Cursed Blessing 呪 My Hero Academia x Male Reader

Chapter 8 呪 A Cursed Act of Mercy

I stood, my entire body on the brink of collapsing. I was sure my skeleton was ready to crumble to dust at any second. But for some reason, I had a foreign energy fueling me, keeping me conscious even though I was on death's door.

I watched as an otherworldly shikigami emerged from behind me, unlike any I had ever summoned before. It was the same one from my strange dreams - muscular form, four wings extending from its eyes, a tail-like appendage swaying from its head. And hovering above it, a hypnotic wheel with eight handles, rotating with a mesmerising rhythm that sent pulses of energy resonating through the void we occupied.

"Oi! I'll probably die from this, so make sure you have a blast with this thing!" I yelled, a hint of emotion creeping into my typically stoic voice.

"H-Ha! You think you can bluff your way out of this one? How adorable!" The villain mocked, though her unease at the sight of this bizarre creature was evident. "I can tell it's just another one of your parlour tricks!"

"Go, Mahoraga," I commanded.

Mahoraga charged at the girl, causing her to stumble back cautiously. In response, she charged twin beams of light in her hands and fired them directly at the shikigami's chest. To both our shock, the beams tore clean through Mahoraga's torso, flooring the creature instantly.

"Ha- Hahahahah!" She cackled, bordering on hysterical. "What kinda Halloween prop is that thing? It really gave me a spook!"

I should've felt embarrassed at my trump card being demolished so easily. I should have been terrified, left defenceless against this clearly unhinged villain. But strangely, all I felt was an odd sense of confidence swelling within me.

Before the girl could finish gloating, the wheel above Mahoraga's head suddenly began spinning rapidly. A voice echoed in my mind.

『 Adaptation Started 』

Searing pain lanced through my skull, feeling as though my brain itself was splitting apart. Before my eyes, impossibly, the gaping hole in Mahoraga's chest regenerated completely. In a flash it was on its feet again, renewed.

"Huh?" The villain muttered, her smile freezing on her face.

Mahoraga attacked once more. She quickly fired an even stronger beam of light, blasting another smoking cavity through its body. But just like before, the horrific wound healed over in seconds, leaving no trace.

"Eh? Eh...?" Her cockiness evaporated, replaced by dawning horror.

"I see..." I murmured. My vision was a red haze from the blood pouring down my face, but comprehension dawned regardless. "Mahoraga's power is adaptation - no matter the phenomena in this world, it evolves to overcome it."

My shikigami charged the paralyzed woman. "In this world, that phenomena can only be one thing..." It landed a crushing blow, sending her flying backwards. "Quirks!"

"What the f*ck is that cheat monster!?" She shrieked.

She unleashed a barrage of photon beams. But before they struck, the voice returned.

『 Adaptation Complete 』

The light washed over Mahoraga harmlessly. It strode through her attacks as if they didn't exist, continuing its relentless advance. She looked at me with naked fear in her eyes.

"Oi... Oi- Oi- Oi!" she cried desperately. "You can't just leave me here with this thing!"

"Oh but I can," I said coldly. "You had no problem planning to kill an entire class of high schoolers. What makes you think you deserve any mercy?"