Chapter 37 — The Law That Keeps Me from Breaking You

Chapter 37 — The Law That Keeps Me from Breaking You

Blade charged forward with animalistic brutality, his blades slicing through the air with threatening howls. Every missed strike shattered the pavement, opening craters in the asphalt and sending shards flying in all directions. Nearby cars blared their alarms, and screams echoed through the streets as civilians ran in panic, trying to escape the nightmare unfolding before them.

Midnight moved back with agile precision, dodging attacks like a lethal dancer. She quickly activated her Quirk, releasing a sweet-scented sleep-inducing mist that spread across the battlefield like a subtle, dense curtain. At the same time, her whip cracked through the air, targeting Blade's blind spots with expert control.

But then—from within the haze—Reptor burst forth with a guttural roar, appearing behind Midnight with claws raised, his wild eyes locked on her throat.

— "Forget about me, bitch?" — he growled, his smile sharp and vicious.

Aoi barely had time to think. In a flash, his life force erupted. Blue flames surged around his feet as he shot into motion. With a single burst, he closed the distance, scooping Midnight into his arms and spinning through the air, dodging the deadly strike by mere centimeters.

Reptor's claws slashed the space where they had been, the force of it creating a shockwave that cracked the ground and blew apart a nearby streetlight in a shower of sparks.

— "Why don't you just come with us, kid?" — Reptor said, straightening up, his eyes fixed on Aoi. — "That woman can't protect you. Stay with her… and she'll die. That'll be on you."

Still in Aoi's arms, Midnight shouted back with fury, her eyes blazing:

— "There's no way I'm letting him go with you!"

Aoi looked into her face—serious, steady. Amid the chaos, he saw courage, rage… and the kind of silent affection that tightened his chest. The kind of look that said she'd die for him if needed.

He smiled softly.

— "Thank you for taking care of me, Nemuri… Now it's my turn."

He gently set her down. His hand brushed her forehead, and he kissed it tenderly. Then he turned to Blade and Reptor, now standing side by side like beasts ready to devour.

— "Y'know... thanks to this stupid law, regular people aren't allowed to use their Quirks to defend themselves against scumbags like you. But guess what? What I'm about to use to beat your faces in… isn't against the law."

Blade growled, spinning his blade-arm like a deadly turbine:

— "The hell are you talking about, brat? Just die already!"

He charged like a tank. But the moment his foot hit the ground—

Aoi vanished.

With Shave, he reappeared behind Blade like a flaming blur and unleashed a spinning kick, his foot reinforced with Tekkai. It smashed into Blade's steel chest with overwhelming force. The impact twisted the villain's torso and sent blood flying from his mouth. Blade collapsed to his knees, gasping.

Aoi looked down at him, eyes cold as steel.

If it weren't for this cursed law… I'd end your life right now.

Before he could take another breath, a monstrous roar came from behind.

— "Forget about me, dumbass?!"

Reptor, now covered in thick scales, lunged with claws ready to rip. Aoi leapt away with surgical precision, executing a Moon Step and leaving only a heat trail in his wake. He landed in front of Midnight, facing the attackers once more.

— "Get up, Blade!" — Reptor shouted, fuming. — "We've gotta kill this brat!"

— "Yeah, yeah! I'm up already!" — Blade coughed, struggling to stand.

Aoi, posture relaxed but gaze sharp, scoffed:

— "Why don't you two just surrender already? I'm getting tired of holding back so I don't kill a couple of idiots."

Reptor's face twisted in fury, teeth grinding:

— "Who the hell are you calling an idiot, you little punk?! I'll tear you apart!"

Both of them grabbed cylindrical injectors and jammed them into their necks. The transformation was instant.

Reptor's body expanded, muscles swelling and bones cracking grotesquely as he became a four-meter dinosaur—covered in black scales, with razor-sharp teeth and claws the size of knives. Blade turned into a walking fortress: three meters of solid metal, his arms now thick as steel beams.

They charged at once, an unstoppable storm of power.

Aoi dodged Reptor's bite and launched a flaming kick toward his jaw, but Blade's spinning blade intercepted it mid-air. The impact hurled Aoi like a missile into the side of a building, fracturing its wall.

— "Aoi!" — Midnight shouted, panicked.

— "That's what happens when you mess with us!" — Blade laughed darkly.

But suddenly—

BOOM!

Aoi reappeared beside him. Before Blade could react, a thunderous punch to the face sent him flying upward. Then Aoi appeared above and came crashing down with a devastating axe-kick, his knee charged with Tekkai, smashing Blade into the ground with such force that the street split open.

Dust cleared.

Blade lay unconscious, embedded in the shattered pavement. Aoi landed beside him and muttered:

— "Still don't get what you were laughing about…"

But Reptor roared behind him.

Aoi spun and unleashed a flurry of blows. His fists, wrapped in Tekkai, pounded into the dinosaur's body with blinding speed and monstrous force.

One. Two. Five. Ten punches per second.

Each strike crushed deeper into Reptor's hide. Blood sprayed. Scales cracked. Until, finally, with a low groan, Reptor collapsed—unconscious—reverting to his human form.

Aoi barely had time to breathe before a tight hug wrapped around him from behind.

It was Midnight.

She clutched him fiercely, almost trembling. He leaned into her embrace, exhausted, his head resting against her chest.

— "Aoi, are you okay?!" — she asked frantically, hands rushing over his face and torso. — "Are you hurt?"

He smiled, drained.

— "Did you forget my Quirk? I can't be injured."

— "That doesn't matter!" — she snapped, eyes fierce. — "I still need to check!"

Aoi sighed. There was no winning this argument... and maybe, deep down, he didn't want to.

But their moment was cut short by the sound of distant sirens drawing closer.

He looked to the horizon, a warm breeze brushing his face.

Just like in the movies… They only show up when everything's already over.

Aoi smiled, already dreading the interrogation ahead.