CHAPTER 77: ELLA’S PAST 1

Gavin stepped forward, pulling his sword, and in one swift motion, he clashed with the sword of the boy. The metallic sound echoed. Both of them held in a stalemate before pushing themselves back.

Raze stepped up. He looked the boy right in the eye, and all he could see was anger, rage, and someone who genuinely hated them. But he wasn’t here to entertain all that. He pointed at the girl. "She took what doesn’t belong to her. Hand it over, and we won’t have this issue," he spoke clearly. But the boy didn’t respond; he simply got into a stance.

He took a deep breath, twisted his feet slightly, and slowly opened his eyes.

"I don’t think he’s ready to talk," Gavin said.

"Then we’ll make him ready," Raze replied. Without wasting a moment, he lifted his hand, and four flame arrows formed. The boy was shocked when he saw the flame arrows, but he didn’t back down. He charged ahead, his feet digging into the ground as he launched himself almost vertically, covering a meter in an instant.

Raze attacked, firing all four arrows at the same time. The boy’s eyes picked them up. He swung his sword, blocking two in one motion. They exploded as they came in contact with the blade. Then he kicked off the ground and retreated a few steps, dodging the last two that hit the ground and exploded.

He thought he was in the clear, but the next moment, Gavin launched forward as well. He went for an attack that forced the boy to block in a destabilized state. He managed to parry the sword but was pushed back even more. He slammed into the ground with his back, immediately kicking his feet and rolling back up, landing right into a stance again.

"You’re pretty good, but two against one isn’t going to work," Gavin said. He lifted his sword at the boy. The boy frowned, then stood straight. His stance seemed to shine even brighter, and for some reason, the air around him changed, became sharper. He lunged forward at top speed.

He planted his feet into the ground, twisted his body, and then, using the chain of his full body, went for a slash. It was definitely a slash, so Gavin moved to block the attack, but then the boy went under Gavin’s blade and didn’t even attack. He passed forward, going right past Gavin.

His gaze locked on the person who used ranged attacks, Raze. He knew that if he closed the gap fast, he could take out Raze, and if he did that, he’d be able to 1v1 Gavin and possibly win.

A stunning plan. It was something only someone with good survival instincts could do. But he picked the wrong person to try it with, because as soon as he was within range to attack, Raze lifted his hand, but the boy didn’t stop.

He understood how mages worked. He could have cut right through Raze before he finished casting a one-word spell. But again, he picked the wrong person, as a jet of high-pressure water exploded from Raze’s palm and slammed right into the boy’s chest.

"Ack!"

The boy was thrown back. He slammed into the ground and skidded several meters. By now, the fight had caught the attention of a few people from the gutters. They came out to take a look at the situation. A certain girl their age, with jet-black hair and abyss-like eyes, came out just as the boy was knocked back.

"Luka!" she yelled and ran in his direction. But before she could get there, Luka raised his hand, telling her he was fine. Then he got to his feet, gripping his sword and ready to fight again.

"This is enough. I just want the card inside the pouch. I don’t want anything else," Raze said.

"Tsk, you think I’ll believe you? After you chased Cindy all the way here? I’m sure you saw her ears and tail and wondered how much money you could make from her, you disgusting people," Luka said. The anger in his eyes was real, and it burned heavily. The girl who had just arrived gave them a scornful look as well.

"Wh-what the hell are you talking about?" Raze yelled.

"Raze, let me try to explain," Gavin stopped him. He looked at Luka. "We don’t have anything to do with the girl. We just want the card inside," Gavin said and then dropped his sword.

"Look, we mean no harm," he said. But even after all that, Luka didn’t budge. He was about to speak when Ella and Riker arrived.

Their presence drew everyone’s attention, and the moment Luka and the other girl laid eyes on her, they froze. But a few seconds later, their expressions shifted into rage.

"Ella," Luka called her name, his tone filled with anger and hate.

She looked up, and when her eyes met Luka’s, she froze. "Luka," she muttered, her chest tightening.

Luka slowly dropped his sword. The look of anger was mixed with disappointment. "Hahaha," he let out a small, shaky laugh. "So you left only to come back and take from us," he said.

"That’s not what’s happening here, Luka," Ella said. Her eyes moved to Cindy in the back, she realized Cindy was the one Raze had been chasing. It immediately made everything harder for her.

"So what’s happening? These people chased down Cindy like she was some sort of wild animal for them to kill, and you know these people. Cindy loved you. Of all of us here, she loved you the most, and you walked out of her life like you didn’t care. And now you’re back to harm her," he said, rage burning in his eyes.

Ella’s breathing grew shaky. She clenched her trembling fists. "You know that’s not true, Luka." she said in a shaky breath, "you know i didn’t want leave her, you, all of you." Ella said.

"But you did."