…. Two and a half months later, Residential District, sector 5 ….
"We own these streets, my bro! Ain't nobody coming to save you." A dark man in a black sleeveless hoody stood over an elderly man who had a bloodied nose.
Flanking his sides was a burly bald black man with a skull tattoo drawn on his left bicep while a white goth lady dressed in a black skimpy skirt, a black bra, and black chains tied around her arm.
She leaned on the shoulder of the hooded dark man, laughing flirtatiously with a look of amusement in her eyes.
"Please… I-I can't… I have grandkids who lost their parents. They need to feed. I worked the entire month for…"
Bang!
The hooded man punched the old man while the other two laughed.
"You think, I'm playing old man?" The hooded man bellowed while pulling out a dagger. "If you don't move your bitch ass quick and cough up all that cash, your grandkids won't have a grandfather no more!"
The elderly man paled, his face filled in fright as he shoved his hands into his bag and pulled out a white envelope containing his pay cheque.
"That's enough!"
Just when the hooded man was about to snatch the envelope, they heard a shaky feminine voice behind them.
"Who the hell has a death wish?" The hooded man growled and turned around with his gang, only to see a petite girl.
She was dressed in a white jumpsuit with white boots and a white scarf wrapped over his neck. In her hands was a pocket knife, shaking uncontrollably and giving away her fear.
"And who the hell is this bitch supposed to be?" the goth girl asked with a disgusted look on her face.
"Woo-hoo! She does have some curves though and she's cute… I don't have any problem playing with her a little." The hooded man's annoyed face turned perverted.
While the Goth girl frowned at this remark, the girl shivered and took a step back. Her fearful gaze fell on the elderly man lying on the ground, and the fear in her eyes vanished, replaced with determination.
"I am a student of the Guardian academy! Let that man go and turn yourselves in." She stopped retreating and stood her ground with a cold face.
"Oooh? A student of the academy in the slums?" The hooded man was slightly stunned. "I get to have fun with a guardian baddie. Go grab her, Rocky!"
"Mmmh!" The burly man smiled cruelly and began walking forward, his footsteps heavy.
Thud!
The girl stood, petrified with fear as the towering figure of the burly man called Rocky loomed over her, blocking out the moonlight.
"You come with us now… baddie." Rocky said with much difficulty as his massive hand stretched toward the girl's head.
"H-heeelpppppp!" The girl screamed with her eyes shut tight.
Swoosh!
A cool breeze brushed past the girl, and gentle hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her back. Her eyes slowly opened, and she saw a familiar yet unrecognizable figure standing beside her, his black hair tied back into a ponytail.
His eyes carried a recognizable dullness, and he was dressed in a sleeveless black hoody which revealed his lean but well-toned muscles, with black jeans and black boots. The most notable trait was the black dragon scale tattoo drawn on his outstretched right arm.
"Lucius Blackwater?" She muttered with a stunned expression.
"If you are gonna hold on to a knife, at least use it." Lucius said dryly, and her face flushed red with embarrassment.
"You… You get in my way!" Rocky stuttered furiously and grabbed Lucius's outstretched arm and pulled.
Buzz!
Lucius remained unmoved from his position, it felt like a man was trying to pull a mountain.
"Here, let me help you out." Lucius sneered as he pulled the burly man toward him and like a child pulled by an adult, he hurled towards Lucius, meeting Lucius's well-placed forehead with his nose.
Bam!
Rocky fell to the ground, his hand covering his bloody nose as he groaned painfully and rolled around. The faces of the hooded man turned grim, while a tinge of fear appeared in the eyes of the Goth girl.
They watched the moonlight fall upon Lucius, revealing his entire figure. Compared to two months ago, he had aged considerably, an effect of practicing the statue martial art was that he reached the first stage, the Bronze statue level.
His physical features were outlined perfectly, he had grown taller, his jawline chiseled and his skin perfect. Right now, he looked like a fifteen-year-old at least.
"You are the kid they talked about. The black knight going all over the hood, beating the crap out of people." The hooded man said with a frown.
"Beating the hell out of petty thieves." Lucius said with a cold glare.
Since the arrival of Black Death, criminal activities have increased exponentially. Seeing Black Death swoop in, make a fool of guardians, and vanish made many villains dream again. They wanted the attention Black Death was getting, and they were also hoping to gain his attention.
Lucius had no issues with the crime rate, but he found it annoying this was taking place in the residential district where the poor were trying to make a decent living for themselves.
For the past month, he has been applying for night watch tasks and decimating local gangs, thieves, and villains in the area. This had become a daily routine for him.