A Random in Re:Zero

Loop 3 - Part 11

"What nonsense are you talking about? Don't mess with us!"

Speaking arrogantly, the big guy of the trio threw a punch at me; I dodged it and grabbed his massive arm firmly, throwing him to the side and slamming his bulky figure into a wall.

"Holy crap!" I exclaimed, surprised by my own power, which was a bit anticlimactic. "I knew prana flow training would do wonders for my body, but this feels better than I imagined."

I shouldn't be proud of being stronger than civilians, but for me, this was quite a feat. At least this time, I was the one doing the beating.

I caught the dwarf, who tried to run away, and easily lifted him up with my hand.

"Please don't kill me!"

"I won't." I said seriously, not liking the idea of unnecessary killing. "But I would love to steal your Divine Protection."

The envy I felt made me unconsciously squeeze his small neck a little. He coughed and thrashed desperately like a fish out of water. When I realized what I was doing, I immediately let go of the dwarf and bowed to Priscilla.

"I'm sorry for having to show you this sorry spectacle, miss. You don't have to dirty your hands with this scum anymore."

I headed for the alley exit without waiting for a reply, as I was afraid of getting caught in some kind of commitment with the unpredictable Priscilla. I was satisfied with just making a good impression.

"Wait, commoner." She opened her fan and held it in front of her face as she glanced at me. "I remember hearing you say something about robbing me, so you can't just leave without an explanation."

Fortunately there was no threatening tone in his voice, but what he said made me feel ashamed.

"No, that... That was a spur of the moment phrase, I just wanted to look cool."

"What a strange habit you have. But I understand: there are few who exude natural charisma and don't need to force it. You are obviously not part of them."

That comment was pretty demeaning. Next time, I'm not going to say anything when I make my entrance unless I have a good line thought out beforehand.

"Well, I'm leaving now..."

"Not so fast!"

This time it wasn't the red-haired princess who stopped me, but a gang member accompanied by a large group, including the guy with the knives. Apparently, he fled while I was fighting with his two companions and went to look for reinforcements.

"Oh, forget it, I'm not in the mood for this anymore."

I turned toward the alley exit, but found it too was covered by gang members.

"You guys really want this to get wild, huh..."

"Go get him! Then we'll have fun with the red-haired bitch!"

The leader's orders were obeyed instantly. Seeing myself surrounded, I had no choice but to fight.

I dodged a punch coming from my left. I grabbed the attacker's arm and threw it to the right, using its momentum to turn it into a human bat.

I don't know how many of them I knocked down with that move, as I received a kick to the ribs followed by an elbow to the cheek on the opposite side. Furious, I grabbed both attackers' heads and slammed them together.

Two more joined in, lunging from the front. I blocked one's leg and managed to slam him against the wall. The other feinted me and connected with an uppercut that made me bite my tongue.