MANIA - Katsuki Bakugou

till death do us part ━

chapter 65

The darkly clothed villain took a deep breath in, savoring the scents of ash and destruction which clouded her surroundings. Everything was going according to plan. She couldn't have imagined this going any better than it was currently. But she never doubted herself... she was the leader of the Seijin and the villain that would end the heroes once and for all. What was there to doubt?

Her black and white hair looped around itself like a thick, long strand of DNA, flowing in the wind behind her. With time and misuse of her quirk, her white hair had greatly outnumbered her black strands. Her crimson mask deflected the harsh sunlight and made her seem like she was almost glowing. Some of her lackeys watched her in awe, seeing her as the true God which they always believed her to be. They were protected from the current earthquakes by a luminescent force bubble that surrounded them on all sides, encompassing them and keeping them separated from the ground that presently shook violently.

"Kimiko..."

The Wraith's golden eyes opened and she turned around, facing the new figure that had just entered their little bubble of protection. The white haired hero stared at her with dimmed blue eyes, and Kimiko knew instantly that their quirk enhancer drug had worn off on her. Pity. It was sooner than she would've liked. Her younger cousin walked over to her, keeping her head down and avoiding eye contact with the villains who watched her in fear. They saw what she had done to the heroes without even breaking a sweat. They were right to be afraid.

The right side of the hero's suit was tattered and revealing a dark scar against her otherwise pale skin, but she looked otherwise fine. Something about the bags under her eyes told Kimiko that she was tired from the sheer amount of power she just exerted from her quirk. If anything, Kimiko was shocked the girl was still standing.

She smirked at Shimamura. "Congratulations, Tikki. You've really outdone yourself."

Shimamura held her frown. "We need to talk."

Kimiko crossed her arms as she turned to face Shimamura rather than the crumbling Nagano City. "After all the time you just bought us, there's plenty to chat. Allow me to pick at that sick brain of yours."

Shimamura narrowed her eyes at her cousin. "This is wrong, Kimiko."

The villain immediately rolled her eyes behind her mask and turned her back to Shimamura. "Haven't we been over this? This is God's plan—"

"No, it's not!" Shimamura argued back, cutting her off. However, it was clear that Kimiko wasn't particularly listening. She was too engrossed by the destruction ahead of her.

Another fissure in the earth began to form and split the city into four equal parts. Tall buildings trembled and collapsed, causing dusty clouds to consume the ground and crush everything in its wake. Some sort of lake or pond had burst at the seams and flooded through the few full streets that hadn't yet been cracked or destroyed by the earthquakes ripping through it.

It was beautiful, in Kimiko's eyes.

Shimamura pointed out at the destruction unfolding as she moved to stand next to Kimiko at the edge of the cliff of the dirt mountain. "Innocent people and heroes are still down there! They don't deserve to die! I helped you and I hurt the heroes with my quirk but I... I didn't mean for it to get this far. I hate seeing my friends like that because of me, regardless what side I'm on. Kimiko, this is wrong!"

Kimiko turned her head only slightly to glare at Shimamura from behind her mask. A cold smirk curled up around the corners of her mouth. "Is that regret, I hear?"

Shimamura's limbs visibly tensed up. Her facial expression froze as she scanned Kimiko's eyes quickly. There was an ounce of fear that coursed through her, but it quickly dissipated. Her body relaxed and she stared at Kimiko fiercely.