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CHAPTER START---
"Is this why you brought me along?" Ryukyu asks, currently in her dragon form soaring through the cold night sky.
Above Tokyo prefecture, they were currently heading toward the countryside, where a few private runways and hangars were located.
But as the woman was flying, she had Horizon sitting on her back. Sword and Hoverboard at his side as he uses the hologram projected by the watch Mei gave him, finding more information on their target.
"What are you talking about?" Horizon asks, his voice only reaching her through their advanced communication devices, otherwise, the wind would overpower them.
"Do you know how many people ask me to give them a ride each week?"
"Don't see how that's my problem, or why they'd care."
"Everyone wants to ride a dragon," Ryukyu was clearly annoyed just thinking about it."My Hoverboard is faster than you for the record, I'm just doing this so I can focus on getting more research. Also, you aren't a dragon."
"Excuse me, I'm literally a dragon right now!"
"Nope, can't breathe fire. Not a dragon, just a lizard with wings..."
"I am a dragon, you're being ridiculous."
"When you can breathe fire, then you can call yourself a dragon."
"Mmm," Ryukyu grumbles. "I'm not taking criticism on how accurate the name of my Quirk is, from a guy that names his 'Hand of God', atleast mine isn't offensive."
"Rather arrogant to assume it refers to your god, don't you think?"
"Rather arrogant to call yourself a god, don't you think?"
"Yeah but unlike you, mine is accurate, plus I'm only 16. I've barely begun tapping into what my Quirk can do, but you're 26 and can't even breathe fire...dragon, sure."
"Ugh, that's not how dragons work! I literally look and fight like a dragon!"
"Just a gecko with wings Kyukyu."
"How are you so annoying?!"
"Practice..."
"Ugh!" Ryukyu groans. "Did you atleast find anything on there?"
"Yeah, got an ID for our actual target, the distributor was coming in for a meeting with the head of an underground chemicals lab."
"Drug lab?"
"Nope, think C4 + Nerve Agents..."
"What? How has this guy gone unnoticed until now?"
"Because he pays the right people and has discrete, professional clients," including Arsenal for the past decade. "But we're on him now, he's done."
"If he's so insulated then how'd you find him?"
"Because I know people who know people too," Horizon says.
He'd made a few calls around the underworld and unsurprisingly, a lot of people weren't a fan of this newly weaponized version of Trigger being used on their men without their permission.
He simply chose the wrong test subjects. Pissed off the wrong people, and they offered him up to Horizon.
"Well then, let's hope your connections are as reliable as you are."
"I got a name for his jet," Horizon says as they see the runway in the distance. "It's...the one that just took off..."
"Seriously, damn it," Ryukyu looks into the distance to see it already in the air about to pass over a bridge connecting where the runway is, to a small island off the shore of Tokyo.
"Chase it."
"I can't fly that fast, and neither can your board."
"Yeah but he isn't up to full speed yet, and is still in my range."
"Yeah just warp him out of the plane," Ryukyu says as she begins flying after the plane, intent to keep Horizon in whatever range he had.
"Where's the fun in that?" Horizon chuckles as he reaches out, as if gripping the air with his hand. "Hand of GOD, remember?"
TAKT!
And the closer they got, the wider Ryukyu's eyes opened.
Seeing videos and pictures of Horizon ripping buildings or objects out of the ground was one thing, but witnessing firsthand him bringing a jet from mid-flight to being frozen in the air, from almost 10 miles away at that.
It was awe-inspiring, beautiful, wonderous, beyond humbling, and truly terrifying.
As if God reached down and held the jet with his own hand, power beyond comprehension, especially considering all the things she's heard and seen Horizon do.
When they got closer he tilts the jet so the nose was pointing directly down at the ocean, as he brings it close to the bridge for he and Ryukyu to land.
"You ok back there?"
"I'm just perfect," Horizon growls our, trying to sound strong but the searing pain in his skull was too much. He was currently leaning forward pressing down on Ryukyu with both hands as he focused on the jet.
Stopping fast-moving objects was always difficult, the heavier they were the more difficult. And keeping them in one piece, well that was usually a whole new problem.
But with the difficulty of his new additions, also came benefits.
Not 'stronger' in the usual sense. The upper limits of his power are completely unchanged. The road to get there has only been made shorter.
While he would have entered his prime at above thirty years old, now he can reach it that much sooner, in only a few years. The slowly growing battery that is Horizon has now become an exponentially expanding nuclear reactor, brimming with power much sooner than even he expected.
But that still didn't help the growing pains.
"You don't sound alright," Ryukyu says.
"Just land on the bridge, let's talk to the target."
'I guess he's not as perfect as I thought, but as he said, he's still only 16...so for now, even god bleeds. Also, 'target', how come he isn't saying 'Villain'. How strange for a Hero.'
Landing on the bridge Ryukyu stays in her large dragon form while Horizon hops off.
Thankfully the bridge was deserted this late at night, and Horizon just raised his hand and casually rotated the jet so the pilots were now facing the bridge.
Both men were holding onto their seatbelts for dear life, completely horrified at the situation they were in.
Naturally, they weren't overjoyed to be floating above the ocean like this, staring down into the dark water two hundred feet below the bridge.
But Horizon wasn't interested in them, not in the least.
Giving them a casual wave he makes a spinning gesture with his hand as the plane begins to rotate so they couldn't see the bridge.
After all eyes from the place were averted, he takes out on of his cards and throws it onto the sidewalk of the bridge.
SHAMBLES!
"I surrender!" was the first thing the short and thin man screamed, hands raised high as he looks at Ryukyu. Then his eyes fall to Horizon and he looks about ready to cry. Clearly more afraid of the god than the dragon.
Something that doesn't go unnoticed by her, as it is quite rare for her not to be the main point of fear during interrogations. The only time that wasn't the case is when she worked with Endeavor.
"Who were you making the super concentrated Trigger for?"
"..." The man wisely keeps his mouth shut.
"Fine, the hard way is it," Horizon reaches out to grab the man only for Ryukyu to speak up.
"Stop! Further interrogations should be left to the police. They'll be here in a few minutes."
"Oh please, you don't survive the underworld as long as him without being able to take some lukewarm police questioning," Horizon immediately reaches out and grabs the man by the shirt. "Tell me about the trigger, or I'll drop you."
"Drop me?" The man asks.
Horizon immediately lifts him up with one hand and holds him out above the ocean.
"Horizon!" Ryukyu calls out, about to intervene. "That's enough!"
"Just stay back and watch!" Horizon's tone actually makes her quiet down immediately. "This is how you get results."
"No, you can't do this!" The man screams while nearly trying to wrap his entire body around Horizon's outstretched arm. "You're a Hero, you aren't allowed to do this!"
"Idiot, you're a villain. Nobody really cares about you, plus. I'm not just a Hero, I'm Horizon. That means I, can do whatever I want, now, talk."
"I'll lose my business if I talk!" The man screams out, still holding on for dear life.
"Hmm, true. And I see that you're a man of your word. I can respect that, but so am I."
"WhAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" the man's confusion becomes terror as Horizon drops him over the side.
Ryukyu raises her wings, ready to fly down and save him, only for Horizon to turn around before she can do anything.
"You stay put!" he commands, pointing directly at her. And she wisely obeys.
"He's scared enough you can warp him back up now!" Ryukyu insists.
"Don't be silly," Horizon says, then a moment later he warps the initial card back into his hand. Then throws is onto the sidewalk. "Shambles."
The broken villain warps onto the floor. Both legs were broken and one arm was twisted, covered in freezing cold seawater, some of which he was coughing up.
Reaching down, to the villain and Ryukyu's horror. Horizon grabs him by a broken leg and holds him over the railing.
"Another dip?"
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" the man immediately cracks. "It was some kind of contest."
"Contest?"
"Lots of labs around the world were supposedly in on it! Strongest Trigger formula gets the money, but I lost!"
"What else do you know about it?"
"A lab from Europe may have won but it was all anonymous! I swear that's all I know! Please believe me!"
"I believe you," Horizon tosses the man onto the sidewalk.
And with this little experience, it all clicked in Ryukyu's mind.
She knew this was what the media would never see, what she'd never tell them for fear of angering Horizon or his followers.
But this was the truth.
'Guardian Deity', it sounds so majestic and benevolent.
It was the façade he plays for the cameras.
But now she knows better, Horizon isn't that kind of god.
He's all old testament.
Fire, blood, rage.
Results by any means necessary.
And when a man has potentially enough power to fight the world...it's very hard to sleep at night knowing he's out there... knowing that should he ever switch sides, you'd be on the short list of people sent to bring him down.
Sent to die against him...
END CHAPTER---