A/N: Over 400 Favorites?! We're on a roll! Thank you all so much for everything! I hope you enjoy! Fair warning, this chapter is quite literally almost nothing but fight scenes. Hope you're in for a crazy ride.
Also, there's now another crossover story like this by The Inkasters called My Huntsman Academia. I recommend it, it's a good read.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or My Hero Academia. They belong to Monty Oum, Kohei Horikoshi, and their respective publishing companies. Please support the official releases.
I do not own the cover image
Chapter 40: You're Next
(A/N: I May Fall by Jeff Williams)
Izuku and Adam began to circle each other with unyielding glares, their steps inaudible through all the fire and rubble around them. Tempest still glowed ever bright from the energy its master was producing, while Adam still held his own crimson blade in a loose yet ready grip. The silence passed for a few aching moments...
… then they charged.
Their blades met with an echoing clash, the edges giving a metallic screech as they pushed against each other, Izuku's now held with both hands and Adam's still held loose. The two then separated as Adam took the offensive, slashing out towards Izuku's exposed left flank, the green haired inheritor dodging the blow by mere inches before trying to take a swing at Adam with only one hand, only to be blocked by the man's surprisingly durable sheath.
Izuku than used Cirrus to launch himself into the air and gain some momentum, managing to shift gravity into his favor as he used Stratus to launch himself downwards, causing sparks to fly and almost managing to get in a strike. Adam noticed this plan, however, sidestepping the blow and letting Tempest bury itself halfway into the ground before pirouetting and managing to catch Izuku in the back with a blast from his sheath turned shotgun.
The green haired inheritor managed to hold onto the hilt of Tempest to avoid being flung into the rubble, bringing it out of the ground to counter another strike that again echoed throughout the crumbling battleground, this one far stronger than the one that he'd used in the clash. Had he been holding back? Was he still holding back?
Adam gave him no further time to think, however, managing to get off yet another shot with his shotgun into his side, making Izuku stumble, allowing him to capitalize on his weak point and trip him with a well-placed step, sending the green haired inheritor to the ground and giving the crimson haired bull faunus a chance to attempt a final blow. It missed, however, as Izuku had used his boots to propel himself away and get himself to his feet again.
A plan forming in his mind, Izuku leapt into the air once more, this time grabbing onto one of the few banner poles that were still intact and staying where the smoke from the fires was the worst, his half mask the only thing that was allowing him to breathe at all through the haze. Maybe he could get the drop on Adam. Granted, it could fail, but it was the best he had, and he had a backup in case that failed too.
Stabbing Tempest into the wall and using it as a leverage point, the green haired inheritor snapped off the banner pole he'd previously stood on, gripping it tightly before poking his head out of the smoke, getting a line of sight on Adam, and throwing the pole straight towards him as hard as he possibly could.
The bull faunus saw this almost immediately, slicing the object clean through the center, not noticing Izuku using the distraction he'd created to angle himself just right for a back strike, launching off the wall and pieces of the rubble and catching his mark long before Adam had a chance to react, the bull faunus grunting and stumbling forwards as a result of the impact. Holy crap, it worked. Alright, now capitalize on it!
Izuku leapt into the air in a side flip, using Stratus to hit Adam across the back of the head, then attempting to follow through with his momentum and hit him straight in the sternum with Cirrus, only to be blocked by his sheath with a loud, booming crack. What was with this guy?!
Adam brought his blade to bare once more, causing Izuku to quickly jump back into a defensive stance yet again as they clashed for the third time, the green haired inheritor gritting his teeth with effort while the crimson haired bull faunus did the same, though out of frustration rather than effort of any sort. He didn't have anything to gauge his aura with, but he knew that he wouldn't last against Adam for much longer.
Deciding to take the risk, Izuku leapt back from the clash yet again, beginning Tempest's transformation and managing to hook the curving blade around Adam's sword, preventing him from escaping and giving him a leverage point to raise himself and kick the bull faunus square in the face as the handle began to extend. But he didn't get away unscathed, as Adam managed to get off a few shots as a reaction to his attack, and giving Izuku enough momentum to get to the far end of Tempest's now extended handle.
The green haired inheritor then began a series of buzzsaw arcs and overhead swings, all piled with as much power and force as he could place behind them. With sounds of rushing wind and the distinct impact of clashing metal rang throughout the air and filled his ears as he did his damnedest to place Adam as far into the defensive as he possibly could, his eyes beginning to glow even brighter as he charged Tempest further, readying himself for his most powerful attack. With a mad, blindingly fast flurry of blows, Izuku pulled back Tempest and yelled out the technique with all the air he still held in his lungs.
"CYCLONE-"
(A/N: Pause the song)
But he never released the strike. A myriad of crimson red slashes filled his vision in an instant, remaining for several, achingly long seconds as Adam stood from his once defensive position on the ground. He held a stoic line across his lips, the mask giving away no hint as to his true thoughts at that moment. But Izuku could feel his eyes on him. His cold, battle-hardened, unmoving eyes.
"You've done well to last this long, human. Truly. You're the first person in years who's ever made me use this technique. I underestimated you. To correct that mistake, you shall die a quick death. How much pain you receive is up to whether or not you're unwilling to die. So bleed, human," Adam said to him as he began to sheathe his blade, and for the slightest moment, Izuku could see Vacuean runes similar to Tempest's lining the length of the blade. His weapon... it was-
Then, Adam named his deadly strike.
"Wilting Blade, Blushing Torrent."
And pain filled his senses. It was all he could feel, all he could make sense of. He could feel his blood come out in waves, and through the several dozen slashes, there were two distinct cuts that made their marks diagonally across both the front of this chest and his face, oppositely aligned, but still more painful than all the other, insignificant ones. His body gave out, finally crashing to the floor in a heap as the blood began to pool around him, and...
… Tempest had been shattered. The hilt had collapsed into itself from the force of Adam's technique, folding down to the blade's hilt and landing just shy of his right forearm. But that wasn't important. The blade had been shattered to shards and bits, slowly descending from their place in the air and hitting the ground with the almost inaudible sounds of glass hitting the ground, a few shards even floating in the still pooling crimson.
Then, his vision, slowly but surely, faded to white.
…
"… hey, kid."
"... who..." Izuku's vision still hadn't come back entirely, but he could see someone standing in front him, offering a hand towards to him. He knew he was standing, if the fact that he was standing instead of bleeding on the ground in a heap was any evidence, but where he was greatly surprised him. The ever-expanding sands and similarly borderless ocean behind the woman, who still wasn't quite in focus, were a dead giveaway. He was back to the same place that he'd seen only twice before. The representations of his soul and One for All.
The woman regained his attention as she spoke, "Who I am isn't really important right now. What's important is that we don't have very long before you die. Time might be pretty screwy here, but make no mistake, you're gonna die soon. But we can help you. I've talked with the others, and they've agreed to do everything we can to help you, just this once. But you've gotta accept out help. I'd rather not force this on you, so...
"Do you, Izuku Midoriya, accept our aid?"
There was nothing to suggest that he should trust this woman, no matter the situation that he was in. He didn't know her. Yet all the same, she still felt... familiar. Like he'd known her for so long and he hadn't seen her for a very long time, and yet she was a stranger all the same. And if she was standing in front of that ocean, the one he'd come to associate with One for All, then...
Izuku brought up his hand to grasp hers with a firm hold, saying, "I guess I don't really have another option, huh?"
The woman chuckled as the ocean behind her began to rise steadily, almost as though it was going to engulf the both of them. It did just that, torrenting downwards with an echoing crash of water and sweeping through the both of them, though they remained when they stood before. Izuku could breathe through this water, but that wasn't important either. He could feel it begin to empower him, refill his previously depleted stamina and filling him with power that he never knew he had. The forest behind him suddenly surrounded the two of them, the trees sprouting almost instantaneously and growing even taller than the ones from before, forming a seeming circle shape with their outline.
Then, the once out of focus figure became clearer, to the point that he could see her entirely. She was well built with a defined and muscular figure, which, if Izuku was guessing correctly, was typical of most of One for All's inheritors, with slightly messy, straight black hair kept in a partial bun while the rest of her hair hung loose, just above her shoulders. Her face was rather beautiful, but tough and knowing, like she'd seen much battle and joy, yet like she'd lost more than Izuku could know of. She was dressed in a dark colored, sleeveless bodysuit with a heightened collar that clung to the bottom of her neck, accompanied by thick yellow gloves and white boots, with a white, hooded cape hanging around her neck. This person...
And she gave the boy a small smile, saying to him, "Alright. Fair warning, you're probably not gonna remember much of this. We'll get you out alive, though. Promised you that much.
"Oh, I should tell you my name. Guess it's only fair, since I know yours," she said as she let go of his hand and stepped back, placing both of her hands on her hips as her smile widened to a full-toothed, seemingly cheeky grin so wide that she closed her eyes to form it. "My name's Nana. Nana Shimura."
And once again, the world went white.
(Beacon cafeteria, Nana's POV)
(A/N: resume I May Fall at the timestamp 2:30)
Nana reached out with an Aura that was not her own, feeling the boy's wounds close as the shards on the floor began to hum. They still had life. His weapon wasn't destroyed. And as she manipulated the shards towards the boy's arm, letting them crawl and combine with his skin, she only did it knowing that it was the only way to face a man like Adam Taurus.
And she leapt from the rubble with blinding speed, the shards having now hardened and formed fully into a crystalline and jagged arm, which she used to crack Adam right across the face and into a wall, the force reverberating through the arm itself, causing the still present runes along the arm to glow with power.
Adam leapt through the rubble with an angry snarl on his face, swinging at her with what looked to be all the strength he possessed. She raised the boy's crystalized right arm casually, blocking the blow with such accuracy that she struck his blade in the center and managed to use the reverberation to temporarily stun him, opening him up for a low kick to the ribs.
Adam had the wind knocked all the way out of his lungs from that blow, but he wasn't done yet, fighting through the pain and using his shotgun to get the boy's body away from him, launching Nana back a few feet as he brought up his blade for one final strike.
Only to meet the edge of another blade.
On the back of the boy's arm, only half the length of his sword, was a jagged, single-edged blade, which was currently making quick work of the man in front of her, using three quick slashes to counter Adam's strike, disarm him of his shotgun, and slash him across the chest in rapid succession. Blood splattered onto the ground in a torrent, continuing the flow profusely from the wound, yet still it wasn't enough to put him down.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" He cried as he made one last strike towards the boy's body, only to be countered once more by Nana, their blades echoing against each other for the final time before she used her superior strength to force Adam's sword downwards and stab him straight in the gut.
She never answered him as she pulled the blade from Adam's stomach, covered in crimson as he fell to the ground. He wouldn't die. She knew someone like him wasn't going to lay down and die. Besides...
She was tired of killing.
(A/N: End Song)
She used the time she had left to get the boy's body out of the cafeteria, dragging Adam to the edge of the doorway and leaving him there. What happened to him next was out of her hands, but he would no longer play a part in the tragedy unfolding in front of them.
"Well, looks like my time is up, kid. Remember, the keyword is 'Shatter,'" she said to the slowly waking boy as she began to fade back into the undersea forest, hoping that Izuku would be able to handle what he was about to see.
(Izuku's POV)
The first thing Izuku felt when he reawoke was something on his arm sliding downwards and detaching itself from his skin. It was a bit painful, but it was minor and soon faded. The second thing he felt was Tempest's familiar weight in his right hand, and not just the hilt. It was the first thing he saw as he opened his eyes, seeing Tempest reformed and back to its blade form. But...
This shouldn't be possible. It got shattered to bits and shards.
The blade hummed in response to that, trying to reassure its wielder that it was still there and intact. Okay. He didn't know how the heck it had happened, but Tempest was back together, so it would probably be good, for just this once, to not look a gift horse in the mouth.
And then he saw the blood. Adam Taurus laid nearly dead at the doorstep to Beacon's now burning cafeteria. He could barely hear the man's pained wheezes, just barely clinging to consciousness. Did he... did he do that?
"Brother Adam! Where are you?!"
The yells of the White Fang slowly but surely grew ever louder as they searched for their leader, Izuku beginning to panic as they did so. What the hell was he supposed to do? He'd done that. He almost killed somebody. How was he supposed-
And then he felt weight against his back. He reached underneath his blazer to touch it, and felt Yang's severed right arm just as he'd left it before. That was right. He needed to get this to her as fast as he could. He needed to find her.
And so, with only one final glance toward his fallen opponent, he rushed towards the docks with a fierce, determined fire in his eyes, not allowing himself to dwell on what he'd done. Not yet.
(meanwhile, the Atlesian Warship, Serpent Saw's POV)
(A/N: Die from RWBY by Jeff Williams)
Serpent Saw could feel the malice loosening its grip on him, his scales retreating back from whence they'd spawned and took his blood-splattered mask off in turn, placing it back into his tailcoat before turning his head ever so slightly to admire his handiwork with this particular human. This was one of the Iidas, a powerful family of human hunters from Mistral. But hunter or no, he was still human. And he would pay for the sins of his race. Bit by bit.
But before his saw could roar to life once again, he heard a low snarl. Turning towards the noise, he barely managed to dodge an outstretched, dark tinted claw with broken bracers adorning his attacker's forearms, suddenly finding himself out of breath when he was unable to dodge the backswing of another claw, grinding against his aura with an unnatural screech, almost like nails against iron, and causing him to leap further back in surprise.
Bakugo's details had changed drastically, a dark hue spreading from his claws to his hands and what parts of his forearms were visible, his hair now sporadically grown out to reach his mid-back with a pure, snowy white color and incredibly spiky texture. But that wasn't what surprised him the most. The direwolf's eyes were pure red. No pupils, no sclera, but pure, unrelenting, furious red.
He was one of them. And a red one at that.
Serpent Saw revved his saw to life once more as the now raging Bakugo swung in for another claw attack, so telegraphed that he easily dodged the attack and swung his rotating blade full force towards his chest, the blow striking true and spraying blood across he attacker's parka, shredding the front of it in the process.
And then he felt the boy's claws on him, one around his neck and the other on his tailcoat, pulling him forwards and headbutting him right across the nose, cracking his aura even further than it had been in the battle that had ensued before this one. The enraged Bakugo suddenly pulled his hand away from the tailcoat and began to beat away at his lower abdomen, each punch filled with far more strength than any of his blows from before ever had.
Serpent Saw suddenly grabbed Bakugo's arm in a tight grip and used his momentum to throw him over his shoulder and towards the wall of the ship, a loud, dull thud echoing from the impact and forcing the metal to concave inwards from the amount of strength behind it. He needed his strength back, but his malice was kept caged. What was he supposed to do? Was he simply too shocked to call upon it, or-
Bakugo gave him no more time to think as he launched himself forwards with an even louder explosion than the ones from before, the wound across his chest having stitched itself together with the very blood that had spilled from it, the dark claws raking themselves across his aura and causing the violet energy to finally shatter. His fangs suddenly bared themselves as Bakugo went in for his neck, his target just barely managing to dodge it as his jaw snapped shut with a loud crack.
He tried to bring his saw up once more, only for Bakugo to grab it in both hands and keep it in place, anchoring the target of his hatred in the process. His grip tightened, a loud crackle beginning to sound from his palms, building in volume as Serpent Saw tried to free his weapon, the only thing, at that very moment, that was causing him to feel genuine fear.
Then, an explosion with crimson smoke erupted between them, sending them sprawling away from each other as Serpent Saw dug his right arm into the metal to slow his momentum while Bakugo did the same with his left while his right, still bleeding hand clutching what remained of the saw ever so briefly before, with an evil grin, he let loose another explosion, shattering what remained of the weapon even further.
That was the last straw. No one did that to one of his weapons and got away alive!
He ran forward with all the strength that his legs possessed, his scales returning to cover his skin entirely, his left arm in particular hardening to the point that his skin was essentially as strong as aura, raising it as Bakugo continued to stand there with that same, unnatural smile on his face. And as he finally approached the last few steps to deliver the blow...
… Bakugo, even enraged, used another of those crimson smoked explosions to counter it, releasing an unrelenting flurry into the man's chest, blow after blow after blow after blow after blow until finally, Bakugo let out the word he was well known to scream in battle, and the only one that he had the comprehension to focus on.
"DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"
(A/N: End Song)
(Bakugo's POV)
A final crimson crack filled his ears, finally snapping from his trance as he found himself again standing on the same battlefield he and Tenya had fought on. Far across from him was Serpent Saw, lying face down in a heap, clutching some kind of wound and completely unconscious. The first thing he felt was a soreness across his chest, causing him to fall to a single knee in order to examine what the hell was going on with his chest. It hurt like hell, but it seemed to have stitched itself together with... was that his blood?
He then felt a warm, foreign sensation on his hands. The ashen blonde looked down at his hands to see that something dark was fading from them, and he could feel his suddenly lengthened hair rapidly shortening in sync. But that didn't concern him any.
His hands were covered with blood. Not Grimm blood, not oil from an AK; actual, humanoid blood. He'd never actually had any on his hands before, despite every insult and threat he'd ever made. And it...
Getitoffgetitoffgetitoffgetitoff-
And then, a barely audible groan of pain came from behind him. Remembering why he'd become so angry in the first place, his head whipped around and rushed towards Tenya, who, despite the amount of blood he'd lost and his lack of aura, was still breathing, albeit barely. Bakugo hadn't touched him. He had no idea how to handle a situation like this. He was one of the only ones out of the entire group to not have any medical expertise in the slightest, mostly because he'd written it off as pointless, thinking that a situation like that would never come up as long as he was around. Seeing this sight in front of him now, however...
"Serpent Saw! Where are you?!"
Damnit! Are you fucking kidding me with all these damn grunts?! Can this situation possibly get any worse?!
"Ship flight patterns unstable. Five minutes to crash. All personnel, please evacuate immediately. Repeat-"
Me and my fucking mouth. Alright, we need to get to a Bullhead. I know how to fly one of them, and they can be pretty damn fast when someone knows how to actually fly.
Bakugo then brought his spectacled partner over his shoulder before he rushed for the nearby stairwell, a shattered Pride and broken Smoke and Shrapnel left in their wake, his voice repeating the same saying all the way to the Bullhead, "You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay..."
(meanwhile, Beacon Vault, Ozpin's POV)
(A/N: Time to Say Goodbye from RWBY by Jeff Williams)
"She was right about you. Such arrogance," Cinder said as she began to float in the air, her Maiden power finally beginning to flow as the flaming mask formed around her eye sockets, Ozpin gripping his cane even tighter in response, an unnatural silence falling between the two. And a moment passed.
And the crack of their clash echoed throughout the vault, reaching the ears of no one.
Cinder had reformed her signature glass scimitars to counter the many jabs and strikes of Ozpin's cane, with only one managing to strike true in the flurry that he'd unleashed. It was a particularly strong one, catching her in the sternum and sending her a few feet back, the glass heels of her shoes digging into the ground as she slowed herself to a halt.
She then raised her hands and bent the glass within the ground to her fiery will, raising it upwards and sending it at Ozpin with a blazing howl against the wind. The headmaster reacted accordingly, activating the magic in his veins, the only one that he still had access to: Time. He doubled his speed, his limbs becoming blurs and after images as his cane whipped and thrashed through the air, the glass shattering into shards on contact, giving him enough of an opening to launch himself forwards at such a rate that Cinder was again caught off guard, only able to just barely dodge the strike that cut through the air where she once stood.
Their weapons met once again, separating to gain momentum and strike at each other once more, only to repeat this process over and over as the foundations of the vault began to crack beneath the sheer pressure of their battle. But the two were nowhere near done. Ozpin, knowing in the back of his mind that his body would not last, decided to pull out all stops, increasing his speed from double acceleration to triple acceleration, a fact which proved useful as Cinder unleashed even more glass towards him. This time, however, despite the increased number, Ozpin was able to get through the attack entirely unharmed, his cane jabbing out and hitting Cinder in as many places as he could before giving yet another jab to her sternum, sending her back yet again.
Beyond Cinder's mask was a look of rage, one that Ozpin himself could not hope to counter as her blades were suddenly set alight, suddenly becoming blurs as she sent slash after slash of burning air at the target of her wrath, Ozpin countering accordingly with all speed that triple acceleration would allow him to use, but finding that even this speed was no match for the False-Maiden's hatred. Burns and cuts of all degrees began to cover his chest, despite his efforts, and by the time they'd stopped, Ozpin was panting from the effort, while Cinder looked as though she was only beginning to tap into her power. He couldn't hold back, but this final gear would kill him, consuming the rest of his aura and taking him in the process.
Manipulating what little energy remained, he stabbed his cane into the ground as he formed a shield around himself, Cinder using this to her advantage and sending a blast of flame upon it, Ozpin gritting his teeth from the effort it was taking to keep it together.
Then, he started to remember. The first time he'd ever met Toshinori, the two smiling like idiots as they drank the only alcohol the two had ever consumed in their lives. Ironwood smirking as he helped him up from a battleground, numerous dead Grimm disappearing around them. Qrow smack talking with his blonde teammate as the two girls of Team STRQ shook their heads in disapproval. Glynda arguing with Torino over some rule or another back in her academy days.
And finally, a memory that wasn't quite his. A woman with pale white skin and a black dress. An old friend. Humanoid figures, who looked like her, standing behind. And as the crimson seeped into the background, they faded... and the woman grew spiteful, her eyes red with the hatred that he had put there.
… our greatest mistake.
Ozpin's eyes flared green, finding the determination to push onwards and activate his fourth, and final, gear. He leapt away from his position in the cracked, concrete ground, allowing Cinder's blast to make contact with it, launching off one of the walls with another echo and striking her from the air, a billowing cloud marking where she landed as Ozpin touched down with nary a sound, then twirling his cane with a flourish as swinging it through the air, his right arm now parallel to the ground as magical sparks began to trail down his cane, forming a thin, light-green crystal blade as he himself began to glow with the same color. This was it. This final clash would decide it all.
Cinder seemed to think this as well, launching herself with all the speed a woman with the Maiden powers could possess, Ozpin launching himself forwards to meet her as their blades clashed against each other once more, the distinct sound of metal against crystal filling his senses as he pushed. And pushed. And pushed with all the might he had left...
Until he had nothing more to give.
(A/N: End Song)
Ozpin knew that Cinder had killed him before she did. Granted, he did play a part in his own death, channeling more magic than this particular body could handle at such an age, but still. She was the one to strike the final blow. He would give Salem this: she'd certainly chosen a powerful apprentice.
Powerful... and spiteful. Filled with hatred. When will you learn the same lesson, Salem? War begets war, and nothing else. I wish we had known that back then. If so, then maybe... maybe none of this would've happened.
I'll likely not awaken within the next host for some time. Not after using such powerful magic. I hope that they can do better than I did. Be better than I was.
… Master Noah... what would you say, if you could see me now?
And as his body finally faded into sparks, his now reverted, normal cane clattering to the ground, the air was silent, save for the cackling, high and mighty laugh of his opponent. And his question went unanswered.
(meanwhile, down in Vale, All Might's POV)
The dust in the air billowed like storm clouds as the once smiling giant drank deeper air, with Ironwood and Qrow at his side while Glynda maintained the barrier in front of them. Damn. This fight had already destroyed so much of Vale, and they couldn't let anything else happen to further the damage. Otherwise there'd be nothing left.
"It took you approximately seventeen seconds to evacuate the hundred or so civilians that remained from the battlefield, and another three to attack me again, and then it took the witch about five to stabilize the barrier you're cowering behind. Twenty-five seconds in total.
"My, my. Have you gotten slower in your age, All Might?"
"It's not as though you're much better off yourself, All for One!" All Might yelled as he charged once again, meeting the masked man's outstretched left hand before he was sent flying further back into another city block, wall after wall after building collapsing after him before he finally managed to slow himself to a stop and launch himself back into the fight.
Qrow and Ironwood were fighting him now, the former getting as close as he could while the latter gave the red-eyed reaper ranged support along with Gynda, who was now firing sharpened shrapnel at such a rate that what ruble was around her quickly began to disappear. His fist made contact with the man's helmet, causing an echoing crack and a burst of wind to erupt from where he stood as the other hunters struggled to not be blown away themselves.
As the dust cleared once more, All Might was seen towering above All for One with his left fist buried in his face, with one of his hair spikes now deflated and seemingly useless. The right side of his face was starting to revert, but luckily the transformation hadn't gone anywhere beyond that. As he panted audibly, the strength required for the blow knocking the wind out of him, All for One continued to talk in his casual tone.
"I see that Ironwood is keeping his distance from me. Not that I could blame him, really. The last time I fought him I took his entire right side for myself. How did he survive that, by the way? It wasn't Aura, and I was sure the man was rather dead."
All Might didn't respond, and instead pressed his fist deeper into All for One's forehead, and even then, the man still continued.
"And is that Qrow over there? I see he's getting the hang of that semblance of his. Well, as much as he can get on it. What I wouldn't give to take that for myself. Damn Passives, they always were the hardest to take."
Even deeper.
And All for One sighed in disappointment, continuing, "There. That look. It's the one I hate so much. All it seems to do is remind me of that damn woman. Your predecessor was unworthy of the power you now wield. A fool with ideals she could never hope to live up to. An utter waste of life and Aura. If the entity could see where one of the powers they bestowed upon me and my brother had ended up, I know they'd have been just as disappointed in-"
"My master was a true huntress! One of the greatest to ever walk this land! Keep her name out of your filthy mouth you monster!"
"And you're just as foolish for trying to uphold her legacy! How embarrassing, for me, as the partial creator of your power, to pass it on to such blind idealists. And the way she died... pathetic, even for someone like-"
"ENOUGH!"
His fist struck down once more, but All for One had already activated another one of his semblances, blasting All Might upwards on a torrent of wind. As he continued to rise upwards, the blonde giant suddenly spilled blood from his lips, losing its shape in the air as he continued to rise with no sign of stopping.
Then, somebody tackled him from the side. It was a small figure, with familiar, and large, yellow boots, gloves, and a long cape.
"Torino..."
"You're in the way." the masked man called up to them before he was caught off guard by Qrow, only barely managing to dodge to strike from the man's incredibly sharp scythe, slicing through the remains of an empty building behind him.
"Don't forget we're here too, ya fucking psychopath!" Qrow said as his gaze burned with all the rage a man like him could possess, with Glynda and Ironwood covering his approach as All Might and Torino landed once more.
"You're letting him get inside your head. I know it's hard to ignore such horrible things, but you need to stay calm. Rushing at him full force isn't going to work this time. You need to use that damn brain of yours and figure out a proper strategy. So calm down. Flipping out is only going to get you another massive hole in your body. Got it?"
"Yessir." All Might responded with a clear head and a far steadier voice.
All for One, realizing that his opponent was back in the fight proper, blocked Qrow's sword strike with his bare arm and flung him back towards Ironwood and Glynda, then continuing, "You know, All Might, I'm rather conflicted now. Tomura was the one who began to be and chip away at this society's trust in you and other hunters, so shouldn't he be the one to finally put you in your place? But, on the other hand... as much as you may hate me, All Might, you should know that I absolutely loathe you.
"Yes, I killed your master. But you? You have singlehandedly undermined and toppled everything I tried so hard to build. Centuries of work, up in smoke. I want you to suffer for every breath you draw in my presence! I will break you, body, mind, and soul, for all of Remnant to see! And as your cold, hopeless body ripens the ground with your unworthy blood, the Grimm shall have their way with those who despair and panic, for a new humanity to be reborn from the ashes of the old!" All for One taunted as his right arm suddenly began to expand yet again, a sign that he was about to unleash another massive attack against them.
"Get clear! It's a big one!" Torino yelled to the other three combatants as he launched himself into the air with his staff in hand. Qrow quickly made himself scarce as he turned into his namesake form while Glynda quickly made a platform from the rubble to hoist herself and Ironwood out of the line of fire.
But as Toshinori too prepared to leap away from the attack, All for One used his little trump card. One little truth to keep the target of his hatred a static one.
"I don't believe all of you can dodge this."
And behind him, Toshinori heard it. The small, almost inaudible whimper of a woman trapped beneath the rubble of a building behind him. They'd missed one. And All for One's statement was right. If he dodged, the woman behind him would not survive.
And in an instant, before Qrow could transform back, before Torino could launch himself down in time, before Glynda could muster the blonde giant any sort of defense, the area was filled once more with the howling winds that had leveled their battlefield only minutes beforehand, with All Might caught in the middle of it.
The dust that had been kicked up in the ensuing chaos swept all of them away, their figures flying off into the distance with no signs of returning to help their Symbol of Hope. He was on his own now. And as the seconds ticked by, the cloud sinking lower and lower in mass, his left fist bleeding with broken fingers aching from the effort it took to nullify the blast, he knew that he was on his very last legs.
And so, there he stood. His gangly, almost skeletal form with his left fist outstretched and bloodied, with a large indent of the blast he blocked stretching out in front of him, what rubble of the buildings remained behind him entirely unharmed. He was nearly out of power. But still...
"Look at you now. Hollow cheeks and sunken eyes. And to think that your very name could fill even the greatest of criminals with terror. And now, the world can see you for what you really are. Not a symbol, not a god, not even a guardian! Just a man too weak to stand up to someone far superior to himself. Try to not be so ashamed of it."
But his words, no matter how true they might've been at that moment, did nothing to extinguish the fire in Toshinori's eyes. He wasn't about to give in. Not now. Not when there was so much left to do. All for One was being cocky, like the world could see his true form. He probably had someone with a camera placed nearby, maybe the only one that could get signals out to the public at that moment. But even so, he could use that to his own advantage.
"Even if my body should rot away and grow frail... even if you've exposed my true form..." Toshinori clenched his left fist once more, allowing what power remained to glow and give him what power he had left. As his hair began to wisp around in the evening wind, he continued, "In my heart, I am, and shall remain, the Symbol of Hope for all of Remnant! There is nothing that you, or anyone, can do to take that from me!"
But All for One seemed to take that as a challenge, responding to his declaration with, "Really? Is that true? I'd forgotten just how stubborn you could be. Suppose I should just give up.
"Oh! But, one more thing I should tell you, before we end this little fight. I think you'll be very interested in hearing this. Tomura Shigaraki, the man you've been fighting against for the past several months, my apprentice?
"He's Nana Shimura's grandson."
And their battlefield, for the first time in its entirety, went silent. Toshinori's eyes widened in realization, his bony grin now wiped entirely from his face as his fist unclenched and fell limply to his side. He tried to stay angry at the masked man, saying with denial lining his voice, "That's a lie... that has to be a lie..."
"Oh, come now. You know it's the truth. It's obviously something I would do," All for One mocked as Toshnori's eyes began to lose their fire.
"And look at that. Where's that big old smile of yours, Symbol of Hope? Did I crush it along with your pride?" The man said in a mocking tone as he placed his thumbs onto his nonexistent cheeks, pushing upwards as he mocked something that Toshinori had long admired his predecessor for.
"Remember, Toshinori, if you're rescuing someone, it probably means that they've just gone through something rather terrifying. They will be scared. Real hunters, real heroes, don't just save someone's life. Sometimes they have to save people's hearts too. And that's why you've got to put on a fearless smile for them, even if it isn't genuine, and even if you're scared half to death yourself. To show them that everything's gonna be okay. Because," the dark-haired figure turned as she said this, putting her fingers into her cheeks as she forced a grin, saying, "the people who're always smiling, in this world, are the strongest ones. Don't forget that."
And despite the words of his mentor...
I... I betrayed... I... What have I done?
And he cried out in despair, his jaw unhinged and open wide as he screamed to the heavens. He'd been broken. This was exactly what All for One had wanted. And Toshinori couldn't bring himself to care. Not after what he'd just learned.
"Please... don't... give up... All Might. You can... still win..." he heard the survivor's whimper echo throughout the now dead quiet battlefield. That was right. He still had... someone to save...
Another metallic echo rang throughout their battlefield as Harbinger was blocked by All for One with a single hand, the masked man in question looking down at its bearer in seeming annoyance. "I should've guessed that you wouldn't be quite as easy to get rid of, Black Reaper. I imagine Ironwood and the Witch have their hands full with keeping civilians safe. Well, if nothing else, you've certainly been more of a fight than-"
"Speak her name and I will stop at nothing to kill you in the most painful way I can imagine," Qrow said as his crimson eyes almost started to glow, his blade beginning to dig deeper into the man's flesh as he pushed downwards with all his might.
"But isn't there someone who you swore to protect? And is she not at the most dangerous place in all of Vale, at this very moment?"
For only a moment, Qrow's strength slipped. And it was all the time that All for One needed to catch him off guard, punching him in the gut and sending him straight towards the furthest edge of their arena. "This is not your battle to fight. Now, do as the others have done; remember your place, keep civilians alive, and stay out of my way."
Qrow rose from the rubble with a cough, using Harbinger to balance himself upright as he wiped a trickle of red from his mouth with his eyes still ablaze with rage. Then, from seemingly nowhere, Edgeshot appeared from above, landing next to Qrow and whispering something in his ear. His rage lessened almost instantly, whispering something back to him and causing the hunter to nod in response. The red-eyed reaper then gave All Might an apologetic look before saying, "Hang in there, All Might! You've got this! I know you do," and turning into his bird form, soaring quickly into the night sky and making a beeline for Beacon.
I'm...
"ALL MIGHT! WHAT IS WITH THAT PATHETIC FORM OF YOURS?! WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE THIS?!" Toshinori heard from behind him, Endeavor standing off to the side of the battlefield, with Edgeshot quickly joining him with his hand perched lightly on his blade, a stark contrast to Endeavor's own Helheim blade; a massive, hulking greatsword the length of his entire body with a thick blade, wide edge, and a long handle built to handle the weight. A weapon that he rarely used.
And for only a moment, in that man's eyes he saw regret. Guilt. And then, like the fire from his semblance, his eyes flared with anger. But not towards him.
I'm still...
Edgeshot fired off from his perch like a bullet with his curved blade in hand, whipping about in the air as he managed to distract the hulking villain from the task at hand, giving Endeavor the opening he needed to swing Helheim in a wide, sweeping arc and send All for One further backwards, though this more a distraction than anything else, proven when All for One simply swept his arm with the blowback semblance activated, causing the two of them to scatter to the winds. But not before Endeavor could cry out, "ALL MIGHT! YOU'D BETTER EXPLAIN EVERYTHING! NOW CLOCK THIS GUY SO WE CAN TALK, OUMDAMMIT!"
And for only the slightest moment, he could hear them. The cries of the world, looking out on his battle with this great villain, for him to win. To give them hope. To reassure them that he was there. That despite the odds, despite the hopelessness, he would keep moving forward.
I am still here, damnit!
(A/N: You Say Run from My Hero Academia)
He needed a good wake up call. This was even better. So, he grit his teeth to block out the pain of what he'd just learned, and smiled as he responded to the woman behind him, the loudest of all the voices he'd heard, saying, "Fear not, madam. You are safe."
His right arm began to swell with energy, sparking off his skin in such a way that he hadn't felt in years. It began to enlarge itself, swelling to the proportions that his giant form once held, his eyes glowing their signature blue as the fire sparked to life once more, the energy continuing to crackle off of his arm as he finished, "I am still here. And I will not lose!"
All for One almost flinched when he saw that. Damn. This was the same as it had been all those years ago. All Might was always at his most dangerous when he'd been backed into a corner. Not even punching that hole in his stomach had slowed his rampage. Or his fists.
Time to bring out the real firepower.
The masked man's right arm once again began to enlarge itself, but unlike before, it enlarged even further, twisting and contorting to unnatural degrees. It was an amalgamation of all the strongest quirks he had at his disposal, pieces of metal and flesh melding in harmony as his final attack was prepared, a gigantic hand that dwarfed even him in size. But he still had one more thing to throw his opponent off guard.
"Izuku Midoriya. He's your protégé. Your inheritor. It's a shame you won't be able to guide him from the grave!" All for One yelled as he charged the gangly man, his massive hand clenched behind him as the wind howled from his speed.
But Toshinori held his ground, glaring straight at his opponent never, taking his gaze off of him. This final clash would echo through the city, through the very ground on which they stood, and, potentially, even the world on which their battle held weight. But even so, a thought that pushed him farther, pushed him harder, was this one.
I need to live. So that I can teach him properly this time!
And their fists met with a burst of wind, reality almost seeming to bend to the force of their clash, with the ground beneath them almost giving way to the force of it all. But Toshinori had a plan in mind. He put some of the strength that he still had into one of his feet, stopping himself from moving back any further as he slowly but surely transferred the energy from his right out to his left.
Izuku... thank you. In the end, I think I might've learned something from you as well. You are more than worthy.
Then, suddenly, he kicked the transfer into full, allowing his right arm to lose its form and receive several breaks while his left bulked up instead, swinging towards All for One's face with said arm, missing and instead bouncing off of his shoulder.
"Well, that was certainly unexpected. And incredibly weak." The masked man said as he began to do the same with his own left hand. But Toshinori was nowhere near done.
"That's because... I didn't put my back into it."
With those words, he felt One for All begin to leave him, despite his best efforts to keep the flame burning, to keep marching on and finally take down his greatest foe. But his strength wasn't gone entirely, not yet. He could feel the other inheritors granting him their strength, their wisdom, their passion. And it burned with such fury that he could barely contain it within his own body.
"It's your turn now, Toshinori," He could hear Nana's words echo through his ears once again as he clenched his broken right fist with all his might, feeling it expand and bulk up once more as it then began to glow gold with power. And then, with his left foot planted firmly in front of him, twisting his hips as far as he could, he put all his strength, his rage, and his hope, into this final devastating blow.
"KINGDOMS OF SMAAAAAAASH!"
The masked man's helmet shattered in its entirety as Toshinori continued to put all of his weight into this final blow, smiling all the while as he felt the inferno burn bright for one final time. His blow then slammed the masked man into the ground, kicking up the air around them with such force that it became a tornado, whipping and thrashing about as it rocketed towards the cloud-covered heavens, clearing the sky almost entirely as it slowly came to a stop.
Standing over the defeated body of All for One, his broken fist still buried in his opponent's cheek, was Toshinori, his final act as the Symbol of Hope, finally complete. And despite the pain that coursed through his body, he still stood tall. Even now, broken, bloody, and powerless, he would stand tall.
Farewell... One for All. He thought to himself as the flame began to sputter and shrink, leaving behind only the slightest of flickers as the rest faded away.
I've done all I can, Izuku. Keep strong, kid. You'll be better than I ever was. I know it.
And he pointed to the glimmer atop one of the remaining buildings, where he now knew All for One had placed a cameraman, as he yelled out from the depths of his soul, before the man could recover from the shock, "You're... Next!"
A/N: Wow. That took a while. Well, I had a heck of a time writing these things, and I hope that you all had just as much fun reading them. Sorry this took so long to get out. I wanted to polish these fights as much as I could before I published the chapter. That and I'm pretty sure that as I'm writing this I'm either being assaulted by allergies or coming down with something. The only thing I seem to hate about Fall with a passion.
Well, my Spring allergies are usually worse anyways. *realization* Oh... shit.
And now, onto the review responses:
KiroZen: I hope that the absolute ass-kicking that Serpent Saw received in this chapter reformed some of that finely powdered dust.
Midgardsmor Jr: It's up, and I have since then applied the updates. Enjoy!
ABYSSALISK: I will definitely check the series out once I have some spare time.
ZWarrior4life: It's up and it's out! Enjoy!
Loki's Tounge: That didn't happen, as much as I would've liked to somehow fit it in there, but either way I hope you enjoyed the fight!
Dreamweaver543: Soon. Relatively. I have been looking at them, and while they do look interesting, unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to take any of them up anytime soon. Because college is a meatgrinder.
King Wyrm: It's up! And yes, they are going to bond further as Yang gets better, though that's not going to be the whole basis of it.
Uruk-Hai: I would be willing to post it as a challenge on my page, but I while that is a fantastic idea and one I would love to write, I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to do so. At least, not at the moment. I've got a lot on my plate between college and this. But, once this story finishes up, I'll definitely take this idea under consideration if someone else doesn't pick it up first. Because seriously, I love the idea of Smaug in Remnant to wreak absolute havoc!
Kaiser Dragon: It's on the semi-distant horizon. Give it a bit.
Odin's Eye: Yeah, I suppose it is. Who knows what ironies might make their way in next!
Black Fang: Oh. Wow. I genuinely did not expect that level of praise. Thank you! I hope I can continue living up to your expectations!
Also, it's up now! Enjoy!
Thunder Dragon: Well, thank you for giving me permission. And who knows, maybe I will come back to it. Unfortunately, that may not be for a long while. I really do like the idea though!
Dragon Dust: That is an understandable issue to take with this story, and you're not the only one I've heard this from. I mean, I've been looking back at the early days of this story and have kinda cringed from just how little stuff changed despite the fact that I included the MHA characters. Even during the newer chapters, there are a few things that I wish I had done differently.
However, I do have a plan in place to hopefully improve on the stuff that the canon could've done better (especially for Volume 5), but I also have some thoughts on how to improve from here. I'll get back to that once I wrap up Volume 3.
Sorry this only got out at the end of the month. It's been a busy few weeks. Hope you're all doing well, and I hope you enjoyed!
Next Chapter: Oct 14th. Hopefully.
Seeya in the next one!