This story was inspired by a game called Drakengard 3. Instead of quirks, people use magic, and flower symbolism is a heavy theme in this story. Also, there are a lot more characters than the four that I listed; I just put up the ones that have the biggest influence. Relationships include past!Tododeku and implied!Shigadabi.

War constantly plagued Yuuei.

For decades, unbridled hatred and bloody battles ravaged the country as citizens turned on each other and disagreements flared relentlessly. The earth cracked and heaved under the pressure of endless violence, and Yuuei faced imminent collapse as resources became scarce, unable to grow in such harsh conditions.

Then, a savior descended upon the land. A sorcerer stepped forward, bringing forth five others with him and appointing them as "Shrine Lords." Under the sorcerer's command, the Shrine Lords scattered throughout Yuuei, bringing long-awaited peace to the land using powers the sorcerer granted them, and once the civil war died completely, the Shrine Lords became revered as deities.

And the sorcerer became the "King." He called himself –

Blood splattered the scroll as the scribe released a strangled gasp. A sword of ice pierced his chest, tip buried in the parchment that laid across the table before him. The quill in his hand slipped from between his fingers and fluttered to the floor as the scribe turned his head to glare at his attacker.

"You." The words came out choked, and the scribe coughed. Blood dripped from his mouth. "You should be dead."

With one smooth motion, the attacker twisted his sword and sliced through the scribe's body, leaving a wide arc of blood on the floor and walls. Shouto coldly watched as the scribe slumped forward and lowered his arm.

"As if I would die before killing the King," he said shortly.

He turned away from the corpse and looked out the window. Soldiers swarmed in the street below like ants, and Shouto could see more of them gathering on the ledge on the other side of the street. A hiss of distaste escaped him when he saw the cannons being wheeled in. He could not let the enemy get the first strike.

Shouto pulled his arm back and threw his sword out the window, feeling some sort of satisfaction upon hearing the sound of shattering glass and the surprised shouts of the soldiers below. Without hesitation, he followed, easily avoiding the broken glass as he hurled himself through the air and landed among the soldiers in the street.

Frost lined his right arm as Shouto called upon his ice magic. Shards of ice burst from his palm, growing and shifting around each other until one icicle elongated into a thin blade, and the rest of the ice blossomed into a flower-like cross-guard. He swung before the sword finished building itself, easily cutting down two soldiers before they could even react. The sorcerer danced his way through the army, jumping from one area to another to avoid being cornered. He left dead soldiers behind, slashing and hacking at the exposed necks that the armor failed to protect.

As he twisted out of the way of an attack, Shouto caught sight of his previous sword lying on the ground. He leaped for it, dodging around soldiers only to be greeted by an arrow landing a few centimeters before his face.

Archers.

Shouto grabbed his sword and ducked just in time to avoid a second arrow. He needed to get rid of the soldiers quickly, so he raised both blades and poured his magic into the ice. The temperature around him dropped as he jumped and spun in midair, and frozen spears pierced the ground in a spiral with Shouto at the center. The soldiers hung limply from the icy blades. Blood trickled down in small streams, staining the ice with veins of red.

A shout sounded from overhead, and Shouto looked up to see a cannon facing him. The soldier beside it pointed down, clearly directing the cannoneer to fire, but Shouto did not need to concern himself with the small brigade on the ledge. After all, he had an ally who proved to be vastly superior to cannons and archers.

"Kirishima."

Fire erupted on the ledge, engulfing the soldiers in a blazing wall of orange. The wind whipped Shouto's hair in all directions, and heavy thud sounded behind him as the ruby-red dragon landed in the street. The beast bowed his head, a low puff of smoke escaping his nostrils, before crawling forward to stand over Shouto protectively. Teeth-filled jaws opened, revealing the bright glow of fire in the dragon's mouth. A low growl rumbled threateningly in Kirishima's chest. Venomous yellow eyes surveyed the carnage, searching for survivors, and upon finding none, the dragon smothered the fire in his stomach and pushed himself up to sit back on his haunches.

"I guess this means we have to keep searching." Kirishima pawed at the ground, claws leaving small gouge marks in the cobblestone. Shouto did not answer. The sword gripped in his left hand dripped water on the ground, so he summoned some magic and melted it completely. After some contemplation, the one in his right hand followed suit.

Feeling a stiffness in his body, Shouto gingerly stretched his arms and shifted his shoulders. He could feel his robes stretch over the patch of ice that replaced the skin on his back.

Kirishima watched him curiously. "Is it hurting you?"

Shouto lowered his arms, sighing silently at the faint stinging sensation where his skin met the ice. "It is negligible."

The dragon eyed him dubiously, spiked tail swinging restlessly behind him, but did not press the issue. "So what now?"

Shouto turned and stalked down the street, swiping one hand over his robes to cleanse the bloodstains. He could hear Kirishima's heavy footsteps as the dragon followed him. "Like you said, we are going to keep searching." The sorcerer passed a hand through his hair, once through the white strands and one more time through the red ones, using magic to remove the specks of blood. "We have already been through the rest of the plains, so the shrine should be around here."

"Okay." The two of them continued to walk in silence, but Kirishima was soon talking again. "Hey, Todoroki. I heard there's supposed to be this sparkling lake nearby. The water's apparently super clear and stuff, and it's a really popular site. Wanna go check it out?"

"No." Shouto did not give the proposal a second thought. "We are here to kill the Shrine Lord, not to sightsee. Besides," he added when Kirishima gave him a wounded look, "if it is as popular as you say, then we will be spotted, and the soldiers chase us down. It would be an unnecessary confrontation."

"…Okay."

Silence fell between the two of them again, although Kirishima's tail dragged slightly on the ground. Unfortunately for Shouto, Kirishima never stayed disappointed for long, and the dragon returned to his chatty state after a mere moment of moping.

"Hey, Todoroki?"

Shouto suppressed an exasperated sigh. After that fruitless fight against the soldiers, he only wanted some peace and quiet. "What."

"Are you sure about this? Killing the King?"

A stab of irritation pierced Shouto's gut, and his eyes flashed in a steely glare, but he resolutely looked forward and kept walking. His footsteps sounded heavy and hollow under the flood of anger rushing past his ears. "Not like I have a choice, but if I'm going to be forced to do this, then I may as well do it on my terms. I will show Endeavor that I don't need his power to kill the King."

Suddenly, a dull, rhythmic thudding came from behind him as Kirishima picked up the pace. Once he passed Shouto, the dragon spun around so that he blocked the path, looking down at Shouto with something akin to concern. "But what about Midoriya?"

The sorcerer raised his head and met the yellow eyes with a blank stare. Kirishima had mentioned a Midoriya before, almost six months ago, but Shouto did not know a Midoriya back then, and he still found the name to be foreign now. "Who is Midoriya?"

Kirishima eyed him. The worry in his gaze changed to incredulity, then to resignation. With a snort that exuded a puff of smoke, the dragon turned away and continued down the path.

"Never mind."

Shouto allowed himself a slight frown before schooling his expression back into one of indifference. Kirishima occasionally talked about unfamiliar names as though Shouto should know them and looked disappointed when the sorcerer did not recognize them. Shouto did not care much. If Shouto did not know them, then they did not matter. Fretting over strangers would be a distraction to his goal.

He flinched when his back sent a new wave of stinging pain through his body. Forcing himself to ignore the burning sensation, Shouto followed after Kirishima, taking slow steps at first and gradually walking faster as the pain eventually faded. He caught up to the dragon, face blank and mind devoid of thoughts. He needed to remain calm and disciplined.

After all, he planned to kill All Might.