Chapter Twenty-Six

Body-Temple Worship

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Midnight had chosen a rugged beast when selecting an off-road vehicle. The manual gear shift specific to this model was unfamiliar to her, but she was getting the hang of it quickly. "Hang on, ladies! Lean in!"

Momo and Mina grabbed what Mina called the "Oh Shit" handle above them and leaned away from the sharp turn Midnight had to make. Despite being buckled in, those handles were a constant companion on this trip. They had crossed the river without issue, but the rugged terrain leading to Mt. Takao was proving to be a problem. They couldn't go the street route to their south, not with so many demons crowding the streets. Truce or not, they couldn't risk it. That left only the northern path, but that crossed hills and backroads that interconnected oddly. So, they decided to skip the roads altogether.

They had removed the front passenger seat before they left. In its place was a stretch bed with straps. It came equipped with various IVs and medical equipment they could use and a refrigerator underneath. They also had an ample supply of synthetic hemoglobin, compatible with any blood type. White knuckling the steering wheel, Midnight just hoped that they wouldn't have to use any of it.

For that matter, Midnight was questioning her sanity for allowing her two remaining deputies to join her on this suicide mission. "Remind me again why the fuck you two are even here?"

As calm and composed as could be, Momo spoke up. "Because I'm the one that told you all about the incoming bombing, and thanks to my father's company, I have a live feed in my phone of their refueling efforts. By the way, they're moving fast. We have maybe twenty-five minutes before they finish their ready checks, then it's just a matter of take-off and making their formation for the run."

Midnight shook her head even as they hit another boulder, one that they overcame thanks to the monumental wheels of this beast. "I should've commandeered that from you and gone on my own…"

Mina was having none of that, though. "No one was volunteering to go with you. Everyone else is on missions to rescue whole families and with better odds. Uraraka, though, she's put herself on the line. She volunteered for the worst mission out of all of us. She's in the eye of the storm, the one place that puts her at the most risk. We can't leave her out there."

Midnight knew immediately that Miss Ashido did not mean the Hero Association when she said "We" but rather the collection of women in this vehicle. They had formed a bond with each other in the face of nearly impossible circumstances.

The two younger women had been adamant about coming with her, and with no time to argue, she had let them. The more she tried to question herself on it, the more she realized that these high school seniors, nearly graduated, were showing more heroic spirit than any professional she had met by their age. No hero she could name had displayed similar levels of bravery until that pro had become a veteran with years of training and experience. There was something about Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, and Ashido that stood out.

"Ashido, take the comm from me. I can't focus the signal and drive at the same time." Midnight ordered.

Mina reached forward, unbuckling briefly to do it. Extracting the comm piece, she quickly re-fastened herself to her seat before recalling Midnight's earlier instructions on how the comm system worked. Mina then secured the device to her ear. "This is Ashido Mina with Midnight. We are moving to, er, to extract Uraraka from Mt. Takao. Uraraka, do you read?"

There was no response.

"Uraraka, do you read?" Mina repeated. The ride had smoothed out. They were gradually ascending as the mountain loomed ahead of them.

Momo reached towards her friend. "Maybe there's a signal issue, mind if I try?"

Mina, though, hadn't given up. Leaning away from Momo, she tried again. "Ochako! If you can hear me, respond! Please, Ochako!" there was an edge of despair in her voice, one that pained both Momo and Midnight to hear.

They hit another bump. "Ashido, try signaling the Support Corps. They can manually force a direct comm to comm connection," Midnight offered.

Momo watched in pain as Mina kept trying. What was driving her to be so determined, to deny Momo's help?

"Hey, Support! Any of you guys listening? Hello? Support!" Mina had given up on using the coded signal-language of comm-etiquette. "Someone, answer me, please!"

Mina had almost given up hope when a voice from far away intruded on her thoughts. "Um. Yes? Hello? This is working, right?" There was an awkward tapping noise as the woman on the other end of the line checked her equipment.

"Yes! Hello! I can hear you! Support Corps, this is Ashido Mina with Midnight! We're trying to get connected to Uraraka Ochako on Mt. Takao! Can you help connect us, please?" Mina's desperation gave way to a flood of hope, a spring of energy suddenly bubbling to the surface of her words and posture.

"Um, well, this isn't the Support Corps. For some reason, their signals are getting jammed, something going on over at Narita. So, uh, hi, my name's Hatsume, Hatsume Mei," she said before sharing an awkward chuckle. "Oh! Hey! Let me see if I can help!"

"Thank you! Oh, thank you!" Mina blurted out, but there was no reply. The pink on pink woman waited tensely for a bit. Sweat beaded on her neck.

"What's going on?" Momo asked while Midnight focused on the road.

"Um, someone is trying to connect me to Uraraka…" Mina said, distracted by straining her ears for any sound from the device. "She said that the Support Corps is getting jammed… by Narita?"

"What?" Midnight interjected, her voice cold with sudden concern. "Why would they jam us like that… won't that just increase casualties when they do that damn bombing run?" There was a rising edge to her words as the implications crept into her mind. Did this mean they couldn't signal the other heroes in the field, either?

What about Aizawa, Midnight thought. He was working to rescue doctors and patients from that hospital in the evacuation zone. Would he and his team be safe?

Momo's hand covered her mouth as though the gesture could absorb her shock. "You don't… You don't think they're trying to stop us from signaling Uraraka, do you?"

Midnight's jaw clenched tight enough that she could taste blood. "The demons aren't the only monsters out there, Yaoyorozu. Ashido, anything yet?"

Mina shook her head. "Nothing yet, waiting for her to," she paused, trying to find the right words. "She's going to hack her way into Uraraka's comm device. At least, that's what I think she's trying to do."

"Ha! Good surmising. You succinctly described what I was doing! I had to re-route through a military satellite, so I don't know how long it will be until they catch us. Okay! I've connected you!" the exuberant voice of Hatsume Mei cut off, but Mina knew she was listening in on the call while maintaining it. She could hear the other woman breathing, or was that Ochako's breath?

"Uraraka! Uraraka Ochako! This is Ashido Mina! Do you read me?" she called out into the microphone on her headpiece, speaking louder than she needed to. Tears of frustration and worry streamed down her face.

There was no reply. "Um, Miss Ashido, right? The connection is solid, but there's no one on the line. Hold on, let me check a few things." Mina listened in anguish to the rapid clicking of an unseen keyboard.

The voice of unrestrained adrenaline came back online. "Okay, I checked the GPS built into the comm device, and it's floating several hundred meters in the air, south by southwest of Mt. Takao… at its current speed and trajectory, it will be over the ocean within an hour and will have gained hundreds of more meters of altitude…"

"Wait, stop." Mina had to collect her thoughts, and for that, she had to consult with Momo and Midnight. "Uraraka's comm device is floating away from the mountain… she must have used her Quirk on it…"

"I'm looking at it by satellite right now," said the determined voice of optimism. "Yeah, just a device. No person is attached. I'm pulling up the last audio and video recorded to see if I can figure out what happened."

"Uraraka's comm is off, just floating away?" Midnight asked, anger edging her words. "Of all the stupid timing…"

Momo struggled to think over this predicament. "Why would Uraraka use her Quirk to cast off her comm system?" It made no sense to her. "She could have just turned it off…"

It was like lightning had struck Mina's brain. "Unless she couldn't, like if she were in bad company… oh, no."

Mei's voice crackled to life in Mina's ear. "Okay, you have got to hear this. Damn, I'm good at this!"

"Why did you stop, human?" came the deep melodic voice of Izuku on the line. Mina almost yelped at the words, harsh and commanding her full attention. "Did you not say earlier that you wanted to be my priestess? Won't you guide the flocks, leading them in worshipping their new god? Then fear nothing. Grovel and serve me, for that is your new role in life. You are mine, and I have you now until the end of your days. Do you hear me, woman? I have you. Now, approach your god and worship him."

Oh, god, Mina thought. Approach and worship. Why did that make parts of her tingle?

The last audio that the device recorded was unmistakably Ochako's voice. "Yes, master."

Mina tried to make sense of it all but couldn't. "Is there a speakerphone button on this? I think the rest of us need to hear that."

Momo reached out, and this time, Mina allowed the taller woman unrestricted access to the device. Soon, with instruction from Midnight and the woman on the other end of the comm system, the audio segment played back for all of them. A hologram of Izuku accompanied it. He sat as though enthroned on a bench. The video was taken from below his eye level, likely by someone on their knees.

Mina's eyes widened when she thought of Ochako on her knees in front of Izuku like this.

Midnight had been too busy with off-roading to look over her shoulder and see what the others had just watched. Momo, however, had seen it all. "I'm not sure I understand. What is it that he's having her do?"

Mina, however, had put two and to together. "Oh, shit," she said as it all started to make sense.

Momo turned to her friend as the vehicle bounced over another off-road obstacle. "What? What's wrong?"

Mina, however, was smiling from ear to ear. "She's blowing him!"

"No! There's no way!" Momo objected.

Mina started nodding enthusiastically. "Oh, hell yes, there's a way! Think about it, and be honest with yourself, Momo. If it was you, and not Ochako, alone with him, and I mean c'mon, you remember what he looks like. If it was you, and you'd just finished the adventure of a lifetime, you don't think you might try and get a special little, I don't know, reward?"

Midnight interjected. "That didn't sound like a normal sex-play conversation. It's too far from the standard for two people having their first sexual handshake. No, there's more going on there."

Momo expressed deep-seated concerns. "What if they're not alone? Could the enemy be there already?"

Midnight's grip on the steering wheel could not get any tighter. "Those were my thoughts exactly. From what we've seen, these fuckers are all sadistic bastards. Midoriya Izuku may be having Uraraka put on a show of subservience for them."

Momo's face turned shades redder, almost competing with Mina's complexion. "Oh god," she said. Her eyes were wide with sudden realization, adding together all of the facts that Mina and Midnight had just pieced together. "I think you're right. That just leaves one question, though. Why? I mean, I get the sex bit, but why not wait till later, for, you know, privacy?"

Midnight spoke up, "It also begs the question of how we can communicate with them. Or, for that matter, how do we get Uraraka out of there?"

Mina's eyes lit up with eager fire. She felt like she was holding a puzzle worth figuring out. It also involved sex, so that made it even more entertaining to ponder. "Maybe Midnight's onto something about them putting on a show. Maybe this is a distraction for the enemy…"

Momo's eyes lit up as well. "He's trying to protect her," she uttered as it dawned on her. It was almost like something out of one of her favorite novels.

Midnight, though nodding as she was coming to a similar conclusion, still prodded further. "Explain your reasoning."

Momo leaned towards the center of the passenger cabin. "These things see humans as slaves, but they also see Izuku as their latest recruit. Maybe he's keeping Uraraka safe by," she paused and licked her lips before continuing. "Maybe he's having her perform as his slave." Her cheeks were hot as she said the last bit out loud, finally accepting the full implications of her thought process.

Mina, uncaring that they were being listened to by a previously unknown party, gave Momo a sidelong glance and a knowing smirk. "Is that a hint of jealousy I hear in your voice, or just some vicarious smutty excitement?"

Momo's eyes narrowed at the way Mina's eyebrows waggled up and down. "I'm not the one who filmed him, Ashido, that was you. Don't assume that I'm like that."

Mina's smile got bigger, much to Momo's dismay. "That's not what you said when you showed me your copy of my video. You know, the one on your phone that you asked me to give you."

Momo had the decency to appear flustered. "Fine. Maybe I was a bit excited back when we met him. Maybe if I were in Uraraka's position, I'd be intimate with him. But you would too, wouldn't you? Boyfriend or not, you still filmed him while he was naked."

Mina's cheeks puffed up with indignity. "I would never… I mean, okay, in the heat of the moment, I might have slipped up. But it's nothing Eijiro wouldn't understand or forgive!"

Momo raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you're the only one out of us that would be immune to Midoriya?"

Midnight interjected. "Enough catfighting, ladies. Let's just all admit that if given a chance, we'd all jump his bone. Good? Okay, let's move on and get to the important questions: contacting them and rescuing Uraraka."

Mina remained quiet, contemplating Momo's and Midnight's words. If it were her, alone with Midoriya Izuku, would she remember Eijiro enough to keep things professional? Yes, she told herself. I'd help him save the city, and that would be the end of it. Right? That would be all. Wouldn't it?

The crackling voice of Mei on loudspeaker interrupted them. "As entertaining as this is, I do have some thoughts on both of those problems. Does anyone have a way to hook your comm device into your car's radio system? Also, you're driving the new Tesla-X ATV, right? Model 22XX?"

Midnight raised an eyebrow. "Yes, that's what I'm… Wait, what are you going to do?"

Mei's smile was practically audible. "Something involving Morse code, the central computer of your car, and the floodlight built onto your roof. I trust you have a message you'd like me to personalize?"

Momo, smiling the whole time, was already fabricating the wire they'd need.

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There was no more time. Izuku had to get Ochako into position and assume his role. Being the Prince that the demons wanted, that they expected, was exhausting. However, it was necessary.

Izuku sat on the bench as though it were his throne. From there, he surveyed all below him, assuming a demeanor of prideful ownership. With the Chrysalis behind him and Ochako chained to his wrist, he knew he had all the props of authority he would ever need. Why bother with thrones and crowns when the power of titans flows in your veins?

Sands coalesced in front of him, no more than ten meters away from where he and Ochako sat. Izuku did not need to wait and see who would emerge. He already knew who to expect.

"Welcome to Mt. Takao. Mahbahgodeth, I presume?" Izuku asked.

The hollow creature emerged after soldering together its physical shape, manifesting out of thin air. It still wore the ruby mask derived from the blood of its latest victim, though there were cracks at the edges now. Doubtless, the monster would seek another human to drain soon. Izuku's lips flinched into a snarling expression that he had to suppress. The thought of this thing being even on the same mountain as Ochako soured Izuku's stomach.

Heated air surrounding the Chrysalis empowered a constant breeze as the cool mountain air ascended once warmed. The leather coat of faces the demon wore billowed in the air from the constant current. Izuku allowed his eyes to pause and consider several of those faces. He wondered who they were when they were alive. What criteria did this foul thing use when deciding who to wear? What made one person someone he chose to drain for their blood, and another to merely turn into vellum for his library? Was there a difference? Did Izuku even want these answers?

"You honor me, mighty Prince. I have long looked forward to reacquainting myself with you." The monster's voice was like scratches on a record and the clamor of wind chimes. The words sounded fabricated. Synthetic.

"Where are the other two? Where are Sondok and Mara?" Izuku asked with idle curiosity, pretending the answer was inconsequential though he desperately wanted to know.

"Sondok watches over the mother regent. They are about to ascend the mountain to be with you. The humans also surrendered their champion as collateral for our truce. He is in Sondok's custody." The monotonous boredom that the creature felt in relaying old news was apparent.

Still, that meant that his mother was close. If she was with Sondok, that was the best option for her out of the remaining choices. Mara was as likely to torture her as to lead her somewhere safe, while this monster in Izuku's presence was not inclined to see humans as anything except raw materials.

Izuku dismissively waved his hand. "She can stay down there. Keep them dematerialized and out of my sight.

"Of course, oh wise Prince," the demon spoke with a voice that dripped with false accolades. This creature disliked the idea of obeying a human being, even a former member of the species. Izuku would have to watch this one even more carefully than the others.

"You never told me Mara's whereabouts," Izuku inquired idly.

Four strange claws gestured outwards in an alien gesture, a shrug, Izuku supposed. "Mara is as elusive as any shadow. She amuses herself, playing at the edges of dignity and restraint. I'm lead to understand that she has selected several pets among the locals to take home with her."

Izuku smirked at the thought, even though internally, he was disgusted. Mara was known as the Shadow Lover. She might as well be considered a black widow. She had the habit of taking lovers regularly, though few could say what she did with the bodies after she finished with them.

"Summon her here. I don't want to risk her violating the truce. That should be a human error, not a Malfean one." The lie passed Izuku's lips quickly and naturally. He knew there was no way the lieutenants of hell would allow themselves to fall into Cecelyne's debt. He feared for the safety of whoever it was that Mara had decided to bully, fuck, or kill.

"Oh, and don't forget to keep Sondok at the base of the mountain with those humans. Dematerialized and out of sight. Is that clear?" Izuku added with just a touch of spite.

"Of course, kind Prince. I will carry out your request immediately," the creature's mask lowered deeper into its hollow body before ascending. A bow? Maybe.

There was no warning for what came next. The demon rattled from somewhere deep inside. It was as though all the air caught within its cloak was roiling together in a miniature typhoon. The stones that rubbed together for its strange voice spun and glowed.

Then came the noise.

It was a terrible and discordant gong, louder than any sound ought to be. More garish than thunder from close range. Izuku was sure that if not for the shield he had placed on Ochako's ears, she would be deaf. Still, Izuku marveled at the amount of information the shockwaves of noise transmitted. The loud gong was a shout from within the demon's soul, rapidly compressing the words before spilling them out across the world.

Izuku almost flinched when Ochako stopped lavishing attention on him. He turned to look down at her, cowering beneath him and covering her ears. It made his heart want to bleed out of shame for letting her experience this.

"Pardon me a moment," he excused himself in the Malfean dialect before looking down at Ochako with so much contempt in his eyes that it hurt. It was awful to look down at her like this, to use her as a tool for his performance.

How could he help her understand? What words could reach her while concealing his meaning from the enemy? Then, in a moment of spiration, Izuku knew. "Did you not say earlier that you wanted to be my priestess? Won't you guide the flocks, leading them in worshipping their new god? Then fear nothing. Grovel and serve me, for that is your new role in life. You are mine, and I have you now until the end of your days. Do you hear me, woman? I have you. Now, approach your god and worship him."

Ochako stared up at him, her eyes filled with painful uncertainty. There was no way she could know what either the demon or he were saying to each other. She looked so lost and confused. He wanted to pick her up off the ground and hold her, to tell her this would all be fine, that he would protect her. He could do none of that, though.

Then, she seemed to resolve something within her heart. Her reply of "Yes, master," was superficial. The look in her eyes, though, told him that she had parsed out his hidden meaning. Ochako was safe in his care, and he had sworn to keep her that way.

Maybe she was feeling a little too safe, Izuku wondered, as she kissed her way up his thighs and uttered praises towards him. Was this her way of acting like a slave?

When her lips kissed along the length of his shaft, Izuku fought not to moan or squirm. Ochako's breath was warm and humid, even through the clothes he had fabricated for himself. She doted so much loving attention onto him that no years of experience or training could mimic this sensation. She wasn't acting, and that thought caused Izuku to have a deep and uncomfortable feeling.

His heart ushered a single loud beat inside his chest. Though he was made of essence and light and had no blood to speak of, the welling emotion inside of him caused one steady pulse that resonated through the rest of him, including his cock, which was growing under Ochako's care.

When he heard the prayer from within her heart, he had a frightening and arousing idea of what she was planning to do for him, or rather, to him. What was he supposed to do? Unsure of the answer, he leaned back, spread his legs just a bit wider, and determined that if Ochako wanted to go down on him, then that was fine. He would let her do as she pleased.

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Unable to remind herself that this was an act, Ochako was genuinely frustrated that Izuku's pants had no zipper or buttons. Her efforts to find one sent her fingers along a frustrating journey throughout his groin, one that must have amused him. The smirk on his face said as much. She ran her fingers across the bulge that emanated from his center. Ochako marveled that it traveled away from his groin and out to rest across his thigh. The shadow-wrought pants he wore were hiding him, but there was an awful lot to conceal.

If Izuku wasn't going to help her find an opening, Ochako resolved to find another way to expose him, to draw his python out of hiding. Ochako allowed her neck to relax as she leaned onto Izuku's thigh, nuzzling her face against his growing cock. With kisses and nudges from her face, she pushed it higher and higher towards the waistline of his pants. Since he couldn't be bothered to assist her, Ochako decided to help herself.

At last, Izuku relented. Ochako watched as an opening appeared at the center of his pants. Removing her face from his thigh, which was a resting place she wanted to return to someday, Ochako braced herself. She reached inside and took hold of something substantial, pulsing with heat and energy. She took a steadying breath and then pulled, slowly drawing him out from his pants leg and bringing him out into the open, revealing the object of her attention. Thankfully, it was still soft enough to bend as she brought it out, but that didn't last.

Izuku's cock was unlike anything she had imagined. His holographic nature lent it a strange glow, something she forgot to expect while pawing him through the shadow-substance of his pants. It was obscenely large, an indomitable tower rising from his body as it angled over her face. The flared head capped off a smooth shaft without scars or blemishes. If she concentrated, Ochako could see the blood vessels inside.

She knew it would be significant, but the size was thoroughly intimidating. Ochako had fantasized about it being huge, but that was a euphemism. Perhaps this was her inexperience exaggerating things, but it just seemed like too much. Seeing it out in the open and up close, she had no idea how something like this was supposed to fit inside of, well, anywhere. His cock didn't inspire the same fear that the thought of being branded had earlier. No, her sense of foreboding undermined itself with excruciating anticipation, a throbbing need inside of her. It probably won't fit inside of me, but it might, a dark part of her whispered to herself.

Ochako took in a long, steadying breath. Blowing it out slowly, she let the soft breeze flow from deep in her lungs out across his sensitive skin. There were no hairs to entice, but she watched with satisfaction as his balls tightened up, ascending to hug closer to the base of his cock.

It's just Izuku and me, she told herself. There is no one else here. Pretend he's on the phone, talking to someone far away. She imagined him having a pointless conversation. Yes, he was just on the phone with the Hero Association. No emergency. No enemy. It was all red tape and paperwork. He was working despite being home with her. She'd teach him not to ignore her. In her fantasy, she was his loving and devoted wife. There was no concrete beneath her knees, no ruined maid uniform on her body.

Instead, she knelt on a lush shaggy rug while wearing lingerie for him. He had been working so hard, and they had been looking forward to some alone time for so long. The warmth around her was from the fire he had lit. Then the damn phone rang, and he had to take the call. Well, what's a good wife to do when she's been wanting her husband alone? Should she change her plans when she hasn't been allowed to have him to herself for so long? Ochako decided that she'd have some fun while teasingly getting payback for this interruption.

She took his cock gently between her fingers, using both hands to embrace it. Unlike the rest of Izuku, his cock wasn't warm. It was hot. It seemed to have a lifeforce and will all of its own, and it demanded her absolute obedience.

"I will invade you," it taunted. Ochako felt herself grow wetter, throbbing at the thought. "I will fill you, own you, dominate you." With each declaration, Ochako's imagination stirred up the inner walls of her pussy. They spasmed, complaining to her that she was empty. "Do you believe that it's the chain that binds you to us? No. I bind you."

All Ochako had done was touch him with her fingers, and she was the one moaning for more.

Oh god, Ochako thought, I'm personifying his cock. What the fuck is wrong with me? She shook the thought away, realizing that she had been superimposing Izuku's deep melodic voice onto his cock. That same voice was making demands over her head in a language she did not understand. Just a phone call with the Hero Association, she reminded herself, ordering her heart to stop beating so loudly in her ears.

Ochako decided that the best way to calm down and shut up the voice in her head was to reply using her mouth. As funny as it would be to talk back, she opted for a much more direct and intimate conversation, one where words were not required.

I worship you, Ochako thought while kissing the crown, feeding Izuku an intimate prayer the way she might pop a chocolate into his mouth. She turned her head left and right under his cock, kissing him slowly, her lips softly spreading across his skin as she moved lazily around his head. She took her time, letting each kiss last. Ochako grazed her sensitive lips across his even more sensitive crown as though she was trying to memorize the shape and texture of his most intimate parts. She avoided the slit at the tip and the sensitive epicenter just beneath it, where the folds of the crown met with the long stem-line of his underside as it began its descent towards the base.

She pulled down on him, angling his cock as though to meet it face to face. The eye practically winked at her while weeping with arousal, demanding her attention. The substance was clear, yet it seemed to glow with vibrant energy. Essence, she realized. Ochako was happy to comply, to lavish her favorite idol with praise. She leaned forward, reapplying her lips to his head, only this time, it was a direct kiss.

This time, when her lips met the slit of his cock, she did not avoid it, did not tease it. She softly kissed him straight on and allowed her lips to softly part. Her teeth parted as she opened her mouth, just enough to reach tentatively forward with her tongue. The feeling that jolted her mouth wasn't entirely electric, but it certainly wasn't just the taste of salt.

She didn't show it, but Ochako was thrilled when Izuku's eyes moved briefly down to watch her make out with his cock. His lips twitched with the beginning of a smile. It was a stronger reaction than he could afford, but to her, it might as well have been the face of unrepentant ecstasy. He restored his face, reassuming cruel neutrality, and resumed his conversation. However, that moment renewed Ochako's courage and stoked the fires inside of her.

Ochako decided then and there that she could get used to doing this. After all, Ochako reasoned, the objective here was to make this last, to put on a good show. In other words, she was going to tease Izuku's cock until he escalated things and took their bedroom activities to the next stage. Rather than allow herself to acknowledge who they were performing for, she kept her focus on Izuku's face as she continued her game with his cock.

Ochako's fantasy earlier didn't start with her lips at his cockhead. Her imagination had her beginning at the base and working her way up. Still, she couldn't leave his crown without making this kiss into one long goodbye, one farewell, and I'll see you again soon. Ochako opened her mouth wider and raised up just a bit more on her knees. This way, she could wrap her lips around more of his cock. As her tongue lashed across his slit, she tasted even more of his vibrant nectar. Then she encircled him, dragging her tongue around the seal her lips had formed on his cock.

Izuku's cock throbbed in her mouth, but he fought to avoid giving her any reaction. His eyes didn't return to meet her gaze. He didn't moan or call her name. However, that deep lurch from the base of his cock to the tip spoke volumes to her. The few drops of nectar she had tasted became a slow but steady trickle, one she happily lapped up.

Ochako's heart swelled as Izuku sat up. He never took his eyes off of the person, yes, the person that he was addressing. Even that admission disrupted Ochako's fantasy of her husband being on the phone, but that didn't matter. Izuku reached down with his hand and scratched behind her ear like she was his kitten, his pet. For some reason, just that simple gesture made Ochako enormously happy.

Izuku seemed content while Ochako practically purred with his cock in her mouth, letting her moan travel along her tongue and into his cock. She closed her eyes and focused on pleasing him, using her mouth and fingers to caress and love him, to show him just how devoted and in love she was without uttering a single word.

Just then, Izuku flinched so noticeably that Ochako's eyes flew open at the sudden movement, gripping the armrest of the bench hard enough that the metal warped around his fingers. His cock grew harder in her mouth, forcing her to withdraw while watching it grow slightly yet menacingly. His back and abs tensed. Every muscle in his body throbbed and pulsed before her eyes. Ochako looked up to see his fangs bared, and his jaw clenched. Something was happening, but she had no idea what. She wished that she knew what was wrong or what she could do about it.

Ochako's lower lip trembled while her jaw chattered, shivering. She couldn't stop it. Uncertain of what she could do for him without breaking the act, she allowed her fantasy to subside and face the stark reality. They were in danger, and her safety depended on convincing their audience that she was his slave. Not his wife, not his lover, his slave.

Her master hadn't ordered her to stop lavishing his cock with her mouth. She acted despite the butterflies swarming in her heart. Ochako leaned forward to bring her mouth to kiss and lick him at and below the base of his cock. She lifted it with her fingers, stroking it as though reminding his cock that her mouth would return, allowing it to ascend above her like a mountain she was going to climb. There, before her ascent, Ochako distracted herself by planting her soft lips against the stones beneath his pinnacle, or more directly, his balls.

Ochako prayed as she planted wet kisses on his skin. Please be okay, Izu. Please protect me and the rest of us too. Please, when this is over, please make love to me. Please, so that I can replace this memory with something better, something happier, as our first time together.

I love you, Ochako shouted from within her heart, hoping that Izuku could hear her.

{}

Mahbahgodeth was annoying, Izuku decided. The demon was a threat to be taken seriously, and Izuku was doing his best to keep the creature distracted, which took less effort than Izuku first estimated for one simple reason. Once the demon started talking, it seldom shut up.

It ranted on inane topics, such as how it pitied Sondok for attending two humans at the mountain's base and their biological needs. Thankfully, the Prince had provided for that by breaking open two vending machines. Izuku suspected that the demon presented pity when it felt spite and was secretly gloating over his contemporary handling such a menial task.

The demon described, in detail, Sondok's defeat at the hands of All Might, Ingenium, and Endeavor. He regaled the shining Prince with his exploits, capturing All Might and arranging for a truce with the humans. Izuku could tell, though, that facts were missing in the story. What had Mara been up to that whole time? Where had Mahbahgodeth gone when he passed All Might off along with Izuku's mother to Sondok?

The demons were plotting something. Izuku could practically smell it. Whatever it was, they didn't want him to know about it.

Then there was the matter of Izuku's appearance outside of his Chrysalis. Mara had reacted with some surprise earlier, but she was still quite composed. Mahbahgodeth showed no sense of alarm or surprise at all. Clenching his teeth, Izuku wondered just how much this monster knew.

Izuku's thoughts were interrupted by Ochako's tongue encircling the head of his cock. The wet sensation was utterly delicious. His abs flexed and relaxed instinctively. Waves of bliss traveled from the summit of his cock down and out through the rest of his body. Izuku resented that this performance exposed their intimacy to such an unworthy audience. However, he was thankful that at least the lower-ranked demons remained a respectful distance away from their Prince.

He'd make all of this up to Ochako soon, he swore to himself. He would thank her, reward her, and love her. It was jarring, knowing that he had the power to make himself fall in love at will. The strangest part was that his thoughts towards her merely grew in intensity with his self-imposed enchantment. None of his affection for her was new but only different by degree. That must mean that his feelings for her from before were genuine.

Lightning sharp power arced into Izuku's back. The pain was sudden and jarring. His mind struggled to accept what was happening. Despite the pain, he forced his mind into overdrive, using the calculating powers of Cecelyne to catalog these strange sensations and understand what their source was.

Ochako looked up at him with alarm written clearly on her face. She dared not say anything. Instead, she resumed her act as his obedient slave. Her prayers for his well being broke his heart, reminding him that he could not openly talk to her or explain anything to her.

Izuku truly hated being the Prince. If it meant he couldn't talk to the woman he loved, what use was all of this power?

"Fascinating," the disembodied demon spoke up. "It appears the Prince is much closer to the heart of Malfeas than I first surmised."

Izuku turned his head to gaze over his shoulder, yet he barely needed to. The sensations churning inside his body and the intellectual prowess at his disposal helped him surmise the cause of his pain and discomfort.

Everything inside the anima surrounding the Chrysalis had changed. In addition to the floating crystal shapes and montage views of cityscapes, the holograms shifted to include underwater scenes and alien examples of marine life. Aquatic demons swam about. Tentacles, fins, and teeth were abundant. The shell-like structure of the Chrysalis seemed more natural when it projected the hellish waterscapes that teemed beneath Malfeas.

"So, the Prince has already met Kimbery, the Sea that Marched Against the Flame," the demon mused aloud, restating Izuku's thoughts. "He's also sampled her power and tasted her gifts."

A bitter bile taste rose from Izuku's throat. A sea of poison and acid rose from within Izuku's gut, flooding out to fill his veins and any crevasse in his body that the current could find. His un-beating heart of light welled with the dark depth of salty tears.

No. That was not all.

Darkness spilled out from the unfathomable depths of Izuku's heart, flooding him with untold power. Dangerous amounts of uncontrollable strength overcame him. His muscles thrummed and pulsed with newfound potency. The metal armrest of the bench caved beneath his fingers as though he was crushing butter in his grip. Izuku did not mean to destroy it and was suddenly afraid of what his own body could do if he weren't careful.

"Not just Kimbery," the demon mused aloud, observing Izuku's discomfort with ice-cold interest. "The Prince has also encountered Isidoros, the Blackness that Twists the Skies. You have shown yourself unique in handling discussion with more than one of the Primordials at a time. You're also proceeding rapidly to the heart of Malfeas. Too rapidly."

Pain wracked through Izuku's bones as he lamented his connection to his other self, matched only by the frustration of not knowing at all what was happening inside the Chrysalis anymore. Oh god, Izuku, what have you done?

As much as he wanted to control himself, he also craved release. Urges rose from deep inside of him. Izuku could feel his newfound strength flood into his cock. It pulsed painfully, sending hollow sensations of frustrated desire through him. His balls bloated with unspent seed. If he did not get ahold of himself, he knew that he was a danger to Ochako.

"My Prince… just how are you doing all of this? If I may…" the demon inquired or at least attempted.

"You may not," Izuku barked back. "I'm done talking, for now, deva. I need to express myself by other means. We may resume after I finish instructing my new priestess." It would be a hands-on lesson if Izuku had his way.

As much as he wanted to throw her on the ground and mount her, he had to stop himself. He did not fully understand his body's new abilities yet, and he was just as likely to kill her as to bring her pleasure. Still, she looked delicious as she lowered her mouth to suckle on his aching balls. They felt like hard stones with how full they were, how heavy.

Izuku hungered for Ochako's flesh, to enter her. He wanted to pick her up and carry her out of the sight of these demons. He needed to take her away and fuck her endlessly. He wanted to flood her, empty himself into her. Izuku craved the sensations he could make her feel, the sounds she would make while writhing underneath him.

No. Izuku had to stop himself. The act must continue. Besides, he warned himself, his power was dangerous. He had to get himself under control. Ochako trusted him, loved him. He could hear her calling for him from the most private sanctuary in her heart. As desperate as he was to satisfy himself and this newfound hunger, he had to find a way that…

Oh. That would do.

His smirk grew into a fang-filled grin as he looked down at her. After taking stock of his newest abilities, he had arrived at his solution, one that would not put his lover at risk. Izuku would sate his thirst for release, and Ochako would provide him the means.

{}

There was something hungry about Izuku's eyes, something that told Ochako that she was his prey. Ochako saw him with a similar glint in his eye before, but only while he was fighting. Her breath caught in her throat. With demons behind her and her new boyfriend under demonic influence, her position was more precarious than ever.

There was no way to know if her inner thoughts, prayers, if she was honest about them, were even reaching Izuku. She hoped that he heard her, that he would keep hold of himself and that he'd protect her.

Was there a plan for after this? Did he have a way to get her off this mountain safely? Maybe that was a job he had left to the other Izuku after they merged.

After the one inside the Chrysalis killed the Izuku she was intimate with and loved, she thought bitterly. The idea stirred something terrible inside of Ochako, a gnawing pain, unlike anything she had ever felt. Finally, she could be honest with herself.

She wasn't doing this because of the demons watching. Ochako was serving Izuku with her mouth because she couldn't stand the idea that his short life would end without any gratitude or love for everything he had done. She tried to tell herself that the one inside the Chrysalis was just another side of the same coin, that they were one person, but no matter how she reasoned it out, she knew that the man she was in love with was going to die soon.

Even in the best-case scenario, The Prince would emerge and absorb his hologram, consuming him. Ochako had consoled herself before this moment with the idea that Izuku's memories would live on inside The Prince. Now, that thought seemed as bitter as ashes in her mouth. Ochako realized on some level that the one here with her was Izuku. That meant that the one in there was The Prince. Even though she wanted her first time with a man to be in a safe and intimate environment, she had to do something for the man who had done everything for her without asking for a single thing in return.

Ochako hadn't chosen to orally pleasure Izuku just out of some ruse against the demons or even to appease her arousal. Those were only her secondary motivations. Now, before the Chrysalis opened, was the only time she was guaranteed to spend with him before he'd be gone forever. She wanted him to feel the kind of love she could offer him, but also wanted more of him so that she could remember him for the rest of her life.

As threatening as they were, the demons did not matter to her. All that Ochako was concerned with was that Izuku felt loved and accepted. Even now, as his cock throbbed threateningly in her grasp, growing hotter and harder under her tongue as she ascended his length, she could read his growing need as clearly as if he had a gauge built into his groin. If he did have one, it would have announced that he was full to the point of bursting and that he needed someone to empty him.

His muscles tensed as she watched. They seemed harder, denser than before. Wisps of darkness traveled along his veins, intermingling with his light forged body. Izuku, she prayed, what is happening to you?

He might go crazy from all this power being pumped into him, part of her thought. Hell, I might have a front-row seat to watch him lose his mind right at that moment. Izuku might take me against my will, use me. He might even kill me. Well, Ochako thought, even if he does that, it won't be him doing those things. I'll still love the part of him that's human inside, even if it's the last thing I do.

Ochako stroked the luminous skin of his member, letting her hands rise and fall across the surface of his turgid cock. Her face rose alongside the pulsing weapon, but not to adore it. Instead, she lavished attention on the man who owned it. She wanted to worship the swordsman, not just his sword. She allowed her face to slowly wander as she got up on her knees, one centimeter at a time, planting kisses up his sculpted abs, feeling the tight valleys between those protruding muscles with her lips and occasionally her tongue.

Playfully, she let her tongue dip into his bellybutton. I'm doing this all for you. It's not for them. It's not even for me, she silently directed her thoughts towards him. Ochako allowed her tongue to trail upwards along the ridges of his upper abdominals as she wandered towards the side. She removed a hand from his cock to explore under his vest, pulling it open and exposing a tight nipple, one of the capstones for his pectoral muscles. Her fingers trailed their way long before her face could reach that destination.

"Take me," she whispered while looking up into his eyes, those burning eyes full of hunger that frightened her. She whispered past her trembling emotions and over that hunger to the heart of the man inside. "I belong to you. You have me, all of me."

Izuku's stern gaze met Ochako's. Her eyes turned away from his face, his gaze too intense for her. Instead, she watched his hand rise from where it had destroyed part of the bench. It was a flat open palm, a gesture telling her to stop. Stop ascending. Stop getting up to his level. Izuku didn't touch her. The hand signal he gave her trembled, ever so little, but she saw it. Was he afraid? For her sake? Was he fearful of the demons or himself?

She looked again at his face. Izuku's eyes seemed almost predatory. Ochako swallowed. Her saliva felt thick around the back of her throat. Somehow, she knew that he was going to become an active participant, no longer sitting back and letting her treat him like an idol. Deep inside, she throbbed with anticipation.

Her ankle encountered a strange sensation. Looking down at it, Ochako watched in a mixture of horror and fascination as a long thick tentacle stretched out to wrap around her leg. The only thing that stopped her from panicking was the tentacle's composition, the same tangible light as Izuku's body. The suction cups bit teasingly at her skin as it extended higher up her leg, quickly surrounding her knee before trailing up her thigh.

She took the time to look up again into his eyes. His smirk and cocked eyebrow told her that he was having fun. Was he even in control of himself anymore? "Izuku," she whispered. "Please."

Ochako never got to finish her request. She yelped when a second tentacle took hold of her other leg. The two moved in sync with each other, climbing up and wrapping around her calves before grasping her thighs. She trailed them with her eyes, tracing them back to their source. Each was several meters long, and they grew increasingly thick as her gaze followed them back to where they emanated from somewhere just behind Izuku. Did they sprout out of his back? Were they permanent? Temporary?

"Oh… oh fuck," Ochako breathed as a third one approached her from underneath Izuku's seat, extending out from behind him as it traveled between his legs. She steadied herself, placing a hand on each of his thighs. She leaned forward. Her movements made his cock rub obscenely against her neck and face. Only afterward did she fear that her Quirk would instinctively affect him, except it didn't. Had he somehow made himself immune to her power?

That thought alone made her feel more powerless than ever in her life. She was utterly at his mercy. Ochako moaned as her mouth grazed up his cock while the tentacles were approaching her epicenter. The third had wrapped around her waist and wormed its way under her blouse. Once nestled inside, it climbed up towards her breasts. The tiny suction-mouths teased and bit her in so many places. They paid special attention near her breasts and down at her thighs, making her squirm. She grasped onto his cock, freely able to use all of her fingers, as Izuku's new appendages lifted her off the concrete, holding her up in front of him as though she weighed nothing.

Her panties were sopping, uncomfortably damp from her excitement. Her inner and outer lips felt swollen, thick with engorged need. She was painfully aware of moisture on her clit, of brief moments of friction as her leg movements caused her panties to rub against her, slicked by her juices. Ochako's smell filled her nose. Her entire body seemed hot. Sweat coated her skin, both from the heat made by Izuku's constant light and the new sensations traveling across her skin. Ochako's breasts felt hot and constrained. Her nipples complained about how rough her clothes felt.

All pretense, all fantasy, was gone. Izuku was going to fuck her mercilessly in front of the demons that had come to claim him. Maybe he'd take her with him to hell where she'd serve as his slave, his whore. It wasn't the life she wanted. It was frightening. Somehow, though, it was also exciting.

"Yes," she breathed out before raking her tongue against his cock, firmly holding it as she slathered it with her spit. She was no longer demurely kissing it as she had before, not even the wet kisses when she had mustered her courage. Now she was using her mouth and hands as pleasure tools, things for him to use, for him to fuck as she coordinated them for his arousal.

Ochako almost screamed with fear and excitement once the tentacle he sent up her blouse found its targets. First, the tendril lifted her bra away from her breasts before small mouths latched onto her. The skin on her chest felt on fire. His tentacles teased her with bites, even as Izuku squeezed and played with her tits. He was rough with her, using her globes as toys, yet he was also mindful of how to arouse her, nipping along her skin and making teasing circles that avoided the two specific areas she wanted him to claim and gnaw. It was torture, and she loved it. Finally, after what felt like forever, Izuku took hold of her nipples with his exploring tentacle, pulling and biting on one nipple before grasping the other.

Without even touching it, Izuku had primed her pussy. Ochako could feel her vaginal walls pulse, screaming at her, demanding thorough fucking. Wanton desire eroded her sense of where and who she was as she opened her mouth wide, trying to take as much of his cock into her as possible, uncaring how this might distort or stretch her face, what it would look like with his cock obscenely filling her mouth as she bathed the head with her tongue.

Someone near her commented about something, speaking in a language she didn't understand. There was a conversation going on in the background, but Ochako did not care. All Ochako wanted was for Izuku to stop teasing her with his tentacles and to take her virginity. Specifically, to ram her down onto his cock and make her scream. On some level, she could tell that her mind wasn't working the way it usually would, that something was influencing her thoughts. However, she did not care. Whatever was affecting Izuku, making him insane with lust, was infecting her too. She shared his madness, and she thought it was beautiful.

Izuku barked back at whoever had spoken. He seemed powerful. Every movement he made, every gesture, was authoritative and confident. Ochako wanted more of him in her, more of this beautiful man. She forced her head over the crown of his cock, uncaring that she was choking on it, as she used her hands to coat the rest of the shaft with her spit. In a moment of delirium, she thrust one of her hands down into her panties. There she gathered moisture while also touching herself where she longed for Izuku to touch her.

Izuku chose that as his signal to oblige her.

Ochako's fingers met the wandering tip of a long tentacle. Afraid but excited, she moved her hand out of his way, reminding herself that this was part of Izuku. She expected him to surge forward, to use the tentacle and prime her further, to stretch her out in preparation for his cock. Ochako wasn't sure what she thought of that. Her mind, muddled as it was, struggled to make a clear decision. She decided to trust Izuku, though, so if he wanted this, then he'd have access to enter her.

She was filled with frustration and relief when Izuku's used its suction mouths to pull open her lips, parting her like a blooming flower, wet with morning dew. She returned her hand, now drenched in her arousal, to his cock, coating him with the juices pouring out from her. Ochako only hoped that she'd feel him extract those fluids directly from their source before pouring in some of his own.

Squirming, writhing, she felt the two tentacles meet at the entrance hidden under her panties, stretching the fabric there to the point of breaking. Izuku pried open her lips completely, leaving them vulnerable to more of his manipulations. He smiled at her while he used his powers to bite, stretch, and nibble all along the petals that concealed her unexplored depths. The look on his face was smugly self-satisfied when one of his suction mouths grabbed and bit down onto her clit.

Ochako shuddered, utterly overwhelmed by the sensations Izuku forced into her body. He was driving her insane and hadn't even removed a single piece of clothing from her. What would he do to her once he had a chance to render her naked? Would he make her into a toy for his private enjoyment? She hoped so.

The first orgasm sent stars whirling through Ochako's vision. Her mind emptied. All thought ceased as convulsions of joy emanated from her epicenter and spread outward, rippling in her muscles and across her skin, setting her entire being on fire.

Ochako had never felt anything like it. In the span of that sensation, time was meaningless. The feeling lasted only a moment, but it also endured forever. This ecstasy exceeded anything she had ever done to please herself. Somehow Izuku had unlocked new depths and heights for her to reach, ones Ochako had never known were possible.

After it elapsed, everything was clear to Ochako.

Even as she worked her hands and mouth on him, Ochako could see that he was lost, controlled by his power. It wasn't just lust that affected Izuku, but something more primal and stranger. It spilled over to touch her as well, though its hold on her mind lessened now that she had come. If she didn't give him his release, he might not get a clear head to think through where they were, who they were, or why they were doing this.

Ochako felt it then. One of the tentacles was priming itself at her entrance, preparing to push deep inside. It seemed to swell and shift, growing thicker, blunter, as it struggled at the cave guarded by her lips.

"No," she breathed out a whisper. No, she prayed. I'm a virgin.

Everything stopped.

Izuku's face contorted with angry frustration. Wood cracked and metal bent under the power of his arms.

Please, she prayed as she returned her mouth to servicing him. Please, come in my mouth. I want to taste you. I don't want to lose my virginity in front of these demons, or to tentacles. I want you, I need you, but please, not like this.

Tears welled in her eyes as she allowed herself to concede that despite her desire to give Izuku anything and everything, to thank him during his short life on Earth, that even she had limits, things she did not want to do.

Her heart fluttered with relief when she felt the tentacle withdraw. It still teased at her entrance, but it never pushed further. That relief was short-lived when she felt her other entry get teased as well. She looked and saw a smirk return to Izuku's face. Ochako knew then, that while Izuku had enough sense to respect her boundaries, that he'd continuously push to find out where those boundaries were.

Not there either, she thought in his direction as he teased her there, that forbidden zone. She had never touched it that way.

He smiled as she felt him bite hard on the surrounding skin. Ochako moaned loudly over his cock, the vibrations of her voice traveling up and down the shaft. Fine, she conceded, but nothing inside anywhere but my mouth.

Izuku released a satisfied "Humph" sound before adjusting his hips, guiding just a few more centimeters of his cock into her mouth. Ochako got the hint and gripped him harder, using the combination of saliva and her nectar to create deliciously tight friction for him. At the same time, he mercilessly teased her breasts, her lower lips, and, despite the battle he had conceded, the entrance to the one place she hoped he'd never breach.

She worked hard, her grip tight as she stroked him, milking him for all he was worth. She was focused on her task, sucking hard on the crown. Ochako moved at a feverish pace, desperate to make him come, as though she needed Izuku's seed for her survival. It was a race, then, to see if she could bring him to climax before he brought her to her second crescendo.

Ochako lost the race. Izuku had unfettered access to far more of her pleasure points, while she was working on just his primary sexual organ. Admittedly, his cock had a lot of areas she could explore and lavish with attention. However, Izuku had outflanked her and expertly toyed with her entire body. He deftly manipulated her breasts and explored the landscape of her skin. He roamed boldly, claiming territory across her torso and ass. Izuku relentlessly assaulted Ochako, laying siege against her lower lips. The hidden jewel that her petals concealed gave in to Izuku's licking and biting attacks. No matter what she did, Ochako experienced more pleasure than she could give.

As her body convulsed with starlit explosions of joy, as her mind emptied again, she knew that sex with Izuku was the best thing she had ever experienced. It left her wanting more of him. She redoubled her efforts, determined that she would taste his release.

The third time was, indeed, a charm. Izuku groaned out an uncontrollable exclamation, warning Ochako of his impending orgasm. For the final stretch, she tightened her fingers even more and sucked harder until she tasted his seed. Taste, though, did not describe it. It felt like static electricity traveled from the tip of his cock into her mouth and throat, tickling her as it moved effortlessly down into her core.

It spilled out beyond her lips, coating her chin. More burst forth, surprising her already full mouth. It spilled down onto the ground beneath her as well as the front of her uniform. The substance glowed like the sunset on the sea.

Ochako was more awake and alert than if she had spent an hour drinking coffee, more energized than if she had stuck her finger in a light socket. Was this the power that had affected Izuku's mind? It left her wanting more, hungering for more sex. Or perhaps food. Or battle. It was a compelling urge to act, to exert oneself, to dominate.

She reached forward to hold onto him, to grip onto him and climb her way into his lap. She desperately wanted to be in his arms, whether or not that meant getting impaled on his length. It was as though he was the gravitational center of her existence. Ochako was falling towards Izuku just by looking at him.

This time, Izuku did not stop her. He directed her with his newest appendages to sit astride one of his thighs. His deflated weapon lay across the other. The tentacles vanished as Ochako settled into the peace of his embrace, leaning onto his chest while her legs dangled between his, never touching the ground. His hand rested behind her back, applying no pressure. He treated her as if she were the most delicate and breakable doll in the world, fearing that the slightest press of his fingers would crack and ruin her.

She was tired and energetic, wanting yet satisfied. Ochako had only one part of her that wasn't contradictory: she was in love, and she was loved. She was disappointed when Izuku's clothes rearranged themselves, hiding his cock from her view as his pants reknit themselves into a seamless garment again.

Then a voice spoke from out there in the darkness, uttering words Ochako did not understand. Izuku's muscles tensed under her. Whoever it was, whatever they said, had him on edge. Ochako turned her eyes outward, daring to gaze at and acknowledge the demons nearby.

That was when Ochako saw Mara step into the light, looking as beautiful and as cruel as she remembered. The creature still appeared to be a woman in classical attire. Ochako boldly maintained eye contact with her from the comfort of Izuku's lap. Ochako smiled at her while daintily gathering some of Izuku's glowing seed from her chin and atop her breasts. Once she collected enough to light up her entire hand, she licked the warm starlit substance from her fingers.

From the corner of her eye, Ochako saw that Izuku's teeth bared menacingly. His eyes were like daggers. No matter what happened next. Ochako would rather be there with her lover protecting her than anywhere else. Ochako's smile endured despite her eye contact with several demons, including the hollow abomination and his cloak of faces. Izuku was her lover, and there was nothing any of them could do to change that. No matter what happened next, none of them could take that from her or him.

{}

Izuku had been tormented for far too long, teased, and used while left wanting. Ahalmahlhat, for all of her beauty and generosity, seduced him with the sole aim of transforming him into the Prince. He still loved her, but he also saw her now for what she was, a demon on a mission.

Cecelyne had taken liberties with Izuku's mouth but had never thought of returning any pleasure as thanks. It was a completely one-sided affair, more about power than intimacy.

Only one person had considered what Izuku wanted, needed, and devoted herself to fulfilling those needs. Ochako.

He was surprised by just how much sensation the tentacles returned to him. They were so flexible, so customizable. He could give them as many or as few nerve endings as he wished. Izuku would have to test out just what else he could alter about them later.

Despite how wonderful it would have felt for him, how mad with urge fueled lust he was, he had to stop himself. Ochako's heart begged him, no, and he loved her too much to ignore that. That didn't mean that he stopped altogether. He pressed on any border that she erected, never crossing the line but thoroughly testing it.

After emptying himself into her mouth, on her lips, and across parts of her face and neck, Izuku thought that she looked beautiful. Soiled, used, but also wholly his. She was adorable while licking up his seed. If not for the sudden intrusion, he'd have kissed her and started their bout all over again.

Mara approached, daring to step into the light of the Chrysalis. "That was an entertaining show, my Prince. It's a shame, though, a terrible pity. That mortal is going to die soon. You seem so attached to her."

Izuku could not make words, could not make a sound. Rage rattled inside of his chest, shook at his ribs like they were a cage, forced his muscles to tense in anticipation, yet he could not muster a sound. He was simply too angry to sort out what insult he wanted to use in his reply.

Calming himself just enough, he finally growled back. "Explain yourself, Mara."

The demoness smiled demurely at him but said nothing.

Somewhere in the distance, far to their north, Izuku saw the faint flashing of light, like a brilliant star. Yet it was moving against the dark surface of the Earth, sputtering… No. Izuku could read Morse, and he knew it implicitly now. His mind sped up, fueled by potent essence.

Bombs. The military was going to bomb the mountainside. Japan had invited America to intervene. The aircraft formation was about to take off. Narita. That was so close! They'd be here almost instantly once they were airborne!

"How long have you known this was coming, what the humans were going to do?" Izuku demanded, directing hate from his eyes at Mara, despising the small smirk on her lips.

"Known?" Mahbagodeth gloated, his voice cracking through the air like a whip. "We did not merely know. I have manipulated every piece on the board and dictated every move the humans have made. Soon, they will break the truce in their folly, even killing some of their own in the process…" he gestured to Ochako on Izuku's lap as though she were a piece of trash the Prince had found on the road. "Then, when they complete their show of force, their futile efforts? We will act. We will slaughter them all."

Izuku had no time. He had choices to make, and it was impossible to weigh all the facts. His mother was immaterial, so she was safe. There had to be a way out of this. "They've not taken off yet. We can still stop the attack."

A sound like a broken windchime emanated from the demon's mask. Laughter. "Of course, my Prince. We could preempt them, attack them. You would, though, take on your mother's debts to Cecelyne."

Izuku growled despite himself. These monsters were manipulating events all in some effort to place even more control on him, to leash him to their will. Fine. Izuku couldn't save all those pilots. He couldn't even keep everyone in the city alive. Fine!

If he couldn't save them all, then he'd focus on the one that mattered the most. Izuku tried not to sound desperate, but he failed. "Take her, make her immaterial. There's still time."

The laughter, as jarring as it was, stopped. Somehow that was worse. Mara's smile grew broader, yet she conceded the stage to her masked compatriot.

The mask gave no hint of emotion, yet Izuku could sense sadistic pleasure in the demon's words. "No, my Prince. We are here to protect you, but we are not your personal army. We do not take orders from you. Though, if you request it of Cecelyne, perhaps she will order me to save this," the demon pondered the correct word, "slave of yours."

Again, they only offered him the trap of more debt, more chains to tie him to the Yozis, and their will. Every move they had made since arriving on Earth had been with that purpose in mind. How long ago had they planned all of this? "So, my choice is to have you attack the oncoming craft or to save this woman… and both end the same. Either way, I am in debt, and the humans, my future slaves, die."

Mara sighed, allowing her smile to fade into a frown. "You're a terrible liar, Heretic Prince. We know she's not your slave. We know none of them are. Perhaps the Prince, when he emerges, will be different. You, though? Your mind is almost completely, disgustingly, human."

Izuku had the sense to at least appear offended. "You dare speak to me that way…"

Her eyes flashed with dark intent. "Do you deny your Heresy, my Prince? Do you deny being the emanation created by Heresy, for that matter? Do you deny being an emissary, merely a Prince by proxy? No. You can't. The evidence is all around you, and still, you perform as though to stall us. It is not you who have been fooling us, little Prince. Things are quite the reverse."

Mahbahgodeth crept forward, interceding between Mara and Izuku. He held up his hands placatingly, but his words brought no comfort. "Give up your defiant will, my Prince. The Primordials won long before you even knew what Heresy was. You have still been thinking linearly like a human, forgetting that Malfeas is in the past… along with the rest of your soul."

The demon paused as the implication of his words sunk into Izuku's mind. Then, while the Prince's proxy remained off-balance, the monster continued. "We were sent here after you entered the Eternal City. We know everything that happened on the sands of Cecelyne and have accounted for your defiance in advance. It's not too late, though, little Prince. You can save them all from themselves, but only by abandoning this folly. You've entertained such dangerous games up until now, but it is time to submit yourself completely to the Primordial Host."

Cruel yet unexpressive, the demon advanced closer. Ochako shuddered and shrank in Izuku's arms, hiding her face in his neck. What's going on, he heard her heart ask him. His arms moved instinctively around her to shield her from the approaching threat.

Mara looked out across the horizon with an air of boredom. "No matter what you do, dear Prince," she smiled. It was the kind of smile that only eager avarice could produce, a smile of greedy anticipation. "We will conquer and dismantle this world. It's all a matter of when, not if, it happens. Fear not, though. We will only do to the humans what atrocities they've already done to each other."

It was the hollowest promise Izuku had ever heard. Was there any evil humankind had not yet explored? No. The demons would not be inventing new horrors, merely revisiting crimes repeated throughout human history. Izuku's grip on Ochako tightened, wanting some way to keep her and everyone else away from these vile beasts.

The masked demon pressed further, striking Izuku's emotions while the young Prince was still off-balance, still recovering from the last assault. "Now… pray using the gift on your forehead, and Cecelyne will answer you. Pray and save the woman in your arms. Of course, you could always just cut the chains on your heart and do away with your human emotions for her. It will make it easier to endure when you watch her burn into ashes."

There it was—the terrible choice. Izuku could become a monster and watch Ochako die, or he could sell himself to a monster and save her. Either way, their act was over. They had fooled no one. He cupped her face in his hands and looked down into her eyes. Those large brown eyes of hers filled with unspilt tears, swimming in confused fear.

Izuku kissed her, softly, feeling her lips quiver and her jaw shake. His face became wet with her tears. He knew what he had to do. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, knowing that this explained nothing despite being the only words yet spoken that she'd understand.

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A Note from the Author

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As you can all tell, this chapter took far longer than I estimated. It was originally meant to be the second half of the chapter I posted before. So, what have we learned? Well, the moral is that I have no idea how long things will be when I initially outline them.

The outpouring of love you've all given me, my wife, and this fic has been heartwarming. Before I continue with my notes and announcements, I'd like to share a message that my wife prepared as a thank you for all of the get-well wishes you all wrote in the comments of the last chapter:

"Hi All,

First, just let me say wow, and thank you, guys! It really warmed my heart to read so many many words of healing and encouragement from you all! Dark did an amazing job taking care of me while I was down, and with that and a few weeks of some strong antibiotics, I'm pretty much all healed up! Thank you all for thinking about me, and thank you for supporting Dark through his crossover Odyssey! It means a lot to know that his fans love Dark's word weaving as much as I do!

Peace, Love, and Cookies,

K-Chan"

So, as she put it, she's almost completely better and back to her old self. This has been the first chapter she's been able to help me with in a long time, and I'm truly grateful to have her by my side.

In addition, you all have been the best! Thanks to all of you, we have 288 Reviews, 142,957 Views, 640 Favorites, and 785 Followers on FanFiction dot net! You all also gave us 185 Subscriptions, 11,860 Hits, 328 Kudos, 340 Comments, and 81 Bookmarks on AO3! Because of this, we' are (for now) the top Exalted fic on AO3 in all major metrics: Comments, Kudos, Hits, and Bookmarks! To be at the top of any fandom, even one that small, is very humbling. Thank you. All of you.

Now for some announcements! I'm going to play a bit of catch up with the companion fic, "The Reflection in the Viridescent Mirror" so that it's not quite as far behind this fic in viewing. Those chapters are fairly easy to write, so I hope to churn out at least three in quick succession! Another companion-fic is in the works as well, though it's more of a spin-off than a direct companion. For those of you that enjoy lighter fare in their fanfiction, prepare for wholesome teenage hijinks in "Izuku's Time-Travelling Babysitting Service!"

That's not all! I'm finally making some progress on my book, the one I initially wanted to write before a case of writer's block had me writing fanfiction instead. It won't be out anytime soon, but I'm excited to finally be making any progress at all.

I have saved the best announcement for last. You are all invited to my Discord Server: Darklogic's Writing Corner! This would not be possible without the hard work of my friend AABHAS. Seriously, everyone should have a friend like him.

The link is here: discord .gg/ 25BTet3 (Copy and paste then remove the spaces. Certain sites don't like it when people post links to anything.)

Thank you all again and see you soon!