The Okami Hero: Amaterasu

Arc 5: Eight Serpents

Chapter 11: Temptation of the Serpent Part 1

[Wednesday20thApril 2281]

[Streets above the Shie Hassaikai Compound, Corusantu]

"I am the soon-to-be ruler of this world and all you humans… I am the Eight Headed Demon Serpent: Yamata No Orochi!"

All-Might and the surrounding police officers gaped at the Elderly Man. There was no way this emaciated old man was the Villain behind the infamous Reaper Attacks! He looked ready to keel over at any moment! Then again, Chisaki's angry shouts did imply that the man in front of them was being controlled somehow… perhaps the Puppet Master was the real Orochi?

With a quiet growl, All-Might shifted Eri so she was cuddled up to the unconscious Izumi, then used his now free arm to reach up and touch his earpiece. "This is All-Might. I have encountered the Villain: Orochi. He is attempting to rescue Chisaki and kidnap the girls. I can't fight back effectively while protecting the rescued children. All Heroes, come to the surface and assist me."

Nezu's voice answered; "Hawks is missing, but the rest of us are on-route. The Onikawas working for President Konohana are coming too."

The Number One Hero mumbled a quiet thanks, still glaring at the smirking Elder. Ishiko looked up at All-Might from her spot in Izumi's hair; "All-Might, you need to order everyone to run! Orochi isn't someone that you or any normal person can handle!"

All-Might chuckled, "Do not fear, Young Ishiko. I am not the Number One Hero for nothing. I will stop this man. I just need to work out his quirk. I had assumed it was the ability to create those strange monsters, but he appears to also be able to control the bodies of others… what a bizarre quirk."

Ishiko shook her head desperately; "All-Might, listen to me! This guy isn't human! He's a Demon! The only one around here who can defeat him is Izumi, and she's knocked out! I can't explain it properly with all these people around, but you need to retreat and get Izumi out of here! If Orochi captures her again, it'll be the end! Not just for this mission, but for the world! You cannot fight him!"

All-Might frowned as he looked between the mysterious tiny woman and the clearly possessed old man. This whole situation was very odd, and he was certain there was something more serious going on here than he'd initially thought. "We can't retreat without risking the escape of all the Villains and Criminals we've captured. However, I will get you and the girls out of here!" he declared, crouching to prepare a mighty jump.

"Ah, I would ask you not take the girls with you when you leave." Orochi said, snapping his fingers.

Before All-Might could register what was happening, a trio of shadowy snakes phased out of the ground around Orochi and lunged at All-Might. Each snake appeared to be made of some kind of black substance, making them appear as if they were made from the shadows themselves, and each was as long as an Olympic Swimming Pool and as thick as a tree trunk. Though it was hard to tell thanks to their shadowy forms, each snake appeared to be wearing some kind of samurai helmet, behind which gleamed sinister red eyes. All-Might stopped his jump and punched one of the advancing snakes with a mighty "DETROIT SMASH!"

All-Might expected the giant shadow snake to be destroyed, knocked back, or at the very least stopped by his blow, but it barely slowed and instead smashed its snout right into All-Might's side, where his injury was. The Number One Hero cried out and spat blood as he was knocked away by the blow, losing his grip on Eri and Izumi. The other two snakes immediately darted forward and coiled around the girls, holding them with a surprising amount of care.

Eri shrieked in fear and surprise, while the unconscious Izumi didn't even stir as the snakes holding them pulled them towards Orochi. The Possessed Elder smiled with satisfaction as he recalled the third snake too, and had it wrap itself around Chisaki, who was struggling to escape his leather restraints.

"Now was that so hard? I have no intention of harming either of these girls, so you didn't need to act like a Macho Hero." Orochi smirked, his venomous eyes flicking over to where All-Might was struggling to pick himself up after the heavy blow to his injured side. The Hero and the Demon looked one another in the eye for a moment, and immediately, All-Might became sure that the Demon knew of his injury.

"Foul Villain! You possess yet another quirk? I had my suspicions, but now I am certain! You work for All for One! How is it that monster survived!?" All-Might demanded, taking a shaky step forward.

Orochi sneered; "Me? Work for a Human? How disgusting. The little pissing contest between All for One and One for All is of no interest to me. You Humans and your quirks… quirks are nothing to me. They simply add a little spice to the flavour of you Humans when I devour you. Now do be quiet for a moment while I address my young friends."

All-Might growled and darted forward, aiming the flat of his hand at Orochi's head; "Missouri Smash!"

Before All-Might's blow could land, a fourth shadow snake shot out of the ground and blocked his strike, before whipping its neck around to smack the Hero away again, though thankfully it hit his uninjured side this time. "Did the Poncle not warn you? No Human can defeat me without Amaterasu's power." Orochi said, looking unimpressed.

Ishiko grimaced; "Orochi's too strong… even Izumi's past lives had to use special methods to damage him. Not even All-Might is enough." she uttered quietly.

Orochi turned his attention to Izumi and had the snake holding her gently place her on the ground at his feet. He then gestured for the snake holding Eri to release the little girl too, before willing three of his four snakes to disappear back into the shadows, leaving only the one that was binding Chisaki.

As soon as she was free, Eri, driven by blind panic, ran to try and put herself between Orochi and Izumi's unconscious form, but the Possessed Elder fixed her with a look from his venomous eyes, paralysing the little girl with fear. Poor Eri couldn't even shake or whimper due to the bizarre paralysis.

"Behave yourself child. I have no desire to harm either of you girls. This one however..." Orochi sneered and reached down, roughly plucking Ishiko from Izumi's hair. The Poncle struggled and stabbed the Possessed Man's fingers with her sword, but Orochi didn't even flinch.

"This isn't my body, just a borrowed vessel. Hurting it doesn't inconvenience me." Orochi told her, squeezing Ishiko just enough for it to be uncomfortable without it becoming painful. "You've proven useful so far, Poncle, so I will spare your life. But it is time you left the stage."

"Leave Izumi and Eri alone, you Bastard!" Ishiko screamed.

Orochi just snorted and threw Ishiko at All-Might, who was running at him again. All-Might slid to a stop to catch Ishiko, and the moment the Poncle was safe in his hands, Orochi summoned seven more of his shadowy snakes.

"Now, it is time to set the stage. This performance will decide the fate of the Human World; it should be done in an appropriate setting!" Orochi grinned. The snake holding Chisaki suddenly tossed him hard against the ground to stun him, then rose up to join the other seven snakes, raising the total number to eight. Each snake began to gather some kind of elemental power in its mouth, preparing to blast the surrounding area with the elements.

Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Poison, Darkness, and even Light Energy gathered in the mouths of the snakes, each snake wielding a different element. Once enough energy had gathered in each one, the snakes appeared to grow thicker as their bodies stretched and swelled with the amount of energy within them.

Orochi's smile turned evil; "Humans, you might want to back up a bit…"

The eight shadow serpents opened their mouths and prepared to fire their elemental attacks at the surrounding area. All-Might, panicking, quickly tied Ishiko to one of his signature hair spikes and then shot around the area at top speed, grabbing every Police Officer, EMT, and captured Crook he could and carrying them to safety before the snakes could release their attacks. The entire time, the Possessed Elder watched him with a creepy smile, always maintaining eye contact no matter how fast All-Might moved… the Hero might have attempted to attack him directly, if he weren't already sure that Orochi could outspeed him. The attack on the Officer previously holding Chisaki, and the blocking of his Missouri Smash had proven that.

The entire action took only two seconds with All-Might at top speed, and yet he still only barely managed to get everyone out of the way before Orochi's snakes fired their attacks. Each Serpent released their gathered elemental power in an intense beam that caused massive devastation to the area around Orochi and his three captives. The fire and poison melted, the wind and water carved and sliced, the earth changed the landscape, the lightning shorted out every device within a kilometre radius, and the light and darkness ensured that everything still living within the range of attack was swiftly killed. Birds fell from the sky, having been slain by beams of light, while insects and grass snakes decayed at the touch of Orochi's Darkness.

All-Might gaped at the devastation, and he was soon joined by the rest of the Heroes that had joined him on the Raid. The entire Yakuza Base was emptied out, with all the Strike Team and Shie Hassaikai Members leaving the compound to discover what Orochi had done.

An area roughly the size of a Baseball field had been completely wiped away by Orochi's attack. There was nothing at all within the area, everything having been reduced to ash, dirt and rubble that had since been pushed away to form a short barrier along the edge of the disaster zone. Entire buildings were dust, and any police vehicle or ambulance that had been parked in that part of the street was basically atomised. The ground within the disaster zone had turned to glass from the heat and pressure of the attacks, creating a smooth glistening surface. Only Orochi, Eri, Izumi and Chisaki remained within the area of destruction, having been protected by the Evil Serpent's power.

All-Might began to sweat bullets; if he hadn't managed to get all the Strike Team Members/Captured Thugs out of the area in time, they'd all be dead now. It was a miracle he had managed to get them all to safety, as the death toll would have been almost over a hundred!

"Holy shit." Vlad King gulped, "Everything's gone! Thank god it's so late, or we'd have had civilian casualties!"

"You managed to get everyone out of the way in time, right All-Might?" Hound Dog asked.

The Number One Hero nodded, not taking his eyes off the Villain or his hostages, "Yes, but I don't know about any one who might have been in the destroyed buildings."

A Police Officer All-Might had saved piped up; "All the buildings were empty when that Villain destroyed them. We swept them to make sure we wouldn't have civilians getting in the way. Only one was occupied, but it was owned by the Shie Hassaikai and used as their entrance to the base. We arrested everyone inside long before this guy showed up."

The Heroes sighed in relief. "What should we do now? Should we risk surrounding him and swarming him at once?" Midnight asked, looking to Nezu.

Before the Mouse/Bear/Dog Principal could reply, All-Might shook his head; "This Villain is different. He possesses numerous powers, is able to move fast enough to cause me trouble, and was able to block two of my smashes without a problem. Plus, I've been told that only Young Midoriya can defeat him."

The Onikawa Brothers exchanged looks, neither having missed Ishiko's presence tied in All-Might's hair (though the Heroes were ignoring her due to having bigger concerns). All-Might noticed their expressions and correctly assumed that they knew what was going on here. Nezu had noticed too, and turned to the Bodyguards.

"Onikawas, you know something about this?" the Principal asked.

Akainu nodded; "Yeah. All-Might is right. Only Lady Izumi can stop Orochi."

"Orochi isn't like the other Demons; he can't be slain without meeting special conditions, and Lady Izumi is needed for them." Aokiji finished.

"We don't have time for explanations." Eraserhead frowned; "I've had my eyes on that Villain for a few seconds now, and my quirk isn't working on him at all. I can't sense any kind of quirk factor from him, and the one in the Midoriya Girl is odd… as if she was a Gen 1 or 2 Quirk User..."

"Lady Izumi is a Gen 2. Her quirk factor is unlike the modern version." Akainu confirmed.

"Well if we can't defeat him through combat, let's put him to sleep!" Midnight grinned, turning to Ingenium; "Can you get me close to him nice and fast, Ingenium?"

The Turbo Hero nodded; "I can do it."

Orochi, who had been listening to the Humans panicking with amusement, chuckled darkly. "Most Human Quirks don't work on me, but it will be a pain if you don't stay out of this. Forgive me, but you all need to stay in the audience and enjoy the show." he said, before snapping his fingers.

Suddenly, a bizarre red barrier appeared around the disaster area, covering it in a dome that had numerous demonic characters swirling within it. Cautiously, All-Might touched the dome and hissed as his finger was burned with the contact. He then attempted to break the barrier with a Detroit Smash, but achieved nothing other than burning his fist. The red bubble didn't even bend beneath his punch! It was certainly on a different scale of power compared to Tengai's barriers. Ishiko frowned, recognising it as a much stronger version of the barrier that appeared inside Devil Gates… getting through it would be nearly impossible.

Orochi watched the Heroes try and fail to break his barrier for a few moments, then nodded with satisfaction; "Perfect. The stage is set and the audience has arrived. The show is almost ready to start!" he grinned.

The Possessed Elder turned to the three people in the barrier with him; "As for my actors… well, I have my Antagonist…" he pointed to Chisaki, who was too shocked by Orochi's display of power to say anything, "… and my supporting role and prized McGuffin!" he pointed to Eri, who was still paralysed with fear. Orochi clapped; "Now all I need is the Protagonist of this little tale. But it appears my leading lady is a bit tuckered out at the moment..."

The Elder stared down at Izumi, who remained unconscious, still blissfully unaware of what was happening around her. "Well, I suppose I should wake her up." Orochi said, summoning one his eight shadow snakes; specifically the one that had shot the light beams previously. "A good dose of light should have her up and running."

The serpent began to gather light energy in its mouth, just as it had a short time ago, preparing to fire it at the unconscious Izumi. Seeing this naturally sent the Heroes into a panic.

"STOP! DO YOU PLAN TO KILL HER!?" All-Might demanded. The Hero began punching the barrier in an attempt to get in, but only succeeded in burning a few layers of skin off his knuckles, forcing Recovery Girl (who was present to treat the wounded) to kiss his hands and heal him.

Orochi turned to the furious Hero with a smirk, amused by his antics; "Kill her? Amaterasu? As if the Sun Goddess could ever be slain by light! You Heroes don't know the first thing about the girl you've come here to save, do you?"

Eraserhead narrowed his eyes; "Is this guy some kind of insane cult leader? He believes the Midoriya Girl is Amaterasu the Shinto Sun Goddess?"

"Oh shit! If he's as deluded as we think, he really will kill Midoriya, thinking she'll just be recharged! We have to get in there!" Present Mic yelled.

Nezu nodded grimly and turned to Power Loader; "Begin tunnelling under the barrier. We need a way in."

Power Loader nodded and backed off a bit, then began tunnelling into the ground with his Iron Claws quirk, carefully concealing himself and his work behind a building outside of Orochi's reach. The Possessed Old Man just hummed as his serpent gathered as much light energy as it could, until finally, it was swollen with the energy just as it had been before.

"Ah, all done. Wonderful. It's time to wake up, Amaterasu!" Orochi declared, aiming the shadow serpent's mouth directly at Izumi's chest.

The Heroes cried out, begging Orochi to stop, but it was to no avail; the shadow serpent opened its mouth and released all its gathered light energy right at Izumi, blasting it all into her chest in the form of a single immense beam of light. The light was so intense that everyone watching, save Orochi, had to look away to avoid being blinded, but the moment the light died down, they all looked back in the desperate hope that Izumi was still alive.

The Heroes gasped, seeing Izumi still lying on the ground, a massive hole burned into the chest of her off-white dress. For a moment, they were about to lose hope, believing Izumi had indeed been slain as they feared, but to their surprise, there was no wound. Izumi's dress had been burned open, but there wasn't even a sign of damage to her actual body… in fact, she looked a little healthier, with her earlier closed wounds being fully healed and her skin looking slightly less pale.

Then, with a sudden gasp, Izumi woke up.

"W-What? What's going on? Where am I?" Izumi gasped, quickly sitting up. She immediately took in her surroundings, namely the devastation caused by Orochi, the barrier around it, the Heroes outside the barrier, and the terrified Eri and captured Overhaul off to the side.

Orochi smiled kindly and opened his mouth to speak, but Ishiko cut him off (surprising the Heroes in the process) "IZUMI! DON'T TRUST THE OLD MAN! HE'S BEING POSSESSED BY OROCHI!"

The Snake Demon immediately sneered at the Poncle, but Izumi only had eyes for Eri, still paralysed with fear. In a flurry of movement that surprised even All-Might and Orochi with its speed, Izumi darted forward, entering Demi-God Form as she went, then slashed Orochi's cheek with her claws and grabbed Eri and Chisaki before backing off, putting some distance between themselves and the Demon.

The moment they had some distance from Orochi, Izumi turned to Eri; "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

Izumi was once again exuding love and caring for Eri, which was more than enough for the little girl to overcome the fear Orochi had caused her, ending the paralysis. "I-I'm okay. He didn't hurt me."

"Of course not!" Orochi said, gingerly touching the three shallow cuts Izumi had left on his host's cheek, "I am acting as an ally to you. I made certain that the Little Pup was unharmed even as I was attacked by the Humans' Number One Hero. I even went so far as to restore your energy by filling you with light, so that you are back in peak condition. Honestly, you should be thanking me."

Izumi turned to glare at Orochi; "After all the things you've done, why would I ever thank you!? Two good deeds in a life of evil isn't enough to absolve you!" she yelled. Orochi seemed torn between amusement and annoyance at Izumi's defiance, though his momentary distraction did give Izumi a chance to use Rejuvenation on her damaged dress, which was leaving her chest exposed.

"So what now? You've got me, Eri, and Chisaki trapped in this bubble with you. The Heroes are stuck outside and can't get in. You've got to be planning something. Is this an arena for a final battle between us, or do you have something else planned?" Izumi demanded.

Orochi grinned; "Final battle? If I wanted you dead, I'd have slain you while you were unconscious. Instead, I used my own power to fully restore your stamina. With the exception of your Astral Resurrection, which I cannot restore, you are in prime condition!"

Izumi paused, racking her brain for a reason Orochi would restore her energy, while the Heroes behind her all turned white as ghosts.

What Izumi didn't know, was that the Heroes had all been told the specifics of her fake "Okami" Quirk, including the unique Astral Resurrection ability. They knew that once per day, she could resurrect from the dead. If what Orochi said was true, then Izumi had already lost her resurrection for the day, and it must have happened before All-Might found her.

"Young Midoriya! Were you k-killed and forced to use your resurrection!?" All-Might yelled.

Izumi flinched and looked down in shame, as if she'd done something wrong by worrying the Heroes. "Yes… I wasn't given a choice."

The Heroes went from horrified, to enraged. The Onikawa Brothers immediately transformed into their Oni forms purely from rage. "WHO!? WHO KILLED YOU!?" Akainu demanded, his fiery quirk making him the more aggressive of the brothers.

Before Izumi could answer, Orochi grinned. Using the same speed he'd used earlier to attack the Police Officer, the Possessed Man shot forward and grabbed Chisaki, before leaping back to the dead centre of the makeshift arena and dumping the Yakuza Boss back onto the ground, forcing him to his knees. Izumi and the Heroes whipped around to see what had happened, and Orochi just smiled at them.

"Who killed her? Why it was this man right here; Kai Chisaki! A pawn that got too big for his boots." Orochi said boastfully. The Heroes and Onikawas turned their hateful gazes on Chisaki, who shrank back in fear from the intense hatred.

Izumi, seeing how easily Orochi had taken back Chisaki, carefully lifted Eri onto her back and summoned her Divine Retribution so it floated behind the little girl. Eri would be protected from behind by the mirror, and from the front by Izumi's own body. With Eri relatively safe, Izumi looked Orochi in the eyes.

"I've had enough games and cryptic nonsense. Just tell me what you want!" she demanded.

Orochi's smile turned vicious; "I want to give you a gift. This man, Kai Chisaki, is a truly evil human. His sins have blackened his heart and left him without hope of redemption. His foolishness cost me almost my entire Demon Horde, and it cost you so much pain. I wish to offer you a deal; kill this man, and I will leave here today and not cause you any trouble for 8 years. I will steal no souls and kill no humans, and to sweeten the deal, I will even return your mother's soul."

Izumi's eyes widened, while the Heroes gasped and exchanged looks. Orochi truly was an evil creature, offering such a reward for an act of murder. Chisaki paled to the point that he appeared ghostly, nearly catatonic with fear; after everything he'd done to Izumi and Eri, he was sure he was about to die… the girl may have been heroic enough to spare his life when there was nothing to be gained from it, but if killing him was all that stood between her and getting her mother back, as well as ensuring Orochi wouldn't attack for eight whole years? There was no way she'd spare him!

The Possessed Elder grinned evilly as he held out his hand and caused a tiny ball of white light to appear in his palm. Izumi stared at the ball, transfixed, until she heard a whisper coming from it.

"Izumi..."

"Mama!" Izumi cried, running forward. It was her mother's soul! She had to get it back!

Orochi smiled and closed his hand, making Inko Midoriya's soul vanish. "Do we have a deal, Amaterasu? You slay Chisaki, and you win your mother's soul and eight years of peace for yourself and the rest of humanity… at least from me."

Izumi's face twisted with pain; "Why are you doing this?" she asked, "Chisaki was your ally!"

"Yes, and he failed to heed my council. The Shie Hassaikai were a convenient cover story and scapegoat for my Demons, and they provided both a useful hideaway and a convenient source of meat and souls that wouldn't arouse suspicion if they vanished. The promise of keeping this old man alive and providing him with some of my demons to bolster his forces was all it cost me to buy an alliance with Chisaki, but I should have known that the quality of alliance would reflect the cheap cost..." Orochi spat.

Chisaki began shaking, both in fear and anger; "BASTARD! You said you wanted to help me purge the world of quirks! To cure the disease plaguing Humanity! You said you wanted to devour Eri or Amaterasu as your 100th sacrifice!"

"I lied." Orochi said flippantly; "Quirks are of little concern to me. In fact, a good quirk can add a bit of spice to an otherwise bland and boring soul. I merely told you what you wanted to hear so I wouldn't have to waste a Demon possessing you. As for using Eri or Amaterasu as a sacrifice..." the Possessed Man turned to the girls in question. Izumi growled warily and Eri hid her face in Izumi's hair; "Eri would make an adorable sacrifice, but she would offer me no more power than any other Pure Virgin Maiden, and killing her would drive Amaterasu to Darkness once more, only with ME as her target. As for devouring Amaterasu… another tasty idea and one that definitely would grant me power, but not enough to allow me to surpass the Evil One pulling my strings, especially when the girl inevitably reincarnated elsewhere. I lied so that you would limit your abuses of the girls; by claiming I needed them as Virgin sacrifices, I was able to prevent you from allowing your men to defile them."

Izumi paled; "You told him you wanted to eat us, so he wouldn't let his men rape us?!"

Orochi nodded, becoming oddly serious for a moment; "I am an Evil Demon General, and I take great pride in that! However, there are forms of depravity even I cannot stomach. But Chisaki here wouldn't have batted an eyelid as you or Eri were used by his men. So kill him; get revenge for your suffering, for Eri's suffering, and win yourself eight years of peace!"

The Wolf Girl took a shaky step forward, while Orochi took a step back. Orochi's power had left Chisaki paralysed in the dead centre of the arena, and now Izumi was slowly walking towards him, her breathing growing more erratic with every step. Izumi finally came to a stop just a step away from Chisaki, and the de-powered Yakuza Boss stared at her with terror.

Izumi felt a maelstrom of different emotions; she hated Chisaki and wanted to kill him, but she also didn't want to take a human life. She wanted Chisaki to hurt for what he'd done, but if she did what her darkest desires urged her to do, she would be no better than him. Chisaki DESERVED to suffer for what he'd done, but Goddess or not, Izumi didn't want to play executioner. But on the other hand, was she morally obligated to slay Chisaki? If Orochi was telling the truth, then the Yakuza Boss's death would not only return Inko to consciousness, but it would also stop the Demon General from hunting for more souls, killing anyone or doing any other heinous act for eight whole years! Izumi could become incredibly powerful in that time, enough so that she could find and defeat Orochi before the period ended, allowing her to ensure he never hurt anyone ever again.

Was the life of Kai Chisaki worth preserving if it meant potentially saving the lives of countless innocents?

Did Izumi have the right to make that choice?

Could Izumi defeat Orochi if she refused?

Izumi swallowed thickly and tried to analyse the situation carefully, but her wild emotions made it impossible. It ultimately boiled down to A. Kill Chisaki and hope Orochi was telling the truth, thus saving countless lives, B. Spare Chisaki and incur the wrath of Orochi and put everyone present, including Eri and Izumi herself, at great risk.

Izumi wanted to get justice for what had been done to her, but she didn't believe murdering Chisaki would count as justice.

Izumi wanted to get her mother's soul back, but could she ever face her mother after becoming a killer? Would her mother even want to see her knowing Izumi had bought her life by taking someone else's?

There was too much. Izumi felt like she was choking.

She hated herself. Hated her weakness.

"I-I don't want to do this… I don't want to be a killer..." Izumi said shakily. Her resolve was being shaken and she was having so much trouble controlling her emotions that her Demi-God Form spluttered out, returning her to her normal human form. "I know what he did to me… what he did to Eri… but I can't! I can't murder him!"

Chisaki looked relieved, while Orochi tutted sympathetically; "I understand. For a Being of Light such as you, it is so hard to take even brief trips to the Darkness. You require motivation… I will give you a glimpse, Okami Amaterasu, of the man whose life you must take. Look upon the true face of Kai Chisaki and see his sins!" Orochi declared, raising his hands in the air.

Suddenly, images began to appear in the barrier, and voices began speaking from those images. Izumi and the watching Heroes gasped at what they saw; Orochi was projecting memories onto the barrier!

As Izumi realised what Orochi was about to show her, and by extension, all the heroes and police officers behind her, her mouth hung open in shock. She couldn't avert her eyes, despite knowing that what she was about to see would likely change her forever.

Orochi just smiled as the memories began to play…

"One little push… one human soul sent screaming into the void, and you will be mine, Amaterasu!"

Next Chapter: Temptation of the Serpent Part 2

To be Released: July 12th 2021

Oh dear, it looks like Orochi is finally beginning his plan! Looks like he knows about All-Might's secret too… not surprising given who his master is working with. Orochi also showed off how devastating his powers can be, and his control over 8 elements, even Light. Now's probably a good time to mention that despite what some characters have been saying; Light is not Good and Darkness is not Evil; they're just often mistaken as such. Orochi was even able to use a huge amount of Light Energy to restore Izumi's energy and wake her up! She's back at full power now, though without her Astral Resurrection. Looks like the Heroes might be learning Izumi's secret too.

A note on Orochi's speed and strength too; in his normal demon form, he doesn't actually have the speed and strength to outspeed and overpower All-Might, as his physical capabilities are spread across his entire body. However, while possessing a human, he can focus all his abilities within a few of his shadow heads or his vessel, allowing him to momentarily match All-Might in speed or physical power. He can only do it for a few seconds though.

And of course, Orochi's plan: Force Izumi to kill Overhaul in order to save her mother and bring them peace for 8 years. If Izumi agrees, she may just turn into a Demon again and Orochi can fill her with Darkness to keep her that way. If she refuses, it would mean fighting Orochi alone, outmatched, and while protecting Eri and Overhaul.

Now he's going to show Izumi memories of Chisaki to convince her… what secrets will she, and the others see? And where is Hawks? You'll see next time :D

I hope you enjoyed! Please Comment and Review; it really encourages me!