Because of the sharp lights that blinded the windows of the car, it was difficult to know who was handling the truck. And in the evening when sun was about to set, those lights appeared even bright.
Howard tried to start the car again, but the start button already showed the signs of failure.
Realizing that he shoved the key in emergency slot behind the staring, however, the engine just made grinding noises as he rotated the keys.
"Fuck!" He grunted.
"..." Zeus squinted his brows.
'Did he just curse?' he thought.
Ignoring Howard, he looked out the window as the truck revved up again.
"Fuck-" he mumbled.
"Brace for the impact!" Howard screamed and again veiled the car in his powers as they surrounded it in golden hue.
*CRASH*
The truck crashed to the side of the car again, forcing the tree that had stopped the car fall as it dragged further off the road.
Finally the gates of the truck opened up, two men wearing construction workers uniform stepped out.
They both looked almost identical and they were far too muscular to be construction workers.
"This is going to be one easy bounty!" One of the men shouted looking at the backseat, staring at Zeus.
"Young lord..." Howard murmured under his breath as both men approached for different gates.
"Get ready," he continued.
But Zeus just stared at the guys as they placed their hands on the handle of both Howard's and his gate.
He didn't remember them being a part of the story. Well it was evident. The world was too vast to be compiled in a game. But he wished if he had some idea of who they were.
Just as both of them grabbed the handles and rendered the door out with sheer force.
Zeus leaped out of the car, and with complete force, he pushed his palm to strike the guy.
<
A bright flash of electricity erupted from his body, and condensed in front of his palm. But before he could reach for the body, the man pulled up the door in front of him in defense.
Zeus' strike connected the door with a condensed force of electricity as the man's leg skid back on the ground with rebound.
"Whoa~" The man looked at the door in his hand with a burning hole in the shape of palm etched on it.
"Well, considering the bounty... I think this much is to be expected," The man said as he looked at Zeus.
"Could've let me rest at least. I just got discharged from the hospital," Zeus replied.
"Tough luck. We gotta' pay bills too," He said as he threw the door, yanking it aside and with heavy steps, he charged head front towards Zeus.
"Tsk..." Zeus clicked his tongue in frustration. Because it wasn't the situation that disturbed him as much as the screams of the soul did from these two guys.
These screams were loud. Louder than he had heard ever since he got reincarnated.
While Howard held his ground with his brute power mark. Zeus did not have a defense oriented power.
And even the offensive stance was new to him. Moreover, he could feel it. These guys were strong.
He surged his power. Channeled current throughout the muscles of his arm, temporarily amplifying their capabilities by increasing the bio-electric transmission.
He bought his arms up in defense as the man charged like a brute, and swung his arm in punch.
*Boom*
A wave of air erupted as the punch landed on his arms and sent Zeus flying back, as he crashed into a tree.
He opened his eyes wide in shock.
He couldn't feel pain. No, he couldn't feel his arms.
His back hurt, he felt as if he was bleeding from the inside.
"Gr.." He grunted and looked at the man ahead. The autumn leaves in sight fell in swift motion and touched the ground with grace.
The impact was strong enough to shake the trees in the surroundings.
The man smirked but this time, instead of running forward, he squatted, contracted his muscles and jumped high in the air.
"What the fuck---" Zeus muttered looking above as the man joined both his hands. A hammer huge hammer appeared in his hands out of nothing.
<
Zeus mumbled as current channeled throughout his body. And in an instant, before the hammer could reach his head, he moved left.
The movement was fast enough that his physique blurred for a moment.
*Boom*
He looked back where he was just moments ago as the hammer crashed sending the shock wave throwing him farther away.
Zeus couldn't think straight. It was his first time facing an opponent. And that too, someone who's after his life.
'How am I supposed to fight that?' He thought as he looked ahead. Dust settled down and instead of the tree or ground, a man emerged from a huge crater that he made on impact.
That guy swung his hammer horizontally in the air, clearing the air around him.
Even the leaves followed the command, clearing the area for him.
"Ah- Was that too strong for you?" He asked with a smirk.
And then, the man stopped.
Zeus squinted his brows, but his confusion was cleared when he saw Howard crash on the ground in front of him.
He was covered in blood, his condition wasn't better than Zeus.
"Seriously? You didn't finish him?" The other bounty hunter screamed in frustration as he looked at Zeus.
Howard grunted and stood up, spitting the blood in his mouth.
"I'll fucking kill you!" He groaned. Golden hue surged from his body and burst, expanding throughout the area.
His eyes gleamed golden as the mark of heathen on his chest ignited in flames.
Howard stomped his leg on the ground. Before anyone could react, he appeared right before his opponent with his punch already packing power of the swing.
*Boom*
And it connected. A direct hit to the face that reeled his opponent to the ground.
"Focus here~" Pulling him out of his thoughts was voice of Zeus' own opponent that had already closed distance with hammer right in front of his face.
He ducked low as the wave created by hammer damaged the trees behind him.
<
A clear opening. And he didn't miss it. His palm with even more refined power striked the abdomen of his opponent.
The man lost balance for a moment.
<
Without giving him time to recover, Zeus got behind the man and hit the palm on his back.
<
An extreme surge of electricity penetrated his opponent's body as he lost the grip on his hammer and knelt on the ground.
"You..." The man screamed.
"You were supposed to be weak!" He grunted and yanked his hand back but Zeus blocked it.
He was right. Zeus wasn't only supposed to be weak.
He was weak.
The only improvision he had done was divide the already trained powers into phases.
And he could only unlock two phases.
All he needed was a moment to stun his opponent. A slight moment to imbalance him. And that he got.
"Whatever you say" Zeus replied in a low voice.
He placed his hand on the head of the man.
<
He fried the brain of the man with a raw surge of electric power as smoke erupted from the man's ears. Eyes roasted in burns, skin convulsed with dark veins, blood leaked from the nose.
Finally, the screams that his soul was making were silenced as Zeus let go of the head, leaving unrecognizable dead body.
"Honestly, I didn't expect you to win...Young Lord." Howard said as he walked towards him, drenched in blood.
"Likewise." Zeus was too focused to know what was going on with Howard, but it appears that he too, had won with his brute power.
"I knew what I was getting myself into when I accepted to be your assistant." Howard spoke as he looked at the body below.
"I'll look into them...they don't appear to have any belonging with them," He added. "Except that hammer of course..." he looked at the huge black hammer, with royal red engravings.
Zeus thought for a moment and looked around. Fallen trees, a crater sized hole in the ground.
'That's one hell of a debut,' he thought.
"What about our ride?" He asked.
"Backup's on the way, since you refused security, there's no immediate support." Howard replied.
"..." Zeus didn't say anything. He just looked at Howard.
"That sounds like a complaint..." Zeus murmured.
"My apologies. I didn't mean it that way," Howard replied as he inspected the pockets of the dead body.
'It definitely was...' he thought.