[Ch.46] The Rage of the Rabbit

The forest went quiet.

Its eerie stillness caused everyone to break out into a cold sweat. Then, without warning, the ground began to shake violently as if an earthquake was hitting.

The bandits fell over as they tried to fight the quakes in vain.

Nezu opened his eyes as he felt the pressure from the man suddenly release him. He looked over and saw the man writhing on the ground as if in unimaginable pain.

Nezu forced himself to sit up as he looked around with a dazed expression. His tears blurred his vision.

He wiped his eyes hurriedly, causing the rim of his eyes to turn red and swollen. The group of bandits rolled around on the ground, screaming out in agony.

"Nezu."

A sweet intoxicating voice reached his ears.

Nezu turned to see Ryu standing a few meters away with a gentle smile.

Panzram stood behind Ryu with a furious look in his eyes, but he wasn't as intimidating as he seemed earlier. Instead of feeling fear, Nezu felt relief upon seeing him.

Earlier, Ryu was playing with the fire lazily when he suddenly felt Earth Tamashii energy activated. Although this was not supposed to be strange while accompanying an Earth user, Ryu had planted a protective charm on Nezu without him knowing.

Ryu had sensed that something was wrong immediately. He stood up and started sprinting towards Nezu. Panzram was so startled by his sudden action, that he rushed after him. Upon arrival, they witnessed Nezu being pinned on the ground.

Panzram grit his teeth, fuming with rage. He knew there were some groups who still committed this kind of offense, but that didn't make it okay.

He was prepared to rip apart each of them until nothing was left.

However, before he could take a step towards them, his heart started to race.

He could sense danger.

However, the danger was coming from...

...Ryu.

Ryu's eyes were cold and merciless as he stared at the bandits, gripping their heads from the immeasurable pain. An eerie smile crossed his face, "What do you think you're doing?"

Ryu looked at Nezu whose robe was ripped open and his hair had been ripped out of his ponytail. Ryu's heart softened and he smiled gently at the frightened mouse. He held out his arms and called to him in a soft voice, "Nezu."

The disheveled Nezu ran to embrace Ryu and buried his face in his chest. Nezu sobbed, "R-R-Ryu!"

Ryu smiled at him as he rubbed his back to soothe him, "There, there Nezu. I am here now. You can cry as much as you want."

Nezu wailed louder as Ryu comforted him.

Ryu smiled sweetly, "Do you want me to make them suffer?"

Nezu nodded while still hiding his face in Ryu's chest.

Ryu spoke softly, "Then I will make them regret what they did to you."

Ryu held Nezu as if he was a mother protecting his child. Ryu's soft look turned chilly as he turned to look at the bandits writhing on the ground in pain. A crooked smile crossed his face, "Then I will make them dig out their own eyes and pull out their tongues."

Panzram watched as if the bandits were possessed by something. They screamed in agony as they clawed out their own eyes.

They pulled out their tongues in any way possible.

Scratching.

Biting.

Once their tongues were out, they convulsed on the ground until they moved no longer.

Panzram turned to look at Ryu who held Nezu in a comforting embrace. Before this moment, he would have gone berserk seeing Nezu cling to Ryu. However, now he didn't find it so infuriating.

He was only a little irritated.

Perhaps that was because it was hard to see Nezu as a threat after watching the man cry so violently.

Ryu smiled warmly once he watched the last bandit stop moving, "There. It's all over now."

Nezu's cries slowly died down and he looked up at Ryu with a trembling lip. "W-Why did you come to save me?"

Ryu smiled at him so gently, one would not know he had just mercilessly killed a group of bandits. He spoke delicately, "Because we are friends."

More tears rolled down Nezu's cheek, "W-We are... Aren't we?"

Ryu wasn't as detached and cold-hearted as he seemed.

Although he did save Nezu in the past by being in the right place at the right time, this did not mean he would allow Nezu to fall victim to such a horrendous crime.

Although he was laid back and carefree, this did not mean he was ungrateful. He would always repay kindness with kindness. Those who hurt his friends would become cannon fodder much like the group of bandits a moment ago.

Ryu used his sleeve to wipe Nezu's tears and began to fix his robe. Nezu sniffled as he allowed Ryu to fix his clothes and tidy up his hair. Ryu looked into Nezu's eyes with an unmistakable warmth, "I never lie, Nezu."

Nezu's eyes started to water as he smiled pitifully, "Ryu..."

Ryu sighed, "I am sorry I did not get here sooner. It is my fault this happened again."

Nezu shook his head, "It is my fault for not being strong…"

Ryu chuckled as he fixed Nezu's hair, "I think you are extremely strong. Now should we continue our trip? We should be getting close to Nabashi."

"Mhm."

Nezu followed after Ryu timidly as his heart thumped erratically from the earlier fear.

Panzram watched the other two walk away before turning to the corpses on the ground. His eyes were cold as he stared at their lifeless bodies.

He wished Ryu had killed them more slowly.

Panzram forced himself to turn away and follow after Ryu and Nezu.

Panzram recognized that he and Nezu were similar, yet vastly different. Their pasts were the same.

They had each been attacked and brutalized.

However, Panzram and Nezu reacted differently.

For Panzram, he thought that if men did this to him, why could he not do it to others?

He attacked those who were weaker than him. He stole and killed so that way he would not be stolen from or killed. He did not care who he hurt, as long as he was not the one being hurt.

Slowly, he grew stronger and his heart turned cold.

Nezu was the complete opposite.

He did not get stronger.

While Panzram chose to fight, Nezu chose to flee.

Both were capable of surviving, but that did not mean there was always going to be a time when they would succeed. On the road, you are one of two things:

You are either the prey, or the predator.