I Woke Up 120 Years After The Apocalypse-Chapter 28: New Trainee

Akram thought back to the Vulkans who had chosen to leave the colony in search of a better place. Mostly young women. They could never have imagined what awaited them, falling into the claws of that monster. That thought alone was enough to make Akram snap.

His fists slammed straight into Simeon’s face. He crushed his knuckles mercilessly against every inch of skin, striking so hard and so fast one could almost forget he had only just woken up from a coma.

Baron and Elliot didn’t react right away. Truth be told, they too had hesitated to jump the bandit. But after a few seconds of doubt, they rushed in and grabbed Akram.

"Stop! Stop, Akram! He’s had enough, it’s over!"

Akram no longer heard them. Rage had taken full control. Each time his knuckles smashed into his enemy, he growled like a wild animal. The sharp sounds of impact soon blended with the sickening noises of flesh breaking and blood splattering from Simeon’s body.

The two men eventually dragged their leader back by force. Akram didn’t get up immediately. Panting heavily, eyes lowered, he didn’t say a word.

"Fuck... shit! Elliot, check if he’s still alive!"

Elliot stepped closer to Simeon, whose body remained slumped in his cage, completely motionless. What he saw made him stagger back a few steps before he vomited on the spot.

"S-Shit, Baron! There’s no way he’s still alive!"

"Fuck... Akram, what the hell did you do?"

For the first time, Baron raised his voice at Akram. His anger matched the gravity of what had just happened.

Akram didn’t react. He simply stood up on his own and walked toward the exit of the cell, dragging his feet.

Several settlers, Leyla among them, rushed inside after hearing the shouting. Akram merely passed between them without a word.

Leyla immediately noticed Akram’s blood-soaked fists.

"Oh no, Akram...!"

She and the others hurried toward the bandit.

"Holy shit... he’s dead. There’s no universe where he’s alive!"

"What happened? Who did this?!"

The news spread through the colony in no time. The original Vulkans couldn’t hide the truth for long and eventually admitted, half-heartedly, that Akram was responsible.

Later that day, the newcomers gathered. Many were openly skeptical about Akram’s ability to lead. His outburst had shaken more than a few.

Baron did his best to calm the crowd and dispel their doubts, but the concerns kept piling up.

"Fuck, that’s our leader? Wow... I don’t even wanna know what he did to the other bandits to make them surrender."

"I didn’t sign up for this. I didn’t leave the lands of one bloodthirsty tyrant just to end up under another."

"On one hand, good riddance to that bastard Simeon... but we needed him, didn’t we? Is this really the genius we were promised?"

"I’m scared for my children..."

Meanwhile, Akram had locked himself inside the HQ, with Leyla and Elliot by his side. True to herself, Leyla didn’t hold back.

"Are you completely fucking stupid or what? You couldn’t control yourself?! WE NEEDED HIM!"

"I know... I don’t know what came over me... He talked... What he said just pushed me over the edge..."

"Yeah well, we’re gonna need a solution, and fast, if we want to keep our workforce and keep growing!"

Akram held his head in his hands, crushed by the guilt of giving in to his anger. And yet, deep down, he felt no remorse.

It wasn’t the first time Akram had taken a life. But that growing numbness didn’t leave him untouched.

The HQ doors opened. Yashyn stepped inside, two people following close behind.

"Hey, lil’ bud, looks like these two wanna help you. They’re new."

The two individuals stepped forward.

The first was a young woman with pale skin and impeccably maintained golden hair. Her delicate features and striking beauty were hard to ignore.

The second was rougher: a middle-aged man with a long red beard and tired eyes, his impressive build hinting at years of hard labor.

The young woman introduced herself first, quickly followed by the red-bearded man.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Nezra. I come from the Sacred Dominion, where I was exiled by the Queen for bringing bad omens."

Leyla narrowed her eyes, staring at Nezra without looking away.

"Plumrol. Blacksmith."

A heavy silence followed that brief introduction. Everyone exchanged looks, as if thinking That’s it?

"I’m from the Underland. With the robots."

He didn’t elaborate, simply clearing his throat before picking his nose.

Yashyn burst out laughing under his mask and picked up the conversation. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Well damn, you really don’t like talking, do you? You forgot the most important part!"

"Akram, these two guys? They’re Devil’s Dealers. Just like you!"

Gasps of surprise echoed through the room.

"What? Devil’s Dealers? Two of them? Here?"

Nezra cleared her throat shyly.

"Yes... That’s exactly why I was banished from the Dominion. But honestly, it suits me. I’ve finally found someone worth fighting for!"

Akram looked at her, inviting her to continue.

"Akram... I mean, Mister Crimson..."

Leyla frowned, tilting her head slightly.

"You came out of nowhere, but people say you’re from the past. You defeated Zarod of the Dunes, a threat even the Oathbearers hadn’t managed to overcome yet... I want to work for you. For Vulkania!"

Akram rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable with his sudden fame.

Leyla gave him a small shove to snap him out of it.

"Uh... Nezra, right?"

"Yes!"

"First of all, no need to call me Mister Crimson or anything like that. It’s Akram. For everyone."

"Alright, Akram." she replied in an almost sweet voice.

Leyla’s frown deepened. She stepped forward, glaring at the young woman.

"You look familiar... Haven’t we met somewhere before?"

Nezra raised an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly, clearly unsettled.

"Uh... No? I don’t think so."

"Mhmm... yeah... I think we have, though..."

The tension in the room thickened. Akram and Elliot exchanged a look before Akram stepped in.

"So... Nezra. Here, no one works for me. We all work for Vulkania."

"Understood, Akram."

"And your relic? What is it? What do you plan to do here?"

"One thing at a time, Akram. I’ll show it once I’m officially one of you."

"As for what I want to do—I’m like you. A researcher. I want to learn as much as possible about ancient technology and help Vulkania grow."

Akram nodded, smiling warmly.

"Good. Looking forward to working together, then."

"Thank you!" she replied, a wide smile on her face.

Akram then turned his attention to Plumrol.

"..."

"..."

"... What?"

"Well? I’m listening. Why do you want to help? What do you want to do here? What’s your relic like?"

"You should’ve asked. I’m not a mind reader."

Leyla’s and Elliot’s temples twitched. This was the first time they had witnessed such blatant disrespect toward Akram.

"You look tough. You beat the shit out of that other bastard. Respect."

"Uh... okay, thanks, I guess. So what do you want to do here?"

"Blacksmith."

"Straight to the point. And that’s good—we needed one."

Plumrol didn’t say another word and turned away, leaving Akram standing there awkwardly.

Off to the side, Yashyn struggled to suppress his laughter.

Elliot and Leyla shot him a death glare. They would’ve already snapped at him if he wasn’t the strongest man in the region.

"Well..." Elliot continued. "What do we do?"

Akram stood up from his chair, stretching his arms. He knew he couldn’t stay seated doing nothing.

"I’m gonna have to go. Make my first public apology sooner than expected..."

"You even know what you’re gonna say? You might make things worse."

Elliot tapped Leyla’s shoulder reassuringly.

"I’m not worried. Akram’s a damn good speaker."

Akram headed for the HQ doors, followed by Leyla, Elliot, and the two newcomers.

Yashyn vanished without a word, having no interest in Vulkanian politics.

Akram opened the door and stepped out into the open. Every settler’s gaze turned toward him, waiting to hear what he had to say.

He took a deep breath.

His first political battle was about to begin.