Rise of the Crusader

Chapter 18: Choosing Sides

Richard abruptly sat on the ground, staring at his brother with his mouth wide open, “Brother... Adrian!” He mumbled in a low voice.

However, there was no response from the person, he was calling. “You killed him!” Richard’s hands shook violently, he managed to lift himself from the ground, and he glared at Raphael with hatred evident in his eyes.

The Walker brothers were well known in the academy, Richard, Adrian, and their elder brother, Vincent. To Richard, his eldest brother didn’t exist, the only person who he had was Adrian, and now in front of his eyes, he watched as his brother collapsed to the ground.

“Adrian... Please wake up!!!!” Richard ran over to what was left of Adrian’s body, and began to shake his corpse, “No, we promised to rule the world one day, you can’t leave this world, Adrian. Please wake up!”

The tears just came gushing out of Richard’s eyes, he clenched his hand into a tight fist and began to hit his brother’s corpse gently.

After a few seconds, Richard raised his head, and seeing that demonic smile that was hanging on the face of the person who killed his brother, he screamed, “Y-You... I will kill you.” He stood from his brother’s corpse and dashed toward Raphael.

“Fool!”

.....

The grin on Raphael’s face widened when he saw Richard running towards him, he steadied his hands, waiting for the moment when he was going to attack. However, a few seconds for Richard to appear before Raphael, he was suddenly blasted away by a violent wind.

“What the hell happened here?!” It was Serena’s voice that rang out.

Serena didn’t need anyone to give her the details of what happened, as after seeing the blood which was on Raphael’s hand and Adrian who was laying on the ground, she figured it out quickly.

“Are you hurt?!” Serena said staring at Raphael, then seeing him shake his head, her voice rang out again, “The show is over, you can all return to class or get on with whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing.” Serena glared at the students who were in the surrounding.

With that said, the students didn’t even waste any time, they began to leave the area. They, however, continued to talk about the fight that had occurred and most, especially how Adrian died in the hands of a fresher.

“You should go wash up, your class is about to start.” After the students had left, Serena turned towards Raphael with a rather complicated look on her face.

Raphael was about to speak when someone else voice sounded. “Wash up? Serena, how dare you!!!! He killed my brother and the least you can say is, he should go wash up. Screw you, Serena.” Richard exclaimed.

Richard found it difficult to stand properly after suffering that attack from earlier, “He killed my brother, and yet you attacked me. I guess those rumors are true, the both of you are in a relationship, which is why you’re always sticking around with him.”

“Bitch!” Richard cursed.

PAH!

It was barely up to a second after he said those words, and Serena appeared in front of him, delivering a fierce slap at his cheek. The disparity of strength between the both of them made it so that the one slap that Serena struck at him sent him flying.

With blood splattering out of his mouth, the teeth in his lower jaw flew out of his mouth, and before Richard’s body could even touch the ground, Serena stretched her hand in a grabbing motion at him.

PAH!

As Richard flew towards her because of Serena’s pull, she sent another slap that broke the teeth in his upper jaw. “Pfffffffttttt!!!!!” This time around, Serena’s slap didn’t only clear out the teeth in his mouth, Richard’s eyes and nose began bleeding profusely.

Richard would have flown meters away from that slap. However, Serena held him in the jaw, which caused his legs to wobble, “If you call others that word, it’s best you don’t try that with me because it would be the last time you ever speak to anyone In your entire life.” Serena coldly said.

“If I attacked you earlier, I was only doing you a favor because Raphael wouldn’t hesitate to end you.”

Richard knelt from the force that Serena used on his face, his eyes twitched, as tears mixed with blood oozed crazily out of his eyes. “I’m merely doing this because Vincent is a friend of mine, if not your life means nothing to me.”

“Now, get the fuck out of my sight!” Serena said, releasing her grip on Richard’s face.

Richard’s managed to muster up the strength to lift himself, he was about to begin moving when he felt a hand on his shoulder and heard a voice that made him unable to lift a single muscle in his body.

“I never said you could leave!” As the hand which was on his shoulder applied strength, Richard could feel the bones on his shoulder cracking. He bit his lips hard, and fear and panic swept all over his body.

It wasn’t only the bones in his shoulder that cracked, as a second after he could feel the blood circulation in his body stopping, and his left shoulder bloating.

Richard managed to turn, seeing the person who was beside him, he gasped, “Y-You...” Richard’s words were put on hold, as Serena appeared in front of him, and pulled him away.

“Arrghhhhhhhh!” He was about to speak, when Serena waved her hand, disconnecting his right arm from his body. Richard screamed from the pain of his hand being severed.

“What do you think you’re doing?!!!!” Serena said, glaring at Raphael, “You can’t kill him, Raphael. Killing Adrian is enough, you have proved your point.” Serena muttered.

Raphael snorted, “The leaf is of insignificance, what matters is getting rid of the root” Raphael paused, “Isn’t that what you said, Serena. There’s no way I’m going to spare him because if I was the one in that situation, he wouldn’t.” Raphael exclaimed.

Serena’s hands were clenched into a tight fist, as Raphael was using her words against her. “I know, but you can’t kill him.”

“So, you’re going to protect him?” Raphael asked.

Serena didn’t even hesitate when she heard Raphael, and she immediately nodded her head. “I see, I will count to three Serena, if you still stand in my way, it means you no longer value our relationship, and I will call it a quit.”

“No, Raphael, don’t...” The voice of Devon and Aiden who had been watching the whole show suddenly rang out, however before the both of them could even complete their words, Raphael waved his hand. “Don’t interfere! This is between me and Serena.”

“Serena, if you let him go, it is well certain that someday he would come after me. It could be days, weeks, months, or even years, but he certainly would. And even if he doesn’t come directly, he would have someone else do it for him.”

“By letting him live, you are giving a helping hand to someone who would scheme and plot against me in the future. I can as well consider you my enemy, Serena.”

Serena’s eyebrows furrowed when she heard Raphael, “Come on, Raphael. I don’t want you to kill another person from the Walker family because Vincent is a very dear friend of mine.” Serena said.

In response to Serena, Raphael chuckled, “Wake up to reality, Adrian is dead, this friend of yours will never let it go, and even if he does, there’s no way I would associate with someone like that. I have killed one brother already, there’s no harm in killing the other.”

“So, what is it going to be, Serena?!” Raphael said with a smile on his face.

Serena bit her lips hard, while Raphael had a smile on his face, she knew he was very upset with the action she took, and whatever decision she made would decide the relationship between the both of them.

After a few seconds, Serena’s voice rang out, “Raphael, I’m sorry, but I can’t allow you to kill him.” Said Serena.

Raphael nodded his head, he then turned towards Aiden, “Aiden, can you create a portal leading to the dormitory, I need to freshen up before I head to class.”

Aiden was in a trance state, but when he heard Raphael, he regained composure and created a portal right away. “Thank you!”

With that said, Raphael moved, he was about to step into the portal when he heard Serena’s voice, “Raphael, I want you to know that I’m not choosing my friendship with Vincent over ours, if it had been someone related to you in that situation, I would have done the same.” Serena said.

Raphael simply shook his head before then walking into the portal.

There was complete silence in the surrounding after he left, Devon and Aiden kept staring at each other, and when they couldn’t bear it anymore, Aiden spoke.

“Serena, if you think you didn’t choose sides, then you’re wrong because you did. And Raphael isn’t wrong, you’re giving a helping hand to someone who would plot against him in the future.”

“The...” Aiden was about to continue, when he saw the furious look on Serena’s face, “Ahem... You know what, we are already late for class. Let’s go, Devon.” Aiden didn’t even waste any time, and he moved quickly.