9 [My Ordinary Life]

A low hum came from Jack's throat, barely audible to the quiet midnight streets. He was alone, wandering through the city streets with a pair of headphones in his ears playing Duke's newest song. The poor guy still wasn't being recognised for his tracks simply because he... well, he was ugly as shit. But still, music shouldn't be about how someone looks but about how someone performs. Ah, the thought of those stupid internet trolls made Jack's blood boil enough for him to drop it. He just wants to vibe.

Oh! Right! Nobody goes out in the middle of the night for no reason. Jack was on his way to the dollar store the short and fat Daniel worked at. Why? One; it was close by. Two; it was cheap. Three; he wanted some crisps and he needed to restock on condoms. Maybe he should grab some coffee as well, or a few cans of Red Bull... ah whatever, he'll get there when he gets there!

Unfortunately for Jack, he chose to go through a back alley that is sort of well known to be one of the city's NO-NO spaces. Basically, a gang hideout. An old and rundown building that was apparently being occupied by some gang he didn't bother remembering the name of. Ah, whatever. He'll just have to walk by. And if they try something... Well, his shoulders are a little stiff lately...

Surprisingly though, there wasn't anyone outside the building. Just a few old cars and... that's it. Strange, these kinds of places usually have someone standing guard or something... Oh well! Good news for Jack then-

-CRASH-

-NOT! The teenager jumped back slightly as two bodies suddenly fell onto the roof of one of the parked cars. Jack brought his hands up and turned his back towards the accident as glass shards pelted his jacket at high speeds.

A second later when the shower of glass passed, Jack couldn't help but sigh at the sight that greeted him... HIS JACKET HAD A RIPPED SLEEVE! Damn it! This shit was way too expensive! Oh yeah, there was also Myul Mang and some random thug that the former just drop-kicked into the roof of a parked car from what Jack assumed to be the third or second floor.

"Well, this is new," idly commented the glasses-wearing teenager as he watched Myul walk off the deadly drop without so much as a limp or a whimper of pain.

The dark-haired battle maniac noticed the red glow of Jack's glasses almost immediately, and greeted the man with a small wave and a grin, "Wassup?"

"Ah... afternoon," greeted back the glasses-wearing man, returning the small wave with one of his own.

Myul cackled lightly as he reached into his pocket for a box of cigarettes, ESSE branded. Half of the pack was already empty, so Myul used it to also store his lighter. Jack only watched in silence as Myul lit his cigarette and took a large drag from it, puffing an impressive cloud of smoke out a moment later.

"So what's up?" asked the strongest delinquent, clearly not intending on starting any manner of confrontation with Jack who was still a little salty over his ripped sleeve.

But before the "cooler" teen could reply, a bunch of rowdy ruffians burst through the entrance to the building that Myul Mang just fucking orbital dropped someone from. All looked a little roughed up, but other than that, their cheap and shitty suits were in pristine condition. Most were older men, around the age of 30 with a few being in their early 20s.

"You fucker!" screamed one of the men, mad beyond belief at Myul who just raised an eyebrow at him and took a puff from his cigarette.

Jack stared at the group of men with an indifferent look, before he just looked up at Myul, not bothering to bother the bothering group of gangsters, "Oh, nothing much, just going on a walk to the supermarket. You?"

"Oh, you know, squashing a few cockroaches, doing the world a favour. The usual stuff~!" Jack only hummed in response to Myul's enthusiastic proclamation which didn't fail to trigger at least half of the gangsters currently advancing on the two of them.

"HEY! Don't ignore us you cunt!" one of the burly men yelled, charging towards the two teenagers with nothing more than his fists.

Two of his friends followed, once again, armed with literally nothing but their brawn and fists. Well, not like it would help them much even if they carried guns or katanas. Myul Mang was a teenager that a small army couldn't fight on equal grounds, and that was without his secret weapon. Jack, on the other hand, was just built different. His muscle density was several times that of a normal adult male, and he was barely considered an adult now. His body was built for speed and power. Speed and power that normal gangsters could never achieve.

-BLAM-

The three thugs barely had enough time to get within Jack's striking distance before they were all simultaneously knocked unconscious with a single, 90-degree high kick from the stylish teen. That one kick pretty much managed to decommission three grown men... who were used to brawls by this point.

"Scary~" commented Myul Mang with a sing-song voice as he backhanded another random gangster that tried to sneak upon him.

It took less than two minutes for the two teenagers to find themselves completely surrounded by tall burly men. Some were smart enough to bring out some manner of weaponry, be it brass knuckles, steel pipes or crowbars. No guns though, looks like this was one of the pussy gangs. But the two J High students were not intimidated in the slightest. Myul took a big puff of smoke from his cigarette, grinning ear to ear like a madman while Jack only seemed to sigh in annoyance at the setback in his quest for Mary's pussy.

Jack's glasses glowed ominous red colour in the faint light of the moon and the glimmer of the street lamps. His hands moved from his pockets as he dangerously cracked his knuckles, veins popping up across his hands and neck. Although shocking, his face contorted into a carfree and almost childish smile...

"Well then, shall we dance?"

"Off with your heads!"

And then the biggest brawl the street has ever borne witness to began. The gangsters all charged at the same time, a stupid decision as that left them with little room to move and even less room to dodge. Against a literal multi-ton punch and a kick from the two teenagers... taking any of their hits head-on was just not physically possible for these people.

Myul Mang destroyed them with brutal and efficient strength, punching each and every single one of them with such force the cracking of bones could be heard far away into the cold night. The merciless beatdown didn't deter any of his attackers as many kept on pilling up in hopes of overwhelming him with sheer numbers.

But, Myul is nothing if not extraordinary. As the gangsters pushed their own unconscious friends towards him, using them as meat shields in hopes of crushing him, the teenager only chuckled, "Ah, you're going to have to try harder than that~"

A mad cackle followed soon after, yet most of the gangsters around him didn't hear the last part. Because the moment they blinked, their world has become nothing but pitch black for at least a day.

The muscles on Myul's entire arm flexed and condensed as veins popped up across the entire limb. Faster than the eye could see and the sound could move, Myul's fist rocketed forward at a pace only matched by a missile.

-BOOM-

A literal sonic boom echoed across the street, rupturing the eardrums of a few gangsters who got a little too close to the punch that just made at least ten people fly. The minds of the thugs hesitated for just a minute, but, in their subconscious, they refused to believe the event that just took place and, even with their instincts screaming in vain to run away, rushed forth like moths to the flame.

Their fates weren't much better as Myul, with just a swipe of his arm, managed to send another two people flying, presumably with some serious neck injuries and a bunch of loose teeth. The gangsters were losing, badly, to just one of the two high schoolers. Yet, either none of them seemed to realise it, or perhaps... they refused to acknowledge it.

All, except one. A middle-aged man with sideburns and overall unimpressive features. Faint remnants of a beard stubble could be seen on his wrinkled face. He, much like his accomplices, was dressed in a cheap business suit. But, he, unlike his friends, didn't jump into the fray despite holding a steel pipe in one of his hands. He, despite being one of the most average-looking, had the potential to be one of their strongest.

His mind, unlike that of his friends, actually managed to keep up with the situation. But, he himself still had trouble believing what he was seeing. A teenager punching at a speed that is faster than that of the sound should not be possible... This isn't some anime! There aren't humans that can do that!

Yet, his eyes didn't lie. The power that Myul wields is very real and very terrifying. It is this very power that has earned him the crown of the delinquent world. Yet, the person in front of the petrified gangster didn't appear human.

The human mind has the unique ability to project images of things that are not there, yet their shapes distinctly remind us of things that we have once seen or can imagine as real. As such, hallucinations are born. Images that can drive people mad...

-BLAM- -SLAM- -SMACK-

The terrified gangster's attention was involuntarily taken from the inhumanly strong youth to yet another abnormality. Jack Ho, was a relative newbie to this city's environment yet the force and speed of his blows was something the thug's eyes simply could not keep up with. Jack's speed surpassed that of even subsonic Myul in its consistency. Each kick he delivered was precisely aimed at the gangsters' extremities, largely their neck, the sides of their heads, the bottom of their jaws and the backs of their knees.

Now, this man was no master martial artist, but even he, a complete street kid, could tell that each of Jack's moves was extremely smooth, dignified and almost symphonic with the series of cries and yelps of pain that followed. When kicking someone, the kick itself usually resounds as a dull thud.

But... that was not the case here. Each and every hit that Jack's legs and feet delivered to the assailants left a loud BANG in its wake. Like a high calibre bullet being fired from a long-range sniper rifle, the spectating gangster would not be surprised if these kicks were just as strong.

They left behind pools of blood, unconscious and sometimes even slightly mangled bodies. None looked to be dead, but with the pain of having their legs, necks and arms broken, some even all of them, they sure wished they were.

Unlike Myul Mang who was a walking tank without much speed, Jack Ho was like a cruise missile. Skillfully weaving between people, dodging their attacks and counterattacking in such ways that spelt permanent damage right into the bones of the gangster unfortunate enough to get in his way.

"Weak. Weak. Weak," the teen repeatedly said, his tone and appearance unchanging from a neutral, almost bored look.

His appearance now was a direct contrast to the beastly bloodlust from before the fight fully started. The gangster that was spectating could swear that Jack appeared almost... disappointed.

If someone dared to try to sneak up on Jack and believe him, they tried that a lot, there were three possible outcomes that followed with most frequency. One; Jack would jump over them, flipping backwards and landing on the shoulders of the attacker before flipping both of them forward and snapping their neck in the process. Two; Jack would duck below, sweep the gangster's legs and whilst the man was still in the air, deliver a body kick with enough force to send the people behind him flying like bowling pins. Three, the most painful outcome; Jack wouldn't so much as attempt to dodge the attack. Instead, he would kick backwards, delivering a painful blow to a gangster's testicles before quickly spinning around and kicking them to the side of their head.

"These kids aren't human..." the spectating gangster's hands were trembling, but he was too scared to so much as let go of the metal pipe in his hand.

No way. These words repeatedly endlessly inside the man's mind. A pathetic display for sure, but, he didn't care. Such thoughts didn't even register in his mind as he watched what some would call a spectacle to unfold.

No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much his eyes strained, he simply could not keep up with the increasingly blurring figure of Jack Ho. He was... accelerating?! No, no way! He's getting even faster?! Jack was already a blur enough, getting faster was... not humanly plausible. Just... how?!

-BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM-

>[ RENEWAL TAEKWONDO: 3rd STANCE HWECHOOK ]<

-WOOSH-

Jack's body... disappeared. Only a silhouette appeared for just a split second striking a vital point of just about every other gang member still conscious in the fight. Then... a series of loud slams... no... a series of loud BANGS followed as the bodies of the gangsters were literally sent flying into the air for a second or two. Then... they lifelessly fell onto the pavement. They were alive... but hurt quite badly. All were unconscious, and the few that managed to cling to consciousness when being hit gave in to the darkness soon after.

Jack hummed as he fixed his jacket, his face still indifferent towards the mass carnage he caused, "Mess with the bull and you get the horns..."

"Geez, show-off much?" Myul teasingly chipped in, his cigarette which he had lighted before the fight started was still burning, although there was very little of it left now.

"You're one to talk. Who do you think you are, copying Mach Punch and Basaltic Fist?" Jack replied back to the Delinquent King with his own chip of sarcasm.

"Whatever dude," snarkily replied the delinquent as he put his hands in his pockets and brought out a pack of cigarettes, ready to replace his dwindling cigarette at a moment's notice.

Jack only exhaled loudly through his nose before scratching his head lightly. For a moment, a strange sense of relief washed over the gangster's body. Was this... the end? Finally? Was this pathetic excuse for a battle over? Can he finally go home?

Unfortunately... things would not be so simple.

For you see, the man's presence which was previously unnoticed wasn't so unseen now. Both Jack and Myul saw him, stared at his very soul. But, thank the gods above, the King of Delinquents only shrugged before taking a drag out of his cigarette.

Yet, the man's fate didn't rest in Myul Mang's hands.

Jack Ho was the sole judge, jury and executioner of this man's destiny. And his destiny spoke of a lot of pain...

"Ah, missed one."

-SLAM-

Before panic could even set into the gangster's brain, a sharp pain erupted from his nose and his whole world went black. However, as his world turned black, an image appeared in the gangster's mind. It was not a person or a picture he had previously seen. The human mind can make wonders with the help of imagination. This man's imagination was paramount to acting as the first stepping stone of a street legend that would go to live for another generation. Because, in the near future, it was this man's exaggerated imagination that would spread the rumour of a man that could brutalize an entire group of grown men in less than a second. The image that was forever burned into the man's memory was anything but ordinary. It started the rumours of a man with two large glowing red eyes, his speed superior to that of a bullet and his power comparable to a TNT explosion. A legend that could, perhaps, one day rival the one of The Strongest Delinquent... The legend is eerily similar to England's mysterious murderer, but a lot less vile...

The Legend of...

>[ JACK THE RIPPER ]<

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Both Jack and Myul could now be seen walking together, as if by fate's ever-so-playful hand, Myul also wanted to go to the supermarket to restock on his favourite brand of cigarettes. So, naturally, he was accompanying Jack there. The latter actually didn't mind as much as the thought he would. He respected Myul's strength but in the end viewed him as nothing more than a wild dog without a leash. Now though, there's a surprising amount of depth to the guy. An air of mystery, if you will.

Myul was actually a pretty chill guy... until you piss him off that is. He also has a terrible smoking problem, but Jack didn't feel like bringing that up as he sort of understood the image Myul was trying to sell. Still, cigarettes are bad for you. Don't smoke kids!

"I'm telling you, she had an ass THIS big!" it was almost comedic to see the teenager everyone on the streets feared the most spread his arms out like a child to put an emphasis on his words.

"Damn bro..." Jack's mind immediately went to Mary's ass, not even taking into account the description of the woman Myul oh-so-enthusiastically provided, 'Sigh, just let me buy my condoms in peace, pretty please god. Is railing Mary's ass too much to ask for?'

"HE BOUGHT A KNIFE!"

Unfortunately, Jack's pleas were unheard, or, perhaps, Buddha was doing a little trolling. Either way, the sound of a male's voice penetrated the calm silence of the night, and immediately alerted the two teenagers to the yelling man's rough whereabouts.

"Can't catch a break, can we?" Myul cheerfully mused as the two immediately bolted towards the direction they heard the voice come from.

Something about the yelling man's tone sounded familiar to Jack, but only slightly. A sense of Deja vú, if you will. But, unfortunately, his mind couldn't properly attach a face to the voice and he had no idea who the man being attacked was.

"CRAP! ZOE, GET BACK! SOMEONE, THERE'S A MAN WITH A KNIFE HERE!"

"...Renewal..." the words that left Myul's mouth were unfortunately not heard by Jack, but he swore he heard him say something under his breath before he inexplicably sped up.

Even with his red-tinted sunglasses on and the darkness of the night in the way, Jack could make out some strange manner of fabric that Myul's pants seemed to have been made out of. He hadn't noticed until now, so maybe it really was nothing...

"I'M FAST AS FUCK BOY!" and then Myul rounded the corner and a loudly SLAM was heard.

Jack couldn't stop himself from facepalming while he ran and caught up only a moment later. What he came across nearly made him fall. Fat Daniel—the one from the convenience store— Zoe from the fashion department—the gall with fluffy black hair and nice badonkers—were both watching Myul mercilessly kick some weird ugly guy who lay prone on the ground.

"...What the fuck?"

"Oh, nice of you to catch up Jacka-boy! Come kick this r*pist in the balls!" well, that was certainly one way to get someone's attention.

And now, there were two people mercilessly kicking some guy on the ground. All the while, Daniel and Zoe watched with deadpan faces, unsure of how to react to this sudden development.

"Daniel! I received your call! What is- what the fuck?!"

Sound the horns and ring the bells, here comes the hero! The man, the myth, the legend! One of Author-kun's favourite characters... VASCO! The guy was sweating profusely, having presumably run here... while carrying a dumbbell and being dressed in the tackiest form of pants imaginable. Clowns wouldn't wear those.

"Hey Vasco, come kick this asshole in the face! It's really stress-relieving!" and once again, Myul was WAY TOO ENTHUSIASTIC about this whole ordeal.

"...Okay."

-KICK-

-STOMP-

-SLAM-

...Perhaps... it is for the best if the public and the other gangs don't remember the second part of tonight. Daniel and Zoe could do nothing but watch as the man who had attempted to assault her was given the most merciless beatdown of his life. They could do nothing but wait for the police to arrive... Not like they wanted to do anything to save the guy anyway. Although, Zoe's eyes were more directed toward one of the people that had come to save her. It wasn't the short, ugly but heroic Daniel. It wasn't the tall and burly Vasco. And it wasn't even the glasses-wearing martial artist... that only leaves one person...

...

...

...

"...Today... has been a day."