He wasn't a bully; he was Samuel, and his last name just so happened to be Wrathful.
He continued up the flight of stairs as he neared the entrance of the so-called queen's abode.
He was at the second-to-last step to enter when his senses screamed at him.
Raising his hand in defense, Samuel was immediately flung backward. He didn't even get to glance inside the queen's residence before he was back at the tree roots.
He glanced up in annoyance, pulling out his scouter from his vest to check the person's power level.
Before he could even put the scouter on his face, his sixth sense went off again, and again he had to put up his arm in defense.
Doing exactly that, he was sent skidding backward.
Sending Ki to his legs, he came to an abrupt stop, then immediately powered up, releasing all the Ki in his body for maximum performance.
Glancing at his perpetrator, he realized that it was a taller version of the Verdalian locals he was used to.
By her feminine looks and crown of thorns and jewels, he assumed she must be the queen. She stood at 6'1" or 6'2" and carried an unsheathed sword of… wood.
Honestly, he wasn't even surprised anymore; he wouldn't even be surprised if their teeth were made of wood.
The queen looked at him with a dangerous glint in her eyes, not even bothering to question him for his motives.
In her eyes, the moment he showed hostility to her people, he became a threat, and threats needed to be erased.
Samuel, on the contrary, didn't give two flying f*cks why she attacked him. He'd always welcome a fight; plus, the Ki that she was releasing right now was slightly lower than his output.
He wore a confident smile as he pounced right back at her; he could ask questions after beating her ass.
Rushing the queen with full intent to subdue, but not kill, Samuel threw out a punch, which was instantly countered.
He wasn't deterred. He took another stance and went again. Blows after blows, Ki blast after Ki blast, everything was either dodged or deflected.
How's she doing that? he thought. I can feel her Ki as we're fighting, and she's no stronger than me. She should be weaker, in fact. What's going on here?
Getting agitated and tired of making no progress, Samuel coated his hands in dense Ki.
Before the Ki could fully manifest on his hands, however, it was already taking a new form.
Instead of just being coated on his hands, the Ki were turned into two deadly trench knives.
These knives were basically brass knuckles with a knife tip; a perfect weapon for close combat.
The queen watched him with intent before finally pulling out her wooden sword and releasing her full power.
Realizing that she was holding back from the beginning, Samuel also coated his feet in a very light Ki aura, just for a little speed boost.
The two dashed at each other at blinding speeds, creating crater cracks and leveling several mushroom houses.
Samuel aimed for her throat, seemingly changing his mindset mid-battle. If he couldn't subdue her, he'd have to aim for the kill; otherwise, he himself would end up dead.
The queen parried his blow with relative ease and pushed him back with her long saber sword.
Channeling his Ki more densely in his legs, he pushed off the air itself and continued his relentless assault.
After being pushed back once more, Samuel stopped to analyze his opponent.
He was going about this wrongly. He shouldn't be focusing on landing blows only; he needed to look for openings and adjust his attacks accordingly.
And if he couldn't find an opening? Then he'd make one.
He rushed her again. Throwing an uppercut to the queen's jaw, he watched as she brought her sword up for defense.
He didn't change his trajectory; he wanted to see how much of a punch he packed.
And did he pack a punch or what? The queen was lifted off the ground, doing one somersault before immediately stabilizing herself; she was no amateur.
Pushing herself off the air with tremendous Ki control, she launched right back at him. Raising her sword high, she brought it down for the kill.
Transferring the Ki coat from his legs up toward his hands, he braced for impact.
With his blades now strengthened by additional Ki, he tanked the blow moderately.
This queen was no slouch; she was the real deal.
Looking at the woman with a maniacal smile, he rushed her wildly; torrents of air forming from his wild swings as he attacked her with no form or grace.
He was lost in the heat of battle and was genuinely enjoying himself.
Since he couldn't outdo her via strength, he decided he was going to outspeed her. Withdrawing the dense Ki blades back into his core, he immediately redirected them into his calves, creating a dense Ki coat on his legs.
He took one step, then another, then he disappeared.
The queen pumped Ki into her eyes, trying to find him. He reappeared above her, legs raised high.
Like a falling star, he descended as he pummeled her into the ground; clearly, he was too fast, even for her boosted perception.
Having her lower half planted in the ground, the queen looked up in horror. Not giving her a chance to re-adjust, Samuel rained blows upon blows on her head, each blow rooting her deeper into the ground.
"How fitting," he finally spoke, "being sowed like the plant you are."
"That's a little racist."
"Shut up, Sam; now is not the time."
He looked down at her and realized that she was gone.
That split moment of distraction gave her space to escape.
He searched around to find her, but couldn't even sense her Ki.
He wanted to drag Sam out of the mental space and beat him in her place; he just had to open his big mouth.
He looked at the towering tree, its leaves spreading like a mother eagle's wings; a shelter for her chicks.
Yes, he thought sinisterly, even I would run to mommy when I'm injured.
He took flight, heading straight to the queen's abode, where it all began.