Oh, the little one was angry.
He wanted to fight.
Ridiculous…
Shuzo locked his gaze on Nebruel.
Not for a single second did he step back.
Not for a single second did he allow his body to show weakness.
No — not anymore!
And then—
he pushed off,
burst into a sprint.
A scream tore through the air.
"ARE YOU DEAF?!"
Fists clenched,
eyes burning with fury.
A boy who didn't understand what awaited him.
Nebruel merely raised a brow.
The attack was so pitiful it barely deserved attention.
"Tch."
Shuzo swung — his fist shot forward with all the strength of a child —
and struck against a knee.
"Oh, please—" hissed the Kriegswächter.
The impact rang like a gong.
Shuzo's eyes flew wide open;
Pain.
From his ankle to his upper arm.
It hurts!
He burst apart within his own joints.
"Ah—"
A hoarse, pain-filled gasp tore from his throat.
A sound that almost resembled a choked-back cry.
It hurts— it HURTS!
He swallowed it down—
clenched his teeth so hard they ground together.
TOO SLOW.
The counter came instantly.
Nebruel snapped his knee back — used the motion.
"Pathetic!"
Ruthlessly, he drove it into Shuzo's jaw.
A lesson.
CRACK!
A jolt — a lightning strike of pain shooting straight through his skull.
"PFF—"
With a deafening thud, Shuzo was thrown backward.
He tumbled—
a puppet whose strings had been cut.
Nebruel stood there, knee still raised.
"Hmh."
And watched—
as the prince was hurled across the field by that single motion.
Grass and soil burst into the air.
His body only stopped when his trembling fingers dug into the ground.
Blood trickled down the corner of his mouth.
Black strands of hair clung to his face.
Shuzo gasped—unable to comprehend what had just happened.
The world around him trembled—an reverberation.
Nebruel lowered his leg.
"I hope…" he began — brushing a stray lock of hair from his eye,
"…that wasn't meant to be serious?"
A voice of frozen mockery.
But not enough.
The unseen grip of gravity tightened —
Donovan still hung, weightless in the air.
Nothing more than a helpless body, paraded like a toy.
Yet those pupilless eyes remained fixed on the prince.
So this is the son of the Guardian King?
Kuroboshi.
The so-called terror of the Kriegswächter…
"And you're Daddy's pride and joy, aren't you…?"
But Shuzo didn't cry.
He blinked, shook his head.
Clarity returned—he locked onto him, roaring:
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"
He forced himself back up.
Rabid—like a wounded beast.
He's standing again...
For a brief moment, something flickered in Nebruel's eyes.
A hint of—
interest.
"YOU WILL—!"
Shuzo charged at him.
"LET HIM GO!"
His voice was a shrill echo that sliced through the night.
He lowered himself mid-sprint, then leapt—
drew his arm back—poured all his hatred into the fist he hurled at the giant.
But Nebruel barely moved.
With a casual flick of his arm, he struck Shuzo aside with the back of his hand.
A slap.
Humiliating. Condescending.
Shuzo's body twisted, slammed into the ground, and skidded painfully across the grass—
—into a tree trunk.
"Oh, come on." Nebruel clicked his tongue — mockery, dripping with contempt.
"You honestly think you can hurt me?"
His brows arched in derisive amusement.
"Try harder— or die."
Shuzo gasped for air, his chest rising and falling like a bellows.
"HA—"
Stained with grass and blood, his nose still dripping red that wouldn't stop.
"HA—"
For the first time, someone had spoken to him like that…
He pushed himself up, though his muscles trembled with agony, staggering for breath.
"Ha—"
But he didn't stop.
No.
Never!
His gaze snapped upward— and there, it burned.
Not just determination.
And the man saw it;
No longer the venomous green gaze.
No.
A red current of blood coiled around Shuzo's black iris, tightening like a pulse of wrath.
The Blutrausch.
Nothing unusual for a Wächtervampir.
But in a child—
one who had never learned to control that state—
perhaps that should draw some attention.
"Well, now… isn't that something."
Nebruel's interest stirred.
With careless indifference, he let Donovan drop.
The demon's body hit the ground with a dull thud—motionless—
a groan escaping his throat.
Shuzo was no longer the little boy from before.
"Just disappear!"
His scream was a threat.
And the next sprint was no longer a run.
It was a shot.
Earth and leaves erupted.
And the prince—
was gone.
Nebruel lifted his chin — that speed, he hadn't expected.
He's gotten faster.
His body turned slightly to the side.
Listening. Focused.
His golden earring chimed softly in the wind.
"I'll admit," he murmured as his senses sharpened,
"you almost impressed me."
A pause.
"But only almost."
A gust of wind—
Then — the crack.
From above.
A spinning kick.
Shuzo's foot slammed into Nebruel's forearm.
A sound like tearing thunder split the air.
The blast of wind whipped Nebruel's cloak backward—
the regal fabric billowed like a banner in a storm.
Fiery red rage collided with crystal-white emptiness.
For the span of a heartbeat, Nebruel's mockery faltered.
What—?!
Because there it was.
Pain.
It shot through his forearm—
a stabbing flash that made his bones tremble.
Impossible!
"I mean it."
Shuzo's voice cracked—
but in that moment, it sounded like the vow of an ancient warrior.
Then—movement.
Fists flew.
Left. Right.
A knee from below.
A whirlwind of rage and despair.
Clumsy blows—wild, powerful.
But far too fast. Too uncontrolled.
This boy…
Nebruel blocked, deflected—
his hands twitching with precision—
he could feel the force behind each strike.
He's suddenly much stronger than before…
But despite the surge in power—
No rhythm. No technique.
Only raw fury, exploding into speed and strength.
Every hit left a burning mark on his skin.
But rage alone—
was not enough.
Not against Nebruel.
With a single kick, he sent the boy crashing to the ground.
A dull impact—
leather against flesh.
Shuzo tumbled,
blood spraying from his mouth.
Nebruel looked down at his gloves, red streaks glinting in the moonlight.
Not his blood.
"No control whatsoever," he judged coldly.
Shuzo groaned—spat a mouthful of bloody saliva, forcing himself up onto his knees.
He wrapped his arms around his aching torso—
and stood up again.
His ribs.
"I don't care."
His voice broke—half pain, half defiance.
Nebruel paused.
Then he stepped closer—heavy steps,
each one making the ground tremble.
Shuzo looked up at him, his face still twisted in anger.
He growled.
Dared.
Nebruel raised his fist, leather creaking—
looking down at the brat who didn't know when to give up.
"This is starting to get… tiresome."
The fist came down—sideways—
Shuzo's head snapped to the side.
A crack.
He staggered—
but drove his heels into the ground.
He refused to fall.
Nebruel hissed.
The prince had clenched his teeth so tightly his nostrils trembled.
But he stood.
Swaying. Reeling.
Tears streamed down his swollen face.
And then he did it—
he growled again.
His head jerked upward.
"Go—"
Furrows of anger cut deep between his eyes.
Then, quieter:
"—to hell."
Silence.
The Kriegswächter froze for a single breath.
Speechless.
That little—
Nebruel's patience snapped; his jaw tightened so hard it cracked.
How dare he!
How dare he stay that insolent—knowing he was already doomed!
With a violent jerk, he grabbed Shuzo by the chin and forced his head upward.
"You are nothing! Nothing but—"
Shuzo panted—feral, growling.
His gaze met those pupilless eyes.
Abyssal. Endless. Cold.
"You growl at me?" Nebruel hissed, studying him—
The blood.
The madness in his eyes.
The bared teeth between Nebruel's fingers.
And he saw it.
His voice vibrated with amusement—
yet beneath it, there was buried fury.
He saw him.
"A whining cur…"
Nebruel's lips twitched as he whispered,
"You know what they do to dogs that bark but never bite?"
Shuzo's gaze burned with rage.
His breath came in broken bursts.
And his voice did not cry—
it demanded—
"Don't. Touch. Me!"
—still.
Venomous. Sharp. Unyielding.
The grip suddenly tightened.
Nebruel's eyes flared.
He leaned closer.
The grin—
a dark cut across his face.
"You break them."