Kryptonians: Man of Steel

Chapter 1568 Powerless
These four words, spoken by him, carried an undeniable sense of reality, because they were the anchor of all his actions at that moment, the only rope he could grasp as he fell into the abyss.

"I've been attacked by monsters,"

Hachiman didn't pause, as if stating a fact unrelated to himself, but the slightly tense jawline and the fleeting fear in his eyes betrayed the grotesque nature of the memory. "Just a few days ago... I almost..."

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing. "It almost tore me apart. Not even a bone fragment would be left."

Hiratsuka Shizuka's pupils suddenly contracted.

She knew the world had changed.

An unprecedented upheaval? Demons and monsters emerging in droves? The increasingly heavy breathing of Tokyo, this megacity—the influx of refugees has driven up prices, squeezing every inch of living space, and making the word "involution" taste bloody.

She comes from a wealthy family, lives in a high-rise apartment with tight security, and has a car. Naturally, she cannot understand the extra risks that students who have to work in convenience stores and restaurants during dangerous times to supplement their family income suffer.

Hachiman is clearly one of them.

For that meager hourly wage, he was forced to expose himself to the most direct fangs of this insane world.

"Then……"

Hikigaya's voice lowered, as if he were trapped in a nightmare he didn't want to recall, "When I thought I was going to die, 'it' appeared. An inescapable choice... either die, or pick up a sword and become a so-called 'hero'."

He forced a smile, but it was a completely unsatisfying curve. "I chose the latter."

"Killed that monster."

"I thought...it was over. At least, for the time being."

His tone suddenly became strained, as if the words to come would weigh a ton, “But I was wrong. The monster’s death was a signal… it attracted its ‘companions,’ and they… found my home.”

He didn't describe the details, but the immense pain and despair that surged in those lifeless eyes were like tangible ice spikes, piercing Hiratsuka Shizuka fiercely.

"Ordinary security doors are as thin as paper in front of those things. My sister... Komachi... and..."

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the sob in his throat, his body trembling slightly from the fear of the memories.

Hiratsuka Shizuka's heart clenched tightly.

She could almost picture the hellish scene: an ordinary residential area, warm lights torn apart by terrifying shadows, unarmed family members facing malice from the abyss... A high school student, having just survived a life-or-death struggle, dragging his battered body home, only to be met with... She felt a suffocating chill.

"Fortunately, I became a 'hero'..."

Hachiman's voice regained its cold, blood-tinged calm, but beneath that calm lay magma powerful enough to incinerate everything. "I have power. Though the source... isn't great. But I used it to protect them. I chopped those things... into pieces."

He raised his eyes, his gaze locking onto Hiratsuka Shizuka once more, with an unwavering resolve. "So, teacher, all I want is to protect my family. With this power, I will guard that door, guard that lamp. This is where my 'path of the hero' leads. Nothing more."

His words were clear and firm: "I don't want to get involved in any messy things, I don't want to be some kind of savior, and I certainly don't want to be a knife in the hands of those high and mighty people, or a pawn in their way. My battlefield is only the few square meters in front of my house. Whoever threatens that area, I will cut them down. Whether it's a monster or... whatever else."

Hachiman Hikigaya stopped speaking.

The night wind swept through the ruins, ruffling his disheveled hair and blood-stained clothes with a soft rustling sound.

Hiratsuka Shizuka was completely speechless.

All the doubts, anger, and teachers' sense of responsibility crashed into a wall of sighs called "reality" at this moment.

Hachiman's logic is cold and cruel, yet impeccable. His motivation is pure to the extreme—survival, the survival of his family.

Does she want him to put down his sword?

Should we abandon this power to protect our loved ones, which we gained at the cost of our souls and the unknown?

What qualifications does she have?
What can she use to fill the fatal vacuum that will inevitably appear after this power disappears?

The words "I'll protect you" almost burst out, but she bit them back down between her teeth.

She is a mature adult.

She knew better than anyone that an unfulfilled promise was more hurtful and more deadly than a lie.

She couldn't bear the weight of the lives of the Hikigaya family.

This responsibility weighs a ton.

Magical girl?

A deep bitterness welled up inside her.

Yes, she possesses seemingly powerful abilities granted by the system.

But so what? Her power was also limited, bound by the system's shameful rules.

She cannot guarantee 24-hour protection, nor can she predict where the next attack will come from or how strong it will be.

She can't even fully control her own destiny, so how can she become someone else's last bastion?

This power seemed so pale and powerless, even... somewhat laughable, compared to Hachiman's demonic sword, driven by despair and the will to protect.

A heavy silence descended once more, thicker and more suffocating than ever before.

Hiratsuka Shizuka's gaze shifted back and forth between Hikigaya's blood-stained yet stubborn face and the demonic sword in his hand that exuded an ominous aura yet seemed to be his only reliance.

The teacher's sense of responsibility was calling out, demanding that she intervene and strip this clearly malevolent force from the students.

But the bitterness and helplessness she felt, and her deep understanding of his simple yet cruel goal of "protection," bound her actions like chains.

The night was as deep as ink that could not be dissolved. Amidst the ruins, the radiance of the magical girl and the darkness of the hero's magic sword confronted each other, separated by an insurmountable chasm of reality and the heavy shackles they each carried.

The answer had been given, but the problem had become even more unsolvable. In the end, Hiratsuka Shizuka simply straightened up slowly, extremely slowly, her clenched fists loosening and tightening again before finally falling limply to her sides.

She gave Hachiman a deep look, her gaze incredibly complex, containing unresolved confusion, profound worry, an indescribable pity, and a deep weariness born from being mocked by fate.

She said nothing more, but that silent rebuke weighed more heavily on Hachiman's heart than any reprimand or consolation, and also on her own.

What's next? She didn't know.

All she knew was that in this crazy world, a high school student's choice to wield the demon's sword to protect his family was something she, Hiratsuka Shizuka, was powerless to judge, much less to change.

(End of this chapter)