Chapter 182: Valra’s Father Caught Me Stealing?! Part 2
"You cannot hide from me!" The brown haired man muttered with dangerous as he moved catiously.
Meanwhile... the danger entity lurked just behind him.
Yup, Leo was just a few millimetres behind him, his breath hitching in terror as he kept in perfect sync with the man’s movements. His wide, horrified eyes glistened with a faint watery shine, his face twisted in a slight crying expression... He was so fucked up!!
His legs moved as the man moved, mimicking every shift, every stride. Since the man was taller and bulkier, his massive frame blocked most of the light, making it impossible to notice Leo unless the man purposefully turned and focused.... And Leo made sure never to leave the edge of that wide shadow.
Leo wasn’t sure if he should be grateful for the man’s massive, muscular body shielding him, or... his own lean.
But whatever it was... he had no choice but to keep moving in rhythm with the man’s every motion.
His face twitched, itching with horror. His lips quivered, his throat begged him to speak.
Should he just... explain things?
Would that work?
Could it?
"Come out... I wouldn’t kill you," the man said coldly, fire curling around his fingers, flames sparking like claws ready to rip into flesh.
’Nope!’ Leo screamed inwardly, his trembling eyes rolling as sweat burned them.
This was the first time he had felt fear this deep.
And it wasn’t even because he’d come to steal anything!
Still, he moved... Step for step.... Shadow for shadow.
When the man turned, Leo turned.
When the man leaned, Leo leaned.
It was absurd.... a deadly game of mimicry, like some twisted child’s play of "ninja" behind an oblivious adult.
Only this "adult" wasn’t oblivious. He was a predator who could kill Leo with one strike.
The man muttered under his breath, "Your technique’s really good." thinking whoever it was really good at hiding.
Leo copied instantly, barely a heartbeat behind. ’Oh? T-Thank you, Father-in-law...’ His lips forced a trembling smile.
Then!
Leo’s foot scuffed lightly against the carpet. A small sound. Soft, nearly nothing. But enough. Enough to make his soul leave his body in a silent scream.
The man’s eyes snapped, sharp and ruthless, toward the sound.
Leo darted, sliding back into perfect alignment with the man’s body. He pressed close, shadow to shadow, his body almost brushing against the man’s broad back.
Almost!!
Thank the gods he didn’t touch him. If the man turned even slightly—Leo would be done.
The man stopped.
Leo stopped.
The man exhaled slowly, his breath heavy, his voice low and edged with murder. "Still... I feel it. Come out, bastard!!!"
Leo bit down on his tongue. His eyes darted desperately... the window!
He could see it.
His escape!!
But no!
It was shut tight!
The moment he tried to crash through it, the man would catch him. Of course he would. After all, this wasn’t just anyone.
This was Valra’s father. Even Valra’s speed and fire were deadly as fuck!
Much less the man who had trained her...
’Awee!’ Leo wanted to cry. Everything was blocked!!
And just as he tried to think of another way, to conjure some desperate trick, he forgot one simple, crucial thing... One damn thing!
The lights.
The man stood directly under the light when his gaze caught it... a shadow, faint yet wrong, bulging slightly behind him.
His eyes flared, lips curling into a wicked smile before he hissed,
"Ssh!"
A hot breath leaked between his teeth as his hand twisted back in one sudden swing. His grip closed like a steel trap, catching the figure lurking just behind him.
"Caught you, rat!! Hahaha!" The man’s laughter broke out, wild and manic, as he hauled Leo into the open with monstrous strength.
However, his grin faltered for a second. The figure he held looked strange.... shirtless, with fabric wrapped awkwardly around his face.
From that crude covering, only a pair of reddish-black eyes glared back at him.
The man smirked, "What are you? An exhibitionist?" His voice dripped with mockery as his eyes ran down Leo’s thin, trembling body. His face twisted in disgust.
"Tsk. I guess with this body you can crawl around like a sly bitch," he sneered, nodding to himself.
Then his hand clenched tighter around Leo’s neck.
Leo’s body jolted. He gagged, air cut off in an instant, his legs thrashing weakly as his throat strained against the vice-like grip.
BOOM!
The man slammed him against the ground. The impact cracked the floor beneath them, dust and shards bursting outward.
Leo’s back arched as agony lanced through him. Blood burst from his lips, staining the shirt still wrapped around his face, dripping down in crimson lines.
The man loomed above, grinning with a wicked.
For the first time, Leo saw his face clearly — and his heart stuttered.
Damn... his features. They were almost identical to Valra’s.
The same sharp eyes, the same cruel line of the jaw.
No mistaking it... They were really related!!
"I don’t sense a single drop of mana from you..." The man muttered with curious eyes. His grip tightened slowly around Leo’s throat. "Hmm... interesting. What stage are you?"
Leo’s body convulsed as he fought for air. His voice strangled, only a broken, muffled sound escaping.
"Hmarrmm!"
The man grinned wider, savouring the sight. "Well, I suppose I don’t need to know. A dead man tells no tale, after all." His grip tightened further, heat radiating from his palm. It burned against Leo’s neck, the smell of singed flesh starting to rise.
Leo’s eyes bulged, veins crawling red across them as his breath tore away. His skin seared, pain screaming through his body.
"But before that..." The man’s voice sank low, "Let’s see from which faction you came."
His free hand lifted, fingers reaching toward the shirt covering Leo’s face. The cloth shifted as the man bent closer, preparing to rip it away.
Leo’s thoughts thundered. ’Shit!!’ His face contorted, despair twisting his expression as the man’s hand closed in.
Then—
~Ding~Dong~
The sound of the doorbell echoed!
The man flinched, his head jerking back in irritation. His eyes flicked toward the entrance for a single second... Only a second.
But it was enough.
When his gaze snapped down again, Leo had already tugged the shirt slightly from his mouth. His lips twisted, bloody and trembling. He had been waiting for this one moment.
Pah!!
Leo spat something straight from his blood-filled mouth.
"Arrhhh!!"
The man screamed, stumbling back as the strike was perfectly aimed into his eyes.
His hands tore away from Leo’s neck instantly as he clawed at his face, rubbing frantically.
"You fucking retard!!" he roared, "What did you do to my eyes!!"
Crack!
Shatter!
The sharp sound of glass breaking echoed through the house.
The man blinked, his vision still blurred and streaked red. He rubbed his eyes again, blinking furiously, and then saw... the window was cracked open.
His face twisted with fury.
A small, lean bug had hurt him? Escaped his grasp?
~Ding~Dong~
The fuck is that!!
As he stepped forward, his foot struck something. He glanced down and froze. Scattered across the floor... buttons.
Buttons stained with blood.
Those were the things that had struck his eyes... Perfectly!
The stranger... had used his shirt buttons to attack him?
~Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~
Wait...
The brown-haired man frowned as he realised.
He remembered it — the shirt wrapped around the stranger’s head hadn’t had any buttons. Which meant... the man had planned this.
All of it.
He had torn them free before, kept them ready, and waited for the right moment.
Waited for him to lean close enough.
The man’s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of awe buried under his rage.
~Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~Ding~Dong~
The doorbell kept ringing.
His lips twitched in annoyance, his head throbbing from the sound.
Finally, with a grumpy scowl, rubbing the blood from his eyes, he stomped toward the entrance and pulled the door open.
Standing there was a man in a long coat, his face hidden beneath a wide-brimmed hat.
"Tsk... what the hell do you want?" the man growled, his eyes still red and stinging.
The hat-wearing figure shrugged lazily, "Well... it’s been a long time since we had a chat, so I came to talk to you. Is that wrong... old friend?"
The man frowned, then shrugged with irritation. "You came at the wrong time, bastard."
"Oh? I believe I came at exactly the right time..." the hat man whispered under his breath, amused. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a shadow jumping out of the wall. A smirk tugged at his lips before he added aloud, "So... what happened?"
The man sighed heavily. "What else? I think some faction sent an assassin after me..."
"Oh? Did you get them?"
"I almost had him in my clutches..." His fist clenched tight, his expression twisting into pure fury. He turned sharply toward the hat man and roared, "You ruined it, bastard!"
"Haha... I’m sorry. I guess. But really, why bother? Just leave it." The hat man’s voice was calm, teasing almost. "As long as you’re fine, right?"
The man grumbled but nodded. "Yeah." .
An assassination attempt. If the assassin failed, his own people would kill him for it — that was how the society worked.
Still scowling, he patted down his clothes, straightening himself.
And then his hand froze. His eyes widened in shock as his fingers brushed against his pants pocket.
Empty?
"Oh no! My phone!" he gasped. He blinked rapidly, "When—?!" When had that bastard stolen it?! He couldn’t even remember!
The hat man raised an eyebrow beneath the brim, a faint smile pulling at his lips. "Tsk, just a phone. You can lock it or even fry it remotely. Technology’s advanced, idiot."
Veins bulged on the man’s forehead. His voice erupted like thunder.
"YOU FUCKING MAGGOT... THAT THING WAS MADE OF DIAMOND AND GOLD!! IT’S WORTH FIVE MILLION!!!"
"...Oh?" The hat man tilted his head in surprise. His hand rubbed his ear awkwardly, an uneasy smile tugging beneath the shadow of his hat, ’Oh, Leo...’
Meanwhile—
"YOU FUCKING IDIOT, DID YOU JUST STEAL FROM YOUR FUTURE FATHER-IN-LAW?!!"
Leo shouted at his own trembling hand, which clutched a sparkling phone while running as fast as he could!!