A/N: A shout out to phelipebr, TheMexicanAttcker and Uniquebooks phelipebr for the reviews!
Warning: This chapter contains a lot of dark stuff which may not be for the faint of heart. Read at your own discration. Without further ado, please enjoy the story.
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Chapter 3: The Fearsome Assasin.
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=[Daruma Ujiko's Lab]=
"How is the condition of Shepherd's body? The way he utilized the quirk I gave him surpasses even my wildest expectations, but it would be essential to know the limits of his fighting strength."
Daruma looked at the multiple X-ray images projected onto the screen, before looking back at All for One. He still harboured a burning hatred for the boy who thrashed his lab into a chemical mess, but given his drastic change in prowess and mental instability, it would be best for him not to provoke the said boy for now. "From what we can observe, the way he uses the quirk is similar to its previous owner; he can create, control and turn parts of his body into toxic sludge, heavy emphasis on 'toxic'. In addition, the boy can control the sludge to create various weapons, making the toxic sludge quirk twice as deadly. The modified quirk seems to have integrated completely into the brat's body, so well that the toxins from the sludge are threatening to break down the host's body."
"And I trust that the Noumu's regenerative quirk serum you used…is enough to counter that drawback?" All for One continued.
"Well…yes. But there are limits." Daruma frowned in response. "From what we can observe from his battles, his sludge has a special infectious property similar to a flesh-eating disease called Necrotizing fasciitis. It devours cells and living tissue to increase its own mass, in other words, it grows stronger over time."
"So what does that have to do with his regeneration?"
"The sludge will gradually consume the brat's body over time." Daruma told him. "A dangerous fact to know about [Toxic Sludge] is that it eats the flesh of its user to produce itself. The regeneration quirk given to him already has its hands full constantly healing him thanks to the high amount of poisonous chemicals eroding his flesh and organs, if the toxicity rate were to increase to a level where the regeneration cannot keep up…"
"Alright, it's a good thing we are aware of this. If there anyway we can strengthen Shepherd's regeneration? It's optimal that we raise the limits of his sludge quirk to the highest level."
"Normally I could…but he trashed my lab to pieces." Daruma spat with venom in his voice.
All for One chuckled. "I will take care of that." He told the doctor. "Also, I do believe that our newest addition requires special gear which allows him to use his quirk without unintentionally poisoning our own forces. I have sent Giran the order to purchase something from the black market, and I think you can cook some something for our precious hellhound as well."
"…I'll get to work on that." Daruma scowled. "But has he truly changed? He lost all of his memories prior to yesterday, even his own name. What will happen when those come back? Wouldn't he turn on us once he remembered how we tortured him?"
"Hm…who knows?" The tall masked man gave a wry smile and answered enigmatically. "He cast aside his past, erased everything he owned to be reborn into a human-killing machine. Should the day come when his memories return, after knowing what he has done…"
All for One used one finger to tap at his brain.
"…I wonder what kind of face would he make?"
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=[Musutafu Police Headquarters, Conference room]=
Having so many police officers and heroes in the same room would have felt the most reassuring to most people. But to Naomasa, it was just a bad premonition to what was possibly coming.
It has been decades since Kenji Tsuragamae had called the various chiefs of Japan's police force for a mass briefing in the center of the country's police network, Musutafu. A mass briefing meant many things to the crime-fighting force and hero industry, and most of the time, it was never good. The last time this happened, it was during the outbreak of the largest villain group ever to be formed in Japan, led by the man whom All-Might had considered his greatest nemesis, the group which was now currently known as the League of Villains. During that time, Tsuragamae was only just a junior inspector. Never would he thought he would once again be part of a massive gathering consisting of some of the country's top heroes. For all these personnel to be gathered on such a short notice, with such urgency, it could only meant that something big has happened…something important.
Standing at the back of the room overseeing this briefing were the Pro-Heroes, standing proudly with stern expressions on their face. Deatharms waited patiently with his arms crossed, as he occasionally tapped his foot lightly on the floor. Edgeshot stood by the corner silent, eyes closed while he waited for the news. Kamui Woods waited with a dignified pose while he gazed critically at his recently-debuted junior; Mt Lady looked disinterested in this entire thing, barely suppressing a yawn which earned her a glare from the [Arbor] quirk hero beside her. There were others, of course. But most importantly…
All-Might, the supposed star of the evening was missing…again.
At this, Kenji quickly explained the usual reason for his absence.
"All-Might has been executing his duties as a peacekeeper for several days straight, and we had him excused from his meeting to let him rest. He will be brief at a later date. He expresses his apologies for not being able to attend-woof."
That was a lie of course. At the very least, Naomasa knew for sure. Unbeknownst to most people, Toshinori Yagi's injuries after the fight with All for One had left his body wrecked and several organs ruptured permanently. All-Might had confessed to his long-time friend that his daily time limit to stay in fighting form was reduced to a mere three hours, but Naomasa had a sinking suspicion that it was now way shorter than that.
For those who were curious why All-Might did not have as much public appearances as before, everyone just thought that he was just so busy saving lives that he could not spend time on something so unnecessary. It was the perfect excuse to maintain public stability…but for how long?
The symbol of peace is needed, to boost the heroes moral while making the villains stay low. His current condition must not be leaked…at least for now. How could one lone man carry such a burden? – was what Naomasa thought with a complicated expression.
"Well, nothing we can do about that then. Shall we proceed with the meeting?" Touma Senbimaru, the police force's Commissioner General who was sitting at the front stated the obvious, making Tsuragamae nod his head.
Even the scary top brass of the police is here…just what happened?
"That is fine-woof. We can proceed with briefing now-woof."
"So, General Commissioner…why have you brought us all here to Musutafu's central headquarters?" The Pro-hero Deatharms began, his expression pensive. "…for what reason do you have to gather so many of us here on such a short notice?"
General Commissioner Touma nodded to Kenji, cueing the beagle-head chief of police to address the topic with a grim expression across his dog-like features. "As you know, we police have been conducting raids and patrols in certain areas to continuously flush out villain groups, especially in the area, Kamino Ward, where we had suspicions housed the League of Villains. However, in the past week, a team of 20 police officers were send to investigate a series of murders occurring amongst the villains in that area's perimeter. But in the next morning, we lost contact with them and they had all disappeared-woof."
"What? They went missing just like that?"
"To search for the missing team," Kenji continued with a grimace. "Another team consisting of thirty men, made up of fully-armed police personnel, 4 Pro-heroes (Captain Celebrity, Blitzer, Earthshaker, Stormhawk) and their sidekicks were sent to investigate Kamino Ward. That following night, we have received intel from a surviving sidekick that the entire team was killed…in ten minutes."
Everyone's mouth gaped open in horror at this shocking news. Even the usual stern expression on General Commissioner Touma's face faltered slightly into a panicked scowl.
Four well-known Pro-heroes…not to mention their sidekicks…killed in mere minutes?!
"T-That's…that's outrageous!" Deatharms shouted in angry disbelief as he stepped forward. "Those are Pro-heroes we are talking about! Just how many villains are there to overwhelm them so easily in a mere ten minutes?!"
"…According to the survivor, after what we could get out from him in his broken state, he told us that the act was committed by a brand-new villain no listed in the wanted database-woof," Kenji informed them. "Every single member of the hero team…was killed by a single villain-woof."
"I-I-I-Impossible-! That…can't be…!" Kamui Wood's eyes widened with horror. "A single villain…was able to do this…in a single night…!? The only one capable of doing that was the one All-Might fought-"
"It wasn't him. At least…that was what we concluded after comparing the survivor's testimony-woof." Kenji added. "Just look at this picture the sidekick had managed to salvage from that night. But I have to warn you all first…please be mentally prepared for what you are about to see-woof."
The room became silent as permission was granted to a nervous officer, and he flashed a photograph on the projector. The picture was rather blurry…whether it was due to the lack of lighting or the photographer's shaky hands, they had no idea. What was shown in front of everyone was…
A scene straight out of hell; a graveyard dyed in black. The streets of Kamino Ward were diseased-black like an infection, corpses presenting a sickish-dark color were sprawled everywhere. Some were mangled and others ripped apart beyond recognition. But what disturbed everyone in the room was…every single one of the corpses' faces were locked in absolute terror and horror, and the amount of blood spilled in the picture almost seemed to leak into the briefing room, infecting the air with a rotting, metallic stench.
"…Ugh!" Mt Lady covered her mouth to prevent the contents of her stomach from spilling out, utterly repulsed from the sight, while the rest of her colleagues remained disturbed. "Oeugh! *cough*! *cough*!
"No…no way…t-this…! This is-!" Deatharms muttered with a shaky voice, his hands gripping his arms tightly. "A single villain did this…?!"
Everyone was frozen and eyes widened in horror. Some were struggling to remain standing as multiple urges to vomit was rising in everyone. In fact, some had bolted out of the room and made a mad dash to the nearest bathroom to empty their stomachs.
"Wait…there's someone alive inside!"
True enough, in the picture and standing in the middle of this hellish sight…was a figure dressed in a black coat with a fur collar, with dark pants and high boots, the most distinctive feature being his spiky snow-white hair and a demonic-dog mask hiding his lower facial features. The way he was looking at the scene was just like how an artist appraises his own art; a demon painting a hellscape.
"According to the survivor," Kenji added. "This villain calls him as…Shepherd, the Hellhound-woof."
"I can't…believe it…!" Deatharm gasped. "There was such a monster hiding in Kamino Ward? What is his affiliation? The League of Villains?"
"…We do not know. There are still many unknown factors about this villain…" Kenji stated with grimace, wishing to remove the scene of hell from his mind. "But one thing's for certain-woof," Everyone frowned at the beagle-headed chief of police's words. "This is the first time such a vicious villain has come out into the open, a villain far more dangerous than the very man who founded the League of Villains."
They had came across many types of villains, those who commited crimes for a quick buck…those who just wanted to fool around…those who wished to control others…and this villain appeared to be under one of the most dangerous classifications; mentally unstable and psychopathic, villains who desired to kill for their sick amusement and satisfaction.
"…just when we though we can finally enjoy a moment of peace thanks to All Might," Nighteye, the former sidekick of All-Might spoke out in a solemn tone. "If a monster like that appears out in the open, then it's high time we snap out of the relaxed mood and prepare for the worst."
"…that I agree Nighteye-sir." Naomasa voiced his opinion, his face still sweating from the disturbing scene of carnage. "In any case, it's essential that we have to know everything about this guy. And obviously…his quirk."
A dark poisonous substance.
Corpses tainted black.
The entire battlefield looking like it was infected by a plague.
A quirk capable of poisoning and tearing apart everything in its path.
"It appears to be an extremely versatile emitter-type quirk," Kenji read out from the files. "Capable of producing large amounts of sludge-like substances for both offensive and defensive uses. Reports from the autopsy lab have also testified that the villain's quirk contains an extremely deadly metallic toxin which breaks down the cells of any organic matter to replicate itself, which explains the…colour of the corpses."
"So," The ninja Pro-hero Edgeshot finally spoke up with narrowed eyes. "Where are his current whereabouts? Is he still at Kamino Ward?"
Kenji shook his head gravelly. "We have no clue where he is as of now. We have switched to long-range surveillance, but there has been no sign of him since then. But one thing's for sure…he has been listed as one of the most dangerous villains since he managed to take down multiple veteran heroes simultaneously."
"We should oust him as soon as possible," Kamui Woods, the up and rising rookie of the Pro-heroes urged. "Given the nature of his quirk, it's not an exaggeration to say that he is a living human hazard."
At Kamui Woods' words, everyone became deathly silent.
"…for now, our main priority is the location of this villain and formulate countermeasures against his quirk." Kenji forcefully brough the briefing back to its original intended purpose. "…and what everyone must do should they encounter this villain."
"As of now, all heroes and law-enforcement personnel are to be cautious and wary. Should you ever encounter this individual, do not attempt to engage unless the minimal number of 5 pro-heroes are present. Leave this to the veterans if you lack the confidence to stand your ground." General Commissioner Touma spoke sternly, his words taken to heart by all heroes, sidekicks and police alike. The screen behind him showed a roughly sketched depiction of a figure with spiky white hair, wearing a black coat with a white fur collar, and a demonic-hound mask covering the lower portion of his face.
"As for the villain…" His face gazed at every single individual in the room, his aged face becoming stone-cold and displaying unflinching resolve. "The individual known as Shepherd…is hereby declared as a rank S villain. That's all!"
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=[League of Villains Headquarters]=
Shepherd entered the bar. His eyes scanned the room and confirmed that only the villain bartender was present. "…Kurogiri." He gave a small bow in respect.
"Good afternoon, Shepherd." The dark misty villain nodded his head in greeting and showed the boy his seat.
"…I was told by Sensei that he needed me here…to see some broker…where…?"
"The broker has already arrived and waiting," Kurogiri informed him, while preparing the boy's usual drink at the same time. "But for now, please feel free to relax. Here's your Vanilla Iced Coffee."
"…relaxed huh…?" The white-haired kid removed his leather hound-mask while accepting the drink gratefully. "…is the man-child here?"
"It's Shigaraki Tomura," Kurogiri corrected politely. "For both of our sakes, I kindly suggest that you refer to him as such. The boy gets riled up easily if he feels belittled."
"…he's noisy…an eyesore…he complains over the smallest things…when things do not go his way…he's weak…" Shepherd told the [Warp Gate] bartender. "…The strong never has to act that way…an indomitable presence…making everyone kneel before him with nothing but power…that is what Sensei is…why I loved him. But Tomura Shigaraki…I don't understand…just what makes him strong…?"
Kurogiri fell silent for a while before asking the frowning boy. "Shepherd…why do you hate weak people so much?"
"…I don't know…it just gets irritating," Shepherd displayed a rather perplexed expression. "…Whenever I see someone begging for mercy…or their crying face when they beg me to stop…I just feel very nasty inside…like I was reminded of something very irritating."
Kurogiri observed as Shepherd grabbed the drink with two hands and chugged it down, a little sad and forlorn. Sometimes the villain bartender just forgets that at the end of the day, Shepherd is just a child. Was this really the same boy who has the potential to start a bloodbath at the smallest provocation?
"Ah," Kurogiri's attention shifted as a familiar figure stepped into the dimly-lit bar, carrying two metal briefcases. "Looks like the broker is here, Shepherd." The boy's eyes widened slightly as a rather shady character entered the room. He was a middle-aged man with a mop of grey hair combed to the side, had a small goatee and mustache, along with a pair of circular glasses perched on his nose. He was dressed in purple dress pants and a matching blazer over a white collared shirt, and a scarf reminding Shepherd of intestines wrapped around the broker's neck.
Kurogiri quickly introduced the man. "Shepherd, meet the broker associated with our League, Giran. Besides supplying us with various supplies, he has helped us sourced out potential members for our organization. Giran, this boy here is…"
"Ah yes…the ever so famous Shepherd which has been making waves in the underground recently. It's truly a pleasure to finally meet you." The man called Giran greeted in an oily voice. Honestly, Giran expected the famous Shepherd to be some sort of crazy psychopath who was not hesitant to take lives on a whim. But much to his surprise, standing in front of him was a scowling youth around the age of sixteen. When he extended his hand in greeting, the boy just stared at him with a suspicious look.
"…what is this guy's purpose here…?"
"Not so friendly, is he?" Giran smirked.
"I'm sorry about Giran," Kurogiri told him softly. "He doesn't open up to strangers that well. Shepherd, don't you remember? Sensei asked him to prepare your gear for Tomura's operation on Yuuei tomorrow."
"Ah…I see…" The old broker nodded in understanding. He then recalled the words of All for One gave him regarding Shepherd, during the task he was given to create the new villain's costume.
Shepherd was another of Sensei's sons and an individual chosen to carry on All for One's legacy, along with Shigaraki Tomura. He had been well-informed of Shepherd's strength, as he had personally witnessed the carnage from one of his gruesome battles.
Even now…he can't get the images of raining blood, internal organs and limbs ripped apart, along with bodies corroded to grotesque corpses out of his mind. Even though he was a villain and should be used to death by now…that horrible scene was forever imprinted in his mind. The way that boy battles is comparable to Shigaraki.
If Tomura was a living incarnation of destruction who disintegrates everything in his way, then Shepherd was a human plague who corrodes and tears anything and anyone who opposes him.
He did not know the exact full story from the man responsible for Shepherd's birth, but he heard enough to know that Shepherd was once a quirkless kid…before he was picked up by All for One.
After some…conditioning, he was made to the League of Villain's hellhound, a being whose only purpose was to eradicate the enemies of the League completely. Giran did not dare asked just what kind of experience the boy went through to become someone as broken as Shepherd, nor did he want to think about it.
Any mention of the torture will have Shepherd in a seizing fit. The last unlucky guy who attempt that was sent home in tiny boxes. Giran need no reminder of what may happen if he tries to probe Shepherd's past too much. If he makes even the tiniest mistake, he may suffer a fate worse than death.
The broker pushed his glasses up and gave a smug grin, revealing a missing tooth. "I was specially instructed to help you with your villain gear, given the special nature of your [Toxic Sludge] quirk. And I got just the thing for a special villain like you."
Giran proceed to place three metal briefcases on the table and unloaded their contents one at a time.
"You aren't a picky customer like most of my other clients and I appreciate that," Giran told Shepherd as he worked, while the latter merely gazed at the sketchy salesman with disinterest. "I was told you were fine with anything as long as its black. Makes it easier to order these babies."
"I've got what I could find on the black market in what little time I had," Giran explained with a lopsided smile which unsettled Shepherd somehow. "And I believe that what I have now is suitable for your next operation."
Pulling several items out of the two briefcases, Shepherd and Kurogiri leaned forward to see a new black coat, and a pair of armored boots…all colored in a mix of black and red designs.
"…I already have clothes. What's the use of this?"
"Well," Giran suppressed an urge to chuckle, given Shepherd's tendencies to be easily annoyed. "I've heard that your clothes always having holes or corroding off thanks to the nature of your sludge quirk. I don't think it's good for your image if your villain wear happens to completely torn off during a fight. Or would you prefer to kill your opponents while fighting butt-naked?"
A silent response from the white-haired boy made Giran grinned as he continued to introduce the gear. He held up the black coat and displayed it in full view; a design similar to the previous ones, except the fur collar was thicker and gave the outfit a more bestial look. Thin grey plating armored various parts of it.
"Polyolefin." The broker told him. "Extremely lightweight and highly chemical plus corrosion resistant. Bio-weaved into a coat similar to those worn by people dealing with highly-radioactive and reactive chemical plants. I put in a special order to have it reinforced with boron carbon plates on the outside. Figured you need something to protect yourself with should you come under heavy gunfire. Those plates can survive your average Glock 22 used by the police, but try not to rely on them too much though. The body armor allows zero penetration, however…"
Giran faked a pained look. "…still quite painful, I'm afraid."
"…looks expensive."
"Ah don't worry about it," Giran assured with a smirk. "All for One has graciously paid for all expenses in regards to your new suit. I guess it shows how much value you have to him. The coat also has openings on your arms, legs and various parts of your body which allows you to unleash and shoot your sludge. The suit doesn't just protect you; it also makes sure you do not hit your allies indiscriminately and cause unnecessary collateral damage."
"…I see."
"And next, this…I believed that your mysterious doctor of the League played a part in making this for you." The final case was opened with a flourish, revealing the final component of Shepherd's upgraded villain costume.
"…I thought I already have a mask…?"
It was a brand-new mask. Compared to its previous leather counterpart which was better off in a Halloween party, the new mouth wear was more sleek, edgy and more menacing in design. It was made of a smooth black metal, forged to resemble a demonic-dog with gnashing canines, much like a restrained monster from the pits of hell. Its special feature was shown when Giran pressing a switch inside, making the 'mouth' of the mask snapped opened and closed.
"This, Shepherd, is much more than that party prop you called your trademark feature." Giran elaborated as he blatantly ignored another of the boy's glares. "More durable, corrosion-resistant of course. The mask also has a function to open the 'mouth', if you ever want to deliver a nasty…surprise if your opponent get too near." Giran could see that even Shepherd was a little intrigued by this.
"Honestly, I'm kind of jealous." Giran remarked. "Not even I received this much presents during Christmas. All for One sure pulled out all the stops for this one."
"…I see. If it's to boost my strength, then I have no complains…"
"If you want to see it in action, why not wear it now and take it out for a spin?" Giran asked, making both Kurogiri and Shepherd look at the shady broker inquisitively. "Why don't you test it out on a guy that has been a pain in my neck lately?"
"…what do you mean?"
"A real troublesome guy has been appearing in the outskirts of Kamino Ward lately. A psychopath-killer called Muscular has been killing both heroes and villains alike, whoever's unlucky enough to be on his bad side." Giran informed Kurogiri and Shepherd. "Apparently he has been targeted by the police even more now ever since he killed a couple of heroes and escaped. From what I can gather now, he is currently making part of Kamino Ward his base and nab a few followers of his own."
"I heard about him from the news," Kurogiri recalled. "He killed the hero couple known as the Water Horses, along with other pro-heroes and citizens as well. If we were to invite him to the League, our fighting strength would surely gain a tremendous boost, don't you think…Shepherd?"
"…so he's just a guy who takes pleasure in killing the weak," Shepherd spat out, his initial interest died out instantly. "…what a boring guy. I won't have satisfaction from fighting such a weakling."
"Except that he's not," Giran sighed. "He's got an annoyingly powerful quirk that manipulates his muscles, a power gorilla if you will. If things go on as it is, we will have a complete bloodthirsty psycho ruling his own group here, and my business will no doubt be affected. It will be great if the league can put him under control."
"He sounds like a remarkable individual, someone which the League has a place for. Giran has been quite busy for your sake Shepherd, so why not try to scout him out into our group? He may perhaps be able to give you the fight you are seeking for." With perfect timing, Sensei had just been listening to their conversation and decided to give Giran a helping hand, and pretty much ordered Shepherd to deal with the broker's problem.
"…If Sensei orders it, I shall gladly accept." Shepherd hated the idea of fighting for someone other than his mentor, but the thought of finding some decent prey for once made him excited. "…but if this guy annoys me, I'll get rid of him. Would that be okay…Sensei?"
That caused a thick wave of blood lust to assault Giran like a tsunami, causing a very frightened broker to jump back instinctively and almost bit his tongue.
"Kuku…" a rare chuckle from All for One resounded across the room. "I would be extremely pleased if you can manage to bring back a potential candidate for our cause. But, in the event that you think otherwise…"
"Feel free to devour him…for your own growth."
"…As you wish, Sensei."
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=[Tokyo, Minato. Roppongi District Cemetery]=
Izuku had always wondered just how lucky he was. He had met his life-long idol All-Might, personally trained in a gruelling exercise regime to attain One for All, passed the UA entrance examinations (well, barely), and began what he thought previously was an impossible dream for him; his journey as a hero. He held a flower in one hand while he carefully approached the tombstone in front if him.
Six months…it was hard to believe that it has already been that long.
The curly green-haired teen had gotten taller, more muscular than he hoped for and wore the standard uniform for Yuuei hero students. His confidence has risen along with his age, and a much more determined light could be seen in his eyes. However, despite that, his eyes held grief and sadness now that he arrived here.
In the end, they have never found the body, or any trace of the 14-year old boy.
The burial in front of him was nothing but an empty grave.
"Hey, Hakazuka-kun." Izuku greeted in a somber voice. It was half a year since the death of his best friend and classmate. Izuku didn't cry so much this time. The words Hakazuka had screamed out to Bakugo while he bravely stood up to him resounded deep within him even now. He risked his life to protect Midoriya's notebook of hero information; telling Izuku that his dream of becoming a hero wasn't a mistake, no one had the right to impede his path. He owed it that much to the rust-haired teen.
Hakazuka was never one to start a fight, but in his last moments, he stood up to the biggest bully of the school and fought back. His actions had given Izuku the hope he needed to push forward towards his dreams. It was his words that spurred Midoriya forward and tried to save Bakugo from the sludge villain. If he were to back out of his dreams that day…Hakazuka's efforts would have been in vain.
"I'm doing fine for now. The lessons at Yuuei are manageable somewhat, though the same can't be said for the practical classes…my new quirk still needs time to get used to after all." Midoriya paused, swallowing a deep lump in his throat before continuing with a smile. "Oh, and Kacchan got into the course as well, as the first-place scorer to boot, as expected of him…I think I still have mixed feelings about that, but I think that we can get along just fine." Izuku chuckled weakly, still having flashbacks from when Bakugo almost creamed him in the first training exercise. "If it weren't for you, I wonder if I'll still be here, talking to you as a hero student."
"I'm scared sometimes Hakazuka-kun, scared that more quirkless people like us will suffer today." Izuku bit his lip slightly and took a deep breath. "I'm sure that back then I was a little stronger…if I had just come back a little faster…you wouldn't have to take your own life."
"After you disappeared…Yatsuma and Torishima were expelled from the school, after the faculty questioned everyone regarding your circumstances. They tried to drag Kacchan down together with them, but everyone in our class testified that all this time, the ones who pushed you over the edge were those two only, so Kacchan was let off. Serves them right, I say."
Izuku touched the gravestone, gently following his fingers across the edge. "I'm so sorry we didn't even manage to find your body…!"
"Deku-kun…" a soft and gentle voice called out from behind. Midoriya wiped away his tears, turning to see a short brown-haired girl with a short bob, pink cheeks highlighting her face and the girl was dressed in the standard UA attire as well.
"Sorry for taking your time Uraraka-san," Izuku apologized to his female classmate, walking over to her. "I usually come here during the weekends, but I just felt like I wanted to take a small detour today."
"No, its fine really." Ochako reassured Midoriya, her eyes glancing over to the name on the tombstone to see who could cause Izuku to bear such pain. "I understand. Was he a close relative?"
"He was more than that, he was the only person who didn't laugh at my dreams to become a hero, even risking his own life for my sake." Midoriya answered back. "His name was Hakazuka Kotaro, my ex-classmate from my junior high school."
"Hakazuka…Kotaro…" wondered Uraraka, when the name began to turn a few gears in her memory, until it clicked and the [Zero Gravity] girl opened her eyes in surprise. "I…I'm so sorry Deku-kun. I could recognize that name at first, but I suddenly recalled it. He was the person who was suspected of committing suicide due to quirkless bullying right? I've seen in on TV."
"How much did you know?"
"Bits and pieces. It made quite the stir for an entire week after all," Ochako responded. "After what happened, some people started a campaign to abolish mistreatment of quirkless students in Japan's school system. There were a lot of support from families with quirkless members, as well as many pro-heroes. But sadly, it was never passed because of an overwhelming minority."
"Then I'll make it happen." Izuku spoke slowly, iron-clad resolve replacing the grief in his eyes. "I have always wondered what I wanted to do if I ever make it as a pro-hero. I had a lot of doubts in the past, but being a victim of quirkless bullying before has made me sure now. I will cease the bullying targeted at the quirkless. Never will I allow anyone to experience the same pain Hakazuka has endured, that I promise."
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=[Kamino Ward]=
"Where is Muscular?"
Shepherd asked the villain nonchalantly, watching the mohawk-bearing thug struggle in his iron-like grip. But the man just gave him the bird and spat at his face. "Screw you!"
"…wrong answer." The demonic hound-masked villain silenced him by corroding the thug's body rapidly with a torrent of sludge from the inside-out, making his entire body fell lifelessly to the ground while sporting diseased-black contamination.
"S-Shit! Who's the crazy bastard who said that we can take this guy on?!" One of the spectating thugs fearfully watching from the side held the urge to vomit upon seeing the bloodbath.
"It's just a kid! Grow some balls and attack from all sides!" Another shouted as he rallied the rest of the group to rush Shepherd.
"…fools." Shepherd willed his body to let forth a wave of black ooze and created a black lance, swinging it sideways and silencing the overzealous imbeciles rushing towards him.
Without wasting a single second, the white-haired boy mentally willed the sludge to morph into a barrel, hardening the sludge into deadly shards and unleashed an obsidian hellstorm upon the rest of the villain lackeys; never giving the enemy a second to think before their bodies were torn apart like sandpaper.
He can't waste too much energy dealing with the small fry, nor do he want to. The way they were ganging up on his was somehow reminding him of something nasty. Relying on someone else in a fight was a sign of weakness, multiple people grouping together to pool their strength and beat down their opponent…like bullies…
Bullies…? Why was he so familiar with that term? Bullies…had he met some previously…?
Oh well, it doesn't matter. That arrogance…he shall shatter it.
In mere minutes, a storm of body parts and crimson liquid rained across the battlefield. A stygian storm of death tore through the villains and left all of them in unrecognizable states. Some had their bodies reduced to a sickish-black state by the toxic properties of Shepherd's sludge, or slashed to pieces by the masked boy's endless weaponry.
"…too easy."
Kurogiri and Giran looked at all of the carnage from a safe distance, with the former standing by with the orders to warp Shepherd out of danger should anything happen to him. But from the looks of it, it appears that such a concern was unnecessary.
"As expected of the famed Shepherd…" Giran breathed in a mix of awe and terror. "…his viciousness does not betray the rumours."
"At this rate, Muscular is bound to show up anytime soon." Kurogiri commented as Shepherd finished 'cleaning up', before re-absorbing the sludge back to his body.
"How many more do we have to kill?" Shepherd turned to ask Giran, while absorbing the sludge back to his body, who was admiring the devastation caused by a single villain, not to mention a young kid at that. Giran quickly regained his composure and took another puff of his cigarette, shaking his head.
"With that many of his goons killed, not for much longer hopefully. He's bound to come out by now; he's a battle hungry psycho and will probably poke his head out when he finds out you are in his territory. It's only a matter of time."
"Don't underestimate him Shepherd," Kurogiri added. "Our aim today is to try recruiting Muscular into the League; fighting him will be secondary."
"Shut it Kurogiri," Shepherd snapped back. "I do things my way."
.
=[]=
How to describe the villain known as Muscular…if Shepherd were to put it in Tomura's game lingo terms, he would be something like a Boss Character.
"…he's quite huge…" Shepherd commented as he stared down at the hulking man facing him from across the parking lot.
Giran was right; it didn't take long for the leader himself to come out into the open with the rest of his cronies after slaughtering some villains. The group of thugs gathering behind their boss with fear, anger and foreboding in their eyes, surprised to see that the so called 'Hellhound of the League' was in fact just a kid. At the front was an ash-blonde haired hulk rippling with muscle, dressed in a dark red tank top, black pants and boots. His most noticeable trait as a large scar going down the left side of his face. Once the man saw him, a blood-thirsty grin formed on his face. "What do we have here? I was expecting a lot from the famous Shepherd of the League of Villains…but never did I expect a mere kid." He mocked. "I was looking for a good fight, but I'm kind of disappointed right now."
"…you are Muscular, right?" Shepherd glared at the powerfully-built villain. "…I have been given the order by Sensei to provide you with two options. Join the League…or die."
Muscular just gave a mad giggle. "Sensei? Oh I get it, you meant the big boss of your little group wants me in right? But where's the fun in that? Being part of a group and obeying petty orders like a dog…it gets boring over time."
That sneer…that ash-blonde hair…it made Shepherd frowned. Why does that guy look so familiar?
"…so you want to die I guess." Shepherd just said. This man was starting to grate on his nerves for some reason, a serious migraine was pulsing in his head. So grating…so infuriating…the more he listened to the man's babbling, the more Shepherd felt like massacring him. Was he someone he had encounter before in his life?
Not that it mattered much…he was still determined to break this guy.
"Hmm…by the way, quite the cute mask you got there," Muscular pointed out and grinned mockingly. "Does it show just how loyal you are to the League of Villains or whatever? Like some kind of obedient dog?" The ring of thugs behind him also began to laugh nervously as well alongside their leader.
Shepherd glared at him, black toxic fluids began to drip down his fingers in response. "…you sure are eager for an early death."
A huge, feral grin formed on the [Muscle Augmentation] quirk villain and an excited whistle escaped his lips. "Ready to fight, are we? Very nice…I like that in a guy, straight to the point. To be honest, those men you killed…I kind of got attached to them, thanks to the way they revelled my strength like some sort of god." Muscle fibres began sprouting from the villain's arms, wrapping around his limbs like strings and ribbons. "I'm not too good with things like avenging my men, but those guys were cute…so I'm going to take it out on you just a little bit, okay?!"
Muscular crouched low and prepared to spring forth with a maniacal laugh. "Today, I'll kill the famous Shepherd's sorry ass and make my name here! Right after I take my time torturing you that is! LET ME SEE YOU BLEED-"
He was cut off as a black blur was aimed at his face. "Whoa-!" he tilted his head to the right and narrowly avoided a sludge projectile as it fired before anyone could draw breath.
The other villains could only look on in horror and slight disgust as the sludge hardened into two obsidian gun barrels around Shepherd's arms, their creator's eyes burning with hatred and vengeance.
"…you talk too much. I'll rot you to the ground…Schwarze Hagel (Black Hail) !" Shepherd growled, letting the toxic bullets loose and fired upon the muscular villain in rapid succession.
"HAHAHAHAH! That's more like it! That's how it should be!" Muscular roared with glee, raising both of his arms and slammed down a shockwave which obliterated the pavement and blew away Shepherd's attack. He then dashed towards the slightly surprised Shepherd with his right arm drawn back for a powerful swing, ready to knock the assailant down in one blow.
"…using long-range attacks consumes too much sludge…I can't afford to waste any in a long fight…"
Shepherd gave a mild growl as he let loosed a wave of sludge from his arms to hinder the muscle behemoth's mad rush, morphing the ooze into a massive maw of a beast, ready to crunch Muscular into halves. "…Schwarzer Kiefer (Black Jaws of the Beast)!"
Seeing this, Muscular gave another laugh while he punched the ground, creating another shockwave which blew away most of the sludge protecting Shepherd. The white-haired boy clicked his tongue in annoyance as he was forced to retreat a few steps back.
At was at this moment that some of the men behind Muscular decided to brazenly barge into the fight to attack Shepherd themselves, upon seeing how easily their leader was able to corner him. Perhaps they wanted the honour of taking down the kid for themselves.
"Shepherd…" Kurogiri warned from the side, awaiting his companion's approval to assist.
"Stay out of this!" Shepherd snarled in irritation at the dark misty man, and then at the lot who barged into the fight. "You smallfries can just die! Schwarze Hagel (Black Hail)!" With a quick spin, he re-morphed his quirk's gun form unleashed a wave of sludge bullets from his palms and rained down a corrosion storm upon the insolent intruders. The thugs were sent flying from the maelstrom of toxic matter and some scream as the poisonous properties of the sludge quickly kicked in.
The group of thugs were instantly suppressed, screaming in agony as they are covered head-to-toe in toxic sludge, their limbs dyed black and all that remained were black, blighted corpses. To those still alive, the boy looked like a walking plague, an abominable human hazard.
With them out of the way, Shepherd turned his attention back to Muscular, who unfortunately had more than enough time to close the distance thanks to his men's 'diversion'.
"Was that supposed to be your quirk?" Muscular snorted, delivering a muscle enhanced punch which knocked back Shepherd several metres away, which could have been a lot worse if it weren't for the new reinforced clothes given by Giran. "The sludge sure has quite an annoying toxic property to it…"
"Gwaah-! Gargh!" The hound-masked teen crashed into the wall, making him cough out blood. "But it doesn't work on me!" Shepherd cast another hateful glare at Muscular as he casually approached, grinning madly as to show the inevitability of his victory.
"My quirk is [Muscle Augmentation]! Enabling me augment the muscle fibers that sit beneath my skin, giving me spectacular speed and strength! Furthermore, if I continuously coat myself in a layer of muscle fibres like this, not even your toxic sludge can do shit against me!" Muscular sneered as he said that, watching Shepherd struggling to stand back up. "What do you have to say to that?! Hhmm? What else you got!? Nothing! Just because your quirk works on some people, doesn't mean you are all that powerful!"
The battle-hungry psycho's eyes danced with a mad light as he clasped both of his fist together and raised them above Shepherd and himself, muscle fibers swirling wildly around his arms and raised their physical powers to inhuman levels. "You're just a weak little shit wanting who wants to play the big bad in this town! Seeing you squirm like this now, I can only laugh! It's just so sad! The so-called Hellhound of the League is powerless against me, Muscular! You said you want to kill me? Dream on kid! The only thing you should be thinking about right now…"
Shepherd's eyes widened in shock. T-This…could be pretty bad…
"IS HOW TO STAY ALIVE YOURSELF! GOODBYE, YOU WEAK-ASS SHIT! IT WAS NICE KILLING YA!" A blur was all Shepherd could see, and instinct forced the boy to create a makeshift shield with whatever sludge he could muster from his arms…
*BBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
The shockwave created from the impact resounded throughout Kamino Ward and the entire place a mile from the point of impact rumbled like a massive earthquake. The concrete and debris was blown away and caused everyone to take cover and avert their eyes away from the battle temporary, when they finally regained their bearings, the area Shepherd once stood in was obliterated.
"O-Oi oi oi, isn't this bad?" Giran asked with a fearful look while he watched from the sidelines. "If he dies here, then won't it be practically my fault?"
Muscular stood there with a victorious look crowned on his face. Upon seeing the shocked expressions on every single spectator's face, he let out a demented laugh. "…hehehe…hahahaha…hyahyahyaHYAHYAHYAHYAH!" Despite having some parts of his arms and muscles rotted horribly by his opponent's sludge, he turned to face his audience and cackled loudly to everyone in the vicinity, and he continued to shout aloud for the whole of Kamino Ward to hear.
"SO LONG SHEPHERD! I HOPE YOU HAD A GOOD TIME ENJOYING YOUR SO-CALLED REPUTATION! You wanted to kill me?! Well look at you now! You are just a piss-weak kid who tries to act strong despite knowing you'll never beat someone like me! A PATHETIC KID, WHO WAS A PATHETIC VILLAIN, WHO DIED A PATHETIC DEATH! THAT PRETTY MUCH SUMS IT UP! HAHAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAH!"
He continued to laugh like a complete madman, his terrible cackling echoing across the battleground while he continued standing over the remains of Shepherd in the crater he made.
…then a long black spiked tail extended from the crater and impaled Muscular in the chest from behind, creating a spray of blood. The [Muscle Augmentation] quirk villain ceased his laughter, and more blood was forcefully spat out from his mouth.
"W-What-?!"
"…Noisy...You're too noisy..."
Muscular held back a urge to scream as the long black spike-like object retracted itself from his chest. He immediately tried to stop the bleeding with muscle fibers, but he realized to his dismay that the wound left behind was rotted black, surely infected. How was this possible?! That punch had enough power to punch through a truck! He should have died on impact! Creaking his head to turn around, he watched a figure pulled itself out of the crater and faced the well-built one-eyed killer. Shepherd's clothes were all ripped to shreds and tattered, revealing the multiple areas of his bare body which was blown apart with brute force, showing the world bone and raw flesh. But much to Muscular's shock, the life-threatening wounds were starting to heal by themselves, rapidly closing and mending themselves with great speed. The skin was fully reformed as well, but the areas where they recovered now sported an eerie black complexion.
The most terrifying part was his face. The face of the boy whom Muscular had previously sneered upon as a weakling actually filled the man with bottomless terror. The hound-mask that Shepherd used has been broken to bits, revealing to the world the whole of his face. The force of the villain's attack had literally ripped the skin off the lower portion of the [Toxic Sludge] quirk user's face, revealing the muscle tissue and the veins, as well as parts of his jaw's skeletal structure. Those parts quickly healed as well, but the skin which covered the damaged parts remained black as well, giving Shepherd a truly demonic appearance.
However, what unsettled them most…were the newest additions to his body.
Black sludge flowed down endlessly from his body and almost covered the entirety of his body like jet-black armour. Giran noted with increasing unease that Shepherd's arms now resembled huge, elongated beast-like limbs with incredibly sharp claws, continuously twitching like they can't wait to tear apart what was presented to them. A long 'tail' resembling a spiked tentacle lashed powerfully from the back of the boy's pelvis. The sludge also converged around Shepherd's mouth to form a makeshift mask which resembled a muzzle of a dog, except that it was opening and closing, baring his new fangs for Muscular to see. Some sort of dark smog seemed to be radiating from his body as well as out from his mouth like some beast exhaling hot air, releasing an extremely putrid stench that caused everyone in the vicinity to cover their mouths in reflex. And finally…
His twitching eyes had changed colours, both eyes bearing diseased-black sclera while purple irises pulsed madly from within. Muscular couldn't help but flinched as the boy creaked his neck and faced him, a crazed demented grin of his own plastered onto Shepherd's face.
Shepherd developed a dark and sadistic grin."Aaaah…it hurts…it hurts so much…! A-A-Am I…bleeding…? Am…I…" Shepherd's voice became disturbingly distorted and crazed. "…Bleeding…?"
The white-haired boy groaned as he fell on his knees before falling on his knees, rearing his head back and screaming out, "It's because I'm weak isn't it? It's because I'm weak. It's because I'm weak. It's because I'm weak. Aaaaaah…I'm melting…I can feel that oozing down…! Down my ears they go! Down my throat! Down my liver! Down my lungs they go! Down they go! Hehehehe! I can feel them…rotting my skin…! Hehehe…rings around my rosies….m-my pocket full of…posies…?!" His new arms clawed the side of his own head, clutching it in pain like he was experiencing a searing migraine. "Hehehe…a-ashes…ashes…I-I'm falling down…WE ALL MUST FALL DOWN! HEHEHEHE!"
"This is…!" Kurogiri nearly forgot to breathe.
"Oi Kurogiri! What the hell happened to him?!" Giran asked frantically as he witnessed this unnatural transformation, blinking his eyes repeatedly as though to check if it was all a hallucination. "Why is his body all black like that?! That ain't normal is it?! And why is he singing a creepy-ass nursey rhyme?!"
"Giran…I suggest that you try not to make a sound and watch closely," The dark misty bartender narrowed his eyes and ushered the League's broker to slowly move to the back. "You are about to witness why he is known as the Hellhound."
.
Muscular stared at this disturbing scene warily.
"Your wounds freaking healed…that's regeneration, isn't it?" Muscular coughed out more blood as he held his chest wound, but his signature psychotic smile returned almost immediately as he assessed Shepherd's hidden abilities. "Hiding a little trump card are we? Hmm? Not bad…Shepherd! But you know…that sludge of yours won't do shit to me-"
"WE ALL FALL D-DOWN?!" With a feral snarl, Shepherd grabbed the ground and flung himself forward like a slingshot.
"He came towards me?!"
A black claw found itself latched on Muscular's left pectoral. Before the [Muscle Augmentation] quirk villain had time to scream, Shepherd gave a vicious roar, sinking his clawed fingers into the man's body, using the momentum from his earlier jump to tear out a giant chunk of flesh.
"Gargh! You little-!" Muscular gurgled more blood from his mouth. Ignoring this, Shepherd proceeded to launch another offensive, laying on all fours and growling like a rabid beast starving for prey.
"That's it…that's it! That's more like it! I didn't know you had it in you Shepherd! I guess play-time's over! I can finally let loose and kill you properly this time! So, it's time for…" The man's eyes shone with mad excitement at this. Muscular then searched deep into his pants and fished out an scarlet artificial eye, inserting it into his empty socket in a grotesque manner. "…my serious face."
"…hehehehehehahahahahaHAHAHAHA! IT'S R-ROTTING ME! I CAN FEEL IT MELTING! IT'S DYEING ME BLACK! WE MUST ALL FALL DOWN!" Shepherd jumped out of Muscular's wide reach just in time, before rushing in again with his claws unfurled and took a large portion of the muscle villain's leg this time. Muscular angrily tried to grab hold of the boy, but Shepherd just dodged nimbly with impossible human movements, and immediately proceeded with another assault like a mad beast. Swipe and claw, bit and tear apart. With his wicked jet-black talons, Shepherd tore through the huge villain's muscles as though they were paper ribbons, and his slashes left savage rotting gashes that caused Muscular to grit in pain.
"His fighting style's completely different than before! He's like some animal!" Muscular thought in horror. "The way he uses the sludge…I thought he was a long-ranged combatant?!"
At one point, Muscular was able to grab hold of the boy in spite of his beast-like movements, only for a searing pain to assault his hands and forced him to let go. The [Muscle Augmentation] quirk villain could only gaze in horror as his hands were turning black, parts of the flesh rotten and dark infectious rashes covering them.
"Hehehehe! Just fall down!" Shepherd lashed out with his whip-like tail and pierced through Muscular's right arm. "Grahg-!" The muscle quirk villain tried to remove the black appendage from his flesh, but Shepherd reached the villain with an animalistic roar and bisected off the whole of Muscular's right side from the shoulder blade downwards.
"Aaaah…this feeling…this sensation…! It's painful! It hurts…it hurts so much! I don't want that! Pain is for weaklings…I don't want to be weak! THAT'S WHY I'LL FIGHT! UNTIL I'M THE ONLY ONE LEFT! IT CAN'T BE HELP, RIGHT?! BEACAUSE I HAVE TO BE STRONG! ISN'T THAT RIGHT…BA~KU~G-! Eh? Ba…ku…?"
No…that's wrong…his name was Muscle-or-something wasn't it…? Not Ba…who?
"This can't be happening…! This can't be!" Another slash of Shepherd's pitch-black claws, the white-haired boy tore off the remaining arm cleanly from the man's body. With another twist of his body, the long black, spiked tail swiped through the air like a circular blade and removed Muscular's unguarded legs as well.
Arms, gone. Legs, gone. Muscular who longer had any means to fight back or even try to run away. His fighting ability had been permanently crippled, and an extremely terrified look was shown on his scarred face for the first time in his life.
Muscular looked into the eyes of death, brimming with impossible levels of madness and bloodlust assaulting the poor crippled villain.
Shit shit shit! This ain't a kid! It's a damn monster in human skin!
"…hehehehe…you're good!" Shepherd grabbed Muscular's attention, his jet-black claws and tentacle-like tail dripping with sludge slithered around him, making the boy resemble something out of a horror movie. "…but we are not done yet…I have to dye you black…so…shall we sing a little song to pass the time…?"
"A-A…s-song…?"
"You are strong…Muscular. I have to know…the face you can make when I dye you black…! But it gets boring when I do it alone…so I usually get the other guy to sing along with me to make things more interesting. So here we go!"
"S-s-stop!" The villain who had been so confident of killing Shepherd begged, tears running down his eyes before he screamed in pain as a black toxic tail lodged itself into his upper thigh and removed itself, leaving behind an area of rotting skin and flesh. "It hurts! It hurts! It fucking hurts!"
"I know right? It hurts doesn't it?! That's why you have to sing along! I'll start okay?" Shepherd spoke in a demented and mad tone which made Kurogiri, Giran and those watching this scene shiver. "A ring-a-round the rosie…!" A claw pierced Muscular near his pelvis, causing him to scream once more. "A pocket full of posies…" A mix of blood and saliva gurgled out of Muscular's mouth in a foaming mess. "Ashes…Ashes…We all fall down! Unless you sing together with me, the pain will not cease okay? Let's all fall down together, shall we? Come on, sing!"
The sharp sludge appendages slowly worked their way up Muscular's body, leaving patches of infected and rotting flesh where they had impaled. Tears marred the man's cheeks, and his throat was dry and raspy from all the screaming he did. "A-A ring…a-a-round t-the…r-rosies…" he croaked weakly before he screamed out in pain again once the claw pierced into his abdomen this time, making him feel like his intestines are melting. "A p-pocket…full..o-of…posies-!" The black tail lashed into his stomach this time, but he continued to repeat the lyrics desperately.
"A-ashes…Ashes…we-gargh-! W-we all…f-fall…down…!"
Giran was averting his eyes away from this scene, the taste of his cigarette ruined as he saw this gruesome scene from behind Kurogiri. The rest of Muscular's men had their eyes shut tight, their faces deadly-pale, and a couple of them fell down to the ground in a vomiting fit.
"That's good! That's good! Continue singing! If you can sing five whole verses by the time I dye you black, then you can be like me! Come on, you can do it! Aren't you strong? Let's go!"
*SQUEECH!*
"Gargh…! A ring-a-round the rosies…!"
*SQUEECH!*
"Guaaaagh! A p-pocket…full..o-of…posies-!"
*SQUEECH!*
"I-I c-can't-! A-ashes…Ashes…we-gargh-!"
*SQUEECH!*
And so, continued the torment. Muscular's eyes now held a glazed, empty look to him, his voice strained from crying and screaming for so long.
*SQUEECH!*
"AAAAAARGH-! A-ashes…Ashes…we-gargh-! W-we all…f-fall…DOWN…!" The final line was finally forced out.
"…that's right…we are being dyed black…you and me both! Hehehehe…LET'S ALL FALL DOWN TOGETHER SHALL WE?!"
But his question was met with silence. The limbless Muscular just remained still, his body completely eroded to a rotten-black and a poisonous stench wafted out from his cold, unmoving corpse. Holes riddled his body like a beehive and his face was twisted into one of absolute despair and agony.
.
=[]=
From the top of a building…a team of heroes dedicated to surveillance trembled with fright, witnessing the entire fight between Shepherd and Muscular. They were a team tasked with the pursue of the serial killer Muscular, but they have chanced upon something far dreadful than their target. They were rather far from the scene, but they exchanged whispers due to the fear of being found out by such a monster.
"S-Shit…! What a demon! He…actually killed…that Muscular!" The first shook uncontrollably, his legs quaking as the horrible memory of Shepherd devouring Muscular's corpse replayed in his mind. "That freaking A-rank villain was…in an instance…!"
A mad psychopath who enjoys using his quirk to kill innocents in order to sate his lust for battle, whom the lives of two heroes had been sacrificed to just to lose an eye. The fact that such a man fell so easily blared their mental alarms for the villain named Shepherd.
"Oi…you are recording this right?" he asked the other two heroes. All of them were shared equally terrified expressions, but they all nodded in confirmation. The aim of today was to observe and send back the information gathered to the Musutafu Police Headquarters. They initial target Muscular may be put down permanently, but they have witnessed something much more dangerous and dire.
Getting the hell out of here and delivering this footage to the Police and Hero Department was of utmost importance.
.
=[]=
Much to Kurogiri's relief, Shepherd had managed to calm down and partially reverted back to a much more…sound state.
Muscular was dead.
"So much for the possibility of recruitment…" the dark misty villain muttered as he watched the pitch-black skin of Shepherd returning to its former complexion, though the white-haired boy was still breathing heavily and looked greatly exhausted.
"…that was satisfactory, however…" Shepherd glared at Muscular's corpse. The deceased's face still reminded him of something unpleasant, but that could be dealt with later. "…still rather disappointing. He looks kind of familiar though…"
"Well, thank goodness I got spares…" Giran commented, looking over the sad remains of Shepherd's villain suit. "Hopefully your fights can be less brutal that this…"
"…Forget the costume, we got more important things to clean up here…" Shepherd snapped in mild irritation, casting a glare towards a tall building quite a distance away from where they were standing. During the fight, he had spotted multiple shadows appearing, then disappearing on the roof. "…Kurogiri."
"Understood. But I must say that they are doing a terrible job of concealing themselves…" Kurogiri responded as he expanded the dark mist he was made of into a portal gate. "…shall we greet our esteemed guests then?"
.
=[]=
"Alright…let's quickly bounce out of here and…wait, what's wrong?" The hero was dumbfounded as his companion pointed a shaky finger at something behind the former, making him turn around to see a black smoky gate materializing out of nowhere.
He instantly panicked. Was it a villain? Were they spotted?!
A pair of sharp, narrow yellow eyes appeared from the dark mist. "Good evening gentlemen, how nice for agents of justice such as yourselves to drop by. Why leave so soon? Let us show our hospitality." And from the portal emerged two sets of sludge claws, followed by Shepherd's gleaming purple eyes. All of the heroes stood petrified as the boy who looked like a demonic beast unchained from hell locked on to them, a hungry growl escaping his throat.
The screams of the heroes lasted into the night, orchestrating a symphony of insanity.
The night was still young.
They must all fall down…all the way down to the deepest black.
.
=[To be Continued]=
"Aaaah…this feeling…this sensation…! It's painful! It hurts…it hurts so much! I don't want that! Pain is for weaklings…I don't want to be weak! Sensei told me the only way to lift the pain is to destroy those who hurt me…! I have to dye them black…! If I'm weak, then I'll be killed! I don't know if there are others who can hurt me…so I'm so scared…oh so scared…THAT'S WHY I'LL FIGHT! UNTIL I'M THE ONLY ONE LEFT! IT CAN'T BE HELP, RIGHT?! BEACAUSE I HAVE TO BE STRONG! ISN'T THAT RIGHT…BA~KU~G-! Eh? Ba…ku…?"
"Who's…that…?"
.
Next time: USJ Attack.
A/N: Leave a comment!