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, had become a field of craters and deep fissures, as if the earth itself had yielded to the overwhelming force unleashed there.
Kingo lay sunken into the ground, his body shattered and lifeless, his glassy eyes staring into nothingness. 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 breathing came in harsh, irregular gasps, every 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?' Panic took shape in his thoughts. Nothing—no one, no combat experience—had prepared him for this. It was as if he had come face to face with something that transcended the limits of reason. Whatever it was, he must have died in that explosion. He couldn't have survived…
Tssz!
Tsukishima's spine froze instantly. A wave of pure terror surged through his body, as if invisible claws had seized his soul and were slowly crushing it. The cold was so intense that it eclipsed all the pain he felt, and for a moment, he even forgot how to breathe.
The silence became unbearable.
The dense smoke was still dissipating, but something… someone was there.
Tap.
A sound echoed amid the wreckage.
One step.
Then another.
Each step rang out like the beat of an execution drum, drawing closer with slow, deliberate intent. Tsukishima swallowed hard, cold sweat streaming 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 haze.
And then, his eyes saw it.
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 warped the air around him, making the dust float as if drawn by an invisible gravitational force.
Rin's eyes met Tsukishima's.
And then, he spoke.
"Kneel."
It was a simple order. Cold. Implacable.
A wave of power emanated from him, sweeping over everything like a silent thunderclap. Tsukishima felt the overwhelming presence wrap around him—an energy that didn't just press down on his body, but pierced directly into his soul.
"Y-you think I'm go—"
The words died in his throat.
He realized, in horror, that he was already on his knees.
Without noticing. Without choosing. Without having any control over himself, his body obeyed. Even without the strength to move his own legs, he yielded. As if that order hadn't been merely a sound, but an absolute truth.
"T-this is…" Tsukishima's voice trembled, but the words wouldn't come out. He wanted to rebel, to stand, to run—anything! But it was impossible. He no longer had control over his own body.
Rin looked down at him, 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. All of his conscious commands had been erased. And even the subconscious ones… silenced.
Rin's voice echoed once more, carrying something deeper, something that pierced straight into the core of whoever heard it.
"What did you do to Toga?"
The words were not merely a question.
They were a sentence.
The very sound of Rin's voice seemed to carry weight, as if each syllable bore raw force, reverberating like thunder poised to crush everything around it.
Tsukishima felt his mouth go dry instantly. His throat tightened. His heart pounded erratically, like an uncontrollable drum.
Sweat streamed down his skin, his body trembling uncontrollably.
He wanted to answer.
He wanted to run.
But he knew that, in that moment, his only option was to obey.
Elsewhere.
Boom!
A new explosion echoed through the school corridors, making the walls shake and setting off alarms in a deafening chorus. Smoke spread like a dark curtain, tinted by the colorful sparks dancing in the air — reflections of Akeno's Quirk.
Toga leapt to the side, narrowly escaping the blast, her body twisting midair with the grace of a hunter accustomed to danger. Her heart was racing, but her expression showed something beyond fear or desperation — she was enjoying herself.
"Come here, Himiko Toga!" Akeno's shrill voice echoed through the halls. She walked forward 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 boiling with strategies to escape the situation.
"Let's stop this cat-and-mouse game, shall we?!" Akeno's voice rang out, as if she were relishing the chase.
'Damn it! How did things get to this point?'
Toga clenched her teeth, her mind drifting back a few hours, searching for the exact moment when it all began.
Hours earlier.
The afternoon sun streamed through the classroom window, painting the floor in golden hues. The school was empty now, with only Himiko Toga remaining, packing her things into her bag, 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 was when a voice echoed from the doorway.
"Hey, Himiko."
Toga looked up and saw Akeno Kurokawa standing there.
Akeno's blonde hair was flawless, wavy, and shone like liquid gold. Her piercing blue eyes and heavily made-up face resembled a porcelain doll… or a clown.
Toga instinctively put on her social mask.
"Oh, hi, Akeno-chan!" Her bright smile lit up her face, but it lasted only a second before being brutally shattered by the unexpected reply.
"Ugh, disgusting. That smile of yours is absolutely repulsive."
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 guy from another school can even stand talking 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 motionless, her fists clenched tightly. Her mask was slowly falling apart.
Akeno tilted her head, her cruel gaze gleaming.
"Maybe I should—"
The glint of metal sliced through the air.
Toga attacked.
The stiletto blade slid through Akeno's hair, severing a blonde lock that drifted softly to the floor.
"Shut up, bitch… You don't know Rin-kun."
Toga's words were razor-sharp, her voice laden with something primitive, something feral. Her expression changed completely as her social mask finally shattered.
Toga's predatory pupils constricted, her eyes glowing with murderous desire.
"He doesn't belong to you."
For a brief instant, Akeno hesitated.
Then her eyes widened with pure hatred.
"You bitch!"
Boom!
The explosion was instantaneous, swallowing the classroom in a cloud of multicolored sparks and a deafening blast.
The smoke hadn't even finished dispersing when Toga emerged from the curtain of destruction, unharmed. Her stiletto was still in her hand, gleaming with a threatening reflection.
Akeno narrowed her eyes, studying her opponent.
"Now I understand why they call you the explosive princess."
Toga smiled—but it wasn't a normal smile. It was a predatory, unhinged grin, overflowing with an uncontrollable delight in violence.
Her eyes brimmed with wild, unrestrained excitement.
Toga charged at Akeno with a feral smile on her lips, her eyes shining with euphoria as the stiletto in her hand reflected the dim light of the room. Akeno, however, didn't retreat. With a swift motion, she hurled several objects that had been turned into improvised bombs—small, everyday items that became deadly weapons at her touch.
The first explosion lit up the area, scattering shrapnel and smoke through the narrow corridor. Toga leapt to the side, narrowly escaping the blast, her sharpened reflexes allowing her to dodge each of Akeno's precisely timed detonations. As she danced between the explosions, a sharp glint tore through the air. With a quick, precise strike, Himiko's stiletto grazed Akeno's cheek, leaving a thin but burning cut.
"Argh!" Akeno clutched her face, feeling warm blood trickle down. But before she could react, Toga pivoted on her heels, exploiting the opening. Her stiletto struck again, slicing through her rival's bronzed skin and severing strands of her long blonde hair, which slowly drifted to the floor.
"Damn you!" Akeno snarled, her eyes blazing with fury. Her racing heart pumped adrenaline through her veins, and without hesitation she ripped the hair clip from her head and hurled it at her enemy. Toga sensed the danger and jumped back at the last second, barely 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, how annoying!"
She spun on her heels and took off running, veering aside at the final moment as the blast shook the ground behind her.
Present time.
Toga took a deep breath, still feeling the thrill of the fight pulsing in her chest. She ran her tongue over her lips, wiping away a smear of blood that had splashed there. Her eyes swept over the room where she had taken refuge, taking in the chaotic scene around her. She picked up a pen forgotten on a desk, twirling it between her fingers while gripping the stiletto firmly in her right hand.
"Explosive people are such a pain!" she muttered, rolling her eyes.
But her thoughts soon drifted elsewhere. Rin. His face surfaced in her mind, and a different kind of warmth spread through her chest.
'I should have followed Rin-kun's advice.'
Her lips curled into a faint smile.
"After this, we'll be together again, Rin-kun."
Out in the corridor, Akeno walked slowly, her piercing gaze sweeping the area. In her hands was a small improvised arsenal: stones, hairpins, pencils, and other objects ready to explode at her command. Her face was smeared with blood, yet her expression remained confident.
"Where are you, Himiko-chan?" Her voice echoed down the hallway, laced with an irritating sweetness.
"Ew, it's disgusting when you call me that."
The voice came from above. Before Akeno could react, Toga dropped down from the ceiling like a spider—fast and lethal. The pen in her hand slid forward with perfect precision, piercing her opponent's throat in a single, decisive thrust.
"I'm going to shut that filthy mouth of yours."
Akeno's eyes widened. A choking sound slipped from her lips before she coughed up blood, her breathing turning ragged. Her body trembled as her fingers went slack, dropping everything she had been holding. But the danger wasn't over yet—even on the ground, the explosives were still primed to detonate at the slightest trigger.
Sensing the danger, Toga quickly stepped back, her eyes locked on Akeno's trembling body.
"D-damn you!" Akeno's voice faltered as she pressed a hand to the wound in her throat, blood seeping through her fingers.
Toga simply smiled. Her murderous gaze pierced the wounded girl, the manic gleam in her eyes making it clear this was far from over.
The blade of her scalpel glinted 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 in her own blood.
Toga paused for a second before replying. "I don't need to know. Just the fact that you thought about stealing someone so dear to me…"
A terrifying, murderous smile spread across her lips—the same smile Rin loved and everyone else feared.
"…is enough to make me want to kill you!"
Toga raised her stiletto and slashed Akeno's neck.
Akeno clutched her throat desperately, trying to stop the bleeding.
"That cut was pretty shallow. I aimed more for your vocal cords—at least that way, 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 said with an insane smile as Akeno's vision began to fade.
Toga wasn't the best student in every subject, but when it came to Biology, her grades never dropped below 90. Like a bloodthirsty maniac, she knew a great deal about the human body—vital and non-vital points alike—everything she needed to satisfy her thirst for blood.
"Goodbye, Akeno-chan~" Toga stepped away with a cheerful smile.
Darkness crept into Akeno's vision as she choked on her own blood.
"H-help…"
Toga only smiled. Her murderous gaze pierced the wounded girl, the manic light in her eyes making 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 splashes of already-spilled crimson blood.
Akeno wanted to scream, curse, do anything—but her voice no longer belonged to her. She could only cough violently, the metallic taste flooding her mouth, every breath a struggle against drowning in her own blood.
"Oh, and one more thing…" Toga twirled the knife between her fingers casually. "There's a chance you might choke on your own blood. How sad, right?"
She crouched slightly, bringing her face closer to Akeno's. Her eyes shone with pure amusement as the smile on her lips widened even more.
"Despicable girl."
The horror reflected in Akeno's eyes only made Toga's heart pound harder. She had never considered herself a model student, but Biology had always been her strength. After all, knowing exactly where to cut, which organs to target, which arteries to avoid… all of that was part of her uncontrollable desire to spill blood. She knew every vital point, every non-vital one, and exactly what was necessary to keep someone alive long 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 melodic, brimming with joy, as if she were saying farewell to a friend after a fun day together.
She walked away down the bloodstained corridor without looking back.
Akeno, on the other hand, felt her vision blur. Her fingers were still pressed against the wound, but it was useless. Her body trembled with cold as darkness began to swallow her.
Her chest rose and fell erratically, the struggle against death slipping further and further from her grasp.
"H-help…"
The plea came out as a weak, unrecognizable whisper.
No one would hear her.
"Your life will be hell from now on, Toga Himiko…" Akeno's mind faded 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 was still racing, adrenaline coursing through her veins, and the metallic scent of blood clung to her hands. A satisfied smile danced across her lips as she twirled the knife between her fingers.
But then, suddenly, she stopped.
Her eyes widened, her body stiffened, and the blood staining her hands seemed to freeze when she saw two figures standing before her.
A man and a woman.
Their presence was so familiar that her chest tightened with an unfamiliar 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 low, heavy with accusation and filled with disgust.
Toga's heart clenched.
Her hands began to tremble, her fingers moving nervously in an unconscious gesture, as if trying to wipe away 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.
Harsh, acidic words were hurled at her like invisible spears, wounding her more deeply than any blade ever could. Her breathing grew 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 every sentence, something inside Toga shattered. Her head throbbed, her thoughts spinning out of control. She covered her ears tightly, squeezing her eyes shut as she stumbled a step back, but the screams still reached her, echoing inside her mind like a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.
"N-no… I don't want… to hear you…"
Toga's eyes welled up, tears threatening to fall, but she held them back with all her strength. Her body curled in on itself in pure desperation.
"Rin…"
It was the only thing she could think of.
"Help me."
It was a silent prayer.
And then, the sky answered.
In the next instant, a black light flared outside the building.
A dark-hued star, with blood-red edges, lit up the sky like an omen of destruction. Its glow pulsed, alive, carrying an overwhelming presence.
And then—
Boom!
The star shot toward Toga, as if it had been summoned directly by her despair.
The explosion hurled everything into the air.
Toga's father screamed as he was thrown backward, trying to grab onto something while shielding his wife from the impact. Dust and smoke flooded the corridor, obscuring everything in a moment of chaos.
But at the very center of the destruction, black lightning with crimson edges slithered through the air, twisting like starving serpents. They converged on a single point within the smoke, gathering, taking shape, until finally…
A figure emerged.
"Sorry for the wait, Himiko-chan."
The voice was calm, steady. Almost comforting.
As the smoke cleared, Rin appeared.
His eyes glowed an intense red, like burning embers in the darkness. His face was calm, yet carried an implicit threat—something that made even the air around him feel heavier. He stood between Toga and her parents, his imposing presence like an impenetrable wall.
[Image]
Toga's eyes widened.
"Rin…"
He tilted his head slightly, coldly observing the adults in front of him.
"So these are your parents?"
There was a faint disdain in his voice.
Toga's father, finally recovering from the shock, stepped forward. His face was red with fury, fists clenched, anger boiling over in his words.
"Hey, you—"
"SILENCE!"
Zoom!
Rin's aura exploded.
It was like an invisible roar tearing through the air, an overwhelming pressure that spread down the corridor like a destructive wave.
The floor trembled.
The walls vibrated.
And Toga's father froze.
It was as if his entire body were being seized by invisible hands, as though the very space around him had turned into an impenetrable cage. Terror overtook his eyes, his muscles refused to move, and for the first time, he understood what it meant to be truly powerless before something far beyond his comprehension.
Rin exhaled slowly, the energy around him still seething. His eyes turned to Toga, now filled with something different.
"Toga," he called her softly, his voice gentle in stark contrast to the raw power he had displayed moments before.
She was still trembling, but now her eyes were locked onto him, as if his mere presence were enough to drive away every nightmare.
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 burst from Toga's lips like an explosion of freedom:
"I want to be myself!"
The weight she had carried for so long faded, if only for an instant. Just like back then with Rin, truly feeling free was a dream she had never dared to reach for. But now… now she had someone by her side.
Toga felt her eyes burn. It was a prayer without a deity, a wish etched into her heart since childhood. She had never believed in gods, but for that dream, she was willing to believe in anything.
Rin gripped her shoulders firmly, his red eyes glowing like living embers, reflected in her golden gaze.
"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 against his shoulder. "Let's dance together in hell, full of demons."
Rin smiled.
"Then let's go."
With a single leap, he launched them upward, his energy pulsing around them like a storm on the verge of exploding.
Black electricity coiled around him, concentrating in his fists. The darkness within him roared, begging to be unleashed.
He raised his fist.
And then Rin struck the air.
Critical impact!
Boom!
The condensed energy detonated, tearing through the space before them. The impact was so devastating it made the school quake, shattering windows, ripping apart concrete slabs, and unleashing a shockwave that swept everything away.
The entire city trembled from the blow. The roar of destruction echoed through the streets, and the red-and-black glow of the explosion lit up the sky like an omen of the chaos to come.
Rin and Toga knew.
That was the point of no return.
"There are no…" Rin began, his voice firm, yet laden with something deeper.
"…more chances to go back," Toga finished, a trembling smile on her lips.
With a single motion, Rin pulled Toga tightly against him. Black and red lightning danced around them as he leapt again, rising into the heavens as if he were an extension of the night itself.
The city below felt distant, as though it belonged to another reality. Sirens wailed, heroes moved, shadows lurked in search of them. But up there, in the sky, for a brief moment, there was only freedom.
Rin clenched his teeth and pushed himself even harder. 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. Toward the shadows where no one would find them.
Where the world would not follow.
For now.