The atmosphere grew even tenser when I stopped his arm. The idiot in front of me isn't as stupid as I thought. He's already become aware of his surroundings, his eyes observing every tiny detail and analyzing everything nonstop.
His babysitter also seems to understand what's happening. He just clicked his tongue and appears to be preparing himself for any movement.
The guards around us have been alert from the very beginning. At first, they stayed nearby to make sure no one disturbed the guests while they waited. Now, they're obviously on my side, and their faces are overflowing with anger.
This is something I can be proud of. Every guard in our territory has deep respect for our family. I haven't met a single guard who holds even a hint of resentment or hatred toward us, and I'm good at reading people.
They all have their hands on the hilts of their weapons, but none of them have drawn them. They understand that raising their weapons against two Diamond ranks isn't a game, especially when one of them is the son of a noble.
If the situation doesn't escalate any further, this bastard could demand some kind of compensation because people who aren't nobles or don't possess any real authority dared to raise their weapons against them. That must be one of the reasons they haven't drawn their weapons yet.
I can feel the other reason in the atmosphere. They trust me to handle the situation. They've heard stories of me fighting hundreds of monsters or people stronger than me. Maybe some of them have even seen me fight during one of the stampedes.
I feel a little happy knowing I have the guards' support. It makes me feel proud of myself. None of that emotion shows on the outside, though. My eyes remain as cold as a glacier, and I let the worst parts of me seep through every pore of my body.
"Let go of my damn hand already." The noble's voice in front of me sounds threatening.
This bastard tried to pull it away by force, but I didn't let him. That's the only reason he decided to speak. He's realized that my strength isn't a joke. I'm not worried about the idiot in front of me; I'm a little wary of his babysitter. I can tell from a mile away that this noble reached Diamond rank with the help of his family and elixirs. His babysitter, on the other hand, actually seems like someone worth watching.
"I told you to let go of my hand." This time, it isn't just his voice. The noble's Jurisdiction tries to suppress me. He has just resorted to the greatest advantage a Diamond rank possesses over Ruby ranks, something that is usually impossible to resist.
I was already prepared for something like this. My ability to repel other people's Jurisdictions activates in an instant. All the crushing power around me dissipates like simple vapor. My body has also already been strengthened to its limit. The moment he used his Jurisdiction, this situation reached the point of no return.
His babysitter seems to understand the situation, his brow slightly furrowed. He also activates his Jurisdiction to try to suppress me alongside his noble companion. I respond by using more mana, Dominion, and Imra to keep myself from being affected.
Enduring the Jurisdiction of two Diamond ranks is truly exhausting. It doesn't matter if one of them was helped by elixirs and other kinds of potions or strange things; he's still a Diamond rank.
I can somehow handle it. The problem is the people around me. The guards are several dozen meters away from us, yet they're still being affected. The Sapphire ranks have fallen to the ground, while the only two Ruby ranks are almost on their knees.
Finally, something happens. I can feel the pressure from the two of them decrease. The Sapphire-rank guards can now breathe without difficulty, and the Ruby ranks seem to be under only slight pressure.
The town's enchantments have activated. Their effect against Diamond ranks isn't the strongest; they aren't capable of completely suppressing them, but they can reduce the pressure of their Jurisdictions while constantly trying to suppress their mana.
The power of the enchantments surprises me. Around six highly skilled and well-coordinated Ruby ranks could suppress a Diamond rank under these enchantments, or at least keep a powerful Diamond rank in check.
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In the case of the Owl group or Brissy, they could kill the two people in front of me. I stare at those two more intensely than before. Both of them look a little paler, their eyes wide open.
My Personal World allows me to understand my surroundings a little better. Some of the town's structures are under considerable pressure, and the residents' houses aren't that far from where we are. If we fight right here, we could end up affecting the civilians.
I don't want collateral damage. I don't want the civilians to be affected. That's the only reason I haven't attacked.
"Get the hell out of my town. Now." My voice reaches them like an icy breeze. When I notice a slight change in their mood, I decide to release his arm.
Both of them seem to think about it for a moment. They glance at each other for a second and appear to reach the same conclusion without needing to speak.
"Don't worry, I'll personally escort you to the exit." I have no intention of letting this offense slide. I won't let them simply leave. Sorry, Brendu, but I'm going to have to ask for your backing later.
Both of them seem a little confused at first. They understand my words when they see me levitate from my position. I can see it on their faces through my Personal World. They don't intend to let this go easily either.
"Young Lord Maki..." One of the Ruby-rank guards speaks to me.
"I'm just going to show these gentlemen a little of the forest before seeing them off." My response is quick. I'm sure everyone understood what I meant. When I receive no response, I continue on my way, and the two people behind me follow.
They must be the most grateful ones to leave the town. The restrictions made them much easier targets. Both of them could cause destruction and kill hundreds of people before being restrained, but sooner or later they would be trapped and annihilated.
When we're more than two kilometers away from Puntsal, I stop. They also stop several dozen meters away from me. Their eyes are icy, but they're smiling as if they've found a juicy piece of candy on the ground that they can crush beneath their feet.
"Hey, brat, you're awfully confident in yourself. I'd heard stories about how bold and fearless you are, but I didn't know you were this stupid. I'll show you the difference between Ruby and Diamond rank. This isn't the same as when you fought Ruby ranks while you were a Sapphire." The noble speaks with a smile before letting out a chuckle.
The noble's voice makes me want to rip his throat out. All I want right now is to smash his face in. I'm taking some precautions because of the person behind him. I've finally managed to sense one of his affinities. He has an affinity for life. He's a healer.
"Xinu, don't interfere." The noble speaks to his companion. The person who came along as his babysitter simply nods and moves farther away.
I know they're out of their minds... but are they really this sick in the head? For a moment, I had the feeling that they would simply leave after I escorted them out of town. It's obvious that the guards will alert everyone and that people will come here soon. Do they think their actions won't have consequences?
They know who I am. They know the people standing behind me. Don't they care about retaliation? Do they have no relationship whatsoever with their family? What could possibly be motivating them to attack me directly without thinking about the consequences? Well, I don't know, but their stupidity is giving me the opportunity to beat them half to death.
My beloved companions appear in my hands, the twin swords that have accompanied me for so long. At the same time, the noble in front of me summons a beautiful golden spear. Its craftsmanship is flawless and mesmerizing. That spear could be hung in any noble house just to show off to guests.
A simple movement of his spear creates more than a dozen spears around him, all glowing a brilliant yellow. A Light affinity? That's quite a rare affinity, comparable to my Gravity affinity in terms of rarity.
All of his spears come at me at astonishing speed. Unfortunately for that bastard, those spears will never reach their destination. Every single one is stopped by walls of ice packed with extremely dense mana and every kind of accompanying power.
Some of the light spears took more than one block of ice to stop. That actually surprised me. It seems his yellow spear isn't just beautiful; it's extremely powerful. I could feel how it helped him construct all those constructs with ease in an instant and strengthened some of them.
I need to be careful with that spear. I doubt that's the only thing it can do, and it looks incredibly sharp. I respond by constructing several black swords around me, fifteen to be exact, and all of them fly rapidly toward the noble in front of me.
My construction speed is faster, comparable to that of a Diamond rank. The speed of my constructs isn't lacking either. Electricity and Gravity affinities make them extremely fast, while Ice affinity gives them the solidity they need.
More spears of light are constructed to intercept my constructs. He fails to stop all of them and has to use his Jurisdiction to halt the last one, which stops only a few centimeters from his chest. I had poured far more mana, Imra, and Dominion into that black sword than the others.
"Enough with the introductions." I move my neck from side to side, making it crack. It relaxes my body for an instant, and then I'm ready to fight again. All of my abilities activate.
This time, I'll attack at close range. "I'll show you the difference between you and me, you brainless bastard."