Green Scale

Chapter 21 ~ The Hero Killer

Rated M

I Don't Own MHA


Before this chapter begins, I'd like to address some criticism by Raven Mordrake that I found quite interesting. In their review, they stated that the story lacks realism thanks to the OC's having no weaknesses. I'd like to clear up any confusion surrounding my characters.

You seem to be missing the point of the OC characters. I'm well aware that all quirks have limitations, but normally that's only when overused. Of course there are exceptions to this, like ones that have difficult activations (i.e. Carla's quirk and Stain's Bloodcurdle). As of this chapter, not a single one of them has experienced any sort of hardship or test because they're so much stronger than everyone else. Prism is an exception to this rule since Orochi is so much stronger and just one shotted him.

Lets list them all.

Akira ~ we don't even know his quirk

Andre ~ hasn't fought a real fight yet (Hoshino was basically just a heated spar)

Hoshino ~ hasn't fought anyone (Bakugou doesn't count since he couldn't even make him use his quirk)

Carla ~ I stated that her quirk can only be activated by touching another person. (the vials work by making contact with someone's body as well, just in case there was a plot hole.)

The rest of the American heroes ~ aren't introduced.

Michael ~ Same case as Akira

Prism ~ Barely even bothered fighting the UA teachers and All Might, therefore never exerting himself and activating drawbacks.

The rest of the fangs ~ haven't even fought yet

Red Scale ~ again, hasn't fought

Your assumption that all OC's are perfect and have no flaws is just incorrect unfortunately, and I can probably compare it to the time when Shigaraki awakened his quirk in the manga. Everyone called it broken until it was revealed that it severely damaged his body several chapters later. Please give this story time dude. I'll address all the flaws I can find, and if you could, at least give it a couple chapters before voicing concerns about something that I probably already had planned.

You probably said this because of the thoughts running through Bakugou's head in Hosu, about how Hoshino had no weaknesses. I can understand how that can be annoying, but this is Bakugou we're talking about and he's miles weaker than Hoshino right now. The guy fought him for a solid half hour and never even properly saw his quirk in action, so he was really just commenting on Hoshino's fighting prowess. If he bore witness to Thunderclap, that statement would be pure cap.

Rest assured that they all have weaknesses, some greater than others, and they will be explored in the future.

Please don't take this as some kind of attack or rant, as I would be a hypocrite if I took offense to this or bashed your opinion. I'm happy you have this concern, because it means that I probably haven't portrayed these characters correctly, and it makes me realise that I have room to grow in certain areas as a writer, and that hypes me up.


While people were being killed in the hundreds by the huge brain monsters, and the large buildings crumbled under the flames of evil, there was one dark alley detached from the rest of the city that hosted the most important fight of all…

All the heroes in the city were preoccupied with stopping the fire and defeating the group of Nomu, so they couldn't even catch a glimpse of the horrors happening in the isolated streets that housed nothing but suffering and villainy.

It was in this dimly lit alleyway that Tenya Iida laid frozen; a pool of his own blood flowing through the cracks on the floor. Sweat was lashing from his body as he struggled to even move his facial muscles, and the pain circulating through his torso and shoulder felt like dry ice on his back, burning his flesh away…

Adding to the young man's problems, the bloodlust erupting above him was from the Hero Killer, whose eyes were shaking with an unhinged rage that completely dwarfed his own. It was so terrifying that Tenya completely forgot about his own vendetta for a moment…

It took only 30 seconds…

His engine quirk was a power that drastically increased his speed to the point that he could move as fast as supercars, and yet this villain managed to outmaneuver him in every aspect. His kicks that moved faster than the eyes could follow were easily parried and blocked like they were weak strikes from a petulant child, and whenever he would try to create distance and regain his confidence, Stain would catch up before he thought of another approach. Once speed became irrelevant, he was slammed into the concrete with the man's steel spiked boot, and even though the assassin was lean and agile, it felt like a top physical hero was dropping him. His helmet was the only thing that did the job of protecting him, but that was then removed as the sawtooth katana ripped through the muscle fibres of his shoulder…

Then, the murderer's quirk came into play; paralysing Iida before he could even think to resist. It wasn't necessary, as the sword already had him pinned down, but it seemed like Stain was just that cautious of a villain…

He'd misjudged this fight severely…

S-Class was meant for the elite villains that were able to measure up to the top heroes of Japan, and Stain was a man that ended the lives of over 40 heroes. It was foolish of him to even think he had a chance…

Midoriya was somewhere in the city, and if the two of them went together, they might have stood their ground, but Iida was blinded by a desire for vengeance and didn't want to drag the boy into it when he'd been through so much in the last month…

Stain's power was ridiculous for his size and weight, and his speed was almost unrivalled, but what Iida was completely outclassed in was skill… Stain almost danced around him and saw his attacks before they landed, and the villain countered with such precision that it made him question who he really was…

He'd competed in the sports festival against Japan's young elite and thought he knew what power was, and now he paid the price for that mistake…

"You're Ingenium's younger brother… I saw you at the sports festival, and you had potential, but not nearly enough to beat someone like me... You attacked me in order to avenge your brother, and ended up on the ground...lying in a pool of crimson with no one to save you…"

Iida could only listen to the villain as his muscles all froze up from the quirk.

"If you'd come here with a clear head, you'd have been able to save that guy with that speed of yours…" Stain pointed to the headless corpse of the hero Native. "You were fixated on killing me, so much so that you completely forgot what heroes are supposed to do… You call yourself a student of the school All Might attended, and yet you let someone die because you put your selfish ideals in front of your duty to society…"

The man's eyes narrowed until the boiling red irises were barely visible. With each word he spoke, he became more furious and it was almost like he was feeding his own rage and reminding himself of what made him do what he did. He was a maniac, and one that had too much power…

People like that were the most dangerous…

"To think that a child like you already has the stench of a fake…" the man scowled horridly as he jammed the sword deeper into Iida's shoulder, just to see the boy's expression. "It makes me lose hope in this life…"

"AAAAAGGHHHH!" Tenya fruitlessly tried to clutch the floor in an effort to numb the pain…

The Hero Killer looked up to the smokey sky and scowled, knowing that his next target would be Shigaraki… "You're weak, just like your brother… The both of you are a stain on society, lusting for money and admiration while neglecting the oath you swore…"

He gripped his other sword and positioned it over Iida's neck. "Since you're only a runt, I'll make this quick…"

"Y-You had no right…" The student shuddered under the malicious aura of death… "Tensei was a great hero who saved countless lives, and he was the greatest big brother I could ask for… He may have neglected the law and chased after stardom, but he was far greater than the likes of you!" he used what little energy he had left to turn his head and glare at the villain while the man smiled icily. "I aimed to be just like him, and so did the sidekicks...but above all, he valued the safety and smiles of those around him! You bastard! Do you even have the slightest clue what a real hero is!?"

As expected, the ghastly pressure only grew from the accusation, but Stain kept his chilling smile as he lowered the worn down katana. "Enough… You'll die...just like that weakling over there, and the world will be rid of yet another poser…"

Iida's eyes widened as he felt the steel touch the hairs on his neck, and it was at that moment that he knew he was about to die… His hatred vanished and the revenge he sought turned to desperation as a cold wave of fear drenched him from head to toe…

"N-No! Not like this!"

Tears were streaming down his face as his life flashed before his eyes. He'd never stayed at the hospital with his brother, and he'd never said goodbye to any of his new friends at UA. He hasn't graduated from the school he'd always wanted to be in, and had never fulfilled his dream of becoming a hero like Ingenium…

His life was over...and he'd accomplished nothing…

"May your death bring about a better society…" Stain's disgusting tongue hung from his mouth as he salivated at the thought of culling another false hero…

...

But then, he heard a sharp noise from the other side of the alley…

A smashing sound, like glass being thrown onto a hard surface, and Stain quickly reminded himself of who he was about to kill…

With the agility of a cat, the Hero Killer leaped from his spot and back to where it was safe…

Ice…

The one that beat him in the sports festival…

The fire and ice user came out from the shadows and immediately lit the ground up with freezing energy as a frosty sheet covered a section of the alley…

"Figures one of you'd show up to save this trash…" Stain scowled in annoyance as he gripped his sword tighter than before; his bloodlust only rising…

Iida could only see the shoes and bottoms of the hero costume, but he knew it well and felt his stomach twist with dread. Even with him here, there was no chance of beating Stain, and he would only be putting himself in danger. "Dammit! Why did you have to come! Just leave me!"

Todoroki was bothered by the agonised grimace on Iida's face and sighed a frosty breath. "I heard about your brother on TV and remembered the face I saw at the train station this morning… I was originally with my father in search of this bastard, but then those Nomu showed up out of nowhere…"

Stain glared at the newcomer, seeing Endeavor in him...

"I was concerned about Midoriya because he didn't have a pro there to support him, but then I remembered why you might have been here…" His eyes narrowed in a judging gaze. "You came here for revenge, didn't you…"

Iida scowled. "I-It has nothing to do with you… Just run… You're no match for him…"

"I'm in the same boat as you Iida. I want my father gone just like you want this criminal buried in the ground, but I know the consequences of acting out my desires…" Todoroki remembered to keep a keen eye on Stain while he spoke. "It's wrong for me to talk down to you about this, since I'm no different, but have you ever considered what's going on around you? Those Nomu have the strength of normal pros, and some of them are airborne… Midoriya is probably fighting a load of them now…"

The boy on the floor felt his heart stop…

"So then, it looks like you let another life slip away in service of your petty revenge…" Stain smirked as he crouched down and prepared to slash Todoroki in a burst of speed…

Todoroki was confused at first, but then he laid his eyes on the cold and headless body of Native; a local pro hero… His eyes widened before turning to glare at the villain. "You'll pay for that, scum…"

"Will I?" the man confidently asked as he walked forward, running his sword across the sturdy grey bricks of the alleyway… "That pitiful child couldn't even get close, and you believe that you have a chance? You beat this failure at the event a while ago, but you lost to that Midoriya devil..."

Todoroki's eyes widened when he felt a shock wave of hatred hit him… 'W-What the hell is this bloodlust!?'

"You believe you can kill me?

"You? Kill me?"

His eyes shook violently inside his skull as a barely noticeable red aura surrounded him, and two red eyes appeared in Todoroki's mind, glaring at him with the force of a demon…

He couldn't help but stagger from the man's sheer desire for death… While it didn't hold a candle to Midoriya's burst of strength, it was still terrifying…

He thought like he was about to be killed without a second to prepare...

But he had a job to do…

As soon as Stain's front foot left the ground with a crack, Todoroki slammed his right foot down onto the floor, creating a huge stream of ice designed to trap the villain…

However…

Stain didn't even consider that a hazard as he nimbly jumped from wall to wall inside the alley, gaining height as he stopped right above his target. Without a single second of hesitation, the villain unsheathed his sword once more and grabbed the hilt with both hands; pointing it down as he fell…

Todoroki dived out of the way as Stain came crashing down with his sword shattering on the floor… The man scowled as he threw the broken blade down on the ground, but his ear twitched as he threw himself off the concrete to avoid another sheet of ice coming his way. It was child's play to avoid something so telegraphed when you had reached Stain's level of skill, but he needed to remember that the boy's quirk was strong enough to slightly negate the gap in speed…

Stain threw a pair of knives the second he'd found Todoroki's location, and wasn't surprised when a small wall of ice blocked its path. He hit the floor and avoided slipping on the frost as he ran forward, beginning to take this bout seriously. His steel spikes on his shoes managed to crush the ice and made his movement easier, but even though he had an incredible advantage in speed, he knew well that the boy was deadly up close as well.

The student looked back at Iida for just a second, considering if he should take him and run, but he heard the clanging boots of Stain increase in pace, and as he turned around, he saw the Hero Killer's silhouette through the ice wall…

The man tucked his legs and shot them back out again in under a second; his steel spikes impacting the ice and making it shatter like glass as he dropkicked the structure with ease and dived forward…

Todoroki inhaled in shock at seeing how his ice was destroyed. 'Such agility for a guy like him!?'

He saw Stain unsheath his second katana and begin his swing, and with what he'd seen already, he knew that this one would be faster than anything else. One second too early or late and his head would come clean off…

He ducked; feeling the steel slice through his fringe as he dropped down to the floor…

"You're finished…" Stain growled as the blade came down above the kid's spine…

Iida's eyes became enlarged with horror as he saw where the villain was aiming…

The exact same spot as his brother…

"NO!"

But then, Stain kicked off of the ground and launched himself up in the air as ice erupted from the floor. Todoroki had used his right hand to create ice below him, and that ice had scared off the attacker for now…

The wedge of frozen energy suddenly arched up and shot straight for Stain like it was a spear in the same maneuver that took place in the final of the sports festival, but Todoroki momentarily forgot that he wasn't fighting Izuku, and paid the price.

"The same move you used against the reaper's brother huh? If you were a second too late, I would have driven my steel through your spinal cord..." in a flash of white, the entire wedge was cleaved in half by the blade of the Hero Killer as he expertly slid down the ice, and at startling speed. The man couldn't be stopped by the ice alone, and he didn't know why Iida wasn't getting up… From this bloodlust to the incredible gap in skill, the student realised that retreat and rescue may be the only option…

The man increased in speed again...

He was like a blur as he shortened the distance between them, and Todoroki knew that he'd only be able to hold him off for a minute or two more… His movements were like that of a graceful dancer, but that notion was smashed by the abhorrent air around him that hungered for blood and bones...

Todoroki shot another wave of ice out and it travelled far faster than the others, and at a closer range too, but Stain just jumped from the wall and span around the attack, throwing another two knives at Todoroki…

This time though, Todoroki couldn't use his ice and instead shielded his face with his arm; feeling a stinging pain as the two blades shot through his skin. "F-Fuck…"

"Did anyone tell you? You use your quirk as a crutch… It makes you weak!" he cackled as he raced forward and closed the distance in an instant. Despite the huge skill gap, this elite villain hadn't underestimated him once and only desired to kill him right now, above pride and his own health...

Todoroki could see the sword coming in from the side and knew he couldn't dodge, so he erected yet another ice wall on his side…

*Smashhhh!*

"What!?"

The barrier crashed down to shards almost instantly, only just allowing Shoto enough time to side step and avoid the horizontal swing, but Stain was only a meter away now, and any of his weapons could kill him now…

The blade ripped through his hero costume and made Shoto shake with unease; knowing he just came within inches of death…

Stain spat on the floor in anger as he glared at Endeavor's son. 'Didn't pierce the skin… No matter…'

"T-Todoroki! If he ingests your blood, he'll paralyze you!"

The student looked back and saw Iida still immobilized as he tried to gasp for air.

"You sure!? He's stronger and faster than most heroes with power enhancing quirks!"

"I-I can't move an inch! He c-cut me on the shoulder and licked his blade! That's when I fell under its influence!"

Shoto looked back at Stain and saw his irritated expression, and that's how he knew it was true…

But still…

He'd come so close to death just then, and he was completely outmatched in not just skill and speed, but also power...which was his specialty. No matter how he looked at it, there was no way to win against this villain, as he was just too strong. Even though his quirk seemed weak in theory, this guy moved faster than most people in the world and without an enhancement of any kind. He could easily compensate for his shortcomings with sheer determination and fierce tenacity…

It was horrifying…

He'd faced Midoriya at the height of his power and felt completely helpless under the gaze of the shadow behind him, but this was different… Stain wasn't extremely powerful because of inhuman attributes brought on by quirks… He was this strong from training alone, and having a quirk that only activated by getting blood from the target now seemed far more fearsome to the student…

He knew that the power Midoriya showed at the festival was far exceeding anything he'd ever seen in his life...possibly even stronger than the white villain that beat him in the USJ, and while that gave him nightmares to this day...this was a whole new kind of terror…

While someone would normally feel frustration and shame at being overpowered by a man that had a far weaker power than them, Todoroki only felt fear when he stood in front of this animal... Despite his weak quirk, he outclassed Shoto in every possible way, to the point that it was almost unbelievable…

With this amount of power…

Just who could stop him!?

"Hey Shoto… Don't cry… We've all had it with dad, to the point where all of us excluding Fuyumi want him dead...but showing weakness in your lowest state would only prove his point…" A voice spoke to the young child as he sobbed on the family sofa…

It was late in the evening and their mother had accompanied Enji to the agency, more to calm him down and get him away from the kids… He'd been extremely harsh on Shoto today; beating him until air was a luxury and forcing him to use his fire, which is why Rei tried to soothe his anger as much as possible.

It wouldn't work, but it was the most she could do for her children in their broken home…

Shoto looked up at his brother and whimpered. "H-He won't stop! He's hurting mom now!"

The older boy stroked the white and red hair of his brother slowly, more to calm himself down than anything else… "He's getting desperate Shoto… Me and Natsu already recognised this ages ago, but now he's pulling out all the stops to awaken you properly… He tried it with Fuyumi when he learned she had even an ember of flame, and then with me, but when he knew we were destined to be weaker than the symbol of peace, he threw us aside like trash…"

"But we didn't do anything wrong!"

"It doesn't matter…"

Toya snarled as his scarlet hair dropped down, covering his eyes. "He's not gonna stop until he creates the perfect child, or until he dies from his impossible goal...though...it seems he's already found his masterpiece…" the child's eyes narrowed in a searing gaze as he watched his brother closely.

"B-But you had more power than me! More than even dad!"

He gritted his teeth. "And I couldn't control it… Every time I use that fire, it burns away my skin like kindling… I'm useless without proper training, and he's never gonna bother with that...now that he has you…"

The kid panicked when he saw his brother's eyes flicker with blue fire… "What do you mean!?"

There was a long pause, but the eldest son calmed himself down...

"I'm gonna head out for a bit, kay?" the boy turned his head, half shadowed from the dimmed light of the room. "Don't follow me…"

Shoto watched his brother walk out of the front door, seeing a sinister scowl on his face, and as the door closed behind him...so did the life he once had…

After that...Toya didn't show up again… Police suspected some sort of abduction, but the entire family knew that it was suicide… At the funeral, it was the first time that Shoto saw his father weep for something other than his dream, though none of them spared him a glance, because they knew he was to blame…

Rei and Fuyumi were always the first to defend anything he did, but even they were as silent as the empty grave they cried over...

Toya used to be the most energetic of all the children, and he had already attained strength surpassing teenage students at Japan's top schools, but his blue fire destroyed his body if it was used for too long. Endeavor never cared, as he thought that teaching Toya Prominence Burn would make him the strongest hero to ever grace Japan, though that only split the family in two…

He was great friends with Natsuo and Fuyumi, and genuinely loved them and his mother, his father was the one person he'd never smiled to...

With each passing day, he'd grow more distant, until he finally had enough and walked out, never to be seen again…

Every night since then, Shoto had thought that Toya was still alive, somewhere in Japan, and that was the only reason he wanted to be a hero. He'd given up on trying to imitate All Might and make everyone smile, because he only wanted to see two people light up with joy, and now those two people were long gone…

Todoroki knew it was futile, but he looked back and saw that Iida still hadn't risen back up, and he knew that there was only one way to get him out of the streets and at least prolong their safety… He touched the ground with his palm and made a wave of thick ice rise up from the floor at a speed not reached since the festival, and the size of it was enough to cover the entire alley and encase at least half of the place with frost that would make travel on foot almost impossible…

With this amount of ice, even someone like Bakugou would have a hard time getting past it, and even though he was hanging on a tightrope here, he was far from spent in regards to energy…

He was anything but a fool, and knew better than anyone that he couldn't win with this strength. His opponent was in a different league… The Hero Killer was someone strong enough to perhaps even give his father a run for his money, and his speed and power far exceeded anything he could have expected. His ice would just be diced to pieces and he was next to useless when up close, as the combat skill of this man was probably miles above his own. He could probably beat up any amateur with the skills Endeavor taught him, but not someone as skilled as this… He was like a small child when up against Midoriya, and now this would be a repeat if he surrendered the distance he had…

Screw his pride, and screw what this monster thought...

With the time he had, Shoto grabbed Iida off of the floor and tossed him onto his shoulder as he began to run… He wasn't fast, but if he could just make it to the main road, there could be a hero! He needed to get there!

"Weren't you listening, boy?"

A chill suddenly ran up Todoroki's spine as he heard the poisonous hiss of Stain from behind…

"I told you that you rely on your quirk too much…"

The man's eyes flared red as he sliced through the entire structure…

"H-How can one man do that!?"

Iida couldn't believe it either… "Just drop me and go, you fool! He's too strong!"

"Not happening!" Shoto didn't even skip a beat as he jumped over rubble and dashed through the tight space.

He could feel that presence getting stronger with every second…

Stain was coming…

"YOU'RE WEAK!"

Moving like some sort of rabid dog; Stain diced the huge chunk of ice to pieces as he jumped and span past the shards in his way. The ice didn't even phase him, like it was naught but a small hurdle in a path to slaying him and Iida, and with his speed and strength, it didn't matter if Todoroki fired off thousands of those attacks… None of them would land…

He crushed the ice with his spiked boots as he landed on the stone floor with a crunch… The concrete cracked beneath him as his tongue sprang out of his mouth in glee, and his speed skyrocketed as he launched from where he was standing…

Todoroki was staring in shock as he dropped Iida safely on the side of the wall. "He's still coming!?"

He put his palm out in front of him and fired another blast of ice that was meant for short range… Stain was around 15 meters away, but with his speed, he'd be next to him within 5 seconds… He predicted the villain's speed and timed his attack accordingly, firing off a short range burst of ice he'd never used before…

The attack was new to him, but he needed every last ounce of his quirk to act now…

However, none of that mattered…

"USELESS!" Stain threw himself forward without regard and dove straight under the blast before it went off, and he grinned at Todoroki as his bandaged fist connected with the boy's exposed chin…

Todoroki saw black…

Iida watched as the boy flew back, and he couldn't even muster a single shout as the villain turned his pulsating crimson eyes on him…

The two of them were going to die here…

No one was coming to save them…

But he couldn't die yet...

"Find her...and make sure that smile you talked about returns… Get your life back together and never look back on the past...because I'm about to do the same…"

'Midoriya…' Todoroki pushed himself off of the ground…

Stain sensed a change in the boy, but the fight had been so one-sided that there was no contest left…

The boy thought back to what made him this way in the first place…

His father's abuse…

His brother's disappearance…

His mother's despair…

His family's crumbling status…

And his own existence…

He remembered the way he was forced to his knees at the festival, and remembered every last detail about the shadow looming over Izuku… He knew what true power was, and he survived it because of the mercy his opponent showed…

He had so much left to do…

Todoroki looked back at Iida one last time and saw his terror-stricken face…

If he was anything like the guy that saved his life, and his future, then he'd save everyone that was in danger…

If he had the power to do so...it wouldn't matter the consequences…

'Midoriya…' He repeated in his mind as his body flowed with a boiling heat…

Stain dashed forward and lifted his blade overhead, preparing to split the student's skull open...but then his instincts screamed at him to dodge…

The student's legs stopped shaking and the pained grimace was wiped away as his vision cleared…

He stamped one foot behind for support and raised his left hand…

He could see the Hero Killer coming at him at maximum speed, and yet he was unfazed…

'If this was him… He'd do it… He'd save us both…'

Stain's eyes widened as he raised both arms across his face.

Small orange flames ran up and down his left arm as heat circulated in the space between the criminal and student…

The assassin saw a huge flame in front of him and his hatred reached its peak…

or so he thought…

"Endeavor…"

Todoroki lowered his blazing palm as he advanced upon the S-class villain…

He remembered the shadow one last time, and how much it looked like the dragon…

"Midoriya…" Stain's entire body froze when he heard the name.

"I'll be a hero like you…"


Stain glared at the fallen student as he kicked him in the chest with his spiked boot, making the boy cough up blood…

Iida couldn't do a thing, as Stain had reactivated his quirk with one of his bloodied knives, and now Todoroki was also immobilized…

"And this is where you fall…"

Even his fire wasn't enough…

Infact, it didn't even do a thing…

The attack completely missed the target as Stain jumped above and countered; finally slicing the back of Shoto's head and licking the steel clean. Moments later, the kid fell to his knees, and the fight was over…

It seemed that even overwhelming power was nothing when you didn't know how to use it…

Todoroki was done, and his eyes had dimmed…

All hope was gone, and the heroes were still not finished battling the hordes of Nomu that ran their way… Help was now nothing but a fantasy, and the only man in the city capable of stopping this monster was the Flame Hero Endeavor who had no idea this was happening…

They were about to die here, on this filthy street…

Stain glared at Todoroki. "You…" He remembered the flames he despised so much. "You prioritized the safety of that fake over your own life when you could have easily gotten away… Was it because you knew you couldn't beat me? Or because you truly came here to save him, knowing the risks involved…" His eyes narrowed in curiosity as he looked at the hopeless eyes of the teen.

"No answer? Fine…" The man scowled as he walked away, and over to Iida…

The engine student shuddered as the villain came closer; trembling with a mixture of rage and terror…

The man was still seething with anger, but the attitude of Endeavor's son dampened his bloodlust, even if it was by a little…

This time, Stain didn't care to talk to his victim… He'd already wasted enough time defeating these two students, and was well aware that the Nomu would all be exterminated soon… His objective was to kill Native, and because he saw the dirt and sickening falsehood in Iida, the bloodlust transferred to him…

But now…

Something quite extraordinary had happened…

"Kid… You call yourself Shoto right?"

Todoroki raised his head weakly.

"I think you possess the heart of a true hero…one that will lead the next generation into the golden age… You tried to save this faker, knowing that I could easily kill you, and even valued his safety over your own…" a sick smile spread across the lunatic's face as blood dripped from his sword… "There's few like you in this rotten world, and it makes me feel at ease that I've encountered you…

"I'll let you live, but I'm killing your friend… Don't turn out like him…"

Todoroki had no reaction to that… He knew that they were doomed already, and there was no way that both of them were gonna escape alive…

The Hero Killer suddenly kicked Iida into a wall, making it crack from the impact of the armour…

"You'll die for this…" Iida suddenly croaked out as his tears soaked the ground below…

Stain only smirked as he rested his blade on the neck of the student… "enough of this farce… Both of you weaklings lost this fight, and now you have to pay with your life…"

The rough-edged katana swung with a shine from the fire above, and descended onto Tenya's exposed neck, slicing the skin and drawing blood as it began to rip through the-

"Oi…"

The blade abruptly stopped before it could go deep enough to be considered critical…

Loud footsteps filled the alleyway as a new force completely overpowered the bloodlust of the Hero Killer…

"For future reference...you should consider lowering your killing intent… I could smell your ghastly stench from miles away…"

All three combatants looked towards the entrance and saw someone standing there, and they were dressed in some sort of armour…

Todoroki and Iida were just shocked that someone actually showed up, but Stain…

Stain recognised that suit…

It was shaped exactly like...his suit...

"I've been looking over Hosu for a while now, and I didn't think I'd make it in time, but it looks like I was mistaken… Since you're ranked as one of the most dangerous villains in this cursed land, I suspected that you'd be a tough little rodent to chase down...but again...it looks like I was mistaken…"

The Hero Killer snarled darkly at the boy standing there. "You…"

"You may be skilled in the arts of killing another man, but you operate like an amateur… I'm almost disappointed…"

A knife suddenly came his way, flying straight for his helmet's visor, but a scaled claw suddenly caught it like it was nothing.

After seeing that, Stain left Iida where he was and pointed his katana straight at the new foe. "First Endeavor's son...and now you… Just how many more rabble does UA intend to send me!"

"Rabble? You couldn't manage to kill two kids before I arrived, and you even gave away your location before things heated up… With my speed, I was able to close the distance between us in only a few minutes, and in that time, you were fighting a bunch of untrained children…"

Stain growled as he saw the boy's arm suddenly light up with green and black fire. "I can't imagine a disgusting Midoriya like yourself would ever concern itself with the safety of others… Is this another act to hide some sort of plot?" His whole body was shaking with wrath as he saw the youngest member of the trio approach him. Throughout his entire life, there hadn't been someone he wanted to kill more than that evil bastard Akira Midoriya, as the scumbag was portrayed as a heavenly force that protected the United States, when in reality he was possibly the most horrid vermin of all, pulling the strings of an entire continent to make them believe he was in their service…

A wolf in sheep's clothing…

"If you're anything like those two devils...you wouldn't be anywhere near me…"

Izuku showed a thin smile that made Stain step back. "I have no idea why you detest my loved ones so much, but all I'm hearing is the words of a coward, hiding behind his name…"

Stain's eyes widened with rage. "What...did you...just-"

"You target defenceless heroes from the shadows and strike fear in the masses, but here you are...about to kill a couple kids because they got in your way… If you really are someone to be feared-" Izuku melted all the ice in the alley with a single snap of his fingers and walked forward with one arm out; his palm glowing with a green light… "You wouldn't mind facing someone stronger, would you?"

"Bastard… Is that a challenge?"

He didn't get a reply, as a fist came flying his way at speeds he couldn't possibly see. It was just a flash of emerald as the punch ripped through the air, and it was far too fast to dodge… If this was any other situation, Stain would have mistaken the jab for a cannon shell…

The criminal braced himself with his arms just in time, but the punch connected with a crunch, smashing his bones into splinters… 's-strong…' He dived back and threw another knife, but Izuku just slapped it out of the way as he rushed forward. His speed far exceeded Iida or even Stain now, and the man could tell that even his skill was dwarfed by this boy…

The knife was bait…

Luckily for the Hero Killer, he had predicted Red Scale's twin to have an insane amount of power and speed, so he already had his sword above his head, ready to slash down when the boy got in close…

Izuku saw the blade descending and smirked; dropping down to the floor and letting the katana swing down.

"You're open…" Stain drove the sword down and aimed straight for Midoriya's spine, but his eyes widened when he heard a loud clang as the blade hit the black metal armour of the suit and the force of his swing was sent right back at him, making his entire body vibrate…

"I watched how you fought against Todoroki, and although you were impressive, you must have worn that blade out from cutting through all that ice… You'd never have been able to pierce this metal anyway, but now you're without a sword…"

The katana smashed into small pieces as Izuku pushed himself up from a handstand and kicked Stain straight in the jaw…

The man dashed back in alarm and held his shattered mouth, feeling the excruciating pain of it…

"I can see through your knife throws, and now you have no weapon, so you can't activate your piss poor quirk…"

Stain roared in defiance as he ran straight for him "I'M NOT DONE!"

A dry laugh came from the boy's mouth...

"I feel for you, Hero Killer…" Izuku calmly smiled as he watched the desperate swordsman race towards him. "If I didn't have this armour or the info about your quirk from Ingenium, you would have been able to put up a good fight...but it seems that your luck has run out… Speedy villains with low power like you are childsplay, no matter how strong they may be… Your blades can't rupture my scales, and your speed can't compare to my own… Even in skill, I'm bested by only my brother…"

He stopped the villain's punch with a single scaled hand and his eyes exploded with strength as they pierced the man's hateful gaze... "I tower over you in combat skill, and my quirk is rivalled by none…"

The villain stuck by his word and grabbed one last knife from his waist, driving it into Izuku's stomach…

But before it could cut through his abdomen, the blade was stopped by a collection of green scales… Izuku then took the opportunity to grab the man's wrist and crush it with unbridalled force...

Stain felt a claw grab his hair as he was pulled up to Izuku's face…

He whispered into the Hero Killer's ear with a dark smile...

"In other words… You can't win…"

Those were the last words Stain heard before a knee crushed his ribcage and a downwards kick to the neck plunged him into unconsciousness…


(Moments Earlier…)

Tanya Menendez was standing alone on the roof of the tallest skyscraper in Hosu; the only one that actually managed to reach over the huge cloud of smoke. Her red eyes were like laser pointers as they scoured the burning streets and crumbling roads in search of Izuku Midoriya; cold and emotionless as she kept reciting her master's words inside her head...

She didn't want the disgusting Nomu getting in the way of the abduction, but she couldn't disobey someone who had a higher standing than her. All For One had known Red Scale for the longest time, apparently since he was born, and faithfully served not out of fear, but because he admired the person under the crimson armour. For that, he had her respect…

Having to work with someone far weaker than her was a huge blow to her pride, but she could let it slide since this man had actually earned the respect and trust of a villain she thought was incapable of respect. Out of all the fangs, only Orochi had been capable of being valued by the leader, albeit only slightly, so to see some weak Japanese villain gain the same or even more recognition in the demonic eyes of the dragon was pretty chilling.

Just how could he have done it?

It didn't matter much to her… She was just suspicious…

Her quirk, Violet Tsunami was one of the strongest in the world, and it was the reason that she was selected to join Red Scale in his endeavors. For almost anyone else, this quirk would have been complete garbage with absolutely no strong points, since for the slime to increase in mass, the user would have to consume an almost incalculable amount of solid substance every month, but Tanya made it work…

Ever since her breaking point over 50 years ago, she didn't care about how she increased her power. When she was still pure and sane, she would venture out to barren wastelands and harvest materials that were of no use to anyone, and even offered to clean polluted areas, but now she couldn't be bothered thinking about what she consumed. It could be entire cities, forests spanning several acres, or even human flesh…

She was gluttony incarnate and spent half of her time feasting to increase the power of her quirk. Even though she was nigh immortal with her slime manifestation, she still needed defences from those that could blow her entire smile away with an attack, so she was always on the move, kidnapping people and laying waste to the planet, like a walking disaster. Her quirk needed her to consume an ungodly sum each month, and while most people would choose to go away into the mountains and hide, gradually accumulating power, Tanya would lay siege to a specific area and render it lifeless by the time she left.

With her lust for power and disregard for human ethics, she completely overpowered whatever shortcomings her quirk had, and coupling that with the almost suicidal training that the CEO of Blazing Fang Labs put her through made her one of the strongest creatures living on the earth. Her only weakness was physical power, but her slime could melt most things down in seconds and absorb almost any physical attack…

She needed only look out for people that could destroy her completely… When every last drop of slime was annihilated, she would die...

"This is Tanya Menendez… Target is closing on the destination and outside interference is at a minimum."

She spoke into the com device planted in her ear as she looked across the flaming city.

{You can extract the target without being seen? Note that a hero faster than you is in the city…}

"Yes, but he's weak… I'll kill him first and take the kid."

The voice on the other end paused for a moment. {We have another month to do this, but after that, it's done. If you fail here, we have but one shot left. It's better to keep your activity a secret than to take the child and risk being outed. It would rip our plan out at the rails…}

"Understood Sir…"

She closed it…

The air was now filling with a burning scent and the smoke was rising…

Soon, the attack on Hosu would be over, and their target secured. If she didn't bring the young student back to the island this time, she could be severely punished, but if she was ever seen by anyone in Japan, her death was guaranteed… The only reason Red Scale hadn't killed Prism yet was because his existence was only speculation right now, even though more people were slowly leaning to Izuku's viewpoint that they were active. If Tanya was spotted, and in the same place as the kid, their whole mission would go up in smoke…

Truly, it was better to abandon the mission if things became too crowded and Izuku went off course, but she was too afraid of what the dragon would do, should she return empty handed…

Their entire plan was a series of checkpoints and milestones, and once they accomplished one thing, they would move to the next without cutting corners. It could be both relaxing and stressful, but they had faith that their leader would step in and take control if things seemed to be leaning towards failure…

She felt bad about stealing the child away from the life he always wanted, not just because he was a caring guy with a bright future, or because he was the only known person that Red Scale held any emotions for, but because it had happened to her before… When her sister died, she was ripped out of the life of heroism and spiralled down a path of darkness with only the promise of a new world keeping her from deteriorating into a full monster… She knew how it felt to lose everything, and even though she was evil, she hated the thought of letting another happy soul experience hell...

After they captured Izuku and corrupted his sense of righteousness, they would then focus on gaining his trust and allegiance. Once that was done, it was pretty much over and they could resume trampling on the world again, though they'd have to get rid of those pests from the states first…

And wasn't there one of them in this city?

With her speed, she could dispose of him with her slime and then focus fully on Izuku. She wasn't stupid and knew not to underestimate someone that Red Scale's friend acknowledged, but she was confident in her strength and knew that there wasn't any hero in the world that even came close to her. If she disposed of this person, she'd avoid any conflict and wouldn't risk showing herself to the public…

Yeah, she'd just kill him in an instant…

Suddenly, one of the areas near the edge of the city lit up with energy…

"Strange… Endeavor should be the only strong hero besides Volt Break…"

She wasn't too concerned about it, since she could just block most attacks with her wall of boiling liquid…

Faster…

Faster…

Faster…

The power grew as the entity seemed to travel faster than what her own censors could keep up with…

From within her chest, she felt a strong pulse run through as the glowing object gained speed at a rate she'd only seen once before...

And then a golden light flashed before her, vanishing less than a second later…

For the first time in decades, she felt pain...

A small amount of purple liquid leaked down her cheek as she put a hand on the com…

"I'm pulling out…"


(Shortly After The Battle)

An armoured truck belonging to the Japanese Police Force raced down the streets of outer Hosu, and its sirens were heard across the silent hills…

Tonight had been a night that none of them would forget for a long time, as it was the first time that Japan was introduced to the footsoldiers of the League that was originally passed off as a joke. The real concern at the time was the supposed appearance of Prism in the USJ, but everyone neglected the power that the organisation wielded…

They attacked the USJ with a force of villains totalling above 100 and released the first of these beasts to be seen, which had the power to almost equal All Might… That was no laughing matter, and now there was rumoured to be some seriously powerful villains heading the group, but tonight they'd released over 100 of their creations to wreak havoc across the city… They may not have been nearly as strong as the Beak Nomu , but they were still stronger than the average pro and ganged up on the strong…

"Again with those things… Took em' a while to finally kill or capture the lot of them …" The driver sighed as he watched some of the local heroes begin the clean up.

"And like the last one, they're all mindless… Gran Torino even said they wouldn't even respond to speech unless it was from their creator, or the person that controlled them…"

"So...kinda like those necromancer troops in games?"

"Yeah, or just summons, but with an urge to kill whatever they could get their claws on… Kinda like this little shit in the back…" the officer smirked as he turned his head to the side and looked behind him, to the prisoner tied up in the back…

Stain was bound by a huge motion-canceling device that was used for the strongest of villains. Even though he didn't boast house collapsing strength, they couldn't risk him escaping into the night. He was physically no match for heroes like Endeavor and All Might, but he could probably make his way out of Tartarus with a little help, so they needed to take every precaution…

Even though the Nomu attack had been spreading like wildfire on the news, there was one story that totally eclipsed that in terms of impact…

The Hero Killer was someone that even the top ten heroes were hesitant to confront, and it was stated by one of the stronger heroes injured by Stain that his bloodlust and killing intent were enough to paralyze you and make you doubt your chances, even if you happened to be more powerful. He was a force to be reckoned with, and that was without a particularly strong quirk, so it was a wonder that a couple kids were able to beat him…

"Those were the kids from the sports festival right, and Midoriya?"

"Damn right… The dragon kid seems to be living up to his words at the award ceremony. Even though Naomasa doesn't trust him at all, I reckon he's alright…"

"Apparently he saved all the passengers on the bullet train that got derailed, and on his own too. There's no doubt that his strength and skill are legit, but it's still hard to believe he beat someone like Stain by himself…"

The driver looked at his colleague and smiled. "Yeah, he is the brother of America's greatest. Apparently that guy is like...unbeatable in close combat… If that young buck is even half as good as that mysterious swordsman, he'd easily beat anyone here in japan in a fist fight. Though we're working under the top division of detectives in Japan, we don't know jack about this guy, and it pisses me off…"

"You talkin about the kid, or his brother?"

"The kid, obviously. I don't think anyone in the world knows more than a single scrap about Akira, so we're working with what we have for Izuku. U.A seem pretty adamant about keeping anything concerning him under wraps, including where he goes around the school. I get that he's Red Scale's counterpart, but the guys only a child, and unless he's been pulling our leg this whole time, he's a good kid. We don't know exactly what his quirk does, what his grades are, how he communicates with people, or even what he's like outside his public persona…"

"It's probably cause they don't want a leak. If the villains know about him and where to find the brat, they'll be taking every measure to capture him. Right now, he only has strength comparable to the top pros in Japan, and not the world. A group of elites could easily bag him and turn his power against us."

They turned a corner and entered a new neighborhood.

"You sure we should go this way? If we get attacked by villains here, we would lose both our lives and the Hero Killer… I wouldn't risk it..."

"Lighten up man…" The driver chuckled as they raced through the empty streets. "They gave us this ride so that we could transport the bastard to Tartarus safely. This thing could probably take a punch from All Might without breaking down, and we're trained with guns in case things get ugly…"

"I guess… Villains barely appear in this area, so we should be good, right?"

"Right… The boss is just cautious because of the recent whispers about the Fangs returning. If one of those monsters came for any hero, they'd be dead, and if they wanted Stain, they could have him…"

The officer took another glance at Stain, checking that he was still out cold. "Don't say that dude… If that guy escapes, our bullets would be useless...against him and whoever captured hi-"

*Slice…*

There was a small pause…

"Aika? You alright over there-'' The driver's eyes widened when he looked over to the right…

His head was gone…

The man's blood seemed to turn to ice as he looked back at the Hero Killer. "Y-You bast-" but then he realised that the man was still immobile…

It wasn't him…

Then it must have come from the outside…

But that was impossible! The windows were bulletproof!

His co-worker's head was cut clean off without a sound… The cut was so perfect that the blood took a while to ooze out, as it hadn't realised that it had been cut, and there wasn't so much as a chink of metal when his head rolled…

"W-What the hell…" He panted as he stamped on the acceleration pedal. He grabbed his phone and dialed the boss before anything happened to him.

{What's the matter Matsuda? Any problems with Sta-

"Send heroes now! I'm being attacked by someone in one of the settlements outside Hosu! Aika's been beheaded by something on the outside and I don't even know how!"

The man's tone instantly changed as he shouted to his subordinates...

{I'll get whoever I can, but what of the Hero Killer!?}

"The scumbag is fine! He's still knocked out!"

{Good! Have you a clue about who's pursuing you!?}

"The whole damn thing happened just seconds ago boss! I just saw some flash and then looked over! His head was gone and the windows and windshield were taken down in one slash! Whoever it is, they're definitely up there in power! I suspect one of Stain's associates!"

{Try to stay calm and vigilant! I'm sending Edgeshot and Gran Torino out to get you! They're the fastest we have right now and will be at your locations in just a moment! Please just try and stay alive!}

"I will sir! I still have to get this criminal back to the pen!"

But then, he saw something in the distance…

It gave off some sort of energy he'd never felt before, and it seemed far faster than any bullet he could hope to fire…

But then, he saw the colour and a horrifying truth was revealed to him...

It was…

The entire body of the driver was burned to ash as the truck flipped on its side and exploded in a blast of orange and yellow…

...

Stain's tired eyes opened hesitantly to see the vehicle lying in a ditch, charred and completely torn apart by the force of the explosion… He'd been woken up by the blast and was now coming to his senses, but what he saw didn't make any sense…

All he remembered from his night in Hosu was fighting Izuku Midoriya and being struck with fear from his green eyes...but now he was in the middle of a country road looking at the remnants of a villain transporter... Did he lose to that arrogant bastard? What the hell happened?

Those transports were designed to survive bombs and handheld explosives of the highest grade, and it was still blown to hell by one single blast from a quirk… Stain couldn't imagine a villain or hero in japan capable of doing that so quickly, and the thought of someone like that made him shudder…

He needed to kill that bastard Midoriya before he died, and he needed to set his homeland right by massacring every last person playing hero…

"You survived the explosion huh?"

Stain flinched when he heard that voice…

He knew who it belonged to…

"Those officers were in the way of my target, but I hope you know that I regret killing them… Your eardrums are probably popped open and flowing with blood now, so I doubt you can hear me, but I'm gonna speak anyway…"

This man didn't even bother hiding the full power of his aura anymore, and it completely crippled Stain, despite his own strength being comparable to the best in the nation… It was like a huge dam bursting above your head, crushing your body with its weight…

"I understand that you knew who you were really fighting back there…"

The Hero Killer's fears had been confirmed…

"That's a problem, because not even the boy himself knows what's happening. If this information happened to travel to...other sources, then the final phase of our operation in Japan would have to be acted out instantly...meaning that your precious little nation would be reduced to rubble..."

The man walked around the body of the villain. "I have all the time in the world… The third-rate heroes Gran Torino and Edgeshot will be here in a couple minutes, but I only need one…"

He knew who was following him...but how?

Stain caught a glimpse of the yellow wedge-shaped hair and completely gave up the resistance he once had…

"My master's orders were to watch over young Izuku and make sure no real danger comes to him, but he also said to exterminate anyone who could be a threat in the future…"

Hoshino's eyes flickered with a fanatical spark as his hands slowly began to charge up…

"I am obligated to kill you now, since you could lead to the heroes catching wind of our movements, but I've decided to make you suffer for getting in our way…"

The crackling of thunder up above the clouds could be heard from the roadside, and Stain looked up at the hero… "D-Don't…"

"Hero Killer… Before you die, know that your only sin was knowing too much…"

The night sky then bore witness to the tortured screams of the Hero Killer…

Those were the last sounds he would ever make…


And that's the end of the hero killer arc! Hope you all enjoyed it, because we're now getting into the first real arc of the story, where all the characters begin to make their moves and everything surrounding our protagonist changes for the worse.

To clear a few things up before anyone calls me out ;)

Izuku would have struggled against Stain because of the swords and Bloodcurdle being so easy for the Hero Killer to activate, but he'd already been tipped off by Ingenium and the detectives about his skill set, and he'd also wore the armour that his father made for him (it's pretty obvious that he created it). With those advantages, he was able to overpower him with a superior quirk and combat power.

As for Tanya and why she fled so easily. She wasn't afraid of Hoshino, but knew that fighting him for real would attract too much attention and cause her identity to be revealed. She knew that their unknown status was more important than capturing izuku early on, so she made the safe call and ran.

Lastly, I skipped Shoto's fire scene (or the fight after), because I thought that showing the aftermath would be way cooler, kinda like AFO vs all those pros in season 3, or almost every Saitama fight in One Punch man. Let me know how it turned out!


RESPONSES!

(for anyone missing a reply, I probably PM'd you already)

Bio RL ~ Shigaraki will retain the power he has in the manga, and will be more prominent in the story now, and as for the girl in the letter; she will be revealed later.

Raven Mordrake ~ See Beginning

Donovan2771 ~ I can see why you dislike them, and you'll be happy to know that some of them will have their due beating, but they have every right to act arrogant, since both factions are following someone they believe to be the strongest in the world. They compare their master to anyone else, and they seem weak, so it's almost natural to look down on them.

Saucy boi ~ You have my thanks for the kind words 3 You ask some good questions, but I can't answer them just yet, as that would spoil some of the main events.

HAIL KING DELIRIOUS ~ I was hoping someone would get that lol. Sairaorg Issei

Guest ~ At the rate this story is moving, we'll probably have caught up to the manga by the time the arc ends, but if it's still going after all that, I'll wait till its finished and fully adapt it so Izuku can move to his second year. It's the most hype thing in canon since Endeavor fought that Nomu, and I'm just getting excited when I think about how I can twist it…

EastWest ~ Bakugou does have his good moments in canon, but they are only consisting of 3 chapters when he fights Midoriya. Probably my own preferences talking, but I CAN'T STAND HIM!

And the best you ever read!? I'm beyond flattered...

PokemonManChild ~ That name describes everyone defending GamefrEAk right now lmao! And I totally get it… When I read DxD fics on the down low, the mc is always wayyyy too strong to ever be given a challenge, unless you aren't mentioning the actual good ones out there.