CHAPTER 1012: ANNOYED

The clash reignited again like a storm breaking over the forest.

Kale roared and swung his crimson-veined blade while channeling more of his strength he possessed.

His attacks whistled through the air with reckless fury and chopping at branches and biting into bark as Hund parried them aside.

One tree cracked and toppled with a thunderous crash, splinters scattering in the wind.

But Hund still stood steady with his runic sword humming with a calm that contrasted the boy’s blazing temper.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

...

Steel rang against steel, the echo bouncing between the trees as their movements blurred into flashes of speed.

Kale’s feet dug into the soil and kicked up dirt with each furious lunge. His blade weaving in practiced arcs that showed years of noble training.

Hund met them all with a simple smile. His raw power alone deflecting every strike like an unshakable wall.

Sparks leapt around and then with a sudden twist, Hund’s blade found its mark.

SRAAAT!

A shallow cut opened across Kale’s cheek. The noble boy froze for an instant. His eyes wide in disbelief, the sting of blood dripping down his face.

Hund tilted his head, smirk curling wide.

"What’s wrong, kid? Never been kissed by steel before?" His tone was mocking and careless, the kind of voice that cut deeper than the wound itself on the boy’s heart.

Kale’s teeth clenched even harder. Anger boiled up hotter than before, his pride screaming louder than his pain.

His face twisted in shock and fury, his teeth grinding.

"You!" he snarled, trembling with rage.

His stance then shifted. The hotheaded rush was now gone replaced by precise stance.

He lowered his blade, his knees bending and both of his hands tightening on the hilt as his aura sharpened into something colder and deadlier.

The ground beneath his boots cracked slightly as he steadied himself, and for the first time, his stance mirrored the elegance of a true noble duelist.

Hund’s eyes narrowed and the grin faltered into something more focused. He recognized the change. This wasn’t wild arrogance anymore. This was a technique that honed and meant to kill.

The air itself seemed to tighten. The forest falling eerily quiet as Kale’s noble family style unfolded before Hund’s eyes.

His blade trembled with energy, every twitch promising fatal strikes.

"Finally," Hund muttered under his breath, shoulders rolling loose, excitement returning to his voice. "Something worth swinging at."

He didn’t worry, far from it. The danger only thrilled him more. His sword angled forward with blue runes pulsing faintly and a wolfish grin returned to his face.

"Show me, boy," Hund growled, his voice low and eager. "Let’s see if your family’s pretty little style can break a monster like me."

Kale lunged faster than before.

—

Jan’s eyes narrowed as the clash of steel filled the forest once more.

The enemy lunged with his noble killing stance while Hund met him head-on and sparks showered the trees like fireflies.

But Jan’s gaze wasn’t on the fight anymore. He had seen that grin on Hund’s face too many times before. It was the savage delight of a man who lived for the fight.

Hund was happy. That much was clear. But Jan also knew the cost of that happiness.

His jaw tightened. Earlier Esther’s voice rang through their telepathic link.

"These brats are nobles, Jan. They want to hurt Arty. They came here looking for retaliation."

Jan cursed under his breath. That was something annoying to deal with.

If these kids got hurt too badly there would be more than just broken pride to deal with.

Nobles never let anything go. And his group, every single one of them, despised noble blood.

He himself hated them just as much. Entitled, spoiled, always tossing their weight around like the world bent to their name.

"Shit. This is why I hate nobles. They always think they own everything, and when they don’t, they make problems until they do."

Grumbling low, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a small crystal ball. Smooth and faintly glowing, the sphere pulsed faintly in his palm.

A rare Magic item, expensive enough that he had been saving its use for a true emergency. But now? He had no choice. Proof would be needed later, especially if this got out of hand.

He let his energy flow into it, faint threads of blue light wrapping around the ball until it stirred to life.

With a flick of his wrist, Jan tossed it upward. The sphere floated higher, hovering among the branches, nearly invisible in its translucent shimmer.

It settled in place with a quiet hum, watching and recording everything.

Jan let out a long breath, his eyes sliding from the furious duel back to the two other figures standing further behind.

His gaze sharpened. One of them was a girl. Her posture straight, her noble poise was impossible to hide. The other was a boy who had his arms folded, jaw tight with contained frustration.

Both carried themselves like people who thought the forest, the fight, and even the air belonged to them.

Jan’s lip curled. Nobles. Always looking down on everyone else, even while hiding behind their family name.

He didn’t like this. Not one bit. If Hund went too far blood would spill, and noble blood always came with strings attached.

Strings that could strangle an entire group if left untangled.

Renard finally decided to move. He unfolded his arms and spoke with a cold and sharp voice.

"Enough. I’ll end this now. Let’s kill them and beat that girl."

Sparks crackled across his body, arcs of lightning weaving over his shoulders and down his arms.

The forest lit in flashes of pale blue as his power surged.

Ilvera’s grin widened and she slid her rune etched gloves onto her hands. The sigils flaring to life.

Renard bent his body low, the ground beneath him hissing with scorched lines, then in an instant he vanished.

A thunderclap split the silence as he launched forward with lethal speed.

—