District 42-Chapter 287: Life’s value part 1

Rurik was waving his hands in despair towards the tall and bulked man in front of him. He had pleading eyes as if everything he wanted was to the Vanir to target him and kill him already (And that was, indeed, what he wanted from him).

’What is this freaking bastard thinking? Does he wants to die?’ (Yes, that’s exactly what he meant)

"Please! Let those losers aside, you will need to struggle too much with them! Why don’t you just start with me and end with this fight already!?" Rurik approached the Vanir in hurried steps.

The man just backed away, tightening his guard and looking to the melancholic Aesir trying to get closer to him.

’No. It can’t be. This guy is probably planning something. I know more or less about his power, and they told me that he would have an eccentric personality as well, but I can’t let myself be fooled here.’ He squinted his eyes. ’In this case, I will make everything I can to maintain him far away from me!’

The Vanir roared, then gave a strong punch to the ground. His gauntlets began to get filled with Indigo energy and powered up his blow.

The impact of that attack made Rurik nearly lose his balance and stumble to the side. The same happened with the other healers.

It also created wide fissures on the asphalt, which forced his enemies to retrieve by some steps. One of the healers needed to take Rurik with him not to let the guy get harmed by the attack. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Darn it! I was so close... Why you saved me? Why do people save others when they don’t ask to?" The Aesir complained crossing his arms.

The healer who was supporting him got so nervous and stressed with the previous situation that he nearly smacked his leader on the head to get him real. However, he decided to be reasonable and talk to him properly.

"Look, leader, that isn’t the time to play around, ok? This guy in front of us is really strong. We also don’t know how the other Aesirs are doing. I am aware of your philosophy about the cycle of life and all that stuff, but don’t you think that it is time to get going and begin to act more like an Aesir?"

Rurik sighed, brushing off his hands and standing by himself. He looked to the Vanir with disappointed eyes.

"That’s a bummer. I wanted to have a chill day, or then just close my eyes eternally. I really should have had avoided this Aesir thing. Responsibilities make me tired of living."

His gloves began to shine in red light. He was having a hard time needing to make so much pointless effort, but nothing was helping it.

"Look, Vanir, I am really pissed off today because life seems to be worthless every second more." When the glow on his gloves turned to its peak brightness, he stared directly at his enemy’s eyes. "I wanted to solve things quickly, but if you want to make it harder, it’s your fault."

What the bulked man saw in his eyes wasn’t determination, killing intent, or some kind of naturally intimidating expression. He just noticed coldness and sadness there. Nevertheless, those negative and depressive feelings struck his mind and made it seem two times as intimidating as it should be.

"Do you really think that someone as weak-looking as you can keep up with my pace?" The proud Vanir asked, stuffing his chest. His eyes glowed blue, leaving the impression that something more was hidden in him.

Rurik, though, didn’t care about that detail. While adjusting his gloves, like a surgeon preparing to make a surgery, he walked slowly toward that man.

"You have something to lose, man?"

"The only thing I had before was my freedom, and the government took it from me since the day I was born. I don’t have anything more, Immortal Aesir."

"Liar." That affirmation made a vein pop out from his forehead, he nearly snapped and rushed towards the red-haired man.

"What do you know about me to be saying something like this?" He began to walk towards the Aesir, giving threatening and firm steps on the ground. Each step cracked the asphalt.

"I know something about you that every human should know about each other." Rurik put his hand on the left side of his chest. "You have life. It’s running through your veins. That’s the only thing you have now, even though you don’t realize how unique it is. That’s what you can lose here."

Both men kept walking toward each other until they were just a few centimeters away. They never avoided their gaze, always maintaining their eyes in contact. The closer they got, the tenser the environment turned.

The healers were still behind, preparing to help their leader as they could. Unfortunately, they couldn’t intervene in their conversation right now. If a reckless attack was made, it would trigger the fight and they still didn’t know about the enemy’s power.

Rurik wasn’t just talking and talking just to save time. He was analyzing his opponent. After so many years of dealing with humans and their bodies in different ways (a greater part of them being warriors), the man knew how to measure someone’s power just by looking at him and analyzing his physique and ordinary movements.

’He is as strong as he seems to be. Maybe his raw strength is more outstanding than his bulked body, even. Just by walking, one could know that he isn’t someone that anyone could clash against. Probably, his speed will be high, regardless of his weight.’

"So what? You also have your life." The Vanir shrugged.

Rurik laughed at his face.

"What’s your name, big man."

"They call me Leo or Lion."

"Well, then, Leo. That’s the difference between me and you. My life can’t be taken, contrary to yours. I am a man that has nothing to lose. I am the kind of man that people like you must fear."

A chill ran down Leo’s spine once he heard those words. Looking at the Aesir’s eyes, he could assume that he was saying something that he believed to be true.

Nonetheless, everything that the man did was to smile behind his halved mask.

"When your blood dye this street and all your bones get cracked until you fall, let’s see whose life can’t be taken!"

After his last words, the man delivered a horizontal punch on the Aesir that launched his body to the left. He flew all the way to the nearest building and collided with it, breaking through its wall.

"You are just someone who talks too much. They said to me that the Aesir with the lowest rank was you, after all. You are no match for me." He spat on the ground rudely.

"Now that the weakling is gone, together with all his fallacies, who is the one that wants to have some fun with me?" He mocked the five healers that were acting with Rurik.

Seeing his brutal strength, they could just retrieve in fear.

’This guy...’ One of them thought. ’He is too strong. It’s unbelievable. He didn’t use his back, nor his legs or hips on that punch. Even so, it was a powerful blow that sent a human flying for more than thirty meters! How could he lift his hands when using these massive gauntlets with such speed?’

The healers were wielding their special scalpels already, taking care not to let the man close the distance too much and glancing through the building which Rurik’s body broke through. They were worried about the condition of his leader. Truth be told, none of them ever saw Rurik fighting, he was always at the rear guard of the Aesirs, just focusing on healing.

"W-what shall we do?" He thought out loud, unintentionally.

Suddenly, the Vanir stomped the ground, making pieces of asphalt fly backward like bullets. That huge man, even having a lot of weight (probably more than 100 kilograms/220,46 pounds), had strength enough to propel his body like that.

The next thing that the healer felt was his belly being struck by a quick attack. His ribs cracked and he could sense his organs being smashed.

The gauntlets sunk in his belly before he got knocked behind. That blow launched him even farther away than Rurik. He bounced across the street, then slid on it, finally stopping after 100 meters of distance.

For a good while, he couldn’t breathe for two reasons. Firstly, his diaphragm contracted. Second, he was throwing a mouthful of blood, which prevented him to search for oxygen.

The imponent figure of the Vanir looked to the other four Healers who had now their faces paler than before and their eyes widened while looking in disbelief at their friend.

"More four rabbits." He chuckled. "Please, make it be more fun than the previous ones. I am getting too bored here."