the Lost Ones' residence]
"After that evening, I went to the hospital to get treated. Within a month, we faced a series of gang wars and assassination attempts…"
"I'm sorry for you, Yanis. My story seems like a fairytale compared to yours…"
"Don't say that, Gwen. You shouldn't blame yourself for your suicide attempt. There's no experience that's tougher than another; it's just that some people struggle more to cope."
"That Tony should pay for his unjust and horrific actions," Kalen vowed, clenching his fists.
"We need to investigate why he's here. He has no place among us. Unlike him, you all are here to combat a multiverse threat," Charnald argued.
Jaïka laid down five hefty envelopes on the table, each labeled with a member of the Lost Ones' name.
"Anyway, let's move on. Here's your pay, converted to your home country's currency. It's equivalent to 15,000 euros."
Alora was stunned by the figure. As they opened their envelopes, the Lost Ones found several coins made of silver, bronze, and gold, each bearing the image of King Rymis III.
"This is our country's currency, called Éré. In your homeland, a bronze Éré is worth 5 euros, a silver one is worth 10 euros, and a gold one is worth 15 euros."
"Thank you so much!"
Jaïka looked away, merely standing up without responding to Alora's gratitude. She left them with a parting statement:
"I need to go; my schedule is packed. Let me just tell you something. The brutality of your first mission is just a fraction of what you will face until Damahan arrives. Let me be straight with you... You will face losses, you will suffer, you will cry… I wouldn't even be surprised if one of you dies within the next two years."
"Why are you telling us this?" asked Alora.
"Because it's time someone opened your eyes and told you the truth. Anyway, train hard, and if you need assistance with your training, I'm here to help."