Chapter 29 : First Death

"Let's spice things up a bit, shall we?" With a devilish grin, he muttered,

Yugen teleported his head high above, gaining a panoramic view of the battlefield. With a bird's-eye perspective, he spotted Takeshi and Hayachi, their backs pressed against each other as they searched for his position. His keen eyes also caught Ryuji, still stuck in his kinetic energy accumulation stance.

"Special Move - Infinity Body Parts no Jutsu!"

Numerous cloned body parts started appearing around the duo, surrounding them in a circle. Each hand, foot, finger, nail, and even buttocks and foreheads scattered across the battlefield. Takeshi and Hayachi wore solemn expressions on their faces.

"Seriously! SO MANY BODY PARTS! WHERE is even the real one?" Hayachi exclaimed, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The nightmarish scene unfolding before him resembled something out of a horror movie.

"Don't care. Just quickly destroy them!" Takeshi realized the danger and decided to destroy Yugen's body parts before they could attack them.

"Thunderclap!" Hayachi started clapping, sending sonic booms toward the incoming body parts projectiles. Whenever a body part was destroyed, a new one would appear to replace it.

Yugen, observing from above, couldn't help but chuckle at the bewildered expressions on his adversaries' faces. "Time to end the play!"

With a snap of his fingers, Yugen initiated a synchronized attack. The cloned body parts, acting in unison, lunged at Takeshi and Hayachi from all directions. Hands aimed for ankles, feet soared towards faces, and an unexpected barrage of foreheads and buttocks confounded their every move.

Takeshi swung his chains frantically, but with every strike, a new limb appeared, replacing the one he thought he had destroyed. Hayachi's sonic booms echoed, creating temporary disruptions, yet the ceaseless onslaught of Yugen's body parts proved relentless.

"I'll drain their physical strength and divert their attention away from guarding their leader. Now is my chance to interrupt whatever move he's gearing up for. Though I'm curious about what it could be, curiosity kills the cat!"

Since all his cloned body parts are used against the duo, Yugen silently teleported his real body legs just five meters behind Ryuji, then the torso, then the arms, and finally... the head.

At the moment when Yugen's legs appeared behind him, Ryuji had a wide grin on his face, he muttered to himself, 'not now... not now, not now....'

The moment Yugen's body was completely behind Ryuji, the latter screamed in his heart. His now enhanced body improved his sensitivity, and he felt the gaze from above disappear, which meant Yugen's head had teleported.

"NOW!"

He stopped the charging. The accumulated kinetic energy fueled his body, improving all its functions, taking him to a superhuman level instantly. His entire body turned red like a tomato, and white steam emitted from it.

"BOOM!"

He turned around instantaneously, jumped towards Yugen; the force he exerted left a wide crack on the ground. He screamed, "DIEEEEE!!!!!!!!!"

As Yugen's head snapped back into its proper place, he beheld Ryuji hurtling towards him like a relentless freight train. The distance of five meters evaporated in less than a second, the blazing red fist of Ryuji hurtling with unstoppable force.

Yugen's purple eyes constricted to needles as time seemed to slow in his perspective.

If this fist falls on him, he will die!

His thoughts raced at an incredible speed, deducing the best course of action to evade this imminent threat. Teleporting his head was not an option; it would expose vulnerable areas like his chest. The only solution became clear - defense!

He canceled all the clones that Hayachi and Takeshi were facing, and quickly, a grotesque barrier emerged before him. A pulsating mass of fleshy appendages, predominantly comprised of buttocks, sinewy arms, and elongated legs, coalesced into a flesh wall. The air around it seemed to thicken with an ominous presence.

"Dragon Fury!" Ryuji's voice roared across the alley.

His entire body ignited in a radiant red glow, but the luminescence swiftly concentrated onto his right fist, transforming it into a searing torch of blazing fire.

"BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!"

An explosive shockwave erupted from Ryuji's fist, a force so mighty it tore through the fleshy wall like a pen piercing paper. The air quivered with residual energy, and the battlefield echoed with the aftermath of his powerful move.

Seizing the fleeting moment created by the decimated flesh barrier, Yugen exploited the opening and managed to teleport his head above the chaos.

Just as he prepared to shift the position of his torso, Yugen's eyes widened, and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth.

In a surreal moment frozen in time, Yugen lowered his gaze, and his eyes shrank to a needle. There, piercing through his chest with unyielding force, was Ryuji's fist. The blazing fire torch that once emitted the destructive Dragon Fury now served as a harrowing weapon, precisely aimed at Yugen's heart.

Ryuji looked at his fist, which is still ablaze with residual heat, pierced in Yugen's chest. His victorious smile froze as he realized the severity of what he did.

"I---Dying?"

Yugen, suspended between life and death, felt the searing pain intensify. Blood continued to seep from the wound, staining the ground beneath him. His mind raced to comprehend the gravity of the situation. The alley, once a stage for calculated and strategic clashes, transformed into a silent theater of tragedy.

Ryuji, his eyes filled with a mix of shock and disbelief, quickly withdrew his fist. The residual flames flickered before extinguishing, leaving behind the smoldering aftermath of Dragon Fury.

"I---Killed?" Ryuji couldn't believe what he did.

"I-I just wanted to defeat him. He seemed strong, and I was sure he would dodge it or block it... why is this happening? Is this a joke, right? Right?..."

Although Ryuji is the gang leader of the Thunder Serpents, he is still just a high school boy. The worst thing he did in his life was bullying students. He had never thought of killing Yugen. He doesn't want to go to jail; he doesn't want to waste his youth inside the dark, confined jail. He wants to enjoy his youth, expand his gang, recruit more members, gather enough money so the children in their orphanage can have something to eat. He wants to ensure that nobody will dare to bully them again. If he goes to jail, who will protect them from discrimination? They will be bullied more than he bullied others. They will be forced out of society and turn into villains, all because of their weird appearances caused by damned quirks!

"NO! I won't go to jail; I won't be caught! They need me!" Ryuji's screams echoed through the alley, and Hayachi and Takeshi dragged their injured bodies to stand next to him.

Seeing the hole in Yugen's chest, Hayachi's eyes opened wide, his jaws almost dropped. "Holy... Shit..."

Takeshi saw Yugen's injury and immediately realized he is beyond saving; Yugen's heart had been completely burned, and no quirk can save him at all!

As the strategic mind of the gang, Takeshi needs to stay calm. He has already thought about what will happen once the news of Ryuji killing this unknown masked man reaches the ears of the police. They will undoubtedly put him in prison for God knows how long, and they won't be spared either.

"Once the Serpents gang ends, nobody is going to protect them!" The picture of kids with deformed, animalistic, and weird bodies appeared in his mind.

Memories of one year ago flooded back. After the three of them reached 14 years old, they were kicked out of the orphanage because it couldn't support them anymore. The three had to rely on themselves, protect each other, and become strong to fight against bullies, robbers, etc. It wasn't easy. They dropped out of school and chose the road of delinquents. They formed their own force slowly, defeating neighborhood gangs, recruiting new members, and expanding their own area of influence. Just when life started getting better...

"Are you kidding me?" Hayachi screamed at Ryuji.

"Our situations had just started getting better, and you want to add a burden to us?" Takeshi's tone was calm yet filled with anger.

Ryuji stood in front of them, and a six-year-old girl with a distinct insect-like appearance, her face featuring large compound eyes and antennae on her forehead. Delicate, iridescent beetle-like wings on her back; the only thing that made her human were her hands and legs, stood behind him in fear.

"I won't give up on her. She has no one to rely on. She can't survive in the streets. She will be either kidnapped, sold to some pervert bastards, or even worse, experimented on by some crazy scientists. I saw it in the movies. I can't allow such things to happen to her. No matter whether you decide to help me or not, I won't care. You will still be my brothers. If you feel burdened, I won't blame you." Ryuji's eyes were firm, without any intention to give up.

The two at that time helplessly decided to help, but soon, they regretted it. Every once in a month, Ryuji would find a kid in a similar situation and say he won't leave them in the streets.

Every time he would say, "One last time, please Hayachi, Takeshi, don't be cruel!" Until thirty kids were gathered.

"I'm only taking care of them so once they grow up they will join the gang," one of Ryuji's lies to keep the kids, which he would always tell them. Using the money they gathered from collecting protection fees and selling drugs, they managed to buy a home after a year of saving.

That home became their own-made orphanage, where all the kids Ryuji fostered lived.

Returning to his senses, Takeshi noticed that Yugen's head at some point in time returned to its place. He saw Yugen's eyes getting dimmer.

Yugen's vibrant purple eyes, once radiant, now dimmed, locking onto the trio with an intense gaze.

"I'm sorry..." Ryuji muttered, regret and apology lacing his tone. Hayachi, with a shaky voice, added, "Brother, go peacefully. I'll pray for your soul. Please don't haunt us."

"S-Sorry, yo-your MOTHER!" Yugen cursed, his tone dripping with hatred, before collapsing onto his back. His consciousness faded, his mind consumed by a singular thought—vengeance. He must kill; he must revenge; he must destroy them! Kill them all!

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