The Moonlight Swordsman

Alcoberg Town...

The town was alive with activity as carriages rolled through the streets, carrying passengers to their destinations.

Some people lounged on the cliffside, taking in the scenery, while others strolled through the streets, merrily chatting. The tranquil atmosphere pervaded the entire town, making it appear to be a peaceful haven.

Meanwhile, Kaley could feel the tension in the air inside the Drunkyard Tavern. Sweat trickled down her brow as she scanned the room, her eyes widening at the sight of numerous hunters and mages scattered around.

Despite the fact that Aizel and Soren were clearly skilled, she couldn't shake her uneasy feelings. She'd never seen them fight before, and she couldn't risk her life based on a flaky assumption of their strength.

To make matters worse, their cover had already been blown, and the possibility of rioters being among the crowd only added to her growing fear.

"What should we do?" She whispered to Aizel.

"Just leave it to him." He replied. He sat leisurely in his chair, stretching his legs and resting them on the table. He observed the scene unfolding before him with a calm demeanor.

"It's a good chance to see him fight; I can learn a few things from him." He thought.

Suddenly, without warning, the man conversing with Soren reached for the glass of liquor on the table and quickly aimed it at his head.

Soren remained seated as the man lunged forward with the glass in his hand, and deftly kicked the man's front leg, causing him to lose his balance and stumble towards Soren.

He then struck him across the face with his left elbow, sending him crashing to the ground.

"One peasant down, many more to go, come..."

Chaos erupted the moment those words left his mouth. All of the hunters and mages sprung to action, charging forward to attack him.

A newcomer dashed towards Soren, intent on delivering a spinning kick to the back of his head.

Soren deftly caught the attacker's leg in midair, then slammed him with a judo move. He then delivered a powerful punch to the man's face, effectively knocking him out.

Three people rushed towards Soren, fueled by mana. The first person punched him in the face, but Soren was able to block and counter with a punch of his own.

The second person attempted the same thing and met with a similar fate. The third attacker now riled up, aimed a massive swing at Soren, but he deftly deflected it with his hands, causing it to hit the first attacker instead.

Soren then dispatched the third assailant with a swift sidekick to the chin, sending him flying away.

As the two hunters charged toward him, Soren's eyes scanned the area for a weapon. He lunged forward and picked up a nearby chair with one hand.

He channeled his mana into the chair with his other hand, imbuing it with extra strength. Soren swung the chair at the two mages as they approached, hitting both of them with incredible force. They were thrown back and crashed into the wall, crumpling to the ground in a heap.

A flash of fire erupted toward Soren as he focused on his opponents.

He deflected the ferocious attack with a swift wave of his mana-infused hand. Before the mage could react, Soren grabbed his arm and punched him in the face several times, leaving him dazed and vulnerable.

Soren slammed the mage into the ground and grabbed his arm, but a swift kick aimed at his head cut him off. He quickly rolled over the mage, breaking his hand and causing him to scream in pain.

As the attacker charged towards him, Soren grabbed his incoming leg and twisted it violently, causing a sickening crunch to echo throughout the room. The attacker screamed and collapsed to the ground, clutching his broken leg in agony. Soren stood there calmly, staring coldly at his fallen opponent.

Suddenly he was attacked by four people, one of whom threw a bottle at him. Soren shattered the glass in mid-air with a single punch without breaking a sweat.

He deftly tilted his head to dodge one punch while blocking the other with his hand as the two attackers threw punches at the same time. At the same time, he raised his left knee to block the incoming kick, completing all three movements in a single fluid motion.

Soren retaliated with an elbow to one of the men's ribs, an uppercut to the other man's chin, and a front kick straight to the third man's chin, sending them all tumbling backward.

As the fourth attacker charged at him with a drawn sword, ready to strike, Soren braced himself.

Soren dodged the man's repeated attempts to slash him with his sword. Then, he had a quick idea and grabbed one of the hunters who had been knocked out and put him in front of himself as a shield.

The sword slashed through the hunter's body, becoming stuck for a brief moment, allowing Soren to launch a counter-attack.

He delivered a series of powerful punches all over the man's body and finished him off with a devastating sidekick that sent him flying out of the tavern.

Soren surveyed the chaos he had wrought in the tavern with a cool gaze.

Four more people huddled at a table, their faces twisted in fear. He could tell they were travelers caught in the middle of a brawl.

Soren moved to the center of the room, where the fallen bodies were strewn about. He calmly took a seat after picking up a chair and placing it in the center.

His gaze then shifted to the bar counter, and he inquired, "Now what unique flavors of liquor do you have? Serve me your best. A king deserves the best."

Kaley's eyes widened in shock and disbelief as she took in the scene in front of her. The man had dispatched all of the attackers with ease, without using any magic or suffering any injuries.

"Man, this guy is on a whole other level. I remembered when I faced that many people, I suffered tons of injuries. Seems like I need to start paying more attention to close combat, watch some videos and try to imply it while imagining." Aizel thought rubbing his chin.