Thomas dug his heels into the ground, stopping his backwards momentum just in time to see Izuku shoot forwards. The Shadow Monarch swung his golden sword, creating a massive wave of white flames. It was far bigger than any wave Igris had ever created with the blade.

"Is it based on the wielder's strength?" The thought flitted through Izuku's mind as he chased close behind the attack.

[Hinata is using Skill: Ember's Dance.]

The white flames, instead of washing over Thomas, suddenly condensed into a single point, slamming into his body with a massive explosion.

Izuku shot through the smoke of the battlefield and used his Sense Stat to direct a punch right at Thomas's gut as he threw the Genesis Blade into his Inventory.

[Skill: Infinite Strength has activated.]

But Thomas wasn't "The Strongest Tank" for nothing. Though his skin was scorched and some of his eyebrows had been seared off, his hand was still capable of catching Izuku's punch just before it reached his body. The bones in his fingers creaked as he attempted to shove back the teen, catching a glimpse of his other fist rearing back.

[Skill: Gauntlet Barrage has activated.]

Thomas's body was rocked by several impacts at once as Izuku's gauntleted fist slammed into his sides and head. Slightly dazed, he was unable to defend himself as Hinata conjured a dozen spears of light above him. They crashed down around him, forming make-shift prison bars before lighting up with energy and shocking Thomas's massive frame. He growled like an animal as pain shot through his body.

"So… you gonna concede?" Izuku asked, "Because if I'm being honest, going all rock em sock em is kinda boring."

"I'm not even close to done!" Thomas shouted back as he pushed through the pain, raising his fists, "DEMOLITION!"

[Tusk is using Hymn of Protection.]

The blue forcefield warbled as it was struck by the shockwaves and Izuku had to slightly brace himself, but it was a much better result than the last Demolition. "Guess its rock em sock em," Izuku groaned, pushing off the second that the Demolition waves stopped.

Thomas's attack had destroyed the prison of light holding him down, allowing him to charge his right arm with massive amounts of Mana. It was more than even his Demolition Skill.

[Skill: Power Smash. By concentrating on the arm of choice, the User can increase their destructive physical power by several factors.]

[Skill: Infinite Strength has activated.]

The two roared as they threw their punches of continental power. Colliding with enough force to split molecules, they managed to crack the walls of the illusion housing their fight, something that Melissa, her father, and even Siddharth himself deemed an impossibility.

Even wearing his gauntlets, Izuku winced, tremors shooting up his arm and through his body, "Did he get stronger?" The power Thomas was suddenly emitting was comparable to the physical strength of Baran or Quaresha. Granted neither of them were physical fighters, but they were Monarchs nonetheless.

Thomas's left arm shot forwards before Izuku could realize what was happening, wrapping around the boy's throat and slamming him into the ground, doing little damage, but managing to stun him for half a second. It was enough time for Thomas to get off another Demolition and send Izuku flying backwards. Once again, it did little damage and was more of a knockback effect.

Izuku righted himself midair with Ruler's authority and began hovering with the use of his Dragon God Armor Set Skill. Looking down at Thomas, he got the implicit sense that he was no longer fighting out of a genuine interest for battle, but out of some sort of anger.

Against someone with the power of a Higher Being like Izuku, Thomas was putting up a good front to those who weren't privy to the specifics of battle, but anyone with enough sense could see that he wasn't doing much aside from pushing Izuku back. Even Yaoyorozu and Nejire from behind the glass of the observatory room noticed that Thomas was the loser of this battle. While Izuku and his Shadows' attacks made burn marks or some sort of bruises on the man's body, Thomas himself had done little to hurt his opponent back. Thomas, being the experienced Hero he was, noticed this as well, and that only served to make him angrier.

Before growing up to be the strongest Hero in America, and maybe even the world, Thomas lived as a member of a poor immigrant family. He had very little in the way of marketable talents. He wasn't rather booksmart, nor was he artistic or musically inclined. He cared not for books or the information hidden inside them. No, Thomas Andre possessed only one talent. He never lost a fight.

As a lone white kid with no friends in a ghetto neighborhood, he was an easy target for harassment. Then, one day, he found that he'd had enough of the verbal abuses. The insults he could throw back were never satisfying enough for him, so instead, he threw back physical insults.

Thomas Andre was nearly expelled from High School on that day, he beat the kid so badly. The only things that kept him in school was the football coach's sudden interest in him and the fact that the faculty didn't care all that much so long as they weren't sued.

From then on, Thomas began crawling his way to the top, going from a quarterback to a UFC fighter. He was aiming to be one of the top contenders in the world before the Gates appeared and his aim became much higher. After defeating Kamish and saving the entirety of America, he was granted complete and total power. It was almost intoxicating, but he had humble beginnings, which convinced him that he earned this honor. It was also because of those humble beginnings that he hated the Hero floating before him.

In his mind, Izuku Midoriya was just someone lucky enough to experience a Re-Awakening and begin reaping the rewards of his newfound power. He couldn't comprehend the possibility that he led a life not all that different to himself. They both lived rough beginnings and stumbled their way to the top, but something in Thomas's very essence stirred his thoughts with anger and convinced him that he had to teach this rookie a lesson about working for what you had. And that rage manifested as a golden glow.

"A Ruler's Aura?" Yaoyorozu breathed out from the observation room, "Is he a host?" She asked Correnic.

"I… can't believe this… I thought… they were unsuccessful!"

"What is it?"

"Before Ruler's began taking full hosts, they attempted to fragment their powers and instill it in certain mortals." Yaoyorozu nodded, it sounded like what Yogumunt had done to the Villains that attacked herself and the rest of Izuku's family. "Not only was it highly unsuccessful and likely to kill the host body after using our power once, but it was weaker than if we fully integrated. Grantuld must've found the perfect specimen for it… it would explain the man's sudden rage and ferocity."

Izuku noticed the Ruler Aura at the same time and realized that this was no longer a laughing matter, "Beru! Dragons!"

[Beru Marshal Grade.]

[Skill: Draconic Fusion has been activated, Dragon God of Darkness, Shruikan, Dragon God of Water, Saphira, and Dragon God of Earth, Glaedr have fused to create the Dragon God of The World, Gaia Marshal Grade.]

[Skill: Draconic Fusion has been activated, Dragon God of Light, Uramoth, Dragon God of Fire, Thorn, and Dragon God of Air, Firnen have fused to create the Dragon God of The Sky, Uranus Marshal Grade.]

While overseas, Beru had accumulated the immense amounts of exp needed to evolve a step further and become the first true Marshal Grade of the Army. Only the Dragons had the power to match him when fused and match him they did.

Gaia was like a miniature version of Earth in a sense. Her back was covered in trees and terrain evocative of a hilly forest. In truth, she wasn't all that different from Glaedr, making her a tad boring to look at, even if her power was entire levels above him.

Uranus, on the other hand, held both power and eye-catching design. He was a Wyrm-type Dragon that snaked through the air, his body made of starry bodies and empty patches of dark matter. He was certainly the God of the Sky.

Thomas leapt through the air, his fist bulging with enough power to hurt even Izuku. He was now fighting seriously. Unfortunately for him, so were Izuku and his Shadows.

Beru appeared in front of the man, slamming all four of his fists down on Thomas's back, knocking him to the floor as Gaia roared, summoning chains made of stone, steel, bark, and dozens of other materials. To a Hero of National-Rank, they might seem weak, but they were nowhere near it. Thomas tried to stand, but the chains held fast as they secured his arms, legs, and torso. He was stuck in place as Uranus's body lit up. The numerous constellations peppering its body became hot with energy as they shot off, one by one.

The traveling stars struck Thomas with enough force to bring him to his knees. They did not pierce his skin, though they were capable of it, instead acting as projectile bludgeons. After twenty different strikes, a final one to his temple knocked him out completely. It was the first time that Thomas Andre had ever fallen unconscious during a fight and it showed just how powerful Izuku and his Shadows were. In fact, Izuku barely had to land a blow of his own in order to defeat the National-Rank.

The chain unfurled as Thomas collapsed to the ground and Izuku landed next to him.

[A Fragment of Grantuld's power can be detected. Would you like to extract the essence?]

Izuku thought for a moment, "That essence is probably the Spiritual Essence I need for the Lance of Longinus… but… is that going to take away Thomas's power? Is he gonna become weaker?" The illusion around him faded as Yaoyorozu rushed in.

"Yep. That's Grantuld alright. I wonder why he kept this from the other Rulers…"

"Correnic, if I take the essence from him, will he go back to being a normal human?"

The radio spoke fast, as to avoid the other witnesses, who were swiftly approaching, from hearing her. "It will weaken him slightly, but he will remain as one of the strongest humans on this planet. He has been exposed to the Ruler's essence for quite some time, it will have a lasting effect."

Izuku nodded, "Yes."

[You have obtained ingredient item: Spiritual Essence.]

"I'll make the Lance when we get back to the hotel."

"That was quite the show," A man with light golden-brown hair said, walking up to Izuku.

"David Shield?" Izuku was surprised, the man hadn't come up with them.

"Looks like I showed up just in time to see you two break the unbreakable!" He smiled, "Sorry, I won't waste anymore of your time with pleasantries." Izuku wanted to protest, after all, only thirty seconds had elapsed, but he didn't have the chance. David pushed a business card into his hands, "If you have nothing else going on, I'd like you to meet me at the base of this tower tomorrow morning at nine… alone."

"Uh… why?"

"Something about you told me that I should show you something and I can only show it to you if you're alone. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find it worth your time."


"I'd like to apologize for last night," David began as he led Izuku past the reception desk of the Tower and towards one of the many elevators, "Our guests shouldn't have to worry about fighting off National-Rank Heroes."

Izuku shrugged, "It wasn't a big deal. Besides, as far as I'm concerned, he wasn't responsible for his actions." The sentiment was an odd one for somebody who didn't know about Rulers or Monarchs, but David was a smart man, he too had interpreted that golden aura as some outside force.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. I hope the encounter won't create any lasting tension between you two." The elevator doors closed behind them.

"I'm sure we'll make up just fine." Izuku watched as David inserted a key into the emergency stop keyhole. He turned the key, but the elevator remained functional from what he could tell.

"All our elevators do have an emergency stop key port, but certain keys trigger different reactions… like…" He waited a few seconds, "This one." A panel on the chrome interior of the elevator opened, the flat screen just big enough for a hand to fit there. David scanned his entire hand, then his retina, and finally, he typed in his own special password. "Sorry, this facility has some of the highest security clearance on the Island, can't take any chances." A final beep caused him to clear his throat and enunciate clearly, "David Shield and one guest."

"Confirmed," A deep robotic voice spat back out and the elevator began moving downwards.

"What is it exactly that you want to show me?" Izuku asked.

After waiting a few minutes to ensure that no one would be able to hear their conversation, David finally began revealing one of the true purposes of I-Island.

"Twenty years ago, long before becoming a Hero, Siddharth was one of the scientists stationed in Antarctica. Long story short, they found a few Villains buried in the ice. As far as they could tell, they didn't come from any Gates, but since they weren't human, they also knew that it wasn't anything related to Quirks."

Izuku squinted, "Twenty years? But Gates and Awakenings only came into being ten years ago as a result of the Rulers and Monarchs beginning to fight over Earth. Does this mean that they discovered Earth earlier than what they've said? Or… is there a third faction in the mix here?"

"They were the first sightings of Villains ever, so there was a slight panic in the upper echelons of the government and as a result of hundreds of sci-fi movies, they were too scared to thaw them out. For ten years, they were kept in deep freeze storage and barely anyone was let in to study them. After Awakenings became a thing and Siddharth had amassed his fortune, constructing I-Island in the process, he convinced the governments of the world to let him have all the frozen samples for study and containment. After bringing me in and developing some of the strongest containment fields ever, we thawed out some of the weaker ones, and ever since, they've been in some sort of stasis." The elevator doors opened and they strolled out to what looked like a museum. There were dozens, if not hundreds of one-way glass panes hiding specimens that had been on Earth for twenty years. "We collect rare magical artifacts and store some of the rarest species of Villains here. In some ways, you could say we're like the SCP Foundation."

Izuku gave him a confused look.

"Er… we're… the real Area 51."

Izuku looked through a few of the enclosures, surprised to see one of the silver knights from Ashborn's memories, "You said these are secured?"

David and several of the other scientists in the room tilted their heads at him, "Well, they're in stasis so they're not a threat, but if they did wake up… Yeah… why?"

"These should be at least A or S-Ranks," Izuku responded, thinking back to how powerful the other Angel Knights were during their final battle with Ashborn.

"Are you sure?" David asked, "There's only one Villain here at S-Rank, most others are Ranked around D or C-Rank." He paused, nodding with realization and satisfaction, "So you have encountered them before."

"Sort of…" Izuku peered deeper into one of the cells, "There's no doubt about it, these aren't just the Angels from the Heavenly Palace, these are part of the Rulers' armies."

"Do you know what they are?" David asked, "After all, I saw you talking with that one Angel of yours in the security footage."

Izuku was silent for a moment, debating how much he should reveal. He decided to get some more information first, "How long have they been here?"

David sighed, knowing that he was dodging the question, but answered nonetheless, "Siddharth discovered them twenty years ago, but they've clearly been here longer. Since we can't date the tissue of a Villain because of their chemical makeup, we had to settle for dating the ice encasing them, so there's still a margin of error… but," He began leading Izuku deeper into the facility, "The S-Rank Villain's ice was dated the oldest, at around 1.5 million years ago."

"Are… are you serious?"

"Yep. Last I heard, there were still some scientists up in Antarctica, digging these guys and their home up."

"Their home?" Izuku felt a chill run down his spine, he wasn't sure why.

"Well, I suppose it's more of a fortress," David stopped in front of another cell, the figure inside still encased in ice. He didn't notice Izuku's sudden paleness. "This was the one guy Siddharth refused to thaw out. When we first unearthed him, he let out such a concentrated blast of Mana that Siddharth lost control of his bladder. He said it felt… evil." The S-Rank was undoubtedly a Seraph of some kind, it was likely the Marshal of one of the Ruler's armies.

"Twenty years ago… It sent out a signal… It was the one that made Earth the center of attention. But… the Monarchs found the Earth first didn't they? Then… this thing wasn't signaling the Rulers… it was signaling the Monarchs."

David finally noticed Izuku, "Woah, are you okay?"

"I… I think-"

The room shuddered as explosions rocked the surface. David looked shocked and shouted to one of the men walking around, "What's happening up there?!"

Izuku answered, scowling as he felt familiar Auras wash over him, "It's the Monarchs… they're here for their army of traitors."

Nobody in the facility noticed as the ice began melting off the Seraph.


Thanks for reading! I just finished my finals and everything today, so for the next 40 days I'm free to write for Shadow Monarch! I cut this chapter a bit short because I really just wanted to get something out for now, but next chapter is finally going to have some REAL fights. I know I kinda promised that this chapter, but things just didn't really work out, sorry bout that! I hope you enjoyed it regardless!