Death Paradox 💥BAKUDEKU💥

Chapter 26

The Emperor

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Chapter 26

Toga's grin faltered for a split second at the familiarity in his tone. Her eyes widened, a flicker of something wary flashing across her features. Then, just as quickly, it was gone.

"Oh," she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Well, this is interesting. You know my name?" Her head tilted, almost birdlike, as she tapped a claw-tipped finger on her chin. "How fun. I don't think we've met before though, have we?"

Shoto stiffened beside him, his mismatched eyes assessing the threat as his sword came up in a defensive stance. "Who is she?" he demanded, his voice sharp and icy.

Katsuki didn't answer, his attention fixed on Toga, snarling. His hands ignited in twin bursts of crackling explosions, runes flashing in succession. "Where the fuck is Deku?!"

Katsuki's scowl deepened, teeth bared like a cornered wolf. He didn't want to think about it—how she could've gotten his blood, how she could've pulled it off without him knowing. It churned in his gut, made his skin crawl under his armor. Sloppy, he hissed to himself. Fucking careless. That's what it'd be if she—if she actually—

Katsuki's head snapped up at the faint rustling above them, but he didn't need to look to know what it meant. The sound was too deliberate, too calculated to be anything but a trap. He crouched low, one foot sliding back, a hand splayed wide against the ground like claws ready to tear through stone. "WHERE. IS. HE?!" Katsuki roared, his voice ripping through the air like a cannon blast as the sparks at his palm flared brighter, the heat cutting through the biting cold of the alley.

Toga seemed overjoyed at the hostility, golden eyes gleaming with amusement. "Oh, don't worry," she purred, her voice dripping with that mock sweetness. Two massive shapes emerged from the shadows, their eyes gleaming like molten ore in the dim light. Each step was slow, calculated, as though they knew the effect their presence had. Their bodies were coated in jet-black fur that rippled like liquid shadows with every subtle shift. Muscles bunched and released beneath the surface, raw power contained only by their master's unseen command. Their faces were lupine but far too intelligent, their muzzles lined with jagged fangs meant for rending flesh from bone. Two others blocked off the other end behind them.

"I'm not here for your little sword wielder, but he's being dealt with."

Dealt with? Her gaze shifted, sharp and deliberate, landing squarely on Shoto. The smirk that spread across her face was wicked, her teeth glinting in the faint light as she pointed a single talon. "I'm here for the prince."

Katsuki clenched his jaw, his mind racing as he pushed against the invisible barrier of the bond, trying to reach Kirishima. Come on, Shitty Scales, pick up. Where the hell are you? But the bond remained eerily quiet, faintly thrumming with the distant presence of his dragon companion, too muffled for Katsuki to latch onto.

"Fuck," he said through clenched teeth, his eyes flicking between Toga and the darkened rooftops above. They needed to get the hell out of there—not just for the fucking prince's sake, but because Izuku and Kirishima were in danger.

Shoto's expression darkened, his grip tightening on his sword as the frost creeping along its blade grew thicker, the cold radiating from him palpable. "You think kidnapping me will end well for you?" he said, his voice calm but laced with steel. "I am not as helpless as you think."