Johana vs the man in the suit.

From Johana’s entirely personal point of view, she just couldn’t fully respect it. The man in these modern, formal clothes currently throwing punches at her was, unarguably, strong and skilled. Unlike Will’s style that was closer to brawling, this man seemed to follow a proper martial art, one that focused on expert control of one’s own body to aim for the target’s most **** points. His strikes were precise, his footwork fluid and his focus immaculate. He had Johana on the defensive, backing away step by step as his next strike was hard to predict. His seemed like a style that prioritized finishing fights as quickly as possible, if the punches to the throat and liver she’d managed to block were anything to go by. And yet… No, she didn’t like it. Couldn’t respect it despite the obvious amount of effort it went into mastering these skills.

The suit jacket cushioned the couple of blows Johana was able to strike back with, rendering them useless and covering for the man’s openings. His pants stabilized his stance, letting him bend, stretch and twist in ways that would’ve made him fall otherwise, but instead made the path of his attacks strange and his reach longer. His shoes gave his steps an extra kick, letting him run faster and jump higher and further. The bracelets on his wrists gave his punches far more weight without hindering their speed or even weighing him down. It was all borrowed power, and Johana had always had mixed feelings about it.

She blocked a near-motionless punch to her gut and caught the man’s fist with her hand, gripping it with the full intent to break it. However, with a short jump, the man sent a flying kick to the side of her neck, forcing her to let go to block it with her forearm.

Johana felt irritated. It was a good move, one that showed good reactions and judgement. But it was a move he wouldn’t have been able to pull off if he didn’t have those bracelets, pants and shoes, all at the same time. Equipment like that created a dependency. How do you fight when any of those items is missing? What do you do when techniques you rely on are suddenly unavailable when you need them?

Will was going through just that right now. Lacking the power Ishtar granted him, he was now made of paper. Honestly, a bit disappointing, but Johana at least understood the situation there. Will had to make the best of what he was given in the situation he was in. She supposed it was the same for people like this man. After all, weapons and armor are made to turn the balance of power in one’s favor. She understood that. Amazonian culture simply saw things differently. Power should always come from oneself, to always be there for you at your time of need. Even their weapons were constructs made with their own power, and their strengthening magic was second-to-none so as not to rely on armor.

Normally she wouldn’t even think to criticize an opponent’s fighting style, but it was just disappointing this time because this man was incredibly strong on his own. After having his kick blocked, he jumped back and clasped his palms together horizontally. Johana’s skin crawled on her back when she both felt and saw the aether gushing from his hands, like he was trying to contain a stream of high-pressure water with them. His eyes locked on Johana’s neck again and then smoothly threw his hands forward, sliding one over the other.

A projectile like a small disk made of aether was launched, spinning quickly as it flew towards Johana. It made something like a buzzing and whistling sound as it cut the air, and Johana quickly reinforced her arms as much as she could, putting up her guard to cover her chest, neck and face.

She fell for it. Targeting with his eyes was a high-level faint. She noticed when the disk made a sudden change of trajectory, but it wasn’t early enough to fully dodge it. The flying saw cut through part of her left calf as she moved out of the way, splashing blood over the concrete floor.

Johana let out a loud, frustrated groan. It had been a mistake. Trying to test him and gauge his power had been a mistake. She’d gotten a hint before and she should’ve acted immediately on it. She wasn’t facing a fighter. She was facing an assassin.

That technique sealed it. True, she focused her defenses on her arms, but that didn’t mean she left the rest of her body unprotected. A blade of aether sharp enough to cut through her strengthening magic and techniques made to end face-to-face encounters quickly… Not to mention the difficulty of learning them combined with equipment that made sure the mission resulted in success, personal pride be damned.

The man looked away from her and towards the other fights happening behind him. Johana took the chance to compose herself and did the same. She smiled when she saw that Will was holding his own against two summoned warriors and felt her heart race when she saw Aoi and Ishtar getting rid of the rest.

“We’re close to failing…” the man muttered. “I didn’t expect you’d have the support of yet another Higher Spirit. My preparations may have been inadequate.” He sighed. “Maybe. We’ll see.”

He dashed away, closing the distance between him and Will in but three long steps. Johana followed, stepping hard and ignoring the light sting on her left calf. However, the man in the suit didn’t approach Will. No, instead he went to someone else.

He stood over the big man that had been holding Will when they arrived. He was ****, much like every other mercenary they’d brought with them. The man in the suit grabbed him by the back of his shirt and lifted him up, putting his hand on his back and pushing aether directly into him.

The big man’s eyes shot wide open, and when the man in the suit let go of him, he was able to stand up on his own. He looked around, confused and alert.

“S-Sir… What happened?” the big man asked.

“We finally found him, Anders,” the man in the suit said, pointing a finger at Will. “The man who broke into your home, the one who assaulted and killed your wife and daughter. We found him, Anders. His name is William.”

“...”

“E-Excuse me?” Will asked, dumbfounded.

Johana managed to reach Will’s side now that she was unimpeded, and Helga’s summons had all vanished by now. The last threat was the man in the suit. Or at least, it should’ve been.

“H-Him…? It’s… It’s him!? Did you finally find him for me, sir!? Th-Then… Then I can finally…!”

“Yes, Anders. Let it all out. The one responsible for all your pain is right there. Let your righteous fury guide you. The girls with him are his allies. There are no innocents here for you to hurt. Let it all out.”

“Ah… Aaaah…! AAAGGHH! Y-YOU…! YOU SON OF A BITCH! I’LL FUCKING KILL YOUUUUU!”

The burst of aether was immense, enough to shake the warehouse and send a gust of hot wind all around. A thick aura of crimson red enveloped the big man as his muscles tensed and grew, and a single step forward cracked the concrete floor. They could feel the scorching heat of his power, but more importantly, its nature.

The big man in front of them had been consumed by wrath.