CHAPTER 21: THE CRUELTY [from this moment on action starts at full force.]

"Haa."

It was Mathew who rushed over this time. Alexander remained rooted as he watched him approach, looking for an opening. To be honest, he was kind of afraid. Despite a lingering sense of trepidation, Alexander knew retreat wasn't an option; not without enduring a severe thrashing, at the very least.

With a swift motion, Mathew thrust his right hand forth. Alexander swerved his head and also threw his right fist at his face. Instead of crashing into his face, Alexander’s fist was blocked by Mathew's left.

Alexander expected as much, but he quickly put up hands in a cross formation in front of him, seeing the mad grin on Mathew’s face.

Just as he thought, in the next moment, he felt a tremendous force slam into his hands. Alexander did not want to be outdone, so he exerted as much force as he could through his feet to stop himself.

Amidst the collective astonishment of Mathew, Alexander, and the onlookers, the impact of the kick succeeded only in propelling Alexander backward a mere meter.

Alexander couldn't suppress a grin as he witnessed the stupefied expression on Mathew's face. Despite the considerable force behind the kick, perhaps the strongest he'd ever encountered, he managed to handle it.

Boom.

However, his triumph was short-lived as Nathan's sudden attack caught him off guard. The impact of the wooden chair against his back was excruciating, the sheer power behind it evident from the shattering of the chair into splinters. Nathan's sub-Xeo 1 cultivation only intensified the blow, sending waves of pain rippling through Alexander's body as he staggered from the force of the impact.

He was completely caught off guard, so it hurt like hell as he bent his chest forward. With a murderous look, Alexander glanced back at Nathan. In that moment, as he observed Nathan's expression, Alexander made a decision, one that he may or may not regret later.

Mathew already had an inkling of what was about to happen, but just like before, he had no time to react as Alexander swiftly turned around. Before the sneaky bastard had the chance to turn around and flee, Alexander's full-powered punch landed squarely on his ribs.

Crack.

A resounding crack echoed through the silent cafeteria as Nathan first bent and then was sent flying from the force behind the punch, toppling at least two tables in the way.

As soon as he stopped, he instantly started coughing out blood mixed with his saliva. Without a doubt, his condition was dire. "It's good that I missed," Alexander thought inwardly. "He was aiming for the head."

Mathew was about to go ballistic, but before he could do so, he saw a chair hurtling right towards him.

"Haaaaa."

Mathew screamed as the aura around him rose, veins bulging on his body, his bloodline practically boiling. The image of a half minotaur’s green figure materialized behind him again, this time much more tangible.

He practically grew an inch or two taller as he ripped the chair into splinters, but just as he did so, he saw Alexander right above him, bringing down an entire table on his head.

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The table crashed into him with tremendous force, pushing him backward and destroying it into pieces. But he was hardly hurt. However, in the next moment, he bended over forward as he felt a considerable force hammering into his guts.

before he could regain his bearing, he saw a furious knuckle enlarging before his eyes with mighty momentum. His body instinctively went into fight-or-flight mode as he caught the fist. The primal force behind the punch sent shocks through his hand, which crept up to his chest, and he felt like vomiting.

"What the hell was this guy?" Fear slowly crept into Mathew. He felt like he was fighting a beast. In the next moment, a kick landed squarely on his chest, sending him skittering backward. But he did not get to have a breather, as Alexander was literally upon him, this time, pissed-off, Mathew met Alexander’s punch with a punch of his own. A low boom resonated through the air, and Mathew immediately regretted it. The searing pain coursing through his body left no doubt that he was ill-prepared to contend with this level of strength. Before he could gather his bearings, a swift blow headed straight for his nose. Instinctively, he shielded it with his shoulder, but the impact sent another wave of excruciating pain rippling through him.

What Mathew or anyone else didn't know was that Alexander was now fighting with unbridled abandon. In his mind, he had completely discarded any thoughts of consequences. It was when the bastard Nathan attacked him from behind that everything clicked into place for Alexander.

"Why? Why should he hold back? At this point, the police will burst through the scene to arrest him at any time. His future is almost sealed in stone. What's the point? What's the point in holding back? And besides, these guys deserve a beating. Especially that arrogant taker; he desperately needs a reality check."

Though he knew he should feel somber, for some inexplicable reason, Alexander felt incredibly liberated. It was as if, for the first time in his life, he was truly, truly free.

Each of Alexander’s punches and kicks carried the full force of his 12-point strength. His knuckles were now stained with blood although unsure who’s, a testament to the intensity of the fight. Limbs clashed in a chaotic flurry, yet amidst the chaos, it was unmistakably clear who the aggressor was.

In mere moments, Matthew's momentum was completely quelled, while Alexander seemed to revel in the chaos of the brawl. Matthew couldn't shake the feeling of dread creeping over him as he watched. There was no doubt in his mind that Alexander was fighting with reckless abandon, heedless of any consequences, perhaps even disregarding his own life.

But as he was about to land another punch, Alexander's brows furrowed, and then his eyes widened as he rapidly took several steps back.

A small knife, coated in blue, whizzed past where Alexander had been standing just moments ago. It struck the pillar opposite and blasted off a chunk of it.

Everyone looked at the source where an exhausted taker fell down. Alexander's eyes were visibly burning with anger at this point. It was most likely a low-level technique taker just used, but even that was enough to take his life. This just crossed an untouchable line.

Mathew understood that shit was about to go way out of hand. But before he could pacify the situation, he felt a gut-wrenching pain in his abdomen as he bent over once again. This time, he felt like vomiting, or rather, he did, but his vomit was cut short as a fist hit right at his vomiting face, sending him flying.

He stopped after rolling around like a ragdoll, miraculously on his feet. But just as he did so, even before getting his senses back, he saw a pair of shoes enlarging in his face as a massive force smashed into his face, sending him pinned to the wall.

All of this happened in just a moment. The crowd looked on not only in awe but also in bewilderment and a bit of fear.

Alexander stood there, cleaning his hand of the vomit. He could see Mathew twitching. He knew it would be a while before he got up, nothing too serious. The bastard could take a beating.

Alexander then cast a cold, unwavering gaze toward where taker lay. The basted seems to be empty with his last attack. In any case, Alexander's life seemed to be over as soon as the police comes. What harm would adding a little more do? With this thought firmly planted in his mind, he found himself standing before the laying taker, a grin spreading across his face.

Without any explanation, he delivered a swift kick to the laying taker's abdomen. It wasn't a full-powered kick, but it carried enough force to make its impact felt.

Taker bent over from the force as the kick woke him right up. He did not get the chance to understand what was happening before another kick slammed right into his abdomen, this time the force was even higher.

Taker bent over more as he coughed out saliva, but there was no pause as the third kick planted itself, then the 4th, the 5th, but by the time the 7th kick landed, Taker could not hold it in anymore as he vomited his food. But the kicks did not stop.

Pa!, pa!, pa!

The kicks continued as the silent cafeteria fell even more silent. Some girls even buried their heads in their boyfriends' heads, and some just left. The boys looked on with horror, and some even anger.

The kicks stopped when Taker vomited out tinges of red along with his vomit. Alexander grinned, looking at him. "Think a hundred times before messing with a calm person," Alexander said as he sat beside him.

Then he looked at Nathan, who seemed to nearly faint upon seeing Alexander. Alexander's grin broadened as he approached Nathan. Looking at the yellowish liquid on his shoes, Alexander looked to see Nathan already soiling his pants. He couldn't stop himself from laughing, but he slowly walked up to him, stepping on the mess, and squatted in front of Nathan.

He smiled at him, and in his confusion, Nathan smiled back as a crisp slap landed on Nathan's face. The slaps continued, but after just 10 or so, Nathan fell unconscious. His cheeks were red, about to be swollen.

"Oh! Come on," Alexander didn't push, he didn't want a murder case on his hands.

Lastly, he looked at Mathew.