Diaz stormed away from the monster truck, his heavy boots thudding against the cracked sidewalk like he was trying to crack the pavement itself.
The gold chains around his neck swung wildly with every furious step, clinking together like angry bells. Behind him, his crew watched in tense silence.
He didn’t look back.
Marcy had already disappeared around the corner of the Association building, heading toward the sleek black Phantom that waited like a sleeping predator at the curb.
The car’s tinted windows reflected the late-afternoon glow, making it look almost liquid.
He caught up to Marcy just as she reached the passenger-side door.
“Marcy…Marcy! Stop walking away from me, and just hear me out will yah.”
She spun around so fast her hair whipped across her face. Her eyes were blazing.
“I told you no, Diaz! I said it a hundred times! What part of that don’t you understand?”
He closed the last few feet between them, towering over her, his voice more low and angry in this moment.
“Damnit woman, can’t you see I am talking to you? Or have you forgotten that we are in this together, heh mami? You think you can just switch up on us now that your mom’s shacked up with some rich guy.”
Marcy laughed, a sharp, bitter sound that sliced right through Diaz like a blade.
“Look at you, not so bad when someone stands up to you ha? What are you gonna do, huh, Diaz? You gonna hit me? Come on, prove how much of a man you are to everyone here.”
She shouted loud enough to turn heads. Passersby froze mid-step, eyes widening as they took in the scene.
“Are those two fighting over there?”
“Is the girl alright? That guy looks like a total thug.”
“Gaian energy… is this guy a villain or something? Maybe we should step in.”
“Hehehe, come on, Diaz…hit me. You don’t got the balls, do you?”
Marcy stood with her arms folded, chin tilted up, staring him down. Diaz was practically vibrating with rage.
‘This bitch is seriously looking down on me?’
He convinced himself inside of his head.
‘…I’ll show her. I’m not afraid of anyone…especially not some ass-whore like her.’
In that instant, something inside him snapped.
Diaz’s hand shot up, muscles coiling with raw power.
“HOW DARE YOU EMBARRASS ME!”
He roared, arm swinging in a vicious arc toward Marcy’s face.
She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact.
SLAPPPP!!
But… no pain.
“I-I wasn’t hit!?”
Marcy’s eyes flew open in confusion, then soon came the shock.
A tall figure stood between them, long maroon hair shifting slightly in the breeze. One massive hand had caught Diaz’s wrist mid-swing, stopping it dead like it had hit an iron wall.
“Ahhh, your hurting me, you fucking bastard!”
Diaz snarled, twisting to face the man who had dared interrupt him.
“Ahh, let me go already, do you have a fucking death wish?”
Marcy’s voice came out soft, almost reverent.
“Nier…”
Nier didn’t even glance at Diaz at first. He looked down at Marcy instead, his expression flat, and annoyed to a degree.
“…And who the hell is this supposed to be, brat?”
“B-Brat!?”
Marcy sputtered, stunned.
Nier finally turned his cold gaze to Diaz.
“To me, you are one. Now answer.”
Marcy hesitated, then let out a tired sigh.
“This is my boyfriend… well, ex-boyfriend now that he just tried to hit me.”
“You bitch.”
Diaz spat.
Nier cut him off without raising his voice.
“Boyfriend, you say? More like an uneducated thug who can’t read the room and is stupid enough to cause problems here of all places.”
Diaz didn’t replied back with an insult to him, rather he spoke out saying
“So your Nier, huh?”
Diaz barked a harsh laugh.
“Hahaha, I see now. No wonder she is acting like this toward me.”
He said softly, then he looked back at Marcy, and commented.
“Let me guess…you’re fucking this guy, aren’t you?”
“WHAT!? NO, YOU ASSHOLE!”
Marcy exploded, face flushing with fury.
“Shut up, you don’t get to talk to me, you fucking wh…”
“Can you just shut the fuck up already?”
Nier said, his voice low and bored.
“Jesus, you’re not only loud, but you are in my fucking way. Move, you bastard.”
SLAAAPPPPPP!!! BOOOM!!…
Nier’s free hand moved faster than anyone could track. The backhand connected with brutal, open-palmed force.
Diaz’s head snapped sideways.
His body lifted clean off the ground and rocketed through the air like a ragdoll. He smashed through a large ornamental tree in the parking lot, splintering the trunk, bounced off the concrete, and slammed into the stone wall across the street with a sickening…
Crunch!
His gold grill flew out in a glittering arc. Half his face was already swelling black and blue, and his jaw hanging grotesquely loose.
Nier, meanwhile, looked down at his hand, now smeared with Diaz’s blood. He flicked it once, then shapeshifted a patch of his own skin into a sleek black handkerchief and calmly wiped the mess away.
“Damn annoying man-creature.”
He muttered.
“They’re even more unbearable when they’re dumb.”
“O-Oh my god, he isn’t dead is he?”
Marcy whispered, still staring at the crater Diaz had left in the wall.
“Wow, big guy.”
Bella said, grinning wider.
“You really sent that guy flying. If I didn’t sense gaian energy from him earlier, I would assume he died from that slap alone.”
“Haaaa!?”
Marcy turned again—Bella had been standing behind Nier the whole time, half-hidden by his broad back.
Nier just sighed.
“He should be lucky I didn’t cripple him for annoying me. Either way, it’s time to go home. Let’s get in the car.”
“Yeah.”
Bella said, stretching.
“I could use a drink at the bar. I heard from Imani you make a mean cocktail. I want to enjoy that kind of service too.”
“Hmm. I guess I could pour you one when we get back…”
Nier glanced around at the growing crowd.
“That aside—let’s go. That idiot has drawn way too much attention to us.”
People were already whispering, pointing, phones out.
“Holy shit, that guy is huge. Easily over six feet.”
“Is the other guy okay? There is a crowd over there, he is not moving. That slap literally sent him flying through multiple objects.”
“Deserved. Did you see how he was treating that poor girl?”
“Ahh, do these people have no fear? They’re literally causing a scene at the Hero Association of all places.”
Nier sighed again, deeply annoyed, and shoved his hands into his pockets. He pulled out his car keys and unlocked the Phantom with a soft beep.
“Are you coming in, or not?”
“Yeah, right behind you, big guy.”
Bella said cheerfully.
She shot a quick glance at Marcy, who was still frozen, staring across the street at the unconscious Diaz. A crowd had already formed around him.
“We need medical help here, this guy is badly injured!”
“I’m a healer, give me some space!”
“Gross… I never knew a human jaw could hang off the face like that.”
A female healer knelt beside Diaz, hands glowing as she tried to stabilize him. His lower jaw dangled by threads of skin and muscle, blood pouring in thick streams. Shattered teeth littered the pavement.
But then a furious voice cut through the noise from the direction of the monster truck.
“WHAT THE FUCK!?”
It was Silk.
“Shit, Diaz!”
She sprinted toward the crowd, shoving people aside.
“Jesus Christ—what the hell happened to his jaw?”
One of Spector’s began to explain, and then pointed toward Marcy.
Silk’s head snapped in her direction. Her neon-green-streaked hair whipped as she locked eyes with Marcy.
“Shit.”
Marcy whispered, as Silk began to walk her direction.
Nier watched the approaching woman with visible irritation.
“Now it’s a woman. How many more man-creatures do I have to deal with today?”
He started to step forward, but Bella’s voice stopped him.
“Hey, Nier?”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Let me handle this one.”
“You want to fight her or something?”
“Fight her?”
Bella laughed softly.
“Oh no—this weakling doesn’t stand a chance against me. Fighting her would be like fighting an armed baby at best.”
“You seem rather confident.”
‘This will be good.’
Nier thought.
‘I really want to see just how strong Bella really is.’
He gave a small nod.
“Do as you please, then. I’ll just sit back and watch. Honestly, it’s getting real annoying how much these people court death.”
Bella cracked her knuckles, a dangerous smile spreading across her face.
“This won’t take long.”
