"Wasn't this guy shouting something about 'filthy xeno'?" one of the men asked.
"Yeah, and I saw a brat running earlier... Were you doing something to her?"
The cat man stretched his fingers toward Joan, grabbing his hair and bringing his face close to his.
"You're not gonna answer? Cat got your tongue?" the xeno asked, with a wicked smile on his face.
Joan didn't respond, he was paralyzed with fear, remembering how they murdered his mother in front of his eyes.
"Pfft, he pissed himself! Kuahahaha!" a dog man laughed.
"Where'd your courage from before go, brat?"
"That's what he gets for messing with Black Fang, serves him right."
The taunts continued, they were like predators playing with their prey, and Joan just wanted it to end.
"What's going on? Joan! Are you okay?"
Lloyd had arrived. He looked at the scene and was stunned.
He couldn't wait and ran toward his friend.
Gustavo appeared behind him, completely exhausted and breathless. The boy stopped to catch his breath, but when he saw the scene, he couldn't help but freeze in fear.
This wasn't good.
The beastman released the boy when he saw Lloyd approaching, taking a few steps back.
"Hey, buddy, answer me," Lloyd said, holding his friend.
"You know this brat? Great, take him before we do the same to you," the xeno mocked.
Hearing that, Lloyd froze.
He had done this?
Lloyd looked at Joan. Broken teeth, blood on his nape, teary eyes. He was a mess.
Joan was a troublemaker, that's for sure, but he didn't deserve this.
The young man turned around angrily, unable to believe an adult would do that to a child. He felt his blood boiling.
"You did this? Are you out of your minds? How could you—"
The cat man's fist struck his nose, and Lloyd felt his nose crack as he fell backward on his ass.
"Didn't I tell you to get lost?"
Lloyd looked confused at that guy, his teeth clenched tightly. The boy got up furiously, glaring at the xeno.
"Don't you know who I—"
Another punch came toward him. Lloyd acted on instinct, his head tilted slightly forward, receiving the blow with his forehead.
He felt a dry impact on his forehead, but this time the damage was better.
"Ouch! What's your head made of? Damn," the xeno shook his aching hand.
Lloyd had read that many times; the forehead is the most resistant part of the body, so receiving blows with the forehead is a good strategy.
The blond had the theory, though he was surprised at how easily he executed it.
His body had moved on its own, as if by instinct.
"Are you slow or something? Did your little cat brain stop working? Don't you know what will happen when I tell my father what occurred?" Lloyd began.
Everyone in the city knew his father and knew of his business, messing with his son was suicide.
Though it seemed the xeno cared little about that.
"Shut up, you son of a bitch! Nobody cares who you are, and your daddy won't do anything," the guy exclaimed while launching another attack.
This time he threw an uppercut to the jaw; the forehead trick wouldn't work this time.
Lloyd dodged in time, but another punch was already on its way; this time, he couldn't dodge.
The blow connected, but it felt strange. Lloyd seemed unharmed.
"WUAAAAAARG!" A cry of pain escaped the xeno's throat.
His companions watched in confusion as the man fell to the ground while clutching his leg and letting out a wail of pain.
What had happened?
The boy had turned his head while receiving the blow, deflecting the punch's momentum.
But that wasn't really the incredible part here.
Lloyd had predicted the cat's movements, he knew another blow would come.
That's why he took advantage of his dodge to position himself better, and as soon as the xeno threw a second attack, he would counterattack.
The blow passed by, making the xeno's center of gravity tilt forward, and all his weight and momentum were placed on his front leg.
At the same time, Lloyd lifted his foot off the ground, while sending a precise kick toward his knee.
You don't need strength to break someone's leg, just attack at the exact point. The position Lloyd had led the xeno into also made it easier to execute.
In an instant, the boy had taken down someone several times heavier and bigger than him.
Even Lloyd himself was surprised; he had the inherent knowledge, but he didn't even need to think about it. His body had moved on its own while perfectly executing the exact movement to defeat his enemy.
"Damn..."
Lloyd regained his composure, he'd managed to defeat the first guy very easily. Maybe he had a chance against the others?
"Lloyd! Watch out!"
The cat had gotten up, though he didn't seem like a threat. With a broken leg, he couldn't do much.
However, Lloyd was wrong. The xeno suddenly accelerated, much faster than before, launching a powerful attack toward him.
"Die!"
There was no possible reaction, his eyes closed suddenly. His whole body tensed, waiting for the impact... But the pain never came.
Had he died too quickly?
No. Lloyd opened his eyes.
Red.
An intense red had splashed his face... It was blood, but not his.
Lloyd saw how the man's arm pierced through his friend's body.
His mind went blank.
"What the fuck are you doing!?"
"Idiot! It was to teach him a lesson. Not kill him!"
The others' voices sounded blurry, Lloyd could only hear a ringing, getting louder and louder.
"I-I didn't mean to... The guy appeared out of nowhere!"
"Damn, you really fucked up."
"What do we do now? We can't leave witnesses."
"Kill the kids?"
"No! That'll only make things worse."
"Then what the hell do we do?"
"We'll have to take them with us... Let the boss decide later."
"Fine, I guess that's okay."
Having said that, one of the men approached Lloyd, striking his nape to knock him unconscious.
Another of the men grabbed Joan, who was still paralyzed with fear.
The men acted quickly, but clumsily, too rushed...
Perhaps if they had searched better, they would have seen golden eyes shining in the darkness... They had left a witness loose.