Capítulo 32: The new technique and the fight with the monster.
Toga, walking home with Kimika, the love of her life, after yet another mission, was thinking about what to do next. For the most part, she was content with these tasks, especially since she got to spend all this time with Kimika. But these missions were starting to feel like a routine, and she longed for new experiences.
No matter how hard she tried to persuade Kimika into something new and more exciting, Kimika always refused, not wanting to take on more serious matters because she enjoyed the fact that their current tasks were fairly easy and safe. As Toga thought about how she might convince her friend to do something new... something more... risky, a good idea suddenly came to her.
Due to their popularity and reputation, many criminals started impersonating them, wearing similar masks, taking their names, and accepting the same kinds of tasks they typically did.
To her surprise, the number of similar tasks didn't decrease, but actually grew, while the price kept dropping. The quantity of these tasks increased to such an extent that Toga began to suspect some of them could be traps set by detectives actively trying to catch them.
She even discussed this with their broker, who hesitated at first, but over time, it became so obvious that he stopped hesitating once some of his clients were caught in broad daylight, right in the middle of the street, shortly after completing a task.
Therefore, Giran decided to give them assignments only from trusted sources. He wasn't willing to lose Kimika or Toga, who not only brought him considerable profit but also strengthened his reputation in certain circles.
But these impersonations often crossed a line that Toga and Kimika themselves had never crossed: some people recorded videos of their "feats" and passed themselves off as the originals, while others committed crimes, including murders. Some of these actions even began to be attributed to Toga and Kimika because of their striking resemblance to them.
For Toga, this was not only beneficial, but also opened up the opportunity to try and set a trap for Kimika, pushing her to agree to take on new tasks.
"Kimi, I have a question for you," Toga began with a smile. Her light, slightly playful gait always made Kimika feel on edge, anticipating something sneaky.
"What is it? If it's about us starting something more serious and dangerous again, I'll just say no right away," Kimika responded firmly, already used to such conversations. She knew that Toga was constantly trying to persuade her into more risky tasks that could lead to serious injuries or even death for people. It went against her principles, which she stubbornly held onto, even though she had been a criminal for several months now, and her principles were starting to lose their original strength.
"Hey, why are you jumping to conclusions so quickly? Although..., as always, you guessed right, but this time only halfway," Toga smiled slightly, tilting her head and looking away, as if admitting to a small wrongdoing. "You know, our popularity is growing... There are a lot of criminals now who started impersonating us... But they don't know our true goal, why we started all this. And what's worse — they're actively violating our principles. They're killing, causing serious harm, filming videos like it's some kind of entertainment, passing themselves off as us."
"Yeah... I know..." Kimika sighed heavily, lowering her gaze. It upset her that their reputation had attracted such people. They had seen them on the streets more than once, robbing ordinary people while wearing identical masks to theirs.
"What if we took a slightly different approach?" Toga began, leading Kimika toward her idea in a way that wouldn't raise suspicion. "We've done a lot of bad things: robbing, sometimes hurting people... But what if we tried to do something good? Think about it, if we, the originals, start catching these impostors and handing them over to the heroes, it could make them stop. It would be a kind of justice, right?" Toga tilted her head slightly, musing out loud. "We could even partially side with the good... yeah, of course, in our own style. It would be something new and interesting, not to mention that if we showed ourselves in a different light, maybe people's attitudes toward us would change."
She paused, carefully watching Kimika's reaction. Kimika was silent, but doubt was visible in her eyes — she was clearly hesitant. Toga noticed this and smiled softly, as if she had expected just this kind of response. She knew that just these words might not be enough, so she decided to use her most powerful weapon — reminding Kimika of her dream and her goal.
"Kimi," Toga continued quietly but insistently, "I remember how you used to dream of becoming a real hero, something you told me during every one of our meetings. You always wanted to bring justice to this strange world. I know that was important to you... And even if everything has changed now, don't you think it's worth trying to do something good, just once?" Her voice sounded as if it wasn't just a suggestion, but a reminder of who Kimika used to be and what she had truly aspired to.
It really worked. The last traces of doubt disappeared from Kimika's face, which pleased Toga immensely. Kimika, no longer hesitating, though she understood that Toga wouldn't have proposed this without some personal gain — since she probably didn't care much about the impostors — still resolutely said:
"Yes, if we catch them, we can do something truly good. And we can show that even criminals can have their own sense of justice and principles!"
Listening to Kimika's words, Toga once again reflected on her partner. She couldn't help but feel how innocent Kimika still was, despite the fact that they stood on the same dark path of crime. But what touched Toga the most was the determination with which Kimika tried to bring even a little bit of good into this world, despite their roles as criminals.
It hurt her a little that Kimika had to choose this path. If their fates hadn't crossed, maybe Kimika could have become the hero she dreamed of, bringing smiles, justice, and hope to the world. Toga felt a mixture of sadness and regret, but she also understood: their meeting wasn't a coincidence. Something deep inside convinced her that this was an inevitable turn, that it was meant to be this way.
They had found each other exactly when they needed to, and now, there was only one way forward—embracing this dark, yet shared path.
The next day, Toga and Kimika took on a new mission—destroying an amusement park. Working in sync and silently, Toga assigned Kimika the task of neutralizing a guard, allowing her to act alone and hone her skills. Kimika handled it successfully and carefully, causing no serious harm to the guard.
Left alone in the park, they didn't rush to destroy the attractions right away. With a sly smile, Toga suggested they first enjoy all the fun rides. And so began their playful adventure: each attraction captivated them more and more.
They rode the roller coasters, laughed on the carousels, and tried every ride they encountered. So immersed were they in the excitement that for a moment, the girls forgot about their task, completely lost in the carefree fun the night offered them.
But when it came time to act, they felt a twinge of sadness: they had genuinely enjoyed the park and understood that they were destroying something that brought joy, not just to them, but to others as well. Nevertheless, the mission remained a mission.
After they had destroyed the equipment and damaged the key mechanisms, rendering the park inoperable, they left their first signature, not just with their names, but with a short message. It expressed how sorry they were to carry out this task, but that circumstances forced them to see it through to the end.
Having agreed to the mission, they knew they had to complete it, though, had they known how much fun they would have in the park, they would have refused. To show their sincerity, the girls left the signature using only a graffiti spray can, with Toga refraining from using blood for the first time. After finishing the mission, they stood in front of the camera and bowed as a sign of apology.
Changing into spare clothes they carried with them, Toga and Kimika began patrolling the areas where they often spotted their impersonators, with the goal of neutralizing them.
Their search turned out to be much easier than they expected: not only did they find their impersonators, but they also became their victims. These imitators, not recognizing their inspirations, dragged the girls into a dark alley.
It was a gang of five, wearing masks that closely resembled their own. However, the imitators' masks lacked certain details that each girl had left on the other's mask: Tsukima's mask had markings of Tokima, and Tokima's mask had Tsukima's.
"Guys, look how lucky we are to have such beauties! And they're fans of Tsukima and Tokima just like us. Well, I guess you won't mind having some fun in their honor!" one of them said, licking his lips. At his words, the other four laughed, feeling as though they had received a gift from fate.
At these words, Toga felt an overwhelming urge to kill the five of them in the most brutal ways she knew, for daring to speak to them like this, and most importantly, for having the audacity to say such things to Kimika.
Kimika, however, wasn't troubled by their words. Instead, she focused on how to neutralize these people as quickly as possible, feeling an immense sense of excitement. But now, that excitement wasn't as intense as it once was. Having gone through countless challenges, she had grown accustomed to danger and knew that if anything went wrong, her friend Toga would always be there to help.
Yet, Kimika was more concerned for these five. If she didn't neutralize them faster than Toga, then her friend wouldn't hesitate to destroy them in a way that they would never be able to speak again, assuming, of course, they survived the night.
And just as the five of them began contemplating what to do with the girls, each of them noticed the gaze of the one who had been hiding behind her friend just moments ago, a gaze that only added to her charm, making her an incredibly sweet prey.
Now, she looked at them as if she were peering into their very souls. Especially her left eye, which began to glow with a cold, icy blue hue.
In that moment, they all noticed that their own bodies started to glow with the same chilling blue color, and they felt an overwhelming sense of slowing down.
All their senses screamed at them to run. The five of them, feeling this unsettling premonition, slowly began to retreat, trying to comprehend what exactly they were fleeing from. Even their quirks activated on their own, as if attempting to protect their masters, but it had no effect.
The girl, with incredible speed and red light pulsing throughout her body, lunged into the attack, striking with unbelievable precision. Two of them instantly lost consciousness from a powerful blow to the liver, while the other two barely kept their feet, preparing to fall.
But the next series of strikes from Kimika to their heads immediately knocked them unconscious, freeing them from the pain. Only one large man, whose quirk enhanced his body, stood still, barely feeling the impact of the blows.
He stepped back, pulling a few pills from his pocket and quickly swallowing them. As he did, it seemed like he was starting to transform.
With an incredible surge of power triggered by the enhancement, he instantly freed himself from Kimika's slowing effect, but his body began to writhe in pain. Around him, a shell began to form, a mixture of stone, wood, and metal.
These materials continued to envelop him in layers, and though he was already large and muscular, he now grew almost twice, if not three times, his original size, becoming even stronger and covered in a variety of materials.
Seeing the transformed man, Kimika felt a wave of fear wash over her. She stepped back slightly, just in time to hear a piercing scream from him. His red eyes burned like those of a bull targeting its prey. Without a moment's hesitation, he charged at her, like a living projectile.
His power struck Kimika, knocking her off her feet and throwing her to the ground. But he didn't stop there: after flying several more meters, unable to stop, he gave her the chance to quickly get back on her feet.
Kimika tried again to apply the slowing effect to her opponent, but its effect instantly vanished, almost as if it dissolved into the air. Realizing that the situation was getting out of control, she immediately activated even more acceleration on herself, allowing her to dodge the red charge.
She realized that she was facing an opponent under the influence of an incredible amount of Trigger, likely with an extraordinarily high dose purity, which should have killed him instantly after taking such a large amount. However, for some unknown reason, not only could he still move, but he was actively trying to ram her, despite the consequences.
Successfully dodging, Kimika began striking pressure points that were supposed to cause incredible pain to her opponent, as Toga had told her. However, the blows had no effect.
The situation was growing more difficult: Kimika began to feel fatigue, with each strike her strength waning, while her opponent only grew stronger and more aggressive under the influence of Trigger. His relentless rage was escalating, and it seemed he felt no pain, instead feeding off the sensation of power.
But she couldn't afford to lose. So Kimika decided to use a secret technique she had created during training with Toga.
It was the "Echo Strike, a technique that involved landing blows and freezing their effects. Throughout the process, she would accumulate more and more strikes, and then release them all at once, or release a few, inflicting incredible pain on her opponent.
Relentlessly striking pain points, Kimika continued to accumulate more and more blows. She actively dodged his attacks, not even using her future vision. His strikes were wild, without any strategy, resembling the fight of a beast acting purely on instinct.
Each of his blows left impressive marks — craters in the ground formed by the force of his strikes, and his speed was so high that it seemed as though he was tearing through the air.
But thanks to her sparring experience with Toga, Kimika could see the direction of his attacks and easily dodged them. Her movements were almost invisible, and her counterattacks were precise and quick, which only fueled her enemy's rage. This "monster" became even more aggressive, but that only worsened the situation for him.
Continuing to strike the pain points, Kimika accumulated more and more blows, preparing for their immediate release. She knew that if the left horn exceeded the limit, she wouldn't be able to freeze the consequences of the strikes without affecting her own body.
The right horn was also approaching the critical threshold. Feeling that she was about to surpass the limit, Kimika suddenly jumped back, distancing herself from her opponent. With a wide grin on her face, she released all the accumulated strikes with a single symbolic snap of her fingers — she could have done it without the gesture. And the number of strikes was almost reaching a hundred.
At that moment, behind the one who had recently seemed like an immovable rock under her stronger attacks, a shockwave erupted, causing the very ground beneath him to crack.
At the same time, he was thrown several meters back and crashed to the ground with a loud thud, making the earth tremble. Blood poured from his mouth, and massive holes appeared in his body where the numerous strikes had landed, tearing through his armor.
When he fell, the man felt no pain from the blows, even though he could see the breaches in the layers of material that covered him. All his thoughts were focused solely on how to destroy this girl.
As he tried to rise, he felt something strange in his body, and in that instant, he vomited a large amount of blood and food he had consumed throughout the day.
But despite this and the increasing pain he was starting to feel, he wiped his mouth and stood up, preparing for his next charge. As he ran toward the girl, he suddenly felt a heaviness in his legs and dizziness in his head. Losing his balance, he stumbled a few steps toward Kimika and lost consciousness.
Seeing what had happened, Kimika felt an incredible joy — she had managed to win this tough fight. Although her left eye had already surpassed its limit and her right was close to the limit, she felt a sense of satisfaction that she had finally used this technique in a real battle, not just on walls or dummies.
Kimika didn't even think about how badly her opponent might have suffered. She didn't feel any sadness; this opponent had wanted to kill her throughout the entire fight, and if she had been even a little slower, taking even a single hit, she would likely have died instantly or become a lifelong.
Breathing heavily, Kimika stood up and looked at the person who had been watching the entire fight without helping her — Toga.
Toga, who had been observing the battle, watched with awe as her friend neutralized two opponents and then successfully handled two more. During the fight with the giant, Toga had wanted to intervene, but in Kimika's eyes, she saw something she had never noticed before — a thirst for battle, a flame in her eyes, and an unwavering desire for victory.
She forced herself to believe that Kimika would win this battle. It was a chance to test how effective their training had been. Toga stubbornly turned away from her doubts and focused on the results. Now, it all depended on whether Kimika could apply all the skills she had learned in practice, whether she could overcome this opponent and demonstrate what she had achieved. Toga watched, confident that Kimika had every chance of victory.
When Kimika used one of the techniques she had never applied in real battles before, Toga felt that it was an incredibly powerful move against such opponents with remarkable defenses.
However, Kimika's principles had prevented her from fully trusting this power in all her past battles. Nevertheless, seeing what Kimika was capable of, Toga briefly imagined that if she could land enough strikes on the world's strongest hero — Almighty, perhaps she could deliver a blow that could cause incredible damage to the invincible hero.
But she quickly dismissed the idea, knowing the strength of this hero; he would most likely never allow even a single blow to land on him, let alone enough to win.
When the battle ended, Toga felt Kimika's sharp gaze on her, as if asking why she hadn't come to help in such a dangerous fight, where she could have died. She saw the worry in Kimika's eyes, but didn't show it. Approaching her, Toga maintained her carefree demeanor, as though nothing had happened.
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The "Echo Strike" super technique that allows Kimika to seemingly freeze her strikes, causing her opponent to feel neither pain nor the repelling impulse. She can accumulate these "frozen" strikes indefinitely, as long as her horn's energy doesn't run out. Then, in an instant, she can "unfreeze" all the strikes at once, at her will. To do this, she doesn't need to perform any symbolic gestures, like snapping her fingers (as she did to show off) or utter epic phrases, because all it takes is a single thought about the unfreezing.
Just like other heroes who have super technique where they shout phrases or make gestures, our heroine should have something similar! After all, she's no worse than them!
I also want to inform you that two chapters come out every day on my Patreon! Here, only one is released, but on my Patreon — there are two a day, hee-hee-hee. Come by so you don't miss new chapters and can read them faster than anyone else! patreon.com/Zoi4erom
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REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
Zoi4erom
Zoi4erom The Cat in the mask is incredibly happy that the idea for the "Echo Strike" technique came to his mind, and now the eye of manipulation with the past no longer seems so useless!
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