Chapter 26: Chapter 24 – Let Go

"How do I look?" Ai twirled, wearing the mask; her scarlet hair turned as she showed off her new Hero Clothes.

She wore a slick, tight suit with a metallic shine on it. It was dark green, with vertical stripes of maroon and horizontal stripes of metallic silver. The silver stripe formed a large V at the center and a minor upside-down v at her waist. Also, a dark brown stark was at the center of her chest, between the v.

The mask covered her face, leaving only her pink lips and a slight bit of her cheeks, while her scarlet hair wildly fell on her shoulder since she didn't bother tying them up.

"So cool!" Melissa clapped her hands, looking starry-eyed, when her father took the golden bronze sword, the size of a long sword, and gave it to Ai.

"Try it now."

There was a rectangular black, metallic patch on her waist, and when she brought the sword near it, a magnetic induction formed, causing it to float by her waist.

"That's…I am…speechless. Your talent with these things is breathtaking," Ai clasped her hands together, grinning brightly.

"No," David sighed, "The costume…I thought I'd simultaneously make it a bit menacing and heroic, but it doesn't go with your personality."

"No worries. I can act menacing when I need to," Ai made a victory sign, reassuring them, but they weren't reassured, not after days of knowing her.

"Well, there are more than a few benefits to that dress. For one, it is bulletproof. You will feel a bit of a punch, but you wouldn't have to worry about a bullet killing you. Within 100 meters, and as long as there are no obstacles in between, you can call that sword back to you at any time. "

Ai watched the sword hanging by her waist, looking towards her palm and then the back of her hand, "I didn't expect a feature like this. Since you can do something like this…can I ask you to make another thing?"

David sat down, "Anything to help you."

"Then…."

Otheon was the country where this cult originated, and recently they had been expanding to other countries. The truth of this world was that about 20% of the population was Quirkless, and even those with weaker, useless Quirks were discriminated against. Those with powerful Quirks became the Superheroes.

The Superhuman Society wasn't without fault, but then again, none of the societies ever were. Every society had its Quirks, and no Utopia existed.

Sadly, every society also had organizations like these, breeding in those cracks.

Humarise used this crack between Quirkless and Superhero Society, fanning the flames and recruiting more Quirkless people from around the world.

That much she understood, but why were these Quirk Users with them? Self-loathing? Were their parents Quirkless? Or did the ones they loved and adored refuse to accept them because they had Quirk. Or maybe it was something much more straightforward, money and power?

"Well…it doesn't matter what the reason is," Ai stood at the edge of a mountain ledge. The mountain seemed to have been made hollow to build a structure inside, and right now, there were tens and tens of people guarding it, holding their guns to her.

"I am not here out of charity…I am not here because your people came to attack me…or even because they might know who I am or because a father was worried about his daughter. I am here for one simple reason," Ai had a sword on her left and another on her back, horizontal.

There were two bags, metallic ninja tools bags, on both her thighs. She put her hands inside and took out two disks that were void in between, "I am here!! To fight!!!"

She threw the two disks in the straight lines, but tens of people fired hundreds of bullets at her, but the chakram blocked some of them while others dodged by predicting the trajectory of the bullets.

She pulled out both the swords, circling, and the blade didn't cut the bullets or deflect them but caught them. The moment she made her first circle, the bullets were sent back towards them, aiming for the space between their helmet and shoulder gear, scratching their necks.

The moment she sent the bullets flying towards them, the light on the gauntlet turned green, causing the chakrams to fly back and stop at the back of her palms.

"This…it's nowhere near enough," She started running, covering the distance between them while they were distracted. Her sword cut through their armor, causing blood to splat. She dodged between them, using Transparent World to keep an eye on every one of them, the trajectory of their weapons, making sure there was someone to block the angle from which they could fire bullets.

She cut them down one after the other while ensuring she didn't kill them. But there were more and more of them. One minute turned into two, and two turned into three.

She got better at this, throwing both the swords and the chakram, using the boomerang function to adjust where she stood, to make sure she cut another in this process.

She became more efficient, using Compass Needle and Transparent World, her senses to the max. She might have reached the epitome of what a human could, but there was this trace of the supernatural. It was only with the help of Transparent World and Compass Needle that she could fight against people who were firing bullets.

Which was why she hadn't gone all out; she was preserving her energy for the Quirk Users, to beat them while these people were firing.

The problem was that ten people turned into twenty, twenty into hundred, and hundreds. Her arms started going numb; her mind was blank. She only knew how to cut, one after the other. The walls and the floor were covered in blood; her sword was dripping with it. The thought that some of them might have died of blood loss crossed her mind, but it disappeared.

Every sound she heard, every voice she heard, echoed her death. She pulled back her sword a little, collecting about ten to twenty bullets, and she shot them back with a flick.

The more she fought, the better she got at deflection and reversal of energy.

And then, a time came when she realized she was the only one standing.

*Clank*Clank*Clank*

The swords she was holding fell to the floor, and her body fell forward.

*Screeechhhh*

Abruptly, an arrow hit her shoulder, throwing her back and causing her body to drag against the ground. She stopped only after dragging one or two injured bodies to the ground.

[Danger – Users' Stamina is running dangerously low.]

'No…I am not done yet,' Ai propped herself up with trembling hands, rolling to her left when an iron ball hit where she was. She felt a sense of relief when she lay on the ground. She didn't want to get up anymore. She didn't have the strength to.

She closed her eyes, wanting to fall asleep, when her senses sharped, focusing on the arrow moving slowly through the air, one she could hear tear the wind apart, reaching closer and closer.

'I am…not done yet.'

"I AM NOT DONE YET!!!" Ai raised her hand; the arrow was caught between her fingers, causing her hand to bleed. This was the first time she bled, that splashed on her mask and cheeks.

She stumbled forward, fixing her eyes on the green-haired woman, who fired another arrow, and her legs started moving. Her body was heavy, but her senses were sharper than ever. The arrow, the iron ball coming right after, couldn't move any slower.

(I always thought I was blessed by the Gods and Goddesses…born with all the talent possible.)

She placed her fingers on the tip of the arrow, turning it on its head, causing the arrow to fly back.

(But then…I met them…so many amazing people…Rengoku…Tanjiro…Akaza…Yoriichi…Tengen…Gyomei. Limited or talented…each surpassed themselves, reaching higher levels…and I…? All I could do was rely on my gifts.)

"I want to do it," Ai whispered, her eyes dazed, she placed the palm of her hand on the iron ball, and the time seemed to stop; all the force disappeared. She twisted her palm and forced the iron ball back on its path with the same force.

"I refuse!!!" The light appeared in her eyes as she shouted, "I refuse the gifts father gave me! I refuse these bloodlines!!! I will reject everything that is not me!!!"

"I will prove!! I am better!"

She used the crumbling body, slammed her leg on the floor, and ran forward.

(I miss her…I wonder how she's doing…but thank you for showing me this…Hinata.)

The iron ball slammed into Sidero, only to be countered by his own, but it left him unmovable. She used this opportunity to reach Beros, putting her first two fingers together and using Transparent World to look at her muscles and weak points. She didn't have chakra to send inside, but a forceful attack on the weak point would result in the same, "Gentle Fist! Tenketsu!"

Beros lurched forward, feeling her stomach trying to come out of her mouth, "No…not yet…."

She didn't take a moment and lunged to the side, and the tips of her fingers touched Sidero's chin, which she flicked to one side, causing it to lurch, and him to faint.

She gasped for breaths, walking over the bodies, pulling the swords she put on her waist and back, the chakrams she left floating on the back of her palm.

She took one of the swords and slammed it on the ground, propping herself on it. She closed her eyes, breathing, trying to preserve as much energy as possible, but calming the adrenaline seemed like a bad idea.

She pulled herself up, pulling the sword, dragging it against the floor as she went deeper inside. She reached a narrow corridor, and she could already tell that danger was coming from both sides.

"We caught you!!!"

"Hhahahaahhaah!!! Now we get to kill you!!!"

Ai dragged her feet, looking weak, barely moving, and yet she was walking forward.

The two coming at her seemed twin, with similar personalities and the same Quirk. Their arms had turned into bellow swords that they used to break apart the walls, coming towards Ai, threatening to cut her apart.

The swords were close to cutting her apart when she jumped up, rotating, revolving, taking out both her swords. She swirled, cutting their necks in one go, watching as their bodies dropped on the ground, landing after them.

'Ah…did I kill them? I shouldn't have…don't die….'

Her feet kept moving, like a zombie, without even being able to stop herself.

"Fight!! Kill!! I will kill you!!!"

"Kill!!"

The twin brothers, Ena and Dio, used their trembling hands, reaching down to their pockets, and took out something and injected it into their necks.

Their purple hair rose, their arms turned into bellow swords whips, and their wounds healed.

'Thank you…for living….'

Ai kept walking forward, still dull, and her body weight shifted to the side, luckily dodging the whips they threw at her and going straight past her sides.

The two grinned their teeth, putting force in their legs to hold them in place, and rocked their hands towards one side. The whips went for her, but she fell backward, the whips barely missed her nose when she fell to the ground.

The two pulled their whips back in anger, looking towards where Ai fell, "Lucky—"

"Where is she?"

The twin coughed blood, realizing something sharp had gone through their skin.

Ena, one of the twins, widened his eyes, 'Did she hold onto our quirk to get near us…? I didn't feel anything at all.'

She pulled the swords out from their thighs, slamming them back on their shoulders.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!" "AGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Ignoring their screams, she pulled out her swords, putting them on her waist and back, ignoring the two who writhe in pain.

She dragged the swords against the floors, 'How many more can I handle?'

'I hope the next one is easy.'

She stepped into a vast hall to find three people standing there. One with the blue skin, holding a staff, and two monsters, swelled up. One with bleach white skin, and black and red appendages on its palms, while the other looked like an Oni with the red skin and horn.

"Worthy of the one given the name Demon King. To be able to come this far. Killing all in your path, bathe in blood and flesh. You are the epitome of the disease that should be destroyed. Quirks."

'I don't care…higher…higher…I want to go higher,' Ai kept walking towards them.

'That one doesn't seem to have weak points…but it won't die either from lethal injuries.'

The blue-skinned man sighed, "I see. You are at the end of your ropes, can't even speak, is that it?"

"Leviathan."

The bleach white-skinned monster rushed forward, with its claw pointing forward, red, fiery appendages chucked towards Ai, who effortlessly jumped up to its arm, walking on it as if she was walking in the park.

It opened its mouth, and at that moment, she let go of the sword in her left hand and kicked it by the hilt, slamming it in its mouth when it roared.

The sword went in, coming from the other side of its head, and she fell to the ground with it. The sword's tip hit the floor, causing it to jump out of its mouth and back into her hands.

Flect Turn narrowed his eyes, ordering, "Ragone."

"Yaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!"

The creature that looked like Oni turned its arm into spiky clubs, slamming them down on the ground, destroying it, causing the floor to fly out towards Ai.

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'I can see it….'

She stepped onto the rock, jumping from one to the next. It was so strange, so simple as if she was walking on the flying rocks, and when she was near enough, she cut the horn.

She looked into its eyes, 'You are not like the other one, are you? That one seemed invulnerable from outside.' 

Ai's hand moved, patting on the Oni's head, and its brain shook, causing it to scream in pain before he fell to his knees, dropping to the ground.

'There it is…they are about to come out,' She swung the chakrams, causing them to fly to both sides, and the machines that could fire lasers, the ones that were coming out of the walls, were cut apart as soon as they came out.

She rotated the sword by the hilt, throwing it like a javelin to destroy the one behind Flect Turn, pivoting on foot, destroying the one behind her.

'Only one left.'

She slowly blinked her heavy eyelids, punching the leader, Flect Turn, but a wall stopped her punch, and the condensed force broke her fingers and palm.

'Quirk…reflected my attacks,' Strangely, the pain didn't seem to matter to her, 'Does the direction matter?'

She called back her sword, one that she caught, the other which was about to hit Flect's back but got reflected.

Flect Turn looked over his shoulder, "It's no use. My disease reflects everything…the good…the bad…everything."

'So that's why…therein lies the root of this cult…Quirk Singularity Theory and not being able to control the Quirk. A Singular Quirk that is Uncontrollable.'

'Perfect if I beat this guy…without a Quirk…I would have surpassed them, right?'

She dashed forward, stopping in front of him, pushing her palm forward, rotating it in the air, 'Gentle Fist: Vacuum Palm.'

Her palm stopped on the reflective wall, and she meant to pass the strength to the other side, but it all came back, running through her left palm, coursing through her veins, breaking it.

"Pitiful," Flect Turn punched her stomach, causing her body to be hurled back, and slam against the wall.

"Why do you fight? The so-called Heroes aren't coming. The police have people who believe in the same thing I do; they aren't coming either. No one is coming, and yet, you barge in here? Risking your life? Why?"

'Who cares? It's not about you,' Ai got on her feet; her left arm was broken, and her right palm and fingers were too. She dashed forward, kicking the stones towards him. She slammed her leg on the hilt of her sword, catching it by her teeth.

Flect Turn sighed, "Now, you are no different than the monsters they had become. Not even able to talk."

Ai grit her jaw, kicking the stones, dashing forward, pointing her sword. The moment it reflected the stone, she attacked the same point, but it was still like a punch that threw her back.

The stones that were reflected before, now lying on the ground, dragged against her armor, but her head hit one before she came to a stop, 'Hot…am I …bleeding?'

She closed her eyes, 'He's saying something…but I can't hear him…or beat him. Should I give up…?"

She closed her eyes, and her chest heaved, feeling the silence surround her. They flashed in front of her eyes, still far away, "No…."

She said in a hoarse voice, climbing forward, getting on her knees, barely managing to stand up, "I…want to surpass them…I will surpass them. Even if it kills me!"

Flect Turn looked at her with a trace of anger, "I don't know what you are talking about. But I will cleanse you!" 

Ai blitzed forward, focusing on the staff he was turning, about to hit her, and she jumped up, twisting her leg until her legs were above his head, 'I still my legs!'

She axed down her leg, only to feel the same force that oppositely turned her leg and sent her flying, rotating in the air, until her back hit the wall. Her body fell downward, only for her to land on her left leg, gasping, "I still have one leg left."

Flect Turn clenched his fist, "Why!!! Why!!! WHYY!!!! WHYYY DO YOU NOT FALL!!! YOU ARE SICK!! YOU NEED SALVATION! LET ME SAVE YOU!"

He ran forward, something out of his character, slamming the staff forward.

'Oh boy…I am dead for sure this time,' Ai smiled, watching the staff come closer, 'I had hoped to surpass them before dying.'

(Don't die)

'Huh?' Ai felt that strings held her arms and legs, pulling her backward and a young boy's arm around her waist.

[Unknown Activity Detected]

(Don't die.)

'Rui?'

(Idiot, dying at a time like this? You have a good face, good talent, good life! Why would you want to die!)

(Give me your life if you don't want to live!)

'Daki…Gyutaro…?'

[User's body and mind are going through drastic changes.]

(You promised…you won't die)

'Kanao.'

[Unknown Entities Detected]

(You should have used poison.)

'Shinobu.'

[Phenomenon is Incalculable.]

(You already surpassed me! Keep your heart ablaze, and don't die!)

'Rengoku…'

Ai felt the reality fade away, and they appear in front of her one by one. Every last one appeared before her, tears flowing through her eyes, 'Did I make so many friends.'

(Thank you…for helping me see her again…and keeping my technique alive. But…don't you dare die so pitifully when using my fist!! Live!! And save people like you always do!!)

'Akaza…I can't…I saved no one…all I could do was see and hear your misery….'

[The User has surpassed Peak Human Standards.]

She got pushed forward by him, only to fall into soft arms.

(And that was enough…Ai.)

'Tamayo…'

(Stop lying to yourself. You have already surpassed us, so don't use us as an excuse to die!)

'Tsugikuni.'

(You can call upon the Mountain King at any time!!)

(I will always be there for you!! Miss Ai!!)

(Ai Onee-chan…you can let go of us.)

(Yeah, even if you let go, we will always be here.)

'Inosuke…Zenitsu…Nezuko…Tanjiro.'

(Now go out there, and be flashy!!!)

(We are right here…Ai…always will be.)

Ai felt a push from all of them, and her blood started boiling, her heart throbbing, her eyes burning from tears, her cheeks covered in them and the reality came rushing to her. She watched the staff coming to her in slow motion, 'I need…my sword….'

She clenched her fingers, realizing they were wrapped around a hilt, 'Was I…carrying it…? No…my arms were broken?'

She turned her gaze towards Flect Turn, 'I can see it now…it's so clear…that's glass in front of him…that bend in space…it's his Quirk…reflection.'

'But…' She made an upward slash that effortlessly cut apart the Quirk, causing Flect Turn's blood to splash over her. He couldn't believe it had happened.

The staff left his palm, and his body fell forward, in Ai's arm, who hugged him, stroking his hair, "It's not…hopeless…there is still hope in this world…for everyone. Even you and me."

Flect Turn felt the warmth of the blood, his blood, and another person's warmth for the first time in his life. The touch, the emotions that he longed for such a long time, he could feel them, "It's…so…wonderful…."

His eyes filled up with tears, but the cut was too large for him to remain conscious, and he fell forward, fainting.

Ai put him down on the ground, smiling, "I guess you aren't used to injuries since you never were injured. It'd be strange if you were."

Her palm got pushed back as soon as his Quirk restored, making her narrow her eyes, 'System. Show me the changes…and my choices?'

[User Name – Ai Senju.

Vigilante Name – Demon King

Hero Name – None.

Race – Unknown

Quirk – Unknown

Sub Quirk – Bonds]

'Race Unknown? Not question marks?'

[System couldn't calculate the existence of the Third Race before.  The Activation of Users Blood allowed System to Calculate its Existence.]

'And?'

[…]

Ai sighed, 'I see, so all you could tell was that it exists?'

[…]

'System, is it possible to get rid of this Quirk of his? Or temper it down? I don't want him to feel hopeless when he wakes up.'

[Yes.]

'How?'

[Users Quirk 'Bonds' can achieve the desired effect.]

'Ok. Take over my body and use it in the calculated matter. I still don't have enough understanding of the Quirk.'

[Yes.]

Ai crouched down, "With this…you should be free of your curse…and you won't trouble others. Live safely…and fully…Flect Turn…and maybe get a better name."

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