My Scumbag System Chapter 520: Privilege Versus Power

Julian didn’t waste time with posturing.

His fist came at my face the moment Hanae’s hand dropped, already wreathed in that purple Quantum Disruption energy that made reality itself look sick and wrong around his knuckles.

I leaned back, feeling the wind of his punch whistle past my nose.

"Too slow, princess."

His jaw clenched, and I saw murder bloom behind those sapphire eyes.

Good. Angry opponents made mistakes. And Julian Valerius seemed to make them in bulk.

Aaron moved to intercept, but Isabelle was already there, her spear catching the morning light as she drove the big guy backward with a series of strikes that made him look like he was dancing against his will. The green wind wrapped around her weapon turned every slash into something that could peel paint off steel.

Which left me alone with the golden boy and his daddy issues.

Julian came at me again, this time going low. His hand shot toward my kidney, purple energy crackling, and I could feel the wrongness radiating off his Aspect. Quantum Disruption. Supposed to destabilize other Aspects on contact, make them flicker and fail.

Too bad for him my best tricks weren’t technically Aspects at all.

I twisted, catching his wrist mid-strike with my free hand. His eyes widened just slightly as I squeezed, feeling bones grind against each other under my grip. The purple energy tried to eat at my skin, but Kinetic Absorption drank it down like fine wine.

Plus five to Strength. Plus five to Agility.

I was already stronger than I’d been ten seconds ago.

"Problem," I said conversationally, keeping his wrist trapped. "You’re still treating this like a sparring match. Like there’s rules. Like I give a single fuck about fighting fair."

Julian’s other fist came up in a desperate hook.

I released his wrist and stepped inside the arc, letting the punch sail harmlessly over my shoulder. His momentum carried him forward, off balance, and I drove my forehead into his pretty nose with enough force to make his eyes water.

Blood sprayed. Not a lot, but enough.

The crowd went absolutely feral.

"STRAY DOG! STRAY DOG! STRAY DOG!"

Julian staggered back, purple energy flaring wildly around his entire body now. His nose leaked crimson down his perfect chin, ruining the golden prince aesthetic.

"You’ll pay for that," he snarled, his voice thick and wet. "You think you can humiliate me? My family? Everything I represent?"

"I think you represent exactly nothing," I said, rolling my shoulders. The regenerator brace hummed against my ribs. "You’re a trust fund with legs and a shiny Aspect. Strip away daddy’s money and what’s left?"

His entire face flushed red, creeping up from his collar.

He charged.

No technique. No strategy. Just pure rage wrapped in golden armor and purple fire.

Rookie mistake.

I sidestepped, letting him stumble past me. His gauntlet scraped against the platform’s metal surface, sending sparks flying. He spun, already launching another punch.

This one connected.

Caught me right in the sternum, and his Quantum Disruption energy tried to tear apart my internal structure at the molecular level. Pain bloomed hot and sharp, radiating outward from the impact point like someone had set off a bomb under my skin.

Kinetic Absorption grabbed the force and converted it.

Plus fifteen to Strength. Plus fifteen to Agility.

My bat moved faster than Julian could track.

The swing caught him across the ribs, and I felt something crack under the impact even through his fancy armor. He wheezed, stumbling sideways, and I pressed the advantage.

Two more strikes. One to his shoulder. One to his hip.

Both connected solid.

Julian went down on one knee, gasping, his perfect golden armor now dented and scratched and looking a lot less impressive.

I could’ve finished him right there.

Should’ve, probably.

But Nel whispered in my mind, reminding me that Nike wanted a show. The Audience wanted drama. And most importantly, I wanted Julian to understand exactly what he’d lost when he chose to freeze in the Necropolis while his teammates died around him.

So I backed off, letting him stand.

"Get up, golden boy. Your dad’s watching. Wouldn’t want to embarrass him on international television."

Julian’s eyes blazed with hatred so pure it was almost beautiful. He rose slowly, purple energy condensing around his entire body now instead of just his fists. The air itself started to warp and bend, reality getting fuzzy at the edges.

This was his real power.

Not just hitting hard, but making the laws of physics optional.

"I’m going to enjoy breaking you," he said, blood still dripping from his nose. "Slowly. Methodically. Until everyone sees you’re nothing special. Just another street rat who got lucky."

I grinned, tasting copper from where I’d bitten my own tongue during his earlier hit. "Lucky? Kid, I’m about to teach you the difference between privilege and power."

He moved.

Faster this time, his Aspect enhancing his speed as reality bent around him. His first punch came from the left, the second from the right, and somehow there was a third coming from overhead.

Quantum bullshit letting him attack from multiple angles simultaneously.

I activated Shade Cloak.

My body dissolved into shadow, and all three of his strikes passed harmlessly through empty darkness. I felt the weird, disorienting sensation of being both everywhere and nowhere, existing in the gaps between atoms.

The crowd gasped.

Julian spun, looking for me, purple energy flaring around him like he’d become the center of a radioactive explosion.

I reformed behind him.

Solid. Real. Grinning like a complete asshole.

"Boo."

My bat caught him across the back of his knees before he could turn, and I put my whole body into the swing. His legs buckled. He went down hard, hands catching himself at the last second before his face met the platform.

The roar from the crowd physically hurt my ears.

Julian pushed himself up with shaking arms, and for just a second I saw something crack in his expression. Not quite defeat, but close.

The first real doubt creeping in.

That maybe, just maybe, all his training and his breeding and his expensive gear weren’t enough.

That maybe the stray dog actually had teeth.

He twisted, throwing himself to the side as I swung again. My bat connected with the platform where his head had been a fraction of a second earlier, the impact sending a shockwave through the metal that made the whole structure ring like a bell.

"You’re not supposed to be this strong," Julian spat, finally scrambling to his feet. Blood ran from his split lip now too, mixing with the mess from his nose. "The file says C-Rank. Thermal Incision. Basic pyrokinesis with cutting application."

"The file’s outdated." I spun the bat, letting it whistle through the air. "Happens when you level up faster than the bureaucracy can process paperwork."

His Quantum Disruption flared brighter, and the world itself seemed to protest his existence. The platform beneath our feet started to crack, hairline fractures spreading outward from where he stood like a spider’s web made of bad decisions.

I glanced over at Isabelle and Aaron.

They’d been trading blows for the last two minutes, neither gaining real ground. Isabelle moved like water, her spear work elegant enough to make the crowd gasp, but Aaron was built like a tank and absorbed punishment the way normal people breathed air. His Graviton Anchor Aspect made him immovable when he wanted, rooting him to the platform with enough force to make the metal groan.

Isabelle’s green wind danced around her like living silk, but she couldn’t knock him down.

And Aaron’s slow, methodical counter-attacks were wearing her out.

We needed to wrap this up.

I caught Isabelle’s eye for half a second.

She nodded once.

Message received.