---
"Hudat Mann... Is Real..." Edmund's thoughts flowed freely as he quickly took stock of his situation.
Mann kept his distance and floated to the top of a tower.
"Keeping his distance? Is he a mage of some sort, perhaps?" Edmund's mind reasoned.
He crouched down low, as a brilliant green aura lit up around him again.
Hudat Mann watched from the tower, intrigued. "Ooh, what is this technique?"
He continued to observe, and in the blink of an eye, Edmund disappeared.
Hudat Mann couldn't help but crack a smile, as he swiftly faced up to see a silhouette of Edmund descending on him, backed by the bright full moon.
"This is great!" He said, as Edmund's sword descended upon him, and Hudat Mann had put up a barrier between them, putting an end to the edge that was aimed at the head.
"This is strange..." Edmund thought to himself that barriers usually don't bend when hit, but this barrier rippled with faint currents of energy. Even the impact felt strange.
A metallic pang echoed throughout the skies, as onlookers looked up to see them fighting in the air.
"What is that guy hitting?"
"Who the hell is that up there?"
"What was that noise? Hey, look up there."
𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘮!
A man had come crashing from the place where the pang originated, and it was Edmund, who was lying on the ground face first.
"w-wait, isn't this the guy that was running through the crowd?"
Edmund instantly got back up from the ground, with a somber look on his face.
Hudat Mann looked down at Edmund, the silhouette now floating against the backdrop of the full moon this time.
"I get it now," Edmund muttered under his breath and launched himself directly at the floating figure in the sky once more.
Hudat Mann put up the barrier a second time, and this time illuminated by the glow of the moonlight, it was a translucent structure made of hexagon-shaped tiles.
This time though, Edmund's sword suddenly started to glow in a similarly green aura, and as the tip of the blade came into contact with the barrier, it broke off like glass.
"Huh, this lack of feedback is strange, was my technique neutralized as the sword came into contact?" Hudat Mann thought to himself as he quickly brought his hands together in a clasp, and teleported away.
Edmund was just swiping at empty space. "Tch, this teleporting power of his is really annoying."
"Wow, I like you now, Edmund!" Hudat Mann said with an excited voice as he raised both of his hands, and two big magic circles appeared in the air beside him.
"Damn, I got fooled." Was the only thing Edmund could think of, as those two circles with intricate patterns, glowing softly in the moonlight turned red, and then white.
Even Edmund who had landed on a rooftop by now could feel the heat that these circles were producing.
The light from the city and the moonlight that bled through the black cloak gave just enough illumination for Edmund to see a ghastly smile plastered on Hudat Mann's face.
"Just how much magic does this guy have!" He thought to himself as Hudat Mann brought both his hands together, and completed a chant "In the darkness, let there be light."
A blinding light erupted from the magic circles, engulfing the rooftop and the surrounding airspace. The sheer intensity of the illumination momentarily disoriented Edmund, who shielded his eyes.
The next thing he felt was extraordinary amounts of heat, to the point where it felt like he was going to die.
When he opened his eyes, he was shocked to see everything around him eviscerated.
"W-what the hell just happened? What about the people?" He asked as he looked back up, to still see Hudat Mann with the two magic circles, looking down at him.
"You're really lucky, you know?" He shouted. "Your body instinctively reacted by strengthening yourself with a touki, not bad!"
A touki, or a fighting shield, which is a representation of the strength or your will to fight, is usually used by melee fighters who have some amount of magic in them to boost their physical stats, or more importantly, boost their durability.
He couldn't thank his master more for pretty much beating this practice into him. "I learned from the best, you know?" Edmund retorted as he brushed off bits of clothing.
"But," Mann continued. "That sword of yours." he pointed to the sword Edmund was holding.
"I'm interested in it, show me what it can do." Edmund looked back at the sword, as it hummed and glowed with a mystical green aura, fueled by his magic.
"I have one more chance to make this work," Edmund muttered to himself. He got into a crouching stance on the ground, and started to concentrate.
Edmund remained silent, focusing on the shifting patterns of the magical lattice.
"Look at the magic flow, determine the weak point, and break those magic circles open." He thought to himself, as he looked back up to Mann again.
Mann pointed his index finger out in the direction where Edmund was, and the circles shot beams of inferno in that direction at blistering speed.
When the dust settled, there was nothing in that area.
For a second time, Edmund was above Mann again, and this time, it seemed like he wasn't coming for Mann.
In Edmund's mind though, he was very skeptical of himself. "Can I pull this off?" His mind quickly harkened back to the face of his daughter Mae, and he quickly steeled his resolve again.
"It's not a matter of if I can, I'm going to have to face off against this monster, even if that means I lose!"
Edmund brought his sword down on the first circle, and Mann went back some distance to brace for the explosion.
Instead of the expected clash or shattering, the sword absorbed the magical energy emanating from the circle, the green aura intensifying with each passing second.
The second circle faced a similar fate as Edmund smoothly transitioned his strike. As the sword sliced through the magical energies, it absorbed the power, causing the mystical glow to surge with an almost blinding brilliance.
A smirk crept up on Mann's face as he realized "Absorption?" the word crept up in his mind as he continued to evade Edmund's attacks.
"You know, it's been really long since I've met someone with such an interesting technique!" Mann gleefully shouted, followed by a creepy laughter that echoed throughout the city.
"Your technique wasn't neutralization like I thought, but absorption!" Mann screamed, as Edmund came at him with that brilliant green sword gripped tightly, his resolve to live for his daughter pushing him on.
"I've had enough of your games, Mann," Edmund declared, his gaze unwavering. "Prepare yourself."
---
Mae was looking at her identity card, her face pale.
Esther, who was stuffing her mouth with food, turned and looked over at Mae "Wey Wae, Why farn't fuu eaafing?"
The identity card had a quest that was lit up, and it read:
Mission:
{ELIMINATION OF EDMUND REINHART FOR TREASON.}
BOUNTY: 20,000,000