A/N: Happy Solstice Everyone! This is the chapter a lot of you have been waiting for. I tried to make it fun - exciting - and intense to read.

There was a lot going on and a lot of perspectives to choose from, so it might be a bit more jumpy than normal. Hope you enjoy and that it meets expectation!

~ Best Wishes to All in the New Year! ~

…

Hero Killer Stain

Izuku looked down at the map in his hands. Almost half of the city had X's drawn over it with a trail of circles. Since he'd woken at dawn, he'd been canvasing Hosu with All Might at his side, but they still hadn't found the alleyway from his vision. As for the blue circles, Kacchan had texted his location every hour as promised, and Izuku kept track. He was careful to always stay within three blocks of his boyfriend. Just in case.

Every couple of hours, All Might made him stop to take a break to eat and drink something, but they had been making good progress despite that. Kacchan and Todoroki weren't as lucky with Endeavor. They had patrolled straight through the night and had only been allowed to sleep when the sun had come up. Not even six hours later, Endeavor had them up and out on the street again. Apparently, the pro-hero was determined to be the one to catch the Hero Killer and also to toughen Todoroki up.

"There's a cafe on the corner," All Might spoke up, drawing him from his thoughts. His long blond bangs framed his face and hung past his shoulders while the rest was a fluffy halo around his head. His bright blue eyes were attentive as he monitored Izuku's energy levels and focus. "Let's get a drink and a pastry. It's almost dinner time."

Izuku gave him a wan smile. He couldn't argue. All Might was right. The sky was flaring with the gold and orange of sunset. "Alright." Everything in him wanted to keep searching. He could feel it, a clock counting down toward death - Kacchan's death! - but he knew if he protested, All Might would put his foot down and forbid Izuku from searching at all. "Sounds good."

All Might flashed his trademark grin and guided him toward the cafe. "Don't worry, young Midoriya. We're making excellent progress."

…

Katsuki searched the shadows of every passing alley with intense focus. The sun was setting, painting the sky a brilliant orange. His body throbbed with exhaustion, a dehydration headache sat behind his eyes and his feet throbbed, but all he fucking cared about was the fact that the alleys were getting darker and harder to see down.

Todoroki marched at his side. The stoic teen kept his eyes trained upward, scanning the roofs of the nearby buildings. He wasn't taking Izuku's vision lightly. Endeavor strode a few feet ahead of them, shoulders back with his flames dancing and flickering on currents of air. The number two hero ignored the people who pointed and clapped as he passed. He was on a mission. Katsuki had to grudgingly admire the man's focus and stamina if nothing else.

"You doing okay?" he asked quietly, suddenly noticing his friends hands were trembling.

Todoroki's eyes, one teal blue the other grey, narrowed slightly, giving away his annoyance. "I'm fine."

"Uh huh," Katsuki drawled.

They had marched almost eleven hours the day before on little rest or food and had only been granted five hours of sleep. They'd already put in another six hours and Endeavor had only let them stop once for the bathroom and to rehydrate. It wasn't surprising that Todoroki was reaching the end of his endurance.

"How are you doing so well?" Todoroki demanded in a hiss.

Katsuki eyed the distance between them and Endeavor before answering quietly. "This isn't my first all night stake out." He had learned the hard way. Years of chasing Izuku when he'd been driven beyond human endurance to stop his visions. There had been long stretches like this where they'd had no time to rest, eat, or use a bathroom, and his body had been forced to cope.

Todoroki ran a hand through his two-colored hair, fatigue slipping through his mask. "You could give me a few tips."

"Regulate your breathing, move as little as possible, slow your thoughts. Thinking burns more energy than you'd realize." Of course, saying it was easy, but putting it into practice was another thing entirely. It would take his friend a while to learn how to do it. "Pare down to the bare minimum and you'll be surprised how long you can push on."

Todoroki had nothing to say to that, but he started to control his breathing and he stopped swinging his arms as he walked.

…

Iida walked slightly behind the pro-hero Manual. He was the leader of a small agency just outside of downtown Hosu. His building was one story with a small office and only a handful of sidekicks and office workers, but he was respected by his peers. Manual was a lot like Iida's older brother, genuine and compassionate. Being with him was harder than Iida had expected. The burn of tears sat right behind his eyes, and it took all he had to make sure Manual didn't notice.

"You know," the hero said suddenly. He stopped on the sidewalk, the sky painted orange behind him. He turned to face Iida. "If you're here to chase after the Hero Killer, you should reconsider," he said earnestly, dark eyes sympathetic.

Iida stared at him heart in his throat. "Why would you say that?" he asked in a whisper.

Manual gave an awkward shrug and shy smile. "I couldn't think of any other reason someone of your caliber would choose my small agency for your internship." Eyes suddenly wide, hurried to say. "Not that I'm not very glad to have you! I am! But if you go after the Hero Killer without a license, you'd be working outside the law. It took a lot of work and a lot of time for heroes to legally be allowed to use their quirks the way we do. Vigilanteism endangers that, and it would endanger you. Stain is an X-class villain. He's extremely dangerous."

Iida gave a bow. "Thank you."

Manual turned and started walking again. "Don't worry about it. You seem like an earnest kid. I'm sure you'll make the right choice."

Iida followed, saying nothing. His heart thumped fast and hard in his chest. He understood what Manual was trying to say, but how could he let it go? It felt like acid was eating his ribs from the inside out. That killer had maimed Tensei! The grief and rage sizzling in his brain would not abate. Tensei had been heroic in every sense of the word, and the Hero Killer had taken it all away. The injustice of it burned unrelenting in Iida's soul. It wouldn't let him rest, or eat, or sleep. Not until the Hero Killer was stopped! Was punished for his crimes!

Something moved in the darkness of an alley. The flicker of cold, white light. A reflection off metal? Iida went rigid, coming to a complete stop. An explosion made him flinch and look forward. People were screaming and running past him. A building halfway up the block was on fire. Manual shouted at him and took off running, but Iida's attention was riveted on that flash in the darkness. He turned and ran into the shadows, unable to think of anything except the Hero Killer.

…

As soon as Endeavor heard the explosion, he took off down a side alleyway, cutting through the block to get to the scene of the emergency faster. Katsuki's vision went crystal clear as adrenaline dumped into his system. He knew without a doubt that this was the start of Izuku's vision. As he ran after the hero, he grabbed his phone out of his pocket and sent a lightning fast test to Izuku.

…

Izuku was already running when his phone buzzed with Kacchan's text. "Two blocks over," he yelled. "To the right."

The side of a building exploded outward sending bricks, cement, and plaster raining down on the street. A woman in a red dress fell, her head bleeding. An older woman with a cane stood frozen in terror. Two men in business suits ran screaming. One man in clubbing clothes had his phone up, recording the attack.

A nomu, the same monster from the USJ, the top of its skull missing and its brain exposed to the air, stood on the street and bellowed its challenge. It lifted a massive arm and swung down at the old woman. All Might transformed into his hero form and charged. The two massive figures collided with jarring force.

"Go, Deku!" All Might shouted, grinning his hero's grin. "I'll catch up to you in a few minutes. I know you can hold him off until then!"

Izuku felt breathless with All Might's faith in him, but he didn't have time to argue or tell him he was wrong. Kacchan was in danger! Izuku turned and ran.

…

Aizawa dropped silently from the roof just as the Hero Killer deflected Iida's berserker attack and sent the teen flying. Behind them, the pro-hero Native collapsed bonelessly against the alley wall. "A child wearing a suit…" the killer said in a low, rasping voice. He didn't have time to finish his thought. Aizawa's scarf lashed forward. The Hero Killer deflected with his sword, attempting to cut what looked like cloth, but instead sparks flew as the blade dragged along supple metal.

Aizawa's capture weapon was state-of-the-art. Like a paper-thin metal snake, the material was made up of nanobots that were programed to respond to Aizawa's mental signals via the tiny receivers placed along his hairline. But despite being surprised, Stain managed to escape being wrapped up inside the scarf's folds, leaping agilely away. However, he lost his katana, the sword yanked from his hand as his scarf wrapped around it and retracted.

"Eraserhead," the Hero Killer said slowly. "You are less deserving than most of being purged, but if you get in the way of my duty… I will kill you."

Aizawa had to admit the killer cut an intimidating figure against the shadows of the night. He had a cream-colored mask wrapped around the upper part of his face and a deep red headscarf wrapped around his forehead. It held his long, ink black hair from his eyes. His face was angular and lean as a wolf's. Scar tissue covered his face where his nose should be. His body was lean and muscular, his back curled forward.

Bandages wrapped his arms from fingertips to biceps. He wore black boots with steel spikes ringing the toes, loose black pants, and a black tank top. The harnesses wrapped around his thighs and torso held dozens of wicked blades. A tattered, blood red scarf was wrapped loosely around his neck, the ends trailing off on the breeze. He even had what looked like screws in his earlobes instead of earrings.

The Hero Killer was a vision of metal and death, and Aizawa instinctively stepped back, putting himself closer to his student.

"He's mine!" Iida screamed madly, climbing to his feet. His helmet had been knocked away from where the Hero Killer had struck him in the face. His glasses were missing and his dark grey eyes were wild with rage.

Aizawa's erasure quirk was already activated as he stared with focused intent at the killer, but Stain still moved with inhuman speed. The Hero Killer flew forward, daggers in his hands. He flew straight toward Iida! Aizawa wrapped the teen in his scarf, yanking him off his feet, and attacked the killer's flank, but it had been a feint! The daggers were suddenly slashing for Aizawa'a chest! Aizawa flipped backward to avoid the fatal blow, but he was thrown off balance by Iida's violent thrashing.

One of the daggers just nicked Aizawa'a thigh. He landed, blinked, and lunged forward to attack — only to collapse. His hair fell, his quirk going dark as his whole body went completely limp. Aizawa's scarf went lax, no longer receiving the necessary signals to activate, and Iida came panting to his feet.

"Hero Killer Stain! I've been searching for you!" the teen yelled, voice guttural.

"ENGINE!" Aizawa barked, eyes wide, alarm making his heart race in his chest. "STAND DOWN!"

Stain slammed his foot on the hilt of his dropped katana and it flipped into the air. The killer caught it with a graceful movement of his hand and swung the blade so that the point was less than an inch from Iida's eyes.

"Your eyes… Are you here for vengeance?" Leaning forward, completely ignoring Aizawa as if he didn't exist, he glared into the teen's rage-twisted face. "Be careful what you say. Depending on the situation, even children may become my targets."

"I am the younger brother of a hero you attacked," Iida answered hatefully, completely uncaring of the deadly blade pointed at his face. "Remember my name for as long as you live! Ingenium. It is the name of the hero who will defeat you!"

"I see," the killer said calmly, but his eyes had gone bright with murderous intent. Calmly, he pronounced the teen's fate. "Die."

"Stop!" Aizawa broke out in a sweat as he mentally strained against the hold on his body.

"Like I would!" Iida's quirk activated.

The sound of powerful engines revving hit the air as he launched forward almost faster than the eye could see, his leg swinging around in a powerful kick. The Hero Killer jumped, evading the blatant attack. He kicked his booted foot as he flipped over the teen's head and the two inch spikes lining the toe slammed into the meat of Iida's shoulder. Face twisted in pain, a fan of blood spraying up into the air, Iida was slammed face first down onto concrete.

Carelessly, Stain stood with one foot planted on the teen's back, the other on his head, holding his face down. "Ingenium. You're brothers, huh? You should be grateful. I left your brother alive so that he could spread my message to all the false heroes." He flipped his katana so it was pointed down and casually impaled Iida's other shoulder. More blood sprayed the air as Iida let loose a pained scream.

"STAIN!" Aizawa screamed. "He's a child! What purpose could killing him possibly serve?"

Merciless red eyes shifted to meet Aizawa's. "He and his brother are fakes. They pervert the title of hero, and it is my duty to purge the world of their evil."

"My brother dedicated his life to helping people! He never thought of himself! He was a true hero!" Iida screamed, tears drenching his pale cheeks as he strained under the Hero Killer's strength. "I won't forgive you! I'll kill you!"

"See?" Stain twisted the slender sword, making Iida scream again. "He cares nothing about saving that guy." The killer tossed a careless gesture at the limp Native who watched with wide, frightened eyes. Then he pointed down at Aizawa. "Doesn't care that he distracted you and now you'll die, too. All he cares for is his hatred and vengeance." He bent down to stare into Iida's eyes. "That's the farthest from what a hero should be. He's a fake. Just like his brother."

Stain pulled the katana out of Iida's shoulder. It ran with dark red blood. Aizawa watched in horror as the villain licked the blade with a long, bumpy tongue. As Iida gasped and went limp, Aizawa understood too late how the Hero Killer's quirk worked. The nick on his thigh! The split second when he'd blinked, freeing Stain to use his quirk. Damn it! He'd promised Katsuki! He couldn't let this happen!

"That's why he'll die," the Hero Killer finished.

"He's still a child!" Aizawa argued. Everything in him willed his body to move, but it was as if the nerves strung through his limbs had been severed completely. His fingers didn't so much as twitch as he gasped and panted. "He can learn better! Do better!"

Stain ignored him, his attention fixed on Iida. He flipped the blade so that it was point down, hovering above the boy's neck. "Goodbye. You shall be an offering to a more just world."

"NO!" Aizawa begged. "Don't do it!"

"No matter what you say, you are the criminal who hurt my brother!" Iida yelled hoarsely, still in the grip of pain and rage.

Stain tensed to deliver the killing blow when he suddenly looked up. Fire roared along the alley. Aizawa closed his eyes, protecting them from the heat even as his skin tightened and turned a tender pink. As the light and heat evaporated, he flung his eyes open to see that the Hero Killer was no longer standing over Iida's prone body.

"Endeavor…" Stain's call of the pro-hero's name was said in a lustful croon. "I've been wanting to purge you from this earth for a long time."

Endeavor stood large, fire bright along his shoulders and face, his pale blue eyes blazing with battle lust. "Hero Killer," he called back with a smirk. "I didn't think I'd find you so soon!"

"Watch his blades," Aizawa shouted. "If he ingests your blood, his quirk paralyzes you!"

Endeavor charged forward, fire erupting from his fists to pierce he alley.

Katsuki ran up and crouched down by him, pulling his limp arm over his shoulder. Todoroki ran to Iida, and the two teens began to drag them further down the alley. Aizawa felt dread sink into his stomach. All the pieces of Midoriya's vision had assembled.

…

Endeavor glared as the killer leapt around like a flea, avoiding his attacks. This was his moment of glory! The Hero Killer! The vile villain who terrorized heroes! Not even All Might had been able to find and stop him. Endeavor could see it - the flashes of the cameras, the scream of his fans, the admiration of the world! Blood thrumming with victory and bloodlust, he slammed his hands together. A wall of fire roared forth. There was no avoiding this! It spanned the entire alleyway and reached well above the roofline.

A blade suddenly parted the wall of flames like the red sea. Endeavor flung himself backward even as the flames shrouding his shoulders and face flared defensively, but the katana thrust through the fire as if cutting through butter.

It happened so quickly. Endeavor could see it, but his body couldn't move fast enough to counter.

The sword pierced his throat, sliding too easily through skin and tissue. The flames he wore exploded in reaction, but it was too late! His whole existence was reduced to the thin width of the blade slicing toward his spinal column — Denial screamed along his awareness. No! This wasn't possible!

Something impacted his chest and flung him with extreme force backward. His throat came off the blade with a grotesque sucking sound. His hands clamped down on his throat, burning his own flesh to seal the wound. His back hit the alley hard and he rolled, skidding along the slick concrete. Ribs cracked and pain flared bright and hot through his torso. Choking on blood, he gasped and hacked, trying to get to a knee, but then he went limp. His fire was doused instantly, throwing the alley into darkness.

What the hell was happening?!

…

Katsuki whipped his head around to see Izuku fall to the ground after kicking Endeavor in the chest. He was in his hero costume, the quasi-rabbit ears half burnt away from his mad dash through the fire. Green lightning crackled along his body, and Izuku launched himself up with his arms, his legs swinging up in a double kick aimed at the Hero Killer's chin. The blow would have likely knocked Stain's head right off, but the killer gracefully flipped out of Izu's reach, his tattered red scarf trailing behind him.

Izuku flipped to his feet, hands fisted before him like a boxer's. His green eyes blazed as he planted himself in the middle of the alley, standing between them and the Hero Killer. "I won't let you kill anyone!" he screamed in defiance.

Katsuki shoved Aizawa into a doorway for some protection and ran to Izuku's side, hands slick with nitroglycerin. Todoroki appeared on Izu's other side, hands raised and ready to fight. The Hero Killer began to walk slowly toward them, his katana dragging lightly against the alley floor. It was almost as if his edges blurred with the night. His red eyes seemed to glow as they stared at them, bloodshot and unblinking. A long tongue licked at the air.

"This has nothing to do with any of you!" Iida screamed from where Todoroki had left him propped up against the wall, partially shielded by some bags of trash. Katsuki couldn't help thinking the idiot was where he belonged. "Get out of here!"

"Shut the fuck up, shithead!" Katsuki snarled, never taking his eyes off the Hero Killer. "Can't you see we're busy trying to save your selfish, worthless life?"

"Your friends came to save you. That's a great line, isn't it?" Stain took another step forward, the very image of metal and death. "But I have a duty to kill all the false heroes including you, brother of Ingenium, and they will not stop me."

"Think again, asshole," Katsuki said with grim promise. His heart beat slow and steady, his mind going crystal clear as adrenaline saturated his brain. He wouldn't allow anyone to die in this fight, not when he knew it was Izuku looking out from their eyes. "You're not fucking going to win a fight against us!"

…

Izuku felt Kacchan tense next to him and went still inside. Every doubt - every fear - was silenced. All his attention was on the fight - on the need to save Kacchan. No matter what it cost, he would not let Kacchan's brilliant light go out in this dirty alleyway.

"If we clash," Stain warned, voice low and dangerous. He stared at them unblinking from behind his cloth mask. "The weaker of us will be culled. And I - Am - Not - Weak."

Izuku met the villain's eyes defiantly, One For All singing along every muscle and pulsing in his blood. "Neither are we," he said lowly and launched himself forward in a frontal assault while Kacchan exploded upward on a powerful explosion to come down from above.

The long katana became useless as Izuku leapt within his reach, but Stain was fast. He pulled a serrated combat knife out of the harness on his chest with his free hand and slashed out with it. Izuku dropped under the blade in a baseball slide just as Stain lunged forward to avoid Kacchan's spinning kick from above. Izuku grabbed the killer's ankles and Stain went tumbling. Kacchan aimed his hand at the off-balance killer and let loose an explosion.

Stain literally bounced off the ground as the concussive force slammed into him with a massive punch. Flames and smoke filled the alley as Izuku caught Kacchan, skidding backward from the backlash of the explosion.

…

Todoroki watched, a wall of ice at his back protecting Native, Endeavor, Aizawa, and Iida who lay helpless and paralyzed behind him, as the Hero Killer rolled to his feet and threw a knife right at his face. He dodged, the blade painfully slicing along the scar-tissue of his right cheek. He lifted his hand, fire burning along his right arm, but Midoriya and Bakugo were down the alley behind the killer - He couldn't use fire!

"Look up!" Bakugo screamed.

Todoroki's eyes flashed upward and he saw the katana coming out of a spin and falling blade first down at his head. Fear rocketed along his nerves, but before he could move, he was yanked forward by a strong hand. A wet tongue slid against his cheek. Reflexively, fire exploded from his hair and skin, sending the grinning killer jumping away.

Todoroki's body went limp and his fire went out.

…

"IcyHot!" Katuski bellowed in rage and lifted his gauntlet. Without hesitation, he tilted his arm slightly upward and pulled the pin.

The roar and force of a runaway freight train hit the air. He was flung backward only for Izuku to catch and brace him once again. The explosion slammed the Hero Killer against the wall, the brick and cement cracking up and down the alley from the force. Todoroki's ice wall exploded with the sound of massive tree trunks snapping, but it did its job and mostly shielded those behind it from the heat and force of the blast. Steam washed over everything, filling the alley with fog.

"To block your own view against an opponent faster than you…" the Hero Killer said, voice echoing eerily. "What a foolish plan."

"I wonder about that," Katsuki panted, braced for the attack he knew was coming.

He'd just definitively made himself the most dangerous opponent on the field. The Hero Killer would come for him. Just as he wanted. It left Izuku free to move. Izu's mental training made it so that he could close his eyes and still maneuver near perfectly in the narrow space from memory alone.

Katsuki flung his arm to the side as a knife came flying out of the darkness and it bounced harmlessly off his large, grenade-shaped gauntlet. He'd seen that fucking trick; it wouldn't work on him! Sensing danger, he let off an explosion with the same hand, and it spun him to the side as three knives shot down from above.

"You're good," Katsuki snarled. He planted his feet and sent an explosion punching through the air. Steam evaporated, clearing his vision, and he watched as the killer, singed and banged up, dodged and came down on him like death.

"No one's ever told you? You're too focused on your quirk!" the asshole taunted.

The katana swung around, seconds from severing Katsuki's outstretched arm, but he'd been ready for something like that, had made the opening purposefully, hoping the killer would go for it. His other hand, primed and ready, was behind him. With a scream, he let loose the strongest blast from his hand yet. He was propelled forward, inside the killer's reach, and his skull impacted the asshole's ugly face with a crack.

They crashed to the ground hard. Katsuki pushed upward, vision spinning, head throbbing, only to collapse boneless. He gasped as his vision swam clear only to see that bastard lying on his back, long grotesque tongue licking the blade of his katana. Shit! He must have gotten nicked!

The Hero Killer sat up, blood pouring down from a cut above his eye. He staggered to his feet and looked up. The sound of an explosion and people screaming reached them on the wind. Stain spat blood. "So noisy," he said in disgust. "I'll dispose of those idiots later. Right now…" His eyes locked onto Katsuki's limp form. "I will do what needs doing."

Katsuki snarled at him, straining uselessly to move. "Shut the fuck up, asshole! Nobody cares!"

"If you call yourself a hero, you should choose your last words carefully." He swung his katana, blood flying off and spattering the ground like rain, and walked closer.

…

Izuku scooped up Todoroki's limp body and placed him by Aizawa. He could just hear Endeavor coughing painfully. Izuku looked to see blood dribbling horrifically from the hero's mouth.

"Run, Midoriya!" Iida screamed across from him. "I told you, didn't I? It has nothing to do with you!"

Izuku's temper flared and he screamed back, "That's what heroes do, idiot! Fight even though it has nothing to do with them! Are you really so far gone that you don't even know that?! We'll never leave you or anyone else to die!"

Grey eyes wild with pain and rage, Iida spat, "I've inherited my brother's name… I have to do it… That guy's mine!"

"You inherited it?" Todoroki asked coldly, limp and helpless propped up in the doorway. "That's strange. The Ingenium I saw before didn't have that look on his face."

"Is this really the hero you want to be? The hero Ingenium is?" Izuku demanded through angry tears.

Before Iida could answer, Todoroki gasped. "My fingers! They moved!"

Izuku's eyes went wide, his mind racing. "It could be less effective with more people, or the amount ingested could affect how long it works, or there could be a difference in effectiveness based on a person's blood type."

"I'm type B," Aizawa informed them gravely. "I still can't move."

"I'm O," Todoroki and Izuku said together. They looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Please. Just run away. Get help!" Iida begged. "I can't stand to see you get hurt because of me!"

"I can't leave," Izuku answered, expression unyielding. "Stain would follow me if I were to try and carry you guys away, and it would be harder to protect you if we all separate. Our best option is to hold him off here until the pros arrive."

A wash of heat, the boom of an explosion, and the steam lifted away to show the Hero Killer lunging forward, katana swinging to sever Kacchan's arm, but Izuku could see Kacchan's other hand and waited before leaping. A blast of heat and light erupted and Katsuki flew forward, brutally slamming his head into the killer's. They went tumbling. Kacchan pushed up onto his hands and knees only to collapse. Izuku leapt forward, green lightning in his wake.

"If you call yourself a hero, you should choose your last words carefully," the killer taunted just as Izuku's lashed out with a powerful kick.

Stain had seen him coming and spun around him, swinging his katana. It sliced into Izuku's leg above his ankle, and the killer flipped it around in a graceful spin around his hand, reversing the blade so he could lick the metal. Pain screamed up Izuku's leg as he fell, paralyzed. Then fire roared down the alley, forcing the killer to back away. Ice speared upward under both Kacchan and Izuku, and they rolled down the sudden slope, coming to a stop at Todoroki's feet.

…

Todoroki stood protectively over his friends, his right hand outstretched ready to attack. The Hero Killer loomed, shrouded in darkness, his eyes almost seeming to glow with menace.

"'Hero' is a title that should only be given to those who have accomplished great deeds. There are too many fakes polluting that name. Too many who act like heroes but are really money-worshippers! Until this society realizes the truth of their so-called 'heroes', I will continue to purge the fakes from this world!"

Todoroki lashed out with fire and ice, but the killer was moving even faster than before. Stain shattered his half-formed ice with powerful swings of his blade and leapt around the alley like an acrobat to avoid the fire. Suddenly, Midoriya twitched on the ground beside him and shakily began to push himself up into a crouch. Blood from his leg pooled around his foot.

"You've lost too much blood," Todoroki told him through gritted teeth. "Get Bakugo out of here. I'll hold him off."

"I won't leave you!" Izuku cried defiantly, his green eyes hard with determination.

…

Hero Killer Stain… In order to teach him a lesson, Iida had used his brother's name. (It's simple, really, Tensei's voice echoed in his memory. You're way smarter and more athletic than I was at your age, so that means if you admire me, Tenya, then I might be an amazing hero.) Burned into his mind was the memory of the nurses hooking their arms under Tensei's and dragging his lower body off the bed. Could still hear the heavy thunk of his useless legs as they set Tensei in a wheelchair.

Guilt - and pain - and rage - and shame burned through Iida, an agony even greater than that of his bleeding shoulders. With a roar, he pushed up onto his feet. His engines revved and flame erupted from his mufflers. "Recipro Burst!" he yelled and shot forward past Midoriya and Todoroki. He wouldn't let them get hurt any further!

Stain only had time to lift his arms to block before Iida's leg came swinging around with brutal force, propelled by the engines in his calves. The katana in the killer's hand snapped in two, the tip of the blade flying through the air. Iida continued his spinning motion and kicked Stain in the chest with his other foot, flinging the killer against the alley wall.

Two knives flew through the air and impaled Iida in the shoulder and arm. Thrown off balance, he fell with a scream, blood gushing from his already wounded shoulder.

"Iida!" came Midoriya's desperate call.

Biting the blade that was halfway imbedded in his shoulder, he ripped it out with his teeth and it clattered to the alley floor. He tried to stand, but his engines sputtered and threatened to die. He couldn't get off his knees! His radiator… Did he damage it with that kick!

"Todoroki! Freeze my leg! Don't cover the muffler!" he called behind him.

"It's no use trying to appear reformed," Stain snarled as he pushed himself back up to his feet using the cracked alley wall for support. "You will never be anything but a fake who prioritizes his own selfish desires. You are a cancer to society, corrupting the idea of 'hero'! I will purge you from this world!"

"You're an anachronistic fundamentalist!" Todoroki shouted furiously. "Iida, don't listen to the logic of a murderer!" Ice crept up his leg, encasing the overheated engine without covering the small holes where his muffler poked through. Todoroki's control was breathtaking!

"No, he's right," Iida admitted. Pain, exhaustion, and grief beat at him, threatening to knock him off his feet, but his newfound conviction gave him the strength stand. "I have no right to call myself a hero. Even so, I cannot give in. If I give in, then Ingenium will die."

Two more serrated knives appeared in Stain's hands. "Die, false hero!"

…

Izuku had tensed to leap as soon as Iida had shot past him on his Recipro Burst, but Kacchan's voice had stopped him.

"Left gantlet!" he said sharply. He was still limp on the ground on Todoroki's other side, but his eyes were hard and bright with intelligence. He had a plan.

Izuku dove, ignoring the pain in his still bleeding leg, and quickly unstrapped Kacchan's grenade-shaped gauntlet. It was big! It covered Izuku's forearm completely, but it was relatively light.

"Use ice to brace his arm!" Kacchan ordered just as Iida yelled for ice for his leg. "The recoil could dislocate his shoulder."

Todoroki complied with both demands, ice his most practiced element.

Izuku crouched on one knee next in front of Todoroki, dead center in the alley. His arm with the gauntlet was extended, aiming where Kacchan had told him. Ice encased half his body, thickest at his shoulder. The cold was brutal, especially with the blood loss. Izuku shook and shivered, his teeth already chattering.

"Die, false hero!"

"Glasses!" Kacchan screamed. "Extend launch!"

The Hero Killer leapt forward, deadly blades glinting in his hands.

"RECIPRO EXTEND!" Blue flames erupted from Iida's calf engines.

"Dodge this, motherfucker," Kacchan growled just as Iida blurred forward, faster than ever before. With a spinning kick, Iida launched the Hero Killer into the air.

With nothing to grab onto or jump off of, Stain fell straight down into Izuku's line of fire, helpless to dodge. Without hesitation, Izuku pulled the pin on the grenade. The explosion was enormous! The sound tore through their eardrums, their hearts stuttering in their chest from the BOOM. Stain was flung like a ragdoll out into the street. The top of the buildings on either side of the alleyway crumbled.

Coughing smoke clear of his lungs, ears ringing, Izuku tore through the ice holding his body and yanked the now dead gauntlet off his arm. Glowing with the power of Full Cowling, he dodged the falling debris and burst out into the street, ready to keep fighting, but Stain lay in a heap on the sidewalk, unconscious.

The Hero Killer had blood coming out his nose. First and second degree burns covered the exposed skin of his face and hands. His clothes were charred in places, still smoking. He was still bleeding sluggishly from the cut above his eye from when Kacchan had head-butted him. He wasn't waking up anytime soon.

Kacchan, Aizawa, Iida and Todoroki ran out of the alley behind him. The spell of Stain's quirk had been broken. Izuku gave them a trembling smile and shouted over the ringing in his ears, "It's over! We did it!" Iida dropped to his knees, tears streaking his face. His arms hung limp and bloody. Smoke curled up from his calves.

"Help me strip him of his weapons," Aizawa ordered.

"Here." Izuku untied the red ropes wrapping his arms with practiced ease. He gave one to Todoroki and one to Kacchan so they could tie the killer's hands and feet.

Izuku went to Iida's side and knelt down. He took out a roll of bandages he had in a pouch on his belt, glad he was in his costume, and did his best to stop the bleeding.

"His ribs are fucking broken," he heard Kacchan say. "How's he not dead?"

"Fighting three-on-one, we still barely won," Todoroki said softly.

"We're lucky to be alive. If Midoriya hadn't come…" Aizawa's voice was tight with tension. His long messy hair fell around his shoulders and half hid his face from view. "I was careless. I'm sorry that I did not protect you better."

Iida winced as Izuku pressed on his shoulder. "No, sensei. It was my fault completely. No one could have defeated the Hero Killer on their own. You all…" Sobs choked him. "You were injured because of me. I am truly sorry. I couldn't… see anything… past my anger…"

"We stopped the Hero Killer," Izuku said with a trembling smile. "Your brother can rest easy now, right?"

"Yes," Iida said, but he didn't look convinced.

Izuku felt reaction set in. His hands began to shake. God, it had been so close. The Hero Killer had been a insanely strong! But his friends were safe. Kacchan was safe! It was over. Suddenly, Kacchan crouched next to him and pulled him away from Iida.

"Good job, Deku," he said roughly. He was sweaty and disheveled, but he was grinning. "We wouldn't have made it if you hadn't come. You saved our asses."

Izuku burst into tears and Kacchan wrapped him tightly in his arms. He wanted to believe it with all his heart! That he'd made a difference, that he was capable, that he could be a hero! But his doubts came roaring to the front again. He tried to stem the flood, knowing Todoroki, Iida, and Aizawa were watching, but he couldn't stop the near violent sobs that shook his body. He curled into a ball, Kacchan wrapped around him, and covered his face with his hands.

…

Todoroki looked away from the raw scene of Midoriya coming undone. Instead, he gave his attention to the mouth of the alleyway as pro-hero Native helped his father stagger out onto the street. Blood continued to dribble out of Endeavor's mouth. The burns on his throat that had sealed the entrance wound looked like charred meat.

"We need an ambulance," he stated, but he didn't bother trying to call one. He could still see the glow of fire above the buildings, could hear sirens and screams. The villain attack was still occurring. The first responders would be overwhelmed with calls and wouldn't be able to respond.

"We'll have to carry him to the police," Aizawa decided. "Todoroki, grab his weapons. I'll carry the Hero Killer." Turning to Endeavor, he asked, "Can you walk or do you want me to send backup once I've reached the station?"

Endeavor glared hotly, rage emanating from his form. Todoroki hated himself for it, but he couldn't help flinching. He turned to look back at Bakugo and Midoriya and saw something move in the darkness of the sky. He opened his mouth to call a warning, still not sure what he'd seen, when this thing fell out of the sky. It had flapping wings, naked greenish skin, and long arms and legs. Bakugo had just pulled Midoriya to his feet. In horror, Todoroki watched as it latched onto the green-haired teen's shoulders and flapped madly back into the sky.

…

"FUCK!" Katsuki screamed as he felt Izuku literally torn from his hands.

Without even thinking about it, he launched himself upward, his palms flashing as he set of explosion after explosion.

"Let go!" Izuku yelled furiously, thrashing in the nomu's grip.

The monster screeched, the sound piercing his ears painfully.

"STAY STILL!" he bellowed. "WE'RE TOO HIGH!"

Izuku went obediently still, green lighting flaring along his body.

Katsuki flipped in midair, aimed his hands and let off rapid-fire explosions straight into the monster's wings. With a scream of agony, the monster began to fall slowly, no longer able to support itself in the air, wind slipping through the holes.

Katsuki fell from the sky until he could get his hands below him and pointed them at the ground. It slowed his decent enough that he didn't break anything as he hit the street. He rolled to absorb most of the impact, his bones creaking painfully. He stared upward as the monster sank closer to the ground, Izuku still clutched in his hands.

"Come on…" he said as he took off running toward them. "Just a little lower…"

With another piercing shriek, the monster suddenly flung Izu away from him still thirty feet in the air.

"Catch him!" Katsuki screamed furiously to anyone who could hear.

Todoroki hit the ground with his foot, trying to send ice to slow his fall, but Izuku was falling too fast! Aizawa's capture scarf hovered around him in loops and layers, but it couldn't reach. And then, fifteen feet from the ground, out of nowhere, a yellow blur suddenly swooped in.

All Might caught Izu and landed right in front of him, creating a small crater in the street. Katsuki stumbled from the impact, almost falling. He ran up, panting, and accepted Izu into his arms. Then All Might launched himself up twenty-five feet and grabbed the flailing nomu by the leg, slamming him down.

…

"I'm okay!" Izuku cried, pushing out of Kacchan's arms. He tensed to help All Might; how long had it been? He had an hour in his hero form, but that time decreased the more he drew on One For All. Was he okay? Was he going to deflate?

Fire flared behind them - a broken scream - Izuku whipped around to see a blade slick with blood sticking out of Endeavor's chest — Native was holding tight to Iida, his eyes wide with fear — Iida's expression was tight with horror.

"No," Izuku moaned. "No, please no…" His hands went numb. His heart felt like it was breaking.

Blue eyes wide with disbelief and rage, Endeavor stared across the street at his son. His mouth moved, but Izuku was too far away to understand. The blade pulled free and Endeavor fell to his knees, his eyes already glazing over with death. Then he fell forward onto his chest.

Stain slammed his foot down onto Endeavor's back, standing free of the ropes. His katana dripped blood at his side. "This society is overgrown with fake heroes!" the Hero Killer yelled, red eyes glowing with madness. "It is rotting and corrupt! Endeavor was no hero! Fake heroes and criminals who wave their power around without real purpose should all be PURGED! I will take back what it means to be a hero! I will purify society! All Might!" He swung his blade up so that it pointed at the number one hero who was pinning down the thrashing nomu. "You're the only one who is worthy! The only one I will allow to kill me! But not yet! I'm not done yet! There are still too many FAKES in this rotten world!"

Izuku gasped as a black hole bled into existence behind the Hero Killer. Stain stepped backward, but before he disappeared within the inky darkness, he said one more thing. He pointed his bloody katana at Izuku. "Protect this one. There are those who want him dead." Bloodshot eyes met his. "And he is not unworthy." Then he was gone, the black hole constricting and disappearing in an instant.

Aizawa ran over and wrapped the nomu in his scarf, freeing All Might to move. Kacchan aimed his palm at the monster's head and let loose a mild explosion. The force was enough to severely burn the monster's skin and render him unconscious with a major concussion.

"The League of Villains," Kacchan spat, shaking out his arm. "Guess that Hands asshole didn't die, after all." He moved to Todoroki's side. "Shit," he said lowly. "Sorry, IcyHot."

Izuku felt gutted as he looked into Todoroki's blank-faced expression.

…

Todoroki moved forward on autopilot, Bakugo staying close on one side and Midoriya on his other. All Might gently rolled his father onto his back. He looked smaller without his fire. Blood was smeared around his mouth and down his chin. His eyes were open but dark and blind. The hole in his chest was so small, but it sat directly above the man's heart.

"I'm sorry," Midoriya rasped, voice rough with pain. Tears rolled down his face unchecked. "I'm so sorry, Todoroki."

"It's not your fault," he said through numb lips. It was almost unbelievable. That the man who had loomed over his life, who had frightened him, tormented him, hurt him since he was born — Could he really be gone so fast? It didn't seem possible. He stood tense, waiting for Endeavor to sit up, for his large hand to grab him, for his cold voice to bark orders.

"Young Todoroki," All Might said softly. "I will bring your father. You go with Bakugo and Midoriya."

Todoroki let his friends take his wrists and pull him away, but he couldn't stop staring as All Might collected Endeavor's body into his arms. The hero leapt upward toward the rooftop. "Where's he going?" he asked with mild curiosity.

"Probably the hospital," Bakugo said evenly.

"It's too late for that," Todoroki said matter-of-factly.

"They'll know how to t-take care of his b-body. So you can have a f-funeral," Midoryia said quietly, tears still running down his cheeks.

"Oh." Todoroki frowned at the shorter teen. "It really isn't your fault, Midoriya. We would have all died if it wasn't for you. And the Hero Killer made it clear Endeavor was at the top of his list. We saw for ourselves that he wasn't skilled enough to survive one-on-one with Stain."

"I'm okay. Don't w-worry about me," Midoriya assured him, but tears continued to fall down his cheeks.

"Where are we going?" Todoroki he asked, hoping to distract them all.

"The police station."

Todoroki looked behind him to see that Native was helping Aizawa carry the unconscious monster along with them. Iida followed in their wake still looking shell-shocked. Despite the hasty bandages, blood still dripped down his arms from his shoulders, and Midoriya was still bleeding from his leg.

"Maybe we should head to the hospital instead?" he suggested.

Bakugo shook his head. "Splitting up is a bad idea. We'd be sitting ducks if the League were to fucking attack," he stated with an angry growl. "We'll just have to use the first aid kits at the police station."

Todoroki nodded and fell silent, Midoriya and Bakugo still holding onto his wrists. He didn't resist. It almost felt like he'd float away if they were to let go.

Chapter end.

A/n: Not a fluffy piece for the holiday - Sorry! I will try my best to bring some lightness to the story next chapter. Let me know what you think of this iconic fight!