Chapter 26: XXV: Simulacre interruption
Two men, perched above the rooftops of some buildings, observed the children through binoculars at a distance.
One of them, a tall, gaunt figure, exuded an unsettling presence. His pale face was framed by jet-black hair, and his eyes—dark and sunken, rimmed with heavy bags—gave him a sorrowful, almost ghostly appearance. He wore a black cap pulled low, adding to his ominous demeanor. He was the first to break the silence.
"Are you absolutely sure the school hasn't detected us?" he asked, his voice low and almost hesitant, a stark contrast to his imposing height, which stretched well over two meters. His slender frame made him appear even taller, an intimidating silhouette against the skyline.
"Relax, relax," the shorter man replied, his tone casual but tinged with impatience.
Unlike his companion, he was stout, with a rotund body and a peculiar appearance. A small replica of Tokyo Tower sat perched on his head like an ornamental hat, and two tiny parabolic antennas protruded from his palms, giving him an almost mechanical aura.
"It was a little tricky to infiltrate this place, sure, but trust me. My Quirk lets me manipulate any electronic device. Even U.A.'s cutting-edge defense system isn't advanced enough to stop me. As long as we act quickly, they won't detect us. And if we factor in your Quirk for the escape, there's no way they're catching us."
The taller man sighed, the sound a mix of weariness and boredom. "All this effort," he muttered, almost to himself, "just for a little blood?" As he spoke, he reached into his coat and pulled out a couple of empty vials, the glass glinting faintly in the dim light.
"Yes," the shorter man replied, a touch more animated now. "The boss needs DNA from these two kids. Something to do with his research, I think. I didn't ask for the details, but he made it clear this is important."
The tall man nodded slowly, his expression unchanging. "I see. If it's for that, I guess we don't have a choice."
"Exactly," the shorter man affirmed, waving one antenna-like hand dismissively. "We're here because of his research. Now hurry up and get it done."
Without another word, the tall man stepped forward, his long frame blending seamlessly with the shadow pooling at his feet.
The darkness seemed to ripple like water, swallowing him entirely as he sank into it and disappeared. The shadow moved with an almost liquid fluidity, slithering across the ground as if alive.
Left alone on the rooftop, the short man glanced around nervously but quickly composed himself. He crouched low, his antennas twitching in the faint breeze.
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Raiden and Mirio finally reached the "kidnappers." Raiden descended from the sky with a determined expression, landing softly on the ground before Nejire and Tamaki, who clutched the oversized teddy bear tightly. Under different circumstances, Raiden might have immediately used his telekinetic powers to snatch the teddy and claim victory. However, after spending a month at U.A.
he understood the importance of protocol.
Acting rashly could jeopardize the mission or, worse, harm the hostage—or in this case, the teddy. Raiden knew better than to risk Tamaki accidentally breaking the bear due to a poorly calculated move.
"Stop right there!" Raiden commanded, his voice firm but slightly awkward as he addressed the unusual situation. "Villains, I advise you to put the bear down." The words felt strange coming out of his mouth, but he maintained his composure.
From behind, Mirio suddenly phased through a wall, appearing behind Nejire and Tamaki and effectively encircling them.
"I knew we should've hidden," Tamaki muttered nervously, his eyes darting around.
"Mm, nope," Nejire countered with a confident smile. "If we had, they'd have found us anyway. Fighting in an enclosed space would've been even worse for us."
"But… we are in an enclosed space," Tamaki muttered again, his tone flat.
"We're not," Nejire retorted cheerfully, and with that, she and Tamaki took off into the sky, the teddy still in their grasp.
Raiden immediately took to the air after them, his body surging upward with telekinetic propulsion.
Mirio, unbothered, disappeared into the building below.
Moments later, he was somehow launched skyward alongside his classmates. As the three of them hovered midair, all eyes briefly locked on Mirio, each silently thinking the same thing: That's new.
Mirio wasted no time. His trajectory was direct, aiming straight for Tamaki. Utilizing his Quirk, he phased through Tamaki's body with precision, causing him to lose his grip on the teddy bear. Mirio seized Tamaki's wrist, forcing him to drop the stuffed bear.
With swift precision, Raiden used his telekinesis to pull the bear toward him, ensuring it floated safely behind his position.
But Nejire wasn't about to let Raiden claim an easy victory. She surged forward, her energy crackling as she closed the distance between them.
Before Nejire could reach him, however, a shadow emerged from behind Raiden, slicing through the air with terrifying speed.
The shadow's claws ripped the teddy bear clean in half, sending fluff flying in all directions. Startled, Raiden acted on pure instinct, releasing a burst of psychic energy in a confusion attack, sending ripples of disorientation toward the shadowy figure.
The confusion attack repelled the shadow, which disappeared momentarily, leaving the four students scanning their surroundings in tense anticipation.
The air felt heavy, charged with the promise of another attack. Their instincts proved correct as the next strike emerged from the darkness—a blade-like shadow aimed directly at Tamaki, while a spear of shadow surged toward Raiden.
Nejire and Mirio weren't idle bystanders. As Tamaki and Raiden braced themselves to defend and counter, Nejire unleashed a radiant wave of energy that tore through the shadow, shattering it into harmless drops. Mirio took a more strategic approach, realizing that the shadowy assaults were tied to a Quirk. Without hesitation, he began searching for the source, darting through the chaos.
Raiden chose to shield himself while simultaneously providing cover for Mirio, using his telekinesis and different abilities to intercept incoming strikes.
Meanwhile, Tamaki relied on his Quirk, morphing his body with tentacles and wings to nimbly dodge and counter the relentless attacks. Despite the chaos, he trailed closely behind Mirio, their teamwork evident in their synchronized movements.
Tamaki, the only one physically interacting with the shadows, suddenly felt a strange sensation. Without thinking, he sent a mental message, instinctively aware of Raiden's psychic connection that had linked their minds at the start of the battle: "The shadows are like water. We need to find the villain or this wont end."
Raiden acknowledged the insight with a curt nod, his mind already working. He activated Laser Focus and Calm Mind, sharpening his abilities to their peak.
The techniques not only amplified the power and precision of his attacks but also granted him the clarity needed to strategize effectively.
Mirio, weaving through the onslaught with an almost effortless grace, allowed most of the attacks to pass harmlessly through him, thanks to his Quirk. However, as he moved, he studied the pattern of the strikes. In his mind, Raiden's voice cut through the noise: "To the right."
Mirio glanced in the direction Raiden indicated, his sharp eyes catching a subtle but crucial detail. The shadowy attacks, though seemingly chaotic, consistently originated from one point. Their erratic movements were mere distractions, but their ultimate trajectory always targeted Raiden and Tamaki. The origin of the strikes was unmistakably another alley.
Without hesitation, Mirio surged toward the source, undeterred by the flurry of incoming shadows.
Those he couldn't phase through were swiftly neutralized by Raiden, who launched shimmering Psyshock attacks that cut through the darkness like blades of light. Simultaneously, Raiden unleashed a barrage of Swift attacks, their precision targeting the heart of the shadowy barrage.
As their combined assault reached the alley, Mirio and Raiden froze momentarily at what they saw. A tall, imposing figure stood shrouded in darkness, his face adorned with a cryptic smile.
The shadows around him moved fluidly, rippling like water and dancing in hypnotic patterns, lending the man an eerie and enigmatic presence.
"The U.A. students are terrifying. You're only first-years—barely into your first semester—and yet, this strong? Scary, scary!" the figure exclaimed, his voice low and chilling, carrying an unnatural weight that sent shivers down the spines of the young heroes.
The students stood frozen, not out of fear but calculation.
They let him speak for the simplest reason: they believed they were being observed by their teacher. In their minds, the mission was clear—survive, locate the enemy's position, and buy time.
Despite the chaos, they adhered to protocol as though following a manual. Yet, reality rarely aligns with training, and this situation was far from textbook. Somewhere deeper in the complex, their classmates were trapped in the screen room, the monitors dark and the entire facility plunged into silence. Snipe, their teacher, had pieced together that something was amiss—not from direct observation, but by connecting subtle clues.
While Snipe worked to breach the metal doors imprisoning him, his options were limited. Breaking through wasn't beyond his abilities, but abandoning the other students to their fates wasn't an option either. He knew reinforcements were likely on the way. In the best-case scenario, they could arrive in five minutes; in the worst, it might take ten. Unfortunately, even five minutes was time the students in the field couldn't afford to waste, he was more than literally trapped.
Back in the heart of the battlefield, the fragile stalemate shattered. The shadowy figure clasped his hands together, and the darkness that blanketed the area recoiled and converged around him. The shadows clung to his form, shifting and flickering like a living, spectral aura, enhancing his eerie presence.
The tension in the air thickened, and the students knew there was no room for hesitation. What had started as a training exercise had spiraled into something far more perilous. There was no time for regret, only action. They raised their defenses, their instincts honed to protect and, if possible, retreat with their safety intact.
But the villain was relentless. In a fluid motion, he plunged into the shadows and emerged almost instantly behind Raiden.
A hand tipped with razor-sharp black claws lunged toward him. Reacting with astonishing speed, Raiden activated Mega Kick, his powerful strike colliding with the attack in a resounding impact that sent a fierce gust of wind rippling through the battlefield.
The momentary clash jolted the other students into action. They moved as one, each employing their unique abilities. Tamaki transformed his limb into an enlarged tentacle, its surface fortified with a hardened shell reminiscent of a seashell, and swung it with force to smash the villain.
Yet, the enemy's response defied all expectations. A grin spread across his face, sinister and confident, as shadows surged to his hands, coalescing into razor-sharp weapons that gleamed with an unnatural sheen. With a swift, almost effortless spin, he severed Tamaki's tentacle in a single, precise stroke.
The severed limb fell briefly before it began to dissolve, blending seamlessly into the swirling shadows surrounding the villain, as though it had always belonged to him.
Simultaneously, the structure behind the students groaned ominously, its stability compromised. The damage inflicted by the villain's strike was beginning to take its toll, with cracks spreading across the walls and beams creaking under the strain.
The students exchanged quick, uneasy glances, the gravity of the situation pressing down on them like a physical weight.
This wasn't an ordinary fight, and this certainly wasn't an average villain. "We should've retreated when we had the chance. This guy's no joke," Raiden thought grimly, his fists clenched.
But as he scanned the battlefield, his resolve hardened. "We don't have much of a choice now. We've got to go all out."
"Exactly," Mirio's voice cut into his thoughts. "No holding back."
With the stakes higher than ever, the battle resumed in earnest. Raiden took the lead, firing two consecutive Confusion attacks in rapid succession. The shadowy figure raised his defenses instinctively, the impacts cracking against his shield of shadows. This time, the force was stronger, and faint wisps of the shield began to dissipate under the assault.
Nejire was next to act, her energy swirling around her. She fired a charged blast at 40% output, a calculated balance between power and sustainability.
The attack struck with precision, forcing the shadowy figure to retreat a step, his form flickering in the disruption.
Seizing the opportunity, Tamaki launched himself into the fray, but this time, he was transformed. From his back, eight armored tentacles emerged, gleaming with a hardened, shell-like armor. His legs ended in sharp claws, while the seashell-like material extended across most of his body, forming a sturdy, protective exoskeleton. He descended from above, aiming to strike with overwhelming force.
As Nejire unleashed another wave to distract the enemy, Tamaki capitalized on the moment, diving directly at the shadowy figure. The villain attempted to dodge, shadows swirling protectively around him, but his focus was divided. Just as Tamaki's attack neared, Mirio appeared—seemingly out of nowhere—emerging from the ground beneath the enemy.
With perfect coordination, Mirio grabbed the villain's leg, locking him in place. In tandem, he and Tamaki delivered a devastating dual strike to the enemy's stomach and shoulder. The sheer force of the attack sent the villain crumpling to the ground, his once-imposing figure momentarily faltering.
The shadowy figure began to recover, his form shifting as he prepared to counterattack. But before he could act, he noticed the two boys retreating rapidly, putting significant distance between themselves and him. Confusion flickered across his face for a split second—until his surroundings were flooded with an intense, blinding purple light.
A voice rang out, powerful and commanding, cutting through the chaos like a thunderclap:
"HYPER BEAM!"
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Hello guys, sorry for the delay, I was out the city, and I didn't have access to webnovel.
Enjoy the reading, slowly we are getting away from the cannon I hope you like the what will happen, I'm trying to give more deep to these antagonists.
Also, I slowly will increase patreon chapters to reach the 20 ahead.
Please drop some power stones, that could help me a lot.