Although Nobunaga looks like a kid, I can't underestimate his physical strength and agility. My fighting style is simple and quite predictable. Thought Yoichi, trying to develop self-critical reasoning. Without Kenji's draconic enhancement, the muscles in my arms will not be able to powerfully charge my fists and every blow I launch will be ineffective.

While Yoichi was thinking, Nobunaga was still standing in the same position. After depriving himself of all the weapons hidden under his clothes, his hands were still in his pockets.

​​

"I had an important mission to accomplish, Takamori-Sensei. Why are you wasting my time with this young man?" the purple-haired warrior asked, ignoring Yoichi's fighting stance and turning his gaze to his master.

Despite looking like a very haughty and confident person, Nobunaga must have had a deep respect for Takamori. Probably, it wasn't just a matter of money: like all the other warriors in the Nightblades guild, perhaps he also carried the burden of a difficult past in which the guild master had a key role.

"Don't worry about the daily missions. You will be replaced by one of your comrades. As for the time lost, you'll receive extra pay," Takamori stated, who had already scheduled that request.

Nobunaga turned his gaze towards Yochi, with a serious expression painted on his face. Without adding anything else, he took two steps towards the blond-haired warrior, sinking his feet into the soft, damp sand.

Yoichi moved sideways, waiting for his opponent to make the first move. Why does he still have his hands in his pockets? Is he going to try to surprise me? He thought, feeling the adrenaline rush through his veins. Inside, he still couldn't believe that a little guy like Nobunaga could defeat a giant like Kenji in close combat.

"Let's begin," the purple-haired warrior grunted, bending his knees. Before Yoichi could predict his move, Nobunaga leaped forward, disappearing into thin air.

"What?!" Yoichi gasped, motionless with his hands as ready as a pugilist's. "Where is he?!"

*swishh* - Accompanied by a sound similar to a gust of wind, Nobunaga appeared behind Yoichi's back. With a violent kick, he struck the back of his leg, forcing him to kneel on the ground.

Yoichi put one hand in the sand, trying to keep his balance, but the second blow reached him at an exorbitant speed: without even realizing whether he had been hit by a kick or a punch, he found himself lying on the ground, his face in the sand.

*cough*cough* - "Fuck!" exclaimed the blond-haired warrior, getting up and spitting out the sand that had landed in his mouth. Nobunaga was right there in front of him.

During that almost supersonic exchange of blows, he still hadn't taken his hands out of his pockets.

"How did you do that?" Yoichi asked, rubbing his eyes with one arm and trying to keep them open. "I was ready to dodge your blow, but you vanished!" he added, showing his humility in front of such a fearsome opponent.

"Nobunaga was one of the best warriors in the guild called 'Rogue Syndicate'. Over the years, he developed such a high attack speed that he escaped the gaze of his opponents," Takamori remarked, speaking in Nobunaga's place and illustrating his powers.

"You can be that fast without activating your Oracle's powers? This is incredible. Teach me!" Yoichi promptly replied, smiling and returning to his fighting stance.

"Mhmhmh..." - a mocking chuckle came from Nobunaga after that statement. "I have spent years developing this technique. It is called 'Thief Wind' and is not for rookies like you. I've hit you twice and, each time, your guard was always facing the other way," he reported.

"Hit me again then, let me try!" Yoichi begged, taking a deep breath and charging his morale.

Takamori's and Nobunaga's eyes crossed again. The guild leader nodded his head, suggesting to continue the fight.

The purple-haired warrior took a slow, sideways step, unbalancing his body as if he were about to fall. An ordinary human being would not have been able to keep his balance in that position, but he disappeared again.

Yoichi turned away and jumped backward, anticipating a blow from behind from his opponent. Contrary to his prediction, however, a knee strike hit him in the back, causing him sharp pain.

"Aargh!" he growled, turning first his upper torso and then his lower torso, trying to grab Nobunaga's leg. Despite Yoichi's efforts to move at top speed this time, the former Rogue Syndicate warrior had already disappeared.

How the hell does he do that? I can't even hear the sound of his footsteps, as if he were a ghost! Yoichi thought, moving in the same direction from which Nobunaga had started his charge.

Suddenly, purple hair sprouted under his eyes, inches from his face. A quick, not too hard punch struck the side of his abdomen, which, not being ready to receive a direct hit, failed to mitigate the damage.

"Ouch!" - Once again, a sound of pain came out of the mouth of the young tamer, who stepped back with a hand on his stomach.

"Are you really trying to predict my moves?" Nobunaga chuckled. The fist that had just struck Yoichi was still lying forward, while his other hand was resting on the ground between his legs, dumping the energy of the blow into the ground.

"I... I'm just trying to..."

Yoichi's words were interrupted once again by the faint sound of Nobunaga's lightning movements. "To do what?" exclaimed his voice, now coming from Yoichi's shoulders.

*boom* - with both hands, the purple-haired warrior struck Yoichi in the upper back, knocking him out in front of his feet.

Yoichi rolled on the sand clutching in his hands the spots on his body that had just been struck. The young warrior had been visibly damaged, so much so that he couldn't get up right away.

"Takamori-Sensei," Nobunaga called, shaking the sand from the black leather sleeves of his armor. "I don't understand how this guy can live up to this training. Extra pay or not, I feel like I'm just wasting my time here," he spoke, stuffing his hands in his pockets again.