When the Innocent Becomes the Executioner (Part II)
"Good afternoon, ladies," greeted the man who seemed to be the leader.
He was a large man, in his forties, who looked at the girls with a heavy gaze, barely disguising his lust. As for Danilo, standing beside them, he treated him as if he were nothing but air. He was confident. After all, he was a man with talent: a defense boost of over 200% — an A-Class Talent.
Danilo and his group stared at the newcomers with narrowed eyes. The girls did not reply.
After a while, the silence grew awkward.
"Hey, don't you know it's rude not to answer when someone greets you? Especially when it's done politely?" said one of the lackeys, a short, light-skinned man, probably in his thirties.
"They don't make women polite anymore like in our mothers' time…" another one laughed.
"Silence," the leader said calmly, and everyone went quiet.
"Forgive them, ladies. My men are a bit impulsive… but deep down, they're good people. Please, don't be upset."
"Yeah, sorry, really," another one echoed. "Like brother Zacarias said…"
"What do you want?" Danilo interrupted, staring directly at the group.
Then he stood up and stepped closer, locking eyes with the leader.
"First, let me introduce myself. I am Zacarias Quimbango. I possess a talent—"
"No one asked you," Danilo cut him off, cold. "I'll ask one more time: what do you want?"
"Hey, brat, didn't your parents teach you it's disrespectful to interrupt your elders when they're speaking?" one of the lackeys snapped, visibly irritated. "Kids these days… the fault of those damn novels, warping their minds. They think they can do whatever they want!"
"It's not just the kids that are spoiled…" added another. "The parents are influenced by the whites and… lose control of their children."
"In the end, the fault isn't just the kids', but also the parents'," another said with contempt. "The blame lies with your father and mother, who failed to raise you properly."
At those words, they all burst into laughter.
Suddenly, their laughter stopped.
A flash tore through the air in front of the man who had spoken last. Before he could react, a sharp punch slammed straight into his throat. The muffled thud echoed, followed by the desperate sound of choking as the man dropped to his knees.
Silence fell.
Everyone froze.
Eyes widened, fixed on Danilo, disbelief written across their faces.
No one had ever imagined he would strike first.
After all, there were seven rugged warriors against just him and five seemingly fragile women.
"Why did you do that?" the leader asked, his voice low, cold, heavy with threat.
"He only spoke… there was no need to be so cruel."
Danilo drew a deep breath, his expression calm, almost indifferent.
"He said the wrong thing… to the wrong person."
The silence thickened into tension. The air felt ready to explode.
Danilo leaned slightly forward and spat on the fallen man's face, who was still gasping for air.
"Did you really think joining a bunch of losers made you powerful? Pathetic…"
The other warriors clenched their fists, some even stepped forward, but they hesitated when they saw Danilo's composure.
Danilo had never been a violent man. He had always avoided conflict, preferring peace.
But with the arrival of the Divine Domain, he understood: this world would not tolerate weakness.
His mother and his sisters depended on him.
If he fell, they would fall too.
And that possibility was unacceptable.
From the very first fight against the rabbits, Danilo had realized that every battle was a lesson.
The relentless speed of the creatures had forced him to develop reflexes, dodges, anticipation.
With each fight, his muscles grew sharper, his mind calculated faster.
And now, he was no longer the fragile man from the beginning.
He was someone who had learned to act first, to strike before being struck.
---
A cold laugh echoed through the air, dripping with contempt.
"You're really arrogant," Zacarias said, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Hitting a man just because he said something you didn't like?"
He took a step forward.
"We are seven… and you are only six." A cynical smile curved across his lips. "What do you think will happen when we fight? Do you think people will rush to your aid just because it's women against men? That the police will intervene and arrest us after we beat you down?"
He laughed again, crueler this time, raising his hand to the cloudless sky.
"Did you forget we're no longer on Earth? Guess what. Whatever happens here won't echo anywhere else. The police won't intervene. There won't be witnesses. Today, you're going to learn the consequences of crossing someone stronger."
His gaze fell like a blade, piercing through Danilo's chest.
"And the consequence will be simple." His voice dropped into a chilling whisper. "Either you lose both your arms… or both your legs… or maybe one of each. You choose."
The words poisoned the air, leaving everyone tense.
Behind Danilo, the girls — who until then had worn anxious, tense expressions — finally straightened their backs.