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Conqueror of the Seven Empires

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Episode 5

Looking at them with fierce mocking eyes, Mike said with a serious tone;

"You're in the way,"

(Mike! You idiot!)

Ray was already bowing down as he struggles to pull Mike's head down but failed to shut his mouth.

He already expects a punch to a face when his friend talks them like that but their response is quite unexpected.

"Heh... You are still cocky as ever, aren't you?" The guy with a handkerchief in his neck that looks like the leader among them step forward and approach Mike face to face. Mike is kind small in height compared to the guy but Mike replies to him with a smirk.

"Looks whos saying?...you all are always coming back to me. Don't tell you've fallen for me or something?" Mike even mocks the thugs daring not to back down as Ray is losing himself from the situation.

Not giving a shit on anything and even mocking them Ray expects this will be his last time going in public as they'll be get beaten out of this.

The guy didn't quite like the tone Mike give him to him but their group isn't getting annoyed by his provoke like they are already got sick of hearing it from him from the past.

Without any warning, the guy immediately punches Mike on his face.

"As if I would fell in love with you!"

*Thump!* The sound of a fist hitting can be heard showing how hard the punch this guy gives. This must be taken seriously if one could have say.

This is totally showing his pure strength that Ray who's at Mike's side felt terrified.

However, from a sudden moment, the guy who punched Mike was already at the ground as no life can be seen from his eyes. He's knocked down in instant.

"Huh?"

Ray didn't catch watch happened, he tried scratching his eyes checking if this is real but no matter how he blinks nor scratches the reality in front of him cannot be changed.

Maybe because it's dim around this area that he didn't totally see but he's still confused.

He has pride in being an athlete yet he can't follow on what just happened.

As he's in the middle of surprise the other thugs didn't show any reaction to their comrade at all. They expect this would happen in anytime now.

The one in question, Mike who's clearly been punched didn't flinch from what happened.

Waving his hands up and down like a whip warming up he forms up a weird gesture.

(W-What just happened...) Ray is still in the midst of confusion.

Seeing Mike's weird gesture the thugs started to move.

Among the thugs, one of them takes command and orders the orders to attack. A sub-leader if one would describe.

"Go!"

"WARGH!!!!!!!!!!!"

Like their style, before they could advance they shout a war cry as they move towards Mike. They are somewhat idiot if they know what time is it now but maybe because they are that they didn't care.

Their roar is so loud that it echoes around the street.

Ray who's taking back from their war cry thinks of a way to get out of here.

(Why the fuck we are in this kind of trouble!?)

He thinks of a way but before he could do that...

"Mike stay at my b-back."

Ray is totally tense up, confuse, and terrified from what's happening right now but he still prioritizes Mike's safety no other.

Mike who's about to get into the fight as he readies his bare hands is surprised by Ray's response.

For some reason, he feels amazed by Ray's courage that it suppresses his fighting instincts. Like he was moved from his sudden take of action.

Smiling from this feeling he pats Ray's shoulder like he's finally in the good mood.

"Don't worry I've planned for this."

"Huh? Wait what are you doing!? WAHHHH---!!!"

Grabbing Ray's hands Mike started sprinting away from the thugs.

The thugs who thought Mike would fight them head-on are surprised as they stop for a moment before they could move again.

With only little and dim light around the street, the two cannot see the thugs at their backs but they can clearly hear their cry like the thugs are showing it will be just a matter of time for them to meet their doom.

As they run through the dim street a bright light appeared out of nowhere at their front.

*Vroom vroom!*

Seeing a truck crossed them from left to right Mike drags Ray following the running track.

"W-Where are we going!?" Ray shouted in question.

A good part about Ray is that he's a student-athlete from a track and field specialize in running that he can run faster than an average student from the same age as him.

But for some strange reason, he struggles to catch up to Mike's speed. The last thing he knows about Mike is that he's not an athlete.

The streets around here are small and have almost no light source around not to mention this place is not popular for vehicles to drive in.

Yet there's one right here in the street.

"Follow me."

Mike releases his hand from Ray's and runs straight to the moving truck.

(His pace is getting faster! I could barely catch up!)

Mike hops in at the back of the truck and stretches his hands towards Ray.

Reading his intention Ray successfully grab his hands and managed to get on.

*Pant pant*

After that running that much it's no surprise for them to haggardly catch theirs breathes.

"Hahahha! We managed to escape from them!" said Ray in an exciting tone. This is his first time experiencing this kind of thrill so no wonder he felt this adrenaline rushing through his body.

(This is my first time that this happened to my life.)

"Hey, Mik-!?" Just before he could finish his sentence he sees Mike spitting some blood.

Mike's mouth is bleeding, it must be from the punch he received earlier. Ray is amazed that Mike's managed to endure it not to mention hide it from him.

"Oy! Are you okay!?" Ray worriedly asked Mike.

"This is fine for now. Don't let your guard down, they are not giving up just like that."

"What do you mean?"

As Ray asks with confusion the truck made a loud screech taking a full break.

"What happened!?"

"Tch. They sure are fast."

Mike immediately grab Ray's hand and quickly went off from the truck.

Looks like thugs already block the exit of the street making the truck halt.

They run and run away fast as they can from the thugs that are basically everywhere.

One after another they appeared with many numbers beyond Ray's expectation. Why would they bother gathering these men just to chase them?

(Holy shit! This is fucking mess up!) Ray wanted to shout tons of complaints about what's happening but can't.

Passing through the other dim street two thug appeared blocking their path.

Immediately changing their route they look at every road near them that haven't been occupied by thugs. Unfortunately, their numbers are too much that they covered all of the corners around them.

The dim streets are now filled with numerous thugs as they chase the two.

Knowing that there's no out of this Ray prepared for the worse.

But Mike calmy change his tactics as he deployed one of his cards.

"Stop," said Mike. With just one word two of them stop immediately.

Stopping at the utility pole near them Mike tries to do something at it.

Using a long thin stick that has been conveniently placed near the pole, Mike uses it to do something at the pole. What a coincidence one might say but Mike is already suspicious when he runs straight to the truck like he knows that the truck is coming.

"!?" (What now!?)

The thugs quickly spotted them because they are staying in the middle of the dim light coming from the pole.

Without hesitation, the thugs run towards them with numbers behind their backs.

They are too much for just the two of them.

"Get him!"

"We'll finally settle out score!"

"This is payback!"

The thugs thought that these two gave up because they hold all of the grounds as they celebrated a victory in their minds.

However, as they run straight to them, the lights from every street around them suddenly turn off.

After that, a loud sound of screeching of cages can be heard from afar. The thugs didn't totally hear the sound but Mike is able to hear it.

(What happened?)

(Crap, I can't see a thing.)

(Here he come with this kind of shit again.)

"Brace yourselves!" said the sub-leader of the group.

Ray who's still panicking because of the sudden events felt that Mike is behind all of this.

In these dark streets especially when the lights are totally out, one can't see a single thing.

Getting his eyes used to the darkness someone suddenly grabs Ray's hand.

"Kyaaa!!!" Ray gives a girly scream.

"It's me. Shut your girly mouth."

"Oh, it's you, Mike."

"Let's stay around there and hide for now and watch for a scene that will take action in this place."

Somehow even though Ray can't see a single thing he feels like Mike is grinning, planning up something from everyone's back.

Panic takes over the place caused by the sudden light out that the thugs started to hesitate on what to do.

"Here!"

The sub-leader tries to regather his group but before they could gather a certain sound can be heard from afar. Most of the thugs heard the sound.

"Quiet!"

Letting the silence take over they quietly listen to the sound.

For a couple of seconds of focusing their ears, they finally heard it clearly.

The sound keeps getting louder.

*Bark! bark! bark! bark! bark!*

"Could this be... You son of a bitch!"

"Dogs!?"

*Bark! bark! bark! bark!* The sounds of dogs barking can finally be heard.

Each bark is different from one another showing how many they are.

"Oy how many are they!?"

"Like hell, I would know!"

"Gah!!!"

"ARGHHH!"

"Just what in the world is happening again!? Hargh!!"

The thugs are in chaos.

Without a source of light, one cannot see one's up ahead making them hesitate to move forward. And added the sounds of dogs barking with the bark of intent to bite anyone that they encounter this will surely be hell to the thugs.

Hearing the sounds of those thugs screaming in pain and despair he's speechless on how he's terrified he is.

He feels scared yet somehow for some reason he feels amazed at the dark scenery that mixed with a despair noise in front of him.

"O-oy, this is your doing, right?"

Ray asked Mike what just happened.

"They are just common Azkal dogs but don't worry... They don't have rabies nor strong bite force to give them serious injuries. I personally train them and trim their teeth, you know."

"But how an-"

"Uryyyaaaaah!!!!!!"

Just when he's about to ask Mike another question a random thug appeared and about to punch Ray to his abdomen.

(!?)

Luckily, Mike anticipated it and quickly give a counter to the thug.

"!?"

Intercepting his attack the thug is stunned for a second giving Mike another chance to attack.

Mike grabbed the thug's shoulder and form a throwing style like Judo to throw the thug into the place where the sound of dogs barking are louder.

"Let's stop talking for now, they might found us again."

Ray didn't utter a word as he nodded in agreement for their sake.

It's better to do nothing if you're just dead weight.

For the first time, Ray never saw this side of Mike until now.