KingVessel: The utter lack of reviews for the previous chapter hurt me. Seriously, I put so much effort for the First Champion and I got no comments... (heavy sigh)
Chapter 03: One for All - The Second
Harumi Kiyama stoically drank through another cup of tea as she sat outside the pub. It had been an hour since Takashi Shigaraki's body had been buried at his funeral and she needed a non-alcoholic to drown herself in.
In the pub where he used to work in, the workers kept themselves busy, all mourning for their deceased co-worker in their own manners. Ichika Midoriya herself had been temporarily excused from work to grieve at her own pace.
As a scientist, she had always how some people could be utterly despondent towards everything around them when a person close to them had been permanently taken away from their lives.
Now as an experienced bereaved, she completely understood. She already missed his excited giggling as he read through his comics, his determined energy whenever he went out as Wild Tiger and fought against criminals and Meta kidnappers, his soft laughter whenever he, Ichika and her just hung out, with Harumi rambling out some obscure scientific terms, Takashi trying and failing to hide the fact that he often used an online dictionary to figure them out, and his physical warmth whenever they had slept together, whether it was sex or just sharing a bed through the night.
With Takashi gone, Ichika had spent some nights quietly sobbing into Harumi's arms in their bed. She wasn't insecure enough to deny that she'd silently cried a bit too.
"May I join you?"
Harumi looked up and immediately blanched. Satoshi Shigaraki, dressed in funeral wear as well, took a seat anyway without waiting for a reply. Harumi instantly noted the bags under his eyes, which proved that he had had trouble sleeping through the week as well.
"Harumi Kiyama, is it?" Satoshi muttered stoically, not quite present there. "Age: 27-"
"Oi, were you stalking me?" Harumi interjected in a stoic tone. "I thought Takashi had been exaggerating when he mentioned this."
"-middle school teacher, conducts physics and chemical experiments in her spare time as a hobby-"
"Are you even listening to me?"
"-also has 30 separate incidents of random stripping, which thankfully slowed down and eventually stopped after you met my brother-"
"He didn't mention it, but I think he just didn't like the idea of me exposing my body to anyone other than him. And maybe Ichika."
"-and somehow, possesses the Meta Ability that I gave my brother."
Harumi fell silent, just choosing to stare at Satoshi's luminous red eyes that seemed to darkly glow at her from under the shadow cast by his hair.
"Oh? You want to fight me? Are you being possessive or is it because I am provoking you?" Satoshi prodded, making a point of leaning forward and tenting his fingers around his smirking mouth. "But I think that you better give up on that, too. Well, it wouldn't bother me if a few hundred of the people around us were to die, but... what about you?"
Harumi stewed in the silence as the sound of the people around her seemed to suddenly deafen her ears. Across the street were a gaggle of kindergarteners being guided by two teachers. Nearby was a small family of a little boy with his parents. And of course, around them were Takashi's former co-workers along with regulars he had known.
"You... What on earth are you trying to-?!" Harumi's growl was suddenly stopped by Satoshi placing a finger against her neck.
"There." Satoshi smiled in accomplishment. "I didn't show myself before you so that we could fight. I thought we might talk things out peacefully, strike a deal."
A stray spark sprang between Harumi's hair strands as she frowned heavily. "After causing Takashi's death, you expect me to go along with that?!"
"Right now, you don't know me beyond rumors, my name and the bits my little brother told you. Not even my goals considering how you haven't leapt across the table to either slap me or wring my neck." Satoshi continued coldly as he studied her expression. "You're no more than a stranger, burning with hostility for me as you get caught up in the flow of events. I really think that you should listen to what I say."
Harumi glared further before sighing and slouching into her seat. With a small grumble, she reached to pour some more milk into her tea.
"Oh, you're going for more milk?" Satoshi mulled as he accepted a freshly ordered cup of coffee.
"What about it?" Harumi growled. There was no way she would stay quiet if he was insinuating what he was insinuating.
"To be so quick in putting in milk in Black Tea." Satoshi chided as he took a long sip from his cup. "You bother me in an entirely new way now."
"As a tea lover, I make a point of not stating my displeasure to those of other preferences. Everyone has a right to drink what they enjoy and enjoy what they drink, after all." Harumi took a long sip of her own cup. "Don't you dare tell me otherwise, Shigaraki."
"Well, I'm more of a coffee person myself by far, so it makes no difference to me." Satoshi took another swig, uncaring as the shadows underneath him twitched continuously. "Coffee awakens the mind and spirit. I even drink 10 cups a day."
"Wow." Harumi took another swig of her tea, small electrical sparks running down her fingers. "I'm impressed that you can pour such unrefined mud water into your stomach 10 times a day."
"It's better than milk in tea, I think."
"You think? Then you don't know anything. Adding milk is the perfect way to drink Black Tea."
"Hah? I drink Black Tea as well but Iced and with lemon."
"Iced? With lemon? You're kidding. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Lemon destroys the flavors of Black Tea. Your tongue's definitely as fucked up as your heart is now."
"I'm shocked. To think that Takashi's little girlfriend, with her complete lack of taste buds, would insult my taste buds so casually."
"Do you hate me personally? Do you want to pick a fight? I don't mind. I know for a fact that Takashi would be in full support of me grabbing that tongue and electrifying it to charred bits."
The air around the two had become charged by now, scaring off several people with active self preservation instincts as it rumbled with the two's Killing Intent. Satoshi chuckled as Harumi apparently had a far more vivid Killing Intent than his kind little brother.
"Alright then, I have two important questions to ask." Satoshi smirked as as Harumi still glared at him while emptying her cup into her mouth. "First off, are you pregnant with Takashi's child?"
In hindsight, he should've expected the spray of tea all over his face as Harumi spat out all of her mouth's contents in shock.
"W-W-What the hell?!" Harumi wiped her face clean, uncaring for the soaked visage of Satoshi. "I'm not pregnant, you jerk! Plus, if I was, there's no way I'd tell you."
"If you lied to me, I would know." Satoshi calmly wiped himself clean, waving an empty hand over tea stains and actually vanishing the liquids altogether. "Still, what a shame. Considering that I don't plan on having any kids of my own anytime soon, it would've been nice to have some more blood relatives, regardless of whether Takashi lived or not."
Harumi blinked as the sociopath before her actually had a brief look of genuine sadness on his face before it swiftly disappeared.
"Well then, for the second bit." Satoshi raised his hand, revealing a small hole on his palm now. "I would like my brother's Meta Ability back. If I can't have a physical reminder, I'd at least prefer-"
*WHAM!*
Harumi slammed a clenched fist onto the wooden table, nearly breaking it apart from the force she used. "Shut your mouth, Satoshi Shigaraki. You can't have {One for All}."
"{One for All}?" Satoshi chirped lightly. "What's with that corny name?"
"It's something that Takashi used to mention from time to time." Harumi gingerly picked out wood splinters from her palm. "Takashi told me that you and him used to use that old musketeers' phrase, 'One for All and All for One', which he used to describe your brotherly bond. Hence, I've named his power as so in his remembrance."
"Oh." Satoshi smiled in agreement, then frowned at Harumi's refusal. "Then why-"
"Because I can tell that you're clearly not wanting it for benevolent reasons." Harumi snapped. "If you took {One for All}, what would you do with it? Commit some more crimes with his power?"
Satoshi grimaced before shooting back his own words. "And what about you? Just what will you be using {One for All} for? My brother's Meta Ability deserves more than being kept in the sidelines."
'The Hero deserves that much from the Demon King.' Satoshi thought as he stared down Harumi.
Harumi flinched and then frowned at the question. Ever since Takashi had died, she hadn't been able to hear either his or Daisy's voices. Even if they were silent to her, she still wanted some semblance of their presence in her life. "I... I... I don't know... But, I'm still the one he entrusted it with."
With that, she turned about and left, swiftly leaving the fuming Shigaraki behind. It would be a week before Satoshi finally lost restraint and started to active hunt her down but she was already gone by then.
As unbelievable as it sounded, Harumi actually had a lot of fun travelling the whole of Japan without a set destination, which really helped with her grief over Takashi's death.
Oh, separating from Ichika and the others had been a tearful ordeal, but in the end, it was utterly necessary.
However, there was a complication...
"Urgh..." Harumi groaned as she glared at her opponent, some Chinese looking dude with a short spiky ponytail who had attacked her with a Meta Ability which seemed to allow him to build up kinetic energy by repeating regular motions and store it for later use. Whenever he had built up enough, the guy would then launch into explosive feats of speed and power.
And now he was fighting her in a forest, with lots of ambush spots and trees to bounce off with his Meta Ability.
'Annoying...' Harumi grimaced as the man watched her carefully, the electrical burn on his arm serving as a reminder to not underestimate her despite her near utter lack of fighting skills. 'I feel like I'm looking at a alternate version of {Stockpile}, except that Takashi could call on that power in an instant without needing any momentum but at the risk of breaking his bones if he overused it...'
"Hey, you... Fa Jin or whatever."
The man bristled. "{Fa Jin} is just the name of my superpower which I call out to activate-"
"Whatever. As far I'm concerned with you and whatever motives you're attacking me for, that's your name." Harumi waved an uncaring hand, causing 'Fa Jin' to bristle further. "Hit me again with another of those strikes. That really fast one."
"What?!" Fa Jin actually gawked in shock at the woman before him. He and his partner had discovered the existence of Harumi Kiyama thanks to one of their spies in Satoshi Shigaraki's ranks. Not only had it been boggling to discover that the leader himself had been personally hunting the scientist, it was received with even more shock to discover that Shigaraki had always attempted to take her alive and practically ordered that nobody but him ever approach her.
It was with no surprise that the Resistance had gone on to capture her first. After all, a woman that he chased after so relentlessly, clearly needed to be captur- I mean, rescued into their hands.
Unfortunately, it seemed that Harumi was definitely not coming along willingly, leading them to their current confrontation.
"Fine, then." Fa Jin's legs tensed before he blasted forward to Harumi's front in a near instant. As he swiped his hand downwards, Harumi dodged and landed an electrically charged punch no Fa Jin's shoulder as she did so.
"Just what I thought!" Harumi declared in triumph as Fa Jin was sent flying into a nearby tree. "Whenever you use your Meta Ability, there's at least a 3-second rule in which you can't use it all after it's built up energy is exhausted!'"
"So not only did you figure out my ability at such a quick rate, you also matched my speed as well to successfully land that hit?" Fa Jin replied as he tried to shrug off the shock damage to his shoulder. "I guess the reports didn't lie when you were labelled as a genius."
"Of course, not." Harumi's form crackled with electricity before zapping past Fa Jin, too fast for the man to keep up.
In a desperate move, he swung his arm in prediction of Harumi's path, hoping to blindside the woman.
However, due to her electrically-stimulated nerves, she had easily dodged around the deadly attack to instantly get to his back. While Fa Jin was an accomplished Chinese Kenpo expert, Harumi's innovative use of {Railgun} to amplify her nerves and muscles pushed her physical abilities above Fa Jin's by leagues, especially as the Meta Ability had been absorbed into {One for All}.
With a guttural growl, she smashed an orb of electricity against his back, smashing him into- no, through a mountain wall and into a cave.
However, Fa Jin swiftly recovered and began to keep up while Harumi slowly grew exhausted.
"[10,000 Volt Wolf!]"
Harumi shot forward a thunderbolt which quickly transformed into a sparking wolf to attack Fa Jin with immensely fast and unpredictable movements.
With a roar, Fa Jin punched down a stalactite and threw it at the Volt Wolf, instantly destroying it as it smashed through the electric construct.
Harumi nimbly dodged it, leaping around the cave walls and countering Fa Jin's attacks until they wound up opposite each other. As exhausted as they had both become, they resolved to make their next bout the last.
With a roar, Harumi charged forward with a raised fist just as Fa Jin did the same, having built up a lot of kinetic energy for this clash.
An earsplitting crack echoed through the air as a Fist of Electricity empowered by Accumulation smashed against a Palm of Charged Momentum, creating a ripple of force and electricity that destroyed the cave and brought it down.
"Wow, you're surprisingly loaded." Harumi muttered as she went through the unconscious man's wallet with her spare hand. She'd been tempted to just leave him buried there, but then she was reminded of what Takashi would do if he were present.
So after saving him from the collapsed debris, she also took the time to rob his ass, after all, she had to get money due to her being on the run from Satoshi.
What?
He tried to kidnap her! She may have usually just robbed criminals for money but this guy definitely owed her all of his money for failing at that.
As she stood up, her injured hand throbbed. Harumi grimaced as she raised it up to observe the mangled flesh that was her forearm. Even though combining {One for All} and {Railgun} had helped in triumphing over Fa Jin, the resultant damage from the impact was still an issue. Super Strength didn't come along with Invulnerability after all.
"Ok. Just like last time..." Harumi concentrated and activated {Railgun}, controlling it to stimulate and renew her damaged cells, amplifying her healing rate. Blue electricity burst to life around her injury, crackling as her bones and flesh repaired itself until her hand became good as new.
Harumi blinked as she took out a tape recorder. "Note #27 on {Railgun}: The blood on my injured hand was absorbed back into my flesh as soon as regeneration was completed and despite the fact that I focused my electricity inward, a large amount of it was still visible compared to the last 4 times. If {One for All} is truly passively enhancing my Meta Ability the longer I possess it, it may soon reach a point when my flesh might start transforming into electricity in order to avoid or fix damage."
Harumi cricked her neck as she safely put the recorder away.
"In hindsight, this seemed like a good idea at the time."
If an average person ever said these words while reviewing a mistake they had caused, it usually caused some annoyance or humor at the person's expense.
If there words were ever uttered by Harumi 'I cause enough physics and chemical impossibilities to make civilians scream and scientists weep in despair' Kiyama, every single person who knew her on a personal level... would instantly prioritize the necessity for a 'minimum safe distance'. Takashi Shigaraki (a.k.a. Wild Tiger) and Ichika Midoriya were not excluded from that group.
Do note that she is not related to a future pinkette inventor of U.A..
Anyway, Harumi's most recent problem was actually one that had actually started... one hundred years ago.
Yes. You read that right.
At some point before she had met Takashi, she had created a serum which had put her cells and DNA in a state of biochemical stasis... all for the sake of avoiding wrinkles on her face when she had heard some of her coworkers complaining about them. She really should have realized that she had permanently stopped her body from aging.
"I'm going to become an urban legend at this rate..." Harumi observed her century old face in the mirror, which hadn't changed in the slightest except for her wavy brown hair growing long enough to reach her hips. "Even if Shigaraki might be dead by now, its annoying how I still have to move about to avoid trouble."
A woman who didn't age was very likely to be hunted down, even in an era in which Meta beings weren't being kidnapped and utilized by both the government and malicious groups for their abilities.
Pseudo-Immortality was valuable like that.
Harumi yawned as she stepped out of her RV only to flinch at the harsh brightness of England's sunlight.
She was currently in one of it's cities, here to watch a match-
"A LOVELY MORNING TO YOU, MISS KIYAMA!"
'Ah.' Harumi bemusedly drove her pinky into her ear at the loud English voice as she responded in kind. "Good morning to you as well, Alex."
"INDEED! I-"
"Indoor voice, Alex."
Alex Louis Armstrong halted and coughed into his fist in slight embarrassment. "Right. It's been a while, Miss Kiyama. It is nice to see you well."
"It's only been 4 days, Alex." Harumi held back a chuckle as the young man's blush grew brighter. "Then again, you were busy at the time and we couldn't talk more beyond a quick greeting. Well, we both have time now. What is it?"
Alex cleared his throat. "As you are aware, I am the Heir of the Armstrong Family and will soon be enlisting into the Military. With our time together, I have come to acknowledge you as a beautiful, smart, strong and dependable friend!"
Harumi blinked as Alex swept a leg back, pulled a ticket out of nowhere (She privately wondered how guys always did that) and saluted. "As soon as I become of age, please attend my Inauguration!"
Harumi blinked down on the boy before her. Alex was a heavily muscled youth with sparkly blue eyes, strong facial features and a bald head... with a single golden forelock...?
"Alex, I've been wondering for a bit now but what happened to your hair?"
"I shaved it off!" Alex replied proudly. "My little sister was threatened into being forced to cut her hair, so after I beat them up, I completely shaved myself and promised to keep it shaved until her's returned to it's original length!"
"Oh, that sweet." Harumi cooed. 'Considering how I'm sure that Alex wouldn't do a half-assed job, his Ahoge must be truly indestructible like a true Japanese's...' "Now, regarding your proposal, I'm afraid that I'll have to refuse."
"EEEEEHH?!" Alex was floored, instantly falling to his hands and spare knee.
"You know me, Alex. While I will congratulate you, events like those don't really reach out to me." Harumi gently patted his smooth head. "Please ask someone else."
"Very well!" Alex shot up in determination. "I see then! Thank you for your support, Miss Kiyama! I swear by the Pride of my Family and Ancestors which has been passed down and honed for genera-!"
"That's enough out of you!"
Harumi blinked as a woman appeared out of nowhere to dropkick Alex into the nearby lake.
"How about you cool down, my foolish little brother!" The woman growled as she straightened up. She was a beautiful pale-skinned woman who bore waist-length blond hair that was noticeably curled at the ends despite being otherwise relatively straight with parts of her hair covering her right eye, blue eyes with long eyelashes and pretty full and defined lips.
"My apologies for him. He has a good heart but often misplaces his brain." The woman turned to Harumi and appraised her carefully. "I am the First Daughter of the Armstrong Family, Olivier Mira Armstrong."
"A-A-Aneue!" Alex sputtered as he climbed out of the lake, gratefully accepting a thrown towel from Harumi. "W-W-What brings you here?"
"A...A...Aneu...?" Olivier's face scrunched as she tried to pronounce what she had just been called. "Is that some kind of insult?!"
"N-N-NO!" Alex panickily shook his head. "It's a Japanese term of respect and endearment!"
"Indeed." Harumi calmly waved her anger down as she stepped between them. "Alex here just wanted to learn how to say 'Big Sister' in a honorable yet relaxed Japanese translation."
"I see." Olivier hummed as she looked Harumi over. Despite her casual appearance, Olivier's instincts still recognized a formidable warrior in the woman before her. "And you are?"
"I am Harumi Kiyama." Harumi made a point of crossing her arms, facing the woman before her. "A scientist for fun. I'm also a teacher."
Olivier smirked at Harumi's upfront attitude before pulling her sword, scabbard and all, to stab it before her, displaying a clear air of nobility and command in her slender yet muscular build. "Once again, I am Major Olivier Mira Armstrong of the British Army. The woman who will become the Chief of the General Staff!"
Harumi blinked as a sense of awe slammed through her. It was like a frosty chill enveloped her body as the World seemed to shiver and for a brief moment, Harumi stood before an uncrackable Throne of Ice.
(KingVessel: Like I mentioned in the AO3 tags, Conqueror's Haki is a thing here. Just not as... known as it is in One Piece. Also, it's just Conqueror's Haki, no other type.)
Harumi shook her head as she resisted the urge to stumble. There was that weird sensation again. She called it the Ruler's Disposition as she had only felt it from the Shigaraki Brothers. Those who had the 'Qualities to stand above others'.
"Such an ambitious fellow..." Harumi's smile widened, surprising both Armstrong siblings. "I've only known two like you in my life."
Alex silently marveled at Harumi's words. Whenever Olivier had displayed that strange energy, anybody who didn't match her in stubbornness either fainted away or became paralyzed. Needless to say, there wasn't a single Armstrong in existence who fell to Olivier's Will.
Harumi however... smiled. "You're gonna go far, Miss Armstrong."
Olivier blinked before smiling back. "You have my thanks."
"Such a strong willed woman!" Alex praised. To think that the woman he had fallen for had such a strong Will, especially as she had apparently known two others like his sister and was able to resist excessive stubbornness which could transcend and affect reality.
While Olivier growled at Alex's inability to control himself, Harumi simply chuckled some more.
'This is nice...' Harumi stared up to the peaceful sky. Despite everything that had happened, she had finally felt some peace again since Takashi's death. 'Nothing could ruin this day.'
Then a shiver went down her spine. Harumi usually wasn't a superstitious person, but she had just challenged the Universe and on a deep intuitive level, she suddenly sensed the Universe accept with a sadistic smirk.
Harumi could almost feel a ripple of causality sweep through the area, bringing subtle yet devastating consequences with it and knew that her hubris was about to meet her nemesis.
'This is usually when one of my experiments would blow up.'
Then something exploded a few miles away on a bridge in sight.
"Those maids called you Catherine, right?" Shigaraki hummed as he drove down the road with the six-year-old hostage beside him.
He'd been fortunate to find the girl just as she was heading for school. With her, he would draw her family, which included Alex Louis Armstrong. And along with Alex would come Harumi who had befriended the boisterous young man.
"You are addressing Catherine Ella Armstrong, good sir!" Catherine cutely huffed. "I'm implore that you pull over and release at once, otherwise my family shall resort to drastic measures!"
Shigaraki smiled down on her. "I'm counting on it."
Catherine's eyes widened before throwing a punch. Thanks to his Meta Ability, he knew for a fact that Alex was the only Armstrong with a Meta Ability. With that in mind, he was surprised when Catherine shrieked in a cute manner and punched him, displaying the strength of a full grown adult despite her small and Meta-less frame.
"You're a strong one, aren't you?" Shigaraki observed as he spared a hand to catch her punch.
"We of the Armstrong Family possess impeccable strength which has been passed down for generations!" Catherine smiled at the tiny flicker of worry that crossed his expression. "And you've just angered everyone of us."
Shigaraki looked down on Catherine's smile and ruined it by smiling back. "I know."
Shigaraki pushed her hand down and kept on driving until he reached a police roadblock. At the sight of his car, all SWAT members instantly aimed their firearms.
One of the officers stepped forward with a megaphone. "Satoshi Shigaraki, right?"
Shigaraki whistled as he crossed his arms on the dashboard. "SWAT, huh? For them to move this fast means that your belief in your family's protectiveness of you is well founded."'
"We're arresting you for the kidnapping of Catherine Ella Armstrong. Surrender immediately."
"What are you going to do?" Catherine questioned. "It looks like it's the end of the line for you."
"The end? It's definitely the end for somebody today." Shigaraki chuckled. "If these guys stay in the Demon King's way, they're gonna regret it for the rest of their very short lives."
"Eh?" Catherine felt a shiver go down her spine. "You think yourself the Devil or something?"
"Your brother was born with a Meta Ability and plans to aid the military with it, right?" Shigaraki smirked. "Let me show you something far more interesting."
The officers flinched as Shigaraki calmly stepped out of the car.
"Put both hands behind your head."
Shigaraki complied.
"Now lie on your front."
As the megaphone officer barked out orders, another with a pair of binoculars checked on the hostage's condition.
"Miss Armstrong is unharmed." She reported. "No visible signs of bombwear either."
"Good. General Armstrong and his wife will calm down a bit with that confirmed." The megaphone officer sighed. "Secure him!"
The officers slowly inched forward, their weapons still trained on Shigaraki, who then proceeded to break into a toothy smile.
One of the approaching officers gasped a bit before his gun was aimed at the one next to him.
*BLAM!*
"Gah?!" The officer fell over as he was shot in the hip. The other officers instantly aimed their guns at the guilty officer in hostile confusion. "What are you doing?!"
"N-No!" The officer shook his head. "I'm not the one in control!"
His words were proven right as several others began to start shooting other officers. As they did so, Shigaraki pointed his palm towards them, causing wind to swirl and compress around it. "To be honest, I could get addicted to this new power I got just last week."
"No way!" The megaphone and binocular officers backed away in shock. "A Meta being?!"
"[Air Cannon.]"
The area in front of Shigaraki, along with the controlled SWAT members, was promptly blown away. The resultant shockwave ripped through the bridge, mimicking an explosion in appearance from afar.
By the time Harumi and Alex arrived at the scene, the entire squad had been soundly crushed. Harumi's eyes narrowed at the sight of the smoking vehicles, the unconscious/dead bodies of the officers and the fainted form of Catherine in a car in the distance.
And in the middle of it all, Shigaraki smiled and spread his arms like he had just finished directing a magnificent orchestra of mayhem.
"He wiped out the entire squad?" Alex muttered in shock before sighting his sister. "Catherine!"
"Relax. She just fainted from the view." Shigaraki spoke as he maintained a stare-off with Harumi. "Hey, Kiyama. How long has it been? 98-100 years?"
"You bastard." Harumi growled as {One for All} and {Railgun} trembled with her rage. "How are you still alive?"
"I met this interesting doctor with a pretty niche power." Shigaraki slowly walked over. "{Life Force} on it's own only doubles one's lifespan. But! Add in a few Boosting powers and you've got yourself {Age Stop}! There, I said my bit. How about you? How are you still alive?"
Harumi frowned. "Lab accident."
"Permanent and accidental bodily modification, huh?" Shigaraki tsked. "Dammit, I can't take that."
"Well, then." Shigaraki snapped his finger, causing the ground beneath Harumi's feet to disappear. However, Harumi managed to put a foot forward, keeping her from falling down the freshly created hole.
"Wow." Harumi stated with an utter lack of surprise in her tone. "You went and got new Meta Abilities."
"Yes, I did." Shigaraki raised a hand, displaying the hole in his palm. "The number of Meta Abilities in me now reach 3,455. Can you deal with that?"
"Of course, we can!"
Shigaraki dodged away as Alex's fist cratered the spot he stood four milliseconds ago. As he dodged away, Shigaraki's eyes widened as he noticed the specs of Alex's Meta Ability. "...that can't be fair."
"You're quite good to be able to dodge my fist." Alex slowly pulled out his fist, displaying a spiked metal gauntlet. Behind him, Olivier gingerly handed over Catherine to a small group of soldiers. "You just asked if we can deal with a terrorist with multiple Meta Abilities, no? Then try defeating me, first! Alex Louis Armstrong!"
"Oh?" Shigaraki tilted his head in some interest. "Well then, don't mind if I do."
"Alex! He can take Meta Abilities by physical contact! Don't let him get a grip on you!" Harumi warned as she backed away.
"I see!" Alex bent down and picked up a large piece of rubble from the ground. "Look upon me and be prepared for a display of the Armstrong Combat Style which has been passed down for generations!"
With a swift toss into the air, Alex punched it, turning it into a projectile that was promptly dodged as it smashed through one of the SWAT vehicle's metal sides.
"That rock was punched hard enough to puncture thick metal..." Shigaraki observed. "If your physiology really was as excellent as Catherine declared, then your Meta Ability added along is completely unfair."
'Hypocrite.' Harumi mentally chastised.
"You want my Meta Ability?!" Alex growled and flexed until his upper wear exploded into confetti, revealing his extremely muscular frame. "Come try it!"
"Did he have to strip?" Harumi asked as some of the soldiers deadpanned at him.
Olivier merely narrowed her eyes in distaste. "Are you surprised? He's clearly a fool."
After her sharp words, Oliver turned about to look for anything she could use against Shigaraki when her gaze landed on the car he and Catherine had used...
Shigaraki growled as {Gold} activated all over his body just as Alex put some space between them, barely flinching as bullets peppered his form. It had been going like this for a while, with every present soldier taking advantage of the small time period in which Alex would be far enough from Shigaraki to suffer friendly fire.
"Ha! Is that the best you can do-?!"
Shigaraki's words were cut off as a car slammed into him, ramming him against the railing. As he pushed against his own car, Olivier kicked off against the windscreen, sending it slamming against his face. She wasn't done because as soon as she did that, Olivier stuck a large piece of rubble against the accelerator and climbed out the still revving car.
"Shoot all explosives we have!" Oliver backflipped off the car, landing in a crouch next to her brother and somehow not losing the coat hanging off her shoulders. "FIRE!"
Three rockets and five grenades were promptly launched and tossed over. The resultant explosion defeaned Harumi as both Shigaraki and his car disappeared in the fiery shockwaves. Then another explosion ripped out as the car's fuel tank was compromised.
"He's down, Ma'am!" One of the soldiers declared in triumph. "There's no way he could walk away from that!"
"Ouch..."
Steps echoed across the suddenly quiet area as Shigaraki walked away from the flames, groaning as the golden metal that was his skin had reddened from the sheer heat he had suffered.
"I'm so glad I never gave {Gold} away." Shigaraki muttered as he cracked his neck.
"[Air Cannon: Slice.]"
Shigaraki swung his arm, creating a blade of wind which would have sliced through Harumi and a soldier had she not pulled him away as she dodged.
"Annoying." Electricity sprung to life in her arm before she shot it at Shigaraki. The attack was rendered useless when a dome of unknown energy surrounded him on impact.
"Like it?" Shigaraki smirked at Harumi's shocked expression. "I specifically got {Insulation Dome} to deal with you."
"Then we stick to physical attacks then." That was the only warning he had before Olivier's sword crashed against his golden clawed hand.
"Rejoice, terrorist!" Olivier snarled as she actually pushed him back a bit despite his strength boosting Meta Abilities. "You shall die to this celebrated sword which has been passed down in my family for generations!"
Olivier roughly dragged her blade against Shigaraki's palm which was still covered in gold. She swung it forward quickly, causing Shigaraki to duck under the sword. He then leapt into the air to avoid the sword and flipped over Olivier.
'He's fast! But I'm faster!' Olivier quickly spun about, swinging her sword rapidly at Shigaraki, who was still in the air. Shigaraki flipped a bit more to avoid the sword and landed on the burnt car's boot.
Olivier ran over and thrust her sword forward, moving swiftly enough to startle Shigaraki and shave off some of his golden hair, which turned back to white immediately upon separation, as he just barely managed to dodge.
Olivier didn't even give a single second to breathe, continuing to thrust at him as Shigaraki was forced to dodge and block at high speed just so that he wouldn't falter. With a roar and a swipe, Shigaraki managed to swipe away Olivier's sword into the air.
"If you think me disarmed just because my sword is not in my grasp," Olivier grabbed Shigaraki's outstretched wrist while her other hand grabbed Shigaraki's feat and she yanked Shigaraki over her shoulder and sent him flying unto the ground. "You are sorely mistaken!"
"Is she rushing at him so fast that he can't even think of what Meta Ability to use?" Harumi whispered.
"I see." Alex nodded along. "That means that his ability is actually at an disadvantage here."
As Shigaraki groaned in a little pain, Olivier stomped on his wrists, pinning him down just as her sword fell back to her hand. In an instant, she would've beheaded him on the spot, only Shigaraki's heel to stomp down and destroy the bridge, sending them all falling.
'This is troublesome.' Harumi electromagnetized herself to the metal supports of the bridge while holding on the still unconscious Catherine with one arm. 'He got pushed to using powers without a second thought about being caught up in them.'
"Kiyama! Get away from here with Catherine!" Olivier ordered as she got up, although she flinched from her broken leg.
"Aneue!" Alex yelled in concern even with his own broken arm. The rest of the soldiers had fallen unconscious from the high fall. "Miss Harumi, please take Catherine away from here!"
"That's not an option. Harumi is my original target after all." Shigaraki warned. "You're better off taking away your sisters yourself."
Harumi narrowed her eyes as she slid down to the ground and gently lowered Catherine next to her siblings. With a snap of her fingers, she rushed forward and created a large amount of electromagnetized iron sand. Solidifying it into a large block, she shot it at him.
Shigaraki's expression didn't change in the slightest as he swiped it away one-handedly, {Hot Hands} blasting away the iron sand construct to nothing. He then pointed a hand at the bridge support behind Harumi, shooting a shockwave which destroyed it and rained rubble onto her.
After dodging that, Harumi swiftly created more iron sand and shot it at him, forming them as razor sharp tendrils this time.
With a raised arm, Shigaraki ripped out two boulders from the earth and blocked them. "Hey, Harumi. Won't you give me {One for All}? If we keep going, you're going to die, you know."
"I refuse." Harumi panted. "How about you stop this?"
"I refuse as well."
For some seconds, she and Shigaraki just stared each other down in silence before the former sighed.
"I'm not persistent enough." Harumi muttered. "Unlike Takashi, I don't have the drive to show you a different path from the one you're walking."
Shigaraki raised an eyebrow at Harumi's words but let her continue.
"I give up. In the years you chased after me and out of respect for Takashi's love for you, I had hoped that you could turn over a new leaf. But I now see how impossible that is. From now on, I'll be doing my best to kill you."
"Oh?" Shigaraki grinned and spread out his arms. "That's good. If you are gonna become half the Hero my foolish little brother was, do your best and defeat ME!"
The last word was punctuated with a scream that blasted everything away from him, knocking away everybody(sans Harumi who magnetized her legs to the ground) and rupturing ear drums.
She promptly had to dodge as Shigaraki manifested floating ice boulders which shot forward to crush her repeatedly. With a grunt, she lashed out a whip of electricity behind her, destroying the recent four which had been shot at once.
"FIRE!" Harumi shot a glance at Olivier as her order unleashed gunfire all over Shigaraki's form.
"He's just protecting himself with that golden ability again, Ma'am!" One of the soldiers reported as the bullets ricocheted off Shigaraki's golden form. He raised an arm, causing wind to swirl around his palm again.
"Take cover!" Alex roared as he hid behind one of the bridge supports with Catherine cradled in his unbroken arm. The others moved to obey but were slowly picked off one by one as he kept firing shockwaves at them.
While he was busy doing that, Harumi slowly crept to Alex's side. "Hey, will you do me one last favor for me, Alex? I honestly considered your sister but in the end, it's best that someone with your heart does this instead."
"Of course!" Alex replied boisterously despite his confusion at the fact that his super capable sister was passed over for him. "Whatever I and my incredible muscles can do to help in this situation, I swear to accomplish it!"
Harumi burst into a smile as she pulled off a strand from her long hair. "Eat this."
"...eh?"
Shigaraki dodged another sword slash from fucking Olivier again, because apparently a broken leg wasn't enough to stop a determined Armstrong from trying to defeat their enemy. He half suspected that Alex would be joining her if not for the fact that he had sighted him carrying Catherine away.
It was only the passive activation of {Insulation Dome} against a lightning bolt that alerted Shigaraki had joined the battle again.
"Sorry for my disappearance." Harumi muttered as she stepped up to him before turning to Olivier with a warning. "Get back. You'll get caught up with that injury."
"Just who the hell do you think you're addressing?" Olivier growled, hiding a flinch as her injured leg throbbed. "Compared to a civilian who got dragged into this, I won't shame my family and rank by running away!"
"Dragged into this?" A spear of ice was launched towards Harumi who dodged before reciprocating with a lightning bolt. "I've been involved from the start!"
A lightning bolt was thrown again, this time being sustained as it crashed against {Insulation Dome} ineffectively.
"That's the same insulating forcefield he's been using against you..." Olivier snarled as she strained to watch the battle in action. "If you doesn't change your methods, you're going to-?!"
"Charge."
The lightning stream intensified, growing in size to reach Shigaraki's size in it width as he was actually pushed back from the {One for All} boosted attack. Plus, the heat generated from the amplified lightning bolt was so intense it had rendered {Gold} useless as he looked like he was about to melt.
In three seconds, {Insulation Dome} cancelled, causing Shigaraki to be launched three miles away from the impact.
After rolling about a bit, Shigaraki stabbed his arm into the ground to stop himself. After dusting what was left of his burnt clothes, he promptly charged back at Harumi. "You're really trying to kill me! That's great, Kiyama!"
Several ice boulders, much larger than before, launched at Harumi before all being destroyed by several whips of iron sand.
"This is frustrating." Olivier gritted her teeth as she watched two supposed humans go at each other with their Meta Abilities. "Rather than humans, I feel like I'm watching Monsters trying to kill each other. Not even Alex could get between them without..."
"Aneue!" Alex caught his sister's attention as he reached her. "Come! We must leave!"
"What?!" Oliver was outraged at her brother's suggestion. Even if she was physically unable to interfere, she could at least witness-
"Miss Harumi... intends to die here..." Alex's somber words killed her protests as he turned towards the battle. "She swore to me... that no matter what, she would put her all into killing Shigaraki."
"...even at the cost of her own life?"
"Especially at the cost of her own life."
Harumi charged forward with a sword of iron sand while Shigaraki reciprocated with his golden hands forming claws. After clashing again, the two kept at it with the latter managing put Harumi mostly on the defensive. After a heavy swipe caused her to put a lot of distance, Shigaraki manifested five ice spears to fire at her. With a swift electromagnetization of her legs and the ground, Harumi repelled herself far into the air as the spears crashed down where she'd been standing.
Unfortunately, a large ice pillar blocked her as she flew backwards, causing her to smack her back into it hard enough to tilt it over. Shigaraki wasted no time rushing up the falling ice pillar to attack but Harumi slammed her hand onto the ice pillar and unloaded a blast of electricity into it, rapidly heating it up and destroying it.
As Shigaraki fell, Harumi roared as she fell onto him, slashing her iron sand chainsword against his golden forearm, with {One for All} amplifying her strength enough to crack the ground beneath them.
As Shigaraki pushed Harumi off, she swiftly twisted and kicked at him, denting in his abdomen and sending him flying.
Immediately creating another ice pillar to stop himself, Shigaraki shot more ice spears at Harumi who kept dodging until she reached him. Shigaraki had to dodge immediately as Harumi's punch promptly broke the ice pillar in pieces.
"You mangled your arm." Shigaraki stated as Harumi gave a noncaring glance to her wrecked limb. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"
"Aren't you supposed to be the smart one between you and your brother? Of course, I'm serious." Harumi stomped her leg onto the ground, creating a surge of iron sand that rushed towards Shigaraki while slicing up all obstacles in it's path. As she did that, she also saturated the iron sand with electricity, pushing it's destructive potential to the limits.
Shigaraki responded by cupping his hands to his side and compressing wind into the space between them as {Hot Hands} and {Air Cannon} combined for a spectacular move he'd gotten from an anime he had watched.
"[Ka... Me... Ha... Me... HAAA!]"
Shigaraki thrust his arms forward, releasing a gigantic beam of heat energy which clashed heavily against Harumi's attack and unleashed a massive explosion.
Amidst the explosion, two figures shot at each other, roaring as they swiftly closed the distance with Harumi wielding an iron sand sword and Shigaraki putting forth his golden clawed hand.
A horrible squelching sound rang out as Shigaraki's hand pierced through Harumi's chest, embedding itself deep enough to for his forearm to completely exit through her bloody back.
"So this is how it ends..." Shigaraki muttered before Harumi coughed up blood onto his face, blinding his eyes. As he moved to clean it, she took advantage of his distraction to pull out a small pure metal ball.
'Hey... Did you know why...' Harumi coughed slowly as she aimed it while forming parallel electric currents on both sides of her arm and utilizing Lorentz force. 'I named my ability {Railgun} of all things?'
It was only Shigaraki's instincts that saved him from losing his head as he roughly moved his arm, causing Harumi's improvised railgun to obliterate a hole in his shoulder rather than his head.
As Shigaraki roared in pain and stumbled, Harumi pushed herself further to fully hug his body. After restraining him, an enormous amount of electricity began to swell up from within her, creating a twister of lightning with her at the center as Harumi pushed all of her {One for All} into it.
"Now then, let's go." Harumi muttered as Shigaraki struggled against her. "Maybe we'll see Takashi again..."
At those words, Shigaraki actually slowed his struggling before stopping...
Then the Twister of Lightning transformed, briefly resembling a World Tree connecting to All before it promptly detonated.
*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!*
Fifty meter diameter of everything promptly disappeared as Harumi and Shigaraki's surroundings were engulfed by a colossal pillar of endless electricity. It truly looked like it was an action performed by gods rather than humans.
Olivier didn't flinch as her siblings and the soldiers winced and looked away from the explosion of lightning. With a frosty glare, she turned to Alex. "As soon as we get the time, you will tell me all of her last words, Alex."
Shigaraki snapped awake as he heard the delighted squeal of Kyudai Garaki reached his ears, sitting up immediately as his bandaged injuries throbbed.
"Damn! My head hurts!" Shigaraki growled, the air around him darkening as his Killing Intent grew along with his rage. "How hard can it be to die?! I can't believe I actually survived that! Doctor! What is the status of Harumi Kiyama?!"
Doctor Garaki snapped to attention at once. "Deceased, Master! I have her body in storage, ready for-"
"Bury her next to my brother." Shigaraki slid off the bed and wrapped a nearby coat over his bandaged form.
"Eh?"
"Did I stutter?" Shigaraki glared at the short man. "Bury her so that my brother and his lover are together in death!"
"Y-Yes, Master!"
"Also, declare to all of my subordinates that I have changed my name. In fact, prepare a video conference immediately." Shigaraki ordered further. 'With Harumi Kiyama dead, there's no longer a living person who remembers me as I used to be.'
"{One for All}? What's with that corny name?"
"It's something that Takashi used to mention from time to time. Takashi told me that you and him used to use that old musketeers' phrase, 'One for All and All for One', which he used to describe your brotherly bond. Hence, I've named his power as so."
"From now on, my name is All for One!" Shiga-, no, All for One declared to the video screens that showed his supporters and subordinates. "I shall be addressed as such from now on! If you have any objections, voice them now!"
The Doctor made a point of bowing forward. "We have heard your noble name. We devote absolute loyalty to our venerable leader. HAIL ALL FOR ONE!"
"HAIL ALL FOR ONE!"
"HAIL ALL FOR ONE!"
"HAIL ALL FOR ONE!"
"HAIL ALL FOR ONE!"
"We give ourselves completely to the Supreme One Above All!"
"To the Demon King!"
"First, your homeland, Japan. Then, the world! Everyone will know of your greatness."
"Glory to the Master!" The Doctor finished. "We shall assist you as you transcend into a Living Legend across the lands, seas and skies!"
All for One coldly looked on as the cheers rose. 'Well, I've now essentially declared an intent to take over the world... Sounds enjoyable.'
The Pivotal Scientist
KingVessel: Done, please review. Please, please review. Feedback is necessary!