Death Paradox 💥BAKUDEKU💥

Chapter 21

Art by BLUINKU on instagram!!!

Extra chapter this week. Enjoy!

The Emperor

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Chapter 21

By the grace of All Might himself, somehow, Deku had beaten that damn knight. Katsuki still couldn't fully wrap his head around it—it didn't add up. That scrappy, jittery, walking anxiety ball had somehow pulled off a win.

No magic. No big flashy power move. Just... him.

How the hell had the nerd done it? He was injured technically, arm shaking from the excruciating pain, barely able to focus. And yet—yet—he had still pulled off the impossible.

Katsuki replayed the fight in his head, over and over. Deku had been a whirlwind, dodging and weaving with a sword that looked like it weighed as much as a damn boulder. That wasn't "quirkless" Deku. That was a weapon master, and it took Katsuki a heartbeat to realize this version of Izuku had been training for a long, long damn time. He'd built that body, honed those reflexes, sharpened his instincts, and not once had Katsuki thought to ask how. He knew Izuku was stocky, sure. He'd seen the muscle the night he found him, but compared to Katsuki he had still seemed frail and small.

He'd made an assumption. A stupid one. No magic, no quirks—so he'd figured that meant "helpless human." Especially after finding him bleeding in that field.

He should've known better. Of course, if anyone would go and learn every single stupid technique on weapons this world had to offer, it'd be Izuku. Training himself to death like he always did, no matter the reality he was born into. Obsessing over every possible way to "be useful" like some kind of guilt-driven shitty nerd.

He never asked.

It hit Katsuki like a slap to the back of the head. He never asked. Not once. Never thought to. He'd just figured he knew everything there was to know about Deku. Thought he had this version of him figured out. Idiot.

Because Izuku was real damn good at swinging that blade around. It was controlled. Sharp, calculated control. Every movement had weight. Purpose. Katsuki had seen it in the way Izuku shifted his footing before he swung—how his weight centered perfectly over his hips, how his elbows stayed tight, like he'd been drilled on it a thousand times. It wasn't luck. It was instinct.

And that's why Deku won.

As they left the throne room, the castle's cold stone walls closing in behind them, Katsuki kept close to the nerd, his eyes flicking around, alert for any new threats. The group moved swiftly, the guards parting like a damn sea, escorting them out, thank God. Katsuki could feel the tension in the air, thick and heavy, like something was about to snap. The royal bastards if they couldn't manipulate them, didn't want them here any longer than necessary, which was just fine by him.

To top things off, that smug, two-faced bastard of a king had been so pissed that Izuku won that he dismissed them without even giving them any information on the whereabouts of the twin blade.

Not a single hint. Not a riddle. Not even a smug, condescending "You'll never find it without me." Nothing. Just a wave of his hand like they were done—like they weren't even worth another glance.

They knew Endeavor had information on where the Blade of the Aether could be. They'd known it before Izuku ever stepped into that court. Katsuki remembered it clear as day because Izuku had mentioned it to him after Shoto's little "tour" of the castle.