Izuku was now one of the twenty-five people left at the Bastion site. Ryukyu, Mirio, and Yaoyorozu were three of them and the remainder were made up of scientists like David Shield and his daughter, who had been flown over as soon as their safety could be guaranteed. Everyone else was on the march back to the carriers at the edge of the continent. Some of the Shadows had gone with them in order to help carry the bodies.
In the meantime Izuku had finally gathered all seventy-four thousand Angels and their Marshals to one spot. So while the other three Hosts were going about their business, searching through the palace for any artifacts or special weapons, Izuku began working through his System tasks.
"Accept Reward One."
[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
Izuku Midoriya:
Level: 196
Strength: 545
Vitality: 442
Agility: 498
Intelligence: 861
Sense: 486
[Mana: 410146/410146]
[HP: 159153/159153]
[Shadows able to be extracted: 105167]
[Shadows able to be saved: 34370/87923]
Fifty went to Intelligence, while twenty-five went to Sense and Strength each. He had to maintain the constant improvement of his Intelligence, but he also didn't want his raw fighting power to fall behind.
"Accept Reward 2."
[Which Skill would you like to upgrade?]
Izuku looked over his list, scratching his head, "Basically everything is at a good point… so it's really just up to what looks most enticing to me." He considered upgrading Shadow Save or Shadow Extraction as the former had given him the forced Evolution ability upon being upgraded, but honestly, would anything other than his Shadow count really change if he chose to upgrade them? He felt like there wasn't much left to squeeze out of either Skill. However, there was one Skill that he had seen the true potential of whilst fighting Razar.
"Ruler's Authority."
[Ruler's Authority has been upgraded. More precise control has been granted. The User can now exert more force with Ruler's Authority.]
"Accept Reward Three."
[Shadows able to be extracted: 145167]
[Shadows able to be saved: 34370/127923]
With that, there was only one thing left to do. "Arise."
[12642 Angel Wizards Captain Grade have evolved into 12642 Seraph Sorcerers Commander Grade.]
[20167 Angel Lancers Captain Grade have evolved into 20167 Seraph Knights Commander Grade.]
[22727 Angel Warriors Captain Grade have evolved into 22727 Seraph Berserkers Commander Grade.]
[5012 Angel Clerics Captain Grade have evolved into 5012 Seraph Priests Commander Grade.]
[5623 Angel Assassins Captain Grade have evolved into 5623 Seraph Silencers Commander Grade.]
[7829 Angel Beasts Captain Grade have evolved into 7829 Seraph Monstrosities Commander Grade.]
[Azrael Marshal of Serenia. Grand-Marshal. Commander of Seraph Sorcerers.]
[Uriel Marshal of Arturk. Grand-Marshal. Commander of Seraph Priests.]
[Sariel Marshal of Aeic. Grand-Marshal. Commander of Seraph Seraph Berserkers.]
[Raphael Marshal of Grantuld. Grand-Marshal. Commander of Seraph Monstrosities.]
[Lucifer Marshal of Razar. Grand-Marshal. Commander of Seraph Knights.]
[Nakir Marshal of Correnic. Grand-Marshal. Commander of Seraph Makers.]
[Arkas Marshal of Pulra. Grand-Marshal. Commander of Seraph Silencers.]
[Shadows able to be saved: 108377/127923]
The seventy-four thousand Shadow Soldiers all kneeled in unison, their smoking armor crunching the snow beneath them. All at once, their divine voice rang out.
"We live to serve the Shadow Monarch!"
The seven Marshals were the closest to Izuku, showing him that they indeed hadn't evolved any further, proving that there was a limit to the Forced Evolution ability. He noticed that they had six wings in total instead of four like the other Celestials. These were indeed the leaders of the Ruler armies.
According to the scientists, the Gate currently in Japan had energy that was comparable to the energy that Razar and his army were putting off. Their estimates put it at a slightly weaker output, which gave Izuku a bit of relief. With his current forces, the Gate should be no problem… right?
He was about to fall deep into his thoughts once more, but before he could, he noticed three people approaching them. And two of the three were carrying a body each.
Mirio held Endeavor's repaired corpse while Ryukyu carried Tsukuachi out of the pearly-white palace.
"Todoroki didn't even know that he was fighting his father in a sense. Now… I'm not just responsible for the death of his brother, but his father…"
Yaoyorozu caught the look in Izuku's eyes and quickly went over to take his hand, "It's not your fault. You know as well as I do that Monarchs aren't the only ones who ruin lives." She wasn't wrong in the slightest.
"Well that's a little rude," Correnic said, speaking into her host's head.
"One of your kind used our employee as a messenger knowing full well that it would kill her. It's accurate." Correnic said nothing about the fate of Burnin.
"We're going to bring them back alongside the other fallen," Mirio explained, "We're just going to lie and say that Endeavor died in the frontline assault. There's no reason to sully his name any further."
Izuku nodded, looking over to Ryukyu. She wasn't speaking, her eyes locked onto Tsukauchi's closed lids. "I didn't realize how close those two had gotten…"
Seeing that Izuku's mind was trailing back to dark thoughts, Yaoyorozu changed the subject. "That's a lot of Shadows."
When Izuku looked back, he noticed that five of the seven Marshals had their heads raised and were staring at the new people. It took him a moment, but he realized that they were staring at their respective Ruler.
Nakir was looking to Yaoyorozu/Correnic, Raphael's eyes were locked on Ryukyu/Grantuld, Sariel's was looking at Mirio/Aeic, and Lucifer and Arkas were looking at their fallen Lieges.
"I'm sorry for your loss," He said to Arkas. He didn't bother looking to Lucifer as the Celestial was one of the few Angels that didn't need to be brainwashed to serve Razar. He was now fiercely loyal to Izuku, but it still left a bad taste in the Shadow Monarch's mouth.
"My Liege always took on more than she could chew," Arkas responded, "But she always did it for the sake of her siblings. Dying to save them would indeed bring her much happiness. So… I cannot remain too distressed by her passing."
"Speaking of…" Mirio began somewhat awkwardly, "How did he… she… they bring me back?"
Correnic jumped to answer, "The artifact used to trap you in the Gap Between Dimensions was a powerful one fashioned by Yogumunt, it could not be broken without sufficient energy."
"Which is why we brought every Hero we could," Izuku explained, "The more they fought, the more energy was released. If… If we could've held off Razar just a bit longer, they might have been enough to bring you back without a sacrifice."
"Oh…" Mirio became further saddened by the reason for his return.
"This is no time to wallow in self-pity," Correnic interrupted, "The Gate in Japan may not be emitting as much energy as Razar and his forces, but I still can sense the power of a Monarch's army within it. They abide by the rule of quantity over quality, which means there could be millions of Chaos World Inhabitants inside it."
"Millions?!" Izuku exclaimed. "Even if they are super weak, that many Villains would be enough to get past the Shadow Army… they would destroy Japan…"
"We still have seven days to prepare," Yaoyorozu said, "Evacuations are already underway and Heroes are preparing to gather once more."
"Not as many will show," Mirio countered, "People gathered here because it threatened every country, but if they see a Gate in just one country, they'll ignore it to protect their own home."
Izuku couldn't help but agree, especially after seeing what happened to South Korea. He and Yaoyorozu were the only ones to show. "We also have to be careful of an early break," He said, causing Yaoyorozu's eyes to widen as she remembered the Titan's Gate. It opened a few days early as well.
"We should get back right away then."
"Arkas, Lucifer, I would like for you to carry Tsukauchi and Endeavor's bodies to the carriers. Tell them the story we decided on, that they both passed fighting the boss inside the palace."
They acknowledged the orders and stood, Lucifer easily taking Endeavor from Mirio, but Ryukyu was hesitant to hand over Tsukauchi. Arkas laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Though this is not the true body of my Liege, it is all I have left of her. You can trust me to treat him with the utmost respect and care."
Ryukyu gave a small nod and gingerly passed him into the arms of Arkas.
Once those two were on their way, Izuku called all but three of his soldiers back into his Shadow. "I would like you three to accompany your Ruler everywhere they go, just like you would've before becoming a Shadow."
Nakir, Raphael, and Sariel looked to Izuku with shock in their eyes.
"Truly, my Liege?"
"As long as they don't mind having you follow in their Shadow."
"It has been too long since Nakir has been by my side," Correnic responded.
"It's cool with me," Mirio said, smiling, probably thinking that it would be awesome to have a "servant" of sorts.
Ryukyu didn't answer, but also didn't object, so all three Shadows slithered along the ground, embedding themselves in the Shadows of their original Liege.
"Now, let's go home," Izuku said as he looked back to Japan, picking out the fiery manifestation of Ifrit, "Shadow Exchange."
The Shadows spread out beneath him, swallowing up the four hosts with its liquid darkness.
The first thing the group noticed upon returning to Japan was, of course, Nejire laying in bed. She was muttering deliriously and covered in sweat. Above her, Esil held damp, ice-cold washcloths on her forehead.
"N-Nejire-chan?!" Mirio cried in shock… for two reasons.
First and foremost was the sheer scope of her burns and the pain evident on her face. The second was that in order to keep her temperature down the sheets were completely off the bed… and she was fully naked.
"What happened to her?!" Mirio asked, disregarding her state of undress almost immediately as his friend's safety became a worry to him.
Yaoyorozu turned around both Mirio and Ryukyu, "I'll explain, let's give them a minute."
"But what about-"
"She'll be okay," Yaoyorozu reassured as confidently as she could.
Izuku crouched down next to Nejire's bed, removing the visual effects of his armor and laying his bare palm against her cheek, resting the other on her stomach.
She immediately let out a sigh of relief and her breathing slowed, "Thank… you…"
Izuku looked over to her nightstand, there were still two bottles of the Holy Water left, then up to Esil, "Why didn't she take one? If it's this bad…"
Esil sighed, "That's… hard to… oh shit, get Yaoyorozu back in here!"
"What? Why-"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Yaoyorozu's shout echoed through the penthouse
Izuku stood up and bolted out of the room, hesitant to leave Nejire, but the numbness would last long enough for him to see what had happened… and who was in his family's house.
He burst into the living room, seeing that in the kitchen, Mirio was standing between Yaoyorozu and a seated man wearing a finely pressed business suit.
Izuku's gauntlets were held out to either side, their claws stretched out. He had heard Yaoyorozu yell before, from both fear or frustration or something similar, but never like this, never from such raw anger.
"Who are you? Why are you in my home?"
The man, much to his credit, seemed rather unfazed by the literal gods staring at him as he stood. "Your mother and father let me in and assured me that I could stay a few nights until you returned. Quite nice folks you have. As for who I am," The man straightened his tie, "Isn't it obvious? I'm Yaoyorozu's father."
Shadows: Total count: 109417 (127923)
2300 Superhumans - Elite-Knight Grade
881 Shadow Infantry - Elite-Knight
700 Death Knights - Elite-Knight
584 Direwolf Lords - Elite-Knight
433 Greater Elemental Spirits - Elite-Knight
354 Kijin - Elite-Knight
328 Metal Slimes - Elite-Knight
282 Shadow Nomu - Elite-Knight
68 Lava Golems - Elite-Knight
63 Shadow High Orcs - Elite-Knight
49 Angel Archers - Elite-Knight
40 Obsidian Beetles - Elite-Knight
34 Greater Fire Spirits - Elite-Knight
33 Yetis - Elite-Knight
25 Shadow Bears - Elite-Knight
21 Lava Titans - Elite-Knight
15 Ice Golems - Elite-Knight
10 Amphitians - Elite-Knight
6 Ice Foxes - Elite-Knight
Stain (Human) - Elite-Knight
785 Soul Eaters - Captain
672 Arch Demons - Captain
400 Templar Paladins - Captain
154 Shadow Wyverns - Captain
149 Dragon Knights - Captain
100 Arch Liches - Captain
67 Perfected Elemental Spirits - Captain
50 Saints - Captain
45 Oni - Captain
30 Angel Mages - Captain
30 Draconian Cannons - Captain
23 Stone Goliaths - Captain
20 Earth Hydras - Captain
20 Quetzalcoatl - Captain
20 Angel Knights - Captain
20 Fire Serpents - Captain
6 Magicians - Captain
3 Shadow High Orc Bodyguards - Captain
Gipsy Danger (Earthen Behemoth) - Captain
Lucky Seven (Earthen Behemoth) - Captain
Cherno Alpha (Earthen Behemoth) - Captain
Romeo Blue (Earthen Behemoth) - Captain
Crimson Typhoon (Earthen Behemoth) - Captain
Smokey (Ice Bear) - Captain
Slice (Human) - Captain
Twice (Human) - Captain
Chimera (Human) - Captain
Tank (Nomu) - Captain
34031 Seraph Berserkers - Commander
27690 Seraph Knights - Commander
16157 Seraph Sorcerers - Commander
7829 Seraph Monstrosities - Commander
5623 Seraph Silencers - Commander
5162 Seraph Priests - Commander
4031 Maker Seraphs - Commander
10 Soul Kings - Commander
8 Prime Draconians - Commander
Hawks (Human) - Commander
Crust (Human) - Commander
Yoroi Musha (Human) - Commander
Fat Gum (Human) - Commander
Best Jeanist (Human) - Commander
Gang Orca (Human) - Commander
Esil (Seraph) - Commander
Zeus (Disaster Oni) - Commander
Poseidon (Disaster Oni) - Commander
Hades (Disaster Oni) - Commander
Ares (Disaster Oni) - Commander
Artemis (Disaster Oni) - Commander
Kojin (Undead King) - Commander
Striker Eureka (True Titan) - Commander
Karkinos (Angelic Wyrm) - Commander
Ifrit (God of Fire/Spirit) - Commander
Pektra (Prime Draconian) - Commander
Fenrir (Direwolf King) - Commander
Masamune (Celestial Engineer) - General
Ken (Celestial Brawler) - General
Seimei (Celestial Spellweaver) - General
Ronin (Celestial Spearman) - General
Saishi (Celestial Healer) - General
Hyo (Ice Elf) - General
Tusk (High Orc) - General
Siddharth (Human) - General
Aurum (Spirit God of Time) - General
Argentum (Spirit God of Space) - General
Hinata (Holy Being) - General
Tatsuya (Holy Being) - General
Glaedr (Dragon God) - General
Thorn (Dragon God) - General
Firnen (Dragon God) - General
Saphira (Dragon God) - General
Uramoth (Dragon God) - General
Shruikan (Dragon God) - General
Igris (Knight King) - Marshal
Azrael (Celestial Spellweaver) - Grand-Marshal
Uriel (Celestial Healer) - Grand-Marshal
Sariel (Celestial Brawler) - Grand-Marshal
Raphael (Celestial Behemoth) - Grand-Marshal
Lucifer (Celestial Spearman) - Grand-Marshal
Nakir (Celestial Engineer) - Grand-Marshal
Arkas (Celestial Mercenary) - Grand-Marshal
Beru (High-End Nomu) - Grand-Marshal
Kamish (Ancient Dragon) - Grand-Marshal
Thanks for reading! I'm happy to report that I will be back to a quicker schedule from here on out, hopefully! I unfortunately can't guarantee anything since school is starting up again in about 3 or so days.
