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1347 Words
One wrong move, and his body would be riddled like a sieve. Yet, Leo did not move. He didn't even flinch or close his eyes. He just stood tall, letting the blinding lights wash over his face. A face that held no fear anymore, only an icy, terrifying emptiness.
Marco laughed hysterically, his voice echoing throughout the room. He walked casually toward Leo, twirling his pistol around his finger.
"You really are a fool, Leo. Did you think I would just let you take Sarah away? Did you think that woman truly loved you?"
Marco pointed the barrel of his gun directly at Leo's face.
"Look at yourself now. Dressed in rags, wounded, and coming here alone like a madman. You are no longer the feared Underboss. You are just trash that was lucky enough not to die last night."
In the corner of the room, Sarah sobbed uncontrollably, covering her face with her hands.
"Leo... run... run fast..."
Leo slowly shifted his gaze. From Marco's sneering face, to the weapons aimed at him, and back to Marco's eyes. But then... something unexpected happened.
Leo smiled.
It wasn't a smile of fear, nor a smile of bitterness. It was a wide, calm, and incredibly composed smile. As if he wasn't the one surrounded, but rather the one surrounding them.
"Are you done talking, Marco?" Leo asked in a flat tone, yet his voice carried clearly to every corner of the room.
Marco stopped laughing. He frowned. "What? Have you gone crazy from fear?"
"Because if you are done bragging and showing off your arrogance..."
Leo slowly clenched both his fists. The muscles in his arms tensed up.
"...it is my turn to play."
BOOM!
Suddenly, the floor beneath the feet of several guards exploded!
It was a small blast, but loud enough to shock them and throw them off balance. White smoke instantly filled the entire room!
"ATTACK! SHOOT HIM!!" Marco screamed frantically.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!!
A hail of bullets rained down on the spot where Leo had been standing. Walls were shattered, furniture turned into splinters. Dust and glass shards flew everywhere.
As the smoke began to clear...
There was no body. No blood.
The spot was empty!
"Where did he go?! Find him!" Marco roared.
For a brief moment, from the air vent above the ceiling, a black shadow was seen descending at lightning speed!
WHOOSH!
Before the two guards standing near Marco could even react, their necks were snapped with a swift and lethal movement.
CRACK!
The two sturdy bodies fell instantly without a sound.
And there stood Leo, breathing steadily, his eyes flashing fiercely like a hungry tiger.
"Did you think I came alone?" Leo whispered coldly. "I may be alone... but that is more than enough to destroy all of you."
"Get him! Kill him!" ordered Marco, panic clearly visible in his voice.
Ten men immediately charged forward with knives and clubs. They thought Leo was exhausted and weak. They were dead wrong.
Leo moved.
It wasn't just fighting; it was like a dance of death.
His right fist shot out, shattering an enemy's jaw so hard teeth flew out. His leg swept around, knocking two others off their feet. With lightning speed, he snatched a weapon from one of them.
BANG! BANG!
Two precise shots. Two more men fell.
The room turned into a chaotic battlefield. Screams, the sound of impacts, and gunfire filled the air.
Leo moved amidst the rain of bullets. He used enemy bodies as human shields, he used tables and sofas as cover. Every movement was efficient, deadly, and terrifyingly beautiful to watch.
"Protect Sarah! Don't let her get hurt!" shouted one of the guards.
Hearing that, Leo glanced sharply toward Sarah hiding behind the sofa. That look made Sarah tremble.
He is still protecting me? Even when his own life is at stake?
The guilt tore at Sarah's heart even more.
"Marco!" Leo shouted as he threw a knife he had taken from an enemy.
SWISH!
The blade embedded itself deep into the wall, just millimeters away from Marco's ear. The man jumped in terror, his face turning pale as paper.
"You... you monster!" Marco trembled. He fired blindly at Leo, but Leo dodged effortlessly.
Leo leaped over the table and slid down to land directly in front of Marco. He grabbed the collar of his former friend's shirt and slammed him hard against the wall.
CRASH!
"How does it feel, Marco? When all that power you bragged about becomes useless?" Leo whispered right in front of his face.
Marco tried to shoot, but Leo was faster. He grabbed Marco's wrist and twisted it backward violently.
CRAAAAK!
"AAAAAAHHHH!" Marco screamed in agony as his arm bone snapped. The gun clattered to the floor.
"Did you think that by killing me, stealing my empire, and taking my woman, you would become the greatest man alive?"
Leo moved his face closer, their eyes only inches apart. That gaze was so dark and deep, like an abyss of death.
"You were wrong, Marco. You are just a thief who stole stolen goods. And today... the rightful owner has come to take everything back."
Leo raised his fist, ready to deliver the final blow. Ready to end the traitor's life right then and there.
"LEO, DON'T!"
That loud scream froze Leo's hand in mid-air. Sarah ran and hugged his legs, crying hysterically.
"Don't kill him, Leo! Please... stop shedding blood! I beg you..."
Leo looked down at the woman. His heart ached terribly.
"Sarah... he wanted to kill me. He has already killed so many innocent people. He deserves to die."
"I know... I know..." Sarah cried, shaking her head desperately. "But don't let it be your hands! If you kill him, your hands will be stained forever! And we will never be happy again!"
Leo fell silent. Those words pierced straight to his heart. The deepest part of him, the part that was still human, still had a heart, didn't want to become a cruel murderer. But while Leo was distracted by Sarah's words...
Marco's face, contorted in pain, suddenly changed. A cunning, evil smile appeared on his lips.
With his left hand, which was still unharmed, he secretly reached into his pocket and pulled out a hidden switchblade!
"DIE, YOU!" Marco screamed.
He thrust the blade forward with all his might.
STAB!
Sarah's body, standing right in front of Leo, took the blow! The knife pierced deep into her back, driving straight through to her chest!
Time seemed to stop.
Fresh blood immediately soaked the white dress Sarah was wearing. She looked at Leo with wide, shocked eyes, her mouth open but no sound came out.
"Sa... Sarah..." Leo's voice trembled violently, his hands shaking as he held the woman whose body was already going limp.
Marco laughed loudly, a hysterical and insane laughter.
"HA HA HA HA! FINALLY! IF I CANNOT HAVE YOU, THEN HE WILL NOT HAVE YOU FOREVER EITHER!!"
Leo looked down, staring at Sarah's pale face as she began to lose consciousness. Blood trickled from the corner of her lips.
"Leo... forgive me..." she whispered weakly. "I... love you... truly..."
Sarah's body went limp. Her eyes closed forever.
Silence.
Dead silence enveloped the room. No gunshots. No shouts.
Only the sound of Leo's breathing, which was no longer the breathing of a human being, but the breathing of a demon who had just lost the only reason to remain human.
Slowly, Leo laid Sarah's body gently on the floor. He closed her eyes with his trembling fingers.
Then... he stood up.
He didn't look at Marco. He didn't look at the other guards.
Yet the entire room felt frozen. The temperature dropped drastically.
"You..." Leo's voice came out low, but it sounded like distant thunder rumbling.
"You just killed the only thing that made me want to stay good."
Slowly, Leo turned his head. Tears mixed with blood streamed down his cheeks. But his eyes were empty and void of emotion.
"From this second on... there is no mercy. You will all die!"
- Writer
