Chapter 17: When unprecedented disaster strikes you must (save)(live)
The Kamino fight is underway. A disaster looms on the horizon, and Chaldea is poised to swoop in. How will this all pan out?
Midoriya Izuku was struggling to breathe.
He could feel the contents of his stomach rushing up his throat and was only barely managing to keep them down.
All for One was on the other side of the destroyed wall they were hiding behind.
There was no question in his mind that every single one of them would die if they tried to confront him directly.
But Bakugo and Nathan were there.
He had to.
He had to do something.
And then.
Before he could even resolve to move a single muscle.
He couldn't even think of how to describe it.
It was a calamity pure and simple.
Unopposed that monstrosity could bring humanity to its knees.
That was how vast the sense of dread he received from that terrible scream was.
He felt his every muscle lock in place.
He felt his heart stop.
He could not move against something like that.
How could he?
How could anyone?
And yet.
"Enkidu! I need you to keep her busy!"
A familiar voice called out and chaos rang from beyond that wall.
He could not hear an ounce of fear in that voice.
He had to be terribly injured.
He was in the belly of the beast, facing down against the very essence of evil and a disaster unlike any he'd ever seen.
But he still found it within himself to move.
How could he hope to catch up?
He needed to join the fray.
He needed to move.
Just as he forced his body off the wall, Iida grabbed him and pushed him back against it.
Their eyes met. Iida's determination to keep him safe was keeping him in place.
Ashiya Douman watched from next to those five terrified children. He was the most excited he'd been in a good long while. It was simply so much fun watching as their fear pinned them to the ground like the miserable wretches they were.
Now.
How were they going to overturn this?
The second location was not that far away from the bar they'd raided.
It was maybe 5 kilometers away at best.
But.
His injury was slowing him down.
Not to mention the flame of One for All had nearly gone out.
He just needed to hold it together for one more battle.
He'd left Gran Torino and the others behind but the Chaldean heroes were keeping up with him.
No. Maybe they were even faster than he was.
Dozens of angelic heroes flew alongside him, almost as if they were guiding him to his destiny.
He wanted to make a joke about how they better not take him to the afterlife once he was done but…
There was a very real chance he could die here.
He was about to face down All for One.
"Heroic Spirit summoning detected!" one of the Valkyries said from in front of him.
He did not have time to find out what she meant with those words.
He could see it off in the distance.
A hulking monstrosity, and the smoke kicked up by the destruction it was unleashing.
He could see hints of gold and it almost seemed to be struggling but it was still far enough away that he couldn't get a read on what was going on.
"All Might. You are not to engage Berserker Huwawa. Do you understand? Leave that one to Nathan and the other Chaldeans on scene."
He glanced over to the Valkyrie next to him.
"You are a precious human being. Please do not lose your life senselessly here. It would upset our master greatly if you were to die fighting on our battlefield."
He focused his eyes ahead again.
He was ten seconds from arriving at most.
Many of the Valkyries were kicking into overdrive, zooming ahead of him to engage the opponent he'd been warned away from.
He didn't like it.
He didn't like that they automatically assumed he would not be able to defeat both of them…
But in his heart of hearts he knew. As he was now he could not take any chances.
He had to focus the entirety of his remaining power on defeating All for One.
It hurt.
It hurt. It hurt. It hurt.
Thousands of souls all screamed in unison.
What had her body become?
What did humanity see her as now?
Agony flooded her body as she felt herself begin to break down.
She was so hungry.
Why was the air so thin?
She did not know.
She did not know and she was under attack.
It was those golden chains again.
How many times must she be killed by her one and only friend?
How much must she suffer like this?
No.
No she couldn't do this anymore.
She would destroy it all.
If humanity decided that she was a disaster of the modern era…
Then she would bring it all to ruin.
Bakugo was struggling to get his bearings.
Between moving locations via some kind of disgusting ooze quirk, being surrounded by villains, the horrifying monstrosity before him and Nathan Relnor, his mind was racing just to keep up.
He saw Nathan bite his lip so hard that it drew blood before forcing himself to his feet after that monster's scream locked the both of them in place so he opted to do the same.
Fresh pain flooded through him, allowing him to briefly forget the absolute terror that was flowing through his body for long enough to move.
"Enkidu! I need you to keep her busy!" Nathan called out from next to him.
But.
Who was Nathan to give orders? More importantly, who even was Enkidu? Certainly not a pro hero he knew.
Golden chains shot up from the ground, wrapping around that mechanical terror's entire body and pulling her low.
"Bakugo."
He turned to look at the boy beside him.
Nathan Relnor's eye was alight in a way he'd never seen before.
It was completely different from when they faced down in the sports festival.
"You need to get out of here. We'll keep the league busy-"
"Hoh? And steal my precious Tomura's hard fought prize?"
All for One pulled his arm back before launching a powerful burst of air directly at Nathan.
But it never got the chance to land.
Liquid metal formed a shield before the two boys, buckling somewhat from the sheer force of the blast but ultimately splitting the air bullet away from them.
The other Chaldean took Their place before them, that liquid metal swirling around Them as They maintained unblinking eye contact with All for One.
"I do apologize to the both of you," All for One said, clearly unbothered as he approached the League of Villains. "It would seem you've been met with yet another setback, Tomura… But you mustn't lose heart. There will always be another opportunity to get things right. That's why I've brought you, your friends, and your most important pawns here. So that you may pick yourself up and try again."
The ground around them rumbled as Huwawa began struggling heavily against Enkidu's chains.
But she seemed to be getting weaker and weaker as time went on.
"She won't have much time. A summon that powerful won't be able to sustain itself for long. Soon it'll just be us and him. Shi Huang Di, is there a way out of here?" Nathan asked as he struggled to stay on his feet.
"Yes. We will evacuate the two of you as soon as-"
"Wait! Something's wrong!" Enkidu called out.
Everything exploded at once.
The ground split apart and collapsed as if something underneath it had suddenly been removed.
This destruction was not localized to the current battlefield.
Nearby buildings began to fall as the ground gave way beneath them.
The scale of devastation reached out several blocks in all directions.
Good footing was impossible to find.
Thankfully Shi Huang Di provided Nathan and Bakugo silver platforms to steady themselves on.
But that was the only good that came.
Huwawa bucked, snapping several of the chains binding her as her size began to increase.
"She's- Is she absorbing the land!?"
"She's absorbing the industry! She needs a colossal amount of power so she's taking it from everything she can!" Enkidu called as yet more chains rushed up to bind her.
"Before you get any bright ideas. You two are still captives. Come along quietly," All for One said, floating off the ground as he turned to face them.
"Che- Shi Huang Di! Make sure the other pro heroes are ok! We can handle-"
"Incoming!"
Something crashed into All for One at a blinding speed, slamming him into the rubble that Huwawa had made of their battlefield.
"Was that All Might!?" Nathan asked before dozens of spears of light came crashing down on top of Huwawa.
The Valkyries were finally here. The group from the bar had caught up. Nathan reviewed the Servants that were now at his disposal and decided to act quickly.
"Valkyrie! Tend to the civilians in the surrounding area! If this gets worse we need to help everyone evacuate!"
His command was met with a chorus of answers as those angelic figures spread out looking for people to save.
Bakugo watched as Nathan struggled to stand on the unfamiliar prosthetic, leaning against the loudly dressed Chaldean while barking out orders left and right.
He was completely and utterly unphased by everything happening around him. They were up against enemies he couldn't even fathom defeating and yet…
All for One pushed back against All Might, sending a terrible shock wave out in every direction.
The force the two of them brought against each other was keeping the League pinned in place.
At least for a little while.
All for One unleashed that air pressure blast again, striking All Might dead center and sending him crashing through several destroyed buildings.
"All Might!?" Bakugo cried out.
"Don't fret. That won't be enough to kill him. Now then-"
Before he could complete his next thought something in the air changed.
Bakugo felt his lips sticking together.
His eyes and nose were burning suddenly.
Nathan simply looked up.
"Ah."
Huwawa's halo was ablaze. Flames lapping from the enormous structure.
"That's bad." Nathan said flatly, "Enkidu!"
An enormous wall of mud and rock shot up in the space of an instant.
But it did very little to slow Huwawa's attack.
A colossal blast of fire tore through the structure in a matter of moments and laid waste to everything in front of her.
Mirko was having trouble bouncing from building to building. Every time she landed it shifted uneasily under her as the ground continued to give way.
Whatever that freak show was, it was tremendously powerful. A shock wave ran out as something was blown back through several buildings.
"Shit this is bad!" Mirko called out to Gran Torino and that fiery Chaldean that had stayed with her group.
"Is that.. She's preparing a skill! We need to take cover!" That cloaked man grabbed her arm and Gran Tornio's scarf before she felt herself completely lose her sense of place.
In the space between blinks they'd launched straight into the air high above the battlefield.
Mirko got a good look as that machine's large… Halo? Burst into flames before exploding outward in a fierce directional blast.
Not even the large shield that had sprung up was enough to fully deflect the flames.
"Was the kid in there!?"
"We're descending!"
They hit the ground the next moment, Mirko ripping herself from that man's grip and bounding through the remaining flames.
Distantly she registered him blasting forward and slamming into that horrible machine at full force.
"Kid! Where the hell are you!?"
A silver dome caught her attention moments before it fell open, revealing Nathan Relnor and Bakugo Katsuki.
"Rumi! Get him the hell out of here!"
"Shut your fucking trap that thing is a monster! You've both got no place here-"
"How troublesome. Although I can't deny its effectiveness."
The four of them turned together and saw All for One dusting himself off. He seemed to have taken quite a bit of direct damage, but he'd managed to project a powerful enough shield to cover the League.
"Che- I'll handle tall, dark, and ugly! Gramps get them out of here!"
"No! Together! That man is not to be underestimated!"
"MOVE!" Bakugo called out, grabbing Nathan by the collar and rocketing himself away from their current position.
The other pro heroes reacted instantly, not even questioning the command.
There was barely enough time for them to avoid Huwawa's arm smashing into the ground they'd been standing on, absolutely pulverizing everything underneath her outstretched hand.
"You all need to escape," All for One said as he turned to the dazed League of Villains, "Take the boy with you. Kurogiri will open the path for you."
Black tendrils shot from his hand into Kurogiri, forcing his quirk to activate.
Magne wanted to question why he couldn't just use the quirk he'd used to bring them here but at this point she wanted to be anywhere else.
"What about you sensei!?" Shigaraki cried out.
A distant rumble was the only warning they received.
All Might slammed back onto the battlefield and immediately delivered a hammer blow to All for One.
"Always think two steps ahead Tomura. You still have so much room to grow!" All for One shouted as he kept All Might pinned in place with his own overwhelming power.
Compress used his quirk to pick up the unconscious Dabi before turning his attention to Bakugo and Nathan Relnor.
But. Pro heroes were already in their way.
Best Jeanest, Mirko, and Gran Torino were already between them and their targets.
"Compress. Use one."
The masked villain turned to his boss who only gave him a small nod.
"If you say so."
He pulled out one of Aleister's strange silver devices.
"STOP HIM!" Nathan cried out.
"Don't have to tell me twice!" Mirko shouted as she launched towards the villain.
But.
All he had to do was press a button.
Even Mirko could not cover the distance between them.
A wave of force exploded out.
Before Mirko really knew what was happening an anchor attached to a chain struck her directly in the chest, knocking her out of the air.
"Gyahahahaha! What kind of treasures await us I wonder!"
"Oh fuck me." Nathan muttered mutely as the new Servant stepped out to reveal himself.
"Wh-Where did he come from!?" Jeanest called out before launching several lines of thread at the new opponent.
"Be careful! He's skilled in the use of firearms and that blade of his! You'll want to keep your distance! He doesn't really have anything more than a strength enhancing quirk!" Nathan helpfully informed the group.
The scattered pro heroes chalked it up to Nathan and Bakugo knowing what the villains were capable of since they'd been with them for a day and some change.
But Bakugo gave a confused glare at Nathan for once again pulling information out of nowhere.
Between that and his behavior with the Chaldeans… Not only was there something more going on, but he was much much higher in their chain of command than just being their 'mascot' or whatever he claimed.
The now seven strong villain group charged ahead.
Even though Nathan had new prosthetics, that didn't mean he was in any condition to fight.
His right leg was still injured and burns covered his entire body.
Holding that bastard up meant Bakugo wouldn't be able to properly fight back against these league assholes.
Somehow that disgusting pirate cosplayer was strong enough to hold Mirko's attention, weathering a hammer blow to the shoulder and forcing her on the defensive with his bladework.
This allowed Compress, Spinner, and Toga to weave through the pro heroes and approach him.
"Drop me and fight! I'll work out a way to get you out!"
"Focus on yourself, dead weight!" Bakugo shouted back.
He was doing it again. It was probably the third or fourth time that Nathan had implored Bakugo to escape despite the fact that he also had no place on this battlefield.
Before anyone could move a terrifying roar tore its way through the battlefield.
Huwawa listed to the side somewhat as the Count rained hellish attacks upon her.
Liquid metal and golden chains were keeping her somewhat pinned in place.
As long as she didn't use anything like that fire blast again…
Somehow… Despite everything they'd remained hidden. Ashiya Douman had used some kind of quirk to protect them during the massive blast of fire…
If they didn't do something quickly the League would recapture Bakugo and Nathan.
Midoriya had no idea where this new villain had come from but the fact that he was strong enough to hold off multiple pro heroes was extremely alarming.
All Might could not act without All for One getting in the way.
The other pros had that angry pirate contending with them.
And the Chaldeans were holding off that calamity.
Not to mention… They were not allowed to fight.
They needed an opening. Just one opening!
…
All Might was being pinned down by All for One, but the reverse was also true.
Bakugo was having trouble defending himself and Nathan at the same time. If they could just do something to allow All Might to stop holding back as much-
"Iida! Everyone!"
"Midoriya! Don't even think about it! There's no way-"
"There is a way! It won't technically count as fighting! And it will help us get out of here and rescue Kacchan and Nathan!"
"Hmm!? Hm hm! Has your brain been working overtime for this young one?" Douman asked with a smile. "I will say that I cannot promise my cooperation. My loyalty is to Chaldea and Chaldea alone! If I'm seen aiding students-"
"The only thing you'll need to do is rescue Nathan! You can operate entirely on your own as long as we move together! In fact, with you on the ground our plan will be even easier!"
"HNNNNNNNNNNN! Well then! Let's hear it!"
Midoriya outlined his plan.
They would crash through the wall and using an ice ramp made by Todoroki they would be able to soar over the battlefield where only a few villains could reach them.
Kirishima would call out to Bakugo and Douman would rush in and collect Nathan.
"It feels like a gamble but considering the situation we can't ask for much better…" Iida muttered as the group nodded in agreement.
"Fufufu! Very well then. As I said at the start of our joint operation, success or failure hinges on you. If you fall out of the sky I will not be able to help you! Do your best my little heroes!"
They nodded together as they began their preparations.
Nathan pushed himself away from Bakugo, giving him the much needed room to fight.
He was unsteady, his right leg screaming in protest. His body wasn't responding properly to the orders he was giving it and he felt like he could pass out at any moment.
But this was by far not the worst he'd been in the middle of a fight.
"Rumi!" Nathan shouted as he held out his left hand.
She shot past him, grabbing hold of his arm and yanking him along.
They would not be able to hurt Columbus without an extreme amount of force.
"Fastball me!" he shouted.
"You're fucking insane you know that!?" Mirko shouted as she began to whirl around.
Best Jeanest and Gran Torino were keeping Columbus occupied, and the League seemed mostly focused on retrieving Bakugo.
Normally Nathan wouldn't have the means to hurt a Servant without his scales.
But he had a virtual Noble Phantasm stapled to his stump right now.
Rumi threw him with all her might, sending him flying towards Columbus.
He tried to direct his mana as best he could through the metal arm. There was no way he'd be able to so much as activate it with his own power, but even rousing it a little would deal some damage when thrown with this much force.
Something inside him let out a sickening popping noise.
Airgetlám exploded to life as a vast quantity of power flowed into it.
Nathan screamed as that unfamiliar mana flooded his low quality magic circuits, with everything that was left of his right arm losing feeling.
Columbus turned towards the noise a bit too late.
It took everything he had to thrust it forward through the simultaneous sensations of pain and numbness but he struck true, driving his hand straight through Columbus's sternum.
He had enough momentum to knock the Servant off of his feet, but his body would not properly respond to any commands he was giving it.
And he knew this would not be enough.
Columbus grabbed Nathan's head and pulled his blade back.
The sword was immediately knocked from his hand by a powerful kick from Mirko.
The delay was just enough for Nathan to plant his left leg and yank his arm free.
If memory served, Columbus had a guts skill which would allow him to keep fighting. But using it had to be a tremendous drain on whatever resources he had.
He found himself staring down the barrel of a familiar rifle.
It was the same one that had removed his leg back in Agartha.
He did not have the energy to dodge another attack.
He was about to lose his head…
"Shit-"
A gunshot rang out.
"What!?" Columbus managed to get out as blood spilled from his mouth.
"HMMMMMM HOW EXCITING!"
Sharpened fingernails tore through Columbus, searing dozens of hideously powerful curses into his flesh.
"What the hell!?" Mirko called out.
Nathan Relnor had been tossed a few yards to the side by what appeared to be an excessively evil clown.
"Backup has arrived my lord!" The man said jovially despite the fact he'd just taken a bullet straight through his abdomen.
"Douman who the fuck let you out of Chaldea!?" Nathan screamed as he tried to pick himself up off the ground, "Nevermind! Someone get Bakugo out of here we've got Columbus!"
"No need for that my lord-"
The wall at the side of the battlefield exploded.
Before anyone really had any idea of what was going on, Midoriya, Iida, and Kirishima were soaring through the air high over the battlefield.
Columbus leveled his rifle at them but found himself under attack before he could pull the trigger.
The league scrambled to get close to Bakugo but he was having none of it.
"Dragon bastard, come on!"
"I've got my ride you take yours you idiot!"
"Come on!" Kirishima shouted as he held his hand out.
Bakugo looked from him to Nathan before clicking his tongue and propelling himself up with a series of explosions.
He grabbed hold of Kirishima's outstretched hand.
"You idiots!" Bakugo said with a smile.
"Synchronize your explosions to me-" Iida began before Bakugo interrupted, demanding Iida synch up with him.
General confusion overtook the battlefield for a moment before Compress, Spinner, and Magne rallied, launching Compress up towards the fleeing students.
But.
Mountain Lady intercepted him, growing so large that he could do nothing to avoid running straight into her.
"Don't let him get away!" Compress called out.
"Hoh. You don't want him to escape eh… If he's your treasure and he's being stolen! Then I guess I'll give my all on this!" Columbus shouted.
An explosive wave of force shot out from him as a large ship emerged from the rubble below him.
"You're kidding! He's got enough left in him to use his Noble Phantasm!?" Nathan cried out, "Douman!"
"Too late my lord!"
"What'll I get my hands on this time!? Hahahaha! Just thinking about it gets me all riled up! Saint Maria Drop Anchor!"
Dozens of large chains blasted from that mysterious vessel, each and every one of them launching towards the escapees with alarming speed.
At this point there was nothing anyone could do to reach them in time.
They would be ensnared and brought down into the battlefield once more.
Brilliant beams of light shot down from the sky, obliterating every anchor that got close to them.
A golden boat descended from the clouds, firing another volley directly at Columbus.
"W-we're sinking!?" Columbus cried out as the sun itself annihilated him and his vessel.
However…
There was more than one enemy Servant.
The ground shook underfoot as devastation spread even further.
She was building up to something larger…
"What the hell is that thing doing!?" Mirko called out as she and Gran Torino subdued the rest of the League.
All for One used his tendrils to fling All Might clear across the battlefield before launching them forward, stabbing them into an unconscious Magne and activating her quirk by force. Using it to push the rest of the league members through Kurogiri's portal before flinging her through last.
As Tomura was forcibly dragged away he screamed for All for One.
"I'm not ready!"
"Tomura… You will continue this war."
And with that they were gone.
All Might rushed in.
But All for One would not relinquish both of the pawns Shigaraki had obtained so easily.
He used his teleportation quirk and grabbed one Nathan Relnor, pulling him between All Might's fist and himself.
All Might pulled back as best he could but he still connected with Nathan's face.
An impact recoil quirk caused the force of the blow to travel back up All Might's arm, knocking him off balance.
Nathan Relnor let out a terrible scream.
Odd black lines traced their way across the right side of his face where All Might's fist had connected.
He only caught a glimpse of them as they faded away.
Lightning exploded from Nathan's back, striking All for One directly in the chest.
The attack was considerably more powerful than intended, causing several of his remaining scales to burn out from that single burst.
Nevertheless he pushed on.
"Y-your little apprentice was diligent in ripping off my arm and leg! But! He didn't get all of my scales!" Nathan shouted through the pain.
Unbelievably he had created a small opening in the very heart of this nightmarish battlefield.
"All Might! Fling me up!" He yelled, reaching out with that strange silver arm of his.
"Young man!" All Might called out, grabbing Nathan's hand and throwing him up high.
At the apex of the throw Nathan found the Mesektet under his feet. He came to a rolling stop right before Ozymandias.
"Ozy! Your Noble Phantasm! Pull us into your divine pyramid!"
"Hoh! Very well!" Ozymandias slammed his staff into the Mesektet and stood from his throne, "I shall give you a reward, lightless one. Look on my works, ye Mighty, and bow down! My infinite brilliance. The sun descends here! Ramesseum Tentyris!"
Anyone looking to make sure Nathan was ok was immediately blinded.
That flash of light that shone as brilliantly as the sun overtook the battlefield.
It mercilessly excluded the humans fighting below.
Huwawa let out another shriek as she found herself in an area with little to no industry to draw on.
"Enkidu!" Nathan called out.
"Ah. Yes. Finally. Thank you Master. Thank you for giving me the chance to settle this once more…"
Huwawa's halo exploded, fire lashing out.
But this was not a fire that ascended from the earth.
This was a fire that descended from the sky.
Meteors began to rain down upon the Great Pyramid and all the Servants gathered before it.
"I will awaken the breath of the planet, for I walk with humanity. Enuma Elish!"
Thousands of golden chains erupted from the ground. All coiling around Enkidu as he launched into the heavens before crashing down.
"Douman! Shi Huang Di! Hold her in place! Count! Keep us all covered!"
Liquid metal and curses rained down upon Huwawa as the Count zipped between every meteor that got close to them, blowing them up with a deadly immortal killing fire of his own.
Huwawa reached up just as Enuma Elish drew close.
They met with a devastating explosion.
A sickening metal groaning noise sounded as Enkidu tore through the weakened Servants arm.
Enuma Elish broke through her last defense and struck true, piercing the great Calamity known as Huwawa.
For the first time in a few days Nathan let out a sigh of relief.
With the League no longer present there wouldn't be any more Servants arriving on the battlefield.
"Let's get back and help All Might clean up shop-"
"Absolutely not." The Count said as he landed on the Mesektet, "Did you forget? You are grounded!"
"Not to mention severely injured." Shi Huang Di said with a nod as They and Enkidu arrived.
"Yes. I will be delivering you to Chaldea immediately."
"Bu-But! We have to help! Did you see how much damage Huwawa did!?" Nathan protested loudly as he tried to take a step forward, only to trip over his unfamiliar prosthetic foot.
The only thing that saved him from falling was Ashiya Douman catching his arm.
"Hoh? Who said you were permitted aboard my vessel?" Ozymandias asked, his presence turning murderous.
"Oh my! Oh my! Are we not all one big Chaldean family here? Hm! I say you should be nice to me considering how much help I provided to Master's dear personal friends."
"You talked to them!?" Nathan cried out, "God they're going to think we're evil now!"
"I was on my best behavior."
The wind whistled over the boat as everyone stared daggers at him.
"Hnnnnn such disbelief! What happened to getting Master to Chaldea post haste?"
"Well. If it must be done. We will stay and coordinate the Valkyries efforts. Will that suffice Master?" Shi Huang Di asked, folding Their arms.
"Thank you Emperor… That is… Acceptable."
For some reason Nathan was finding it difficult to stay awake.
His right shoulder was still somewhat numb along with the right side of his face.
"Poor thing. You must be exhausted. Let's go home Master…"
Midoriya's group hit the ground far away from the battlefield. Upon looking back they saw a blinding pillar of light consume that hulking monstrosity that was giving the Chaldeans so much trouble.
"Looks like everything went off without a hitch… Let's get out of here man!" Kirishima said with a bright smile. The group quickly agreed, hoping Todoroki and Yaoyorozu managed to escape the chaos as well.
It was difficult to know where to go from there though. That monster's attacks had left a huge part of the surrounding area devastated. Buildings were leaning, power lines were down. Mass chaos was overtaking the civilians no matter where they went.
They opted to head to the nearest station only to find that it had collapsed.
Pro heroes were coming out of the woodworks to coordinate a truly massive evacuation as there was not a single structure in the area that was sound anymore.
"Midoriya Izuku."
An unfamiliar voice called to them, causing the group of four to look up.
One of those angelic Chaldeans was hovering down to meet them.
"I've been sent to escort you out of the area. There is a major evacuation area further north."
"Is everything ok!? Back at-"
"You needn't worry yourself, Huwawa has been defeated. We are focusing largely on damage control but now that she has disappeared from the battlefield All Might is faring much better…"
She seemed to pause for a moment before shaking her head.
"Is… Is that dragon bastard alright?" Bakugo asked.
"Dragon…?" The Valkyrie tilted her head to the side.
"You mean Relnor?" Iida supplied.
"Oh. Young Relnor is exhausted but he has been extracted from the battlefield safely. He will be in Chaldean care shortly."
Midoriya and surprisingly Bakugo both let out a sigh of relief at that.
"Right. No point in staying around here then."
"Very well please follow my lead."
The Valkyrie floated ahead of them making sure to scan their surroundings for any particularly unstable parts of road or buildings that were about to fall over.
Before long they found themselves in a crowd.
The building they'd congregated around was tilted to the side but the large display on it was somehow still working.
What they saw made their hearts drop.
All Might had blocked a fierce attack to protect a civilian but…
Doing so left him without any power.
He had run out of time for his muscle form.
And now his secret was broadcasted to the entire world.
But.
He was far from done fighting.
And he was far from alone.
Endeavor and a veritable army of pro heroes took to the battle. Buying what time they could.
Mirko and Grand Torino each smashing into All For One before being blasted away, Edgeshot using the confusion to land a glancing blow on that villain's damaged helmet.
The civilians in the rubble were being rescued all around them by both the Chaldean forces and the pro heroes.
The stage was being set for their final battle.
Midoriya couldn't help it.
Tears fell from his eyes as he screamed along with the rest of the crowd. Cheering for All Might's victory.
All For One blew everything away before activating a truly absurd amount of quirks.
This fight had been dragging on for far too long.
The damage he'd sustained fending off his own anti Chaldean weapon was making things difficult.
Not to mention that every mechanical life support system hooked up to his body had been severely damaged by that massive bolt of electricity Nathan Relnor had landed.
Tomura would learn with time that the best way to deal with elements like Nathan that you needed alive was to steal their quirk or snap their cervical spine.
No matter.
It was too late to do anything about the damage he'd received.
He'd already knocked the foundation out from under society by exposing All Might's weakened form. Even if he lost this encounter there were still multiple paths ahead that lead to his victory.
But that wasn't entirely enough for him. He wanted to make sure All Might fell here. Surely that would deal his successor such a blow that he would be able to simply pluck One for All from his pathetic body later.
"Here it comes."
He descended like a bomb. His massive fist collided with All Might's in a truly massive explosion of force.
They watched as the fight drew to its conclusion. Despite all the noise from emergency vehicles the crowd was dead silent, all eyes locked on that final duel.
All Might took that terrible blow head on before knocking his opponent off balance and delivering his own finishing attack, blowing away everything with its sheer force.
United States of Smash landed true, utterly defeating the greatest villain to walk the earth.
All Might managed to stand and hold his fist up in the air.
He had won.
He had won.
But he had paid dearly for it.
As the crowd cheered Midoriya looked on with uncertainty.
As news crews rushed in, All Might pointed to the nearest camera and spoke his final words as the number one hero.
"You're next."
Midoriya felt his knees give out from under him.
He knew.
There was nothing left of One for All in All Might.
It was his turn now. He had to rise to where All Might had stood and he needed to do it quickly.
Bakugo watched Midoriya carefully. It seemed that there were quite a few classmates of his that knew a lot more about what was happening in the world…
He needed to talk to Nathan.
He needed to talk to All Might.
Had all of this been because of the their mistakes.
Had this rescue, a rescue for his sake, brought an end to All Might?
He clenched his hand over his heart as he fought back his own tears.
"We should get moving young ones. I have called for a Chaldean escort to bring you to your homes. She will be arriving momentarily."
Valkyrie led them through the crowd before they found themselves in front of an open chariot.
Oddly, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki were already there, Todoroki giving the other group a small wave.
"There you all are. Please, hop in. I'll get you all home safe," A busty woman with red hair smiled at the clearly shaken teens.
"I must return to my duties aiding the civilians, please take care, friends of Nathan," Valkyrie said with a bow before starting to float away.
"A-Ah, thank you for taking care of us!" Iida said with a quick bow as they loaded onto the chariot.
"I already have all the information I need to get you all home. It looks like you all could use some rest so please feel free to sleep."
The group sat in quiet contemplation. Their mission had been a success, but the following events had taken away any sense of accomplishment that brought them.
At least Chaldea was there to ferry them back home so they wouldn't have to worry about dealing with public transportation.
A new night overtook the sky. A fundamental truth of the world had been undone and now it was anyone's guess as to what would rise up in the absence of the Symbol of peace.
They had woken Nathan up after treating his burn wounds and were actively evaluating exactly what he'd done to his body. Caster Artoria sat next to him, holding his ungloved left hand in both of hers. Asclepius and Nightingale were tending to him, with Ascelpius focusing on exactly what to do with Nathan's left shoulder and Nightingale taking care of the rest of him.
"Your shoulder was largely burned away, it looks like Sut Typhon completely replaced that human tissue with… Whatever it's made out of…" Asclepius muttered, looking at a small slide under a microscope.
It had taken a bit of coaxing from Abigail and Nathan, but Sut Typhon had allowed them to take a small sample of its tissue.
"It's just trying to help," Nathan said softly, earning a click of the tongue from Artoria.
Nightingale dabbed a wet towel over Nathan's forehead.
"It truly is a creature from beyond the kern of human existence… I don't even recognize it as organic, but it seems to be filling the gaps in your damaged tissue well. Not to mention that your body doesn't seem to be rejecting it either… Perhaps there is some truth to your words but you have to understand the risk you took was immense."
Yes.
He had gone and done something ridiculous just to survive again. Why did this sort of thing always happen to him? Why couldn't he just…
No. Artoria thought as she squeezed his hand. She knew why. She was the exact same way after all.
"It's only thanks to the fact that your soul already had an extraordinary weight to it that you didn't die from the transformation…" She muttered, rubbing her thumbs over the back of his hand.
That's right, his body had been transformed into a monstrous form before. Perhaps that's why he was able to accommodate this shard of Sut Typhon's vast existence into his form.
But. Just because he had managed to maintain something of a balance between himself and that outer being didn't mean everything was going smoothly.
"Your magic circuits are badly strained. A power beyond their ability to conduct was forced through them… It will take a bit of time to get them to heal properly, but the damage doesn't seem permanent."
Relief briefly washed over him, Nathan recalled that trying to reinforce himself and trying to use Airgetlám had both resulted in an explosive pain flooding his system. It was like liquid iron was being forced through his circuits.
It wasn't difficult to figure out where the damage had come from. The way the circuits were damaged made it obvious that Sut Typhon had attempted to lend a hand in battle, causing the overload.
And then there was the damage to his back scales.
He had regrown his scale arm without any difficulty, but it was clear that using his quirk to generate electricity in battle had prompted Sut Typhon to lend its aid as well. Nathan was convinced that if he tried to use his quirk in any way during battle that it would have similarly disastrous results.
Power was being added to his system, far more than his body could safely process. Thankfully his body was different enough from a normal human by now that he could accommodate some of the severe damage, but… Perhaps there was nothing thankful about that sentiment.
"You'll need some bedrest. After that some rehabilitation to make sure your arm and leg are still functioning properly. For the moment, Nightingale, can you make sure we keep the visitors to two at once?"
Nightingale nodded, picking up a bonesaw and her pistol before leaving the room.
"Once you've fully recuperated we'll need to see how badly your combat ability has been affected but that's not my area…"
"Nathan…" Artoria muttered, squeezing his hand tighter.
"I know… I'm sorry Artoria…"
"Mine contractor is not one to fall easily. Thine existence has not been fully human for quite some time, tis just another adjustment…" King Hassan said softly, bubbling up from Nathan's shadow.
"Yeah… But how many more of these are you going to have to endure? Why do you even want to walk down this stupid path anyway!?" Arturia said, bitterly angry on Nathan's behalf.
"It's what I want to do. Right now, to move forward I need to walk this path, even if it hurts. It's my choice so please, don't be too mad about it…"
"I know but… Someone should be mad about it!"
Nathan just gave her a soft smile and squeezed her hands back.
King Hassan stayed silent at that. Someone should be mad about the absurdity his master found himself in, and Artoria was usually the one to hold that indignation.
Sut Typhon opened an eye, glancing between the two Servants with an unreadable emotion.
"If you hurt him," Artoria said sharply, "I will find out how to annihilate you down to the very last scrap."
A harsh static filled the room before the eye closed. It was hard to tell but it seemed to convey some form of acceptance.
"N-now come on! It really is here to help. I owe it my life!"
"Master…"
"And you, we're really going to have to work on when you can just look around. We're a team now so just use my eye instead of potentially letting the world know that you're there." Nathan said largely to his own shoulder.
It felt odd to be talking to his own body like it was another person but at this point he'd done stranger things.
He felt a sense of acknowledgement flood through his system. Sut Typhon had used Nathan's own body and mind to communicate back while they were dreaming, but in the relative stability of reality this was not possible. Emotions were the only language Sut Typhon could use while Nathan was awake.
"As long as we're clear on that, we can work on things as they come," Nathan said with a small satisfied nod before returning his attention back to his Servants.
"Can I be frank with you Nathan?"
"Sure."
"You're an idiot!?" She began shouting suddenly.
King Hassan let out a low rumble of agreement.
"I can't even argue that."
"He's taking it better than expected." Moriarty said quietly to the room full of concerned Servants.
"Yes, well. The difficulties he will face will make themselves known later but for now he managed to survive a difficult situation with very little outside aid…" Chiron said with a small nod.
"We'll see how far he makes it now that he's pulled this stunt. Clocktower no doubt detected the descent of a False God no matter how small a fragment it was. Expect contact in the next few days…" Hans Christian Anderson said with a click of his tongue.
"Not to mention…" Helena said as she pulled up a monitor made entirely out of light. It displayed the panic absolutely overflowing from the news outlets of the world in the wake of the cataclysmic fight that had just occurred, "Nearly an entire city was destroyed. The whole country is about to change. A fundamental pillar has been knocked down."
"That will give our enemy ample time to move about…" Moriarty muttered aloud, "We will need to be more vigilant than ever. Expect requests for aid to spike in the coming days."
"Quite right, we'll prepare more Servants for deployment in the short term. But. More immediately…" Sherlock paused, waiting for one of them to finish his thought.
Chiron squinted as he looked at the detective, "Are you suggesting we pull him out of UA and confine him to the Shadow Border?"
"Is that where you thought I was going, or is that where you want me to go?"
"... I believe Master is where he wishes to be. If he does not wish to attend UA he knows he can just say the word and we will disappear without a trace."
"Is that what everyone else here thinks?" Sherlock turned to the others.
"You're the one who pushed him to join UA you blithering idiot, you mean to tell me you're having second thoughts now?" Hans said pointing his quill at Sherlock.
"Heavens no! I was merely feeling out if any of you were feeling that way," He said with a chuckle before turning on his heels, "I'll begin preparations to expand our public facing operation. Chiron, you're in charge of his physical therapy, yes? Report anything unusual to us as soon as possible."
"Of course."
"Very well then! Carry on." Sherlock said with a wave as he turned and left the hallway.
"... Ah. I do have something I need to look into, I'll be on my way as well," Moriarty said, skulking off in the opposite direction.
And with that the rest of the gathered servants scattered.
Chaldea, it seemed, would be changing shape over the coming days.
The night did not pass quietly. Panic and unease crawled its way through every level of society in the blink of an eye.
All Might could no longer fight.
That oppressive force over the top of villains had been removed.
It was anyone's game now as to who would rise to the top.
It was anyone's game to see who could fill his shoes.
Both sides of a conflict that had been going on for so long began to scramble about.
"So he's taken the fall to keep that body of his in cold storage while that little nest egg develops… That will be troublesome. I'll need a new supply line…"
Aleister cast his eyes to the far wall.
The bodies nailed to it had already been bled dry. He needed new material, especially now that he had collected quite the prize from Chaldea's Master.
"... And they have my newest batch too… Urhg." He looked at the two Servant summoning devices he'd kept for himself. With Chaldea out there he needed an answer to Servants potentially crashing through his ceiling so he'd kept a couple from the latest batch for himself, but that gave him precious little to bargain with.
"I'll have to find that brat of his. If anything they can just disappear a few people for me to use…"
Shigaraki wouldn't have the extensive network AFO had, but if AFO was banking on that idiot to develop into a container worthy of use then maybe he'll be able to build bridges of his own. He'd just need to see who had the strength to stand first after being crushed down for so long.
"Could you have at least picked a more convenient time to disappear?" Aleister said, looking at his altar before sighing and returning to his research.
Izuku made it home a little past midnight much to his mother's joy. Apparently the transit systems were flooded with people displaced from the Kamino ward causing a large delay in his arrival from the hospital.
He was completely exhausted so she sent him to bed shortly after his arrival.
When the phone rang she was quick to answer it, hoping beyond hope that it wouldn't wake Izuku.
"Midoriya residence, this is Inko speaking."
"Ah. Hello Inko-san. I take it Midoriya made it back safe?"
She nearly dropped the phone when she heard the voice on the other end.
"Nathan!?"
"Haha, yes! Hi! I thought I might give you a call just to let you know I was alright. Bakugo too last time I saw him, we escaped in slightly different directions."
Overwhelming relief washed over her. That boy had managed to make it out of that terrible situation and had the presence of mind to let her know.
He was ok.
"Is everything alright? You're not hurt are you!?"
"Er. Well. I can't say I wasn't injured but I'm on the mend. I should be right as rain by the time I need to go back to school!"
He was ok…
Now that she thought about it a little more, that was very strange.
He'd just been hurt and captured by villains for over 24 hours.
Not only that but-
"You- You're going back to UA!?"
"Uh? Yeah? Why wouldn't I?"
"Th-They completely failed to protect you! You were captured by villains under their care-"
"That's more my fault than theirs I think. There is nowhere truly safe in this world so I've always tried to be on top of these kinds of things, but this time I was sloppy and well, you know what happened sort of."
That shouldn't be.
UA was supposed to protect their students.
It was supposed to protect her son.
It should have saved Nathan but- Here he was taking all the blame away from them onto himself.
"Nathan, you are a child, you shouldn't have that kind of responsibility-"
"I'm used to it," He cut in.
He wasn't in the room but she could feel his smile from the tone of his voice.
"It's a lot less dangerous than it could be with the way the world is changing now. But I think the important thing to remember here is that we all survived. We can continue moving forward because of the efforts of All Might and Chaldea and all the other pro heroes that were there."
Survival was the absolute minimum requirement though. UA had not managed to protect someone who needed protection as badly as Nathan Relnor did.
So could she say they would keep her son safe?
He had been so badly injured so many times since he started attending…
"Anyway. I just wanted to let you and Izuku know everything was fine on my end! I hope to see you both soon. Have a good night and take care."
"R-Right- you as well dear."
A click signaled that Nathan had hung up.
The next day Nathan was up and out of bed. With so many heroic spirits skilled in healing magics around him he tended to bounce back from injuries relatively easily as long as he got a good night's rest.
He still felt a little exhausted as he entered the simulator alongside Mandricardo. He still had a prosthetic leg too but he would be growing his scale leg back tonight.
"Alright, this is to see exactly what's changed now that you've taken on the weight of a False God," Sherlock spoke over the intercom, "Don't hold anything back."
"'Course not- But I mean- Master- isn't there someone better suited for something like this? You've got a ton of Servants that want to make sure you're ok-" Mandricardo began as he always did but Nathan cut him off.
"I trust you to catch me, and I know you're strong and smart enough to overcome anything that could go wrong. After all, you're my friend aren't you?"
"Y-Yeah! Yeah! I'm your friend!"
Mandricardo drew his wooden sword and took point opposite his Master.
"Begin."
Nathan dropped his stance low and bolted to the right, activating a mystic code to help him fire a Gandr blast at the defending Servant.
Searing pain flowed through his arm as the spell that shot out was an order of magnitude stronger than it was supposed to be.
A pained grunt escaped his lips as he tried to stay on his feet while ignoring the lingering aching of his magic circuits.
Mandricardo quickly dodged out of the way of the simple blast and moved to close the distance, forcing Nathan to attack with his quirk.
The bolt of lightning that blew his hand apart struck Mandricardo dead center, sending the poor Rider tumbling backwards as Nathan knocked himself off balance with the recoil of that blast.
Again white hot agony flowed across his chest and to his right arm, but this time the destruction was vaguely localized.
"Ghrrhhh" Nathan grunted as his vision started to blur, "Sut. Sut Typhon.. You- You don't have to help! I'm not in danger right now! Mandricardo would never hurt me- I know that-"
Static filled the air around him.
Nathan did not entirely understand the emotion that it was trying to convey to him.
"Sut? Come on! This is just a friendly spar!"
Mandricardo used the time Nathan was wasting trying to talk to that thing to hop back to his feet.
He rushed forward, swinging his sword at Nathan's abdomen and landing a solid hit, sending the boy tumbling backwards.
Nathan rolled out of his chaotic tumble and hopped back to his feet quickly. He tried again with his quirk. With another tremendous crack part of his forearm was blown apart as a terrible blast of lightning arched out towards Mandricardo, who only barely managed to dodge in time.
Another of the circuits crossing his chest found itself under strain as Sut Typhon continued to lend its aid.
"That's enough," one Xiang Yu called through the intercom. "Your magic circuits will not hold at this rate Master."
Nathan let out a haggard breath as he tried to compose himself through the fresh pain.
Mandricardo gave him a small nod before lending him his shoulder.
"Nathan. I think this goes without saying but… Until we figure out exactly why Sut Typhon is reacting this way, do try to avoid fighting. We will have another round once you've recovered to see if your evasive abilities have been similarly compromised, but for now we're cutting your daily training routine down quite a bit."
Nathan was quiet, simply trying to reach out to the unknowable entity that made up his left shoulder.
"Master?"
"Y-yeah, sorry, mind bringing me to my room Mandi?"
"Sure thing!"
As news spread and hero society took stock of its losses, plans on how to move forward began to form. The Heroes and the police could not sit idly by and wait for villains to move. They would have to act first in order to ensure society did not collapse.
And so. UA began to fast track a plan that had been in the works for some time.
"Good luck on the home visits my friends," Nezu said softly, "All Might, Aizawa, I would like you to contact me when you prepare for your final visit."
Yes. The two of them would be appealing to the families of 1-A's students.
Nineteen of them would be fairly regular visits.
But the final visit would be an entirely different beast.
"They know we're coming by today so alert them if any of your visits run overlong. I'm not sure how they'll look upon us if we're tardy."
"Yes sir."
Hahaha... Sorry this took so long, I moved into my own place and started college back up again so I'm only now getting my feet back under me. The fight itself has been done for a while but I didn't know what to do to wrap up the arc. I hope it's a satisfying read!
I feel like I didn't quite do enough for that fight but I wound up rewriting the whole thing like three times just due to the sheer number of moving parts I had to juggle. I'm not looking forward to later arcs where there are just as many people to manage! Or maybe I am. What I am looking forward to is the Dorms!