The beam hit the ground before Rinne could even scream.
But it never touched her.
Because Aze was already there.
A shockwave ripped across the plaza as he appeared between her and the erasing light, arms outstretched, body taking the full force of the attack.
Air warped.
The ground fractured beneath his feet.
A flash of silver swallowed everything.
Then—
Silence.
Dust drifted through the air.
Rinne blinked, trembling, staring at the unmoving silhouette standing in front of her.
"A-Aze…?"
He didn't turn around.
His coat was shredded.
His arms were steaming.
Small bits of him—actual pieces—were flickering like glitched pixels.
But he was still standing.
Barely.
All Might stared in horror.
"That beam… it didn't just burn him. It tried to erase him."
Aze exhaled slowly.
Pain poured through every nerve in his body like molten metal.
But he forced his voice steady.
"Rinne… are you hurt?"
She shook her head quickly.
"No—no, I'm fine, you idiot! That beam— it— it almost—"
Her voice cracked, and she grabbed his sleeve.
"I thought you were gone…"
Aze didn't answer.
He couldn't.
Not without letting something break inside him.
Above them, the tear in the sky pulsed.
The Redactor's eye narrowed.
And the girl—his sister—lowered her hand mechanically, her expression blank, almost doll-like.
—TARGET LOCATION CONFIRMED—
—REPEAT ERASURE PROTOCOL—
Aze's jaw clenched.
"No. You're not touching her again."
The air shimmered as he pulled Rinne gently behind him.
She grabbed his coat again.
"Aze… what's happening? Why is your sister with that thing?"
Aze swallowed hard.
"She's not with it."
He looked up at the floating girl.
"She's being used by it."
The sky rippled at his words, as if the Redactor reacted.
The girl lifted her hand again, another circle of erasing light forming.
Aze's eyes hardened.
"Stop."
For a moment—just a moment—the girl hesitated.
Her fingers trembled.
Rinne whispered:
"She can hear you…"
Aze took a step forward.
"Sera… if you're in there… look at me."
The girl's gaze shifted slightly.
Barely.
But it shifted.
Her lips parted.
"A…ze…"
Aze's chest tightened.
"She recognized you!" Rinne gasped.
But the Redactor's voice slammed into every mind present.
—INTERRUPTION DETECTED—
—CORRECTING—
The girl's expression snapped back to empty.
Her hand stabilized.
Aze's hope turned to fire.
He glared up at the tear.
"You're using her like a puppet. And you think I'll let you?"
—YOU ARE AN ERROR—
—ALL ERRORS MUST BE REMOVED—
"Try."
Aze's aura surged.
Reality bent under his feet.
Midoriya watched in awe.
"He's… he's going to fight that thing head-on."
All Might stepped forward, voice tight.
"Aze! Don't be reckless! We don't even know what that entity is capable of!"
Aze didn't look back.
"I know exactly what it can do."
He raised one hand toward the sky.
"And I'm done running from it."
The Redactor reacted instantly.
The sky turned white.
A barrage of erasing beams rained downward like a meteor shower.
Students screamed and scattered.
Teachers threw up barriers.
Aze didn't move.
Not until the last second.
Then—
He snapped his fingers.
Reality folded like paper.
Every erasing beam bent away from the students and teachers, curving harmlessly into the empty sky.
Rinne stared up at him, voice trembling.
"No one else can fight that thing but you, can they?"
Aze didn't answer.
He was already rising into the air, eyes locked on the tear.
He spoke quietly, but the words echoed like thunder:
"Sera… I'm coming."
Author's Note
Aze tanked an erasure beam, Sera briefly recognized him, and now he's going to fight the Redactor directly!
Want Chapter 9?