My Hero Academia: The Dragon's Quirk

"Little rats..." The Yozakura guard's cold voice cut through the tense air. "You've strayed too far from your sewers."

He didn't wait for a reply. With a movement so fast it was almost a blur, he shot forward. His target wasn't the larger, more threatening Tatsumi, but Akame. He recognized the traitor. He knew who the real threat was.

His ninjato sword vibrated, emitting a strange, high-frequency hum as it clashed with Murasame. TRIIING! The resulting clang of metal was so loud and sharp it made the ears ring. Akame was pushed back a step, her arm trembling from the disproportionate force of the impact.

"Your Quirk..." Akame hissed, recognizing the deadly Yozakura tactic.

"Vibro-Blade," the guard replied with a smile behind his mask. "Allows my sword to cut through almost anything. And, of course, makes your defense feel like holding back a chainsaw."

He attacked again, a barrage of fast and unpredictable slashes and thrusts. This wasn't the fight of a soldier; it was the dance of an assassin. Every move was designed to find the smallest opening, every attack aimed at a vital point. Akame was forced completely on the defensive, Murasame moving in a silver blur to parry the storm of attacks.

Tatsumi tried to enter the fray, swinging his large energy claws. But the Yozakura guard, whom we'll call Kagerou, moved like a dragonfly, easily dodging Tatsumi's powerful but slower attacks, while continuing to press Akame.

At the command post, Leone leaned forward, her eyes glued to the video feed from Tatsumi's helmet. "Damn, he's fast! Akame can barely keep up!"

"He's not trying to win quickly," Hawks analyzed, his eyes scanning Kagerou's every move. "He's using rapid attacks to drain Akame's stamina and look for a single small mistake. He's fighting like an assassin, not a brawler."

Kagerou continued to taunt as he fought. "You're still using the basic Yozakura style, Akame. But you've dulled it with unnecessary emotion. It makes you slow. You're a disappointment."

Akame didn't reply with words. She knew he was right. Fighting a Yozakura specialist in a one-on-one sword fight was a mistake. She needed to change the rhythm of the fight. She glanced briefly at Tatsumi. A glance filled with unspoken instructions, an understanding born from hundreds of battles in another life.

Tatsumi understood.

He stopped trying to attack Kagerou directly. Instead, he raised his hand and slammed it into the concrete floor of the corridor with full force.

BOOM!

The floor cracked, and chunks of concrete and dust were thrown into the air, creating a cloud that obscured vision. Not stopping there, Tatsumi flapped his wings powerfully within the narrow space, creating a fierce and unpredictable gust of wind.

Kagerou's elegant game plan was now in shambles. He could no longer rely on his speed and perfect footwork. He had to dodge flying chunks of concrete while bracing himself against the hurricane-force wind. His perfect balance wavered.

And that's when Akame saw it. An opening. A split-second opening.

She didn't hesitate. She shot forward through the cloud of dust. Kagerou, having just stabilized himself, saw her coming and raised his vibrating sword to parry.

SCREEECH!

The sound of two swords clashing at high frequency was deafening again. Their blades were locked. This was the moment Akame had been waiting for.

"You think this will change the outcome, traitor?" Kagerou hissed.

"I don't need to change it," Akame replied coldly.

With an impossible flick of her wrist, she didn't push. She twisted the blade of Murasame, letting it slide along Kagerou's sword. It wasn't an attack; it was a graze. The tip of the cursed Murasame scraped the back of Kagerou's gloved hand.

It was just a tiny scratch, barely tearing the fabric of his glove.

Kagerou immediately leaped back, creating distance. "Is that all? You missed your golden opportunity," he taunted.

Then he looked at his hand. He felt something cold. Very cold. He tore off his glove and saw it. A thin black line, like a dead vein, was beginning to spread from the small scratch.

His eyes widened in horror behind his mask as he realized what had happened. "Impossible... Murasame's poison... one touch..."

That was the true power of Akame's Teigu. One scratch. One wound. One death.

Kagerou staggered, his body beginning to convulse as the cursed poison spread to his heart. He looked at Akame with a mixture of hatred and strange admiration. "So... this... is the power... of the Ghost Sword..."

He collapsed to the floor, lifeless.

The fight was over.

Tatsumi and Akame stood panting in the now-destroyed corridor. Tatsumi looked at the body of the Yozakura guard, then at Akame. He saw a deep sadness in his friend's eyes. Using Murasame's curse always left a scar, not just on her victims, but on herself as well.

"Status report from you two is incredible!" Hawks' voice came through, full of relief and urgency. "But that fight triggered a bio-signature alarm in the corridor! PLF internal security is on their way to your location! You have less than sixty seconds!"

They had no time to grieve or rest. They ran towards the double steel doors at the end of the corridor. The doors to the main laboratory.

"It's locked!" Tatsumi said after trying to open it.

"Move!" Akame commanded.

Tatsumi stepped back, and Akame slashed Murasame at the electronic control panel on the wall. Sparks flew, and with a final hiss, the door's lock died. Tatsumi used all his strength, his shoulder slamming into the steel doors. They budged open slightly, just enough for them to slip through.

They made it into the main laboratory chamber. The steel doors slid shut behind them with a final CLICK.

They were now in the same room as Esdeath.

But they were not alone. They could hear the sound of dozens of guards running and stopping right outside the door they had just closed.

Their sanctuary had now become a cage.