The Moonlight Swordsman

The other two thugs burst out laughing as they saw their comrade tormenting the girl in front of her brother as the third thug continued filming.

A quick movement attracted their attention when the thug's hand approached the girl's chest. A pencil soared through the air at breakneck speed, penetrating and getting lodged in the thug's hand.

"What! A pencil," the thug said while waving his hand in pain.

Aizel moved at a fast speed and jumped into action before the trio could respond.

One of them reached for a gun and pointed it at him in an attempt to intimidate him.

Aizel kicked him in the hand, causing him to lose his grasp on the gun, while taking out the pencil that was stuck in the other thug's hands and delivering a front kick straight on his chin, causing him to collapse to the ground.

Aizel spun around and thrust the pencil into the third thug's chest with lightning-fast reflexes. He then delivered a one-two punch to the nose, knocking the guy to the ground.

"Watch out!"

When the thug who pointed the gun before tried to hit Aizel from behind, the girl shouted out in alarm.

Aizel, as if directed by a sixth sense, detected the impending danger from behind.

With remarkable agility, he swiftly dove to his right, evading the thug's punch that had been aimed at his head and causing it to pass above his left shoulder.

He grabbed the thug's arm with both hands and performed a judo slam that sent him crashing onto his back. He then knocked the thug out cold with a strong elbow to the nose.

"5 down, 7 more to go." He whispered softly to himself.

The civilians watched in awe as he single-handedly took down all three thugs without a hint of fear for his life.

"Thank you so much." The girl said.

As the girl attempted to approach Aizel, her path was blocked by Alora.

"You go and sit there quietly with others; there are more thugs remaining. Don't be a nuisance now."

The girl watched in bewilderment as Alora silently gathered the pistols and tied up the thugs with Aizel before leaving.

Aizel and Alora moved stealthily towards another section, making sure to avoid detection.

They arrived at the meat department, and four guards stationed there caught their attention. Aizel searched the area for any useful items, but Alora's gaze remained fixated on a specific direction.

"Aizel, look there." She gestured toward two girls who were kneeling among the crowd of people.

"Damn it, why do they happen to be here at the same time?" Aizel said in frustration.

The two girls were none other than Irene and Sherlyn.

"Let me go and blend among them. I will make sure it does not break your concentration while worrying for them."

"Thanks, Alora,"

Alora nodded and strode towards the group of people without a hint of concern. The crowd, including the thugs, stared at her in silence as she sat down behind Irene and Sherlyn with grace.

She clicked her fingers while everyone looked at each other in confusion. Meanwhile, Irene noticed her and hurriedly whispered, "Alora! Where did you come from? We didn't notice you before."

"I was here from the start, sitting at the back."

"That means Aizel is also here?" Sherlyn asked.

"Yes, he will be the hero for the day."

"Hero?" both girls whispered in unison, while Alora simply smiled.

"Hey, You! Kneel down or we will shoot you."

The sound of a shout drew their attention, and they turned to see a man with half his face covered racing towards the thugs, his hands empty but ready for a battle.

Aizel took advantage of the opportunity while the thugs were still confused by Alora's powers and quickly closed the gap between them.

He was still puzzled as to how Alora could use her power in this world without mana, but he chose to set his curiosity aside for the time being and focus on the present problem.

With a swift leap, he kicked the two thugs in midair as they moved toward him, sending them crashing toward the compartments.

He had noticed that the thugs were hesitant to use their guns, perhaps simply flaunting them to scare their hostages. Nevertheless, Aizel could not afford to take any risks.

As Aizel turned, the third thug charged at him, grabbed him by the collar, and started pushing him back.

Aizel also grabbed the thug's collar and allowed himself to fall onto his back, swiftly using the momentum to kick his legs into the thug's stomach and send him flying backward.

He struggled to his feet, scooped up a nearby discarded pistol, and threw it at the remaining standing thug, knocking him square in the face.

With a burst of speed, he then charged toward the thug.

He lunged into the air and delivered a crushing knee strike to the thug's face as he charged at him, knocking him to the ground.

After that, he proceeded to approach the remaining thugs with swift determination, delivering powerful blows that ensured they would remain unconscious for a long time to come.

Irene, Sherlyn, and Alora quickly approached him.

"You, Aizel, what are you doing? You might get hurt." Irene said with concern on her face,

Aizel locked his gaze on her, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Battling without mana had worn him down.

"It's alright, I can easily take care of them." He replied.

"Alora, could you tie them up? Take her with you; she might be able to help. Meanwhile, let me take care of the remaining ones quickly."

Aizel stood up and walked away from the girls, leaving them behind.

"You heard him, ladies. Move your big asses to work now."

"Will he be okay?" Sherlyn asked while moving along with Alora and Irene as they tied up the thugs.

"Don't worry about him; you should worry about the remaining ones."

"Where was he yesterday?" Sherlyn asked.

"Ohh... that... He had a fever for the last two days, so he was sleeping on his bed. I took his phone with me so he can get proper rest." Alora replied while making up a lie.

"Is he okay now? I thought he didn't want to go out yesterday."

"Yes, he is fine now, as you can see. He said he will take you out afterward."

"Did he really say that?" Sherlyn asked while looking a little excited.

"Girls, focus now. You can chat with him afterward about your date." Irene spoke with furrowed brows.