Bang!
A gunshot arrived right as Musa reached the blind corner where Lucien was, but thankfully, the aim was way off.
It wasn't even close, even though it was point-blank.
Despite Musa being an Adept, an exalt of the second realm, gunshots were still something people weaker than the Ascendants had to worry about.
Before going through a stage of metamorphosis at the 4th breakthrough, an exalt was still pretty much a human, with a vulnerable body.
But luckily for Musa, Lucien, who just shot the gun, couldn't even look straight properly, much less use a gun to kill someone.
Musa's heart nearly stopped as he dropped the vial in sheer shock from the gunshot, but he quickly recovered and caught it desperately.
"You fucking bastard." He wanted to rip Lucien apart for pulling a stunt like this, but he had to hold himself back.
According to the rules set by the monster, he would only engage in a fight with Lucien after he recovered.
Swallowing down his pride, he kicked Lucien's hand, which somehow still held the chair legs, and pinned him to the ground with his knees.
Lucien struggled, resisting Musa in a frenzy, a desperate attempt, and a last-ditch defense.
But not even Lucien could fight an Adept off while being injured like that.
'How does this bastard still have so much power left at this point?' Musa had to give this point to the prince this time.
Even in such a state, the prince could rip a normal human apart.
Initially, when he kidnapped him after hitting him hard with a metal bat and then sedating him in a nearby alley, he took Lucien for just a spoiled, sheltered brat.
But now his whole perception changed, and he awakened a sense of respect towards him as a warrior.
Alas! He was now working on an order, as he forcefully pried Lucien's mouth open, using his hands like a crowbar, and forced the entire liquid down his gullet.
Lucien wanted to spit it all out, but Musa quickly sealed his mouth shut with his hands and pinched his nose as well.
Lucien was now suffocating, and when this reached a desperate point, his body reflexively swallowed everything in his mouth.
Musa finally let him go, as he jumped back, in case Lucien retaliated right as he left him.
He watched him closely as the high-grade healing potion started its job almost instantly.
Lucien's instincts betrayed him, as he momentarily fell into an euphoric trance, while his wounds healed at a rapid speed and his energy returned to his body magically.
His mind became clearer, and he realized the liquid that was poured in his mouth was a healing potion, and not poison.
A golden glow pulsed through his veins, healing any and every wound it came across in mere seconds, almost as if a miracle was being performed.
The healing potions are often agonizing to say the least, as they knit the wounds together slowly, but high-grade healing potions put their patient in an euphoria before healing them, making the process almost painless.
Lucien started breathing properly, and just as he regained his consciousness, he shot back and made some distance between himself and the intruder who had fed him the healing potion.
His body was still sore, and the healing potion was still working, but his battle-honed instincts almost reflexively acted to save him.
Musa.
He noticed the person in front of him, as the final bit of healing finished, and even the soreness from the healing and dizziness from the hunger vanished.
The man was built like a brawler, and even his body language was like one as well.
"I almost couldn't believe that you were able to kill those three on your own," Musa growled, cracking his knuckles. "You are one tough bastard for a pampered royal, you know."
Lucien grunted, stretching his body to prepare for the inevitable battle, "And you are a coward wagging your tail for an unawakened mutt in uniform."
"So you were awake, huh?" Musa had this nagging feeling, but it didn't matter.
"What now?" Lucien glared at Musa, asking in a relaxed tone, since he already knew what was going to happen.
"Eh! You know, just some friendly spar… to death." Musa took a fighting stance, and Lucien inspected everything.
The guns were gone, and he only had a single chair leg tucked in his shirt.
'So he is that confident, huh?' Lucien held the chair leg firmly and took a fighting stance.
Lucien could feel that he was at a disadvantage here, but he had no other choice either.
He had to give his all for this.
Without wasting any time anymore, Musa shot forward first with a sudden jab, clean and powerful.
Lucien saw the punch coming, heavy and fast.
He twisted his body and aimed the chair's leg at a sharp angle towards the upcoming fist, wood meeting flesh.
The sudden pain jolted Musa and redirected the blow effortlessly.
Musa's fist scraped off the chair leg, but the damage done was minimal.
Lucien quickly spun behind and slammed an elbow into his chest.
Musa grunted and quickly backpedaled, surprised.
Musa had still underestimated the prince, but not anymore.
Giving him no time to recover, Lucien shot back, his punch aiming straight towards his throat, but Musa blocked it this time.
Lucien quickly followed through with a kick straight at the back of his head, but Musa ducked down and threw a punch back, landing it straight on his chest.
But Lucien didn't retreat after the punch. He had taken worse in his previous life. Instead, he baited Musa with it.
Musa thought he had Lucien with this punch, but suddenly, a wooden stick entered his peripheral vision, striking towards his neck.
'He took this punch deliberately.' Musa mused, but it was too late to dodge it.
He still tried, and the chair's leg missed his neck, but was lodged right in his shoulders, making him groan in pain.
'Tch' Lucien clicked his tongue as the chair leg missed him.
Blood trickled down, and Musa backed down instantly, painfully taking out the wooden chair leg, noticing that Lucien was charging again towards him.
Musa threw the chair leg with all his power like a spear, hoping that it would at least distract Lucien, but what he witnessed was something he didn't even consider a royal prince would do.