Butcher chased after them like a wild bull on the roof, and when he was close enough, he leaped off the roof. The guards all felt him before his shadows formed above them. They all turned around, removing their swords.

"Princess, keep running. We will hold this monster back!" one knight yelled.

BOOM!

Butcher landed on the ground, the floor cracking from the impact. His very presence caused their hearts to waver, but they were knights trained by the capital. They charged in, all ten of them with swords lifted.

Butcher let out a low growl and then moved. His feet kicked the ground so hard that they caused an even larger crater in the ground. The first knight came into range, and Butcher immediately attacked. He slashed down at full speed.

The knight raised his sword to block the attack, but he could not block it at all. The blade slammed into the sword and broke right through it, then dug through the armor of the knight. Blood gushed into the air as the body of the knight crashed to the ground.

The other knights were stunned when they saw this, but it was far too late to try anything else. Butcher had already rushed at the next knight, swinging both blades down diagonally, cleaving the knight in half, his blood splattering on the ground.

At this point, the knights were all shaken, but they were soldiers. They all rushed in, and as expected, all that followed was simply a bloodbath. They could not even stand for a few seconds before their blood was spilled on the ground.

All the knights were killed, their blood painting the ground. Butcher walked through the blood, his footsteps causing small ripples through it. He locked his gaze on the group running away, and then he hurled his blade with full strength.

The blade spun through the air. It didn’t shake, it didn’t slow down, it just got faster. Ken heard the blade, he could tell the trajectory with only his ears. He knew it would hit Luna first. He planted his foot into the ground and forced a brake so fast and violent that it would shatter the knees of any regular person. He pulled his sword in the same motion as he turned around, his eyes burning with an intense concentration, the type you had when focused on ensuring you did not die.

His blade left the sheath. It gleamed under the light of the sun, following a beautiful arc through the air. It met with the blade of Butcher, and the collision was so intense that the sound it let out rattled his ears. The blade was hurled into the air above, and Ken was pushed a few feet back, his boots grinding against the floor until he came to a stop.

’Shit, that much power from a thrown blade?’ Ken was stunned, his hands trembling from the force. Yet somehow, rather than fear, what he felt was blood-pumping excitement, eager to fight Butcher. He looked up. Butcher had already crossed the distance in a second, carrying a speed that someone that size should not have. He stretched out his hand and grabbed the blade that was falling from above. It slapped into his palm comfortably, like it knew it was home.

The Butcher stomped hard into the ground, leaned forward, and slashed with both blades at the same time in a diagonal downward slash.

Ken gritted his teeth. He placed one foot back and allowed himself enough room to lean back, then he angled his sword right. Both blades collided and scraped off the sword, sparks that could start a fire flying into the air. Ken was blasted back by the sheer force of the attack, yet he managed to land on his feet. Both feet slammed into the ground hard.

He raised his head, and rather than pain, a smile formed on his face.

’This is my fight, hahaha, I want to fight this monster,’ he said, filled with excitement.

"Luna, keep moving," Ken said.

"I’m not goi—"

"You guys should just go. You are the target of all this, so move," Ken said.

"Tch, who said a commoner like you can tell me to move or not?" the princess said in anger. She was already pent up today.

"Listen, you spoiled brat," Ken said and then turned his head slightly to look at her, his eyes glowing as he did. "I do not have the time to protect you and fight this monster here, so you can make a choice for me. Stay here in your pretty dress and fight this, or leave." Ken made it clear.

The princess, in her stubbornness, wanted to walk out and fight, but Kira grabbed her hand.

"Let’s go. Your father would be enraged if something happened to you. Since the commoner wants to handle it, let’s leave it to him," Kira said. He glanced over at Ken. "Any time he can buy us is valuable."

"Tch, fine," she said and turned to leave.

Luna didn’t want to leave. She stood her ground.

"Luna, keep moving. I’ll catch up," he said again. He looked at her and gave a smile, which somehow managed to make her blush. She finally nodded and moved. Leo heaved a sigh of relief, happy that she had finally moved, else he would have been forced to stay here and try to help.

After they were gone, Ken looked at Butcher, who was standing a few meters away from him.

"Thank you for waiting. Now we can have all the fun we want to, but in the end, I’ll win," he spoke with the confidence of someone that had already seen the end.

Butcher began laughing. No, calling it laughing would be generous. It was more like a very rough grunting that repeated like a laugh. He dragged the edges of both his blades against each other and sparks flew.

"Seems like someone is happy for a fight. That makes two of us. I should warn you, I’m pretty overpowered."