Chapter 6: hungry, let's eat first, we'll figure out the rest later.

In the bustling market, with dozens of people constantly coming and going, the familiar figure of a red-haired man was trudging along, heading somewhere.

His wounds, once closed, had reopened, and drops of blood were slowly trickling out.

"Damn, this isn't good. My healing ability is getting weaker."

- *Rumble rumble*- His stomach suddenly rumbled.

"Oh dear, I've been on that mission for three weeks now, and I haven't eaten anything yet."

"Then I have to rescue some Elf girl, and then I have to fight a bunch of robots and mutants who just popped out of nowhere... sigh."

"Sniff sniff..." Akazuha smelled food in the air. "This smell is..."

"Hey, Master, do you smell anything?"

<♤♤♤>

==A Cheap Restaurant==

"Oh my god, there's a restaurant here! How convenient!"

Akazuha trudged into the small roadside restaurant, his body aching from the battle with the monsters, the pain intensifying.

As he entered, the delicious aroma of food assaulted his nostrils, making his stomach rumble.

"Let's see..." He picked up the menu and began ordering.

"Waiter, I'll have a large steak with rice!"

"Hey, have you chosen anything yet, partner?"

The robot said nothing, so Akazuha handed it the restaurant's menu. By some miraculous means, it actually took the menu.

A few minutes later, the food was placed on his table.

The juicy steak had turned a golden brown after cooking, still steaming, and next to it was a plate of rice, a lot of rice.

"Alright, let's eat!"

Akazuha used his fork to cut the meat, then neatly sliced ​​it with a small knife. He put a piece into his mouth, and the delicious flavor immediately spread throughout his mouth.

"Mmm, good, better than I expected."

"Why didn't I know about this restaurant?"

"Maybe it's a new place."

He kept taking one piece after another, but even after finishing, he still felt unsatisfied, so he ordered more dishes.

"Give me five more giant steaks, and a few plates of fried rice, enough for five people."

"Oh, and a large glass of cold beer too."

When the food was served, he ate at his usual terrifying speed, Akazuha devouring each bite, sauce splattering all over his mouth.

The surrounding customers whispered, and the waiter gaped at the man sitting at table number 34.

But eating so fast could easily lead to choking, though luckily he had a cold beer to save him.

"Phew... I'm so full..."

"Hey, if you don't eat fast, I'll eat your food!" Is this kid stupid? How can a robot eat?

Wow, even a robot actually opens its mouth to eat! How amazing.

Akazuha raised the arm with the longest gash, the wound healing at a speed visible to a normal person.

"Alright, let's pay and go."

"Huh... my wallet... where did it go?"

He rummaged in his left pocket. "It's not there." He fumbled in his right pocket. "Not there either!"

"Hey, do you have my wallet?" The robot shook its head.

Suddenly, he had a bad feeling.

"My wallet is gone..."

"Could it be..."

<♤♤♤>

"Hey, A.H.M 2008, are you still alive?" A robotic voice echoed in the void.

"Um... uh..." Emilia slowly opened her eyes.

"A.H.M 2007, A.H.M 2003..."

The tall, muscular black-clad figure was codenamed A.H.M 2007, while the one codenamed A.H.M 2003 was a water buffalo even bigger than the other, and of course, both were wearing suits of armor suited to their fighting abilities.

"That guy... he's really strong... I underestimated him..."

Emilia said in a strained voice.

"A.H.M 2003, take this girl back, I'll deal with the others." The black panther looked into the distance, where a D-rank adventure team was approaching.

"I'll warm up a bit and then find that red-haired guy." His muscles bulged and thrashed. "I really want to fight him, he ha ha ha ha."

He stomped his foot, and the ground beneath him instantly cracked, a few rocks flying up as he sped away at supersonic speed.

<♤♤♤>

The restaurant suddenly fell silent. All eyes were on Akazuha, who was stunned to find he had no money to pay.

A tall waiter approached, his face stern. "Sir, if you don't have money, we'll have to..."

BOOM!

A loud explosion from outside shook the restaurant. The window shattered, and a heavily slashed corpse flew into the restaurant, causing the diners to scream in panic.

Akazuha turned her head to look outside, her eyes, hidden behind a veil, narrowed. "Wow, are all these adventurers just here for show?"

He approached the corpse. "Hey, are you alright?"

The mutilated body began to gasp for breath. "Be...be...careful, he's...coming...there..."

On the street, the shadowy figure of A.H.M 2007 emerged from the dust and smoke. The black panther, over two meters tall, wore a gleaming black armor that clung to its muscular body. Its cold, golden eyes swept over the panicked crowd.

"I smell his blood..." A deep, husky voice emanated from his mouth. "And the smell of...steak?"

A.H.M 2007 turned its gaze towards the diner, its eyes meeting Akazuha's as she bent down to treat the body with healing potions.

"This is alright." He gently laid the body down.

"Found him." A hideous grin spread across the half-human, half-trunked face. Beast.

He burst into the restaurant and prepared to attack him.

Akazuha, who had spotted him long ago, raised her hand to stop him.

He sighed, stood up, and said, "Hey buddy, can you wait while I pay for something?"

"Hey owner, I promise I'll pay later." "Now then..." He pulled the man out of the shop. "...I have business to attend to."

He turned to the robot. "You stay there, you co-op!"

A.H.M 2007 said nothing, only stomped his foot. The concrete pavement cracked, and he vanished from his grasp.

Akazuha raised his hand to block just in time.

BAM!

An invisible punch landed on his palm, the force so strong it pushed him back three steps.

"That's fast," Akazuha muttered, a slight smirk on his lips. "But still far from my senior brother's."

A.H.M 2007 stomped again, spun around, and unleashed a barrage of punches at him.

This time, Akazuha was prepared. He didn't try to block, but instead dodged. The black panther's punch pierced through the air, creating a sonic boom.

"Impressive speed." Akazuha said, maintaining a safe distance, "But you only know how to throw predictable attacks; you're really lacking in creativity."

"You dare mock me?" A.H.M 2007's voice turned into a growl.

"No, just a comment." Akazuha raised his hands, assuming a defensive stance. "Hey, before we fight, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"You came from that pile of rubble over there, right? Did you pick up my wallet, the black one with the 'X' on it?"

A.H.M 2007 paused for a second, then let out a hoarse laugh. "Idiot." "What do I need your wallet for?"

"So, it's not yours," Akazuha nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. "Luckily, I don't like people like you touching my wallet anyway."

"It probably fell somewhere. Alright, now..." His eyes turned cold. "...I'll finish you off quickly, then I'll go find my wallet."

A.H.M 2007 roared and lunged again. But this time, Akazuha didn't dodge.

He took a step forward, his right hand arcing out in a strange curve. As A.H.M 2007's punch was about to hit his chest, Akazuha's hand lightly tapped his opponent's wrist, deflecting it.

Whoosh! The punch missed Akazuha's shoulder.

"Tai Chi," Akazuha said, his foot rotating slightly, his hand pulling A.H.M 2007's arm. "Using softness to overcome hardness."

A.H.M 2007 lost its balance. Before it could understand what was happening, a light kick to its heel sent it tumbling to the ground.

"You... what kind of trick did you use?" The black panther scrambled to its feet, its voice filled with anger and confusion.

"I didn't use any trick," Akazuha shook his head. "This is my martial art."

"A guy who only knows how to use speed like you probably doesn't know anything about martial arts, huh?"

A.H.M 2007 roared, this time attacking with a series of lightning-fast kicks. But Akazuha was like a willow tree in the wind, swaying with each attack without being hit.

"Tsk." Akazuha sighed, still dodging easily. "Didn't learn anything from that defeat, tsk, I'm really not good at being anyone's teacher."

"Alright, let me show you the real difference between us."

He stopped dodging.

A.H.M 2007's next kick landed directly on Akazuha's chest.

But Akazuha didn't fly. He didn't even take a step back.

"This," Akazuha said, grabbing A.H.M 2007's leg. "Let me return the favor."

And he spun around, using his opponent's own strength, punching the black panther dozens of meters away, slamming it into a wall.

A cloud of dust rose. When it settled, A.H.M 2007 was standing, but his armor was cracked in several places.

"Impossible..." Its voice was full of disbelief. "You can't be stronger than me!"

"Don't say something so obvious."

He raised his hand, his index finger pointing directly at A.H.M 2007. "You are a product of technology, of calculation. But fighting isn't mathematics. It's an art."

A.H.M 2007 roared, this time his whole body glowing, activating his full power. "I'll show you... my true power!"

"If you insist," Akazuha sighed. "Alright. I'll end this battle quickly, after all, I still have to find my wallet."

The black panther lunged forward, twice as fast as before, creating a black streak in the air.

Akazuha stood still.

Waiting until his opponent was only a meter away, he subtly shifted to the side, a small, delicate movement.

His right hand rose, his fingers closing tightly.

Swish!

The sound was like a knife cutting through paper.

A.H.M 2007 stopped abruptly, standing motionless in the middle of the road. Then, slowly, it knelt down. A small but deep cut appeared on its throat.

"Falcon Slash," Akazuha said, his voice calm. "I've only temporarily severed your nerve connection by striking a pressure point; you'll recover in a few hours."

He turned to leave, but stopped after a few steps. "Oh, and next time you want to challenge me, wait until I've finished eating, goodbye."

Akazuha walked towards the restaurant, leaving A.H.M 2007 motionless on the road. He looked inside and saw the owner trembling behind the counter.

"I'm sorry for the trouble," Akazuha said, bowing slightly. "I really don't have any money, but I can work to pay off my debts. I can help a lot."

The owner looked at him, then at the monster lying motionless on the road, and shook his head. "Okay... it's free for you. Just please don't come back again."

"Really? Thanks!" Akazuha smiled, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot about you."

He picked up the robot again.

"Now let's go find my wallet. There are 15 gold coins in it; they're very precious to me."

He turned to face the street, looking around.

"Where's that slum?"

"Bull Charge!"

Suddenly, Akazuha heard someone unleashing a special attack behind him. He turned around and saw a gigantic figure charging towards him.

Bang!

With just one powerful charge, Akazuha was sent flying hundreds of kilometers away.

"Hey, are you okay?" The one who had charged Akazuha was A.H.M 2003.

End of Chapter 6