I Woke Up 120 Years After The Apocalypse-Chapter 32: Oathbearers (1)

Akram turned his gaze toward Yashyn, searching for an answer. He saw neither shock nor surprise in his body language.

"I told you my blade was perfect."

"F-fuck... Where did you even find that?!"

Akram was completely lost, unable to follow the exchange between the two men.

"But what are you even talking about?"

Plumrol locked eyes with Akram. Fear showed in his gaze—a kind he had never displayed in six months of life in Vulkania.

"What that stickman had at his belt is a legendary weapon, forged by a MYTHICAL blacksmith!"

Plumrol then gave Akram a brief history lesson.

Weapons of the Fumetsu model—indestructible in English—are considered the finest weapons ever created since the Great Betrayal.

They were forged a few years after that infamous event by a blacksmith long forgotten, whose name survives only in songs and old nursery rhymes passed down for decades. His name was Liska.

His weapons are made from an unknown metal. They do not rust, do not dull, and only break in extremely rare cases. They have endured for over a century.

Reproducing them today is impossible. Many blacksmiths have tried, never even coming close to Liska’s mastery.

"What the hell is that monkey doing with a masterpiece like this?!"

"Fuck off."

Intrigued, Akram stepped closer and examined the blade himself. After a few moments, his eyes widened.

"Kirium..."

"What?"

"It’s kirium, Plumrol. The metal... it’s kirium!"

Akram explained the origin of kirium. A metal invented in his era, combining the lightness and workability of aluminum with the strength of steel and carbon.

Plumrol grabbed Akram’s hand, almost dropping to his knees.

"Can you reproduce it? Kirium?! I want to forge weapons with it... I can do it!"

Akram hesitated, caught off guard by the old blacksmith’s sudden intensity, then answered.

"I don’t know... maybe. But it’s extremely complex. You’ll have to be patient."

Plumrol’s joy vanished instantly, like a child being denied a toy.

"You can’t make it go faster...?"

Akram rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

"Mhmm... The most effective way to properly analyze the process would be to recover several Fumetsu weapons. Or relics that contain kirium."

The blazing fire of Plumrol’s curiosity reignited instantly.

"PERFECT! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO, BOSS!!"

"In the meantime... I’ll take very good care of this little beauty. Oh yes... oh yes, my precious..." Plumrol murmured, doting on Yashyn’s patched blade.

Akram then turned toward the bounty hunter, suspicion written all over his face.

"You didn’t look surprised... You knew?"

Yashyn shrugged again.

"The guy who gave it to me said it was a legendary weapon... so yeah, I’m not that surprised."

"Where did you get it?"

"Right next to the place where they sell ’mind-your-fucking-business, kid.’"

With those gentle words, Yashyn took his leave, leaving Akram alone with his questions. Akram watched him walk away, clearly unsatisfied.

In turn, Akram left Plumrol alone with his new partner and headed toward the research center, the place where he spent most of his time outside of training.

As he stepped inside, he saw Leyla and Nezra working on the various projects Akram had designed to push Vulkania forward technologically.

"Well, Akram, already back?"

"Oh Akram! There you are, I’ve got tons of things to show you!"

Akram sat down at his workbench and began reviewing his prosthetic.

Nezra stepped closer, blueprints in hand and a wide, confident smile on her lips. She placed them in front of him, hands on her hips, clearly proud.

"Mhmm... What’s this?"

"A weapon prototype for the guards! Based on the system you installed in your prosthetic’s palm!"

Akram shook his head, unconvinced.

"You know weapons aren’t the priority, Nezra. Energy production and automation come first."

Nezra frowned, clearly disagreeing.

"And what do we do if the Sand Bandits attack? The Rushers? Or even Screamers?"

"We’ll deal with it like we always have. The turrets will be more than enough."

"For how long?! Dangers keep piling up, Akram..."

Akram lifted his head, leaned back in his chair, and sighed deeply.

"You’re usually pleasant. Why do you get so stubborn when it comes to weapons?"

"Pfff... You could at least correct my calculations... please?"

Akram hesitated, then gave in, unable to ignore Nezra’s pleading look.

"We’ll see when I have time..."

Nezra smiled slightly, satisfied, then turned away, leaving her plans on the bench.

Akram refocused on his prosthetic.

It had nothing in common with the first version he’d recovered from a Rusher’s corpse. He had worked on it alongside his training, reinforcing the structure, removing rusted components, refining and lightening the entire limb while increasing its durability.

A true technological gem, one he was undeniably proud of.

Leyla then approached and sat down across from him, concern written on her face.

"You okay? Why are you so distant?"

"I just got here, Leyla. I haven’t even said anything yet."

"You know exactly what I mean."

Her firm tone always impressed Akram. She was the only one who truly stood up to him, and the only one who truly understood him.

He looked up at her.

"Do you feel ready to face the Oathbearers?"

"I don’t know... honestly. Were six months enough? I won’t know until I see my opponent."

Leyla stepped closer and placed her hands on his arms, squeezing his biceps. Akram nearly blushed and pulled back in surprise.

"H-HEY! W-What are you doing?!"

Leyla smiled, teasing.

"What I see is that in six months, you’ve built some muscle."

Nezra watched the two of them from the corner of her eye, a hint of jealousy creeping onto her face.

"So, Akram... what’s the plan after the Oathbearers?"

"Mhmm... For now, the priority is waking Emy. If she’s with us, our productivity and progress will double. She’s essential."

"Oh yeah? And you never really explained... who is this Emy to you?"

"She’s the one who taught me everything I know. The one who developed my talent for research. I wouldn’t be here without her."

Leyla’s eyes narrowed slightly. That wasn’t exactly the answer she was looking for.

"And... do you have any idea how to get her out of the cryopod?"

"I have several theories. But I’d need to test them in the field. That’s impossible right now—there’s no way we relive what we went through."

Leyla nodded, briefly lost in thought, then stood up.

"Go get some rest, okay? Yashyn’s right, you need to be in top shape."

"Alright. See you later!"

***

Three days later.

After three long days of waiting, uncertainty, and tension, the moment finally arrived.

Akram stood tall at the entrance of the colony, before the reinforced gates.

Behind him stood Yashyn and Zofyan, rigid and silent, waiting alongside their leader.

"They’re coming!" Baron shouted from the watchtower.

In the distance, Akram finally saw the Oathbearer legion advancing toward Vulkania.

They had earned their reputation. They were only about ten, but each radiated fierce, animal strength—powerful builds, light red cloth armor exposing more skin than metal.

When they reached the gates, they stopped abruptly. One individual stepped forward, more imposing than the others.

"Who is the leader of this colony?!" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Akram stepped forward, hand resting on his sheathed blade, gaze cold.

He was about to face an opponent stronger than any he had encountered so far, at least on the level of the bandit leaders he had never managed to defeat in single combat.