The Conqueror of Darkness

Soul Force

-Later, that night-

In the vast lands of Discordia…

Aetzer was a great city and kingdom. The houses were made of fortified and magically enhanced bricks, they have steep and gabled roofs with round angle. Most, if not all of them, have small towers with clear-glass dormers on it. Those who are more security and warfare-oriented chose to place turrets on top of those towers.

Some who are more inclined in artistic sense have their houses decorated with statues and detailed woodworks. Or simply painted their houses with bright colors. In short, it could be said that the designs are layered, cluttered, ornate, and eccentric. But that's not all.

There were factories on the corners of the city. Iron machinery with rotating gears working on whatever their purpose, like providing power for the city and producing food. The clockwork-based constructs run delicately in the background.

It was always a busy place to live in. People from many races trying to live their life, making the best of their time and just having fun in general. The night is especially bustling with business and entertainment, which everyone can enjoy, but they were originally intended for a certain race that thrives at this specific time.

The denizens of the night, strigoi.

There were many fine establishments all over Aetzer, but this particular one, not that far from the Agni Veritas Academy. Crimson Palate, run by a simple but honest man named Steven Blackcloud, it was a Liquor shop and pub sort of place. It was not the biggest establishment in the city, but the atmosphere is friendly and relaxing, making it a good place to hang out.

It was almost time to open…

A black-haired young man is seen sweeping the floor with practiced ease, and put chairs and tables for the customers to sit on. He wiped the windows clean and rechecked the liquor bottles, replacing empty ones with the new ones. The entire pub was good and clean when he was finished.

"Ah, Mr. Kazuki. Thank you for helping me with the preparation." An older man walked out from a room. "Now you can just put your workwear on. Leave the bar opening to me, alright?"

A mild-looking man with smooth, flowing black hair and crimson eyes, with robust yet slim body. He's wearing clean white shirt, black bowtie, and smart black trousers. A classic bartender attire. This is Steven Blackcloud, both owner and handler of this establishment.

"Yes, sir! I'll do it right away." Tenma puts away his cleaning tool and go to the changing room.

He changed clothes into white shirt, black pants, and black tie. He combed his mane of black hair, slicking them all back and tie them into a short ponytail. He looks at a nearby mirror and see the mismatched eyes of his staring back at him. Purple left eye and green right eye…

They were always been like that ever since he was born. As far as he knows, there has never been people with purple eyes--let alone multicolored eyes like him. Even his sister wasn't like that. Is it just a genetic disorder? Or is it a sign that he was destined for something great?

Bah, no point wondering about destiny and whatnot. I'll just keep moving forward.

Shrugging the nagging feeling in his mind off, he then brought himself out of his thoughts and make himself presentable for Mr. Blackcloud's establishment. He walked out of the room, out of the building, and positioned himself near the entrance. His hands behind his back.

Yes, he works part-time as a bouncer for this pub. Or more aptly put, a door supervisor. A person whose job is to throw out drunks or troublemakers and stop those who considered undesirable from entering. Outside that, him helping the pub owner was just a small bonus.

And he enjoys this job, because not only he gets a fair sum of money, but also because he gets to hone his skills to manhandle unruly people. And more often than not, unruly people with superpowers like him. There's always troublemakers anywhere. He slowly grins in anticipation.

Although, most of the time he just deals with boring part of the job. Which is looking at the customers' identification card or just standing there and guard the door. His job can be quite dull, but it makes decent money, and it's a honest work. He couldn't really ask for a more convenient job for him.

And, there comes the regulars. He admitted their entries, one by one, there was no problem or ruckus whatsoever. The regulars are rather nice people and rarely if ever makes any trouble. It also helps that Mr. Blackcloud was a pretty friendly and amicable person. No one hates him, he's a nice guy.

Tonight, there was some new customers too, but they don't look too bad. There was a green-haired man with his eyes closed like a fox, a tough-looking guy with boisterous voice, and short boy with grey hair nervously following them.

Tenma looks around and thinks that no one will be coming for a bit, so he decides to watch whatever is happening in the pub.

"Mister Blackcloud, I would like a Verum Sanguini, please." Said one of the customer. "With one of those little umbrellas!"

"Okay Mr. Teach, one Verum Sanguini with umbrella coming up!" Mr. Blackcloud replied cheerily.

"Mister Blackcloud, two Verum Sanguini please. For me and my wife." another customer spoke. "With cherries on top?"

"Very well Mr. Taggert, two cherry Verum Sanguini for you and your wife!" Mr. Blackcloud doesn't seem to mind multiple orders.

Verum Sanguini. It literally means true blood. Tenma drifted to one of his history classes…

Yes. Strigoi are race of beings that requires blood for their sustenance. Back then in the Odious War, The strigoi sought to enslave the other races and turning them all into their glorified cattle, essentially making them blood bags. For them, it was needed to the survival of their race.

War raged on for several hundred years, it seemingly would never end, until a human Alchemist invented something that would put an end to their need to drink blood from other beings. By gathering the similar substance that they can find in human blood from the nature itself, that wandering alchemist managed to create a perfect solution to end the war.

It was basically a synthetic blood. The kind of blood that can be manufactured and mass produced, with exact same qualities as actual blood, no more and no less. It also tastes the same as actual blood. With this invention, the alchemist was henceforth known as the Crimson Alchemist.

And now that they don't need to drink the blood of beings from other races anymore, the strigoi slowly but surely stopped their aggression towards the others. It wasn't a smooth sailing, but in the end, they finally reached an understanding. They can live peacefully with each other.

Like now. The strigoi can live without making conflict with the other races. Even humans, and especially humans. Humans were used to be their go-to prey, because they were the easiest to pick on. That was back then. Now, humans are more powerful than ever, making them equals.

And speaking of equals… a human and a strigoi having a close relationship aren't viewed as an odd thing. Like himself and Noa, for example. They have been dating for one year now, Noa comes from a big Noble Family and Tenma was from… well, not exactly a normal family, but his family basically is just one level above regular civilians. And despite the hierarchy and race difference, they made it work, and it was quite a loving and healthy relationship at that.

It was true… they were, and still are, happy. He didn't even realize he was smiling on his own until a passing customer pointed it out. He deflected their question with an awkward laugh, and put up a straight face from that moment. He tried to keep his excitement down while working.

Hours and hours passed, and his shift will end soon. Noa will come here to have some drink until he finished his work, and then they will go home together and do… the typical things lovers do. In his home. That would relieve the stress from work and school assignment…

"Good evening. Can you look at my ID please, Mr. Handsome Security Man?"

Speak of the devil. He didn't even have to look at the speaker to recognize her. Her voice already told him who it was. Smiling, he took the identification card in his hand and pretended to read it out, even though he already got it memorized perfectly in his head.

"Noa Ingrid Vermillion, Age 18. Student at Agni Veritas Academy, Second Year." He said, smiled slightly at her portrait on the card, then at the person. "You sure you're not too young to--ah."

Noa was wearing a beautiful red and blue halterneck dress, which has a window that shows a fair bit of cleavage, and a side slit on her skirt, which makes movement easier and at the same time shows more of her generous thighs. It was quite a sight for his sore eyes.

And, he would've been happier if she came alone. Turns out she did not.

There was a man walking closely behind her. His spiky upwards hair the same color as Noa's. But in contrast to her gentleness and calming vibe, he looks like he's always frowning all the time, with a permanent scowl on his face. His blue eyes looks sharp and cautious.

With a tall and big body, he looks quite intimidating and imposing too. Not to Tenma, though.

"Oh hello, Gala. You're drinking too tonight?" Tenma greeted him casually.

"Hmm. I am not here for that. I just happened to have some free time, so I decided that…" the red haired man cleared his throat and replied curtly. "I must make sure my sister arrives here safely."

"Geez Brother, I'm not a kid anymore, you know? I can take care of myself just fine."

"I know. I'm just worried." a soft look appeared on Gala's face for a brief moment, before it goes back to his usual scowl as he turned back to Tenma. "Well then, Tenma Kazuki. You know the usual drill. I will, however reluctantly, allow her to be put under your care tonight. And you will make sure absolutely nothing bad happens to her, or else…"

"I'll die before anything happens to her. You know that, Gala." Tenma said, meeting his sharp gaze with his own. "I've made sure all of you know that."

Despite him realizing that he has the same blue eyes as Noa, or maybe because of it, he didn't relent even in the slightest. There was tension in the air, so thick he could cut it with a knife. He kept on staring down the red haired man in silence before saying:

"… now, if you don't have anymore business here, you can go back to your Administrator work. Run along now, 'big brother'…"

To his credit, the red haired man didn't seem to be intimidated either. His glare didn't falter.

"Hmph. Father might have approved of you. But I'm not that easily convinced. Let see if you can hold onto your words, Tenma Kazuki. I will be watching you."

Gala just decided to back off with some threatening words. The frowning man left them without much fuss. After he's out of earshot, Noa lets out a big sigh of relief and exasperation.

"Why he's always like that… Brother…"

"He's just worried about you. It's a big brother thing." Tenma said. "As far as he's concerned, I'm just another man trying to take advantage of you or your family's money."

Noa doesn't seem amused.

"You're not that kind of person."

"Obviously no, you know me. But love can make people blind. Just give him time and he'll accept me eventually." Tenma shrugged. "Besides, I would totally do the same if Reina ever gets a boyfriend."

"Don't you guys feel you're just a bit too overprotective?" Noa asked.

"Overprotective? No. I don't know about yours, but the least I can do for my sister is to make sure whoever she's into would make her happy. There's no way I'd let her date a douchebag."

"Like Iceheart?"

"No way. Like she would ever be interested in him." Tenma cringed. "That's not happening."

"You don't know that. Maybe she likes bad boys. Who knows?" Noa smiled mysteriously. "I mean, you needed some hard signs to realize that I reciprocated your--"

"Okay, okay, I get it. I'll ask her about her type later." Tenma held up his hands, giving up the argument. "I really can't to win if it's about girls and all their complicated stuff…"

That is true. Tenma seems to have a hard time figuring out the feelings of the opposite gender. He won over Noa because he was the one pursuing her with undeterred persistence and hard work. He stumbled over his words and actions, but he made up for that by simply being very stubborn and hard to deter.

Tenma just never gives up on things he wanted to pursue, no matter what. Simple as that. And for her, that's more than enough to fall for him. Now, he's still rather dense about feelings and such, but that's okay. She can and will gladly help him overcome that small issue of his.

"You're learning, slowly but surely." Noa giggled softly. "You just need more time to understand, but it's okay. Now, how much longer until you finish your shift?"

"Hmmm, just about fifteen to twenty minutes..." He wondered if he should just…

"And here I thought I made it just in time for your shift to end. Well, I guess I can get some drink inside…"

"We'll go together." Tenma immediately made up his mind.

"Is that alright, though?" Noa raised an eyebrow. "You're still working."

"Eh, it's fine. No one seems to be coming in, and it's just a little bit more before someone else's shift. Mr. Blackcloud will understand… shall we?"

Noa knows it's just an excuse for him; in truth, he just doesn't want people in the bar to hit on her. He can be such a jealous guy sometimes. But that's not a necessarily a bad thing. She likes it whenever he takes the lead and being all alpha. In fact, that makes her kind of excited.

"Take me in, then." Noa offered her hand. "I'm all yours."

Without hesitation, he takes her hand and gently escort her into the pub. As they entered the pub, Noa makes a small effort to lean her head slightly against his shoulder and hook his arm with hers. It's just her way of establishing their status to people and remind those who forgot.

"Oh, Miss Vermillion! What a pleasant surprise." Mr. Blackcloud greeted her politely. "I thought you'd just come to pick up Mr. Kazuki here. Would you like anything to drink?"

"Yes. I am quite parched, Mr. Blackcloud, so I would like an enriched Verum Sanguini set." Noa nodded, then muttered under her breath. "I will need some extra energy tonight, so…"

"Wait, isn't that one rather expensive?" Tenma asked.

"Yes, but I brought enough money, don't worry." Noa replied.

"Let me pay for that." Tenma offered. "Mr. Blackcloud, you can cut my pa--"

"Don't. It's my drink, I'll be the one paying." Noa cut him off before he can finish. "You'll need that money for yourself and Reina, remember? It's okay. You don't have to buy me everything."

"I can get money with some other way." Tenma insisted. "Listen, it's not about money, it's…"

"Is it about… sending… a message?" Noa raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'm talking about principles. And responsibility." Tenma said. "And if I can't even pay for my girlfriend's drink, I'll be damned. So with that, I should be the one--"

Noa rolled her eyes in exasperation. Right, his persistence is the reason why she fell for him in the first place, but then she remembers that his stubbornness can also a bit handful, especially in trivial matters like this. She could just relent to his persistence, but…

It will be for his own good if he doesn't try to cover for the expenses of anyone under his so-called 'responsibilities'. He can quite stingy… to himself. She wants him to be able to reward himself.

"Mr. Blackcloud, don't listen to him. I will be the one paying for my drink." Noa said flatly.

"But--" Tenma tries to protest.

"No buts, Mister." Noa smiled at him. "I've made up my mind and that is final. Or… are you going to force me anyway?"

"Ugh… you know I won't do that…"

"So you'll let me have this one, okay?" She gently pressed his arm against her chest. "Please?"

One other thing about him, he can be a bit pushover with a little bit of persuasion. She knows the right buttons to press. She knows all his weak points. Well, so does he about hers, but that's a story for another time.

"Okay, okay, you won." He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I'll make up for this somehow."

"You don't have to make up for anything because you didn't do anything wrong." She said simply, shaking her head. "So with that said, that'll be my order, Mr. Blackcloud. I will be waiting on my table over there with him… right, Tenma?"

"Absolutely, my dear Noa." Tenma responded with an oddly straight face.

She chose an unoccupied spot in one corner of the pub and drags her boyfriend with her. Mr. Blackcloud can only shake his head and sigh amusedly, seeing the couple go to their intended seat. He's been seeing them arguing over small things ever since they got together, but it never got too heated up, so it's just sort of entertaining to watch.

Nevertheless, he brought Noa's order to their table as soon as possible. A big green bottle containing a crimson liquid inside. When he delivered it, they were talking about some kind of school assignment… but as soon as she sees the bottle, she got distracted and stopped talking.

"Thanks, Mr. Blackcloud." said both of them at the same time. Then they stare at each other incredulously. Mr. Blackcloud coolly withdraws with an amused smile. He is aware that Tenma is still on the clock, but he lets that slide. There doesn't seem to be any customer outside… besides, who is he to disturb a young blooming love?

Youngsters these days, he thought with an amused grin.

Tenma and Noa are sitting on opposite sides of a small glass table. They resumed their conversation from before, Noa crossing her legs while Tenma keeping his arms fold.

"Well, yeah, so that's what happened." Tenma said, pouring the crimson liquid to a glass. "Iceheart apparently takes an exception to me being the team leader and challenged me to a duel, to prove who's worthier to be a leader."

Their team assignment is a mission to accomplish a certain objective. But the team members are handpicked by the school staff, and especially, the team leader. Tenma, Noa, and Iceheart, they just happened to be in the same team this time… which seems to be leading to a disaster.

He hands over the now filled glass to Noa, who looks at the glass with a frown before replying.

"You could've refused the stupid duel and ignored him." She said as she took a sip and slightly shuddered. "Mmm! That hits the spot. So why didn't you refuse?"

"I could not refuse." Tenma said. "He said he wouldn't cooperate with the team if I refuse."

"Well, that's dumb. Refusing to cooperate over such trivial matters?" Tenma could hear a hint of anger in her voice. "That's immature. What is he, some child throwing tantrum?"

She took a few sips.

"I don't know. He treated the matter like it was such a big deal." Tenma said. "I tried to lighten him up but he didn't want to listen. So I just ended up getting both of us hospitalized…"

"So that's why… good, then. I mean, no, not about injuring yourself, but..." Noa said, adding the last bit as Tenma raised his eyebrows. "… but I hope he got humbled from that experience."

"I doubt it. But we'll see tomorrow." Tenma shrugged. "The team assignment is the day after tomorrow… hopefully we can smooth things over before that."

"I can give him a good scolding." Noa said threateningly.

"No, that would just make it worse. He hates strigois." Tenma shook his head. "Besides, as the assigned team leader, I should be the one handling that."

"I can back you up." Noa puffed her chest proudly, as she downed the rest of her drink. "I'm from a Noble Family. He wouldn't want to mess with us... me, especially."

"Again, that would just make it worse." Tenma facepalmed. "The only person he'll listen to is Sabrina, and that's just because she is ranked higher than him."

"We're not dragging her from her additional work as Student Council member, are we?"

"Hell no. She has enough responsibilities as is." He sternly shook his head. "I'm just saying… Iceheart treats this whole leadership thing TOO seriously. What's his problem…?"

Seeing that Noa's glass is empty, he wordlessly moved to refill it. Noa smiles in gratitude, before she speaks again, and her frown comes back.

"Well, just because he is the third highest rank in our school, that doesn't mean he can decide things like he owns the school." Noa said. "Say that to his face if you need to. If he keeps this up, we're ditching him from the team. We don't want to risk anyone injured or dying because someone is being stupidly stubborn. If he cooperates, good for him. But if not, then it's his problem. If he keeps dragging us down, then we'll report it to the Headmaster. Sounds good?"

Tenma nodded. "That's an option. Smart move."

"I know, right?" Noa beamed, as she started her second glass of drink. "Mmm, that hits the spot!"

"You already said that…" Tenma chuckled.

She's so cute when she does that though, he thought.

"Hey, Tenma." Noa shakes her glass. "… let's talk about fun things now. You still remember your promise for today right?"

She downed another glass of crimson liquid as Tenma tried to recall what happened few hours ago, with a blank face. Then it clicks in his brain. Tonight… Noa will want to--

"Oh yeah. I totally remember." He said.

"Not another delay or cancellation, right?" She said, while licking the crimson liquid from her lips slowly. Her blue eyes half shut as she stares at Tenma. "Please don't say no. I've been looking forward for our plans tonight."

"Of course not. I wouldn't dream of it." Tenma smiled. "You'll just to hold it for just a little bit mo--wait, what are you doing?"

He watches in confusion as Noa uncrossed her legs from below the table and leaned forward.

"Do you want a peek?" She whispered, as she slowly move the side slit of her skirt. He can see a hint of black--

That instant, something awakened in Tenma, but he managed to keep it down.

"Ey ey ey! Whatever you're doing, stop it! We're in public!" Tenma hissed under his breath. "Why are you so excitable tonight…?"

Still with the same half-shut eyes, Noa gestured at the bottle which contains the crimson liquid. Tenma immediately understood. The crimson liquid which substitutes for blood, is the energy and sustenance for strigois. It's basically a food and energy drink in one package.

Don't tell me that drink actually turned her on, Tenma thought.

"Fufu. I'm just teasing you." Noa giggled and put back her skirt to its proper form, but her half-shut eyes didn't change. "… but I'm not kidding when I said I've been looking forward to this… very much, Tenma. You get what I'm saying, right?"

"I, uh, okay. I got it. You're in the mood, huh. Okay. Alright. We're just gonna…" Tenma struggled to keep calm, his face twitches in an attempt to stay cool. "Just gonna… wait just a little bit more, okay?"

"Uh-huh." Noa just keeps staring amorously at him. "I just hope that my wait will be worth it--"

DING!

Tenma jumped slightly in his seat. That loud ding is the sign that his shift for tonight is finally over. Just in time… very convenient coincidence, he must say. He looks at Noa. She is already looking quite eager and excited on her seat. He sighed, and was about to stand from his seat and offer his hand to Noa when something suddenly happened.

"Are you for real? You don't have any actual blood here?"

The pub actually went silent when a voice spoke in a deep, gravelly voice. Tenma looks at the direction of that voice. It was that green-haired man with fox-like eyes from before, Tenma still remembers him. One of the newcomers. Probably never knew the rules here or just an upstart.

This sounds like trouble… and my shift just ended, he thought.

"I'm sorry, but we never served any of that stuff here." Mr. Blackcloud tries to explain. "It's illegal on Aetzer to sell actual blood. Besides, Verum Sanguine is more than enough to--"

"You're saying this kinda garbage is the same as the real stuff? What nonsense. You're probably a strigoi who has never drank actual blood." the green haired man sneered, while spilling the contents of a nearby glass to the floor on purpose. "Real blood is something else, you know?"

Tenma could see the other patrons of the establishments looking quite uncomfortable with the attitude of this man. Mr. Blackcloud also looks rather disturbed. That isn't good for his business. He pondered if he should let Mr. Blackcloud handle it himself or should he intervene? His shift just ended. He probably wouldn't be paid if he helped him now. But…

"The taste, the thrill of sinking your fangs into your favorite bloodbag, seeing the colors drain from their body--there's no beating that! Screw this wimpy drink from glasses!" the green haired man keeps going, oblivious or uncaring of the distress he caused. "You all need some enlightenment about your quality drinks, enough of your sheltered life style!"

Alright, that's quite enough. I'm just going to help Mr. Blackcloud. Besides, this man looks like a real piece of work, Tenma thought as he stood up and approached that man from behind. He didn't even notice him drawing near until he tapped his shoulder.

"No need to make trouble here." He said with an ominous tone, hoping that will be enough to make him stand down. Unfortunately, that isn't the case here. He didn't deliver the line properly...

"Huh? Who the hell are you?" the green haired man turned around to face him. "Hmm, ah, just the security boy. You smell like a human… Get lost, boy! I've no business with bloodbags. Unless you want to give your blood to me, that's fine too." He smirked condescendingly.

"Sorry, but I have to take you outside." Tenma simply said. "You've disturbed the other patrons here enough already."

"And what if I don't want to, boy?" the green haired man leaned very close to him, baring his teeth that slowly become razor sharp fangs. His hands become crooked claws. "You're going to force me or what?" his ears become pointy and his eyes become blood red. There were no other colors in those orbs.

This is what strigois call 'game face', or the face they used when they're fighting for their life or when they are feeding on something. They are able to utilize their full power whenever they are in this state. And on top of that, they will also gain great boosts to their natural powers in the night. Which means, this man before Tenma is at his strongest right now!

However…

Raising his eyebrows, Tenma looks absolutely unimpressed with this display. And his expression isn't a face of someone pretending to be brave when they're actually scared. But someone who had seen this kind of sight more than he needed to. It's like… doing a household chore.

"Yes, well, I'm afraid I have to." He said. "… sorry, Mr. Blackcloud!"

"Huh?"

Moving faster than the green-haired man can anticipate, Tenma grabbed the man's collar, lifted him off his feet, and throws him out of a nearby window, shattering the glass in the process. All in one smooth course of movements. He isn't done, however. He quickly followed him outside, to the moonlit road.

And wasn't surprised when he found the green haired man was already up and now pouncing towards him, his extending claws going for a double swipe. Tenma ducked below the attack and then headbutted him, sending the bloodthirsty man tumbling back to the ground.

"Are you quite finished?" Tenma asked.

He gets up, and goes for a vertical swipe with his clawed hand. Tenma calmly sidestepped it. Then a horizontal one, which Tenma evaded by stepping back. Not quite finished, he then goes for vertical and horizontal swipes at the same time, but Tenma just dodged it like before.

"Please, calm down."

Angrily, he goes for a series of erratic swiping, hoping that the young man would at least get scratched by one… But unfortunately, it only makes him easier to read. Tenma weaved and swerved through all his attacks, moving through the barrages of swipes, with unsettling ease.

"You're becoming hysterical." Tenma said, with a blank look on his face. "There's no need for this."

With a roar, the green haired man for another vertical swipe, putting extra effort and strength behind this one, but then Tenma just sidestepped the attack like before, and caught his arm. He tried to pull away, but he couldn't. Tenma didn't budge an inch, his hand didn't let go of him.

"Tut, tut. You really don't know when to stop, do you?" Tenma wagged his fingers, as if reproaching a misbehaving children. "This is futile. I don't like repeating myself. It's really futile, so can we just stop?"

He lifted the man off his feet again, and this time he slammed him onto the ground. He threw him down so hard the green-haired man only sees stars for a brief moment. He stumbled, his vision was blurry, and he fell to the ground again.

"Gwah… goddamn you…" the green-haired man snarled, getting up from the ground and still failing. "Who… the hell are you, brat?"

"Wait, you want to know who I am? Perfect." Tenma cleared his throat. "Let's see… I am…"

He stood straight, perfectly still, and coincidentally, the moonlight was concealed in the clouds above, and the shadows suddenly fell on his figure. With his green and purple eyes glowing in the dark ominously, even the bloodthirsty man feels a chill over his spine.

"My name is Tenma Kazuki. I'm 18 years old, although I'm going 19 in few weeks. My house is in the southwest section of Aetzer, where all the good houses are, and I have a girlfriend."

"What." The green haired man doesn't understand why is he going for such lengths in introducing himself. "Are you--"

"I work part-time as an door supervisor for the Crimson Palate, as you know." He kept talking. "… and I get home every day by 10 PM at the latest."

"What the…" He doesn't understand why the young man before him kept running his mouth.

"I don't smoke, and I don't drink." Tenma continued, oblivious and obviously uncaring to the man's growing confusion and impatience. " I'm usually in bed by 11 PM, and I always make sure I get eight hours of sleep, no matter what."

"Dude, what the hell are--"

Now, he just straight up ignoring the green haired man in front of him. He took his sweet time talking.

"After having a glass of warm milk and doing about thirty minutes of exercises before going to sleep, I usually have no problems sleeping until morning. Just like a baby, I will wake up without anything bothering me in the morning. There were no issues at my last check-up, and--"

The man's already poor patience finally reached his limit.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU BLABBING ON AND ON ABOUT?!"

"Well, I'm trying to explain that I'm a person who wishes to live a quiet but exciting life. You see, I like to fight, but I take care not to trouble myself with anything that would occupy my mind, like winning and losing." Tenma looked at him sharply. "That would cause me to lose sleep at night, yes? That won't do at all. My friend, that is how I deal with life, and I know that is enough to bring me personal happiness. Although…"

Black and violet energy surround and envelop his body like a tight blanket. There was also a hint of green mixed in here and there.

"Of course, if I were to fight I wouldn't lose to anyone..." He raised one hand, shoulder level, palm facing downward. "Stand Unshaken, Yamato."

A part of the colorful energy from his body extended from his raised hand and quickly solidified into a concrete form, manifesting a single-edged blade. A katana.

As the blade fully materializes in his hand, its intricate details become clear. The katana's blade is made of a shining, silverish white metal that glints in the moonlight. It is honed to a razor-sharp edge, and a fine, subtle pattern of ripples can be seen along the length of the blade.

The hand guard, with its octagonal shape, is embellished with intricate gold designs that seem to dance and shimmer in the moonlight. The handle is wrapped in white silk, the winding tight and precise, offering a comfortable grip for the wielder. The scabbard, in stark contrast to the blade, looks like it's made of black lacquered wood, with gear-like patterns etched along its surface.

Overall, the weapon exudes a sense of elegance and deadly precision.

"You have… Soul Force…!"

Soul Force. A power that only awakens when one brushes with death. A power that can only be achieved by a human when their soul escapes the grasp of death.

As it was aptly named, it was a power that comes from a human's soul, a manifestation of one's innate and personal power as an ability unique to each individual, with the effects varying greatly from user to user. The nature of one's Soul Force represents an aspect of their personality.

It was a power that allowed humanity to fight back against the previously superior other races and gained their independence. With this power, they were no longer slaves and cattles. No longer must they pledge allegiance to the other races for survival. They can stand on their own!

Humans can get stronger by knowing more about themselves. The heart is an awesome power.

The green haired man snarled as he tried to stand back up.

He didn't see it coming. He underestimated the brat too much. To think that a brat like him would possess a fully manifested Soul Force, let alone a combat type like that… he really didn't see this coming at all. He might have bitten more than he can chew.

But… he isn't going to let this humiliation stand, not at the hands of a snot-faced brat!

Meanwhile back at the pub, Mr. Blackcloud, a few curious customers, and Noa, all watching from the broken window.

"So that is Mr. Kazuki's Soul Force…" Mr. Blackcloud muttered. "Looks like a strong combat type. How very fascinating. It quite fits his personality."

"I take it it's first time you've seen it, Mr. Blackcloud?" Noa asked him.

"Yes. I believe I've never had the pleasure of seeing it in action." Mr. Blackcloud puts a hand on his chin, thinking. "He usually takes out drunk and unruly patrons without even calling it out. So I wonder why he even bothered with this one."

"Oh, don't you know, Mr. Blackcloud?" Noa looks at the figure that stands with his sword in hand. "Tenma likes to show off. Sometimes, he just got to be the center of attention!"

"Ah. That makes sense when you think about it…"

Unknowingly to them, there were someone listening to their conversation. A tough-looking guy with boisterous voice, and short boy with grey hair, took note of what they said.

Back to the outside of the pub…

"Are you done or do you need more convincing?" Tenma asked. "Let's resolve this amicably." He said as he twirled the blade in his hand idly.

"If you want to resolve this amicably…" the green haired man growled. "Fine then, you'll get what you want!"

The green haired man raised his hand and suddenly he glows with an intense red light. A magic circle appeared below his feet, and on his outstretched hand. The latter started to gather some energy from its surroundings, and the red light around him became a scorching sphere of flame.

"Shoot to Kill!「Ignis Magicae: Ardentes Indicibus!」"

Magic. It was one of the special powers possessed by the strigoi. Wisdom and words of the world converted into tools they can use to their own advantage. It was quite a versatile ability, ranging from elemental manipulation, self-enhancement, magical constructs, and many more.

It was an ability that allowed them to get ahead of their competitions in the Odious War back then. They couldn't defeat the inherently strongest race daevas with it, but they were able to suppress them, and kept them out of the war for a while, enough to be considered the victors.

Cunning and wisdom is the way of the strigoi. Knowledge is Power, as they would say.

"Do you really want to take it this seriously?" Tenma asked. "This is getting too much…"

The green haired man ignored him. He's utterly done with his nonsense, and he's ending this.

"Take this!!" He lowered his hand, and the scorching orb started to fire off flaming projectiles. Those are launching at his target like a barrage of bullets. Tenma, being on the receiving end of this exchange, simply went into a stance and raised his sword. "Now let's see how you handle this--"

Tenma took a step forward.

He starts whacking and deflecting those fire bullets like a baseball batter hitting balls with inhuman speed, fast enough to make his movements look like blurred images and… it only resulted in those deflected bullets hitting the nearby buildings instead, exploding and setting them on fire. Not enough to destroy them thankfully, but it still caused a ruckus.

"Ooops." was the only thing Tenma said, before he focused back to deflecting the bullets.

Keeping his mistake in mind, he changed a bit of his approach. He attempted to deflect all the bullets he can to the sky. It doesn't go as smooth as he wants to, since the deflected fire bullets still hit some of the buildings, but at least he minimized the damage somewhat.

The green haired man grew quite frustrated that even his magic apparently couldn't touch the annoying brat. He gathered more magical power from his surroundings, increased his rate of fire, and shot even more of his fire bullets at the brat… but the situation doesn't change at all.

Granted, Tenma needs to exert more effort to keeping the fire bullets from hitting him AND the buildings in the city, and even him starts sweating from all that movements, but he also makes sure to approach the green haired man one step at a time. He would eventually enter his range.

Something that the green haired man also noticed. So, to prevent him from being overwhelmed by close range attacks, he raised his other hand… to create another magic circle and flaming sphere. If he can't outlast him with one sphere, then he would simply use more. No matter how fast the brat is, he could only handle one sphere at best. Two will utterly crush him.

After that, he will make sure to subdue him and make him know his place in the world. Humans should never try to rebel against their superiors. They are the ones who supposed to rule the world. Screw all that Union bullshit. Screw all that Coexistence drivel! Strigoi are superior!

His second sphere is complete. Now, to rain hell upon this impudent brat. Grinning ear to ear with fanged teeth, he could almost imagine the despair that brat will display… any seconds now.

"My sword is a Shield. Therefore, it Protects."

A resolute voice echoed amongst the crackle of scorching flames. Then, in front of the sword-wielding young man, a formidable wall was erected. It was a shield constructed from his life energy, glowing with myriad of colors that changed patterns every single second.

It's like a rainbow… no, more like a kaleidoscope.

It completely blocks every bullets of fire that were launched at him. They were stopped and dispersed, harming no one and nothing. The green haired man couldn't believe what he seeing. But it is happening before his eyes. He keeps firing, but the brat just calmly stride forward with his shield unwavering, nullifies any and every shot he can muster at him.

That's when his confidence finally falters. He took a step backwards. There's still a fair bit of distance between him and the brat, but now he can see that brat's eyes more clearly. The bright green and dark violet. For some reason, the duality of those eyes terrified him.

He turned around and made his escape route while he still can--

But Tenma was already there. The brat somehow was faster than him, he was ahead of him in his own escape route! How is that possible!? Does he have a teleportation power too? Or is that just an illusion?

"Are you just gonna bail whenever the scale tips against your favor? Man…" Tenma gave him a massively disapproving look. "Where's your motivation? You're not worthy…"

He calmly, but measuredly, walked towards him with his sword poised to strike.

And the last thing the green haired man knows before he lost consciousness was a series of slashes that assault his body… and the sound of a sword being sheathed.