Chapter 13- Crusader (Part 3)
The shrill scream went on for a few seconds which felt like an eternity for Akio. For someone who had lived listening to the loud noises of the black lung, the machine that was pumping black smoke into the city, he had built a resistance to loud noises to a certain extent. His body adapted to any form of sounds with high octane to them so for a sound to actually make him feel as if he was about to lose his mind speaks volumes about how loud it was.
When the monster finally stopped and closed its mouth again, the sparkle in its eyes finally vanished as its body grew limp and it didn't move anymore. It had died.
Seeing that, the man rubbed the back of his head as he said in a mazy tone.
"They are going to come running. This is quite troublesome. Meh. Whatever, I will just leave." Murmuring that in a louder tone than what should've been the case, he turned around.
Then, finally, for the first time, Akio's eyes fell on the man's face. That mere look made him freeze. Surprisingly, it wasn't fear that he felt when he looked into his eyes. Instead, he had this weird feeling of realization.
He didn't know what he understood or why he had such a reaction but what he was sure of, he wasn't scared of that man as much as he felt pressured by his crushing aura and dominating presence.
Squinting his eyes, Akio tried to discern whether he should really escape or not. But, quickly, he realized that trying to run away will be completely useless. The man was simply on a whole different level than Akio.
"Hmm, a kid?" The first one to react was the man who blinked a few times as if he didn't sense his presence before this.
This put doubt in Akio's mind. Someone with that strength should've easily noticed that Akio and Tin were there. Was he really that focused on the monster or rather was he just so sleepy that he didn't bother to check his surroundings?
"U-Ugh… Fuck! That hurts! My back!!"
Breaking the odd silence was the groan of pain coming from Tin who stood up from under the dirt and rubble that accumulated on top of him because of the wind. There was a trickle of blood going down his face from his bruised forehead and some small cuts on his arms and legs. But, for better or worse, he seemed quite untouched by that chaotic event.
"Tin… are you ok?" Akio asked as he kept his eyes on the man, not leaving him for a second for fear of missing out on something he would do.
"Ok?! My back is fucking twisted like a piece of bread and you are asking whether I'm fine or not?! Ugh, I won't be able to move for a while!" He replied with a dissatisfied tone as he cracked his back a few times.
Meanwhile, the man's eyes shifted toward Tin, and for the first time since his appearance, his expression changed drastically. His eyes widened considerably and his body froze for a good second.
"You…" He muttered, catching Tin's attention.
The latter also had an interesting reaction as his face frowned.
"You… I know you." The man added after a few moments of looking and assessing Tin as if he was some kind of rare species of animal.
"And I… don't know you," Tin replied in a comically similar tone to the man.
"Aren't you… Wait, ugh… I can remember. Give me a second." Clicking his fingers together, the man started rubbing the bridge of his nose as if he was having a hard time remembering something.
A few seconds passed before he finally opened his eyes again with a new revelation flashing across his pupils.
"You are Tin, the banished blacksmith! Right, right. It's you."
'The banished blacksmith?' Akio was confused by the words he heard. How did this man even know Tin?
Akio had already realized that he was someone from the inner city so the fact that he met Tin was in and out of itself, illogical. Except if…
"Ugh, what are you even saying? What is this corny ass nickname 'Banished Blacksmith'. Whoever you are talking about, it's not me. You got the wrong guy."
"No, no, no. Even though I'm sleepy, I heard that kid call your name. 'Tin' is your name, right?"
"Coincidence… It's a coincidence."
Even though Tin's expression was still fairly normal, Akio felt that there was an odd change in his demeanor.
The man also seemingly noticed that as he grinned widely.
"Hmm, let's see if I remember correctly. Many years ago, a renowned blacksmith that was working under The 'Bright Moon' clan. He was known for his great weapons and almost mythical items he created. However, for one reason or another, he ended up being banished from Holem. Hmm, I don't think I missed a detail, did I? Mr. Tin?" He asked.
"You are really something, I tell you. Your great achievements are still being put in high regard even to this day. Everyone thought that you died after being banished away from Holem. But, wow, to miraculously meet you here, of all places, maybe this night wasn't really as much of a waste as I thought."
Stepping forward, the man vanished from his place out of nowhere and reappeared in front of Tin. His towering height and his wide grin made him look even more intimidating. Even Akio felt the pressure come back again with more intensity than before. However, luckily for him, it wasn't focused on him and instead was fully aimed at Tin.
"U-Ugh… You are too curious for your own good, friend." Tin said with a difficult smile.
"Am I? I think this is actually quite a great coincidence. To meet a legend is an honor. I can't help but be curious."
On the outside, the conversation seemed peaceful and even pleasant as the man kept praising Tin. However, Akio knew better that the tension that was between the two was higher than ever before. Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, Akio felt a sense of dread keeping up as he anticipated what could happen.
"So, I will take this as you finally accepting that I hit the bullseye, right?"
"Meh, not really. I am merely an old man running a small shop in the slums. Don't link me with things you lot from the inner city are interested in."
"How horrible of you, Mr. Tin? You were the father figure of every inspiring Blacksmith in Holem. To see you live in this gutter, it saddens me greatly. Legends are supposed to be respected and put in high regard, right?"
Opening his arms wide, he continued.
"From what I can see, you also lost all of your powers. Tsk, how wasteful. Many would've killed for your skills, Mr. Tin."
Clicking his tongue, Tin rolled his eyes and finally broke that smile.
"Mr. Tin this, Mr. Tin that, can you stop jerking me off for a second? I don't like compliments." He said.
These words were completely lacking of any form of respect or courtesy. Yet, the man, as offended as he should've been, instead laughed loudly as if he was extremely amused by them.
"Hahahaha! I like that, I truly like it. You are indeed how the rumors talked about you. Quite 'Eccentric' if I have to say. I'm genuinely happy to see that you didn't lose your character after becoming a piece of worthless trash. I would've felt bad killing you if it was the case."
His words were not that shocking at first until Akio heard the last sentence and his eyes widened to their extreme again. However, before he could even say anything… It happened.
The man's hand suddenly moved like a flash aiming for Tin. Everything happened in a split second so Akio didn't have time to react at all.