Kryptonians: Man of Steel

Chapter 1563 Armistice
The air seemed to freeze, filled with the acrid smell of burning, dust, and a faint stench of blood. Each heartbeat pounded heavily against Hachiman Hikigaya's eardrums, accompanied by groans of his entire body straining under the weight.

He knelt on one knee amidst the chaotic ruins, the concrete beneath him riddled with spiderweb-like cracks—cracks he had smashed into them.

An ominous dark red halo flickered at the edge of my vision, a warning that my life force was being forcibly drained.

The sword in his hand—that grotesque, jet-black demonic sword—was no longer an aid, but had transformed into the most greedy vampire.

It not only frantically absorbed the energy torrent generated by the battle against Hiratsuka-sensei's violent magic, but also pierced his life essence directly with its cold suction cup!
A bone-chilling cold, carrying a soul-chilling thirst, was relentlessly emanating from the tightly gripped sword hilt, spreading wildly upwards along his arm, veins, and nerves.

"Uh... gulp..."

Hachiman Hikigaya let out an unintelligible whimper, his jaw clenched so tightly it felt like it was about to break.

He could clearly "feel" his own life force, like fine sand in an hourglass, being mercilessly drained away by this sinister weapon.

The suction was cold, viscous, and carried a primal malice, as if it would tear a piece off his struggling soul and merge it into the unfathomable darkness of the sword.

His vision began to blur, and darkness surged in from all around him like a tide, trying to completely engulf him.

"Hold on..."

This was almost his last cry from the depths of his consciousness, faint yet carrying the instinct for survival of a wild beast.

He squeezed out the last bit of willpower in his body, throwing all his fear, all his resentment, and all his crazy obsession with "not wanting to die so inexplicably" into the dying flame of his life like fuel!
This power, originating from the depths of his soul, forcefully drove his long-numb and numb arms, causing the muscles to bulge to their limit, and the veins to stand out like twisted earthworms under his skin.

He desperately, with all his might, held onto the hilt of the demonic sword, which was both the source of his pain and his only lifeline, using his flesh and blood to resist the devouring force from the alien creature.

Right opposite him, where the dust had settled, Hiratsuka Shizuka's figure also appeared.

She was surrounded by a dazzling yet violent magical flame, the power of a "magical girl," which was now boiling violently with rage.

Her iron fist—which had previously carried the power to crush everything—now had a visible, minute crack, from which magic power seeped out like golden blood, emitting a faint sizzling sound.

This was a weapon damage warning issued by the system, a sharp pain piercing her nerves.

What troubled her even more was the stubborn resistance from her opponent's strange demonic sword.

The sword was not only incredibly tough, but it also emanated a chilling, aura of suction, causing her immense magical power to vanish like a mud ox sinking into the sea, and even giving her the feeling of being pulled back.

This bizarre phenomenon, coupled with the backlash from the damaged weapon—the burning pain of an overloaded magic circuit spreading upwards along her arm, each breath accompanied by a dull ache in her chest—finally caused a very slight wavering in the burning, all-consuming rage in Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes.

In the smoke and dust, the swaying figure became clear.

Hachiman Hikigaya was covered in blood, his school uniform was tattered, and his exposed skin was covered with abrasions, bruises, and charred black marks from magical burns.

He was like a cornered beast, his knees trembling, as if he would collapse at any moment. Yet, his eyes...
Through her disheveled, blood-dripping hair, those eyes stared at her with their last ounce of strength, burning not with fear or pleading, but with a primal, mad will mixed with pain and defiance, like a lone wolf struggling on the edge of a precipice!
This guy... is he really that颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of listlessness, apathy, and a lack of motivation) Hikigaya Hachiman who always says "youth is a lie" and has a lifeless look in his eyes?!

Hiratsuka Shizuka's thoughts inevitably stalled for a moment.

Of course she knew that this student had changed a lot recently; his demeanor had shed much of that worrying gloom, and his eyes seemed...more focused.
She even felt a little worried about it.

But this guy, who unleashed such terrifying willpower on the verge of life and death, wielding an evil demonic sword and directly confronting her, this "magical girl," to the point of almost mutual destruction, has changed too much!
It was so drastic that it completely overturned all her understanding of Hachiman Hikigaya! This wasn't just a "change," it was practically... a complete transformation? Or... some kind of dangerous metamorphosis?

This startling thought, like a drop of cold water thrown into a pot of boiling oil, instantly triggered a violent reaction.

It forcefully cleaved through the mind that was completely consumed by anger and shame (the thought of being seen in that outfit), bringing a chilling clarity.

The flames of anger seemed to have their source cut off, and their momentum abruptly halted.

Although the alarms about damaged weapons and the physical burden continued to intensify, Shizuna Hiratsuka's rationality and sense of responsibility as an excellent teacher finally overcame her embarrassment at being offended.

On the other side of the smoke and dust, Hachiman Hikigaya keenly caught the subtle crack and momentary lapse in Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes.

The tension in my heart, which had been stretched to its limit, finally snapped and relaxed a little.

He could almost hear the sound of some support point inside his body collapsing.

The thought, "It's done..." swept through my mind, accompanied by a feeling of utter exhaustion from surviving a disaster.

That last thrust had completely drained the last bit of strength and energy from his body.

If Hiratsuka-sensei were to attack recklessly again, even a gentle push would cause him to collapse like a lump of mud, be completely drained by this greedy demonic sword, and die without knowing why.

"Huh...huh..."

Heavy breathing was squeezed out from deep in his throat, each breath accompanied by a stinging pain in his lungs and a strong smell of blood.

He barely managed to maintain his half-kneeling position, the demonic sword still tightly gripped in his hand. The eerie dark red patterns on the sword seemed to have dimmed slightly as the suction weakened, but the cold, unsettling presence remained undiminished.

The magical flames surrounding Hiratsuka Shizuka receded rapidly like the receding tide, eventually dissipating into nothingness.

She stood there, still wearing her "magical girl" outfit, but the suffocating sense of oppression had vanished.

Her sharp gaze swept over Hachiman Hikigaya's disheveled body like a searchlight, finally locking onto the ominous demonic sword in his hand.

The heightened senses she gained after becoming a magical girl allowed her to perceive the sword's abnormality more clearly than ordinary people—it was an almost living hunger, a greedy craving for life energy, and even, subtly…pointing towards herself!

(End of this chapter)