Chapter 69: Decisive Fate
[POV from the outside]
"Akayo, how are you?"
The figure in the cloak, several kilometers from the battlefield of heroes and villains, asked in a female voice.
"Just f**ing peachy. Perfect, f*ing perfect, like a bulldozer hit me, and then the f**ing driver decided to put it in reverse and finish the job. What kind of stupid questions are you asking? And call me Lancer!"
A man in a blue bodysuit answered irritably, cursing. With dark blue hair, red eyes, an athletic build, and a cocky smirk, he would have looked like a rebellious youth. Would have, if he weren't currently covered in sweat, his skin gaunt and his eyes sunken. The cigarette he pulled from a pouch attached to his belt trembled in his tension-numbed hand.
"Quit whining, thrower. All you do is throw shit."
"Go f*** yourself, you goddamn voyeur! You're probably always peeping at women's hot springs. But when it comes to helping out a friend... kkh."
The woman, wincing as her partner grabbed his head in pain, said in a confident, almost final-truth-asserting voice.
"True female love and beauty aren't meant for lustful animals like you, men. Only yuri reveals the true truth."
Her voice grew more excited and distant, and the dark-haired man involuntarily grimaced. A second later, he groaned, sitting on the roof.
"Is Trigger already messing you up that bad?"
The woman's voice turned serious, no longer excited. Only professional interest remained as the killer assessed her partner's abilities.
"Not just that. That f**ing clown somehow managed to block my spear. Never happened before. Didn't help him, though. Endeavor burned his f**ing ass."
"I'm not so sure."
Lancer looked at his partner in surprise.
"How the f*** are you not sure? You've got the 'Eyes of God' or some damn binoculars? Or were you having a chuunibyou episode when you named your Quirk?"
"My eyes had trouble seeing him even before, which was strange. Now I can't find even his ashes."
The voice of the Quirk user "Eyes of God" was thoughtful.
"Because Endeavor burned his f***ing ass. Shot him with goddamn plasma, ulted him, did a fatality. And that's after I pierced him with my spear!"
"Pierced him from behind with your 'spear'? I didn't know you liked that."
Hearing the playful female voice, the man's eyes bulged and his face turned crimson.
"You... you... I didn't... Go f*** yourself. Call the boss already. You didn't forget to report to the HPSC, did she?"
Snorting and smiling triumphantly, the girl pushed the strangeness of their new target out of her mind. Even if the target had a regenerative factor, the aftermath of Endeavor's attack and her partner's poison-tipped spear should finish the job.
"Cleaner One to Eden. Target eliminated."
[End POV from the outside]
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Slowly making my way through the sewer to my nearest stash of medical supplies, I tried to stay conscious. The melted mask had been tossed a hundred meters back, blocking my view, and my belt of tools and medicine had been destroyed by that goddamn torch. The rising anger made my vision swim and my legs buckle. I only avoided falling by leaning against the wall.
Crack.
Several small dark-violet lightning bolts ran around the wound in my chest, where the spear remained, though I'd cut off its ends. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. It hurt so much. It hurt. It hurt.
Gritting my teeth, I staggered on. The growing pain throughout my body made my consciousness drift. And it also awakened rage. Especially that goddamn smug look on Endeavor's face. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. Everyone who gets in the way of protecting my precious bonds must be destroyed. The sewer tunnel began to blur. Heroes and villains, countries and people. I didn't care.
"Kkh."
Looking with blurred vision at the black blood at my feet, I grit my teeth until they creaked from the pain shooting through my nerves. I had to keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. I'd bandage the wound at the stash, then send a message to Giran. And he would. And he would. And he would. He'd bring a doctor with a healing Quirk. And then I'd find that goddamn spear thrower and shove his spear up his ass.
"Kkh."
Then I'd absorb him. Him and everyone else. I'd do it. I'm strong. I'll protect my bonds. I'll have a family. I just have to destroy everyone else. All threats to us. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going.
Crack.
My vision went red, and my breath caught from a sudden spike of excruciating pain.
I'll kill you all. Kill you. Kill you. Damn torch. Damn thrower. Damn HYDRA. Damn heroes and villains. Damn world. I hate it. I hate it. Why does it hurt so much?
Step. One more step. One more step. One more step. Keep going. Keep going. For what? Why? I slammed my head against the tunnel wall with force.
What kind of stupid questions? For my loved ones, of course. I must do everything for my precious bonds. Everything. It's so obvious, so elementary. Just like the fact that I'm already crawling. So what if I fell? I'll crawl. Then the first aid kit, and I'll call Giran and the doctor. I heal like a dog. And then I'll take my favorite knife and cut up all the threats. It hurts so much. It hurts. It hurts. It's nothing. It's all for my loved ones. I'll survive. I won't be alone.
My eyes closed. But that didn't matter. I could still see everything thanks to Dark Matter. I just had to keep crawling... further... further...
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[POV Ayame Yoshioka]
"Nee-san, that way."
"Hana-chan, if this is just a joke, you'll be punished."
Sharply turning the wheel, the black-haired girl glanced out of the corner of her eye at her late brother's daughter. Cars with flashing lights raced past, and the streets were full of anxious people. Some cried, some laughed, and some stared in disbelief at monitors showing live footage of the events in Kamino. It seemed no one in the city was unaware of what had happened or indifferent to it. And at a time like this, the older Yoshioka definitely wouldn't have gone outside, nor would she have let Hana. If not for her words.
"/Big brother is in danger. He needs our help./"
Her first reaction was to grab her phone and call Ken. But he didn't answer. A call to Hatsume ended with a worried response that he wasn't home. And watching the little girl with glowing eyes staring into nothing, Ayame broke out in a cold sweat. For some reason, she completely believed her younger relative in that moment.
"Now that way."
Turning the car, the older Yoshioka drove into a residential area. The brunette bit her lip with worry. What happened to Ken? Why was he in danger? Should she have called heroes and an ambulance right away?
"They're hardly available for another missing person right now."
Even from here, she could see the smoke rising from Kamino. The only thing that comforted the girl was that Hana wasn't leading her there. But that also filled her with anxiety. If Ken was in danger, wouldn't they be in danger when they found him?
"Nee-san, stop."
With an audible screech of tires on asphalt, the car stopped.
"Hana-chan, where is he?"
"There."
Ayame stared in confusion at the finger pointing down. But the little girl didn't wait for another question. She jumped out of the car and headed toward a sewer manhole.
"Hana-chan, stop!"
The black-haired girl jumped out and grabbed her younger relative's hand as she tried to lift the steel cover.
"We need to call for help. It's too dangerous to go down alone."
"Nee-san. "
Burning with some mystical light, gray eyes stared into crimson. The girl's voice became so enveloping, so right.
"We have to go down alone. Only then can we save big brother. "
Fascinated, staring into those gray abysses, the black-haired girl could only nod. For some reason, she felt with every fiber of her being that she had to obey the girl just entering her teens.
A few minutes later, they were walking through the sewer tunnel. The older Yoshioka covered her nose with her sleeve, moving quickly behind practically running Hana. The unbearable stench made her eyes water. After a few steps, the black-haired girl noticed strange black stains on the floor. Fifteen meters later, she saw a body lying with an outstretched arm. Dressed in black, half-burned clothing, it reminded her of someone. Only when she saw the characteristic bandages hanging from its arms did she realize who they'd found. A member of the League of Villains. Ticci Micc.
"Hana, stop. He's a vill..."
The girl fell silent. The younger Yoshioka turned the body over.
"How... Ken..."
Slowing down, Ayame dropped to her knees. Staring in disbelief at the burned face of the boy with his eyes closed, she touched him with her hands. The boy's face twitched.
"I... have to... keep going..."
"Ken, wake up."
Trying to shake the boy, the girl felt warm, wet liquid on her hands in horror. With tears welling in her eyes, she finally noticed the deep wound on his chest with a piece of steel sticking out of it. The beat of her heart echoed like a death knell in her ears.
"No. No. No. You can't die. Not like this. NOT LIKE THIS!"
As she screamed, Ayame Yoshioka suddenly felt heavy breathing behind her. Slowly turning her head, she stared at a strange humanoid creature with pale skin and "turned inside out" brains. Its spinning eyes suddenly stopped on her.
"Uaaaaaa. "
[End POV Ayame Yoshioka]
***A/N***
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