BXBX NOVEL Chapter 23 Twisted Alliance
"Drop all yer\' shit right now," the tan-skinned, blonde one in the red basketball jersey demanded, pulling out a pocket knife.
"Dumbass," the bulkier, brown-skinned one added with a laugh.
Noah didn\'t respond, finishing cracking his knuckles as he did the same for his neck, standing his ground with a cold expression worn on his face.
The thugs looked confused by his obvious preparation for a fight despite being outnumbered and not having the traditional look of a hardened fighter.
"What\'re you waiting for? Come at me," Noah challenged.
Of course, his invite to a fight was met with perplexion and almost laughter from the sheer absurdity of it.
"Huh? Is he fuckin\' serious?" The lanky one with curly tufts said.
"Must have brain damage or somethin\'," the foremost thug with cornrows said with a smile, tapping his forehead.
"Dumbass kid, let\'s just–"
Before the burly one of the three could finish talking, Noah took the initiative out of impatience, slamming the man\'s head straight into the wall, face first as the thug\'s teeth were knocked out in the process.
The brick wall cracked from the brutal impact, leaving the hoodlum drooling blood as he began to fall over, unconscious.
"What the fuck–?!" The red-jersey wearing thug let out.
Yet, that didn\'t save him from the adolescent\'s merciless violence as he was caught before falling, being slammed down into the ground as the concrete caved in.
["Soul Plunder"]
Curing his exhaustion, he absorbed the life force from the bloodied-and-beaten man, causing his skin to turn gray and his body to shrink, drying out as his soul was converted into sustenance that flowed directly into Noah.
[Experience: +1]
It was the death sentence, carried out right then and there without a second thought as Noah cracked his neck side-to-side again, letting out a sigh of relief from his newfound vigor.
"That\'s the stuff," he mumbled.
Caught in a web of fear, the other two abandoned their friend, turning the other way to run but being cut off as the exit from the shadow-filled alley was now blocked by the one they tried to run from.
"Ditching your friend like that? \'No honor among thieves\', huh?" Noah remarked casually.
"...What the?! How the fuck did he get here?!" The lanky one asked.
"I don\'t know!...Urgh, fuck this!" The jersey-wearing hoodlum gripped his knife, lunging forward.
Before the knife could reach Noah\'s neck, he caught the thug\'s arm, snapping it by the elbow as a gut-wrenching \'crack\' echoed.
"Aaaargh…!" The knife-wielding thug screamed out, falling to his knees.
Noah had no patience for the figure, simply holding his palm out in front of him, aimed directly at the thug\'s head: ["Soul Plunder"]
The soul-siphoning spell caused the man to wilt like a flower, becoming a mummified corpse in an instant as Noah took in his life force, leaving just one hoodlum left.
[Experience: +1]
"H-hey, man! I-I didn\'t know! I was just going along with them!" The curly-haired one slowly backed up.
"Is that so?" He quietly replied.
"Yeah! That;s–!"
Before the figure could continue their desperate plea, Noah waved a single finger, causing the figure to not simply have the life wrung from their pores, but crumble to dust with a simple invocation.
["Soul Decimation"]
All that was left of the figure was sprinkles of dust, allowing the condensed form of his soul to be left as a violet orb of life force that Noah took, consuming it like a snack.
[Experience: +1]
"Bitter," he said, disliking the taste.
The sensation of eyes watching him caused him to spin around, flexing his arm, ready to engage in combat once more, only to find a familiar, blue-haired figure standing at the entrance to the alleyway, leaning against the wall.
"Yukio," Noah muttered, putting his arm down.
"Don\'t worry, I\'m not here to reprimand you for what you did. That\'s precisely why I\'m leaving the Sentinels," Yukio assured him.
Noah adjusted the collar to his chest, fixing his naturally well-kempt hair as he left the alley, being accompanied by the azure-haired man on his way home now.
"You still haven\'t told me what the \'Sentinels\' are," he said.
"Oh, right–I forgot!" Yukio laughed, "To make a long story short, \'S.E.N.T.I.N.E.L\' is a top-secret organization formed by the government as a force against anomalous threats that can\'t be handled by conventional means."
"Anomalous? Do you mean like us?" He asked.
"Bingo!" Yukio pointed at him then at himself, "It\'s an anti-system wielder defense force that\'s headed by system wielders, since it\'s not exactly plausible for standard weaponry to contend with systems, as I\'m sure you found out already."
As they walked down the street, Yukio\'s eccentricities are displayed in how he handled a simple hike: the man kicked cans left on the sidewalk, spinning around in a dancing mood, and talking with a bright smile.
"Yeah. So, how come I was set to be eliminated rather than join this place like you did?" He asked.
Yukio grinned at him, "There\'s two reasons: your system is far too much of a threat, and you proved yourself quickly to be nefarious."
"--" Noah looked at him.
"That\'s just the truth," Yukio assured him.
"If that\'s what you think, then why are you running to my side? I\'m sure I seem outnumbered by your perspective, right?" Noah asked.
Finally arriving at his home, they stopped just in front of the entryway to finish their conversation as Yukio slid his hands into his pockets, holding a look in his platinum eyes that truly displayed his nature that certainly wasn\'t of a hero.
"It\'s simple really; I\'m like you, Noah. I want to bend this world to my will, live life like a king with the power I have," Yukio spread his arms out, taking in the gentle breeze, "I love life–I want a bed full of women, enough money to buy a country, and absolute power. We were the lucky few blessed with a system–so why not use it to its fullest? There\'s too much to enjoy in life to squander this opportunity."
There was no denying that such words were the truth when looking into Yukio\'s eyes; he held the same thirst as Noah did.
Yukio continued, "I joined the Sentinels because it was either join them or be killed by them. I served them, biding my time until I saw an opportunity for the tides to turn–until I found you. Let\'s twist this world to our will, Noah."