The sun was already low in the sky, spreading a golden glow through the streets as I walked home. The sound of my steps blended with the music playing in my headphones a calm, almost hypnotic beat. It was one of those moments when everything seems to fit, you know? That brief instant when you can disconnect from the world, as if protected in a bubble of your own.
I was there, floating in that light feeling, sensing the weight of the day's thoughts slowly fade. The exams, the hallway conversations, the silence that sometimes weighs more than words all of it left behind. Only the music, the asphalt beneath my feet, and the fresh evening air.
That's when I heard it.
At first, it sounded like a distant snap, almost like a branch breaking on the sidewalk. But in a second, it turned into a dry, thunderous explosion that made me stop in my tracks. The ground shook beneath my feet a sharp noise that tore through the air and silenced the soundtrack I was hearing.
My thoughts scrambled in an instant. "What was that? Where did it happen?" The surrounding streets were calm, the city's normal movement continued, but the blast had come from close by. Very close.
I pulled out my headphones in a rush. The music vanished and the silence returned but now, a tense silence. I looked to the side, toward the street where Mrs. Yuraki's restaurant was located, that simple and cozy place I passed every time I went home.
A strange heat began rising in my chest, mixing anxiety with a sharp sense of urgency. I couldn't just ignore it.
Without thinking twice, I started running.
My legs responded on their own, my heart racing and mind speeding. The sound of my steps on the concrete was muffled, mixed with the distant murmur of people and, more than anything, the smell of smoke beginning to seep into the air.
I turned the corner, and the scene that opened before me froze everything for a moment: flames already licking the walls, debris scattered on the ground, and a tumult of alarmed voices and chaos.
On the way, a notification appeared in my vision the system's interface overlapping the real world:
Mission: Neutralize the villain before the official heroes arrive.
Reward: 500 special seeds can transform into seeds of any plant in the world, including those that don't reproduce by seed.
Bonus: Metal dagger with paralytic poison.
My gaze locked on the notice. That could change everything. If I could control those seeds, I'd have an unprecedented botanical arsenal imagine transforming a simple seed into a giant pine tree in the middle of the street, or a poisonous flower to hinder the enemy. And the dagger... it could be the key to immobilizing a strong opponent without direct combat.
But in the middle of that chaos, a presence. Something that didn't match the destruction something cold and threatening.
I knew, without knowing exactly why, that this was far from an accident.
Mrs. Yuraki's street was unrecognizable. Her restaurant a place I knew well, simple and welcoming was completely destroyed. Cracked walls, shattered windows, and smoke pouring from inside the building told the story.
It wasn't just the restaurant the nearby shops and houses were also in ruins. Practically the entire street looked like it had been swept by a storm of destruction caused by the villain.
He looked like a giant man, two meters tall, with metallic skin, destroying everything in his path. In his eyes reflected immense madness.
I could see Mrs. Yuraki trembling near the villain, who was in a frenzy an uncontrolled and violent presence, an imminent danger. His gaze found no focus, only incandescent madness, like a storm ready to explode.
I didn't think twice. I stepped forward, feeling the pulse of the surrounding plants through my Verdant Pulse. The Quirk was more than a power it was an extension of my mind, of my experience. The endless fights against the AI of Ashen Regalia had taught me to memorize movements, predict attack patterns, and react with almost inhuman mathematical precision.
As the villain advanced, my senses raced, processing every micro-expression, every change in his posture like a code unraveling before my eyes. The ability Algorithmic Intuition, combined with Parallel Flow, allowed me to analyze multiple lines of attack and defense at the same time, like a living chessboard.
My reflexes, five times faster than normal, responded before the thought of striking even crossed my mind. I knew exactly where the villain would strike first, and my body moved instinctively a creative flow, synchronized with the environment.
The nearby plants responded to my will. Roots and vines silently grew, intertwining under the ground, ready to immobilize the enemy. I stayed focused, ignoring the chaos around me, isolating irrelevant stimuli thanks to Convergent Focus. It was my ultimate advantage: think faster, act faster, predict faster.
As the shadow of his madness approached, a current of verdant energy exploded from my hands, wrapping around the villain and restraining his movements, giving Mrs. Yuraki time to retreat safely.
Without using my Quirk, that fight would be purely physical I prepared to act. I wanted to test my own limit, put into practice everything I'd learned with Ashen Regalia: read patterns, anticipate movements, combine speed and strength, and find the perfect opening.
The villain lunged with a guttural roar, his metallic hand swinging a powerful punch in my direction. The moment his fist tore through the air, I analyzed the trajectory with precision his shoulder was slightly open, the movement too heavy to be perfectly controlled.
With my body already moving before the thought, I dodged to the right the punch grazing my shoulder and kicking up a cloud of dust as it hit the ground. Without losing rhythm, my arm extended in a short, precise punch, aiming at the side of his torso where the metal plates had a small gap.
The impact was solid. I could feel the muscles beneath the metal give slightly, and his breathing sped up. He groaned softly, but didn't retreat.
Before I could continue, I felt the pressure of something enormous coming at me a crushing kick, the sole of a metal-covered foot swinging down in an arc toward my chest. I used Instinctive Reading to detect the attack pattern. I realized he was trying to break my stance for a finishing blow.
I pushed my body backward, rolling to avoid the full force of the kick which exploded against the ground where I'd been moments before, sending chunks of concrete flying. The vibration of the impact spread through the street, and I felt the wind from the villain's motion.
But he didn't stop. Taking advantage of the opening I left during the roll, he lunged with a powerful hook the metal arm swinging in an arc toward my head.
I had no time to block, so I used my agility to duck, feeling the air slash above my head as the metallic fist crushed the space where I'd been a second earlier.
It was time to counterattack.
With speed enhanced by my mental state, I sprang up, using the momentum for a side kick to his thigh the point where the metal looked thinner. The impact made him stagger, and I saw a small crack open in the armor.
My heart raced that was the moment.
I took advantage of the imbalance to follow with a sequence of punches fast and direct each one aimed at vital points, not giving him time to react. The first hit the metal chest, the second struck the side of his neck, and the third, in a fluid movement, landed on his jaw.
He stepped back with a grunt but quickly shook his head and returned with brutal strength.
With a powerful lunge, he grabbed my arm, trying to crush me against the restaurant's broken wall.
I felt the crushing pressure of his hands metal squeezing like iron pliers. But it wasn't just brute strength my brain worked like a computer, calculating angles, leverage points, and trajectories.
With a quick body twist and a push from my free leg, I escaped the grip and landed an elbow strike to his sternum. The impact made the villain growl.
The fight continued harsh and brutal each blow a test of endurance and agility.
I couldn't match his strength his body was like heavy armor so I focused on predicting his attacks, dodging at the last moment, and counterattacking with surgical precision.
It was a duel I couldn't win with force just like in Ashen Regalia it required mind, timing, and endurance.
And, as smoke and the smell of burning filled the air, I knew I couldn't let him shift his attention away from me. Because amid the chaos, I was the only thing standing between that monster and the civilians.
And although I'm not very altruistic, I'm also not cold enough to abandon lives I could save by pushing just a little harder.
I realized the villain was becoming more predictable even in his unbridled fury, his attacks followed a pattern. In the midst of chaos, there was a brutal logic I could decipher.
He breathed heavily, his movements heavy and rhythmic. The sequence always repeated an open punch, followed by the spinning kick, then the grab and crushing attempt.
I decided it was time to turn the tables.
When he launched the open punch, I quickly ducked and slid under the blow, feeling the air shift strongly near my head. Before he could regain balance, I was already at his side and, with all the strength I had, landed a precise punch to his metallic abdomen.
He groaned, but didn't have time to react. With my other hand, I grabbed the arm he used for the spinning kick and, using the momentum, twisted it backward, forcing him off balance.
He tried to roar furiously, but my pressure was relentless.
Without pause, I kicked his supporting leg, making him lose balance and stagger forward.
I advanced without hesitation, striking his face with a sequence of quick, short punches calculated to maintain pressure and prevent any counterattack. Each blow had a purpose: force his body to bend, keep his focus on defense.
He tried to respond with a hook, but I dodged easily, spinning behind him and delivering a kick to his back, throwing him against an already cracked wall.
My breathing was rapid, but every muscle in my body was tense and focused. I knew I couldn't fail there.
He tried a sudden move to escape, but I anticipated it. I predicted the direction of his leap and, at the exact moment, grabbed his waist and brought him to the ground with a hip throw.
On the ground, he tried to get up, but I maintained control pressing with my body weight and landing quick blows to his chin and ribs, forcing him to retreat more and more.
Every second, I dominated the fight more reducing his space, controlling the rhythm, making the villain burn energy trying to keep up.
I didn't need to win by force my advantage was mind and strategy. In the middle of that destroyed street's chaos, I was the conductor leading the rhythm of the battle.
He was tiring his attacks slower, cracks appearing in the metal.
It was time to end it.
He tried to break free from my pressure on the ground, but I kept my weight firm, blocking any escape. His breathing was heavy, fast fury giving way to exhaustion.
He used brute force to push me away, but I used his own body's leverage against him I grabbed the arm that pushed, twisted it quickly, and threw him to the side, slamming him into the cracked concrete.
Without giving him time to recover, I jumped on top and delivered a precise knee strike to his chest. The impact made him gasp, the air leaving his lungs in a hoarse hiss.
He dragged himself backward, trying to regain his posture, but I was right on him no opening.
A quick punch came toward me; I dodged with a slight twist of my body, feeling the blow graze the air near my face. Immediately, I counterattacked with a sequence of punches two straight hits to his face, followed by a hook to his chin, forcing his head to snap violently.
He muttered something, but the words made no sense only madness and pain showed through.
As he tried to raise his arm to block the next attack, I launched a low kick at his elbow joint, making the arm bend backward with a crack that echoed through the ruined street.
He grunted in pain and tried to advance with a headbutt. I ducked quickly; the blow passed over my head, and with a spinning momentum, I grabbed the back of his neck with both hands and pushed him to the ground, delivering an impact strike.
He was dizzy, eyes glazed, but still tried to get up.
I didn't allow it.
I kept the pressure, closing the space between us, blocking every attempt he made to breathe or organize an attack.
Every move I made was calculated I anticipated his next action, blocked before his strength could concentrate, and struck where his defense was weakest.
He was visibly tired; his movements slowed, the metallic density beginning to seem less impenetrable.
Then, I saw the opening.
When he tried a side punch, his guard dropped for a fraction of a second.
I took advantage, spun my body to drive a straight punch with all I had into the center of his chest.
The impact made the villain stagger backward, air escaping with a dull thud.
I stepped back, breathing deeply, feeling my body vibrate with the force of the blow.
He was still standing, of course, but that was the cue for the next stage of the fight.
I knew I could use my quirk, but at that moment, I wanted to test what my physical strength, my training, and my pattern reading could do.
And I knew if I kept pressing like that, there'd be no room for him to recover.
The villain staggered, his chest still pulsing from the punch. He tried to catch his breath, but I wasn't going to give him that chance.
I advanced quickly, taking advantage of his slow and predictable movements. Every step I took was calculated every punch, every dodge, all synchronized with the rhythm of his breathing.
He tried one last attack a powerful hook but I dodged backward at the last second, feeling the blow scrape my jacket.
Then, I drove a knee into his abdomen, making him double over. With my free hand, I grabbed his head, pulled it down, and slammed his skull against the ground. I repeated this until I stopped feeling him trying to break free.
When that happened, I released his head, which hit the ground with a thud.
I stood still for a few seconds, feeling my heart still racing, muscles tense, adrenaline slowly fading.
I looked around. The chaos was contained, at least for now. Mrs. Yuraki was safe, trembling but unharmed.
I held my breath, satisfied and aware that this was just another battle on the path I still had ahead.
I released the villain on the ground and turned to Mrs. Yuraki. She was still shaking, eyes wide, breathing fast, but when she saw me, a spark of relief appeared on her face.
"Are you okay, Mrs. Yuraki?" I asked, my voice firm but concerned.
She shook her head, still half scared. "Yes... I... thank you for coming so fast. I didn't know what to do; he was out of control, almost got me…"
I nodded, observing how the street was destroyed. "It got really dangerous. But don't worry, he won't hurt anyone else."
She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "I'm fine, just... really scared."
Before I could reply, the sound of sirens cut through the air. Heroes and police started arriving, spreading through the street, assessing the damage and ensuring the residents' safety.
One of the heroes, wearing a dark blue uniform with silver details, approached with quick, firm steps. "You're safe now. We'll take care of this man."
A police officer approached as the heroes began to surround the unconscious villain. He was a tall man, square jaw, short hair, and a stern expression. He raised an eyebrow when he looked at me, his gaze quickly shifting from Mrs. Yuraki to me, then to the chaos around.
"Were you the one who neutralized him?" he asked, pulling a digital notepad from his uniform pocket.
"Yes, I was," I replied without hesitation. "I arrived shortly after the explosion. I saw he was out of control, and Mrs. Yuraki was at risk. I did what I could."
The officer sighed, looking around at the cracked ground, debris, and overturned cars. "We'll need you to come with us to the station to give a detailed report. It's protocol in cases like this."
"Understood," I said, staying calm. Part of me expected this. I wasn't a licensed hero. To the law, my interference needed to be registered and reviewed.
I hated this system, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Before leaving, I approached Mrs. Yuraki once more. "They'll take him away. You're safe now. But if you need help rebuilding the restaurant… I can figure something out."
She looked at me with teary eyes, gently touching my shoulder. "You saved my life, Haruki. That's more than I could ever ask."
I nodded, feeling a silent weight on my chest. It wasn't the first time I saw violence up close in the past, I was often the cause of it but… this was the first time I saved someone's life, and it wasn't such a bad feeling. Pleasant, I'd say.
The officer nodded and I started walking beside him, while the other agents restrained the villain and set up barriers around the scene.
Even as I walked away, my thoughts remained there on the cracked ground, on the sound of my fists colliding with the enemy's metal body. Knowing that the path I'm walking is not in vain after all, my past self could never have expected to defeat a villain like this, a villain with a strength quirk, without even using my own quirk.
This is just confirmation that I'm on the right path.