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The Fall of the Heroes
Blood painted the streets.
Terushima and Konoha lay on the ground, barely conscious, while Daishou struggled to even lift his head. The ambush had been brutal—coordinated, merciless, and designed to break them.
And it had.
The city burned in the distance as villains loomed over them, mocking, sneering.
“Heroes always fall the hardest,” one of them spat, nudging Terushima’s limp form with his foot.
Another scoffed, twirling a blade. “This was almost too easy.”
They didn’t see the figure on the rooftop watching.
Didn’t notice the sharp intake of breath when golden eyes landed on the wreckage of what was left of his people.
Didn’t realize the mistake they had just made.
But they would.
Because Ennoshita Chikara was not a hero.
And he had no intention of playing by their rules.
The Return of the Former Villain
It started with silence.
Then, the air shifted.
One by one, the villains turned, sensing something was off.
And then the first scream rang out.
A shadow moved through the alley, fast and merciless. A villain near the back barely had time to react before something wrapped around his throat and yanked him into the darkness. The others flinched as the sound of bones snapping echoed.
Panic set in.
“The hell was that?”
A figure stepped into the dim light, and the remaining villains froze.
Black boots crunched against shattered glass. A long coat fluttered behind him, streaked with the red of a battle he hadn’t fought for years.
Golden eyes, cold and merciless, swept over the group of villains.
The same golden eyes that once led them.
“…N-Noctus?” one of them whispered.
There was no warmth in the smirk that curled on his lips.
“It’s been a while.”
Lesson in Pain
The first one lunged at him.
The first one fell.
A blade twisted out of their grip before they even had a chance to swing it. A sickening crack followed as Noctus dislocated their arm, sending them screaming to the ground.
The second tried to run.
They didn’t make it far.
Noctus was faster. His boot slammed into their ribs, sending them sprawling. He crouched beside them, gripping their collar.
“Did you think I left this life behind because I was weak?” he whispered, voice deadly calm.
Terror flickered in their eyes.
“No,” he continued, smiling without humor. “I left because I wanted to.”
His grip tightened.
“But I can always come back.”
The villains tried to fight.
They lost.
One by one, they were torn apart—bones shattered, weapons snapped, bodies thrown into the wreckage they had created.
And Ennoshita?
He never stopped.
Not until every last one of them had been reduced to the same helpless state they had left his lovers in.
Not until he made sure they understood what it meant to touch what belonged to him.
The Aftermath
By the time Terushima stirred, the battle was already over.
His vision blurred, but he could make out a familiar figure standing in the middle of the destruction.
“…Chi?”
Noctus—Ennoshita turned at his voice, and for a moment—just a moment—the cold fury in his golden eyes softened to the dark brown eyes that they know and love.
Then he was at Terushima’s side, kneeling, hands ghosting over the bruises and wounds.
“Teru,” he breathed, voice tight.
Terushima managed a weak smile. “You look… scary as hell.”
Ennoshita huffed, pressing a hand to his forehead. “And you look like shit.”
A weak chuckle. “Sounds about right.”
Behind them, Konoha groaned, sitting up with a wince, while Daishou shot Ennoshita a knowing look.
“You went off, didn’t you?” Daishou muttered.
Ennoshita didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
Because the villains scattered around them, groaning in agony, were more than enough proof.
Konoha exhaled, shaking his head. “Well… at least we’re alive.”
Ennoshita said nothing, but the way his grip tightened around Terushima’s hand said everything.
He almost lost them.
And if anyone ever tried to take them away again…
They wouldn’t live to regret it.