Left in Rage

A deafening BOOM shattered the calm of the riverside. Akira's head snapped toward the sky just as a car came plummeting down, twisting in midair before it slammed into the river. The explosion that followed was blinding—a violent eruption of fire and smoke that sent a shockwave tearing through the air. The impact rattled the ground beneath him, the scent of burning fuel mixing with the crisp evening air.

The shockwave sent a hot gust of air against his face, embers flickering in the sky like dying stars.

Beside him, the girl let out a strangled gasp, stumbling back.

"W-What the hell?!" Her voice cracked with panic, her wide, dark eyes reflecting the inferno, her breathing ragged.

"Where did that even come from?"

Akira's mind raced, piecing the puzzle together.

His gaze snapped up the river, toward the road where the impact had originated. And then—

He saw him.

A lone figure stood at the edge of the elevated street, bathed in the flickering glow of the burning wreckage below. His clothes—a deep green—hung loosely over his lean frame, swaying with the wind. His unkempt black hair clung to his face, partially concealing his twisted expression—wild, unhinged, like a beast that had long lost its chains.

There was madness in his stare.

The girl beside him took a shaky step forward, her fear momentarily overridden by disbelief.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?!" she called out, voice trembling yet defiant.

But Akira didn't answer.

Because in the madman's hand—dangling lifelessly—was a severed head.

A Women head , her head, ripped clean from her body, dripped with fresh, warm blood.

Now, only silence.

His next prey had been chosen.

The girl beside Akira froze. Her breath hitched, her entire body locked in sheer terror.

Then, suddenly—she grabbed his wrist.

"We have to run!"

She whispered harshly, her voice raw with fear.

"He's coming for us! Please—!"

Akira could feel her trembling through her grip.

—And yet, she still reached for him.

"She could just fled. Left me. Saved herself. But even in the face of sheer horror, she still chose to pull me along."

"Not a bad character at all."

But Akira wasn't moving.

His gaze returned to the man before him. The murderer.

The air around Akira shifted.

His black eyes turned faintly white, his vision sharpening as he scanned the man, sensing.

The air grew thick. Akira felt it.

Mana.

This man was awakened.

A predator.

His instincts locked onto the awakened one, reading him, measuring him.

The girl still tugged at his wrist, her face full of fear.

"Come on! We can't fight that! We have to—"

But Akira wasn't moving.

Because he wasn't planning on running.

The murderer tilted his head, amused, before raising his bloodstained hand—his fingers twitching with anticipation.

A hunter had found his prey.

But Akira was no prey.

The girl's eyes widened in horror.

"Are you insane?! We'll die if we stay here!"

She shook his hand, trying to pull him away, but Akira didn't budge. His gaze remained locked onto the person standing before them, a bloodstained grin carved into his face.

Then—

The person moved.

A sphere of dark water swirled into existence within his left palm, twisting with unstable energy. His wild eyes flickered toward the girl.

"He's going for the easy prey." Akira thought, narrowing his gaze.

The water ball shot forward.

The girl barely had time to react. Her instincts screamed at her—this was the end. She squeezed her eyes shut, her arms crossing over her face, bracing for the inevitable impact—

BOOM.

...But she felt nothing.

She hesitated, then lowered her arms.

Her breath caught.

A hand. A single hand.

Akira's hand.

It was right in front of her face, palm open, completely unharmed. The attack that should've ended her life had been stopped—effortlessly.

Her eyes shined in disbelief.

"Huh? H-How did you—?"

"Stay behind me," Akira said without looking at her, his tone sharp as steel.

"I'll end this soon."

The murderer twitched. His twisted grin widened.

"Khekhe... so you're a strong one," - He rasped, his voice like nails scraping against glass.

"Then let's see how long you last!"

He lunged forward, both hands outstretched.

Countless water missiles—dozens, no, hundreds—formed in the air around him, tiny but deadly, sharp like glass.

Then—

He fired them all at once.

FIU, FIU, FIU, FIU

The air cracked as the tiny, super-condensed water projectiles tore through the space between them, aiming straight for Akira's body.

The girl gasped—this was impossible to dodge!

But then—

SHNK!

A flash of silver.

Akira moved.

His Panthosword appeared in his grip with a single flick of his wrist, summoned straight from his inventory. And before the first missile could land—

CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.

He deflected all of them.

Not a single one got past him.

Water splashed everywhere, scattering like tiny diamonds under the streetlights. And in that moment, as the girl looked up, she saw Akira's face—

His dark hair, his sharp turned white eyes, drenched in droplets of water.

Her cheeks flushed pink.

But before she could even process it—

FUPP!

Akira vanished.

His body blurred, his speed exploding forward like a bullet.

The murderer's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wha—?!"

Before he could react, Akira was already in front of him.

A violent shockwave erupted from the force of his movement, the sheer momentum behind his step cracking the pavement. The murderer stumbled, but Akira didn't let him breathe.

System—scan him.

[Target Scanned.]

[The system can only provide this information]

[The current Target is Suffering from: Psyche Leech]

"Psyche Leech?"

Akira's eyes narrowed.

"I don't understand. But from his mana output, he's barely C-rank. This should be easy."

The murderer swung.

His fist shot forward, coated in swirling water, aiming for Akira's head.

"Too slow."

Akira tilted his head to the side, dodging it without effort.

Then—

BAM.

His knee drove into the murderer's stomach.

"GHAAK—!"

The man choked, his body lifting off the ground from the sheer force. Blood and saliva burst from his lips as he crashed back down onto his knees, gasping for air.

The girl stared, speechless.

Akira towered over the man, his sword gleaming in his grip.

"...That's it?" he muttered, almost disappointed.

"I was expecting more."

The murderer collapsed, gasping, choking on his own breath. His body trembled, his knees digging into the pavement. Akira exhaled, relaxing slightly.

It was over.

Or so he thought.

The man's lips curled into a grin. His bloodshot eyes flickered toward the river.

Then—

His right hand shot up, fingers twitching toward the water.

The river shuddered.

A deep, unnatural gurgling sound echoed through the air. The water rose, twisting unnaturally, gathering into a monstrous, swirling mass behind them.

The girl beside Akira paled, stumbling backward.

"What the—?!"

A tidal wave, ten meters high, formed in mere seconds, its surface rippling with deadly force. It was about to crash down on them—drown them alive.

Akira's pupils dilated, a sharp gleam flashing in his gaze.

His breath steadied.

"YOU DAMN BASTARD."

A low, cold voice left his lips.

"I was holding back because we're in public."

His hand gripped his sword tighter.

"I didn't want to kill you here."

His blade rose.

"Because you deserve to suffer more than you deserve to die."

—SWING.

A single swing.

The murderer had no time to react.

His entire arm was severed in one clean cut.

Blood exploded into the air.

A horrifying scream tore through the afternoon.

"AAGGHHH!!"

The man collapsed forward, his severed arm thudding against the pavement beside him. His blood poured onto the grass.

His cries of agony echoed across the riverbank.

The girl beside Akira?

She was frozen.

Her breath hitched in her throat. Her hands trembled violently. Her eyes—wide, unblinking—locked onto Akira.

Blood.

His face—splattered with it.

The crimson droplets trailed down his cheek, dripping from his jaw.

The murderer's body twitched, his breath ragged. Then—his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

Blood pooled beneath his unconscious body.

The girl finally found her voice.

"Y-You... you're an Awakened too?!"

Her voice was shaky, barely above a whisper.

Akira didn't answer.

His gaze stayed on the man before him, the pathetic, twitching mess on the ground. He didn't even glance at her.

Because before he could—

TERRA Agents arrived.

A fleet of armored black SUVs screeched to a halt. The moment the vehicles stopped, heavily armed agents in dark uniforms burst out, guns raised.

"Everything okay?!" - One of them shouted, his voice sharp and commanding.

Akira tilted his head slightly.

"You're late."

One of the agents, a man with short brown hair and a hard expression, stepped forward. His eyes flickered to the unconscious, bleeding man on the ground.

"...The hell happened here?"

Akira wiped the blood off his cheek.

"A lunatic started killing people. I stopped him before he doing more damage and i don,t know , how many has he killed."

The agent's eyes narrowed.

"And who exactly are you?"

"Im a Star , Im from Silver Aegis Guild!"

The agent looked at Akira. His stance eased slightly.

"Silver Aegis, huh?"

Akira nodded.

"Verify me yourself. I don't have time for questions. My name is Akira Shoto—ask them."

"I gave them my true name now because soon i won't hide at all anymore."

The agent scoffed but reached for his comms.

"Call a Silver Aegis Guild operative. There's a black-haired male named Akira Shoto who claims to be their agent. Verify it for me."

As they worked, Akira exhaled.

His eyes flickered back to the girl.

She was still looking at him.

Not with fear anymore.

But with awe.

Then—

Another figure approached.