Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler

Gabriel struggled to sit up. "What the hell are you talking about? You poisoned my food! I'm dying over here!"

The man let out a cruel laugh. "Poison? You're lucky I didn't lace it with something worse. You think you can scam me and just walk away?"

At a nearby table, Monkey leaned back in his chair, smirking. "Aw, look at that—'Pork Nine' and 'Slaughter Three' caught themselves another fat sheep," he said, voice dripping with amusement. Laughter rippled through the tavern. Axel stayed perfectly still, eyes calculating.

"Pork Nine" scanned the tavern and grinned when he spotted the familiar faces at Monkey's table. "Not making as much as you guys out in the wild, though." The two groups exchanged knowing smiles.

Axel caught the subtle interaction immediately. Birds of a feather flock together. These guys were cut from the same cloth—scavengers preying on the weak. That meant Pork Nine and his crew were probably on the same level as Monkey's gang in terms of strength and status.

If this were a straight-up fight, Axel wouldn't break a sweat dealing with scum like this. But Sin City had rules, and for now, he needed to play along.

Gabriel, still clutching his stomach, protested weakly. "I already gave you the raw stones!" His voice carried an edge of frustration.

Monkey and his crew exchanged amused glances. Scams like this weren't uncommon in Sin City. As long as they played by the rules, no one would interfere. But when an outsider was this clueless, this easy to fleece? It was almost too easy.

Pork Nine's grin widened as he pulled a gleaming golden machete from his belt. "Then let's settle this properly. You got the guts to take me on in a deathmatch?"

Gabriel's eyes went wide. Then, as if realizing something, he relaxed a little and shook his head. "Nope. Not accepting that. And since I won't fight you, you can't do shit to me."

There were rules here—strict ones. Gabriel smirked, thinking he was safe. But the moment he finished speaking, the entire tavern erupted in laughter.

Pork Nine and his wife, Slaughter Three, stared at him like he was the dumbest man alive. "If you won't fight, then you follow my rules," Pork Nine sneered. "You bought two servings of charcoal-grilled rhino meat earlier. I'll be fair. Just return them to me at the original price—one hundred raw stones."

Gabriel nearly choked. "One hundred?!"

Monkey let out a low whistle. "Damn, One-Horned Rhino meat? That's from a tier-three mutant beast. Gotta say, Pork Nine, you don't hold back."

His crew chuckled, watching the shakedown unfold with amusement.

"Why don't you just rob me instead?!" Gabriel fumed. He could afford it, sure, but that wasn't the point. Getting fleeced this easily left a bitter taste in his mouth.

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And worse, he knew Axel had warned him about this exact situation. Gabriel shot Axel an apologetic look.

Pork Nine leaned in, his smirk widening. "So, what's it gonna be?"

Gabriel sighed heavily. "Fine. I'll pay."

He had no choice. Refusing both the challenge and the demand meant breaking the rules of Sin City. That would bring real trouble—not just from these thugs, but from the city's actual enforcers.

Just as he resigned himself to it, Pork Nine let out a fake gasp. "Oh wait, my mistake! Now that I think about it, you didn't buy two portions—you bought four. That'll be two hundred raw stones."

Slaughter Three's eyes gleamed with greed. They hadn't planned to squeeze this much out of him at first, but now that they knew he had money, why not take more? If they could bleed Gabriel dry in one go, all the better.

Axel narrowed his eyes and stood up. "Are you sure you wanna go this far?"

Pork Nine stepped closer, towering over him. "Oh, I'm sure. Thought you were a mute for a second there."

Axel exhaled slowly, glancing around the room. He had planned to stay under the radar, learn more about how things worked here before drawing any attention.

But Gabriel had been too damn naive. Backing down once was already bad enough. If they backed down a second time, it wouldn't end here. They'd be branded as easy prey, and vultures like Pork Nine wouldn't be the last to come circling. No—if he didn't make a stand now, it would only get worse.

"Alright," Axel said at last.

Pork Nine blinked, then grinned. "Good. Then stop wasting my time and hand over the money." Excited murmurs spread through the tavern. This was turning into a hell of a payday.

But Axel's next words silenced the room. "I meant… I accept your challenge."

A heavy silence fell over the tavern. Pork Nine's smirk faltered for just a second. Then the entire crowd erupted in a chorus of shocked laughter, jeers, and murmurs. Now, this was getting interesting.

Gabriel's head snapped up, emotions swirling in his chest. He clearly remembered Axel warning him to keep a low profile, to avoid trouble at all costs.

And yet, Axel was stepping up to fight—for him. And the worst part? He hadn't even trusted Axel before.

The little fat man gripped the edge of the table with both hands, staring at Axel's back. A wave of guilt and gratitude washed over him.

If Axel knew what was going through his head right now, he'd probably sigh and say: Kid, you get this emotional so easily. A pretty woman is going to scam you blind one day.

Of course, Axel wasn't standing up for Gabriel out of sentiment. His strategy had simply changed.

"Alright, alright." Pork Nine was furious at Axel's decision. A deathmatch meant that if Axel died, his belongings would be confiscated by the City of Sin's enforcers. None of it would go to Pork Nine.

To him and Slaughter Three, that was their payday flying right out the window. They had never expected these two outsiders to value their pride over their own lives.

"If you're gonna fight, take it outside. I'm not cleaning blood off my damn floor."

The gruff voice came from the bearded, burly tavern owner behind the bar.

Pork Nine stiffened at the command. Clearly, he wasn't stupid enough to defy him. He shot Axel a final glare before turning on his heel and marching outside.

Axel got up as well but turned to the tavern owner before leaving. "Boss, pour me a dark beer. Iced."

The owner narrowed his eyes, studied Axel for a moment, and said nothing.

Gabriel trailed after Axel the moment he stepped outside. Monkey and his crew followed as well, eager for a show.

Fights like these were common in Sin City. The crowd barely reacted. Some passersby barely spared them a glance. Others smirked and started gathering to watch.

By now, the sun had dipped low, stretching their shadows long across the dusty ground. The evening wind was sharp, slicing through the alleyways like a knife.

Across from him, Pork Nine stood with his machete drawn, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.

Axel exhaled slowly, gathering his strength.

"Boy, there are no restrictions on weapons in a duel," the tavern owner's voice rang out from inside.