Chapter 6

All was silent, apart from Leon's piercing howls of agony. No one expected the quiet, unassuming Icarus to have such a ferocious side to him. He'd just crushed Leon's arm by stomping on it! Seeing this, Leon's lackeys felt chills running down their spines. They'd been meaning to gang up on Icarus, but they were too afraid to even move now. Right at that moment, the sound of flurried footsteps could be heard outside the classroom, along with Donovan's voice. "Hurry up, Mr. Yarra! There's no telling how seriously injured Icarus might be if you take too long!" Hank and Donovan came entering through the back door of the classroom, but they were greeted by the sight of Icarus stepping on Leon's hand while the latter jerked around in pain. This was completely at odds with what Donovan had imagined. Stupefied, he froze in shock. Once Hank realized what was happening, all the color drained out of his face. He roared, "What on earth is going on? What's the meaning of this? Have all of you lost your minds?" When Icarus showed no response, Hank hurried over and wagged his finger at him, chiding, "Icarus! How dare you assault a fellow classmate? Take your foot off now!" Icarus glanced at Hank before replying, "They started it. They tossed my desk and books to the back of the class too." "So what if they started it? You're wrong to beat up a student! Take your foot off now!" Hank demanded, so furious that he was trembling all over. He couldn't believe that Icarus was stepping on Leon of all people! Leon's father, Walter Harlow, owned a local construction company. He also had a foul temper and a gang of brutes working for him. If this matter wasn't settled properly, Icarus wasn't the only one who'd be in trouble. Even Hank would get dragged into it! "Fine." Icarus took his foot away. Hank started to exhale in relief, but before he could finish doing so, Icarus kicked Leon in the abdomen, sending him crashing against the wall of the classroom. After coughing out some blood, Leon blacked out. "And now, we're even," Icarus said coolly. As Hank took in the ghastly state Leon was in, he felt a chill seeping through his bones. He couldn't imagine how Walter would react when he saw how badly injured his precious son was. "You…" Hank wagged his finger at the unruffled Icarus again, too outraged to speak. He couldn't believe that Icarus, who'd been a perfectly obedient student for over two years, would cause such a huge problem in his senior year! "Take Leon and Tom to the school nurse's office at once!" Hank barked at the dumbfounded students. Leon's lackeys immediately snapped out of their daze and hurried forward to haul Leon and Tom off. Hank turned around and glared at Icarus. "You! Come with me to the staffroom!" Donovan stared at Icarus in sorrow and disbelief. He knew there was no way Icarus could get out of this situation unscathed. At best, he would be expelled and forced to pay for the medical fees. At worst, he would suffer the wrath of Walter and vanish from Hindale for good. Once Icarus and Hank left the classroom, the students broke out into an uproar. "Icarus was downright scary! Look at the way he beat up Leon…" "I used to think he was so timid that he dared not even speak. Who would've thought he had such a ferocious side to him…" Everyone was discussing what Icarus had done. Apart from being thunderstruck, some of them also felt a sense of satisfaction. Leon had banked on his family background to lord over everyone else in class. As a result, plenty of them disliked him too. By giving Leon a good thrashing, Icarus had done something many of them would've longed to do but never had the guts to do it. "Hah! I can't believe you guys actually think Icarus was incredible for doing that. He's just a fool! We're on the verge of graduating, but he went ahead and assaulted a fellow classmate! At the very least, he's going to be expelled from school. Who knows? It might even go on his permanent record! He might not even get to go to college! "Also, Leon's parents won't let him get away with this. I've met Leon's dad a few times. He's very powerful here in Hindale, and he has a bunch of men working for him. Once Icarus walks out the school gates today, there's no telling where he'll live till tomorrow!" Emily declared with a sneer. Shania Stewart, Emily's deskmate, summed up the situation. "After today, Icarus' life is basically ruined. He won't be able to take the college entrance exam, and Leon's family will also take their revenge. Even if he doesn't die, he'll end up maimed for sure…" The others in class thought the two girls had a point. But at the end of the day, they weren't friends with Icarus anyway. Even if he ended up expelled, maimed, or dead, what did it have to do with them? All they cared about was the vicarious feeling of vindication when Leon got pummeled. … Inside the staffroom, Hank looked pale. His hand trembled as he gripped a glass of water. "Icarus, this matter is now beyond me. I need to report it to the school administration and let them handle it. You'll… have to hope that things turn out for the best for you," Hank said grimly. However, Icarus didn't care. He only attended school for the sake of killing time and could leave whenever he wanted to. He didn't care what kind of punishment he'd receive. He'd been bored by the monotony of his life for quite a long time now, and Leon's provocation had entertained him. Although he'd lived for several millennia, he was still a cultivator in the refinement phase. Technically speaking, he was still mortal, and all mortals felt angry at times. Regardless of how wide the disparity was between him and Leon's physical strength and experience, he would still strike back when necessary! Plus, it did feel pretty good to bulldoze over someone weaker than him! … When Ruth entered the classroom, she saw the mess in the black of the classroom, including the blood stains, the upturned desk, and the scattered books. What on earth happened? Confused, she looked around at the other students. They'd all clammed up the moment she walked in, and they were now eyeing her with strange expressions. When she got to her seat and found only Icarus' chair remaining, she realized the desk at the back belonged to him. "What's going on?" Ruth asked in confusion, her brows furrowed. Donovan's eyes lit up when he spotted Ruth from his seat further behind. Icarus could be saved after all! He called Ruth out to the hallway before telling her what occurred earlier. "H-He crushed Leon's arm by stepping on it?" Ruth asked in disbelief as cupped her mouth. "That's right. We all heard the sound of his bones cracking. Just the thought of it now gives me goosebumps… Icarus looks so slender. I can't believe he was that strong…" Donovan said with a lingering sense of fear. However, Ruth fell into deep thought. This was the perfect chance for her. She could use this to force Icarus into treating Jeremiah! "I got it. I'll find a way to stop them from expelling Icarus," Ruth said to Donovan. "That's great!" Donovan was thrilled. Since Ruth was a Talbot, as long as she was willing to help, Icarus would be saved! … Over at the Academic Affairs Department, Icarus was standing in front of Gary Parker, the head of academic affairs, while Hank stood on the side. "Icarus, we've informed Leon's parents, and he's making his way over right now. Before that, I'd like to know why you assaulted Leon," Gary said with a stern expression. Icarus relayed the truth. "I told you. He started it. He tossed my desk to the back of the class. I told him to move it back, but he refused and even tried to attack me." "You're claiming that he started it first? In that case, why is he the one injured while you're completely unharmed?" Gary questioned with a frown. "That's simple. It's because I'm a better fighter than he is," Icarus replied. After slamming his hand on the desk, Gary shot to his feet and snarled, "That's nonsense! How dare you act so cavalier when you just assaulted a student? What kind of student—a teenage boy—behaves like you? I'm going to call your family and ask them what kind of things they've taught you!" "I don't have any family, so you don't need to make the call," Icarus stated. "You don't have any family?" Gary turned to Hank. Hank hesitated briefly before confirming, "Icarus… doesn't have any family, Mr. Parker. His records state that he's an orphan who was raised by an elderly man, but the elderly man passed away when he was in junior high." "So, you're an orphan, huh? Since you're an orphan, that's all the more reason why you shouldn't have done this! Is this any way to repay the elderly man who raised you? If he found out what you did, how could he rest in peace…" Gary continued to berate Icarus in fury. Icarus' records were false, of course. No such elderly man existed. Moreover, he wasn't interested in being lectured by someone who was several thousand years younger than him, so he interrupted, "Mr. Parker, you can just go ahead and tell me what punishment you're giving me. I don't have the time to listen to your nonsense." "Why, you! You…" Gary's face turned scarlet, too enraged to speak.