As I said in the chapter 1 update, this fic now takes place between the Pro Hero Arc and the Joint Training Arc. It shouldn't really change anything in the first chapter, just imagine Small Might in the place of Buff Might.
Before someone asks: Yes, I'll be adapting the whole game, I don't know how many chapters it will last but expect at least more 2 or 3 (maybe more, depends on how much I'm willing to cut out).
Enjoy it!
"Context: This takes place in a quirkless alternative universe." Guardian said.
"That's it?" Jiro asks.
"There are two kinds of universes you might see here. One is called 'Alternative Universe', where laws of physics are not necessarily the same as in your world and basic concepts of society are different. The other one is called 'Diverging Timeline', universes very close to yours but something made the timeline diverge. Alternative Universes tend to explain themselves while Diverging Timelines are close to your own world."
"When you said 'context' we expected a little more than a single line." Midnight said
"More context is not needed. Everything you need to know will be explained." Guardian answers as the universe starts to play.
"In the Age of Ancients, the world was unformed, shrouded by fog. A land of gray crags, Archtrees and Everlasting Dragons." A woman's voice said, showing a dark world with giant trees and dragons made of stone.
"Those are some big ass trees." Sero said.
"And those dragons look a little scary." Uraraka adds.
"But then there was fire, and with fire came disparity. Heat and cold, life and death, and of course, light and dark." The image changed to an underground cave burning with fire "Then from the dark, they came, and found the Souls of Lords within the flame." The woman continued to narrate, now showing people rising from the ground and walking towards the fire.
"Are those humans?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"I think so, but they look more like zombies." Jiro answers.
"Nito, the first of the dead." A giant skeleton made of smaller skeletons appears holding a small fragment of the flame.
"HOLY HELL!" Present Mic exclaims.
"Spooky!" Kaminari tries to sound scary.
"The Witch of Izalith, and her Daughters of Chaos." A woman with burned hands holds another fragment of the flame, surrounded by other figures dressed in similar clothes.
"At least this one looks human." Ashido said.
"Her hands are burned, she shouldn't hold fire if she doesn't have resistance." Todoroki frowns at the woman on screen.
"Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight, and his faithful knights." A man with long hair and beard dressed as a king is shown in front of a larger flame, behind him are countless knights dressed in silver armor.
"This one looks strong." Bakugo smirks.
"Looks like a kind of general." Nezu looks at the soldiers and wonders how powerful they are.
"And the furtive pygmy, so easily forgotten." One of the human-like beings from the start is shown, with a small and weak flame in his hands.
"Something tells me that this is the most important one." Hagakure said.
"He looks like a weakling." Bakugo chuckles.
"Looks can deceive, young Bakugo." All Might smiles at the explosive teenager.
"With the Strength of Lords, they challenged the Dragons. Gwyn's mighty bolts peeled apart their stone scales." Gwyn and his knights are shown, raining lightning bolts on the dragons and destroying their armor-like scales.
"I wish I could do that without support items." Kaminari said.
"Your quirk is already very cool and powerful, Kaminari-Kun! Even if you can't shoot lightning bolts." Izuku smiles at his classmate.
"Thanks, man!"
"The Witches weaved great firestorms." The witches are shown in front of a burning inferno of lava and fire.
"They are burning the trees, maybe that's where the dragons live?" Nezu thinks aloud.
"Nito unleashed a miasma of death and disease." The giant skeleton raises his arms, the nature around him quickly dying.
"So his power is the literal power of death, that's scary." Midnight imagines a villain with that power and shudders.
"And Seath the Scaleless betrayed his own, and the Dragons were no more." A deformed white dragon with tentacles in place of his legs and no scales is shown on top of a pile of dead dragons.
"Betraying his own kind, why would someone do such a thing?" Iida asks, shocked that someone would plot with his enemies to exterminate his own species.
"Maybe they offered him something in return or he just joined the winning side." Aizawa studies the deformed dragon. "or maybe he was hated because of his appearance."
"Thus began the Age of Fire. But soon, the flames will fade, and only Dark will remain." a glorious city with a giant castle at its center is shown. "Even now, there are only embers, and man sees not light, but only endless nights. And amongst the living are seen, carriers of the accursed Darksign." A woman is shown keeling over a corpse in a graveyard, touching his face as a circle of fire appears, before the screen fades to black.
"That was one hell of an intro, but didn't that lady at the end look like someone?" Sero said, enjoying the experience so far.
"She looked a lot like Uraraka-san." Izuku said while writing down important information in his notebook.
"She did have my haircut, but we didn't see her face." Uraraka wonders if that was really her.
"Yes, indeed." A long corridor is shown as creatures with empty eyes walk around aimless "The Darksign brands the undead. And in this land, the Undead are corralled and led to the north where they are locked away, to await the end of the world...this is your fate." A person with green hair and leather armor is shown sitting in a cell at the end of the corridor.
"MIDORIYA?" Part of the audience yells, surprised to see the resident cinnamon roll locked in a prison cell.
"Never thought you would end up in jail, but I would totally understand if Bakugo was the one imprisoned." Kaminari jokes.
"I'M VERY CLOSE TO COMMITTING A CRIME RIGHT NOW, BOOTLEG PIKACHU!"
"I'm sure that he didn't commit any crime! The lady narrating said that the undead are sent to be locked away, I assume that he is one." Iida worries about his friend's alternate self.
Izuku was confused. "Undead? I'm a zombie?" He thought.
Suddenly, a body falls in the cell. A knight is shown observing Izuku through a hole on the ceiling before going away. Izuku examines the corpse and finds a key, he tries it on the cell door and it unlocks. "Well, aren't I lucky?"
"I wonder if the knight was one of us." All Might smiles, happy that someone saved his apprentice.
UNDEAD ASYLUM
Izuku walks out of his cell, going through the corridor and looking at the many creatures around him. "One or two more days and I would've joined them, just a mindless hollow."
"What does he mean by 'I would've joined them'?" Iida asks.
"Maybe people in this world become those...things... instead of dying?" Uraraka answers.
Izuku climbs some ladders and finds himself in a courtyard with an unlit bonfire and a giant pair of doors, he lights the bonfire at the center with a movement of his hand and opens the doors. Behind them there's a large room, with another set of doors at the other side. He moves towards them, but a giant monster drops from the ceiling, blocking his path.
"He's unarmed, how is he going to fight that thing?" Kirishima wonders how someone can fight that without a quirk.
"He won't, it would be suicide." Aizawa frowns.
Izuku runs around the creature, dodging his attacks and desperately looking for an escape route, he finds an open door and runs in, the door locking behind him. "That was too close, I need to find a weapon." He moves to the next area.
"Told you." Aizawa said, relieved that his student didn't try to fight the beast.
He finds a sword and a shield on his way. An archer starts shooting him from afar, but he easily deflects the arrows with his shield. The enemy notices and tries to run away, but Izuku catches up and decapitates his opponent with a single move, a kind of white energy enters his body.
"Damn." Sero sweats "He's merciless."
"Who would ever guess that Midoriya of all people would decapitate someone without hesitation." Ashido jokes.
"I wouldn't!" The boy shrieks.
"What was that white thing entering his body?" Hagakure asked.
"Maybe he's absorbing the souls of his enemies." Todoroki deadpans.
Izuku moves to the next area, now over the courtyard. He looks through a prison door blocked by rubble and sees the knight that saved him, fallen on some rocks. As he tries to find a way around, a giant rock runs down the stairs in his direction, Izuku barely dodges as the rock breaks the wall behind him.
"The Deus Ex Rock." Mineta said, unimpressed.
Izuku enters the now open room, finding his savior barely alive.
"Oh...you...You're not hollow, eh?" The knight asks.
"No, I'm not."
"Thank goodness...I'm done for, I'm afraid...I'll die soon, then lose my sanity...I wish to ask something of you...You and I, we're both Undead... Hear me out, will you?"
"Of course."
"Good...Regrettably, I have failed in my mission...But perhaps you can keep the torch lit...…There is an old saying in my family...Thou who art Undead, art chosen…In thine exodus from the Undead Asylum, maketh pilgrimage to the land of Ancient Lords…When thou ringeth the Bell of Awakening, the fate of the Undead thou shalt know...Well, now you know… And I can die with hope in my heart…Oh, one more thing…Here, take this." The knight lifts his hand, offering a bottle with an orange liquid and a key. "…An Estus Flask, an Undead favourite...And the key to liberty...Take my sword and shield too...They are blessed...They will serve you well in your journey …Now I must bid farewell…I would hate to harm you after death…So, go now…And thank you…" The knight goes silent, as his chest stops moving.
"Saving someone at the cost of his own life, that man is a true hero." All Might smiles at the knight who freed his successor.
"So, both Midoriya and the knight are Undead but so are the enemies he faced on the way. From what the knight said, Undead become things called 'hollow' when they die." Aizawa wonders how much of the person remains when they turn hollow, since the one Midoriya fought before was agile enough to use a bow.
"Becoming a mindless beast...what a mad banquet of darkness." Tokoyami thinks about when Dark Shadow went berserk in the training camp.
Izuku stores the objects in his bag and approaches the body, he exchanges his weapons for the knight's superior equipment and removes his helmet, revealing short blue hair. He pays his respects and moves forward.
"Iida-kun…" Izuku said, disturbed by seeing his friend dead.
"Midoriya-kun, do not worry! I'm alive and well, don't forget that what we're seeing is not our reality." Iida tries to calm his friend down, ignoring the uneasy feeling of seeing his own death.
"So that answers the unspoken question: We do exist in those alternative dimensions." Todoroki wonders if he will appear.
Izuku goes up the stairs, unlocks a door and kills a few hollows. After cleaning the area he stands before a fog wall and knowing what's waiting for him, he puts the shield on his back and grips the sword with both his hands. He runs and jumps, falling on the giant monster from before and stabbing his sword deep on its head.
The public is wide eyed at the action, watching the shy and gentle boy hold the creature's horn with one hand and stab it repeatedly with the other.
"So...so...SO MANLY!" Kirishima shouts, imitating the stab movement.
"Reckless and dangerous, but I can't imagine the problem child fighting in another way." Aizawa said unimpressed.
Inko is panicking as Izuku tries to calm her down.
"What was that fog wall?" Sato asks. No one knows the answer.
After a few stabs, the monster manages to throw Izuku away, his body breaking through a few pillars.
"NO!" The audience yells as the boy's mangled body hits the wall on the other side of the arena.
"C'mon Deku, you're stronger than this!" Bakugo frowns in worry, not that he would admit.
"Young Midoriya...no…" All Might stares at the screen with his mouth open.
Inko panics even more.
Izuku quickly takes the flask that Iida gave him and takes a big swing, his body heals immediately, bones snap in place, bruises fade and cuts close. "Good thing he had an Estus, dying here would suck." The young man gets up and prepares to fight once again, his enemy even more enraged than before.
"So the flask was a type of magical medicine, how many times can it be used? How much can it heal?" Izuku starts to mutter while writing in his notebook. Inko is relieved to know that her son has such a powerful thing with him.
"He has a pocket Recovery Girl, that's very convenient." Sero said.
"Actually, I believe that it works better than Recovery Girl's quirk, her quirk needs the patient's stamina to work. But this Estus that Midoriya-kun used apparently heals mortal injuries instantly without any side effects, a powerful item indeed." Nezu analyzes the mysterious potion.
The creature is now blind, its eyes destroyed by Izuku's previous attack. It runs in his direction swinging its weapon bindly, Izuku manages to dodge and cuts the monster's stomach open, making it roar in pain. The young warrior jumps and thrusts with all his strength, stabbing his sword deeply on its neck and finally killing his enemy as the same white energy from when he killed the earlier hollows enters his body.
"That...was...so...manly…" Kirishima cries as the rest of the public cheers.
"I think that he is actually absorbing the souls of his enemies." Hagakure said.
"Finally, freedom." Izuku thinks to himself, unlocking the giant doors with his key and pushing them open. He walks through a small pathway and climbs the small hill behind the asylum. "Now, how do I get out of here?" Just as he ends his phrase, a giant crow comes and catches him in its claws, flying away. Izuku screams as the screen fades out.
"Tokoyami, what the hell?" Kaminari asks the crow boy.
"Nice joke, very original." He answers annoyed.
The crow drops Izuku near a bonfire and flies away, landing on a ruined building in the distance.
FIRELINK SHRINE
"Well, what do we have here? You must be new, welcome to Firelink." Says a man with purple hair sitting closeby.
"Shinso-kun?" Izuku looks at the silent general course student.
"Why me?" The boy said, confused.
"Who are you?" The young warrior asks the mysterious man.
"The name is Hitoshi, but that doesn't matter. Let me guess, fate of the Undead? Bells of Awakening?"
"That's right, can you tell me how to find it?"
"Heh...sure. There are actually two Bells of Awakening. One's up above, in the Undead Church, but the lift is broken. You'll have to climb the stairs up the ruins and access the Undead Burg through the waterway. The other bell is back down below the Undead Burg, within the plague-infested Blighttown. Ring them both and something happens, sounds easy, no?"
"Thank you for the help. By the way, my name is Izuku."
"Heh...thank me if you survive. You will go hollow before you realize." Hitoshi gives a dry chuckle.
"So bright and positive." Jiro said sarcastically.
"It's not pessimism, it's realism, I don't think you noticed how shitty that world looks." Shinso answers, sympathizing with his counterpart.
"Where do those stairs go?" Izuku asks as he notices a stairway going down the shrine.
"The stairs? That's where the Firekeeper is, I wouldn't bother trying to talk to her. A sad picture, really. She's mute and bound to this god forsaken place. They probably cut her tongue out back in her village, so that she'd never say any god's name in vain. There's another stairway there too, they go down to the ruins of New Londo. You should try going there, maybe you can find something worth the attention? Unless the ghosts find you first..." Hitoshi said dryly.
"Firekeeper?" Uraraka asks, confused.
"Maybe she keeps the bonfire working? They look important for some reason." Midoriya theorizes.
"Cutting a person's tongue out just for saying a god's name in vain, ribbit. How fanatic can people be?" Tsuyu said.
Izuku goes down the stairs and finds a small cell with a familiar brown haired girl sitting inside it.
"So the girl in the intro really was Uraraka." Sero said.
Uraraka was looking at her counterpart, who looked so different but so similar to her. The Ochako on the screen had the same appearance as her, but her eyes were empty and her body dirty.
"Hello, I'm Izuku." The young man smiles. The girl looks at him, points to her mouth and makes an 'X' with her fingers.
"I know you're mute, the guy by the bonfire told me, I just wanted to introduce myself. I will be going now, but I will come back, okay?" He says goodbye and goes back to the upper level. The girl looks at the boy as he leaves, a blush on her face.
"Even in another universe, you still like him." Aoyama smiles.
"IT'S LOVE!" Ashido yells.
Uraraka hides her face in her hands while Izuku blushes. Inko just smiles and thinks about her future grandchildren.
Izuku goes up through the waterway, killing some hollows and a giant rat on his path. A red dragon lands in front of him as he climbs a staircase, before flying away.
"A DRAGON?" The audience yells.
"He will not fight that, will he?" Shoji asks.
"No fucking way." Bakugo laughs.
"I hope I don't see it again." Izuku says as he looks in the direction that the dragon flew to.
UNDEAD BURG
Izuku moves through the Burg, lighting a bonfire on his way and fighting some enemies. As he explores, he finds a hollow sitting in a house. Seeing that he is inoffensive, he decides to leave it alone. "Not gonna say hello? Rude brat!" Izuku turns around, the hollow looking him in the eyes.
"IT TALKS?" Some of the audience yelled.
"Isn't he a hollow? The same as the mindless things that attacked Midoriya?" Todoroki asked.
"Maybe looking like a zombie is not what being a hollow means?" Kirishima tries to answer.
"Sorry, I thought you were a hollow." Izuku apologizes.
"Me? Hollow? Of course not! I got sweet, sweet Yulia with me. No way I would go hollow with her by my side!" The hollow (?) said as he hugs his katana.
"Okay, he's crazy." Jiro said.
"Maybe believing that his sword is a person keeps him from going hollow." All Might pities the poor man.
"I'm a merchant, I trade for souls. Wanna buy something?" The merchant asks with a smile. At least that's what Izuku thinks that the man is trying to do.
"Souls?" Izuku frowns in confusion.
"Yes! Souls! Those weird little things that go into you after you kill something."
"Absorbing the souls of his fallen enemies and using it as currency...what a mad banquet of darkness." Tokoyami said.
"He said it again." The rest of the audience thought.
"I will take that bow, some arrows and a few bombs. How do I pay?" Izuku asks as he takes his new items.
"Just extend your hand and think about giving the souls to me!" Both Izuku and the merchant extend their hands, white energy flowing from the warrior into the other man.
"Now he has a long range option, smart." Aizawa wonders if the boy will stop taking unnecessary risks now.
"Anything you can tell me about the area?"
"Things are getting treacherous in these parts. A horrible goat demon has moved in below. And up above, there's that humongous drake, and a bull demon, too.
If you stick around this place, it might end up being your grave!" The merchant laughs.
"Demons? Maybe that's what the monster in the asylum was. It kinda fits." Uraraka said.
Izuku thanks the merchant and goes on his way. "At least those enemies are very weak" he thought as he cut a hollow down. He hears heavy steps, turns around and sees a massive knight in black armor coming his way, the new enemy is easily over 2 meters tall and his sword is more than half of Izuku's height.
"He had to jinx it." Jiro sighs.
"Don't worry, don't you remember how he killed the giant monster in the prison? That guy will be easy." Kirishima said, hoping for a cool fight.
The knight runs towards Izuku at an impressive speed. He swings his sword and cuts him in half, killing the boy before he even register the attack.
"NO!" the public screams.
"Midoriya…" Aizawa said wide eyed.
"Izuku…" Inko cries as her son hugs her.
"Young Midoriya…" All Might looks at his apprentice, forgetting for a second that it wasn't his Izuku who was killed.
"What the fuck?" Bakugo thinks, unable to form words.
The previous bonfire is shown as Izuku wakes up breathing heavily. He touches the spot where he was bisected, finding a cut on the armor. The screen goes up to his face, showing cadaveric skin and bright red eyes.
"Is he a hollow?" Todoroki asks.
"I...I don't think so, the merchant from before looked like one but was sane, well, mostly. He said that he wouldn't go hollow while he had his sword." Izuku reads his notes about the merchant.
"I see. So when an undead dies he revives at the last bonfire he used, but apparently they come back looking like a hollow." Nezu rationalizes the event.
"So that's the function of the bonfires!" Izuku writes it down.
"This is bad...I need to restore my humanity fast...or else..." Izuku said while looking at his reflection on his blade.
"Guardian, anything you can tell us about this humanity he spoke of?" Nezu asks, curious to know what 'restoring humanity' means.
Guardian's eye starts to blink quickly. "When a human is afflicted with the undead curse, they become immortal. Their bodies perish but they resurrect in the fire of the bonfires linked to the first flame. Humanity is the dark soul which dwells in all humans, when an undead dies, they lose their humanity and start to go hollow as they slowly lose their sanity and drive to live. Cannibalizing the dark soul of another human replaces their lost humanity and reverses hollowing, but undeath is permanent."
"So now he needs to devour the soul of another human being just to keep his sanity. I wouldn't have the drive to do that." All Might said.
"But in the asylum Midoriya-kun said that he would go hollow if he stayed more time, how does that work?" Iida frowns in confusion.
"He would give up his life, losing your motivation is the quickest way of losing your sanity when you have eternal life. He would go hollow without even dying." Guardian explains.
"But...by following this logic then everyone goes hollow eventually." Yaoyorozu said.
"Correct." Guardian says as everyone shudders.
"Okay, not fighting that guy." He once again makes his way through the burg, this time moving stealthily and avoiding the powerful knight. After walking up some stairs he finds a fog wall.
"Is it another boss?" Kaminari asks no one in particular.
"A boss? Like a video game?" Ashido asks him
"Yeah, last time he crossed one was to fight that big monster in the prison, I just came to the conclusion that they all have powerful enemies behind them."
"That...makes a lot of sense."
Izuku enters the fog wall and finds himself at a narrow bridge. He carefully crosses the bridge, but a giant demon with a bull head jumps in front of him, blocking his path.
"I was right!" Kaminari exclaimed.
"The fog wall didn't disappear, this can only mean one thing." Todoroki said.
"He has to fight the demon." Iida concludes.
Izuku comes to the same conclusion, he tries to run to the ladder but the enemy is too fast, catching up to him. The young warrior rolls through his opponent's legs and takes distance, drawing his sword and preparing to fight.
"How is he going to fight there? It's too narrow." Ojiro said.
"I don't wanna see him dying again." Inko whimpers, still recovering from Izuku's last death.
"No one wants." All Might looks at the woman with a comforting smile.
The young man uses his superior agility to dodge the enemy attacks, he goes up close and tries to stab it in the chest, but the demon jumps away. A look of understanding comes across him.
"I see…very smart." Nezu smiles.
"What do you mean, principal?" Midnight asks.
"You will see."
Izuku leans on the bridge's walls, the giant creature swings its axe but the warrior dodges, making his enemy hit the wall instead, destroying it.
"Smart motherfucker." Bakugo smirks.
Dodging through the monster's legs again, Izuku attacks, managing to hit his opponent's back. He goes for a thrust but the enemy turns around and blocks it, Izuke risks another attack and the creature jumps away, going through the destroyed wall and falling off the bridge, after a few seconds the fog wall disappears and souls go into Izuku's body, confirming its death as Izuku's human appearance is restored.
"Wait...did he just trick the demon in killing himself?" Mineta asks.
"Indeed! Such a smart strategy to defeat a stronger opponent." Nezu smiles at the young warrior's intelligence.
"Not that manly but very smart." Kirishima said, remembering what happened last time he hoped for a fight.
"Why is he human again? You said that he needed the soul of another human, are you lying to us?" Bakugo narrows his eyes at the robot.
"Many creatures eat humans, by killing the demon he absorbed the humanity consumed by it." Guardian explains.
Izuku moves to the next area, on his left a large and long bridge, on his right a balcony and in front of him a door, he tries to open it but it's locked. He decides to investigate the balcony and finds a knight sitting on the edge admiring the sun with his helmet by his side , the knight notices his approach and gets up.
"Ah, hello! You don't look Hollow, far from it!" The knight smiles friendly, his blonde hair turning gold from the sunlight.
"Hey, guess I'm an important character in that world." Kaminari smiles.
"I am Denki of Astora, a servant of the Lord of Sunlight. Now that I am Undead, I have come to this great land, the birthplace of Lord Gwyn, to seek my very own sun!" Izuku looks at him with a questioning gaze. "Don't worry! I get that look a lot!" The knight laughs.
"A crazy guy looking for a private sun for himself, yep, that's Kaminari." Jiro said.
"Hey, we don't know a lot about that world! Maybe I really can find a sun for myself!" Kaminari defends his other self.
"So, what brings you to this land?"
"I'm from the Undead Asylum, I've been there for so much time that I can barely remember anything from before, I've been clinging to my name as the only thing keeping my sanity. When I was about to give up, a man saved me. He freed me from my cell but died fighting the demon that guarded the asylum. Before dying, he told me about the undead prophecy and gave me his weapons. I came here to fulfill the prophecy in his place." Izuku thinks about the knight that saved his life.
"So before Iida-kun appeared, Deku-kun was about to give up and become one of those hollows. That 's sad." Uraraka thinks about how horrible the asylum was and wonders how much time Izuku spent there.
"Iida-kun, thank you." Izuku smiles.
"You know that I would do the same in our world." Iida smiles, happy that his alternate self made it in time to save his friend.
"In this case, I have a proposition, if you have a moment." Kaminari puts his helmet on.
"What is it?"
"The way I see it, our fates are interconnected, we met here for a reason. In a land brimming with Hollows, could that really be mere chance? So, what do you say? Why not help one another on this lonely journey?"
"What do you mean?"
"Let's travel together! I'm quite a competent warrior so I can help in your journey. I also have a feeling that travelling with you will help me fulfill my objectives. So, what do you say? Wanna engage in jolly cooperation?" The joyful knight asks, extending his hand.
"Of course! It's a pleasure to meet you, Denki. I'm Izuku." The young warrior smiles as he catches his new companion's hand in a firm grasp.
"Guess we'll be fighting together, Midoriya." Kaminari smiles at the green haired boy.
"I'm looking forward to it, Kaminari-kun!" Midoriya smiles back.
The duo moves through the bridge, using their shields to defend against the few archers. Halfway through and they hear a loud noise, they turn around and see a red dragon flying towards them.
"The dragon is back!" Kirishima said.
"Look!" Kaminari points to a staircase on the side of the bridge, they run and jump down the stairs as the dragon sets the bridge on fire before landing on the building at the other side.
"Thank god." Inko said in relief.
Izuku investigates a doorway in the small room and finds a ladder going down to the bonfire he had used before. He kicks the ladder down and turns to his companion. "We need to get past that dragon, any idea?"
"Actually, I do. But it's dangerous and we can't make mistakes." The camera focuses on Izuku's face, before cutting to them back on the bridge, the duo hiding behind a small wall.
"Remember the plan?" Kaminari asks his companion as the other warrior nods. The knight runs to the middle of the bridge with a small talisman in hand and shoots a lightning spear at the dragon with it, jumping to the other side right after. The dragon flies and lands on the bridge, roaring at the two adventurers.
"Hell yeah! I get lightning bolts!" Kaminari grins at his counterpart's powers.
"Are they going to fight the dragon?" Midnight asks.
"I don't think so." Nezu smiles.
"NOW!" Kaminari shouts as the duo run towards the building at the end of the bridge. The dragon starts to inhale.
"Oh no." Todoroki said "The dragon is going to kill them both."
"C'mon, guys." A worried frown crosses Kirishima's face.
The dragon breathes fire as they enter the building and jump in opposite directions, barely dodging. The dragon starts to run.
"CLOSE IT!" Kaminari shouts as Izuku pulls the lever, closing the gate at the moment the dragon enters, piercing its neck and killing it.
"Still reckless, and I feel that he will get even worse." Aizawa can see the headache coming from afar.
"That was very smart, vertical wooden gates used to have spikes on them, even if the dragon survived it would be trapped, making it easier to slay." Nezu smiles as his theory on their plan was right.
UNDEAD PARISH
Izuku lights the bonfire by the entrance as Kaminari stops to pray at a broken statue in the little garden of the building, after that they go on their way.
"What was that altar? Maybe a religious symbol?" Midoriya writes it down.
As they move towards the next area, they hear heavy steps coming towards them. They turn around and find a knight in black armor dragging a gigantic sword.
"ANOTHER ONE?" The public yells.
"RUN!" Izuku screams as they enter a courtyard with numerous hollows and an armored boar. After noticing the warriors, one of the hollows runs to close the church gates, but Izuku kills it with his new bow as they run to the church.
"Nice shot." Present Mic said.
"Even more reason to avoid close quarter combat." Aizawa frowns "If he is so good with a bow then why use a sword?"
The boar growls and starts running in his direction, Izuku barely dodges as the boar hits the black knight.
"Keep running!" Kaminari shouts to his companion. They manage to get to the other side and close the gate, leaving the black knight to fight the boar and hollows.
"That was intense." Sero said.
Midoriya finds a key on the hollow who tried to close the gate and takes it with him "Maybe it's useful". The duo enter the church and are attacked by a couple of new enemies at the entrance. They are way stronger, faster and more skilled than the average hollow, but are no match for the two warrior's teamwork.
Entering the main room of the church, a knight as big as the earlier one approaches the duo, this one is way slower but is equipped with a intimidating steel mace and a tower shield.
"This one is slow, the superior speed is a good advantage but the knight's armor looks way too strong." Aizawa analyzes the enemy.
The companions circle around their enemy trying to find a weakness, but blue energy bolts start to rain. They look up and see a mage shooting spells at them.
"The knight has a mage friend." Sero said.
"A strong frontline fighter with long distance support, that's a powerful combination." Todoroki frowns in concern.
The Undead duo run back to the entrance as the knight follows them, leaving his support behind.
"Strong but stupid." Bakugo smirks.
The knight alone proves to not be a big threat, Izuku distracts him as Kaminari attacks with lightning spears. After the knight falls, the mage isn't that much of a threat either. Izuku kills it with a single headshot.
Izuku approaches the altar in the middle of the church and finds a woman's body with a knife on her chest, a weak light shining through the wound.
Many in the audience feel sick, never having seen a corpse before. The teachers close their eyes in respect.
"A human sacrifice? What kind of sick religion those people had?" Momo said, pale and wide eyed at the scene.
Almost like the light was calling to him, Izuku puts his hand on the woman's chest, the light vanishes from the wound and materializes as a bright sphere on his hand.
"This...this is a Firekeeper Soul, I wouldn't consume it if I were you." Kaminari said from behind him "But I wouldn't leave it here either, many people would kill to get their hands on one. Maybe we can find a way of helping her, of freeing her."
"Guardian, what is the power of a Firekeeper Soul?" Izuku asks with his notebook in hands.
"Firekeeper Souls contain large quantities of humanity, they are a valuable source of humanity for starving hollows." Guardian answers as Izuku writes it down.
Izuku puts the soul in his bag as they go out of the church by a side entrance, fighting a few hollows and finding a building at the end of a stone path. As they approach, they hear the sound of a hammer hitting metal.
"Must be a blacksmith." Aizawa said.
"I wonder if the smith is also one of us." Kirishima thinks aloud.
"Must be someone big and strong, like Shoji or Sato, maybe All Might?" Sero said.
The duo find an already lit bonfire and a pathway, they ignore the pathway and follow the noise down the stairs, finding a pink haired girl hammering away at a sword.
"HATSUME?" Izuku, Iida and Uraraka yell in unison.
"Imagine the babies I could create with magic!" Hatsume grins.
"It's been a while since I saw another living being, are you two new? I'm Mei, if any of you need smithing, just talk to me." The girl introduces herself and goes back to work on the blade.
"I'm Denki and my friend here is Izuku, we would like to use your services."
"What do you need?" The smith stops hammering and turns to them.
"We need to get our equipment fixed and I need a new armor, if you have any to spare." Izuku says as he gives their weapons to her while Denki takes his armor off.
"It'll take a while. I will call you two when I'm done." Hatsume says as she cleans her workplace.
"You have our gratitude." Denki asks as he gives his armor to the blacksmith.
The warriors pay the smith with souls and leave her to work. They decide to investigate the pathway.
"She's quite the character." Kaminari says as they walk the narrow stone path, stripped down to his gambeson.
"At least it sounded like she knew what she was doing."
"Do you know what we have to do after ringing the bell?"
"I'll drop by Firelink to see the Firekeeper, then we will find a way to get to Blighttown. Maybe Hitoshi can give us a tip."
"Going to see his girlfriend." Ashido teases.
Izuku and Uraraka blush. Inko smiles at her son and future daughter-in-law.
"Who is Hitoshi?"
"It's a guy on Firelink, he's a little pessimist but gives good advice." Izuku answers as they arrive at the building, finding a large closed gate with a knight in an onion shaped armor.
"Hello!" Kaminari smiles friendly at the onion knight, but he doesn't answer.
"Excuse me?" Izuku asks the knight.
"Mm! Oh-hoh! Forgive me.. I was absorbed in thought. I'm Eijiro of Catarina."
"I'm there too!" Kirishima smiles, wondering if he also has cool powers like Kaminari.
"It looks like I have run into a wall. Or, a gate, I should say. The thing won't budge! I tried to open it and it didn't work, so I waited instead."
"Maybe the gate will open after you ring the bells?" Kaminari asks his companion.
"Maybe" Izuku answers "Sir Eijiro, I'm Izuku and my companion is Sir Denki. The gate won't open for a while so why don't you travel with us instead of waiting? We will come back when it's open." The young warrior smiles at the onion knight.
"Travelling together? Sounds wonderful! It's been a while since I adventured with other people." Kirishima laughs as he gets up and straps an enormous sword to his back.
"Wow, that sword looks as tall as him." Ashido said impressed.
"I must be very strong to use that thing!" Kirishima smiles at his alternate self's cool weapon.
The three knights make their way back to the bonfire as they get to know each other. After a few minutes, Hatsume calls them back.
"I thought that there were only two of you." Hatsume asks, confused.
"Where are my manners? I'm Eijiro of Catarina, I just joined this merry company!" The knight and the blacksmith exchange greetings as she puts the fixed equipment on the table.
"Blondie, I had a lightning gem lying around so I infused it in your sword for an extra punch." She smiles as the knight stares at his now enchanted weapon.
"Now I have an electrical sword! That's so cool." Kaminari admires his other self's weapon.
"Give me one day and I can make you an electrical sword!" Hatsume smiles while thinking about her new project.
"Green hair, if I tried to modify your sword I would probably mess with the blessing so I left it alone. Your bow was pretty shitty though so I will give you one of my babies instead."
"Here it comes!" Hatsume said, anxious to see what kind of items her alternate self can make.
The blacksmith gives Izuku a black wooden longbow with a metal grip full of engravings along with a full quiver. He admires the weapon, noticing its higher weight compared to his old simple bow.
"Looks well made, but engravings give you no tactical advantage whatsoever." Aizawa admires the beautiful weapon despite its useless features.
"Who knows? Maybe it's magical like the lightning sword." Present Mic said to his fellow teacher.
Hatsume helps Izuku put on his new armor. Chainmail over a thick gambeson, steel plated boots, leather gloves, a dark green tabard and a yellow cloak "It's fire-resistant" says the blacksmith. She also gives the group a pair of binoculars, some tools for weapon maintenance and a wooden box.
"A box?" Kaminari asks.
"This is my most unique baby, it's a box with infinite space! You can store thousands of things inside it. To take things out you just need to think about what you want."
"What an amazing piece of engineering." Hatsume said.
"A box that bends physics to store objects. So dangerous and useful." Nezu thinks to himself.
The warriors thank the smith and go back to the church, climbing the stairs and facing an horde of hollows. Kirishima quickly defeats them with his long zweihander. They explore the building and find a cell with an ash blonde knight in golden armor.
"Finally!" Bakugo exclaims, watching with more attention now.
"Still human? Then get me out of here."
"So polite." Jiro said sarcastically.
"SHUT UP, EARS." The boy screams.
"Who are you?" Izuku asks with caution.
"The name is Katsuki, don't forget it. We are both Undead, perhaps we can help one another? I just need to get out first." The mysterious man smiles maliciously.
"Totally not evil." Tsuyu deadpans.
"I'M NOT EVIL, KERMIT."
"Why are you locked?" Kaminari asks with his hand on his sword.
"Does it matter? What matters is: Free me and I will reward you."
"Fine." Izuku tries the key he found earlier, but it doesn't work. "We don't have the key."
"Step aside." Kirishima says as he kicks the cell open.
"Manly." Kirishima smiles.
"Heh...I will have the reward next time we meet. See you later." The knight says as he leaves.
"Was that a good idea?" Kaminari asks.
"I don't know, something about him smells." Izuku frowns at the direction the man went.
"WHO THE FUCK SMELLS, DEKU?" Bakugo screams.
"B-b-but Kacchan I didn't say anything." Izuku tried to defend himself.
"Katsuki-kun, language." Inko frowns as the raging teenager sits back
"She's powerful." the rest of the public thinks.
The three warriors make their way to the top of the church, finding a fog wall.
"Ready?" Izuku asks, his companions confirm and they cross the barrier.
"Another bossfight!" Kaminari says excitedly.
"Young Midoriya, be careful." All Might thinks as he looks at his apprentice.
"Izuku…" Inko holds her son's hand.
The group finds themselves in the church's roof, they move slowly with weapons in hand. Halfway through the roof and one of the church's gargoyles suddenly gains life and flies to them.
"SCATTER!" Kaminari screams as they dodge an attack.
The gargoyle attacks Kirishima with his halberd, but the knight parries with his sword. Kaminari throws a lightning bolt on the creature's back, getting its attention.
Kaminari deflects the gargoyle attacks with his shield as Izuku shoots a volley of arrows at the creature, penetrating deep on its flesh. The gargoyle flies towards him at high speed, grabbing him with its free hand and preparing a bite, but Izuku shoves a bomb inside its open mouth, freeing himself and taking distance. A roar is heard and a second gargoyle flies towards the group, breathing fire in its path.
"Now there's two of them!" All Might said worried.
The gargoyle sets the onion knight on fire, making him scream in pain as his armor turns into a furnace.
"You better not die." Ashido said.
Izuku shoots the gargoyle, piercing its eye and making it roar in pain and rage. Kaminari runs towards Kirishima. "Izuku, cover us!" He shouts as a sacred light covers his talisman.
The archer keeps the two enemies at bay with suppressing fire as a warm light covers the knights, healing all injuries.
"Ranged attacks and healing, he's the MVP then." Todoroki said.
"He shouldn't be at the frontlines." Aizawa narrows his eyes at the healer.
"I disagree, he is clearly an able fighter." Nezu smiles.
Kaminari smiles at his alternative self skills.
"Ready for round 2!" Kirishima said as he got up.
Izuku dodges an attack of the second gargoyle while the first one goes to the knights, Kaminari parries it with his shield as Kirishima runs to help the archer.
The onion knight attacks with his zweihander, but the gargoyle parries the attack. Izuku thrusts his sword on the monster's blind side and manages to wound it as Kirishima beheads the creature.
Meanwhile, Kaminari keeps defending with his shield, the gargoyle winds up a stronger attack but the knight bashes its head strongly with his shield, stunning the enemy. He takes the opening and thrusts his sword with all his strength, piercing its chest and then killing it with a point-blank lightning spear. With all the enemies dead, the fog wall disappears and the path to the bell is open.
"That was an impressive fight." Tokoyami said.
"They fought superior enemies and came out on top. A great show of skill, cleverness and teamwork." Nezu smiles.
The group climbs the ladders to the bell and finally rings it, the sound resonating through the whole land.
Climbing down the ladders, they find a small animal in black clothes waiting for them.
"This will be interesting." Nezu smiles at his counterpart.
"Greetings. I am Nezu, the pardoner. Thou art a friend. For thee, a warm welcome. Cometh thou to confess? Or to accuse? For indeed all sin is my domain."
"It seems like I'm some kind of priest." Nezu analyzes his other self.
The group enchanges greetings and leave the weird animal, as they didn't have business with him.
"Beware the embraced knight." The pardoner said as the group went back to the church.
"Who's the embraced knight?" Sero asks but no one knows.
They activate the church's elevator back to Firelink. After exiting the lift they see a short knight with purple hair.
"Finally some recognition! I must be the true chosen one!" Mineta said smugly.
"Hello there. I don't think we met, I am Minoru of Thorolund. If you have no business with me, then I request you to keep your distance."
"What a jerk" Hagakure said
Mineta sulks.
"There is no need for such hostility, good knight! I am Denki of Astora and those are my companions, Sir Eijiro of Catarina and Sir Izuku."
"I meant no ill-will and I apologize if it came out hostile. I am waiting for my companions to arrive and I would appreciate it if you left me to my own thoughts."
"See? Not a jerk, just a man focused on his mission." Mineta said.
The group leave the knight alone and go to the bonfire, Kirishima and Kaminari take their helmet off and try to strike conversation with Shinso as Izuku goes down to talk with the Firekeeper, finding a blonde man sitting in front of her cage.
"Ahh, hello…I have your reward." Bakugo chuckles.
"Creep." Hagakure said
"SHUT UP! I'M NOT A CREEP!" Bakugo was fuming at his alternative self.
"Their enemies are getting stronger. I hope the second Bell is easier." All Might said with worry.
Dark Souls is love, Dark Souls is life.