Chapter 28

"This was one good raid. Great work on your first mission, kid."

I simply nodded in reply and asked, "Is anyone hurt?"

"Beside the yakuza whose arm you slashed open? Yeah, a few got hurt a little. One officer got shot, but, the bullet just grazed his arm."

As he was about to walk away, I said, "I can heal him.. Or anyone who needs healing. My quirk is extremely versatile."

He looked at me with a raised brow and said, "Alright, boy wonder. Follow me."

From the corner of my eye, I could see Edgeshot nod at me in approval. I followed the police captain to the ambulance where the EMTs were checking up the criminals and the police officers.

"EMT Takeza!" The captain said. "Move aside for a bit. Kid can heal by using his quirk."

The EMT nodded wordlessly and moved aside while I closed my eyes. After a momentary pause, mist began emanating from my body and encircle the bodies of the wounded. It was so potent that their wounds began healing at a visible rate.

Everyone around watched with wide eyes as they experienced the miracle. The wounded felt surreal as their bodies felt energized. They felt that they were stronger than ever.

When I was done, I was grabbed by the wrist by Edgeshot and he dragged me away from the mesmerized group of people. Pushing me against a wall, he growled and said, "Do you have any idea what you've just done?!"

"... Sensei?"

"You idiot!"

*CLAP*

The stinging pain of his slap and the whiplash of my face came as a shock and he again slammed me against the wall.

"You should have told me how potent that ability is! You've just put a big fucking target on your back, you dumb shit! Do you really think some of the police officers aren't in the Yakuza's pockets?! The mob, the Bratva, Triad, Torres Taipans and the Yakuza, all will be coming after your dumb ass now! Either to kill you, or, to recruit you!"

The gravity of the situation slowly sank in and I finally realised what a stupid decision I had made. I could feel my mouth get dry as I tried to stop myself from spiralling.

Edgeshot sighed in frustration and said, "You, follow me. Do not stray from my side, no matter what happens. We are going to ride in the prison van and accompany the yakuza soldier to the jail. Tempest and Spectrum will be following the van. Am I clear? Under no circumstances, will you be using your healing abilities in front of others."

"Y-Yes, sensei."

He sighed again and patted my shoulder. "Get it together. I'm sure whoever they send after you will end it quickly. You won't even feel it."

"Hey!"

"I'm just kidding! It'll be slow and painful."

"That's not a good thing either!!"

(APIBNHA)

The ride was quiet and tense.

The distant sounds of tires zooming across the highway, the rattling of the handcuffs and the radio only seemed to intensify the tension.

I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. I focused on my breath, letting all thoughts go away, not letting rhem linger behind.

'They are coming for me.'

The distant revving of the engines of motorbikes, I could feel their sound. They were catching up.

'I count four bikes.'

My eyes scanned through the van, looking at the faces of the police officers.

'One of them is a snitch.'

Irregular, nervous breathing and raised heartbeat, sweating.. Classical signs.

'They know where I'll be sitting.'

The officer sitting closest to the backdoor of the van, he was perspiring quite a lot. Constantly tapping the gun in his hands, his knee running a mile an hour, the swallowing of saliva...

'That's the one.'

I eyed the badge on his breast pocket and said, "Officer Maeda, would you switch seats with me? I'm feeling a little claustrophobic."

Edgeshot's head immediately snapped towards the officer who was fumbling to give a reply. He said to Maeda, "Come on, officer. Kid finished his first mission tonight. He's seen shit. Let him breathe a little, yeah?"

"O-Of course, Edgeshot. Come, Phantasm, y-you can take my seat. I-I just need to text my w-wife."

Maeda had already began fumbling with his phone. The moment he tapped 'send' I used 'Vine whip' and snatched the phone from his hand.

"Hey! What the fuck are you doing?!"

His eyes wild, Maeda couldn't believe that he was about to be exposed as a sell out.

"You.. How many more are there with you? How many of you have sold your souls for some pocket change? How many of you are sucking the dicks of those Yakuza?!"

The rest of the officers looked at Maeda in disbelief.

Before anyone could react...

'They're here.'

*BANG*

Maeda's head was blown up by the shot.

"Everybody, down!"

*RRATATATATATATATATA*

The van swirved and crashed into the roadside barricade.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a bloody sword being pulled out of the yakuza soldier's chest. His eyes reflected his disbelief and horror as he died. His body fell forward.

I looked around and saw that Edgeshot was injured. He had tried to protect the officers from the gunshots and had gotten hurt. Despite of his effort, two officers were shot as well, one having died from a bullet piercing through his neck.

'No.. he was innocent..! He died because of me... No! He died because of them!'

Anger bubbled in my chest.

'Bulk up.'

Power coursed through my muscles as I increased my physical attack to the maximum. Spectrum and Tempest were taking cover behind their car as five men were raining metal at them.

'Nasty plot.'

I could feel my inhibitions lowering.

'Everyone can be a killer. Everyone can be a monster. They are monsters and so am I. The only difference... I became a monster to protect.'

As a yakuza assassin stood outside the backdoor of the totaled van, I let my rage take over and used 'Mach punch' to blast through the door, ramming into the assassin like a cannonball.

"You motherfuckers are here for me, aren't ya? Well, here I stand!!!"

An absolutely terrible pulse of raw aura exploded from within me, birthed from my rage, it shattered the road beneath my feet and decimated everything in its path.

'Dark Pulse.'

The assassins were thrown away along with their bikes. The machines shattered as they collided against the roadside barricade. One of the assassins who was standing the closest, his end came in a gruesome way. His body twisted around his spine, his skin tore from the torsion and his organs spilled out of his body.

I cared little for the first death I had caused and created water shuriken. Using my vine whips, I threw the shurikens at the assassins with intention to maim or kill.

Some managed to dodge, but, two were cleaved through with their bodies split from the middle. Spectrum and Tempest finally rushed out from behind the car and engaged the assassins.

There was one who gave off a familiar feeling. As the flickering light from the broken lamp shone on his face, I became tense as I recognized the assassin.

'Stain.'

"You are one ruthless bastard. There's really no difference, huh,? Between you and me? Between heroes and villains. At the very basic sense, both are killers, murderers. What a path-"

I smashed my fist into his face by using 'Mach punch'.

"Fuck your monologues! Tell them to someone who gives a shit!!"

Stain's nose was broken and a few of his teeth had been beaten out of his mouth. As he was getting up, I charged a swirling ball of 'Water pulse' and threw it at him.

The ball exploded and engulfed him, turning red from his blood. From his monstrous roar, I could tell that he was apoplectic. Bloodied, he ignored all the pain and charged towards me with his swords out of their sheaths.

I parried his slashes with my stingers. He attacked from every angle and used all the blades in his arsenal to make me bleed. We were approaching a stalemate when his sword finally managed to cut into one of my stingers.

I screamed from the pain and tried to endure it. He slashed again and I retaliated with 'Brick break'. My fist clashed against the flat of the sword and shattered it like glass.

I took advantage of the shock Stain was in when he saw his sword break from my attack and used 'Mega Kick', thwacking his chest with the ferocious kick.

Stain barely managed to cross his arms, but, the force of the kick shattered the bones. He was thrown away and his arms were bent at various parts, bloody and broken.

Stain screamed and writhed in pain. Every part of his body was hurting and all he could do was glare at me with hatred. I looked towards Tempest and Specteum who had managed to kill the remaining assassins and turned back towards Stain.

"C-Come on.. kill me." He said. "P-Prove that you are just a killer.. L-Like the rest of us."

I bent down next to him and said, "I know what you want. You want to live. That's why you are trying to goad me. You 'want' me to spare you. You 'want' me to prove you wrong. Because, like everyone you've killed, you want to live. But, do you really deserve your life?"

"T-This world is sick. I tried.. I t-tried to bring change. B-But, at every step, I was pulled deeper into the abyss.. T-The darkness.. It swallowed me whole and I lost myself. No, I-I don't.. Deserve to live. So, kill me. Just, kill me!!"

I stood back up as my breath finally steadied. I then said, "No.. Death would be an escape. Your life is your punishment. You'll die every single day knowing and atoning for all the atrocities you have committed. I don't know you, but, as a yakuza assassin... You have the blood of hundreds of innocent people on your hands."

I grabbed his head and used 'Psychic'.

"You'll live the deaths of your victims for the rest of your life."

I walked away as the silence of the night was engulfed by his screams. I could hear sirens in the dstance. The police and ambulances were arriving.

I rushed towards Edgeshot and immediately used 'Life dew' to heal all the wounded.

Edgeshot stirred awake and I helped him sit up. The attack of the yakuza assassins left death and destruction in its wake.

It was the beginning of my tribulations. It didn't matter if I was ready for them, they were coming for me.

'I'm not going down without a fight. Triad, Mob, Bratva, Torres Taipans, Yakuza and any other crime syndicates.. Come on, here I stand.'

(APIBNHA)

A/N: An action packed chapter!! Did you like it? Do comment. Your comments matter.

MC's new outfit: