CHAPTER-21 When Fear Takes Shape

Shin, his gaze sharp and unwavering, interjected, "You're from the Yamikusa Tribe, aren't you?"

The girl froze, eyes widening in shock. "H-How do you know that? Who… who are you people?"

Then, Razor spoke with caution. "Don't listen to him. He just heard that somewhere."

Ignoring him, Shin asked with a straight face, his gaze sharp as stone. "You're from the Yamikusa tribe, aren't you? Tell the truth."

The girl froze in fear. From the next table, a gang that had been drinking noticed the tension and approached her. One of them, voice thick with alcohol, said, "Oye, girl, do you have a problem with these people?"

Reena, lost in her own world, continued eating, completely indifferent. The waitress turned to them with a sweet yet nervous smile. The gang quickly grasped the situation. Even so, Shin didn't hesitate and repeated his question.

One of the gang members, now fully understanding, spoke up. "You go back to work, lady. We'll take care of this man."

The girl wasted no time and ran away. A gang member turned back to Shin and growled, "Oye, why are you making her shiver? You've got guts coming to our village and doing whatever you want. If you want to live, now's your chance to run, you fool."

Shin remained seated, unbothered. Reena, still engrossed in her meal, ignored the entire scene. Razor, unsure of what to do, stayed quiet, knowing their cover was now blown because of Shin.

Seeing them unshaken, the gang grew furious. One of them finally lost his temper, grabbing Razor's collar in anger. "Oye! Didn't you hear what I said? Do you want to die?!"

Shin, still calm, replied in an unwavering tone. "Razor, we need to do what we came here for. You don't need to hold back."

Razor sighed, cracking his neck. "Okay, I get it, Shin. But just remember—this is all because of you."

With bone-crushing strength, Razor grabbed the gang member's hand, making him scream in pain. From the shadows, the girl who had run away watched in terror.

Razor turned to her and said, "I apologize for what just happened. I thought I could get information without resorting to this. And… I apologize again for what's about to happen."

In an instant, Razor slammed the man's head into the table. The impact split the table in two, sending food flying through the air and crashing to the floor.

Reena's expression darkened with rage. "OYE, RAZOR! Do you know what you've done to my delicious food?!"

Razor turned to her, confused, only to see her face twist in sorrow. Tears welled up in her eyes as she yelled, "Idiot! Jerk! I won't forgive you! You wasted the most delicious food in the world!"

As she prepared to scold him further, she glanced at Shin—and instantly burst out laughing.

A bowl of food had landed perfectly on his head like a helmet, noodles and sauce dripping down his face. Reena turned red from laughter, clutching her stomach. "Shin! Hahahaha! When did you become the god of noodles?!"

Shin, clearly annoyed, wiped some of the food from his face. "Shut up. Shut up. I feel all sticky. I'm going out of here."

Reena continued to laugh uncontrollably, struggling to breathe. Razor sighed. "Sorry, Shin. I didn't realize food had fallen on you."

Shin, already walking away, waved a hand. "Forget it. Just finish what you started."

As he stepped out, the remaining gang members surrounded Razor, preparing to attack. Suddenly, a body flew out from the restaurant wall, crashing into a wooden building across the street. Panic erupted as villagers screamed and fled.

Razor jumped out from the broken restaurant wall and sighed. "I already scared the waitress enough. I shouldn't cause more trouble for the people living here. And that girl… she was kind to us. I don't want to scare her more."

He called out, "Oye, gang! Come out! We can fight freely here!"

The gang members leaped through the hole, charging at Razor. He took a deep breath. "These are just normal people. I won't use my power."

With precision and skill, he used martial arts to dismantle his opponents swiftly.

Meanwhile, Shin walked toward the commotion, his clothes cleaned of food. His eyes narrowed at the gang. "Oye, oye. You guys made her laugh at me. I won't forgive you."

His crimson eyes gleamed. "I will show you your deepest fears—from the depths of your heart."

Gang's POV:

To their left, Shin approached—but his form began to shift. His hair darkened, his clothing turned black, and his eyes glowed a piercing blue. A twisted, terrifying smile spread across his face.

Their bodies froze. They wanted to scream, but no sound escaped. Their minds screamed, "RUN!"—but their legs wouldn't move.

One gang member stuttered, "Za… Zae…"

The others turned to him in horror as he finally managed to say, "ZAEERU!"

Upon hearing the name, their fear multiplied. Sweat poured down their faces as if they had been doused in water. They turned and fled in terror.

Razor watched, baffled. "Who… is Zaeeru?"

One gang member, unable to resist, turned back. His eyes widened in horror as he saw Zaeeru—walking toward them, the very ground cracking beneath his feet. With a mere gesture, two massive boulders rose from the ground, hovering in the air.

The gang member collapsed unconscious. The others, already running, screamed, "ZAEERU HAS RETURNED! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! THE MYTH IS REAL!"

At the elder's house, the gang members burst in, gasping for air. The elder, his voice calm yet concerned, asked, "What happened? Why are you all running and shouting?"

One member, struggling to breathe, stammered, "Elder… Elder… we saw… we saw…"

"Calm down," the elder said gently. "Take a deep breath and tell me."

The gang member swallowed hard. "Elder… ZAEERU is here."

The elder's walking stick slipped from his grasp. He fell to his knees, sweat forming on his brow. In a whisper, he muttered, "If he's truly returned… this will be the end of these lands."

Back at the scene, Razor, still confused, asked Shin, "What did you show them? They looked like they saw death itself."

Shin replied, "I don't know. They just saw what they feared most. But this is the first time I've ever seen true fear."

Razor's expression darkened. "Oye, Shin… do you realize what we've done?"

Shin frowned. "What do you mean?"

Reena sighed. "Oye, Shin, don't you remember what Sir Genta said before we left for the mission?"

Shin blinked. "What? Razor, explain."

Razor gritted his teeth. "Sir Genta told us not to hurt the villagers. We might need them in the future. He said to gather information peacefully. And we all agreed."

Shin nodded slowly. "Ohhh… and?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'AND'?!" Razor snapped. "We fought the gang members! We broke the only rule he gave us!"

Shin remained expressionless. "Don't say 'we.' You fought them. I just scared them. So technically, you broke the rule."

Razor, enraged, shouted, "IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!"

Before the argument could escalate, Reena stepped between them. Then, the village elder arrived.

Looking around, relieved there was no destruction, he turned to them. "Who are you people?"

One gang member pointed at Shin. "Elder! Elder! He turned into that monster—ZAEERU!"

The elder silenced him with a look. Then, facing the group, he asked, "Why are you here?"

Razor stepped forward. "We came to learn about what happened 800 years ago. They say only your tribe knows the truth behind the name… Nerahoshi."

The villagers froze in shock—including the elder.