"E-Rank?" Lyra blinked. "You're... E-Rank?"
It wasn't impressive. E-Rank was technically "Awakened," but it was the bottom of the barrel. It usually refers to the rank of porters, cleaners, and people who died in the first room of a dungeon.
But the way Julien said it, with the confidence of an S-Rank declaring war, threw them off immediately.
"You're joking," Ignis scoffed. "You're standing there, looking me in the eye, bragging about being E-Rank?"
"I'm not bragging," Julien said. "I'm stating a baseline. Today, I'm E-Rank. Tomorrow? Who knows. But unlike you, Ignis, I don't need a shiny suit of armor to know my worth."
He stepped closer, invading Ignis's personal space.
"You think District 9 is a playground? You think you're kings because you cleared a few B-Rank gates? Enjoy the applause while it lasts. Because when that Red Gate opens... you're going to need more than fireballs. You're going to need supplies that can last throughout your journey, and logistics. You're going to need us very soon."
He pointed a finger at Ignis's chest plate.
"And when that happens," Julien whispered, loud enough for Lyra to hear. "The price is going to be double for you."
Ignis stared at him. For a moment, Julien thought he was going to get incinerated from the gaze. The mana around Ignis flared red, hot and angry.
But then, Ignis laughed.
It was a cold, mocking sound.
"Double the price," Ignis shook his head, turning away. "You have guts, kid. I'll give you that. Stupid, suicidal guts."
He looked at Chris one last time.
"When he gets you killed, Chris," Ignis said softly. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
"Let's go, Lyra," Ignis commanded.
"Did that E-Rank just threaten Blaze?"
"Suicidal."
"But... did you see Ignis? He didn't attack."
"Maybe the kid has backing?"
"Or maybe..." a rough voice from the back cut through the murmurs, loud enough to echo in the sudden silence. "Was he really afraid of an E-Rank?"
Ignis stopped when he heard that.
He didn't turn around immediately.
But the air in the Hub suddenly changed. The temperature spiked five degrees in a second. The rope near the VIP section began to smoke from the heat.
Lyra stopped beside him.
She glanced at the crowd, then back at Julien, her eyes narrowing into slits.
"Captain," she whispered, her voice carrying a lethal edge. "They're laughing. Just scare him a little. Remind the trash of its place."
Julien, who had just let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, felt his stomach churn. His knees felt like they were melting. The adrenaline crash was hitting him hard, and he just wanted to sit down.
But he's coming back, Julien's instinct screamed.
[Streetwise] didn't even have time to ping a warning.
One moment, Ignis was standing ten meters away, his back turned.
The next moment, there was a sound like a whip cracking, the sound of air being displaced by impossible speed.
Ignis became a blur of orange and gold.
He didn't use a skill. He simply moved with the raw, terrifying physical stats of a high B-Rank hunter and closed the distance in a heartbeat, his hand flashing out like a cobra strike, aiming straight for Julien's throat.
It wasn't a lethal blow, not technically. But at that speed, his fingers would crush Julien's windpipe, or at the very least, gouge his eyes out to "teach him a lesson."
Julien saw it coming, but his body was too slow.
His E-Rank agility, which was really F-Rank, couldn't track the movement. All he saw was a flash of gold and the promise of pain.
I'm dead, Julien thought.
WHAM.
A shockwave blasted through the Hub, knocking over chairs and blowing papers off the quest board. The hunters closest to them stumbled back, covering their faces.
Julien flinched, closing his eyes, waiting for the impact.
It never came.
Slowly, Julien opened one eye.
Ignis's hand was there. His gauntleted fingers were inches from Julien's face, the heat radiating from them singeing Julien's eyelashes.
But the hand wasn't moving.
Because a massive, calloused hand was gripping Ignis's wrist.
Ignis's eyes were wide. For the first time, the arrogant mask had shattered, replaced by genuine shock. He looked to the side.
Chris was standing there. His feet had cracked the floorboards beneath him from the force of the stop. His veins were bulging against the fabric of the ridiculous 'MOMMY'S LITTLE BOY' shirt, but his grip was iron.
"Don't," Chris growled.
A low, ominous sound.
"You..." Ignis stared at Chris's hand. "How?"
Ignis knew Chris.
He knew Chris's stats. He was a C-Rank Tank. He was durable, sure, but he was slow and a meat shield, meant to stand there and take hits, not intercept a speed-blitz from a hunter. Ignis hadn't used his full strength, but he had used enough speed that a C-Rank shouldn't have even seen him move, let alone catch him.
"Let go," Ignis hissed, his mana flaring.
Swish.
While Ignis was locked with Chris, Lyra reacted.
Seeing her captain stop, her instincts kicked in. With a flick of her wrist, a throwing knife, a nasty, curved blade dripping with paralysis poison, flew from her hand.
Target: Julien's knee.
It was a dirty move. A cheap shot while everyone was focused on the clash of titans.
Julien saw the spark of steel.
He tried to move his leg, but he was frozen in place by Ignis's pressure.
Clink.