Chapter 122 : The Awakened Nest

My whispered statement hung in the cold night air like a death sentence. "He knows we're here. And he's... he's calling his army."

Ryukyu and Nejire froze, their eyes wide with horror. For a few, eternal seconds, the only sound was the whistling of the wind on the top of the ridge. Then, the silence broke.

From the valley below us, from the city of Deika that had seemed dead, a deafening siren wailed, its sound rising and falling like the howl of a giant mechanical wolf. Instantly, the entire city lit up. Powerful searchlights swept the mountainside, windows that had been dark were now brightly lit, and doors that had been hidden opened up, spewing out hundreds, even thousands, of human figures wearing combat uniforms. They moved with a terrifying discipline and purpose, forming ranks, and spreading out into the forest, combing their way toward us. This was no longer a mob of villains. This was an awakened army.

"FALL BACK!" Ryukyu roared, her commander's instincts taking over her panic. "BACK TO THE CHOPPER! DON'T FIGHT, JUST RUN!"

We didn't need to be told twice. We turned and ran back into the dense forest, adrenaline pumping through our veins. Our silent reconnaissance mission had turned into a desperate escape for our lives. The forest that had been our cover now felt like a threatening labyrinth, every shadow looking like a waiting enemy.

In his luxurious office deep underground, Rikiya Yotsubashi, or Re-Destro, looked at a series of thermal monitors with a faint smile on his face. He saw three hot spots moving quickly away from his position—the infiltrating heroes.

"Only three," he said to himself, slightly disappointed yet also amused. "The pro heroes have become too overconfident lately. They think they can walk into the heart of my power with just one small team."

He pressed a button on his intercom. "All lieutenants, report."

Voices began to come in one by one, clear and efficient. "Trumpet here. The North Sector forces have been mobilized. Their spirits are blazing high. They will not let a single rat pass."

"Skeptic here, Mr. Re-Destro. Communications in the area have been successfully jammed. They won't be able to call for help. My 'puppets' have also been activated and are ready for deployment."

"Geten is awaiting your orders in the Glacier Sector."

"Good," Re-Destro said. "Form several pursuit teams. Remember, our goal is not to kill them, at least not yet. One of them is the Dragon Hero, Ryukyu, a Top 10 hero. Capturing her alive would be a much greater trophy for our Liberation cause. Wear them down. Make them despair. Then capture them." He turned off the intercom and leaned back in his chair, watching the hot spots move on his map. The hunt had begun.

We ran through the forest, our breaths heavy and ragged. "They're everywhere!" Nejire hissed, floating low between the trees to avoid detection.

I could feel it. Hundreds, thousands of Quirk energy points spreading throughout the forest like a spiderweb, slowly closing in around us. The dragon's heartbeat in my chest pounded, a war drum filled with danger.

As we passed a rocky area, a squad of ten MLA soldiers appeared from behind the rocks, cutting off our path. They didn't scream or growl like common villains. They moved with military tactics, spreading out to surround us.

"Uninvited guests are not permitted on the sacred ground of Deika," their leader said, a man with a Quirk that allowed him to grow metal plates from his skin.

Ryukyu didn't waste time negotiating. She roared and charged forward. She didn't transform into her full dragon form—that would make her too large and slow a target in this dense forest. Instead, she used a deadly partial manifestation. Sharp dragon claws emerged from her hands, thick blue scales coated her arms as a shield, and her powerful tail swung behind her.

The fight erupted. This was our first battle against the MLA army, and we immediately realized how different they were. They worked together. One soldier would use an earth-based Quirk to create an obstacle, another would fire energy projectiles from a distance, while the close-range fighters would try to advance under that cover.

Nejire became our artillery. She flew above us, firing precise Nejire Pikes to break their formation and disable the long-range shooters. She had to conserve her energy, so every one of her attacks was carefully calculated.

I myself became a front-line fighter alongside Ryukyu. I manifested my gauntlets and leg guards, using my speed and agility to dance between their attacks. I used my Dragon's Fang blade not to kill, but to disable—cutting their weapons, damaging their body armor, and creating openings for Ryukyu to deliver the final blow.

We were a very strong three-person team, and we managed to defeat that first squad. But we all knew this was just the beginning. As we were about to continue our escape, we heard a rumbling sound. From the top of the hill in front of us, a giant wall of ice suddenly appeared, freezing and towering high, completely cutting off our escape route.

At the top of that ice wall stood a shadowy figure. Geten. One of Re-Destro's strongest lieutenants.

"You're not going anywhere, heroes," he said, his voice as cold as the ice he controlled.

Behind us, I could hear the sound of more MLA soldiers approaching. We were trapped. Trapped between an impenetrable ice wall and a growing army. The fatigue from the first fight was beginning to set in. Sweat beaded on my forehead. We were in a very, very bad situation.

Ryukyu looked at the ice wall, then at the approaching army behind us. She was a commander, a veteran. She knew when a fight couldn't be won. She made a painful decision.

She turned to face us, her golden eyes filled with an unshakeable resolve. "You two," she said to me and Nejire, her voice leaving no room for argument. "Go."

"What?! We're not leaving you!" Nejire protested.

"This is not a request. It's an order," Ryukyu said firmly. She began to transform, her body enlarging, her scales hardening. "Our mission is to report what we saw. Our deaths here would be meaningless. Nejire, you're the fastest in the air. Take him. Fly as high and as fast as you can. Don't look back. I will hold them here. I will buy you time."

It was a sacrifice. A true hero's act. She was going to face an entire army and one of their strongest commanders alone, just to ensure we could escape with the information we had.

"NO!" I yelled. I would not run and let my mentor die. Not again.

But Ryukyu wasn't listening. With a roar that shook the entire forest, she released her full dragon form and charged toward Geten's ice wall. "THAT'S AN ORDER, SOLDIER!" she roared, the words aimed at us, her students, her comrades.

Nejire looked at me, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She knew what she had to do. She was a hero who also understood the meaning of sacrifice and orders. With a choked sob, she gripped my arm. "I'm sorry, Tatsumi-kun," she whispered.

She launched herself into the sky, pulling me with her with incredible force. I struggled, trying to break free, but her grip was too strong and I was too tired. I could only look down as Ryukyu, in her magnificent dragon form, slammed into the ice wall, creating an explosion of steam and ice. I saw the MLA army swarm her like ants. I heard the roar of a dragon, the boom of ice, and the cries of war.

The scene slowly grew smaller as Nejire carried us higher and higher, through the clouds. The sound of the battle below faded, replaced by the quiet whistle of the wind. I stopped struggling. I just stared down, at the place where I had just left my mentor to fight alone. A cold, bitter helplessness filled me.

"Ryukyu-san..." was the only word that could escape my lips, a whisper lost to the wind.