We struggled, boots grinding into the dirt as he forced the blade forward.
"LET GO!" he shouted, spittle flying from his mouth.
The knife trembled between us.
My arms burned as I pushed back, but Cash was heavier—stronger. The blade inched closer regardless.
Closer.
The metal point pressed against my shirt.
Something vibrated in my palm.
Vuiirrrmm—
The knife.
For a moment, I thought my hands were shaking.
But the vibration grew stronger.
Cash noticed it too. "What the hell—"
The blade jerked in our grip.
My fingers tightened instinctively.
Then I twisted.
Hard.
A sharp crack rang out as Cash screamed, his wrist bending at an unnatural angle.
The knife slipped from his grasp.
Before it could fall, I snatched it out of the air.
For a second, everything went still.
The blade pulsed in my hand.
Dark energy crawled across its surface like living smoke.
Cash's eyes widened.
"Tennyson—wait—"
I raised the knife.
Behind me, Buttercup shouted.
"Ben!? Don't do it!!"
I didn't listen.
Cash raised his arm again—
Stab.
Again.
Stab. Stab. Stab.
Blood soaked my clothes as I pinned him down and kept stabbing.
At some point, I lost count.
I also lost something else.
The sense that this was still just a fight.
If I didn't do this, they'd come back. That's what I told myself.
That's what I needed to believe.
My breathing turned ragged—sharp, broken, primal.
This was wrong.
I knew it was wrong.
But I didn't stop.
Not even when a small part of me whispered that this wasn't survival anymore.
That part… was excited.
Ahhh… ah—ah!
His screams blurred together, twisting into something distant.
Intoxicating.
Something in me leaned into it before I even understood what that meant.
He tried to push me away.
I didn't let him.
Vuirrmm—
The vibration returned, stronger this time, like the knife itself was reacting.
It didn't matter.
I drove the blade into him again.
And again.
I should have stopped then.
I really should have.
Stab! Stab! Stab!
But I didn't.
Blood sprayed with each motion.
My breath came in harsh bursts.
Huff… Huff…
Something inside me felt like it had been unlocked.
Not created.
Unsealed.
And it wanted more.
It wanted everything.
"Gaa! Gek! Gaa!" Cash gurgled, his body weakening as life drained from him.
His eyes dimmed while I held the knife buried in his throat.
Pant… Pant…
When it was over, I stood slowly.
My body moved before my mind caught up.
I wiped the blade on my shirt without thinking.
Then I looked up.
JT was frozen.
Trembling.
His eyes were wide—bloodshot with fear, hatred, and disbelief—but his body refused to move.
The bat in his hands felt useless now.
Beside him, Buttercup was half-raised, but even she hesitated.
The wind passed over my skin.
Cold.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
Buttercup stared at me.
Her green eyes locked onto mine—and this time there was no anger in them.
Only fear.
She took a step back.
That hit harder than anything else.
Something was wrong.
I lifted a shaking hand toward my face.
Why… why was the world turning purple?
Huff… Huff…
I turned back toward Cash's body.
And that was when it finally caught up to me.
What I had done.
My eyes widened behind the amethyst haze.
"G-god…"
My voice cracked.
My stomach twisted violently as the adrenaline finally collapsed inside me.
I covered my mouth.
"What have I done?"
My fingers twitched at my sides.
Huff… Huff…
I turned slowly toward Buttercup again.
My voice came out smaller than I meant it to.
"I—I didn't mean to—"
Even as I said it, I knew how empty it sounded.
And she knew it too.
Her expression tightened—not with anger, but fear trying to decide what I was.
That look…
It sank into my chest.
Don't… don't look at me like that.
He attacked me first.
He forced me into this.
He—
"Please believe me."
Buttercup didn't move.
"Don't move. Stay right there," she said, raising her arm.
It glowed green.
Bright.
Unmistakable.
Power.
"D-don't… please…"
She looked just as uncertain as I felt.
No longer hiding what she was, she now saw me as something else entirely.
A threat.
And somewhere deep inside—
something that wasn't mine—
hurt.
My chest tightened at the thought that she might actually strike me.
But the world didn't wait for feelings.
The moment had already moved on.
Ding!
Congratulations on completing your first mission.
[Mission: Lover's Shield & Retribution — Complete]
Rewards Granted.
[The Mystic Grade Skill "Gambler's Luck" is now available.]
Your heart rate has triggered a sub-skill:
Lucky Lucky Draw (20% activation chance).
One aspect has advanced (four tiers):
Bloodline Aspect: Anodite (Amateur) → Anodite (Adept) (Temporary Boost: 120%)
(Sent: 47 seconds ago)
I stared at the message.
Anodite.
I knew that name.
It wasn't human.
It wasn't even normal energy.
It was pure magic—raw, unstable, alive.
I slowly looked down at the knife in my hand.
The faint vibration hadn't stopped.
It wasn't a weapon you just carried.
It felt like something that chose to exist.
Energy condensed into a Military-grade blade of black and violet light.
Before I could process that—
another message appeared.
Integrating… Benjamin Tennyson's full memories.
Pain exploded in my skull.
I collapsed slightly, clutching my head as something tore through me from the inside.
Memories that weren't mine flooded in.
A crib.
Warm hands.
A mother's voice.
A father's laugh.
Toys scattered across a floor.
A childhood I had never lived—but now remembered in perfect detail.
My… mine…
All of it.
Mine.
Ding!
[You have received the mission: All Roads Lead to Villainy.]
You have met all requirements to bloom into a budding villain, with the power and background to reach the top—if played right.
Objective 1: Destroy the school.
Objective 2: Survive your first superhero fight.
Objective 3: Don't get thrown in prison.
Failure: −70 Affection (Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup), Villain of the Week status.
(Weekly missions will be limited under this title.)
Rewards:
Healing Spell (Apprentice)
Building Tier (Title) (Ultra Rare)
Mana Amplification (Beginner)
My Hero Academia (World Key)
Status Board (Rare)
Clone Link (Quirk)
(Users: Hikaru Aoyama, background: Random Extra)
Main Menu (Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero)