Kryptonians: Man of Steel

Chapter 1564 Explanation
"Hikigaya,"

Hiratsuka Shizuka's voice regained its usual calmness, but beneath that calmness lay a deeper worry and scrutiny. "Is this the reason for the change in your eyes?"

She paused, then emphasized her words, asking slowly and deliberately, "Such...evil weapons."

She used the word "evil," rather than simply "dangerous" or "powerful."

The aura emanating from the sword instinctively filled her with disgust and wariness.

Hachiman Hikigaya took a few more deep breaths, trying to calm his churning blood and his heart, which was on the verge of giving out.

He lowered his head, looking at the demonic sword in his hand that had almost killed him but also saved him, and a bitter, self-mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"...well,"

He spoke in his usual lazy, somewhat perfunctory tone, his voice terribly hoarse, "Pretty much."

He hesitated.

Should I explain?
How can one explain being chosen by a mysterious "Hero System" and burdened with the responsibility of fighting monsters?
Explain your journey from initial confusion and resistance to being forced to take up arms and struggling to survive in despair.
He explained how he was driven to the brink of despair in a brutal battle, and how he chose to become a so-called "Demon Sword Master" in order to survive and protect those behind him.
Now, on the system panel, his title has changed from the initial "Apprentice Hero" to a more eye-catching one—"Demon Sword Hero".
This information is too bizarre and too shocking.

Moreover, once it's spoken, it means stepping into a bizarre and unpredictable world from which there is no turning back.

He trusted Professor Hiratsuka, but was that trust enough to bear such a heavy truth? He needed time to think.

"Hikigaya,"

Hiratsuka Shizuka took a step forward, her gaze sharp as she stared intently at him. "You'd better tell me honestly what you've been doing all this time!"

Her tone was firm and decisive, carrying the unique authority and unquestionable tone of a teacher.

At this moment, the shame of being seen by her students as a magical girl was forgotten, replaced by a deeper worry.

The state of Hachiman Hikigaya, the strange sword, and the aura emanating from him that comes from life-or-death battles... all of this points to an extremely dangerous possibility.

She had to figure out if the student she had been trying to guide had gone astray, or even... done something irreversible.

Hachiman Hikigaya raised his head and met Shizuka Hiratsuka's scrutinizing gaze.

In the depths of those familiar, stern yet caring eyes, he saw worry and confusion, but no hostility.

This pure concern, like a faint yet warm light, pierced through the coldness and exhaustion that enveloped him at that moment.

So much has happened lately—monster attacks, the terror of his family, system missions, and countless brushes with death… The immense pressure, like a heavy lead weight, weighed on his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.

He had no one to confide in.

Although his family witnessed him slaying monsters, they only saw the surface and were vaguely reassured. They knew nothing about the "Hero System," the "Demon Sword," or the truth behind it all, and could not truly understand what he had endured.

A strong urge to vent welled up inside me.

Perhaps... telling Hiratsuka-sensei is an option? A trustworthy, powerful adult who is willing to listen?

He licked his chapped lips, his voice still hoarse, but with a hint of determination: "...Let's go somewhere else."

He glanced around at the ravaged streets, and in the distance, he could faintly hear the piercing sirens of police cars and the roar of approaching vehicles.

“The officials will be here soon, it’s too much of a commotion.” He paused, a deep sense of resistance and wariness flashing in his eyes. “I don’t want to be seen by them… and I certainly don’t want to become their ‘force’ or ‘sample’ for research.”

These words were like a needle, precisely piercing a sensitive point of doubt in Hiratsuka Shizuka's heart.

Her pupils contracted slightly.

To evade the authorities? Why?
She knew their procedures and power in dealing with supernatural events.

Hachiman Hikigaya's obvious rejection and wariness of the authorities reveals a huge problem.

This is not simply because he used that evil demonic sword!
The information hidden behind this was more complex and dangerous than she had imagined.

"it is good."

Without the slightest hesitation, Hiratsuka Shizuka nodded decisively.

Her expression grew even more serious. "Come with me."

She turned around, her figure leaping lightly into the air, landing on the roof of a relatively intact low-rise building next to her.

Hachiman Hikigaya took a deep breath, enduring the excruciating pain and overwhelming weakness throughout his body, and rallied the meager remaining energy within him after being squeezed by the demonic sword, staggering as he caught up.

With each jump and landing, his vision went black, and his internal organs seemed to shift.

The demonic sword trembled slightly in his hand, as if it was displeased that he had left the battlefield, but the suction force did indeed subside temporarily.

The two walked quickly through the ruins of the city, one in front of the other.

The straight-line distance of over a thousand meters seemed like an insurmountable chasm to Hachiman Hikigaya, who was in extremely poor condition at the moment, but he gritted his teeth and persevered with astonishing willpower.

Finally, they arrived at a relatively secluded abandoned park far from the main battlefield.

The park's facilities are old, and many trees have fallen, but it at least provides a place for conversation where one can temporarily escape the noise and official scrutiny.

Moonlight filtered through the sparse branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground and illuminating the two strikingly different figures: one dashing yet burdened with worry, the other covered in blood, disheveled yet with a complex expression in his eyes.

The night wind blew by, carrying a chill and the smell of dust from the ruins.

Hachiman Hikigaya could no longer hold on. He slid down to the ground, leaning against the trunk of a half-fallen tree. His demon sword was stuck diagonally in the soil beside him, the dark patterns on the blade faintly visible in the moonlight, like the breath of a sleeping beast.

He coughed violently, each cough aggravating the wounds in his chest and abdomen, causing excruciating pain.

Hiratsuka Shizuka stood before him, not urging him, but quietly and scrutinizing him, waiting for his explanation.

The moonlight outlined the silhouette of her magical girl outfit, giving it an unreal, dreamlike quality that clashed with the heavy, oppressive atmosphere of the moment.

Hachiman Hikigaya gasped for breath for a while before he could barely suppress the metallic taste in his throat.

He raised his head, his face stained with blood and dust, his tired yet unusually clear eyes staring directly at Hiratsuka Shizuka.

He could see the deep misunderstanding in his teacher's eyes—she suspected that he had fallen into darkness for power, and that he had joined forces with evil.

(End of this chapter)