As Alex approached a rock formation, faint screams echoed through the trees. The closer he got, the clearer the sounds became—screams, laughter, and something else.
"HELP!" a female voice shouted, followed by heavy thuds — the unmistakable sound of fists meeting flesh.
"Shut up and please us properly, wench!" a male voice barked back.
Alex's hair stood on end.
'It can't be... right?' He was in denial. After all the time he had spent trying to purge that possibility from his mind, he had to stumble upon the very thing he dreaded.
He crept closer, moving as silently as possible, and peeked through the leaves of a thick bush.
On the other side, what he saw sent him spiraling into pure rage and fury.
*3 dudes with stylish clothes and 1 without them were raping a girl. She was beaten severely from fighting back, the sound of flesh against flesh resounding loudly, mixed with her screams and the grunts of the man on top of her.*
*2 of the 3 others left were holding her hands. It seemed the girl was a martial artist, just like the men restraining her. The last one was sitting on her stomach, trying to satisfy himself with her bust.*
"That's what happens when you don't listen to me!" the man atop her snarled. "If you had just let me fuck you when I asked, this wouldn't have happened. It's your fault!"
"Now, after I get my satisfaction, everyone else will get a turn — until we're done with you," he continued.
"And don't bother screaming. No teacher will come to your rescue. No one's watching," he mocked.
Alex was already about to attack, but after hearing that, his thoughts darkened.
Then I'll kill you... you vile, poorly formed, waste of oxygen.
He cast Water Spear, pulling a mana potion from his pocket watch as he prepared himself.
Far away, outside the jungle, Scarlett watched the scene, horrified, both hands over her mouth.
She could clearly see Alex's intentions — his anger, his murderous, calculating eyes, fixed on those monsters.
She wanted to run and tell the principal — to stop this — but Alex's earlier words echoed in her mind.
'Does he actively let this go? Is the academy truly so corrupted that it turns a blind eye to such things?'
For once, she decided not to act. She would let Alex make his move. This time, his wrath against the nobles might serve a righteous purpose.
On another side, Fabian wore a grim expression — not because of the act itself, but because nobles who stooped this low were unworthy of their titles. He too saw Alex, and like Scarlett, simply watched.
Back in the jungle, Alex calculated the most effective way to strike.
He didn't want the girl to suffer any longer, but a reckless attack would only get him overpowered, leaving her defenseless once again.
After a few moments, he poured more mana into his spell — a lot more. The Water Spear grew larger and sharper, its energy humming with power. His plan was simple: kill two, maybe three, in one strike. There were four enemies, and he needed to thin their numbers fast.
He still remembered how he'd been overpowered by just two people days ago — forced to flee in humiliation.
Now, with the spear at the edge of what he could control without backlash, he aimed carefully — the man atop the girl, and the one sitting on her stomach were lined up perfectly.
He hurled the spear at maximum speed.
One of the men holding the girl's hands glanced up, alarmed.
"What the fuck is tha—"
Before he could finish, the air split with the sound of water crashing and bones breaking. In an instant, Airik and Tenric both had gaping holes in their chests, large enough for a fist to pass through. *Blood mixed with water and bits of flesh splattered everywhere, painting the girl beneath in red.*
Their bodies vanished — dead before they hit the ground.
The spell didn't dissipate but lost most of its momentum, striking one of the others and blasting him backward with little real damage.
"What the fuck?!" the man gasped.
"Who dares attack us nobles?! Show yourself!" shouted the other.
He stood and delivered a vicious kick to the girl's head, knocking her out instantly.
Alex stepped from the bushes. "Me, mongrel. What are you going to do about it?" he taunted.
"Are you tired of living? Do you think the nobles outside won't hear of this?!" the man spat furiously.
"Ah, but didn't your corpse of a friend just say it himself? 'There's no one seeing this, no teacher's going to come to your rescue.' So prepare to die."
The two remaining men stepped forward — still naked from the waist down.
One took a martial stance, and the other stayed behind him.
A mage-fighter combo. Great, Alex thought.
He began circling them, subtly repositioning himself. He wanted to cast Wind Slicer Barrage, but the unconscious girl was still in the line of fire, so he stalled — taunting, throwing words like daggers, buying time.
When he judged her clear, he raised his hand and unleashed the spell.
A torrent of slicing wind roared forward, cutting through the air with a high-pitched swish.
The fighter crossed both arms defensively, channeling a martial art to block, while the mage raised a Water Shield spell.
They resisted, barely, as Alex forced more mana into his cast, pressing them backward.
The pair jumped back, retreating to the side of the rock.
Alex charged forward, casting another Water Shield mid-sprint. He stood on the entrance of the formation for a moment — but a punch shattered through his shield, slamming into his gut and launching him backward.
He hit the ground hard, coughing blood.
The bracelet on his wrist trembled faintly — almost activating.
Through his blurred vision, he saw the mage readying another spell. Still on the ground, Alex quickly cast another Water Shield.
A lightning spell slammed into it and fizzled out. Water was a natural counter of lightning when used defensively, unless the lightning was vastly stronger.
He barely had time to breathe before the fighter was on him again, fist cocked.
Alex poured more mana into his shield. The next punch broke through again, but this time the impact was dulled. He was still thrown backward — but now, he could retaliate.