PARALLEL MEMORY

As Zero continued to strike Professor William, his friend, who had been watching the confrontation with a mix of shock and anger, couldn't bear to see him being humiliated any further.

Lucus stepped forward, his face contorted with rage, and shouted at Zero.

"Stop it, you insolent brat! How dare you lay your hands on William like this!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with authority.

Zero paused for a moment, his hand raised mid-slap, and turned his gaze towards Lucus before focusing on William again and slapping him.

Lucus's face turned even redder with anger as Zero ignored his command and continued to slap Professor William. Frustration and desperation surged within him, and he made a quick decision.

"You don't know who you're dealing with. Our family has an immense influence, and if you continue this assault, you'll regret it!"

Lucus shouted, his voice laced with a threatening tone.

"Is that so?"

Zero replied, his voice calm and composed.

-PAK! -PAK!

Though his hands were still busy slapping someone. 𝑏𝑒𝘥𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝑙.𝘰𝑟𝑔

"You don't understand. We can ruin you, your reputation, and everything you hold dear," Lucus hissed, his voice filled with venom. "Apologize to William and beg for forgiveness, or you'll face the consequences!"

Zero's expression remained unchanged. Rather than being scared of Lucus's warning, he was smiling at him like he was looking at a fool.

( Look at him acting like a small-time villain! He don't know about me but started to threaten me like he has the strongest backing. )

"I don't know where your confidence comes from though you are right, I had enough of beating WIlliam."

Zero's words sent a shiver down Lucus's spine. The confidence in Zero's voice and the unwavering smile on his face made Lucus doubt his own threats.

Before Lucus could say anything else, Zero turned his attention back to Professor William, who was now on the verge of collapse. The repeated slaps had taken their toll, both physically and emotionally. The once proud professor was now a broken man.

Zero slowly lowered his hand, ending the assault. The crowd watched in silence, waiting to see what would happen next.

"Here take this!"

Zero said as he threw Professor William towards his group of friends. They tried to catch him but failed in the end.

Professor William fell on the ground and there was nothing that resembled the previous arrogant William with the current one.

"William, Are you okay?"

William's friends immediately went to help him up.

Professor William hesitated for a moment, his pride wounded and his face still burning from the slaps. Slowly, he reached out and grasped one of his friends hands, allowing himself to be helped to his feet.

Professor William glared at Zero in hatred but there was also some fear in his eyes.

"Now that I took care of him, I think that there was another one who needed some beating."

Zero said smilingly as he glared at Lucus. He has heard what Lucus said to Misha and Zero was not going to let him off easily.

!!!

Lucus felt a chill run down his spine as Zero's gaze locked onto him. The once-confident aura around him began to crumble, replaced by a growing sense of unease.

He was weaker than William and there was no way that he could win against Zero.

"What? What do you want?"

Lucus said, trying to maintain his composure. He didn't want to end up like WIlliam and didn't try to attack.

Lucus's mind raced, desperately searching for a way out of the situation.

( Why did I have to help William? If I didn't interrupt him, I wouldn't have been targeted by this monster! )

Lucus thought regretfully. He didn't know that whether he interrupted Zero or not, he was going to get himself beaten. But he thought that it was because of him running his mouth and threatening Zero that led to Zero shifting his focus on him.

In a last-ditch effort to salvage his pride, Lucus mustered his courage and tried to save face.

"I am feeling generous and will let you off!" Lucus said, his voice shaking slightly.

Zero's smile widened, revealing a glint of amusement in his eyes. . It was the first time a prey was trying to let go of the predator. Zero thought that Lucus was still not seeing the reality here!

Zero chuckled softly, his amusement evident in his voice. "Let me off? You truly have no idea who you're dealing with, do you?"

Lucus's face paled, his bravado waning as he realized his attempt to save face was falling flat.

His mind raced for an escape plan, but deep down, he knew he was outmatched.

Zero took a step closer, his gaze intense and penetrating.

-SWISH!

Before Lucus knew it, Zero, who was a few meters away from him, stood in front of him.

-GLUP!

Lucus was startled and scared when he realized that Zero was before him. His fear was so great that he was unable to even move from that spot.

-SLAP!

Zero also gave a good slap to Lucus.

The force of Zero's slap sent Lucus sprawling to the ground, his cheek stinging from the impact. The onlookers gasped in disbelief, witnessing the successive slaps Zero had delivered to both Professor William and now Lucus.

Lucus struggled to regain his composure as he pushed himself up from the ground. Fear and humiliation clouded his expression as he faced Zero, who stood tall and unyielding.

"Y-you can't do this! You're making a big mistake!" Lucus stammered, his voice filled with a mix of desperation and anger.

The crowd watched the unfolding scene in stunned silence. They couldn't believe what they were witnessing—a single individual effortlessly overpowering two highly skilled individuals.

Zero's display of power and skill was beyond anything they had ever imagined.

Lucus's friends didn't want to incur anger from Zero to themselves. So, they just watched as Lucus fell from Zero's slap.

Hiro, Zion, Lisa, Sylvia, and Misha, who had been spectating the entire confrontation, were taken aback by Zero's relentless display of strength.

Professor Mia and Amelia, who had maintained their composure throughout the entire ordeal, exchanged a knowing glance. They had anticipated this outcome, knowing full well Zero's capabilities.

Zero took a step forward, his voice firm and commanding.

"Consider this a lesson to you all. Your actions have consequences, and I hope that you understand that or else I would not be kind like today."

Lucus's face contorted with a mix of anger and fear. He couldn't stand the feeling of being humiliated, especially in front of so many people.

However, because Zero seemed to want to spare him after one slap, he didn't complain. William's other friend also has nothing to do with Zero and didn't do anything to him.

If it was any other time, just a little provocation was enough for these groups of young masters to do everything that they could to beat down the person who provoked them.

However, this time they met someone who didn't care who they were and was significantly stronger.

Some of them were thinking about taking revenge using their family power while others were happy to be let off by Zero.

Professor William glared at Zero, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and humiliation. He struggled to stand upright, using his friend for support.

Slowly, he regained his composure and straightened his tie, attempting to regain some semblance of dignity.

"Mark my words!" Professor William said, his voice laced with a bitter tone. "This is not over. I will not forget this humiliation, and I will make sure you pay for it."

( Can you please stop provoking him? Are you secretly a masochist! )

His friends all thought. The person was letting them go but William had to say something to him even after getting beaten up.

They didn't want to get beaten up due to the consequences of William.

Zero just smiled at Professor William's words. He just couldn't understand why William had to say the dialogue of a small-time villain.

( Are you that eager to die? )

Zero thought.

Williams was dragged by his friends while Lucus, while angry, didn't think of revenge. This one slap was enough for him to know that he couldn't mess with that person.

"We won't let this slide," William muttered to his friends, his voice filled with determination.

"We'll find a way to bring him down, no matter what it takes."

He said as his friend could only nod. Although they looked like they were agreeing with Professor William, inside none of them wanted to mess with Zero again.

It was the same for Lucus who was slapped by Zero.

*SIGH!

Hiro's group was relieved to see Professor William and his friend go away. Although the outcome of the battle was disastrous, they couldn't blame Zero as Professor William was the one to attack Zero.

"Thank you Professor Mia!"

Hiro said. If not for Professor Mia, he knew that he would have to fight with Professor William. Although the situation did turn to the worst possible scenario, he had to thank Professor Mia who came to help them.

"It's nothing! I didn't even do much!"

Mia replied.

"Professor Mia, why are you here and with him?"

Sylvia asked. When she said him, she meant Zero was coming towards them.

"This is exactly a good place to talk. Let's go to a cafe!"

Professor Mia said. She was talking about the crowd that was around them.

"Okay!"

They replied but their eyes glued onto Zero. Zero couldn't feel stares from them but tried to avoid making any eye contact with them.