After a while, Zanphia, Zenover, and Garty were led to an alleyway. It was dim since it located between two tall buildings. It also reeked of rotten food, since there were a few doors leading to the kitchens of some restaurants. The smell probably came from the food thrown away by the chefs.
Other than the delinquents, there were also some girls joining in on the fun as they stood on the side and observed while scoffing.
Excluding the four bully victims, there were a total of 12 people in the alleyway.
"LET HER GO!!!!"
Zenover repeated these words after they caught up with the group of delinquents. With her tears dropping, Suzannia yearned to run at the trio who chased after her, but she was held in place by Drakob, the leader of the delinquents. He then handed Suzannia to Seros so that she wouldn't escape.
"That guy humiliated me so much last time, so I'll need to vent my anger on something too. Hey, you lot! You want her back?? Then let me punch you real good!! Come on!!!"
Drakob stood before them, preparing to fight as he held out his fists with his base of support widened. He threw out a few punches in the air, which demonstrated how fast and powerful his fists were. Just by looking at them, one would never want those fists land on any part of their body.
With his well-built body, Drakob showed a lopsided smile as he snickered at Zenover, provoking him.
Zenover gritted his teeth as he scowled in fury. He felt the pain in his stomach where he was punched just now had vanished. Because of that, that made him more impulsive, as he stood up swiftly and copied Drakob's stance. The outburst of his anger couldn't be reverted, and it looked like this wouldn't end until either side fell.
"That's it that's it!! Bring it on, you weakling!!! Let me humiliate you!!!"
As he displayed an elated expression, Drakob taunted Zenover as he blatantly laid out his intention. Unable to endure this anymore, Zenover let out a battle cry and ran at Drakob. With that reckless action, it gave Drakob a huge opening to shove his fist against his face.
Nevertheless, instead of doing that, Drakob lost his stance and loosened his fists as he held out his arms deliberately and received whatever attacks Zenover threw at him. Once he began randomly throwing his fists at Drakob, he would always block Zenover with his hands without any difficulty.
Zenover did his utmost to punch Drakob's abdomen but he could never reach it. And he kept receiving were mocking laughter not just from Drakob, but also Seros and the others. Frustrated, Zenover tried even harder to punch, but before he knew it, he was already panting.
Hence, his punches were getting slower and weaker. His knuckles were also getting more and more sore. Without warning, Drakob caught one of his fists, not letting him go. In a panic, Zenover threw his other fist at him, only to be caught again.
Having no other choice, Zenover attempted to kick Drakob's shin bone. However, the latter reacted swiftly and kicked Zenover's before he could even lift up his leg. With that, Zenover lost his balance and dropped to his knee. He groaned in agony while Drakob's grin grew wider as he watched Zenover's state.
Such was the fighting prowess of the boy known as Drakob. He possessed quick reaction time, superb coordination and physical strength. Most of all, he was decisive in what he'd do to counter Zenover's attacks.
"Zenover!!" Garty yelled at the top of her lungs. "Stop this already!! Picking on us like that! Shame on you!!!"
"Huuh?!"
Garty wanted to divert Drakob's attention from Zenover so he'd let Zenover go and go for her instead. However, he simply let go of one of Zenover's fists and dragged him as he walked toward Garty.
As for Zanphia, she could only shudder in fear. She tried numerous times to tell Drakob to stop, but her voice just wouldn't come out.
"What did you just say, you bitch??"
"Shame on you!!! You jerk!!!"
"You really have a death wish, huh?!"
"Drakob!! Your opponent is me and me alone!!! Leave Garty out of this!!"
Still gritting his teeth, Zenover reached out to grab Drakob's clothes with his free hand. In response to that, Drakob forcefully tossed him behind and turned to his underlings.
"Hey you bunch of wusses! Teach this weakling a lesson he'll never be able to forget!!"
"Yes boss!!"
Unanimously, the underlings stepped forward. Some of them slammed their hands against each other to threaten Zenover, as they wanted to see his scared expression. Even the girls closed the distance and cheered as they yearned to witness the beating up close, excitement clearly written on their faces.
"NOOOO!!!!!"
"Shut it, little girl!! Or you'll suffer the same fate!!"
At that moment, both Zenover and Garty were cornered, and they could do nothing to fight back. While the crowd of delinquents surrounded Zenover, Drakob grabbed Garty's arm and pulled her closer.
"Don't you dare touch her!! I swear you'll pay for this!!!" Zenover, catching sight of what Drakob was doing to Garty, yelled at him with his coarse voice.
"All those empty words ain't gonna do you any good! AHAHAHA!!! Well, make sure you don't pass out from just a punch, girl."
As the group of delinquents had already begun kicking Zenover, Drakob drew back his fist, preparing to punch Garty's face. Zanphia abruptly jumped at Drakob and wrapped her arms around his arm to stop him from throwing his fist.
"Finally showing some spunk?? I like that!! I like you better when you'd fight back than being all spiritless! HAHAHA!!"
Despite Zanphia's efforts, Drakob didn't appear troubled a bit since she just couldn't overpower him. His fist flew towards Garty and the latter could only brace herself by shutting her eyes tightly.
However, in the next moment, the cheering sounds vanished, and was replaced by repeated retching noises. The kicking received by Zenover stopped all at once, while Draokob released his grip on Garty and used that hand to cover his mouth.
Even the victims of the bullying: Zanphia, Zenover, Garty, and Suzannia weren't spared from this, as all four of them felt nauseous as well. Suzannia's tears were dropping even more frequently; Garty fell on and faced the ground; Zenover still lied on the floor and turned towards the ground after getting on all fours; Zanphia couldn't help but release Drakob's arm and cover her mouth with both her hands.
It took a while for Zanphia and Zenover to notice this uncanny phenomenon as the retching noises continued to enter their ears. They were reminded of what they'd been told on a certain day, by a scrawny boy they'd never met before...
'Don't tell me...' Both of them had the same idea of what was imminent.
"The hell was that?! That felt... revolting??" Drakob raised his voice after his nausea got better.
He turned around and saw everyone else was suffering in the same way as him. His eyes widened as he gulped. His fingers were crooked as his legs began to shake. Even his eyes felt like they couldn't focus on one spot.
Seeing Drakob, all the bullies, as well as Garty entered the same state. While they definitely were confused, another emotion reigned superior in this instance.
Stepping noises came from the dim path which they came from. It was echoing, yet they could tell that it was getting closer. There was no other way they could exit from where they were.
In other words, they were like wingless birds trapped in a cage with an open ceiling.
Before they could see what was approaching them, the stepping noises came to a halt, and a deep voice coming from the alleyway followed a few seconds after.
"You seem to be having fun."