Green Scale
Chapter 24 ~ The Hunt
Rated M
I Don't Own MHA
Pixie-bob was down on the ground with blood running from her ear, and resting on the side of her head was the metal magnet held by one of the villains…
The other attacker stood next to his partner and brandished two small swords and wore a larger blade covered in cloth over his shoulder…
Both of them looked intimidating and far more skilled than the amateurs that Aizawa and the Class A students faced in the USJ. They exude an air of combat skill, and had recognisable names to enforce their presence, but they looked focused and had their eyes only on the two remaining pussycats that opposed them. It was like they were treating the UA students - the cream of the crop in Japan's youth - as afterthoughts, and that only served to make the two pros even more cautious…
"Don't move, or I'll crack this kitty's skull wide open~" Magne smirked as she gripped her magnet tighter and pressed down on it, making Pixie-bob wince.
Tiger got into his signature fighting stance and gestured for Mandalay to do the same, all while keeping his eyes fixed on the two villains… "Leave her face alone… I'm more of a concern than her, you scum!"
The students behind him consisted of the UA kids that had gone looking for Midoriya and Bakugou… Both of them had vanished from the shelter and went out into the forest, but before any one of them could step inside the wood, they were called back by Mandalay and alerted of the villains.
Iida knew straight away that it was the league, mainly because these villains weren't easily crushing the pros straight away, but after what his friend told him in the hospital, he was almost certain that the fangs were behind this…
If they appeared, then there was no way that they could save Midoriya…
Uraraka, Kendo, Asui, Iida, Tetsu Tetsu, Todoroki, Tokoyami and many more were witnessing the battle, and even those that didn't know about Tanya Menendez's appearance in Hosu could already figure out that the league was lowballing them and had stronger villains in reserve…
These two fighters were just as strong as Mandalay and Tiger, if not stronger, but they were still weaker than those two at the USJ, and if those 100 Nomu at Hosu was any indication, the league had numbers…
They could have just sent a legion of those beasts to fight them, but they chose relatively average villains instead…
That meant that they were probably keeping their elites for the stronger students…
Mandalay was about to engage in combat, but she knew that these students behind her were already comparable to pros, so it would be a waste to just let them stand around… They were kids and shouldn't be exposed to danger like this, but there was no other option… If they didn't fight back, they could be killed, and if all of them didn't act, it would make that poor kid's escape even harder.
The other students inside the shelter will have already woken up from the explosions, so this message would reach them…
[ALL STUDENTS! WE HAVE COME UNDER ATTACK FROM VILLAINS! KEEP SAFE AND TRY TO FIND YOUR TEACHERS, BUT ALSO DEFEND YOURSELF IF YOU RUN INTO DANGER!]
The telepathy vibrated through each student's heads, and the group in the centre of the camp looked at Mandalay for confirmation…
She could only nod before running into the fight…
Instantly, Iida felt Todoroki grasp his shoulder. "You and I should split up. I'll take a few students and you do the same." he said in a serious tone.
Iida nodded firmly. "Right, since these villains came from the forest, we should take different paths through it and meet in the centre."
"That's exactly what I was thinking. Midoriya is the strongest guy I've ever seen at my age, but even he'd struggle against villains of this number and level. They're above most pros and would probably give these cats trouble."
"And if we assume that those underlings of Red Scale are here or nearby, then it's up to us to get to him in time and defend our classmates before they come…" Tokoyami added as he walked over to Todoroki with some other students.
Uraraka looked into the forest and saw the blue flames rise from the thick smoke that covered the tops of the trees. "Since we already know that there's a fire user, Todoroki and Tokoyami should probably avoid them. Me, Iida and the others will head over there and try clear this smoke, but if there's more than just 3, then we will have to split up…" she wasn't alright with fighting villains that were possibly stronger than her, but she was doing this for her friend's safety, and not her own…
"The most important thing is getting to Midoriya before any powerful villains get to him." Shoji joined them from the side. He'd come from where Vlad and Aizawa were located because a group of them were woken by the noise, but he'd already heard about the situation. "If that warp guy shows, he could snatch Midoriya up while he's distracted, and we haven't even got a clue of how many villains are here. Splitting up is really the only option if we're gonna get there in time."
"Yeah, I agree." said Ojiro. "Those two villains over there are already trouble for top pros like the pussycats, so you could imagine that they saved way stronger ones for Izuku to face, and if they are actually smart with their cards, they'll attack him as a group and try to overwhelm the guy. Judging by the strength of these two over here...it wouldn't be impossible."
"Then it's settled…" Todoroki announced. "We still need to notify Yaoyorozu and the group with Vlad, but Midoriya takes priority. If he goes with the league, then they could turn him into a villain that no one here could ever beat. Not only do I want to avoid one of our classmates to be turned against us, but I also don't wish to see him in particular become someone I cannot stand beside as a hero."
Iida knew exactly what Todoroki was talking about and shared his feelings to a tee. "We'll focus on getting Izuku back into our hands, and once we accomplish that, we'll regroup with everyone here and use our numbers against the villains…"
It wasn't a plan that had a high chance of succeeding, but it was still a plan, and that's what mattered to these students. A load of them weren't close to Izuku at all as a person and some even didn't like him, but they knew what would happen if he was caught, and how certain members of the class would feel if he was gone.
It was a plan that had to succeed, no matter what…
Yaoyorozu had heard the news through Mandalay's telepathy and had ran out of the shelter alone in search of Izuku. Aizawa had ordered her to come back, but she knew that she'd work best on her own, even with her lack of confidence.
If there was a team of students with the same goal of finding Izuku, then she'd have to join them in order to stay safe and defend against these villains. From the sound of Mandalay's voice she was panicked and concerned about the foes in front of her, and that gave Momo some insight into how strong they were.
She doubted she was even in the top ten when it came to power in Class A, but she knew that she was only second to Izuku when you looked at mental strength. Of course she'd been nerfed with her self-doubt and hatred of her own quirk, but now Izuku was in danger and being hunted by villains that were probably above his level. She'd have to disregard her weaknesses and push forward to make an impact, because she already figured out that it would be all up to the students getting to him and providing support…
And support was her greatest strength…
She was extremely weak against power type quirk users, as proven by her humiliating loss against Tokoyami, and figured that the blue fire was created by one, so she decided to avoid that and run through an area where the smoke didn't reach. This place was supposed to be where they'd have some sort of fun game that involved scaring people, but it was called off by Aizawa when he thought about people attacking them in the night, so Yaoyorozyu thought it'd be the best place to traverse through.
She didn't have much going for her in offence, but she could handle villains that were lacking in physical power if she had the right creations…
Yaoyorozu stopped her sprint and looked around, not seeing anything out of the ordinary, but smelling something odd. It wasn't the smell of trees burning or anything foreboding like that, but it still made her nervous, because it was almost odourless. She could smell something, but it was barely even able to be sensed…
But then she saw something in the distance, and instantly knew what it was…
Adding all these things up in her head made the student realise what she was smelling, and she instantly made a mask from her shoulder...
It was gas…
This purple substance swirled around as it got closer to her location, and she could see two glowing red lights inside the small cloud of gas. That was probably the villain using the quirk.
This was someone that would probably kill her without hesitation, and that gave her a nasty chill…
"I can handle you by myself."
Before trying to either engage or retreat from the villain, she sent her location to everyone in both classes, just in case she wasn't able to beat it…
It didn't matter how strong any of them were at this point. These were villains out for their blood and their only objective was securing Midoriya, so they'd view all other lives as expendable, and that could give way to certain villains releasing their desires to kill. No one was safe, and these villains were organised and far stronger than the ones at the USJ, so pride should be thrown away when in battle against a force like this.
She created a thin pipe made from sturdy metal and a large round shield that would protect her from projectiles. It was what she'd always use if she was going into a fight without preparation, as it made sure to cover both offence and defence simultaneously, even if it was not by much. She could be defeated here, so she was relying on someone getting her distress signal…
However, her ears were alerted to the sound of a revolver loading…
Kota was watching everything unfold from the top of the cliffside where Midoriya had been training, and he couldn't even tell what was going on…
In the centre of the forest, there were trees set alight by a sapphire flame and near the cliffside, there was a large cloud of purple gas that was slowly spreading through the woods. He'd heard from Mandalay's quirk that villains had attacked, and this all must be their doing, but he thought he was safe up here…
Though that belief would soon be rendered false…
He could hear the shouts of those UA kids in the woods and that only amplified the fears he had, and he was beginning to regret what he'd said to that green-haired guy on the first day. What if he died? What if he never got to apologize?
The small child didn't know what to do, and he had no idea of where was safest and what path would lead to villains. Even someone of his age could realise that criminals weren't normally above killing other people and even children, and these villains might be the same ones that attacked the USJ, so he wasn't safe if that was true.
He needed to get back to Mandalay and the others, but she must have been fighting by now, and the others were probably protecting the students.
He'd never been in a villain attack before, or even been in much danger in his life, but he was a smart kid and at least knew that he'd be safer with a pro by his side.
"The air up here sure is nice~"
Kota turned around quickly when he heard a voice from around the corner of the cliffside.
He'd made sure that the only entrance to this place was to walk up the long and steep road, so this person must have jumped up here on his own…
"Dabi's makin' too much damn noise down there… I'll crush him after I have some fun…" the villain growled in annoyance as he turned the corner and came face to face with Kota.
The child could see the stranger clearly now, and he was towering above him at over 7ft… The muscles on his arms were wide and very strong, and his face was obscured by a white hockey mask. The only thing the villain carried for equipment was that mask and the huge black cloak that covered his body…
He was scary, but something about him made Kota's body freeze.
"Huh? The league never told us a little kid like you'd be up here...but that's not a bad result for me~" he laughed with a twisted sense of excitement. "Say brat; how 'bout you trade that hat for this dumb mask? Doesn't even fit me anyway."
Kota stepped back, but he unconsciously tensed when the villain unclipped his mask…
"You're not on this weird list, but who cares. It'll be cool to blow off some steam before fighting that dragon punk…" the mask fell off to reveal a sickening grin on the villain's face…
A lump formed in the child's throat as he saw the face behind the mask, and before he could even notice them; tears were falling down his face…
The villain's short blonde hair then waved wildly in the country winds as he rustled around in his pocket and brought out a small plastic eye that he clipped onto his left socket.
[Please stay clear of this criminal. He is more powerful than most heroes in the nation and has a desire to kill unlike any other. Descriptions of his appearance vary, but we do know that he has short, spikey blonde hair and a prosthetic in place of his left eye…]
Kota's heart seemed to cease beating when he realised who this murderous animal was…
[He goes by many names thanks to the variety of his crimes, but he is most commonly known as the Carnal Murderer...Muscular…]
"M-Mom! Dad!"
The villain's arm erupted with exposed muscle fibres and slowly cocked back as an aura of death surrounded him…
The child was helpless and could only stare as Muscular's fist engulfed his vision…
But then Kota was looking straight at the ground…far away from where the punch landed…
Muscular was confused when he found only rubble in the crater...but when he saw that green head of hair, he smiled in anticipation.
"That's far enough…"
He recognised that voice… "You're-!"
"Stay down for now Kota. This isn't someone you can simply run away from…"
Muscular retracted his arm from the earth easily, like it took no damage at all from him, and grinned. "Looks like someone amusing finally showed up. So you're really that kid that everyones pissing themselves over…"
Veins of anger slowly began to appear around Izuku's neck as his eyes turned to slits…
Muscle augmentation…
That was the quirk that killed Kota's parents…
And judging from the kid's current expression...this guy was the holder of the very same one…
"Who do you work for? The league or the fangs?"
Muscular wasn't taking Izuku seriously at all and didn't even try to dodge the question. "I'm with the league, since they allow me some freedom to let loose of course. And what about you, dragon baby? Why are you with the heroes when you should be doing the same as me?"
"Because I don't have the same twisted love for death like you… I wanna be a hero so I can protect people from despicable trash like the league, and so I can defeat people that inspire fear…"
"Huh? That's a shame…" The large brawler sighed. "I thought you'd be a pretty cool guy, but you're just as lame as the rest of those spastics wearing capes…"
Izuku quickly looked behind him. "Don't get anywhere near us. This is gonna be messy."
Kota could only give a ghost of a nod as he quickly retreated behind a half-melted boulder.
"I was gonna consider just taking you back with me if we had the same hobbies, but I think I'll just stick with my original plan. Those spineless cowards in the league only want you with them so they can suck up to whoever their boss is, and they shit themselves over that fire of yours, but I'm not a little bitch...so I'll just be taking your head right off…" Muscular smiled dangerously as he ripped off his cloak and revealed his augmented arm and legs.
"Not using your full power?" Izuku asked icily, making both people near him freeze for a second…
"You're looking down on me, aren't you?"
As if his body was forcing him because of the sudden shift in the student's tone, Muscular charged forward with his fist aiming straight for Izuku's head…
But Izuku did the same, and instantly met him in the middle of the rock face…
'This speed is from a brat that young!?'
Small green scales instantly emerged from Izuku's skin and travelled all the way down his arm as the two fists connected…
The ground beneath them split open, and with it...the entire cliff…
A huge boom was heard all across the training camp…
Izuku felt the scales on his fist crack slightly from the force of Muscular's semi-serious punch, but he could also see the villain wince from the impact, and both of them quickly jumped back…
'Our power is roughly the same… No… He's stronger, but I'm faster…' Midoriya looked behind him to see Kota shocked at the students power. He couldn't let the kid run away, because Muscular could probably just chase him down and kill him, or he could run into another villain before he got back to Mandalay…
Muscular cracked his neck as his grin widened. "That's some power kid! And to think you're not a villain!" and as soon as he finished his sentence, he blasted off of the ground and flew straight towards the two kids.
"So you don't want to be honourable about it?" Izuku's black claws appeared from his scaled fingers and he arched his back as he saw the villain become a blur from his speed.
The talons of the hatchling gleamed in the moonlight as they raced forward to meet the villain's side, but Muscular saw the danger and despite his arrogance, span in the air and used his other arm to defend against the slash.
The claws ripped though the muscle…
"Gah! You bastard!" the villain scowled as he regrew the severed strands of red muscle.
Izuku also grimaced, seeing that his claws couldn't fully rip through his arm like they could with the Nomu at the USJ. 'Durability and power is all you have…' he said to himself as his claws closed into a fist…
Muscular still felt the stinging pain of his muscles being cut, but he saw Izuku come for him at high speed and sent out another punch.
"Predictable." Izuku stated as he easily sidestepped the punch and grabbed a fistful of his arm's muscle fibre. It was then that Izuku threw his own punch back, and this one cleanly connected with the villain's face, and Izuku was able to listen to the satisfying sound of cracking bones that followed as Muscular was sent back a couple feet.
However, Izuku looked to the side and saw another fist come his way, this time from lower down and in the form of a right hook that was much faster than the others…
Izuku never expected a meathead like him to be able to have such good reflexes and accuracy, but with his superior speed, he was able to guard his chest with his two scaled arms.
The punch was strong enough to send him flying into the cliffside…
"Midoriya!" Kota shouted; fearing for his protector's life.
But Izuku was just fine, as just before he crashed into the rocks, he managed to grab ahold of them and negate any damage. 'That was close… If that hit me, I would have probably been winded badly…'
But then Muscular was right on his tail and didn't bother waiting when he threw a punch straight for the neck, and the boy only had a second to react to the attack, to which he put only one hand up to block. The strike was too powerful and pushed Izuku further up in the air to where Muscular obviously followed, but instead of losing his control and becoming an easy target for the experienced villain, Izuku turned in mid-air and managed to come to the right angle when the man approached.
This was a move from his brother that he'd only heard about on TV. He'd not been able to master or even practice it, since he'd never seen it in action, but going by rumours alone, he pieced together the movements…
Muscular was rising at a distressing speed and laughed as he closed in on Midoriya, but then he saw the child rotate to meet him with his leg high above his head… Izuku swung his foot over his head and downwards onto Muscular's skull…
He was hitting the villain with his tibia…
And from this height…
The force of the blow should have been enough to split the man's body in two, but Izuku's kick was beyond sloppy, with the move having only ever been talked about on the news… He could copy martial arts maneuvers by only seeing them once, unless they were extremely complicated or required things other than a perfect recreation...and this one was only going by a description…
Nonetheless; the strike was so powerful and fast that Muscular couldn't hope to block it, and he was sent straight down to the ground with a crash…
Izuku landed as well, but felt a strong pain in the bone he struck…
He'd have to get Akira to teach him that move…
Even with no prior practice and even visual reference, he was able to use such a powerful move… He couldn't imagine how potent it would be when the creator of said move taught him…
But then, he saw Muscular rise from the rubble, covered with gashes and bleeding from his scalp…
"So you managed to survive that… Quite durable huh?"
Muscular only stretched himself to relieve the pain…
Both of the combatants knew that they needed to stop playing around and fight with their full strength…
'I can take him with my fire but...what about Kota? Will I blow him away with the strength of the blast, or would this whole cliff collapse from our fight?' he thought as he watched Muscular stretch the wounded arm he had.
He couldn't let Kota witness this any longer, both for his own safety, and because Izuku was about to abandon all caution and aim to kill this guy…
A child couldn't witness that…
"Run…"
Kota looked at the student. "Huh!?"
"I'm not saying it again! Get as far away from here as you possibly can, but don't even think about going into that forest!"
"W-What about you!?" The kid looked between him and Muscular, scared for his life.
Izuku looked back at him with kind eyes and raised his glowing green arm in the other direction, warning his opponent not to interrupt. "I'm going to fight, and I'm going to win…"
*Ba-Bump…*
"If I can't save one little kid, then how can I beat him?" he almost seemed to ask himself as he readied his body. "I'll call you back when I've cleaned him up, and then we'll get you back to the pro heroes. Their job is to protect you… Do you get that?"
Kota gritted his teeth, but not in anger. "Why are you doing this!? Why!?"
Izuku put a hand on Kota's chest and pushed him away. "Isn't it obvious? Because I'm a hero…"
And then he stood up…
With the kid going away now...he'd have no reason to hold back.
"Damn Midoriya, I might just cry from that!" Muscular laughed for a while, but then his expression turned serious, surprising Izuku. "Your kind really does like to mouth off about justice when they can't even defeat the person in front of them. That kind of mentality really pisses me off, and those people just end up looking like dumbasses when I split their bodies down the middle. They're weak...so weak that I can't even take pleasure in seeing their tears...and at the end of the day, when their heads are buried in the ground and their bloods leaking down into the street drains, they don't save anyone!"
The villain pointed his finger to Midoriya as his disgusting smile returned. "But guess what kid? You're different! Out of all the pathetic wastes of air I crushed, you're the only man that's made me go all out! You're strong, and I don't believe in this Stain bullshit that Dabi goes on about, but you seem like a real hero!"
Izuku's eyes narrowed in focus as he watched muscle fibres overlap every single inch of his opponent's skin…
This guy just became over double what his strength was originally, and now he could probably even be dangerous…
Life threatening even...
He remembered his fight with the USJ Nomu; an enemy he couldn't defeat at all…
He wouldn't make the same mistakes again…
"How 'bout we have ourselves a game kid!"
Izuku responded to the man's buff by allowing small streaks of fire to dance across his body while his scales covered his arms and legs… His black talons elongated and became more serrated as he crossed his arms in an X shape and crouched down.
Muscular saw this and his black eye danced with glee. "Gooooood! Here's what's gonna happen! I'm gonna try kill you, and you respond by doing the same! If you die, I'm gonna rip that kid to pieces and slaughter everyone in this forest, and if I die, then feel free to butcher the rest of those weaklings I'm with!" He roared like a starved beast as he gave a toothy grin that made Izuku falter for a second because of how ghastly it was.
"Scum like you doesn't deserve to make the rules… I'll kill you before the kid even makes it past this place…"
"HAHAHAHA! I like your style kid! Maybe I was wrong about you!"
Izuku's left hand extended as he got into a speed based stance and his claws scraped across the rocky floor while he prepared to blast off… "Come…"
Muscular smiled widely and ballooned in size when his muscles expanded… He too crouched down and both his arms were out wide, like he was ready to crush the kid with his grip.
"SHOW ME YOUR BLOOD!" He roared savagely as he shot forward with regard…
Izuku met him again in the middle, but when he saw Muscular suddenly change into a tackling motion, Izuku switched his moves and increased his speed.
The villain was about to pulverise Izuku with his superior strength, but just at the moment of impact, Izuku jumped and a knee flew straight into Muscular's exposed head. The kid then managed to vault over his opponent and land safely on his feet while the man broke out of his charge…
There wasn't enough distance to perform another type of maneuver and the two of them knew that, so Muscular threw his right arm behind him and swept it across where Izuku was standing, like a clothesline from a wrestler, but this was too slow for Izuku to struggle with, and he just bent his knee to lower himself under the attack and delivered a kick to the huge man's kneecap…
The area where the bone was struck quivered slightly, but Izuku was shocked when the villain didn't even topple over from it. The man's knee was bent and he'd even reinforced it with muscle before the kick landed, so he clearly knew what he was doing. 'So he actually has knowledge in fighting… I guess I was also looking down on him…'
Izuku was almost grounded, and once his kick failed to stagger the man, Muscular capitalized on his vulnerability, driving a huge punch down to Izuku's cranium and trying to hit him, but all he got was the bastard's afterimage…
"Slow…" Izuku taunted as his eyes slowly turned green.
And now, he released a flurry of punches that didn't even seem to stop… They were like waves of cannon fire and even someone as prideful and cocky as Muscular could realise that all of these were dangerous on their own… Each punch was extremely powerful and enough to actually cause Muscular pain under his fibres, and they were so fast that he couldn't even see some of them, which only added to their strength as they pounded on the exposed muscle…
"Dammit!"
Izuku quickly jumped out of the way when the villain clasped his hands together and slammed them both down on the ground…
Again...there was a loud boom that was heard across the camp…
But Izuku used the opening to jump over his arms and hover straight above his head…
He could feel some sort of powerful heat build up inside him…
It was getting stronger…
His back was aching…
What was this?
Before any of the debris from the blast could hit Izuku, he thrusted both of his legs down onto the back of Muscular's head, and now that he knew the meathead could take a beating, he even extended his elbow and caught him with a vicious strike…
Muscular's eyes widened from the pain and quickly threw both of his hands in the air and pushed out, generating a small gust of wind that just about managed to blow Izuku back slightly…
The man held the back of his head and felt the red liquid he so desired drip from his fingers… 'My vision...gettin' blurry...n even at max power...I'm getting my ass beat… Fuck… If this goes on...I'll actually lose to this brat…'
He staggered back to his feet and gritted his teeth as blood oozed out of his mouth…
'There's no point trying to tank him… He'll actually kill me if I let my guard down… Gotta play to my strengths!'
Muscular crouched down again but now growled ferally like a raging beast…
"GIVE ME...YOUR BLOOOD!"
Even Izuku was caught off guard by the speed, but before he was hit with another devastating punch, he managed to release his own side kick to his head…
But it didn't do anything…
Izuku knew that his entire leg would snap if he completely connected with Muscular at this speed, so his only option was to lean to the left and avoid his charge while taking pressure off of his leg. He did that and was about to land a punch of his own on Muscular, but just when he thought he could rip through the man's chest with an extended stab of his talon...he saw a left hook come in from the side he was leaning towards…
"Fu-GGUUHHHHH!" Izuku suddenly felt his ribs shatter from the punch that hit his side, and blood exploded from his mouth as he crashed straight into the side of the cliff, and when he next opened his eyes, he saw Muscular's fist close in…
Another hit…
Izuku felt his vision become fuzzy and his whole body began to shake, but he quickly countered with a spin kick that caught Muscular on his ear. Unfortunately, that did next to nothing as the berserk brawler shook it off and landed another straight right to the head, sending Izuku crashing back down to the floor in the same way the villain got kicked…
An airless gasp escaped Izuku's lungs as he felt another huge punch rock his chest and he was buried further into the ground…
No… It wouldn't end like last time…
Izuku quickly rolled out from under the villain's expanded body and released a huge explosion of green fire…
But Muscular dodged it…
No…
He was waiting for it…
The man dashed away to the side at the exact second that the blast was fired, and now Izuku could do nothing to defend his flank…
"So that's your fire huh!? You only use it when you're on death's door!? PATHETIC!"
Muscular went to kick Izuku in the main joint of his extended arm, but then he saw his other one come from under it…
Another green blast came, but this one was far weaker…
Almost like it was just a cloud of smoke…
"Wha-" Muscular was cut off when a death grip came onto his neck and he saw two green eyes appear from it… Izuku then moved his outstretched leg behind Muscular's own ones and then moved his hand over so it covered the man's face as he was slammed down onto the ground. Izuku wouldn't let this chance go by and followed up with another punch that aimed for the empty socket of his left eye…
Izuku then turned around while Muscular was still downed and cocked back his leg, driving it straight into the villain's throat…
That turned out to be a bad move, as Muscular reacted violently and thrashed around from the sudden pain, using both of his empowered legs to kick Izuku off of him…
But Izuku wasn't done with his flurry of attacks, as he easily managed to centre himself back on Muscular and aim his arm right for the villain, making it glow with a malefic green and black light as fire of the same colour burst out and set the ground ablaze…
With how exhausted Muscular was...he could barely dodge the flames that were getting faster each time, and he knew that the next shot would kill him… he skidded to a halt and put his arms up to cover his face...
Both guys then stood 10 meters from each other...panting from exhaustion…
"This was...a good fight…" The murderer grinned. "You...kid...ARE WORTH CRUSHING!"
He could barely stand and his entire body was shaking...but to Izuku's anger, he seemed to be having the time of his life...
Izuku could feel some of the muscles in his arm beginning to wear down, even when he used his fire, but he could still fight…
He could kill him with one huge blast like he did on those weak villains in the USJ...but there was everyone below to think about… He would bring down the entire cliff and probably kill loads of his peers...and maybe even Kota…
He looked at Muscular…
The bastard knew exactly what this final exchange would be about…
A battle of pure martial might…
Izuku got into his signature stance and prepared to use most of his power in this move. Any less would get him killed by the opponent…
"I'll end you right here, mongrel…" he announced as fire erupted from his shoulders and arms…
He could practically feel his body weaken, but now his arms were regenerating… 'I need only one shot…'
Muscular laughed loudly. "BWAHAHAHAHA! YOU'RE THE BEST KID! YOU REALLY ARE!"
Izuku vanished in a green and black flash…
"NOW DIE!" Muscular charged forward for the last time and shielded his head with all the built up muscle in his body…
Izuku's flaming fist hit its target...melting through the muscle with ease…
But Muscular didn't care…
"I'LL CRUSH YOU!"
His body continued to expand and his strength only increased, and even though Izuku was searing through his fibres, he was being pushed back by the sheer power of the villain…
"SHOW ME YOUR BLOOD!"
Izuku was nearing the edge of the cliff…
He drove his second fist into the huge mass of muscle and ignited it…
"SHOW...ME...YOUR...BLOOD!"
Izuku used his strength to separate the two gigantic arms of the villain, and then grasped his large wrists with his scaled hands…
"MIDORIYA! SHOW ME YOUR BLOOD!"
And then, his arms burned away in a burst of green fire as Izuku felt most of his strength leave him…
'This is it!' He realised as he saw the clear opening to his chest…
Muscular's legs were firmly forward now, so he couldn't escape this with a kick…
Izuku drove his left foot forward and closed his right fist…
And the terrifying punch connected…
…
…
…
"You murder countless innocent people...and now you die a dog's death…"
The entire cliffside was destroyed from the punch and the woods below were demolished, but he'd luckily been able to aim his punch in a direction that no one - even Kota - was located near… There were no casualties to speak of, and only one victor in this fight…
Inside the huge crater left in the ruins of the cliff laid Muscular, who was barely even alive right now. Izuku suspected that he'd broken most of the bones in the man's body and maybe even his spine since the shockwave was so powerful, but this guy was somehow still conscious…
Blood was leaking from his ear and both his arms had been reduced to atoms…
Izuku hadn't fared much better, as he was near positive that most of his ribs were shattered and his arm was broken from that final punch. He had next to no energy left and it was a struggle even staying awake, but he did it. It hurt just to stand, and walking was near impossible, but he had to look strong…
If he stumbled in the climax of a battle, then the people's faith in him would waver, and that symbol of hope he strived to be would be fractured by the distrust and doubt people would have in his power…
He needed to look unbeatable, like All Might…
But he wouldn't fail like he did…
"Kahaha…" Muscular wheezed out painfully. "Guess I'm even more useless than that kid back there huh?"
The man glanced at Kota, who'd just come back from where he'd been hiding… He'd seen the whole fight…
"Kota…" Izuku scowled to himself. "You should have gone away… Why didn't you listen?"
The guy didn't want to scare the kid, but his eyes were now pulsing with black energy and this heat inside his chest was now reaching a boiling point.
"I-I...didn't want you to die… I was gonna distract him!" The boy cried.
"You would have put yourself in danger if that happened, and that would make delivering justice even more challenging for me, since my only two objectives were defeating the villain and protecting you…"
Kota looked at him in disbelief...
Izuku closed his eyes. "Kota, you still don't understand what it means to be a hero, do you?"
The child looked back at Muscular who was still smiling to himself.
'I'll deal with that one later…' He reminded himself, knowing he wasn't gonna bleed out any time soon. "I heard about your family, and how they sacrificed themselves for the people around them and stopped that freak from rampaging…"
Kota's eyes widened in shock. "How- Did Mandalay tell you!?"
"Why does that matter?"
"Well-"
"It doesn't. What matters right now is that you know what a hero really is, so you can finally appreciate the sacrifice your mother and father made for you and the people they saved."
...
"They were brave, and they died noble deaths, but they left you behind. You couldn't wrap your head around why your mom and dad died, and why they left you behind, but the truth is that they did it to protect people, and they succeeded. I didn't think words would ever get to you after our first meeting, so I wanted to show you with actions. I protected you, not because I owe you anything or because I have something to gain. I did it because that's what heroes do…"
Izuku showed Kota his twisted arm. It had been broken from the final punch and the mass amount of muscle that he collided with, and it was dripping with blood at every opening. The small kid wanted to vomit, but he wouldn't do it in front of the guy that just saved his life. This villain was strong enough to probably take all the pussycats at once, and with all those villains down there, it would have been a one sided massacre.
It could be said that Midoriya saved everyone by winning this fight…
"These injuries. Do you know how much they hurt?"
His arm looked ruined beyond repair and was enough to make even the most hardened people look away. "No…" He couldn't imagine what that felt like…
"I did this for you." Izuku pointed at him. "Sacrificing my arm was necessary for beating this guy. If I didn't, then he'd counter and could even kill me, and then he'd go on to kill loads more people, including you and your carers."
"But why put your life on the line!? You only met me once!"
"That's irrelevant kid. You think I'd leave a family of four inside a burning building just because I didn't know them? A hero's job is to protect people and put their lives on the line to deliver justice and save people from their problems. They'd pick their battles, sure, but at the end of the day, when you've met your match and have to choose between running away or saving a life, you must choose the second option. That's what it means to be a hero…"
…
"Your parents didn't have the chance to teach you, but they were examples of what a hero should be. When people become pros, they are agreeing to put themselves in danger to crush evil and save lives. Most of them don't follow this moral code, and it's sickening, but the Water Hose duo were rare examples of what heroes should be… They never intended to hurt or leave you alone. Their sole focus in their last moments was saving the lives of the people around them and holding back the villain that killed them."
The teenager then patted Kota on his head and revealed an arm covered with thick green scales. It was barely able to stay extended, but Izuku made the extra effort for his new friend. "I'm not a perfect hero, and I'm not even a good human, but I aim high for the sky and commit necessary evil to enact justice of the highest degree. Wanna know how many things I've cut down with this arm in the last few months? I can't even remember the number anymore, and from the outside, it'd look like I'm trash just as bad as that bastard lying in the rubble over there, but if I need to lower myself to his level as a way of eliminating villains that would do the world harm, then I'm happy with that."
He'd killed people before? But his eyes didn't have that same desire that Muscular's did…
"To crush evil, I think I have to be a little evil myself, and sometimes I can only bring down powerful beings by allying myself with this voice…" He pointed to his temple. "Even if it involves mortal combat against opponents above my own level, I will gladly do it if it means that I can become something great. I've still not found what I'm fighting for, but I'm almost there…"
Kota felt something in his chest from the words this guy was voicing
"A hero should be a symbol of hope for anyone that's in danger or hurting in any way. It wouldn't have to be a physical action, and different people can be heroes in different ways, kinda like me sacrificing my humanity to be a hero, but at the end of the day, I think you should look at the back of a hero and feel relief in their presence…"
What was this feeling that Kota was experiencing…
"What did you feel when you watched my back? What do you feel now, when I fulfilled my promise and won the fight? Heroes are supposed to instill hope and courage into the society that's ravaged by the fear and doubt that the villains spread… And now…"
Izuku smiled to himself as he looked at Kota…
"It's my destiny to become a hero that fills the world with hope and crushes evil with no remorse… It's the only way I can save everyone from my rival…"
With that last sentence...even Muscular's eyes widened in disbelief…
But then, undetected by the two people listening to him, Izuku felt a huge fire rise in his stomach, and the pain in his back skyrocketed…
The voice was beginning to take control of his brain...
"Now go…" He said to the kid, surprising him. "I'll deal with this guy and make sure he never comes back again, and you're gonna go back to Mandalay…"
He was still coming down from the impact of those words, but he couldn't let that happen. "What about you!? What about the villains!?"
"I'm strong enough to make it out of this, and I know a path you can take that'll lead to Mandalay, away from any danger…"
He knew that some of 1-A would be with the pros, so it was best to send him there, and he'd picked out the perfect path with his senses, so that no villains would encounter him.
"You trust me Kota?"
The kid saw a smile come on his saviour's face. "I swear that someday…I'm gonna make you feel relieved when you see me, and any fear you have will be washed away…"
He then pushed Kota gently and urged him to go ahead. "Don't worry about that guy behind me. You'll never see him again, and your parents can rest easy knowing that justice was served in their name…"
Tears welled in Kota's eyes as he began to run…
Izuku turned back around to Muscular as his eyes darkened.
"Midoriya!"
Izuku turned his head quickly, just managing to keep what little conscience he had left...
"T-Thank you!"
He smiled. "Go!"
…
…
…
He waited for the exact moment where Kota had exited the cliff area and began on the path set by his senses…
He confirmed that Kota was out of range...
And then he turned back to the villain…
His eyes were swirling with black and green energy…
"You seriously didn't think I'd let you live after what you did to his parents? Is that delusion or just pure stupidity?" He glared…
Muscular smirked. "Hehe...I knew you were a killer… 'Could see it in those eyes of yours…"
His smile was approving, but that only angered the boy…
He'd acknowledged and respected the villain's strength, but that was where it ended…
Despite his utterly exhausted energy storage and gruesome injuries, he manifested scales again and fire trailed down his neck...burning away the clothes it touched, but the space the destroyed clothes left was replaced by new scales…
However...
They were black…
That entity inside his head had woken up, and now Izuku was too weak to defend against it...
"How would you like to go?" Izuku's voice was gradually getting deeper, and the remaining shirt fabric was ripping apart as something began to emerge from the area of his shoulder blades…
K̷̫̾͊̄̔̓i̵̪̓͌̈̊l̷̢̻͔̪̆̓̌l̴̳̙̥̽̊͐̍͜ ̶͚̳̭́͑̏h̵̫̘̘͝i̸̫͆͠m̴͖̗̀͑́͂͝…̷̢̩̉̏
Muscular saw this, and his smile faltered…
R̸̢̻̲̅i̴̳̜͉̽͑͐p̶̯̋͘ ̶͕̬̎ẖ̴̨̺͐̕î̷͖̱͙͑́m̵̨̹̓̒ ̵̭̭̓̚̚a̴̻̬̫͑̍͐p̸͉̦̄͒̆a̷̱͂͑ͅr̸̡̆̄̂ẗ̸͓́.̵̛̯̠̇͗.̵̘̐.̴͓͗̌ͅ
"I'm not the perfect warrior like my brother, but I know a thing or two about torture…"
D̷̬̙͓͎̾͝ë̵̯́v̸̧̘͠o̸͙̖̒̌̎u̵̘̜̱̘̽r̷̺̠̲͈͝ ̵̯̒̓̐̕ę̴̛͇͊́͊̒v̴̹̝̫͋̍͗̒͝e̶̥̳͌r̸̙̘̺̍y̸̡̯̖̳͋̓ ̸̗͆͐̊l̶̦͌a̴̟̋̏͝s̸̖̯͛t̶̢̜̫̄ ̴͙̞̫͊́p̶̨̟͚͚̺͌̀͠ĩ̷͉͖̝͂̑e̶͍͔̭͗̌̃̋c̷̢͎̻̆̿̀ę̵̭͖̟̰̑̅.̸̨̫̰̻͋͑̅͝.̸̙̃̔.̵͚̐̓͋̒̉͜ͅ
The villain could see the boy's shoulder blades begin to slowly expand…
D̴̨̤̑̎̿͒ó̵̙̫̘̭͒̀̿n̴̨͈̲͛̓̆̇͝'̵̢̠̱͇̆̐͛́̈ṫ̶̛̪̫̳͉͆͌͌ͅ ̵̡̱̓͒̒̏͊h̸̗̘̱̳̤̓̐̇́̇e̸͉̕s̶̭͈̏̾ì̸̪͍̐̑̆ṭ̸̢̒a̸̧̧̠̥̐ẗ̵͎̺͂͝ë̵̡̡̩͌̂.̵̫͖͌.̷̢̙͎͌̍̌̒̌͜ͅ.̴͈͙̹͉͒͆̒͜
And now an emotion invaded him…
G̴̝̩̐̒͒͛̓į̴͈̮͕̫̞͎̪͗͒͋̒̄͆̍v̶͈̣͔̞̊͠e̴͎̩̖̖̔̂͗̑̈́̏̚ ̴̧̘̳̫̝͠i̷̛͔̳̣̮̖͔͑̎̂̓̅̂̔̄̅ň̶̨̬͈̱̟̽̏͌ ̴̜̯̱͎͌̔ͅͅţ̶̢̹̺̻̠̂̅͊̆͐̚͜o̵͇̦̙̮͋́ ̶͕̯̳̟͓͉̲̦̬̓͗͜ỷ̷̬̯̼͓̈́̎͜ǫ̸̺̪̬̻͋͛͆̿̎ŭ̷͓̺̗͔͙͉͇͖͉̜͂̽͂͝r̵̺̞̺̫̣̣̮͛̒͝ ̴̛͓̹̮̟͓͗͌͒̃̈́͆h̵̝̺͓̜̀́u̶̡̨̯͂́͂̉̅͆͑̈́͘n̶̯͓̩̽̒̋̔̿̅̍͘͝͝g̸̗̝̭͂̀̃̋̌́̌͒̚͝ḛ̶̗̟͚͛̋̄̉̓̓́́͝r̸͈͇͓̤̱̹͉͖͗͛̀ͅ.̶̢̧̺̟̤̦̼͉̫̼̀̽̀̿̏̈.̶̧̤̥̙̒̈́̔̿̀͘̕͘͝.̷̙͚̭̠̘̯̜̏̊̀̾̌̃́̽ͅ
An emotion he'd never felt before…
F̸̛̻͆̃e̸̡̛̟̝̻̗̙̖̅̈́̿͋̀͝͝a̵̙̥͑̑s̴̨̧͚̬̼͓̘̬̔̏͝t̷̲͔͇̆̌͘ ̶̮̖̥̺͌̆̃ą̷̫͖̓͘͠ņ̶̣̲̭͉͚̟͕̋̋͛ď̷̢͉͊̋̅ ̶̟͈̀̒c̷̩̑̾̒̕ȏ̸͔̦̜̍̓͝ń̸̜͍̐̂̆͑͒t̵͓̙̰̃̚͝ĭ̶̢̗̕n̷̨̨̖̣̰͓̞̔̀̿̿͘͘u̴̘͙̝̬̤̩͎͊͗̋ë̶̬͙̱́ͅ ̵̠͖̗̣̼̺̻̊̕t̸̪̅̄̎͋͐̈́o̷͍̅̄̒̎ ̸̢͙̲͚̐f̵̯̭̀̉̈́̚͝e̵̜̠͎͎̊̓͜ȁ̸͙̦͊̋͊̓͑s̴̻̤͕͗t̸̘̤͇͉̻̺̅͐͑̕͝.̴̢̛̺̩͍͇̬̟̖̈͗͋́.̵̤̳̥̜̜͗̎̇̃̋̈̊͌.̴̧̫̜͔̽͠
Fear…
H̸̖͕̤̦̣͗̃̎̔̊̎͘͜e̴̞̯̰͖̗͍͂͝͠ ̴̠̭͓͛̌͒č̶̟̦̤̜̙̫̃̐̏͊͝ͅͅa̴̖̐n̸͕̭͉̻̒̓̂n̶͕͙͕̹͂̚͝͠o̸̠͓̣͔̩̝͔̣͊̈͝ẗ̴̡̛͇͖͂̃͗̓͜͝ͅͅ ̴̨̠̞̻͉͓̅͗̓̏̕̚͜b̵͔̗̱̻̪͈͈̭͑́́̃̂̌̀̅è̸̢̥̤̗̝̝̔͘ ̷̧̙͙̙͂͌̒̒̀̓͜a̸̭̖̦̤̍l̵͍̣̊̋̿͌͠͝͝l̶͍̗͖͖̝͈̟͍͌̾̈̇ǫ̵̡̨̙͇̞͗͗͠w̴̦̰̩̎̀͘͠ȩ̶̛̺̤͙̩̪d̵͇̥͇̟̥̾̎̐̑͋́̋͗ ̴̡̡̹̲̺̠̾͆͌̀͠t̵̢̲͒͌́́̏͘ơ̸̲͓̹̬͐͆̐̑̏̿͝ ̴̫͐̒l̸̨̼͈͇̈i̸̬͔͇͆͌͗̉͘͜v̸̝͚̲̮̄é̴̤̣̟̋̽̓͌̅̋͝.̷̼̱͈̊͆̀͠.̵̠̥̍̒̆̋̔.̶͚͙̠͚̲̲̫͙̐͑͂̈́̕
"But luckily for you, I can't waste my time indulging in my desires…" He sneered as he opened a text from Momo, and he almost crushed the phone in rage… "People like you should be subjected to the most disgusting forms of grief, and yet you are allowed to die painlessly behind cells… Disgusting…"
T̵̛̛̜̠̋͆̌͝ä̷̛́̈́̚͜k̵͍͕̯̅̃e̷̗͖̖͈̅̓̈́̿̚͜͜͜ ̷̳̱͗̈́͗̏̌͂̄y̴̢̨̬͙͖͆͂͌o̵̪͚͔͚͆̎́̑̚͝ù̴̬̻̟͕͋̽̽͛͑̈́͌ͅr̴͍͖̲̺͇̲͎̅̎͆̚ ̵̫̽̄r̸̳̍̆̌̎̉̐͠͝ȩ̵̖̯͈̑̚v̸̡̡̨͔̜͔̫̓̐̌͘ę̵͉̝̋̾̐̚n̵̖̰͙̱̝͒͒͜g̶̱̙͙̥͍͉̑̀̈́̆̋͐́̈e̴̯̝̤͈̳̎̔͛͒̆͒͂͝ͅ ̵̢̜̳̩͖̄̾͋̓ơ̵̭̳̗̹͕̏̀̕͘͝ṋ̵̲̗͊̈́̅̏̅ ̵̢̥̠̭̤̤͗t̶̬̊͑̓̅͛̓͘h̸̡̛̰͗̒͂́̚ͅȩ̷̳̥̦̜̄́s̷͎̭̞̘̎͐͝͝e̵̻̩̮͙̪̣͂̏͆̿͒̿͜ͅ ̴̛̖̗̯̱́̒͂̇͂͂͜͠ͅm̸̢̢̮̏̉̀̓̉̎̔͝o̵͈͌̀ṟ̴͍̯̃͋̈̔̂̀t̶̖͌́̇̓̇̕͝a̷͍͙̺͓̼̖͉̪̍͌̊̉͒͆l̷̥͚̗͖̤̲͍͂͆̐͊s̴̢͔͛̈
Izuku's shoulder's then glowed in a dark green colour as something emerged from his back…
The mysterious entity had finally taken control...
Muscular's eyes shook…
Wings…
"Now then...show me your blood…"
A claw reached out to Muscular's head, and Izuku's fingers slowly began to strengthen their hold…until the skull's breaking point…
The carnal murderer was no more…
…
…
…
The two dark green wings spread out in the night sky as the green dragon brushed off Muscular's blood with its black hand and looked at the headless corpse…
It raised its hand and let the green flame devour what was left…
"Not enough blood… This weakling isn't enough for me…"
The creature looked across the huge forest and easily located the people he wanted to engage…
It seemed like it'd be a long night…
"He's still weak compared to the strong villains of this country, but the boy has exceeded my expectations by growing so fast." the thing looked down at its arm as the limb slowly erupted into green fire and healed itself. "Perhaps I was too harsh back then… Even if he's the future god of this world, he's still just a child, and I can't shake this guilt…"
The dragon sighed to itself as the large wings spread out. "He's been risking his life to get stronger while I've just been waiting for him to reach rock bottom… I'm a terrible scumbag, but at least it's for his own benefit…"
The league was glorified fodder to the dragon and could be wiped out in a single move, but that could risk permanently weakening Izuku's body from all the flames, and that was not an option… They still needed the league to be annoying pissants behind the scenes and drive attention away from them when they came, so the vital members of the squad could live…
The same could not be said for the others…
"It's been too long since I've soared the skies as a deathly dragon…15 years in fact...but I'm grateful Izuku...that you've handed your body over to me for the time being. I'll be sure to give it back when we get to Kamino...but for now, I'd like to have some fun…"
Its dark green wings were ignited with fire, and smoke was now almost shadowing the being controlling Izuku…
"You think that killing is wrong, and you'll only do it when it's absolutely necessary, but if you are to become as great as me...then killing will have to be second nature… I finished that musclehead off for you, but that's the last of my help you're getting in that regard…"
The dragon slowly rose in the air as the beating of its wings created sonic booms. Its skill and power in flight wasn't compatible with Izuku's weak body and newly grown wings, so offencive aerial maneuvers were off limits…
"I'm gonna have my fun now, and you get a front row seat in the screening...so just relax as I erase all your problems…"
Suddenly...a terrible aura of destruction exploded around the winged being…as a fraction of that once forgotten power spilled over...
Its mouth transformed and its entire body was covered in black and green scales as a thick scale mask covered its face… Still though, you could feel this demon's sickening smile as everyone in the world suddenly felt their hearts stop from a familiar fear…
The dragon took flight...
"Time to hunt…"
