The poor fucker flew through the window, his body rolling over several tis and absolutely lacerated by the shattered glass. There were loud noises of alarm at the sudden commotion, followed by people doing their best to get away from the situation.
My quick thinking saved Bruno and I took cover behind him. Most of the glass cascaded against him at just the right angle so as not to shred him apart. However, my right side was sticking out in my haste to save the big guy. Giving a few hot slices of pain on my right arm where it stuck out of cover. I gave the guy on the ground a quick look. A goner. Before I could say anything, Suzaki ran off to help him. We had no clue who the guy was or what was going on, whatever. Hopefully, the kid could patch him up before he bled out.
Then a second body hopped through the window. A guy launched himself out, wearing a seafoam green daoist robe. He had long hair, pinned to his head with a dragon-shaped jade hairpin. There was a sneer on his face. He didnt even bother to look in our direction, nor at any of the other bystanders almost seriously injured by him picking a fight in a tea shop. The long sleeves of the robe concealed his hands.
Bruno broke out into a snicker which escalated into a deep belly-filled roar. I looked at him in shock as his laughter drew the attention of the monster thatd tossed soone through a window. Mockery drew his attention.
Hmmpf, and who are you laughing at mortal? the boy cupped his chin, trying to look down on Bruno. Even though the big guy was about seven inches taller than him.
Hahahahahaahaaa! Bruno wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. A mad grin on his face. I was worried we wouldnt do it! But we found one Luca! I knew with you around wed run across one of them! This is why I love the markets! Oh, were so lucky!
Quiet, peasant! I am Yang Pengfi, grandson of the great Cheng Pengfi
Youre in for a treat! Bruno gave a strong pat on the back. As if we were joking and drinking, like we werent pissing off so sect guy with a bad attitude. My jaw hung open, not sure how to deal with this. Yang Pengfi stomped his foot, his face growing crimson as his facade of cultivator above lowly mortals vanished in the light of Brunos deanor. If I took a stab at the guys age, Id put him a year younger than . I didnt recognize the Sect colors. Which in a way was good, he wasnt in the Himawari Sect. But rather, so minor one.
Horror dawned on , as I connected the dots. Why Bruno insisted on needing Suzaki; What hed been so excited about. He wanted to pick a fight with a sect mber.
My grandfather could buy your houses several tis over, and vaporize them with your entire family inside with a single burst of his Enlightened Souls powerhow dare you ignore ! Ill show you the difference between heaven and earth! Before , you are nothing but a frog in a well! He spat as he yelled. There was a shift in the air, dust began to kick up from the ground. The current of wind swirling to form a nearly invisible figure, only perceivable due to the dust and bits of glass now caught up in its currents.
Fuck, he had a Manifested Soul.
Bruno cracked his knuckles, joy radiating off him like an inferno. First round is mine! You can go next Luca, its only fair since Im the one who found him!
Are ya fucking crazy!? Brunos fists ignited in fla as he called forth his Soul Seeds ability. He confidently strode towards the Sect mber with an unknown immortals-damned Manifested Soul.
I felt fairly confident in my assessnt of this guys stage, there wasnt the additional pressure that ca from later stages. Like with Roo, or that lady in the Segreto casino. But that still put him a full stage above either of us. The difference between stages was more prominent the higher the stages were but this guy was from a sect. They were people that spent their lives training and pumping themselves full of alchemical concoctions to draw out and enhance their Soul Seeds.
Worse, I realized from multiple angles that picking a fight with this guy was a bad idea; we couldnt let the poor bastard he threw through a window bleed out. And I saw myself in Bruno. It wasnt fear that made my hands shake. No. It was anticipation, a thrill from the risk. If I threw myself against this monster from a sect, there were slim odds of winning, but they werent zero. We had a chance. We had to have had a chance.
Yang kept his hands in his sleeves even as Bruno marched. But his Soul didnt stay fixed in place, the Soul flowed to et my friend. It sliced through the air straight towards Bruno. The flas wrapped around the big guys fists grew brighter as he felt that sa thrill as . He broke out in a run to et the Soulbefore he snapped to the left side in an attempt to dodge the figure composed of air.
Not quick enough. The Soul lashed out with its fist, its arm growing in length as the air currents extended to funnel directly into Brunos chest. In an instant he went from charging towards Yang Pengfi to flying several feet down the road in the opposite direction, bleeding from several lacerations as the glass mixed up in the Soul tore into him. Bruno rolled across the ground several tis until he ca to a rest. Yang Pengfi gave a high-pitched laugh.
As if trash stuck in the pathetic Soul Seed stage could ever stand a chance against my Relentless Galeknow your place! Co lick my shoe, then perhaps Ill let you crawl away! he grinned, the angry red of his face replaced with an annoyingly confident smirk.
Seeing such a self-entitled prick rubbed the wrong way. I didnt know if the dude he tossed through the window had it coming. Hell, Bruno was probably the one in the wrong for wanting to fight this guy to start with.
It didnt matter, this guys self-assured smugness begged to test myself, to see if I had what it took to bring down a Sect mber. If Id get lucky. My body moved as my resolve settled. My hand tapped my side as I tugged Fickle Fate to activate.
An unfortunate flash of red arced from my hand, numbing the skin. I let out a quick Motherfucker, before Yang Pengfis turned his attention to . His Manifested Soul flew through the airlight glittering off the deadly shards of glass in its currents. A second later it hit , a sharp slash burning on my side from the glass. At the sa ti, its whirling fist blasted my chest.
The actual impact with the incorporeal fist brought no pain. Even if the gash from the glass stung and went immortals know how deep. No, the biggest source of pain from the hit was the feeling of my back smashing into the ground after getting tossed through the air. Then the montum as I tumbled over concrete and rock, bruising and skinning . Before I ca to a rest.
I gasped, thoughts fuzzy as my head banged against the ground sowhere in the initial impact and tumbling.
Dont you dare touch him! Yang yelled. I groaned and shifted as my senses returned. Id had worse than this. Yang pointed a finger at Suzaki, even as the boy held an erald halo in his hand. Just a couple of seconds from placing it on the poor fucker bleeding out. Suzaki shook as he t the eyes of the beast who caused all this. He was going to crack, Suzaki wasnt ant for this kinda crap, his Soul Seed wasnt made for conflict, certainly not with a monster like this. The kid was little better than a sitting duck to an enemy of this level.
Suzaki took one long look at the guy bleeding in front of him. Then leaned over and placed the erald halo on his head.
Trash! All of you will pay for standing against the grandson of the great Cheng Pengfi! This young master will litter these grounds with your corpses for daring to oppose the Getsu Sect!
He stalked towards Suzaki. His manifested Soul seed to stick within ten or so feet away. I frowned. It wasnt sent ahead imdiately to wreck Suzaki which ant Suzaki was out of range. Even though the Manifested Soul pressed towards himit always maintained roughly the sa distance from Yang. In moving slowly to terrify Suzaki and trying to wring out so sick sense of glee at my friends fear, hed given away a vital piece of information.
That information didnt do much at this exact mont. It wouldnt stop him from attacking Suzaki in a second or two. I stumbled around on the ground, desperately searching. Glass. Plenty of it littering the dirt.
I tapped my wrist, that sweet blue flash brought an instant hit of joy. Lady Luck went my way. I grabbed a broken shard of glass, but even being lucky didnt prevent a bit of it from slicing my fingers and drawing blood. But that was fine. I preferred to not waste my luck on preventing so minor damage. I cocked my arm back, taking a half-second to aim at Yangs back before chucking the glass.
The shard turned over in the air, catching him with the sharpest point square between his shoulder blades. Yang let out a horrible scream and his body shuddered. To my disappointnt, he remained standing and turned my way. Now that I hurt him, he didnt bother with a slow pace. The bastard took off at a full sprint in my direction even as the numbness faded from signaling Id spent all of Fickle Fates power.
Panic welled, along with more of that horrible thrill. I clapped my handsAwful red sparks bridged from my fingers. Yang hit ten feet away from , putting in the range of his Soul.
His Manifested Soul was in my face, one of its spinning arms slamming into my chest and dicing up with the rotating bits of glass. I flew through the air, spiraling through the broken window hed tossed his first victim through. I caught flashes of the lantern-styled lights of the tea shop and people huddled away from the windows. Then I slamd into a table filled with food and tea. The force of the impact shattered its wooden legs with a violent crack. There was a second impact as both I and the broken table hit the ground. A horrible cough escaped my lips.
Yang was already headed towards the window. I saw him even as I struggled to push myself up. The killing intent scread from his Soul and resonated with my Soul Seed. The desire to end my life. Toss around in this shop, and break and everything in it.
His Soul rushed through the window, ripping more glass from the fra and whipping it around. Once more I noted its weakness. That range. I had until he could get close enough to get away or do sothing.
It was hard to move, but if he closed the distance I was screwed. I just needed one more bit of good luck. One last roll. All I needed was a hot streak with Fickle Fate and I knew I could turn this fight around. I could take this asshole out all by myself.
I winced and tried to get to my feet so I could activate Fickle Fate. My body wasnt cooperating, and the Soul was closing distance quickly. Yang was at the window.
Bruno tackled Yang from the side before the disciple could crawl through the window to end . I saw a flash of fire as the big man crashed into the bastard. Bruno let out a loud shout saying, My turn! Luca had two rounds, this is my second! occasionally interrupted by the aty smack of his fists no doubt wrecking Yangs face.
Yangs Manifested Soul switched around, speeding through the air to return to his side and fling Bruno off.
I heard aty thud after thud as the brawler beat the spoiled brats face. His flas grew large enough to see from the window fra, the strength behind each hit amplified. Yang's Soul almost made it back to him. Almost.
It tore apartcurrents lost to the air. Wed won. We fucking won.
I laughed. The sharp pain I suddenly felt told that was a bad idea. But the thrill of our victory made do it anyway.
Never did I expect the big guy to barrel in like that. Id thought Bruno was down for the count. Yang was so fixated on ending since I damage him that he forgot I wasnt his only opponent. Bruno stood up and grinned at from the other side window. The big guy gave a thumbs-up before vaulting the fra and reaching my side. He offered a hand to pick up, and I took it.
We walked out of the teashop together. I took a second to look at Yangblood from a broken nose spattered on his face.
W-we need to leave! Suzaki said, rushing from the road. He gave an anxious look. We both knew I didnt have it in to run. Carry him, please?
Bruno shrugged, before I could protest, he slung over his shoulder like a sack of rice then took off in a jog with Suzaki. I sure didnt like being hauled around, but the mousy boy was right. The Lantern District would react harshly to a bunch of delinquents beating the crap out of a Sect mber.
Suzaki conjured that erald halo of his as we fled, throwing it on my head. Moving must hurt, I know, Im really sorry. Im especially sorry since I worried Bruno was up to sothing like this again but was too scared to bring it up in case it gave him the idea we were almost to the bikes.
Ha! Knows well! Suzakis great when youre about to fight! Too bad he couldnt heal that young master so we could go again! They are the Best! Always getting worked up over small things, then we get to trade glorious blows! Hahahaaha! I dont even have to ask for a spar, theyre always ready to go! Bruno was still in a casual jog, despite the injuries hed sustained. Unreal.
Wasnt fair how he could take hits like that, and his Soul Ability. That fire was fucking overpowered. People probably avoided him when they found out about it, anwhile, mine was a coin flip on whether or not itd hurt or help. I dug my nails into his shoulder, not to cling better, but to get a modicum of revenge. He didnt even flinch. Venom filled my veins, as Bruno shoved on his bike. His bike. I didnt have one, that stung too.
Did he struggle like ? What life did he even live? Whenever I had a second to ask about where he was from, the big guy dodged my questions. Nothing ached anymore as the engine revved, leaving with pure exhaustion and rage at these people. Then the erald halo shattered, dunking in sha.
My resentnt vanished in an instant. But I still felt a flicker, buried deep in my heart. I hated it. We split from the Lantern District. Guilty. Tired, but also victorious. Id gotten that psycho Sect mber in the back, and done a bit of heavy lifting in the fight. Maybe I wasnt Bruno. Didnt have a ridiculous Soul Ability like him. Wasnt capable of healing people like Suzaki could. But in my own way, Id done what they couldnt do. Without as a distraction, Bruno wouldve never closed the distance to Yang.
?
If Id gotten a chance. Maybe if Fickle Fate went my way threeno, two tis in a row in that fight. I dont think I wouldve needed Bruno at all. Hell, maybe I wouldnt have needed Suzaki to patch up after if I got lucky enough. With my Soul Seed, the chance of winning was never zero. Those two didnt have that, no one else did.
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