They soon arrived at his school.
"We are here, young master." Vuitton said.
It was a huge school with guards at the gates.
It looked to be a very expensive school just by its appearance.
Bradley looked through the mirror, watching the many students walking inside the school premises.
Some were dropped off by fancy cars, while others just walked.
Just the thought of getting out of the car and seeing all those people mingling around like cockroaches pissed him off.
"I'll see you later, Vuitton." Bradley said.
"Have a good day at school, young master."
It's been years since I've ever had a good day. He chuckled inwardly.
He got out of the limousine and walked towards the gates. Some students started to whisper when they saw him, but Bradley didn't care—he was used to it.
The guards at the gate searched every student to prevent any accidents, since some kids nowadays liked to carry guns, drugs, or knives.
We're not in the US, where there are always school shootings and kids walking around with guns, so I think the search is useless. Especially since this is a private school in Europe—England to be exact. But then again, you'll get stabbed if you don't know where you're going, mate. He thought.
I still wonder how the hell someone can carry a huge knife that looks like a zanpakuto inside their pants... roadman activities, I guess.
After being searched, he walked inside the premises, following the cobblestone path with the other students.
The school was vast, with gardens on both sides that were now covered with snow.
The football field was also filled with snow.
He put his gloved hands inside his jacket's pocket and entered the school building.
He walked through the noisy school corridors packed with students.
Tsk, I hate this.
[You hate everything.] The other Bradley answered.
Shut up.
As always, some students murmured when seeing him.
"Murderer." Someone whispered faintly, but he caught it.
He ignored it and didn't even look at their faces; he just kept walking.
He turned left and saw a plaque on a door saying 'Class-1A'.
That was his class.
But before he could even reach his class, two boys blocked his path.
Bradley, who rarely looked at anyone's faces, looked up this time to see who dared to stop him.
One was tall with black hair and blue eyes, while the other was the same height as Bradley but had blond hair and gray eyes.
"If it isn't, Mr. Bully himself—the one who bullied someone until they almost tried to kill themselves." The black-haired boy said.
Calling me a bully when you're out here bullying other people is crazy. He thought.
[Well, I guess it's just retribution for what you did in the past.] The other him said, chuckling.
"What do you want?" Bradley asked, irritated.
"How rude. Is that how you talk to your seniors? I guess the beating we gave you last week wasn't enough to teach you a lesson." The blond-haired boy said with an annoyed face.
They were third-year bullies who hurt him and one of the reasons he had bruises all over his body.
"Fuck, I don't really want to deal with this." He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Let's do it another time. I'll be late to class." Bradley tried to move past them, but the black-haired boy grabbed his shoulders, stopping him. "You're not going anywhere."
Bradley frowned in annoyance, then sighed.
He smacked the hand away from his shoulders and tried to leave again, but the blond-haired boy kicked him in the chest.
He barely blocked in time. He crossed both of his arms over his chest and blocked the kick, which sent him back against the wall.
He groaned in pain.
Fuck.
"Let's fuck him up." They said.
"Sorry, but I'm not gay, mate." Bradley said with a disgusted expression.
"W-what? We didn't mean it that way, you bastard!" The blond-haired boy snapped.
"Sure thing, buddy. Whatever makes you sleep at night."
Both boys dashed angrily toward him.
Bradley just sighed. "Can't I just die already? Dealing with these monkeys is so draining... remember—you guys asked for it."
The black-haired boy lunged first, throwing a punch toward Bradley's face.
Bradley dodged by stepping to the right.
The boy was a bit surprised but regained his composure and attacked again.
Bradley dodged the left hook. "You're full of openings." He punched the boy in the chest, sending him back a couple of steps. "Argh!"
"Fuck, my wrist hurts." Bradley shook his sore wrist.
The blond-haired boy jump-kicked him.
He ducked the kick and punched the boy's jaw with an uppercut while he was mid-air.
"Ugh!" The blond-haired boy hit the ground hard and grabbed his sore chin.
"I warned you—" Bradley couldn't finish the sentence before getting kicked square in the chest.
He was sent flying and hit the door of another classroom, which burst open from the impact.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck! My back and chest hurt so bad!" Bradley winced in pain.
"Did you think just because you got a few punches, you could breach the gap in strength? You're just a worm." The black-haired boy cracked his knuckles.
"We were planning to go easy on you today, but since you decided to fight back, you are dead."
The blond-haired boy entered the empty classroom as well and closed the door, locking it.
Lock.
"There's nowhere to run." The blond-haired boy said. "You'll pay tenfold for that punch."
"Pfft, you actually got punched in the chin, Adrian?" The black-haired boy said to the blonde boy.
"It was just a lucky punch, that's all. Plus, you also got punched, Dickson." Adrian replied.
Before Dickson could retort, a laugh interrupted him.
"Pfft—" Bradley, lying on his back on the floor, trembled while trying not to laugh.
"What's funny, you fucker?" Dickson said, irritated.
"Ah, I'm sorry, guys, you can continue talking." Bradley coughed.
Then he suddenly burst out laughing.
"Hahahahaha, how could your parents name you 'Dickson'? I can't take your name seriously! What kind of parents name their child after a dick?"
Bradley laughed and laughed; his laugh echoed in the empty classroom.
"You little fu—"
Bradley interrupted him. "Your parents mustn't have liked you much to name you after a dick. Fucking hell, I'd honestly kill myself if I were named like that, pfft. Nah, man, British people and their names."
Bradley got up on his feet.
Dickson became so angry that his pale skin turned red.
"Man, you look like a volcano right now," Bradley said with a smirk.
Dickson said in anger, "Let's break one of his legs, Adrian, to teach him a lesson."
"W-what?! No way! Breaking a leg is too much. If the school finds out—we will be expelled!"
"Don't be a pussy. There are no cameras in this classroom. Even if he tells anyone, no one will believe him anyway, since he has no proof and because of his bad reputation. Are you in or are you chickening out?" Dickson asked.
Adrian clicked his tongue. "Fine!"
They both moved towards Bradley. "You're so cooked, you motherfucker."
"AHH, I'm so scareeeed." Bradley acted dramatically.
Bradley looked to his right.
His other self was sitting on the desk, watching them with a bored expression.
[Are you going to actually fight back or take a beating as always because you think that's your punishment for the sins that you have committed?
Because if you don't, they're actually going to break your leg. Look at the spirit beside him. They are already under its influence.] He pointed at a humanoid figure next to Dickson.
It had a human body but a grotesque face, with inverted eyes and a swollen face with spores that kept popping and releasing pus all over its yellow skin from head to toe.
It looked creepy and disgusting.
Bradley could smell its reeking, disgusting odour. Fuck, such spirits always smell the worst.
It was whispering things into Dickson's ears. "Break him. Kill him. No one will know."
It was invisible to the other boys, but only Bradley could see it.
Ever since he started seeing his other self, he started seeing things like spirits and souls of the dead. He first thought he was going insane, but he soon realised he had gained some kind of supernatural power.
How did he get it?
He didn't know.
So he sometimes worked with his other self to eliminate threatening spirits, and just for fun.
[That's a manipulative anger spirit. It feeds on anger, emotions and manipulates its victims to commit bad deeds, slowly feeding on their souls. It's a lower rank, though.]
Tsk, I always wonder how you know so much, but you don't know a single thing about where you came from. Bradley clicked his tongue.
[Don't blame me, I genuinely do not know if I am a spirit or something. Perhaps a dead soul.]
A dead soul? Nah, no way. I'm still alive. It's probably something else.
[Maybe I'm your future self or something. You may have died in the future.] His other self smiled.
That would be amazing, for real. If that's true, then I know I will eventually die at an early age. Bradley smiled in happiness.
Bradley always took a beating from them because he thought of it as a punishment for what he did in the past when he was much younger, not because he was weak.
He was very strong, actually. He was a black belt in both judo and karate. He was a national-level champion before, but he started losing his skills because he was slacking off.
And since he liked to starve himself, his body could no longer move like it used to. However, that didn't mean he still couldn't deal with some punks.
Fine, let's do it. He said.
[Yessir.] His other self grinned mischievously.
His other self stood up from the desk.
He didn't step on the floor—he floated towards Bradley and entered his body.
Bradley's eyes turned blank.
Adrian and Dickson rushed at him.
But they stopped in their tracks.
"W-what is this feeling?" Adrian asked as he trembled.
A chilling aura was spreading in the room.
It was coming out of Bradley.
Even the anger spirit was trembling. [N-no, it's impossible. Why would there be a higher-ranked spirit other than my lady in my hunting grounds?!] He said.
Bradley's large jacket swayed even though there was no wind in the room.
[Come on, kill him! He's dangerous! He'll kill us instead if you don't!] The spirit said to Dickson with worry.
"N-no way, I'm not scared of some brat." Dickson refuted, but he couldn't stop trembling.
How could he not?
In front of someone who reeked like death, who wouldn't pee themselves in fear?
"Fuck this!" Dickson moved in anger and punched toward Bradley's face.
Thwack!
Bradley stopped his fist with his palm effortlessly.
"W-what?" Dickson tried to pull his arm back, but his fist was stuck in Bradley's grip.
Why the hell is he so strong all of a sudden?!
Bradley finally looked up at him.
Dickson froze at the look and started trembling.
Bradley's eyes were no longer blank or their original brown colour—they were pitch black now.
They were spiralling like the void.
Cold. Emotionless.
Dickson felt like those eyes were staring at his very soul—that nothing could hide from them.
Humans, when faced with danger that could kill them or something beyond human understanding, experience one of two primal instincts: Fight back or flee for their lives.
But Dickson and Adrian felt none of those instincts. They felt something they had never felt before.
They knew if they fought back, something terrible or even death would happen to them.
They knew they couldn't flee either. They felt like turning their backs right now was straight death.
Dickson felt something warm running down his leg.
Even Adrian, who was farther from him, peed himself as well.
Bradley took a deep breath, releasing hot steam from his mouth.
"Pathetic. Look at yourselves now, peeing yourselves from fear... where did that confidence from earlier go?"
Bradley's voice didn't sound human—it sounded distorted, raw, and evil.
Bradley laughed.
"You said that I couldn't run away? Who decided that?
You said I was locked in here with you? Who decided that?
You said you'd break my leg? Who decided that?"
"You didn't lock me here with you guys. You are the ones locked in here with me instead. Because you are not the danger—I am the danger."
Dickson's, Adrian's, and even the evil spirit's legs trembled and wobbled in fear.
Tears streaked down Dickson's face.
"I-I'm s-sor—" Dickson tried to apologize, but Bradley interrupted him.
"Too late for that." Bradley smiled terrifyingly as he clenched his left hand into a fist and then punched the left side of Dickson's ribs.
BAM!
SWOOSH!
Dickson was sent flying and crashed against the desks and chairs.
"Oops, I think I punched too hard—not that I care though."
Bradley looked behind Adrian and pointed at the evil spirit trying to sneak out in secret.
"You there, wait patiently before I get to you."
The evil spirit stopped in his tracks. [Y-you can see me?] He asked with his voice trembling.
"Of course, dumbass, so wait there."
Is he nuts or what? Adrian thought in disbelief as he heard Bradley talking to himself.
Bradley shifted his attention now to Adrian.
He took slow steps toward him.
Adrian felt fear with each step he took.
So, with a battle cry, he launched at Bradley and jump-kicked.
"Hoh? You dared to attack me despite seeing your friend being sent flying? That's impressive. But your kicks really hurt earlier. How about I give you a taste of mine?"
Bradley dodged his kick and stepped to the side.
He spun on his feet, then lifted his leg 180 degrees, kicking Adrian straight under his chin while he was still mid-air.
Thwack!
The impact of the kick sent Adrian flying towards the ceiling.
Adrian's head broke through the ceiling and got stuck up there. His body hung there for a couple of seconds before falling down.
Thud.
Adrian's face was all bloodied.
"That's what you get."
Bradley finally shifted his attention to the evil spirit, who was kowtowing on the floor.
[I'm really sorry! I didn't know there was a high-ranked spirit in this school! Please forgive me and please spare me.]
"Hmm..." Bradley silently scanned the spirit.
The evil spirit trembled under his dark gaze.
Fuck, I can't believe I have to beg for my life to this bastard. Just give me a chance and I will kill him for this humiliation. The evil spirit thought.
Bradley thought for a while and then nodded.
"Okay, fine. Since you're very respectful, I will let it slide this one time, but there won't be a next time."
[T-thank you for your mercy, sir!] The evil spirit bowed.
"Yeah, yeah, now shoo. I don't want to see your ugly face anymore." Bradley waved his hand in dismissal.
Bradley turned around to look at the bodies of his seniors.
This is my chance! the spirit thought.
The spirit jumped at his back, trying to pierce his back with its large, sharp nails. [Hahah, you fucker, haven't they told you to never turn your back on your enemies?]
Before the nails pierced his back, Bradley dodged with inhuman speed.
"Haven't they told you to never announce your surprise attacks when fighting your enemy? This is not an anime."
[H-How—]
Splurt!
Green blood splattered on the ground.
Bradley's arm pierced the evil spirit's chest and came out of its back, holding a pumping green heart.
The evil spirit coughed green blood.
[Y-you are a monster...]
"Yeah, I know."
Bradley crushed the heart in his hand into a pulp.
The spirit fell limp and turned into smoke.
"Tsk, disgusting shit." He cursed as he looked at the green blood on his hand that started to disappear in a smoke.
He looked at the unconscious seniors of his.
"Now what should I do with them?"