Just wanted to give a quick birthday wish to Dova king17, a loyal reader and a member of my Discord! Also, I think in one of the past chapters, I might have referred to the Marshals that Razar had as numbering 8, where in reality, he should only have 7, sorry for the mix-up. Hope you all enjoy the chapter!


This was nothing like anything they'd ever experienced. Sure, these Heroes had been invading Gates for up to ten years, systematically killing their way through hordes of Villains and they'd even been on the opposite end of that, defending against those same Villains who were turning the tables and breaking out of their Dungeons. But never before, had anyone faced a task like this.

It was argued that because Kamish needed several hundred S-Rank Heroes and a handful of National-Ranks to kill him, that he was not an S-Rank Villain, but a National-Ranked one. It was a title that had never before been afforded to Villains. There was the occasional talk of SS-Rank Villains or SSS-Rank even, but never National, because National was considered something above everything else.

Heroes now believed that they should be racking their brains for something higher than National-Rank, because they were certain they found that one thing that surpassed National-Rankings.

Even Liu Zhigang was thinking a similar thought. In China, they had a Star-Ranking system, with the highest Star-Ranking being 5-Star at best. Liu was the exception and was granted a 7-Star Ranking. He was under the impression that this Bastion should've been considered a 9-Star threat.

As the four separate Attack Forces charged the several miles between their camps and the Bastion, running alongside the Shadows, the humans felt the indescribable urge to run and hide, like ants that a man or woman didn't mind crushing under their heel. But they simply couldn't, they refused to give in to that baser instinct. Not because they were overly brave… or stupid, though some of them were. It was because they felt a calming aura from the four individuals leading the charge.

It wasn't enough to overwhelm the fear, not even close, but when the four groups looked at Ryukyu, Tsukauchi, Yaoyorozu, or Izuku, they got the idea that this wasn't a wild suicide mission for humanity, but a carefully constructed Raid that they had engineered. Each of the four had serious, yet determined expressions coating their face. It was otherworldly and that, partnered with the Seraph Priests giving them buffs that made them feel stronger than ever, kept their legs pumping forwards, following the pinnacles of humanity towards a war unlike anything seen before.

On every continent in the world, every last place where people lived, televisions and radios were tuned into reports of the beginning Raid. Broadcasts went live as Awakened reporters, at the back of the Attack Forces, turned on their helmet or body cams. The viewership was in the four billions.

"Viewer discretion is advised as what you are about to watch will contain violence, blood, strong language, and… possibly, death," The reporter cautioned, deciding to leave out the fact that it wasn't just possible that death would be seen live on the air, but likely.

On another news station, several scientists were examining the magic energy being output by the Bastion, something measured by satellites and on-site equipment handled by brave researchers that were remaining at the camp.

One of the men in the studio asked the scientists a battery of questions for the sake of the viewers, "So, what would you compare the energy of this to?"

"Compare?"

"It's not really comparable."

"This is more energy condensed into one spot than all the energy ever produced by human beings."

"Yeah, we're talking about energy measured in suns."

Retired Heroes from around the world watched the Raid like a bunch of World War Two Veterans watching a livestream of D-Day.

The Heroes in Antarctica knew that their efforts were being witnessed by billions. They had been told that these were the expected numbers. It both terrified and invigorated them beyond belief. To know that billions would be watching with disappointment and despair if they failed, but to also know that, right now, those billions were cheering for them. They were humanities' Heroes after all.

Within half a mile of the Bastion, the Angels flared to life from all sides. They had been perfectly patient as the enemies approached them, but now, they were flying in with full force.

The Heroes tightened their grips on their weapons as the wave of white death approached them. The Shadows were the front line, but the Angels would just fly over and begin wreaking havoc.

Each Attack Force had around thirteen thousand units, with eight-thousand of them being Shadows. Because of the heavy losses that the Heroes had suffered and the number of Extractions from Izuku, the Shadows had become the majority.

The Angels, on the other hand, sent over eighteen-thousand fighters to each point. Considering that the Southern Attack Force had dealt with a far greater number, it should've been an easy fight… right?

But what the Attack Forces didn't realize was that Izuku, and Beru the two who killed the most Angels, would not be there to help them.

Moments before the armies clashed, Izuku activated Quicksilver and shot through the flurry of Angels. Beru followed close behind, the two of them swinging their weapons whenever an Angel got too close, but, much to their surprise, it seemed like the Angels were parting around them. They wanted to let Izuku through. It confirmed, in his mind, that the Rulers' speculations were on target and that this would be no ordinary fight against a Higher Being.

Izuku emerged on the other side of the Angel cloud and continued sprinting for the Bastion. He stomped down his guilt about leaving the army to fend for itself. But if the Shadow army worked overtime, it could work. Igris would be there to lead the battle, so worry of a good leader was banished from Izuku's mind.

[Domain of the Monarch has activated. Range extended with Mana to cover a thirty-mile radius.]

The Shadows became larger and far stronger just as they threw themselves against the Angels and just as Izuku disappeared into the Bastion through a raised marble gate. The second that he and Beru passed through, it slammed shut. They ignored it, after all, their main goal here was to go even deeper to find Razar himself.


[Quest]

[Unique Quest: Defeat the Tyrannical Ruler Razar.]

Quest Completion Requirements:

- Kill The Holiest Fragment of Brilliant Light, Razar

Rewards:

1. +100 Stat Points

2. Increase the Potency of one Skill of your Choice (Effects Vary)

3. +40,000 Shadow Save/Shadow Extraction Spaces


Izuku attempted to contact the other three hosts, but got only static. It was annoying, but not disconcerting, they were all moving towards the same place, the Throne Room, so there wasn't much worry about being split up.

Since they didn't know the exact location of the Throne Room however, there was a chance that they arrived at different times. They only managed to get an estimated location from Correnic and Yaoyorozu putting their heads together.

Izuku and his Shadow raced past pristine and sterile hallways and rooms made only of that white, marble-like material. Armories, barracks, a mess hall, and even amenities like baths or saunas were a part of the Bastion. In fact, it seemed less like a fortress and more like a luxury bunker the more Izuku saw.

Taking a right, and rounding a pillar carved with unreadable letters, Izuku was nearly thrown off balance by a shaking that filled the castle right alongside a roar. It was undoubtedly Ryukyu.

Using it as a baseline for where to go, Izuku was able to pick up the pace just as a shot from Yaoyorozu's anti-material rifle rang out. "I'm seriously going to be the last there?!"

Finally, Izuku felt a massive presence pressing against his existence. It was practically overwhelming, but he pushed through the thick air of Mana, coming to a door engraved with golden symbols that appeared to tell a story. He ignored it, and instead threw his gauntleted fist into the middle of the entryway.

The material shattered inwards, allowing Izuku to jump through the frame and into an enormous, round room. It was at least the radius of a soccer field and it allowed Izuku to finally realize just how big this Bastion was. But that realization's impact didn't last long, as Izuku peered across the room, seeing that there were three entryways, all aimed at one spot at the back of the room, the Throne.

He barely had time to react as Ryukyu's dragon body, covered in a golden aura, was flung at him. Beru jumped in front of his Liege, redirecting the Ruler host to the right and allowing her to come to a smooth stop as she slid along the floor. Catching her too soon into her sudden burst of momentum would likely hurt her.

Izuku ignored the altercation as he looked over to where she came from. Yaoyorozu was pulling a dented chestplate from her body. It was the same type of metal that made up her weapons, meaning that it likely was enhancing her physical abilities before being removed. As soon as it was off, she was up and aiming her rifle at their target once more.

No longer clad in the oranges and navy blues of his Hero costume, Endeavor was decorated in armor befitting a king. Pure white, with gold energy running through it. The helmet of the armor covered his face behind a twisted and jagged facemask. Even though his entire body was decorated in armor though, flames still managed to escape and lick the air, now a brilliant gold color to match the highlights in his armor. In his right hand, held forwards to shield his body from Yaoyorozu's shots, Endeavor held Tsukauchi by the neck.

The detective was remarkably calm, striking with precision at the joints in the perfect armor. Unfortunately, Razar was not budging.

Behind the Ruler, eight Celestials stood at the ready. Izuku immediately guessed at who these were. They were the eight Marshals of the Ruler Armies, each of them at Grand-Marshal Grade, a ranking strong enough to even fight Higher Beings for a time. The four hosts and Beru were outnumbered.

Razar laughed heartily, his voice like razors scraping against a chalkboard, "Looks like everyone's finally here!"

Ryukyu finally got back to her feet and strolled over to Izuku, lowering her head so that he could hear her, "He's stronger than should be possible. It's more than we expected."

Razar flicked his wrist, sending Tsukauchi flying back to where Beru and Izuku stood. This time, it was Izuku who caught him as Yaoyorozu followed close behind, keeping her rifle trained on Razar as she backed up.

"My Liege," Beru growled, his mandibles clicking, "Why are we not attacking?"

"Be…" Tsukauchi coughed a few times as he cleared his throat, "Because, something's not right here."

The original plan was for Ryukyu to keep Razar busy while the rest of the hosts killed the Marshals one by one until only Razar was left. But so far, the Marshals hadn't even moved and two of the Rulers had already been manhandled with ease by Razar.

"It's beyond his possible growth," Correnic said, popping up from Yaoyozou's arm, "The Monarch's must've fashioned him some sort of device. There-"

"There is no artifact, Correnic." He flexed his left arm, causing a massive flame of untold power to erupt from it, "This is my own power now." He swept his hand in front of him, sending the fire roaring forth.

Together, the four Hosts held up their hands, using Ruler's Authority to create a barrier of telekinetic energy. It was just barely holding. There was something wrong, something that was fundamentally impossible if they regarded this power as Razar's own.

See, the more sinful, or the more pure Razar's host, the more powerful Razar himself became. This didn't just apply to when Razar first manifested, however. If the host continued to exhibit horrible or pure tendencies, whether by their own volition, or under his own control, Razar could continue to grow in strength. Because of this, the more he sent out Angels and the more he killed, the more sinful and powerful he became. It was likely for this reason that he sent Angels in waves instead of all at once, he was incrementally increasing his power. It was also for this reason that Izuku and the others wanted to kill him before the battle outside could rage on for too long.

But even with that broken power taken into consideration, it shouldn't have been enough to overwhelm four hosts. At best, it should've only been able to match up to two hosts.

As the only one not holding up the barrier, Beru jumped into action, darting around the shield and fire as his wings fluttered, making a beeline for Razar. He knew that this Ruler was strong, so he abandoned speed entirely for strength, practically doubling his already tall stature and powerful muscles.

Heading for the Ruler's left side, hoping to force him to turn away the blast coming from his left hand, Beru's claws and additional blades reared back, ready to cut up Razar's armor.

But moments before reaching him, Razar clenched his right hand and Beru felt Ruler's Authority latch onto him. For a second, he just hovered, desperately attempting to reach his target whilst Razar absentmindedly flicked two of his fingers, sending Beru rocketing back to the front of the throne room and crashing through one of the walls.

Having little choice, Yaoyorozu abandoned the shield, trusting the others to hold it as she jumped straight up with the help of the armor on her legs. She hung in midair for just a moment as she pulled the trigger on her rifle, sending a powerful round screaming straight for Razar.

He finally raised his right hand, creating a shield of flames to melt it before it could reach him. Unfortunately for him, Yaoyorozu had spent the time Beru bought them constructing this bullet. After facing down Baran, Correnic and Yaoyorozu began experimenting with bullets that could pierce Mana-rich defenses easier, this was their result.

The bullets spin, driven by the divots burrowed into it, making it like a drill, tore away at the Mana that held up the fire shield. It shot forwards with little to no resistance, slamming into Razar's gauntlets, completely shattering the magnificent metal and exposing what was once Endeavor's arm to the open air. It was unable to actually damage his physical body, but the sudden breaking of his armor caused the Ruler to flinch back and break concentration with the flames he was launching at the other three.

Freed from the responsibility of holding up the shield, Izuku shot forwards, swinging his war-axe with abandon as he got within a few meters of the Ruler. It was just inches from carving into Razar's side when the flaming Ruler growled and raised one of his hands, it's fingers curling inwards.

Izuku, Tsukauchi, Ryukyu, and Yaoyorozu were all frozen where they were. Looking through Beru's eyes, who had just jumped back into the throne room, Izuku could see that he was stuck as well.

Razar pulled them all close, so that they were lined up in front of him, "Ashborn… did you really think you were the only one who could… "Level Up?""


Igris stood back to back with Liu Zhigang as they carved through wave after wave of Angels.

"This is going well!" Liu shouted, breathing heavily as sweat poured down his face.

"I would concur," Igris calmly responded. He felt no exhaustion, nor fear, but he could see the tide of the battle was not one in their favor. Without Beru, his Liege, or the other three Ruler hosts, Igris was the strongest and highest ranked being doing battle with the Angels, so it landed on him to lead the battle alongside the Hero called Liu. Unfortunately, immediately after the battle began, Grantuld's forces, massive Angel Beasts with glimmering fangs and sharp claws, focused on the two and pulled them away from the main attack force with their overwhelming numbers.

Igris was currently doing his best to fight his way back to the front, but the amount of enemies swarming him was incredible. He could cut down a dozen and two dozen more would appear to slash away at his flesh. The shallow cuts were regenerated in a single instant, but it didn't change the fact that they slowed him down.

Liu was faring even worse. Igris was surprised he was even still standing under the same intense pressure he had been put under. Most other Heroes would've already died by now. With the multitude of cuts along his body and the exhaustion setting in, after only thirty minutes, the forces of humanity were not looking so good.

The Shadows and the National-Ranks of each cardinal Attack Force did their best to draw the fire of the Angels, however, Thomas Andre, Adrian Brenner, and Sung Jin-Woo could only do so much. The responsibility of the war efforts fell mostly on the Shadows.

With Kojin and the Arch Liches summoning their sixty-thousand Death Knight units, there was a considerable wall to hide behind and it allowed them to match up to the numbers quite easily. Unfortunately, these Death Knights were weak compared to their Shadow brethren. They couldn't regenerate and though they were called Elite-Knight Grade, Igris could've sworn that they seemed to go down far easier than any of the other Elite-Knights in the army.

Karkinos, Striker, his Titans, and the Six Dragon Gods were currently doing the most damage. Charging through the literal clouds of Angels, they barely had to try to kill them as they crushed them underfoot, smacked them out of the sky, or incinerated them with massive breath attacks. Concurrently they were also the biggest targets and acted like the tanks of the Shadow army, drawing the bulk of the Angels' attention.

From them alone, it seemed that the battle simply couldn't go wrong. But the fact of the matter was that in the end, the Shadows couldn't truthfully be killed unless Izuku's Mana was in the toilets. The humans, on the other hand, were already struggling to stay "afloat" amidst the swarms of Angels.

Todoroki released wave after wave of ice and fire, doing his best to immobilize or burn the Angels. Bakugo jumped through the air, using his explosions as propulsion and every now and again, shoving his hand right into the face of an Angel, detonating an explosion. Sometimes the two managed to kill their target, other times, they had to be hit several times just to push them back.

Much like the Shadow Army, not every Angel was equal in strength, even amongst the same type of Angel. Two Angel Warriors could be on completely different levels of strength and the only way to tell was to fight them head on and learn that you're outmatched.

Iida shot around the battlefield, running to and from any Hero that needed a bit of breathing room. He wasn't strong enough to actually kill any of the Angels, but with the velocity behind his kicks, he was able to shove them back or throw off a killing blow. From there, a Shadow would leap to the fallen Heroes defense and slaughter the Angel.

Kaminari and Mina were making an exceptional team. Kaminari would jump an Angel, charging it with electricity and stunning it as Mina used the moment to spray the enemy with extra corrosive acid.

Things seemed to be going well for the Thanatos Agency. Their Quirks, working in conjunction with each other and their Awakenings, were giving them a leg up on some of the other Heroes, who didn't have very unique or helpful Quirks, or relied too heavily on their Awakenings alone.

But then, just as Thanatos and some of the other Agencies began making a stable perimeter, Tusk shouted to Bakugo, "BEHIND YOU!"

The teen wasted no time spinning around. In situations like these, he knew that it was always best to heed those warnings rather than worry about what was in front of you. So, he let loose a burst of explosions, stumbling the Angel in front of him and giving him more time to assess the threat. However, upon turning around, he found that there was nothing there. A few meters away Kirishima was tanking a few hits for Jurota and Kamakiri as they slashed, but there was nothing directly in front of him, or so he thought.

Bakugo only had milliseconds to process the sight as the air in front of him shimmered like a mirage. And then, SHING.

Bakugo felt the ice-cold metal of a blade pierce his torso, blood covering the blade as it came out the other side. He gasped as pain suddenly assaulted him and he instinctively triggered several explosions in front of him. Of course, it was already too late and the blade slid out of him as the Angel Assassin stepped away, already moving to claim another victim. A few dozen of the Assassins had acted in unison, making a massive singular blow to humanity's forces

Ronin put a stop to the Assassin's plan, landing directly on top of him and smearing him like paste, "Seraph Sorcerers! Seraph Priests! Stealth contingencies!"

The Sorcerers spread a wide blanket of debuffs, targettings all Angels with a 'Spotted' debuff. At the same time, the Priests gave anyone who couldn't see the Assassins a 'Sight' buff. And just like that, the Angel Assassins one benefit was stolen.

It was too late for Bakugo to appreciate those effects though, as he finally collapsed from shock and blood loss.

"BAKUGO!" Class 1-A shouted in shock, but they couldn't do anything. If they turned their backs to the current threat, they would likely fall beside her.

Thankfully, a Seraph Priest took note of the fallen Hero and hovered down right next to him. The Commander Grade healer clasped their hands together in prayer, activating their Magic and pouring it into Bakugo's unstable frame. They first drew out the poison that was swiftly spreading through his body, doing its best to shut down his organs. Once that was removed, the Seraph closed the wound, halting the bleeding, and allowing for time to mend the organs.

This intense process was taking place all over the battlefield as the healers did their best to nullify the effects of the Assassin's efforts.

But this also gave the healers on the Angels side time as well. Much like how if a human was still alive, it was likely they would recover with a healer's magic, an Angel could recover with the help of their healers so long as they were not dealt a fatal blow. It was a vicious and bloody cycle, and it wasn't looking like it would be ended anytime soon.

Even still, the humans gritted their teeth and held their ground, pushed on by the Seraph Priests buffs and the bravery of their fellow Heroes.


Izuku pushed and pulled against the bonds that held him in midair, but Razar's Ruler Authority held him, Beru, Yaoyorozu, Tsukauchi, and Ryukyu tight.

"Ashborn… did you really think you were the only one who could… "Level Up?""

Izuku's eyes widened, "Wha-"

"I was surprised by how knowledgeable a lowly being like the Architect was. They kept so many wondrous secrets to themselves." He paused, "Themselves… and Ashborn."

"What are you talking about, Razar?" Tsukauchi growled out, still struggling against the telekinetic forces.

"Did you never wonder about why this human and his Shadows continue to grow beyond their expected power?"

"It's because Ashborn has been slowly feeding him his energy, until he was ready to be a full host," Tsukauchi answered with confidence.

"Hmm, perhaps for the human, but as for his soldiers… what is feeding them?" He wrenched Beru closer, inspecting him, "What prompted this creature to suddenly become a Grand-Marshal?" Razar looked to his fellow Rulers like he was a teacher prompting someone to raise their hand.

None of the others answered, so Izuku took a guess, "Ashborn is feeding him power too."

Razar shook his head, "For millennia, us Rulers wondered how Ashborn's Shadows not only came back stronger, but continued to grow. It was not because he was feeding them his own power, but the power of those he stole from."

"You mean experience?"

Razar tilted his head for a moment, "Ah, yes, the System. The Architect told me all about that little game he made for Ashborn and his human. He went into great detail after we began cutting off his wings." The Holiest Fragment chuckled like it was the silliest thing. "He also told us about the hidden function snuck into that System. One that he and Ashborn had been using ever since the Shadow Monarch betrayed the Rulers. One that he discovered only after witnessing Ashborn's power in action."

Ryukyu scowled, "We get it, Razar! Out with it already! Why are you doing this?! And how?!"

Izuku could almost feel Razar roll his eyes behind the helmet, "No fun as always Grantuld. Well, that hidden function of the System, is to absorb the Spiritual Essence of whatever this one or his Shadows kill and turn it into energy."

The three hosts were shocked silent as they were all able to instantly comprehend the importance of Razar's words. Izuku, on the other, hand was lost. "I don't understand… why is that so important?"

"Up until this information was revealed to the Monarchs and myself," Razar said, calmly walking back and falling into his throne, "Us Higher Beings were unaware of the fact that mortals could have Spiritual Bodies. They can't control them, so when they die, they release the Essence regardless. And only a trained eye would've noticed it." He gestured to Beru, "After the Architect saw a Shadow rise and its soul be extracted as Mana, he realized there was potential in stealing the Spiritual Essence of things other Higher Beings once they passed into oblivion."

It finally clicked into place for Izuku, "That's why I haven't been Leveling Up…"

"Ah! It seems Ashborn didn't pick a complete moron after all." He gestured all around him, "Though it was troublesome to do over such long distances, I've been stealing the Spiritual Essence of every last Angel you killed. It took me some time to learn how to circumvent that System of yours, but because I'm not distributing that Essence to my underlings, I'm now stronger than any other Higher Beings and once I've killed you four, no Monarch will be able to stop me. I'll be able to save the universe."

"WHAT?!" Tsukauchi roared, his golden aura pouring out in waves. Much to Razar's surprise, his sudden rage was nearly enough to throw off his telekinetic control. "You cannot be serious!"

"You struck a deal with the Monarchs to kill us… only so you could kill them?!"

Razar shrugged indifferently, "The war was going nowhere fast and the Monarchs, whether you believe it or not, had been gaining traction for millenia. We may have pushed them back to the Gap Between Dimensions, but they were going to come back stronger than ever. And thanks to Ashborn, our forces never would've been enough. You all weakened yourselves to put the Gates on earth just so it would survive the coming war. You couldn't see past the big picture and in doing so, you wasted the Chalice of Rebirth, our greatest weapon against the Monarchs."

"Then help us kill the Monarchs!" Yaoyorozu shouted, "If you're really still on the side of the universe, then help us kill the Monarchs and take their power!"

"Not nearly that simple," Razar responded, "Once the Monarchs realize my plan here was not to destroy the Earth but to bring the ones richest in Mana to myself, they will retaliate and by then, any possible advantage will have been destroyed. Because if I let you four I will have lost the chance to take your Essence. You will no longer trust me," He stood once more, venom in his words, "And you will stab me in the back much like I am doing here. So I must ensure that doesn't happen."

He stopped in front of Tsukauchi, his still armored fist cloaked in fire and a Ruler's energy. "Forgive me sister."

Izuku realized what was about to happen and went to release his final trump card. It was earlier than expected, unfortunately, it was their only choice now. But then, his eyes locked with Tsukauchi's. He simply shook his head as Razar pulled back his fist and drove it straight through the man's chest, coming out the other side holding his still beating heart in one swift motion.

"NO!" Ryukyu shrieked, pulling against her bonds with renewed vigor and rage behind her. Grantuld's powers flowed freely through her as her anger gave her refreshed power, but she could still only watch as Pulra's gold Spirit seeped out of Tsukauchi and was grasped by Razar. Tsukauchi collapsed to the ground, dead.

A small sigh of ecstasy escaped the Ruler's mouth as the golden cloud of light struggled in Razar's grasp, "Finally…"

His disgusting orange flames grew over Pulra, covering her much the same way Izuku had destroyed Quaresha. Then, with a final squeal of energy, like the Ruler's last cry of despair, the Spiritual Body collapsed and her power exploded outwards.

Razar reached out for it, intending to absorb the energy and become the new god he saw himself as. But Pulra dealt Razar one final slight. As the energy was released, instead of allowing itself to feed his power addiction, it dispersed, seemingly into nothingness.

"W-What? No… NO!" Razar roared in anger and snatched Yaoyorozu out of the air by her neck, slamming her against the ground, "WHAT IS THIS?!"

"HEY!" Izuku shouted as Beru's mandibles clicked with increasing ferorsity. "LET HER GO!"

Razar lowered his hand down to Yaoyorozu's chest, preparing to kill her in much the same way as he had killed Tsukauchi.

"STOP!"

Yaoyorozu kicked and struggled against him, but he held firm. She attempted to generate a gun or a knife, but Razar sent a quick burst of flames to either arm, completely searing off Yaoyorozu's hands. Unlike Nejire's burns, these were healing quickly and Yaoyorozu's hands were coming back, but too slowly.

"If she wouldn't let me have her, then maybe Correnic will be more receptive." Inside the helmet, Endeavor's eyes were wide and crazed. In his own misguided attempt to save the universe, Razar had lost any scrap of purity in his soul. "Die for me!" His hand reared back as the ground beneath him trembled. He thought nothing of it, there was a war outside after all. And, with Izuku and Beru screaming, begging, for him to stop, his hand shot forwards. It was a killing blow, the end of Yaoyorozu's life. Razar was yet again cutting another life shor-

"POWERRRRR!"

Razar's entire body was wracked with pain as he was flung across the room at sonic speeds, slamming into the wall and crumbling it on top of him.

Across the Throne Room Mirio bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, "Sorry, was that a bit too powerful for you?"

Izuku, now freed from Razar's grasp, dropped down next to Yaoyorozu, who gasped for breath as her throat regenerated.

Ryukyu stood beside Mirio, both brimming with energy. Beru was about to join them, but suddenly, the eight Marshals moved. Because of their eerie stillness, he had almost forgotten about them.

From an outsider's perspective, it looked like nothing had changed. Razar was on the ground and the good guys had gained a new ally, but they had also lost one of their own, keeping them on the same level numerically speaking. They still had to tend to the overpowered Razar and his eight Marshals all at once.

Razar pulled himself up from the rubble, yanking off the remains of his shattered helmet and casting it aside, revealing the scowling face of Endeavor. "You…" He growled, "You… YOU DARE?!" Flames erupted from every pore on his body as Razar triggered his Spiritual Manifestation and became a single living flame. He reached out, intending to grab them all once more with Ruler's Authority. This time however, it never reached them. It stopped halfway and seemed to be torn apart.

Mirio smirked, "I spent a lot of time trapped in the Gap Between Dimensions, gave me a good opportunity to train. Picked up a few tricks along the way."

Hatred and vitriol poured out of Razar, his rage reaching Grantuld levels of reaction. Acting on pure instinct and adrenaline, Razar flung his fist forwards, creating a wall of indescribable heat. "BURRRN!"

Ryukyu, Izuku, Yaoyorozu, and Beru all dove out of the way, but Mirio remained in place, allowing the fire to wash over him. The heat didn't stop at the room though. It continued blasting onwards, burning through the entire bastion and emerging from the Eastern wall, shooting into the sky.

When Razar was finally done ruining his own castle, he let the flames die, and in their place, was nothing. Of course, Razar was no fool, he knew that a Ruler didn't just die. He wouldn't disappear so simply. He was however, in a bit of a panic and didn't notice as Izuku and Ryukyu charged him, Yaoyorozu recreating her rifle.

Fortunately for the Ruler, his Marshals were not unthinking machines. All eight leapt into the fray, four of them bearing down on Izuku, three on Ryukyu, and one to keep Yaoyorozu busy.

As mentioned earlier, these were not simple Marshal Grades, they were no normal warriors. They were Grand-Marshals and a four on one gave them a decent chance of killing even a Higher Being.

So finally, with all the pieces in motion and humanity's plan B enacted, Izuku let loose the last card up his sleeve, "Come Forth… Kamish!"


Thomas Andre continued batting aside Angel after Angel. Unlike Liu, his body was so incredibly tough that the most the Angels could do to him was a simple papercut. As the Strongest Tank, they could do nothing to stop him. Consequently, they began ignoring him.

The Angels had a brainwashed faith that Razar and the Marshals would win and that when they did, they would emerge from the Bastion and help them slaughter every last human and Shadow there. So they only targeted those that were weak enough to be killed by them, creating as many casualties as possible. This didn't stop Thomas from leaping around the battlefield like a jackrabbit, crushing entire skeletons like he was playing with Pocky Sticks.

By now, the war had been raging on for nearly an hour and a half and the constant fight for survival was beginning to wear on just about everyone. Thousands of bodies laid prone in the snow, both human and Angel.

At the rate they were going, it seemed that the Shadows and the National-Ranks would be the only ones left standing.

"Come on!" Thomas silently prayed, "He's been waiting long enough for this moment."

As if the gods were listening, practically the entire battlefield went silent as a single, long roar filled the air. It overpowered every war cry that had come since then. This wasn't the roar of one of the Dragon Gods, or the battle cry of any other man, woman, Angel, or Shadow that stood on this day. It was the cry of an Ancient Dragon, it was Kamish.

Suddenly, the top of the Bastion exploded outwards as a Shadowy Dragon clawed its way to fresh air. His magnificent onyx scales were clear to see, even from a mile away.

"HELL YEAH!" Thomas roared right alongside the Dragon as eight winged figures hovered around his head threateningly. He took notice as Beru's own wings carried him up to the Dragon's head.

Both of their bodies began blurring, becoming more and more insubstantial as their Shadows stretched out, reaching for each other.

Thomas recognized the phenomenon. It was the same way the Dragon Gods acted when fusing. He belted out a laugh, "OHO YOU GUYS ARE SO SCREWED NOW!"


[Ancient Dragon, Kamish Grand-Marshal Grade has fused with Perfected Nomu, Beru Grand-Marshal Grade to create Draconic Myrmeke, Keru Primordial Grade.]

A/N: Just to confirm, Primordial Grade is the highest any Shadow can get and is the final original Grade.

Standing over a hundred feet tall, the fused Shadow was closer to a nightmare than a dragon or an ant. It had six scuttling legs as thick as marble pillars, covered in dragon scales made of Beru's exoskeleton. All six led up to the rather normal body of a dragon, covered in the same scales. On Keru's back were two sets of massive translucent-blue wings made in the style of a beetle. His tail was once again that of a normal dragon's. When their head rose to stand up straight, huge scythe-like appendages could be spotted sprouting from two of its shoulder joints. Its head had most of the iconic dragon features, but mixed with Beru's mandibles and more jagged features, it was truly a monster.

Unfortunately, Izuku had no time to revel in the, frankly awesome, appearance of his new Shadow as the palace crumbled around them. He shot forwards, casting his axe aside and diving in to help Mirio.

Razar shot blast after blast into the ground around him as Mirio used his Permeation Quirk to fall into and out of the floor. Occasionally, he would burst from the ground or remaining walls like a rocket, glancing off Razar's Spiritual flames. It seemed that this Spiritual Form provided as much defense as it did attack. Where Mirio could previously punch the Ruler across the room, he was now just barely stumbling the mad god.

[Skill: Shadow Pulse has failed. Target is too high of a level.]

Izuku scowled, but didn't stop, clenching his fists tight. Rushing towards Razar as his back was turned, Izuku trusted Mirio to keep him distracted. However, even though the Ruler refused to look in Izuku's direction, a blast of fire flared out from his back, aimed precisely at Izuku's chest.

Realizing there was no time to jump or move out of the way, Izuku was about to cross his arms in front of his chest and take the hit. Thankfully, a bullet whizzed by his body tearing through the flames and dispersing them.

With Yaoyorozu backing him up, Izuku attempted to get closer once more, but this time, several beams of heat shot out and Yaoyorozu just barely managed to hit them all.

Izuku finally realized why Mirio was not doing the same damage he had when entering the fight. It wasn't because the Spiritual Form had greater defense, rather, it had a more effective method of repelling attackers. Taking a moment to just watch as Razar and Mirio fought, Izuku saw that as soon as Mirio leapt out of the ground and turned his body solid, the same jets of fire launched at him giving him barely any time to make contact with Razar.

"It's a reaction! He's not triggering it manually!" Izuku realized and a look of determination slowly stretched across his face, "Well, I haven't used this ability in a while." He looked over to Ryukyu who had transitioned back into her Dragon Form, "Go back to plan A, kill the Marshals while we handle Razar!"

The Hero didn't even question the sudden change in tactics. She was just looking for an outlet to properly express her outrage at Tsukauchi's death, so she rapidly beat her wings, jumping into the air and exiting the Throne Room through the massive hole in the roof. The Marshals were already at a disadvantage against Keru, so throwing Ryukyu into the mix hurt their chances of survival even more.

Razar felt a small pang of relief as he sensed Ryukyu and Izuku jump into the air, heading for his Marshals. It tore at his pride to feel such an emotion, but he would address it later. So long as he could kill Mirio or Yaoyorozu, he could still surpass them. But neither of the two was making it easy for him.

While Mirio bounced around, just barely avoiding Razar's Mass Ejection Passive Skill, Yaoyorozu kept her distance, out of the range of his Skill as she launched bullet after bullet his way. Each one was designed like the one she used to break his flame shield earlier. They completely ignored his Passive Skill and shredded his outer defenses, forcing him to turn up the heat manually and melt them out of the air. But not even he could catch every bullet whilst simultaneously dealing with Mirio.

As the next bullet slammed into his shoulder, the pain filling him with frustration and anger, he cupped his hands together, creating a ball of plasma that echoed the power of the sun. He didn't care anymore if he fried his beautiful bastion, it was already heavily damaged and once he killed the Monarchs he could return to rebuild. "I'll turn you all to as-!"

Razar's head whipped to the side as an unseen fist slugged him in the jaw. Another blow rocked his stomach, driving itself straight into his kidneys. He collapsed to his knees as his body reabsorbed the energy he was about to output and did its best to repair the shattered organs. But his attackers were not so merciful.

More bullets, more fists, more bullets. No matter which way Razar shot fire, he simply could not hit anyone. "ENOUGH!" He roared, squeezing out the very last of his Spiritual Form to create a sphere of energy that spread outwards, pushing back even the unseen and giving him a moment to shakily stand. His body, practically a sunspot moments earlier, had turned back to the weaker mortal form of Endeavor. A form drained of stamina.

He looked around with frantic eyes. Now, standing where there had once been nothing, was Izuku, Shadows fading from his body as his Shadow Essence Stealth Skill was disabled by Razar's final attack.

Mirio emerged from the ground and Yaoyorozu chambered another shot. His Marshals were falling to the massive slashing scythes of Keru or Ryukyu's huge fangs.

"No… nononononono." Razar tried to back up towards his throne, but Izuku's wall of telekinetic energy stopped him from escaping any further. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this!" Razar cried, shooting weak flames at the trio as his army, both inside and outside, continued to fall.

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[You have Leveled-Up!]

The messages began appearing on the System screen as Razar lost control of the energies traveling the battlefield, once again allowing them to flow to Izuku.

"I refuse to die like this!" He shouted, his hands glowing white as he gathered as much as he could muster. But before he could even blink, Izuku was in front of his face and his arms were shattered. He screeched in pain and tried to fall to the ground, but couldn't with Izuku gripping his destroyed arms. "P-Please! Mercy! I-I'll help the Rulers! I'm sorry! I promise! I just want to live!"

Izuku scowled, letting go of Razar's arms. He dropped to his knees and let his arms hang limply as they regenerated. "You want to live?" Izuku asked with venom in his voice, causing Razar to look back up, greeted with the sight of his own executioner. Izuku held his war axe in hand. Covered head to toe in the dark armor, there was no doubt about it, Razar was looking up at death itself. "So did Tsukauchi."

"WA-!"

Razar was silenced as the axe tore through his neck, then bisected his entire body. He had no energy left to regenerate that much damage, so he did the only thing he could. He ejected his Spiritual Body in the hopes of escaping. Unfortunately for him, Mirio, Izuku, and Yaoyorozu were waiting for that very moment.

The second his golden cloud erupted from his body, the three hosts drove their hands into it, their energies covering it like a virus. Just like Pulra, Razar let out a final roar before his Spiritual Body was destroyed and the Ruler was silenced forevermore.

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[You have Leveled-Up!]


[Unique Quest: Defeat the Tyrannical Ruler Razar has been completed.]

[You can receive the following Rewards:]

Rewards:

1. +100 Stat Points

2. Increase the Potency of one Skill of your Choice (Effects Vary)

3. +40,000 Shadow Save/Shadow Extraction Spaces


Once Razar and his Marshals had been defeated, the four hosts and the separated Beru and Kamish took just a moment to catch their breath before diving back into the war raging on outside.

Their presence on all four fronts was a complete game-changer and the forces of humanity were further reinvigorated as the army they had been facing rose from the ground, becoming their allies. The numbers quickly turned in the absolute favor of the Heroes. Without a Ruler or Marshal to help them, the Angels were helpless.

The battle almost became fun for Izuku as he watched Thomas Andre ride around on Kamish, trampling entire squadrons and decimating the competition that got close with his punches.

But no matter how far the tide had turned, or how much they had won, it didn't change how much they had lost.

Within the next hour, all Angels were dead or dying on the ground and the Heroes were healing who they could, with the Shadows obviously helping. Those who were in stable condition and weren't healers took stock of the dead. It would take days to properly assess the casualties and getting them home would be a logistical nightmare, not to mention the sheer emotional impact it would have on those around them.

Several Heroes were simply plopping down in the snow, eyes blank as they stared across the sea of bodies, Angels and Humans. Basically every Hero had seen death before… but this was on a whole new scale.

Therapists all over the world were gonna have a busy schedule when the surviving Heroes returned.

Izuku himself wasn't sure how to feel about the whole ordeal. His Agency, through sheer luck and Shadows, had survived without any casualties, ignoring Burnin. But thousands were still dead, including Tsukauchi.

It still didn't feel real. Izuku didn't have time to grow incredibly close to the man or anything, but he was an important ally and had done Izuku the ultimate service of appearing to help save Yaoyorozu and Nejire. And now, he was just… dead.

As he did his rounds to collect the tens of thousands of Angel Shadows, Izuku felt the same blank expression cross his face as he just worked on autopilot. He refrained from taking the Shadows of humans as he was certain that it would not be looked upon with graciousness.

A hint of light only appeared in his eyes once he felt his Sense Stat come alive. It was tracking someone, someone moving at a breakneck speed towards them.

Wasting no time, and happy to have a stimulating experience of some kind to distract himself, Izuku began sprinting as well, heading for the location that the figure was heading to.

But, halfway there, Izuku felt the figure stop in front of a group of Heroes. By the time he reached the spot, he expected more fighting. Thankfully, it was just one of the Awakened scientists from their base camp. He was out of breath and leaning on his hands and knees.

"What's going on?" Izuku asked calmly, startling the surrounding Heroes with his sudden presence.

"We… don't know."

"He just showed up and collapsed before he could say anything."

The scientist took a deep breath, "J… Japan…"

Izuku's blood went cold, "What about Japan?"

"A… A Gate… big… bigger than even… the Titans." The scientist feebly pulled a smartphone out of his jacket and showed Izuku an image taken mere minutes earlier. The dark portal stretched into the sky, casting a shadow over half of Tokyo with its size.

Dread consumed the Heroes standing around the scientist. They weren't even done yet. They had just gone through the most difficult battle of their life and Gates of untold sizes were still appearing.

The fight… had just begun.


Thanks for reading the final chapter of the Razar War Arc! I know some of my readers are not fans of war arcs and still pushed through and stuck with the story, so seriously, thank you! Though I've just stated that the fight had only just begun, I promise you that it is not just another war arc and that the next few chapters are going to be pretty important! There are undoubtedly some questions left over, most likely regarding Pulra, her death, and Mirio's return and I want to assure you that there will be some explanations coming, I simply didn't want to overstuff this chapter as it was already quite big! To everyone reading here on Fanfic, there was a new art piece commissioned for this chapter, but this site doesn't allow images, so if you want to see Izuku in his Shadow Armor and with his war axe, go check out the story on AO3 or Wattpad, or check out my Twitter or join my Discord! And finally, I really hope you enjoyed these past few chapters, I should be getting back to my normal, quicker, schedule soon!