Chapter 37: Tavern (Middle)
Ka-ka-ka-ka—
The extreme cold of the frost mist instantly spread around me. I raised my palm, and with a sound like ice cracking, four sharp, conical ice spikes formed above my head. With a speed that was almost invisible to the n*ked eye, they precisely shot toward the four men in the room—except for Barry.
Puh!
The sound of spikes puncturing flesh and piercing skulls came simultaneously. The three men by the bed and by the door were still struggling to get up when, in the next moment, their pupils widened. The freezing ice cones stabbed into their foreheads, emerging from the back of their heads. Before bl**d could flow, it had already frozen alongside their entire heads, their bodies slumped down. Only the last man, who was near the door and had already received a heavy kick from me, I decided to spare—his head wasn’t pierced; instead, his right hand was firmly nailed to the ground.
“Ughhh—!!”
The man screamed in agony, bl**d spraying from his mouth as it scattered on the floor. For him, the whole process was too fast—so fast that his brain could hardly comprehend what had just happened. All he could do was painfully open his mouth and scream. But the next moment, I kicked aside the corpse of his companion and approached him, squatting down to give him a slap.
Smack!
That slap silenced him immediately.
“Don’t scream, don’t move.”
I calmly stared at him, forcibly turning his twisted face to make him look at me, then asked in a dull voice, “Who are you, and what do you want? You have three chances to explain; maybe you can still live.”
“I… I am… cough cough…”
The man coughed up bl**d, and whether it was from pain or fear, his face was contorted, the muscles spasming, his tongue refusing to cooperate, trembling pupils filled with terror—his brain probably wasn’t clear anymore: “I’m the bartender… I’m just a bartender…”
“First sentence.”
I raised a finger, and indifferently said.
“I didn’t do anything… I didn’t do anything… let me go… don’t k*ll me…”
“Second sentence.”
“It was Labina who wanted to come up… Labina is the tavern owner; she ran away just now… she had her eyes on this guest, wanted to make a deal with her… I just listened to her… she’s the mastermind…”
“Third sentence.”
I nodded at the man, releasing my grip on his face. I stood upright without hesitation and lifted my foot, snapping his neck with a force that sent him flying half a meter into the air. He didn’t even let out a groan before his head hit the ground with a thud.
“I told you to be clear,”
I murmured, then pulled up my hood and turned to Barry, who was behind me, looking horrified and somewhat confused by the whole thing, and said, “Barry, let’s go. We’re getting out of here.”
With that, I quickly packed my bag and fastened it around my waist, then put my mask back on. After a moment’s thought, I took off my cloak and walked over to drape it over Barry. After arranging his hood, I stepped forward to open the door.
“You… you killed them all…”
Barry’s voice quivered, as if he was finally coming back to his senses.
“You called my name.” I walked out of the room without looking back, casting a quick glance down the corridor. Hearing footsteps approaching from downstairs, I hurried toward them. “They all heard it and saw your face.”
“But… did it have to be this extreme?”
Barry followed hesitantly, his footsteps unsure, “They… were just people looking for money…”
“So you’re gambling your life on their kindness? Or luck?”
I continued walking, not angry at Barry’s naive thoughts; for some reason, Victoria’s face flashed in my mind. I wondered if she ever felt something similar to what I was saying to Barry back when she faced the old me.
It was as if…
Knowing that the young child needed to understand step by step with patient guidance, one couldn’t rush it.
“……”
Barry seemed to be left speechless by my words.
“Don’t talk, don’t run around, just follow me.”
After throwing that out, I stopped speaking to him.
We quickly reached the stairs to the second floor. The commotion downstairs became increasingly clearer amidst the chaotic shouting. Two men dressed as bartenders came up the stairs, wielding steel knives, almost colliding with me.
The sudden situation caught them off guard.
But I was prepared; these two were clearly the ones that the tavern maid had called up to deal with me. No need to hold back.
I struck first, lifting my foot to kick one off, the blow heavy enough to send the 1.8-meter tall strongman soaring, his chest caving in with the sound of crunching bones. He didn’t have a chance to scream before rolling through the shattered railing and crashing down below in a flurry of splintered wood.
“d*mn…”
Meanwhile, the other man responded, swinging his kn*fe to chop at my head. I seized his wrist firmly, applying just a bit of pressure, and with a snap, I broke his wrist. His eyes bulged as he was about to yell but was silenced as I pressed my other hand against his face, fingers clawing his jaw, stifling his scream, then crashed his head against the wall with a dull thud, bl**d spraying everywhere.
I let go of my grip, allowing him to tumble backwards down the stairs, rolling and lying still on the ground.
“Let’s go.”
I clapped my hands and beckoned to Barry, then swiftly descended the stairs, kicking the man blocking the stairway several meters away. Hidden beneath the mask, I surveyed the first floor, staring at the gaping drunks seated at the tables.
“Fighting, huh?”
“Who is this little guy? Truly fierce…”
“The boss lady shouted about m*rder just now, is this little brat scaring everyone to d*ath?”
“Hahahaha!”
“Good job! Come over for a drink!”
Most of them were already drunk, either out of their minds or looking flushed, eagerly watching me. Some laughed and applauded, and others crouched down to check on the first man I kicked down the stairs, who was already motionless, slapping his face, murmuring, “Wake up… not dead, right? Wake up… get up and keep fighting…”
Only two tables of people sensed something was off, standing up with unsteady steps and hastily scurrying toward the tavern’s entrance.
“… You.”
I looked at the rugged man sitting at the nearest table, beckoning him with my finger: “Come here.”
The man, clearly intoxicated, with bleary eyes, suddenly changed expression upon seeing me point at him. He pushed his chair away, getting up to approach me, ready to confront: “Who the hell are you talking to—!!”
I didn’t give him a chance to finish his tough talk, casually sending an ice spike shooting past him with a woosh, its tip halting right at his nose.
The man sobered up instantly, anger dissipating as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Stunned for a moment, he quickly stepped back, seemingly preparing to flee, but I took a step forward, grabbing his throat.
“Urghghgh…”
The rugged man nearly bulged his eyes out.
“Where did that maid run off to?”
I asked, my gaze icy beneath the mask, making him shiver. At that moment, he no longer dared to spout nonsense. Once I loosened my grip a bit, he swiftly pointed toward the bar: “That… that way…”
“Get lost.”
I released his throat, pushing him back a few steps. I glanced at the few drinking buddies behind him, who had intended to come up but froze in place the moment they saw the ice spikes fly.
“Everyone, scram.”
I diverted my gaze from them, scanning the first floor of the tavern that had fallen silent. I raised my finger and made a slicing motion in the air. The icy spikes surged forward, as if alive, circling the walls of the first floor and expertly extinguishing all the candles. I then caught one in my hand.
“If you want to keep living, then get out of here—now.”
