Chapter 407: Strange Man
The first hit came before Kaiden could reassert his footing properly.
The guard’s kick slammed into his ribs, the force of which rippled through muscle and armor alike. A second blow followed in the form of an upward punch, aimed at his jaw. Kaiden caught it in his palm, but the impact still jarred his hand. Then came a second kick, low and fast, driving into his side.
This wasn’t a man anymore.
The strength pouring out of him was unnatural in its entirety, wild and unstable.
It felt as though the guard had jumped from the might of an average human to that of a level forty awakened in the span of a heartbeat.
Kaiden’s feet slid half a step back as he blocked the next wild flurry. The guard’s eyes were bloodshot, and his mouth twisted open in a snarl. Strings of spit clung to his teeth while his words were replaced by guttural growls. He struck again and again, heedless of pain or defense, the kind of frenzy that came when the mind no longer ruled the body.
Something was wrong. The control in the man’s movements was gone. His focus, his restraint... all stripped away. Kaiden realized he wasn’t fighting a person anymore, but a frenzied beast.
If he wanted to, he could’ve killed the man because there was basically zero defensive effort in his motions. It was as if he didn’t care one bit about his own life.
But Kaiden didn’t do that. After all, escalating an already bad situation like some savage smelling blood with no self-control wasn’t who he was.
He couldn’t drop the man, not with Naira and her mother just below him. So he grabbed the guard by the torso and hurled him aside. The body hit the ground several meters away, rolling through the home’s rough floor before the man pushed himself up again. His back arched, his breathing came ragged, and his eyes burned red with something more primal than rage.
Then he roared and lunged toward him on all fours.
Kaiden braced, ready to meet him.