Chapter 58: The Death of Kei Karuizawa
'Drip. Drip. Drip.' Blood dripped out of the wound in Kei Karuizawa's stomach. The young woman was completely unconscious. But oddly enough, she had a warm satisfied smile on her face. It was almost as if she obtained peace of mind. Not that it managed to interest the man pretending to be Izuku Midoriya all that much. But he was the slightest bit curious as to why she looked relieved. Even though he had just crushed her hopes and dreams. It was strange to say the least. But time was of the essence. And things had to be wrapped up before the real Izuku Midoriya made his way to this alleyway. That's right. This Midoriya was none other than-
'You know, sending that group of hooligans after her might have been the wrong move, Kiyotaka.' The demon named Garaki spoke within the mind of the fake Midoriya, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji. He was currently looking out of Ayanokoji's eyes if they were his own and saw what he was seeing. And the result wasn't pretty to say the least. The only thing keeping Karuizawa from losing an undisclosed amount of blood that would prove to be lethal was the knife protruding from her lower abdomen. If it were to be removed right now without proper medical care, then she would surely meet her demise. But Kiyotaka knew this.
'Garaki. You'll be able to save her with the tools back at the hideout, right?' Kiyotaka asked internally while examining the blue shirt that Karuizawa was wearing, the same one that she would wear under her school uniform that was now becoming red just like the latter. Garaki was right. Kiyotaka had sent the bullies after Karuizawa since they had delivered results beforehand. And by using the Kanji Ike disguise he had acquired the contact information of the leader Manabe. However, he had no clue they would resort to such lethal tactics. But since Kei's still alive, it didn't really matter much whether she was on the verge of death or not.
Furthermore, Kiyotaka had seen Manabe's friends run away from this very alleyway when he was approaching it under the disguise of Izuku Midoriya. And since he was using his appearance, they even so graciously pointed him in the right direction before making their exit. However, they were quickly restrained before they could make their escape. That was made possible with the help of Atsoumi's elite espionage personnel posing as regular police officers. They didn't even know what hit them. Though they are still alive. They will just be brought back to the mainland of Japan and be considered as dropouts, so they don't 'complicate' things. As for Garaki who knew the plan since he could read Ayanokoji's thoughts, he simply laughed.
'Of course! I'm a doctor. Extending the lives of pitiful patients is what I do best.' Garaki replied internally with a hearty laugh. But it wouldn't be much longer until Izuku Midoriya makes his way here. By the Doctor's calculations, it should only take him thirty more seconds to arrive on the scene. And with the state of how things are now, a fight would undoubtedly break out if they are noticed. Will that really be enough time to pull this off? At least that's what Garaki thought. And since Ayanokoji was still in control of his body and had an indomitable will to survive, he could read the thoughts of the other person inside of him as well.
'Thirty seconds is all the time I need. Now, it's time to pull off a tragedy like no other.' Kiyotaka replied internally before swiping a bit of blood dripping from Karuizawa's wound. He then licked the blood off his finger and used the Transformation Quirk to become her. Now there were two people that could be called Kei Karuizawa. One real. And one fake. The faker then snapped their fingers and used the Warp Gate Quirk.
'FWOOOSH!' The purple vortex had materialized out of thin air. At the same time, Ryuuen who knew the plan, retrieved Karuizawa swiftly by placing her over into his arms with her body facing upward so that she wouldn't lose any more blood. He then brought her into the vortex just as the gate closed behind him. With that out of the way, only the fake Kei Karuizawa remained. But the amount of time that passed between Garaki's calculation and Karuizawa being put into the portal was twenty seconds! And the faker could already hear footsteps rapidly approaching. Most definitely belonging to Midoriya.
However, that was all according to plan. Because all there was left to do was left to do would be possible within that strict time limit. That being-
'STAB!' Stabbing himself in Karuizawa's chest. But not in the same place as her scar was. Instead, Kiyotaka stabbed the heart inside his body that didn't belong to him. And as he pierced it, his eyes lost all sense of sight as the body he was using quickly grew cold. The result being that the faker pretending to be Kei Karuizawa unceremoniously collapsed onto the ground without so much as making a single sound of pain. The only thing that could be heard was them hitting the ground. Midoriya picked up on that and rushed forward until he made it into the alleyway and saw the ghastly sight before his eyes.
"A-A-Ah." My eyes instantly shot wide open upon noticing person lying on the ground and the blood dripping from her wound. I was only able to get a few incomprehensible sounds out of my throat as my breathing quickly went out of control. I was struggling to catch my breath as if my lungs were shriveling up inside of my body. But even still I moved forward ever so slowly. Hiyori who was not too far behind made her way onto this horrific scene straight out of a tragedy and gasped out of freight before putting her hands on her mouth.
But even still I trudged forward without even processing that she was there. Right now, it was almost as if me and Kei were the only two people in the world. At least that's how it might as well have been since I ignored any and all other possible distractions as I closed the distance between me and her. It had only been a few minutes since they were talking on the phone! Just a few minutes! Not five or even four! At most two or three! She couldn't be dead! She has to still be alive! That's what I tried to convince myself of as I collapsed onto my knees before her body. I then reached for her head and pulled it close before putting my lips on her own and blowing as much air as I could muster into her mouth.
'Bam! Bam!' I then gently pushed my hands onto her chest. Specifically, where her wound was and applied pressure to it. I repeated the process of CPR a few more times as unbeknownst to me Hiyori watched beside me with a look of pain on her face. Given that Karuizawa was unresponsive and considering where the knife was stabbing her, it was obvious that there was nothing that could be done to save her at this point. Even still, she struggled to tell Izuku the truth knowing that it would only break his heart. She could only watch while tears spilled from her eyes as Midoriya repeated the process of CPR over and over again to no avail. But then…
'Step! Step! Step!' Hurried footsteps came onto the scene as Hiyori was taken aback completely as two police officers rapidly approached them. But I completely ignored them as if they didn't exist and continued to perform CPR onto Karuizawa. I couldn't accept this reality. Not again. I'm not going to let anyone else die no matter what! I heard her speak just a few minutes ago! That was undoubtably Karuizawa! Not even that monster could fake how she really sounded like! So, this has to be her! She has to be alive! She has to be-
"I told you to get out of the way!" A man yelled out before aggressively shoving me out of the way. At the same time, I heard Hiyori scream my name. But I was too deep within my delusions that me and Karuizawa were the only two people that existed that I didn't even acknowledge her. But what I did see was someone kneeling over Karuizawa's body. It was a police officer. There were two of them. One with dark green hair tied into a ponytail that wasn't all that different from Kei's hairstyle minus the hair color of course. And the other had short grey hair that covered one of his eyes. Their faces were hard to make out given the hats obscuring what was below them. But even still I had to sav-
"Kid. You've done enough. Amakusa. Check for a pulse." The officer with dark green hair said before turning his attention to his subordinate. The man named Amakusa just what was asked of him before responding to his superior.
"No good, Okonogi. There isn't any pulse. She's dead." Amakusa replied as my eyes went wide the moment, I heard him finish. No. No. No! NO! That can't be! She was just speaking! I heard her clear as day!
'Izuku! Please get here as fast as you can! GAH!' That voice! It was unmistakably hers! The way she spoke to me! She asked me to get here as fast as I could! To save her! And that's what I'm going to do! I have to save her! She can't be dead! I can't accept that!
'… You can do it, Deku.' I WON'T ACCEPT ANOTHER INNOCENT WOMAN DYING BECAUSE OF ME!
"Out of my way." I said under my breath as I utterly rejected the person in front of me who said such a thing that couldn't possibly be the truth. So, before he knew what hit him, I lifted him up with one hand and tossed him aside like he was a piece of trash. The man could let out a gasp of pain as he hit wall beside him. I then got back onto position as I began applying CPR to Karuizawa again. All while the other man was utterly dumbfounded at what he was seeing with his own eyes. He then gritted his teeth before responding.
"You fool! Didn't you hear a single word he said?! She's dead! When will you get it through your thick skull that you can't save her?!" Okonogi yelled out before slamming his fist across the side of my head in order to stop me from going any further. Even still, I didn't even register the blow to my head as I blew as much air into Karuizawa's mouth before applying pressure to her chest once more. The man then clicked his tongue out of anger. As for the girl who was only watching this unfold up to this point, she couldn't do so any longer. So, before I knew it, she closed the distance between us and wrapped her arms around my chest to get me to stop.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Hiyori screamed at the top of her lungs so that I had no choice but to hear it. She whispered what she had just said once more. At the same time, I froze as I looked at her hands that were holding onto me for dear life and what was below them. The blade that was piercing Karuizawa in her most vital area. The same part of her that all humans needed to have in order to function properly. If destroyed they would be no more than a corpse. And that's exactly what that piece of metal annihilated. Her heart. The same heart that had been beaten and broken so many times only for it to be put back together time and time again…
… Could no longer be fixed. It had shattered into a million, no, a billion pieces. An utterly incomprehensible number that made it impossible to try and put back together. You would have to spend a thousand years to do that. And even then, it wouldn't be the same heart anymore. It would be something utterly foreign that only had the appearance of a heart. But since no human being could come remotely close to living that long. That meant… that Kei… Karuizawa… was truly… d-d-d-
"AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" I let out a primal scream as the tears that I had been holding back were all unleashed in one fell swoop. I screamed and screamed until my throat became hoarse and I could scream no more. I cried and cried until my eyes became dry and I could cry no more. I don't know how long I was crying and screaming. It all seemed like a blur and an eternity at the same time. That contradiction would have shattered me to pieces like it did to Kei's heart if Hiyori hadn't been holding onto me, making sure that I didn't break into a billion pieces. Once again, I was saved…
… And once again I couldn't save the life of a girl who wanted me to save her most.
Time passed by, as an ambulance made its way onto the scene. From it came paramedics who quickly retrieved Karuizawa's corpse and put it into a body bag before taking her into the ambulance. Making sure to close the back doors of the vehicle shut behind them before driving off. I could only watch as the ambulance sped away and the police officers from earlier left the scene too. Patrolling the ambulance from within their car closely behind so that an accident doesn't occur. Even still I could only watch with tear-stained eyes as they all vanished from sight. And even though Hiyori was holding my hand, I felt so so alone.
And with that, I had to accept reality. Karuizawa was dead. And I couldn't do a single thing to save her. But unbeknownst to me…
… This had all been a lie. A lie disguised as a murder with the intention was crushing my spirit.
'VROOM! VROOM! VROOM!' The ambulance's engine roared as it made its way through the streets of while the majority of the island's residents were none the wiser about what was actually going on in their home. Not even the few passersby who worked in the shops that the ambulance passed by could even fathom what had just occurred. They simply thought it was nothing since ambulances pass by all the time. That means the only people who knew what was really going on were the police officers closely following behind the ambulance and the people inside of the latter. As for them, one unzipped the zipper of the body bag, the same person then took out the knife protruding from the corpse. And then…
'Blink. Blink.' The corpse blinked its eyes as it was a corpse no more. The body then reverted back to its original form. That being the body of Kiyotaka Ayanokoji. He then took off the body bag covering him as it unceremoniously fell to the floor below him. In the process he revealed his naked body to everyone present due to the effects of the transformation wearing off. Another person beside him then handed him a pair of clothes. Specifically, a black dress shirt along with pants, a tie, shoes, socks, and boxers, all of which were the same color as the former. He then put on these clothes in record time before making his way to the driver in the front of the vehicle.
"Go that way. After that make a left." Kiyotaka ordered while adjusting his tie as the driver did as he was instructed to do. Shortly thereafter Ayanokoji gave them further directions for roughly twenty minutes. That lasted until they made their way into the forest. On the island that was primarily a city it was quite large. Specifically, the size was roughly six hundred thousand square meters. It may have been much smaller than Tokyo. But its size was still comparable to that of Aogashima Village located on a volcanic island within the Philippine Sea. It was sufficient to say that the island AN was located on was large given that it was bigger than plenty of towns.
And with towns, there are plenty of areas that people tend to avoid. Forests are one such example of this. Forests are known to contain wild animals that can be capable of killing someone if you are not careful when traversing it. However, there were no wild animals in the forest that was located on the opposite side of the island to where it was facing Tokyo. And if there used to be any beasts, they had all long since been exterminated long before the school on this island was built for students to enroll in. But within this forest, there was a secret that very few knew of. That secret being-
"It's that one over there." Kiyotaka announced while pointing to a mountain in the distance. The mountain wasn't anything special. In fact, it was quite small and didn't come anywhere close to the likes of Mount Fuji in terms of size. It wasn't all that eye catching either since it looked so 'normal.' However, what was inside of that mountain and more specifically 'below it,' couldn't be considered normal in the slightest sense of the word. The driver nodded without a word and parked the ambulance just as Kiyotaka exited the vehicle.
'Step. Step. Step.' The cops from earlier along with the paramedics followed Kiyotaka closely from behind. Their professions being a cover up for their true occupation as the elite espionage personnel that his father hired. Even then they were but a fraction of the total group that consisted of well over fifty. Thanks to their sheer numbers they were able to keep tabs on the city and AN at all times. However, the forest was an exception to what they oversaw. The rough terrain made it difficult to traverse. And since a good majority of the students wouldn't dare step foot in the forest when it would result in an immediate expulsion, they didn't really need to surveil it all that much.
This was why the forest was the optimal base of operations for Kiyotaka and especially the Doctor. After all, such an average run of the mill mountain wouldn't be thought of at first glance as the hideout of a criminal mastermind, would it? The cave was barely visible in comparison to where the ambulance was parked. But as Kiyotaka and the espionage personnel closed the distance between them and the mountain, the former turned around to face the latter group. And then after a few moments of silence…
"Well then. Do any of you have any experience in mountain climbing?" Kiyotaka asked with an unamused look on his face as one of them, the man named Amakusa avoided making eye contact out of embarrassment.
"WAAAAAAAH!" Amakusa screamed at the top of his lungs before being thrown sky high until he landed on the cliff where the entrance of the cave was at. The difference in height from the ground and the cliff was roughly five meters. The equivalent of a two-story building. But landing on the rocky surface didn't feel nearly as good as falling onto a mattress. That is to say that it hurt the poor man. Not only had he been thrown once before, but this made for the second time today. In the back of his mind he wondered if this was going to happen again. This only pissed him off along with the minimal injuries he received.
'Bam.' Not long after that Kiyotaka made his way up the mountain. Due to being a student of the White Room he had many talents. Mountain climbing was just one of many many things that he could do. Okonogi, the senior police officer had little trouble traversing the mountain as well. And considering the age difference between him and the rookie, that being a decade and a half, he was quite surprised.
"I can't believe you needed him to throw you up here, Amakusa. Jeez, young people these days." Okonogi spoke while closing the distance between him and Amakusa before extending a hand toward the younger man. Amakusa begrudgingly accepted it.
"Oh, sorry that I applied for a position that had absolutely nothing to do with mountain climbing whatsoever. They should have put that in the job description. And for the record, I DIDN'T ask him to do that." Amakusa replied while he grasped Okonogi's hand and stood up. But even though his help wasn't appreciated, Kiyotaka didn't mind whatsoever and already walked past the espionage personnel and into the cave. This prompted Okonogi and Amakusa to follow after him.
'Step. Step. Step.' The three men then traversed the cave for a little while. The remaining espionage personnel chose to wait behind for when Atsoumi Ayanokoji shows up. Until then it was just the three of them. But the cave was surprisingly bigger than it appeared to be. There were quite a few passageways led who knows where. Thankfully they had a guide, or they would be lost for sure. Even still Amakusa was getting a bit bored after ten whole minutes of walking and since he had no intention of speaking to the son of his boss's boss, his boss was the only option.
"So, Okonogi. When did you get experience climbing mountains?" Amakusa asked with a mildly curious look on his face. This made Okonogi chuckle to himself right as Amakusa regretted asking this question. But it was too late. He was buckled up and had to endure the ride that he was about to go on.
"It's kind of a funny story, Amakusa. It was back when I was a rookie around your age, I was hired for a job by some shady corporation in Tokyo. The job was simple. Keep tabs on some small town out in the sticks. But since they had no access to much technology, I had to do a lot of climbing to get around anywhere. My friends even called me a 'Mountain Dog.' Anyway, they had us climbing around in order to get anywhere. But since parts of it were so steep, I actually fell off a cliff. A big one. Somehow, I survived and woke up a day later to find out that there was a gas leak, and all the town's residents perished, including all of my friends. I was the sole survivor of the whole ordeal. They called it a great disaster. Forgot the town's name though." Okonogi explained with a smile. All Amakusa could do was look at the back of his superior.
'T-That's his idea of a funny story?!' Amakusa thought internally with a wide-eyed look on his face while dripping sweat profusely. But it was then that they all made it to their destination. An elevator.
"What the hell is an elevator doing in a cave?!" Amakusa yelled out with a dumbfounded look on his face. But Ayanokoji didn't pay him any mind as he headed for the elevator. The elevator wasn't anything like one you would find in a normal building. It was much more, 'put together' and would be more common to describe it as an elevator from a century ago. Even still it was quite shocking that someone made this. They had to have a lot of money to burn if they were able to construct this in a cave. But the rookie didn't even know the half of it.
"Fancy. I wonder what else this place has to offer?" Okonogi spoke out loud while looking at the elevator that had the potential to break to pieces at any moment. Surprisingly this caught Ayanokoji's attention. Albeit barely.
"You'll soon find out." Kiyotaka replied before opening the metal gates of the elevator with ease. He then ushered for the two men to follow him in. Okonogi did so without any worries whatsoever in stark contrast to Amakusa who couldn't be more afraid of this metal deathtrap. But there was nothing any of them could do as Ayanokoji pulled the lever beside him.
'WHOOOSH!' The elevator descended at a rapid pace while Amakusa screamed loudly. This made Okonogi laugh boisterously as he was having the time of his life enjoying the suffering of his subordinate. Though this did little for Kiyotaka as he simply rolled his eyes until the elevator came to a sudden halt as it reached the depths of the mountain. Ayanokoji then opened the metal gates once more as he walked through the hidden passageway that was now accessible to everyone. The men behind him followed as they all came into contact with something that was out of this world.
"W-What the hell is all this?!" Amakusa shouted as he performed a double take after noticing the vast array of test chambers that were the containers of the monstrosities known as 'Nomu.' There used to be six of them, containing the six Near-High Ends. However, that number has quadrupled since the last time this place was seen. This was due to several 'disappearances' that Kiyotaka has been orchestrating under the wishes of the Doctor. In fact, Garaki was quite pleased with the results.
"I'M HOME MY CHILDREN! WHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Garaki announced from within Ayanokoji's body while extending the latter's arms as if he was going to give his 'children' a 'hug' much to the latter's annoyance. But since the men who were right behind them didn't know that 'tidbit' of Ayanokoji and the good Doctor, they were quite surprised.
"You okay, kid?" Okonogi asked as he was startled by his boss's son's sudden shout of excitement. Up to this point he didn't show a hint of joy, or anger, or anything. So, to see him show such 'happiness' is the stuff of nightmares. Or at least it was for Amakusa.
'This guy is completely bat shit insane!' Amakusa thought internally with a petrified look on his face as he was still profusely sweating. But it didn't take long for Kiyotaka to take back control from the other man inside of him. And when he did, he clicked his tongue.
"I hate it when he does that." Kiyotaka muttered to himself with the slightest hint of a grimace. As a bit of a reminder, the amount of time that Garaki was capable of controlling Ayanokoji's body was for a maximum of fifteen minutes. This didn't seem like much, and you'd be right in thinking that way since it was only a fraction of the time that a human is normally awake for on a given day. However, fifteen minutes was more than enough to make a difference on all sorts of things. For example, it was enough time for the Doctor to make a substantial amount of progress when conducting his 'experiments.' It also was more than enough time for Garaki to turn the tables on Ayanokoji if the latter even thinks of betraying him again. As well as-
'Creak.' A door to the right innermost corner of the laboratory opened as Ryuuen came walking out. He then snapped his fingers while his entourage followed closely behind. Those people being Albert Yamada and Mio Ibuki, the former of which was carrying the unconscious Karuizawa in his arms. They then made it the center of the room where all of the cameras that were overlooking AN and the city surrounding it were. Upon noticing it, Ibuki was immediately alarmed.
"Freaky! Have you been like 'spying' on us this whole time?!" Ibuki yelled out while looking at the footage on each of the cameras. The exact number was sixty with groups of six being able to be viewed on each monitor, the amount of the latter being ten of course. Incidentally there was an option to switch to another security camera that wasn't currently being projected on the monitors to get a better look at something that may or may not be happening within the city and school. Though there were plenty of blind spots since it would cost a fortune to put up cameras in every nook and cranny. Plus, it would definitely prove to be a legal issue in court. But what the blue-haired girl said was all too surprising for the Doctor.
"Heavens no! We've been spying on everyone. Not just you two." Garaki replied with an annoyed look on Ayanokoji's face that matched the tone of his voice. But since Ibuki and Albert weren't too familiar with Kiyotaka they weren't nearly as surprised by this sudden personality shift in comparison to the espionage personnel. Albert did not care to comment on the matter. But Ibuki who had just been responded to was plenty confused.
"That's not what I meant. But… sure." Ibuki replied with a weirded out facial expression knowing that she wasn't just being spied on but so were her classmates and her upperclassmen as well. She knew about the cameras in the school. But she was practically unaware of them being in the city aside from the local shops. And with how many there were that just made it even more creepy. But Albert noticed the distress on his friend's face and made it his priority to cheer her up.
"Everything's going to be okay." Albert spoke in English while giving her a thumbs up and a pat on the back just before putting Kei on the steel floor below him where plenty of wires and metal tubes supporting the Nomu's chambers were.
"T-Thanks, Albert." Ibuki replied without understanding a lick of what her friend just said since she had been slacking big time on her English classes. But while they had been conversing with each other, Kiyotaka was looking at Ryuuen.
"Did you make sure to tend the wound before she lost any more blood?" Kiyotaka asked as he regained control of his body. Ryuuen didn't waste any time responding to him as he simply bent down and lifted Karuizawa's blue to show where she had been stabbed. However, the knife was gone. As for the wound, it had been cauterized with ease due to Ryuuen's Blueflame Quirk. Though the result left a nasty looking scar far worse than the one that she had been previously afflicted with.
'Garaki. How's it looking?' Kiyotaka asked internally while examining the horrific looking scar on Karuizawa's stomach without so much as flinching. It seemed fine. But he wanted a Doctor's opinion on the matter.
'The wound has closed. She didn't seem to lose all that much blood. Certainly not to a life-threatening degree. In fact, she should wake up in a matter of time.' Garaki commented while smiling at seeing how much this poor little girl has suffered. It filled him with an immense level of satisfaction. Though not as much at seeing Izuku Midoriya and Hiyori Shiina walk throughout the street while the former had a depressed look on his face due to it being shown on one of the cameras. 'That' made him feel exceptionally better. Ryuuen was grinning ear to ear at the result as well. However, one person in particular wasn't pleased by this.
"Midoriya." Albert muttered to himself with a melancholic look on his face. Ibuki took note of this and muttered a 'Huh?' To herself. But at the same time, the person that had been lying on the floor quickly awakened much to the surprise of Kiyotaka though he didn't show it on his face.
'You said it would be a 'matter of time.'' Kiyotaka spoke while Karuizawa blinked her eyes. This made Garaki laugh.
'A 'matter of time' can mean at any point in the future. For example, a few hours from now or even a few seconds after. Surely, you knew that?' Garaki replied sarcastically much to Ayanokoji's displeasure. But he ignored those feelings as he made sure to stand on his toes as he carefully watched what Karuizawa would do next. Seeing so many unfamiliar people around her should cause her to scream. Especially with one as creepy looking like Ryuuen was. Though he was keeping as much of his face hidden as possible and with the practically nonexistent lighting his face was obscured by darkness. Even still she-
"Say, which one of you did this to me? You? Or you? Or how about…" Karuizawa spoke while stretching her arms as Ayanokoji made sure to keep his distance from her. Karuizawa didn't react all that much as she was busy pointing at the horrifying scar on her stomach while using her other hand to point out any potential suspects until she settled on one that she was confident did the job even though she couldn't see his face.
"… You." Karuizawa settled on Ryuuen as his expression was all too obscured to be readable. And that was the key that she used to unlock the door to the answer she was looking for. That being…
… Who to kill next.
'Whooosh!' Without missing a beat Karuizawa leaped several meters forward with a sadistic smile on her face as she closed the distance between her and Ryuuen! This surprised everyone on the scene as even Kiyotaka was not expecting this level of sheer speed from the girl! But looks can be deceiving! And Kei Karuizawa was an athletic girl! A girl that has taken time to make sure that her body was considered attractive so that she wouldn't be ridiculed! And the results paid off in spades in the hands of someone all too happy to murder somebody! Especially somebody who gave her such a hideous scar!
'Shit! I can't dodge! I'll have to burn her to death!' Ryuuen declared internally with eyes that were wide open as he conjured flames within his hands. The young man and woman were just about to kill each other. That could be seen by everyone within the room. But Ayanokoji paused as he was all too curious who would prevail. Would it be Ryuuen with his flames? Or Karuizawa who could decay anyone to nothingness with a single touch of her hand? Just who was going to die?! The results were all too intriguing for Ayanokoji to pass up even if it meant losing a 'pawn' in this metaphorical and quite literal chess game he was playing with Izuku Midoriya! But then…
"RYUUEN!" Ibuki shouted at the top of her lungs just as she pushed Ryuuen out of the way! But this meant she was caught in the crosshairs of Kei's attack! And the results were all too obvious.
'Slap!' Karuizawa's hand slapped Ibuki across the face. Not even a second passed by and her face was decaying rapidly. Surprisingly it didn't hurt all that much as she was quickly losing all trace of sight within her eyes. But before she would be enraptured by an inescapable eternal darkness, she turned her head to face Ryuuen. The latter of which was utterly speechless and could barely react to how fast things were going. His friend was just fine a moment ago and now she was about to die. It was crazy! Too crazy! And yet-
"Ryuuen, I lo- That was all Ibuki was able to speak just as her mouth decayed too nothingness along with the rest of her head. It only took mere moments for the rest of her body to follow suit. In one fell swoop, Mio Ibuki had died. She wasn't even able to say her last words. Not even that small act of kindness was granted to her. But with the pieces that were available and the pleasant look she had on her face even in death it was all too simple to put them together. And not knowing what Ibuki felt about him until her very last moments was enough…
… To drive Ryuuen to the point of self-destruction. But before he could, Karuizawa held her hand right near Ryuuen's face. There was nothing that he could do knowing that the results would be fruitless. So, all he did was mutter 'You bitch.' Under his breath with blood-stained eyes in the places of tears. But this made Karuizawa snicker out of satisfaction of being able to utterly corner a man capable of burning anything and everything to flames. It was ever so satisfying to finally be strong.
"Oh, you're so mean. Honestly. Am I that bad of a person?" Karuizawa asked with the fakest innocent look imaginable.
"Of course you are!" Ryuuen snapped back while gritting his teeth to the point that they could shatter as he considered setting body ablaze right here and now. But that would only make Ibuki's sacrifice completely pointless. Ryuuen knew this. And so did Karuizawa. Or at least the monster that has consumed her whole knew.
"You're right. A weak self-deprecating parasite who has no worth whatsoever and always had to rely on others to get by. That's the person I've always been. But it's all over now. I'm not weak anymore! From now on, I'll protect myself. I'm strong! Nothing can stop me!" Karuizawa replied with immense joy that it might as well have been written on her face. Even if you closed your eyes, you could hear all too clearly how excited she was. It was as if she had gained everything she ever wanted and more! It was almost December after all! And with December comes Christmas! And if that was the case…
… Then she received the best possible early Christmas present that could possibly be given to her! That's why she turned to face the man who gave her said present.
"… Not even you." Karuizawa finished with a satisfied grin on her face as she fully believed that not even Kiyotaka Ayanokoji was capable of stopping her now. And if he so dares 'attempt' to take back what he gave her…
… Then she would kill him without batting an eye. But Ayanokoji didn't give so much as a reaction to her as he stared back blankly. But even if he didn't give any visible clues to Karuizawa the fact that he swallowed his spit was an all too clear indicator that even Kiyotaka Ayanokoji wasn't impervious to the emotion known as 'fear.' But Karuizawa didn't notice that nor did Ryuuen. As for Ryuuen he was all too focused on Karuizawa. He knew full well now that this girl was utterly soulless. Ryuuen was definitely a bastard who was going to hell even though he knew that full well.
However, this interaction showed just how little Kei Karuizawa cared about human life. The way she was enjoying herself made it crystal clear that she would have the most fun decaying the entire world to pieces. And the fact that she could destroy everything and everyone if she so desired to was enough for Ryuuen to consider as a threat to not just all of humanity…
… But the entire Earth itself. And that was enough for him to do what he deemed as necessary.
"I will… KILL YOU!" Ryuuen declared with a shout from the depths of his very soul. He was fully prepared to die if it meant sending this demon back to hell! But even as Ryuuen's entire body was set ablaze, the blue flames that reflected in Karuizawa's eyes was beautiful…
… It would almost be a pity to kill him.
"I wouldn't do that." Karuizawa said with her eyes wide open and her mouth agape as if she was unwrapping another present reserved for Christmas. Everyone, save for Ayanokoji froze out of absolute fear as they thought their deaths were near. Even Garaki within Kiyotaka's body was beginning to become afraid of this girl.
'Kiyotaka! Stop her now!' Garaki commanded as Kiyotaka was in the middle of doing just that. But before he could do so he had to make sure that the person antagonizing Karuizawa was as far away as possible.
'FWOOOSH!' With a snap of his fingers Kiyotaka used Warp Gate to open a purple vortex that sucked Ryuuen in in an instant. The only thing he was capable of saying was 'You bas- before he vanished from the scene.
"Careful. If you use that kind of firepower, you'll cause the whole place to be burned to ashes." Kiyotaka spoke calmly as he neutralized the threat that Ryuuen posed in seconds. And with him out of the way, he turned his attention to Karuizawa.
"That's a relief. It would have been a shame to kill him when his flames are so… beautiful. Now, what do you want with me?" Karuizawa asked with an innocent smile on her face that was so fake you might as well call her an innocent monster. Except, she's not innocent in the slightest.
"I could ask the same question about you. Isn't there something you want?" Kiyotaka asked as Karuizawa thought about it for a moment before beginning to scratch her neck aggressively.
"You're… right! There's something I want! Someone… I want to kill. But who's that!? What's his name, Kei?!" Karuizawa quietly whispered while slightly cutting her neck with her fingernails as it began bleeding. Not only did that alarm Ayanokoji, but so did that last part. Just why would she refer to herself in the third person? No, no just that. Her entire personality was completely different to that of Kei Karuizawa. Just who is this girl? And why is she so…
… Interesting?
'Fascinating. It seems that she has had an alternate personality the entire time. It must have resulted from her intense bullying when she was merely a middle school student! Though she has done a wonderful job suppressing until now!' Garaki commented internally as he thought this was all too interesting just as Ayanokoji thought. But at this rate she'll claw her throat open. She can't die now. Not when it's just getting good! Both Kiyotaka and Garaki agreed on that notion as they approached the demon disguised as a cute little girl.
"Izuku Midoriya. That's his name. But he likes to go as 'Deku.' Ring any bells?" Kiyotaka asked as Karuizawa stopped scratching her neck right when he said 'Deku.' To Ayanokoji it seemed like that name started to resonate with Karuizawa. And that's exactly what happened.
"… That's right! Deku! That was his name! That's what Kei used to call him! He was so so nice to me. I could have probably fell for him if we spent a little bit more time together." Karuizawa spoke as her breathing quickened as she thought about Deku and how genuine and sincere he was. Though that didn't last long as her expression changed from love to hate in an instant.
"But that was before he revealed his true colors. Men are all the same. He just wanted my body. And once he was done fucking me, he would throw me away like trash. What makes you any different?" Karuizawa asked while glaring daggers at Kiyotaka, with the intention of decaying him the second she hears something that she won't like. But Ayanokoji was a master at hiding his true emotions to the point he would be a world-famous poker player if he set his mind to it. But he wasn't all too interested in poker. He had a different agenda. And his agenda needed her.
"Because I have no desire to participate in sexual intercourse with you. All I want is for you to work for me and use your power to shape the world in my image." Kiyotaka replied with an emotionless look on his face that surprised even Karuizawa or whoever you call the monster currently using her body.
"And why would I do that?" Karuizawa replied while using the back of her hand to sweep some of the bangs covering her eyes so that her hair wouldn't decay. It was sufficient to say that Karuizawa was growing weary of this conversation or lack thereof. That was why it was optimal to interest her just as much as he was interested in her.
"Simple. You don't just despise the people of this world or the rules that govern it. You despise the world itself. Because the reason why you were born could be traced back to the literal big bang that created this solar system. But at the heart of the matter, this world is the reason why you have suffered endlessly for no apparent reason at all. Don't you wish to change that? Don't you wish to just make everything… disappear?" Kiyotaka asked as Karuizawa's eyes went wide as a smile formed on her face as if what she was listening to was music to her ears.
"Yeah. That would be a lot of fun. But it would take forever to destroy the world with these hands. If only there was a more 'efficient' way of making that possible?" Karuizawa asked while putting the back of her hand to her cheek as she thought how that could be done. Even though the answer was staring her right in the face. And both of them knew it.
"I can accomplish that and more if you work for me. But until I have gathered all the necessary allies, you cannot act. That is non-negotiable." Kiyotaka declared as Karuizawa tilted her head before nodding in affirmation.
"Fine. I can live with that. I'm a patient girl. I waited so long for Kei to shatter to pieces that a few more weeks or even months is nothing to me. Especially if it means I can be the one who kills Deku in the end. After all, I finally it now. All of Kei's suffering. The reason why I have this power. It's all because of Deku! It's always been all about him! And I have to thank him for that! I'm going to give him the biggest hug for making all of my dreams come true!" Karuizawa replied as if she just confessed to her high school sweetheart and was given a 'Yes, I'll go out with you.' It was so unimaginably satisfying! And it was all thanks to these hands of hers! These wonderful hands that were the source of all of her strength!
"Thank you for giving me such power… I'm sorry I haven't caught your name yet." Karuizawa replied while staring at her hands as if they were the Mona Lisa's hands.
"You can just call me Ayanokoji. And if you're not Kei Karuizawa… then what am I to refer to you as? Hands all over? Or would you prefer just 'hands?" Kiyotaka asked as Karuizawa glanced at him with a bit of an annoyed look on her face.
'Was that his attempt at making a joke?' Karuizawa thought internally before she began smiling like a schoolgirl once more.
"Neither. I'm a picky girl. So, I won't settle for just anything. By the way what is this power that I have called?" Karuizawa asked while looking at her hands again. It was then that Kiyotaka realized he hadn't told her that.
"Decay. That's the name of the Quirk that I have bestowed upon you." Kiyotaka replied as Karuizawa's eyes lit up like stars. It was obvious to Ayanokoji that what she just heard intrigued her. But what of it? He was about to comment but was beaten to the punch by Karuizawa. Actually, it would be better to refer her as-
"Decay. It kind of sounds like Kei, don't you think?" Karuizawa-no. Decay asked with a smile that an innocent child would have, that was all too deceiving. She might have thought that it was the cutest name in the world. However…
… Would the world even exist once she's done with it?
"Sure." Kiyotaka replied as he wasn't the slightest bit interested. This prompted Decay to pout like a child before saying, 'You're no fun.' She then left the room the same way Ryuuen and his friends entered. As for his friends, Albert, the only one remaining, was practically shaking in his boot over what he just oversaw. Ayanokoji noticed this and faced him.
"What would you say to joining me? Someone like you would be better useful than dead. Don't you think?" Kiyotaka asked with a remorseless look on his face as Albert stared back at him with a horrified look on his face. That was the last thing Albert saw…
… Before he too was 'gifted' a power beyond his wildest dreams.
To Be Continued…
Next Chapter: Kiyotaka Ayanokoji: Origin
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