Stepping over to a nearby window, Colt watched as the warzone unfolded. Villagers clashed spears with the knives of mobsters, while sandbox seeds fired back against gunshots. Cries and roars echoed through the front yard, with flashes of carnage obscuring his vision.

This is insane...

Wasting no more time on being caught off guard, he took the stairs up to the third floor. Contrary to the large space of the second floor, there was one narrow pathway, with room doors lining the walls.

Somewhat akin to a hotel hallway.

At the end of the hall was a golden door with a skull branded on the front of it.

Man...They didn't even try to hide the fact that this is Hokkaido's room...

Venturing past all of the doors, he reached out to the golden door's handle.

"You will step away from the door at once."

The deep voice sent a wave of fear through his body, with each click of a boot echoing through his heart. Standing at the opposite end of the hall was none other than Touya.

"You again?" Colt groaned, "I thought I blew off your arm."

"The blue apples from the village helped with that. Though I'm surprised to see that you're in good shape as well." Pulling out his chains, he stepped forward with a stern glare, "This is your last chance to escape with your life. I won't give another."

Colt smirked as he channeled core energy into his fists, "I ain't going anywhere. Not until I beat the shit out of that bitch of a boss in this room-"

"Colt?" Emerging from the staircase, Hemiko glanced between the two of them as they prepared for battle.

Retracting his chains, Touya sighed, "You're the girl from the village. Leave at once."

She clenched her fists and defiantly shook her head no.

What is she thinking?

It's clear that he doesn't want to harm people if it isn't necessary. I could try using Hemiko to keep landing hits on him, but that puts her at risk too...

"Hemiko! Run into one of the rooms!" Colt charged after Touya, freeing Hemiko to flee into one of the rooms.

Dodging between wild swings of his chains, Colt ducked his way into one of the rooms as well.

"Hemiko?"

She sighed as he slammed the door behind him, "I just realized it too. All of the doors on this side of the wall connect to a single ballroom."

Touya burst through the door, lifting a folding chair by one of the tables. "There's a window behind you. Use it to leave."

"Will you shut up?" barked Colt, "We're not leaving!"

"R-Right!" said Hemiko as she stood beside him.

"Uh, Hemiko?" Colt leaned over to her, "Why are you even here? You're supposed to be outside, hiding with Lamia. It's too dangerous in here."

"I-I wanted to come up here, so I did." She planted her feet firmly beneath her, "And I don't care about any danger, my instincts told me to come up here, so I won't run!"

Instincts?

If it weren't for the fact that he was staring straight into her determined eyes, he would have mistaken Hemiko for Hisa. The chaotic aura radiating from her words left an all too familiar sting in his chest.

He sighed, "I'm sorry, but I need to take you back outside. This guy's losing his patience."

"But-"

"Listen to the boy," said Touya, "Leave this place!"

Colt dove across the room with Hemiko, narrowly escaping another wild swing from Touya.

With the opening, Hemiko fled out of the room, leaving the two alone once again.

"Let's start up round two!" Colt weaved through another wave a chain swings, dodging a kick in the midst of the assault.

The chains are one thing, but I'm actually faster than him-

Sharp fragments of glass ripped through his forearms as Touya hurled a table his way, shooting Colt into the wall with a bone creaking thud.

With no time to grieve, he shot up and ran through the spacious ballroom.

Ignore the pain, just keep moving!

Colt came to an alarming stop as he tripped over one of Touya's chains, sending him spilling out into the hallway.

Desperately searching for a weapon, he met no luck here, seeking to find an answer in the ballroom across the hall.

Fleeing into the ballroom across the hall, he snatched a broom from the floor.

Here he comes!

As Touya drew near, he took a swing at his jaw, missing.

His luck kicked up as he managed to land his second explosive swing, snapping the wood as he cracked him in the chest.

Just what is this guy made of?

"Why are you running?" asked Touya as he wrapped his chains around Colt's arm, "Your opportunity to escape has passed!"

Bracing himself for impact, Colt was snatched through the air, meeting an abrupt stop as he crashed through a table.

Between ragged breaths, he was hoisted up once more, only to be slammed into the marble floor of the ballroom.

The pain was no laughing matter, but it was nothing compared to Mitsuba's portal attacks from before.

Touya shook his head, "Now that I look at you, you barely look like an adult. Just how old are you, boy?"

"N-Nineteen..." Colt pulled himself from the ground with a grin, "What is this? An interview before you kill me?"

"It's a shame. You're too young to be throwing away your life. Why did you even come here?"

"I already told you that! I'm gonna beat the shit out of your boss to save the village!"

Touya scoffed before unlinking his chains from Colt's wrist, wrapping his own fists in them. "You're covered in wounds from our little exchange. You won't stand a chance against the boss."

"Whatever-"

Wait-

I'm in pain?

Why haven't my injuries healed yet?

Before Colt could receive an answer, Touya snapped his head back with a devastating right hook. "My son is about the same age as you. It pains me to do this." He proceeded to pummel Colt with a relentless barrage of fierce jabs.

I can feel the pain, but it's starting to heal now...

Why didn't it work before?

Ducking beneath the last jab, Colt dove to the back of the room.

I think I kept myself from healing when I tried blocking out the pain!

Relaxing his muscles, a brief wave of relief washed over him as his injuries began to heal.

Touya grit his teeth, "Your core power allows for you to heal?"

"Took you long enough," teased Colt, "Whatever damage I suffer from an attack is healed depending on how hard I strike my enemy."

"What an interesting power. So versatile and powerful. It's sad that you'll have to die now."

"Don't feel bad, we just met."

He actually fell for that lie?

This is gonna be great!

"If you can heal by landing attacks on me, I'll just kill you before you get a chance to do so!" Touya charged after Colt, blasting him back into the hallway, "You've certainly gotten weaker compared to the last time we met!"

His attacks are getting stronger!

He's using core energy to strengthen them now!

Touya slammed him back into the pavement, "I don't understand, why does an ant like you believe that you can defeat the boss?"

"There's no point in explaining myself to a sheep like you..." Colt dragged himself from the floor, spitting blood from his mouth, "Do you even know what kind of man your boss is?"

Keeping his stone cold expression, Touya nodded his head, "Yes. If you're wondering, I'm completely aware of his actions as well. Nonetheless, my devotion to him will never waver."

He's treating this piece of shit like some sort of angel!

Losing himself in the blistering heat of his own anger, Colt lunged after Touya, engulfed in raging veil of his own core energy.

"I'm not listening to you anymore!" Colt's wounds healed as he smashed his fist into Touya's face, snapping his head back with a forceful swing. "If you're supporting a monster like that, you're beyond the point of reasoning!"

"Don't you dare speak down on him!" Touya hurled Colt through the door, flooding back into the ballroom, "That man is more incredible than a child like you would understand!"

Calm down...I need to think straight!

All of this rage...

Channel it into your fists!

Touya sighed, "It appears you lied about the truth of your core power."

Ignoring his remark, Colt rushed in to land another explosive punch, coming to a screeching halt as Touya's chains linked around his arms.

"I'm stronger than you! Give up and die!" Touya hurled Colt out through one of the windows.

Shooting through the fresh grass of the garden he now found himself in, Colt sprang back into action. "If I'm as weak as you say I am, why are you so intent on stopping me? Wouldn't your punk ass boss be able to kill me?"

"As his bodyguard, it is my job to protect him! You won't even be able to lick his boots!"

This bastard has me tied up! I can't even fight back now...

Touya continued to unload his frustrations out onto Colt, flooring him with an endless stream of devastating attacks.

I'm gonna run out of core energy if I keep healing! I need to do something!

Battered and broken, Colt dropped to his knees as Touya finally released him from his chained prison.

"Stay down. You have the fortune of passing away in this beautiful garden." Touya turned away, stepping towards the staircase leading back inside.

"I..." Colt spat blood from his mouth as he clawed his fingers through the dirt, sticking soil beneath his nails, "I won't lost here...Not to someone who idolizes a peace of shit like Hokkaido..." Rising to his feet, he glared down the spine of his enemy, "Wh-Why do you keep getting in my way?"

Touya turned back to face him, drawing his chains once more. "I could ask the same to you. A complete stranger, devoting himself to a group of villagers for no reason. What is it that drives you?"

"Stranger?" Colt scoffed, "So, it's fine to support the antics of Hokkaido because you've known him for a while? I'm sick of hearing all of this shit about forsaking people simply because you don't know them...Justice operates on a scale, keeping itself blind from any bias. How could you mock me for my age, when you can't even realize that?"

"I am no arbiter of justice!" Touya lunged after Colt, wrapping his own fist in a colossal ball of his chains, "I owe that man my life! No matter what he does, I will keep protecting him until the day I die! If you can't understand that, then I'll kill you here and now!"

"Kill?" Colt rushed over to Touya, channeling all of his core energy into his fist.

That attack rush he hit me with exposed his core energy flow!

This is that attack he used in the forest. It must be his final gambit!

I'll end it with this!

Twisting his way behind Touya, Colt escaped complete oblivion by the skin of his teeth. Sending a violent explosion of core energy from Touya's abdomen with a critical burst.

His fist caved into his ribcage, contorting into a storm of force, blowing the man into the pavement beneath him.

Blood pooled beneath his as it leaked out from the cavity embedded in his body, drawing a series of frenzied gasps from his shaken lips.

"Th-There..." Colt blew the smoke from his fist as he stared down at Touya, "It looks like I win this little battle of protectors."