A voice in the back of Izuku's head told him he was treating the situation too lightly, but after dispelling the poisonous thoughts that wracked his brain, making him feel weak once more, he couldn't help but become invigorated to fight. His recklessness also wasn't helped by the boisterous roaring of his Ice Bears. With his army charging down the steps, their leader riding atop Smokey, Izuku felt like he could take on the world.
Moments prior to his undoubtedly cool charge Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, Kirishima, and Bakugo began moving back towards the battle after seeing Izuku, while the rest had continued on with Thirteen. But before they could get far, the purple, misty Gate vanished and reappeared as a dark dome over the entire group.
Yellow eyes peeked out, narrowing as they glared at Thirteen. "I was instructed to merely scatter you," His voice reverberated in each of their skulls, like it was heavily modified by a computer, "But… seeing as Thirteen rests in your midst, I'll have myself some fun."
"What the hell doe-" Bakugo's shout was cut off as the dome restricted, filling with even more shadowy mist.
By the time it cleared, only two figures remained standing on the platform. Thirteen and the Shadowy Gate man.
"What have you done with my students?!"
"Hmm… they're still inside this facility, but they'll be kept busy by the rest of our companions."
`"You son of a-"
The solid Shadow cut her off with a laugh, "If UA really lives up to its expectations, your students are the least of your worries."
"Then… if you're not here for my students… what are you here for?"
"Well, we were here for the Largest Fragment… but All Might apparently decided to become a no show. I suppose that schedule we nabbed from your teacher lounge was just partially inaccurate."
Thirteen cursed inwardly. The presses' invasion of school grounds had merely been a diversion for the Villains to sneak in an snatch the schedule. "Wait… there hasn't been any reports of major Gate breaches in at least six months. Are you… human?" Her mind churned rapidly as she realized the implications of this development. Gate Villains possessed the seemingly simple desire to kill humans, nothing more, nothing less. There had been no reports of Villains targeting certain Heroes, at least, until now.
"Hehe," The Shadow chuckled, "I am human and I am more." His eyes turned their attention over Thirteen's shoulder as he gazed at the Shadow Army running down to join the battle, "We may have missed the Largest Fragment, but we can still take the Greatest."
"Wait! Aren't you-"
The Shadow cut off Thirteen as a dozen thin, spindly arms pierced her body, cutting off her last words, "Our plans have already gone somewhat off the rails. I won't allow any more interference."
Aizawa was not necessarily a prideful man. He stayed outside the influence of the media and instead of taking a flashy job like Gate clearing, he joined the Anti-Awakened task force, which handled human opponents who chose to use their powers as a Villain would. Even still, he knew that he had come far as a C-Rank and while humble on the outside, he felt accomplished with what he managed to do.
He was weak in comparison to someone of a higher Rank, but like most others of a low Rank, his Quirk helped him surpass his Awakened strength. Just by looking at someone with his Quirk active, he could restrict their Mana flow, cutting off access to both their own Quirk, Skills, and even some of their Awakened strength.
Unlike most other Quirks, Aizawa's had no drawbacks, only a singular limitation. It ran on Mana like other Quirks, so once he ran out of energy, he was essentially just a C-Rank with average strength. And yet, once again, Aizawa showed off his prowess as a Hero.
As the capture device around his neck, a carbon fiber band of sorts, flew at a nearby Villain, he triggered his Quirk, timing it perfectly in order to mitigate the Mana loss. He wasn't adept with long, drawn out battles with hordes of enemies, but these were Villains and human or not, he couldn't let them go free, for both his students and for the civilians that lived nearby the USJ. If a single one of these B to A-Ranks got free, they could wreak an unbelievable amount of havoc on the surrounding area until efforts could be scrambled to deal with them.
Dashing through the battlefield, he was akin to a one-man army. With each opening of his eyes another fell victim to his onslaught. With the mix of Awakened and Gate Villains, Aizawa found himself in a precarious situation. They were so numerous and so varied in their powers that there was a clear disadvantage. No priority could be made for any one Villain as they remained in a loose circle surrounding him, their various Quirks and magics aimed at him.
Taking a spare moment to catch his breath, Aizawa prepared to leap back into the fray, determined to at least put a dent in their numbers. But before he could, a wave of darkness rushed over the crowd, parting just before it hit Aizawa. Upon second glance, Aizawa realized that the Shadows were not a literal wave, but Shadow Knights and Shadow Bears, creatures of Izuku's creation.
[You have Leveled-Up!]
The green-haired teen leapt off his mount and landed next to his teacher, giving him a slightly apologetic smile. The Shadow Army was efficiently and swiftly dealing with the lower Rank Villains, allowing Aizawa a moment to sigh at Izuku, fixing him with a pointed glare. Of course, he couldn't deny that he was grateful for an army of his own to help fend off the Villains, but he was still upset that a student disobeyed his orders and that Thirteen let them.
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[Mana 18203/24987]
Izuku nearly gasped at his sudden Mana loss. Six thousand taken away in an instant meant that not only was something destroying them with asinine strength, but it was doing so at an incredible rate.
Not wanting to waste any time or Mana, Izuku immediately withdrew his forces, them parting like a red sea and revealing their truly dangerous opponents.
"Hmm… Kurogiri, shouldn't those masses have been stronger?"
The Shadowy man responded, "They were the very best and biggest forces we could acquire on short notice."
"Tch. It's a shame we have to rely on humans to occupy our true prey."
Kurogiri nodded, "Fret not Shigaraki, for it appears we still have an opportunity here."
"Huh?" Shigaraki muttered, "What's that mean? All Might isn't here. The only point in killing these brats is for the fun of it."
"Can you not see it? In front of our very eyes, we have found the Grea-" Izuku was suddenly within punching distance of Kurogiri, his Shadowsteel armor and gauntlets covering up his body.
[Overwhelming Strength has activated.]
[Mechanical Destruction has activated.]
"I can't beat the other two, but I can kill their teleporter! With Aizawa cutting off their Mana flow and Igris distracting the other two, there's no way they can stop me!"
"None of that little Hero." Shigaraki's bare hand reached out and wrapped around Izuku's fist, "Kurogiri is an important asset to me, I refuse to lose him." Then, Izuku's gauntlets began to crack.
"How…?" Izuku leapt back, out of range of the three Villains, surprised to see that Igris had been flung like a ragdoll and the Nomu-Type creature was blocking Aizawa's line of sight.
"Midoriya!" Aizawa shouted, noticing that the cracking of Izuku's gauntlets was tracing its way up the armor.
Izuku desperately attempted to shake off the growing decay, but to no avail. He knew that it wasn't decaying his own flesh, but he couldn't help but feel like he lost something as his Shadowsteel armor was completely overtaken. Within seconds, the entire set of armor, in addition to his prized gauntlets, had turned to dust and been scattered by the wind.
He was so disturbed by the loss of his entire armor set that he only looked up in time to see the Nomu's fist bearing down on him.
"HYO!"
The Nomu was frozen instantly, his momentum completely stopped. However, mere seconds later, the ice began to tremble and shatter. Hyo's attack was rather ineffective, but it gave Izuku the chance to hop back and avoid the devastating punch.
Of course, this didn't keep the Nomu from pursuing its prey and Shigaraki and Kurogiri relaxed as the Villain batted aside Smokey like it was nothing.
Izuku wanted to be angry about how the other two Villains were doing nothing more than sitting back and watching, but he had more pressing matters.
[Overwhelming Strength can only be activated whilst wearing gauntlets.]
"Dammit!" Izuku continued to backpedal as Hyo did his best to halt the beast, using ice spears, walls, hammers, and just straight up freezing it. At best, the Nomu was only slowed.
Looking back to Aizawa, he could see that his teacher was staring straight at their opponent, his Quirk fully active, "What is this thing? Even with it's Mana cut off, it refuses to stop!"
Hyo's eyes narrowed as he focused heavily on the target in front of him. With his hands splayed out to either side of him, he looked almost divine as Mana began pooling around him, causing his Shadow hair to flutter around from the force.
Whether it was some sixth sense, or simply the Nomu realizing that Hyo was condensing an immense force, it turned around, facing what it deemed a true threat.
[Dominator's Touch has activated.]
Izuku tripped up the Villain as it made for his loyal servant, instead faceplanting thanks to the telekinetic intervention. Of course, this didn't hold the beast for long and it once again reached its clawed hand out for Hyo. This time, Izuku did nothing, choosing to wait. But not because he wanted to see Hyo smashed, or because he was afraid to fight, but because he could see the Ice Elf's face. His lips were curled up into that same demented smile that Izuku detested so much.
Just as the Nomu went to squash the Elf like a bug, Hyo's hands clenched into fists and the air was filled with an immense crackling. Half of the black creature's skin was overcome with cool-blue ice and it fell to the ground, its right side scrabbling for help.
For a moment, Izuku contemplated why this attack was suddenly so much more effective, but it was only when its hand shattered off did he realize. Instead of creating a solid and tough layer on the outside, Hyo froze all the way through to the bone, making it look like the Nomu's insides were made of ice instead of flesh.
It continued to thrash around, chunks of its body cracking and falling off, but it didn't seem concerned in the slightest. Finally, it split itself down the middle, all of the ice crashing to the ground as dead matter. And then, its red insides began to move and writhe. Mass exploded outwards, regenerating the pieces it had lost mere moments earlier.
Aizawa's eyes lit up red and the regen slowed to a near stop as Izuku reached into his inventory, pulling a jagged marble sword.
[Item: Angel's Demonic Wing]
Item Class: S
Item Type: Broadsword
Attack: +120
[Made from the impenetrable feathers of the Heavenly Guardians, this sword will never break.]
[Active Skill: Paralyzing Storm. The user's sword will shed its outer layer of perfectly sharpened feathers. Up to five dozen can be sent at once to seek out and paralyze enemies for a short period of time.]
"Igris!" Izuku heaved the sword into the air, sending it spinning for the Knight that was falling through the air, aiming for the Nomu. After recovering, Igris laid in wait, perfectly positioned for the moment when he'd have to make a move. Seeing that his enemy had been dealt a fatal blow and was still getting up, he jumped, soaring through the sky in an arc.
Izuku used Dominator's Touch once more to hold the Villain in place for his Shadow Soldier.
Igris's left hand reached out, snatching the spiraling sword like it was nothing. Crossing both his Shadow Sword and the Angel's Demonic Wing in front of him, he made contact with the Nomu. Glowing lines appeared in his black skin as Igris swung and slashed faster than the normal eye could track. Once he was certain that he had cut small enough, Igris kicked outwards, blowing the Nomu into hundreds of small cube-shaped pieces. And in order to ensure it could no longer regenerate, it impaled the still intact head on his sword, preparing his trophy for his Liege.
[You have Leveled Up!]
[You have Leveled Up!]
[You have Leveled Up!]
[You have Leveled Up!]
Now, with only Shigaraki and Kurogiri remaining, a Shadow Bear leapt at them from behind.
Shigaraki sighed, "This is boring." Without turning around, his hand stopped a creature five times his size. "Now disappear." The Bear instantly dissolved into ash, falling to the ground in a heap.
Izuku took a step back, "The regeneration! It's slower!" The dust pulled and pushed at itself, a dark glob of Shadow desperately attempting to form a solid shape once more.
"Hmm," Shigaraki mused, "It looks like I've still got some ways to go before I can reach His level. It's a real shame we didn't get to take out All Might."
"Indeed. But remember, there is always the boy in front of you."
"What about him?" Shigaraki asked, still seeming bored with the whole encounter.
"Can you not sense it? He is no normal Hero. He is like All Might, but something else."
Shigaraki almost glared at his Gate maker, "Stop speaking in riddles."
"That boy, he has a fragment inside of him."
Shigaraki froze, then turned his attention back to Aizawa and Izuku who stood at the ready. They refused to attack as they knew they would only die. "You… what's your name?"
"Izuku Midoriya."
Shigaraki appeared behind him, "It's a shame… you'll die before you truly come into the power you've inherited."
"NO ONE ELSE DIES TODAY!" A hurricane of winds struck the courtyard and Izuku had to latch onto Smokey in order to prevent himself from going flying. "WHY?! BECAUSE I AM HERE!"
Izuku's eyes were still closed to protect them from the massive shockwave, but he smiled all the same, knowing exactly who had come to their assistance. By the time he managed to finally peel them open, he saw Shigaraki slumped, looking tired and sad.
"It's unfortunate… but we can't win this without our tank. Kurogiri."
"Right."A Gate popped into existence as All Might ran forwards, his image less than a blur.
"SMAAAASSSHUUU!"
"Save it for another day, Number One." Shigaraki growled out as the Gate collapsed in on itself, sucking inside both Villains just as All Might's massive wind blast struck. It hit the Flood Zone just behind them, and practically emptied the entire manmade lake of its contents.
Naturally, this would've blasted away both Mineta and Tsuyu, who had been hiding just by the water's edge, but thankfully, Izuku had noticed them at the last moment and used Dominator's Touch to lift them high above the attack.
"NO!"
Izuku was so caught off-guard by All Might's uncharacteristic shout of anger that he nearly allowed his two classmates to freefall the last twenty feet to the ground. Once the two did make it safely down however, Izuku paid the four, All Might, Aizawa, Tsuyu, and Mineta no mind and instead instructed his Shadows to crowd around the body of the Nomu.
Slipping in between the cracks of his army, he approached Igris, who kneeled next to the chopped up body, with the decapitated head still resting next to him. In one of his hands, he held the Angel's sword, but he had sheathed his other sword in order to hold up a Runestone. Izuku quickly took it and thanked his most trusted ally, shoving the Rune in his inventory. He'd look at it later. After all, he didn't have much time to invite his newest soldier before the others noticed his absence.
"Arise."
Izuku was nearly shoved back by the amount of darkness that spewed from the Nomu's eviscerated body. It was far more overwhelming than what Igris had put out back when he'd been Extracted.
[Shadow Nomu Lv. 15 Elite Knight Grade.]
Izuku's eyebrows shot up as he realized he found a Grade higher than even Igris's, "I hope he's not jealous about that one."
[Shadows higher than Knight Grade can be named.]
"Nomu by itself is no good."
Attempting to glean any hints for a name from its abilities, Izuku opened its System menu.
[Passive Skill: Shock Absorption. Shadow Nomu will take 99% reduced damage from blunt attacks and 50% reduced damage from any magic type attacks.]
"Jeez! I guess that Villain was right… this is a Tank."
Izuku sighed, "Alright fine… Tank it is."
The Nomu with a bird-like beak let out a piercing inhuman shriek, but Izuku called him back into the Shadows before anyone could get too suspicious. While some may have figured out he was a Reawakened with what they thought was a powerful summoning Quirk, there were still aspects of his power that he wanted to keep under the radar. There was no doubt in his mind that if Tank walked out from the bundle of Shadow Warriors, at the very least, Aizawa would pick up on his powers.
"Alright, well now that that's done," Izuku smiled, "Go help the others out." The Army bowed their heads before taking off in four separate directions, "Hmm, I guess they're avoiding Bakugo and Shoto."
Now that he was no longer hidden within the circle of darkness, Izuku looked over to All Might, hoping he'd get to see more of his favorite Hero in action, but all he saw was Aizawa patting the massive muscle man on the back. "I… yeah I think I've seen everything."
Within the next ten minutes Izuku received another three notifications about his Level going up. The faculty and police arrived moments later, having realized that they couldn't contact the USJ and that its sensors had been taken offline.
Ascending the steps up to the platform with his classmates, several of them immediately realized something was wrong. Many of the teachers wore masks of sorrow, some even had tears forming in their eyes. They expected anger, annoyance, anything but this depressing atmosphere of sadness.
"Mister Tsukauchi," Izuku breathed out as he realized the head of the monitoring division was bearing down on him and the rest of his class.
"Midoriya," He replied, giving a cursory nod.
"What's going on?!" A high-pitched voice from the back of the pack shouted, "Where's Thirteen?!"
Izuku balked, realizing that with the overwhelming events going on, he hadn't even recognized the absence of their rescue instructor.
Tsukauchi took off his glasses solemnly and addressed the class, "I'm sorry… Thirteen… she didn't make it."
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! So real quickly I wanted to mention something. I'm sure some of you have noticed that I've been updating slower recently and that is for a couple of reasons. I'm not burnt out in the slightest, but things like homework have kept me busy in addition to my own original works that I'm trying to get out.