First of all, let me just say thank you for everyone who reviewed, favoured and followed this story. A year ago I never would have imagined it would have become this popular, but I guess life's full of surprises. Okay, onto the chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia
Society was completely on edge. Civilians had all returned home early. They were incredibly nervous and for good reason. Hundreds of people had been kidnapped at the Mall today and nobody knew where they were.
The heroes were working towards saving them however, they hadn't been able to prevent the incident from happening in the first place.
They were losing faith in the people that protected them, and it wasn't the first time. Ever since the first assault on UA, the public's trust had been slowly diminishing. The heroes had managed to replenish the trust at different times, only for it to fall back down again. This time it was heroes, in general, they were frustrated with, not just UA, because unlike the other times, they knew it wasn't their fault because they weren't specifically targeted this time.
The parents of the kidnapped students were of the same opinion however they were still incredibly worried. When they were informed of what had happened, they initially lashed out at UA for failing to protect their children yet again and considered pulling them out of the school.
That was until one of the parents Anastasia Belikov (Elena's mother) pointed out that UA wasn't at fault for what occurred because they were not present.
Anastasia greatly resembled her daughter, barring the eyes which were turquoise, hair which stretched to her neck, and a few facial features. Anastasia was originally from Russia and was General of the Ground Force division.
Her husband was Japanese and served under her command when he worked in Russia. Through several battles the two fell in love and married, starting a family of their own. Recently their jobs forced them to move to Japan where she quickly became a general in the JSDF thanks to her reputation.
Her quirk was similar to her daughter's, though not the exact same. Anastasia's quirk was 'Empathy' which allowed her to sense the emotions of those around her. With the right training, she had managed to control the emotions of others, being able to calm a raging crowd, and make even the most depressing of individuals happy. This quirk, while it might not sound like much, was very powerful. It allowed Anastasia to sense hostile intent, identifying her enemies, pick up on where enemy forces were located (from great distances) and verify if someone was being sincere, like how she knew her husband's feelings for her.
That aside all the parents were extremely worried and awaited news of their children's fates. Those whose children had returned to UA already visited them and had a long talk about what happened. No mentions of transferring out of the school now, but the students could tell what they were really feeling. Still, the parents were happy that their children escaped with little injuries.
One other person was taking the news differently to Japan.
Atrocity
Atrocity watched the news with venom in his eyes. It hadn't been reported but, from what he observed about the incident, and from what he heard from one of his underlings, it seemed that that asshole he often batted heads with had resurfaced.
"What the fuck Shiro!" Atrocity snarled. "Why pull a stunt like this? Why now? If you think kidnapping a few new pawns for you to use will help you get one over on me, you're wrong!"
He and Shiro had been enemies for as long as he could remember. There was hardly ever a time when they didn't engage in an all-out death brawl with each other when they came face-to-face.
At first glance, one would think that they would get along well, almost like best friends, because of how similar their personalities were. However, neither of them liked being controlled by others, they both preferred to be at the top giving orders not receiving them. They both wanted to be the ruler of all crime.
Unfortunately, there was only one throne, and only one could have it, leading to the two of them clashing constantly.
Occasionally they would each send a couple of villains after each other, which would usually be returned in pieces. It wouldn't be wrong to describe one another as the bane of their existence.
Atrocity glanced at the screen of his computer, which had just started beeping. It was a report from Viper. It seemed the new batch of Nomu was finally complete.
Over the past few weeks, in addition to hunting Tomura, expanding his influence, and dealing with that insane pain in his ass Shiro, Atrocity had been manufacturing multiple Nomu at a large rate. As complicated as it sounded, they weren't that difficult to create, when you had 'AFO' on your side that is.
Quirks such as 'Shock Absorption' and 'Regeneration' didn't exactly come in large quantities, so they need to be provided in the form of 'AFO', or rather the DNA of the quirk's wielder. By extracting the DNA from the user, while the quirks are active, it is possible to give them the quirks without permanently losing them.
The trouble was the person they were given to only had the quirks for about a day or less before they broke down and disappeared. As such, scientists like Viper had devised a way to hold the quirks together by using a machine in the form of a laser to weld the quirks together like metal.
When the quirks were transferred, the DNA was registered as those to whom they originally belonged to.
As of now, he had produced over five hundred Nomu who were in waiting at several warehouses for the day when they would be released.
That day was coming, the day when Atrocity would launch an all-out attack on Japan, and slaughter anyone who got in the way. He would crush the hero's association, and destroy the society people lived in.
He would then build it back up in his image. For the time, he would settle for Japan, until he wanted more. It was all coming soon, once he'd dealt with all his current issues. Like the one he had now.
"Shiro, you fucker, if you think that with all your resources, and your recent media boost, you'll get closer to beating me, you're sorely mistaken!" Atrocity swore.
An underling of his came to drop off a parcel, and when he did, Atrocity grabbed him by the throat and ignited him on fire with one of his quirks. He was getting better at mastering them.
The underling screamed in agony as he was burned alive, which brought a smile to his psychotic leader's face.
With some of his frustration vented, Atrocity turned towards the screen.
"I will win Shiro. And when I do, I will stand over your body and make you beg for mercy after I've taken your quirk," Atrocity exclaimed in a greedy voice. "And then everything that's yours will become mine as it rightfully should be."
Hades Group: Underground Arena
The entire population of the underground arena was tense about what was about to happen. Just a few minutes ago they had learned that Shiro, the Shiro, was going to fight in a match shortly against a newcomer.
It was incredibly rare for the man to fight in these games unless it was someone who he really hated and wanted dead by his own hand. That said, they were also feeling slightly sorry for the individual who was about to die considering what Shiro was likely to do to them.
Speaking of which, the very man walked out into the centre of the arena to address the crowd.
The audience immediately fell silent.
"Villains, thugs, murderers, and thieves alike, as well as any other degenerative lowlife that's sitting here," Shiro announced in a booming voice. "Right now, I'm sure you're all confused and just thinking what the fuck is going on! Who was it that pissed me off this time to earn a death sentence this extreme? And why is it a newcomer?"
In the stands where the UA students and their guardians were.
"Death sentence?" Ochaco whispered.
"This extreme?" Tsuyu added.
Shita sighed. "Shiro might run these fights but, it's very rare for him to actually fight in them. He only does so to punish someone who got on his bad side and make an example of them by killing them in a brutal fashion. He could just have them killed but he'd rather give them a fighting chance. More interesting in his opinion. Most of the time he's too busy with some other illegal activity."
That raised some questions.
"Other illegal activity?" Kendo asked worriedly.
Shita nodded.
"He doesn't just organise these fights you know," said a soft feminine voice.
They turned to see a woman of average height, short black hair tied back, magenta pink eyes, and facial features that made her out to be quite beautiful. She wore glasses, a long white coat with a red skirt and a black top underneath, and black high heels.
"I'm sure you were all told that you'd be fighting, and doing random jobs, but that's only a few things. Hades is the largest organisation for a reason. It is involved in various activities. Ranging from human and drug trafficking, thievery, torture, assassinations, kidnapping, extortion, and weapons trade, anyone will pay anything to give them an edge. The list goes on." The woman finished her explanation but ignored the shocked expressions of the students.
"I'm surprised to see you here Rika. You're usually not interested in this sort of thing," Shita exclaimed.
Rika shrugged. "I heard Shiro was fighting someone and wanted to see who the poor victim was. The lab's been locked up, so he won't mind if I take a break to watch."
The students didn't like the word victim and how she said it.
Shoto however recognised her name.
"So, you're the chief scientist and weapons developer around here then," he guessed.
"Hmm, I'm guessing either Shita or Umi told you about me," Rika replied in a tired voice. "Speaking of which where is she? She wouldn't just leave children like you unattended in a place like this."
"She's off getting the medical squad," Shita informed her. "This isn't a deathmatch, Shiro made that very clear. It's just regular fighting, or rather a regular beatdown."
Rika's eyes widened in surprise.
"Shiro's not going to kill this person that's unusual," she murmured.
"No kidding," Speed Demon said. "I can't remember a single time when he didn't kill his opponent."
"Indeed," Atlas added. "Perhaps he means to use this person to set an example for the recent additions to Hades."
The students flinched at seeing them, not having noticed them before.
Tenya, Kendo, and Tetsutetsu having recognised them were on their guards in an instant. The attacks from these two were still fresh in their minds making them wary of the danger right next to them. This did not go unnoticed.
Faster than anyone could see, Speed Demon was next to Tenya with his elbow resting on his shoulder, much to the latter's surprise.
"Look, I know you're upset about us attacking and kidnapping you, and we really are sorry but, please understand we didn't have a choice," Speed Demon assured him. "If we didn't follow orders, then we would have been the ones subjected to unspeakable torture, and possibly death."
"Around here, Shiro's word is law," Atlas preached. "Disobey it and you shall suffer a fate worse than death. Us attacking you was not out of spite, malevolent or malicious intent. It was simply because our lives were on the line."
Tenya eyed them both suspiciously. From what he could see, they didn't have collars around their necks.
"If that were true, then why don't you," he started.
"They do," Rika interrupted him. "They're just not as visible as yours." Everyone stared at her in confusion. "Members like Atlas and Speed Demon here, powerful members who must be controlled under any circumstance so that there's no resistance, are given a special type of collar. One in the form of a bomb that's injected into their neck, though it can still hurt them." The students gasped. If what they were saying was true, then that meant that they were as much as slaves as the rest of them. "So, as you can see, they're in the same position as you."
Atlas kept a cool demeanour but was nevertheless upset at the statement.
Speed Demon stared at the ground sadly.
It wasn't as though either of them liked their jobs, quite the opposite actually.
Another thing about their collars was, if they refused to carry out an order, they would feel an intense amount of pain (not electrification but worse). At the same time, they didn't want to die, so they usually followed whatever orders they were given.
"I'm sorry," Tenya apologised immediately. "I didn't know."
Speed Demon smiled at him. "It's alright. It's not your fault after all. Most of us ended up here because we were in the wrong place at the wrong time."
It wasn't a lie. Almost everyone in this hell was here because they got caught, though there were the few that joined Shiro freely so they could do whatever they wanted (some of them were as sadistic as he was).
"Enough of this," Rika declared. "The match is about to begin!"
Much to the three arrivals surprise it was Katsuki.
Shita explained the situation before they could ask, and they started feeling pity for the boy inside that arena. He had no idea what he was up against.
Back in the arena, Shiro had finished explaining the situation. While the audience was stunned at the fact that Shiro was going to fight a teenager they simply accepted the explanation and waited for the fight to begin.
Katsuki was especially eager to start. He wanted to blast this sick bastard into oblivion. He was so angry at him for humiliating him before. He was going to show Shiro who the real weak little bitch was. Shiro simply smirked at him.
"Arena Change: Summer Day!" Shiro declared.
Upon saying this the arena shone brightly and began to change. The ground transformed into several paths and small lakes, while the top of the arena transformed a clear sky with the sun shining brightly over the participants. The temperature inside the arena became hotter. It was as though it was an actual Summer day in Japan.
"What the hell!" Bakugo swore.
"You seem confused Katsuki. Allow me to explain," Shiro offered. "The arena can change its environment for each battle. The selection process is normally random but depending on the environment chosen it can give certain people advantages based on what their quirks are. Since your quirk involves you converting your sweat to explosions, I selected a field where you would be able to generate sweat easily."
The ash-blonde frowned at that explanation.
"Are you fucking kidding me?! Why the fuck would you give me an advantage?! Do you seriously think I'm that weak?!" Katsuki shouted.
Shiro chuckled at his outburst.
"On the contrary, I think you're strong, well stronger than most quirk users, which is why I want you to come at me at full power with everything you've got," Shiro explained.
Bakugo understood and flashed a murderous smile at the man. Mini explosions just appearing off his hands.
"You want me at my best, well then that's exactly what you'll get," he snarled. "I'll blow your ass up so bad that you'll be in recovery for months."
Shiro grinned at him holding his arms out wide. "Then come," he challenged.
And with that, the match began.
Katsuki made the first move. He fired several explosions at Shiro, hoping to land a few hits in early. Shiro moved very quickly around the pathways and dodged each one of them with incredible ease.
'He's fast' Katsuki thought.
Katsuki launched another explosion, slightly more powerful, this time at the ground. The impact caused the stone path to crack and Shiro's right foot to get caught between the rocks, leaving him stuck. Not wasting any time Katsuki joined his hands together and unleashed a larger explosion that blinded everyone while it consumed Shiro.
When the smoke cleared there was no trace of Shiro. Katsuki smirked.
"Ha! How'd you like," he started before a strong fist connected with his jaw sending him crashing to the ground.
Shiro loomed over Katsuki, still smirking. His outfit looked slightly dirty but otherwise, he was unharmed.
How he had managed to escape the blast in time Katsuki didn't know.
"I like it a lot actually. You're definitely a nice addition to the competitors here and should be able to put on a good show," Shiro informed the boy. "However, if you think something as weak as that will beat me then you're sadly mistaken."
Katsuki glared at his opponent, his anger rising. He really hated this man.
Shiro guessed what was going on with Katsuki and kept quiet because the angrier he was the more violent and aggressive he became. Shiro wanted him to unleash everything he had at him, just so he could deflect them all easily and then crush him in front of his classmates with relative ease.
By doing this he would kill any hopes and rebellious tendencies they had.
For the moment that is.
"Why aren't you using your quirk?" Katsuki demanded getting back to his feet.
Shiro raised an eyebrow.
"What makes you think I'm not using it?" he replied innocently.
Bakugo scowled. "Cut the crap already! I know you haven't been using it because if you were, I would have noticed. From what the babysitting sisters and fashion freak said, everyone in this shithole is afraid of you for some reason, and it's not just because you're a total dick, it's because of the shit you do to others, and I'm betting it's because of how you use your quirk on them. So spill it, sadistic douche!"
Shiro frowned. He'd learned from Kioku how Bakugo made up nicknames for various people he encountered.
The Babysitting Sisters he guessed were Umi and Utada (though they probably had separate ones), Fashion Freak was Shita, and apparently, Sadistic Douche was his new name, which was kind of fitting given his personality.
The others matched his servant's jobs correctly. Shiro heard several UA students groan loudly. Of all the times for Bakugo to act like . . . . . . Bakugo.
"Bakugo, don't give the people looking after us weird nicknames," Tenya chastised.
"Or insult the man who runs this place, the man you're fighting who can literally kill us simply by pressing a button," Juzo added.
"I don't know. I kind of like fashion freak," Shita admitted with pride. "I think it suits me perfectly."
Someone who was actually happy with a nickname given by Bakugo, that was a first.
"He really does do great fashion designs you know. He designs for me and a lot of other people here," Shiro complimented. "Back then my style of dress was a classic thug until he came along and improved it all."
"Your fashion sense wasn't bad Master Shiro. It just needed to be improved," Shita shouted.
"Whatever," Shiro brushed off. "Anyway, you're right Bakugo, I haven't been using my quirk so far. I didn't need to. Unless someone pushes me to a certain point, I feel no need to use it. And until you start acting like a proper challenge for me, I'm not going to use it. In other words, you need to be a strong bitch, not a weak one, like you normally are Katsuki."
That caused something to snap inside Bakugo that made him say something he probably shouldn't have that frightened everyone in the arena.
"Push you huh," he murmured before switching to a malicious grin. "Tell me, did the guy who cut out your shitty eye push you to that point? Did he make you look like a weak and useless bitch when he escaped, having clearly won against you?"
The atmosphere was…very tense. The entire arena had fallen into silence in horror at the words that left Bakugo's mouth.
Many were deeming him insane, others stupid, and very few brave.
Some started to vomit while others just let their jaws drop wide open.
Some even fainted.
Shoto cursed Bakugo for his personality.
Kirishima prayed that his friend would live through this.
Mina and Ochaco were both frozen in fear.
Speed Demon went deathly pale.
Atlas' calm expression was replaced with one of concern and worry.
Shita started sweating nervously.
Rika closed her eyes and looked away.
Shiro's expression at that point was unreadable, though everyone could guess he was furious. That was one topic that was never to be brought up in his presence.
However, much to everyone's surprise, Shiro began to laugh both loudly and psychopathically. His laugh was disturbing to everyone including Katsuki.
When he finished, he smiled at Katsuki with a twisted expression.
"Wow, I must say, no one has ever brought that up in my presence or even used it to insult me. They could but they don't, because if they did, I'd slice them up into tiny pieces and use their leftover meat to feed to the slaves in this place," Shiro muttered in a soft, yet chilling tone. "But you are different. You're using it to provoke me into going all-out, and that's one more reason why I'm not going to kill you because it will be more interesting to keep you around and watch as you slowly break under my rule. You've got balls I'll give you that, but I won't go all-out just yet. You, have to earn that right, Kacchan!"
Katsuki flinched at his nickname. That was the nickname Izuku called him by. How did Shiro know that?
"Surprised I know?" Shiro asked. "I have you someone who analyses memories about new recruits and gives them to me. However, I knew your name long before that, when I held Deku captive here."
Katsuki's eyes widened, as did most of his classmates.
'How the fuck does he know Deku?' Katsuki thought.
'Before when he used the name, he said it like he knew him,' Shoto realised.
There were murmurs in the audience, that was a name no one dared speak here ever. The individuals next to the students were just as surprised, including Umi who had just returned. Then Shiro turned to address the crowd.
"Guess what everyone," Shiro's voice boomed. "Deku, the fucker who took my eye and escaped from me, a former member of the League of Villains since I doubt Atrocity wants him, is alive and well." The 1A students were stunned at that information. Izuku was the one who did that to Shiro! "What's more, he's attending UA as a student in the hero course at class 1A under his civilian identity Izuku Midoriya, all because of a few good deeds, and needing protection from that sick bastard you all know I hate!"
Students in class 1B, as well as the other students, turned to look at 1A stunned.
"We can explain," Toru pleaded.
"We promise you all a full explanation after this," Ojiro added. "But for now, just bear with it and watch."
The students said nothing. They just turned to the arena, still shocked by the revelation. They weren't the only ones.
'Izuku you're alive, and you're at UA,' Shita thought.
'And if Shiro knows then that means he'll,' Umi thought worriedly. 'No! After everything you went through to get out of here.'
'Fate works in mysterious ways,' Rika mused.
'This will only end in someone's blood being shed,' Speed Demon and Atlas both realised.
Katsuki quickly collected himself.
"So, Deku went and got himself captured by you, how typical," he sneered. "Back then he could hardly do anything by himself. He was so helpless."
Elena scowled at Bakugo's statement. After being defeated twice by the man, and acknowledged as a threat by several individuals, he still had the nerve to look down on Izuku Midoriya for being quirkless.
Her parents would have never stood for this, and neither would her older brothers. Her parents openly accepted anyone into their squad (provided they did prove themselves) regardless of gender, background, orientation, race or even quirk.
Shiro wasn't surprised at Katsuki's speech about Deku.
While most would have thought the boy simply hated Deku and looked down on him for being quirkless, Shiro knew it ran deeper than that.
There was a reason Bakugo still treated quirkless people the way he had despite his previous defeats. What Bakugo felt about Deku, about quirkless, or rather what he thinks he feels, it wasn't genuine, it wasn't real.
Katsuki didn't truly hate Deku and people like him. He only thought he did because he felt compelled to because his emotions were set that way. Regardless of what Katsuki said or did, there was always another part of him that was against it, but it was always overpowered.
How did he know this?
Kioku's quirk allowed her to look at all memories, even subconscious ones, as she had done with Deku and learned his full past. He might tell others the same sob story repeatedly, but it was always worse than he described.
"Enough talk, we're here to fight after all," Shiro declared.
The two individuals each took a fighting stance. And just like that, the battle recommenced.
Katsuki launched an explosion at Shiro, only for him to swiftly dodge and land a strong kick to the boy's stomach and send him flying.
Katsuki grunted in pain and stopped himself from vomiting. Not wanting to fall on the ground again he released miniature explosions from his hands to stay up.
The UA student charged at Shiro and performed his usual right hook on him. Shiro realised what he was about to do and reached out to grab Katsuki's arm. However, this was merely a faint from Katsuki who ignited several explosions to propel himself over the sadistic leader (who was believed to have blinded with that attack) in an effort to hit him from behind, unfortunately, it didn't go as planned.
Shiro was faster and ducked forward into a position that looked as though he was about to perform a handstand, confusing Katsuki, and using all the strength and might in his arms, Shiro sprung back and kicked Katsuki hard in the face.
The boy tumbled back in the air and landed on his head. He stood up quickly and glared at his opponent. This was not going the way he had hoped.
'Dammit, this bastard is a lot tougher than he looks,' Katsuki thought. 'No wonder he's the top authority in this shithole.'
Deciding that he needed some space, Katsuki attempted to retreat momentarily.
Unfortunately, Shiro correctly guessed what he was trying to do and was on him before he could use his quirk. He grabbed the student by the shoulders and kneed him in the stomach, causing him to vomit slightly.
He then brought him back up and headbutted him in the face, not breaking anything but still causing immense pain.
Shiro then proceeded to rain down several strong punches to Bakugo's face, causing blood to flow from his mouth, and finally performed a side rising kick to his chest that launched him up into the air sending him several metres away.
The students of UA and the other schools watched in horror as Katsuki was hurt even more by this psychopath.
It was shocking to see him tossed around like he was some ragdoll.
It was like in his fight with Izuku, only much more brutal.
What was truly disturbing was how much Shiro was enjoying it. He liked hitting Katsuki, he liked mocking him, he liked the pain he inflicted on him. From this, it was evidently clear he was just toying with Bakugo.
"Had enough yet?" Shiro asked mockingly. "If you'd like to surrender, I won't hold it against you."
"Fuck you!" Katsuki spat. "I will win because that's what heroes do."
He couldn't afford to lose here. He needed to win. He had to win. He'd been defeated several times in the past, kidnapped and held hostage with relative ease.
If he didn't win here, if he couldn't defeat an actual villain, then he would be seen as weak. How could he possibly become a hero if he was weak?
Shiro chuckled. "A hero indeed. You want to be like All Might, because you were captured by the way he looks when he wins right?"
Bakugo blinked in confusion. He hadn't expected Shiro to know that.
"Let me guess, Deku's memories," he guessed.
"Indeed," Shiro confirmed. "And I must say I learned quite a few things from him. My subordinate can look at all memories of a target, even subconscious ones." Katsuki really couldn't understand where he was going with this. "For instance, I learned the real reason for why you hate him."
Katsuki stared at him dumbfounded. The real reason he hates Deku? What the hell was he talking about? He knows exactly why he hates Deku.
"Just so we're clear," Shiro continued. "It isn't because he's quirkless, or because of that event where you fell into the river. Why don't you try thinking about it?"
'What the fuck is this guy going on about? I know why I hate Deku. It's because of those,' Katsuki thought before stopping. He considered it for a minute before freezing. 'Wait, hold on, I bullied him for those reasons but, why do I hate him? I've always felt that way about him but why? Even just thinking about him makes me angry, but why?'
He had never even considered it before, he never needed to. Just what did Shiro learn from Deku's memories.
Deciding to dwell on it later he got back to the task at hand.
Bakugo charged at Shiro again, this time with a solid plan in motion. Shiro sighed and move quickly towards him. However, when they were close enough Bakugo brought his hands together and generated a sphere of light using his explosions.
"Stun Grenade," he shouted.
The attack blinded Shiro momentarily, which was long enough for Bakugo to unleash a full-fledged explosion (similar to when he used his gauntlets) that consumed Shiro entirely. The blast shook the entire arena.
Katsuki breathed heavily as his attack subsided, thinking he'd finally done some damage to Shiro.
However, fate was cruel.
Once the dust cleared Katsuki noticed a bright light emanating from the centre. It was Shiro, coating the light around him like a blanket. One would probably describe it as a shield.
"Phew," Shiro exhaled. "Well Kacchan congratulations, you got me to use my quirk. It's a shame really because I actually thought you had me there for a second."
Katsuki could tell from the glow what Shiro's quirk was.
"Your quirk is Photokinesis?" he murmured in shock. A quirk like that was incredibly rare and very powerful.
"Right in one go. I'm impressed," Shiro applauded. "My quirk allows me to manipulate light in whatever shape or form I desire."
Without warning, Shiro blasted Katsuki with a ray of light that sent him away from the man. The impact hurt, and it burned.
"Now that you've forced me to use my quirk, I suppose it's time I got serious," Shiro stated ominously.
That statement not only scared the students but Katsuki as well.
This entire time he'd just been playing around.
Suddenly, Shiro was next to Katsuki in an instant. His quirk made him faster after all.
From his hands, several orbs of light emerged.
"Rapid Fire Light Orb," Shiro shouted.
The orbs of light fired and struck Katsuki all over his body before he could react and defend himself.
Katsuki groaned in pain. This guy meant business.
Next, Shiro leapt up into the air and formed several light rays from himself.
"Light Spears," he shouted.
The light rays rained down on Katsuki who used his quirk as quickly as he could to avoid. While he did manage to avoid the first five, the sixth and final one pierced through his shoulder. Katsuki howled in pain, which Shiro smiled at. His sadism was more open and obvious now.
"Okay, that's enough. He's going too far," Mina cried.
"He'll kill him at this rate," Kinoko Komori yelped.
"He won't," Rika declared. The others turned to her surprised and confused. "Shiro might not look it but he's a man of his word. If he said it wasn't a deathmatch, then it isn't one. Your friend is being brutalised sure, but he won't die. If Shiro truly wanted to kill him it wouldn't be that way."
The students wanted what Rika was saying to be true and decided to just watch it play out until the end, not that they could do anything else.
"Now if you don't mind, would you be so kind as to surrender," Shiro requested. "This was fun but I'm a busy man and I've got lots of things to do, places to go, people to torture and kill, you know."
Katsuki stood up clutching his shoulder. He was in agony, though he tried not to show it. He glared hatefully at Shiro, who simply grinned back. Angered by that annoying smile he spat out blood onto the ground and removed his hand from his shoulder leaving the wound visible.
This act surprised even Shiro who thought the ash-blonde would have gotten the idea that he couldn't win into his thick skull.
Katsuki did have the idea, however, he decided that didn't mean he couldn't at least fuck this bastard up in a very bad way.
It didn't matter if he was wounded or not, he would fight till the bitter end.
He charged at Shiro once more but this time he used his quirk to launch himself up into the air and circle the man, much to the latter's confusion. Unleashing several explosions to propel himself in a circular motion Katsuki began generating a tornado. With the oxygen and sweat building up he flew at Shiro.
The UA students realised what he was trying to do, remembering he did the same thing on Shoto during the Sports Festival.
Shiro put up a shield to protect himself, but it did little good.
The moment Katsuki reached him, it was the equivalent of dropping a missile.
"Howitzer Impact!" Bakugo roared.
Suddenly, an all-powerful, large explosion came from Katsuki's hand and consumed Shiro completely. The power from the explosion destroyed the ground, caused wind and heat to disperse everywhere and blinded many.
The source of the explosion panted heavily as he barely remained standing. He couldn't see Shiro, but he hoped he had at least damaged the bastard properly.
The audience was stunned at the sheer power the teenager had demonstrated just now. He was definitely going to be someone to watch out for in the fights, and the right person to bet on.
The students as well as the people with them were just as surprised. When someone faced Shiro, they didn't usually have this much power and strength. What had happened next was expected, but what they saw wasn't.
"Ow, ow, ow," Shiro groaned standing up. "That actually hurt. I didn't think your attack would get past my shield, but you sure proved me wrong. I guess it's true what they say. A wounded animal is the most dangerous of all, willing to do anything to damage their opponent."
Looking at Shiro, it appeared that Bakugo's attack had gotten through and damaged him. His clothes were burnt and dirty. His skin was burnt on his face and hands. Throwing away his jacket revealed a few bruises and more burns on his arms. That was the most shocking thing about this fight, Shiro had been hurt, he had actually been hurt. Something like that was incredibly rare in this hellhole, barring Deku's fight.
As soon as he stood up straight Shiro spat out a bit of blood and stared at Katsuki.
Much to the boy's surprise, Shiro grinned at him enthusiastically.
The man then started laughing maniacally.
"Oh, man. You're really great you know!" he applauded. "Do you have any idea how many people have managed to hurt me?! Do you?! Here's a little hint: very few! So, as a reward for accomplishing this feat, I'll finish you off quickly in a way I would only do for serious threats."
Everyone who knew Shiro held their breaths in anticipation of what Shiro was going to do. It was incredibly rare for them to see this move in the works.
The students and Katsuki were baffled by Shiro's response.
Shiro didn't care, unfortunately.
Without warning, he grabbed Katsuki with a whip of light and threw him up into the air. Katsuki tried to retaliate but Shiro used his quirk to move at the speed of light (a technique he couldn't freely use because of how draining it was) to launch himself into the sky above Katsuki and spread his entire body out.
Light emanated from him that covered the sky of the arena.
Slowly, it intensified to the point where it began to blind people.
"Heaven's Judgement!" Shiro shouted.
The light he unleashed rained down and engulfed Katsuki completely.
Katsuki felt incredible pain, the likes of which he's never felt before.
It became too much, and then it became numb, and then it became dark as he fell unconscious.
The light cleared, and it revealed a wounded, unconscious (but alive) Katsuki at the centre of the arena.
The students could only stare in horror as they watched one of the strongest people they knew in an awful state of the body.
Shiro walked over and inspected Katsuki to make sure he hadn't killed him. Seeing that the boy was still breathing, he declared it his win and called the medical squad in.
The audience applauded Shiro for his victory.
"Now hold on, give a round of applause to Katsuki here! After all, it's not every day you see this happen to me," Shiro urged while Bakugo was loaded up onto a stretcher and taken away. Abiding by his request the audience cheered for Bakugo. "Now for the newcomers who just watched all of that, I hope you enjoyed that. this is what you're going to be facing from now on. So, give it your all! That's all I have to say."
The people (including the students) looked at him with fear. This would be what they were facing from now on unless someone came and saved them, which wasn't likely.
Realising they didn't have a choice they all decided to do what they could to survive in the Underworld, in Hades.
Umi led the students back to the children's section to rest up after seeing that. No doubt they were more mentally prepared for what was to come.
Some (like Kirishima) were concerned about Katsuki and wanted to check on him, but she refused them saying enough was enough for one day.
Shiro went to get his wounds treated by Rika and a few others.
He did not expect to get hurt in that fight.
Hi there. Well, what did you think of that? This chapter was going to be longer, but I decided I wanted to release it now for you all. I only recently got free time and used it to type as fast as I could. I've had assignments and I will soon have exams I need to study for so I'm a bit tight on time.
Some interesting questions have been raised in this chapter. What was Shiro talking about? Why does Bakugo hate Midoriya? It's not for the reasons you all think. Those questions will be answered in later chapters.
Next chapter involves a conclusion of the hero meeting and Izuku facing off against the assassins with help from some unexpected individuals (no not Razor or the League). I hope you enjoyed reading. Please review.
Merry Christmas!