Same Hatred, Different Ideals - Hero's Lies Arc

Hiroshi and Grant’s fists connected at the peak of their respective charges, firing a shockwave that could be felt by the capital over two hundred kilometers away. Also caught in the blast radius was the village of Lightley, where the God Killers resided. Houses creaked and swayed from the sheer force of the blast alone. The people gasped, crouching down and covering their faces so that they wouldn’t be hit by the blast.

Bibi burst into the living room where Wisteria was watching the battle unfold.

“Wisteria! Did you feel that just now?! What the hell was that? Wait…is that Hiroshi!?” she yelped, pointing a finger at the television screen.

“Yes,” Wisteria stuttered. “Isn’t he so cool?”

“No! He’s going to get himself killed! Those heroes are at least three times stronger than him!” Bibi barked, trying to make Wisteria realise the heat of the situation. The woman’s green eyes just grew bigger.

“You’re wrong, Bibi. I think…I think Hiroshi’s going to win.”

“What makes you say that for sure?”

“I just…can you feel his presence? It makes me shiver. It almost makes me scared that it’s really him. He’s like the Grim Reaper. Death,” Wisteria’s eyes focused on the screen once more. “And he said he was fighting for me…”

Bibi looked at the screen also. She wanted to call Tomokazu for help, but her eyes wouldn’t move away. Neither would her legs. It was just as Wisteria had said.

Hiroshi was going to use his full capabilities. And he was pissed off. It was a scary watch.

Grant jumped over Hiroshi’s initial punch, attempting to land a forward lunging kick to Hiroshi’s back. He saw and predicted the attack, spinning around and blocking with his right arm, pushing Grant’s leg towards the ground. He punched forward with his left fist, but Grant sidestepped and brought his knee to Hiroshi’s face, making him hurl towards the ground below.

Hiroshi’s body rag dolled at least one hundred meters down the grassy plain and came to a stop as the dirt and grass that had accumulated from dragging down the plains on his back had stopped him.

In a blink of an eye, Hiroshi used the newly formed dirt mound and launched himself through the air at Grant. The man put his arms up to his face, and Hiroshi’s fist connected, sending him flying backwards. He flew through the air, almost too fast for Grant to comprehend.

Going faster than the speed of sound, Hiroshi flew after his flailing body, positioning himself above him and linked his fists together. Combing them together, he smashed both of his fists downwards, hitting Grant in the stomach.

The hero let out a pained grunt as he was propelled downwards, straight into the earth. The ground within a fifty meter radius exploded, turning the color from gorgeous green to disgusting brown. Hiroshi didn’t stop his attack. He would rather die than do that. 

He flew straight at Grant once more, holding onto him and bringing him into the earth once more. Grant brought his elbow done on top of Hiroshi’s head as hard as he could, trying to make the man stop, but that wasn’t the case. Blood came from Hiroshi’s eyes as he found the big, open room of the cave once more, throwing Grant to the cold, stony floor.

Hiroshi floated downwards, landing softly. He felt his face. The blood from his eyes were already drying in due to his sheer speed and aggression.

“Arghh!” Grant cried out, flying from his defeated position and punching Hiroshi so hard, he flew back into the wall of the cave, nearly causing the cave to collapse entirely. Hiroshi got on one knee and panted. He knew he could keep up. He just needed to keep the pressure up.

During his thought process, he saw Grant’s knee coming up to meet his face once again. Hiroshi pulled his head back, and punched forward, hitting Grant in the neck. The hero gasped for air, getting on his knees and gasping for air.

“Some hero you are!” Hiroshi yelled, kicking Grant as hard as he could in the face, sending him flying back into the opposite wall of the cave. Hiroshi rubbed his shoulder and heard it crack. Something was off. He somehow felt slower for no reason.

Grant stood out from the wall. He looked dangerous. His presence was angry, and it flowed around all the walls of the cave.

“You don’t understand. I never wanted to hurt Wisteria,” Grant began, spitting out a tooth that Hiroshi had loosened.

“Bullshit!”

“No…it’s not,” Grant looked down at the rocks beneath his feet. “I loved Wisteria. More than the world. We were best friends as children. She was the perfect teenage romance. She was sweet, kind, caring, really just…wonderful in every way.”

“Then why did you abuse her!? She deserves so much better than you! You are a stain on the human race!” Hiroshi yelled. What was Grant even saying? It had to be lies.

Didn’t it?

“I hated the hierarchy too. I loved her powers. She was so awesome with them,” he sighed, remembering good times. “I told her that we can be on the top of the hierarchy, so we wouldn’t be underestimated again. Make sure that poor people could use magic. But she refused. She wants to destroy it completely, not conquer it. I tried to make her see…I tried…,” Grant looked up, a tear sliding down his cheek.

His emotion was real.

“And you thought beating her was the right way to go?” Hiroshi hissed. “You knew that your plan would never have worked. Poor people would never be allowed to use magic. You just wanted to have all the power and control for yourself. I have no sympathy for you.”

“Yeah…I don’t have any for you either,” Grant smiled. “I got you right where I want you, Hiroshi.”

At first, Hiroshi was confused. He tried moving his arm, but he couldn’t. He looked down. His arms and legs were covered in a brown, rust colored substance. It couldn’t be…

“Do you have any idea how much metal is in the human body? Copper. Iron. Zinc. Yes, in trace amounts, of course. But no matter how small, no matter what metal, I can rust it all,” Grant smiled to himself. “I truly have you beaten, Hiroshi Akuma.”

“How do you know my name?!” Hiroshi gasped.

“Wisteria wouldn’t shut up about you that day I met her. You are right. She’s too damn proud,” Grant wiped his tears away with his arm. “But now, you die. I suppose that one day, I'll meet you in the darkest pits of hell.”

Like a spider who had just caught its prey, Grant walked slowly across the cave to Hiroshi, who continued to struggle and look for a way out of the rust.

"Hiroshi, huh? What an interesting name," Zetsubo laughed at the television screen in his own home. 

All the Gods were watching Hiroshi.