Harem Streamer System: Every Crime I Broadcast Wins Me a Superheroine - Chapter 259

Chapter 259: Before the Dawn II
Kaede Kazama sat perfectly still on a wooden crate.

Lotus position. Spine straight. Breath steady.

Her intricately designed katana rested across the smooth skin of her long legs.

Because of her dangerous speed Emma was still afraid of her blade even when it was sheathed.

The atmosphere was completely hopeless.

And the dull factory lights didn’t help matters either.

Kaede didn’t blink nor shift.

She didn’t even look like she was inhaling.

Her eyes were fixed on the two girls tied to their chairs.

Gwen and Emma.

They didn’t drift or soften even for a split-second.

Any movement from them would be caught instantly.

Any attempt to escape would be cut short. Literally.

One wrong inhale would cost them their heads.

A few things had happened during that time.

Gwen flinched when the alarms howled through the walls for the first time.

Emma jolted as well as the wooden chair scraped slightly as she tensed.

But none of that moved Kaede in the slightest.

“It seems we have some visitors…”

She never stopped watching them.

Then came the second wave of noise.

BOOM. CRASH.

The whole building shook.

Dust rained from the steel beams above.

Emma leaned her head toward Kaede as her lips bent in a mocking smirk.

“You should probably go check that out, y’know.”

She was confident that Kaede would be pressed.

“Sounds important.”

But Kaede didn’t even turn her head.

“That was a poor attempt.”

That same annoying flat voice she always replied with.

“Try something with… effort next time.”

Emma clicked her tongue.

“Tch. Excuse me for trying at all.”

She rolled her eyes away with a sharp, irritated huff.

She was frustrated as hell.

She hated sitting.

She hated being tied.

She hated feeling powerless.

And she hated that out of the three of them, Dark Elf was the one who got the worst of it.

The poor lady wasn’t tied to a chair anymore.

Not really.

She was slumped against the wall beside them, very much unconscious, barely breathing, and bruised in every part of her face and body. King Cobra hadn’t even bothered to keep her seated… just kicked her there like trash.

Emma felt sick every time she glanced that way.

Then there was Gwen…

Gwen looked out of it.

Her eyes were glassy and unfocused.

Hopeless.

Emma swallowed.

『I can’t blame her… I feel the same.』

Hours had crawled by.

And there was still no sign of Scott.

『Come on, Scott… do something. You always do find a way to do something. Right?』

She drew in a deep breath to stop herself from spiraling.

SHHHK—

Emma blinked.

Kaede’s katana was suddenly at her throat.

One millimeter from skin.

Kaede stood right in front of her.

Just like every other time… no footsteps or warning.

Just there. Pure presence and threat.

Emma’s head tilted back slightly.

To be honest, she was more annoyed than afraid.

“I was literally just breathing. Jeez, woman.”

Kaede’s expression didn’t change.

“Whatever. I’m not taking any risks. Behave. Like your friend over there.”

She gave Gwen a side-eye.

The blonde girl was lifeless, slumped, and out of it.

She didn’t even look like she was present.

Dark Elf was her favorite person… to see her battered like that did more than expected.

Emma clicked her tongue again.

“Fine.” (¬､¬)

She jerked her chin away in surrender, as if this whole ordeal was beneath her, even though her heart was thumping like a piston engine.

Kaede withdrew her blade and returned to her crate.

PLOP.

The petite swordsman sat back in her lotus position.

Her eyes were on them again, not a blink.

Emma stared at her.

And stared.

And stared.

『How the hell is she that fast…?』

Emma prided herself on being one of the fastest supers in the entire city.

Not top-tier, sure.

But fast enough to outrun telekinetic shots and dodge bullets mid-trajectory.

Kaede was… different.

『She’s not moving. She’s not teleporting. I can’t seem to put my finger on it, but… it’s like… she’s SKIPPING between frames or something. Then again, what kind of bullshit ability would that be!?』

Whenever Kaede moved there was no blur.

No displacement or even wind pressure.

It wasn’t a movement.

Emma resisted the urge to slap a hand over her face.

She physically couldn’t anyway.

Thanks to the restraints.

『I swear to god… the first thing I’m doing after getting out of here is punching that woman in the jaw just so I can figure out how she works.』

She sighed inwardly.

Beside her, Gwen didn’t respond.

She was just… lost far inside her own head.

Emma’s chest tightened a little.

『Hang on, Gwen. Scott’ll come. He has to.』

BOOOOOOM—

Another crash shook the building.

Dust puffed down from the ceiling again.

Kaede didn’t flinch.

Her fingers drummed once, lightly, on her scabbard.

A subtle acknowledgment.

—SHIIIIINNNG!!

Emma saw a strand of her hair cut out of thin air.

It was clearly a warning from Kaede.

She stared at Emma and Gwen individually.

Then waited.

Her job was to kill whoever dared to cross here.

Emma swallowed hard.

『I have to figure out her powers… fast…』

══════

Grave expected fear.

What he got was a full-blown panic.

Marcus practically jumped out of his skin as his huge round glasses bounced on his slime nose and pale face like they were trying to escape.

“UNCLE—!? YOU—YOU’RE—”

He gasped dramatically.

“WHAT— HOW— WHY ARE YOU ALIVE!?”

He pointed wildly at Grave, then at the monitor, then at the ceiling.

“How long—!? Since WHEN!? Why didn’t you TELL Aunt Emma!? She cried for YEARS! I don’t think she’s even really gotten over you yunno! She kept your picture on top of the fridge because she said the high place ‘motivated her’ to give to the society in a way you’d be proud of—!!”

Marcus scratched his chin a little.

“Sure… she’s kinda oversexualized in the hero business at the moment, but she’s trying!”

Grave blinked slowly.

Marcus inhaled.

“And—and why are you even a villain!? You used to be military or special ops or something! Didn’t Mom say you saved like—what—twelve people during some fire incident or something! What happened!?”

Marcus grabbed his own head.

“I’m so confused—!!”

He flailed his arms, then pointed at the folding chair he’d been sitting on.

“So THAT’S why you let me just sit here!? While the others are tied up like that!? Because you KNOW me!? And… wait, what about AUNT EMMA!? Why isn’t she here!? She has to be here too!? She deserves to know!”

Grave finally chuckled.

He sounded soft, but also quite tired.

“You talk a lot…”

He tapped Marcus lightly on the forehead.

“That reminds me of Emma and Stella. You even have that quirky smile…”

It felt almost nostalgic for him.

Marcus froze.

Then flushed with embarrassment.

Grave slowly rose to his full height.

He placed a gentle hand on Marcus’s head.

It was an affectionate pat so at odds with everything the boy expected.

“Emma… is a problem for me…”

His voice was oddly quiet.

“If she were here, she’d get in the way. She’s always been too sharp for her own good.”

His voice softened even further.

“And I’m not sure she’d like what I’ve become.”

Marcus’s face fell.

He reached out and held Grave’s wrist.

“Uncle… she’ll accept you. No matter what.”

He held his wrist tighter.

“You have to remember… you’re family, okay?”

Grave’s fingers curled slightly.

For a moment…

A brief, trembling moment…

His eyes warmed.

“I hope so…”

But—

BOOOOOOM!!!

The metal door blasted inward and spiraled across the room like a frisbee of death.

It embedded into the far wall with a fist-shaped crater in the center.

Grave turned and slipped his skull-mask back on.

Nightwatch walked through the smoke.

Cold blue light crawled across his hardened muscles as his slime reabsorbed into his suit.

His eyes locked on Grave.

Neither of them blinked nor moved.

It looked like two predators sizing up each other.

Grave let out a low whistle.

“Oh, wow. It seems you finally learned to channel all that pent-up anger of yours.”

Nightwatch stepped forward.

“That’s one lesson I’m grateful to Cobra for.”

His fist slammed into his open palm.

“Because right now…?”

His voice darkened.

“I’ve got a lot of frustrations to let out. And I wanna exhaust every bit of it on you…”

He snapped his fingers sharply.

“Step away from Marcus. Now.”

Marcus perked up in his chair a bit.

『Nightwatch knows my name—!?』

This was the wrong time to get excited.

Nightwatch’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“If anything happens to him… or any of my girlfriends I swear I’ll break every bone in your body.”

Grave rolled his shoulders casually and stretched his neck until it cracked.

“Mmm. Enough talking, my friend.”

He walked forward with composure, until they were only a few meters apart.

“Shall we finish what we started the moment you cursed yourself with that identity…?”

He slid off his mask again to reveal emotionless scars and a sharp, battle-ready stare.

Marcus tensed.

Nightwatch didn’t take his eyes off Grave.

But with the slightest tilt of his head he effortlessly ordered Marcus silently—

Leave.

Marcus got the message.

He ran out of the room so fast his sneakers screeched on the floor.

When the metal door clanged shut behind him…

Nightwatch reached up slowly.

Unclipped his mask.

Removed it.

His long luscious hair fell forward and his radiant blue eyes seemed to burn.

Grave nodded once.

“Good. Identities don’t matter now.”

He raised his fists.

“Hero. Villain. Titles mean nothing.”

Only one thing mattered.

His muscles tensed.

His skin hardened with visible density as if steel were fusing beneath it.

“The victor walks away with their life and identity…”

Nightwatch mirrored him.

A stance sharpened by months of failure and anger.

『I never want to be on the short-end again…』

Especially not this time.

『My life and future with “them” is at stake!』

DING—DING—DING—DING—DING!!

Hundreds of translucent blue panels materialized across his sight in a rapid, cascading flash.

[Martial Art Equipped: Iron Fist Style!]

[Martial Art Equipped: Serpent Spine Counter!]

[Martial Art Equipped: Wolf Fang Sabers!]

[Martial Art Equipped: Black Tiger Clinch!]

[Martial Art Equipped: Redirection Flow Jiu-Jitsu!]

[Martial Art Equipped: Dragon Wheel Kick Sequence!]

[Martial Art Equipped: Rhino Charge Footwork!]

[Martial Art Equipped: Bone Shear Techniques!]

[Martial Art Equipped: Freeform Brutal Combat!]

All of them flashed violently.

Nightwatch felt his bones soak in years of practice.

Lightning blue circuits crawled up his neck.

A migraine of knowledge was being downloaded into him all at once.

Forms, angles, impacts, stances.

The culmination of all his success as Nightwatch!

He inhaled as his eyes flared an electric-blue color bright enough to light the room.

Grave grinned.

Nightwatch grinned back confidently.

Then the concrete cracked beneath both their feet.

“…”

“…”

They circled.

Slow and composed.

Nightwatch’s eyes were fully locked-in.

He tracked every twitch in Grave’s shoulders.

Every micro-shift in his stance.

Grave’s gaze slid over Nightwatch’s hips, wrists, ankles to catalogue any openings.

Their feet cautiously glided across the cracked concrete with no sound at all.

The pressure between them was suffocating.

Grave smirked.

Nightwatch didn’t.

They each took one more step.

The gap shrank.

Two predators reading each other’s tendons.

Then—

Nightwatch moved first.

A swift, low sweep.

It was precise and designed to take advantage of the slight lift in Grave’s foot, but Grave’s heel lifted a perfect inch higher, as he stepped back just in time.

It was like watching a dancer.

His counter came instantly.

A high kick, arcing for Nightwatch’s jaw.

But Nightwatch dipped under it with a quick lean.

Grave retreated two extra steps after landing.

Then he blurred.

A zig-zag dash.

Left, right, left… it was like seeing a gust of wind draw a jagged “Z” in a flash.

He appeared on Nightwatch’s flank with a left hook.

THUMP!

Nightwatch blocked with his forearm.

Grave switched sides… a punch from the right.

THUD!

Blocked.

Grave lowered the next blows.

Nightwatch twisted his hips as he swayed narrowly out of each gut-level punch.

His movement was just as impressive.

Wind hissed between their strikes.

Then they broke apart again.

Breathing steadier than they had any right to be.

Grave narrowed his eyes.

“Your defense got cleaner. Someone’s been practicing instead of brooding.”

Nightwatch scoffed.

“Funny. I didn’t really think a rotting corpse like you could keep up this long.”

Grave chuckled darkly.

“Oh, I’m keeping up. I’m just warming up.”

Nightwatch tilted his head.

“Then warm faster.”

They stepped in again.

Less than two meters.

Grave struck first—low kick to the shin.

Nightwatch snapped his side foot into place.

CLACK. Blocked.

Nightwatch retaliated with a forward kick aimed at Grave’s stomach.

Grave slapped it aside with one hand.

In the same breath…

PO-PO-PO-PO!!

Four rapid punches hammered for the gut.

Nightwatch’s hands blurred to deflect each one with tight and efficient parries.

The wind thumped around them from the velocity.

Grave leaned in with a grin.

“Not quick enough.”

He launched a punch for Nightwatch’s jaw.

Nightwatch twisted away.

A strike to the neck. Dodged.

A clawed swipe for the sternum.

Nightwatch leaned back. Then—CRACK!

The side of his neck lit up with pain as Grave’s fingers chopped into it.

Nightwatch coughed spit and staggered.

But spun to let the momentum carry him.

WHAM!!

His elbow smashed Grave straight in the nose.

Grave’s head jerked back.

Nightwatch didn’t hesitate.

He grabbed Grave by both sides of the head.

SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!

Knees drove into Grave’s chest again and again.

Each one pounded like a battering ram.

Grave tanked them as he snarled through the pain,

Finally, in the blur of flying knees he slammed a palm strike under Nightwatch’s jaw.

CRACK!!

Nightwatch flew back two steps and clutched his chin as a shock rattled his brain.

Grave coughed out the air forced out of him and spat a line of blood onto the floor.

He saw Nightwatch still dazed.

Perfect opening.

Grave flipped into a wide cartwheel.

WHAM!!

His heel crashed into Nightwatch’s side and sent him skidding across the concrete.

Nightwatch rolled as Grave pounced.

They crashed together with fists, elbows, knees to grapple on the ground like two beasts.

Then they both flipped away, landing on their feet.

At the exact same time.

They charged.

Fists collided, redirected, and slammed aside.

Punches and kicks traded with blistering speed.

Every impact sent bursts of wind through the room.

Grave feinted high to open Nightwatch’s guard.

『HA! It worked!』

With no hesitation, Grave’s knee slammed into his ribs with a sharp, grueling thud.

Nightwatch choked on air.

But he forced himself forward.

He unleashed a barrage of punches.

Grave blocked with open palms, but the force behind them was too much to grip or parry completely.

Then—THUD!!!

Grave took a brutal kick to the stomach.

So deep the imprint almost showed on his back.

He flew back as he rolled across the ground.

But he slammed his fist down, dug in, and launched himself like a bullet.

“RRRAAAAH—!!”

A flurry of punches. Too fast to track.

Nightwatch blocked left, right, and center, but then—

CRACK!!

A sudden kick to the leg.

It was clean and perfectly angled.

Nightwatch screamed and hopped back.

Straight against the wall.

He could feel his tibia grow weak.

Grave didn’t waste a heartbeat.

Fist to face.

Kick to chest.

Punch deep into the gut.

Knee driving into the ribs.

All his attacks connected without fail.

Nightwatch’s head snapped sideways from a blow.

He tried to grapple, but Grave smashed a palm into his shoulder to shut the attempt down.

Then he punched him square in the face to smash him back against the wall with a bang.

Nightwatch panted hard.

Grave looked confident… maybe even amused?

“It’s a decade too late to even dream of competing with a Blackstone mercenary. ”

He wiped the blood off his swollen nostrils.

“You’re strong, kid… but you’re not me.”

Grave swung a high kick for Nightwatch’s jaw.

Nightwatch’s eyes flashed.

He caught the kick midair and twisted his body.

Then he swept Grave’s standing leg with brutal force.

Grave’s body flipped midair.

He landed on his neck.

SLAM!!

Blood sprayed from his mouth as he rolled in pains as he coughed violently.

Nightwatch staggered back as he gracefully braced himself against a corner.

The room trembled with tension.

Grave rose slowly, cracking his jaw back into place.

Nightwatch wiped the blood dripping from his lips.

They glared at each other.

Not like heroes and villains.

Like animals.

It was far from over.