Chapter 111 - The Day of Red Glare

"Nightmare!/Rain!" Together, Hana and Akio unleashed the corrupt payload across the newly terraformed glade, most trees surrounding them reduced down to uprooted craters or stumps with the ongoing battle against the indomitable Red Dragon, Doryu. The blast battered against the tower shield, giving little to no inch as the magic cascaded down onto the dead earth below.

"What the heck is this guy made of!?" Kirishima panted, shoulder rising and falling to catch his breath, his hardening cracked in several places.

"He's sheer willpower," Shishida grunted in half-beast mode.

When the spell's glare died down, Doryu stomped his right foot, unleashing a rippling web of light blue bioenergy into the ground, blasting apart the area in front of him where the two Hosts fled, a wave of rime washing away the explosion before it could harm the others, Velk's tail piercing forward, ringing against the shield as she flapped her wings hard, leaving ice in her wake.

"Why... your soul... it's crying...!" That got a reaction from Red Dragon, seeing him raise his head to meet her gaze.

"I... cannot stop, too much lost, if I give in, all will be wasted," He was absolute, throwing Velk back to the sky. "You know well, time leads to many, regrets of the past,"

Doryu turned to observe the teens, all of which gathered what strength they had, some barely able to stand, and yet, none gave even the slightest hint of retreat. Their fears were quickly quelled when the Guardian and Nightmare arrived, pushing back his forward momentum until now. He was impressed by their perseverance, however...

A red and black rift tore open behind Doryu, the drake taking a step back toward its circumference. "My objective, is now complete, goodbye young heroes,"

"What?" Yaoyorozu blinked quickly before shooting the giant a glare. "Why is he retreating now? A rift opened just now of all times, what could that mean?" Then she gasped, swinging her arm wide. "Stop him-!" Several shot their head around to her frazzled expression. "-Don't let him leave, no matter what!"

"First you want us to stop him from proceeding, now this?" Rayla slumped, waving her handcannon. "Boss, kinda running outta bullets here."

"Just do it!" That tone, how her voice broke in her panic, Rayla knew that all too well. Yaoyorozu had figured out an angle they couldn't afford to discuss, one that meant the difference between winning and losing. "Tetsutetsu, Kirishima, Sato, Shoji, get ready to grab hold of something!"

"Tokage, Honenuki, Yanagi, Shiozaki, Komori, use every method you can think of to keep Red Dragon from leaving through that portal!" Yaoyorozu pointed to the rift ahead, and the 1-B students quickly gathered themselves, spurring into action. Yaoyorozu wouldn't fail here. "We can still win this, for everyone relying on our success, move!"

"YES, MA'AM!" The group cried out, their heavy-hitters waiting to provide assistance when needed.

Akio brought out what magic he had and manifested Gloom Grip to ensnare Doryu's shoulders, the man quickly to try and jerk himself free. He slipped but Kirishima and Tetsutetsu grabbed his waist and upper body to hold him steady, their feet digging into the dirt. Shiozaki's vine hair caught the waist, some of the girls helping to root her in place as well despite her torn vines barely holding it together.

Tokage split her upper body apart, grappling Doryu's joints to hold him steady while Honenuki melted the ground under Red Dragon's feet, his legs swaying through the mud, his steps forward requiring much more stride than before. "Hold 'em, you guys!" Tokage grunted, seeing branches from distance trees wrap like cobras around Doryu's arms under Yanagi's control, sweat trickling on her pounding head.

"I gotcha," Behind her, Jura helped to steady her arms, allowing the rest of her body to rest against his sturdy armor. "Keep it up! We're slowing him down!"

"It ain't enough, he's still freakin' moving!" Kaminari freaked, helping Sero with his tape alongside Kyoka, Yaoyorozu, and Shishida. "Will ya just stop, for crying out loud!?"

"Velk, Hana, Rayla, you need to hit that rift with everything you got!" Akio huffed, losing two of his shadow arms as his seals began to flicker. "Enough magic will destabilize the rift!"

"On it!" Hana joined with Velk, and the core temperature of the world plummeted around her as a snowstorm wrapped around their sacred blade. "Release-" Velk began, sweeping low with her wings. Beside her in the air, Rayla unleashed her Thundercrash, zipping up and over Doryu to better pivot toward the portal.

"Titan Incoming!/Clear White Sk-!"

Velk's eyes trembled when her blade took off the top portion of the tower shield, finding its bottom half wedged into her abdomen with unparalleled speed. She was swung wide, colliding with Rayla unable to cancel out her Super before the arc energy blew Velk through the forest with a devastating shockwave. Rayla cursed, landing into a tumble where the same shield buried her face-first into the liquidized mud.

"Rayla/Velkhana!" Yaoyorozu and Sero called out, but it was too late, their last-ditch effort resulted in the bindings snapping or dissolving under a massive wave of bioenergy Doryu had secretly stored within his chest, hiding it behind his shield to simply disarm the snares around his body, reducing the muddy ground to crumbling dust.

The Red Dragon spared them no mind, vanishing through the portal before any other countermeasure could be made. The rift lingered... and linger some more. Frustration was evident in all of their faces, but most worrying of all was Akio, he lingered on the rift, waiting for signs it would collapse, the audible pop and pluck within space and time. Nothing, it just lingered like a dark doorway into hell.

"Why won't it close?" Kyoka asked, not sure of the issue herself.

"I... don't know," Akio breathed, picking himself up as gut-wrenching feelings dug their way into his chest, his heart was slow and steady, trembling in his ribcage. "Something's very wrong."

...

...

...

*Click!*

...

...

...

The sky turned a smooth shade of red with a single, unholy flash of light.

Akio was the closest to the portal, Rayla having moved to recover from her face-crushing loss, so she was saved from the unspeakable horrors that lashed out instantly from within the rift's shattered state. Devil Splicers by the dozen came flooding forth without end. Dregs armed with knives, Vandals brandishing cutlasses or rifles, a few Captains doing the same. All of them spilled like blood onto the forest floor.

"Will o Wisp!" Without thinking, Akio released a chain of explosions to tear apart the horde into two halves, but some still sliced at his body, forcing him backward while claws pulled at his body before he disappeared into the shadows below.

"Akio!" Kyoka called out but quickly recognized the threat, plugging her jacks into her leg amps. "Counter-Balance!" The trembling assault of sound ripped the earth apart, tossing the Splicers off their feet, some simply crumbed back into particles of dead clusters and nanites from the sheer force. "Everyone back away from that thing!"

"Oh, crap, run for it!" Kaminari squawked, firing a small burst of electricity into the faces of two Dregs that got too close to him, seeing them recoil and lie in a heap, twitching.

"Shadow Sunder!" From behind Kyoka, Akio appeared, slashing several dark crescents through a Captain and three Vandals, flinging them back into the growing horde while a massive wall of jagged black ice cut off the Fallen from the vanguard, Velk pouncing into the middle, using her razor-sharp wings to shred the Devils down to size to give the others breathing room. Akio and Kyoka pressed their right and left hands together, blasting the Fallen with a combined Fire Scourge and Sonic Leap. "Wind Walker!"

Cast onto their allies, everyone used the gliding levitation to leave the ground immediately, fleeing through the forest with a crazed horde of Splicers hot on their trail, bolts of red lightning zipping past them, burning trees. Yaoyorozu was at the back, trying to slow the monsters down with Velk and Honenuki. "These guys must've been what he was stallin' for, what now?" He asked the ravenette.

"I'm not..." 'I'm not sure anymore', is what she wanted to say, but a crackling transmission cut into everyone's comms, primarily toward Yaoyorozu.

~Can you hear me, Creati?~ It was a labored breath, but the voice was immediately recognized.

"Midnight!?" She exclaimed, moving back between her friends now that Velk used another Clear White Sky to block the Splicers, but their weapons were already beating away at the ice with ease. It wouldn't last long and they were on a mountainside, so they were bound to run into a wall eventually.

~I'm sure you're aware of the situation? Of Splicers pouring out from the woodworks?~ Midnight asked.

"Yes, a villain escaped and let them pass through, we've got them cornered at our current location but we're much the same," Then she realized the wording. "Wait, the villa is under fire as well!?"

~Yes, we were taken by surprise, now they won't stop coming through, but the majority aren't that tough to take down~ She replied with a grunt. ~Listen, you need to use whatever methods you can to stop them, sedation, hell, kill them if you have to~

"Huh!?" Yaoyorozu blinked with surprise, sure, the Splicers weren't really alive, but the mere idea unsettled the ravenette.


Somewhere far from Yaoyorozu's team, Midnight was in worse shape than ever before. She was bleeding from various points along her body and suffered bruising and a nasty burn to her right cheek. She leaned up against a lopsided tree, a dozen Splicers watched from through the woods, alongside a few members of the Liberation Army. One with an eerie gas mask leaned down.

"She's mine," He mused, sliding down to rush the downed hero.

~Midnight, I don't understand!~ Yaoyorozu replied.

"Relay your orders to your friends and nearby heroes, I know you can do this, so don't think of anyone but them!" Midnight rasped. "And no matter what, if things look dicey, save yourselves, don't die a fool's death, understand!?"

Despite the looming threat above her, the villain unleashing his quirk above her, she turned to meet him with a deathly glare. She believed in Yaoyorozu as a leader, she would be fine without her teacher. "I trust your judgment!"

"You are... out of time... hero..." A voice chimed in from Midnight's blindspot.


"Miss Midnight! Midnight!" Nothing but static greeted Yaoyorozu's ear, and for a moment, her heart plummeted to her stomach despite the ice breaking behind her.

"What was all that about?" Sato asked.

"Trusting Yaomomo?" Kirishima wasn't skeptical but worried.

"What happened... to Midnight?" Kaminari asked but Yaoyorozu was in deep thought, biting her nail.

"What's our strategy? Regardless, she told us to flee..." She slapped her forehead bitterly. "Oh, Midnight! What do we do?"

The blades and bolts of arc energy were piercing the ice by now, Velk standing guard with Akio producing Ward to shield everyone from stray bolts, his sleeves rolled up this time. "What's the plan, Yaomomo!?" Ashido asked, head flicking between the wall and her friend.

"Do we... throw in the towel... and retreat?" Kendo asked, biting her lip anxiously.

With her knuckles turned white, Yaoyorozu gave them the order. "Earphone Jack, Tentacole! Give me an estimate of how many Splicers are beyond the wall, and a rough idea of our own allies in the immediate area!" The two got to work quickly. "Mudman, we'll need your power and Tekton's as well!"

The two shared a look with Honenuki pointing at himself. "Everyone, prepare for action!"

"I got about fifty or so!" Kyoka relayed. "Crap there could be more but that's the sum of the horde!"

"I can confirm we have eight heroes in the immediate area with more approaching from the direction of the villa Raid team!" Shoji added.

"In all our lessons, we were never taught to turn our back on the enemy," From Yaoyorozu's arms spawned red canisters that plopped into the hands around her, a strong scent coming from the tin containers.

"Damn straight," Kirishima agreed, shaking his can to hear the liquid slosh about. "Gasoline?"

"I... will stand and fight, all of you..." She began.

"Don't waste your breath!" Kaminari smirked. "Costumes? Check. On the scene? Check. That makes us heroes!"

"Besides, what's better than a literal immortal and mage on your team?" Akio quipped, pointing a thumb at Velk who flicked her tail at his head. "Ow."

"Right..." Yaoyorozu nodded, turning to the crumbling wall. "Then prepare to engage the enemy!"

"Here they come!" Tetsutetsu hollered, punching one that attempted to crawl through a large hole in the wall. "Whatever your plan is, do it, we'll cover ya!" The steel-clad teen rallied his class into holding the line for as long as possible. "Give it yer all, down to the last man! Got that!?"

Yuki stepped forward with a hand to her heart, defiantly inching closer to her demon, the person she could've become had circumstances changed. "I'm not a real Eliksni, and I will never be like you, Aksis, Silvis, any of them," Her left swung back to the students behind her. "But I have found my House, my Family, and I will give up every part of me to keep my brothers and sisters, the people I love, safe,"

Her eyes glowing vibrantly in the dark, Aksis mirrored her in the dark. "And there is nothing you can do to take that away from me!"

"We damn well will protect each other!" Tetsutetsu brought his right arm forward, pulverizing the head of a Captain as its blades sliced down his chest, barely leaving a scratch as it fell limp, dissolving into dead chunks.

Yaoyorozu got to work with a length of steel rope, everyone working to either hold the line or weld the canisters to the cords. More ice crumbled and fell away, leaving more spaces for rounds to nick at the trees above their heads. "There, it's done!" Yaoyorozu huffed, visibly drained. "Mudman, on my mark, same for you, Tekton!"

"Got it/Moving out!" Jura and Honenuki took their positions, the former with his fist to the ground, the other spreading his palms onto the grass.

"Think it'll work?" Honenuki perked up, glancing over his shoulder to his one-hand classmate.

"If we pull this off? Definitely, get ready," Jura shook off his anxiety, feeling his spirit dig deep into the core of the mountain.

The wall began to fall apart, and Yaoyorozu waved her arm high. "NOW!"

"Ultimate Move - Earth Dreadnaught!" A dozen pillars slammed into the ice, bringing down a thunderous avalanche of ice and snow atop the Splicers. As the wall fell forward in one big sheet, Velk flew onto her ice, racing up the face with both long bundles of steel cable around her shoulders.

Leaping high above the forest, she ignored the shots that punctured her glassy armor and threshed the cords wide through the air, the blank cables snaking down into the palms of Kaminari whose hair stood on end with a cocky grin. Rayla clutched the right cable. "Let's light 'em up! One-Point-Three-!" Golden arcs of electricity and blue discharge of Arc Light melded into the cables, feeding toward the rest held in Velk's hands.

The second the two black lines glowed their respective colors, the canisters warped and burst, setting the sky ablaze with a downpour of fire that turned the red sky a shade of orange and yellow.

But it wasn't over just yet. "Akio!" Hearing his name, Akio took the lead, zipping between the trees over the Splicers' heads, the horde of Fallen unable to move as their legs sank deeper into a sea of mud. Akio dove straight into the descending inferno. Several orange glyphs surrounded his body, masking him in a halo of flames.

"Flame Wheel!" Spinning into a vertical drop, the scorching blaze gathered from the sky, transforming into a massive sawblade of embers that shredded down the middle of the forest, flung by Akio's now burnt right arm. The pain was worth its weight, leaving a line of flames straight to the rift, half the Splicers incinerated in the blast.

"Now's our chance, push them back, all our close-ranged fighters take the vanguard!" Yaoyorozu laid out her plans once more. "Those with support quirks lend your aid from afar, don't allow yourselves to be caught in the open! As for our recon, watch our flanks, don't allow a single Fallen past us!"

"Just how many are there...?" Kirishima shook his head, running toward the front where the various black and red clad aliens awaited.

"It'll be alright!" Beside him, Ashido smiled warmly even as she coated herself in acid. "We'll get through this, then we'll be back to class!"


~Greetings civilians of Japan. My name is Kovik, High Splicer Priest of the Devil Splicers. And, Kell of Kells of the Paranormal Liberation Front~

His tone was cold and calculative, any and all broadcasts were cut short as the image of the Splicer currently in Jaku City went live at his command. His helmet gave no indication of emotion other than the red lines across his pyramid's visor flashing with his words.

~What was meant to be a glorious victory over my allies, the defeat of the once 'League of Villains' has now fallen into disarray, all under arrogance and false hope~

Across Japan, in certain cities upon unsuspecting lives that only now ground to a halt over the ongoing calamity that shook their everyday lives, the worst was yet to come. The sky turned a shade of red like no other, and from a ripple in time, Splicers tore into the streets, tearing up anything and anyone that got in their way.

~As we speak, my Splicers have invaded your lives, they will now claim territory over fragments of your Prefectures to achieve our goal. If you wish to fight, be it at your own discretion~

The lesser heroes that weren't on-site at either the Villa or Jaku City were forced into a choking battle against a tide of cybernetic monsters with weapons that could tear holes through entire cars and burn the streets in seconds.

In one city, a great winter swept over the streets, merging with the essence of bulging red NARA nodes that spawned small swarms of nanites to begin consuming and replacing the matter around it like a heavy fog close to the rift. The man shrouding the world in a thick winter haze raised his scaly blue hand from under a thick white coat, releasing a wave of frost to super freeze the street.

~When I first arrived in your world, my technology was taken from me, stolen from its rightful owner. SIVA. The one who took this power from me was a young human girl, Yuki Azuru~

Another was ravaged by a deep cackle while a flaming Morningstar on a chain was slammed through two cars, folding them together through a building's wall while the people inside fled in screams of terror. Clutched in the villain's free hand was the slumped body of a hero, blood dripping down his fingers.

~She turned my power against me, and in turn, I sought to take it back, a power that was never meant for a human to wield, but in these acts of aggression I have manifested something far more primal than SIVA ever was~

A peaceful city quickly became a toxic bog of acidic fallout from burning engines on the backs of hovering, bulbous bikes that swept the streets, leaving smoke and ash in their wake with the lead rider laughing hysterically at the fleeing masses.

~NARA. With this, we will usurp the societal norms of heroes and villains. Your world will be turned upside down and left in ruin for my followers to remake as they see fit~

Several more cities or towns were struck simultaneously, the hordes of Devil Splicers leaving not a moment to breathe while their legions quickly erected posts to segregate their land from the rest of the city in chaos and turmoil. All while under a blood-red sky filling with black ash clouds.

~Let the day of Red Glare, begin~


Within the ruins of Jaku City, no one could begin to fathom what unfolded, what appeared to be a desperate battle, one that finally turned in favor of the heroes who gave flesh and blood to so much as reach for that triumph. All of it was quickly smothered under a single boot, one snap of fingers led to the complete downfall of the nation they defended in seconds.

The news of what had transpired sank their hearts like lead, dropping further down into that abyss that sucked away all warmth. "I must thank you all for playing into my hands," Kovik commended them. "You led the biggest threats to my power into one place, one that I can dictate and control. All I did was play the part of the fool for your... amusement."

"What have you done...?" Yuki murmured, shaking her head slightly, then her fist curled up tight. "Those people did nothing wron-"

"Your right, but as Dabi quite elegantly put it, this will open their eyes to reality, not the fictional nonsense that your society has drugged the masses into seeing only black and white, no more," Kovik stomped, hands wide for a moment of clarity his point. "The ugliness and rot this country was built upon will be peeled back for all to see, judgments will be made, and consequences will arise in the aftermath. Truth will be all that remains, clarity from the mirage of heroism."

Defeat. The harsh reality bled from the sky as a shade of red, masking the world they knew in its hellish glow that couldn't be erased. Yuki felt all their efforts crumbling, her resolve shaken to its core, this wasn't something they could fight their way out of, the whole of Japan was under attack, the best and most powerful heroes far from the people's aid. Those that could respond were up against a threat like no other, an endless flood that couldn't be beaten through strength alone.

"Hahaha..." Kovik sneered at them. "That's the expression I wanted, complete acceptance of your fate, the inevitable downfall of your world," His finger jabbed in her direction. "You called yourself a 'Splicer', a 'Kell' even! You have no right to either, you dare steal our customs, a filthy abomination who's more machine than human by now?" He stepped forward once, his foot echoing in her ears like a deafening drum. "Well? Where's your spirit now, Kell?"

Yuki looked around herself, Katsuki was forcing himself to stand, but his knees were clearly buckling in vain to stay steady, glowering back at the Splicer. Izuku was no better, how he was still conscious eluded her. Valstrax may have appeared fine but her armor was smashed in various places, and her right wing was sputtering red particles, even her voice was hoarse.

Endeavor was out cold, Halimaka kept Togata, Nejire, and Jeanist busy. Shoto was forced to fend off the ever-growing army of Splicers from the ruined city. Over a ridge, Drevis battled with Tekres and Jin, even with two arms missing, the Wolf Baroness was relentless. So many were severely injured, on the last of their strength, or were unable to lend aid. And what of her friends in the mountains? How were they surviving this?

"Surviving..." That's right, this wasn't a battle between good and evil. Now, they were all trying to endure the inevitable. Yuki stared at her own two hands, feeling her power weakening since she and Izuku risked their bodies to defeat Kovik. "...how... do we come back from this?"

"However-" Kovik held up one finger to grapple the tension around it. "-I'm willing to give you an ultimatum, depending on your answer, Thief," He saw her swallow, not objecting while waving his right hand to the scarlet world. "Very well, my offer is simple, consider it a token on my appreciation for both your stolen contribution to NARA's manifestation, and our rivalry,"

"An offer...?" Izuku breathed, sparing Yuki's a glance but was unable to speak as Kovik continued.

"Firstly; All Splicers stand down-" Upon this request, Halimaka stopped, same for Drevis. "-all those hearing this order, my Splicers will not engage unless provoked, the territories they control won't expand, any that venture into their perimeters will be considered a threat," His demand surprised all of them, especially since Halimaka turned and planted his kama into the ground, sitting down to face his leader with a cackling smirk. "Now, onto my offer,"

"To settle the score between a Splicer and a Thief, right here, right now before all of Japan," Kovik declared, manifesting twin swords to his grasp. "If you can beat me, I will withdraw all my Splicers from across the country, but-" He made sure she held her breath, as well as those who listened close. "-if you cannot defeat me, if you fail here..."

"Then you, Tekres, Rayla, Velk, Hana, and Akio shall leave this realm and never return," And like that, the lead in everyone's hearts plummeted to their stomachs. "Well, do we have a deal?"

With a shaky gasp, Izuku turned to Yuki quickly. "Don't... don't do it, Yuki, we can find another way," Even as his words left his lips with a selfish request, she simply didn't hear him. Her irises trembled, staring at the ground.

The day her Mom died, trying to reassure her everything would be okay. Waking up with a broken, mangled body, her family torn from her. Nana being comotosed for years. Herself losing control to SIVA, saved by a hero losing his power. All the suffering her friends endured at the hands of the League of Villains. Hansuke losing his mind, Akio losing Viral and herself and her friends losing all their memories of the two. Those dying right now.

Every memory so bitter to her mind forced her to grit her teeth, seething with anger that quickly suppressed itself, bowing her head at the choice, a choice she would make for the world and her friends, bartering their lives on her success.

"Now, It's Your Turn."

"...not on my life," Her words dug deep into Izuku's pertfied orbs. "Let's settle this."

"Yuki!" Izuku's fright locked with the bluette's softer gaze and tender smile.

"I'm sorry, but there's no other way, as much as I really wish we could find one,"

Katsuki and Shoto stared silently at her choice, unable to voice their thoughts, nothing they said could change her mind now. Izuku bit his cheek, shakily grabbing her wrist as his hand flared with pain. "Just... do your best," "Please, don't do this." He hated it, being unable to lift a finger more, or say how he truly felt. But the look in her eyes told him she knew what he meant, sending a soothing pulse into his numb hand, squeezing gingerly.

"Plus Ultra," She winked, standing slowly to manifest her own pair of blades, their light grey faces fixed to carbon-black blades with a faint blue tint of fabric around the handle. Stepping past Izuku, Yuki released a heavy breath, meeting Kovik's helmet, knowing him and Japan were watching. "If I can, I want to make a request of my own,"

"What is it?" Kovik inquired, seeing her adjust her grip, not once looking back to her friends or partner.

"I don't plan to lose, but..." Yuki hung her head briefly, raising it to focus. "...if I do... please... withdraw from Jaku City and the Mountain Villa so that no one else has to die."

"Oh?" Kovik pondered on her request, cocking his head momentarily. "Very well," Her eyes widened slightly. "You have my word as a Kell, no harm will come to either front of this Raid, regardless of the outcome, we will withdraw from these two sectors... for a while at least."

The towering Splicer readied himself, so did Yuki, her eyes reflected off her blades, feeling her power fluctuate. "Siva?"

I am with you | Until the end | But if I may...

"What is it?" She paused her breathing.

|Let me fight Kovik|

The new request made her step back slightly.

This is all my fault | So, if you can accept it | Please, let me fight for your world Inside her mind, Yuki could see the Archon bowing his head to her, only now allowing this thought to be shared with her. One she had some inkling of knowledge about but nothing substantial.

Smiling, she tugged her cracked mask over her face. "Of course, together," As she said this, her posture evened out, and the optics of her mask slit, standing in an all-too-familiar form to Kovik. "With the last of her strength, we'll defeat all of his!"

"Aksis..." Kovik breathed, his body shaken with elation. "So, it comes down to this."

"It never had to end this way," Siva growled in Yuki's tongue. "I'm finishing what the Guardians began."

"You want to know what the Thief and the Guardian, Ceres, have in common?" Kovik asked, helmet glowing sharply. "Compassion, their weakness is their own hearts, compassion saved me from death, compassion is what led the Thief astray when she could've found me before NARA was finalized, and it will be her downfall,"

"And yet, it was those two hearts that saved my mind from collapse," Siva voiced, drawing up every ounce of nanotechnology within his host's body, armored covering everything but the biceps and mask, blue contrails whisked away by a sword stroke. "For that, I will fight for their worlds."

Silence filled the air, a deafening internal clock between Archon and Splicer. There was a flash of red, and the crushing weight of a leg striking toward the earth before SIVA. "Then you can die WITH THEM!" The ultra stomp tore up the earth, forcing Shoto to shield Katsuki and Izuku from the shockwave as two flashes appeared above them in the sky.

SIVA slammed his blades against Kovik's, strafing over the red pulse blast with Winter's Rush, pivoting around a slanted mountain of rubble to drawing through the sky, deflecting several plasma blasts to slice across Kovik's right hip and lower back, evading the barrier erected to ward off the Archon's own twin blasts from his lower arms.

"Is this all you got?" Kovik taunted, appearing in SIVA's blindspot to smash the hilt of a blade against the feminine body, sending SIVA flying with both swords drawn into the ground to slow his tumble, cracks of sapphire arising from the earth into a torrent of blue light that battered against Kovik's shield, the Splicer stomping toward SIVA.

Kovik closed the gap, slashing horizontally to carve through SIVA's chestplate with two long gashes, the force knocking him away as several more crescents left Kovik's cutlasses, forcing his old leader to deflect perolous strikes that rattled bones and stripped away more of the ruined land. Red mist lingered between them, SIVA huffing and puffing to adjust himself.

"This isn't just some duel or act of heroism," Yuki voiced, the pair watching Kovik summon several smaller versions of his Escalation Judgement Spears to fix onto their frame. "This could very well be a fight to the death, yeah..." SIVA tightened his hold on his swords at Yuki's every word. "...that's right... I'm going to, we're going to..." Underneath the mask, SIVA's face contorted with righteous fury. "...Kill Him!"

"SIVA!/Full-Body Augment!" "VOSIK!" Together, they tore through the catalyst of explosions that stripped long, devastating lines through the earth behind them, shrouding their form as Kovik manifested his shield to block a large fist connecting to the surface, from above, five glowing balls of steel landed in the ground around him. "Boom!" SIVA growled.

*BLAM!*

The chained explosion ripped through the ground, destabilizing the barrier enough for the scorch cannon arm to slam into Kovik's right side, a right hook crashing into his lower jaw, pushing the Splicer back as he came face-to-face with Vosik's helmet as it slammed into his pyramid head. Kovik hissed, burning a steady stream of plasma against SIVA's gut, tearing the lower-half apart.

The arm-cannon shoved itself against Kovik's materalizing barrier, shattering the veil and puncturing the Splicer's gut with glassy shards while the hollow body of Vosik erupted into flames, SIVA ejecting himself into the sky above the two large Fallen bodies with both lower arms stretched downward. "Devil's Ruin!"

Blue payloads of molten energy summoned a halo in the sky between them, a dome protecting Kovik who warped several times, producing multiple blasts to surround SIVA as he spun around with the Blackbird augment, dispelling the orbs with various cuts and slashes. "Can't you feel it? Yourself growing weaker, Aksis?" Kovik's voice rang from all sides between deflections. "Your can't even manifest your full strength, and you thought you could defeat me? Your mind's become so naive inside that frail human body!"

With a shout, SIVA spun his swords wide, slashing the last of the blasts in time to tank a direct hit from below, several blackish-red tendrils piercing his right bicep, left side, left shin, and amputating both lower arms in one strike. Sucking in a breath, SIVA warped away in time only to be struck in the back of the head by a steel leg, gasping in shock.

"Come on, Aksis, I'm not done playing with you both!" Kovik taunted, waving a sword for SIVA to attempt another strike only to greet Kovik's foot against his stomach, blood leaking out from behind his mask from the force before two burning blasts struck SIVA's chest, tossing him through the ground with a spasm. "I want them all to watch you fall."

"Graaaah!" SIVA lunged forward, drawing his swords through the energy blasts toward Kovik's awaiting edges, the tips plunged for SIVA's chest under the crimson sky.


Back at UA...

"KICK HIS ASS BIG SIIIIIIS!" Nana screamed at the T.V with her fists tugging at her shirt, desperately praying for her and SIVA to win.

Beside her, hands held together tightly, Kairi bit her cheek. "Please, please beat him..." She begged with all her might.

Over in the staff office, All Might's eyes were pins, his sharp features crinkled with stress as he gripped the table. "Young Azuru, all of your sacrifices won't be in vain, I know they won't be!" He knew his student, he knew she could surpass him much like his successor.

"Aksis can win, right?" Eri, who was with All Might the whole time looked to the retired her worryingly.

"Of course," All Might assured with a determined smile but he was sweating nervously. "Her struggles have been all for this moment, believe in her and Siva to see this through."

Eri nodded, worry etched into her soft face as she clenched her tiny fists. "You can do it, Aksis," She yelled quietly.


Up on the mountain-side...

The dozens of Splicers between the trees and the rift were frozen still, steadily keeping their distances from the heroes who stopped and stared at the display of the live feed coming from the air around Jaku City due to Kovik's intervention. All of them, students and pros alike could only watch and pray.

"Come on, Yuyu... you can do this...!" Kyoka seethed between her teeth, anxiously playing with her music note necklace.

"They can do this, show 'em what your made of, Yuyu!" Jura yelled.

"Do your best!" Several of the boys shouted.

"Don't let him win!" The girls followed suit.

"For all our sakes..." Velk whispered a prayer, her wings shaking with fear.


Blue and red struck into purple, blades nicking brittle edges as Kovik and SIVA locked into a stalemate. "Why... why all of this!? This world did nothing to you! They never deserved all this hatred!" SIVA snarled. "So why!?" He managed to shove Kovik back, even while his armor started to flake behind him. "Do you despise Guardians - Humanity that much!?"

"Humanity? Guardians? What difference does it make!?" He thundered, slamming the ground with one foot, forcing SIVA to double back in the air, evading the shockwave. Kovik closed the gap, slashing heavily, putting the Archon on the defense with every blow releasing heat between Kovik's knuckles. "The Great Machine abandoned us, chose Humanity and sent them to slaughter our kin! What did we do to deserve that!? TELL ME, WHY DID OUR HOUSE HAVE TO DIE!?"

One tremendous impact threw SIVA back several meters, followed by a hellish bombardment that SIVA erected a barrier to defend against, but the hardlight flickered and buzzed, leading to a blade cutting through like butter, splitting his left cutlass in two, evading Kovik's retaliating strikes. Rolling between the Splicer's arms to escape.

"You don't think I've seen that?" Kovik asked firmly, shaking off the dust and ash. "We never should've found SIVA, all it did was tear our House apart from within, we nearly finished the Guardians work for them, I... I cannot allow that to happen a second time!"

That brought Kovik to a staggering halt, his fist vibrating, causing his armor to clatter. "So you're saying... all our brothers and sisters... the ones that followed you," He stepped faster. "Spilled blood, sacrificed their lives...!" Kovik's whole body swarmed with dark red energy, turning the rock below into a molten slag. "...all for YOU and YOUR beliefs, it was all for Nothing!?"

Even with death reeking in the air, SIVA stood firm, "...yes... I led them to their deaths for my own narrow-mindedness got them all killed, all of them died because of me," He didn't raise his voice, nor did he look away from the blades inches from his mask. "I drugged you all on a fanatical belief the Great Machine would see us, understand why we chose to create our own God... I was wrong... and I accept my sins will never be forgiven,"

...

...

...

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Kovik unleashed a demonic sound from his throat, and the world was smothered in a density of nanomachines no creature could endure. SIVA managed to flee with a much weaker teleportation than before, rolling across the ground where a large crater formed beneath Kovik, the matter reduced to molten metal filling in the base of the crater, casting embers and a sharp orange glow from below. "...Die..."

SIVA's startled expression was revealed when a knee struck his mask, splitting it in two when a blade nearly took out his right eye had he not used the hilt of his shattered blade to ward off the silver edge in time. He stumbled back, blocking blow after blow with a single sword, seeing the edge become nicked.

"His strikes have grown stronger, while we grow weaker!" SIVA winced, even though Kovik sustained massive injuries to his proxy from NARA's feedback, even his regeneration was much slower, it seemed the superior nanotech was fueling him beyond his body's limits.

"Fight at the same time, hurry!" Yuki yelled, and in a flash, SIVA's ice-blue eye remained on the right, while Yuki's bluish-red overtook the left. With a two parallel slashes, Kovik broke away with SIVA in hot pursuit.

Diving over a horizontal swing, SIVA brought his heel down, "Perfected Impact!" The ground fissured but two arms braced the blow so the Archon doubled up, twirling left. "Divide!" The lightning-fast roundhouse scarred the forearms. Landing, he spun on his toes, driving his left knuckle high. "Wolves Howling!" Then a sudden boot to the gut, discharging a nova of blue electricity. "Rain's Fall!" Warping behind Kovik as he tore up the ground with an energy wave, dozens of plasma blast battered the Splicer's vetrbre. "Burst!"

"Is that all?" Kovik appeared complete unphased by the wounds, grabbing SIVA's leg as the armor oxidized and decayed. Then, Kovik swung up and slammed SIVA's back into the ground, seeing the girl's expression warp with pain. Then again onto their face, spinning them around to flick across the dirt. Grasping a swarm of NARA, the nanites configured into a Spear. "Hyrah!" The striking polearm shredded the ground, kicking up a wave of dust and debris to bury SIVA. The nanities lingered, and with a snap of his fingers, the tainted area exploded.

Collapsing to one knee, SIVA spat out a glob of blood and charged his left arm back with a dense swarm himself. "Devil's Ruin...!" He pushed the energy forward, the thickness of the beam shrinking as it collided with Kovik's smaller barrier, his steps no longer impeded as the beam grew thinner with every passing second. "Not yet, we can still win this!"

"Everything, come on!" Yuki hollered with him.

"Hahaha," That mocking tone made their eyes narrow, dispelling the blast to charge forward with their sword between SIVA's hands.

"Val...or... God!" Forcing their nanomachines to consume the burnt metal around them into two pairs of wings only, their barding unable to convert the metal into a new coat of armor, SIVA shot forth on tattered wings through the air, bringing his blade to bear against the crossed guard that kept him inches from Kovik's helmet, the clashing bolts discharged around them.

"That's right, keep all that focus on me," Kovik requested, swiping at SIVA's abdomen to throw him backward. He closed the gap immediately, bringing his right fist through SIVA's chestplate, hearing something 'crack', watching the former Archon stumble in a hitched gasp.

Despite the serious blows, SIVA stood his ground and forced himself to strike against Kovik's deadly defense, swinging with a surprising amount of force in a wide diagonal arc that shattered both cutlasses in one fell swoop, the sound ringing through the air while Kovik warped back to retreat. In an instant, the tension was held again, an eerie wind passing by.

"Is it over...?" Shoto finally voiced, his throat clenched the entire time.

Blood dripped down from SIVA's chin, his breathing heavy, face plastered in shocked agony. His right eye sliced, leaving it a bloody, twitching accumulation of fluids and wire.

Izuku's face trembled, unable to accept what he was forced to witness like a bad dream. "No way...!" This couldn't be happening, all of this had to have been a horrible nightmare or trick. Yet he couldn't wake up, nothing in his body would wake him up.

"It appears we've reached the limit of SIVA's resistance, Aksis," Kovik's dull helmet tilted slightly. "One of NARA's newest abilities, a gift from the crystallization of the SIVA augments and the Incubator, Detainment," He hummed a moment. "Ever since you predictably destroyed my lesser Escalation Judgement, the virus started to fester inside of the Thief's body, gradually locking the nanomachines inside you away, your power is merely a fragment of what it was minutes ago,"

"Come on, fight back...!" Katsuki's hands jittered with a mixture of odd feelings, none of which helped him move forward.

"Yuki... Yuki, Yuki!" Izuku begged as much as possible, but neither SIVA nor Yuki could move, panting and bleeding out.

"Even if you broke ever bone in your body, you cannot win," Kovik ran a hand down his shredded proxy. "And if you did by some mirale, what then? You will be a powerless human with a dead Eliksni in your head, you could never obtain the power others have, nor the potential of a Splicer," His every word bled with malice.

Izuku hissed in pain, trying to pry himself off the ground, barely able to hold an eye open. "I have to help... but my arms and legs are shaking too much, I can feel my muscles tearing just to try and stand!"

SIVA forced his breathing to steady, and, without even a gasp, released everything at once.

A warped aura of various shades of blue expanded, encompassing SIVA. "Where do you keep drawing power from? Detainment should have sealed SIVA by now..." Even the High Splicer was unable to draw a reasonable solution to the bewildering seen.

"We..." Shifting his right foot back, SIVA smiled madly with a broken right fist wrapped tightly around his remaining sword, the left helping to suspend the sword behind his nape. "...will not give in until the very end! Not a single life will be taken by your hands!" Deep inside the proxy, a single core was connecting Kovik to his exterior body, to All For One. "If we can strike that core, we can end this with one blow!"

"Ultimate Move - Stone Slash!" Leaning forward, the wayward energy spike accumulated around SIVA in a thin, defined outline, the energy transforming his sword into a blade of pure energy, the center crystal white.

Even Kovik couldn't suppress a shuttered breath, "Despite Detainment, your broken body, all of that unstable energy has been condensed into a finite state, the density has completely transfigured the cutlass' matter!" A whimsical laugh escaped the Splicer. "That's it, Aksis, show me the last of your hopeless strength!"

"My strength, Yuki's, Izuku Midoriya's, the heroes and fallen Houses, their hopes and dreams, etch them into my flesh and bone!" His eyes dialed into pins surging with raw energy. "I am Aksis of the House of Devils, and my body is the spine of my blade that will sever your core!"

With a single step, a blur of blue lightning was all that remained as a streak barreled toward Kovik and his impregnable barrier. Sword and shield came to a collision course at the middle, a titanic blast of smoke and sparks reaching dozens of meters into the sky with a roar and flash of their silhouettes.

Those caught in the blast radius covered their eyes and ears, waiting for the wind pressure to die down again to see the aftermath of the gargantuan attack. "Yuki!" Izuku squinted through the settling dust, catching a few glimpses of what lay beyond. "I can see h- Yu...ki..." Then his breath released into a hoarse gasp.

Two tendrils pierced her right hand and left shin, suspending her from the ground slightly, her sword held above her head in her left hand, quivering. Izuku let out a voice-breaking scream of horror, his blood frozen.

"It's over, you've lost, Thief, even Aksis has abandoned you now," Her eyes had returned to normal, held within inches of Kovik's core. "Say it, say that you give up," He demanded of her, twisting his tendrils through her cybernetics. "Admit you can never measure up to NARA,"

Her eyes refused to focus, head swimming to static.

A younger Yuki was alone again by the river not far from her home, she sulked at her reflection, tossing another stone to distort the image. She hated it, that stupid useless girl looking back at her. Then the image returned, much to her annoyance, but the second image made her shriek, falling onto her backside.

"Brooding by the river again, you sure hit your teenage-phase quickly," The older woman gaze a flat stare and smile. Her hair long, and deep blue with bangs covering her right eye while a twin cowlick bobbed at the top of her head, her eyes a bright silver. "You're gonna stress me out,"

"..." Yuki said nothing, turning to hug her knees while she mindlessly tossed another stone at the river.

Her mother sighed, opting to sit with her legs cutting off Yuki's escape to her left and right. "Okay, hard to get, gotcha," She smirked down at the bundle of whitish-blue hair that shifted to hide Yuki's wavering frown. Gently, her Mom nudged her shoulder. "Come on, I came all the way here to see you,"

"...it's not fair..." Yuki muttered, throwing another stone that sank without a skip. "She has a quirk now, and I don't,"

There was a pause. "Seriously?" Her Mom's response made Yuki's face redden, pouting. "You've been this high-strung over that?"

"It's not fair!" That last remark forced two hands to pull Yuki's head around to view her Mom face to face, her fingers pinching Yuki's tear-stained cheeks. "L-leave me alone!"

"That's child neglect, no can do," She remarked, releasing Yuki's cheeks to wipe her tears gingerly. "Look at me," Yuki did as she was told, meeting a single, soft orb, a rare sight for her mother's often constant glare. "My quirk sucks, I can change the pitch of my voice, big whoop," She swung a fist up lazily before returning it to her daughter's face. "But do I honestly look like I care what my daughters have or don't have?"

"...no..." Yuki sniffed, unable to move away when her Mom gave her a loving smile, brushing her stray strands of hair behind her ear.

"Exactly, you both are happy and alive, what more could I want?" She asked, hugging Yuki tightly. "You're her big sister, so you need to look out for her, and you don't need a quirk to protect people," To seal the deal, she whispered just for Yuki. "I will always be proud of you,"

Her eyes glittered with fresh tears, her heart beating wildly.

Yuki's face twisted with resolve, and her left arm swung down and through the collarbone, digging deep into Kovik's husk. "Hyraaaaaaaaaah!" Screaming bloody murder, she put all her remaining strength down onto the blade, digging deeper toward the core. "I will defeat you, even if it costs my life! I'm not giving up, Mom, I won't ever give up, quirk or not!"

Kovik seized up, unable to move his arms due to the close proximity to Yuki, not to mention his tendrils were hard to produce, leaving him with only two. "What kind of strength do you have left? Without SIVA running through your veins, you should be powerless, so how... How are you fighting back!?"

Her blade dug further, and Kovik started to panic, attempting to wrench his tendrils from her hand and leg. He shifted back once, and gasped, "Why can't I... pull them out!?" The more he struggled, the harder it was to pry them loose. "Let go of me... you useless thief, let... Go!" "Graaaaah!" Kovik's own animalistic howl echoed in Yuki's ears, but she held on.

"I will kill you, I'm going to kill you!" She swore on her parents' souls, she would cleave the core from Kovik's body.

Whiplashes of red circled the pair locked in a screaming match, the cutlass drawing closer to Kovik's core. He was panicking, Yuki was only a few inches from its edge by now. "GET! YOUR HANDS! OFF MEEEEEE!" With a roar, Kovik's own attack swept forward, severing his right arm, and both tendrils from various angles.

Stomping once, he slammed his left foot against her abdomen, tossing Yuki toward her friends, blade clattering next to her. Slowly, Yuki clawed at the ground, her arms shaking as she tried to force even a mere nanite from her body. "Siva... Perfected... One Percent!" She demanded but there wasn't a spark to be seen, nor the familiar tingling in her bones, the heat traveling down her muscles.

It was locked away. |SIVA has been sealed | There's nothing I can... | I'm... sorry| His words broke her heart.

"I..." The final nail was struck flush into the coffin. Kovik towered above all, his greatest enemy crushed to her knees. "...I give up..." The words croaked from her lips.

"What was that? I'm sure everyone else would like to hear," Kovik pressed.

"I give up!" She screamed, bowing her head shamefully.

"Yes, you do," Kovik waved a hand, and from his shadow, Infernal appeared, giggling with a silver coin between his fingers. "I'll give your allies time to arrive, say your final words, that I will grant you, Yuki Azuzu," With that, Kovik stepped aside with Infernal petting Yuki on the head with his tail.

"Oh, Yuki..." Valstrax quickly rushed to her daughter's side, helping her to stand on her broken prosthetic, hugging her tightly. "I... I'm so sorry...!" Valstrax felt it in her soul, she should've done something, instead, she just stood there and watched her daughter beat herself nearly to death.

"It's not your fault, Mom," Yuki managed a tight smile, leaning into her side as a wing curled around them both. "I didn't have a choice, this is on me,"

"That doesn't excuse anything!" She turned to grab Yuki by the shoulders, her helmet cast aside to show her distraught face, eyes glistening with tears. "I'm supposed to protect you, that's my job, it's always been my job!" She wasn't there at the USJ, Hosu, Camp, Camino, and now here, when her little girl needed her most. "I..."

"You're the most amazing Mom I could've asked for," Yuki held a fanged smile. "You... remind me so much of my Mama, I love you both so much," That finally closed the distance, Akame clutched her daughter tightly and refused to let go. Yuki rubbed her left hand against her back, down the rigid scales of her armor. "Can you promise me something?"

"S-sure," Akame gulped, pulling away to see Yuki's stupid smile.

"Would you just ask Shota out already?" It was almost comical how poorly timed it was, but the pair shared a tender laugh, Akame lightly jabbing Yuki's shoulder.

"Even now you are a pain in the ass," Akame huffed, wiping away her tears. "Sure, dragon's honor,"

With that, Yuki sipped away from her Mom's hand to finally sit with Izuku, by now, his expression had completely lost all color, eyes a faded green than their usual emerald pigment. He was crushed, heart and all. Yuki touched his left hand, brushing her thumb over his palm to jolt him from his daze to greet her.

"Hey," She began.

"Hey..." Izuku's was much more withdrawn. Of all his countless battles, this was by far his biggest failure, he failed to protect Katsuki from being severely wounded, failed Nejire as she was burned, failed to keep his emotions in-check and almost lost One For All. But the worst feeling of all? He failed to save the girl he swore to protect. Again, she fought in his stead, and fell without his hand.

She lifted his hand carefully, closing her broken right around his palm. They looked at each other, a breathless laugh caught in Yuki's throat. "Guess I really screwed this one up... sorry," Slowly, his head shook.

"N-no, no it's not... it was never..." His words were falling apart. He had to say something, do something to keep her here. There was a way out of this, something they overlooked, right? Right? "I-I-I, you... you can't, I can't just... w-w-watch you go..."

"I know, I know," Her forehead brushed against his, taking in the last bit of warmth, even as his blood stained her skin. "It's okay, I'll be okay, we all will be," She pulled back with the sweetest smile she had, squeezing his hand affectionately. "I have to go, if it means we get a second chance, I have to take the fall,"

"Yuki..." His face trembled, and briefly, what felt like the last time they'd ever make contact again, her lips silenced him, capturing copper that tasted so much sweeter than it should've. Parting with a lingering warmth, she stared at their interlocked hands.

"Ever since we met, we've stumbled in each others paths constantly, it was honestly a little disorientating at first, you always muttered and got flustered around me," She sighed a laugh at the memories. "But you always kept trying, day after day I saw you push yourself, you strive to be there for everyone, to help as many people as you can... I guess that's why I fell in love with you,"

Tears fell from his eyes, mirroring her own, his heart was breaking and she couldn't stop that, so instead, she made a vow. Raising their joined hands, two rings could be seen in view of their eyes only. "You'll always be with me, worlds apart, you'll be right here," His eyes widened, and his heart leapt into his throat, setting itself ablaze when the goddess of a girl closed her remaining eye, and blushed lightly. "Maybe when we meet again, the next ring I wear will seal the deal. Because I'll always be with you, Izuku Midoriya."

Hot tears sprung from his eyes again, "Yuki..." It was now or never, she was about to slip away. Pulling her in, ignoring the pain in his body, he hugged so tightly his bones might snap in two again. "I'll find you, I swear I'll search the whole world for you..." In a lower voice, he buried his face into her shoulder. "...until I can seal the deal too," He heard her breath catch, and a pair of warm arms embracing him. "I love you," He hiccuped.

"I love you too," Her smile fell, releasing him before she could lose her nerve. "But you have to let me go," She started to rise, their hands the only thing connected. Izuku's desperately held on. Their fingers unraveled, sliding past one another, the tips of Izuku's reaching to hook onto the ends of Yuki's one last time but they slipped away before he could grip further.

"Hey," No more than a second later, Akio appeared from the shadow of a building, Velk and Hana as well with Rayla hanging her head, helmet obscuring her face but her fists were balled up tight. Akio barely gave a lively wave, wet stains down his face, and some staining his shirt. "...guess it's time?"

"Sorry," Yuki croaked, managing to smile. "I couldn't-" The brunette's hand stopped her.

"Hey, what's done is done, hell, I doubt any of us can beat that copycat over there, some Splicer he is, right?" He made sure Kovik heard him loud and clear, the Splicer sparing the Nightmareless boy no mind.

"And... everyone else?" Yuki was almost afraid to ask.

Upon the mountainside...

"Hey, at least I didn't tamper with time," Akio tried to laugh but his voice betrayed him, staring at the wide-eyed Kyoka. "Huh, I must be the worst partner someone like you could - Ack!" A jack stabbed his bicep, causing it to go numb.

*Bam*

Then a fist struck his chest, it didn't do much to his body, but it hurt thousands of times more than any attack today threw at him. "Shut up! Shut the hell up!" Kyoka yelled, throwing another half-assed punch that may as well have been the wind. "You idiot!" The next was weaker, "You dumbass!" The fourth quivered. "You... y-you..." Her last hit fell apart, gasping when his arms latched around her. Her jacks snaked up to try and jab him but they too fell limp. "S-stop, let me h-hit you..."

"I know, I just wanted to hold you for a second," Akio's smile faltered, burying his head into her hair now tainted with dirt and grime. "Just for a moment... for..."

Kyoka felt the droplets hit her scalp, and her eyes steadily lost their aloof exterior for genuine grief, burying her face in his arms as her legs almost gave out, whimpering under his protective hold.

Across from them, Kirishima looked to Rayla with complete bewilderment, "No way! There... there has to be a way outta this!"

"Kirishima..." Ashido looked no better, trying to calm the redhead down but even with her hand tugging his wrist, he tried to deny it.

"Dammit!" He shook his head, punching the tree next to him. His friends were all suffering with the turmoil, after witnessing Yuki give it her all only to be forced to admit defeat, they all held no real hope for their friends moments away from becoming exiled. "I can't just... sit here... there, there gotta be-"

*Thump*

"Hey now, what's with the tantrum?" Rayla ruffled his spikey hair, helmet off to show off her winning grin. "A Titan's got to always bite the bullet and keep a level head, get me? I taught you better than to lose your cool."

"B-but," Kirishima's voice broke, and her left hand pressed to his chest, filling his body with a familiar heat of Solar Light, easing his wounds, his red eyes shimmering a golden-orange pigment. "What was...?"

"Just a little trick I learned, can't have my student getting himself wrapped up in chaos without a little kick in his step," Rayla forced a brave face, continuing to ruffle his hair with Solaire appearing. "Guess we're off on another venture, huh?"

"It has been an honor to have met such fine warriors," The ghost spun around, bowing his shell. "The Traveler would have been honored to have such spectacular Guardians like yourselves."

This tore into Classes 1 and B, the little ghost meaning every word of it. "I'm gonna miss you guys!" Hagakure's invisible frame wrapped its arms around the small ghost and Rayla tightly, Yaoyorozu fighting back tears alongside Kendo and Kodai.

Rayla choked back a sob, finding the girl's head to pat as well, "Ditto," She let her hand fall from Kirishima's head, flicking his forehead as he bit back his own tears, trembling. "You are one fine Titan, Red Riot, so carry this with pride," Tossed to his hands was one of Rayla's Titan Marks, a deep violet sash with the symbol of a Ward of Dawn bubble sown in white.

The fabric was soft but sturdy in his hands. "I-I can't accept this! I haven't earned it!" He bowed his head but a hand pushed the sash closer.

"I wasn't worthy of being a Fireteam leader, not after losing my friends... but they trusted me despite that," Rayla's hand slipped away, offering her student an easy-going smile. "So I'm trusting you to be the Guardian for your Fireteam while I'm gone."

He tried his best to stifle his cries, hiding his gaze behind his arm with the sash tight in his hand. Rayla spared Solaire a look, the ghost being coddled by the girls.

Sitting on a fallen tree, Hana played with her hands nervously, "Hanta?"

"Yeah?" He sat with his back against hers, unable to come to terms with the situation either.

"Can you... pass on to Kotaro and Draco, that... that we're sorry for the trouble we've caused," Hana admitted, feeling the boy's stare on her back. "I come off as quite abrasive due to my quirk and the history behind it, the fear of losing control and hurting those I come to trust," She stared at her palms, that feeling was gone. "But they never stopped pushing, they risked it all to befriend me, for that, I'm eternally grateful."

"Why not tell us yerself?" The pair watched her shoot up from the trunk, blinking or winking a few times at their battered, ragged forms. Draco had bandages covering his forehead and over his cheeks and jaw. Kotaro lost both his gauntlets, his hands wrapped up but blood spots were visible. "Well? Cat got your-"

Kotaro was cut off when two arms pulled them close to Hana's shoulders, her head bowed between them as Velk did the same, wrapping the three of them up together, but she smiled and moved her wing so that Sero could place a supportive hand on Hana's shoulder. The ravenette trembled in their arms.

"Hey now, it'll all work out, right?" Kotaro smirked over to Draco who nodded slowly.

"We will be waiting for your return," He spared Velk a kind face hiding his grief. "Both of you."

"...thank you..." Hana whispered with a scratchy voice. Her left hand snaked down to catch Sero's, squeezing his quivering hand to reassure him.

There was no cause for victory, they survived today, but lost so much more.

"You've all gathered, good," Kovik tore them away from their grief, spotting Tekres trudging over silently to stay by Rayla's side.

"You get her good?" The Guardian asked.

"She has her sights on me," His throat clicked, and the young woman snorted, waving her middle finger in the general direction of the Wolf Baroness. "You tempt fate, even now?"

"Hey, best we at least ensure they don't get to enjoy this," Rayla shrugged.

"Next stop... uh, somewhere!" Infernal blinked, crushing the coin in his claws before tossing the silver and blue dust into the air, with a flash, a large rift tore itself open, large enough for the group to pass through. "I think we'll leave your fate up to the Corridors, doesn't that sound fun?" He cackled.

"Riveting..." Akio muttered with an eye roll. "Well... seeya guys," He gave a two-fingered salute back at his friends. "Thank you for trusting me."

Quickly, Akio was the first to disappear from their world.

"Keep fighting the good fight, and wipe that damn smirk off that Fallen's face for us," Rayla pointed her handcannon at Kovik. Nodding once to the heroes, she holstered her weapon. "See you star side," Another vanished from the realm.

Tekres stepped closer to the gate, then grunted up at the giant Splicer. "You are not worthy of the title of Kell of Kells, if anyone is a rat, it's you." He didn't wait for a verbal jab and swept through the rift after the Guardian.

"Thank you for allowing me to fight for your world, it has been an honored," Velk bowed her head, spreading her wings as Hana gave them a curt nod, joining with her Nightmare to glare at Infernal, pointing their tail in his direction. "We'll be seeing you again."

"Hehehe, I do look forward to it, the look on yours and Eve's Guardians' faces," Infernal licked his lips, waving them goodbye.

Then there was one.

Yuki turned to her family one last time, "Katsuki?" The blonde's head flinched up from the ground. "Sorry for... well, everything. You did kinda deserve it, but... if you really do hate me, the... feeling's not mutual," His scarlet eyes widened considerably.

"Shoto?" He wore a pale-stricken face, completely lost beyond words. "You've always looked out for me, supported me when I was certain I had no way forward," She giggled slightly. "I'm glad I barged my way into your life."

"Yuki..." His voice was painfully dry, but she nodded, accepting what he probably wanted to say without needing to hear it.

A small patter of footsteps struck Izuku's ears, and he almost lost his balance as Yuki hugged him so tight he might've cried from the pain, but his body felt entirely numb as her words resounded in his ears, piercing his shattered heart to stitch it back together. "I believe in you,"

In his hands, she set a strikingly familiar mask, the clear patchwork of Shoto's recognizable. "This..." He croaked.

"I never wore the original in battle, as a keepsake, this... is the original Siva gifted me, a good luck charm from me to you," She passed a loving smile, pecking his forehead. "I hope it'll save you as it did me someday,"

As quickly as her warmth enveloped him, she left his side, much to his horror.

"W-wait... d-d-don't go..." He reached forward only to fall on all fours, his arms and legs buckling.

Yuki walked solemnly toward the crackling edges of the rift, Infernal's smile grew wider, and beneath that pyramid head, she knew Kovik was too. Her legs felt like lead, and her heart was beating out of control that she feared passing out. Upon reaching the edge of two worlds, she slowly turned to stare up into Kovik's visor, her eyes predatory and resentful.

"For whatever it's worth, you were a worthy enemy," Kovik spoke honestly.

"...I don't how, or when, but I swear to you, you will pay for everything you've done," She shook her head slowly to emphasize the severity of her threat.

"No, I won't," He snapped his fingers.

*Boosh!*

A choked gasp escaped Yuki's chalky lips, hands stained in her own blood as the wound punctured a small but burning hole through the left side of her stomach. Behind her, a new figure had appeared with a cloak much like the House of Wolves.

A Fallen wearing Devils armor, the grey plating a slate black, the symbol of SIVA painted across the arms in frantic strokes, his helmet lined with two horns that formed a crown above his head as wires fed down into the rest of its suit. Between its claws was a wire rifle, and a shock spear, the polearm caked in blood. The helmet only had one large optic, that shrank and grew to analyze the girl.

"YUKI!" Came the various screams as the bluette stumbled and fell through the rift, coughing up blood in the process.

"Hm, with an injury like that, coupled with warping between realms, how does she fare?" Kovik wondered whimsically.

"Oh, totally dead!" Infernal cackled. "Even I'd reel from that sensation, haha!"

"Fragment," The silent assassin perked up. "Follow them, ensure that if she does survive, that the interference on your end remains, Compress with handle our half."

"Of course, my Kell," He bowed politely, and quickly disappeared beneath his cloak, taking off through the portal before the rift snapped shut.

They were gone, far from their reach.

"YOU LYING BASTARD!" A thunderous roar shot across Jaku City, a leg sweeping wide to collide with a large fragment of concrete and rock that appeared between Valstrax and Kovik. The boulder was obliterated, much to the silverette's shock. "What the hell!?"

"Pardon my intrusion, I was told you required immediate assistance!" Hopping down to greet the Splicer and heroes with a tip of his hat. Mr. Compress held several blue marbles between his fingers. "A small gift from your unruly bunch at the villa, consider it the curtain call on our grand performance!"

"I held my word, none of you shall be harmed... for now," Kovik mused, another rift appearing a few meters away as Splicers followed Halimaka through the gateway, his venomous slashes holding the remaining fighters at bay. "I never said she'd leave in one piece," Anyone could hear how he relished that scene by his tone.

More boulders and segments of buildings were tossed in the heroes' way, Togata was the only one who managed to slip by until he doubled back instantly from the red barrier shakily held by Kovik's spasming left hand. "It appears you've learned too, Lemillion."

The blonde's distraught face flinched, shaking as he was unable to find a clear opening while the villains fled the scene.

"It's time to leave, now, this proxy is at its limits," Kovik rasped, he hated to admit it, but any longer, and Yuki would've quickly evened the odds, but Detainment saw to that. "With Compress here and Fragment tracking the Thief, the chances of releasing Detainment are slim to none, but we should have plenty of time regardless."

Blackwhip snagged onto two boulders, dragging Izuku to his feet as he stumbled into a run, pulling back his right arm with Yuki's sword in hand. Sucking in a sharp breath, he released all the strength he had left into the end of the blade, firing it between the falling debris, skimming past Infernal and Compress to plunge straight through Kovik's crown and out his right eye socket.

"Grah!" He recoiled but stifled his discomfort to make a break for the rift.

"Why are you running away, you coward!?" Across the returning orange sky, the remaining after-effect of Red Glare finally fading away, Kovik's entire body beyond his proxy seized up, eyes locked to the heavily wounded greenette he took pleasure in beating to a pulp. Now, he stood there, his expression warped with hatred. Daring him to fight.

"Are you that delirious? Wake up, brat, all that you've held dear is gone or dead, this battle's over!" Without a word, Kovik slipped away through the rift after Compress.

"Did you forget humanity's fought the likes of you where you've always had the advantage?! Against all odds! We will never be like you!" Izuku's voice screamed, cracking at certain points. He clenched his fists, bitter at Kovik's retreat. "We can't just recover what's lost, and when we lose someone they can never return from the earth!" He shook his head, screaming into the rift. "Turn back around and fight you bastard! You're nothing but a cowaaaaard!"

Behind him, Katsuki's face and body quivered with a flabbergast expression. Shoto's face froze up, eyes trembling with an anxious sweat. Valstrax bit her cheek, wings hung low. "Yuki is a greater Splicer than you could ever hope to be! You didn't even come close to beating her without stealing her power! Even powerless she protected everyone, no one died to you! You're pathetic! You're the one who lost today! Yuki... YUKI IS THE REAL WINNERRR!"

The tension on his lungs finally brought Izuku to his knees, panting heavily as floods of tears dripped down his dirty face, his bottom lip quivering before he threw his head down, screaming in anguish as the rift snapped shut on the afternoon sun. Izuku kept wailing, unable to find any other reason to stop as the world he knew crumbled.

To Be Continued...


It ain't over yet, the stuff I have to write is too long for one chapter alone. But... yeah, they lost big, now, the country they know is divided and their strongest fighters are far from the realm. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in this season's finale, heroes.

Season Finale Chapter: Our Paths Diverge

Japan begins to fall apart after the events of Jaku City, as those who fought recover, trying to piece together what to make of their new harsh world. Painful choices have to be made...