The Rooftop (1)

*Thud!*

Liam toppled backward, one hand clutching his nose and the other reaching out to break his fall.

"Sheesh! What the fuck is happening?"

"Hah~? Big bro, I think he needs another punch. He dared to swear in front of you!" A grating voice pierced through, irritating Liam in ways he couldn't quite explain.

As his vision gradually cleared, Liam observed a young boy approaching him. A realization dawned—Wait... wasn't he Daniel?

The boy drew nearer and attempted a feeble punch, more for show than technique. Liam easily dodged by slightly tilting his head to the left. The punch missed his face by a hair's breadth. 'What is this idiot doing?'

"Wha-" The boy seemed taken aback.

Undeterred, he unleashed another punch with his opposite hand, only for Liam to deftly redirect it with a subtle slap. The boy appeared flabbergasted and frustrated. "B-Big bro, that was just a fluke. Don't worry, I'll handle it."

Throughout this puzzling sequence, Liam's mind was a whirlwind. 'What in the world is happening? Is this some sort of hell? Or perhaps these are the flashbacks that occur during a person's death... But if that's the case, why did I feel pain? Is this how it was meant to be? Damn it, I don't have a clue!'

"Get it over with quickly!"

"Yeah, finish him off! Beat him down!"

Amidst the confusion, voices emerged from behind the boy. His presence had obscured Liam's view.

Mildly irritated, Liam shifted his leg, causing the boy to stumble and fall face-first to the ground.

Bang! "Owww!"

With his vision no longer obstructed, Liam shifted his gaze toward the source of the earlier voices.

But what he saw made his blood boil in anger.

A group of teenagers, about twelve or so, were present. Most were surrounding a few individuals sitting on a low concrete wall, barely reaching waist height.

However, it wasn't the group's arrangement that enraged him. His anger stemmed from the sight of a girl kneeling on the ground, her hair tightly held by another girl. The tormentor was purposefully increasing her grip on the girl's hair, seemingly enjoying Liam's growing fury.

"Hehe, looks like little Li is getting all worked up. What's he gonna do? Run to the teacher and cry? Haha! Hey, Daniel! Get up, man, and give him a beating... I don't like the way he's staring at me," the taunting girl's voice shifted to a mocking babyish tone as she finished her sentence, clearly attempting to provoke Liam.

The girl on her knees let out a pained yelp as she struggled against the aggressor's grip, only to receive a slap from a boy.

Seeing this unfold before him, Liam's reasoning snapped.

Without hesitation, he rushed towards them, causing confusion and fluster among the group. With a forceful slap, he pushed the taunting girl away and embraced the girl who had been kneeling. "Eri... I missed you," his voice trembled, tears forming in his eyes as he remembered her death during the world collision.

"L-Liam..." Eri's voice emerged, her attempt to conceal the pain evident. She didn't comprehend the sudden change in Liam's demeanor, but she was acutely aware that asking questions might inadvertently lead to more pain for him, given that her voice seemed to trigger it, leading him to retaliate against the bullies and getting hurt in the end. Her priority was to shield him from any harm.

"Hey! Do you think this is a love hotel or something?" A kick struck Liam's back, but he didn't budge, and glared at the one who kicked him. The kicker instinctively stepped back.

Turning his attention back to Eri, Liam spoke in a soothing voice, "Don't worry, everything's going to be okay." Gently helping her to her feet, he began to lead her away from the distressing situation. However, a hand grabbed his shoulder, stopping him back. "Hey, where's our young master off to?" the guy said with heavy sarcasm.

Liam swiftly seized the guy's hand and crushed one of his fingers with his thumb.

"AAAAAAAAAA!!!" The guy collapsed, writhing in excruciating pain. He hadn't experienced agony like this before.

"Stay where you are. I'll be back," Liam's voice dripped with coldness as he addressed the other guys who seemed poised for a confrontation. Hearing his words and locking onto his unrelenting gaze, an inexplicable unease gripped them. Some shivered involuntarily.

Liam guided Eri toward the door that led to the stairs. They stood on the rooftop, the surroundings hinting at his old college. Though nothing seemed coherent, the details weren't a priority.

"Eri, head downstairs to the nurse. I'll join you after dealing with them," Liam spoke gently.

"No! Come with me! You'll get hurt!" Eri clung to him, her grip desperate.

Liam observed her bruised hands and swollen cheek, marked by a red handprint. Her disheveled appearance ignited a surge of anger within him. He longed to unleash his fury upon those tormentors but reined himself in.

"Fine, then stay here," he relented with a sigh. Although she disagreed ,he assured her it would be alright, urging her to believe in him just this once.

Now locking the door, and turning away from her, his expression contorted. Rage surged, veins throbbing on his forehead.

The nature of the situation eluded him. Was this a flashback before his death? An illusion, perhaps? None of that mattered. Illusion or not, he was resolved to confront those bullies. Their relentless torment of him and Eri had gone too far.

He recalled this very day—the day those guys had brought him and Eri to the college rooftop, subjecting him to physical abuse while causing Eri's wrist to be dislocated.

Fuck! just thinking about it makes him want to tear them apart, but he restrained himself. What if he truly had returned to the past? What if this was a reality? If his speculations held any truth, he couldn't kill them... at least not now.

However, a bit of thrashing, a few broken bones—such measures wouldn't matter much. He could manage the consequences. He knew a way out of this mess.

"Alright then," Liam muttered as he approached them, casually rolling up his shirt sleeves, a subtle preparation that might hinder their movements. "I don't know what's happening right now, whether it's an illusion or reality, but none of that matters." He stood leisurely, gesturing with a taunting hand. "Come on, bitches."

Confusion gripped the group. How had this seemingly timid individual undergone such an abrupt transformation? His commanding gaze left them baffled, and they found themselves powerless to resist it.

A previously quiet guy, who had been perched on a concrete block, stood up, triggering a domino effect as his companions rose with him. He appeared to be the leader of this gang of bullies.

"Beat him to a pulp! All of you, swarm him!" The leader's command spurred his cronies into action, rushing toward Liam.

Even he, the self-proclaimed Noah, the college's supposed king, had been shaken by the intensity of Liam's gaze. How could he, the leader, bow down to a mere outcast?

As the group closed in on him, Liam effortlessly analyzed their movements. Each attack was clumsy and feeble. 'How did I ever get beaten by the likes of them?' Liam mused.

While Liam might have been physically feeble in his previous future and the apocalyptic setting, it didn't imply he was powerless.

He had survived for 800 years, acquiring a vast wealth of knowledge and mastering martial arts techniques that surpassed the best of the best in this present world. He had practiced relentlessly, ingraining them into his muscle memory. Even though he had reverted to his former skinny and frail self, this present reality felt vastly superior.

Breathing came easily, devoid of suffocation. Movement didn't incite pain. He felt free.

While his body felt somewhat heavy, he understood he could overcome it.

Daniel, the guy whom Liam had initially subdued, was the one who had initiated the attack. Anger radiated from his expression, his ego wounded by the humiliation of being beaten by someone he had once dominated.

Just as before, Liam gracefully sidestepped, evading Daniel's punch. It was clear that this guy never learned his lesson.

However, the encounter didn't conclude there. As Daniel stumbled, Liam swiftly bent his body and drove a knee into Daniel's nose. Blood spurted forth, and Daniel crumpled to the ground, clutching his bloodied nose in agony.

Another assailant attempted a kick, but Liam deftly caught the incoming foot. Upon identifying the owner of the leg – the same guy who had slapped Eri earlier – Liam pulled the leg, causing the guy to tumble to the ground.

In full view of the spectators, Liam composedly positioned himself, delivering a ruthless kick that shattered the guy's knee, breaking the guy's leg in the end, contorting it gruesomely.

"This is for slapping Eri," Liam's voice remained eerily calm as he addressed the injured guy.

"AAAAHHHH!!" A hollow, agonized scream reverberated through the air, filling everyone with shock. The sight of someone's leg being broken was beyond their expectations or comprehension. The unnaturally composed expression on Liam's face as he carried out this act instilled fear in all of them. These were teenagers, just stepping into adulthood, and witnessing such brutality left them paralyzed.

Facing the tear-streaked face of the guy whose leg he had broken, Liam sighed. This level of retribution was more than enough for them, yet Liam's desire for justice hadn't been satiated.

*BANG * * BANG * * BANG * * BANG *

A series of forceful knocks echoed from the locked door. "WHAT'S GOING ON IN THERE!? OPEN THIS DOOR!!" A deep voice demanded from the other side.

"It's the PE teacher!" A girl's voice rang out, recognizing the voice.

Noah's face briefly registered relief at the mention of the PE teacher, but once again looking at Liam's face, it quickly turned grim.

"GO AND OPEN THE DOOR! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, YOU BITCH??" Noah yelled at the girl.

Unperturbed, Liam advanced toward Noah, who trembled with fear. "D-don't come near me!!! My father holds significant influence in the college. If I say one word, he'll ruin your future! And the PE teacher is right there!" Noah attempted a last-ditch effort to deter Liam.

Hearing his plea, Liam halted.

"Y-yes! Obe-"

*Phat *

A resounding slap echoed through the surroundings as Liam struck Noah forcefully under the ear, a sensitive spot near the jawline.

Noah crumpled to the ground, hands clutching his dislocated jaw in agony.

"You talk too much," Liam's voice remained eerily composed.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE!?"