Though Reggie was clearly hurt by the attacks, he was quick to snap back into aggression as drool trailed down his chin; the berserker roared as his crimson aura grew more thick and potent.
Yun trembled behind the wall, watching with the veil that isolated the battle between the two. For the young man, it seemed unbelievable that somebody was able to contend with the monstrous thug.
That aura…It's making the back of my throat burn—and I'm all the way over here. How is that guy able to handle it from there…? Yun questioned.
This time, Reggie stomped forward, wildly swinging his club as a scarlet wind extended its reach and power, rattling the stone foundations around them.
He continued to weave through the wild attacks, which only further angered the berserker and aided his complexion in reddening and his muscles enlarging further.
"Crush you!"
Reggie became noticeably less rational and more monstrous as his rage increased, so did his strength and reckless abandon.
[Fa-Jin]
The Kung-Fu technique was swift and simple in its execution, though deadly in its power as the force of the red-haired fighter's knuckles slamming into the berserk's gut emitted a small shock wave.
Due to the nature of Fa-Jin, bypassing the exterior of one's opponent, the impact resounded through the berserker's internal structure.
"Raaagh…!" Reggie groaned.
The impact had rippled the crimson hide of the berserker; sending waves through his flesh and ringing through the marrow of his bones.
With such a narrow space, Reggie was slammed against each wall after the impact, stumbling back as he held his stomach while slobbering in rage.
He rolled his shoulders, "Alright, I think I've gotten my point across. Let's stop this and go on with our nights, okay? I'm sure we could all use a good night's sleep."
As the berserker straightened himself up, growling and snarling as his enraged state grew into such a form that words could no longer be formed, all he could do was sigh.
"Yeah, I saw that one coming," he mumbled.
I'm getting kind of tired now. Guess a night time workout did the trick, I'll finish this in the next attack and head back, he decided.
It seemed as though there was no real limit to the building rage and the strength that came with it that the Berserker System user could tap into, but the lack of a sound mind and the sluggish pace it took to get there made its flaws undeniable.
ραпdα nᴏνɐ| сom Reggie roared out, unleashing his reverberated yells that would be heard far through the city if not for the mystical veil around the alleyway, "Cast: Ogre Rush!"
He readied himself with a stance, watching as the berserker's crimson aura swirled and reshaped into the silhouette of a violent spirit, wielding a club of its own as it filled the width of the alleyway with its brutal vibrations.
In an instant, enveloped by maddened strength, Reggie was in front of him, moving his club forward with a sea of violent energy following it.
"I'm gonna crush you—!" Reggie bellowed.
However—the attack was halted, much to the confusion of the berserker. His club didn't move and his limbs didn't budge as he was frozen mid-assault.
"Wha-!?" The berserker snarked.
[Crimson Threads]
[Spirit: -50 |2850/4000]
It had happened so quickly that the berserker didn't notice, nor did the bullied boy who spectated from around the corner; the precision and speed at which the threads were set were unable to be perceived.
In fact, the threads did appear instantly through a splendid usage of Sage Period: [Blink Step] plus [Crimson Threads] to create [Blink Threads] which appeared instantly upon manifestation.
[Weaver Proficiency: +1 | 2/25]
The crimson threads were tightly wrapped around Reggie's arms, legs, waist, neck, and even his club, suspending him mid-air.
"…Graaagh…!" Reggie struggled to no avail.
He stepped forward before stopping in front of the restrained man, rearing his fist back, "I could squeeze those threads and slide you up, but I'll let you off easy for now with this…"
This time, he centered his stance and stomped down to summon his body's innate strength, allowing air to fill his muscle fibers; each strand expanded to bring out his utmost as for a moment, he maximized his raw strength,
All of this was put behind a double-handed, open palm strike that he slammed against the stomach of his foe.
[Decimator]
It was similar to Fa-Jin in that it prioritized explosive strength, which was felt fully by the berserker as he was unable to be blasted back by the force as he was held still by the sturdy threads, causing him to experience the full impact.
"Raaaagh…!"
As the shock wave rippled the skin of the berserker, he was knocked out through the blow to the abdomen, siphoning the rage from him as his reddened complexion returned to its normal, pale hue.
[Martial Arts Proficiency: Kung-Fu: +2 | 7/9999]
With the last attack, the threads vanished, causing the Berserker System user to fall flat onto the ground, beside his partner, who happened to still be unconscious.
As he brushed his hands off, stepping past the defeated thugs, he was stopped by a voice calling out from behind—
Reggie somehow was conscious already, struggling to sit up on his elbows as he breathed heavily, "…What're ya doin? Don't ya want our coins?!…"
He paused for a moment, glancing back as he was a bit surprised by the fact that the man was even speaking.
Seriously, he was out cold just a second ago. He's made out of tough stuff, he thought.
"I guess I could," he responded.
"Gk…" Reggie winced.
There wouldn't be anything the man could do to stop such a thing as his entire body quivered just to slightly sit up as his eyelids drooped.
"But, I'm tired. So, I'm heading to bed," he said, taking his leave from the alley as he waved, "besides, I'm not the kind that can sleep at night robbing people weaker than me."
"…!" Reggie's eyes widened at those words.
It seemed it was merely a fluke that the thug managed to wake up in the first place as he immediately fell unconscious again.
As he left the alley, he nearly collided with the small-of-stature boy that had been getting mugged by the two thugs.
"Gah–sorry!" The boy said, adjusting his glasses.
He looked at him for a moment before moving on without a word, being stopped as the boy called out to him again.
"T-thanks! Thank you very much for helping me! If you never need anything–n-not that I'm of much help–"
"I didn't do all of that to help you," he said, glancing back at the meek boy.
"Huh…?" Yun looked at him.
He looked at the measly-looking boy, who made it easy to question how he managed to reach the Tower in the first place.
"...It pisses me off seeing people acting so helpless when they could've easily helped themselves. At the end of the day, it falls on you to drag yourself out of that hole," he said, "but, more than that, I hate bottom feeders like those two back there; those who prey on those helpless losers."
"L-losers?...What're you talking about?" Yun asked.
"Obviously I'm talking about you," he replied.
For once, it seemed some fire was lit in the meek boy's light-blue eyes as he stepped forward, holding his hands close to his chest as he had to summon the will to yell out.
"...I thought you were a good guy, but–you're just like the rest of them! I've been trying my hardest to survive–and I've made it this far, so how can you say that…?!" Yun asked.
"I can say that because I know," he answered.
"Huh?"
"I know what it's like to be at the bottom. To think I'm doing my best, but in reality, there is so much more I could be doing. Let me ask you this, 'Yun'..." He looked at the boy, "Have you ever killed somebody?"
Yun gulped, "...Killed somebody?"
"By your reaction, I can tell you haven't. It's even more evident by your eyes; you've still got some shine in them," he said.
"And?! So what if I haven't?!...Is that anything to be proud of? Taking a life…isn't something you should wear like a badge of honor," Yun told him, "Life is precious. You can't just forget that."
"Life is precious. That's why sometimes you have to take it. Thinking 'All Life Is Precious" is noble and all, but when it comes down to it, what's precious is those near to you, or your own life for that matter. So when it comes to the lives of those standing against you, and those close to you, then…The choice is easy, isn't it?" He asked.
Yun seemed hesitant to respond as his expression was anguished and conflicted by the words of the red-haired assassin, but he slowly shook his head.
"That way of thinking is too twisted."
"Yeah, maybe it is," he said, "but, that's the kind of world we live in now. Trying to play the hero, sparing the lives of your enemies, trying to save strangers…You'll bite off more than you can chew, and it'll catch up to you."
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