CHAPTER 152: I’LL BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU

Andrew still stood with his mother at blade-point, the edge of his sword pressed so close to her throat that a thin line of blood had already formed. His grip trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the rush of adrenaline and hatred surging through his veins. His eyes never left his father and brother, both of whom were being tied up by his men.

"You made the right choice, Father," Andrew said, voice laced with venom. "It seems you still love Mother... regardless of how cold and detached you pretend to be."

The Baron’s expression tightened with pain and regret.

"Andrew... I have done many bad things in my lifetime. I may not have been the best father to you, or any of you, for that, I am sorry. But this... this is not the way."

Andrew’s jaw clenched.

"None of that matters anymore. I’ve come too far to step back or second-guess myself."

His men finished securing the ropes around the Baron and Michael, stepping away from the captives. Seeing that, Andrew finally released the hold on his mother, shoving her roughly to the ground. She gasped as she hit the floorboards, tears of fear and disbelief in her eyes.

"This is good," Andrew said, baring his teeth in a twisted grin. "Very soon, the warriors outside will push through the town. Everyone in Ribest will be forced to kneel before their new lord... me."

He spread his arms wide, basking in his own madness.

"Sadly... not."

The voice that spoke those words was one Andrew knew instantly, one he despised with every fiber of his being. His entire body tensed as he slowly looked around.

And there he was.

Sitting casually on the balcony railing above them, as if he owned the entire manor, was Raze Grimhold, dangling one leg lazily while staring down at Andrew with calm, bored eyes.

Andrew’s pupils shrank.

"No... no, no, no... how, how are you here!?" he yelled, spit flying from his mouth.

"Elaine, please lock the door," Raze said without even looking back.

The wooden doors behind Andrew creaked loudly as they swung shut. He snapped his head around just in time to see Elaine padlocking them securely. She bowed politely... and walked away as if nothing unusual had happened.

Andrew’s rage erupted.

"HOW ARE YOU HERE!?" he howled. "Shadow should have handled you!"

"Oh, Shadow’s dead," Raze replied casually as he hopped down from the balcony. He landed lightly, dusting off his clothes as if stepping off a small ledge. "It was stupid of you to ever think she’d be enough to stop me, bro. Sometimes I wonder if there’s even a brain in that thick skull of yours."

Andrew raised his sword, knuckles white from gripping the hilt. "I won’t allow you to take this from me! Not this time! You won’t win!"

Raze blinked, confusion flickering across his face.

"Win? Who the hell said I’m competing with you?"

Andrew’s anger faltered for a moment. It took him by surprise.

"What made you think I wanted to compete with you?" Raze continued. "I ignored you after you ran off to Viscount Luke for help. I ignored your first and second assassination attempts. I only ever gave you a warning to step the hell off."

His voice dropped lower, colder.

"But you had to cross the line. You came after Ribest.

You want to come after me? Fine.

But don’t you ever put my work, my place, my sanctuary, in danger."

Raze summoned his bat.

"I never cared about being Baron, Andrew. If you’d calmed down long enough to actually talk to me, you would’ve known that. But no. All you know are extreme measures."

He pointed the bat straight at Andrew.

"Now I’m going to beat the shit out of you."

Andrew’s face twisted into something almost inhuman.

"AAAAARGHHHH! KILL HIM! Whoever kills him gets one thousand gold coins!"

The men didn’t hesitate. Brute confidence filled their minds, Raze was only fourteen. He couldn’t possibly overpower grown men trained with blades.

Raze grinned, thrilled.

The first man reached him, sword raised high. Raze stepped slightly to the side and swung the bat down with monstrous force.

CRACK!

The man’s knee shattered. His scream barely escaped before—

BAM!

Raze smashed the bat into his jaw. Blood sprayed like a fountain as the man collapsed. He thrust the bat into his ribs next, shattering several bones as the man dropped gasping for air.

Two more arrived at once. He dodged one blade and parried the second and then grabbing the man’s hand, he twisted the man’s arm brutally before snapping the bat across his neck. The man fell, choking on blood.

The other man lunged again. Raze blocked, twisted the bat like a lever, disarmed him, snatched the sword mid-air, and drove it into the man’s shoulder with pure brutality.

Blood splattered the floor.

Raze pivoted, eyes locked on the remaining men. He wasn’t going to use magic. He wanted to feel every strike, every bone break beneath his hands, he wanted to beat then up badly.

He dashed forward, so fast the next soldier froze. That tiny hesitation was fatal. Raze smashed the bat into the man’s face, then struck twice more, shattering both knees. The man folded in agony.

Only six remained.

They exchanged terrified glances and rushed him all together.

A smart tactic, the only way they could win was together, they understood that Raze was not the weakling they assumed him to be at all.

But completely useless to someone like Raze while couid move at least three times as fast as the average trained knight.

Raze slipped between their strikes like smoke, dodging by inches, his body moving faster than their eyes could track. Each time he dodged, his bat swung.

CRACK!

SNAP!

BAM!

Bones broke. Screams filled the manor. Grown men fell one after another, writhing in agony, begging for mercy that Raze never offered.

Finally, the last man hit the ground, sobbing into the wooden floor.

Raze lifted his head, breath misting the air, eyes locked directly onto Andrew.

He pointed the bat at him.

"Now you."