Augus was utterly enraged.
As the second-in-command of "The Thirteen Tyrants," he had been the unchallenged authority here since the onset of the apocalypse. No one dared to speak to him with such audacity.
Over time, these men had shed the constraints of civility. They had come to revere brute force and nurtured a deep, vindictive hatred toward those who once stood above them.
Augus was the embodiment of a small man long suppressed by society. With the collapse of rules and order, his pent-up frustration exploded into unchecked arrogance.
When he swung his blade, Miles still didn't move.
Smack!
Before Augus could register what was happening, a stinging slap darkened his vision, imprinting itself on his face.
Without giving him time to recover, Miles delivered another dozen slaps in rapid succession. No matter where Augus tried to dodge, Miles' hands found their mark with uncanny precision.
Every attempt Augus made to strike back—every swing of his blade—was effortlessly evaded by Miles.
Smack, smack, smack!
The echoing sound of slaps made the remaining ten or so men restless. Unable to bear the humiliation any longer, they lunged at Miles together.
But Miles didn't retreat; instead, he advanced toward them with confidence.
"Boss Miles!" Isaac instinctively moved forward to help but was held back by Ryan, who grinned and said, "Relax, Isaac. Miles has this under control."
Having witnessed Miles' terrifying abilities firsthand, Ryan had become his most ardent admirer.
Isaac, however, couldn't help but watch Miles with a mix of awe and curiosity.
Miles danced among the group, moving with an almost supernatural ease. The blades and steel pipes aimed at him seemed to move in slow motion, as if the laws of physics had bent to his will.
Isaac finally understood, exclaiming, "Could it be that Boss Miles' powers have evolved again?"
Ryan watched with unrestrained admiration, shaking his head. "Evolved? He's practically invincible now. These guys couldn't even touch his shadow, let alone land a hit on him."
Such confidence radiated from Ryan, as though the thirteen men were no more than helpless chickens in front of a lion.
In truth, even Miles himself wasn't as confident as Ryan made him out to be. However, the fact remained: they were no threat to him.
Gliding among them with ease, Miles watched their wild swings and lunges with detached amusement. In his eyes, the chaos unfolded as though someone had pressed pause and slowed everything down to a crawl.
He could have ended it quickly with his powers but wanted to test their full potential after his recent evolution.
While Miles remained calm, "The Thirteen Tyrants" were growing increasingly desperate.
Alan, one of the lackeys, panted heavily and cursed, "Damn it! Boss, this guy is like a slippery eel—I can't hit him!"
"What do you expect me to do if you can't hit him?" snarled Nathan, the leader of the group, his scarred face twisted in frustration. Built like a bull, he seemed to take offense at the very idea of failure.
Eventually, even Nathan had to pause for breath. He glared at Miles and growled, "Hey, pal. Which gang do you belong to? Name yourself."
Miles chuckled. "Me? I'm a plumber—I specialize in unclogging pipes."
The taunt hit its mark, and Nathan's face darkened with rage. He gripped his weapon tightly, ready to strike again.
But before he could act, Isaac stepped forward and pleaded, "Nathan, let it go. You can't beat him."
"Shut up!" Nathan snapped, his expression twisting into something feral. "I didn't provoke you lot, yet here you are, barging into my territory. If I let this slide, how will anyone respect me again?"
He turned his ire toward Isaac. "And you—don't think I've forgotten! If it weren't for you canceling my match and getting me banned for life, I wouldn't have ended up in this hellhole."
Isaac's expression turned cold. "You brought that on yourself by using performance-enhancing drugs. Do you still refuse to admit your wrongdoing?"
"Bullshit! I never used drugs!" Nathan roared, his voice cracking with anger. "Don't think I don't know—it was you! You were scared I'd surpass you, so you had someone tamper with my tests!"
Isaac seemed taken aback by the accusation. He looked at his former apprentice with a mixture of anger and grief. "I was your mentor! If I envied your talent, why would I have taught you everything I knew?"
The air grew tense as the two stared each other down, years of unresolved bitterness bubbling to the surface.
Miles and Ryan exchanged a glance, finally piecing together the fractured history between the master and his wayward apprentice. Neither, however, seemed inclined to intervene.
"Well," Miles said with a smirk, breaking the silence. "If you're so eager to die, I'm happy to oblige."
With a flick of his wrist, a discarded blade rose from the ground, slicing through the air toward Nathan.
"Wait!" Isaac cried out in alarm, rushing forward to intercede.
The blade halted mid-flight before clattering harmlessly to the ground.
Miles turned to Isaac, his expression hardening. "Isaac, when will you stop being so soft-hearted?"
Isaac's face contorted with inner conflict. "Please, Boss Miles. He's my apprentice—practically my own child. I'll find another place to catch a super zombie for you, I promise. Just give me three days!"
Miles frowned, clearly displeased, but said nothing.
Nathan, however, refused to back down. "Don't waste your breath," he spat, stepping forward with defiant resolve. "If you're going to kill me, get it over with!"
His comrades, however, weren't as eager to die.
Alan piped up, his voice trembling. "Boss, maybe we should just catch the zombie for them. It's not like we can't spare one…"
The others quickly chimed in their agreement.
"You spineless cowards!" Nathan snarled at them. "Better to die on your feet than live on your knees!"
"That's easy for you to say. We're not ready to die yet!" muttered Augus, stepping forward. With a sheepish grin, he turned to Miles. "Boss Miles, we're sorry for earlier. We'll go catch that zombie for you, no problem."
Miles tilted his head, a faint smile playing on his lips. "And what about that whole 'calling me Grandpa' thing?"
Augus froze, his grin faltering. "I… You're the Grandpa. I'm the grandson. I was wrong!"
"Too late," Miles replied coolly.
A flash of terror crossed Augus' face as he realized he could no longer move. His body was no longer his own.