Izuku's POV:
Boom
I was sent violently flying back, not having enough time to comprehend what had just happened. Before I knew it, my back slammed against the road, once, twice, three times, body skidding along the rough ground.
My haori tore from the friction, revealing the rest of my hidden weapons.
I coughed hoarsely, throat in immense pain as bile began to run up my throat, but I forced it back down.
My chest heaved up and down, eyes squeezed shut as I attempted to ignore the searing pain in my chest and lungs.
My lungs were now beginning to really feel the toll of the fight. Combining breathing styles was far too dangerous. I learned that the hard way when I first tried it last month. Since then, I had promised to only use it for emergencies.
This was an emergency. It was supposed to be used as a last resort, but now...
I opened my eyes, well, my single remaining eye, left one having been slashed mere moments ago. I stared up at father who was hovering meters high into the air, scales now covering every inch of his body. Two large green wings sprouted out from his back, two horns protruding from the top of his head while a long dragon tail was attached to his lower back.
His red eyes screamed with wrath, and no matter how much I wanted to look him in the eyes with the same level of animosity, I couldn't. I could only shrink back in on myself out of fear and helplessness.
The silhouette of father slowly approached, closer and closer, floating down whilst staring at me with those glowing, imposing red eyes.
I coughed up a few more drops of blood, snapping my dislocated arm back into place with a sickening crack, as I forced myself to slowly and cautiously get back up to my feet, legs wobbling and covered with blood.
Both my arms were in excruciating pain and my back was burning like it had just been set ablaze.
My hands trembled and my fingers twitched, the tight grasp on my katana faltering slightly as I struggled to keep it from falling to the ground.
"You truly are impressive, Izuku, you've made your father proud. While this display of skill and strength hasn't quite satisfied me, you've proven yourself to be a formidable opponent. Truly, you have," father said, a disgusting form of pride in his voice.
I shook my head, trying to wish away the blur settling into my vision, but it was of no use. I wanted to dash towards him, but I couldn't.
I took a single step forward, only for my knees to buckle in defiance to my wishes, nearly causing me to fall.
Dad evilly snickered at my pathetic display of will, shaking his head from side to side.
"Unfortunately, I've lost interest. I don't have any need for broken toys, especially if that toy failed to serve its original purpose," he said, walking towards me, arms still crossed in front of his chest.
I narrowed my gaze as I continued to pant in exhaustion, keeping my gaze glued onto his own.
"Now, now Izuku, no need to look at me with such murderous intent. I can't have you dying just yet," he said with a sadistic smile on his face.
Still, I continued desperately attempting to catch my breath. "Why...? You don't want... to... k-k-kill me...? You said you lost interest in me, didn't you...?" I questioned incredulously, voice trembling.
"Oh no, no, no, Izuku. You're going to die. I just won't be doing it by my own hand. I believe you'd feel far more weak and pathetic if I had my scale demons kill you instead," he responded.
I looked on at him in anger, wanting to behead him so badly, wanting to end all of this, but I knew it would be futile. I couldn't move an inch.
"Then..." I began, only to be interrupted.
"I want to talk, one last time. Just you and me, no one else to intervene."
My face scrunched up in confusion and disdain. Talk?
"What would we... possibly have to t-talk about?" I snapped, instantly regretting raising my voice as I began to violently cough.
He ignored my question, instead continuing to talk.
"I believe I have a decent idea as to who broke into the apartment complex and killed poor Inko. Of course, I wasn't there, so I would have no way of knowing just what had happened that night, but I imagine it wasn't very pretty. In fact, I would hazard a guess that it is the reason you became a demon slayer in the first place," he continued.
I gritted my teeth, not wanting to be reminded of what happened that night. I didn't want to think about it. I wanted to put it all behind me and continue moving forward like I have been for the past few years.
But dad had other plans.
"I'm sure you don't need me to remind you of who killed your mother, but please do let me know if I'm correct. Could it have possibly been the Lower 3 that was still active around that time?" He questioned, bringing his hand up to his chin in faux contemplation and interest.
"I remember just how upset Tanjiro was as he ranted on and on about how Lower 3 died to a teenage girl after breaking into an apartment complex, attacking a mother and her child. I believe it lines up perfectly, does it not?"
Father tilted his head, arms behind his back as he awaited an answer.
I didn't want to answer. I wanted to be petty and give him the silent treatment.
However, the sheer anger that must've been visible on my face was likely enough of an answer.
"I see... so I was right."
"That demon always was always quite the vengeful one. He must've of wanted to get back at me for what I did to the other lower moons back then. After all, my onslaught was the reason Tanjiro forced that mask onto me in the first place."
"I'm honestly surprised that you survived. He probably played it off as merely wanting a nice meal out of you and your mother, but... I'm sure he was planning to trap you in a myriad of illusions before brutally murdering you. He must've known he wouldn't be able to get revenge on me directly. So he must've settled for a more... indirect approach. Unfortunately for him, he failed to take into account just how heartless I could be. I had no true attachments to either of you. I never have."
Well that last bit wasn't very surprising, but... something wasn't adding up.
What happened that night was barely even a year after Dad mysteriously disappeared. I had assumed he became a demon sometime after this. Mom told me that he went to work abroad, and God knows just how relieved I was to hear those words from her, to realize that I wouldn't have suffer from him ever again.
Sure, I still had to deal with Kacchan, but dad was worse, far worse, to the umpteenth degree.
But, if that were true, then how would he have been able to do anything to the lower moons at the time? If he turned into a demon shortly after he left us, then that barely even gave him a year to become that powerful.
Was he a prodigy like me? Had Tanjiro found favor with him and made him into a powerful demon that could rival lower moons?
It's possible. Highly unlikely, but still possible.
But the question still stands as to how he remembers us if he's a demon now. He said he's special, but there haven't been many demons who maintain the ability to remember their past lives as humans.
The only living demon that does remember is Yushiro. Or at least, that's what we all thought.
My breath was still shaky and sporadic, and my lungs continued to burn intensely, but, I was beginning to catch my breath.
I squinted my eyes. Everything hurt like hell, but I could bare the pain.
I crouched into a fighting stance, katana raised, preparing to blitz him as quickly as possible, but—
Crack
My eye widened in both shock and fear. He had practically teleported in front of me only to punch me straight in my stomach. I immediately keeled over in pain falling onto my knees.
I dropped both of my katanas, vomiting up the contents of my stomach as I clutched at the epicenter of the pain with both of my hands, eyes slammed shut.
My throat burned and I entered a coughing fit, unable to stop the tears of pain from streaming down my cheeks as the pain and discomfort of every single injury that I had sustained throughout the fight began to hit me all at once.
"I was expecting you to dodge that. After all, you seemed quite ready to go on the offensive," dad said, clicking his tongue.
He sighed, stepping over me, the sound of his footsteps becoming lighter with each passing moment."The sun is going to rise quite soon. I wouldn't want to waste any more time. I have to achieve what I set out to do."
Splat
The sound of more of my blood splattering onto the ground rang out with greater volume than it should've.
My gaze traveled down to my stomach, a new, sharp pain shooting through it.
I slowly removed my hands from my stomach, placing them both onto the ground in front of me, desperately attempting to support myself, not wanting to fall flat onto the ground.
A scale lance, poked out of my stomach, blood dripping down, arms and legs trembling in a struggle to keep myself from passing out.
Splat
My eye widened as the scale lance was violently pulled out from my body, more blood shooting out from the new injury.
I can feel my life force slowly being drained out of my body, a sickening cold overcoming everything else my body was currently going through.
It didn't take very long for my arms and legs to give in, body collapsing flat onto the ground as blood continued to pool out from every gash, from every injury, blood flowing out of the corners of my mouth, dripping down my chin.
"Blood Demon Art: Dragonic Replicas."
The sound of scales clambering together echoed out like shockwaves. I tried my best to move, tried my best to stand up and fight. I wanted to ignore the pain. I wanted to ignore the bright light that became all that I could see.
I dragged my fingertips across the asphalt surface, desperately trying to grasp at anything I could, but it was no use. I slowly closed my eyes, not an ounce of energy left in me.
"Goodbye son. Say hello to Inko for m—"
The hard, non-resonant clanking of metal striking metal rang out through the air, incessantly approaching closer and closer.
"Demon Breathing: Sixth Form: Tempest Whirl!"
Clank
Crack
"Dragon Breathing: Second Scale: Wyvern's Tail!"
My eye slowly flickered open after hearing Hashibira-San's voice. I opened my mouth to say something, but all that escaped my mouth was a pained whimper.
A cacophony of sporadic noises echoed in my ears. I didn't have enough strength to turn my body over to see what was happening. I barely even had enough strength to keep my eyes open, let alone move.
I struggled to move my arms, barely managing to bend them upwards, hands pressed down on the ground as I attempted my very hardest to push myself back up onto my feet.
However, before I could, my body was quickly yet gently lifted up off the ground.
I winced in pain, blood continuing to pool out of my injuries.
"Damnit kid..."
The voice was muffled, but it was still incredibly easy to tell just who this was.
"Doctor?" I muttered, struggling to say that single word, eyes barely open as I was placed down on my back.
"Don't talk, you'll only strain yourself," she said, no, demanded as she pressed her right palm up against my stomach, activating her quirk.
I didn't listen though. I kept my eyes open and I continued to speak, despite the pain I felt after every word.
"Is he dead?" I questioned, desperately hoping for an immediate yes. But it never came.
"No... my brother's still trying to get past these scale demons. He has inflicted some decent damage on Dragon, though."
"And I thought I told you to stay quiet," she responded, a lot softer than how she normally does.
I groaned in pain as I tilted my head to the side, catching a glimpse of the fight through my half-lidded eyes. I have to say, it felt amazing to see dad fight someone completely out of his league. He was on a constant defensive and had to hide behind his dozens of scale demons.
If he hadn't summoned those beforehand, he would've already been beheaded.
"Doctor?" I said, turning my head back to look back up at her.
A glint of frustration flashed in her eyes for a single moment. "How many times do I have to tell you t—"
"I'm go-going to d-d-die, aren't I?"
<•------------•>
Doctor's POV:
"I'm go-going to d-d-die, aren't I?"
My lips quivered as I fought back tears, using my quirk to the best of my ability to heal as much as I could. But, it wasn't enough. I knew it wasn't going to be enough. And the kid knew it too.
He did phrase it as a genuine question. He believed he was going to die.
He's already lost too much blood, so not only is my quirk less effective than it would be otherwise, healing too many injuries at once may also send his body into shock.
There's not much I can do to safely heal him in time. It's a miracle he's even still alive.
I can keep him alive for a while longer, but I fear his body will give in and succumb to his injuries and blood loss.
But... I couldn't bring myself to tell him that.
"No. You'll be fine. I won't let you die on me, you understand?"
But... I didn't get a reply, not even a nod.
My eyes narrowed as I gritted my teeth in frustration.
"Damnit..."
I kept my quirk active. I wouldn't be turning it off any time soon. He's passed out, but he isn't dead. Not yet, at least. I reached over to a roll of bandages, wrapping it around his waist.
There is one thing I can do... Or at the very least... try to do.
It isn't guaranteed to work, but... I have to do this. I can't let him die.
<•------------•>
Hashibira's POV:
"Demon Breathing: First Form: Chaos Thorn!"
I utilized both ends of my chain-link weapon, cutting through the scale demons like butter, only for both ends to swing back around and strike Dragon on the chest and neck, managing to slice through half his neck.
Blood sprayed everywhere as he leapt back several meters, gathering a large concentration of scales by his side while also sending out more projectiles my way.
"Demon Breathing, huh? I don't think I've encountered it before. Mimicking what you slayers hate most is truly a surprise to see," Dragon said, a large, wide grin on his face as he attempted to fly upwards, but one of the ends of my weapon forced him to stay down on the ground.
"You seem to talk quite a lot," I observed. "It'd be wise not to act so confident, especially when you're the one on the defensive."
I continued to deflect projectiles as the dense concentration of scales by his side continued to grow larger, forming a rigid ball surrounded by the flames created from the demon's flame breath.
"So he can only produce flames from his mouth like an actual dragon. He seems completely incapable of producing flames from any other location on his body."
"I suppose his scales make up for that limitation."
I cracked my chain around in a circle, tearing up the ground as one end of my weapon snapped abruptly on the same level as the demon's neck, forcing Dragon to duck down.
However, Dragon wasn't able to completely escape injury. My weapon managed to slice open the top of his head, exposing his brain for a split second before it inevitably regenerated.
I narrowed my eyes as I brought my weapon back over to my person, catching it by the chain in my left hand.
"I suppose that's true. Of course, I can't allow you to take my life just yet. And sunrise shouldn't be for long. You're holding me back, Demon Hashira," Dragon said, manipulating the sphere-shaped concentration of scales to hover in front of him, the scales moving past each other in a complex manner.
"Demon Breathing: Seventh Form: Constriction!"
In an instant, my weapon tightly wrapped around Dragon's body, keeping the demon's arms tightly by his sides.
I didn't waste a second, dashing forward at breakneck speeds as I brought both ends of my weapon towards Dragon's neck, not breaking eye contact as I did so.
And because I didn't break eye contact, I was able to notice something I wouldn't have otherwise.
The same frustrating confidence that I haven't seen in a demon's eyes in a while.
"Blood Demon Art: Shattering Discharge!"
"Demon Breathing: Fifth Form: Void Embrace!"
Just as I suspected, the dense concentration sphere of flames and scales expanded outwards faster than the speed of sound, exploding into an intense shockwave of pressurized air and flames, scales shooting out in all directions.
I formed a barrier around my entire body by using the length of my chain-link weapon, reducing the brunt of the attack. However, I was still sent back several meters back, several buildings around us beginning to collapse from the very force of the attack.
"This was fun, Demon Hashira, but I think it's time for me to go. Good luck, with my scale demons!"
I shook my head violently, shaking away the incessant ringing sound in both my ears as Dragon flew off at high speeds.
"Shit!"
I swung my chain around at extreme speeds, shooting it up into the air, aiming to wrap around Dragon's legs, but, unfortunately, it fell just short.
"Damnit..." I muttered, avoiding a blow from one of the scale demons, only to yank my chain back towards myself, the end of it snapping around to decapitate the scale demon that attacked me.
"If I'm not mistaken, Dragon is heading in the direction of the district Agatsuma and Gyutaro are in. If they encounter, then Dragon should be successfully decapitated."
<•------------•>
Izuku's POV:
I couldn't hear anything.
My eyes slowly flickered open, exhaustion spreading out from them and infecting the rest of my body. I couldn't see anything.
Well, it was more like everything around me was pitch black, vantablack, like the dead of space.
My body felt like it was falling endlessly, nothing tangible around me for me to touch or feel. If the concept of absolute nothingness was possible, this is what I'd imagine it to be. Just an endless void of darkness for me to float in for all eternity.
"Is this the afterlife?" I thought to myself, looking around nervously. "It's definitely not what I imagined it to be."
After a few moments of merely existing within this strange space, my feet gently pressed down against something solid. Something tangible.
However, when I looked down to see what it was, I was only met with more darkness, as if whatever my feet had just touched was invisible, or blended in with the abyss.
My gaze narrowed. I swallowed deeply as I carefully and hesitantly took a small, single step forward, and much to my relief, whatever I was standing on must of extended outwards quite a bit, because my step forward was successful.
I no longer felt any need to look around, quickly coming to terms with the fact that there was nothing to see. However, I still wanted to find something that could clue me into what this place was.
I continued making one cautious step forward after another, eventually falling into a slow and careful rhythm, walking in a straight line in hopes of finding something new.
I just needed to find something that was even slightly different from the darkness this void presented me.
It didn't take very long for that something to make itself known to me.
I squinted my eyes, taking a few steps back as I raised an arm up to my face, protecting my eyes from the paradoxically bright, shining light. It was a stark contrast to the dark background, concentrating itself into one, single point, before expanding outwards into something more... human-shaped.
While it was painful to look at, my gaze stayed glued onto the light. I didn't feel fear like most people likely would've, instead, the light oozed some form of serenity. The light felt calm yet vehement.
"Hello, Izuku," the light spoke, or... a voice from the light.
The voice sounded familiar to me. All too familiar. It felt so familiar that it was almost painful for me to hear.
The light began to dim and fade, revealing the individual who had spoken. However, before the light had even fully dispersed, every fiber of my being instantly knew who this person was.
A wave of emotions washed over me like a tidal wave washing over a beach. Shock, happiness, sadness, and confusion, just to name a few.
A woman scarily similar in appearance to myself, her green hair resembling my own.
"Mom...?" I whispered, taking a step forward, breath trembling in disbelief.
In that moment, I forgot about all else.
I forgot about father.
I forgot about my friends.
I forgot about the demons slayers.
I forgot about my fears.
I forgot about dying.
I forgot about the fact that I was standing in what looked to be an endless void of darkness, perpetually stretching out in all directions.
I forgot about everything.
Nothing else mattered to me. The only thing that mattered was the person standing in front of me. It had been nearly five years but—
I didn't think. My body moved on its own, arms firmly wrapping around her, tears streaming down my face. I didn't want to let go. I didn't ever want to let go again.
I held on tight as if the slightest breeze would blow me away and that I'd have to wait another five years before I could reunite with her again. She returned the gesture by gently hugging me back, placing a hand on top of my head, caressing my scalp with her fingertips.
My eyes were sealed shut, as if sewn tightly together with a string and needle.
I didn't say a word, mostly because I couldn't say anything even if I tried. The only noises that escaped my mouth were sobs and soft whimpers.
Right now, our arms were doing what words couldn't, reaching further than anything either of us could have possibly said. If I'm being honest, I preferred it this way.
Her strong pat on my back, hand through my hair was all that I needed at the moment. It was enough.
Moments felt like minutes as we just hugged each other, the famous Midoriya tears continuing to fall without end for what felt like an eternity.
My eyes stung with pain, drying out as if every last bit of moisture in my eyes were being drained out by my own vulnerability. I reached a hand up to my face, gently rubbing away the tears and pain that stained my face, sniffling a few times before composing myself, controlling my sporadic breathing and trembling.
Still, I didn't know what to say, other than—
"I missed you."
So that's what I said. I wanted to say more, but... what do I say to my dead mother. I knew I'd reunite with her eventually, and I always thought I'd be able to keep myself from crying in front of her. I always thought that I'd have so much to say to her, that we'd have so much to talk about.
We do have a lot to talk about, but... I wasn't sure when, where, or how to start. I didn't know where or when to start. I didn't know how to articulate my words properly. All I could do was wait for mom to say something, anything.
"Look how strong you've grown, Izuku," she said, raising my head so I could look up at her and meet her calm gaze. "I couldn't be more proud of you."
I let go of her, taking a deep, steady breath. "I—..."
I averted my gaze, shaking my head. "But I lost. He won. I... I...—"
"I couldn't kill him. Even after poisoning him so many times, even after pushing myself to my limits every time I trained, I lost. He was too strong... I'm... I'm sorry," I whispered shakily under my breath, trying and failing to find the courage to speak up louder or to look her in the eyes.
More tears wanted to escape, but I didn't let them. I wouldn't let them. I couldn't let them.
"Lost?" Mom asked, her voice calm and steady with such care, all in one word. "No. Not yet, Izuku. You haven't lost."
My eyes narrowed, somehow finding the courage to meet her gaze once again, eyes still stinging with pain and discomfort after so many tears were shed.
I didn't understand, at least not at first. I had lost, that's why I was here. I had died, that's why I was here. I failed her. That's why I was here.
But...
I clenched my fists by my side, not out of anger, but out of frustration. Not with my mom, but with myself.
"I'm not dead, am I?"
"No, you're not."
Of course I wasn't. I couldn't even die correctly.
"Then... why am I here? Why are you here?" I asked softly, swallowing down a lump that was forming in my throat.
"To tell you to continue to fight," she responded simply. "These people that you've associated yourself with... they're supporting you, taking care of you better than I could have ever hoped to."
A felt a gentle hand touch the top of my head, patting my head a few times before coming to a halt. I leaned into the touch, remaining silent, waiting for her to continue talking.
But she never did.
I frowned, eyes narrowing. "Better than..-"
I shook my head, interrupting myself.
Still, I wasn't thinking about what was happening in the real world, no. I lowered my head, staring into the darkness below, the darkness staring straight back, consuming my mind and soul.
"I can't join you..." I muttered to myself, apparently just loud enough for mom to hear. Maybe deep down that's what I've truly wanted. Or maybe, now that I was here, I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to go back to my life full of fighting and near-death experiences.
Maybe I just wanted to die. Maybe that was Deku talking.
"We don't have much time to speak. I'm sorry, Izuku... There's so much I want to tell you. So much that I need to tell you. You deserve to know everything, but... I can't tell you," mom said, voice shaky just like my own.
"So you're just going to leave me again?" I questioned, bottled up pain and resentment escaping from my voice.
I knew it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair of me to say that at all. It wasn't and isn't her fault. She couldn't stop herself from dying. She couldn't have just willed herself to live.
And yet, I still said what I said. Had I really resented her deep down, all this time?
Was it because she left? No.
Was it because she's leaving me again? No. Well, at least not fully.
"You were barely there before, and now you're just...." I paused for a second, tears of anger and pain streaming down my face. "Going to leave me again?"
There it was. My innermost thoughts spilling out from my throat
"You won't let me stay with you..."
"Why can't I?"
"I wanted to be strong. I wanted to so badly. I wanted to become strong enough that I would never be hurt ever again. Not by dad, not by Aldera, not by anyone. I wanted to be strong because you wanted me to be. I wanted to be strong because I was never good enough as I was."
I took a shaky, deep breath, tightening my fists by my side.
"But I don't want to be strong anymore. So why can't I just die now?"
I raised my head once again, vulnerable gaze meeting green eyes that rivaled my own, green eyes that were beginning to crack, losing the calming effect they had mere moments ago. In those eyes I saw guilt. In those eyes I saw disappointment. In those eyes I saw sorrow.
"I'm sorry, Izuku..." she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks as well.
The apology. That apology.
It was too memorable, and not for any good reason, either. It wasn't the apology that dredged up memories, it was the way it was said, the volume at which it was uttered.
It was the exact same as when I was diagnosed quirkless.
The exact same as when I asked if I could be a hero too.
The exact same when I got beaten bloody and broken from one of dad's fits of rage.
It was the exact same.
Nothing had changed. Nothing.
I looked down at my hands, watching as they transitioned into nothing, fading away into the darkness all around me. It was surprising, but I wasn't fearful. whatever was happening, I knew it wouldn't be damaging to me. It didn't feel harmful.
"It's not your time to die yet, Izuku. I'm not ready to see you here with me. I understand your anger. I understand resenting me. There's not much I can say to you, no matter how much I really want to," she said, no longer crying, but her shaky voice remained the same.
"I always wanted to do more for you. I always wanted the best for you."
She embraced me again, a much tighter hold on me than before, and yet, it was filled with even more love and care than the one prior.
My arms were the next to go.
"I hate having to ask you this. I hate myself for encouraging you to having to deal with my own mistakes. If only I had seen the clear signs that Hisashi was not a good person... maybe I could've escaped with you in time. But I failed. I failed as a mother, and for that... I'm sorry."
My lower body faded away into nothingness, jointing the dark abyss that enveloped us both. I closed my eyes shut, not allowing a single tear to escape. I was done crying here. I had to finish what I started, no matter how much I may want to stay.
"I know you were more than ready to do it before but, please, defeat your father. Make sure he burns in Hell for what he did to you. To you."
My chest came next, followed my by neck and lower jaw.
I decided to meet her gaze one last time, looking into the only light present in the darkness. The good in the bad, the light in the dark.
I blinked, blinked for a split second, but as soon as my eyes closed, they didn't reopen, not for a while.
"Goodbye, Izuku."
And just like that, my mind, my heart, my soul, my very being, became one with the void. I was swallowed whole by the beast, unsure of when I'd be let back into the light.
<•------------•>
My heart raced and raced and raced and raced.
Thump
Thump
Thump
My chest ached, as though it was scarily close to exploding into a burst of blood. My heart relentlessly thumped against my chest, once, twice, three times, four times. My heart beat was far too fast, having thumped many times already in just a few seconds.
My body temperature rose immensely, blood hot like boiling water ready to escape its confines.
Without even realizing it, I was up on my feet, blood still dripping down from several of my injuries, but... I didn't feel as heavy as I once was. I didn't feel as bloody as I once was. I was still dangerously injured, but now... it was manageable.
Despite this, my body was strangely energized, every single aspect of my being now heightened and enhanced to the umpteenth degree. My breathing was far more intensified, while also being more careful, precise, and esoteric.
My body was instinctively focusing a decent amount of its focus on my injuries, closing them slightly, stopping any more blood from escaping.
From the top of my head to my finger tips to my toes, I felt stronger. I felt... amazing.
My body moved on its own, rushing past the Demon Hashira, katanas easing into my grasp as they were scooped up from the blood-covered road.
"Did Hashibira-San say something...? I don't know..."
"Water x Flame."
"Steam Breathing: Searing Vapor."
I raised my arms, calmly maneuvering through the army of scale demons that he had been fending off, swinging my dual katana, slicing through their necks like butter.
It didn't even take 10 seconds. Every last scale demon in the area was decapitated, disintegrating scales scattered across the ground as I slowly came to a halt, head lowered, gaze glued on the ground below.
"I feel... great," I thought to myself, raising my head, turning my body to face Hashibira-San, neither of us saying a single word.
"How are you—"
The Demon Hashira cut himself off, eyes widened as if he had just seen a ghost. As if he had just had a revelation.
He ignored me, moving at such incredible speeds that it was border-line teleportation.
At least, it would've been for most people. I was able to follow the man's movements, watching as he ran over to Doctor, who was lying on the ground, unresponsive.
At the sight, my own eyes widened, heart somehow thumping faster than it already was.
"Is she..."
I shook my head. "No. She isn't, I can still hear her heart beating, but it's faint."
She looked drained of blood and life, limbs slightly shriveled up as if her very life force was sucked out of her by some evil spirit. "You idiot, why the hell did you do it again?"
The question was soft and full of concern. I doubt Hashibira-San meant for me to hear it.
"Will she be okay?" I asked quietly, devoid of most emotion after what I had just seen. But, even I wasn't sure if that was the full reason as to why I felt so... dull, despite my body feeling so energized.
Hashibira-San didn't reply for a few moments, crouching down beside his older sister, carefully picking her up.
"Dragon went north, approaching Central Tokyo. If you go now you may catch up," he said, standing up straight, turned away from me.
I nodded, realizing only a second after that he couldn't see it.
In an instant, he disappeared from sight, this time at a speed that I couldn't register, even in my energized state.
I blinked several times, letting out a soft sigh as I turned my body north, cocking my head to the side, eyes narrowing.
"So that's where you are..."
July 2, 2432; 3:45 a.m.
<•------------•>
Author's Note: Izuku seems far stronger after waking back up... I wonder why