Chapter 5: Beat Everyone Up.

His Tohoku dialect somehow acting up in Korean, Takeo smiled. It had been quite a while since he said that line.

"H-huh? What the hell!?"

"F*ck!"

"He was the third strongest of us!"

Meanwhile, the delinquents still seemed to be processing the whole situation. Looking down at the pudgy-nosed guy in horror, they realized that they might have gotten into the way of another... Dangerous figure.

"Enough said? Not gonna introduce yourselves? Sad. But let's take it outside, I'm fond of this place's chicken. It's pretty good." Mockingly flicking a thug's chin, the ponytail beckoned for them to go outside.

"Sure…. Why not~ Fighting a poor cripple like me in an enclosed space is so mean!" Takeo stared at the grey-haired teen in amusement. The "Iron Cane" attempted to make a cute innocent face, as he grabbed his back, hobbling forwards in an overexaggerated manner.

"Y-yyes!" The thugs piled towards the door, the two figures following after them.

I don't know who you are, but you seem like a pretty upstanding guy." The grey-haired teen smiled over-enthusiastically, as he snapped the cane against his fingers.

"Oh? I don't know why you seem to be trusting me, but… I also don't really care." Takeo yawned, stretching his arms about. "They just seemed really irritating, and you seem like a pretty interesting guy. I'm Ishii Takeo, from Sendai. We're known for festivals."

"Hm. I'm not much of a fighter, honestly. Got the old bones and stuff, but these big bullies are so mean!" The Iron Cane tapped the door open with his cane, and the two exited. Looking up, the grey-haired teen slapped Takeo on the shoulder. "By the way, I'm Liam Ran. Hailing from the wonderful Gangbuk-gu. You should come by some time, we have wonderful natural sceneries and good sceneries."

"Sure, Bukhansan National Park, right? Seen pictures of the place a few times." Takeo nodded, smiling, as the two of them stopped, staring at the assortment of thugs before them. Despite the difference in numbers, the group was sweating and trembling in fear, a few thugs gritting their teeth, attempting not to run.

"Wow! They didn't run away~ " Scratching his forehead, Liam tossed the cane in the air, staring down the thugs, that evil childish smile on his face.

"Since they aren't introducing themselves, let's just get this over with." Takeo nodded to the grey-haired teen.

"Yup~ Kid's who don't respect their elders should get beatings~," Liam said, cackling evilly.

Without a second thought, the duo charged forwards, running into the small gang of delinquents.

"Raaargh! Get them!"

"Charge!"

"Beat them down! We have numbers!"

*Thoom!*

Takeo's fist blazed through the air, decking a guy in the stomach. The thug spat saliva as he clutched his gut in pain, as the others ran forwards.

*Fwack!*

Deflecting a wooden plank to the side, Liam's cane once again crossed over his shoulder, as he struck down in a deadly swing.

The wooden cane slammed into someone with a dull but loud thud, and the cracking of bones filled the air.

They were in the midst of the fight, and it was a complete beatdown. No one could land a hit on them as they fought. Takeo's fists blurred as he rained down relentless blows on the thugs, each hit landing solid.

Raising his foot, he kicked a teen in the chest, sending him tumbling over alongside a few others.

Twisting his neck, a weak blow flew through the air next to him, harmlessly hitting air. Quirking his eyebrow, Takeo's fist blurred as it smashed into the punks head, blood spraying about.

Whipping about, his fist smashed into another delinquent, wiping the poor guy out before he could blink. Grabbing a fleeing guy by the neck, he slammed the dude into the asphalt, the floor below cracking.

The Sendai native whirled about, elbowing another guy, who had attempted to sneak up behind to the ground. Smirking, he wiped some blood off his palm, before snapping his right fingers.

It was a random gesture, with no real meaning, but as soon as that sound entered the delinquent gang's ears, they froze up. Liam turned as he gagged a thug, cane wrenching around the guy's throat. "Damn…." The grey-haired teen whistled in admiration.

The pony-tailed foreigner had taken down three guys in about two seconds. The efficiency and accuracy too…. It was as if the thugs were attacking in slow-motion. Or that this guy just had god-speed reflexes.

Takeo grinned as the thugs stared at him with wide eyes. The feeling they were probably feeling…. That warning signal pumping through their brains, telling them to run…. Yet it was as if they had been paralyzed, their feet stuck to the floor.

He'd felt the feeling many times too. That hopelessness that enveloped one when they faced someone they couldn't possibly defeat.

"Ah… I'm getting nostalgic. Well, let's end this, Liam, my friend." Cracking his knuckles, Takeo slowly walked forwards, his fist dripping in red blood.

"Indeed. My back can't take it any longer….. I'm getting old." Wistfully staring into the sky, the grey-haired teen kept on with his lame "elderly man" act, which made him seem quite clownish.

"Yes, yes, yes. We all know about your back. It's a wonder how that mouth of yours is still so young and chipper."Takeo rolled his eyes dramatically, staring at the "statues", before him. It was quite the amazing sight, at least a dozen thugs just frozen in their tracks, sweat dripping down their faces.

"Let's just beat them up, and get this sh*t over with." Rotating his hips about one more time, Liam groaned. It was a strange change of mood, but it seemed that the grey-haired cane-man had grown tired of his own farce.

"W-wait! Don't beat us up! Please!" Suddenly, one of the remaining delinquents, a guy with a baseball cap, dropped his wooden plank to the floor, raising his hands up in surrender.

"And… Why should we not beat you guys up?" Takeo said, in a drab monotone voice.

"We won't try anything! We promise!" Still, in a state of shock, baseball cap waved his hands about, though his feet still seemed to be implanted into the ground, completely unmoving.

Takeo sighed. It had been fun for a bit, but once they started screaming and such, it wasn't worth it anymore. Shrugging, he looked at Liam. "It's up to you. I just intervened because I felt like it."

Considering the frozen thugs for a second, Liam adjusted his messy grey hair, before he slammed his cane into the ground. With a loud echo, the sound of the cane resonated across the stone floor, causing everyone around them to flinch.

"Right~ You probably have some crappy ass excuse. Imma beat you all the f*ck up. Prepare to die~"

Takeo sighed, leaning against a street pole as screams echoed through the neighborhood. Above, the sky was turning a dark blue, it seemed that night was coming. He still had to do his homework. That would be a drag.