Chapter 661: Just the Tip

In that same moment the rest of their friends began to appear from farther down the damaged street as they ran forward to catch up with the two of them.

They all took careful note that their current physical conditions were still good enough for them to continue fighting if they had to.

Bruises. Cuts. Broken ribs that had already begun to knit. A broken leg that was already mending. Nothing that would stop them.

But they also understood that they needed to come up with a solid and workable plan if they were ever going to succeed in killing Benjamin, or else they would certainly fail against him no matter how hard they tried.

After a short moment of silent agreement they decided among themselves to switch over completely to telepathic communication so they could keep the details of their conversation safely away from Benjamin’s ears.

Their faces went still, their eyes went distant, and their thoughts linked together like threads woven into a single rope.

[He’s a beast] Hawthorne lamented inside the shared mental space that connected all of them. His mental voice was tired and heavy.

[Hehe... It’s not everyday we hear Hawthorne say that about someone] Sekhmet teased him in return, already beginning to feel noticeably better now that the distance between her and Benjamin had grown larger.

A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

[Magic and supreme strength means nothing to him... But when I found Sekhmet, he was in something of a catatonic state. I stabbed his spine and fled, however, if we can find out why that happened, maybe we will have a chance] Zanya explained carefully to the entire group so that everyone would understand what she had seen.

Her mental voice was calm and measured: the voice of a leader.

[He rarely leaves any opening, so this will not be easy] Saharit added next in a serious tone. [I would reckon we restrain him if we could, then use a mental attack to strike. It fits your catatonia observation too].

[You know, you guys probably should just talk out loud, if you’re trying to hide the conversation from me. I can hear it more clearly than if you spoke physically]

The last unusual voice that suddenly sounded inside all of their heads at once threw every single one of the Apex Girls into a full and immediate panic.

Without any further hesitation they all dropped into ready attack stances with their weapons drawn and their auras flaring outward.

The air around them grew thick with heat and pressure. The broken stones on the ground began to tremble.

"Uhm, I wanted to ask nicely if you guys would allow me to touch you for a bit. You too, Hawthorne. I’ll be gentle, I promise."

Turning their eyes toward the exact place where the unexpected voice was coming from, they saw Benjamin standing calmly on the roof of a building to their left.

He was not covered in blood anymore, and the wound in his body had closed.

He stood with his head tilted slightly to one side.

But every one of the girls furrowed their brows tightly and cringed at the same moment.

[[[[[[He’s a pervert!]]]]]] They all thought together in perfect and horrified unison inside their shared mental space.

"Huh?! What makes me a pervert?!" Benjamin yelled back at them the very moment he heard their collective thoughts ringing clearly in his own mind. His face had gone red. "I j-j-just want to touch you a little! Just the tip! And Hawthorne, we’re both men: why is that perverted?"

The atmosphere surrounding the entire group changed again the instant he openly mentioned that Hawthorne was a man.

Zanya’s eyes went wide. Zuri’s mouth fell open. Saharit’s face went blank with shock. Frigoris looked at Hawthorne, then at Benjamin. Sekhmet’s ears flattened against her head.

"He is not a man! Hawthorne is an Apex Girl!" Zanya yelled straight at him with clear anger in her voice.

Her sword pointed at his chest.

"Hm? But you referred to him as ’He’ just now," Benjamin said while he tilted his head slightly to the side in what looked like mild confusion, his brow furrowed. His lips pressed together.

"What? Are you both perverted and stupid?" Zanya raised one brow high on her forehead. "’He’ is what you use to refer to a man, no?"

The silence that followed was long and uncomfortable.

Fed up from what he took as nothing more than pure and deliberate mockery aimed at him, Benjamin jumped down from the roof in one smooth motion and started running straight toward the open area where the Apex Girls were still standing and waiting.

"Tsk. Whatever you do, don’t let him separate you. You’ll be in trouble," Zanya warned the others in a low and urgent voice as they all held their positions and waited for him to close the remaining distance between them.

Her sword came up. Her feet shifted into a wider stance. Her eyes never left Benjamin’s face.

"...!"

A sudden and powerful strike delivered from the base of his open palm connected hard and cleanly with the bridge of Frigoris’ nose.

Immediately after that a heavy kick connected directly with the center of Saharit’s stomach and blasted every bit of air right out of her mouth in a sharp and involuntary gasp.

She fell to her knees, clutching her midsection with both arms and could not breathe.

A solid and well-aimed punch followed right after and sent Sekhmet’s body flying backward at high speed until she crashed into a weak house, the force of the impact collapsing the entire structure down around her in a cloud of dust.

Sekhmet was buried beneath a pile of splintered wood and shattered clay.

Both of his hands connected hard at the exact same time against each of Zanya’s cheeks, making her eyes go completely dead and unfocused for a full second while a thin but steady line of blood began trickling slowly down from her nose.

Her sword fell from her hand and her knees buckled, but she caught herself before she fell.