Chapter 156

Barfight — Part 2

Man… I really need to stay out of other people’s business . I sighed internally as I dealt with the incoming attacks . I grabbed the first man’s fist as it flew towards my face and tugged it down and to the side . The sudden change in his momentum left him off balance and out of position . He wasn’t able to move quickly enough to avoid the punch that his friend had thrown in my direction .

He groaned as the attack smashed itself into his face and sent him flying with so much force that he ended up plastered against one of the bar’s walls . It was a sight that I hadn’t really ever expected to see outside of manga and other forms of media, but as far as demon on demon combat was concerned, it was a pretty common sight . Their stats were just that inflated .

“Miguel!” The man that had slugged his friend in the face clicked his tongue . “Damn it!”

I used the fact that he was too agitated to act to tap him in the jaw while making sure to hold back just enough to avoid snapping his neck . The sudden shock to his brain stole the man’s consciousness and caused him to crumple to the floor in a sad but calm heap .

Speaking of concussions, you know how everyone who’s had them says everything goes dark? Yeah, that’s actually pretty accurate . You can still see things, but you don’t know what it is you’re seeing . You can still hear your friends’ voices too, but you can’t really tell what they’re saying . It happened to me once when I was playing basketball with my buddies . Oh man, shit was spook .

“Take this!”

“Careful with that thing . ”

One of the men drew the knife he had dangling from his waist as I let my mind wander . He swung it at me, but I twisted my waist and avoided it before he could pierce my flank . I then struck his hand with my elbow and smashed him into a nearby table . The action was accompanied by a pair of sounds . Up first was a loud crunch, one that denoted my attack had crushed the bone in his hand . Following right after was the clattering of his knife as it fell to the ground .

“You should know better than to use a blade in a street fight, dude . That shit could get someone hurt real bad,” I said .

I walked over to him while he was still groaning in pain and calmed him down the same way I calmed his buddy down—I hit him in the jaw and knocked the living daylights out of him .

“Don’t get cocky, asshole!” A third guy shouted as he approached me from behind .

Glancing over, I found that he was trying to give me a big, warm hug . I wasn’t exactly all that keen on hugging it out with another guy, so I ducked to avoid it . Once I was clear, I grabbed him by the arms, rolled him over my back, and chucked him . The judo-like technique sent the man spiralling over the edge of the balcony . Gravity continued to speed him up until the moment his face smashed into one of the tables on the first floor . He screamed in pain as he made contact with all the plates, cutlery, and glassware . Only after a few moments of spasming and shouting did he finally “calm down . ” O-oh shit . I was trying not to break anything, but uh, there goes that, I guess .

“Damn, brother . You’re one helluva fighter!” said one of the other guests .

“An event as interesting as this one calls for another drink!” shouted another . “Barkeep, get me another mug!”

I had been expecting those on the first floor to start panicking and screaming the moment the body suddenly fell on them . That, however, was quite literally the opposite of what happened . The other customers were only continuing to cheer and egg the fight on . Keyword: continuing .

They had immediately gathered around and started playing the part of the peanut gallery the moment I had started talking to the guy with the messed up hairstyle . To the crowd, the fight was nothing but a source of entertainment, a side dish that happened to go well with their booze . I had at least expected the owner to care, but stopping the fight turned out to be the exact opposite of what the owner-cum-barkeeper had planned . Ever a merchant at heart, he had turned the opportunity into one to make bank by getting out his notebook and taking bets on the battle’s outcome .

Even the band had bought into the situation . They switched from the nice relaxing tune they were playing to a livelier piece with a faster tempo . Holy shit, dude . Demons have balls . I guess this kinda stuff must happen so often around here that they’re just kinda used to it .

My party stood out from the crowd . Unlike everyone else, they weren’t cheering or getting wasted . Leila and Enne were calmly observing the situation, whereas Nell and her mage buddy were a bit less so . Both were on guard . They had their hands on their weapons and were ready to draw them at a moment’s notice . Sorry for getting you guys involved in this . Especially if it ends up screwing with your plans and whatnot . Like, seriously . My bad .

“How are you all so useless!?”

The guy desperately in need of either a buzzcut or a wig clicked his tongue after watching each of his subordinates get taken down in turn . Having grown impatient, he decided to take matters into his own hands by tearing a leg off the table he was sitting at and entering the fight himself . His braids gently swayed back and forth as he lumbered over . Oh come on, man, what the hell? You can’t just break stuff like that . Don’t blame me if the owner sends a hefty bill or two your way, alright?

Contemplating the relative cost of a table led me to recall that Braidy was the son of a duke . To him, the table in question was likely nothing more than chump change . I, on the other hand, was actually in trouble . I had broken both a table and a bunch of tableware . Welp . Here’s to hoping the demon king’ll cover for me .

“Fine . I’ll make you regret running your mouth myself