Southeast Kyoto - Warehouse Ruins

  The explosion had torn through the warehouse with devastating force, but as the smoke began to clear, it became apparent that the destruction had been carefully calculated. Scattered among the debris were the remains of reinforced boxes that had been strategically placed throughout the structure—Katashi's meticulous planning ensuring that the blast would create maximum psychological impact while maintaining survivable conditions at the epicenter.

  Valen emerged from behind an overturned shipping container, coughing and covered in dust but otherwise unharmed. His eyes burned with familiar envy as he surveyed the controlled destruction around him.

  Katashi's raw brain power is unmatched by anyone, he thought bitterly. His mana reserves are only second to Akuma himself. How I envy that kind of brilliance, that level of preparation for every possible scenario.

  Through the settling smoke, Miyamoto struggled to his feet, blood spewing from his mouth where debris had caught him across the face. His dimensional clones had provided some protection, but the explosion had still taken its toll. Across from him, Yukiko stood relatively uninjured, having surrounded herself with nimbus clouds that allowed the explosion to pass through rather than impact her directly.

  Yukiko's bubbly, annoying personality should not be confused with her combat abilities, Miyamoto thought, wiping blood from his chin. She's a real threat when she needs to be.

  As the dust settled completely, Valen's expression shifted from relief to bitter resentment.

  "It took special planning and gear for me to survive that explosion," he said woefully, his voice carrying the weight of perpetual inadequacy. "And you guys did it with no preparation at all. How do you do it?"

  Miyamoto stood fully upright, his analytical mind already working to understand their opponent's motivations. "What is it that you're hoping to accomplish here?"

  Valen shrieked at the serious tone in Miyamoto's voice, his eyes darting nervously between the two heroes. Above him, Yukiko's eyes turned bright white—completely colorless, without iris or pupil—as storm clouds began forming directly overhead.

  "Choose your next words carefully," Yukiko said, her voice carrying none of its usual bubbly enthusiasm. The deadly serious tone made even Miyamoto feel a chill of apprehension.

  Valen immediately broke down crying, his emotional instability on full display.

  "I'm only here because the boss made me do it!" he sobbed. "I don't want to hurt anyone! I'm only here as a distraction to draw heroes away from the Academy while it's under attack!"

  Miyamoto felt his blood run cold. The Academy was under attack? But before he could process this revelation fully, Valen continued through his tears.

  "But please, my boss is also concerned about Kage! Tell me where he is and you can leave me alone, I promise!"

  "You're in no place to tell us what we can and can't do," Yukiko replied, her storm clouds unleashing concentrated lightning strikes that caused Valen to scream on top of his cries.

  Miyamoto's mind raced as he watched Valen writhe under the electrical assault. He's only here for distraction and information on Kage? As far as I'm concerned, Kage is no hero within the Academy anyway.

  The pragmatic part of his mind began calculating options. If he gave Valen what he wanted, it would minimize damage to legitimate heroes while potentially having the Underworld eliminate Kage—exactly what he and Shoto would prefer. Two birds with one stone.

  "Yukiko, stop," Miyamoto said firmly. "Let us hear him out."

  "Huh?" Yukiko's eyes returned to normal, confusion evident on her face as the lightning ceased and Valen collapsed to the ground.

  Without warning, Valen rushed toward Miyamoto with surprising speed, dropping to his knees at the hero's feet and bowing his head in perfect submission.

  After taking that critical attack from Yukiko, he's still able to move that quickly? Miyamoto thought, analyzing the display. His durability is insane.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "Just what does the Underworld have to do with Kage?" Miyamoto asked sternly.

  "Kage is a great nuisance that my boss needs to get rid of!" Valen responded, still groveling at Miyamoto's feet. "Please just tell me and I will leave, I swear!"

  Before Miyamoto could respond, Yukiko stepped forward with obvious disappointment.

  "You're not really considering helping him, are you?"

  "Yes," Miyamoto said coldly.

  Valen began to grin through his tears.

  "Kage is considered a hero of the Academy!" Yukiko protested, her shoulder cloud growing darker with frustration. "Set aside your grievances about his past! Surely we can't just give the bad guy what he wants! What if he's lying?"

  Valen grabbed Miyamoto's ankles and looked up at him with desperate eyes.

  "Please, I would never lie! You're so important, mister! I'm here crying and begging on my knees while you have a pretty lady begging you not to do something. I envy the position you're in! Please tell me and I'll be on my way!"

  "Enough!" Yukiko screamed, her eyes turning white again as she began summoning violent winds.

  "Please calm down before Sister arrives!" Valen said, his grip on Miyamoto's ankles tightening to an almost painful degree.

  Miyamoto tried to summon his dimensional clones to break free, but found his concept unresponsive—Valen's grip wasn't just physical, but was actively draining his mana. Sister arrives? he thought with growing concern.

  As Yukiko began her attack, Valen suddenly shifted—his male form dissolving and reforming into a female shape in the span of a heartbeat. Simultaneously, a dimensional clone materialized in the parallel realm and struck Yukiko with devastating force, sending her flying across the debris before she could complete her wind attack.

  Sister Envy then stood directly in front of Miyamoto, her voice taking on a different cadence entirely.

  "Please give me one moment, babes," she said, bringing her head closer to Miyamoto's ear. "That bitch seems like a headache. Let me take care of her so we can talk."

  She whispered softly, "I can tell you’re no friend of Kage’s either."

  Sister Envy dashed toward Yukiko with predatory grace.

  "Leave her out of this!" Miyamoto shouted, finally able to move as Valen released his ankles.

  Yukiko, still on the ground from the previous assault, put her hands above her head and created a brilliant flare of light that temporarily blinded the approaching threat. Sister Envy screamed and tried to shield her eyes, but a dimensional clone—invisible to Yukiko but perfectly visible in the parallel realm—punched the weather hero across the debris of the exploded factory.

  "A dimensional clone user and a user of mother nature," Sister Envy said, still wiping at her eyes. "Definitely great concepts for my brother to absorb."

  "Wait, please leave her out of this," Miyamoto said, grabbing Sister Envy's wrist.

  She immediately shook off his grip with casual strength. "That bitch blinded me. She will pay."

  The dimensional clone began a relentless barrage of punches against Yukiko, each strike landing with the absorbed strength of Miyamoto's own concept.

  "It's a good thing these clones aren't affected by her attacks, right mister?" Sister Envy taunted while continuing to clear her vision.

  Miyamoto summoned his own clones into the dimensional realm, his tactical mind working desperately. The more clones I create, the less distance they can travel and the less strength they'll have. I need one close to grab Yukiko, and two to hopefully subdue Valen's clone.

  In the dimensional space, three of Miyamoto's clones faced off against Sister Envy's single but more powerful duplicate. Two of his clones grabbed the attacking clone while the third moved to pull Yukiko to safety.

  Sister Envy's vision cleared, and she began walking toward Miyamoto with predatory confidence.

  "Oh honey, you think you can subdue me just because you subdued my clone?" she said with mock sympathy. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you both right now."

  "You don't want to make your boss unhappy, do you?" Miyamoto said, calling her bluff as he stepped closer. "Neither do I. You want information on Kage—I can tell you exactly where he is."

  Yukiko coughed up blood, pleading, "Miyamoto, stop!"

  "This is what's best for everyone involved," Miyamoto replied firmly, then turned to Sister Envy. "South of Osaka, in the hillside estates overlooking Osaka Bay. It's one of the more prestigious retirement communities, filled with old money. You can't miss the mansion—accompanying the house is his butler Sebastian. I'm sure you two will be greatly acquainted."

  "Miyamoto, please reconsider what you're doing!" Yukiko cried through her pain.

  Sister Envy smiled and grabbed Miyamoto's chin gently. "I knew I could trust you," she said in a soft voice.

  But in the dimensional realm, she was already summoning one more clone. The speed-blitz caught Miyamoto's clones completely by surprise—they were busy subduing the first clone and moving Yukiko to safety when the new threat materialized.

  From Yukiko's perspective, the attack was pure terror. Unable to see the dimensional realm, she was struck by a devastating punch that pierced through her chest from something completely invisible to her, the impact crushing her heart before she even knew she was under attack.

  In the physical realm, Sister Envy shifted back to male form as Miyamoto turned to rush toward Yukiko's aid. Valen's fist caught him in the gut with devastating force, knocking him unconscious before he hit the ground.

  "But you shouldn't have trusted me," the male Valen said, looking down at the fallen hero.

  Valen walked over to a nearby car, breaking the window with casual efficiency as he prepared to head toward south Osaka to find Kage.

  In the wake of his departure lay two figures: a hero who had cared more about others than herself, and a traitor who had paid the ultimate price for his misguided allegiance.