Hesitantly, he tried to get up again.

,How am I supposed to defeat that thing?´, he wondered.

,I don't know, but I have to try! Everyone in the harbor is counting on me! If I don't stop them now, everyone else will die!´

"Do you need help?" he suddenly heard a voice behind him. He turned around.

It was Koru! The younger brother of Kuro!

Reflexively, Kawao rolled to the side and got shakily to his feet, even though he was still kneeling.

"What do you want? Haven't you had enough?" he asked.

Koru hesitated for a moment.

Then he said, "I want to help you stop my brother!"

Kawao watched him calmly.

"Why? Your brother is insane! How do I know you're not just like him? How do I know you won't stab me in the back at the first opportunity?"

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"Well... I don't have a knife."

"..."

"But you're right! My brother is insane. He's always been that way. Since the death of our parents, he's oppressed me and treated me like a useless slave, which I guess I am."

Kawao listened while the rattling of the tank grew louder.

"I was never as strong-willed as he was. I never dared to stand up to him."

The tank now drove out of the hall by simply crashing through its wall.

"But when I fought you earlier and lost, I... I... For the first time in my life, I felt that someone could stand up to him. You were so angry when I threatened to burn down the harbor. Slowly, I realized that you could put an end to my megalomaniac brother and his plan. So, I'm asking you: Let me fight by your side so I can step out of my brother's shadow! I don't want to be weak anymore and just say yes to everything. I want to be strong!"

Kawao hesitated for a brief moment, then slowly walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You don't need to ask to fight by my side."

Koru looked up at him.

"Alone, I probably wouldn't stand a chance against the two of them. Besides, I no longer feel like you're my enemy."

He turned toward the tank, which was now almost upon them.

"Actually, you seem like a really nice guy. I must have misjudged you! If we get through this, I'd like to get to know you better!"

Koru looked at him hopefully.

"Sure! Let's hang out after this! But first... let's teach my unruly brother a lesson!"

For some reason, Kawao knew immediately that if they survived this, they would become good friends.