28 Chapter 27

On a certain street, a large man is seen rampaging. His large size easily double anyone around him, and his skin was grey and rocky.

He punched hard on to the concrete ground under his feet and took out a handful of chunks. He placed it onto his mouth and ate the debris, making him grow slightly bigger. His own growth seemed to cause him pain, as he howled and attacked indiscriminately to relieve himself.

He had appeared suddenly on this street.

Moments before, he had been normal and part of the crowd. One of the university students who had been in distraught and wandering. And now, his hulking figure is causing destruction on anything.

The civilians, although panicked, are still undergoing evacuation courtesy of the Judgment who coincidentally happened to be there.

Although they are a part of Judgment, the ones available have quirks that are not a good matchup against the Concrete villain.

One of them happens to be a girl with flowers on her head. It had been a normal day for the girl, just another patrol like any other day. She had even planned to stop by a crêpe stand on the way back, but unfortunately, she was caught up in a villain attack.

Uiharu had already called for backup and they should arrive at any moment. In the meantime, she and the handful of others like her are prioritising the safety of the civilians.

As she was doing so, she sees the villain from the corner of her eye.

She saw him reach out to a car using both of his large crumbling concrete hands. With great strength, the car creaks in futile resistance as he crumpled it like a ball of paper.

The force applied has made the engine ignite and connect with the broken fuel tank and oil-laddened metal, causing an explosion.

The villain, did not so much as flinch but he didn't go unscathed.

From the close proximity, his hands have decreased in size as their form barely retained. The torso, too, has been damaged, now cracked and blacked.

Yet still, he did not stop.

To Uiharu's terrified gaze, she is too far and too powerless to stop as he brings the ball of metal to his mouth and swallowed it whole.

Immediately, the damage he inflicted to himself have seemed to go undone. Filling the cracks and replacing what had been lost were different metals. Small dashes of precious platinum and palladium shine shyly, the glittering of fiberglass, and most dominantly, the boldness of steel.

The villain no longer screams in pain from the transformation. Nay, he held still like calm waters as his body became less of flesh and more of things.

'Is this his limit? Would he cause more harm?'

Similar thoughts ran through the heads of all who bore witness, Uiharu was no exception. However, she was steadfast. She prioritised her duty and focuses on the task at hand.

The unmoving and unresponsive villain still posed a threat. Who knows when it would restart it's rampage?

Unknown to them, he wouldn't do such a thing. He can no longer do such a thing.

His skull has already shattered and his brain pressured by metals and concrete. His nerves were frayed and stretched thin, as we're his muscles. He can no longer move, and his life is slipping from his grasp as the blood running through what veins he has left, are contaminated beyond belief.

The villain is now a statue, trapped in his own body, the prison he unknowingly created.

Later, when investigations have concluded, they would find out the villain has consumed a knock-off quirk booster.

He wanted to go beyond his limits, to go plus ultra and change himself for the better.

Now, he is a villain.

And now, he is simply another victim of the illegal quirk booster. One amongst many that gambled, and one amongst many that have yet to come.

~~~~~~~~

For a few days now, I had been left to my own devices as granny has to go elsewhere and attend to her duties.

She had been called back to help deal with the instant villain cases that have begun to appear in the proximity of Tokyo. Or rather, all healers are being called to help deal with the aftermath.

Collateral damage and injured civilians aside, even the villains themselves have sustained minor to fatal wounds. And with how many there are, me and granny split up to heal people in different locations as it would be more efficient.

I was surprised at how fast copycats would appear. The knock-off quirk boosters have outnumbered the genuine article that there were more casualties than what I had predicted from the events of the manga.

Then again, it was a shounen manga and not a seinen or horror genre. It would make sense that they downplay deaths to cater a younger, and more energetic readers.

Now, normally, I'd have left the appropriate people take care of this as it would there job to do so. Unfortunately, that 'Appropriate person' whose 'job' is to deal with this is also me.

One of those knock-offs have a magically inclined origin.

I found out when I had to heal one of the many instances of these junkies that stumbled in my way.

As gross as it sounds, I felt the magic coursing through someone's insides as I patched them up. It wasn't spiritual in nature so I was at least glad it wasn't one of my kind, but it was magic so it was either an accomplished wix or someone who merely had limited knowledge.

Either way, I had to look into it.

Every supernaturals had to chip in and help whenever they can when it came to bigger matters.

I could've asked for help, but I didn't really have anyone I can trust that much to come over in such a short notice.

If the mundanes caught wind of magic, who knows if we'll be hunted down to extinction or turned to guinea pigs. Vying for peace seemed like an option but I doubt the ones that lived long would be willing to put themselves at the same level as those they considered either inferior or food.

So with my current freedom, now that most of my duties have finished, I can return to Academy city to enjoy the rest of the summer vacation or spend more time to investigate the magic quirk boosters.

So with that, here I am at the train station.

It's quite late and the trains stopped a while ago. I would've been questioned by the guards but they hadn't seen me since I lounged near the ceiling with my darkness cloak. Now that there gone, I'm patiently waiting to board the actual final train of the night on metal seats rather than just my heads.

Ithe train I'm waiting for is the famous urban legend, Kisaragi Station. So far, the only difference I found was that I still had to pay for a ticket but maybe that's because I'm a Youkai and not a spirit.

And for those wondering, Kisaragi Station isn't the train itself, but the destination, the final stop so to speak.

Not many know this, but this place's wards would be the weakest around February during the leap year, making it so any human can accidentally wander in on the actual final train and end up there. --Not guarantees of survival, though. But that can also depend on whether you meet someone who was nice enough or bored enough to help.--

When the train finally arrived, I entered along with four other spirits. They looked as expected: transparent, faded and mumbling incoherently. Once they reach the station, I sure they'll destabilize and become another one of the ever-shifting silhouettes.

There's no helping them, not that I'll do such a thing, for it would be pointless. They have already broken.

The ride on the infamous train was like any other, if you would ignore the non-human passengers.

Shifting my eyes to the sight beyond the window, as expected, nothing but darkness.

My theory was that this train runs on tracks that exist on plane known as the [In-between]. It is similar to the powers of the gap Youkai, Yukari, but I wouldn't know since I never had the chance to study it in depth.

Not much is known about it, other than what it's name suggests.

I'm not even sure if the spirits of this train are from the same would as I have. This is because the [In-between] is in-between everything and anything. Even dimensions and realities.

If I wanted to, I would've bought a ticket to my old world... Only if I wanted to.

'Now that I think about it, didn't Yukari use her powers to get into other worlds too?' I thought before seeing another rare sight.

Occasionally, those who come here unknowingly are [Lost]. Like the young teen with bandages holding the hand of a little girl that just bordered another compartment. They seemed to be running away from something so they didn't think much of the train.

As for why I'm sure they're one of the [Lost]?

Simple.

They, Non-spirits, didn't get a ticket. Simple as that. I wouldn't play hero to them here when I didn't even know them. --Much more since they're from another world all together-- But helping out humans here of all places is bad taste to the other spirits.

'Still, no sounds of fighting or shuffling.' I thought as I basked in the sounds of the running train. 'Those two are smart for staying put for now. Other humans would've panicked.'

Closing my eyes, I enjoyed the ride in comfortable silence.

When the train finally arrived at Kisaragi Station, I waited for the other spirits to leave first. Their forms started to rapidly change for the worse as soon set foot out the train, becoming the ever-shifting silhouettes I recognize by the time make it to the exit of the station.

Dismounting from the train, I set foot at Kisaragi station.

Nothing about this place itself is scary, but rather what's inside of it. Someone who can control a train that travels realities is bound to be strong, but at the same time, eccentric for using said powers to open such a service.

As I walked out the exit, I was about to think about where to start my investigations when the bandaged boy suddenly stopped in front of me.

'I suppose it can't be helped if they approach me. No one else that went through the exit was even remotely solid, let alone sane.'

"Um..." He starts to talk, albeit hesitantly as the little girl hides behind him. "If you don't mind me asking, where is this?"

His eyes shifted all over the place. From the moldy walls and overgrown grass, to the twisted trees and the almost liquid distortion of the blood red and dark blue sky above. I don't blame him for being afraid really. Rather, I quite welcome this fear.

As a Youkai, something inside me is always happy to see humans afraid.

But at the end of the day, it's MY choice to act upon such impulses.

"The [Otherside]." I said slowly as I get a good look at his face. "A place for the absurd, in a way I suppose. You would fit right in, undisturbed, so long as you don't use those eyes of yours."

From the surprised expression on his face, He knows exactly what I was referring to.

I don't know what they are, or exactly the power they hold, but his eyes can be fatal. Not just to Youkai or spirits, but even to humans with their blood. Not as bad as [Imagine Breaker] but still bad. That much I can tell.

'Perhaps he's from a reality of exorcists?' I mused.

"I don't know what you plan to do, but a word of advice; if you don't want to be hunted down by the residents here, then don't blatantly use those eyes." I said as I walked past him. "Follow along, now. I'll guide you until the main road."

Although visibly flustered, they seem to still follow what I said if the shuffling footsteps are anything to go by.

They wouldn't stab --or purify-- me from the back. No malice came from either of them. Just caution and fear.

We kept walking in silence. The sounds of dirt and grass crushed under our feet eventually became knocking on stone pavements as we went through the forest.

Leaving the morphed trees behind, we came to a shady alleyway.

I turned around to face them once more.

"This is where we part." I held up my hand as he opened his mouth to speak. "No. I won't guide you any further. Just up ahead is the main street to [Mirrored Tokyo]. What I know about this place is just a good as yours so it's best we separate here. Don't worry, with how diverse this place is, I'm sure you'll find another human or kinder soul somewhere there, ask your questions to them."

I took a small pouch from my pocket and gave it hither boy. Inside contains a handful of my homemade catalysts.

"This place uses a bartering system for the most part. Think of those as a start-up for whatever." Making some heads near the ground, I stand on them. "Goodbye and good luck."

And with that, I flew away.