Chapter 22: A Plan

Chapter 22: A Plan

"Wait, what!?" Misli exclaimed, taken aback by the sudden influx of slaves rushing toward the cell.

He was unsure of their intentions but soon sensed an air of hostility as they screamed and sprinted as if their lives depended on it.

"If you want my brother, you'll have to get past me first," Misli declared, drawing a line in the sand.

It was common knowledge that Demitas possessed formidable strength, surpassing even Misli, despite his reluctance to acknowledge it. However, Misli would never allow Demitas to engage in a fight. He would always position himself as a barrier, ensuring that no one laid a hand on his friend as long as Demitas was in a stable condition. thanks to Misli.

He tightly clenched his right fist, the crackling sound reverberating in his ears. Misli flexed the limited muscles in his arms, preparing himself for what lay ahead.

"Don't blame me for being ruthless," Misli muttered to himself, his determination evident.

Without hesitation, he lunged forward, his left palm thrusting forcefully into the first slave's face, causing him to crumple to the ground as Misli exploited his momentum to break the slave's balance with a swift leg movement. Descending into a partial squat, Misli executed a swift 360-degree turn, sending anyone in close proximity sprawling to the ground.

Gathering his strength in his legs, Misli propelled himself into the air, seizing the head of another slave and delivering a powerful knee strike to his face. Before landing, Misli extended his leg, planting it firmly on yet another slave's shoulder, using the impact to force himself to fall and simultaneously bringing his target down with him.

Out of the original eleven, seven slaves had already been incapacitated, leaving just four remaining. Misli fixed his gaze on them, including Johan, the one who had incited this confrontation.

"Buddy, do you really want to go through with this?" Misli questioned Johan, his tone a mix of caution and concern.

The three slaves standing beside Johan felt a wave of fear coursing through them. Witnessing the ease with which Misli had dispatched their comrades, they hesitated to blindly charge forward. They turned to their leader, Johan, who held the position of strength among them.

Initially, Johan had considered backing down and escaping the situation peacefully. However, when his subordinates looked to him, his pride swelled within him. He felt compelled to put up a fight, fueled by a desire to save face.

"Ha! Demitas should have thought about this before stealing," Johan accused, seizing the opportunity to shift the blame onto Demitas.

More slaves had gathered, drawn by the commotion of the fight. They stood petrified, observing Misli's impressive display of skill. Unaware of the true reason behind the conflict, it was now that Johan chose to reveal it, seeking support from the onlookers.

"Theft?" a slave from another group questioned, perplexed by the revelation.

Johan chose not to elaborate, but his three followers raised their voices in unison.

"Yes!" "Have your belongings not been going missing recently!?" "Yeah..." one of the onlookers scratched his head, recalling instances of theft. "It's him!" "It's Demitas who did it!"

Having only heard rumors of Demitas' alleged killings but never witnessed them firsthand, the fear that initially gripped them began to fade in the face of these accusations.

"What? Demitas is not like that!" Babyface retorted, stepping forward to challenge the claims. "Yes, my brother wouldn't steal...", Misli added.

But they were not ready to listen, further aggravating the situation.

"We know well that he was punished for killing."

"And if he can do something that dangerous, then why can't he do something as easy as stealing?" asked one of the many slaves who had recently joined the conversation.

"You bastard, you-"

Misli slowly grabbed Babyface, who was about to argue further. Babyface turned back, and they exchanged glances.

After that, Misli walked forward, saying, "He didn't do it. My word is final."

"If you still don't listen, then don't blame me for being ruthless," Misli said, flashing his fist as he spoke.

The slaves flinched, as they had witnessed the spectacle just a few seconds ago. They didn't want broken bones or teeth.

A few of them even turned back in fear and walked away, but Johan remained, glaring at Misli.

He was angered by the mere fact that someone younger than him, someone like Misli, was looking down on him.

"You wanna go?"

"You really wanna go!?" Anger took over him.

What failure? What humiliation?

He just wanted respect!

His simple jokes had gone too far. He had framed someone and tried to make him a common enemy of all! Yet, he thought he was right.

Johan, pushing aside some of the slaves, dashed forward with his fist hanging in the air. Conjuring a large amount of strength, he tried to thrust the punch down, to punch Misli – but would Misli really let himself get hit?

No, Misli was going to destroy Johan with a kick aimed at the abdomen, but before either of their hits landed, Johan was sent flying.

As Johan was sent flying, time seemed to slow down, and he spotted Demitas standing in front of him.

In the blink of an eye, he crashed into the many slaves who stood behind him, and they all fell to the ground.

"Don't you dare touch my brother," Demitas declared with a commanding voice, ensuring his words were heard by everyone, causing them all to flinch.

Johan, lying on the ground, raised his head, staring at Demitas. 'W-who is he?' he wondered, trying to make sense of the situation.

Indeed, Demitas had undergone a transformation. If it were a year ago, Demitas would have been the one with broken bones, even if he managed to land a punch through some miraculous effort.

But since a year, he kept changing, slowly and efficiently. He became bolder.

And, the strongest among Misli's team.

Demitas glared at everyone present, their eyes fixed on the marks of brutality on his legs and hands. The cuts appeared deep, evoking pity from some onlookers.

"Anyone have a problem with me?" Demitas demanded, his voice resonating with authority. "Speak your mind!"

His fierce declaration was met with an eerie silence that enveloped the scene, leaving everyone motionless. Not a single person dared to whisper, all captivated by Demitas' enraged expression and his piercing stare that seemed to penetrate their very souls."C-calm down," Misli said, tapping Demitas' shoulders to pacify him.

Demitas briefly glanced at Misli, and in an instant, his expression changed, erasing all traces of anger. A smile appeared on his face as he calmly stated, "Alright. I suggest you all return to your chambers if you don't want any more trouble."

"I will count to 3."

Upon hearing this, all the slaves swiftly dashed away, hurrying back to their cells. Even those who were previously under Johan's command stood up and started running, pushing him aside in the process.

"One..." Demitas began counting, and before he could even say the next number, all the other slaves had vanished from sight, except for Johan, who slowly stood up.

"Two..."

Now, Johan started to walk, picking up speed, and before Demitas could count to the next number, Johan had vanished from sight as well.

Now, only Misli, Babyface, and Demitas remained present. Even the slaves who shared the same cell as Demitas and the others had vanished, seemingly giving them privacy.

After assessing the situation, Demitas began limping back to his room, with Misli providing support. "You shouldn't have come out, Demi," Misli said worriedly.

"Haha, no, they wouldn't have left otherwise," Demitas replied with a comment, as he made his way back to the cell.

Misli gently set him down, allowing him to rest. Babyface observed silently and decided to fetch better herbs upon seeing Demitas' condition.

'Hmm, I can't believe this,' Misli pondered, tapping his chin while sitting down and keeping an eye on Demitas as he slept. "My eyes couldn't even follow his movements."

Previously, Misli had no chance to notice when Demitas came out and delivered his punch. The transformation in Demitas' abilities had been so astonishing that even Misli, who was accustomed to Demitas' progress, was taken aback by the extent of his improvement.

As Misli watched over Demitas, still astonished and lost in memories of the past, Demitas was almost finished with his planning.

'Alright, hear me out, system…' Demitas began, addressing some internal mechanism or device.

'I'm gonna steal the key tonight when my man goes to bathe,' Demitas said confidently to the system.

[That looks like a good time, but are you sure you can do that?] the system inquired.

Demitas smirked. 'Just watch.'

As midnight approached, Misli had dozed off beside Demitas, unaware of the imminent plan. It was Babyface's turn to keep watch, and he sat close to them, staring at the ceiling and fixating on the cracks above.

Demitas got up, pulling himself together, and quietly walked towards Babyface.

"Hey," he whispered, surprising Babyface.

"D-demitas?" Babyface stared at Demitas, who was now awake and patched up. His wounds were still fresh, but there were signs that herbs had been applied to them.

Demitas whispered back, "I'll be back."

"Where?" Babyface asked, a little loudly. In response, Demitas gently placed his index finger on Babyface's lips.

"Shh, don't wake him up," Demitas cautioned.

"I'll be back, just wait," he said, slowly making his way out of the cell.

"But-" Babyface was torn, as Misli had instructed him to wake him up in case Demitas woke up. However, he hesitated.

"It's fine. Let him go," Misli, who was more or less asleep, murmured in a low voice just as Demitas left.

"You're awake?" Babyface asked, startled.

"I never slept," Misli replied cryptically.

"…"