Bakugo's vision shifted in and out of focus, the edges of his sight blurring into a mess of smoke, blood, and rubble. His ears rang with the echo of his attack, the constant pounding in his skull making it harder to think, harder to focus. His heartbeat was erratic—pounding one moment, slowing dangerously the next—as his body fought to keep up with the brutal strain he had forced upon himself. His ribs felt like they were grinding against one another, the bruising deep and unforgiving with every breath. The wound in his stomach throbbed painfully, sending pulses of pain through his nerves. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, the bitter taste thick and constant on his tongue. Gritting his teeth, Bakugo wiped the blood from his chin with a trembling hand, his breath hitching as another wave of pain coursed through him.
His lips curled into a bloody grin. "You survived that, you bastard?"
The debris exploded into the air. Tsuki's clothes were torn and stained with blood, the rips exposing deep gashes. Burn marks covered her upper torso, streaking along her neck and shoulders. A manic smile stretched across her lips, her hair a knotted mess.
"I can't believe ..." Her eye twitched as she slowly began to chuckle. "That quirks have evolved this much... an attack like that... calculated enough where it wouldn't affect the surrounding area, as well as himself? " Her laughter grew louder, more inhuman. "He ... actually ... nearly ... killed me."
Bakugo's smile held strong, his eyebrows twitching together. "That was the rest of my strength ... I don't think—" His footing wobbled, shifting backward. "And that stupid face—" His heart skipped a beat. "Her face ..."
An overwhelming sensation ignited in his chest, an intricate tugging on the vines woven into his heart and mind—a need to reach Tsuki, to be with her again.
In an instant, Tsuki flew toward him. Bakugo gritted his teeth. Her body crashed into his chest, and Bakugo caught her in a firm, unrelenting grip.
"He caught me?" Akai wondered as Bakugo's feet slid against the ground, dragging backward. "What's his plan?"
Bakugo's consciousness wavered. "Her soul is still in there, isn't it?" He hugged her body tighter.
Akai coughed out blood over his shoulder, his body trapped in a suffocating hold. His leg twitched; the lingering effects of Bakugo's attack overwhelmed Tsuki's body, preventing Akai from properly fighting back or defending.
"Tsuki woulda tapped out after that damn attack," Bakugo whispered. "Meaning you're worn out."
He stumbled over one of the corpses and fell back, his spine slamming against the ground. Tsuki's body flopped out of his grasp, landing limply on the floor.
Her body scrambled, her palms pressing into the bloodstained stone as she gasped for air, her frame jerking with unnatural movements. "This man ..." Akai looked over at Bakugo, who struggled to gather himself onto his feet. "Is this girl's only weakness."
Akai felt flustered, forcing the body to stand.
A chilling wave of energy rippled through the air as Akai's expression darkened, the eerie glow of his stolen vessel intensifying. The once smirking, taunting presence shifted into something far more sinister, something ancient.
"Is he using her bloodlust?" Bakugo gulped. "Is this Tsuki's quirk?"
The atmosphere thickened, suffocating and heavy, as an oppressive aura began to radiate from Tsuki's possessed body. The air cracked with raw, malevolent energy, sending an involuntary shiver down Bakugo's spine.
His instincts screamed at him. "I have to ... run ..." His eyes twitched, the nerves in his body pulsing. His legs felt like lead, frozen under the sheer weight of Akai's cursed quirk.
A suffocating bloodlust oozed from every inch of the entity before him, pressing down on his chest. It was unlike anything he had ever faced before—chaotic, primal, and filled with an insatiable hunger for destruction. Bakugo's heart pounded violently against his ribs, his breath ragged and uneven as his vision wavered, the world around him distorting under the immense pressure. For the first time in a long time, fear clawed at him, raw and unrelenting.
"What the hell is this power?" His mind raced, but his body refused to move, the overwhelming presence threatening to crush him entirely. "This is nothing like Tsuki's curse ... this is nothing compared to what it felt like when we sparred ... was she holding back?" Sweat trickled down his face. "Or can full power only be released with his soul manifested?"
Tsuki's fingernails began to grow, elongating into claws, her vacant white eyes shifting to a deep, blood-red. "The moon is full." Her voice dripped with malice. "My quirk is strongest under the moon."
Her head tilted to the side, her body lined with the moonlight's glow.
The mere sight sent an overwhelming, indescribable fear coursing through him. "Am I going to ..." His hand clenched into a fist as Tsuki's face looked down her nose at him. " ...die?"
A second of silence. No movement.
The muscles in Tsuki's arm contorted.
"Am I hesitating?" Akai felt a flare of surprise. "No. I am not ..." A nerve in her cheek twitched. "She is. This is her doing."
The hesitation allowed Bakugo a single second to make a move. Sparks flared, the sweat lining his entire body giving him the final push he needed.
He propelled himself into the air.
"I have to get out of here." Wind ripped through his hair and against his skin. "I have to think of a better plan." His heartbeat was calming now, the rhythm betraying his exhaustion, exposing his genuine need for escape.
"He's trying to escape?" Akai's gaze lifted to the sky, following his movement. "And that speed ... he's faster than before." A hesitation flickered in Akai's nerves. "He finally realized he was outclassed. How humorous of him to think he could escape from me."
Tsuki's body flew up after him. Bakugo looked over his shoulder.
"He's following me." He realized with a jolt of shock. "He's fast ... but I have the upper hand in the air."
"How foolish." Akai smirked. "His heart is on his sleeve; I can tell his next move by the beating of his heart."
...
