Chapter 28 - Demon King

[Reflect + Unknown + Mask Quirks are being merged.]

[A New Quirk has been Formed.]

[Would you like to accept the New Quirk – Mirror in The Mask]

'A dud?'

That was Ai's thought for a few seconds before she chose to accept it.

[The New Quirk will merge with the User. It is suggested that the User gets a good night's sleep.]

'Yeah…' Ai stood up, stretching her body, and she walked over to her bed, reading the news that Ingenium and the vigilantes defeated Bat Villain.

'I guess I didn't need to get a Quirk…not this time. But…Mirror in The Mask…hope it's a good Quirk.'

Now that she had a Quirk she didn't know how to use, she had a few restraints on herself, hoping she was smart, disappearing one after the other. She was just super excited that she could do some heroic activities.

"I'll help you, so how about giving the Hero Exam?"

"What?" Ai was happily in her world while Toshinori ate a few days later. It was one of his rare breaks where he got to eat.

"The look on your face…." Toshinori watched her closely, "The look on your face…you are thinking about doing Vigilante work. The Hero License Test…it's soon. I can make sure that you are ready for it."

"You are stubborn," Ai narrowed her eyes, rolling them, "I told you. I don't want to be a Hero. Moreover, there is a new Hero in town. Some guy called Captain Celebrity."

"That's a good thing!"

"I guess…" Ai looked away, "With him around. I don't have much to worry about these villains, and I can focus on the job."

Toshinori ate as fast as he could, tilting his head, "Job? Somehow it doesn't feel like you are talking about downstairs."

"No…it's the girl behind these Trigger Attacks? I saw her and realized that another Quirk was controlling her. One that turned its user into a bee. Now that Bee has somehow taken over the girl," Ai pressed her lips with a troubled look, "It's something that can't be handled with Strength or Speed alone. That made me think…maybe I should act as a vigilante."

"Hero."

Ai gave him a look, and Toshinori buried his face in the plate, eating noodles.

Cleaning his throat, he put down the plate that seemed like it had been licked clean, "You can call me any time! I can knock her down before she reacts?"

"But the Bee will destroy her brain before leaving, even if it means being killed. I know you won't let an innocent girl get hurt? This is a Hostage situation, or it wouldn't be so troublesome. Isn't there some rule for this situation? Like I can be deputized by a Hero because my Quirk is helpful?"

"That…that…there is no particular rule…but if you act…then it could be looked over. But you didn't hear it from me."

"Hm," Ai wondered, "Still…oh well. It's no use mulling over this. I am going to handle this situation…and then. I'll be a Hero."

"You will!" Toshinori shot up on his feet with stars in his eyes.

"Yes. I will," Ai chuckled, shrugging, "I was never the one to think about consequences."

And so, the next day, Ai got the chance to shock Koichi and Pop-Step.

"You are doing what?!"

"No way!"

"Well, I am," Ai wore black high-rise jeans and a broad dark blue belt. She wore a deep v-neck white top with a hood that she pulled over her golden blonde hair.

She looked at her black boots, watching them with glittering eyes, "How does it look? This is going to be my vigilante suit?"

"Oh, wait," Ai ran to the balcony, and rather than the chair and table, there was a metal block. A large one of the same size as her. She forgot to use it for why she even went and asked Toshinori a favor and handed him carry more than a few heavy things to create this.

She placed her hand on it, taking a deep breath, closing her eyes, 'System. Show me the molecular structure of that mask? And calculate the change if I convert this whole into it?'

Remembering the molecular structure of a substance wasn't easy. It was possible, maybe even easy, if it was one substance, but more? And food where there were so many materials mixed in? That was a different story.

Which was where the System came in. It analyzed and remembered for her, allowing her to do whatever she wished.

It would protect the final product's structure in her hand, and her job was as easy as waving a wand. And that turned this whole block into a mask, a fox mask, much like she wore when she started as a Demon Slayer.

She put her hand inside her hoody, took out the Demon King Mask that she kept near her breasts, somewhere in that fold, and placed it on the Fox Mask, "Eat."

The Demon King Mask wriggled, merging with the Fox Mask, and the two started changing forms, interchanging with one another, until the Fox Mask took shape according to what she wished it to become.

She placed the mask on her face, and a smile appeared on her lips as she turned around, "Now I am ready!"

"You can't just throw something like that at us! What is your Quirk anyway?!" Pop-Step shook her head to snap herself out of shock, demanding an answer.

"Oh, since I have to hide my identity…I can't use my Quirk," Ai tilted her head, "But I have a sub-application of it."

"Oh, what?" Koichi curiously blinked.

"It's called Mirror in The Mask."

"What does it do?"

"Um…it's called Mirror in the Mask."

"What does it do?" This time, even Koichi was starting to get worried, hastily following after Ai, who was hopping in front of them.

"Ah, it's called Mirror in The Mask."

Pop-Step slumped her shoulder, "She's going to get us killed."

"I won't! Probably…" Ai grinned, sliding down the railing, as she walked out for the night watch.

The two of them weren't as excited as she was, but once they were on the street, Koichi got in his position, crawling while Pop-Step leaped up.

Pop-Step's Quirk was Leap, which allowed her to leap, while Koichi's Quirk was Slide and Glide. As long as three body parts were touching something, he could activate it. When using this Quirk, he needed to touch at least three surfaces, so he was always on his hands and feet. Which is why he kept his name Crawler, "Right…other people call you something else, right?"

"The Cruller," Pop-Step giggled.

"Hey! It's Crawler! They will remember me one day!"

"Right, right," Pop-Step glanced down at him, leaping up to the roof, and Koichi shifted his body weight, starting to glide on the wall.

The two of them were about to slow down to ask Ai if she could keep up.

"Wait, when did you get ahead of us?!"

"Hehe," Ai grinned, stepping on water, "I am starting to enjoy this Quirk."

"Miss Ai?!"

*CRAAASSSSHHHHHH!!!!!*

"Watch out!"

Ai blinked, walking Crawler and Pop-Step turn and moving toward that alley. Maybe it was because their senses were heightened by the crashing sound and scream that they noticed a wave go through them. It was as if they passed through a film or a film passed through them.

When they turned to the next alley, there was a man with rocks on his skin, punching down the road.

"I am the man who charges headlong into danger!! The Crawler!!"

"Wait…we took care of the rocky dude last time, didn't we?"

"And he isn't in jail?" Ai tilted her head, standing beside them, "Makes sense that they let go of the Instant Villains with warnings. But this guy should be going to jail soon."

"Ah!! When did you get there!" Pop-Step was about to land when she backed away, falling to the ground on her butt.

"Sorry?"

Pop looked up, seeing Ai's hand, and she took it, "You are telling me what that Quirk is!"

"Yeah. When I get the idea," Ai raised her head to look forward. She was met with Crawler's ecstatic face.

"Hahaha!! Hear that! He called me Crawler! Not Cruller!"

"Did he?"

"Stop looking so pleased! Most people wouldn't want villains remembering their names!" Pop angrily berated him.

"Now that I have his attention! I can lure him away to a less populated area!"

"No need," Ai's eyes brimmed with excitement, hidden by the mask, "I want to try this!"

She raised the palm of her hand, and her heartbeat calmed down, "Mask!"

This time, Crawler and Pop, and even the bystanders saw it, a transparent film that left Ai, spreading out, coming to the whole area around them.

"What just happened—" Crawler was trying to figure out what happened when his face hit against a transparent wall, forcing him to come to a stop.

"Happened?" He fell to the ground but didn't get to rest when the villain still chased after him.

"GAAAAHHH!!!"

"Eeps!" Crawler turned around, blasting the repulsive force from the palm of his hands and legs to force him to make a quick escape from the Rocky Man's punch and hurry back to Pop and Ai.

He covered his nose, wondering, "What was that?!"

"I am not sure how it works…why don't you guys believe me," Ai sulked when it hit her that people in this world usually had the Quirk since they were kids and knew how it worked. While she only got it recently.

"I mean…I never developed My Quirks fighting applications," Ai shrugged.

"Yikes!" Pop took her hand and was about to leap because of the Rocky Villain when it seemed as if the shimmering sky broke down and stopped the Villain's punch.

Pop, Crawler, and even Ai looked up, following the shield made of mirror coming down from the boundary of the masked area.

"Huh, so that's how it works," Ai got a feel of it, and at that moment, she curled her fingers, causing the boundaries to come closer and wrapping the mirror to swallow his arms and legs, effectively trapping the enemy in a single instant.

"I am…good at this," Ai curved her lips, clasping her hands together, "This means I can come with you to these Vigilante activities, right?"

Pop's lips twitched as she touched the glass-like space that had absorbed the Villain's hands and legs. Now that it was near her, she could see the boundaries, the curved space, "A space…like Quirk…like one of the rarest…can I be…a bit jealous?"

"Let!! Me!! Let meeee goo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Hehe," Ai made a victory sign when the masked boundary retreated, and in their eyes, the villain became smaller and smaller until the space boundary formed a glassy mask, falling into Ai's palm.

"I killed him?"

Pop raised her eyebrows, seeing other's records, and she held Ai's palm, running, "Let's get out of here first!"

"Right, this way!" Crawler zoomed forward, and the three turned at the next alley, getting out of the public sight to enter the parking lot, "Dead end."

"Right," They turned around and went to the next alley until there was no one around.

"Did you…?"

"No…I don't think so," Ai looked at the mask, seeing the rocky villain unmoving, "But if he's dead, then his Quirk wouldn't be active, right?"

"Right, right, it wouldn't be for sure. Once we beat them, they revert to normal," Koichi hastily nodded, letting out a breath of relief.

"Can you break it?" Pop took the mask, trying to break it since it looked so fragile until veins started popping from her forehead. She grits her teeth, holding her breath, pulling full force.

"Hah…hah…I…I can't!" Pop put it down on the floor, slamming her leg repeatedly, but it didn't break.

"Let me try too!" Crawler joined her, slamming his leg down in turn.

Ai watched the two of them, rolling her eyes, "You have more strength than that rocky giant?"

"Uhh…" The two of them froze, and Crawler picked the mask up, wiping it with his sleeves, giving it back to Ai, "Right."

"It didn't get dirty," Ai took it back, but she knew he didn't have to wipe it. The mask was always clean, shimmering, and she held it in her hand. The mask changed from a crystal appearance to a rock one, and she felt the power of that Quirk inside it.

"Ohhhhh!! Is that!"

"Yeah, that guy's Quirk," Even though it was made of rock, she felt it to be fragile. She put a bit of force, and it broke, easily crushed by her, and the Rocky Villain fell in front of them.

It looked around, bewildered, and then it started screaming, "Yahhhhhhhh!!!!!"

"Careful!" Crawler jumped towards them to push the two out of the way when someone jumped between the three of them and the Rocky Villain.

'A sword…' Ai confusedly tilted her head, watching him slash Rocky, forcing him to defend, but the sharp sword barely left a trace.

"Hmph! Hard, aren't you?"

He was about to attack when the Cop's siren resounded in their ears, and the Villain started running away.

"We better get away too!" Pop was ready to leave when Koichi paused momentarily, asking the newcomer.

"Thank you for saving us…who are you exactly?"

"The name's Stendhal, another meddler just like you!" He jumped up the ledge and then the roof, effortlessly jumping away from one roof to the another.

"Wow!"

"Ugh, let's get out of here."

"Right," Ai started walking, still looking toward the new Vigilante, 'Did I feel…killing intent? Maybe I should….'

She stopped, looking up, "You two, go ahead, and I'll be right there. I am going to try my Quirk out a little."

"You shouldn…'t…?" Pop turned to tell her, but Ai had disappeared. She puffed her cheeks, "How does she do that!"

Crawler let out a hollow laugh, grinning, "I guess it's good. She's enjoying herself. This is the first time I have seen her like this."

"I guess…" Pop shook her head, "She should be fine, right?"

"Want to go after her?"

"Right, but where?"

"I'll check the alley, and you check the roof?"

"Fine! But be careful of the police!"

Ai backed away from the ledge, knowing Pop could see her at any moment. She placed her palm on her mask, whispering, "Demon King."

The mask changed, turning black, but unlike now, unlike the fox mask, it didn't cover her mouth or parts of her cheeks, and her eyes turned scarlet, and so did her hair. Her dress changed, which David created for her, and she leaped high up in the sky, using her superhuman strength.

'Bonds – Charge Up!'

Abruptly, the air around her got repulsed away, and an electric current surrounded her, increasing her strength, speed, and durability even further.

'And one more step,' Ai used her Quirk Bonds to create a stronger connection between the air molecules under her feet. Before they came closer, she used the foothold to jump forward, 'It's all too complicated. I need a better way to fly.'

She looked below her, noticing the signs of Stendhal, 'I knew it. He took the long way towards the direction that Demon went.'

She sharply changed her direction, rushing after the Rocky Villain, until the two came in the range of her Transparent World, and all the electricity disappeared. She slowed down her fall, softly landing on the railing without sounding.

Knives pierced the Rocky Villain's back, and his right eye was too while Stendhal gave a monologue.

"I knew your eyes wouldn't be hardened, and the pain and fear would rattle your focus. Leaving you unable to maintain the hardening across the rest of your body. But the real root of your agony and terror is…that you have no conviction."

"Power wielded without conviction…amounts to a crime. And when crime shapes the man underneath…that is what they call a Villain!"

"The power of my blade…will eradicate the crime that is your very existence!"

He slashed forward, but rather than hitting the villain, his katana's blade scratched against something metallic that she couldn't cut, and his eyes were filled with scarlet. He closed his eyes for a moment, opening them, realizing that he was flying back through the air, about to hit the ground.

He fell to the floor, slamming his katana to the ground, forcing his body to come to a stop, but when it did, he could finally feel the force on his stomach.

He turned his gaze up and felt his heart stop, the presence in front of him overwhelming. Her scarlet hair flowed forward from the air, and her voice was clear, menacing even, "Power wielded with conviction can be criminal too. It's not the power, but the conviction that is Heroic or Criminal. And yours…is Criminal for sure."

"You…who are you?"

"I? I am the Demon King," Ai shifted her body weight to the left, dodging. She caught the wrist of Rocky Demon, weakening the bonds between the rocks, and to others, it looked like she broke it with sheer force. She pulled him forward, slamming him down on the ground before smashing her leg on his face, broke not only his nose but his whole Quirk became undone.

"And I…am here."

'Yippe! I always wanted to say that! No…wait…menacing…menacing…gotta be menacing.'

The next day,

"You met someone like that?" Toshinori raised his eyebrows, sighing, "That's a warped philosophy."

"I know, right," Ai looked towards the city from her balcony while Toshinori ate. It was already two at night, but there were still a few lights and barely any cars passed by, but the night sky was well lit.

"I wonder how many of them are out there? I have met two, and I am not even a Hero."

"A villain with conviction…that is always a dangerous recipe," Toshinori looked down when he remembered something, "Right. What happened to that villain?"

"He was injured, but I made sure he was alive before leaving and calling the police," Ai thought back to the girl who was hiding and watching, 'And I warned her not to interfere. I doubt she would now…but …if she weren't the only one who needed saving, I wouldn't have let it continue for a moment.'

"Right, you did that," Toshinori nodded, tilting his head. He wondered why it sounded wrong when it hit him, "Wait! You are working as a vigilante!!"

Ai parted her lips, scratching her cheek, looking everywhere but at him, "Uh…oh…um…yeah?"

"You shouldn't!"

'Right…I shouldn't have told him that, especially since I went out of the way to use the Demon King identity. I have to be careful next time,' Ai slowly blinked, "Ok. Ok. Sure…I'll try to keep my activities to the minimum and study for the Hero Exam, ok?"

Though, for a few months, nothing major happened. She got the chance to learn more about her Quirk. She wondered if she scared that girl when Soga Kugisaki, the man with spiky turquoise hair and yellow eyes, rushed into her Pub, "I found her!"

Ai raised her eyebrow, apologized to the customer she was talking to, and walked over to Sofa, "Let's talk outside."

The two slowly left the Demon Slayer Pub, and when they were away from others, she asked, "You found her?"

"Yes. I did, so where is the old man?"

"Should be in Koichi's room," Ai thought for a moment, "Keep me informed whatever you do? Especially when you find her?"

"Ok, Boss," Soga rushed up the stairs, stopping for a moment, "You should put an elevator here."

"I should…shouldn't I?" Ai grinned, going back inside. The girl she met had gone into hiding, and now that Knuckleduster was ready, they knew where she was.

'I really shouldn't be using the Demon King Persona,' Ai felt the time pass more slowly. The Narufest party was tonight, so these people should be busy there.

'Right…Is that why she is active? The Narufest?'

*Vibrate**Vibrate*

Ai snapped out of her thoughts, picking up the call, "Hello?"

"Ai, you are late. You are coming to the Narufest, right?"

"Yeah. About that. Something came up, so I can't make it. Do tell Pop, Miu, and Yu to do their best for me?"

"Ugh…it would have been nice to have you with Pop freaking out. Can I help you somehow?"

"No. There is something I have to do," Ai pressed her lips, "I'll try to hurry along?"

"Oh. Sure then."

Ai closed it early, then she donned the Mask and started walking on the roofs like the Demon King.

Soga and Knuckleduster were searching for the Bee Girl, and she would go to them at a moment's notice, but she was focusing more on the area near Narufest.

'Oh…Erazer Head is also thinking the same thing as me?'

"Wahhhh!! It's a villain!!!"

"Hm?" Ai jumped forward, stopping near the edge. Her eyes went to the head like an eel villain but massive, 'Terou?'

It reminded her of him, and when she used the Transparent World to look deep inside its blood, 'Bio-Engineering of some kind?'

She turned her eyes towards Erazer Head, then back to the eel, 'System. Can you calculate a way to reverse this process?'

[Yes. Since I have the subject's blood, it is possible to reverse the Process.]

'Alright, I need the result,'

[Already Calculated. You can go wild.]

'Hehe, aw. I swear it seems like you are gaining a personality,' Ai saw a blinding flash, 'And perfect.'

She appeared inside the electric field of the eel, one that blinded others, and placed her hand on its head, 'Reconfiguring Bonds. Changing Monster Terou to Terou Unagisawa.'

'Huh…because of the difference in size. He might get stronger because of this,' Ai watched as he started changing in front of her; the horror disappeared, leaving behind Terou.

The blinding flash started to disappear when she disappeared before anyone got a good look.

'A Scarlet Flash…' Aizawa barely glimpsed at what happened, but there was one thing he caught, 'It couldn't be. Not that one.'

He was expecting to find a dangerous vigilante, but when the light disappeared, all he found was a boy, making him furrow his brows, "Demon…King…she's dangerous."

A few roofs away, the Bee Girl behind all these incidents was already fleeing, 'No! No! No!! Why is she here!! How did she arrive so soon!'

'Moreover, did she return that idiot to normal?! What kind of insane Quirk is that?!'

Suddenly she felt a shockwave hit her, flying until she hit the wall, "Guhhh!!!"

"Now, now, there is no hurry to leave. Don't the young ladies now like a party? Because that is what it is!"

Bee Villain raised her body, grimacing, "What's the big idea. You old fart!"

"You are coming home! Tamao! Mom's waiting!" Knuckleduster pushed the trigger of taser knuckles, causing Bee Villain to take a step back.

Ai placed her hand on the Mask, whispering, "Doctor."

Her mask disappeared, her clothes turned casual, and a doctor's coat appeared over her. From the beginning, this wasn't her battle; this wasn't anyone's battle. It was the battle of a father trying to save her daughter, however disparate the strengths.

Ai leaned against the roof's ledge, looking towards the busy roads and Eraser Head, 'Physical wounds…I can heal. The wounds she suffers through. You are going to have to deal with them.'

*BOOM*

"Hahahahaa!! You Moron! These are special!!!"

"Explosives?"

"Get ready to eat a whole swarm of bomb bees!!!"

*Boom*Boom*Boom*Boom*Boom*

"Nice bluff! The only bomb was that first one! The rest were fireworks," Knuckleduster rushed out of the white spoke, cornering her on the roof's edge.

"Screw you! Geezer!!" Bee girl jumped down the roof, "Enjoy your lonely life! Moron!"

She turned in the midair, using her bees as a foothold to jump away. She ran as fast as she could, calling for a Bee, 'Good thing that I saved that idiot's blood. I knew the Demon King might interfere, but not so soon. Not to the point that she reversed months of hard work.'

She ordered the Bee to inject herself with the Terou's blood; her arms turned bluish energy-filled her body, and electricity ran through her fingers. But at the same time, the hold of Bee on the Host became weaker, and a bit of Tamao's personality started slipping out.

"Stop pissing me off, Dad!!!"

Ai, who followed them, stood on the roof, watching until the two reached a dead-end alley, 'It's so strange…I wonder if I am seeing myself in her? It could always be a possibility…what is happening there…could happen to me.'

"Good, Tamao. This is good—our first talk in a while, father to daughter. Thinking back, I know I didn't do right by you. No excuses. I have spent a lot of time reflecting."

The strange combination of Bee User and Tamao Oguro dashed forward, "A hit to the chest could stop your heart! Plenty of time to reflect in hell! Dead old Dad!"

'Don't do that,' Ai swiped her hand to the right, and the air, tens of meters around her, shifted, causing the Bee User's hand to pull away and barely brush part of Knuckleduster's shoulder.

He felt the shock, but he put his leg down, "This time for sure! I'll get through to you!"

He punched her in the chest, causing the taser to go off and shocking her heart until it stopped.

"Damn!! You!!"

"Sure you should be talking, Bee User? The shock I delivered has got that heart spasming. You are about to lose blood flow to that brain. That body's already dead."

An electric current appeared between Tamao's fingers when Knuckleduster stomped her wrist, "Sure, you could shock your heart to save your body. But I'm not going to let you. When Tamao's brain stops, you'll also lose your ability to think. And by now…you have lost control of that swarm, and it will flee the dying hive on instinct."

*Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

Knuckleduster grabbed something like a tweezer, pulling out something like a grub from her eye, "Just like a maggot. The Queen that can't even think or do anything."

He threw a smoke can and a small bomb attached to it. As he spoke, the smoke filled the air, "With a nice pheromone cocktail."

All the bees were drawn near the smoke, and the bomb went off.

*BOOM*

"And a candlelight vigil to boot."

Ai appeared next to Tamao's body, one that wasn't even breathing and placed her palm on her chest, generating the right amount of electricity to shock her awake. She shot an angry look at Knuckleduster, "Your daughter's dying, and you still have time to act cool!"

She picked Tamao up in her arms now that she was breathing and jumped over to the room, moving towards her clinic.

"Huh? What happened to her?" Knuckleduster scratched his cheek, falling on his butt, gasping for breath, 'It's over…it's finally over.'

While Ai carried Tamao away, Knuckleduster was resting. The police had already reached Eraser Head who was waiting for them while guarding a sleeping Terou.

"Pardon me. I am glad I made it in time. I am Tsukauchi Naomasa with the Quirk Crimes Division. Currently investigating the events concerning those instant villains."

He looked towards Terou, "I have seen his before…?"

"Yeah. This time it was different. He was biologically engineered, somehow overdosed on the trigger. Even my Quirk couldn't erase his transformation, so it must have been permanent."

"Wait, a permanent transformation? Then this?" Naomasa confusedly darted his eyes between Terou and Aizawa.

"This one released a flash of lightning, and I couldn't see anything that happened In that duration. I do know…there was a flash of scarlet in white."

"Scarlet…?" At first, Naomasa didn't understand, but then it hit him, "A few months back, another one of the Instant Villains said during the interrogation that Stendhal tried to kill him, and the girl who saved him called herself the Demon King, and then she beat him…as for Stendhal…no one saw him again."

"Saved him and beat him?" Aizawa looked up at the sky, "But Demon King…what is someone like that doing here?"

Ai Senju's Clinic,

Ai stroked Tamao Oguro's head, stroking her left eye that she restored, 'She should be fine now.'

She stood up, walked over to the couch, and sat down, breathing out, 'He went as far as to kill his daughter so she could survive, and mine? He threw me into a strange world. He'd rather send Sasha to care for me…to make sure I am not dead, but not call me back? I wonder what Papa is thinking?'

She abruptly sat up, "Right! Pop, Miu! Yu! Their performance!"