Chapter 51
The Strongest Loser vs. The Strongest Winner

The world is full of luxuries for the strong. And those with power are to rule over those who are inferior to them. I've known that ever since I was young. I lived in a small nation in China for most of my youth. Naturally, my real name isn't Megumi. I was the youngest sibling and the only female, which meant that my possibilities of ruling independently were lowered. What was expected of me was to marry a prince of the sorts from another nation in order to improve our economic state. My family have been the rulers for a great deal of time and were keeping stable in our country for years. However, my parents weren't fit for the job. A ruler has to rule with an iron fist over their people without favoritism. They judge and oversee the wellness of their land and are not afraid to make sacrifices for the greater good. My parents did not understand this concept. They were weak-minded, believing that their citizens were above them. They tried to sign peace treaties with other nations because they wanted to settle things "peacefully". That naive thinking is what got our kingdom to ruins after a coup d'etat was staged. Apparently, our people weren't happy that the emperor, my father, was letting other nations step over us. This was a civil war that lasted for days until one of the enemy nations took advantage of this and invaded.

I don't know what happened to my family, but I didn't care. Still to this day, I don't hold any particular feelings towards them. I was always alone because I could not tolerate their way of thinking. I was held captive in some whorehouse. Of course, the pigs didn't mind that I was a young girl. But I never let any of them touch my body. Usually, I would retaliate, breaking a few of their bones which would leave me to be punished and left alone in isolation for several days. That is until that very same nation was invaded by neighboring countries. I took that opportunity and escaped, finding a boat filled with war escapees which were headed for Japan. Naturally, I had to find ways to scrape by, which was really detestable. I, a member of a royal family, reduced to living in poverty. I chose to make money without letting people touch my body, so I chose what I was most comfortable with. I took part in underground fights, using my Quirk to stampede through every fight I took part in. I became undefeated in the underworld and I gained more strength and experience. It was a decent living. At least, I wasn't forced to live in the mind-numbing life that is living locked up in my room like back home. However, I had no sense of purpose. It was always the same thing. Fight and fight just to live another day. I was all alone, so what was I really fighting for?

"You look like a real rabble-rouser."

After several years of fighting my way through life, this was the first time someone had decided to talk to me other than to try and hit on me. He was an older man, probably in his fifties. He had long white hair and was holding what appeared to be a bird mask.

"Why don't you come with me? We've been observing you for a while and we believe your skills are what we've been looking for. You pack a great punch and with your Quirk, you have endless potential. My name is Ozamu Kagari. I represent the Sin of Gluttony in the Yakuza."

"And what does the Yakuza have with me?"

"Guan-yin." The next man was dressed in black armor and was wearing a similar mask along with a hat."I am The Baron, leader of the Seven Deadly Sins. I came to offer you a chance to get back the life that was stolen from you."

"What would you know about your life being stolen? You know nothing."

"Actually, I do. My life was taken away by the people I once called family."

That sentence was what got me intrigued. I wanted to know if he truly understood what I had gone through.

"But we are better than mere traumatic events. We are destined for greater things, my dear Guan-yin. Your talent is wasted here. I can give you a new purpose in life. One that is not only noble but also fulfilling. In exchange, I will help you get what you want the most. You are an empress, after all. It's only fitting that you get the right to the throne. That is my promise to you."

"What exactly is your goal?"

He hummed to himself, though I could practically hear him smile."I want to fix this world. My plan is to get rid of all the Quirks in the world except for ours, for the sole reason of preventing any more pain and suffering that Quirks cause on their users."

"I don't care about stuff like that. I don't care what happens to this world or its people. But...I will help you. If your cause is better than living in this dump, then I suppose I have no other choice."

"Excellent." The Baron walked up to her, offering her a doctor plague mask."Welcome aboard to the Shie Hassaikai, Guan-yin. From now on, you will represent the Sin of Pride."

"Do not call me that anymore." That's right. I wanted to leave that name behind. It was the name I was given when I was born in royalty, but those times were gone. Guan-yin was dead and had no reason to look at the future.

"In that case, how about Megumi?" The old man placed a hand on my head, much to my annoyance. I was tempted in grabbing his hand and breaking it, but...for the first time in forever...I felt a sense of happiness.

"Okay."

Being part of the Yakuza definitely had its perks. I was a high-ranking officer, so I was in charge of the majority of the underlings. The missions were entertaining enough. Not a challenge but certainly not as boring as it was to fight people on the same ring. Killing became normalcy. However, since I was the last added member at the time, I was left in charge of a weasel. He was from a wealthy family somewhere in Australia that apparently did some shady business and went bankrupt once it went wrong.

Working with him was a pain in the rear as it was. Self-righteous scum never stopped talking about how "grandiose" he was when he was nothing but dirt on the floor. Always boasting of how luxurious his life had been and how he enjoyed getting what he wanted when he wanted. I suppose constantly talking about the topic was what made him feel nostalgic. Nostalgic enough to want to usurp The Baron from his position and eventually Overhaul.

"So, what did you bring me here for, Greed?" I had asked him as I sat on my assigned chair in our meeting room. I scowled upon seeing him take the main chair, where Baron usually sat, and put his feet on the table. He had short green hair combed to the side along with an ugly ponytail and also had blue eyes.

"Megumi-chan. We've been working together as partners for a while now. We created a relationship that involves respect and appreciation. And both of us come from clearly superior status than this."

Megumi fought the urge to roll her eyes and simply rested her head on her palm, leaning on the table.

"I, Roger Ginazaka, have come up with a plan, now that Baron and Gluttony are away on a mission. Megumi-chan, this is our opportunity to take over. Think about it. Why should we, clearly superior human beings, be subjected to following orders like dogs? We should be the ones issuing orders. We should be the ones calling the shots. I plan to get the other Sins and convince them to join our cause. Naturally, little Tai is going to refuse, since that dumbass thinks he's hot shit and is too loyal to his brother. But with your strength and my wits, we will be able to take over. By the time Baron comes back, this place will be ours. So my question to you is, Megumi-chan. Are you determined to help me?"

Megumi remained quiet, a bored expression on her face. She sighed, leaning back on her chair."This is pathetic. And you believe you're anywhere equal to me?"

"What was that?" His eye twitched as he glared at her.

Megumi stood up, eyes closed and arms behind her back as she paced around the room."You don't get it. A ruler is above such petty things. A ruler is a perfect existence without exception. They don't conspire and they trust no one but themselves. They hold their nobility at all times." She stopped, glaring daggers at the green-haired man in front of her."All this nonsense you've spouted just put a bad taste in my mouth. You've infringed upon the very aspects that make someone worthy to rule. It is of no wonder that your family went downhill if they were full of incompetent people such as yourself."

"You bitch!" He snarled as he jumped on the table, taking a knife out."I gave you an opportunity and this is how you thank me?! I'm sick of this damn attitude of yours. You've never even bothered to look me in the eyes, thinking you are so much better than me! Well, fuck that! If you're not with me, then you're against me! Now, look at me as I kill you!"

Megumi watched in slow motion at Greed, who was in the air looking like a feral creature about to get its prey. But little did he knew that he was the real one in danger. She calmly rose her leg, bending her back. A sticking cracking noise was the only noise heard in the empty room. Megumi stared at Greed's eyes, whose expression was unchanging. Slowly, she retraced her leg from his neck, allowing the corpse to fall on the floor.

"Worthless mongrels shouldn't be associated with us."

Shie Hassaikai Compound, Underground Tunnels, Morning

Takashi stared down at Megumi, adopting a battle stance. He looked over his shoulder, making sure Hisashi was well out of range. The impassive girl stood still, a bored expression on her face.

"It's funny. I've been wanting to fight you for a long time now. " Takashi couldn't help but grin at the challenge."I have yet to pay you back for the nice treatment you gave me in that alleyway. I had a rough time the days after."

"You really think this is going to be any different from before?" She sighed, a hand on her hip."No matter how hard you try and how much you strive to be better, you will never beat me. It's that simple. I made quick work of your brother and I won't have much of a challenge with you either."

"We'll see about that. I've been training, but unlike you, I haven't really come out of my fights victorious. It's funny. There was a point in time where I was so obsessed with winning that I even gave myself up to villains like you guys. But now it's different. I'm not fighting for myself. I'm fighting for my family."

"Spare me the brainless sentimentality." Megumi scoffed, beckoning him to come at her. Takashi wasted no time and blasted himself at her, only to change trajectory and land on her left. Megumi, without giving him a glance, rose her fist and connected it against Takashi's face, sending him rolling to the ground. He recovered quickly, spitting some blood on the floor before he attacked from the left. Again, the Chinese girl delivered another attack without looking right on his forehead before delivering a kick to his stomach, sending him skidding on the ground.

Hisashi was grabbing his sides, watching the fight with one eye open.'She's ferocious...If Takashi loses her, we're all screwed. I just hope Darby-kun can buy us enough time...But why is brother taking those hits? He should be able to transform and have a better chance at fighting her, so why is he just attacking her normally?'

Takashi screamed as he hit the ground hard, grabbing his belly as he breathed rapidly.'God damn! We just started and she...she could have killed me twenty times over...'

"You see now? Or shall I demonstrate further? I don't mind the squirming punching bag. It makes for a fun practice dummy."

"Yeah...you hit pretty damn hard..." Takashi painfully groaned, standing back up."I needed a bit of an awakening call. Thanks for helping me fresh up."

Megumi's gaze hardened."Acting tough now? Well, I suppose I don't want this to be a disappointment like last time. Show me what you've got."

Takashi cracked his neck, powering up to his Overclock Stage."If you insist!"

"Really? You think that form is going to do you any good? I already beat your brother with that, you know?" Megumi responded, jumping and twirling around as her body was engulfed in orange flames.

"It's about to start," Hisashi muttered to himself, laying on his side on the ground.

Takashi rose his arms, taking aim at Megumi. The girl scoffed, zigzagging her way over to him and evading the neon attacks directed at her. She tried delivering an uppercut, but the youngest Kachidoki moved his head just in time. However, she backhanded him in the face, causing him to stumble a few inches away. He aimed a finger at her, firing a neon shot that she easily dodged by moving her head to the side, punching him across the face.

Takashi stumbled backward, holding his face."All right. I guess this is an opponent I can't take likely. Shit. I'm going to have to take things seriously then!" Takashi began powering up, his neon flaring more and more.

Hisashi was in awe while Megumi remained stoic. He began jumping on his feet, his fists up as his new form finished forming."This is Juggernaut Stage. This is me at full power. What about you?"

"While I'm not completely holding back, I still have ways to go before I reach my full strength." Megumi stated with confidence."Unless you prove me wrong, nothing has changed."

Takashi merely rose his finger, firing a neon shot at Megumi who was surprised at his new speed. The girl bent backward, watching the ray pass by and landing against a wall.'He's faster than before. Maybe he won't be as much of a pushover.'

Takashi got on guard, sporting a condescending smirk on his face. Megumi allowed herself a smile as well, taking a battle stance as they both stared at each other. Megumi ran at him as did he, both of them blocking each other off with their forearms which became a battle of strength. Megumi, despite her size, had incredible physical strength. She was forcing Takashi back without fail and he was unable to push back.

Clicking his tongue, he rose his foot from the ground and shot a neon blast from it, propelling himself against her and pushing her back several meters.

"It's not cheating." He mused, interlocking fingers with her as they continued to push.

"I wasn't going to say it was." Megumi twisted his arms, receiving him with a headbutt and a punch to the chest, knocking him back."In battle, anything is fair. I've learned that the hard way."

"Well, poor you..." Takashi wiped the blood off his lip, waving his arm and forming a neon scythe. In response, Megumi pulled out two fans from her belt and met him in the middle. For Megumi, evading a huge object like a scythe was child's play, which made Takashi even more open whenever he would strike with her fans, making cuts all over his body with the sharp edges. Having enough, he crushed the scythe in his hand and instead made a neon dagger and dashed back into the fight.

He was moving faster than before, matching Megumi's attacks even. She moved her fans vigorously, but Takashi's movements were calculated and accurate. He went for the thrust, leaving her no choice but to squeeze his arm with hers, stopping a few inches away from her face. Takashi pushed the blade with his fingers, flicking the base of the dagger. Megumi's high reflexes allowed her to move her head in the face of the point-blank attack, however, it managed to leave a scratch on her cheek and causing blood to drip down her face. Subsequently, Takashi planted his firm on her gut, causing her to release his arm, and used this opportunity to blast her in the face, prompting her to backflip away to avoid losing her footing.

Takashi leaped over, his speed letting him appear behind her, and threw a horizontal kick, which she ducked by crouching down, resting her hands on the floor and throwing a kick of her own. To her surprise, Takashi managed to not only block it but also grabbed her foot and began spinning her around before releasing her. Megumi watched, bewildered at his display of skills before hitting the wall and falling on the ground.

"Woah! Takashi is actually doing good..." Hisashi almost cheered before stopping himself."But she said that she wasn't at her full power yet. If she's still holding back, I can't be celebrating yet..."

"You should probably start taking things seriously." Takashi offered, stretching a bit."If not, I'll continue pounding you."

"Don't think this changes anything, mongrel." Megumi bellowed, getting back on her feet."You shouldn't get cocky just because you got a few lucky hits." She stomped the floor, cracking it, and proceeded to twirl around for a few seconds, raising her leg up to her chest."I will say this much. You've definitely improved from back then. Perhaps you are more talented than I gave you credit for. But my fighting prowess is well above yours. I am simply superior to you by birth. Don't think otherwise."

"Maybe so." He relented, chuckling."The old me would have tried to refute that claim. But now? I honestly don't care about stuff like that. There are things beyond someone's status in the world. It doesn't matter whether you're from a royal family or from a regular family. What matters is the effort and determination you have to overcome the odds. I've seen that first hand in a certain blonde..." He smiled, reminiscing about all the times he had shared with Darby."At this point, I believe anything is possible with, so as long as you try to reach for it."

"There is no possible way for mere vermin to have any significant value unless they are strictly under a ruler figure. That is how I see things. Unless you submit yourself to me, you have no value other than the trash that must be disposed of. In which case, I suppose I have no choice but to do so."

Megumi bent her knees, and in a blink of an eye, was in front of Takashi. The young man tried to get his arms up to defend himself, but her fist was just about to collide with his face. He kicked the back of his left foot with his right, causing him to lose balance and fall back, consequently kicking Megumi's feet and followed him to suit.

The Sin of Pride glared daggers at Takashi while they were about to hit the floor and threw a quick jab at his chest, crushing him against the floor. She prepared to get another punch in, but Takashi had activated No Future momentarily, watching five seconds into the future and using his feet to blast neon from them and get him out of the way in the nick of time.

"Fēngzi Qiēpiàn jī!"(Berserk Slicer). Megumi lunged in the air and began kicking with her left feet in anticipation. Takashi was forced to move back to avoid being hit by the fierce barrage of kicks. She scowled whenever her kicks would just be blocked or avoided. This had never happened before and wasn't expecting him to be able to put up this much of a fight. She jumped back over to the wall, using it to gain momentum as she jumped at him, stretching her right leg out.

Takashi, unlike the last time he fought her, saw the attack coming and was more than prepared. He blocked it with his arms, but the force of the impact sent him crashing against the wall.

Much to Megumi's annoyance, Takashi jumped out of the hole he had made in the wall, his arms shaking."Damn. Even if I blocked it, that kick had a lot of power. But this time, I managed to block."

Megumi remained silent, her frown speaking more than a thousand words. She took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly as if calming herself. A small smile graced her features as she began humming a tune to herself.

"Is that... Can Can?" Takashi rose a brow, taken back by the unexpected tune."Didn't peg her for a classic musical fanatic."

She shifted her gaze to the ceiling, her eyes lost in thought. Then, out of nowhere, she immediately broke into a sprint, her figure becoming a shade of red that Takashi couldn't even see properly. She elbowed him in the nose and punched him across the jaw, knocking him to the floor. The former Sin of Greed grabbing his aching jaw, blood spilling down his nose as he stared in disbelief.

"What's wrong?" Megumi adopted a wide sardonic smile as she rose her chin, looking down at him."Weren't you able to react to my every moment, you piece of shit?!"

"No way...she just...how?" Hisashi was flabergasted. He had thought his brother had the upper hand, but she suddenly became faster.

'What's going on? I thought she said she was at full power just now...was that a lie?' Takashi hissed, holding his nose and bathing his hand in blood.'No. That can't be. She doesn't look like the type who would lie about something like that. This means...she's progressively getting stronger as we fight. This is just crazy...'

'But he is also getting stronger the more we fight.' Megumi's grin disappeared, going back to her stoic expression.'Which means that he is indeed gifted, just like I am. At this point, this battle is one of attrition. Whoever outclasses who before they run out of steam, wins.'

The sound of nothingness was all there was in between the two fighters. No one was making a move and the tension was building up.

'So, this is the second strongest member of the Seven Deadly Sins.' Takashi pondered while they walked in circles."You know, you're not very charismatic, for a supposed leader figure. Unless you want to rule over as a dictator of sorts, this isn't helping your case."

"A perfect being doesn't need admiration or praise. I don't care what the cattle think of me. All they must do is follow and obey. People's lives mean nothing without a purpose to serve, don't you agree. And that purpose is for me to decide."

"That's...fucked up." Takashi seemed genuinely surprised at her words."Man...I have no idea what you went through to think so little of human lives. Maybe you just...don't think people have value because you think they never gave you one?"

"What?"

"I mean, it's true that we think that we have value, but think about this collection. What do other people value you as? I think people give each other value. Think about it. Isn't it better to live for and with others than for yourself? You won't find anything if you see other people as tools other than temporary happiness. Besides...the more untouchable you become, the more you become unable to touch. If you keep going this way, you'll be all alone for your whole life. That's...sad..."

That was it. Megumi clenched her fists and kicked the ground, propelling herself towards him and bending her back to the side."Begone."

Takashi was catapulted across the room, headfirst into the floor, nearly knocking him out. Megumi chased after him, preparing her legs to begin her assault.

"Huāngyě Yngxiang!"(Wild Impact). Megumi began trying to stomp Takashi's body as he continued rolling around. Takashi knew he was running out of space and was eventually going to hit the wall, which would be a game over. He expected Megumi to wait for his move as soon as he hit the wall, so he took the initiative and fired a neon beam at her sooner, blasting her up in the air.

Rolling on the ground, he managed to get in a good position by crouching and aimed both of his hands at her."X-RAY CANNON!"

Megumi clicked her tongue, attempting to kick away the attack. Much to her shock, the attack didn't relent and pushed her all the way up to the wall, followed by an explosion.

Takashi panted on the ground, this time raising his arm up as five neon balls manifested themselves, circling around and merging together, forming a spear."GAIA SPEAR!"

Swinging his hand forward, the spear was thrown at great speed, colliding with whatever it hit and increase the intensity of the explosion. Suddenly, the smoke dissipated as a figure came down from above into the ground, nearly stomping Takashi as Megumi descended hard. She threw her body to the side, delivering a sidekick to the shoulder. Takashi sneered, holding back the pain, and grabbed her ankle as he began to spin around in place before throwing her up in the air.

"Heat Dome Attack!" Takashi fired a massive beam of neon at Megumi.

Pride growled, doing a few maneuvres in the air to facilitate her touching the ceiling to use it as a foothold and jump at the attack, back kicking it. They continued struggling to see the fate of this attack. Takashi screamed, outputting more neon in an attempt to overwhelm his opponent. But Megumi wasn't going to go down that easy. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, slowly moving the beam back as her leg put output more power after twirling around more, thanks to her Quirk. With a battle cry, Megumi slammed the attack back to the Takashi, who could use his neon and form a barrier, which was unable to withstand his own attack.

Megumi landed back to the ground, tearing her gloves off after they were damaged from taking on the attack from before. Still, she had to admit this fight wasn't as bad as she had thought it would be. She couldn't help but wish for him to stand up and continue fighting her. This could be her only chance to fight a strong opponent that was on her level. Not to mention that she was growing stronger, even more so than she's ever had before. This fight would make her stronger, no matter the result.

"Man..." Takashi was on his knees, trying to stand up."She overpowered a full-power attack head-on. This is bad. At this rate...I'll run out of ideas." Takashi grabbed a neon cube, absorbing its light and replenishing his neon reserves.'Still, no matter how much neon I have, my stamina is also an issue. I'm beginning to run out of gas and she seems like she can go at it for hours. I would just start blasting her from afar, but it seems that even if she specializes in hand-to-hand combat, I would still be at a disadvantage since she can just evade and kick back my attacks. So, ironically enough, I have a better chance in just crossing fists with her.'

"Still...I can't lose. I promised her I would come back."

Takashi allowed himself a smile.'Itsuka...I know you would beat me up for losing here. But still, she is a lot tougher than I could have prepared for.'

Both of them faced each other again, not allowing any sign of weakness to display.

"This is going to be the final round," Megumi announced.

"Yeah. I'm running out of time as it is. I still have to go save Darby."

"Save him, you say?" She scoffed."You can't even save yourself and you want to save others?"

Takashi sighed, shaking his head while beckoning her to come. Megumi didn't need to be told twice. With a feral snarl, fitting more to a warrior than a royal, she ran over to him, clashing fists with him as they stared at each other's eyes. Megumi pulled back, jumping at him and attempting to land a hit on him while he continued to move out of the way of her attacks. Before she would land a hit against his head, he jumped back, charging neon in his left hand and jumping back to the fight, aiming to hit her stomach.

Megumi's high reflexes allowed her to act fast enough to change the trajectory of the attack. She crouched down, receiving the punch on her left breast in an attempt to cushion and avoid taking major damage to her insides.

"Huh?!" Takashi blushed at the sudden contact with her breast, pulling back and distracting himself. Megumi took advantage of this and side kicked him against his hip, throwing his balance off. Taking a firm step forward, she uppercuts him, sending him in the air as she followed suit, finishing it with a kick that sent him to the ground.

Takashi coughed up blood, eyes widened upon seeing Megumi coming down with her knee. He waved his hand to the side, shooting a line of neon energy that pushed her back. He flipped himself back to his feet, his neon flaring out furiously.

Megumi stopped in her tracks, flabbergasted that he still had that much power left in him. Takashi lunged at her, grabbing her arms and headbutting her in her face. Megumi stumbled back, not noticing the ball of neon that pushed her back several meters away.

Takashi used this time to catch his breath, grabbing his aching sides.

Megumi covered her mouth, the urge of vomiting blood getting the best of her. She glanced at her bloody hand, a sadistic smile appearing on her face as she began to hum again, idly walking to the side.

Takashi and Hisashi both glanced at her other, slightly worried at the girl's odd behavior."Uh...you all right?"

"Oh? You're worried about me?" The asked sweetly, caressing her cheek and leaving blood on it."You really persist on this nonsense called companionship and values? All right then...you will die with that belief." She removed her hairpins and combed her hair back with her bloody hand.

"Hey...maybe we should stop..." Takashi tried to soothe her."If we go any further, we're going to reach the point of no return. Though I guess maybe we crossed that already, huh?"

Megumi simply continued smiling wickedly."I feel so free right now. I've never felt like this before. To enjoy a battle to this level...I never imagined it would be possible. I'm so thrilled right now. All thanks to you. I can finally go all out and let myself be washed away by my killer instincts. As a reward, I will give you a death worthy of a warrior."

"Thanks...but I don't exactly plan on dying here."

Megumi laughed maniacally, jumping over to the wall and using her speed to close in on Takashi. "Die!"

Takashi stopped her kick with his arm, feeling a sickening crack as a sharp pain invaded his mind. Megumi punched him across the jaw, but he took advantage of this and kick her in the forehead. Both of them rolled on the floor, once again standing far from each other.

"Let's end this," Takashi said, earning a nod from Megumi. He deactivated No Future, his eyes burning upon using the Quirk too much.

"Agreed. Unfortunately, I have a job to fulfill. Mongrel...No. Takashi Kachidoki."

Takashi rose his kneed, bending his back as he rose his arms in the hair, clapping them together. Megumi began to twirl around, orange flames engulfing her body and spiraling to the ceiling the more she spun.

"Everlasting Aurora!"

"Huángjiā de Bàoyìng!" (Royal Retribution). Megumi jumped in the air, using the ceiling to jump back with a flying kick. Takashi fired the attack from his hands, a powerful beam of neon shooting upwards as the energy tinted the room in purple.

Takashi gritted his teeth as Megumi growled, both of them giving it their all to overcome each other's attacks. Megumi was slowly but surely pushing back Takashi's blast, making him dig his feet on the ground due to the effort.

"Damn it all! DAMN IT ALL!" Takashi cried out, frustrated at the situation.'I can't muster any more strength...I'm going to lose!' The sleeves of his costume were beginning to disintegrate and his hands were burning. He was being pushed back, his heels breaking through concrete the more he moved.

'So this is it, huh? I knew I didn't have much of a chance in this fight but...What am I saying? I can't give up here! Darby needs my help! We need to get out of here alive! For the sake of those who fell before us!' He tried giving one more push, but he only managed to push Megumi back a few inches before the attack came back at him.'But I can't...I have to do this but I don't know how!'

"Hey, come on. That's not how a Kachidoki does things."

Takashi's eyes widened at the familiar voice."Dad?"

"You can do this, son." His father continued."You've been through hell and back and came back on top. This is nothing for you."

"Easier said than done." He snarled."This girl is crazy strong and her fighting abilities are out of this world. Pretty sure she'd surprise you if you ever fought her."

"Takashi...I...I want to apologize to you. I know you might not want to hear it, but I really think I should tell you this."

"What does it matter now?!" Takashi snapped, his eyes watering slightly."You were a coward that chose to make stupid decisions that led to his own death! What right do you have to come now and apologize?!"

'Takashi...?' Hisashi stared at him in confusion, feeling some sort of nostalgia from looking at his brother.

"I've been a horrible father. I neglected you and your siblings because I was like you said, a coward. I took things into my own hands and thought it was for the best. To keep you guys safe. But I ended up just becoming what my own dad used to be. A tyrant that governs over his kids' lives. I took that liberty from you and forced you to be a monster, turning into darkness. But you fought against that and became stronger. You, Ayushi and Hisashi."

"Dad...Why didn't you tell us you had another kid? This is all too surreal for me...I mean, what the fuck?! How many things did you not tell us?!"

"I...wish I did...I fucked up...too many things I took with me to the grave. But I know you can overcome this and get those answers. To the very end, Takashi, I fought for all of you. I don't expect you to forgive me. Ever. But I do expect you to be there for your siblings. Be strong, Takashi. This is a battle you can win. Not every fight can be won by who is the strongest in raw power. Use your head, Takashi. What do you know about the enemy and her Quirk? Every Quirk has a weakness and you've seen hers. Just exploit it and take advantage of it to win. I believe in you, son. I'm proud of you, no matter what. I love you."

Takashi felt a hand touch his shoulder, his head quickly turning to see nothing behind him."Dad...You're right. I can find that weakness. I just have to think...What do I know about her? There has to be a pattern she's been using when attacking me. She starts off by spinning around to the right..."

"This is my Quirk, Kinectic Energy." He remembered her words back when they fought in the alleyway."It allows me to become stronger than more I spin by gaining momentum and increasing the potency of my attacks."

"That's it!" Takashi cried out."I just have to undo her rotation by forcing her to rotate to the left. By doing that, I will cancel out all the momentum and energy she's built up. In that case..." Takashi twisted his hands, producing a lighter shade of neon that began circling around his attack, giving it a spiral effect. His blast began moving to the right, building up speed slowly.

"Hmm?!" Megumi rose a brow, feeling herself moving to the left again and again."What is this?!"

Takashi continued outputting even more neon than before, taking a quick glance at his belt and noticing his energy was dropping rapidly. His juggernaut stage began flickering, almost like a candle about to die down. But he refused to let it end like that. Not when victory was close. He screamed as loud as he could, forcing his neon to full through his body. The attack was now spinning around at full force, forcing Megumi's leg to get caught and rotate to the left. The flames surrounding her body began to slowly dissipate until she was now back to normal.

"It can't be! This can't be happening! I am an empress!" She yelled in disbelief, feeling her power disappear back to zero."I can't lose! I never lose!"

"DO IT NOW!" He heard his father's cry next to him.

Takashi threw himself into the attack and putting everything he had to end this once and for all. The blast grew in size, completely overwhelming Megumi as she was consumed by it. She screamed in pure agony while the blast took her through the wall and into the surface. She crashed through a cop car's window and landed on the back seat, unconscious.

Nejire, who was nearby keeping an eye on the knocked-out Taichi, stared in disbelief at what had just happened.

Back to the tunnels, Takashi was huffing and puffing for air, his neon reserves reaching zero as his transformation vanished. He took wobbly steps, losing his footing and threatened to fall to the ground. Hisashi was quick to grab his brother, wrapping his arm around his shoulder.

"You okay?"

Takashi had a goofy smile on his face, unable to contain the child-like giggles."Hey..that was my first...official victory...That was the hardest fight I've ever had in my life. Also the most thrilling. Don't tell that to Darby."

Hisashi shook his head in exasperation."Seriously...that's what you're worried about? But yes...you won, little brother."

Takashi's victory was short-lived, however, since he remembered the situation at hand."We have...to go save Darby..."

"Takashi, we're both heavily wounded and tired. I can only imagine in what condition Darby-kun is in..."

"Fuck that..." Takashi hissed, removing his hand and forcing himself to walk towards the hole in the wall they had come from."I promised him I would return to help him and I will. Now we're done to one enemy. If we do this together, we can win. Also...I should probably tell you something..."

"The Baron is our apparent brother, right?"

"How did you know?" He glanced back, incredulously.

"I heard you earlier when you were struggling against Pride. You...were talking to father, weren't you? Was he with you?"

Takashi closed his eyes."I guess in some shape or form, I remembered him. You're taking this too well."

"After what we've been through today, there is really nothing that can surprise me at this point. I only wish we would have known sooner. To think our own flesh and blood was the one that caused all of this chaos..."

"We'll settle this. He's no brother of ours. Not after everything he's done." He spat venomously. He grunted, increasing his speed and breaking into a jog, despite how painful it was. Once they were through the wall, they both gasped.

"DARBY!"

Darby was on one knee, holding his head and trembling as he emitted low growls. The left sleeve of his sweater was torn and his pants had some holes around the knees. He perked up once he heard his name.

"Takashi...?"

Satoshi glared back at his two brothers with a baffled expression."They defeated Megumi...?"

"No...we didn't..." Hisashi forced a cocky grin, although he felt rather odd doing it."He did..."

"Takashi?"

"Darby!" Takashi rushed over to the crimson-haired teen, followed by his brother."I came back just like I told you. What happened?"

"Nothing..." Darby grabbed the side of his head."He was just trying to rattle me up. I'm fine. I'm glad you're okay, Hisashi-senpai."

"Likewise." Hisashi helped him get back to his feet but wincing once his sides began to act up, almost dropping him.

"Are you okay?" Darby gave him a concerned look.

"We're all wounded." Hisashi answered, his pained smile not leaving his face."But we...can't afford to quit now, right?"

"Yeah." Darby nodded, all three boys turning to their final obstacle.

"So, that's The Baron's real face." Hisashi noted."Nice to finally see our lost older brother."

"So you know. Good. It makes things easier." The Baron chuckled, splaying his arms to the side."Very well. Let me congratulate you for making it this far. To be honest, I wasn't expecting you to reach me. Very impressive. As a reward, I won't be underestimating you anymore. I'll let you see my true power." He clenched his fists, his green neon surrounding his body and creating a shockwave that put the three heroes on the edge.

"You're kidding me..." Darby muttered.

"Just how strong is this bastard?!" Takashi snarled, feeling how intense his neon was.

"Come on...give us a break..." Hisashi felt intimidated at how towering Satoshi's power was compared to theirs.

Satoshi's neon ran through him like electricity, his skin glowing slightly.

"Okay. Guess we're way in over our heads...Guess we only have one possible way to win."

"And that is?"

Darby turned around, looking at the Kachidoki siblings with a solemn expression."We have to get one of you the Crown."

And so the final battle begins. Three against one. Even with the number advantage, can our heroes prevail and take the Baron down? Find out the next chapter!