Smoke from the explosion curled around Kurt’s silhouette. But as the wind caught the soot, the crowd gasped.

Kurt was standing exactly where he had been, his arm extended. His palm was open and tucked firmly within his grip was Ryuuji’s flaming fist. A shimmering, translucent layer of blue mana coated Kurt’s hand, acting as a heat-resistant barrier.

He then squeezed the fist, the sound of Ryuuji’s knuckles creaking under the pressure audible even over the crackling embers.

"What exactly do you think you’re doing? Was that an actual attempt to kill me in broad daylight?" Kurt asked, his voice sounding dangerously low.

Ryuuji’s eyes widened, shifting from the sight of his extinguished flames to the blue light surrounding Kurt’s fingers. He let out a scoff and yanked his hand back, though the one-eyed assassin didn’t make it easy.

"Mana coating," Ryuuji muttered as a dark grin spread across his face.

"Impressive. Truly. You’re only the second person I’ve seen pull that off besides Izumi-san. Maybe you aren’t just some backwater carriage driver. Tell me, what’s your name?"

Kurt didn’t even blink. He adjusted his stance as his gaze shifted briefly to where Yuna was kneeling on the pavement, desperately patching up a sniffling Hope’s scraped knee.

"Apparently, my name is ’Dead.’ At least, that’s what you shouted a second ago."

Ryuuji threw his head back and laughed, a boisterous, arrogant sound.

"Ahahaha! Haaa, I apologise for that. It was a heat-of-the-moment thing. Consider it a compliment that I thought you were worth the effort of a named strike."

"I’m not the one you should be apologising to," Kurt said, stepping off the carriage and standing between the Yamada heir and the girls. He gestured toward Yuna and Hope. "Apologise to them."

Ryuuji’s eyes traveled over to Yuna. He paused, his gaze lingering on the sharp, elegant lines of her face and the way her maid uniform fit her athletic frame. He let out a soft whistle.

"Are these yours? Your maids?"

"They are."

"I see." Ryuuji took a step closer to Yuna, ignoring Kurt’s warning glare. "On closer inspection, she is quite a rarity. Beautiful, disciplined... and those eyes. You’re from Myria, aren’t you, sweetheart?"

Yuna didn’t look up from Hope’s knee as she coldly answered. "I am."

Ryuuji’s smile widened, flashing teeth that looked like they belonged to a predator.

"Perfect. Change of plans. You’re coming with me. You’ll serve directly under me in the Yamada estate. As the heir to the clan, I have a certain... quota for excellence that you seem to meet. I think I’ll make you my concubine."

He looked back at Kurt as if discussing the weather. "You don’t mind, do you? I’ll send a half-dozen common maids your way to replace her. Consider it an upgrade for both of us."

"I do mind," Kurt said, his voice dropping lower. "You see, she isn’t going anywhere. And I’m still waiting for that apology."

Ryuuji’s smile didn’t falter, but his eyes turned icy.

"Do you truly not know who I, Yamada Ryuuji, am? Or are you just that eager to have your lineage erased? I can make you disappear from the face of this planet with a single letter to the Shogunate."

Yuna finished wrapping Hope’s leg and stood up. She stepped toward Kurt, her face a mask of professionalism.

"Master Rossana, please. Let it go. We are making a scene." She then turned to Ryuuji and bowed respectfully. "I apologise, Lord Yamada, but I have already dedicated my life to the service of–"

"Who gave you permission to speak, girl?" Ryuuji barked. "Know your place. When your betters are discussing your price, you remain silent."

The crowd that had gathered around the Bureau began to murmur in fear. The name ’Yamada’ carried a dangerous weight to it.

"Forget this happened and let’s leave." Yuna whispered to Kurt as her hand hovered at her thighs where her daggers hid.

"No," Kurt said. He stepped forward, his boots clicking sharply on the stone.

"I will not stand for someone disrespecting the people under my care. And you hurt the kid." He looked Ryuuji in the eye. "Apologise, right now, or I am going to publicly humiliate you and beat some manners into you in front of every single person on this street. Trust me. I built quite the reputation for doing just so."

The crowd gasped. Ryuuji went dead silent as his face twitched.

"You want to humiliate me? What is your name, one-eyed freak? I want to know exactly whose family I’m destroying today."

"Oh? So now you’re threatening my family? You’re a long way from home to be talking that kind of talk, Ryuuji. I’ll give you five seconds to get on your knees and apologise to the girl and the kid. Five."

"What did you just call me?! How dare someone of your stature–"

"Four."

Ryuuji, seeing that Kurt is actually counting down, started laughing with sparks beginning to dance around his shoulders. "Ahahaha! What’s this? You’re counting me down? To what? To death!?"

"Three."

"I am the Yamada heir! No one touches me!"

"Two."

"Why wait for five!? Let’s just get to it, shall we!" Ryuuji snarled.

He lunged, spinning in the air to deliver a massive electric kick aimed directly at Kurt’s head.

Kurt didn’t dodge. He moved his mana-coated hands with blinding speed, catching Ryuuji’s ankle mid-air. The electricity surged into his palms, hissing against the blue mana, but it didn’t break through.

"It’s your funeral," Kurt whispered.

He then threw a straight punch. Ryuuji sneered, bringing both arms up in a cross-guard, confident in his defense. It didn’t matter. Kurt’s fist, heavy with concentrated mana, smashed straight through Ryuuji’s guard as if it were made of paper. The impact connected flush with the noble brat’s face.

THWACK!

Crack!

A canine tooth flew from Ryuuji’s mouth, tumbling through the air as the heir was sent skidding backward, his body flying and slamming into the stone wall of the building across the road.

Yuna rushed to Kurt’s side, still clutching Hope’s hand. "Why did you do that?! He is one of the Ten Representatives of Myria! We are causing a lot of trouble!"

Kurt looked down at them, his expression softening instantly. "I don’t care if he’s the King of the World. I won’t let people hurt the people I care for."

He knelt slightly to look at Hope. "You okay?"

Hope sniffled, but then a small, mischievous smile broke through. "I feel a lot better now that you punched him, Kurt."

"Hope! Don’t encourage him!"

Ryuuji pulled himself from the crater in the wall, spitting blood onto the pavement. He was maniacally laughing as the ground beneath his feet began to crack.

"Yuna, get Hope in the carriage," Kurt commanded.

"Hope, go!" Yuna echoed. Hope didn’t argue this time, scrambling into the safety of the cabin. But Yuna didn’t follow.

"Why are you still here?" He asked her.

"He is one of Myria’s Ten," Yuna said, her eyes fixed on the surging aura around Ryuuji. "He is stronger than any opponent you have faced. I will not leave my Master to fight a monster alone."

"Are you worried about me, Yuna?" Kurt grinned.

*Tsk* "Don’t get it twisted. If you die, I have to explain it to Ms. Valentine. I’d rather not see her pained expression."

Suddenly, the world began to tremble. A massive earthquake shook the street, causing the onlookers to scream and flee. Kurt’s eyes sharpened; his body felt that familiar tingle as he sensed a massive buildup of energy beneath them. Without a word, he grabbed Yuna by the waist and leapt high into the air, clearing the height of the Bureau’s roof in a single bound.

"What the! Let go–!" Yuna started to squirm, but she stopped when she looked down.

The ground where they had been standing split open as if a volcano were erupting. Ryuuji shot upward through the fissure; his entire body wreathed in crackling golden lightning. He was above them now, his fist pulled back for a devastating electric punch.

"Brace yourself!" Kurt shouted. He then threw Yuna toward the balcony of the Bureau. She twisted in mid-air, landing effortlessly and drawing her daggers in one smooth motion.

CRASH!

The collision in the sky sounded like a thunderclap. Kurt blocked the electric punch with his forearm, the force of the blow creating a shockwave that shattered the windows of the nearby buildings.

Kurt didn’t let the momentum stop; he grabbed Ryuuji’s reaching arm, spun it, and delivered a devastating roundhouse kick to the noble’s temple.

Ryuuji was sent hurtling downward, skipping across the pavement like a stone before splashing violently into the nearby city river.

SPLASH!

After landing safely on the road, Kurt watched and waited for the next attack but then he noticed that the river began to steam. Ryuuji burst out of the water a moment later, his robes shredded and his face a mask of pure, unadulterated rage.

"I’LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO!"

The temperature began to skyrocket. The stone beneath Kurt’s feet turned cherry red, and the river water began to boil into a thick mist.

Kurt braced himself, drawing his black sword for a finishing strike, when a shadow flickered overhead.

A woman descended from the sky, her movements as light as a falling leaf. She landed softly, daintily, right on top of Ryuuji’s head.

"That’s enough, Ryuuji."

"Wha--!"

The heat died instantly. The steam vanished.

Ryuuji, the young man who had been ready to commit mass murder seconds ago, went completely still. His rage evaporated, replaced by a shivering dread. He slowly lowered his hands and bowed his head as far as it would go while the figure stood on him.

"I-I apologise, Izumi-san."