Dragon's Heart, Hero's Will

Chapter 48: A Hunger Unleashed

Kirishima’s POV

The battlefield lies in ruins, smoke swirling like a dark shroud over the remnants of what once was. The acrid scent of charred earth and decay fills the air, but Kirishima hardly notices. All he can focus on is the burning fury coursing through his veins, his instincts roaring from the adrenaline of battle.

His heart pounds with echoing rage—his mate, Katsuki, was hurt. The thought sends another wave of heat through him, a primal anger pulsing like a living thing inside his chest. Shigaraki is down, but he is still alive, and that’s not enough. Kirishima needs to make him pay.

Katsuki stands a few feet away, breathing heavily, his expression a mix of horror and disbelief. “Eijiro!” he calls out, urgency lacing his voice, but Kirishima barely hears him over the thundering of his own heart.

He steps forward, the ground trembling beneath his weight as his massive red dragon form looms large against the smoky sky. He catches a glimpse of Shigaraki, struggling to rise from where he fell. Blood drips from the corner of his mouth, and his twisted grin ignites Kirishima’s rage further.

With a primal growl that reverberates through the air, Kirishima lunges, his claws extending and teeth bared. “You think you can hurt my mate and get away with it?” he snarls, the sound resonating with a feral intensity that fills the battlefield.

As he nears, he sees the fear flicker across Shigaraki’s face. The villain tries to crawl away, decay rippling from his fingertips, but it’s too late. Kirishima’s instincts take over completely, his humanity fading into the background as the primal beast emerges.

Kirishima’s fangs sink deep into Shigaraki’s flesh, tearing through the villain’s defenses as easily as paper. The sickening crunch of bone snapping echoes in his ears as he rips and rends with a ferocity that surprises even him. Blood sprays in thick arcs, painting the ground in crimson, the metallic taste overwhelming his senses.

“Eijiro, stop!” Katsuki’s voice cuts through the haze of rage, but Kirishima is beyond reason now. The thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of revenge consume him entirely. Shigaraki’s struggles grow weaker, his twisted grin fading into sheer terror as Kirishima’s primal wrath engulfs him.

With one final, powerful bite, Kirishima feels the life leave Shigaraki’s body. He pulls back, blood staining his jaws, and gazes down at the lifeless form, his teeth buried deep in the flesh. The taste of vengeance is intoxicating, and for a moment, he feels invincible.

But the battle isn’t over. Kirishima’s dragon instincts scream for more. The primal urge to devour rises within him, overwhelming any remnants of his humanity. He lowers his head, jaws wide, and begins to consume Shigaraki’s corpse, tearing flesh from bone with unrelenting savagery. Each bite is a grotesque celebration of his victory, and Kirishima revels in the sheer power of it all.

Katsuki’s horrified gaze locks onto him, and Kirishima can see the mix of fear and disbelief in his eyes. “Eijiro! What are you doing?” Katsuki’s voice cracks, filled with desperation, but the horror only fuels Kirishima’s frenzy. He tears through the meat with manic abandon, a beast fully unleashed, and blood splatters across his scales.

“Eijiro!” Katsuki cries out again, panic lacing his voice, but Kirishima is lost in the madness, drowning in the intoxicating high of power and revenge.

The dragon roars, a deafening sound that echoes across the battlefield, showcasing his dominance. His pupils slit like a reptile's, nostrils flaring as smoke billows from his maw. He is the alpha—the primal red dragon, a beast in the purest sense.

But suddenly, chains shoot out from the remnants of the heroes still standing, trying to restrain him. They whip through the air, wrapping around Kirishima’s massive limbs, the cold metal clanging against his scaled body.

“No! Eijiro!” Katsuki shouts, horror etched across his face, but the dragon has taken over so completely that Kirishima can no longer hear him. The world narrows to a singular focus: the taste of Shigaraki’s blood, the hunger that surges within him, and the instinctual need to dominate.

Kirishima roars again, shaking off the chains, but more heroes converge, attempting to bind him, treating him like a villain, a monster. The primal rage surges inside him, fighting against the restraints as he growls low in his throat, a warning that reverberates through the air.

“No! Don’t hurt him!” Katsuki’s voice breaks through the chaos, his eyes wide with fear and determination as he rushes toward Kirishima. “Eijiro, please! Come back to me!”

But the dragon growls, the sound echoing with a menacing intensity, a warning that he is not to be trifled with. The human within Kirishima struggles to break through the haze of primal instinct, but the beast has claimed dominance. He can’t return to the boy he once was—not yet.

The heroes continue their efforts, shackling him like a beast, and Kirishima’s rage surges anew, an unyielding force as he fights against the restraints. He thrashes against the chains, a chaotic storm of claws and scales, but the more he fights, the tighter they pull, constricting his movements.

Through the haze of his fury, a flicker of Eijiro remains, desperate to reconnect with Katsuki, but the beast inside drowns out everything else, an insatiable hunger taking precedence over reason.

As he feels the chains constricting further, pulling him into submission, he roars once more—a deafening, primal sound that reverberates through the battlefield, a cry of anguish and defiance, a claim of his territory as the alpha.

“Eijiro! I’m right here!” Katsuki cries, his voice filled with raw emotion, but Kirishima can’t reach him. The gap between beast and boy widens, and the world fades into shadows, leaving only the roaring hunger and the desire to dominate in its wake.

But deep down, he knows this isn’t over. The war against the villains is far from finished, and while he’s caught in this primal fury, the bond with Katsuki remains, a thread of connection in the chaos, urging him to fight against the beast within.

And as he thrashes against the chains, Kirishima feels the shadows lingering at the edges of his consciousness. With Katsuki’s voice echoing in his mind, he vows to face whatever comes next, together—if only he can regain control over the beast.