"Don't hog the dance too long, Mineta-kun~," Toga cooed, her voice dripping with playful menace.
Before either of them could react, she lunged. Her feet barely touched the ground as she propelled herself toward them, eyes locked with hunger.
Mineta's swords rose just in time. The sewers vibrated with the impact, a sharp reminder of how deadly serious the game had become.
Kota flinched as the sound ripped through the air.
Where the hell is backup? he thought, panic crawling up his spine.
He'd contacted Sato minutes ago, but there was still no sign of them. That silence was becoming a problem. A big one.
Desperate to help, Kota took a step forward, but Mineta snapped at him.
"Stay back, Kota!" he barked, his eyes never leaving Toga.
And then it hit him.
She wasn't aiming for him.
She was circling, weaving around his defenses, not trying to outfight him, but to outmaneuver him.
Her real target… was Kota.
Mineta's gut twisted.
Kota was injured. Slower than usual. Unable to fully defend himself. And that fact alone had already begun to cost Mineta, his focus divided, his movements tighter, more cautious. He was fighting not just Toga… but the reality that Kota was a liability he couldn't afford to lose.
Toga smiled, eyes wide with delight as she slashed again, this time slipping past Mineta's guard by a hair's breadth.
Mineta gritted his teeth.
He had to end this. Fast.
"Enhancement Level Three…" Mineta's voice cut through the air, low and focused, as the belt at his waist lit up once more, glowing with pulsing energy.
The light bathed the sewer in a violet hue.
Toga halted mid-movement, cocking her head. Then, with a sudden burst of giddy excitement, she began hopping in place like a child on Christmas morning.
"Oh wow, Mineta-kun~," she squealed, her voice laced with a twisted, lustful edge. "You had something more for me? That's so sweet!"
Mineta's expression darkened.
"Shut up," he snapped, his voice sharp and venomous. "You disgust me. Don't say my name like that."
Toga's grin faltered for a second. Just a flicker. But it was there.
Then his transformation began.
The once bouncy, compact spheres of his hair began to unravel, stretching into long, silky strands, smooth yet coiled like vines, writhing with power.
Kota stared, frozen.
What the hell is going on? The thought screamed through his mind, louder than any words he could muster. Since when could Mineta do that?
But Toga? She looked like she had just tasted ecstasy.
"I knew it, Mineta-kun~," she said, twitching with delight, her voice breathless and her eyes wide with obsession. "You're finally showing me everything you have to offer… Truly, a man in love~."
Mineta didn't blink.
"Sorry for the delusion."
That was all he said.
And somehow, that hit harder than a punch to the face.
Toga's breath hitched. A blush crept across her cheeks, coloring her face in a way that was both disturbingly innocent and entirely deranged.
"Oh my~," she moaned, visibly trembling. "I think I got a little wet~… You sound so confident."
Mineta stepped forward, shadows dancing behind him as his vine-like hair twisted and coiled around his arms.
"Let's see if you're still smiling after this."
Toga looked up at him, her smile stretching wide.
"Since you're giving me your all… I should do the same, Mineta-kyun~."
Her body began to change—not into Mineta, or any of the expected forms the heroes had braced for over the years—but into something else entirely.
Her back arched unnaturally as fabric tore. A long, reptilian tail slashed free from beneath her robes, writhing like it had a mind of its own. Her fingernails extended into curved talons. Her pupils split down the center, serpentine and gleaming. Her tongue darted out—long, forked, alien.
What stood before them was no longer a girl.
But something in between.
Half-human.
Half-snake.
Mineta's jaw clenched as he studied the transformation.
A metamorph quirk? He muttered internally, mind racing. This isn't Toga's quirk. Not even close.
So she wasn't the Himiko Toga.
But then why—
A memory surged back,
"Don't be mean~ I didn't pick this look. It was gifted to me."
Her tone had shifted back then. Less playful. More… reverent.
His stomach dropped.
The cult.
Someone had given her that name, given her that face.
But why?
What the hell were they trying to recreate?
Toga, no, whatever she was, arched her back and threw her arms wide like a performer stepping onto stage. Sewer light flickered off her scales as she twirled, euphoric in her monstrosity.
"Let's put on a good show, my loved one~!" she sang out, spinning to face them both. "Ahhh, I love you so much I could strangle you to death!"
Then her gaze fixed on Mineta.
Her body snapped forward.
And she screamed—
"Join me in this performance, my beloved!"
The moment shattered.
She launched herself at him, claws flashing, tail lashing behind her with the force of a whip. The air snapped as she moved—faster now, unhinged and deadly.
Mineta braced himself, his hair coiling tighter around his arms.
This wasn't a fight anymore.
It was a stage drenched in bloodlust.
And he was the center spotlight.
Meanwhile, Somewhere in the Sewers
Sato sprinted through the damp, echoing tunnels, eyes darting around for any sign of that purple blur of a bastard.
Damn it, where did Mineta go? he thought, frustration clawing at his nerves.
He'd been searching nonstop since he received the signal, but something felt off. The silence. The tension in the air. Like the sewers themselves were holding their breath.
His gut twisted. Something's happening up ahead.
Before he could take another step, a sudden wave of flames roared toward him.
"Shit—!" he cursed, yanking his coat up just in time. The specialized support gear flared to life, absorbing the heat as fire licked around him, lighting the tunnel in a hellish glow.
Mineta's not the only one in trouble.
From the swirling smoke, a man emerged—cloaked in a long, tattered red robe, hands still smoldering with residual fire.
"Bold of you to attack a police detective," Sato growled, lowering his coat and narrowing his eyes. "Who the hell are you?"
The hooded figure tilted his head, voice low and calm.
"The name's Dabi."
And just like that, Sato knew this wasn't just a rescue mission anymore.