Kenneth walked casually, his eyes scanning the quiet residential streets. He wore the same worn, dirt-soaked clothing.
He found himself in a halfly destroyed block. The scene was mayhem: yellow police tape cordoned off two entire blocks and the street itself was a grotesque wound.
The sight of the crater where the two fighters had met made him pause.
A slow, chilling grin spread across Kenneth's face. "The kid was here. And it looks like he's gotten much stronger than when we first met."
"I'm coming for you." He turned and continued his walk, heading toward a dense patch of woods bordering the expensive side of the city.
He barely went twenty steps before he stumbled upon a few candidates. Next to a cluster of ancient oak trees, Damien was sparring with Craig [the Brute]. The third was a stiff man in a butler's uniform, who stood at the perimeter, observing with a watchful intensity.
As Kenneth appeared, his presence was felt before he was seen. The trio turned violently, their defenses flaring instantly.
Kenneth assessed the group with a bored expression. "Hey." he said, looking at Damien. "I'm looking for a boy in your school. Black hair. And thinks being calm is cool. You know him?"
Damien's eyes narrowed. "How should I know where Ravyn is? I'm not his babysitter."
Kenneth tilted his head slightly. "So that's his name. Ravyn." He started to turn away, his interest seemingly satisfied.
"I'm not surprised a filth like you is looking for him." Damien sneered.
"Huh?" Kenneth stopped, turning his head just enough to focus his bored gaze on Damien.
Before Damien could open his mouth again, Kenneth was gone and he reappeared directly in front of him.
The Butler was the one to react. His cane slammed against the ground and a blinding, shimmering shield exploded into existence. It was delicate, multi-layered energy that looked exactly like intricately cut crystal.
"Silver Flower."
Kenneth's fist smashed into the shield.
CRACK. CRACK.
The first two layers of the Butler's strongest defense imploded instantly, shattering into glittering dust. The Butler's eyes widened in horror and disbelief.
Before Kenneth could punch the final layer, Craig lunged, a strike aimed at Kenneth's head.
Kenneth smoothly stepped back, evading the blow and returned his attention to his true target.
"Why does everyone always stand in my way when I'm trying to kill someone?" Kenneth muttered, a flicker of genuine annoyance crossing his face. "It's starting to annoy me."
Craig planted his massive feet, his blue mana pulsing. "You guys go. I got him."
"Don't be an idiot! He will kill you!" The Butler said.
"He can try..." Craig growled, his gaze locked on Kenneth. "But he won't."
The Butler sighed, then turned to Damien. "Let's go, Master."
They retreated toward the woods. Craig's body bulked slightly and the blue mana that coated him intensified, making his huge fists look like glowing sapphire hammers.
"What's this?" Kenneth asked, a rare spark of curiosity lighting his eyes. "You're using pure mana for coating? You must be confident in yourself."
"And you don't have to hold back." Craig challenged, spreading his stance.
Kenneth shrugged. "If I don't, then that will be super unfair."
Craig lunged, his fist coming in a blue blaze, aimed for Kenneth's face.
Kenneth simply blocked it, using only the back of his hand. The force of Craig's blow sent a shockwave that cracked the sidewalk but Kenneth's posture remained unmoving.
Craig immediately threw another, larger strike. Kenneth blocked it too. Then a storm of heavy fists followed, Craig was relying on overwhelming strength and relentless speed. Kenneth blocked each one, his body moving almost imperceptibly, deflecting the incredible force.
Kenneth then caught Craig's arm, twisting the Brute's momentum against him. Before Craig could react, Kenneth delivered a lightning-fast. Craig instantly vomited a torrent of blood, his body seizing up. His eyes rolled, the colored irises disappearing, leaving only the sickening whiteness visible.
Because Kenneth was still holding his arm, Craig didn't fly back, he simply crumpled.
Kenneth casually dropped the Brute's limp arm. "He's done already? What a waste of my precious time." He turned to leave, already bored again.
"I'M NOT DONE YET, YOU FILTH!"
Craig stumbled back to his feet, still coughing blood, unable to stand straight. His blue mana was sparking erratically.
Kenneth didn't bother turning fully. He simply punched the air in front of him. And a force generated by the blow traveled invisibly across the ten feet separating them and landed on Craig's chest like an invisible hammer.
Craig collapsed again, losing consciousness instantly. But before he hit the ground, his body snapped.
A final, desperate surge of pure mana fueled a flesh-step, closing the distance.
Kenneth smiled. When Craig's desperate hammer-fist came down, Kenneth simply jumped back, allowing the blow to shatter the asphalt and crack-web the ground.
Reacting faster than thought, Craig grabbed Kenneth's ankle mid jump. But Kenneth spun, kicking him hard in the face with his other foot. And sent Craig flying but the Brute fought the momentum, skidding on his feet to stop himself from falling completely.
They both lunged again. Kenneth ducked under Craig's strike, and he delivered a vicious uppercut to the gut, grabbed his had and pulled him back, then landed another one, pulled him once more, and a barrage of brutal fists followed.
Craig began to bleed from every orifice on his face, even his eyes before he died mid-punch, his massive body dissolving into a bloody weight.
Kenneth stepped back, wiping a speck of blood from his cheek. He looked down at the lifeless, broken body of the Brute.
"He was one stubborn brute." Kenneth muttered, boredom filling his voice."But didn't even make me use my ability. How utterly lame."
He turned and walked away.