sweets ✧ r.kaji ˣ ʳᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ

34: flames of extinction

extinction—the process in which a species, family, or other group of beings becomes extinct. gone. wiped out.

the noroshi is called the fire of extinction. like flames running through a grassy field, their fires lick their surrounding ripe of life to spread their raging blazes across lands. they destroy without meaning.

every one of their rumoured actions and sins go against everything bofurin stand for. the little amounts of people who know about the shadowy group say that noroshi and bofurin are enemies fated to battle in a fight for their beliefs. if that were to happen, the villagers and townsfolk would be so sure of bofurin's victory that they would bet their lives on the win. however, inside the reputed gang, undertones of doubt and whispering were present within every team. how funny it was if you were to compare both sides. sometimes, knowledge hurt you.

but...i'm not gonna let that stop me, you thought, brightening your face with a smile. even if you didn't mean it, you had to look strong in front of your team. after all, how would a group persevere if their leaders are unable to do so themselves? all might's teachings.

"guyss, don't look so anxious!" you announced, turning back to face the second years. your tone was light and was carried softly along the air of anticipation. "i bet the noroshi isn't as strong as people make them out to be. plus, we have each other to watch our backs! so keep a smile on your face and remember that this responsibility not only lies on the shoulders of one person...but on each and every single one of ours!"

kusumi, enomoto, and kaji accepted your little pep talk as if you were a cheerleader supporting a sports team. they too noticed that the class required something to lighten the mood, so they let you continue.

"if you aren't strong enough to fight, then at least be strong enough to support. those on the front line are responsible for making sure that none of the bad guys get through! those in the back are the ones who reinforce the formation! alright?!" you shot your fists up in a v-shape.

immediately, the team grew less stiff. "yeah! let's do this!" came many cheers and motivational phrases. aside from being the secretary of the class 2-1, you also unofficially became the one who raised the morale of the fighters. with everyone so focused on techniques and training, someone needed to remember to keep the atmosphere something easy to move in.

you noticed that kusumi checked his phone and then nudged enomoto. the latter then announced, "it's 11:55, everrryone! get ready!!"

you let a sharp exhale escape your lips, and then turned to the other side of the bridge before quickly jumping up and down a bit to warm up.

eventually, they arrived—but not as how everyone expected. there were so many of them. a crowd of tens, maybe hundreds of men marched slowly towards the middle of the bridge that sat above rushing gushes of river water.

just as fast as it came, the good morale everyone had disappeared in an instant, including yours. but of course, you wouldn't let that show.

"kusumi, call for backup," kaji instructed, glancing over at his subordinate. "everyone. please do your bests."

୨୧

the whole noroshi gang bulldozed forward with the deafening sound of heavy footsteps running across the bridge. most were taken down pretty easily, but the high-speed changing in the different styles of each opposing fighter could easily confuse some on your team.

as time passed by and the weaker ones were knocked down, the lactic acid fermentation in your muscles worked on their glycolysis, the sweat from your hot skin were condensed, and your electron transport chain's atp synthase went faster each minute.