“Nice of you to join us, punching bag.”
“For the record, I am not August’s lackey, and I want no part in the entity between you,” Zachry explains.
As he turns and walks away, in an attempt to provoke him into fighting, the other student utters his next words.
“The coward's way out, eh? You know, if you leave here the next time you see your pretty little girlfriend, she won’t be so pretty.”
Hearing his words, Zachry stops dead in his tracks. With furrowed brows, he sighs deeply before replying to the threat.
“Are you threatening me? Because if you are, I promise you, you won’t like the next few seconds.”
“What are you gonna do about it, August’s lackey?”
“Why not, huh? Why not blow off some steam? Why not indulge the whims of these two cretins?” Zachry says, presumably talking to himself.
“What are–”
Before the student could finish, a mysterious force lifts him into the air and throws him against a wall.
“You sneaky bastard. If that’s how you wanna play then come one!” The other student yells.
Electric energy springs forth from his hands and feet as he rushes Zachry. Almost as if he teleported, Zachry appears right in front of him and elbows him in the stomach.
“Two-on-one, and you can’t even hit me.”
“Don’t be so cocky!” The student who hit the wall shouts from afar, “The fight’s only just begun!”
The ground beneath Zachry’s feet turns to sand as he starts to sink. The other student wastes no time as he returns an electrified hit to Zachry’s stomach.
“You call that a punch? A disease-ridden weasel can hit harder than you.”
“Oh yeah? Then what do you think of this?”
He goes to kick him but gets launched away instead. Zachry pulls himself free from the sand only to be met by a group of bullet-like flying stones. He rolls to the side and dashes at the earth user.
“Come on, you bespectacled freak!”
He rips a huge boulder from the ground and hurls it at Zachry. While the other student chases after him from behind. He picks up speed as the student chasing him follows suit.
‘This is too easy.’
Right before the boulder hits him, a portal opens before him and the boulder goes in. Then another opens directly behind him and the boulder comes flying through.
“Wha–”
Without any time to defend himself, the boulder slams into the student chasing Zachry. The hit left him gasping for air curled up on the ground.
“You bastard!” The earth user curses.
He forms a two-handed war hammer made of stone as Zachry approaches. He swung the war hammer with all his might as soon as Zachry was in range.
However, he misjudged the distance and swung prematurely. Zachry, a master of judging space, realized and went in for the kill.
A hefty jab directly to the face knocks him off his feet but Zachry doesn’t let him fall. He grabs him by the collar and hits him again and again. He hits him with no end in sight.
“How dare you threaten her?! Do you think just because you’re one of Leo’s little slaves, you have the right to walk all over others?”
He throws him to the ground and starts stomping on him.
“Where’s all that tough talk now? Look at you. Face down with a half-blind guy beating your ass.”
By now the earth user is completely unconscious and his face is bloodied with a broken nose. Zachry looks down at him one last time before adjusting his glasses and walking away.
“Do you… think… you can get away with this?” The other student asks as he’s coughing, “You better watch your back. Hati and Skoll are going to kill you.”
“Hati and Skoll? Leo’s so-called honor guard?” He asks as he stops, “What if I want them to kill me? What if I want them to try?”
Zachry continues walking away as the student shouts after him.
“You’re a dead man walking Zachry! You hear?! You’re dead!!”
This time he doesn’t stop nor does he even look. He just walks away without saying another word.
He meets back up with Valencia and they both begin heading to the library.
“You fought them, didn’t you?” She asks after seeing all the dirt on his clothes.
“Well, ‘fought’ is a strong word.” He says trying to brush off the obvious truth, “We just actively discussed our disagreements and found a suitable solution.”
“Meaning, you beat them up. You know that Hati and Skoll are going to come looking for you. What are you gonna do then?”
“Maybe it’s time for a change… Maybe it’s time for the heirs’ lordship over the school to come to an end. They’ve been grossly abusing their strength for far too long. Is this the kind of behavior the descendants of the so-called heroes should have? They are corrupt, egotistical, and greedy–”
“Then what?” Valencia asks, interrupting him.
“What do you mean?”
She sighs deeply before continuing, “Let's say you win, right? After a hard-fought battle, you heroically defeat them and end their reign of terror. What next? Are you going to rule the academy now? I doubt that.”
“No one has to rule. We can all just be equals.”
“Equal? Zachry, don’t make me laugh. Do you really believe that? In the eyes of the bullied and oppressed, you, who defeated the ones they couldn’t even touch, are an even greater source of fear no matter your intentions.” She explains, “Remember, you were once in their shoes…”
“Then what should I do?”
“If you really want peace, become strong. Stronger than everything in existence. Take on the mantle of God and strip them of their powers. And while you’re at it why not turn them into vegetables? If you take away their cognitive functions I doubt they could spark conflict.”
A few minutes later they arrive at the library and she opens the door. They are greeted by a sparkling mist.
“What is this?” Valencia asks as she covers her eyes.
The mist fades shortly after and the trio appears.
“What happened to you guys?” Zachry asks after seeing their numerous injuries.
“We’ll talk about that later, but for now I have a question that needs answering.” Clover replies, “I presume you’re the owner of this library?” he asks Valencia.
“Yes, I am. Why? She asks looking concerned.
“Perfect. We need to talk to you about the origin of a certain book.”
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