Chapter 24: Chapter 22 – Quirkless

[One of many chapters released today! Two more chapters released before this one!]

"Hahahaha!!! We are rich!! Rich!!!"

A group of bikers rode their bikes through the empty roads at night.

"Your quirk is the best boss!! Not even those Heroes will know that we were the ones behind this robbery!"

"Yeah, yeah! Boss is the best!"

The one leading the biker gang grinned, throttling to ride faster when a frown appeared on his forehead. He narrowed his eyes to get a better view of what or who was in front of him. The first thing that came into his sight was the scarlet, and the next moment he realized they were scarlet hair, flowing with the wind, and then it was the black mask.

His eyes became even broader, and fear appeared in them; his body froze, but they were going too fast to stop. Her clothes weren't unique: joggers, a black t-shirt, and a red jacket. The laughable part was the sword that she was holding.

And yet, "Stoppp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

He could only scream, and then, the world turned upside down, heat flowed through his chest, and red blood splattered on the ground.

He could still see her back as if time had slowed down. The blade moved, not impossibly fast, but at human speeds. It was elegant…beautiful…and the flow caused him to be lost. One after the other, that blade cut down his men; it didn't matter if they used their Quirks, elongated their legs, turned their hands into crab claws, raised their weight to come to a stop, or created a barrier on their right side.

It didn't matter what Quirk they used; she seemed to always know what they would do and change the strike, cutting them all down. It was as if they were drawn to her at that moment only to be cut down by her.

The time that had slowed down started moving again, and he and his crew fell one after the other, rolling on the ground. Hearing the sound of that sword dragging against the ground caused their hearts to fill with dread. He knew most of the members of his crew were pretending to be dead, but he dared to open his eyes, to look at the girl with scarlet hair and eyes, "You…you were supposed to be an Urban Legend…this…this was…our big chance."

"Then you should have brought silencers or something. Do bikes have them? You were far too noisy. It's annoying, really," The girl looked away, "Next time, try being quieter."

"Never…."

"Mm? Why?"

"Because…we are Riders!!!"

Ai parted her lips, laughing at them, "Idiots."

She raised the twin-edged sword with a slight gap in between, "I don't dislike idiots."

"Does that mean you will let us go?"

"Yeah, no. Not happening."

"Heh," The Biker Gang Boss laughed, coughing, closing his eyes, "I heard the rumors…that in this city…the day belongs to the Heroes…and the night to…Demon King."

"Not a fan of that name," Ai softly said, "Why couldn't it have been something like Phantom Rose? I like that more."

She placed her palm on her mask and disappeared, leaving behind the petals of a rose floating in the air.

Ai Senju held the mask in her hand, entering her dorm room, only to feel her ear pulled, "Ow, ow, ow!"

"I added that feature in the mask so that you can turn invisible and project your hologram somewhere else to distract your enemies and safely evacuate, not for your exit."

"Sorry, sorry! It's just Demon King is not a cute name!!"

"It doesn't have to be cute! It has to strike fear in the hearts of villains, so they don't commit a crime!"

"But~! I have mixed feelings about that name~!" Ai fell to her knees, whining. Now that she had removed the mask, her hair was back to her golden blonde, and her left eye had turned green, like her mother's.

"Geez, you are like a child," Sasha sighed, dragging her by the ear even though the girl was still whining.

She let go of her, sitting down on the chair, looking out of the window, "You know…your father carried that title too…The Demon King. So did the Eldest of your siblings. It could be said that it's the title that runs in the family."

"See, you are proving my point now. By now, the whole Demon King title is overused. Now, Phantom Rose, that's like a breath of fresh air, reminding my enemies of the fresh, beautiful rose, and my sword would be the sharp thorns. So much better than the Demon King title. How did I even get that title?"

Sasha took out her smartphone and opened a bookmarked page, "I researched about that. It seems it was that villain that could turn into liquid, from liquid to gas in a single moment, and from gas to solid. It says here that this ability was so problematic that most heroes couldn't deal with it."

She turned to the next page, ignoring the ads, "Moreover, it only came out when Pro Heroes like Star and Stripe were out of the City."

"I don't remember anyone like that…." Ai raised her chin, trying to think of someone like that, "I would have remembered if I fought someone so annoying."

Sasha sighed, "That's because, the moment it was about to liquefy, you cut him seven times. It seems that his whole body didn't liquefy at once; it started with his heart and spread out, but every time you cut him, the process was delayed, and by the seventh cut, he was on his knees."

Sasha curved her lips, impressed, "I'd say… at that moment, seeing the impossible happen…he kept muttering. And when the police came to take him in custody and realized who he was, they kept asking who did it, and he kept muttering in fear that it was the Demon King. And that is where your nickname came."

"Oh."

"It might seem simple according to the article, but since numerous Pro Heroes weren't able to do…it's obvious that it's not as simple. To him, what you did must have seemed impossible."

"I still don't remember him," Ai scratched her cheek, yawning as she stretched her body, "I am so tired. My exams are coming soon."

"You should stop your activities for a few days," Sasha dazedly looked in the direction that Ai went to meet the enemies, "There are a few who seek to meet the Demon King…not to fight but to recruit."

"I don't want to be a Hero," Ai looked away, crossed her hands, "I am better as a Vigilante."

"That's the thing…I don't think he wants you to be a Hero," Sasha turned her eyes back to her smartphone, "And with the medical knowledge you possessed, and the last six months…and that Transparent World Sixth Sense. I'd say you'd make a fine Doctor."

"It wasn't much different. The first month was enough," Ai puffed out her chest, chuckling.

"Your mother did well, drilling that knowledge in you," Sasha pressed her lips, "But…I still think that you should continue your studies for another year. With your achievements and the Thesis, you are writing. You should be able to get into a Research."

Ai lay down on the floor, looking up at Sasha, "Good night."

"Sleep on the bed," Sasha shook her head, closing the lights before she slipped into her bed.

Ai stuck out her tongue, dragging herself to her bed, and slowly fell asleep. The starting months were weary since the crime rate in this city was as high as 20%. Later, though, after a few months, the crime at night time in this whole district drastically decreased. It was almost as if the villains started avoiding committing crimes at night, so she got to sleep more.

Although, there were times like this when the idiots like those came. Thinking about the peaceful days ahead, she got a good night's sleep.

While she might be having a good night's sleep, her roommate couldn't.

Sasha got up, her sight changed, she could see the room, and a girl with green hair, wearing a mask, using a telescope to peek in this room. It was as if Sasha was standing in two places at once.

"These guys…she's not ready for this," Sasha whispered, "Not until she gives up that stubbornness of hers and gets a Quirk."

"Can you not do that?"

Sasha stopped, and her sight disappeared. She hesitated, looking at sleeping Ai, before sighing and lying down on the bed, looking at the roof, much like the man beside her was doing.

"She's not ready for it. That guy's Quirk…it's not someone who is Quirkless could beat. It's impossible. There is no loophole."

"Probably."

"She'll end up getting killed."

"Maybe."

"She doesn't have enough experience to do what she truly wishes. She hasn't reached that level."

"That's true."

"Then why stop me?"

"Because if you interfere. You'd be thrown out…that's the condition set on your existence in this world."

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Sasha parted her lips, closing them, breathing out, "Bastard."

"Thank you for doing this. But Sasha…she's my daughter…If she chose to come here Quirkless, then so be it. I'll respect that."

"If you respected that. Then I wouldn't be here. Would I?"

"You are here…because… she is my daughter."

"Go away before I kill you," Sasha turned to her side, placing her hand on his chest, but her palm fell on the bed, realizing he wasn't there.

"Jerk."

The next day Ai woke up without realizing that danger was around her. She went to the library to study since there were no classes before exams. But there was a feeling that kept nagging her. She felt ill intent, but they maintained the distance from her, annoying her.

'Do they know my identity?'

She went to the shopping district to keep an eye on them, to figure out what they wanted, but they didn't come any closer. After nearly a week, on the night before her exams were about to start, a villain passed by the parameter of her Transparent World, and then they made contact.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" Ai was wearing the mask, and her hair had turned scarlet, much like her eyes, but she had a feeling that these people had figured out her identity.

"My name is Beros," The green-haired woman raised her hands, her thumb and pinkie fingers stretched out, creating a wooden bow. She took a black arrow from her back, pointing at Ai, "We are here to see the Truth."

She fired the arrow once that had enough power to pierce through cars. But before she even fired it, the tip of Ai's sword was pointing forward.

Though at the last moment, the arrow changed its direction, surprising Ai, who dodged at the last moment.

'Damn it. It's a homing arrow. I thought she could only fire straight since she didn't create the arrow. That was a miscalculation.'

Beros, who saw the arrow miss, fired two more quickly, slowly stepping backward.

Ai dashed forward, letting out a breath, focusing on Transparent World, 'I can see it.'

The time slowed down, and she could see every change in the arrows; when the two arrows started changing their directions, she adjusted her posture, slicing upwards in a trajectory that deflected the first arrow, and the second struck the sword's tip.

She stopped, using the force to adjust her body, causing the force to travel from her sword to her waist and legs, and from there, she used that same force to propel herself forward, breathing out, 'Right there.'

The sword came down, moving slowly, and Beros's reaction was also visible to her in slow motion, but then, abruptly, an iron ball smashed next to her.

She barely managed to twist her body, and the shockwave from the iron ball threw her away. She didn't even have the time to land when Beros fired the arrow.

'I can't dodge.'

She didn't have the time to close her eyes, but in her mind, she did and focused, 'Right here.'

She broke the flow, turning counterclockwise, moving the sword between herself and the arrow. She got pushed back, but she was getting used to this, 'The flow of these forces…there is a point where I can change them, not drastically, but I can.'

This time too, when it completed a circle, she changed the flow and abruptly stopped.

Beros narrowed her eyes, "So you are infected as well."

"Infected?"

"By things that they call Quirk."

"Infected by Quirks?" Ai felt her brain turn, "But you have Quirk…?"

"Right. I am infected as well. I seek salvation…you too will find salvation," Beros took two arrows, firing them one after the other while the other fired Iron Balls, blocking her escape routes.

'One…two…three…four…." Seeing the arrows and iron balls, she created a zig-zag pattern, knowing when to shift the energy and in which direction.

"One!" She deflected the arrow, twisting her body, "Two!"

The iron ball dagged against the sword, being resealed from over her, "Three!"

She twirled her body, circling the arrow around her, using the excess energy from one and two, and smashed against the Fourth, "Fourth!"

She gasped for breath, her muscles contracted, releasing, her body aching in pain from the sudden energy shifts.

"Demon King! It's time for you to be saved!!"

(As far back as I remember, nothing seemed unachievable to me. Everything was possible…doable…and so I felt disinterested in the world around me.)

Sidero, the tall man with slicked-back brown and black hair, an extremely wide mouth, and large bulbous elbows, the one that had been releasing iron balls from his knuckles, punched down at her.

Abruptly Ai stopped breathing, her eyes became focused, the sword moved, and blood splashed on the ground.

"You made a mistake," Ai glanced towards his body, that fell forward, "Your fear is what had kept you alive."

There were many Quirks, but one type had given her the most trouble—ranged Quirks.

They were outside her attack range, and therefore she could only block their attack, but the moment they entered her attack range, it was a different story entirely.

(But then, one day…my father gave me a book, and the protagonist…against all odds, managed to defeat the antagonist. I thought…what the hell was that? This book was a waste of time.)

She pulled away, and a shock ran through her hands, causing the sword in her hand to be thrown back. The sword glitched, seemingly glitching into a white broadsword, but maintained the form.

"I don't know what your Quirk is, but without your sword…you are helpless."

(I thought maybe the other would be better, and it was, but then there was one book that made my heart beat faster. The protagonist…in every way, he was inferior, but his willpower was out of the world. I wondered if I faced the same circumstances. Could I do it? But then…I thought no one like that existed, so it didn't matter, right?)

Ai watched the arrow coming toward her, and Transparent World gave her more time to think. She could tell that her body was already recoiling to get out of the arrow's part, but since it was homing, this arrow would hit her no matter what.

(And then…on another day…I stood in front of them. Him. Who with willpower alone beat death. Not through fear, but through willpower, whose fist had reached the epitome of Martial Arts. The one I felt…Ah, he's like that protagonist…even though he was the villain. And then…that day…I met someone like me…and him—someone born with Godly Gifts and willpower like his. I can be like that too…I wondered. Since that moment, from the bottom of my heart and soul. I have wanted to be like that! Like them!)

'I haven't been able to do it yet, no matter how much I try. Those two fighting styles…I haven't been able to combine them. I haven't been able to reach the peak…I am human!!! Now I too am human!!!!! And I can't reach that place!! Akaza!! Rengoku!! Yoriichi!!! I want to stand beside them!!!'

"Compass Needle!!!!" She adjusted her center of gravity, slamming her leg down, sucking in a cold breath, her palm tearing apart the air like a sword, "I WILL STAND ON ZENITH!!"

Ai Senju's & Sasha Dorm Room,

Sasha sat on the bed in the dark room, but her focus was elsewhere. Her eyes widened ever so slightly and a gentle smile escaped her lips, "That girl…she did it. She reached the Epitome of Quirklessness. Enhanced further by those two Martial Forms that she managed to combine."

She softly chuckled, "That girl is far too stubborn."

On the road,

Ai gasped for breath, maintaining her stance, watching Beros, whose arms were pierced by her arrows, and her stomach and thighs were caved in, "I did it…?"

Her whole body was struck by pain, and she felt the road coming closer to her.

"Good job…."

"Mm?" Ai felt a softness in front of her and a palm of a hand stroking her head. She closed her eyes, "You said…your Quirk was…Supernatural Beauty…."

"Right…I did."

"You lied…."

"Did I?" Sasha picked the girl who fainted because of the wrecked body, "I guess I did."

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