Midoriya unfastens his grip only long enough to clutch Paul (bleeding, shaking, desperately alive) to him by the waist should they need to leap away. The Reckoning jerks her head in what seems to be a scoff, but only after Paul is done speaking, so it is unclear what at. It is not enough to bring down death, or Midoriya would have sensed it coming. Probably.

The Reckoning drops to one knee with a shaking of the ground and leans down to get a closer look. She sways with more deadly grace than anything her size ought to. Her face is obscured by a veil, but she seems to take in the two ants before her with something more than eyes.

"So much for constancy," she berates in a bold, cutting voice that echoes with her size. "Contrition... What of the contrition of Kaworu Nagisa?" With her free hand, she unfurls two skeletal fingers battlesign-quick. She lowers one, but the other remains upright and expectant. Midoriya's heart despairs, and his vision fills briefly with red before it drips down his cheeks.

"I'm watching Kaworu too." I'm watching him carefully, or I'm watching over him. Both are true. He does not mean to be vague; it's the limitation of his native language. "He's hurting. I need to get him back. Help him try to do better. He's mine too!"

Her helmet turns just slightly to wordlessly consider Midoriya, who involuntarily surges with more power than is strictly safe for him. He can feel it rattle in his joints and jostle his tensed, spring-loaded cords. It chases the fear out of him, leaving nothing but feral, clawing purpose.

She jerks her head back to Paul. "Confess your crimes," she orders sharply.