Batuman

Jojin watches as the cloaked figure starts to get surrounded by the remaining four men, his eyes tearing up at the fact that his saviour might be killed right before him. He quickly determines his resolve however, blinking away the moisture and picking up a nearby rock and throwing it as hard as he can at one of the criminal's heads.

*Crack!*

The some-what heavy stone collides with their cheek, breaking the bone and causing them to stumble. "You little bastar-AAAARGH!" the man starts, but is run through by Michael's blade, his momentary distraction all but guaranteeing his demise.

Michael barely ducks under another man's club as he retrieves his weapon from the criminal's chest, turning and using his momentum to completely behead him in one fell stroke.

Blood covers almost everything nearby as the headless corpse' heart mistakenly continues beating. This seems to be the last stray for the remaining two men, causing them to throw down their weapons and flee...

Michael unconsciously grins under the cloth covering his face however, as he kicks off of the floor and pursues them, easily catching up and cutting the two men into ribbons.

With all the enemies finished, he releases a heavy breath and flicks the blood from his sword before sheathing it, allowing his runes to deactivate.

'Reality' returns, and the stench of blood almost has him gagging, but he manages to keep his composure as he looks over to the old man and teenager who were warily watching him... At least, the old man was wary...

The teenager was around 5.6ft and wore weathered-looking clothing, his hair was black and he had similarly black eyes. His face was average but held some Asian features, making Michael wonder if he had some Japanese heritage.

As for the old man... He had long, greying black hair hidden under a chaperon, and black robes with some nice embroidery. He was clean-shaven but had such thick eyebrows that it looked like his beard had escaped from his face and migrated to his brow... Considering the disparity between the duo's clothing, they'd either gotten caught up together, or the teen was the servant... Unless this was some 'disguised prince' shenanigans...?

The teenager assists the old man as they walk towards him, but his excitement slowly seems to fade as he looks down at Michael... "You... Are short." the teen unconsciously states, somehow disappointed that his 'hero' was not as he imagined...

A vein pulses in Michael's forehead as he smiles underneath his make-shift mask. "Oh? Are you sure you want to start talking shit?" he grouses and shifts his cloak to display the handle of his sword.

The teen quickly realises his mistake and raises an apologetic hand, "Ah! I'm sorry... That just slipped out. Forgive me!"

Michael nods and takes one last glance at the old man before deciding to leave... That was his 'Good deed of the day', so there wasn't really a point in sticking around much longer. Plus, he had some more magic to burn before sunrise.

"W-wait!" the teen quickly says as Michael begins to leave. "S-sir, what's your name?"

The old man nods, "I'd also like to know my benefactor. Perhaps I could reward you for your troubles?"

Michae shrugs, thinking on whether to give his name... He quickly determines that it'd be a bad idea, as even if they didn't tell anyone, having some concrete connections to the D'argent massacres couldn't end well. Regardless, he nods, "I'm Batuman, slayer of small-time criminals and protector of rude brats like yourself!" he announces with a slight flare before resuming his regular stance, "You?"

The old man lowers his head and bows slightly, "This one is known as Darmerse de la Richt, It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Batuman."

The teen enthusiastically nods, "Ah, I'm Jojin! Thanks for saving us Batuman!"

Michael struggles to hide his amusement at the duo taking his alias seriously... He thought they'd notice his sarcasm, but apparently not... "Nice to meet you both, but you should probably stay out of the slums for a while." he covers his face like a typical chuunibyou before announcing, "My conquest against evil has only just started! But I fear that innocents will get caught up in the war! Make it known! The streets are not safe as long as evil dwells within this city!..."

Michael coughs into his hand, "Alright, that's all, see you guys later." he waves before quickly sprinting off while feeling incredibly embarrassed over his acting.

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Jojin and Darmerse watch as their saviour sprints away like a possessed demon, both of them slightly confused over what they'd just heard...

"OooOoh! Batuman is soo cool!" Jojin mutters, as Darmerse just snorts in response.

He'd originally been trying to contact the underworld for information about Antomiers... After not getting a good reception in either Baleine or Salhope gangs, he tried to contact D'argent through the gang members... Only for them to react completely contrary to how he was expecting.

He was on a time limit due to the fact that the Reconquista's plans would continue regardless if they had the correct information or not. And he knew it'd be his head if something went wrong. Fortunately, he was saved by that peculiar 'Batuman' fellow before he was murdered... Darmerse glances at Jojin, additionally, he might've gained a potential asset.

"Say, youngster, I haven't yet thanked you for helping me... I can see your admiration for that 'Batuman', so, perhaps I could show you how you could assist him?"

Jojin's eye's sparkle as he hears this, "R-really!? How!?"

Darmerse smiles, "While you might not become as strong as him, there are far more helpful methods to fight evil... For example, have you ever heard of the Legendary Ninja?" he asks.

Ninja's weren't actually a real thing in Halkeginia, but the many books, manga, and other things that'd come from Earth that depicted them had created a legend in their own. Darmerse thought it amusing to try and train his own loyal Ninja... Who knows, it might actually be incredibly effective.

Jojin shakes his head, "No... Is it cool?"

Darmerse laughs, "Haha! Well, I think so... They specialize in sneaking, spying, and fighting while hidden... If you manage to master all of this, even Batuman would have to bow his head."

Jojin forms an 'O' shape with his mouth, "Oooooh! Please teach me! I'll do anything!"

Darmerse nods, "Of course I'll teach you... My protege."