When Max stood there, every student stared in disbelief, for multiple reasons.

The person they had bullied, the one they had ganged up on not long ago… had come back.

But it wasn't just that he'd returned, he hadn't come back alone.

The same boy they thought was powerless… how had he gathered people like this around him? How had he convinced them to fight on his behalf, especially given how bad the odds looked?

"Haha... it's you?" Dipter said, placing a hand on his forehead. "This whole time I was worried someone dangerous might show up, and it's actually you? This ain't—"

But before he could finish, a thought flashed through his mind.

Why?

Why had their client insisted on keeping Max down? On making sure he never got back up?

Now, seeing Max standing with allies by his side, strong ones, Dipter started to wonder if this was what they'd been afraid of all along.

"Dipter," Max began, voice calm but laced with venom, "you're the one who made my life at school a living hell."

He hadn't experienced more than a few days of it, but he remembered what it felt like. And he could only imagine what the real Max had gone through, day in and day out.

"You're the one who controls the entire school. The one who ordered everyone to attack me. And worst of all… you played a part in Sam's death."

Max's fists clenched at his sides.

"It didn't have to happen. Things didn't have to go this way."

"But after everything that's happened, someone has to punish you," Max said, pointing a finger at himself. "And I guess now—that falls to me."

It was the first time Max had actually seen Dipter in person—or at least, the new version of Max. He hadn't even spoken a single word to the one responsible for turning his life into chaos.

But he didn't need to.

He felt it, the rage buried deep within the original Max's soul. A fury that burned with every memory, every bruise, every moment stolen from him.

"You know," Dipter replied, smirking, "it's kinda ironic. You gathered all these people here thinking you could dosomething."

He chuckled, but his eyes didn't smile.

"I told the others we were finally gonna leave you alone. But I also said... if you ever tried something again, I'd be the one to finish you."

Dipter raised his hand, and pointed it straight at Max.

"Get them!"

In an instant, the students unzipped the bags slung across their backs, pulling out the hidden weapons stored inside. Bats, chains, iron pipes, they were ready.

And so were the members of the Pit.

Wolf didn't wait. He charged ahead, faster than the rest, launching himself into the air and slamming his knee straight into a student's face.

CRACK!

"Ohhh, a cold crunch, I like the sound of that!" Wolf grinned as he landed and immediately threw himself back into the fray, hitting anyone he could see.

There was no style. No technique.

Wolf fought like a storm, wild, unpredictable, and dangerous, just swinging and striking at everything that moved.

Due to the overwhelming number of students, it didn't take long for the bulk of them to break through the chaos, closing in fast on Max.

But getting to him wouldn't be so easy.

Steven raised both fists and immediately began hammering students in the face. He ducked, weaved, and struck again, his form tight, professional, and relentless.

Joe wasn't far behind him, copying his movements as best he could, throwing his own fists into the fray.

That was, until Ko stepped forward and aimed a brutal kick right at Joe's thigh.

"Hey, traitor!" Ko shouted. "Don't think I forgot what you did last time!"

"Crap... last time Ko kicked my head in!" Joe panicked, backing up. "Well… at least I get to pay him back this time."

Meanwhile, Aron remained close to Max's side.

He had already drawn his baton and was striking down anyone who got within reach. His movements were fast, precise, and compact, while the students came at him with wild, messy swings.

"Hmph… looks like, somehow, he's managed to gather somewhat decent people," Dipter muttered from the back as he observed the fight. "We need to make sure there are still people left to make today's deliveries. You two, get moving."

Back on the front lines, Steven was still pummeling students, fist after fist landing clean. But just as he reeled back for another punch, he noticed something.

A large arm shot up, blocking the hit.

And then, someone stepped in front of the attack entirely.

Steven was taken aback, the person he'd just hit didn't budge an inch.

"Haha, aren't you a bit big to be a student?" Steven asked, blinking in surprise.

"Jay!" some of the other students called out.

Jay had been watching the chaos unfold and noticed that Steven, more than anyone, was causing serious trouble. So he stepped in, ready to put a stop to it.

While that was taking place, Aron had pushed further and further away from Max. It wasn't by choice, but by necessity.

Fighting too close to Max meant others might slip through and reach him. Aron needed to press forward, to push the line back, before anyone got near.

As he readied another swing, something changed.

Aron sensed it, something sharp cutting through the air.

He raised his baton and deflected the object, sending it clattering to the ground.

A knife.

"Whoa," a voice called out, "I threw that pretty hard."

It was Snide.

He stepped forward with a crooked grin, two more knives now gleaming in his hands.

"Seems like you like weapons," Snide said. "Well… same here."

Aron glanced around, and saw he was now surrounded from behind as well.

But the deep concern on his face wasn't because of Snide.

It was because he could no longer get back to Max.

"Hey, Wolf," one of the Pit members called out. "Looks like the kid's friends are a little too busy right now. Should we head back and help him out? If he gets beat… how are we gonna get our money?"

Wolf looked over, and sure enough, he saw a student had spotted Max and was now sprinting straight toward him.

"Nah, leave him be," Wolf replied with a smirk. "Y'know, if we protect him at just the right moment—when he needs it most, we can charge him extra."

The student closed in fast, raising his bat high and swinging it down with full force.

With a simple step to the side, Max avoided the strike. The bat slammed uselessly into the ground.

Max tensed his fist, planted his foot firmly on the dirt, and with a large twist, putting his whole body into it, he drove his punch straight into the student's face.

CRACK!

The sound of a nose breaking echoed, and the student collapsed flat on his back.

"Dipter… I'm saving you for my own hands," Max muttered, his voice low and cold, as he started walking forward.

After seeing what Max had just done, Wolf's whole demeanour changed as his eyes widened.

"I can feel it…today, a legend will be born!"