From Rags to God of War

Machine of Destruction.

Chaos erupted in the Weber house. Gilbert's howls of pain filled the hall, mixed with shouts and curses. Adam and Sonia immediately ran to their nephew. Gilbert clutched his now crippled hand, his face deathly pale from the immense pain.

Adam looked down, trying to comfort Gilbert. "I'm so sorry, Gilbert. I'm truly sorry. I had no idea that man was so audacious."

Gilbert looked up, his bloodshot eyes glaring at Adam with hatred. "Sorry? Do you think just being sorry is enough, Uncle?! Look at my hand! That bastard broke my fingers!" He shrieked again, pain mixed with uncontrollable rage. "Do you know what this means? My business! My reputation! This is all because of that damn daughter of yours!"

Adam knew Gilbert wouldn't simply accept an apology. The Thompson family's position in the Weber Group was too strong. They held undeniable influence and power that Adam couldn't dispute.

"I'll make sure he receives a fitting punishment, Gilbert," Adam said. "I'll pay for all your losses. Anything you want."

Gilbert spat to the side, looking at Adam with disgust. "I don't need your money, Uncle. I need retaliation! I need my dignity!" Gilbert's eyes shifted to the door, where Isabella and Nicholas had just left. "That daughter of yours, Isabella! She has to pay for this!"

Sonia gasped. "But Isabella isn't at fault, Gilbert. She was just set up by that man."

"Set up? Set up, you say? She announced in front of everyone that that man was her fiancé! She dared to put her arm around that bastard!" Gilbert laughed bitterly. "There's no way to save face for the Weber family now, Uncle. Unless Isabella kneels before me and apologizes! And in front of everyone present here!"

Adam looked at Gilbert in disbelief. "Kneel? Gilbert, that's too far! She's my daughter!"

"Your daughter has slapped our family's face, Uncle!" Gilbert raised his voice. "Or else, the Thompson family will withdraw all its shares from the Weber Group! Just watch how your company will go bankrupt!"

Gilbert's threat left Adam weak. The threat was real. Losing the Thompson's support meant total ruin for the Weber Group. Isabella had to kneel.

Meanwhile, Gilbert pulled out his phone from his jacket pocket. He called someone. His voice sounded tense and full of anger.

"Felix! Get over here with your men. I need you right now!" Gilbert paused for a moment, listening. "Catch Isabella, and finish off the man she's with!"

Adam and Sonia clearly heard the order. Sonia's body trembled. She almost collapsed again. Adam hurried to grab Sonia, his face deathly pale. Finish off? This wasn't a game. Gilbert was truly serious.

"Gilbert, no!" Adam pleaded. "Don't do this! We can talk this out! Don't involve your men!"

Gilbert looked at Adam with cold eyes. "Too late, Uncle. This isn't about talking nicely anymore. This is about dignity."

Elsa approached, her face also showing fear. "Gilbert, don't kill him! If something happens, the police might find out!"

"Police?" Gilbert laughed cynically. "The Weber family has enough money to silence the police. Don't worry, Elsa. That bastard will disappear without a trace. And Isabella will know her place."

***

"Where are we going now?" Isabella asked, her voice contending with the wind. Nicholas was taking her away on his motorcycle, she had no idea where.

"I'm taking you somewhere safer," Nicholas replied curtly, without turning his head.

They were quite a distance from the Weber family residence when a black van sped out from behind the large trees on the side of the road. The van screeched to a halt in front of them, blocking their path. Its doors swung open, and ten burly men leaped out, all wearing black leather jackets, their faces menacing. Among them, Felix stood at the front, gripping an iron pipe.

Nicholas stopped the motorcycle, then dismounted.

"Miss Isabella, Mr. Gilbert wants you to come with us," Felix said. His sharp eyes looked at Nicholas disdainfully. "As for you, we have our own business. Mr. Gilbert doesn't like his hand being touched!"

Isabella gasped. "Gilbert, that bastard!" She looked at Nicholas. "What should we do?"

Nicholas didn't answer. He simply pushed Isabella behind his body, placing her in a safe position. Nicholas's expression had now changed.

"You'd better not bother me, or I'll deal with you!" Nicholas warned them.

Felix laughed sneeringly, followed by his men's laughter. "What did you say? Who do you think you are? Bruce Lee? Look at yourself! Do you think we're afraid of your threats, beggar?!" He pointed his iron pipe at Nicholas. "Mr. Gilbert's orders are clear. Miss Isabella will come with us quietly. But you..." Felix signaled to his men. "Finish him. Make sure there's nothing left."

The ten burly men immediately moved, surrounding Nicholas. Iron pipes, chains, and wooden sticks gleamed under the moonlight. Nicholas merely let out a long sigh, his gaze sweeping over all the men in front of him, calculating their moves.

"Fools," Nicholas muttered.

Felix advanced first, swinging his iron pipe at Nicholas's head with full force. Nicholas moved with a swift rotation. He met the iron pipe with one hand, twisting it in a rapid motion. Felix was shocked. Before he could react, the iron pipe was already striking back, hitting Felix's jaw with a loud thud. Felix collapsed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The nine other men attacked simultaneously. Nicholas was an unstoppable storm. His blows were swift and precise. Every move he made was calculated with accuracy. A kick to the solar plexus, a punch to the throat, an elbow to the ribs. He took down each burly man with ease.

Isabella was frozen. Her mouth hung slightly open. She saw a different Nicholas. He was a terrifying figure, like a war machine programmed for destruction.

Amidst the fierce fight, a man with a knife managed to sneak up behind Nicholas. He swung his knife towards Nicholas's arm. Nicholas could have completely dodged it, but he let the knife graze his skin slightly. Just a thin scratch, not deep, but enough to leave a faint trail of blood. The man was immediately incapacitated with a hard spinning kick.

In less than two minutes, all ten of Felix's men were sprawled on the ground. Some were unconscious, some groaned in pain, the rest unable to get up. Nicholas stood among them, his breathing steady, his clothes not even slightly dirtied.

Isabella approached, her gaze shifting from the sprawled thugs to Nicholas's arm. "You're hurt," she said, a slight note of concern in her voice. She reached for Nicholas's arm, touching the scratch carefully.

Nicholas merely glanced at his arm, then looked back at Isabella. That faint smile reappeared on his lips. "It's nothing. Just a small scratch."

Nicholas pointed at the black van. "Get in that van. Go home."

Isabella was still frozen. She saw Nicholas looking at her. She felt Nicholas wanted her to see the scratch. He wanted her to see him vulnerable, even though he could have wiped out all those men. For a moment, Nicholas, the God of War, looked like an ordinary human.

Isabella got into the black van, observing her surroundings.

"Get back to Mr. Gilbert immediately!" Isabella commanded, her voice firm. "And tell him he shouldn't be playing games with Nicholas."

Felix, terrified, did not argue. He dragged himself to the driver's seat, while his other men tried to help their comrades into the van. The black van turned around and sped off, leaving Nicholas standing alone on the deserted road.

***

The black van arrived at the Weber family home. Gilbert, Adam, and Elsa waited anxiously in the living room. They heard the van's engine, and immediately rushed outside. Gilbert saw his black van, then Felix and his men emerge, battered, limping, and their faces covered in cuts. Felix himself clutched his swollen jaw.

"What happened?! Where's Isabella?! And where's that bastard?!" Gilbert bellowed, disbelieving the sight before him.

Felix staggered, trying to stand upright. "Sir, we lost."

"Lost?!" Gilbert exploded. "Lost to whom? To one homeless guy? You took ten of my bravest and strongest men! And you lost?!"

"He's no ordinary tramp, Sir," Felix said, his voice choked. "He's a devil! He beat all of us single-handedly! He was like a destructive machine!" Felix trembled, still terrified.

Gilbert burst out laughing, a cynical and dismissive laugh. "Nonsense! Do you think I'd believe this ridiculous story? You must be lying! You let them get away! I can't believe how a homeless guy like Nicholas could defeat all of you!"