Pace and Hindrance 2.

The center of the city was much more deserted than never before, craters of all sizes was imprinted on the ground and roughly circular holes on the walls disfiguring the buildings in it, furthermore cracked several stony arms and faces of the colossus sculptures overspread the city. The two henchman and woman were spotted with little or no expression on their faces standing on the colossus sculptures' smashed body laying flat in the muddy ground: one heavily destroyed from it's upper torso while the other looking as though it's lower body was absconded in a semicircle pattern.

From their left, audible sounds of shattering stones and splattering on the muddy grounds was heard as one debris amidst mud formed into a hand then it got penetrated once again as the transfigured henchman flew through while holding closely his olive colored cocked brimmed hat on his head, going with a swung also running to meet Gage in his iconic armour which reflected most of the twinkling stars under the darkened skies while standing on the very head of the only stony colossus sculpture left towering above the henchmen and woman.

He gazed down.

A arm from the stony giant screamed towards the transfigured henchman, but it got destroyed by his sword, then another after another and another after another until there were hundreds of the stony arms lashing out to him, suppressing him down the muddy path, still the strength of his sword surpassed it all without giving up, he cut down every last one of the stony arms thrown at him, slightly breathing hard then he smirked at Gage direction on taking few steps on the crushed stony arms, knowing full well nothing could come against fighting the Divine Humane then he looked down sensing something below before he could finally leapt away as his impulse telling him to.

Three needle like straight rocks surfaced from where he stood, drilling his two arms and right chest then four more gored around his body uplifting him up, his feet off from the ground about eight meters tall as his hat feel off. Gage'd mastered his potency well enough even without lifting any of his fingers, manipulating the earth around him was elementary.

Spurts of blood poured out from the transfigured henchman's mouth, splattering the muddy grounds while bleeding copiously from his wounds caused by the sharpened long rocks,

"Hey~ why aren't you fighting me one on one? Or are you afraid you will lose."

He smirked,

"Oh, come on~ just for a few moments~"

"It just a waste of time fighting you head on, I prefer my potency doing the job for me."

"Right~"

he laughed,

"Huhuhu. Are you forgetting I'm not alone."

Suddenly, the bald man and the lady were seen right behind Gage about attacking him.

A big lump of stone emerged from the stony colossus giant's head coming in between them.

"Took you long enough in defeating my puppets."

"Cover your ears," she yelled, Then her long hair rose as she screamed directly towards Gage, breaking the wall that divided them both, the debris airborne over Gage by the collisions of her sonic wave originated from her scream however it wasn't strong enough to hurt or move Gage from his position so he wondered while he stood with a folded arm then he noticed the bald man seizing the opportunity was right at his side bending his body as low as possible while stretching forth his cap towards Gage at that same time the Divine Humane was quick to react—well they are not as fast as Dante—

Gage lifted one finger manipulating a block of rock on the stony colossus giant's head to hit the bald man's hands dropping the cap right in front of Gage's armored feet and the woman's jaw stopping her annoying scream simultaneously after, another hitting them against their abdominal region which sent them flying off the stony colossus giant's head however they landed on their feet before smashing to the ground, strained grunting.

"Had enough?" Gage asked, "fighting against us Divine Humanes is impracticable."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Pride, pomp and circumstances of glorious wars, how I missed every bit of it." The transfigured henchman poured out, his blood still gushing out from his wounds drenching the needle like rocks and the muddy ground.

It amazed me to see beings from different kingdom fighting alongside together apart from those with the king's orders working together at the Entity night market. He thought, why go this far? Or is there something more, happening behind the scenes as we speak? What are their primary intentions? Gage pondered.

"Gotcha!" the bald man cried.

Gage looked at him as the bald man held his hand with his palm facing Gage from the ground then the Divine Humane stared at the lady smiling to his direction, he looked at the cap near his armored feet in a sudden manner the cap swallowed him up in a twirling way without ever moving.

"Nice plan, I never thought he could be so daft in getting tricked like that." The lady said as she tossed her long hair behind her.

"Hey! Where the hell did he went to?!" The transfigured henchman interrogated even though he was still trapped and bleeding uncontrollably.

"Oh, you are still alive." The woman quipped with her hand rested on her hip.

"Shut up, you feebles tell me where he went?! My fight with him hasn't finish!"

"What are you going to do, with that injuries of yours?" The bald man asked feeling concerned.

"W-what are you talking about—" he sighed, "this is nothing! Just tell me where you yank him to!" he urged then he broke off the rocks from his body effortlessly landing on his two feet in his pool of blood mixed with the mud.

He rend his clothes from his pale skinny body revealing his gaping wounds as they were no longer bleeding but turned into all black looking as though they were black spots on his pale body then he walked and picked up his hat on a debris, putting it on.

"Now tell me before I have your guts separated from your body." He threatened.

"Where the heck is he?"

.

.

.

The southwestern part of the city; A sudden rapid flow of air concentrated around the pub making it look like a stage with the roof and furniture blown off. Jared at the right side backing the pub stand while staring at the Inhumane with his singlet off glowing in white at the opposite side backing the henchmen while doing few shoulders stretches with a big smile on his face getting ready for what it looked to be a hand to hand combat only between them without the use of weapons or the usage of potency.

"Hmm, why are we standing here without doing anything, again?" The one with the brown dreadlocks packed upward asked.

"Look, let him have his fun. He promised not to kill him until we have our turn," the other said as he inspects his small wooden guitar.

Before long, Jared charged to him, making his first move to end it quick. Stepping forward the Divine Humane kicked the inhumane below his chest, that would only knock him out if hit correctly however the Inhumane countered by pushing his right elbow down forcefully on Jared's leg, then Jared knowing he countered by that, before his elbow could reach his leg. He turned around to strike the Inhumane's head with his left elbow, once again he countered using both forearms, blocking Jared's left arm and kicked his exposed back he moved few steps from the kick then turned around to kick his chin, the Inhumane dodged it by taking few steps back.

"Kid, you got some skills," Jared complimented.

"Well, I trained under the best teacher." The Inhumane responded, dodging Jared's punch: He stepped aside and bent his body; having the perfect position in punching his solar plexus that echoed throughout the arena, with that hit almost knocking Jared out as well as almost vomiting the hard bread and egg he ate earlier but to the Divine Humane, he had taken far more stronger hit from his previous opponents then he stood his ground as he kicked low, however the glowing white Inhumane took it as an advantage with perfect timing, stopping his leg by straight kicking with his heel against Jared knee.

Jared observed then dropped his leg.

"His name?"

"No, she is a woman." The Inhumane answered with a dazzling smile.

A kick from the Inhumane was suddenly thrown towards him, Jared not knowing where it was aimed at. He did a full cover by blocking the kick using every hard bony part of his body: raising his knee up and his two elbows closer to his face serving as a strong shield against the Inhumane strong kick.

"A woman?" Jared questioned.

"Yeah! An Inhumane like me," The glowing Inhumane dropped his leg.

"An Inhumane?" Jared questioned yet again, as a strong kick from the Inhumane came at him, this time Jared didn't block the strike, instead he thrust his foot straight forward to the Inhumane making him fall but that was not the case, the inhumane gained back his ground as he evaded his kick by sidestepping, catch his leg and twist it for a knee strike to Jared's thigh however Jared slipped away by somersaulting backwards.

"You talk as if you would know her, if I describe her further," he took many steps and jumped forward and off one leg and strikes with that leg's knee at Jared's face.

Jared blocked perfectly with his forearms and shoulder together,

"Seems like it."

The Inhumane threw a quick jab as Jared made a slight tap to redirect the punch's angle to the opposite direction.

"Could you describe her?"

"Why not. She is my Aunt," the Inhumane moved his front leg backward to avoid Jared's low kick, then immediately countered with a circular stance using the back of his leg as a kick to Jared's chin, however the Divine Humane with his quick reflexes laid his head back from the Inhumane's high-back kick then countered-attack with a side kick.

"Further?" Jared said as he dropped his leg to the wooden ground.

"She is taller than you," all of a sudden. The Inhumane forearms pressed against Jared's collar bone while the hands were around Jared's head before he could do any further moves, Jared pushed the Inhumane's head backwards.

"hmm, further?"

"An ash brown haired, very sensitive, always smiling and her glowing color is—"

"Beige." Jared cut in with his eyes slightly dilated, before long one arm of the Inhumane passed around the front of Jared with the Inhumane's shoulder pressed into Jared's arm pit and the other arm passing round the back allowing the Inhumane to throw Jared on the wooden ground easily.

"Huh, now I see—she usually talks about you, you were the scarred man-face who ditched her the moment she said she was interested."

"Me? I think you got the wrong scarred face-man or what do you say again?" Jared blinked while he laid on the ground.

"She never told me the name of the man but she always have this insults about every scarred face people she met. Saying they are always full of lies and cowards, they probably got their scar while shitting themselves."

"And what does that mean-I mean why does it concern me,"

"Well, you fit in the descriptions." The Inhumane squatted looking at Jared smoky eyes.

"There are many scarred people around, he is just too scared of having his life stick to one place on top of that making babies as many as possible. I'm sorry he's not the type of guy who could do all that."

"I figures."

"Hmm, your eyes?"

"So you noticed. And your guess is right, I'm blind." The Inhumane claimed with a big smile on his face.

—

"Is that all?" The one wearing a multi-colored beanie asked as he was seen now tuning his small wooden guitar.

"What do you think they are whispering about while fighting, wholeheartedly?" the other said about moving to the wooden stage.

"I don't know. Let's keep watching,"

"If he doesn't win sooner or later or allow him go like what he does always to his opponents he loved in order to fight them later on. We'll kill them both " The one with the brown dreadlocks packed upward revealed.

"Huh, I don't like that plan."

"It is what it is."

"Jared! Airbrock!" A voice cried.

Everyone was alarmed.

"Huh?" Jared immediately stood up.

It was the Bounty collector!

He tore down with his large hammer, as he cratered, his fat tummy and fat chins shook on the impact with the Inhumane glowing also reflecting on his body then he placed his hammer on his shoulder, looked at everyone in silence on seeing Jared, he spoke;

"Where has that Shadow, friend of yours ran off too?! And where is Frankenstein?"

"Really? Then where was he all this while?" The one wearing a multi-colored beanie whispered to the other

"Probably killing the remaining bounty hunters left in the city." He responded.

"Good the stage is set." The bounty collector said as he walked up to Jared and the Inhumane using the wooden steps.

"Hey, boy! Leave him to me. Let me have him for myself."

"No."

"After I'm done with him we will—huh? What did you just say?" The Bounty collector stopped midway.

"I said no, I can't give him to you. I can't and I won't."

Everyone's eyes widened including Jared.

"What the—and did he just sounded like a child just now," the one wearing a multi-colored beanie asked.

Jared turned to him,

"Boy how old are you?"

He turned to Jared. "Me? I'm thirteen."

"What the fu— He's this young and—" The one wearing a beanie gasped, "Then putting on a face of a young man and his voice was to trick us! I'm even fifteen years older than him!"

"Enough!" the bounty collector cratered his large hammer deep into the wooden floor. "I never thought you would be the first to rebel against me. Boy, remember your place."

"I only followed you because I had no use of my life only to hatred and revenge, in short you are the one I plan on killing myself knowing you and Sheik took part in killing my mother during invasion of my village thankfully my plans got easier now that one's dead." As he spoke he removed a piece of armband from his pocket and gently wore it in his right arm with a stance— likely his mother's sarong.

"You never should have hurt any of my loved ones."

"Hmmm. Fair enough thus, I will kill you both my self," he side looked the henchmen behind him. "And you two, do you have a grudge against me or whatsoever, it is better to decide which side to take before it's too late."

"No, master we dare not." The one with the brown dreadlocks packed upward responded then the bounty collector side looked at the one wearing a multi-colored beanie without saying a word.

"Good enough. Their heads are definitely mine."

Jared looked at the Inhumane then the piece of cloth on his arm wondering, how he controlled such level of hatred in him on meeting and working under the man who killed his mother and with much self control and willingness to protects someone he just met.

He reminds me of him… Peirce, is it?