A/N: Not much to say other than... holy shit, we're actually at Chapter 50 now! I... honest to god, I never thought I would ever make it this far. Thank you all so much for your amazing support over the last two years! Enjoy the chapter!

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 50: Breaking Point

The words that were just spoken echoed around within Izuku's mind over and over, like a shout in a hollow cave, as he processed what had just left the crazed man's lips. He knew. He knew. But... how in all of Remnant did he know? Was he working with All for One? Or Salem? And how was he going to be able to explain all of this to the others?

"What's he talking about?" Shoto asked both him and Ruby, the latter of whom simply shrugged as she trained her weapon back onto Tyrian as she replied, "I'll explain later, but I don't know that much. Right now, we've gotta stay focused."

Izuku, however, said nothing, his mind almost going into a full-on flashback as he remembered just how dangerous this secret was.

"Remember, Izuku, this secret cannot be let out. If the wrong people were to discover it, they'd take desperate measures to force you to pass it on to them. They probably won't have any qualms about getting other people involved, or holding them hostage. You shouldn't tell anyone unless you can trust them with your life, and even then, you should do so with caution. I would say don't tell anyone at all, but eventually, you might have to tell someone. But don't tell them unless really do have to tell them. Remember that."

The masked man then sighed heavily as he drawled, "Booooooriiiiiing. Can we get back to the main event already?!"

Suddenly, faster than Izuku was prepared for, the man shot across the distance between them and slammed his arm into Tempest's edge, which Izuku barely had enough time to lift in defense. He felt his feet leave the ground and was tossed through the air, high above the ruined buildings of Oniyuri as the masked ma rushed after him once more, his grotesque arm cocked behind him as he prepared to strike him once again.

The green haired inheritor, now better prepared, suddenly flipped himself in mid-air and fired off Cirrus and Stratus, launching him away from where the man's fist would've landed, the air blasting outwards from his hand by the sheer force it generated. Using a few more blasts, Izuku managed a rough landing on the roofing of one of the larger archways that overlaid the town, cracking the roof tiles where he'd landed.

He heard a distinct shotgun blast as Yang tried to make her way towards him, and maybe back him up against this overwhelming enemy, but she was intercepted in mid-air by Tyrian, who missed a kick to her face but succeeded in getting her back to the ground, skidding to a halt as the others prepared once for a fight once more, the blonde brawler's eyes burning their signature, angry crimson as Tyrian landed gracefully at the very front of the group, clicking his tongue at them before further taunting, "Let's leave the mad one to his work, no? Why, he's so messy that I fear if anyone but the Inheritor fought him, you'd be crushed to a bloody pulp. And we do need to keep you alive. For the moment, at least."

"Like you're in a position to call someone crazy," Jaune muttered to himself as Ren and Nora rushed in with-

Izuku's vision briefly flashed a signature monochrome, giving him only half a second to dodge the masked man's attack as the wind was once again kicked up from the force of the blow. A parting slash was blocked by the same arm, making him retreat even further as the man's left arm, now also enlarged with writhing muscle, shot right at him in the form of a hook.

Seeing an opportunity in the missed punch, Izuku launched himself upwards with Cirrus and Stratus, flipping to gain further momentum as he brought Tempest into the man's crossed arms once again, steel biting into flesh as the force sent out a deep, audible boom around them, the stone foundation beneath the hulking man's feet giving a loud crack as he strained against the blow.

"Hah! Not bad, kid!" the man yelled as a glow emerged from his right arm, catching Izuku off guard. He was still suspended, and he didn't have enough time to readjust with either of his boots! Shi-

"BUT NOT NEARLY GOOD ENOUGH!"

With a sudden, blurry sweep of the man's arm, Izuku felt Tempest become dislodged from the block and thrown towards a nearby building. Seeing as he was still gripping the handle, the green haired inheritor was dragged right along with it, slamming through old plaster and a wooden beam before stopping at a sturdy yet unfinished wall three stories up.

Even from here, he could hear the sounds of everyone fighting that crazed man with the golden eyes. How tough were these guys? The masked one had had him on the defensive for the entirety of their battle, if it could even be called one, and from the sounds of things, everyone else was having trouble keeping up Tyrian. He could only imagine the frustration that Shoto, Nora, Yang, and Jaune were going through right now. Their combat styles were specialized for wide open spaces and large groups. This place was a dense ruin, with several blind spots and environmental hazards. That wasn't even taking into account that they couldn't go all out without potentially getting the others caught in the crossfire: their group was simply too large for that.

But before he could think on that any further, a crash alerted him once more to the masked man's presence, his eyes fixing themselves on his figure as he stepped through the hole in the wall put there when Izuku had crashed through. The green haired inheritor once more shifted into his stance, green sparks and lines of energy rolling off of him as he felt his markings begin to glow beneath his clothes, Tempest humming in approval as he began a plan to put himself onto the offensive.

As the man yelled in excitement, his arm shooting forwards as he looked to make Izuku his target. Then, the cloaked fighter suddenly shifted from his previous position, dodging the counter from the man's left arm and actually landing on it, darting up to his shoulder before Stratus collided with the back of his head with a deafening CRACK and causing him to stumble forwards. This gave Izuku all the opportunity he needed as he followed through with the motion and flipped behind the man. Then, with the additional momentum, he slammed Tempest into the man's back with all the might his arms would allow, feeling the power build as he went through with the motion and sent the grotesque man flying straight through the building and into the air, almost feeling the manic grin that was likely spread across the man's lips as he righted himself in mid-air, preparing for a rough but stable landing.

Izuku looked down to his right and saw the others struggling to keep up with Tyrian, Yang missing her hook while Ren peppered the man's trail with bullets. Nora aimed dead-center at his chest as she swung Maginhild baseball bat style, only missing to the man's rather creepy flexibility, and got her legs taken out from under her with a well-placed sweeping kick, landing on her back with a thud as Tyrian lifted his now extended arm-blades and-

THUNK!

Izuku quickly jumped from his perch overseeing the battle, his weapon buried up to the hilt in front of where the crazed man once stood. He then looked over to Jaune and shouted, "Green Ghost!"

Getting the cue, the blonde knight immediately summoned Lancelot's torso above his head, extending his blade as a platform for the green haired inheritor to land on. As his boots made contact with the massive weapon, he felt gravity shift as the torso spun around, gradually getting faster and faster as the wind kicked up, howling in his ears before finally, he was flung from the blade right at Tyrian, the man's eyes widening with surprise in the midst of his retreat. A perfect-

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, the masked man slammed into his side, the two of them sailing through the air until Izuku's back hit a wall with a painful impact, causing him to lose all the breath he'd held in his lungs as the man stood tall once again. Then, he drawled out in a hollow, feral voice, "We're not done yet, kid. YOU AIN'T FIGHTING ANYONE BUT ME RIGHT NOW!"

He heard the other call out to him as they continued to struggle against Tyrian, Shoto's ice and Yang's buckshot ever prevalent noises in the background as the crazed man continued to dodge all of their attacks and made seemingly perfect counters. He then felt the pressure against his chest begin to build, getting more and more painful with every passing second as the masked man pressed his fist deeper and deeper into her sternum. With a dexterous hand, Izuku felt for the pull of Tempest and grabbed onto it, pulling the weapon towards him with all the force he could apply, shifting it in mid-air as the masked man looked behind him, barely dodging the rather risky move that Izuku had just made as the scythe blade thudded into stone just a few inches away from his face.

"Heh. Nice move," the man commented as Izuku pulled the blade free, giving Tempest's scythe form a dexterous spin before holding it with a single hand, blade faced outwards, and prepared to launch himself at the man once again.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tyrian blocking head on strikes from Nora, Yang, and Shoto; the heaviest hitters out of the entire group; simultaneously, with a... was that a scorpion tail?! He was blocking hits from all three of them, simultaneously, with nothing but his tail?!

Despite his overwhelming urge to run and assist them, Izuku currently had his hands full with the masked man in front of him, who slammed his hands down at where he'd once stood in a hammer style strike, indenting the ground as the green haired inheritor swung his scythe with both hands and managed to get the edge into the flesh of his shoulder, and, with a ferocity that Izuku didn't know he possessed, he dragged the weapon down the man's arm, causing blood to spurt out from the wound in a torrent of red as Tempest finished its arc, a readjusting flourish keeping the blade from being stained with blood.

Before the green-haired inheritor had a chance to process how much pain he may have just caused the man, in spite of the fact there was an abundant lack of a screaming, the man only laughed as the muscles regrew and stitched themselves back together, forming a complete arm once more as he readied himself to launch straight for Izuku.

Wait, how did that hit go straight through his aura? Does it have something to do with his semblance? Crap, I have no idea what-

And then, a sudden impact from further away caught his attention. Ruby was under the foot of Tyrian, Crescent Rose entirely out of reach as the others rushed onwards, determined to get their friends free as the crazed man stared back, grinning with manic glee as he spread his arms wide, almost taunting them, 'Come and get me, if you dare.'

"Ruby!" Izuku yelled in sudden desperation, instinctually trying to make his way over and help her out from under Tyrian's foot. But that gave the masked man all the time he needed to launch himself forwards, his fist cocked back in what was likely the most powerful punch he had to offer.

"EYES ON ME, KID!" he bellowed as his fist plowed forwards, time itself seeming to slow as Process flashed in front of him and started working overtime, trying to find some way that Izuku could avoid this strike-

CRACK!

CLANG!

Suddenly, the masked man had skidded to a halt thirty feet away from him, and Tyrian was now off of Ruby, his face warped in an expression that seemed to be a mixture of anger and... excitement? And standing in front of Ruby, weapon drawn and cape flapping in the breeze...

"Qrow Branwen. As I live and breathe! A true huntsman has entered the fray."

The red-eyed reaper stayed silent as he gave his own weapon a flourish and stared down the razed man, though his attention had not yet left the masked blonde who Izuku had been fighting for a while. Then, in a tone that sent fearful chills up Izuku's spine, Qrow responded, "Look, pal, I don't know who the hell you are, but I do know who you're working for. If you want to get away without being harmed, I suggest you leave. Now."

The man's grip on Harbinger tightened ever so slightly as he waited for a response, telling Izuku and the others, "Sorry I was late. I had to take care of that backup they brought with 'em."

"... you carved your way through all twenty-five? Heheheh. Gooood..." Tyrian said as his grin widened even further, almost seeming to break and warp the confines of his own lips as he crouched low to the ground-

An impact against his torso interrupted his spectating of the fight between Qrow and Tyrian, and sent him flying upwards at speeds he didn't think were possible. The masked man then rose to his height in the air, a maniacal smile practically bleeding through his voice as he said, "This place is getting too crowded for my purposes. What say you and I take this elsewhere!"

Try as Izuku may have, there was simply no avoiding the next blow, hitting him straight in the chest and sending him rocketing towards the trees, the hit itself being so strong that he couldn't straighten his spine and redirect himself. Not this time.

(meanwhile, the Schnee family manor, Tenya's POV)

The wait outside of their friend's room was going on for far too long. The worry was honestly beginning to get to him. Jacque had looked furious when he dragged Weiss away from the hall, and the two had been in her room for a rather uncomfortable amount of time.

Momo was leaning against the wall as she tapped her foot in an impatient rhythm, her ever watchful butler, Walter, standing at her side, his own hands clasped behind his back as they waited. Tenya himself was actively resisting the urge to tap against the armrest of his wheelchair, move away from the door to calm down, and stand up, kick the door down, and hand that snooty old man his own words on a silver platter and shove them down his throat, all at the same time.

"How long have they been in there?" he heard the youngest of the Schnees ask, though his tone of voice would only suggest curiosity and nothing of actual concern. As Tenya turned to face the boy, however, he saw that Whitley's eyes told a different story. No matter which stone face the boy placed on, he could never quite keep his feelings out of his eyes. There was a reason that the 'window to the soul' analogy was so popular throughout Remnant.

"Long enough to have us worried," Momo answered, her eyes boring holes into the floor as the tapping of her feet quickened in pace. Whitley simply nodded at that, as though he wasn't worried out of his own skull, stepping in front of the door to the room and planting himself there. Waiting. Listening.

After a few more short minutes, their collective worry was brought to an end as Jacque opened the door to Weiss's room, a smug smile on his face as they snapped to attention, Momo holding herself back as she held her clenched fist behind her back as Tenya held his tongue and the many, many choice words behind it.

Whitley himself remained stone-faced as he ever was, giving his father nothing but the son he'd always wanted. But as Jacque leaned over and whispered in his ear, the boy's mask, for just a brief moment, cracked and fell away, to be replaced by a look of complete surprise and shock.

But it was for only a moment, and the stoneface mask came back once again another moment later. Jacque then lifted himself to his full height, straightened his suit, and looked to Momo and Tenya with a smug look of victory on his face as he said, "I'd give her a while, if I were you. She's... processing the news."

And then, he strutted down the hall like an Oumdamned peacock, deliberately bumping shoulders with Walter as he passed down the hall, the echo of his designer shoes the only thing to break the silence until they faded down the hall and around a corner.

"Whitley... what did he say?" Tenya asked firmly.

"He said... I am to become the new heir of the company. Weiss's mental state is too fragile to properly run it. She is to... remain here. In the manor. Where she can be kept safe..." Whitley said as his voice began to slip cracking mid-sentence as he struggled to keep his composure and remain the perfect son.

But he shook his head and, after looking into his sister's room for a few seconds, turned heel and went after his father, his own shoes creating a similar, though lighter, echo against the cold floor. Neither Tenya nor Momo made any move to stop him.

Instead, the two tentatively made their way into their friend's room. The lights were out, the only source of it being the pale moonlight the spilled into the room through the window, as Weiss laid face down on her bed, the faintest beats of sobs escaping her lips as she tried, and somewhat failed, to control her shaking. She looked... utterly defeated. In all of the time that Tenya had known the platinum-haired girl, never once was the word defeat something he associated with her.

Momo sat down next to her, carefully, giving her just enough room to move away if she felt the need. Tenya suddenly felt as though he were intruding, and moved away from the bed, though he kept the two within his line of sight just in case. Walter had entered the room as well, standing just off to his left as the moonlight glinted off of his monocle, his only uncovered eye filled with concern for both his master and her friend.

"I... will she be alright?" Tenya asked. He knew it was a stupid question, one to not be bothered asking, but damnit, he couldn't bear to see a friend suffering and not be able to do... anything!

After a few seconds of silence, the monocled man answered, "I would say something to reassure you, to give peace of mind. But I also know that such a sugarcoated answer would only enrage you. The truth is... I am not entirely sure myself. I never am. But I've known Weiss Schnee since she and my master first shook hands. She might not be the strongest. She might not know all that she must. But there's one thing I've seen of that girl time and time again, no matter how difficult the challenge.

"Her will to go on, her drive to succeed, to become better... it's honestly something I envy greatly."

As he finished, Weiss slowly lifted herself from the floor and rubbed the rest of the tears from her eyes, her sclera puffy and red as she marched her way over to the window and closed the blinds, darkening the room even further. Momo, seeming to know what her friend was doing, began moving the bed to one of the further edges of the room, Walter himself walking over and placing a single hand on the frame and giving it a light push.

This appeared to be all he needed to do, as the bed suddenly shifted to the correct angle. Momo gave her servant a mock glare as the man simply gave his signature wry smile in turn. She soon returned the gesture as Weiss placed Myrtenaster's case onto a marble bench and opened it, taking the weapon from its holding place as she prepared to do... well, train, what else would she bring it out for?

"I need to leave Atlas. We all need to leave Atlas. There's just nothing we can do here right now," Weiss said as she turned to them. "I hope we won't have to fight, but we may have to. At the very least, we should prepare for the possibility. Momo. Tenya. Walter. Care to join me in training?"

Momo simply chuckled as she reached towards her left shoulder, a plain, faultless steel pole emerging from it, removing it from where it emerged and twirling it around before planting on the floor with a dull thud. "Of course. It's been a while since we've had a proper spar, after all."

Walter then stepped forth, saying, "I may be well past my prime, but I will do what I can to assist you," as wires sprouted from the tips of his fingers, glinting in what little moonlight still found its way into the room.

Tenya sighed to himself and braced for everyone's reaction as he too replied, "Well, I can't very well back out when everyone else has volunteered like this. Besides..."

And then, with unsteady strength, he pushed himself up and out of his wheelchair, every muscle in his legs burning with effort as he finally, for the first time in months, rose to his full height, his signature smile donning his face. "I've been wanting to test these out for a while now."

.

..

…

"... I should've told you all about this earlier," Tenya said as he awaited someone to yell out in surprise. Luckily, no one did, so he was left to sigh and ask, "I assume you want an explanation?"

Simple nods were all he received as his legs got used to the tension, allowing him to stand steady as he began telling them of the rigorous therapy he underwent. And the limitations of his new limbs.

(Shoto's POV)

It was not a good day for Shoto Todoroki, or the rest of his team. His partner had just been punched over the horizon by a hulking beast of a fighter, the rest of them were currently being held at bay by a single guy who was way too experienced in fighting groups, and... wait, where the hell was Yang?!

As soon as he had that thought, his attention was then drawn to the distinct shots of Ember Celica as Yang raced across the horizon faster than he could process, desperately chasing after Izuku and whoever his masked opponent was, a faint bit of golden shimmer lighting her hair alight ever so slightly.

"You damn blonde! Get back here!" Tyrian hollered as he suddenly launched himself towards Yang, only to be intercepted by Qrow and knocked straight back into the ground. The man gave a feral glare to the red-eyed reaper, but this look of anger quickly warped back into one of excitement as he continued, "You know what? This is fine. I can take you on and make sure that fool does his job. I'll just have to sweep you aside first!"

And then, before anyone else in their group could try to go after Izuku and Yang, the two combatants in the center of Oniyuri clashed for the first time, steel biting steel as their meeting caused cracks to form in the ground around them. But something seemed... different from the last time that Shoto had seen Qrow fight. There was something... tangibly tense in the air, like he was...

He heard Ruby begin to raise Crescent Rose in an attempt to assist her uncle. An understandable action, given how close they were. But still, he placed his hand on the rose-themed reaper's weapon and angled it down once more. When he heard a retort begin to leave her lips, he immediately silenced her saying, "If you want this to end well, do not do anything, no matter what happens. If we try to help, we'll just get caught in the crossfire."

"But-"

Any further argument she had against this point was immediately silenced by the fact that the two had broken off and their attacks were starting to damage the town by proxy. Buildings cracked and creaked under the added strain, debris was flung this way and that, and yet none of it made its way to the group. This was a fight between two incredibly powerful people; people who even Shoto, to his own admission, couldn't even hope to yet match.

When the two met once more for yet another clash, there was an echo that tore through their hearing, and a blast of wind that actually pushed them back a few feet. Off in the distance, a large chunk of a particularly high roof was suddenly cut loose from the sheer force of Qrow's strike.

Their fight soon continued, and as it did so, Shoto's mind began to race. Okay, there was nothing he and Ruby could really do without getting directly involved in the fight. He wasn't confident in his ability to control his left side, and even though the same could not be said of his right, his blasts would probably just get in the way more than anything: Tyrian had proved that he was more than agile enough to dodge them. An ice wall, maybe? No, he'd just go right over that, he'd make sure of it.

"Jaune, what's Lancelot's range right now?" he asked the blonde knight, not wishing to abandon Izuku and Yang to fight that monster of a combatant alone.

"Not long enough to be any real help," Jaune admitted with frustration.

Okay, this was bad. They were utterly outclassed. None of them were fast enough to get out of there and help their friends while the fight was still raging on; not even Ruby; he didn't know Ren's semblance, and Nora might've been the tank, but she was on her last legs.

The only real option he could see was... well, it was risky, to put it very, very mildly, he wasn't really sure if he should-

His train of thought was interrupted once again when Harbinger was suddenly wrenched from Qrow's grasp and flung into a nearby wall by Tyrian's tail, causing the faunus to give a maniacal cackle as he celebrated his seeming victory. It was also during this lapse in judgment that Qrow rolled his eyes and cracked Tyrian across the face, sending him flying across their battlefield and straight into a wall.

"But... no, you're meant to be-"

"If you really think I'm useless without a weapon, you clearly only know who I am by reputation. Getting caught in one too many barfights teaches you a thing or two about how to throw a punch," Qrow said as he walked over to Harbinger and pulled it free of the wall it was flung into. "Salem's standards must be pretty low if you're the best she sent out."

That seemed to piss Tyrian off to the point of seething hatred, his eyes changing to a sinister violet as he readied himself to launch...

… and then, Shoto found Ruby on what would be the receiving end of a haymaker, with the man's blades drawn and his eyes frenzied. Crap, he couldn't get there in time and his ice wasn't fast enough and-

Suddenly, before he could even begin to counterattack, even with all the haste he felt, Qrow appeared in front of his niece, and taking the brunt of the blow as all the air in his lungs was expelled, barely stopping himself from being flung into the opposite end of the town.

It was upon seeing this that Shoto's instincts took over, drawing both of his blades in unison and letting loose a pillar of spiraling flame straight towards the scorpion faunus, causing him to dodge backward as he then leapt up to the corner of a roof, the front of his clothing singed from the attack. He actually brought up one of his hands to cradle it, his surprised glare turning once more into that signature, wicked smile. "Well, well, well... it seems I should've taken note of one more," before wincing in pain. "Damn. I do believe you cracked my ribs. An unusual pain...

"... but not unwelcome!"

Qrow clutched his own torso as he tried to stand, only to stumble and nearly fall to the ground. "Damnit. How the hell did he get past my Aura?"

"A question for you to ponder until our next meeting, my good hunter! For now, let us call this a draw, loathe though I am to call it such. But make no mistake...

"I shall return. Both for the girl... and for you."

And then, as quickly as he had appeared, Tyrian was gone, leaving nothing but an empty battlefield and wounds to heal from.

"We need to go after Izuku and Yang!" Shoto shouted almost immediately, preparing to make his way over to them before a hand on his arm stopped him.

"You... won't... find them... in time..." Qrow said through pained breaths as he toppled over once again, caught by his niece as he continued, "Too... far-"

"Easy there," Jaune said to the man as they laid him down, pulling what gauze they could from their bags and starting the bindings for his ribs. Qrow winced as the pain prickled under his skin

"What are you talking about?" Shoto asked with urgency, wanting to go right after them with all the speed he possessed.

"Who the hell was that guy?" Nora then continued.

"Why are people after me and Izuku?" Ruby finished. Ren simply remained silent, a look of caution upon his face as he held Storm Flower close, the barrels trained on the horizon, in case anyone else decided to get the drop on them. Jaune continued his work on binding Qrow's torso as firmly as he could.

"Calm-urgh! Calm down. They're probably... miles away by now. Even if we could-agh! Catch up... to them... we wouldn't be able to help," Qrow explained as Jaune finished with the bandages.

"But-"

"I-erg! I get why you... want to go after them. Hell, if my ribs weren't... broken... I'd probably join you. But... knowing how Greenie operates... he's probably gonna go off on his own for a while. Split... their attention."

"That sounds exactly like him, but-"

"Yang just... went after him... right? She's not going to let him go on his own... not entirely. Those two... against that masked bastard? My money's... on them. I know it's not an ideal situation, but... this is all we can do right now. Have faith in them. They'll make it. I know it."

"But Uncle Qrow... why are people after us?" Ruby asked again.

Qrow let out a heavy sigh as he once more adjusted to the pain and looked up at them, his eyes giving away a reluctant decision as he looked back to his niece and asked in the most serious tone Shoto had ever heard him speak with, "What's your favorite fairy tale?"

(meanwhile, somewhere in the woods of Mistral, Izuku's POV)

A crack of his boots got him out of the way another swing of the hulking man in the mask, smashing into a nearby tree and causing it to topple to the ground with a loud crash. He felt the ground beneath his feet as he skidded to a halt, the trees encircling them in an arena of sorts as their standoff continued once again, the masked man bringing his hands behind him once again as he waited for the first move.

Leaves fell from the trees like twisting, airborne raindrops, giving the pause to their battle yet more tension than was already present. The masked blonde then began yet another tangent.

"C'mon, kid. I know you can do a lot more than dodge me," the man said as he gestured to a mark on his arm that was quickly repaired by a new mass of muscle. "You haven't fired anything off in a while. What gives?"

"That was the point. After you launched me through the air, I dragged you further and further away from Oniyuri. Now you wouldn't be able to back up your partner even if you decided to go there full-speed," Izuku revealed as he gripped Tempest tightly in both hands. "I haven't really had a lot of chances to use this level of power. Mainly because it's risky with too many people around."

Then, the force he felt from his body began to multiply, putting further strain on his limbs as Tempest, in turn, began to glow with power, the markings on his body following suit as the energy sparked through his entire build. "But... in a place like this? I don't have to worry about putting anyone else in danger."

Full Cowl... 23%!

Izuku then shot off like a bullet, appearing right in front of the massive man with his blade poised to strike. With a mighty swing, he heaved the edge of his sword into the man's raised arm, meeting with a howl of wind and dull impact, a clash ensuing between the combatants as the ground beneath them began to rumble. Their feet left deep indentions in the dirt as they both pushed forward with all the might their bodies would allow, a bellowing gust of wind kicking up and scattering around them, the tree branches shaking wildly in response.

But this wouldn't hold for long. This was the first time he'd really used more than fifteen percent of his power in combat. He had to find an opening and end this fast. Using this much power for any longer than a few more seconds would probably start to actually break his bones.

The green haired inheritor then enacted his plan. First, he placed himself lower, closer to the ground, and let go of Tempest's handle, allowing the man's momentum to carry him forwards and place himself off balance. Then, Izuku stepped further inwards, well within the minimum safe distance of the massive man's striking range: where his arms, enlarged as they were, could not touch him. Finally, reaching out behind him, he wrapped his fingers around his weapon's handle once again, bringing it forwards as the arc continued straight towards the man's stomach, where he was currently the most vulnerable.

And then came the impact. With a loud, dull thud, and all the strength he could muster, Izuku grit hit teeth together as he put his full weight into the strike, feeling his front foot dig deeper into the dirt as he finished it, sweeping the man right off of his feet and sending him straight towards a tree in the distance as he felt the sudden boost of power leave him, finally letting himself pant incessantly, without rhyme or rhythm.

He tried to stand to his full height, but a sudden pain just above his heel stopped him from doing so. Crap. Had he strained his ankle? That was going to take a while to heal, even with Aura.

"*COUGH**COUGH**HACK* … nice move, kid."

… no... no way... that was everything I had...

"Oumdamn, that actually hurt," the man said as he lifted himself further from the ground, standing once more to his full height, now with a large, horizontal gash spread across his stomach. "And I wasn't even getting serious."

You're kidding me... he had me on the ropes the entire fight... and he was only toying-

Before his train of thought could continue, Izuku was suddenly blindsided when the man suddenly appeared before him, driving his fist straight towards his torso, colliding with it with a cavernous BOOM.

The pain was far too great and came far too fast. It almost reminded him of the times where he'd used too much of One for All at once, only this time there was no adrenaline to fully dull the pain. He felt every movement, every shift, every pin and needle of agony from that single hit. He wasn't sent flying; his feet had planted themselves so deeply into the ground that they were leaving deep indentions; but for a few moments he wished he was. Maybe it would distract from the overwhelming pain.

Several of his ribs were most likely cracked, if not outright broken or fractured. Either way, Izuku was completely out of breath, and subsequently collapsed to his knees. It was all he could do to keep his torso as still as he could, to not make things worse than they already were.

"You're stronger than you look. Good..." the masked man said. "Since you've somewhat earned my respect, I'll let you in on a little something. My semblance lets me directly convert my aura into pure muscle mass. And my aura is so dense that it can't even be contained by my own skin. In other words...

"YOU'RE THE INFERIOR VERSION OF ME!"

Then, his arms almost doubled in their size, easily looking as though they could snap through a tree trunk like dry twigs. There was no way out of this... no, there had to be a way out of this! There had to be!

"FACE IT, KID! YOU FOUGHT WELL, BUT THIS IS WHERE YOU DIE!" the man yelled with his hands raised defiantly above his head, ready to deliver a final, deadly hammer-strike-

KABOOM!

But his blow never landed, and his face instead jerked to his right as a golden gauntlet collided with his cheek, sending him spiraling once more into another massive tree. The blonde brawler then rolled in front of him, standing in a ready stance as her gauntlet cocked back and let out an empty buckshot shell. The silence continued for several moments, lying over the battlefield like a cloud of low-hanging mist.

And then, the masked man leapt to a larger tree branch, looking down at Yang with what seemed to be disgust. "Urgh. Damnit. Can't you all just leave well enough alone?! We were in the middle of a fight!"

She said nothing, however, only further preparing herself for a counter attack. The tension brewed and boiled, until-

"*Sigh* Fine. You get your way just this once," the man said as he loosened himself from his combat stance. "If I try to get through both of you, I can't guarantee either of you will get out alive. As much as I really don't care about that, braids 'll probably kill me if I do. So, I'll call it a draw.

"For now."

Then, he reached up to his face and removed his mask, revealing it for all the world. His eyes were narrow, his pupils small, but they had a distinct crimson ring within them. At least, that would be if he still had both of his eyes. The right side of his face was entirely fine, but the left... instead of skin, there was intense scarring, moreso than anything Izuku had ever seen or experienced; and he had taken his fair share of beatdowns, his scars told that story. And what was held in the socket instead was honestly terrifying all on its own. A small, beady dot held within the clawed grasp of his sclera.

"Remember this face, kid, and the name that accompanies it. I am Muscular. And I will be back to finish this fight of ours. And when I do..." he held up another, different eye next to the left side of his face: a wide, blood-red circle encasing a massive hole of a pupil. "... I sincerely hope that this eye is the last thing you ever see."

And then, with a loud crack, and a brief howl of the wind, Muscular was gone, the branch beneath his feet landing on the ground with a crash.

Then, when yang knew it was safe, she snapped backward and threw down her pack, kneeling down next to Izuku as she quickly bound his torso with the supplies she had, all the while distracting him from the pain, whispering to him as he grunted and whimpered, trying his best to keep silent. Oum, it was painful.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed once she was done binding his torso, but judging from the sigh of relief she let out, Yang felt it took far too long.

"Are... do you have anything else I can help with?" she asked.

"Strained ankle. I'll have to let that heal for today. Thanks for binding my ribs," he replied as he lightly touched his lower torso. "I would've taken way too long to do the same. Would've been a lot more painful too."

"No need! I'm just... I'm glad you're okay," Yang said with a smile.

.

..

…

"... Yang... you should head back to the others."

…

"... why?" She sounded genuinely hurt as she asked that.

"Because that guy's only after me, no one else. If I have to split away from you guys so I can make your odds against Tyrian better, so be it," Izuku said, defying every fiber that told him to spill, to come clean.

"... this is 'cause of what Tyrian spouted off, isn't it?" Yang asked as the gears turned in her brain.

"... yeah. It is," Izuku replied as he distracted himself with the battle-worn ground beneath them.

"But... why are they after you in the first place?"

"I wish I could tell you. I really do. But... I just... it could put you in even more danger, and I don't want to do that to you," he said, his voice shaking.

"Izuku, the danger is already here! Don't we deserve the basics at the very least?"

"I... I don't know what to do!"

"That's okay. Look, you don't have to tell me everything all at once. Take it at your own pace, just-"

"I can't lose you again!" he suddenly yelled, tears lining his eyes. The fear from all those months ago had resurfaced, and he couldn't let what happened back then happen again.

…

"... what?" Yang asked in disbelief.

Fighting through the tears and the sobs, Izuku elaborated as best he could. "... I... when I saw... back at Beacon, when I saw... I thought you were gone. For a few seconds, I thought you were gone and you weren't coming back and I-"

Izuku lost his voice after that. For several seconds, the silence went on. Then, slowly, Yang took his head into her hands and placed him against her shoulder, rocking him ever so slightly as she tried her best to reassure him. "It's okay. I'm right here. I am right here. You're not gonna lose me. And I'm not gonna lose you either."

Izuku pulled his head back to see her face, noticing that tears had started to form in her eyes. "Like it or not, I'm not letting you go alone. Our team needs you to stay alive. Jaune needs you alive. Shoto needs you alive. Ruby needs you alive. I- … I need you alive. Okay?"

"... okay."

A/N: Aaaaand that's a wrap for this one! Wow, that took a lot longer to write than I wanted it to. Well, with finals coming up for me, I don't think I'll be able to post the next chapter for a while. Also, HOLY SHIT, ENDGAME IS ACTUALLY HERE! Wow. I cannot think of a more wonderful time to be alive. I've heard an analogy that the MCU is this generation's Star Wars, and I honestly couldn't agree more. Here's to a great ten years of Marvel! And now:

Review Responses:

Guest 1: Yup! I hope I did him justice here. And... well, as you can see by their current situation, the full discussion might have to wait a bit.

Thunder Dragon: They most certainly did! And yes, I have always shipped them. That's not to say I hate Geralt being with Yennefer or anything (hell, I think ship wars are inherently stupid most of the time), but I personally prefer Triss.

Enku: Yeah. They've gotta wait for that.

KingKong94: Yeah. I mean, hopefully Yang can help him out, but he will have to resolve his problems himself. And thank you! I hope to get many more!

Leviathan's Heir: Hmm... I'd give it a 3.5. 1 would be a mild argument, and 5 would probably be 'someone's life depends on the outcome.'

Kaiser Dragon: True, but that's a lesson he'll have to learn later, as you can see from the fact that he's separated from his team sans Yang at the moment.

Odin's Eye: Hope you enjoyed the fights!

King Ceasar Jr: They'll be talking for a while. They will come to a better understanding, but it will take time.

Black Fang: Thank YOU!

Gojifreak: They'll start to figure things out by the next one. Not quite everything, but basically everything they learned in the show.

Uruk-Hai: Hope you enjoyed that part of the chapter!

Guest 2: Thanks! And yeah, that thought honestly terrifies me too. Let's hope such a day never comes to pass in the canon. Also, they're not strictly a faunus tribe, though they were certainly faunus in the tribe.

Guest 3: Yeah, I have a tendency to run my mouth whenever I'm stressed or angry. I've tried to pull it back a bit more, but I can't make any guarantees.

And now, an experiment:

Disclaimer: I do not own the song sung below. It is the property of Rooster Teeth and Miles Luna. Please support the official release.

Omake: Around a Campfire (Canon, 1 month before Fonsett)

"Hey... so... I know this one song," Jaune said as he brought forth his guitar, the one that they hadn't seen him play for months on end. The silence that had encompassed them while they'd eaten had chipped away at the blonde knight ever so slowly, until he couldn't take it anymore. He could still remember the song. Maybe it would make some people laugh. Or just be a bit of a distraction for a little while.

"You're free to play it," Shoto said as Ren nodded in turn. The other gave their own form of support, but it was clear that they didn't want to listen to it. But still, Jaune persisted.

"Alright. Erm... just so you know, it's kinda corny. I learned it at this old summer camp I used to go to when I was ten. One of the counselors wouldn't stop singing it," Jaune said as he tuned his guitar.

"What happened to the camp?" Izuku asked.

"I honestly have no idea. Well... here goes..."

The blonde knight then cleared his throat, pressing his fingers to the strings as he took in a breath, and began his song.

"OHHHHH~
"There's a place I know
"That's tucked away;
"A place where you and I can stay
"Where we can go to laugh and play,
"And have adventures every day!
"I know it sounds hard to believe
"But guys and gals it's true,
"Camp Campbell is the place for me and you!

"We'll swim through lakes and climb up trees;
"Catch fish, bugs, bears, and honeybees!
"There's endless possibilities
"And no,
"That's not hyperbole!
"Our motto's "CAMPE DIEM"
"And that means I'm telling you~"

A breath as he prepared for the most difficult part of the song.

"We've got:
"Archery,
"Hiking,
"Search & Rescue,
"Biking,
"Horseback,
"Training that will save you from a heart attack,
"Scuba diving,
"Miming,
"Keeping up with rhyming,
"Football,
"Limbo,
"Science,
"Stunting,
"Pre-Calc,
"Spaceships,
"Treasure hunting,
"Bomb defusal,
"No refusal,
"Fantasy,
"Circus trapeze,
"and Fights,
"and Ghosts,
"and Paints,
"and Snakes,
"and Knives,
"and Chess,
"and Dance,
"and Weights–

"It's Camp Camp!"

Jaune took several deep breaths as he recovered from the song, the applause just as much as a surprise to him as the breathlessness he felt once he was done. Man, how long had it been since he'd done that song? Two years? Three? Either way, it was still enough to effectively kill his lungs.

"Awesome song, Jaune! It sounds like you went to one crazy summer camp," Nora said with an adventurous gleam in her eye. "Now I just want to get up and do something awesome! Ren! Assist me!"

"Nora, we just settled down..."

The collective laughter that ensued from the interaction was more than enough for Jaune to believe that singing that silly old song was worth it.

A/N: And that's it for the Omake! I hope you all enjoyed that. This might be something I do every now and then to help avoid burnout, so feel free to send me suggestions for different Omakes if you want me to. Be sure to let me know if you liked it!

Next Chapter: May 17th

Seeya in the next one!