Chapter 17 Rose Buckerman (1)

When Ethan turned to look at the group, he frowned. They had dragged Rose in the center of the street by pulling her hair. Her upper body was bare, her full breast exposed. Her face was full of tears and pain.

"Idiot," he muttered. He should have first helped her instead of doing stupid shits like testing out the system. But now that he had already made a mistake, he had to quickly move.

Ethan first covered his face with a handkerchief, then disarmed the group, they mostly had knives, and threw them in a box beside the wall. He then tied the laces of the few in the front with each other. He picked up a stick from nearby, it was not that thick but it worked. He took a few steps back near the corner, and jumped lightly, to warm up. He'd rush from here, making it appear that he came from the narrow alley.

Then he stopped using the chronostasis ability half way through, the arcane points used were not returnable but that didn't matter. He immediately moved.

[Martial Genius activated.]

Ethan sprang into action before the thugs even had a chance to react. With a powerful hook, he took out the first guy, sending him sprawling away from Rose. The second thug was caught off guard and tripped because of the tied laces and Ethan took advantage, kneeing him in the face.

In a flash, Ethan kicked the elbow of the leader who was viciously yanking Rose's hair. The sound of bone cracking echoed through the air as the leader let out a blood-curdling scream.

But the thugs quickly regained their composure, trying to brandish their knives. One of them bellowed, "Where the hell is my knife?!" Another roared, "Forget that, let's take down this bitch first!"

Ethan shouted to Rose, "Get up and run! Now!" And used his stick to take out the nearest goon. Rose, still in shock, stumbled to her feet and fled towards the alley. But one of the thugs was quick, moving to intercept Rose's escape. That was until a stick smashed into the back of his neck, sending him crashing to the ground, taking the tied-up goon with him, who also earned the stick on his nose.

Ethan felt a strange connection to the stick, the result of years of relentless training with a sword. Ethan Chase had trained through illness, through the loss of his father, and through being bullied.

Ethan pointed the stick at a thug charging towards him, and with a flick of the wrist, it shattered into pieces, striking him on the chest. The thug clutched his chest, his face going pale, before collapsing to the ground.

The leader, tears streaming down his face, attempted to rise, but Ethan kicked him on the nose, sending him into unconsciousness with another sickening snap. The two goons Ethan had taken out earlier were back on their feet, their eyes filled with rage. But Ethan tripped them again with psychokinesis.

The leftover idiots swarmed Ethan like a pack of wild beasts, but he was ready. If Ethan Chase was adept with a sword, then he, Ethan Hunt, was good in a brawl. In no time, the floor was littered with writhing bodies, groaning in pain and blood spilling on the street.

Ethab's t-shirt was a bit torn and he could feel his right cheek burn with slight pain, making him smile bitterly. This body was athletic but compared to his past life, it wasn't that strong… at least not for now.

He quickly dragged the thugs to the side and tied them up with their own clothes. Then he walked towards the street Rose ran. Just then an orange cat jumped in the distance, its golden eyes looking at him in interest.

Ethan could feel the same thing when he met that female dog before, making him guess, 'Nyx, do I have this so-called destiny with animals?'

[Fate and luck are complex. So wait and observe, you will get your answer.]

Ethan hummed and turned to find Rose sitting on the ground, her body curled, her face on her knees. She was trembling and crying.

Ethan sighed and went to his knees, he softly said, "Rose, it's alright. Now you are safe."

She slowly looked up, her face stained with tears. He wondered why the Remnant Will hadn't reacted yet but consoling Rose was more important.

Before he could say anything, she threw herself on him and tightly hugged him, crying even more pitifully.

Ethan silently caressed her head, too speechless to say anything as she kept on repeating, "Ethan, I am sorry…."