65 SURVIVAL (1/2)
”It's a sad thing that some girl hoodwinked even a dreamboat like you, but worry not, brother. Now that you're here, you will be saved under our care. No one watches our lives here except ourselves. Despite all that may be happening outside, we survive on this street together.”
”On this street, we always follow words with deeds as kings do. Just let us end your losing streak with women! It's time you start living your life as a king.”
After having caught Burton as a tired team, two men in Bachelor's Street urged him to join the brotherhood; howbeit, Burton nimbly shook off from their grip and made distance before others caught up.
Ten men grouped and chased after Burton. Five more men came from his front, trying to round him up, yet he spryly slipped through their defenses, lightly hurting whoever came into a touching distance.
”Tch, how did you let him escape!” one man fumed at another one for letting Burton get past him. ”Are your eyes growing on your ass?”
”My bad. I couldn't read his movement.”
”This isn't working. He's been prancing around like a fox on stimulants. We are the only ones getting tired here,” another man frowned as he panted a bit. ”It irks me to say this, but it looks like we won't catch him without having to hurt him,” some men looked back at the man on stage who took a few seconds to nod in response.
”No one gets to enter our street half-heartedly. It's our duty to wash a man's brain and harden his heart for good. Let this experience serve as a lesson for this fresher, too,” the man on stage, Bakaya waved his hand, ”Revile the rookie!”
Upon hearing those words, everyone smirked as they looked at Burton. Though he got a bit far from the stage, he knew that he was still quite far away from the end of the street, and even though most men appeared quite bevvied, escaping without a struggle seemed improbable.
”Boys walk on clouds when they meet good-looking girls,” one man voiced his mind in a harsh tone, ”but seldom do they know, a lovely outside doesn't signify a lovely inside. Since you're here, it's obvious you've been scarred by someone, too. Just let this street heal your scars, you darned dog.”
”Yeah. Here you can learn to ease the pain by praising the paintings of maidens in private, you petty prick!”
”It's time for you to stop being a princess' puppet. We're presenting you with the best choice you can ever make. Just accept it, you short-sighted stooge!”
”What nonsense are you all speaking...” Amid a torrent of verbal abuse being thrown at him, Burton's eyes focused on Bakaya. ”Forget about me joining this brotherhood or whatever you call it, but it looks like, you're the man who needs to be thrown out of this street.”
”How immature,” Bakaya sniggered. ”You think you can reach me before my brothers beat down the swelling of your head for good?”
Burton stepped forward. ”You never know until you try.”
Bakaya sighed and shook his head before smiling. ”Very well. My dear brothers, you all know the drill. Let's show this naysayer the scary side of Bachelors Street. Whether you later get to join the Brotherhood of Boldhearts or not will depend on how you fare against our fists.”
”Hehe,” All men, dozens of them standing at random places in the street wore wicked smiles on their faces as they cracked their knuckles. ”No one has ever lasted more than a few seconds against all of us.”
”Now, my dear brothers,” Bakaya continued, ”wash his brain and wipe his mind clean with our ways.”
Hundreds of feet hurried at Burton from his front and rear sides at once, leaving him no room to escape.
As they got closer and closer, Burton looked around, and his eyes eventually stopped on a plastic container full of empty, tin cans and other waste products. With a swift movement, he booted it without hesitation. Like a bullet fired from a gun, the container stormed into men's view and banged off the wall and broke open. All the tin cans burst forth and caromed off several men's faces, tables, and other objects lying around, throwing so many men in disarray.
Burton then endeavored to sneak through the confused crowds. Some cans bounced off people's chests and rebounded at Burton, too, and he had to fend off the cans and also the fists that rushed at him.
Seeing him get through the first wave of men unscathed, those who failed to land a hit were disappointed and put up stone faces.
”Damn, I thought I had him. He's so lucky.”
”And slippery as well.”
”Well, he isn't that special.”
”He just slipped through almost twenty of our brothers. We've got to give him some credit at least.”
”Yes, but that's as far as he can go.” Some men smirked. ”After all, there are no more dustbins around.”
Different men gave in different opinions.
Burton, meanwhile, kept pacing toward the next wave of men blocking his way to the stage.
”Someone must put him in his place,” a heavy man came stamping at Burton. ”Let my fists be the judge. I need six more to block his way on either side.” Six men immediately gathered around—with three each on either side—and completely blocked the way. ”Where can you go now, huh? It shall be me who'll wash your mind,” the heavy man sneered and gestured with his fingers for Burton to come.
”Trying to provoke me so that I'll face you head on, huh.” A corner of Burton's mouth lifted a little. ”Reminds me of a certain someone, but at least your thoughts aren't written on your face. However, I must tell you…” Upon getting in a ten-meter range, Burton sprang forward, ”Washing my mind won't be a walk in the park.”
”Heh, let's see how good your fists can back your mouth,” the heavy man threw a punch, but Burton easily dodged it; howbeit, one of the six men speared his shoulder into Burton's stomach. Though Burton managed to nullify the force by sliding back on his feet, another man's sweeping kick sought his face from the front. He wasn't in a position to move, so the kick landed solidly, albeit on Burton's palm.
”H-He caught the leg! Only a few people ever took that surprise attack combo and still managed to stand,” many men were nonplussed and frustrated at the same time because it was a move that always gave them victory.
”I thought you guys said you could finish me off in a few seconds,” Burton pushed the men away and cleared his throat. ”It seems we've got some liars on this street.”
His words flooded bitterness in men's stomachs.
”Someone's getting ahead of themselves,” a voice came from Burton's behind, ”you aren't actually thinking you've won now, are you?” Two big arms curled around Burton's chest and tightly grabbed him, forcing him to let go of the other two men. The heavy man from before, who now grabbed hold of Burton, spun him viciously and slammed him into the wall. Even the heavy man himself careened into the opposite wall.
Burton rebounded off the wall and stopped in a slide, but his brain felt as if it was still spinning. He shook his head to lose the dizziness.
”H-He withstood the monkeyed ogre spin[1],” the nearby men watched with widened eyes, ”and he's not even grazed a bit. I-Is he for real?”
Every man in the past had fallen prey to that attack. Judging by how even the heavy man failed to balance himself and collapsed after finishing his attack, there was no doubt he had put his all into the attack, yet this purple-haired boy was still standing with but maybe a teeny twinge of pain perceptible on his visage.
When Burton took a step forward, many men involuntarily took a step backward in hung-open mouths.
Bakaya knitted his brows from seeing his brothers backing away. ”Remember, brothers. Fear is our slave. There will be times when it rebels, but as its masters, it's our burden to put it back in its place.” He spread his arms wide open. ”Everyone who can hear my words, it's time to foil your fears once more. Band together and baffle that buffoon!”
Bakaya's words sowed seeds of strength in their hearts, and they quickly sprouted and spread insolence through the arteries, and in return, the veins unremittingly supplied their hearts with valor.
Except for those on stage, every other soul in the street assaulted the purple-haired young man at once. In a moment's span, vehement deluges of fists loomed into Burton's vision and were on their way to rain down on him from every direction, not leaving room for even flies to flee.
On the stage, in Bakaya's eyes, a single fellow was getting routed by the ruthlessness of his brothers-to-be. Such a scenery backed by the belligerent voices of his brothers brought a blithesome beam on Bakaya's face, and he began to clap briskly and showed his appreciation. ”More. That's right. More. Love him more with your fists until all the loveliness leaves his features!” Bakaya declared in an increasingly immoderately-excited tone, his eyes bathing in bliss as they witnessed the ongoing demolition.
”Hah! Yeah!”
Men's zestful voices echoed throughout the street.
After stroaming around for a few moments in sick daydreams, Bakaya got back to his senses and smiled. ”All right, brothers. That's enough. Let's see if this foolish fellow has learned his lesson yet.”
Upon hearing Bakaya's words, men slowly put their fists to rest and made way to open up a view for their big brother. Bakaya's smile broadened from seeing the blood-soaked face of the man who was on his knees, his face wholly blemished by blood; however, Bakaya's smile hit a sudden break when he saw that man's hair which was black.
At the same moment, one of the men also realized the same thing. ”T-This is one of us! A baby brother!”
”What?” All the men concentrated at a single spot was utterly stunned and looked around immediately, scanning each other's surroundings. ”Where's that fellow? Find him quick.”
Bakaya who had a frozen expression heard a sneeze from his right. When he turned his head, there was a man right outside the ring. ”Eeek!” Disbelief danced on Bakaya's face as that man, Burton, stepped onto the ring.
”I don't know how you got here, but this is as far as you can press on,” the young, muscular man standing behind Bakaya attacked without a second thought, but Burton blocked all the incoming vicious punches with his forearms. Everyone in the street suddenly looked toward the stage saw the muscular man grab Burton's arms and roar before banging his head against Burton's forehead.
”Senior Brother's skull can split open a turtle's shell! That fellow's skull would have cracked open!”
”Haha, that's what he gets for not listening to our warnings.”
As the men boasted in haste, their mouths hit a sudden break when they saw a man fall and hug the stage.
The crowds were left slack-jawed. ”Senior Brother Gainz!”
”T-This… Why did Senior Brother Gainz collapse all of a sudden? What's going on?”
”He's not moving. Is our Senior Brother Gainz really…”
As the crowd watched in dubiety and disbelief, Burton scratched his forehead with his index finger. ”That brought an itch.”
”Good Lord, he actually took down the second strongest brother in our street.” Hairs on some men's bodies stood on their ends while some others were frozen in fright.
Even so, a spiky-haired man from the crowd sneakily used his slingshot and shot three pointy stones at Burton, but to his horror, the stones reached a standstill between Burton's fingers. ”T-This guy...” the spiky-haired man was taken aback, wearing a frightened look on his face. (My shots fly at over 300 feet per second. He's not even 100 feet away, yet he managed to—) A shiver ran down the spiky-haired man's spine. (He didn't pinpoint my location, did he?) As he was thinking, Burton glanced in his direction for a moment, giving him a near heart attack, but Burton soon broke the eye-contact and acted as if nothing happened, making the spiky-haired man suck in a burdening breath. (He's dangerous!)
As doubts still disconcerted and bumbazed most men, Burton approached Bakaya, bearing the eyes of a predator being blatant with a foiled prey.
”I-Impossible,” Bakaya was taken aback, his hands patently shivering and unbelief oozing out of his eyes. ”H-How did you do it?”
Burton's raised his hand a bit and slowly balled a fist, ”I buddied up with fear.”His response widened Bakaya's expression.