New reports filled the world with South Korea's apparent comeback.
"It's an unimaginable turn of events."
"In her darkest moment, South Korea found herself a great protector."
"The United Hero Association is considering the addition of the Hero Izuku Midoriya to the National Hero Ranking."
"According to the Hero Miruko, the President of the Thanatos Agency, he has finally taken up a Hero name for himself!"
"Names like Thomas Andre, and All Might will be remembered forever in our history because of their astounding feats… it looks like we have another name to add to those history books."
"From everyone in South Korea, we offer our most sincere gratitude… to the Hero Ashborn."
"Mommy!" A little girl, no older than ten, cried out as her mother was separated from her in the rush of evacuees.
Their city had been late to begin evacuation, they were on the far coast, they thought they would be safe. But the ignorance of governmental officials and the less concerned citizens, convinced everyone that there was no need to worry. There was more than enough need to worry. Just a mile behind them, five Titans were stomping towards the feast of humans.
With the North blocked off, the South being mostly evacuated, and the West, who were closer to Seoul and who took the situation seriously, only the Eastern coastal cities were ripe for the Titans picking. Samcheok was one of those places.
The little girl was jostled by the swinging legs of adults far bigger and was knocked to the ground. Dozens of pairs of feet should've slammed down on her, but the impacts never came and the little girl found that only her knees were slightly scraped from the fall.
"Are you hurt, little one?" A gruff, but reassuring voice asked as he picked her up and brushed her off.
The little girl spun around, nearly screaming in the face of Pektra, who had used his wings as a barrier to ensure the girl's safety.
When she offered no reply, Pektra waved over one of his Dragon Knights, "Little one, my friend here will take you back to your mother."
"Hey!" A man shouted, "Aren't you those boy's Summons?!" He got up in the Shadow's face, unable to comprehend the immense difference in power between them. "Shouldn't you be stopping those things?! That's my livelihood they're destroying and you're just gonna let them, while you're busy worrying about some little girl?!"
Pektra glared at the man, "If the Shadow Monarch had not deemed all human life to be protected, I would've killed you for a remark like that. Regardless, our job is not to fight them, but to protect the people. The job of killing Titans… it goes to them." The Prime Draconian pointed over his shoulder, allowing those who were still sticking around to witness one figure stand between the five Titans.
[Skill: Draconic Fusion has been activated, Dragon God of Earth, Glaedr and Dragon God of Light, Uramoth have fused to create the Dragon God of Metal, Talos.]
Taking the shape of a Dragon Knight, the being of pure Shadow metal looked more like a mech than a living being. Of course, the inhabitants of the city couldn't tell the difference between the various Shadows, so to them, it was just another insanely large Shadow, large enough to match humanities enemies.
"You have committed what our Liege deems a sin," Talos said, his voice echoing through the Titans' very being, forcing them to take a step back in realization of his power, "I will cleanse the world of this sin."
Knowing that nothing was going to come of running, one of the five Titans leapt forwards, his fist crashing into Talos's gut. A crack that could be heard for literal miles emerged from the Stone Titan's wrist as it snapped from the force it attempted to exert on Talos's impenetrable skin. It roared in anger and pain as it went to cradle the broken bone, but Talos decided to end its suffering.
The metal Dragon Knight threw his own punch at the Titan's head, splattering it into gallons upon gallons of gorey mess. Before any of the remaining Titans could react, Talos's arm sliced down to the right, forming a liquid metal blade as it bisected one of the Villains from collarbone to waist.
As the bodies fell to the floor, the third, fourth, and fifth Titans' eyes widened with fear. Talos's Dragon mouth opened wide, gathering what looked like metallic particles similar to Glaedr's Sandstorm breath attack.
The Titans started running, but it was already too late for them and the wave of metal shrapnel slammed into each and everyone of their bodies, destroying some sort of crucial organ. Within seconds, all three had been killed.
[Dragon God of Metal, Talos's Skill: Steel Storm has ended.]
"You are joining us live above Sosan, where two of the gigantic Villains were about to begin the swim towards China!" The Cameraman angled the view away from the reporter and down onto the scene, where a Wyvern, crackling with lightning faced off against the enemies.
[Skill: Draconic Fusion has been activated, Dragon God of Fire, Thorn and Dragon God of Air, Firnen have fused to create the Dragon God of Lightning, Thor.]
Standing on its hind legs, it raised its wings high into the air as the Titans rushed it, but suddenly…
[Dragon God of Lightning, Thor is using Skill: Heaven's Bombardment.]
Hundreds if not thousands of branches of lightning shot from every point of contact on its wings, slamming into the Titans and searing their skin with its immense energy. In fact, the energy was so intense that the surrounding buildings began heating up, glowing incandescent.
The reporter let out a shrill scream as the energy streaked past them in their helicopter, just narrowly missing them.
Thor inwardly cringed as the screams reached his ears. If his Liege ever heard that he came that close to striking humans with his powers… well, he wasn't exactly sure what would happen, but it wouldn't be good.
Lowering his wings, the lightning Wyvern cut off his attack. The Titans had passed into oblivion minutes ago. Another two down.
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Izuku said aloud as he downed another Mana potion.
"My Liege, Hyo and Saphira's forces are within minutes of us." Igris declared, kneeling, "There are also two of the last eight Titans approaching us." They were just a few dozen miles outside of Seoul and the even more massive Titan that stood guard over the Gate.
"Approaching?" Yaoyorozu asked, "But… ever since Talos's big fight against those five, they've been running to the coasts or back North." The coasts had already been cut off by the Shadow forces, leaving only the impenetrable shield to the North.
"Maybe they realized it was futile to go anywhere else?"
Saphira's Shadow suddenly appeared next to Izuku. Traveling in pure Shadow form to their Liege was far quicker than doing it physically. "My Liege. Permission for myself and Shurikan to merge and go kill them?"
Shruikan huffed, "I wanted to fuse with Uramoth and see what happened."
Izuku rolled his eyes, "Neither of you are going anywhere. I want to see the Titans with my own eyes. We still don't know why they didn't follow their six brothers to the north…"
"Thor and Talos should be there within the next two days, my Liege. They will personally see to exterminating the last of these beasts," Igris informed Izuku.
"Good. Hyo, how was Suwon?"
"The city itself was disgusting my Liege. Too many half-eaten corpses. Those Titans have no manners."
Izuku raised an eyebrow, "No manners because they didn't finish eating them? Or because they're eating humans in the first place? That's a big distinction, Hyo." However, Izuku quickly brushed off these thoughts, deeming them to be nothing more than useless conjecture.
"In terms of how the battle fared, it was incredibly simple thanks to your even more incredible gift." Hyo's voice was just as silky smooth as it had been when he was alive. Izuku was certain that were that voice attached to a normal living human, he'd be able to charm anyone to do anything he wanted.
"My Liege… surely you don't intend to bargain with those creatures, do you?"
Izuku shrugged, "Depends on if they're coming to bargain at all… or if they're just here as a last desperate attack." He looked over his shoulders, feeling somewhat strange that the sight of two skyscraper-sized humans walking towards him was becoming normal.
"They are not charging."
Izuku nodded. Out of the 21 Titans they had fought, almost all of them had charged into their attack. These Titans were well within range.
Izuku and Yaoyorozu hopped up onto Saphira's back as she began preparing to fly up to meet the Titans at eye level, but they did something no one expected. They kneeled.
"Shadow… Monarch," They said, their voices incredibly deep and slow to reach Izuku's ears. "Forgive… us."
The second one lifted his head slightly to gaze at Izuku, "We… were not… aware of… Ashborn's… presence on… this plane… of existence."
"Why should I forgive you?! You trampled an entire country underfoot! Your answer better be fast!"
"Shadow Monarch, our bodies have been infected with the Mana of the Rulers. The crystals you see inside monsters… those are the Rulers commands… "Kill all humans.""
"So what you're saying is that you're simply slaves to the Rulers?"
"...Yes," One grunted out, "Even now, it is taking all of our willpower to not attack the one you deem important."
"So… is there any way to remove these crystals?"
"A Being of equal or higher power could remove them with time and skill. Someone such as yourself would not be hindered in the slightest."
Izuku paused for a moment, quickly thinking. He didn't have the full powers of Ashborn, so it was unlikely that he could remove them, but he also didn't want to kill these two. To some extent, they seemed genuine. "So, if I removed these stones from your body, and granted you freedom, what would you do?"
"We… would go back to our Monarch, The Monarch of Giants, Legia."
"And what would you do if he told you to kill every human?"
"We… would follow his… orders."
The Titans seemed to be struggling against something. It was almost as if the Mana crystals in their body were forcing them to be honest about how they would act without said cores there to guide them.
"No matter what… you would be on the side of death… the side of the Monarchs?"
"W-We were under the impression… that you were on the same side, Ashborn…"
"..." Izuku remained silent, unsure of how to answer.
"Ashborn is on the side of humans," Yaoyorozu chimed in.
The Titans' faces contorted with rage, "You dare attempt to speak for a Monarch?! You worthless human garb-"
Izuku silenced the one speaking with a single slash from his scythe, creating a blade of light that completely decapitated him. He aimed the blade at the second Titan whose eyes were wide with fear. He slammed his head into the ground, creating a mini earthquake as he prostrated himself in front of Izuku.
To him, these Villains were barely worth fighting. In terms of experience, they gave off about the same amount as a Captain or Commander Grade would, which was a lot when fighting 29 of 'em, but Izuku couldn't see them actually clearing the Captain Grade with their strength, even with an evolution. It was essentially only their size that made them special.
"She doesn't lie. I fight for the humans, for the Earth."
"T-T-T-Then perhaps… you would like to bargain…?"
"With who? Do you have a direct line to the Monarchs?"
"T-T-The Titan that decided to remain with the Gate, he is my Liege's projection."
"His Spiritual Body?" Izuku asked, remembering the term from the fight in the Frost Cavern.
"N-No, he would not be able to maintain that for days at a time. It is a duplicate us servants fashioned for him. Something he can control remotely from his prison inside the Gate."
"Legia is imprisoned inside the Gate?"
The Titan didn't move his head from the ground, "Yes, oh great Shadow Monarch. The Rulers have had him trapped there for millenia."
"Well then, I suppose you can lead me to your Monarch's body double. Unfortunately, your brethren at the Northern border will have to die, they only continue to rampage."
"I-I understand, your excellence. I shall lead the way for you, Shadow Monarch."
From inside his office, stationed South of Cheongju and safe from the Titans, Go Gun-Hee sighed, rolling his neck. As the President of the Agency Association of Korea, he held quite a bit of responsibility during a time like this. And yet, he was completely powerless, dependent only on that of Izuku Midoriya.
No one blamed him, of course. What could an old man like himself do against these unfavorable odds. He had organized every S and A-Rank he could find and the army lined themselves up for miles, but it ended in tragedy still.
Out of the S-Ranks to survive, only Choi Jong-In was reported. Having flown away near the start of the battle, he was the only force they had to slow the beasts for evacuation, at least, until Izuku Midoriya showed up. Unfortunately, Choi seemed to be holding some form of trauma now. Everytime he was supposed to barrage a Titan from afar and hold its attention, he balked, losing his courage and fleeing all over again. No one was sure if he would ever regain any usefulness.
A knock on his door shocked Gun-Hee out of his thoughts, "Come in."
Woo Jin-Chul, his right hand man, stepped inside and closed the door behind him, "Sir. I have some good news… and some strange news for you." Gun-Hee gestured for him to continue. "In terms of good news, Cha Hae-In was reported to be in a helicopter heading for our position. She lost her left arm, but is stable… Alongside her… is another S-Rank by the name of Sung Jin-Woo."
"What?!"
"We're not sure of his origins, but him and the Hero Ashborn clashed for about a minute before stopping. Once again, we're unsure of the reason for this clash, however, he saved Hae-In and protected a hospital from one of the Titans… killing it outright, so we assume him to be on our side."
Gun-Hee folded his hands together leaning his elbows on the desk in front of him, "I see… was that the strange news you had for me?"
Jin-Chul shook his head, "No. The strange news is that… well… Sir, it appears that one of the Titans is leading Izuku Midoriya to the Gate."
Gun-Hee squinted, he had already heard of the boy's ability to resurrect the dead as his own from Choi and Baek, "You mean… one of his Summons is leading him?"
"It's a live Titan. Two approached him, one was killed, the remaining one is leading him to the massive Gate."
"He… couldn't be siding with the beasts… could he?"
"Judging by the fact that he killed one and continues to send forces to the North to kill the last six, I believe this is part of some sort of plan of his."
"Then… our only choice is to trust him."
Izuku Midoriya:
Level: 145
Strength: 394
Vitality: 291
Agility: 322
Intelligence: 430
Sense: 298
[Mana: 47167/47167]
[HP: 66257/66257]
[Shadows able to be extracted: 2672]
[Shadows able to be saved: 1514/2124]
Skills:
[Bloodlust Lv. 2]
[Quicksilver Lv. Max]
[Infinite Strength Lv. Max]
[Stealth Lv. 3]
[Dominator's Touch Lv. 3]
[Longevity Lv. Max]
[Shadow Extraction Lv. 2]
[Shadow Save Lv. 2]
[Domain of the Monarch Lv. 2]
[Shadow Exchange Lv. 2]
Armor:
Dragon God Armor
[Set Bonus 1: Skill: Dragon Wings.]
[Set Bonus 2: Skill: Draconic Fusion.]
Shadows: Total count: 1514
68 Lava Golems - Knight
49 Angel Archers - Knight
40 Obsidian Beetles - Knight
34 Greater Fire Spirits - Knight
33 Yetis - Knight
381 Shadow Infantry - Knight
15 Ice Golems - Knight
282 Shadow Nomu - Elite-Knight
63 Shadow High Orcs - Elite-Knight
25 Shadow Bears - Elite-Knight
21 Lava Titans - Elite-Knight
10 Amphitians - Elite-Knight
6 Ice Foxes - Elite-Knight
Stain - Elite-Knight
154 Shadow Wyverns - Captain
149 Dragon Knights - Captain
30 Angel Mages - Captain
30 Draconian Cannons - Captain
20 Earth Hydras - Captain
20 Quetzalcoatl - Captain
20 Angel Knights - Captain
20 Fire Serpents - Captain
6 Magicians - Captain
6 Heroes - Captain
3 Shadow High Orc Bodyguards - Captain
Smokey - Captain
Slice - Captain
Twice - Captain
Chimera - Captain
Tank - Captain
Esil - Captain
Hyo - Commander
Tusk - Commander
Karkinos - Commander
Igris - Commander
Ifrit - Commander
Pektra - Commander
Beru - General
Glaedr - General
Thorn - General
Firnen - General
Saphira - General
Uramoth - General
Shruikan - General
So as per the request of a reviewer, I've decided to include Izuku's Stats and Skills at the end of each chapter, and I'll continue to do so unless you guys dislike it. On another note completely, I'm still shocked that Sung Jin-Woo, a side character in this story, was enough to make several people drop the fic. If you read this far and dropped the story because of a side character, then I just… I mean I honestly have no idea what to say to a mentality like that. Anyways, thanks for those still reading!
