Leonard didn't give them time to recover. He swung the dagger wildly in the air, his arm moving with a raw strength that surprised all of them.
The missing-teeth thug tried to block with his forearm.
"AHHHH!" Blood sprayed as the blade carved a shallow line across his skin. He stumbled back, shrieking in pain.
"You bastard—!" The second one lunged forward, roaring in anger.
Leonard panicked when he saw the man coming his way. His feet raised in an instinct. He kicked the man in his knees. The thug howled and collapsed on the ground, clutching his leg.
Leonard didn't even mean to aim at him, but his body just knew.
"Ugly beggar, huh?!" Leonard spat, glaring at the two thugs who were clutching their wounds and groaning on the ground now.
Earlier, they were mocking him.
"Look who's standing now," he muttered at them as he tapped his chest in a proud manner.
But before he could finish gloating, the third one suddenly lunged from behind, surprising him.
"Got you now!" the tallest thug muttered out loud. He wrapped his arms around Leonard's shoulders. Leonard stumbled forward, his grip on the dagger slipped because of the sudden impact from behind.
Clang!
The blade flew away from his hands and landed onto the dirt in a distance.
"Shit!" Leonard gritted his teeth. He tried to shake his body to be free, but the man's grip was too strong. Suddenly, a fist slammed into his cheeks, stealing his breath.
Pain flared on his body, but then something strange happened. His body moved on its own again. Leonard stomped down hard on the thug's feet and slammed his elbow backward into his gut.
"Ooof!" The man gasped out loud, crouching over. Leonard quickly spun around.
Wham!
His fist landed a punch on the thug's jaw.
The man's head snapped back, his spit flying visibly in the air.
Leonard blinked, stunned at what he had just done.
'Did I just… Damn, that was clean!"
The thug staggered, but the fight wasn't over. Not yet.
The other two, who were still groaning from their wounds, forced themselves up. Deep anger and annoyance replaced their pain.
They were supposed to be relieving their selves from pleasure now! But because of this guy, they were wounded and in pain!
"Fine. I can also fight without my dagger," Leonard cracked his knuckles, grinning despite his bloody face and bruised.
The first thug charged again. Leonard quickly ducked before swinging his fist low and landing a brutal hook into the man's ribs. The thug wheezed and dropped like a worm on the ground.
The second swung wildly at his head. Leonard sidestepped.
Bam!
His counterpunch landed flush on the nose. Blood suddenly gushed out of his nose.
"Ahhh! Blood!" The man landed on the ground and covered his face before crying out loud like a baby.
"Damn!" Leonard laughed breathlessly, his adrenaline rushing. His fists moved faster than he thought was possible.
"I'm like a boxer! Thanks, system!"
For the third guy, he threw a quick kick at him, his boot slamming into the tall thug's gut. The man doubled over, only to be met with an uppercut that sent him sprawling onto his back.
The three of them lay scattered around him, groaning and clutching their bruised and bleeding faces.
Leonard wiped sweat and blood from his brow, panting. A wild grin spread across his lips as he stood tall there like a proud man who had just won a UFC fight.
"Not bad… not bad at all." He proudly taped his chest and even raised his right hand in the air.
The tallest thug groaned as he rolled onto his side, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. His two companions weren't doing any better. One was still clutching his nose and crying, while the other was holding his ribs, and his hands were bleeding.
The three looked like they were about to fall apart.
They exchanged panicked glances. None of them had the strength or the nerve to keep going.
"L-Let's get out of here!" one of them shouted, voice cracking.
Without another word, they scrambled up to their feet and bolted in a panic. Their legs moved too fast for their own good, and in their haste, one of them tripped over a root.
"AHHH!"
The other two tumbled right into him, and the three of them collapsed into a pathetic stack before they quickly untangled themselves and ran again. The three were swearing at one another as they disappeared into the trees.
Leonard bent over, clutching his stomach as he burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Pfft—Hah! You idiots! Hahahahaha!" His laughter echoed in the quiet forest.
But then, in the middle of it, he froze.
Soft, broken sobs reached his ears.
Leonard blinked, his laughter dying down. He slowly turned his head, and his eyes landed on the woman again.
"Oh… right," he muttered under his breath, scratching his cheek. "I forgot about you."
The woman was slumped against the tree, her wrists and ankles were still tightly bound by a rope. Her dress was torn and muddied, her black hair was messy, and her pearly white skin was bruised in several places.
Dirt streaked her face, but despite all of that, her features were still delicate. Behind all that dirt, she remained beautiful. She had brown tearful eyes, trembling rosy lips, and red cheeks.
'No wonder those bastards had looked at her the way they did.' Leonard shook his head. He walked to her and sighed before crouching down.
"Hold on, I'll get those off you."
He tugged at the ropes, loosening the knots until her hands and feet were free. The moment they fell, the woman moved without hesitation.
"Ah—"
Her arms shot forward and wrapped tightly around Leonard's waist.
Leonard froze as he felt her big chest pressing against his chest. Her entire body was shaking violently, followed by loud and soft sobs. The fabric of his clothes grew damp as she cried into him, clutching him like he was the only thing that could comfort her in this world.
"…"
'What am I supposed to do?'