Chapter 1
"Oy, you interested in manga kid?"
"Eh?" Izuku looked up from his wallet. "Uh, y-yeah…"
"I'm in luck!" The cashier shot a monstrous grin at Izuku – which had nothing to do with the cythullic tentacles cradling the man's face. "I'm telling you – what I've got, is the best thing I've ever laid my eyes upon." Izuku searched for the black pearls on the man's face. "Check this out."
The man's arms – tentacles, brought out a stack of manga from underneath the table. "I've been tryna sell this for a while now but I haven't had the most… receptive buyers." The man almost looked sad.
Izuku's eyes trailed over the covers of the books.
…Berserk?
"Tell ya what. I'll sell it to you for cheap since I'm in a bit of a pickle."
Oh. Izuku thought it was a little fishy – no insult intended. What kind of a cashier tries to sell you his own manga?
"I didn't create this piece of art, if you were wondering. I lack the… well everything." The cashier chortled.
"Uh… I don't know, I-I have to get back home."
Izuku looked at his snacks strewn on the countertop. It was his first day off for a while and his mom wanted to watch a movie.
"Trust me kid. You won't regret it. Just check this out."
The man raised a cover of a volume. "Look at this man and his big sword. Isn't that enticing enough?"
A drop of sweat rolled off his forehead.
He really isn't that good at convincing others to buy things is he?
The man, noticing his lack of interest, made a last ditch effort. "It's good for up and coming heroes. Trust. The main character is a hero through and through." The beady eyes seemed to swell with tears if only for a moment. "A bunch of good stories in there."
Izuku perked up. "R-really?"
"Yeah! Definitely!"
Easily enticed, Izuku wondered why he'd never heard of the manga. He'd gone through millions of pages of fictional heroes and whatnot.
"I'll take it!"
"Great!" The man slammed down more books on the counter. "You want a bag with that?"
"...Yeah."
.
.
Izuku plopped down on his chair, with a sigh.
The movie had been nice, and his stomach felt bloated with snacks.
He stretched his limbs and felt his hand touch something.
He looked to his desk stacked to the brim with Berserk.
Right. I forgot.
Izuku's eyes trailed to his clock, it was past midnight and he had to get back to the dorms. He'd rather risk not getting late.
My legs still remember the ache…
Izuku wasn't tired at all, though. The sugar intake was too high for sleep.
He tapped his fingers in debate. A little look wouldn't hurt. Just the first chapter maybe.
Izuku dug around the pile to look for volume one; the cover art, a man with a prosthetic crossbow arm shrouded in a black cape and armor.
He looks a little more serious than normal heroes. Like Aizawa-sensei.
Izuku studied the cover for a while longer. Kentaro Miura… I've never heard of him.
I wonder what his quirk is.
With a deep breath, Izuku flipped to the first page.
He wasn't expecting to see a man and woman copulate. "Ah!" He shut the book.
What did I just buy?! What if mom sees this?!
But most of all, I can't read this with all the All Might posters looking down at me!
Izuku grabbed as many books as he could have and shoved them underneath his bed.
By the time he'd finished he was panting more than he ought to have.
His eyes fell back onto his desk, where the first chapter lay still.
Teenage hormones running through him, Izuku grabbed the book and left his room. To the washroom.
I'm just making sure it isn't all like that… I've gotta make sure. I mean the cashier said it was good for young heroes.
Izuku set the toilet's lid down and sat as he prepared himself to open the first chapter.
It was as he expected, the man was having sex. Izuku trudged through the first panels and any sense of awkward tension had dissipated. Instead he watched as the women morphed into a hideous creature, a mass of tentacles and a large gaping maw of razor-like teeth.
'You fell into my trap, fool!'
Izuku could hear the screeching shriek of the creature's voice in his head.
Its long tongue caressed the man's cheek. 'This is your last taste of heaven before I send you to hell!'
The next panel suddenly had the man's prosthetic arm shoved into the creature's mouth.
'The only one trapped is you, bitch!'
What?
The man's face was villainous, a rictus grin and a single eye that promised pain.
He flipped the page and saw the man leaving, swinging his dark black cape behind him as he left the burning creature behind.
He- he murdered her!
Izuku almost shut the book again.
Why?! They were together! He tricked her! Or was it self defense?
His mind ran through a hundred thoughts.
Is he the main character?!
He was definitely the man on the cover. But Izuku thought it might be the villain too. He knew it wasn't uncommon to do so.
Curious and hoping the hero would show up to stop him, Izuku flipped to the next panel to see the villain entering a large city.
It was a beautiful panel, he thought.
He must be heading right into the hero's home!
A glint of hope shined through Izuku.
It left when he saw a carriage of caged children.
Maybe they were just passengers, though? He hoped.
Izuku flipped through to see what looked like an inn, and some grunts throwing knives at a tied up, fairy-like creature.
How cruel! Surely the hero should show up now.
'Damn!!'
'Oh, you missed!'
He watched as the thugs laughed. He clenched his fists.
'Stop squirming around! How'm I supposed to hit you?'
Villains!
Why didn't the people say anything?
No! It's too dangerous for them!
But then the man shrouded in darkness appeared. Izuku knew it would get worse. Especially when he said 'I'm gonna mess up your shop a bit.' and paid the barkeep hush money.
The crossbow from the cover appeared and the elf tried biting through the rope.
'Bring it on Fathead! Why don'tcha untie me!' I'll gnaw right through your arteries!'
That's too brutal! Izuku shuddered as he pictured it for a split second.
'I'm gonna stuff those words back down your throat! Now stop wiggling!'
'WAHHH! NONONO!'
Izuku feared for the little creature.
An arrow pierced through the bald man's skull, pinning him to the wall.
Izuku knew who did it, and felt his stomach churn in disgust. Even villains didn't have to be killed like that.
The thugs in their confusion, were all peppered down by more arrows from the man.
The man in black seemed barely fazed by all the death, instead adopting a look of boredom as he reloaded his weapon.
The next arrow he shot landed in another thug's nose and Izuku squirmed in his seat. When the man pulled down and slammed the thug he was positively disgusted and writhing.
'You're one of the thugs from Koka castle?
'Y-yes sir.'
'Answer me.' He leaned to the thug.
'I suppose you can deliver a message to your boss for me?'
'Wha – What message?'
'The Black Swordsman has come, that is all.'
The panel showed the elf shouting for the Black Swordsman. 'Behind you!'
Izuku felt a chill run up and down his spine when the Black Swordsman lifted up a gigantic sword.
'Eh?'
The sword's impact was felt through the pages and Izuku felt his body thrum with energy – even though a man had just been cleaved into two.
How?! Why?! Why kill them all? With that strength he could have spared them!
'It was much too big to be called a sword. Massive, thick, heavy and far too rough. Indeed it was like a heap of raw iron.'
The sword was as tall as the man, its beauty not lost to Izuku. Though it was the weapon used to split a man in two.
Overwhelmed, Izuku shut the book.
He… he had to sleep. He knew it wouldn't come easy.