Ren was relieved he'd taken time to pray before he'd set out that morning.
As the ground split before Akira, he knew all hell was about to break loose and crawl from the earth itself. The youths on their group of bikes in front all turned with horror plastered on faces, Akira looking sinister as he stared at them with golden eyes.
"And I thought we were the ones who caused minimal damage, you maniac Akira!!" Ren was furious, the wind whipping around him, howling in equal frustration as the earth seemed to crawl towards their targets. From the front Yoru's flames blocked their means of escape, the beast glaring at them with glowing purple eyes.
"This is a one time thing Ren!" Akira was soon off his bike, the metal slumping to the floor as it died a death. Screaming filled the air, all civilians who were close by were quickly ushered by the wind out of range. That was Ren's magic after all - he could manipulate wind. Well technically air magic was his speciality but it was all the same. Arguably he was one of the strongest air magic users in the world as it was a dying magic to study for fighting purposes. People focusing on fire, water, and earth as more stable and ideal magic types to use against their enemies- air was something to marvel in its gentleness and elegance when wielded right.
"Please don't kill us sir!! We'll tell you everything you want to hear!!" One of the three wailed as he slumped to the floor, his companions attempting to drag him and their bikes away from Akira who only stalked closer. They knew there was no escape, any attempt futile.
"Well isn't it my lucky day then" Akira stopped meters apart from the group, pulling out a long bladed knife from his belt and slowly spinning it in his left hand. Colour drained from his target's faces, Akira finally having the upper hand on the situation.
"I'll stay close, but make this quick Akira. Team 1 will be here in five max to pick them up" Ren spoke quickly over his earpiece, his comrade circling overhead as Akira knelt down.
"You've got two minutes to tell me who you're working for, what connection you have and why the hell my group and Eclipse are being targeted" as his eyes flickered gold the pressure was on. Once team 1 picked them up they'd likely have no chance to investigate and interrogate until tomorrow at least, time they didn't have to waste waiting around.
"He offered us money, money no one could refuse" The first youth lowered his head, averting Akira's intense stare. Akira turned to the second who was still a groveling mess, then to the third.
"How much?" Akira would only ask once, now sharpening his knife on the asphalt below his feet.
"¥200,000 yen each" under the pressure of Akira's gaze the third youth started talking, but Akira never toned down his intensity. Pushing for answers Akira continued speaking.
"Where's the money coming from?"
"It's probably stolen" the third spoke again, he seemed to be the most cooperative so far.
"What were you asked to do?"
"Plant the bomb in the car, that was all. It was a quick and easy job for us" Akira felt sick. These boys were not much younger than himself, and this was a quick and easy job for them? Even he in his criminal days hadn't proceeded in crimes like this. However on the contrary- he didn't know the circumstances and out of everyone he didn't have the privilege to judge.
"You've worked for these people before-The Crusaders?" Akira needed answers. More answers.
"No, we usually work alone just on the outskirts of the city. We only joined the Crusaders as extra pairs of hands for this job" the third youth pressed on, all their information spilling from his mouth like water from a tap.
"What do you target usually?"
"Why the hell are you asking us all these questions?!" The first suddenly erupted, surprising everyone sitting in their makeshift interrogation.
"Answer the question" Akira growled back, the first piping down again as the third spoke again.
"We usually rob houses. We're small time criminals but the money eventually always runs out" that was something Akira knew all too well, he'd came to the conclusion it was definitely a money thing especially with the amount already offered on the table. Akira had turned to the Yakuza when he'd run low on money in the past, these boys were just doing the same.
Anything to survive.
"So you turned to who from the Crusaders, their boss?" Akira didn't know who their target was, and quite frankly he wasn't sure if he wanted to find out.
"Yeah, we turned to the leader of the Crusaders. The same guy who tried to kill Adonis Cassidy and failed" Akira really didn't like where this was going. These kids had been hired by the leader himself, had their lives meant nothing to him? He knew the DRA would eventually catch up with them, he'd just blatantly enticed them with money and because of their situation.
"He's not Yakuza if that's what you're thinking. He's military, we don't know who he's worked for before" Akira had been in his own thoughts when the information bomb suddenly dropped, he stared at the second youth who'd finally decided to calm down.
"Have you ever seen his face?" Akira asked, all shook their heads.
"He always wears a hood or a mask. He's got a scar across his cheek and black hair, that's all I could probably tell you" the first added, Akira nodded as each agreed with the statement.
"And his name?"
"The leader of the Crusaders goes by a nickname- Hogan the warrior" the third male was dead serious.
Akira tried to compose himself. Note- he tried. Akira Satō broke into a horrendous fit of laughter, wailing like a banshee before his targets. All three stared in unimpressed manners, Akira eventually composing himself before he muttered his response properly with tears in his eyes.
"What a stupid name."
Akira stopped.
"What a stupid name..." he repeated to himself, the three youths in front of him now looking at Akira like he'd gone crazy, his eyes wide and color seeping from his face. But then he smirked the most devilish grin, one he'd used to wear back in his criminal days as an information broker when he'd discovered the most important and powerful details.
He'd heard that name somewhere before, a very very long time ago.
And an information broker never forgot a name.
"REN! I NEED TO SEE THE MISSING PERSON/DECEASED FILES NOW-"
Akira unable to finish his sentence- he screamed as his body was flung upwards. Yoru roared for him, metal clanking filled the air and Ren's shouting through his earpiece dissipated into nothing. As if Akira's hell powered spell hadn't been enough to wake the gods, the mechanical dragon that had fallen from the sky would be. Wings not even completed, the metal shattering from the weight of its exterior. It screamed with such venom that the buildings shook, people screamed as houses were blown away in seconds under the enormous mechanical monstrosity. People were blown away in seconds.
"AKIRA! AKIRA ABORT MISSION!" Ren was blindly screaming, not knowing his comrade had already lost all communication minutes ago. He was using the wind, manipulating it so people were moved away from the impact zone, at least those still alive.
Where the hell the dragon had come from he'd never know, but taking his eyes off their surroundings hadn't helped. From the size of the dragon- not as big as the one that had appeared in Dewa Sanzan but big enough- it must have been hiding just above the clouds or the mountains before it descended.
Akira meanwhile was on the ground, ribs killing and ears ringing as he struggled against the disorientation of being flung meters above standing height. He attempted to get up, a pathetic show to the pair of eyes glaring at him from meters away. He couldn't even reach for his knife, the weapon now lodged somewhere amongst the rubble and his broken bike.
"How pathetic... an ex-yakuza lackey reduced to this, crawling on the floor" slow footsteps closed in on him, Akira tried to rise before his enemy came any closer. It was pathetic, he knew it was, his attempts leaving him looking like a wounded beast trying to beat death.
The man who came forward felt sorry for Akira, as an animal wouldn't have struggled like he did now. Akira only felt the blow to his head, automatically falling weightlessly to the floor.
"Boys, you don't get it do you" the voice filled the air again, and all three boys who Akira was interrogating minutes ago walked towards him. Wearing a black hooded robe, the man radiating death as he walked.
Hogan the Warrior towered above Akira's lifeless body, Ren was screaming from above as blood mixed with the dirt below.
'He's the most dangerous man here'
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chapter 18, end.
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