Left in Rage

An old man.

The moment the old man arrived, the air around them shifted.

He didn't wear a uniform. No armor, no weapons. Just a simple dark coat over casual clothing. And yet—

Every TERRA agent in the vicinity immediately bowed their heads.

A silent, instinctive show of respect.

He was no Awakened, no superhuman—but his presence? It stood shoulder to shoulder with those who ruled the battlefield.

One of the agents stiffened and spoke, his voice carefully measured.

"Vice President."

Akira's eyes narrowed.

Vice President?

TERRA had five high-ranking officials, second only to the Director himself. And this man—this normal-looking old man—was one of them?

The agent hesitated before continuing. "What brings you here, sir?"

The old man exhaled, placing his hands behind his back.

"I was taking a walk."

His voice was deep, calm—but carried an unshakable weight.

"Then I heard the commotion… and came to see what happened."

Then—his eyes landed on Akira.

A cold, calculating gaze. Dark pupils, sharp as blades.

He studied him. Measured him.

And then—

"What I saw was… truly astonishing."

A quiet statement, yet it felt like it shook the air.

But before anything else could be said—

A small voice broke the tension.

"Grandpa!"

Akira's eyes widened slightly.

The agents, too, reacted in surprise.

The girl beside him—Lorea—had suddenly rushed forward.

Straight to the Vice President.

He turned, his expression softening instantly.

"My dear Lorea. I'm glad you're okay."

She threw herself into his embrace.

"Grandpa, it was really scary…" she whispered, gripping his coat tightly.

The old man gently patted her back, his presence suddenly feeling less overwhelming—more human.

"Grandma, who was that man?" she asked, her voice trembling. "He—he killed people… He was insane!"

The Vice President's gaze darkened for a brief moment.

"Don't worry. You're safe now."

Then—he glanced back at Akira.

"And I should thank someone for that."

His eyes locked onto him again.

Akira stayed silent.

Something about this man—something dangerous—kept him on edge.

Then, the Vice President spoke again.

"What do we have here?"

His tone was calm, but the agent in charge visibly tensed.

"Sir, the suspect was an Awakened. We're currently verifying his identity, but—"

The old man raised a hand.

The agent immediately stopped talking.

Then—he stepped forward.

Closer.

Closer.

Until he was face-to-face with Akira.

The old man was shorter than him. Thinner. By all logic, he should be insignificant.

And yet—

Akira felt the weight of countless years of experience pressing against him.

It wasn't mana.

It wasn't aura.

It was something else.

The Vice President's voice was calm, yet absolute.

"You were the one who took him down, correct?"

Akira didn't flinch.

"That's right."

The old man gave a slow nod. Then, with a thoughtful tone, he continued,

"You know… only STARS with specific classifications are permitted to fight outside of dungeons."

The moment those words left his mouth, Akira's eyes sharpened.

A pause.

Then—

"What is that?"

His voice was cold, uninterested.

The entire area seemed to freeze.

The agents. The girl.

Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief.

The Vice President's lips twitched as if he wanted to laugh but held himself back.

One of the agents quickly stepped forward.

"It's the classification system we use," he explained. "Since we verified your identity with Silver Aegis, that part checks out, but—"

The agent hesitated.

"You don't possess the legal license to use your abilities outside of dungeons or designated battle zones in public areas. That means we… we need to contain you as well."

Silence.

Akira blinked.

His fingers twitched slightly.

"What?"

His mind processed their words at lightning speed.

"I saved these people."

"I defeated that bastard before they even arrived."

"And now they want to 'contain' me? Because of some document I don't have?"

He scoffed.A low, humorless chuckle.

"Huh?"

His tone darkened. His eyes, sharp and cold, swept across the agents before landing back on the Vice President.

His fingers clenched.

"You mean to tell me…" he spoke slowly, venom in every syllable,

"I put that lunatic down before any of you arrived—"

His voice grew heavier.

"I even saved her."

He pointed straight at Lorea.

She flinched.

"And you…"

His gaze returned to the Vice President.

"Still want to contain me?"

The agent hesitated, but forced himself to speak.

"It's part of the rules. We don't have a choice."

Tch.

Akira's jaw tightened.

His pulse slowed—his breathing, steady.

Then—

BOOM!

A shockwave erupted from his body.

A white aura burst outward, swallowing the air like a living force.

The ground beneath his feet cracked. The agents staggered backward, instinctively reaching for their weapons.

Akira's eyes gleamed, burning like a predator's under moonlight.

His voice, low and deadly, cut through the silence.

"Try me."

The weight of his words sent a chill through the air.

The tension skyrocketed.

No one dared to move.

The Vice President?

He simply watched.

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

And then—

He stepped forward.

Closer.

Until he stood directly in front of Akira.

His dark, aged eyes locked onto him with an unreadable expression.

Then—

"Grandpa…!" Lorea gasped in worry, gripping her hands together.

The old man, however, remained composed.

"Don't worry," he said, his voice steady.

"I'll fix this."

His gaze locked onto Akira.

Then, with an authoritative tone, he turned to the remaining agents.

"Take the criminal with you. Leave two agents behind to question civilians and gather more evidence."

The agents hesitated.

"But sir, what about—"

"I said go. Directly."

A sharp command. No room for argument.

The agents exchanged glances.

And then—

They saluted.

"Understood, sir!"

They hurriedly securing the unconscious, one-armed figure before departing.

Only two remained, already shifting their focus to questioning the horrified onlookers.

With that settled, the old man turned back to Akira.

Within moments—

Only the old man, Akira, and Lorea remained.

Now, it was quiet.

The tension, however, still lingered thick in the air.

The Vice President exhaled and turned to Akira.

"Can we talk now?"

His tone was lighter.

Before Akira could respond, he glanced at his granddaughter.

"Lorea, step away for a moment. Give us some privacy."

"Just a few meters away. Close enough that you can see us, but not hear."

She nodded and walked off, still glancing back at them with worry.

Once she was far enough—

The old man turned fully to Akira.

His expression hardened.

"First, I'll speak to you as the Vice President of TERRA."

Akira remained still, arms crossed, eyes unreadable.

"What you did can get you into serious trouble. Prevent it from happening again—or get yourself a classification ID. If you had one, none of this would've been an issue."

Akira scoffed.

"So I need permission to protect people now?"

The old man didn't flinch.

"We have this law for a reason. Awakened abuse their powers for personal gain. In a world that's already descending into chaos, do you think we can let anyone with power do as they please?"

Akira didn't answer.

Because deep down—he knew the old man wasn't wrong.

Still—

The Vice President continued.

"Second."

His eyes darkened.

"Even if you were classified, you still broke another law. No matter the circumstances, you cannot injure another Awakened or human to that extent. What you did…"

He gestured at the blood-stained ground where the severed arm once lay.

"…Was beyond what is legally allowed."

Akira's expression didn't change.

Instead—

He spoke coldly.

"What?"

The old man's voice remained firm.

"No matter how many people he killed—you still don't have the right to do what you did. Only S-ranks and above can bypass that restriction."

Akira's pupils shrank slightly.

"What?"

"S-ranks and beyond are considered too important to restrict."

The old man's voice carried something bitter now.

"If we try to control them, they could turn on us. And if they did, nothing could stop them."

Akira's face twisted.

A deep, violent disgust rose in his chest.

"So what you're saying is…"

His tone turned sharp.

"If you're strong enough, the law doesn't apply to you?"

Silence.

The Vice President's gaze didn't waver.

"That's bullshit," Akira muttered.

"It's the reality we live in," the old man replied.

"One you'll have to accept, whether you like it or not."

For a moment—Akira wanted to snap.

But before he could say anything—

The old man did something unexpected.

He bowed his head.

"Now i will say this not as the VICE PRESIDENT OF TERRA BUT AS HUMAN AND GRANDPA"

"Thank you for protecting my granddaughter."

Akira stiffened.

The Vice President—one of the most powerful men in TERRA—was bowing his damn head.

But then—

He raised it again and his next words shattered everything.

"And just between you and me…"

A small smirk tugged at his lips.

"Fuck the law."

Akira blinked.

"What?"

The old man chuckled darkly.

"Those inhuman bastards deserve to be torn apart. I'm glad you severed his arm. Frankly, he deserved a hell of a lot more than that."

Akira's mind reeled this was not the response he expected.

"Huh…"

The Vice President's smirk widened.

"That's right. When the opportunity arises and filth like him appears again—"

His voice dropped lower.

His eyes gleamed.

"If you have the power to stop them, then do it. Crush them. Destroy them."

The air around them thickened.

"As long as you don't kill them—I'll cover for you."

Silence.

Akira stood there, staring at the old man.

Trying to process the complete contradiction before him.

He was supposed to be some high-ranking official. A man who upheld the law.

Yet—

Here he was.

Giving him permission to rip apart criminals.

As long as they didn't die.

Akira exhaled.

"I appreciate this"

The Vice President 

"Thank you again." As turned to leave.

But then—

"Wait."

He glanced back at Akira.

"Give me your name."

Akira frowned.

"I need to know the man I'll be covering for."

A pause.

Then—

"Akira Shoto."

The old man's eyes flickered with something unreadable.

"Are you by any chance related to—"

But Akira didn't answer.

He simply raised a hand—half a wave—before turning away.

Lorea's voice suddenly called out to him.

"I hope we meet again, crazy boy!"

Akira didn't turn back didn't reach