Amber and Theodore were standing in the middle of the street. Keeping true to her desire to protect him, Amber kept the fearful Dave behind her.

"...We don't need to fight. If you promise not to hurt the--"

Theodore pulled a handgun from inside his coat and aimed, cutting Amber's speech. Widening her eyes from the sight, Amber quickly reacted by picking up Dave. Simultaneously, Theodore fired a few shots, but Amber avoided by dashing to the other side of the street.

A gun!? He just fired a gun in an open area!? Amber thought. Immediately, Theodore appeared next to her.

Fast! Amber thought. Without hesitation, Theodore delivered a punch to Amber's stomach, sending her and Dave to the ground.

"Ugh..." Both Dave and Amber groaned.

"You're from the Enlightenment Program. You declare that as if most people would know what the hell that is," Theodore said. "Well, I don't care. I'm pretty angry, so I'll mess you up."

Ugh, judging by his speed, avoiding combat will be hard... Amber speculated as she rubbed her stomach. He's strong too. If I want to protect this poor person, I'll have to fight. Besides, shooting in a public area like that is reckless.

"Boss, are you okay!?" An individual called out to Theodore as a group of men in black suits said. Alerted by the gunfire, each of them brandished their firearms.

"I'm fine, just finishing up something," Theodore said. "Watch Dave so he does not run away, though."

I knew it, this casino is illegal after all! Amber thought as she noticed their firearms. And this guy is the boss.

The men heeded their boss and surrounded Dave...not before glaring at Amber. Once again, both Amber and Theodore were standing off.

No, this has become harder than before now! Amber thought as she slightly lost her confidence.

You can win, my daughter. The feminine voice stated in Amber's mind. You are on the side of justice, after all. Hearing that reassurance, Amber seemed more confident.

Suddenly, Theodore rushed Amber and attempted a straight punch, but she reacted by narrowly weaving. She performed a right jab to his gut, but he avoided it by turning to the side. As they picked up the pace, they engaged each other in hand-to-hand combat at high speeds.

As they progressed, however, the difference in skill was starting to show as Amber seemed overwhelmed.

"Ha! You're a soldier, alright, but your skill compared to mine is mediocre at best!" Theodore mocked as he suddenly caught Amber's arm which she attempted to strike with, shocking her.

"What--" Amber uttered before being tossed into a parked car on the roadside. She was thrown with so much force that she created a large dent in the side.

"Ugh!"

Theodore gave her no resting time as he charged at her while she lay on the car's side and delivered a flurry of punches. Amber reflexively placed her hands up, which took the brunt of the punishment.

Ah, so strong!!! My arms!!!

Finally, he eased up on Amber after a good bit of strikes. Feeling numb from the blows, Amber's arms dropped to her sides as dead. She also held her head down in 'defeat.'

"Heh, as expected. There's no way a soldier like you could have defeated me," Theodore mocked. "But to think you'll die because you decided to protect the criminal, oh well," Theodore said as he approached Dave.

"Where do you...think you're going...?" Amber asked as she stood up again, stopping Theodore in his tracks.

"You're still up, huh?" Theodore asked as he turned to face Amber.

"That poor person...wanted to pay for his daughter's treatment...but you couldn't care about that," Amber said as her expression changed to anger. The light of her blessing also shone a bit brighter. "You only care about your selves. You are only about fulfilling your greed. He's not the criminal, you are!!!"

Tch, so annoying.

Amber darted at him, creating a sonic boom as she reached the speed of sound. This raised Theodore's eyebrows, as he did not expect this level of speed from her.

She performed a high kick, which he barely dodged.

Tsk, she's faster than before! Theodore thought with a shocked face. But it doesn't matter, her hand-to-hand combat doesn't match mine!

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

He performed a super fast spinning heel kick, but she leaned back.

What!?

They once again were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Jabs, hooks, grabs, uppercuts, there weren't any attacks Theodore could perform that was successful - she avoided them all. Amber couldn't land any hits on Theodore either, but her close combat suddenly improved significantly amid the battle, as he needed to focus more when fighting her.

How is she doing this? Was she playing around earlier? Theodore thought. No, that doesn't make any sense. She wouldn't hold back if she wanted to protect Dave as she desired. She suddenly got better!

As they watched the battle, Theodore's men felt anxious about the effort Theodore had to display to take down Amber. Dave also had a hopeful expression on his face.

Damn it! This is so annoying! Theodore thought as he attempted several straight jabs on Amber, which she weaved. I can't use all my strength or I'll risk destroying the casino, and alert any stupid heroes!

As Theodore fought, he gazed at Amber's angered and determined expression.

Ah, enough of this shit! Theodore thought as he swiped the air between the duo, causing enough pressure to interrupt Amber's attack and leaving her wide open.

T-The air!? Amber thought.

Simultaneously, he retracted his right arm for a strike while Amber's guard was broken, He attempted to strike Amber in the gut, but she responded in time and put her left arm in the way, taking the hit.

CRACK! CRACK!

Cracking bones were audible as Amber's arm bent from the strike. A look of fright shrouded her face upon witnessing this. Finally, she was sent crashing into another vehicle, causing it to topple over.

"Ugh...AHH!!!" Amber yelled in pain of her left arm being injured so badly.

"Haha, way to go, boss!" One of the men said as they celebrated.

"Huff, Haha...People perform better when they are enraged or determined," Theodore said. That's one of the things I learned in the Enlightenment Program. "I was worried that you'd dodge that strike and accidentally cause damage to my casino, but I was lucky. I would be pissed if that happened."

With intent, Theodore began to walk to Amber as she staggered to get up.

"You're in the way, so I'll kill you!" Theodore declared.

Am I going to die? Will I die here...? Amber thought. This guy is strong...and my arm...

Suddenly, Amber remembered the messages she received from her friends. The messages about them defeating their fair share of criminals and suppressing them.

Surprising everyone, Amber confidently stood in her stance.

No, I won't die here...I will save this man! Amber declared. I will save everyone!

"Tch...annoying until the very end," Theodore said. "As expected from a dog of the Enlightenment Program..."

He rushed at Amber and immediately started attacking her. Although he did not use the same level of strength he used to injure Amber's arm badly, Amber could not avoid them all due to only using one arm.

She did well blocking and slapping away many of his attacks with just her right arm, but he took advantage of her damaged arm by focusing on striking her left side. Taking strike after strike, Amber quickly got to the point of being battered by Theodore.

"HAHA! What do you think you can accomplish with a destroyed arm!?" Theodore mocked. "This happens when you put yourself in things that aren't your business!" He said before delivering a right hook to the left side of her face, causing her to stagger backward repeatedly.

"Phew, for this annoyance, I'll be taking more than a liver, Dave," Theodore said. Hearing that triggered Amber as she charged at Theodore once more.

He noticed her clenching her right fist, preparing to strike.

Heh, Once I block this...I'll kill you in the next strike! Theodore decided.

Amber performed a right hook to his face, but he blocked with both arms.

Ha...now di--

Much to his surprise, Amber clenched her left fist, although her arm was damaged by his previous attack. Her arm was also glowing more than the rest of her body.

What!? Didn't I freaking shatter her arm--

BAM!

"RRRAAAAHHHHH!!!!" Amber yelled as she landed a left hook with all her might. Theodore's head turned over ninety degrees before he was launched across the block and crashed head-first into the walls of his casino.

"What the!?" One of Altius's men uttered as they quickly ran towards him. Simultaneously, the heavily injured Amber made her way to the shocked Dave.

"Boss!" The men called out as Theodore lay on top of the rubbles of the casino wall he destroyed.

"Ugh, are you okay...?" Amber asked.

"I-I should be asking you that!" Dave countered. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this..."

"It's fine. This...is my duty," Amber assured. "Let's...get out of h--"

"YOU...BASTARDS!" Theodore yelled as he pulled himself from the rubble. Blood rushed down his forehead due to the impact he received. The side of his face was heavily bruised as well. "YOU MESSED UP...MY CASINO!!!"

He's still up from that...? Amber thought. I used my full strength, too. I'm not in the condition to fight...

"It doesn't matter what happens anymore! I'll kill you both!!!" Theodore declared as he charged at them, creating a sonic boom behind him.

Please...someone... Amber thought with a panicked expression.

He clenched his fist and prepared a powerful blow, but right before he could hit Amber, his fist suddenly stopped.

Much to their surprise, Kreuger stood between them, holding Theodore's arm.

"What the...who the hell--"

Not letting him finish, Kreuger delivered a thrust kick to Theodore's stomach, sending him flying.

"K-Kreuger...?" Amber thought. Altius also came up beside them. "Mr. Altius?"

Wasting no time, Altius inspected the scene. Amber's injuries, Dave's panicked expression, the property damage, and their opponent, Theodore, Altius observed them all.

"You're lucky that I came, Amber," Kreuger said as he approached Theodore.

Damn it...who the hell is this guy!? Theodore thought. And that strike was so strong!

"Wait...don't kill him," Altius said, surprising Amber, Theodore, and Kreuger. "Just let him go for now."

"Don't kill him? Why?" Kreuger asked. "Why should I let someone like that go? He'll only be a problem later."

"Yeah! Why should we leave that criminal!?" Amber asked.

"...He's not a criminal."