Rick stood tall, the long iron rod still clutched tightly in his hand. His gaze was sharp, full of confidence, as if he was the sole owner of control in the room.
Some of Bruno's men, who had been impatiently waiting for orders, finally darted forward with shouts full of emotion. They ran like Spartan warriors, carrying their respective iron bars, ready to finish Rick off with one blow.
Meanwhile, Bruno only smiled faintly from behind, confident that Rick would be destroyed in seconds. But Rick, undaunted, stood his ground.
"Come on," Rick muttered softly, grinning. "You think your numbers can scare me?"
The first two men who led the charge swung their iron rods almost simultaneously. The swings were fast, powerful, and aimed right at the vital points of Rick's body.
However, Rick's eyes that had been strengthened with the Enhanced Vision ability could capture every detail of the movement clearly.
He could read the direction of the attack trajectory even before the iron bar got close. With the help of Divine Awareness, he also sensed the threats coming from every direction.
Within seconds, Rick moved. He only shifted his body a few centimetres to the side, enough to make the first iron bar miss a few inches from his body.
With an almost dance-like motion, he twisted his body, the iron rod in his hand swinging with incredible speed. A loud bang was heard when the tip of Rick's iron rod struck the first attacker's back.
"Aaaarghh.... "
A cry of pain echoed through the room. The first man fell down, writhing on the floor, clutching his badly bruised back.
Without giving the other attackers a chance, Rick turned around quickly. The second attacker was just about to swing his iron rod again when Rick leapt forwards and slammed hard into his head. A louder impact sound was heard, followed by a splash of fresh blood flowing from the man's head. He fell to the ground, unconscious.
Rick grinned with satisfaction. "Two down, who's left?" He said, stepping forward calmly.
The rest of Bruno's men seemed to hesitate for a moment, but with Bruno's voice shouting from behind. "What are you waiting for?! Finish him now!" They finally returned to the attack.
Rick was undeterred. Nimbly, he dodged every incoming attack. Every swing of the enemy school's iron rod became slow motion in his eyes.
Rick used his body perfectly, moving as if he was dancing on the battlefield. He continued to swing his iron rod, hitting an attacker's knee until a cracking sound was heard, then he also used his left hand to hit another attacker in the face.
"This is for all the crap you've been doing to me!" Rick shouted, his voice full of anger.
He jumped up, kicking one of the approaching men in the head, sending him flying backwards.
One by one Bruno's men began to fall. Rick enjoyed every moment of the fight. A cold smile was always plastered on his face, as if he was venting all the pent-up emotions so far.
Every punch and kick he threw brought an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
A man tried to attack him from behind, but Rick sensed the danger even before the man got close. He turned around, caught the opponent's iron rod with his left hand, then quickly smashed the end of the iron rod into the man's stomach.
"Is this all you've got?" mocked Rick, raising the iron rod high before slamming it into the shoulder of the fallen man.
Bruno, who stood at the back, began to look nervous. His men who originally looked confident now one by one fell in Rick's hands. On the other hand, Rick showed no signs of fatigue. On the contrary, he looked more energised, faster, and more brutal.
Rick leapt forward, smashing a man's knee with his iron rod, making the man scream and fall to his knees. He then hit the man in the face with his left hand, followed by a curse.
"You're all just a bunch of losers who can only bully the weak!"
As the next man tried to attack, Rick hit him with a kick to the head, making the man fall down hard.
"I told you, your numbers mean nothing to me," Rick said in a satisfied tone.
Bruno finally growled loudly. "You're all disgraceful!" he shouted while clenching his fists. He realised that the situation had gotten out of control.
Meanwhile, Rick, with his cold smile, just stared at Bruno intensely.
Meanwhile, Bruno could only stand transfixed, as if unable to believe what he had just witnessed.
In front of him, Rick stood confidently, not looking at all tired despite having just eliminated twenty of his men single-handedly. Rick's breathing was calm, while his gaze was cold, full of superiority.
"You damn bastard... " Bruno muttered softly, yet filled with frustration.
In his memories, Rick was a person who, despite being unyielding and difficult to submit to anyone, would always be the victim when ganged up on. But now, the situation felt completely reversed by 540 degrees.
"Where did he get that power?" muttered Bruno in disbelief and confusion.
While Bruno was still stunned, Rick opened his mouth. He stepped closer to Bruno, with the iron rod still clutched in his hand, and a sardonic smile appeared on his face.
"Why the silence, Bruno?" asked Rick in a mocking tone.
"Aren't you usually the one standing proudly, provoking everyone? But look now, all your men are down. You're the only one left, while I'm still standing here without getting the slightest injury."
Bruno clenched his fists tightly, but said nothing. His anger was boiling over, but he knew a random attack would be useless.
Rick chuckled, then raised his iron rod, heading towards Bruno.
"I'll give you one chance," he said with a satisfied tone. "Prostrate yourself before me. Kiss my feet, and maybe I'll spare your life."
Bruno's eyes widened, the expression on his face instantly turning bright red. His anger simply exploded.
"Arrogant bastard!" Bruno shouted loudly, his voice echoing throughout the room.
Full of emotion, Bruno raised his iron rod and slid forward, swinging it with full force at Rick.
Rick, however, calmly raised his iron bar to parry. A loud crashing sound echoed, the two iron rods collided with each other until small sparks appeared in the air.
Bruno tried to push Rick with all his might, but Rick didn't budge. Instead, he used his greater strength to push back, until Bruno's iron bar was thrown into the corner of the room.
Seeing that Bruno was now unarmed, Rick glanced at the iron rod. He could have used that opportunity to explain mercilessly. However, Rick instead threw the iron rod to the side, making Bruno look at him in confusion.
"What are you doing?!" Bruno snapped.
Rick grinned. "I feel sorry for you, Bruno. So, I thought, let's be fair. I'll just beat you up with my bare hands. Wouldn't that be more fun?" He clenched his fists, stepping slowly towards Bruno.
Bruno also clenched his fists, his body shaking with rage.
"I'll kill you, Rick! I swear I'll make you regret challenging me!" He shouted.
Rick remained calm, even his expression looked a little bored. In his heart, he was analysing Bruno.
"Just a big muscle without a brain, his ability is two levels higher than his men, but still... he's still too slow." Rick thought in his head.
Bruno launched a raw punch with all his strength, aiming right at Rick's face. However, Rick easily dodged. His movements were fast, lights impossible for the ordinary eye to follow. And when Bruno's defence, Rick smashed his stomach with his fist.
"Urgh..." Bruno staggered, holding his painful stomach.
Rick smiled coldly. "Too slow!" Rick said, as he threw another punch, this time towards Bruno's jaw.
The hand-to-hand combat continued, but Bruno was unable to fight back. Every punch he throws misses, while Rick continues to beat him with heavy blows. Bruno's stomach, face, chest, every part of his body was targeted.
"This is for all the punches you've thrown at me so far," Rick said, as he drove his fist into Bruno's ribs.
"And this, for all your insults!" His fist slammed hard into Bruno's face, causing fresh blood to flow from his nose.
Bruno was now battered. His face was bruised, his body covered in wounds, but Rick had not stopped. Every punch he threw was accompanied by blasphemy and insults, venting all the grudges he had been holding.
Finally, Bruno could no longer stand. His body fell to the floor, helpless, but he was still conscious. Rick approached him, stomping on his face with his boot.
"Are you going to submit to me now, Bruno?" Rick asked while spitting at him.
Bruno, in a weak voice, still refused. "I... Will take revenge. This isn't over yet... "
Hearing that, Rick only smiled. "I'll wait for your revenge. Because that was part of my plan.
Rick then kicked Bruno hard in the head, knocking him out instantly. Without looking back, Rick walked out of the place with steps full of satisfaction. His first plan had worked. Now, he just had to move on to the next step.