Death Paradox 💥BAKUDEKU💥

Chapter 27

The Emperor

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Chapter 27

Katsuki snapped awake, every muscle tensed, his hand already scrabbling for the daggers he always kept close, only to find they were gone. His head throbbed, and his chest ached with the phantom weight of the Maw's magic. He sucked in a sharp breath, the cold air biting at his lungs and puffing out in thin clouds that hung in the dim, frozen stillness.

Where the hell was he? What the hell happened? And, more importantly, how the fuck was he still alive?

His gaze swung wildly, taking in the strange, icy walls surrounding him. It was some kind of... igloo? The fuck was he doing in an igloo? His hands clenched into fists, frustration mounting as his head scrambled for answers.

"We're safe, Savage," came a calm, low voice. It echoed faintly against the ice, measured and unshaken. Katsuki whipped his head toward the sound, his body tensing further as he spotted the source.

Shoto.

Instinct had him recoiling, his lips curling into a snarl as his eyes took in the figure before him. For a split second, he almost growled outright, ready to lunge. But then his brain caught up. It was the prince—or at least, it had been.

Shoto looked... wrong.

Half of his face—his body—was now clad in dark, jagged scales that glinted ominously, framing his sharp teeth and the unsettling gold of his now-glowing eye. That eye pierced through the icy dimness, glaring like some inhuman beacon.

"What the actual fuck happened to you?"

Katsuki's voice was rough, almost a menacing growl. He didn't bother softening it, even as it burned his raw parched throat. Why the hell would he? There was a fucking demon—or something close enough—sitting five feet from him, and he wasn't about to tread lightly.

Shoto looked away, his face the picture of grim acceptance. "It's... a long story and not one I'm inclined to share."

Katsuki's scowl deepened, his jaw set hard enough to crack stone. "Like hell. You better start talking. Tell me what the hell is going on 'cause this ain't something you can just blow off." His voice carried the edge of a threat, his posture rigid and defensive, ready for any sudden move. There was a weight in his words, a demand for truth that echoed in the icy confines of their shelter.

Shoto met his gaze, steady and unflinching despite the ferocity aimed his way. His voice was level, but there was a hardness there that hadn't been before. "I don't owe you an explanation about my curse, especially not to someone as crude as you."

Katsuki bristled at Shoto's dismissive tone, his entire body tensing as if preparing for another brawl. "Crude?" he spat, the word dripping with venom. "You wanna start throwing words around, IcyHot? Fine. Let's talk about how you're sitting there looking like something crawled outta a damn hellscape, and I'm supposed to just let that slide?"

His voice rose, sharp and cutting, echoing harshly against the icy walls. Katsuki twisted his torso, wincing as a flare of pain shot through his ribs. His muscles cramped in protest, the bruises and slashes from the fight making themselves known. The memory of it hit him like a bartering ram. The hounds, the blood, Toga's sadistic grin—all of it came rushing back.

His eyes went wide, and his breath hitched as realization slammed into him like one of his own explosions. Fuck the explanation. "Where the hell is Deku?" he barked, the sound almost raw and frantic. Without waiting for an answer, he surged forward, ignoring the stabbing pain in his side. "And Shitty Scales—where the hell are they?"