Yet, Raiden wasn't about to celebrate.
The man was still moving. He should have been unconscious—dead, even—but something was happening. From the stumps where his limbs had been severed, two tentacle-like appendages suddenly began to grow.
At first, Raiden and Kaina tensed, expecting another fight. But then, something horrifying happened—something neither of them could have predicted.
The tentacles didn't reach out to attack. Instead, they writhed violently and pushed against Edward's face and torso, as if trying to break free from within.
The sight was grotesque. His body convulsed unnaturally, his skin shifting and bulging as if something inside was trying to claw its way out. Then, with a sickening rip, a jagged, spiked shoulder tore through his flesh.
And right after that—something else emerged.
A slender figure peeled itself from Edward's body, its form writhing with interwoven tentacles—one blue-green and the other red. Its body was crimson, adorned with two horns protruding from either side of its featureless face. Its legs were thin, tapering into sharp, pointed ends. It had no expression, no visible eyes—just an eerie, lifeless presence.
The creature turned, first facing Kaina, then shifting its hollow gaze to Raiden. Both of them immediately readied themselves for battle.
But the creature didn't attack. It didn't acknowledge them at all.
Instead, it lifted its head toward the sky—then, without warning, launched itself upward at an astonishing speed.
Raiden and Kaina stood frozen, stunned by what they had just witnessed.
Raiden instinctively tried to follow, but the creature's speed was overwhelming. He pushed himself to his limits, straining to keep up, but within moments, it had vanished into the vastness of the sky.
Gone.
When Raiden landed back on the ground, he saw medics attending to Edward. Nearby, he spotted Kaina and immediately approached her.
"Sorry, I lost that thing... What the fuck was that?" he asked, still catching his breath.
"I have no idea," Kaina replied, eyes still fixed on Edward's battered form. "But we still have this one." She gestured toward the villain.
Edward's condition was beyond terrible. His body was mangled, barely holding together. Without hesitation, Raiden cast Life Dew twice on him. Even with healing, it was clear the damage was irreversible—Edward would never fully recover. He'd be crippled for life.
Slowly, the most severe wounds began to close, and his condition stabilized. That was enough.
Raiden took the opportunity to connect with Edward's mind. A part of him still burned with the desire to hurt him further—but a stronger part felt deeply satisfied.
"How does it feel being on the other side?" Raiden taunted, standing over him. "What happened to your grand speech about our fight? and what the fuck was that?"
Edward's one good eye turned toward him, and to Raiden's surprise, the man chuckled weakly.
"Heh… Sorry, kid. Our fight won't happen after all," Edward rasped. "Looks like I overestimated myself… But don't worry. I left you a parting gift, that thing is still me, I think? I'm not sure anymore..."
Raiden's expression darkened. "That thing that came out of you…Again. What was that?"
Edward coughed, blood staining his lips. "The prototype… Yeah… I think it was. Now I get it. I was the only one who could use it without dying. That thing… hah… It shouldn't exist."
Raiden clenched his fists. "What the hell did you do? You mentioned a virus. What did you do?"
As he spoke, he used his telekinesis to press against one of Edward's wounds. The villain flinched in pain but let out a weak, amused laugh.
"Hahaha… It was you and your friend. Both of you have insanely powerful Quirks—too much for a single person to handle. So Father—I assume you've heard of him—introduced a way to manage the strain. A medium."
Edward let out a weak chuckle, his voice laced with exhaustion. "A virus. A synthetic one."
Raiden's eyes widened as he looked up at the sky, his mind racing. "You're saying your group just unleashed a pandemic?"
Edward laughed again, though it was more of a rasp this time. "No, nothing like that. The virus wasn't designed to spread—it was made to stabilize the compound and adapt to its host. It doesn't replicate outside of it… at least, that's what I was told." His smirk faded slightly.
"But judging by what just happened, I must've been in some kind of delicate balance with it. And the moment I got too weak, it decided I was nothing but a nuisance… so it left me."
Raiden and Kaina exchanged a glance. None of this made sense. If the virus was just a stabilizer, how did it escape?, if this was the case, the answer was clear, Edward was just a test subject.
As if reading their thoughts, Edward chuckled again. "This world is a weird place, kid. You ever wonder how we transform? How the hell does the woman next to you grow a rifle out of her arm? If you really think about it, this isn't that strange. We had everything needed to create something new—your DNA, your friend's cells, a virus designed to push evolution even further… and me? I was the perfect food source, weird could be nothing happened."
Raiden ignored him and just narrowed his eyes. "Why are you helping us with information?"
Edward sighed, his smirk fading. "Because… why not? I'm the newest member of this organization. I never cared for their fanatical bullshit—I was just in it for the thrill. And I got it. But that thing ate me from the inside out. That power should have been mine… and if I ever got the chance, Why don't send someone to destroy it?."
Raiden studied him, unconvinced. "someone? us? And how do you know we'll go after it?"
Edward snorted. "That's a dumb question, kid. You're heroes. There's no way in hell you'd let something like that roam free without consequences."
Raiden wasn't satisfied. He could tell there was more. "And the real reason? I know you're hiding something."
Edward's expression darkened slightly. "Father—that's what he calls himself—is a genius. A real intellectual. Absurdly smart, but don't be fooled, not as a strategist, but as a scientist. There's no way he didn't know what could happen when he gave me that drug. He knew. He just wanted to test his theory. I was nothing but an experiment to him, so I don't own him nothing, if he wanted he could had let me be the one in total control of this new power, but he didn't want to."
Raiden and Kaina exchanged another look. Suddenly, everything made sense. The reason Edward was so willing to talk. The reason he was helping them. He wasn't just trying to settle the score—he wanted revenge, there was something else.
Without hesitation, Raiden used Life Dew once more, closing the last of the still-bleeding wounds. He wasn't going to let Edward die just yet.
"Where do we find him?" Kaina asked, Their priorities had shifted. This wasn't just about stopping a rogue experiment anymore.
Father wasn't just enhancing Quirks—he was creating new life. And if left unchecked, he could endanger the entire human species.
Edward exhaled slowly. "I don't know. He's extremely secretive. He only communicates through letters, and they're always delivered by Caronte. You and that chicken saw it—the hands. That's the only way to contact him. If you want to find him… you'll have to make them lead you to him."
Raiden clenched his fists. "And how do we do that?"
Edward's smirk returned, just slightly. "That's the hard part. But lucky for you… I have a way." His eyes gleamed "But I'll need a deal."
Raiden scowled. He knew this bastard wasn't going to give up information for free.
"What do you want?" This time it was Kaina who asked, her gaze locked onto the man's remaining eye.
"Simple," Edward replied with a smirk. "I want you to grab a drone—or something similar—and let me watch a live stream of you beating the crap out of Father. And, of course, I want a decent place to stay. You see, I'm crippled now. No need for a max-security cell, something comfy could be better don't you think?"
Raiden clenched his fists. He knew it was an excellent deal, a rare opportunity to track their enemy. But the sheer audacity of the request made his blood boil. Before he could stop himself, his power flared. The stones around him trembled, reacting to his rage.
This guy was really negotiating for better accommodations? this was an insult to what he did to him.
Before Raiden could say a word, Kaina stepped forward. She slung an unconscious man over her shoulder with ease, her expression unreadable.
"Deal," she said flatly. "Where do we find him?"
Edward chuckled, clearly satisfied. "I had a backup plan. In each one of the packages I used to send, I hid a tracker. Never activated it—too risky. Didn't want them sniffing me out. But it's still there, in my office. If you have any real chance of finding him, it's with that." His smirk faltered for the first time. "Oh, and do me a favor—put on a good show."
He leaned back against the wall, exhaling. "One more thing… be careful. The other sons are just as strong as I am, one is even stronger. Your little team? Won't be enough."
Kaina gave a sharp nod, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a strange-looking device. It resembled a beetle—sleek, compact, and clearly not an ordinary phone. She pressed a button and held it to her ear.
"Sir, Code Red. Agent 0053. I'm requesting the Ten. Prepare them for deployment at my next signal."
Without another word, she ended the call, slipped the device back into her pocket, and turned to Raiden. He met her gaze, gave a curt nod, and sent her toward the building. At the same time, he launched himself toward the area where Hawks had been thrown.
Raiden landed near the pro hero, who was receiving emergency medical treatment. Without hesitation, he extended his hand and cast Life Dew. A soft blue glow pulsed from his fingertips, washing over Hawks and mending his wounds. He repeated the process, making sure the healing energy took full effect.
Even as Hawks began to stir, Raiden didn't stop. His ability didn't just heal others—it restored himself as well. Tamaki, standing nearby, was caught in the residual energy, his injuries knitting together.
Hawks groaned as he sat up slightly, blinking at the boy. "Alright, kid… that's enough. What's going on?"
Raiden didn't pause, still focusing on his ability. "Something about a Code Red. Figured it's important, so I'm making sure you're in the best shape possible."
Hawks' expression darkened immediately. "Code Red? …Shit."
Hearing him curse for the first time, Tamaki tensed. "What does that mean?"
Hawks let out a sharp exhale. "It means we're dealing with something serious enough to require every top-ten pro hero—and their full agencies. If we need that many people… things are bad. Really bad."
Raiden and Tamaki exchanged a tense glance.
After a moment, Raiden swallowed and asked the question that had just formed in his mind. "Does this mean the threat is something… even All Might wouldn't be able to handle?"
Hawks shook his head. "No. If it were that bad, it'd be a Code Black. That's when we bring him in. Code Red is serious, but it's manageable."
Before they could say anything else, the sound of approaching footsteps made them turn.
Slowly, Best Jeanist, Yoroi Musha, and Lady Nagant approached the group. Hawks stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders as he tested his mobility. Realizing he was almost fully healed, he gave Raiden a firm pat on the shoulder.
"Thanks, kid. I owe you one."
Before anyone could respond, Kaina cut in, her voice sharp and commanding.
"We're leaving. Transport's already here."
Right on cue, the roar of an engine filled the air as a massive armored truck pulled up—a police-issued transport, reinforced for high-risk operations.
As soon as the doors opened, the top heroes wasted no time stepping inside. Hawks nudged Raiden and Tamaki forward, ushering them in before following close behind.
Once seated, Raiden took a moment to scan the others. Every hero looked drained, exhaustion evident in their faces. Yet, despite their fatigue, there was no sign that any of them had encountered an enemy on Edward's level.
That meant one thing—they were the only ones who had fought a real threat today.
End of the chapter.
Guess who is the knew thing...
Thank you for the support.
leave some power stones.