Another day, another walk home with the usual distractions.
A break.
Ah, wait, no. That would be too kind.
Nendou's walking too close again. His thoughts are loud that I dont even need telepathy, his shoes are louder, and for some reason, he smells like canned tuna.
"Nendou, you're getting too close," I said.
"Haha! You always say the funniest stuff, buddy!" he grinned.
I wasn't joking.
On my other side, Kaidou was muttering nonsense under his breath again. Something about the Jet-Black Wings and the Dark Reunion. He's been especially dramatic lately. I blame the crossover.
"Saiki," Kaidou whispered, eyes darting. "There's a disturbance in the air. A ripple in the cursed mana. It's begun."
Yes, the ripple of my patience is wearing thin.
And just when I thought this couldn't get any dumber—
"HYAAAHHHH!"
A scream echoed through the alley up ahead.
"Was that... someone in trouble?" Kaidou said, suddenly serious.
Nendou perked up. "Whoa! Sounds like a fight! Let's check it out, buddy!"
"I vote no," I said. But it was too late. They were already running ahead.
I sighed and followed.
---
--- Alleyway ---
Seconds later.
Standing in the middle of the chaos:
Shadow, cape fluttering, pointing dramatically at a girl.
"I am Shadow… the one who lurks in the shadows, hunts the shadows, and slays the darkness that hides in plain sight.
I am the cold steel beneath the silence, the unseen blade that severs fate.
To the world, I am nothing—
But in nothingness, I am everything."
Silence...
The wind physically paused to decide if it should keep blowing..
In front of him, the girl clutched a staff the size of her self-esteem and was yelling incantations at a random, highly suspicious-looking guy who clearly just tripped over a bush and started glowing for no reason.
Yes. That guy is Shadow.
Wait, who's this little girl?
"I am the Arch Wizard of the Crimson Magic Clan, wielder of explosion magic!
The strongest and most feared magic—Explosion—is my sole specialty!
I am Megumin!"
Shadow replied with happiness. "EXPLOSION! Perhaps you and I are alike. "
Ah. A grown man and a 14-year-old yelling about blowing stuff up. Totally normal.
Yep. A little girl and a grown man are 2 sides of 1 coin.
One very cursed coin.
Kaidou's eyes went wide. "They're... they're like me."
No. There's no such thing as a three-sided coin.
Shadow's eyes glowed like someone just dimmed the room for dramatic effect. "You… sense the power too."
Kaidou nodded. "I am the Jet-Black Wings. I walk the twilight between dimensions. I—"
"We are the same," Shadow nodded solemnly.
Megumin jumped in. "I AM THE CRIMSON DEMON ARCHMAGE, WIELDER OF THE ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION SPELL—EXPLOSION!"
Silence...
"I walk the path no light dares touch, shaping the world from its hidden seams.
Remember this name, for I am the shadow that casts judgment…
I…
am…
Atomic."
"Heh… So the Dark Reunion finally dares to reveal itself once more..."
Don't dignify them and join.
Fools. You stand before the Jet-Black Wings—
Bearer of the cursed seal, chosen by fate to seal your darkness for eternity!
I've trained in secret, awakened new power… and now, I shall unleash it upon you!"
(Pauses, waiting for gasps. Silence.)
Kaidou (quietly):
"…Saiki, back me up here."
I need to get Kaido out of here before the situation escalates even more.
"Wait," Kaidou said. "Why were you screaming earlier?"
Shadow frowned. "The cursed beast ambushed us."
Megumin pointed. "It was a cat."
"It was very aggressive," Shadow added.
Saiki sighed. "You two screamed at a cat."
"AND THE DARKNESS TESTED US!" Shadow shouted, pointing again. "But we prevailed!"
Nendou, who had somehow wandered into a nearby ramen shop and hadn't been seen since, yelled from inside: "Hey! This place has squid flavor!"
She tilted her head. "Do you also fall unconscious after every spell you cast?"
Shadow paused. "No… but that would be incredibly dramatic."
Megumin's eyes widened. "Teach me."
A loud growl came from inside the trash can.
"Could it be? The ferocious beast?"
"Make no mistake, this is the great Chonuske!"
She pointed at the cat.
It's a cat.
Kaido gasped. "Even she... carries cursed energy!?"
Wrong guy, that person would be beside me.
Gojo, sipping a soda behind him: "You think if we leave them alone long enough, they'll monologue each other into a time loop?"
Saiki: ...Tempting.
And then—
"Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark, I beseech thee, combine with my deep crimson within. The time of awakening cometh. Justice, fallen upon the infallible boundary, appear now as an intangible"
Shadow with a suspicious smirk as always. "Shadow Garden, serve me once more. I am Shadow… the one who lurks in the shadows, hunts the shadows,
I..
AM..."
Shadow starts pulsing with a purple aura and distortions.
The skies turned into darkness with 5 levels of magic circles. In which where Megumin is pointing at.
Wait, seriously? They're gonna blow up this entire town.
Gojo replied, "Uh oh."
---
End.