Many of the self-proclaimed veteran mercenaries remained in their seats, not even bothering to lift an eyelid. To them, this so-called fight had no suspense. Even a newly-promoted Rank-1 Warrior was far stronger than an ordinary person, let alone a scrawny child.
"I... I don't bully kids. You... you can go first," Abner said, his face beet red. Fighting a child half his size was utterly humiliating.
But Rayne didn't show any courtesy in response to his opponent's "humility." He crouched slightly, bending his knees and lowering his center of gravity. A surge of primal wildness and a chilling killing intent erupted from his small frame.
"Hiss—!"
A wave of sharp intakes of breath swept through the crowd of mercenaries. It was unbelievable! How could such a young child emit such a potent killing aura?
Even Damari, watching from the side, clenched his fists, a flicker of unease rising in his heart.
As everyone stood in shock, Rayne moved.
His motion was like lightning as he charged, aiming for Abner's relatively vulnerable abdomen.
Although caught off guard by Rayne's sudden, fierce attack, Abner was still a trained Rank-1 Warrior. His reaction was swift. He took half a step back, dodging the charge, and simultaneously swept his right leg toward Rayne's side.
If that kick landed, Rayne would have been sent flying.
However, just as Abner's leg was about to connect, Rayne's forward momentum ceased abruptly. With incredible flexibility, his body followed the motion of the kick, and he deftly rolled aside, evading the powerful blow.
Abner's kick missed, and his body pitched forward slightly from the momentum. The moment his foot landed, he threw a right punch without hesitation, his fist coated in a faint white layer of aetheris, smashing down toward the rising Rayne.
It was as if Rayne had eyes in the back of his head. He didn't get up at all. Instead, he kicked off the ground, his entire body sliding along the floor, once again dodging Abner's fist.
Missing twice in a row, Abner's face grew redder. He roared, pushed off the balls of his feet, and leaped into the air, unleashing a warform—Plunge Strike!
Abner descended from above, his legs carrying immense force, coming down on Rayne below.
Facing this attack from the sky, Rayne remained calm. He ducked, shot forward, and with an agile roll, dodged under a table that hadn't been moved yet.
BAM!
Abner's furious kick slammed into the tabletop.
The sturdy wood cracked on impact, sending splinters flying everywhere.
Amidst the shower of wood fragments, Rayne shot out from under the table, lunging for Abner's side.
Pivoting on his left foot, Abner spun his body rapidly. The right leg that had just landed swung out again like lightning, aiming for Rayne from a tricky angle.
"Twenty silver coins!" At that critical moment, Siviel shouted from behind the bar—the price of the broken table.
The sudden shout startled Abner, and his body wobbled.
Rayne seized the opportunity. In the instant Abner's form wavered, he drove his head hard into Abner's side.
Abner stumbled back several steps uncontrollably and hastily threw a punch to force back the pursuing Rayne.
"Whoa—!"
An uproar went through the crowd of mercenaries.
Despite Siviel's interference, a child had managed to force back a Rank-1 Warrior. It was incredible.
Damari shot a cold glance at Siviel. "Don't worry, Sister Siviel! I'll pay for anything that gets broken!"
Siviel snorted and went back to polishing a mug.
"Freya, did you... did you know he could... win?" On the other side, Jason gently tugged on Freya's sleeve, his voice low.
Freya smiled faintly and whispered back, "Have you forgotten his fight with the little Tigran, Kray? His combat talent is beyond imagination. He's a born warrior. That's likely the real reason Dario insisted on keeping him."
A moment later, Abner and Rayne were fighting fiercely again.
Abner was now completely enraged, his eyes bloodshot as he launched a furious, desperate barrage of attacks at Rayne.
However, anger couldn't bridge the gap in skill and technique. Rayne continued to weave and dodge through Abner's attacks with incredible agility. He looked like he was in a desperate situation, but he was never truly hit.
Such a reckless assault quickly drained Abner's stamina and aetheris. His breathing grew heavy, a fine sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead, and the speed and power of his attacks noticeably decreased.
Damari's palms were now sweating, his brow tightly furrowed.
This little bastard... could he actually win?! No! That's impossible!
He shook his head forcefully, trying to banish the absurd thought from his mind.
The turning point of the battle came in an instant.
Facing another of Abner's powerful kicks, Rayne leaped backward, landing on an untouched table.
"You're asking for it!" Abner roared, kicking the table hard.
Another table shattered on impact.
And Rayne, using the recoil from the shattering table, launched himself high into the air, pouncing down on Abner from above in a fierce dive.
Abner didn't dodge. He met Rayne's aerial attack head-on, throwing a punch. His iron fist, enveloped in thick white aetheris, shot toward Rayne's chest.
Abner was going to end this farce with absolute power.
However, at the very instant his body was about to make contact with Abner's fist, Rayne shifted his body in mid-air by a razor-thin margin.
Seeing this, a flash of delight crossed Abner's eyes, and he put even more force into his punch.
CRACK!
With the sharp sound of bone breaking, Abner's fist connected with Rayne's left shoulder blade.
At the same time, Rayne's tightly clenched right hand shot open, his five fingers raking across Abner's eyes.
Rayne was sent flying by the punch, landing heavily several meters away. But at the same moment, a piercing scream erupted from Abner's mouth.
Clutching his shattered and deformed left shoulder, Rayne struggled to his feet. He stared coldly at Abner, who was now writhing on the ground in agony, his hands clamped over his eyes. Blood was streaming from between his fingers.
Rayne had won.
After a moment of dead silence, the two nearest Crimson Thorn mercenaries rushed forward to help the still-screaming Abner.
"Useless! He's useless!" Damari shrieked, trembling with rage as he looked at the pathetic state of his man.
Mercenaries lived by their reputation and a code of honor.
No matter how furious Damari was, he couldn't abandon Abner in public. Soon, the Crimson Thorn mercenaries were helping Abner up and rushing out of the bar. They had to find a healing Mage quickly; perhaps Abner's eyes could still be saved.
All eyes now focused on Damari's ashen face. Humiliation, anger, and unwillingness warred within him.
"We're... leaving!" Damari squeezed the words through his teeth. He couldn't bear to stay another second.
"Vice-Captain Damari, have you forgotten something?" Freya, Jason, and the others blocked his path.
"You've already won! Don't push it!"
"Push it? Vice-Captain Damari, you aren't thinking of... reneging on the boy's prize, are you?"
"Kid, do you really want my sword?" Damari's voice was filled with undisguised threat.
"Of course. I won it fair and square."
Rayne's left shoulder was clearly dislocated, blood seeping through his tunic, but he grinned at Damari, his voice hoarse.
"Fine! Very good! Since you want it, then I'll give it to you!" A crazed, vicious look flashed in Damari's eyes. He threw the longsword straight at Rayne's face.
No one expected Damari to launch a sneak attack.
The longsword, propelled by his aetheris, flew toward Rayne with a sharp whistle, too fast for anyone to stop.
"You treacherous bastard!" Freya roared, raising her staff as magical energy rapidly gathered. Jason, Klaus, and the others drew their weapons.
A personal duel in a bar was about to escalate into an all-out war between two Class-B mercenary legions.
But it was as if Rayne had anticipated Damari's move. The instant before the sword reached him, he fell straight backward.
The longsword flew past, barely grazing his face.
THUD! With a loud bang, the sword struck the brick wall of the bar, bounced off, and shattered a wine cask in the corner, a testament to its incredible force.
His sneak attack having failed, Damari's face grew even uglier. He snorted. "Freya! And the rest of you at the Salt Blade! The humiliation I've suffered today, I, Damari, will one day repay you a hundredfold!"
Freya just scoffed dismissively. Since Rayne was unharmed, she had no intention of letting the situation escalate beyond control. She slowly dispersed the magical energy gathered in her staff and stepped aside.