The warehouse was nothing more than rubble and dust, the twisted remains of the structure crushed and scattered across the devastated ground. The floor, once solid, was now a field of craters and deep cracks, as if the very earth had yielded to the overwhelming force of what had transpired there.
Kingo lay sunken into the ground, his broken body lifeless, his glassy eyes staring into the void. The explosion had consumed everything he was, every fiber of his being reduced to eternal silence.
But Tsukishima… he was still alive. Barely.
Crawling, his breath came in ragged, uneven gasps, each movement an agony. He dragged himself forward with trembling hands, pulling his body away from that nightmare, ignoring the searing pain tearing through his muscles and the fragments of broken bone piercing his flesh.
'What kind of power is this?' His thoughts spiraled in panic. Nothing, no one, no combat experience had prepared him for this. It was as if he stood before something that transcended the limits of reason. 'Whatever it is, he must have died in that explosion. He couldn't have survived…'
Tssz!
Tsukishima's spine froze instantly. A wave of pure terror spread through his body, as if invisible claws had seized his soul and were crushing it slowly. The chill was so intense it overshadowed all the pain he felt, and for a moment, he even forgot how to breathe.
The silence became unbearable.
The thick smoke was still clearing, but something… someone was there.
Tap.
A sound echoed amidst the wreckage.
One step.
Then another.
Each sound of the footsteps was like the beat of an execution drum, approaching slowly, deliberately. Tsukishima swallowed hard, cold sweat running down his face. He tried to move, but his muscles refused to obey.
A silhouette emerged through the smoke, the figure slowly taking shape as it advanced out of the mist.
And then, his eyes saw.
Rin Kurose.
He was still there.
Unscathed.
His eyes glowed a vivid red, the same intense light that had preceded the destruction. His aura was a living storm, an oppressive pressure that distorted the air around him, making the dust float as if being pulled into an invisible gravitational force.
Rin's eyes met Tsukishima's.
And then, he spoke.
"Kneel."
It was a simple command. Cold. Relentless.
A wave of power erupted from him, sweeping through everything around like a silent thunderclap. Tsukishima felt the overwhelming presence engulf him—an energy that didn't just press against his body but sank directly into his soul.
"Y-you think I'll—"
The words died in his throat.
He realized, horrified, that he was already on his knees.
Without realizing it, without deciding, without having control over himself, his body had obeyed. Even without the strength to properly move his own legs, he had given in. As if that command was not just a sound, but an absolute truth.
"I-is this..." Tsukishima's voice trembled, but the words wouldn't come. He wanted to rebel, to stand up, to run—anything! But it was impossible. He no longer had control over his own body.
Rin watched him from above, his gaze burning like embers, the energy around him pulsing like a living entity.
His aura wasn't just a display of strength.
It was authority.
'This is the power of a king…' Tsukishima thought, despair consuming his mind. Kneeling was no longer a conscious act but an imposed condition. Every conscious command he had was erased. And even the subconscious ones… silenced.
Rin's voice rang out again, carrying something deeper, something that resonated directly into the core of whoever heard it.
"What did you do to Toga?"
The words were not just a question.
They were a sentence.
The very sound of Rin's voice seemed to have weight, as if each syllable carried raw power, reverberating like thunder about to crush everything around it.
Tsukishima felt his mouth go dry instantly. His throat tightened. His heart pounded erratically like an uncontrollable drum.
Sweat dripped down his skin, his body trembled uncontrollably.
He wanted to answer.
He wanted to run.
But he knew that, at that moment, his only option was to obey.
Somewhere else.
Boom!
A new explosion echoed through the school corridors, making the walls tremble and setting off alarms in a deafening chorus. Smoke spread like a grim curtain, tinted by the colorful sparks dancing in the air—reflections of Akeno's Quirk.
Toga leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast, her body twisting midair with the grace of a hunter accustomed to danger. Her heart pounded rapidly, but her face showed something beyond fear or desperation—she was having fun.
"Come here, Himiko Toga!" Akeno's shrill voice rang through the hallways. She walked slowly, spinning a small stone between her fingers, ready to turn it into another explosion. Her smile was cruel, provocative.
Toga slid down the staircase, dropping to the floor below and hiding inside an empty classroom. She took a deep breath, her mind racing with strategies to escape this situation.
"Let's stop this game of cat and mouse, shall we?!" Akeno's voice sang out, as if she were enjoying the chase.
'Damn it! How did things end up like this?'
Toga clenched her teeth, her mind rewinding a few hours, searching for the exact moment it all began.
Hours earlier.
The afternoon sun streamed through the classroom window, painting the floor in golden hues. The school was empty, leaving only Himiko Toga, who was packing her things into her backpack, ready to leave.
She was excited. Rin was waiting for her at the park. Just thinking about him made her heart race in a pleasant way.
That's when a voice echoed from the doorway.
"Hey, Himiko."
Toga lifted her eyes and saw Akeno Kurokawa standing there.
Akeno's blonde hair was flawless, wavy, and shining like liquid gold. Her piercing blue eyes and elaborately made-up face resembled that of a porcelain doll… or a clown.
Toga instinctively activated her social mask.
"Oh, hi Akeno-chan!" Her radiant smile lit up her face, but it lasted only a second before being brutally crushed by the unexpected response.
"Ugh, gross. That smile of yours is way too disgusting."
The air suddenly grew heavier.
Toga's social mask cracked slightly.
Akeno stepped closer, her heels echoing against the floor. Each step was slow, calculated, venomous.
"I don't know how that hottie from another school even talks to you." Her voice dripped with poison, her sharp smile cutting deep. "That ugly face of yours just makes you even more repulsive."
Toga remained still, her fists clenching tightly. Her mask was breaking more and more with every word.
Akeno tilted her head, her cruel gaze shimmering.
"Maybe I should—"
The gleam of metal sliced through the air.
Toga attacked.
The stiletto blade slid through Akeno's hair, cutting off a blonde strand that fell softly to the ground.
"Don't talk about Rin-kun."
Toga's words were razor-sharp, her voice laced with something primal, something feral. Her expression shifted completely, her social mask finally shattered.
Toga's predatory pupils contracted, her eyes glowing with a murderous desire.
"He doesn't belong to you."
For a brief second, Akeno hesitated.
Then, her eyes widened in pure hatred.
"Your bitch!"
Boom!
The explosion came instantly, swallowing the room in a cloud of multicolored sparks and a deafening roar.
The smoke hadn't even cleared when Toga emerged from the curtain of destruction, unscathed. Her stiletto remained in her hand, gleaming with a menacing reflection.
Akeno narrowed her eyes, analyzing her opponent.
"Now I understand why they call you the explosive princess."
Toga smiled, but it wasn't an ordinary smile. It was a predatory, insane grin, filled with uncontrollable pleasure for violence.
Her eyes overflowed with wild excitement.
Toga lunged at Akeno with a savage smile on her lips, her eyes shining with exhilaration as the stiletto in her hand reflected the dim light of the room. Akeno, however, didn't back down. With an agile movement, she hurled several objects transformed into improvised bombs—small everyday items that, under her touch, became deadly weapons.
The first explosion lit up the area, sending shards and smoke through the narrow corridor. Toga leaped to the side, barely avoiding the impact, her sharpened reflexes allowing her to dodge each of Akeno's precisely thrown detonations. As she danced between the explosions, a cutting gleam tore through the air. With a swift and precise strike, Himiko's stiletto grazed Akeno's cheek, leaving a thin but burning cut.
"Argh!" Akeno clutched her face, feeling the warm blood trickling down. But before she could react, Toga spun on her heels, exploiting the opening. Her stiletto slashed again, slicing the tanned skin of her rival and cutting strands of her long blonde hair, which slowly drifted to the ground.
"Damn you!" Akeno growled, her eyes burning with fury. Her racing heart pumped adrenaline through her veins, and without hesitation, she ripped the hair clip from her head and flung it at her enemy. Toga sensed the danger and jumped back at the last moment, narrowly escaping the explosion that made the walls tremble and sent a suffocating wave of heat through the air.
But before she could recover, another explosive object flew straight toward her.
"Ah, what a pain!"
She spun on her heels and started running, dodging at the last moment as the impact of the explosion shook the ground behind her.
Presently.
Toga took a deep breath, still feeling the excitement of the fight pulsing in her chest. She ran her tongue over her lips, wiping away a trace of blood that had splattered. Her eyes scanned the room she had taken refuge in, noting the chaotic scene around her. She picked up a forgotten pen from a table, spinning it between her fingers while firmly gripping the box cutter in her right hand.
"Explosive people are such a pain!" she grumbled, rolling her eyes.
But her mind soon drifted to another thought. Rin. His face surfaced in her head, and a different kind of warmth spread through her chest.
'I should have followed Rin-kun's advice.'
Her lips curled into a subtle smile.
"After this, we'll be together again, Rin-kun."
Outside, in the hallway, Akeno walked slowly, her sharp gaze scanning the area. In her hands, a small improvised arsenal: stones, hairpins, pencils, and other objects ready to explode at her command. Her face was smeared with blood, but her expression remained confident.
"Where are you, Himiko-chan?" Her voice echoed through the corridor, carrying an irritating sweetness.
"Eh, it's disgusting when you call me that."
The voice came from above. Before Akeno could react, Toga dropped from the ceiling like a spider—quick and lethal. The pen in her hand slid precisely, piercing her opponent's throat with a sharp thrust.
"I'll shut that filthy mouth of yours."
Akeno's eyes widened. A choked sound escaped her lips before she coughed up blood, her breathing becoming erratic. Her body trembled as her fingers loosened, dropping all the objects she had been carrying. But the danger hadn't passed yet—even on the ground, the explosives were still primed to detonate at the slightest trigger.
Realizing the danger, Toga quickly stepped back, her eyes locked onto Akeno's trembling body.
"D-damn you!" Her voice faltered, her hand pressing against the wound on her throat as blood seeped between her fingers.
Toga only smiled. Her murderous gaze pierced through the injured girl, the manic gleam in her eyes making it clear that this was far from over.
The blade of her scalpel gleamed under the moonlight as she began walking toward Akeno.
"W-wait! D-don't you want to know why I did this?!" Akeno asked, slipping on her own blood.
Toga paused for a second before responding. "I don't need to know. Just the fact that you wanted to steal something I love…"
A terrifying, murderous grin spread across her lips—the same smile Rin loved and that others feared.
"...is enough to make me want to kill you!"
Toga raised her scalpel and slashed Akeno's neck.
Akeno clutched her throat tightly, desperately trying to stop the blood from escaping.
"That cut was pretty shallow. I aimed more for your vocal cords—this way, at least the others won't have to hear your annoying voice anymore. And, well, there's always the chance you'll choke on your own blood, you despicable woman." Toga stated with a lunatic smile in Akeno's fading vision.
Toga wasn't the best student in every subject, but when it came to Biology, her grades were never below 90. As a blood-crazed maniac, she knew plenty about the human body, the vital and non-vital points—everything she needed to satisfy her thirst for blood.
"Goodbye, Akeno-chan~" Toga walked away with an excited smile.
Darkness crept into Akeno's vision as she choked on her own blood.
'H-help…'
Toga only smiled. Her murderous gaze pierced through the injured girl, and the manic gleam in her eyes made it clear that this was far from over. The sharp blade of her scalpel reflected the cold moonlight streaming through a shattered window, stained with the crimson splatters of blood already spilled.
She began walking slowly toward Akeno, each step echoing in the silent hallway. The sticky sound of Akeno's shoes scraping against the blood-soaked floor filled the space as she desperately tried to crawl away, but her strength was slipping away along with her blood.
"W-wait! D-don't you want to know why I did this?!" Akeno choked out, her voice weak and trembling. She slid, her fingers searching for something to hold onto, but they only smeared more of her own blood.
Toga stopped.
Her smile faded for a brief moment, her eyes narrowing as if considering the question. The silence between them was suffocating, interrupted only by Akeno's ragged, uneven breaths.
Then, in an indifferent tone, Toga replied:
"I don't need to know."
Her fingers tightened around the handle of the scalpel.
"Just the fact that you tried to steal something I love…"
Her smile widened—now twisted, terrifying. It was that smile—the same one Rin loved but others feared. A smile of pure homicidal satisfaction, brimming with a thirst for blood and violence.
"Is enough to make me want to kill you!"
In one fluid motion, Toga twirled the scalpel and slashed Akeno's throat.
The sound of the blade slicing through flesh was subtle, almost delicate, but the effect was immediate. Akeno's body arched in pain, her eyes widening in sheer terror. She clutched at her neck with trembling hands, trying to stop the warm blood from spilling between her fingers. Her breathing turned into a horrible, gurgling rasp, as if she were choking on her own suffering.
Toga tilted her head to the side, watching her with fascination.
"That cut was quite shallow," she murmured, her voice carrying an almost instructional tone. "I aimed more at your vocal cords… This will spare everyone from having to hear your annoying voice."
Akeno wanted to scream, curse, do anything—but her voice no longer belonged to her. She only coughed violently, the metallic taste flooding her mouth, each breath a struggle against drowning in her own blood.
"Ah, and also..." Toga spun the switchblade between her fingers, casually. "There's a chance you'll choke on your own blood. How sad, huh?"
She crouched down a little, bringing her face close to Akeno's. Her eyes shone with pure amusement, while the smile on her lips widened even more.
"You despicable woman."
The horror reflected in Akeno's eyes only made Toga's heart beat faster. She never considered herself an exemplary student, but Biology had always been her strong suit. After all, knowing exactly where to cut, which organs to hit, which arteries to avoid... All of this was part of her uncontrollable desire to spill blood. She knew every vital point, every non-vital part, and what was needed to keep someone alive just enough to make them suffer.
With one last amused glance, she stood up and turned her back on her agonizing victim.
"Goodbye, Akeno-chan~"
Her voice sounded almost sing-song, filled with joy, as if she were saying goodbye to a friend after a fun day together.
She walked away down the blood-soaked hallway, not looking back.
Akeno, on the other hand, felt her vision blurring. Her fingers still pressed against the wound, but it was useless. Her body trembled from the cold, the darkness beginning to swallow her.
Her chest rose and fell erratically, the battle against death slipping further away.
"H-help..."
The plea for help came out as a weak whisper, unrecognizable.
No one would hear her.
'Your life will be hell from now on, Toga Himiko...' Akeno's mind faded away as she died, choking on her own blood.
Toga walked through the dark corridors, her steps light and carefree, as if she were floating in the ecstasy of carnage. Her heart still raced, adrenaline coursing through her veins, and the metallic scent of blood stained her hands. A satisfied smile danced on her lips as she twirled the knife between her fingers.
But then, suddenly, her steps stopped.
Her eyes widened, her body went rigid, and the blood that stained her hands seemed to freeze when she saw two figures in front of her.
A man and a woman.
Their presence was so familiar that her chest tightened with an unknown pain.
"Mom? Dad?" Toga's voice came out hesitant, almost childlike, as if she had regressed to a time when those words still carried warmth and safety.
Her parents' faces were marked by shock and horror. Her father's stern gaze swept over his daughter from head to toe, then fixed on her bloodstained hands.
"Himiko... What is this?" His voice was deep, tinged with an accusing tone, filled with disgust.
Toga's heart clenched.
Her hands began to tremble, her fingers moving nervously in an unconscious gesture, as if trying to erase the blood that had already become a part of her. Her mother's gaze, once loving, was now a pure reflection of fear and revulsion.
Then the shouting began.
Heavy, acidic words were hurled at her like invisible spears, hurting her more than any blade ever could. Her breathing became shallow, her chest rising and falling irregularly.
"N-no..."
The voices continued, louder, more distant, more distorted.
"Monster!"
"This isn't normal, Himiko!"
"What did we do wrong?"
"You need to be corrected!"
With each sentence, something inside Toga shattered. Her head throbbed, her thoughts spun out of control. She covered her ears forcefully, squeezing her eyes shut as she stepped back, but the shouts still reached her, echoing in her brain like a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.
'N-no... I don't want... to hear you...'
Toga's eyes were misty, the tears threatening to fall, but she held them back with all her might. Her body contracted in pure despair.
'Rin...'
It was the only thing she could think about.
'Help.'
It was a silent prayer.
And then, the sky answered.
In the next instant, a black light shone from outside the building.
A dark-toned star, with blood-red edges, lit up in the sky like a harbinger of destruction. The glow pulsated, alive, carrying an overwhelming presence.
And then—
Boom!
The star shot toward Toga, as if it had been summoned directly by her desperation.
The explosion sent everything flying through the air.
Toga's father screamed as he was thrown back, trying to hold onto something while shielding his wife from the impact. Dust and smoke filled the corridor, obscuring everything in a momentary chaos.
But in the center of all the destruction, black lightning with red edges slithered through the air, twisting like hungry serpents. They converged to a single point within the smoke, gathering, shaping themselves, until finally...
A figure emerged.
"Sorry for the delay, Himiko-chan."
The voice sounded calm, firm. Almost comforting.
As the smoke dissipated, Rin appeared.
His eyes glowed intensely red, like burning embers in the darkness. His smile was calm, but carried an implicit threat, something that made even the air around him feel heavier. He stood between Toga and her parents, his presence imposing like an impenetrable wall.
[Image]
Toga's eyes widened.
"Rin..."
He tilted his head slightly, his eyes observing the adults in front of him with coldness.
"Are these your parents?"
There was a subtle disdain in his voice.
Toga's father, finally recovering from the shock, moved forward. His face was red with fury, his fists clenched, the anger seething in his words.
"Hey, you—"
"SILENCE!"
Zoom!
Rin's aura exploded.
It was like an invisible roar that tore through the air, an overwhelming pressure that spread down the hallway like a destructive wave.
The ground trembled.
The walls vibrated.
And Toga's father froze in place.
It was as if his entire body had been gripped by invisible hands, as if the very space around him had turned into an impenetrable cage. Terror filled his eyes, his muscles refused to move, and for the first time, he felt what it was like to be truly powerless in the face of something far beyond his understanding.
Rin exhaled slowly, the energy around him still simmering. His eyes turned to Toga, now filled with something different.
"Toga," his voice called to her gently, in contrast to the raw power he had displayed just moments before.
She was still trembling, but now her eyes were fixed on him, as if his mere presence was enough to ward off all nightmares.
He smiled reassuringly.
"Do you remember what we wanted?"
Toga's heart raced.
And for the first time, her parents' voices no longer seemed to matter.
The words escaped Toga's lips like an explosion of freedom:
"I want to be myself!"
The weight she had carried for so long dissipated for a moment. Like that time with Rin, feeling truly free was a dream she had never dared to reach. But now... now she had someone by her side.
Toga felt her eyes burn. It was a prayer without a deity, a wish etched in her heart since childhood. She had never believed in gods, but for this dream, she was willing to believe in anything.
Rin held her shoulders firmly, his red eyes glowing like live embers, reflecting in her golden ones.
"Toga." His voice was steady, but full of certainty. "We... can be ourselves."
Her heart raced faster.
"I know, but—"
Before she could finish, Rin pulled her close and leaped into the air with surreal agility.
In the next instant, a series of thick branches emerged from the ground, spiraling and twisting like living snakes, covering the entire corridor where they had been moments before.
"Stop! Don't try to run!"
The hero's voice echoed in the chaos.
Kamui Woods.
His branches shot toward the two young people, attempting to capture them before they could escape.
But Rin was already in motion. He spun in midair, propelling himself to another location before the branches could reach him. Upon landing, his sneakers screeched on the asphalt, black sparks dancing around him. His eyes narrowed, his mind spinning in search of answers.
'A hero?! But why?!'
Rin knew his explosion at the school would attract attention, but not enough for a hero to appear so quickly. The HPSC rarely involved Pro-Heroes in "internal" situations.
Then something clicked.
Tsukishima's words echoed in his mind, cold as poison crawling through his veins:
"Even if you rescue Toga, your life will be hell. You'll never know freedom again! This is our final plan, the HPSC's plan! I hope you know what Despair is, Rin Kurose!"
Understanding hit Rin like a blade slicing through his chest.
This was never about stopping Toga's escape.
It was about him.
About completely destroying him.
The HPSC had orchestrated everything. If he helped Toga escape, if he defied the structure they imposed, his life would be condemned. He would have nowhere to run.
It was checkmate.
Rin closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, they were brighter and more intense than ever.
"Toga..." His voice carried a deep melancholy.
She looked at him.
"It seems we have no choice now."
Rin's black and red aura rippled around him, growing, intensifying. He could already smell the smoke on the horizon, the invisible weight of chains trying to bind him.
"Our lives... have turned into hell from now on."
Toga remained silent for a moment.
But then, he looked at her over his shoulder.
The night around them seemed to darken even more, the city lights becoming insignificant. For a brief moment, it was as if only the two of them existed in that world.
"Then I would like to ask..."
Rin's voice sounded like a whisper in the abyss.
The surroundings dissolved. The sound of sirens, Kamui Woods' screams, the distant noise of the city... nothing else mattered.
He extended his hand to her.
"Would you like to dance with me in this hell?"
Toga blinked.
Then, slowly, a smile curved her lips.
She pulled out her stiletto and approached, her steps light like a dancer's. When she reached his side, their hands met, intertwining.
"Of course," Toga whispered, closing her eyes and resting her head on his shoulder. "Let's dance together in the hell full of demons."
Rin smiled.
"Then let's go."
With a single jump, he launched them upward, his energy pulsing around them like a storm about to explode.
Black electricity serpentineed around him, concentrating in his fists. The darkness inside him roared, begging to be set free.
He raised his fist.
And then, Rin struck the air.
Critical Impact!
Boom!
The condensed energy exploded, tearing through the space ahead of them. The impact was so devastating it made the school tremble, shattering windows, ripping concrete slabs, and creating a gust of wind that swept everything around.
The entire city shook with the impact. The roar of destruction echoed through the streets, and the red and black glow of the explosion lit the sky like a harbinger of the chaos that would follow.
Rin and Toga knew.
That was the point of no return.
"There is no..." Rin began, his voice firm but laced with something deeper.
"More chance to go back." Toga finished, a trembling smile on her lips.
With a single movement, Rin held Toga tightly against him. Black and red lightning danced around them as he leaped, soaring high into the sky as if one with the night.
The city below seemed distant, as if it belonged to another reality. Sirens screamed, heroes moved, shadows lurked in search of them. But there, in the sky, for a brief moment, there was only freedom.
Rin gritted his teeth and pushed himself even faster. They couldn't stop. They couldn't be caught.
Their fate was sealed.
Distant mountains rose on the horizon, like silent guardians of the night. That was where they were headed. To the shadows where no one would find them.
Where the world wouldn't follow them.
For now.