บท 39: James Dragonheart

"Little girls shouldn't have a mouth as foul as yours. You're going to ruin your beauty with that mouth if you keep talking like that."

Mark had a serious soft spot for children and he just couldn't help himself when he saw the little girl and how cute she was! She looked like she came straight out of a fairytale with her giant teddy bear and her long blue hair!

"Let go, you barbarian!"

The girl sent a fist at Mark and it slammed into Mark's face, but it didn't even make him budge as if there was no power behind it at all! Mark raised a brow and the girl shouted at him to drop her this instant! She wasn't a little girl and she could do whatever she wanted! Mark only smiled at her enthusiasm before he dropped her to the ground and pat her on the head! She was too cute!

The little girl screamed in anger as Mark pat her head and she started to jump to get his hand away from her! What was he doing!? It took her very long to make her hair in the morning! Her grandfather would comb her hair for her for more than twenty minutes before it became like this! He was ruining it!

The little girl would never say that it felt nice when Mark pat her head! She liked the feeling a lot, but she would never tell him that! She only glared at Mark and kicked his shin in anger!

Bam!

The force of that kick would have been enough to break the leg of anyone else immediately! Talia might only be a little child, but she was still regarded as an A-rank superhuman and she was stronger than any human could ever hope to be! But against a superhuman like Mark who specialized in tempering his body, the kick was nothing! Mark just smiled at her anger and ruffled her hair again!

"I didn't think that you would only have this much power, GHOST. You've been fighting against Anima for four years and you've amassed a lot of skill, but you are barely strong enough to push me back!"

Mark turned around and glared at the old man once he heard him say this. Mark looked down at the old man's hands and he saw how it was throbbing from the punch that he gave him and Mark knew that the old man was lying. If Mark had given him another of those punches, then Mark would have definitely won that fight easily! Was this bastard trying to look cool by acting like he was going to win in that fight? Or was it because his granddaughter was here?

"I don't care who you are old man, and if I wasn't so busy, then I would've continued this fight with you. But I have things to do. My friend is in danger and I am not going to stay here and play this stupid game with you while she could be dying."

Mark said this irritably and he put his hand to his ear to call Pat to bring the helicopter faster! It hadn't yet been five hours, but Pat had to hurry so he could get to that island! But there was nothing in his ear and Mark realized that he had dropped his earpods somewhere between the fight! He would have to go and grab someone's phone to call Pat.

Mark began to walk out of the room, but the man called him back as he spoke.

"Join the National Association of Superhumans. I know this has already been offered to you once before, but this time the chairman of the association, James Dragonheart himself is telling you to join. There is a lot to be gained from joining this NSA."

Mark rose a brow in surprise once the man said this. So this is the chairman of the NSA. What the heck is a chairman doing acting like this? Who was going to pay for all the damage that they just caused to the building? Or were they really just so rich that they could destroy the building and build it back up like it was nothing? if they were that rich then they should think about giving their superhumans higher pay so they can employ more sensible people!

"I think I already told the other guy what I think of the NSA. You should show some tact and not bring it up again. I am not going to join an organization that is willing to use my friend's life to threaten me."

Mark was not going to join the NSA. It wasn't just because of that fool Grey who tried to use Arit's life as a bargaining chip to make him join, but it was also because of all the restrictions that the NSA placed on superhumans. There were far too many of them and Mark liked his freedom too much to allow himself to be trapped in some organization like this one! If they kept on trying to recruit him, then Mark would rather join some random no-name guild just to get away from them!

James knew that he couldn't force Mark to join the NSA if he didn't want to. There were laws prohibiting the NSA from forcing superhumans to join them and these laws were seriously enforced because of all the issues that the country has had with superhumans in the past. Superhumans were given the freedom to join any guild after they registered with the NSA but this has prevented the NSA from having many members since most superhumans would prefer to join a guild instead.

James changed his tactic immediately and said something else.

"The subjugation team is planning to raid the island at nightfall today. There has been too much movement from the Anima there and we don't intend to let them make it to the shore before we do something about it. If you join the NSA then I'll allow you to join the subjugation team. But if you don't, then I'll lock your registration to the NSA and restrict your movement for the next twenty-four hours. We will go to this island and clear it out, but you will not be allowed to join us."

Boom!

Mark's mana surged across his entire body as he got right in James' face!

James' eyes widened as he noticed that Mark moved faster than before! Was Mark holding back even more of his power during their fight?

Mark was ready to beat the crap out of James right then and now! Why are these people so annoying? They just kept trying to piss Mark off and they were using Arit's life as collateral just to try and make him join them!? Is that how desperate they are to make an enemy of him!?

James and Mark were caught in an intense stare-down as great pressure filled the entire room.

"Stop!!! Stop! Stop! Stop!"

Talia immediately noticed that they both were going to start fighting again and she shouted at them not to even try it! She was not going to let them fight and they would have to go past her if they wanted to start again! Talia ran into their middle and raised her hands wide as she prevented them from getting close to each other!

Mark glared hard at James as he bared his teeth at him!

"I don't care if the entire country tries to stop me from going to that island, nothing is keeping me away and I'll kill anyone that stands in my way. And when I'm done doing whatever the fuck I want, I'll leave this country and go to Japan! I'll join their NSA and help them instead just so I can keep fucking you over from the other side of the world!"