Battle For Trust

Slade and his crew laughed in Tim's face as he listened to his foolishness, as they characterized it. "You think you can beat me in a one-on-one fight? Have you lost your mind? You will not be able to defeat a man like myself as an outsider."

"Yeah, sure I can. Based on my skill level, I can probably complete it in under a minute." Even though Tim's remarks seemed absurd to them, they felt compelled to be scared and curious. "Kid, you're as insane as they come, but I'll honor your wish and carry it out by killing you and destroying this hamlet."

"Yo, Ayuka! Would you set a timer for me? Make a one-minute countdown." Tim's abrupt statements astonished and perplexed Ayuka, but she drew out her phone and promised to click the timer button when the battle began.

"You truly have a bad tongue kid, criticizing me isn't going to help you win." As he drew the cutlass, Slade's hysterical reaction swept the field. "You don't even have a weapon,"

Tim eventually opened his palm and stretched it to the side in that split second, and orange flames began to swirl around his hand extending up to the shoulder. "Oh, really?"

The flames that had engulfed half of Tim's body began to form, revealing a long black sword with a grip and a long red threat wriggling behind his back. The pirates' expressions changed from horror to bewilderment, and their flinching bodies trembled in a line nonstop. "Did that weapon come from his body?!"

He grasped the sword's handle and spun it next to his shoulder, creating a powerful gust, before sweeping the blade forward and pointing the sharp tip at the pirates. "It's ginormous!"

"So many blades have been shattered in the time I've fought, yet I've never found a weapon that met my expectations. This one, on the other hand, was fashioned from my own aura rather than the "Holy Light's" powers, "Jigoku""

"Are you a blacksmith? I guess you have some fascinating traits regarding your body." Although the response was not spoken aloud, it was obvious in his eyes as Tim asked for the appropriate contribution. "Ayuka, start the timer..." The timer began counting down from 60 seconds the instant Tim's last word reached the final letter.

"You're a complete moron." Slade hoisted the sword over his head, unimagining what Tim's true strength appeared to be, and began building up a pulse that sparked outward over his head, causing his men to back away. "That's the captain's main attack, which has killed so many people; it should be enough to finish this youngster!" the crew quipped, underestimating our hero's actual capability.

And so it started. Tim leaned his body forward in a steady motion as the arm in which he held the sword continued to produce the orange fire; it curled up an intense force, enough to split the earth, and Tim supported the blade with his other arm, which he kept to the side of his right hip.

Quaking the floor with his sole, he sped across it with a high-speed dash, increasing the fire's pressure and wreaking havoc on the uneven ground.

The pirates were shocked by his uncontainable strength, and he approached Slade at a breakneck speed while speeding down his flaming tunnel.

He pointed the sharp edge of his longsword at Slade's neck, adding a rotational motion to the hilt, and with a pulsating fire, he abrupted his force enough for Slade's eyes to open wide and shake.

Tim swiped toward Slade's neck with a terrifying expression, nearly decapitating his head just as he was about to avoid it, but the quick cut seriously shredded Slade's flesh on his skin, and the flames rushed up like wildfire, engulfing Slade and his army in an inferno.

Without being able to withstand such a fierce blaze, the burning, screaming, and wailing bodies began collapsing and dying one by one, regretting their decision.

Tim's calm body in the midst of the inferno didn't quiver, and after witnessing the humiliated Slade fall to his knees, he straightened his body and attached his blade up on his back, still holding the hilt, his eyes closed casually.

The timer was stopped at 54 seconds because it appeared that he had won in only 6 seconds. "Man, I was hoping to beat my previous record of 5 seconds... suppose I goofed it in one of my actions..."

When the civilians saw Tim's amazing strength, they were stunned and terrified. "You're telling me that this funny man slashed his way through these pirates in a single swing?! Is that even possible?!"

"This kid... he's not like the rest! Are we sure he can be trusted?! We'd never be able to defeat him with that much strength!"

"Are you insane?! Isn't it obvious what he did?! We're in his depth, he helped us, he defeated those pirates instead of us!"

"He can simply pretend to aid us and then murder us after we share our food, no way! If we give him food, he'll kill us!"

"That's got to be it! He doesn't have the strength to kill us all; if we feed them, they'll annihilate us!"

"He couldn't have beaten those pirates so easily if he didn't have enough strength, and we didn't even stand a chance, he could wipe us out any second!"

As he listened to several people's complaints, an anger symbol appeared on the side of his forehead, and his irritated white eyes widened. After more listening, he finally turned around.

"Are you stupid?! I told you I wasn't coming to harm you or wipe out this small community! You must learn who to trust and who not to trust; do I appear to be a villain to you?!" While he yelled, the citizens lined up and hugged each other, releasing hot steam from his nose.

"So, am I, Am I?! Do I look like one of those shady losers?!"

The fields were deafeningly silent.

...

"...yes..."

He broadened his rage and screamed even louder, frightening the crowd even more. "Why are you so naive? If I really wanted to kill you, I'd do it before you could even breathe!"

As Codey intervened, the others stared at Tim, their arms crossed, seeming unimpressed.

"He's making things up..."

"Indeed!"

To his allies, the voice faded. "Fight me! I'm going to kick your ass! You're not afraid are you?" Ayuka stepped behind Tim at that precise moment, her arm pressed on his shoulder. "Look, we get it; you're upset; nonetheless, you shouldn't be aggressive..., right Tim?"

While bending forward, he listened in silence and bewildered thoughts. "I guess you're right..."

"Good..."

She furiously raised her arm.

"Then shut up!!!"

As Tim lay knocked out on the floor with a bump on his head, the rebounding sound of a massive impact over his head reverberated throughout the town.

"Everything is good now as you can see! He won't do anything now, so please share some food with us." Ayuka smiled sweetly in response to the request, while the others gazed at her blankly.

"She's a whole lot worse than that kid..."

Hearing that infuriated Ayuka, who yelled angrily at them. "What did you say?! Say that one more time, I'll kick your asses instead!"

The folks hugged each other and quickly stopped talking because of the frightening expression on her face.

"The day's becoming increasingly fascinating..." Laughed Codey as he held his chin.

"Are we sure we're innocent with these two around?" Nina was perplexed, her sweat trickling down her brow.

Jaro moved up with an explanation and appreciation right in the thick of Ayuka's yelling. "We appreciate your assistance and will gladly share as much food as you desire. You are also invited to spend the night here."

Ayuka's expression relaxed in the midst of her rage, and she looked at Jaro, slightly ashamed by her behavior. "You're welcome, and thank you very much,"

Jaro glanced at Tim's resting body after she returned the gratitude. "Will he be okay, you smacked 'em quite hard?"

Ayuka locked her gaze on Tim and snatched his collar, bringing him close to her breast, whose face appeared beaten and he muttered. "Don't worry about him! As soon as he gets some food, he'll be fine, hehe!"

Jaro and the townspeople made a magnificent lunch for their friendly visitors, and Tim, who had recovered from the strike, was among them, stirring the food into his mouth and devouring it from every corner, while Codey did the same.

Tim ate all of his food while they feasted together, then quickly snatched Codey's after he looked away, and when he turned to resume eating, Codey found the one meat gone.

He locked his focus on Tim, who had crammed his mouth so full that Codey reached out and grabbed the food. "Hey, that was my food!"

Tim was furious with Codey as he complained about stolen food, but Codey retaliated by shouting. "You snatched mine, fool!"

Tim continued to steal until Codey became furious, at which time they began yelling and fighting with their arms, grabbing, pulling, and pushing each other.

Meanwhile, Elliott was immersed in admiring the lovely women who surrounded them. "Oh, your beauty only makes me want to start cooking meals with a graceful aroma, and the scent of you makes me want to write out my true feelings for you!"

Nina and Ayuka were the only ones that behaved properly. "Their behaviour like children will almost certainly ruin our reputation and the trust of the public..." Ayuka stretched and listened to Nina's chuckles and reaction while slowly filling her mouth with food.

"At the very least, it's not boring around them!" After exchanging confused looks with Nina, Ayuka instantly retaliated with a smile. "That's for sure!"

Others welcomed them as citizens and friends as a result of it.

"Everyone, today we met some wonderful travelers who spared our village from destruction! Make sure to cheer them up and tell them everything!" Finally, people's joyful yells broke through the room's walls, and our heroes gained someone's trust.

To be continued...