The first boy lunged with a wild swing. Leon tilted his head, letting the pipe whistle past his ear.
'Slow.'
His katana flicked once. The boy froze, staring in disbelief as the weapon tip rested against his throat. Before he could react, Leon shifted his weight—and the boy crumpled, clutching a shallow slash across his neck, blood seeping between his fingers.
The second boy cursed and charged. Leon stepped forward instead of back, catching the pipe on his blade, twisting with a brutal efficiency. The boy's wrist snapped with a crack, the weapon falling uselessly. Leon drove his knee into his chest, sending him sprawling against the wall, gasping like a fish out of water.
The last boy hesitated. Fear flashed in his eyes, but bravado forced him on. He roared and rushed anyway.
Leon sighed.
One motion. A clean horizontal slash. The boy's pipe split neatly in half. Before the fragments hit the floor, Leon's blade was already at the side of his neck, forcing him to freeze mid-breath.
Silence fell in the room. Only the groans of the injured and the trembling gasps of Cassie's roommate filled the air.
Leon didn't even look at the three again. He wiped his blade on one boy's shirt, sheathed it with a smooth motion, and turned back to his sister as if nothing had happened.
"You were saying about someone pestering you?" he asked calmly, as if discussing groceries.
Cassie's eyes glistened, her expression full of awe. This wasn't the average brother she had. When did he become so... strong?
"Yeah. They're all working for Skyler. That guy's super strong. Took down all the zombies in the dorm."
That strong? Leon cocked his head. The guy probably got a golden box landing right on his bed.
"That's not a problem. Let's go."
He said flatly, then turned to leave.
Cassie held him back. "Wait. Aren't we going to take some food? I still have much."
Leon glanced back at her, a smirk playing at his lips.
"No need."
Trusting him, Cassie followed him downstairs, her friend tagging along. Leon only spared her a glance—not even bothering to ask for her name.
Unfortunately, they were met with trouble on the second floor.
A sizable crowd of about twenty students were gathered here, mostly males holding threatening weapons.
At the forefront, a young man with spiky blonde hair stared at the trio solemnly.
"You." He started. "You're a First Level evolved too right?"
The words shocked everyone. A First Level evolved? Didn't that mean this new guy had also gotten his hands on a golden package?
After the apocalypse began, Skyler had received the golden box right on his bed. Being a sharp teen, he quickly read through the guide-letter and realized the gravity of the situation. Using the contents within, he was able to move to the female dorms and clear the hostel of zombies. Since he was the only one in the whole school who got one, everyone believed chances of seeing those boxes were rare.
Now, he was facing someone with equal strength as him.
Leon glanced at him briefly, then clicked his tongue. "A brat."
Skyler's brows twitched. This guy was outright disrespectful. Calling him a brat? The thoughts of recruiting him instantly vanished.
"You're in my territory. Leave my schoolmates and get lost." He scowled.
"Your territory?" Leon sneered, "I didn't know your father paid for it."
The nerd-looking guy from earlier suppressed a laugh while the delinquent stepped forward.
"Shut the hell up, bastard!"
"Gidon, stand down." Skyler said calmly, then stretched his hand towards the nerd. Understanding his intentions, the nerd handed him a metal rod.
"Do you know my class?" Skyler said as he walked forward. "I'm a Weapon Enhancer. Anything I touch instantly becomes more durable and efficient."
A soft red glow covered the rod. In a flash, he darted forward.
Clang!
Leon caught the rod perfectly between his katanas, expression dead calm.
Detached purple eyes met with violent black eyes.
Skyler suddenly spun, twirling the rod to attack Leon repeatedly. However, Leon calmly parried, stopping the rod with one blade while the other snaked towards Skyler.
The young man, experienced with fighting zombies, dodged the obvious attack and stepped closer to Leon. The attacks came relentlessly, the clash of metals reverberating through the air.
Yet, Leon hadn't moved a single step from his position.
His eyes, which were calm, finally showed a hint of boredom.
"You're strong. Yes." He said calmly. "But you lack coordination."
Suddenly, the blade grazed Skyler's shoulder, causing him to retreat slightly. The young man frowned, surprised at how easily he became injured.
'Was he holding back?'
Clicking his tongue, he pulled out a gun and fired instantly. Unfortunately, Leon was a few steps ahead. His katana was already raised and tilted just enough for the bullet to graze the sharp edge of the blade.
SHRIING!!!
The sound was grating to the ears but he successfully deflected the attack—shocking everyone present.
"You..." Skyler stepped back, horrified. How could he do that? Although he was also an evolved, he knew he wouldn't be able to dodge a bullet at such a close range. That shot, even though it wouldn't have killed him, would have injured him slightly. Yet, Leon had brushed it off nonchalantly.
"You're a monster." He mumbled, and seeing him like this—Leon cracked a predatory grin.
"You didn't realize? Too late."
Suddenly, Skyler felt a stinging pain on his neck, then his world went dark.
The other students stood horrified, watching as Skyler's body crumpled to the ground. Leon casually wiped the blood off his katana with Skyler's shirt, then turned to them.
"What are you looking at? Scram."
Ignoring them, Leon continued down the stairs with the two girls trailing behind him in silence.
Stepping out in the open, Leon stealthily took down the zombies around and carved a path for them to pass through. Once they were outside the gates, he opened the car and instructed them to enter. The two obediently got into the backseats while he started the car, then began driving back to his city—Night-veil.