"Master." Zern bowed as soon as he saw Ren arrive, then gave a simir greeting to Leinor, "Prince."

  "See? He can call me that. Why can't you?" Leinor murmured, shooting a gnce at Ren.

  "Because you're my fiancé." She answered with a proud smirk, "I'll call you that the moment you beat me. Until then... nope~!"

  "What brings you here?" Zern asked, now much more rexed than in the years before, using the way the two acted around him to make him forget any ranks that may exist between them.

  Especially when Ren shared her and Leinor's experiences with him four years ago, he was utterly baffled by them. When he started to follow their examples, he realized this was a way he could improve himself much quicker... Especially as he was stuck in the third refinement for years now, but following Ren's instructions, he already had a breakthrough. More than one, in fact, as now, after four harrowing years, he was already at the fifth. He reached it around a month ago, shocking his father and everyone who knew about his rapid advancement, which was previously unheard of. Not to mention, after signing up for the upcoming competition, he was one of the main favorites to win it.

  "We came out to have some fun." Ren continued, "Also, please sign me up for the Emperor's Day competition."

  "Ugh… Master, you want to participate?" Zern flinched, feeling his stomach drop.

  "What, do you think? Am I being unfair to you?" She rolled her eyes, sensing his reaction, "Then step back from it, scardy cat!"

  "No, I didn't mean it that way. I was just… surprised." He shrugged in defeat. There goes first pce...

  "Stay strong." Leinor sighed, patting Zern's shoulders. "I have faith in you."

  "Prince…" Zern looked at him pleadingly, but he knew if Ren wanted to do something, she would just do it. One way or another.

  "And now kiss~!" Ren giggled before changing the topic, "Anyway, we are here to patrol the city with you. Are there any cases that need to be solved? Gangs that need stomping? Killers that need beheading?"

  "You have never killed before," Leinor argued, rolling his eyes, "Stop with the big talk!"

  "You neither, but that's beside the point." Ren shot back, her tongue sticking out, "So?"

  "Honestly, there isn't much, especially now, in the winter." Zern murmured, racking his brain, "If you must, then I can take you two to the Cheese District."

  "We have a pce called that?" Ren tilted her head, looking back and forth between them, "Is it because of the smell?"

  "That is what we call it in the City Guards." Zern expined, "It's the oldest part of the city, and because it is filled with more rundown houses than any of the other districts. Some homes were built when the city was made the Capital of the Empire... They are filled with holes and hiding pces for the lower-css people and outws."

  "Nice!" Ren cpped at once, "There should be enough rats there to train a little." She grinned, cracking her knuckles.

  "I guess I don't need to call my patrol squad, and we are going to be enough."

  "Yup! Good apprentice~!"

  "I fear you will hog all the fun from us." Leinor mented, shaking his head as they began walking.

  "Who knows!" She winked at the two, "Onwards, gentlemen! It's time to py! Nyahahaha!"

  …….…..

  "How's today's haul?" asked a raspy voice in a small room lit by the orange light from the firepce. The chamber was decorated with rugs made from wolf skins, and on the walls, various swords and maces were hung up. Most of them were rusted or damaged; clearly, they were battle trophies, from people who came to deal with the owner of this house but never left it in the end.

  As for the man in question, he was a bear of a man sitting in his giant leather chair, smoking from a pipe, wearing well-made fur clothing, while on the desk before him y a half-eaten pig's remains and an almost empty wine jug. His bald head shone brightly, and his bck eyes were calm as he waited for the answer, his long, braided bck beard reaching down to the edge of the table.

  "Acceptable," came an answer from a woman who wore a red silk dress that stuck to her body, outlining her curves and ample bosom, especially because it had a heart-shaped cut-in at the top. Her red, curly hair dropped down to her shoulders while she was leaning onto the table, holding some paper in her hand, checking the numbers on it with her emerald-colored eyes. "Some girls had fewer customers the previous week, but it's mostly because of the weather; they have fallen sick."

  "Make them work extra hours, then when they come back." The man grunted, taking a puff from his pipe, "If they want to continue living the way they do now, then don't fuck up my business! If not, then they can get the fuck out of my streets. I told them hundreds of times, if it's cold, fuck only in the rooms and dress up afterward, but they keep lying around naked... Dumbfucks… Make sure the older ones teach the young why I am a stickler for rules!"

  "Understood, Boss!" She nodded, straightening her body, "They will understand that they can't simply leave for other streets and must fall in line... They are all marked and would be killed on the spot for spying by rival gangs."

  "Good. If they don't learn from words, learn from experience... I don't feed and shelter zy pigs. I want them to be filthy but not sick! Understood?"

  "Clearly." She nodded, smiling.

  "What about the patrols?" He asked, waving a hand, signaling that the previous matter was considered to be done.

  "Nothing major. The City Guards are always stretched to their limit." She said after flipping through her notes, "They let us police our streets as long as we don't make too big a mess... Hm..."

  "What about that young chap? What was his name?"

  "Zern Unth." She snorted in an annoyed tone, "He is… manageable. He is a little stuck up but doesn't have enough power in the force, so his voice gets drowned out by the higher-ups we have on a payroll."

  "Keep it that way or pay him directly. We will find another route if the tter doesn't work... I dislike people who think they are heroes and believe they are here to save and liberate everyone, only to leave chaos in their wake. Pces like this need order... Never forget that! Heroes, at the end of the day, get jack-shit."

  "I won't, Boss." The woman nodded while pcing down the papers and lifting the wine jug, taking big gulps from it, "Pwhah! You see... The problem is, he didn't take our bribes so far... We tried."

  "If money doesn't work, pay with women. Weapons. Armors. There is always something that someone wants. Just find out what it is."

  "Geez, you didn't tell me you were offered money! You should've accepted it!" came a sudden, bright voice from outside the room, surprising the two inside, as they had sensed nobody until that moment. "My Mom keeps me on a tight budget all the time... Tsk..." You don't want it? Then pass it to me! Think of your poor, poor teacher, Zern!"

  "Ugh… Master, that was too loud..."

  "Who's there?" the red-haired woman screamed, standing alert, her body instantly enveloped in a hazy, red aura that emitted heat, while the man just sat up, holding the armrests of his chair, putting down his pipe.

  Soon, the door leading into the room opened, and to the surprise of the two, a small girl dressed in violet winter clothes walked in, followed by two men. Behind them, in the corridor, y the few guards they had, all of them knocked unconscious without making a sound.

  "Is it him?" Ren asked, sizing up the big man in the chair who was doing the same to her.

  "Yes, Master. He is Boursat, the leader of the Wildcats... Aaand... The woman there is Isha, second in command, and the madam of the whore houses in the gang's territory."

  "You are Zern Unth, I assume," Boursat spoke up, knocking his pipe at the table. "But I don't know who you two are…." His eyes stopped briefly, scanning Leinor, a sudden realization fshing in his eyes. "Oh."

  "Nice pce." Ren whistled, looking around, ignoring them like a kid who had lost interest in a new toy. "I didn't know that the sex business sells this well... Should I have learned how to dance and shake my bottom?"

  "Master…" Zern tried to say something, but Leinor stopped him, shaking his head before stepping forward, knowing that nothing could stop Ren from babbling when she was excited.

  "Should I deal with them?" Leinor asked instead.

  "Sure, impress me enough, and you may call this a fine date, fufufu~!" Ren hummed, whistling happily.

  "Don't. Ignore. Us!" Isha screamed, losing her temper, punching out towards Ren. Yet, the little girl didn't even flinch because Leinor was already standing in front of her, meeting her fists with his own.

  When the punches connected, hot air blew outwards, sending the papers on the desk into the air as Isha's surprised eyes almost bulged out from their sockets. She was at the sixth level with her arms and at the fifth level with everything else. She was a powerhouse in her own right, but the man before him casually met her punch, without flinching, surrounded by a white, otherworldly aura. Boursat's pupils immediately shrank, sensing the strength in the boy.

  However, Leinor wasn't done with only the punch; he went to grab onto her arm, cmping down with both hands like steel bars, then kicked out, pnting his foot deep into her stomach. The force transmitted through her body made Isha vomit up her lunch, yet, ignoring the sudden reaction, Leinor simply continued attacking. He yanked on her hand when his kicking leg nded back on the ground, taking a firm stand with it, and sent forward the other, kneeing into the woman's chest next. It all happened in an instant, and Isha was unched forward by the force of his pull, straight into his knee. When his second kick nded, everyone heard a crack, and Isha only vomited again, but now it contained blood and saliva before slumping sideways, her eyes rolling to the back of her head... It was done just like that... and as he let her hand go, Leinor's eyes were coldly watching the unconscious woman who dared to try to y her hands on Ren. He showed no mercy.

  "That's it? She was weaker than I thought. Boring!" Ren sighed, coming next to Leinor, patting his lower back, which she could reach without stretching, unlike if it were his shoulders. "Poor, poor dear, you have been sullied by stinky fluids, yucky!" she moaned while holding back her ughter.

  "What can I do to thank the Fourth Prince and the Young Lady of the General's house for their visit to my humble abode?" Boursat asked, who by now stood up, remaining calm while watching. Even though he looked big while sitting, he now stood... And he towered over them by his height of two meters, not to mention being almost two hundred kilos.

  "Oh, so you know us? We are famous or something?" Ren asked, turning her head towards Boursat, amused by his words

  "We keep track of famous people in the City so as not to offend them in any way, My Lady." He nodded, "I assume you are not here for a pleasant business trip... If you are, I'd like to ask you to take a seat. We can do something about that, too."

  "Oh? I'm listening. But I'll be honest, we didn't come for sweet talks." She stared at him, a bit surprised, and her interest was piqued now.

  "First, I don't want to fight a losing battle," Boursat continued calmly.

  "That's smart. You are not our match." Zern nodded and stood at the doorway, blocking the only way out.

  "No, you misunderstand, young Captain." The fat man chuckled, releasing his aura that shook the building like a sudden earthquake.

  "Ooh, a Harmony Expert!" Ren whistled, "At what level did you harmonize? You are weaker than my Dad… mm… Seventh?"

  Just by listening to her, another surprise came over Boursat, and now he was sure he couldn't read the small, young girl in front of her. At first, it was just an inkling, but... Something was off with her. However, one thing was sure; he shouldn't count her as a kid, as he was confident the trio's leader was exactly this little demon whose aura gave him the chills… even though she was just standing there.

  "You… are almost right. It was the sixth." Boursat nodded.

  "Now I want to fight you," Ren murmured, as her eyes spewed small lightning bolts, quite literally as her silvery hair started to rise by the electric current surrounding her body.

  "I would rather not," Boursat said immediately, massaging his head, "If I do something to any of you, I need to abandon everything and go into hiding before the Emperor's or the General's men find me. I bet I would beg for death, but it wouldn't come... That's something I don't want to experience," he sighed as he came forward, crouching beside the unconscious Isha, pulling her up and ying her on the table, checking her body, clearly transmitting his dark red energy from his palm directly into her, healing the broken bones in her chest.

  "The smell of blood is pretty strong..." Leinor sniffed, watching as the giant man slowly sent her energies into Isha, and he could tell that glow... That was what gave off the smell of iron.

  "My affinity is exactly that. Blood." Boursat told them without hiding it, "Except I use it for healing nowadays, not for fighting. But if you wish, I could still go berserk," he finished, looking up at them. In that moment, his eyes went blood red for a few seconds before returning to calmness, abandoning their mad glow.

  "Fuck. I just can't take it anymore!" Ren ughed while Leinor only got himself ready, and by the time he moved his first muscle, Ren was already flying, aiming a punch toward the man's giant belly. Her little hands were covered with coiling, dragon-like sparks, running up to her shoulders by the time she arrived before him.

  "You crazy mini-bitch!" Boursat shouted, gulping down air like a whale as his stomach infted, taking in the punch like a balloon. When he exhaled, the rebounding force shot Ren backward, directly into Leinor, who caught her, and both of them slid backward, leaving marks on the floor.

  By then, Boursat also vomited a mouthful of blood, but it separated in the air into little droplets as they turned themselves into arrowheads, shooting out and flying towards the two.

  "What the...?! Is this a vomit-fetish brothel or what?!" Ren moaned while in Leinor's arms, watching it happen, the two still skidding midway towards the wall.

  "Master!" Zern jumped in, crossing his arms, standing as a shield before them, taking on the arrowheads by himself.

  His body lit up in a yellowish light as the attack spttered on his body, tearing open the clothes and the metal handguards, leaving minor wounds on his skin but nothing major... Ren could see it. The attacks were missing... intentionally...

  "I just told you I don't want to fight you, you ignorant little shits!" Boursat roared as his eyes were once again blood red, running at them like a freight train. He grabbed onto Zern first and soon smmed him against Leinor and Ren, crashing through the wall like it was made of paper.

  On the other side, the corridor's wall was smashed open, and the trio nded on the ground, sprawling out on a stone floor. Yet, the bull, Boursat, continued to run forward, taking a long turn and maintaining his momentum, rushing back towards them for a second round.

  "What the..." Ren moaned, standing up while Zern could only hear ringing in his ears and couldn't find a stable footing, wobbling around as he took most of the impact head-on.

  "He is like a raging warthog!" Leinor grunted, standing up, as he was the first to recover. Without hesitation, he shot out to meet the meat mountain, not wanting to let it get close to Ren.

  Where they had nded, they were fighting in an underground bathhouse that had multiple pools, still steaming from the hot water within them. Around the four of them, naked women and men were screaming as they tried to rush out, to escape from the carnage, holding onto their little towels to avoid getting hit where it truly hurt. That was when Boursat crashed into Leinor, who was mustering all his strength to stop the raging man. His whole body shone in white light as the flesh on his arms constantly tore open before the wounds were instantly closing back up. It was the same with his legs, as his shoes evaporated in the csh and his toes began tearing up the marble floor itself, trying to find his footing. As he was pushed backward, just from the collision, everything around them rumbled like thunder. He didn't utter a word, just held his ground with an ice-cold face; his eyes looked into Boursat's, while he faced him fearlessly. The man felt like looking into the eyes of a Death Soldier tasked with protecting the Emperor at all costs... But there was no backing down from a fight now.

  "Nice!" came a ugh just then, and a bolt of violet lightning struck right on Boursat's face, and it materialized as Ren's fist. He couldn't see her arrive... but... sadly, the giant of a man only flinched as his head turned back, pushing back against her fist. In the end, the two still stopped his advancement, but as an answer, his hands grabbed onto Leinor's body, quickly lifting him and smashing Ren with him, like swatting a fly with a club. Zern, who had only just now regained his composure and hearing, watched as Ren and Leinor flew into him like a cannonball, sending the trio crashing into the thick wall, cracking it before they slid down to the floor.

  "Fuck…" Ren spit out a clump of blood as she stood up, cracking her neck.

  "A Harmony Expert… is a Harmony Expert… even though he advanced to the level we are now... His abundant energy will outst us." Leinor muttered, completely calm while he was bleeding from the nose and mouth, but by the time he stood before Ren... he was healed again. "So... do… that."

  "That?" Ren licked her lips, "You sure?"

  "I can take it."

  "Heh…" She chuckled, looking at the back of Leinor. "I'm starting to fall for you."

  "Just now?" he smiled as he looked back at her over his shoulders.

  "Maybe?" she answered softly, then she pced her hands on his back, where the clothing had already torn away.

  A moment ter, Ren's energy started to flow into him, moving faster and faster, before flowing back to her. In an instant, the violent, lightning-filled energy formed an eight-shaped round, starting from within her, going through Leinor before returning. It was a perfect loop, fueled by both their powers, flowing like water, synchronized... and growing. It went through the energy nodes within Ren's arms and chest, flowing into Leinor's body, doing the same rounds repeatedly as he held his palms together like a monk praying. It was like a hurricane building up, something that was excruciating for Leinor, who didn't have Ren's lightning affinity. Still, he was the only one who could take it and repair the damage as soon as he suffered it, bolstering the 'storm' between them.

  As it was happening, Boursat was hesitating. He didn't know what the kids were pnning, but he felt it wouldn't be good... but... he couldn't move...

  "Kill them or not? What the… fuck this day, fuck this city, and fuck everything! Damn you Dermitos... Damn your son, too!"

  The day that started like any other soon turned into a nightmare because of a crazy little imp's wish to fight... and her loyal little princely dog... Damn it! He felt like crying. Yet, by then, the feeling he got from the duo soon made him choose to spank them, probably spare their lives... and ask for forgiveness ter. When he started to rush at them, his blood was pumping, sending energy to his legs and arms, which he held in front of him like a boxer focusing on defending. Yet Zern, who was still shaken, rushed forward, sending his body in the way of the bulldozer and successfully managing to stop Boursat for a few steps.

  "Fuck this! Move, move, move!" The big man screamed, finally trampling over Zern, sending him to the ground like a stampeding rhino, continuing to aim for the young duo.

  "He's coming," Leinor murmured as blood spurted out from his pores, watching the roaring flesh train closing in on them.

  "One more round and toss me!"

  He didn't say anything, but as soon as he felt all the energy rushing back to Ren, he spun around, grabbing her arms and flinging her out like a bullet. Every st bit of energy left his body by then, and he colpsed onto the ground, exhausted, panting heavily, but still trying to sit and see Ren soar through the air.

  She looked like a fsh of lightning, followed immediately by her thunder as she collided with Boursat. The energy contained in her petite figure burst like a bomb exploding straight into the massive meatman himself. The pools around them spshed and churned like the ocean in a vicious storm, filling the air with water vapor, while violet lightning was spreading around the two... The thundering, ear-piercing sound reverberated through the bath, giving everyone the feeling of being in an actual hurricane. Then... it was over, and Ren's small body flew backward, nding on the ground with a hard crack, rolling a few times before stopping. Her skin was still fshing with tiny sparks of electricity as she gasped for air, pushing herself up to see.

  Boursat didn't have it easy, as all the wild electricity coursed through his body, using his blood as further fuel, drumming up another storm inside of him, making the meat tower stumble and spit out massive amounts of blood with chunks of viscera inside it. He felt it... It hurt him... it hurt him good...

  "If my affinity were any different, I would die in a day or two… FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, WHAT THE FUCK?!" Boursat screamed inside his head like a madman trying to calm down his body and energy... but it was hard. How could someone, with so much of a gulf between them, do this type of damage?! This was... insanity!

  "Did it work?" Leinor gasped for air, trying to push himself up and stand before the equally exhausted Ren.

  “I hope so… I’m spent…” Ren moaned with a wide grin on her face. "This is what I'm talking about… ah… this feels so good…"

  "Idiot…" Leinor murmured with a slight smile while Zern could only groan at the other side of the bathhouse, still trying to roll over to see what was happening in the first pce.

  "YOU. LITTLE. SHITS." Boursat growled, word by word, spitting out bloody air that was still sparking with purple electricity as his eyes turned toward Ren.

  “Ahaha… we lost….” Ren moaned, still holding a wide grin as the monstrum stopped trembling and started to stand erect like a statue.

  The next moment, gathering in the air, or the blood on the floor, all of it began to congregate towards Boursat, be it his or the kids, forming a halberd in his hand. His fat slowly evaporated from his body, turned into a kind of bloody, gas-like energy that surrounded him.

  And in a second or so... There he stood, tall, firm, looking like a god of sughter stepping off from the painting on Hell's Gates. His dark, red eyes were watching them silently, holding his blood-made weapon while everything went silent in the giant bath…