A/N: Big chapter 10, a milestone. Please continue reading, commending and sending those powerstones. It helps a lot:)
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Sano stands up and says, "You guys really don't have good timing."
He then says to the girls, "Ladies, it's about to get real messy here, so you might have to give us some space."
The girls groan and start dispersing.
Joone, watching from the mini bar, frowns and asks Sano, "What is happening? Are we moving locations?"
Sano says, "No, you idiot." He points at Yamato and Fenn. "We've got company."
Joone looks up, sees both men, and frowns.
Fenn greets casually, like an old friend. "Yo Joone. It's been a minute. Sorry to crash your party."
Joone reads the sarcasm and shoots back, "Fenn, it seems we didn't teach you a good enough lesson. Have you come back for extra lessons?"
Fenn points a finger to the sky. "Don't get it wrong, Joone. I was defeated by Burly, not you. I'm confident in beating you alone—because you're weak."
Joone's face hardens. Sano tells him, "Calm down, Joone. He's trying to anger you so you lose focus, you dumb brute."
Joone ignores him. "I'll kill the bastard this time," he growls.
Yamato looks over the whole situation and says, "It seems each person's opponent has been decided then. I'm not the type to disrupt people's conflict."
Sano nods. "It seems we should find a different fighting spot."
Yamato says, "All the party girls have left as well. How about over that wall?"
Sano says, "Very well."
Sano and Yamato disperse and jump over a wall to the street on the other side.
Left in the backyard are Fenn and Joone.
Fenn announces, "I'm coming, Joone," and launches off the roof, swinging his long mace down toward Joone.
Joone, brass knuckles ready, meets the mace head-on. The impact is brutal — a clash that punches into the ground and creates a crater where they met.
They separate, scramble, and charge again. Joone opens with a rapid barrage of hooks and uppercuts; Fenn uses the shaft of his mace to parry and counter, stepping heavy to crush Joone's wind. Fenn's swings are wide and powerful, each strike meant to break Joone's guard. Joone ducks and weaves, answering with sharp, precise jolts aimed for openings.
Fenn slams the mace into Joone's shoulder, sending him skidding back, then follows with a spinning overhead that Joone narrowly blocks with his knuckles. Joone laughs through the exchange, taunting between blows.
Joone sprints forward, ramming a flurry into Fenn's ribs. Fenn takes it, grits his teeth, and responds with a crushing mace strike that shakes Joone's arms. Joone stumbles, then recovers quickly—his feet light, his fists relentless.
They trade strikes in tight succession: Fenn's heavy blows meeting Joone's rapid brass-knuckle assaults. Each time Fenn lands, the ground quakes; each time Joone lands, Fenn's breath hitches. Their clash is a storm of weight versus speed.
They break apart again and stare. Joone laughs, voice low and cruel. "If you don't take this seriously, you're going to die, Fenn."
Fenn doesn't answer with words. He tightens his grip and says nothing — his face focused, ready.
They rush each other once more. Fenn swings with everything he has: a brutal overhand mace strike intended to finish the fight. Joone meets it mid-arc, driving his brass-knuckled fist into Fenn's forearm to deflect, then explodes forward with a venomous combination.
Joone's fists rain down in a concentrated barrage—each blow harder than the last. Fenn blocks and absorbs as best he can, but the rapid succession drains him. A final, devastating punch from Joone connects cleanly with Fenn's chest and sends him crashing to the ground, winded and bleeding.
Joone stands over him, breathing hard, triumphant smirk on his face, while Fenn lies battered, chest heaving, bruised and bloodied from the brutal exchange.
—
On the other side, Yamato and Sano face each other on the eerily quiet street, swords in hand.
Sano says, "A swordsman. How exciting. Now I'm not mad about you cutting my party short."
Yamato smiles faintly. "Same here. I want to see just how much my sword skills have improved."
Sano says, "The name is Sano. And you?"
Yamato answers, "Yamato."
Sano nods. "Well then, Yamato—shall we begin?"
---
Domiré and Anitta made it to the basement panic room.
Anitta was laughing maniacally.
She said, "I really have found good friends, haven't I."
Domiré looked at her and disregarded it, saying, "Your friends are just signing their death warrant. Burly alone would be too much for them. He's a former B-Rank Adventurer."
Anitta looked at him and said, "You do know Adventurer ranks are not based on strength alone, right? Being B, A, or S-Rank doesn't mean you're strong, it just means you've made significant contributions to the Adventurers Guild, idiot."
Domiré said, "Is that supposed to scare me? You will be my ticket to high nobility. Nothing will mess that up now. I promise you."
He smiled.
Anitta smiled back and said, "I can't wait to see your face."
---
Back on the street, Yamato and Sano moved at the same time. Their swords slid across each other as both men looked at each other, then disengaged, standing on opposite sides again.
Sano said, "With just that one clash I can tell you are a very good swordsman."
Yamato responded, "Same. One mistake will be the death of me."
They moved again, this time faster. Their swords collided repeatedly. Yamato's strikes were sharp and precise, while Sano's were fluid and heavy. Sparks flew each time their blades met.
Yamato swung downward. Sano sidestepped and countered with a wide slash. Yamato blocked it and pushed forward. Their blades locked for a brief moment before both twisted away and swung again.
Sano went for a low sweep. Yamato jumped back, then lunged forward with a thrust aimed at Sano's shoulder. Sano blocked with the flat of his blade and countered with a spinning slash that grazed Yamato's sleeve.
They circled each other. Sano stepped in again, delivering a fast combination of horizontal strikes. Yamato deflected each one cleanly, his eyes locked on Sano's movements. Both struck at the same time, and their blades clashed with such force that the ground beneath them cracked.
After another exchange, they separated once more.
Sano looked at Yamato, who stood steady and breathing evenly.
He said, "Yamato, what's up with all that mana you're spilling? Are you underestimating me?"
Yamato frowned. "Mana? What are you talking about?"
Sano looked shocked for a moment, then smiled.
"You're an interesting man, Yamato. Let's go back to our manly talk."
Both raised their swords again, ready for the next round.