MHA Dungeon Master

Clone Himaru and Emilia dragged their feet as they entered the house after a long and tiring day at school. They only wanted to collapse on the soft sofa and forget about the hustle and bustle of the outside world. However, the sight that greeted them in the living room instantly erased their fatigue. There, in the dimly lit living room, sat a figure that was extraordinarily familiar—the original body of Himaru.

"Himaru?" Emilia exclaimed, her voice catching in her throat, her eyes widening, showing deep confusion and shock.

Clone Himaru froze in the doorway, his steps stopping abruptly, his mind instantly filled with wild speculations and colliding questions. 'The original body is back? Why suddenly? Was the Dungeon BOSS finally defeated?'

'Or… could it be that my grand ambition as the Fishing King has been sniffed out by him? Did he come to interrogate me about the Great Dream that I have been harboring in my heart?' Various questions stormed his mind, like a fierce storm tossing his boat in the middle of a boundless ocean of thoughts. Curiosity and anxiety mixed together as one.

However, before Emilia or Clone Himaru could utter a question, the original Himaru preempted them, his voice breaking the silence of the room like thunder rumbling in a clear sky. "Our new restaurant… was attacked."

Himaru's tone was flat and ice-cold, almost without intonation, but behind his false calmness, a tremor of immense anger was hinted at, like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment. A cold and threatening aura suddenly radiated from the original Himaru's body, making the room feel colder than usual.

Clone Himaru and Emilia froze, processing the short but meaningful sentence they had just heard. Their brains worked hard to process the sudden and shocking information. "Attacked?"

Emilia finally spoke again, her tone trembling slightly, almost inaudible in the silence of the room. Fear began to creep into her, silencing the words she wanted to say. "Are… are Mom and Dad alright?" The question finally escaped her lips, albeit in an almost desperate tone.

The original Himaru nodded slowly, his movements looking heavy and tired, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "They are safe." He replied briefly, but enough to make Emilia and Clone Himaru breathe a slight sigh of relief.

"Clone Touma managed to protect them. She acted quickly and precisely." Himaru continued, but this time his voice caught in his throat, his facial expression hardened, his eyes hinting at deep sadness and anger. "But… Twice… Twice is injured." That last sentence was spoken in a soft tone, almost like a whisper, but the effect was like an atomic bomb exploding in the living room.

Clone Himaru and Emilia gasped in unison, as if struck by lightning in broad daylight. Emilia, in a panicked reflex, covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes widening in horror, showing extraordinary fear and panic.

Clone Himaru felt his heart beat faster and more erratically, like a war drum being beaten repeatedly, chills running through his body, making him shudder with fear. Feelings of disbelief, worry, anger, and sadness mixed together as one, dominating all his senses.

"Twice-san? Injured? How… how could that happen?" asked Clone Himaru in a choked voice, his throat feeling dry and constricted, worry and disbelief filling his mind. Twice, the figure they had known as an individual with high-level life-saving abilities, injured? This felt like a terrible nightmare.

Himaru took a deep breath, trying as hard as he could to control his emotions that were churning like waves in a stormy ocean. He realized that, as the original body, he had to remain calm and rational, even though his own heart was in chaos. "Touma will explain everything in detail. Her clone was there at the time of the incident, she is an eyewitness to the attack."

Himaru turned sideways, gesturing with a nod of his head to Touma, who stood upright and silently behind him, to come forward. Touma, whose face looked more serious and tense than usual, far from the cheerful and relaxed expression she usually showed, nodded slowly, understanding her duty as a bearer of bad news.

"Here's what happened," Touma began her story in a low but clear voice, trying to suppress her personal emotions and convey the facts of the incident as objectively as possible, breaking the oppressive silence that enveloped the room.

"This afternoon, Father, Mother, and Twice-san conducted a surprise inspection of our new restaurant. The aim was to ensure everything was running to standard before the official opening. Initially, everything went smoothly, there were no suspicious signs at all." Touma took another breath, gathering courage to continue the bitter story that felt heavy on her tongue. "Suddenly… a loud gunshot deafened our ears, breaking the silence of the previously quiet restaurant, shattering the front window glass into pieces. The direction of the shot… seemed to be deliberately aimed directly at Father Himaru-sama."

Emilia gasped in shock for the umpteenth time, her body tensing up even more, her hands covering her mouth gripping even tighter, as if trying to hold back a hysterical scream that wanted to escape her lips. Clone Himaru felt a mixture of emotions increasingly surging within him—deep shock, anger burning to the top of his head, worry gripping his heart, and a feeling of horror imagining what might have happened to his parents and Twice.

"Fortunately, thanks to a miracle and also thanks to the intensive training they have been undergoing in the dungeon, Father and Mother managed to avoid death, although narrowly escaped disaster," Touma continued, her tone of voice softening slightly, a faint relief implied although the shadow of sadness still hung over her face.

"The intensive dungeon training we did together turned out to be very useful in critical situations like this. Their danger instincts increased dramatically beyond expectations. They both reacted quickly and dodged to safety when they heard the first gunshot, just like when they faced dangerous vampires in the dungeon."

Touma continued, "My clone who was on guard duty also immediately took responsive action. My clone's top priority at that time was to protect Father and Mother and ensure their safety. My clone quickly created several clones that transformed to exactly resemble Father and Mother, the aim being to divert the attackers' attention, giving Father and Mother time to escape."

Clone Himaru nodded slowly, increasingly understanding Touma's smart and efficient strategy. Touma's clone tactics were indeed well thought out and proven effective in various difficult situations. Emilia was still speechless, her face getting paler like a living corpse, her eyes completely fixed on Touma, absorbing every word that came out of her mouth carefully, as if afraid of missing even one detail of this terrible story.

"As we planned to split up and move to safer positions to divert the sniper and seek shelter," Touma continued in an increasingly heavy and heartbreaking tone, her shoulders drooping listlessly. "Suddenly, a group of heavily armed villains stormed into the restaurant. They came in droves, in quite large numbers, dozens of people, and looked very trained and organized. They were not ordinary street thugs."

"Twice-san saw this very dangerous and critical situation," Touma continued her story in a bitter and deeply regretful tone, her shoulders sagging wearily. "He unhesitatingly acted rashly. He went forward alone to confront the horde of villains storming in, shouting, ordering my clone to prioritize Father and Mother's safety above all else, and never even think about helping him."

Touma shook her head slowly, guilt and regret clearly visible in her sad eyes, recalling the bitter decision she had to make at that time. "My clone who was there didn't have time to stop him. The situation at that time was very chaotic and fast-paced. My clone felt she had to immediately ensure Father and Mother were truly safe first, according to Twice-san's last order. That was my top priority at that time."

"After ensuring Father and Mother were in a safe place, far from the restaurant that was the target of the attack, and after making sure they both did not suffer significant physical injuries," Touma ended her story in a fading tone of voice, implying a deep sadness like a bottomless chasm.

"My clone immediately returned to the restaurant, with immeasurable feelings of worry and anxiety. And what she found was truly horrifying. The condition of the restaurant was very wretched, all the belongings were messy and destroyed, glass shards scattered everywhere, the smell of gunpowder still pungent in the air, and Twice-san… he was seriously injured, very seriously injured. His body was full of gunshot wounds and stab wounds. But fortunately, he was still alive, although his condition was very critical. He managed to survive by hiding in the narrow and dark kitchen ceiling, avoiding the pursuit of the villains who continued to ransack the restaurant."

"Oh God… Oh God…" Emilia whispered faintly repeatedly, the tears she had been holding back finally pouring out, wetting her cheeks, forming small rivers flowing down her pale face. She could no longer hold back her emotions, her heart broken into pieces hearing the terrible story about Twice and her parents.

Clone Himaru clenched both his hands tighter until his knuckles turned pale white, his teeth chattering as he held back the anger that surged in his chest, his eyes flashing with terrible fury.

"Twice-san has been rushed to the nearest hospital by emergency ambulance," Touma ended her explanation in a soft voice, almost inaudible, her face bowed deeply. "Father and Mother are also at the hospital now, they are both very shocked and worried. They are waiting for the latest news from Twice-san with feelings of anxiety and apprehension. Doctors and medical teams are trying their best to save Twice-san, providing the best care they can."

Tense silence returned to envelop the living room that was once lively and warm, now feeling cold and chilling. Clone Himaru and Emilia were still silent, trapped in deep shock and worry due to Touma's terrible story. Their minds were filled with gruesome images of the brutal attack on the restaurant and Twice's condition, seriously injured, fighting for life and death in the hospital operating room.

The original Himaru finally broke the oppressive silence with a heavy and authoritative voice, radiating an undeniable aura of leadership. "Touma, listen carefully to my orders. Investigate this matter thoroughly to its roots. Use all the resources we have. Find out who is the mastermind behind this cowardly and vile attack, and what their real motives are. I want to know all the details, as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Himaru-sama," Touma replied firmly and promptly, nodding respectfully, showing her unwavering loyalty and her readiness to carry out Himaru's orders as best as possible.

Clone Himaru, in a calmer but still serious and firm voice, spoke up, breaking the silence that again enveloped the room, "Original body, in my opinion, for the safety and peace of mind of us all, Emilia and I should take leave from school for a while. At least until this situation completely subsides, the perpetrators are caught, and we ensure our family is truly safe from any threat."

The original Himaru turned to his clone, looking at him with a deep and serious gaze. "I completely agree with your proposal, clone. Our family situation is currently not good, very critical. You two should stay at home for a while, don't go anywhere that is not important."

Touma, without waiting for further orders, immediately acted quickly and efficiently. She split herself into several clones at lightning speed, ordering them in a firm tone of voice to immediately begin a thorough and coordinated investigation.

Meanwhile, their Dungeon BOSS raid plan was forced to be postponed indefinitely, their top priority at this time was the safety and security of the family above all else, defeating all personal ambitions and desires to become stronger.

Emilia, who had been silent and tearful all this time, suddenly jolted awake as if awakened from a terrible nightmare, tears still streaming down her face. "No, we can't just stay at home and wait for news," said Emilia in a trembling but determined voice, her determination to see the condition of her parents and Twice was unstoppable.

"We have to go to the hospital right now. I can't wait any longer." Emilia looked at Himaru and his clone with pleading eyes, begging for their understanding and support. "We have to see for ourselves how Father and Mother are doing, and Twice-san. I want to make sure with my own eyes that they are alright."

Emilia's emotional proposal was met with simultaneous nods of agreement from Himaru and Touma. "That's right, Emilia is right. We have to see for ourselves what their condition is now, give moral support, and ensure they get the best care," Clone Himaru chimed in, his worry and love for his family now overflowing, defeating all his usual 'fishing' intrigues and personal plans.

"But… clone, you can't come with me to the hospital, can you?" said Himaru hesitantly, looking at his replica with a questioning gaze. "It would be very strange and suspicious if two Himarus showed up at the hospital at the same time, at the same time. People will definitely be suspicious, reporters might come, and this will only cause unnecessary commotion and trouble, even endanger our safety."

"That's not a big problem, original body," replied Clone Himaru with a thin smile full of confidence, his eyes sparkling showing a brilliant idea that had just popped into his mind. "I have a smart and elegant way to overcome such a small problem. Trust me."

Clone Himaru, with a little focus and high-level concentration, activated his 'Blood Shifter' quirk, a mysterious and versatile power that he had been practicing diligently and with high dedication. Slowly but surely, his handsome face began to undergo an amazing transformation beyond ordinary human comprehension, the structure of his bones and muscles moving and shifting under his skin with smooth but directed movements, like magical clay being shaped by the hands of a skilled artist with boundless imagination.

In a matter of seconds, Clone Himaru's handsome face transformed perfectly into a completely different face, almost unrecognizable, with sharper and more mature facial features, a more pointed nose, a more defined chin, and his distinctive sky-blue hair color changing to a fiery red like flames.

"See for yourself? Now, no one will suspect that I am your clone. I can become someone else for a while, perfectly disguised." Clone Himaru showed off his metamorphic transformation ability that he had been practicing hard all this time, showing that he had reached an extraordinary level of mastery.

The ability that he initially only used for Spider-Man-style vigilante training at night, now proved to be very useful and relevant for critical and serious situations like this, saving them from potential dual identity problems that could have fatal consequences.

In the end, the four of them—Himaru, Clone Himaru with his new disguise, Emilia, and Touma who took over driving the car—departed for the hospital with hearts full of anxiety.

Inside the car, silence returned to envelop them, but this time the silence felt heavier and laden with worry. Their minds were all focused on their parents and Twice, hoping they would all be alright and able to get through these difficult times. In the midst of a critical situation that tested their family's resilience, togetherness and strong family bonds became the only remaining source of strength and hope, defeating all personal ambitions, even the dream of 'becoming the Fishing King'.