After being pulled down from the high acquired by torturing Nathan and Lilith and being confronted by Zack, a sensation of anger was roused from John.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" John angrily questioned as he stood off against the equally enraged Zack. "I was having such a good time here!"

"You think...this is a good time?" Zack questioned as he clenched his fist in anger.

Although the delirious and grievously injured Nathan observed Zack, he didn't keep his gaze fixed for too long. His biggest priority, Lilith, was currently unconscious and bleeding on the ground.

The sight of her with such extensive wounds filled Nathan with a sense of urgency and despair. Despite his injuries, Nathan mustered his strength and darted towards Lilith's aid.

"L-Lilith...p...please don't...die," Nathan muttered as he held her unconscious body in his arms and rested his back on a building wall. As he observed her severed right arm, and the torn exposed tissues, this forced Nathan to break down as more tears streamed down his eyes.

Although visibly affected by this sight, Nathan understood the urgency of Lilith's profusely bleeding injuries, as he quickly materialized bandages to nurse her severed forearm.

As he tied the bandages around her arm, thoughts suddenly flushed through Nathan's mind. These thoughts couldn't be more perfect to make Nathan feel worse about his situation.

Lilith had always been there for him, from his terrible experiences at school to the heinous accusations Nathan received in life. When he was at his worst at the time of his parents' execution, Lilith was his source of comfort.

Lilith was the only one in the world who cared for Nathan, even going as far as to bloody her hands for his sake. Like her blessing, Lilith was truly his knight, and Nathan recalled all those times. She put Nathan above her safety so that this situation couldn't be more devastating for the young man.

From the warnings of the NPC to become more hungry for strength to John's berating that his decisions caused this mess, more memories played through Nathan's mind.

Y...You have always...been by my side...as you've told me...but...I couldn't even protect...you...! As Nathan gazed at the unresponsive Lilith and pondered, the tears intensified, even from his swollen black eye. I-If I had chosen...to kill...those soldiers...none of this would happen. No...if you had never...known me...you'd be...enjoying...life. Instead of...becoming partners...with a cursed criminal...like me...you could have been...a renowned...chef. You'd have all that you want...but I did this...to you!

In his immense despair, Nathan brought Lilith's body close and hugged her.

"I...I'm so...sorry..." Nathan muttered. "I'm...sorry...I was...born."

Both men could hear Nathan's pitiful words and this washed away John's anger, returning the high and ecstasy he received.

"Ha! Seeing Nathan in that condition truly puts a smile on my face!" John remarked. "I get to see the broken faces of parents and their children!"

The sight of his friends in their vulnerable states, and the joy John felt for being the perpetrator provoked Zack's ire, as he clenched his fists to the point of shaking.

"Yeah...I don't know why you did this to them...you could even be in the right for all I care," The angered Zack coldly responded. "You did this...to my friends. I'm going to slaughter you!"

"...Heh, don't think I don't know who you are...S-Class criminal, Zack Isaac. I've done quite a bit of research on you," John said. "It must be terrible growing up with abusive parents who control your life heavily."

"...Huh?"

"You weren't allowed to even go outside for too long, let alone have friends because of your parents, so I guess that's why you became a psychotic pyromaniac," John remarked. "Your life is just as pathetic as Nathan's, haha."

"...Stop bad-mouthing him."

"It's natural that I'd want to research you S-Class criminals since you also ruined everything I had. After I killed Nathan, I was going to pursue you, Olivia Gray, and Charles Warner," John said. "It looks like you made it easier by coming here, and it doesn't seem like you are in the best shape to do anything!"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

John was correct about his assumption, as the bandages Zack wore, even underneath his overalls, indicated injuries he was nursing.

"Seriously, you talk too damn much!" Zack yelled as he darted toward his opponent. "Just shut the hell up and die, old man!"

Zack engaged John in close-quarters combat and began with a rage-filled haymaker. Zack failed to realize how obvious charging up and throwing a punch would be, but he was punished by John who weaved the haymaker and delivered a jab to Zack's jaw.

Although Zack staggered a bit, he quickly recovered and continued fighting. As they threw jabs and kicked each other, one stark difference was made clear between the two men - their skill. While the two avoided some of the other's onslaught, John was far more efficient as he blocked and countered more of Zack's attacks.

Zack quickly found himself on the defensive and received several strikes to the jaw by John before being knocked to the ground by a punt to his shin.

"Ugh..." Zack grunted.

"Huff...You called me an old man, but I am still a military personnel!" John mocked as he was strangely catching his breath. He's not a terrible fighter, but he's lacking experience. Ah, it feels so good flexing my superiority in this battle! "Huff...I've received more combat training than a worthless criminal like you--"

While Zack was on all fours, his right glove began to gleam an orange radiance which surprised John.

BOOM!

Although Zack suddenly lunged to strike him in the face, John reacted quickly and shifted his body to the left. It didn't matter though, as he was still in the range of the explosion the glove discharged.

"AAHHHH!!!" John yelled as he was rag-dolled through an already ruined building, further destroying the walls of the infrastructure.

Ah...shit. I just got done fighting those Silverdust brothers, so the injuries are fresh as hell. Zack pondered as he clenched his side. I can't push myself or I may reopen the stitched wounds I received from those spike stab wounds. Not to mention all the cuts and bruises I got...

Remembering his friends, Zack glanced at the despair-filled Nathan. While he held Lilith in his arms and tears streamed down his face, Nathan gazed at the developer who still sat on the roof of a nearby building. He could only gaze at the developer with hatred and murderous intent.

No...you can't let these injuries be a damn excuse...You left your friends for a bit and this happened. It's all your fault, Zack. Zack told himself as he expressed sorrow and held his head down. Right when I thought I could protect my friends because I got stronger, this happened...I don't have the right to complain about my injuries!

"Damn you! What the hell was that!?" John, who rushed out of the building. Despite not receiving a direct hit from the explosion, John's face became even more burnt and bloody than it already was against his fight with Nathan. "Were you hiding a grenade in your hand, bastard!?"

He's pretty injured already too. Nathan must have done a number on him! Zack analyzed as he ran towards John. If I land a good hit, I could take him down!

Despite his determination, Zack could not improve his combat prowess, especially with his extensive injuries. The perks of becoming a super soldier granted John high pain tolerance which meant he could keep fighting Zack at high efficiency.

That is what he did as John landed a combo of jabs, hooks, and punches to Zack's face and chest before finishing with a headbutt to his forehead which sent Zack to the ground.

"All a pathetic bastard like you has is the ability to activate explosives! As long as I don't let you use any bombs, you have nothing!" John berated as he violently kicked Zack while he was on the ground. This caused Zack to cough up blood. "You can't fight me with those sloppy movements! I'll kill you then finish up Nathan--"

BOOM!

Zack's gloves discharged yet another explosion while he lay on the ground, creating a large blanket of smoke everywhere.

"Tsk! Dammit!" John yelled as he recoiled a few meters from the blast. His vision was obscured by the smoke.

BOOM!

Zack was scheming though, as he took advantage of the smoke field and landed a straight punch to John's chest. He landed a direct explosion-enhanced strike on John.

"Gak! Uuurrggghhh..." John grunted as he coughed up blood and was launched several meters away.

His body is sturdy--

Despite taking a direct blow, John quickly recovered. He rushed up and grabbed Zack, before tossing him into the walls of a building. In the same breath, John caught up to him and delivered a devastating straight punch to Zack's stomach, which created enough force to leave cracks in the building.

"AAAHHHHHH!!" Zack screamed as he coughed up blood. John had hit him in the weak spot, right where he was impaled by William's silver spikes.

"Stay the hell down--" John couldn't finish his demand, as Zack immediately grabbed his arm and exploded it with his gloves.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" John yelled as the arm he punched Zack with became severely burnt. This provoked extreme ire as John struck Zack repeatedly in the face with his other arm like a mad dog in a frenzy.

"YOU S-CLASS CRIMINALS KEEP GETTING IN MY WAY!" John yelled in anger as he kept striking Zack. While his face was being brutalized, Zack kept his grasp on John's arm. "I'LL SEND ALL OF YOU TO HELL TODAY--"

Much to his confusion, John observed a smirk from the pummeled Zack. His condition contrasted with the smirk as blood ran from Zack's eyes, nose, and mouth. John never understood the reason for Zack's smirk until it was too late.

BAM!

While Zack held his arm, John suddenly received a devious hook to his jaw. This rag-dolled him many meters away and through a building.

The perpetrator of this sneak attack was none other than the blood-lusted Nathan. The barely conscious Zack witnessed Nathan's murderous gaze towards John, and a slight frown formed on his face.

Sorry...for not...being useful. Zack pondered as he shut his eyes and slinked to the ground. I'm sorry...

"Damn...it...that hurt..." John muttered as he pulled himself out of the rubble. Surprise filled his face as he matched Nathan's gaze. Nathan stood there and gazed with a cold, murderous stare. "W-What...you're...still up...? You still...have the will to fight?"