Tanjo remained still, his blue eyes boring into the unsuspecting criminals before him. The fire in the burning building only grew brighter, the heat permeating the air more with every second. The civilians that had previously walked along the pathway fell to their knees, their pleas and screams reaching the skies.
What would he do in this situation? Tanjo had the confidence to swiftly subdue the assailants, but he would potentially expose his Aura Amalgamation. He no longer had his mask equipped, and donning it in public would be idiotic. Dash out, put the mask on, and return? Even dumber. He would be spotted departing and returning.
"Quiet, everyone, it's not like we're going to kill you all… yet, at least!" One of the assailants ordered with a stern holler, glowering at each of the pleading civilians.
A second assailant stepped up. "Maybe we should start taking bodies to encourage them."
"Don't be rash, you dolt! These folks are our guests!" The main assailant's lips stretched into a wicked grin, his gaze washing over the crowd of frightened citizens.
Silently, Tanjo's mind ran rampant as he tried to formulate a solution. Keitaro, the vendor, huddled behind his concession stand, his body vibrating erratically with immense fear. He had no time to realize what Tanjo had done to prevent him from being squished by the debris; he was too lost in the moment.
"Your esteemed warriors and guards should be here any second—!"
"Don't move!"
Before the main assailant could finish speaking, an unidentified warrior in tanned armor could be heard shouting outward, demanding that the criminals stand down.
The main assailant brushed his long, black, spiky hair to the side. "There they are…"
With the arrival of the warrior, who was then accompanied by several other warriors, Tanjo's mind calmed slightly. Perhaps the teenager did not need to get involved, and he would be able to return to Asami without any complications…
…Or that was what he hoped for.
"Ah, ah, ah! Make one move and more than just this mere block will be destroyed!" The main assailant informed, waving his hands flamboyantly.
Those words made Tanjo's brain tick once more. Hopefully the warriors were not incautious enough to brazenly step forward and attempt to handle the assailants. It would be impossible to tell what kind of power or strategy they possessed—or maybe Tanjo was simply overthinking things.
Besides, destruction that ranges as far as outside the block was far too threatening to consider trifling.
Unknowingly, Tanjo had never lowered himself to his knees or hidden behind cover, becoming an anomaly amongst the crowd as the only individual who did not appear fearful or cautious. It took a few seconds for one of the attackers to realize this.
"Hey, boy! I suggest you get down or things will get nasty!" An assailant with a buzz cut yelled, his expression morphed into rage and annoyance.
Tanjo's mouth gaped. "Oh, damn it…"
"No, wait," The main assailant halted. "He's the only kid here. Bring him up!"
Tanjo frowned. "C'mon…"
Gradually, Tanjo shuffled between the quivering bodies of the civilians, his eyes scanning the assailants intently. They had threatened to destroy more than just the local block, so they had to be capable of doing so.
However, after scrutinizing the criminals while walking toward them, the boy found nothing that would assist them in ravaging the area.
'Could it be that they have control over their Aura Sense?' Tanjo queried to himself, finally ceasing his movement the moment he stood in front of the assailants.
"Welcome to the show, kid! What's your name?" The main assailant asked, retaining his wicked grin.
Tanjo did not utter a reply, staring into the assailant's empty eyes. The jet-black-haired boy did not feel the urge to confess his name, nor even provide a faux name to appease them. The teenage boy's mind kept whirling as he analyzed the seemingly deranged criminal.
"You must be a brave kid to ignore me." The main assailant chortled, raising his hand to pat the boy's shoulder.
*SMACK!*
The moment the main assailant's hand was about to land on Tanjo's shoulder, the teenage boy instinctually swatted his hand away with a miniscule amount of force. Although it was a weak shove, the action still forced the main assailant back a few meters, sliding on his feet.
"Quite the strength you got, bucko." The main assailant continued to laugh, unfazed by the shocking display of strength.
*CLICK!*
Shortly after, another one of the criminals with ear-length hair stomped up to Tanjo with a rifle in his hands, aiming the barrel of the gun at the boy's head. At that moment, Tanjo eyed the weapon with interest; guns, especially rifles, were still relatively new—but they were not handed out to the public.
The armed assailant scowled. "One small tug of the trigger and your brains will be splattered everywhere."
This immediately answered Tanjo's earlier conjecture: they did not have control over their Aura Sense, resorting to man-made weaponry to enforce their tactics. Though the question still remains, how would they destroy more than a block?
*BRRRM!*
Surprisingly, a purple barrier was erected in front of the rifle's barrel, shielding Tanjo from any bullets that would be potentially spewed. The boy then averted his gaze and locked onto the main assailant, observing how his outstretched arm caused the barrier.
'Huh… he possesses magic, but not the rest.'
"Calm down, comrade. He's just a boy. A trained one" The main assailant said, his voice brimming with wonder.
Tanjo subtly arched a brow as he inclined his head toward the man with long, spiky hair.
"I recognize that headband of yours… blue Aura Sense, right?" The main assailant quizzed, humor laced in his tone. "I've fought your nation's men before, bucko—what made you travel here to Shanti? Secret mission?"
Perhaps Tanjo should have removed his headband as well. It was too late for that now, the boy reasoned. Despite being interrogated, Tanjo held a placid countenance, his eyes refusing to stray away from the man.
"No," Tanjo started. "I'm not a warrior."
The main assailant chuckled for the umteenth time. "I detect no fear from you, so you must be confident that I won't kill you, especially with all these warriors surrounding us!"
Tanjo allowed the man to speak further, keeping his mouth shut.
"You may not be aware," The main assailant bent over, whispering into Tanjo's ear, "but this entire place is rigged to blow the moment one of those warriors' Aura Senses are detected. Isn't technology amazing?"
The teenage boy's muscles became strained, his fist clenching. So many casualties, for what? How could a man even obtain explosives to such a degree in the first place?
The main assailant proceeded to look out into the crowd. "Some of the warriors out there might be able to remember me! I used to be a part of the military for Shanti, until I realized just how unjust this nation is! I was segregated from my own comrades simply because of my Aura Sense! Stripped of my militant rights!"
That would explain how one man could procure the deadly explosives, Tanjo mentally reasoned.
"Upon my realization, I wanted to make it clear just how futile it is for anyone who does not harbor a red or blue Aura Sense to live!" The main assailant bellowed, his grin widening.
Then, the man snapped his fingers. "Now!"
Tanjo grew perplexed as he watched the man with the rifle turn toward the crowd, only to be struck with a morbid conclusion.
*BANG, BANG, BANG!*
Rounds of ammunition were unloaded onto the crowd of people crouched on the pathway, waves of crimson blood gushing out of the civilians below. The screams of the unwilling grew louder and sharper as they were eventually silenced with death.
As this occurred, Tanjo noticed that the warriors were going to advance forward and attempt to take down the assailants, warranting fear to spawn within the boy's heart.
"RED!" Tanjo suddenly shouted.
With haste, Tanjo threw his left hand into the air and conjured a massive red dome of magic that prevented the warriors from tripping any of the explosives. With the dome being red, Tanjo could successfully reinforce his magic the most he could manage—the red Aura Sense was famous for its unyielding strength, while the other Aura Sense colors were known for separate capabilities.
Each of the assailants became bewildered as the red dome appeared, ceasing their fire. The armed assailant immediately felt excruciating pain radiate through his arms, his body frozen.
"GRAAAGH!"
His hands had been sliced off.
Tanjo, with his arm extended outward, breathed hard. The sheer speed of his arm enabled the boy to cut off the armed assailant's hands with only his fingers.
'How could I have let this happen…!? How could I be so careless!?'
As the previously armed assailant howled in pain, his arms flailing as he habitually tried to grip the pain, the action only proved to be fruitless. The other assailants glared daggers at the traumatized teenage boy, brandishing knives in their grips.
"Get him!"
The instant Tanjo noticed the extra assailants incoming, he threatened them by raising a hand. But something prevented the boy from dispelling any sort of magic…
…It was the main assailant's smile, growing wider as Tanjo nearly eradicated his 'comrades'.
'The explosives! If I discharge any kind of magic, they'll go off!'
The assailants grew closer.
'Fine, then—my fists should do.'
Remembering his days back in Buraun, taught both by Old Man Nozomu and in his spars with Akogare, Tanjo dashed toward the incoming assailants with a vengeance, launching a punch that shattered the first assailant's face upon impact, his nose caving inward and prompting his entire body to snap back and fly several feet away.
"Hargh!" The knocked down assailant groaned as he crashed into the fiery remains of the building behind them.
The second assailant, who had the buzz cut, lunged at Tanjo with his arm reeled back, driving his small blade downward and onto the boy.
*CLING*
Before the small blade could impale the jet-black-haired boy, Tanjo wrapped his fingers around the assailant's hand and squeezed, which made him relinquish his grasp on the blade, causing it to fall to the ground, the blade clanking.
"Where are the bombs situated?" Tanjo demanded, holding the assailant's hand in place.
The assailant winced in pain as he felt the bones in his hand crack under the pressure. "Like I'd tell you, brat!"
That was apparently the wrong answer.
"HAARRGH!"
With one swift punch, Tanjo's fist was promptly buried into the assailant's chest, quickly followed by the gradual stream of blood that escaped from his body.
"Then like I'd let you live with so many lives on the line." Tanjo muttered, glaring at the man with the buzz cut.
The assailant whimpered as his body slumped over and hit the ground, his eyes darkening and his form becoming motionless. His blood continued to leak out, seeping into the earth.
The third assailant screamed, "Stay away from me, you monster!"
Tanjo blinked. 'Monster?'
"You call me a monster, but you casually allow your comrade to murder multiple people without a care in the world!?" Tanjo barked, stepping closer to the third assailant.
Then a dry laugh interrupted the two of them.
"Hehe," The main assailant made his presence known. "Hypocritical, isn't it?"
The jet-black-haired boy scowled. "In every way possible."
"Then don't direct that anger at us, bucko—aim it toward Shanti. They spawned this discrimination, this hypocrisy among society." The main assailant spouted, still sporting the wicked upturn of his lips.
Tanjo's gaze was terse, his body radiating with animosity. Slowly, the boy shifted his body to face the main assailant with clenched fists, his knuckles turning white.
"Then you can be the cure for the civilian blood spilled." Tanjo asserted, stepping toward the main assailant.
The long, spiky-haired man backed up. "You're young, but you've already killed others. How… cruel of life. Surely you've reflected on that?"
The boy strode up to the main assailant, gripping the man's shirt by the collar with his left hand and pulling him close. Using his right hand, Tanjo balled his hand into the tightest fist he could manage.
"I start losing my feelings once I see others losing their lives." Tanjo declared.
Just as the boy was about to thrust his right hand forward and end the main assailant's life, similar to the other assailant that attacked him, he was halted by a foreign force and his eyes were forced shut.
XXX
I lost track of writing this chapter, and I may have made this solely about the assailants! But do not fret, Asami will be present in the next chapter, along with what will ensue with Tanjo's current predicament! What will happen exactly? Stay tuned to find out!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_