Tricks and Traps

… Ethan Carter's POV (Guardian Name: Angel)…

It had been over thirty minutes since everyone moved to their different sectors and to make everything look normal, Ethan had spent most of his time helping the others, scouting ahead and informing them of ambushes laid out by beasts hiding behind and even above buildings.

After working hard for the other teams, it was time for him to move to the fourth sector where Lucius was sent to and strangely, he couldn't find him. He was careful not to be spotted by the soldiers who wore body cams, or the murder may be linked back to him.

'Where the hell is this kid? Could he be dead already, or does he suspect someone may be coming for him?' Ethan frowned.

He stood atop a building in the southern region of sector four, hidden away from the moonlight. Following Lucius's footsteps had been difficult because it was random and scattered, all leading into different buildings but no footsteps of him leaving, since he couldn't get too close to the soldiers in the area he wasn't sure about Ralph's location.

He suspected Ralph was opening doors for Lucius to jump from one building to another, and he couldn't go around, entering every building, someone may spot him. 

'How did finding one kid become so difficult?' Ethan was puzzled by the challenges he faced.

It felt as if all this was done intentionally and his instincts as an experienced hunter were telling him this was a trap, but he found it hard to believe Lucius deduced their intentions or was experienced enough to set up these misleading traps.

For God's sake, this kid is just 10!

Swoosh!

From the corner of his eyes, he saw the boy shooting out of a building like a rocket with his black hoodie covering his head, just landing a few meters away from another building before running into it.

'Lucius!' Ethan yelped in shock.

Watching Lucius move into another building dispelled his suspicions about the boy. It was clear Lucius had been using this method to check out buildings as fast as he could, not for any other reason in particular.

"Well, then, let's get this over with." Ethan said as his wings majestically unfolded. 

Swoosh!

Jumping off the roof, Ethan gracefully glided towards the building, his eyes frantically looking through the holes and broken walls to find Lucius.

"Second floor!" Ethan roared when he saw Lucius running up the stairs leading to the third floor.

KING FISHER!

Wrapping his entire body with his wings, Ethan began spinning like a drill, racing at its target like a massive drill.

Bang!

Ethan effortlessly tore through the wall, crashing into Lucius's location with a loud bang. The stairs began collapsing, but he quickly unfolded his wings, keeping himself airborne while his cold gaze shifted to the figure crouching on the ground close by.

Lucius dodged his attack!

Did he see him coming, or was that pure instinct?

Moon told him to be careful with this kid, is this what he meant?

Countless thoughts plagued, Ethan's gaze narrowed as he saw the blazing purple eyes glaring at him from the darkness. It gave him the impression of a wild animal looking at a human.

"Ooh, Lucius, it's you. I thought I had spotted a beast. Sorry about that." Ethan said with a friendly smile.

His goal was to defeat Lucius fast and effortlessly, not to cause a ruckus and attract attention. If he could get the boy to lower his guard one more time, he would make sure to strike him dead this time.

"It is shameful to see a guardian using shameful tricks just to kill a ten-year-old." Lucius sneered. "Not only are you shameless, you lack balls too. A unique combination for a disgusting creature." 

Ethan's face turned cold as he heard this. It meant Lucius was aware of their intentions, does that mean everything he saw before coming here was carefully planned?

How can a ten-year-old be that skilled at masking his movements?

Does that mean, he was lured into this place?

If yes, there must be traps! But what traps can he come up with in merely thirty minutes?

"You knew?" Ethan asked as his hands reached for the pockets of his jacket.

As he pulled his hands out, he wore golden gauntlets brandished with three-meter-long claws.

"You two are just overzealous minions of the Hall family, eager to please your masters even without gaining permission to act. Mistakes are bound to be made by fools like you. Even a monkey can discern your intentions." Lucius shrugged.

"Brat!" Ethan fumed, but he quickly calmed himself. "It doesn't matter anyway. You will die here." 

"Kill me? I would love to see you try!" Lucius snarled. " Ralph, Now!" 

'Ralph? That fat brat is in on this too?' Ethan's mind race darted around as he searched for Ralph.

Pa!

His eyes widened as he realized he had been fooled and this was only a diversion. Lucius held on to his gauntlet with his left hand while his right fist swung forward, smashing into his face with incredible power.

BOOM!

Ethan hurled back like a rag doll, smashing through the wall behind him, and falling into the next room. 

Bang!

He hit the ground and rolled a couple of times before stopping.

Gah!

He groaned as he spat out a few teeth mixed with blood.

Thud!

Lucius was already beside him, his leg swinging at his head with incredible speed. It was clear he didn't want to give Ethan the chance to recover.

"GET BACK!" Ethan roared as his wing swung at Lucius, overpowering his kick and sending him skidding back while struggling to maintain his balance

Ethan slowly rose to his feet, and his gaze narrowed as he realized Lucius was covered in a shell of golden armor. He had absorbed the properties of his gauntlets when he held onto it before the punch!

"Don't waste time trying to analyze what happened already, Angel…" Lucius's voice was disturbingly calm for someone going against an experienced Guardian. "You will die here tonight, so thinking about the past is pointless."