"That vine isn't only for decorative display, is it? It's some kind of ability attached to your sword! I will say it took a bit to figure out, but now that I have, you're in trouble." Haruto could visibly see the panic on Sneed's face after saying this. The brat really did discover his trick.
"Just because you figured it out doesn't mean anything! KNOW….YOUR….PLACE!!!" Sneed rushed in again, but now, knowing about the ability, it was like night and day. Haruto quickly deflected the vine, completely ignoring the rapier, causing Sneed to get thrown off balance. He quickly took advantage of this and, using his wind to spin his body, performed a roundhouse kick to Sneed's face. The added velocity from the wind increased the power, and if one was watching, they'd notice Sneed's jaw become unhinged as the force sent his body flying into a nearby vendor's cart.
The two Warlords watching stared in disbelief at what they witnessed. This no-rank brat actually beat one of them? Steam was coming off of Haruto's foot as he realized he might have added too much wind to his kick.
Nork started to shout at the other Warlord. He was so infuriated, it seemed as if the vein in his face would blow any second. "Don't just stand there! Get in there and teach him a goddamn lesson!! Now! Now! Do it Now!!"
He was completely losing it in the square, and the commotion was starting to cause a big scene. Dueling was common, but this wasn't a duel; it was a street fight. This rarely happened. A man passing by heard of it and walked up. He leaned over and asked one of the bystanders to fill him in. An older lady, just taking a break from her cleaning duties, looked up and immediately recognized the importance of the man.
"I'm not sure, ya lordship. I think those three lords were harassing the woman and her kid. That kid lord stumbled into it and, from the looks of it, he's pretty good. He defeated one of them with a single kick."
The man rubbed his scruffy face. "I see. Thanks for your info." He reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out 20 gold coins, giving them to her, shocking the woman.
"Oh my!! Thank you, my lord! So kind!!"
The man nodded and moved closer, trying to see if he could get a glimpse of the kid's rank and guild. As he moved closer, he immediately identified the troublemakers.
'GoldenAge. Of course, it's them…'
The man was no stranger to their past deeds. If there was trouble with civilians, it was almost always them. As he stood with his arms folded, he finally got a glimpse of the kid and was surprised.
'UNRANKED! AND NO GUILD! He must be one of the newly crowned Warlords from yesterday's initiation.' It made sense due to GoldenAge's reputation. Not to mention them being known to hold grudges. Other guilds simply tried to avoid them if possible. A new kid wouldn't know anything about their past transgressions. He continued to watch as the more muscular Warlord walked out, removing a hammer. He immediately noticed the vine on the hammer and recognized it.
"BRAX, USE EVERYTHING!" Warlord Nork now didn't care about the woman or child. The kid made him lose face. If he didn't take care of it, he was sure it would get back to the guild that he let a new Warlord, and a kid at that, disrespect them. He couldn't allow that to happen, as the Upper Echelon of the guild were brutal.
"Kid, you may have beat Sneed, but your disrespect stops here. After I'm done with you, I'm gonna take out your interference on that woman you're so foolishly trying to protect."
Brax suddenly began to morph as his limbs grew bulkier and began to grow fur. His hands grew claws, as did his feet. His head morphed slightly into a hybrid tiger mix, but not completely.
The man watching was now interested. He then heard a voice behind him. "So, this is where the party's at?" He didn't fail to notice the familiar arrivals. A young boy and a very cute woman appeared next to him. The woman had a short spiky cut with red hair. She wore a pair of boots with a tank top showing just enough cleavage, and pants made of form-fitting material, showing off her well-shaped body. Rope tattoos were wrapped up both of her arms. "You're as stylish as ever, V," he said, mentioning her outfit. "Tell me, what are your thoughts on the big guy in front of you?"
"Now you must pay!!" Brax shouted as he almost instantly appeared next to Haruto. If it wasn't for his wind still being active, he wouldn't have noticed it in time. He barely dodged the deadly swipe from Brax. 'I cannot mess around with this guy,' he immediately thought as he retreated for distance. Brax was visibly winded and shocked that Haruto was able to dodge even that. He thought Haruto's magical ability must've been speed-based. 'Of course! It's how he must have taken out Sneed. Then what about the fire?' He looked down and saw the metal sleeves on Haruto's fingers. 'So that's it, using tools to summon fire. If that's all there is, this kid is mine.'
After seeing the first strike attempt, V chimed in. "Hmm….well, to start with the big guy…he's an idiot. He sacrificed his overall condition to get instant power and speed. But it's obvious he hasn't used that form yet, nor has he improved his mana enough to maintain it. He was betting on the first strike to connect and didn't expect that kid to dodge. The mana drawback will be painful for forcing the transformation….Amateur." The man chuckled. "I guess you would know better than most….isn't that right, Beast Queen?"