[BOSS: "Constantine, The Twelfth General of the Reverse King | The Erupting Star" | Lv: 50]
'A general of the Reverse King?...What's that level?! This is a starter town right–this is way too early!' He panicked.
There was no doubt about it, the golden-haired youth was registered as such before his eyes; such a level of reverence was undeniably fitting for his exuberant equipment.
The amber-eyed stranger looked around the tavern before his eyes laid directly on Jett, holding a smile as he found the man, "There you are."
It was the very moment that the uninvited guest took a step forward that they were blocked off from approaching Jett–both Jiao and Gunter blocked the way. The booze-loving warrior, even with a belly full of mead, was able to flip the switch in his mind to become serious as he rested his axe on his shoulder, looking down at the one named "Constantine" who was hardly half of Gunter's towering height.
Jiao had yet to draw his flaming greatsword, though the embers naturally emitting from his body as a manifestation of his power were more than enough of a "holstered weapon".
"I dunno who ya are, but ya ain't a friend of Jett's–that's for sure," Gunter said.
"Not a step closer," Jiao said adamantly, peering at Constantine with his fiery eyes.
The tavern was dead silent amidst the tension-filled atmosphere, yet Constantine remained holding a confident smile across his lips.
"Looks like you've already made some friends, Jett Levine. I'm jealous," Constantine said, speaking to the reincarnator despite being blocked.
Jett was left perplexed still as to why somebody directly affiliated to the Reverse King was there, trying to figure out his best course of action, yet finding himself unable to imagine an outcome where he could repel such a high-level combatant.
'A fight would be bad…It took everyone in this tavern to defeat that Abyss Dragon, and this guy is double its level–if he chose violence…It wouldn't end well,' he thought.
"Master," Edith whispered his name, seeming to sober up quickly as she kept her hand ready on the handle of her sheathed blade.
"It's fine–I'll handle this," he assured her, walking forward.
It was surprising to him just how sharp the instincts of those in the tavern were, whether they were his familiars or the adventurers of Merdlum, it seemed instincts were enough to perceive the stranger as a threat.
Vildren had his hand ready by his sword as well, along with the other patrons of the tavern; it was heartwarming in a way, to know he was already "one of them" in such a way to welcome a response in his defense, but he knew a fight was the last thing needed.
Still, he approached, patting both Jiao and Gunter's shoulders for them to move out of the way so he could talk to the uninvited stranger.
"It's alright. If he wants to talk to me, then we'll talk," he said.
There was some hesitance from both Jiao and Gunter, but with a nod, they moved to the side, leaving him face-to-face with the golden-haired, almost divine in appearance, figure.
"Good choice," Constantine said, looking directly at him with a smile, "You can see reason, at least. Or maybe you understand just how out of your depth you really are. Either way, a commendable decision."
"Just tell me what you want," Jett demanded.
Constantine waved his hand, "Impatient, are we? Well, that's fine–I'd like to get this over with quickly and smoothly–but that just depends on you. Are you a reasonable person, Jett Levine?"
"I can be," he said.
"I think this is one of those situations where you should be. I think we both know what happens if I'm the one who decides not to be reasonable," Constantine told him quietly, maintaining eye contact, "--So, play along or that'll become reality."
"...Sure."
Though all eyes were on them, Constantine kept his words quiet, or at least tried to as he had no problem asking out loud what left his lips next:
"I'm here because the Reverse King has extended an invitation to you, Jett Levine: come to the Reverse Kingdom and join his forces," Constantine told him, "We know what you really are."
"Invitation? What the hell are you asking me…? Join you?" He repeated in disbelief.
The offer wasn't silent to those around him, as immediately, the adventurers of Merdlum surrounded Constantine, along with the familiars of Jett all having their weapons ready.
"Jett, step back. You don't have to listen to this man–he is an enemy of humanity," Vildren said.
Constantine looked around, "Seems like your pals here don't understand the weight of things here. Why don't you tell them to stand down?"
"Why should I?" He asked, growing frustrated himself.
"Huh?" Constantine looked at him with a raised eyebrow, nonchalant as ever despite the rising tension.
Jett's words came out without any restraint, "If you think I'm joining your bullshit group, you're dead wrong–!"
The tension reached its peak; sharp enough to be felt like a dense wind as the entirety of the tavern now surrounded Constantine and Jett, fully backing up Jett against the uninvited general of the Reverse Kingdom.
Jett was ready; electricity coiled at his fingertips as he prepared to unleash a spell at any moment. However, Constantine looked at him with a sly smile, cracking his neck side-to-side as he clenched his fist.
"Wrong answer."
–Just as those two words left the lips of the golden-haired figure, a devastatingly fast and powerful force could be felt arriving from beneath Jett's chin.
In that split-second, he opted to create a [Power Air Shield], though it did nothing to stop what was coming before in the next moment, he found himself flying upward, crashing through the roof of the tavern and now looking up towards the clouds.
He had lost consciousness for a few moments there, blinking a few times as he felt himself utterly perplexed by his position in the sky now, flipping around and feeling his stomach stirring side-to-side from the high-octane fall.
'Huh…?' He thought.
Those clouds he watched in the night now neighbored him; he was flung up into the sky by whatever force had knocked against his chin.
It was an uppercut; he realized it after a confusing few seconds–the youthful figure had slammed his knuckles against his chin, and somehow that resulted in him now being sent high enough to touch the clouds.
'What the hell?!...The shield must've taken the brunt of the damage, but still…!' He thought.