Fate Online: Shadow

At the backyard in the mansion.

A long table is set up with various types of foods laid on top. This kind of setup where there's a feast would've been a happy occasion, but the atmosphere is weird.

Why?

Because Michael is currently standing face to face with Zero, while Randy and the others are just standing at the side looking at the two with smirks on their faces.

But those people like Amanda and Olivia, who barely know anything about Zero are currently looking at the situation with grim looks as they have this feeling inside them that an explosive situation is about to happen, signaling a "war" is about to happen any second now!

"Your guts are quite large to keep me waiting for a couple of days, little brat" Zero grinned menacingly, and as the one standing in front of Zero, Michael couldn't help but bear the pressure emanating from the man before him.

'Goddammit, just how many people had died under this bastard's hands!?' Michael thought in exasperation as he's starting to have this suffocating feeling, but he still kept his poker face on as he stared straight at Zero with an unyielding gaze even though his back is already covered in a cold sweat.

'It's been a...while since I've felt this suffocating feeling from a person'

BAM!

Michael's gaze became sharpened as his body suddenly sprang like a bowstring and whip his right leg towards Zero's neck, who just stood there with a smirk on his face with no intention of dodging at all, and the others who saw his action shook their head, while some grew worried.

"Kakaka, that's not too bad kid. An attack like that would certainly takedown any adult man, but something of that caliber isn't enough to take me down"

"Tsk!"

"Get ready kid, because here I come!"

Michael clicked his tongue and quickly crossed his arms before him as Zero's fist is zooming forwards him while wearing a menacing smirk on his face.

BAM!

'Sh*t!'

Zero's fist landed on Michael's guard as he cursed with gritted teeth as he could feel the bones in his arms on the verge of snapping into two!

'Sh*t! I'm gonna fly!'

Swoosh!

"" Michael!""

Michael was lifted from his feet and flew backward, and he was lucky because there weren't any hard objects along the way or he would have certainly broken a bone or two, and luckily for him, he just broke some plants while rolling on the ground like a ball.

While Amanda on the other hand, quickly ran towards Michael with a worried look on her face.

"Holy sh*t! The kid flew! I've never seen a human cannonball like that before!"

"Randy!"

"Okay geez, not like the kid is gonna die from that"

Randy could only scratch the back of his head after getting yelled at by Olivia and went over to where Michael and Amanda are.

"So what do you think?"

"Heh, he's not bad"

Randy chuckled as he walked past Zero who is wearing a huge grin on his face while looking at his fist that's trembling in excitement.

"Looks over, come on! Let's eat!"

"I wonder if that brat suffered from broken bones, didn't Zero went serious for a second there?"

"He certainly did, after all, I wouldn't be in this situation, right?"

Moniker glared at Tony and Miya angrily, and the two women just giggled to themselves as they made their way to the table.

Moniker, are one of the people who spared with Zero back then, he was the only one who unluckily suffered a broken left arm that's now covered in a cast that extends all the way to his elbow.

'Kakaka, I wonder what those two would think if they learn about this, and what a promising talent, he had promptly jumped backward just before my fist hit him, nullifying most of the force behind my attack'

Zero chuckled to himself as he started to think that there's finally a rising talent that has a chance to step into his world, and after having those thoughts inside his head, he started walking away from the group and towards the front yard.

"Where is he going?"

"His purpose of coming here is over, so of course he's leaving now"

"He's leaving just like that?"

Olivia couldn't believe what she's hearing from Genesis, and has this urge inside her to smack him hard!

After causing them a lot of trouble for the past couple of days, Zero is just leaving like nothing happened at all!?

Deep inside, she really wishes she was as strong as them, give Zero a good face slap so that the next time he comes here, he'd at least behave a little and not behave like a wild animal.

Meanwhile.

"You okay, kid?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to get up immediately. My whole body is shaking from that"

Randy approached the two and looking at Michael's miserable appearance, he couldn't help but smile, a little satisfied at Michael getting his ass kicked from Zero.

"Let me help you up"

"What? Noo...argh!"

"This…"

Randy gave a sinister grin as he forcefully carried Michael from the ground even with all his protest as Michael screamed because almost his whole body is sore from pain, while Amanda on the other hand, doesn't know what to do.

She wanted to help Michael but at the same time doesn't want to because she thinks that he's deserving of this punishment from him for acting on the impulse of attacking Zero when even Genesis and the others couldn't take him on, making her really fraught with worries.

"Ran..dy, I'll f*cking...kill you after..this, you freaking bastard!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, but let's think about how many times you had lost to me and the time I lost to you, was it five to one?"

Michael glared at Randy who is helping him walk by placing Michael's arm over his shoulders, and then Michael saw a huge grin slowly crept up Randy's face when the two of them arrived beside the pool and he quickly had a bad feeling slowly creeping in.

"And stop acting, you little bastard!"

"Argh! Randy...I'm gonna kill...offt!"

Splash!

Randy threw Michael into the pool, and the latter quickly started squirming on the water, and two seconds later, he disappeared under the water followed by water bubbles.

"You...f*cker.."

Splash!

Amanda quickly jumped into the water and saved Michael, the people around just looked at the scene a little bit dumbfounded, as Genesis and the others couldn't believe what Randy just did!

After all, the man is injured!

"Wait, so he wasn't acting?"

Randy was dumbfounded, after all, he really didn't check Michael as he had just thought that he was just faking it. After all, he did see Michael jumping backwards before Zero's fist hit him, so he thought that Michael really didn't suffer anything except for some bruises here and there from getting blown away.

While that is happening, one woman's look started darkening, like there was an aura of a domineering demon around her that it even surprised Tony and Miya who are standing beside Olivia.

"RAN...DY!"

"Uhhh, on another note, I'll leave first as I need to pick up the kids"

"Get back here, you inconsiderate and troublemaking old bastard!"

Randy quickly ran away when he noticed Olivia's expression, and the latter quickly ran after him like a demonic being on the loose.

"Amitabha, he deserves it"

Moniker couldn't help but give his prayers to Randy, while the others just looked at each other and then shrugged their shoulders and went back to eating like everything that just happened are all normal daily occurrences.

"You okay, kid?"

Genesis walked over towards Amanda and Michael who's currently lying on her thighs, with a plate full of food in his hand.

"Randy, I will f*ck him up when I get better, but for now I'm gonna enjoy this soft pillow"

Smack!

"Oww! What was that for?"

"That's for always causing trouble and constantly making me worry"

Michael looked at Amanda while holding his forehead with a resigned look on his face, while the latter just glared at him with a menacing look on her face as she started cracking her knuckles.

"Wait...let's talk about this babe! Don't! Arggh!"

"I won't do it again babe! Arghh!"

"Ahh! Not there! Argghh!"

Amanda got Michael to lie down on the floor on his chest beside the pool and started giving him some good "massages", while Michael was forced to constantly tap out in pain.

Genesis looked at the two of them and scoff with a smile.

'The saying that a man really changes when they meet a woman seems to have some credibility'

'Everyone is changing, especially when we started interacting more with normal people. Everyone is slowly coming out of their cold shells, especially Randy, he's the one who changed the most among us. If I didn't know him personally, I might even think that he was just an ordinary man based on his current demeanors'

'It seems having a woman on my side isn't such a bad idea'

Genesis stood up with a smile looked towards the distant skies, then he turned around and looked at Miya for a moment as he smiled before looking away, and then started walking towards them.

'Hmm?'

Miya suddenly looked at Genesis and suddenly had a question mark floating above her head when she noticed that the air around Genesis seems to be different, and even the others couldn't help but take notice of it.