Chapter 47: A Nightmare Comes True
"What's your name?" the fat man asked.
"My name?" Akio paused for a moment before answering."The Dark Night."
He didn't bother hiding it. For now, that was the only identity he could use.
The fat man frowned.
"That name sounds ridiculous."
He rubbed his chin before continuing,
"Listen, kid. Don't go looking for death. If you really want to fight here, you should start by challenging some of the lower-ranked fighters."
He shrugged.
"Actually… even they might kill you."
Akio narrowed his eyes.
"You really look down on me that much?"
"It's not that," the fat man replied seriously. "The fighters here aren't easy opponents."
He lowered his voice slightly.
"You think professional heroes are strong, right? The ones running those flashy hero agencies?"
He shook his head.
"They're not the truly dangerous ones."
"The strongest people are the ones hiding in the shadows."
"The ones who stay out of the spotlight."
Akio silently agreed.
In every world, the truly powerful individuals often stayed hidden.
"By the way," Akio said after a moment, "that fighter named Joe Bridge… he sounds like he might be from China."
"Yeah, he is," the fat man said.
"And he's incredibly strong."
Then he stared at Akio.
"Don't tell me you're planning to challenge him."
Akio didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he asked another question.
"Are there any Five Kings matches coming up soon?"
The fat man nodded.
"There is one."
"Tomorrow night at eight."
"The fourth-ranked fighter among the Five Kings—Little Steel Cannon—is scheduled for a match."
"That should be a good fight."
Akio nodded.
"Alright. See you tomorrow."
Without another word, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.
The fat man stared after him.
"Is that guy serious…?"
Akio didn't leave the underground market immediately.
Instead, he wandered around for a while.
Several stalls openly sold guns and ammunition. The business seemed surprisingly active.
However, there appeared to be a rule: anyone who bought a weapon once wouldn't be allowed to buy again.
Akio wasn't interested in any of it.
But just as he was about to leave, he suddenly saw a familiar figure.
Himiko Toga.
Akio froze for a moment.
Why is she here?
He considered going over to say hello.
But the way he was dressed right now made that impossible.
Besides… their last encounter had been awkward.
Akio decided to leave it for another time.
After all, the Five Kings match would take place tomorrow night.
If Toga frequented this place, she would probably appear again.
On his way home, Akio stopped a few street thugs and dealt with them.
By the time he finished, he had earned 100 additional rescue points.
Combined with the rewards from the League of Villains incident, his total had reached 800 rescue points.
For now, Akio didn't plan to buy another Quirk Enhancement Pill.
He still had one from a previous reward.
Besides, as his abilities improved, each upgrade required more experience.
Fighting in underground matches would allow him to train his powers directly.
That would save a lot of resources.
Later that evening, Akio sat on the couch watching the news.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
The caller was All Might.
"Akio, please come to the police station the day after tomorrow," All Might said kindly. "There are still a few matters regarding the recent incident that need to be addressed."
Akio nodded.
"I understand."
"Don't worry," All Might added encouragingly. "You did an excellent job during the attack."
After a short conversation, the call ended.
It was already nine o'clock at night.
Akio thought Sakura should be finishing work around that time.
He walked to the window and looked outside.
Suddenly—
His pupils shrank.
The Fujiwara Convenience Store, where Ying worked…
Was on fire.
"Sister!"
Without hesitation, Akio leaped out the window.
At that moment, he didn't care if anyone saw his abilities.
Sakura's safety mattered far more.
Flames roared violently.
Crowds had gathered outside the store, some people desperately throwing buckets of water onto the fire.
But it barely helped.
No one present had a Quirk capable of controlling flames.
Everyone could only watch helplessly.
Akio pushed through the crowd and rushed straight toward the burning building.
A powerful current of air surrounded him, keeping the flames from touching his body.
Inside the store, he searched frantically.
Please… nothing must happen.
But after ten seconds of searching—
He couldn't find Ying.
Despair crept into his chest.
Just as panic began to overwhelm him, he heard a faint sound coming from the storage room.
Akio rushed toward it immediately.
The door was locked.
That wasn't a problem.
He broke it open instantly.
Inside, Sakura lay weakly on the floor, using a broom to strike the door in desperation.
Akio's eyes immediately filled with tears.
He lifted her into his arms.
Without wasting another second, he smashed through the warehouse wall and sprinted toward the nearest hospital.
Akio moved like a streak of lightning through the city.
His speed easily surpassed the flow of traffic.
Within minutes, he arrived at the hospital.
He handed Ying to the doctors and waited outside the emergency room.
His mind raced.
A convenience store doesn't just catch fire for no reason.
And Sakura had been locked inside the storage room.
This was clearly intentional.
Someone had set the fire.
But why?
Akio's thoughts slowly formed a terrifying possibility.
Was this meant to lure me out?
Or maybe it was simply a test…
A test to see whether Ying was someone important to him.
Akio clenched his fists tightly.
"Whoever did this…"
"You've crossed my line."
"And you will pay for it with your life."
Thirty minutes later, the emergency room door opened.
Akio rushed forward.
"How is my sister?"
The doctor removed his mask.
"She's not in danger."
"She inhaled too much smoke and lost consciousness, but her condition is stable."
"She'll need to stay in the hospital for observation for a few days."
Akio finally exhaled.
"Thank you, doctor."
The doctor waved casually before leaving.
Akio leaned against the wall and slowly sat down.
The heavy weight in his chest finally eased.
After a moment, he stood up and walked toward the payment counter to handle hospital admission.
But deep inside his mind—
The anger was still burning.
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