Disclaimer: The intellectual property rights to Hellsing belong to Kouta Hirano, as does the My Hero Academia series, with Kohei Horikoshi.

Author's Notes: I've been busy with my studies, hence why this chapter might feel a tad hazy at points. If you find any such errors, don't hesitate to inform me of them. As usual, please enjoy yourselves.

0.0

*POP*

The wine cap removed, Kurogiri set aside the corkscrew and began pouring the bottles contents into the glasses placed on the counter. A master of the craft, he artfully prepared the drinks for today's customers. Sadly, few frequented such a run-down establishment so they rarely saw good business. Today was different, however. Because today, the space was saturated with jovial celebration. If by jovial, you meant aggressive and by celebration you meant confrontation. The two individuals who were currently staring each other down in the middle of the room were the source of this problematic atmosphere. Confronted with an otherwise tense situation, there was little he could do to defuse it. So, he opted to do what he could to make things more comfortable and offered them some satisfying refreshments. It was only fitting, seeing as their meeting room was a rundown bar.

With a wave of his hand, Tomura Shigaraki turned down the glass he was offered. He wasn't interested in his drink one bit. Not that he could enjoy it anyways with his mouth hidden behind a disembodied hand. Instead, he focused his attention on the man standing in front of him. Many strings had been pulled to facilitate this meeting, despite Shigaraki's opposition. No matter how much their philosophies might clash, the young apprentice of All For One had agreed to this meeting after Kurogiri convinced him of its importance. So, he'd put some effort into looking more like a proper host.

Slathering his lips with his grotesque, deformed tongue, Stain was neither thirsty nor amused. The tall, lanky man was practically smothered beneath a thick coat of razor-sharp cutlery. Daggers, katana's, machete's, folding knives- there wasn't a single article of clothing that didn't have a blade attached to it. Like a grizzled veteran, a significant portion of his body was bandaged. The upper segment of his face was concealed by dirty white bandages and a dark red bandana through which flowed his oily black hair. He'd protected his midsection with a thick leather cuirass, one that only covered his chest while leaving his arms exposed. He wanted to move swiftly and barrage his opponents with minor cuts before finishing them off, that much was clear.

He had established himself as a household name by this point. Few pro heroes were left who didn't know his name. The "Hero Killer" had developed a level of infamy many criminal organizations yearned for. Yet, he never harmed civilians. Anyone who stood outside the hero-villain landscape were usually left unscathed. After all, they were not his targets. No, the reason why he'd become so famous was because of his stated "purpose". Ridding Japan of the corrupt infidels who dared call themselves heroes. Those money-grubbing, selfish "heroes" didn't deserve that treatment. Not when there was a far worthier man already occupying that space.

All Might was the only one who deserved to kill him. To put a stop to his righteous crusade. He fully acknowledged the abhorrent nature of his actions yet believed that there was no other alternative. Ultimately, someone had to adopt this role if society was to ever follow the right path. And when he'd heard about the attack at USJ and the attempt on All Might's life, he was enraged that someone would go so far to try and remove the only one keeping Japan's society on that path.

"I get it… You're the ones who assaulted U.A…" he whispered, his gaze flaring with intensity. "And you want me… to join your little gang." The mere notion was absurd. The idea that one such as he would work alongside fools like them grated hard against his staunch principles.

"Yeah. Exactly. When it comes to being evil, you're a pro." Shigaraki replied. To him, this was just another interview. Sure, this "Stain" fellow had an impressive record and had seriously instilled a sense of fear in Japan's society, but that was just because they hadn't gotten a taste of him yet. Once he started making a name for himself, Stain would be nothing more than a faint memory.

Stain narrowed his eyes. Talking to this kid had already left a bad taste in his mouth. Everything from his posture to the look in his eyes, it all screamed of arrogance and immaturity. This kid just wanted to do whatever he liked. If he didn't like it, it had to go. That type of mindset… that type of villain absolutely would not pass. "And what're you after?" he cautiously asked.

"Well…" Shigaraki craned his neck sideways as if deep in thought. "We want to kill All Might, eventually. But I also want to destroy everything I don't like." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a photograph of what looked like a U.A. student. The boy's motley green hair and the determined look on his face stood out in the picture. "Like… this little brat, for instance… EVERYTHING!" Shigaraki wanted to include a photo of "Alex", but he hadn't been able to find one.

Stain sighed. He'd been expecting this, but it was still sad. Just another man-child who demanded that everything go his way. That kid with the green hair was probably on his kill list because of some ideological difference, but that didn't matter to him one bit. What mattered was that this Shigaraki kid was just like all those mindless drones out there on the streets. None of them were concerned with the betterment of society. They didn't care about what happened to those around them, or the future that would come. All they cared about was themselves. Greedy, malevolent minds who sought only to make themselves feel good whether it came at the expense of others or not.

"It's ridiculous that you really had my interest for a second, there…" Moreso because he thought that he'd be able to use the League of Villains as an outlet to spread his ideology, perhaps convert others to his cause. But no, this kid was clearly too stubborn for that to happen. There was no way he'd be willing to step aside and let Stain take even the flimsiest hold on his organization. "You're… haaah… the type I hate the most."

"Huh?" The veins in Shigaraki's eyes swelled with blood after that insult.

"As if I'd team up with some temper-tantrum-throwing child. Ha…" He took a couple of deep breaths as he readied his blades. "Haaah… Bloodlust without conviction is meaningless." Sighing in disappointed resignation, he began slowly unsheathing a few of his many blades. Meeting underdeveloped criminals like this kid was starting to become tiresome. But still, it was up to him to rid society of wretches like them. All in the name of a better society.

"Sensei… shouldn't I stop him?" Kurogiri motioned to the blank television screen sitting at the back of the bar. Though his voice betrayed some measure of concern, he still spoke with a level of obliviousness that it was hard to imagine he'd pledged himself to Shigaraki. But perhaps that was because it was not Shigaraki who he'd devoted himself to.

As if they'd been listening to them the whole time, a serene voice slid through the screen. Calm and commanding, the voice of All For One responded politely to Kurogiri's distress. "No, this is fine! There's no sense in simply telling someone an answer. He must be taught to reach those conclusions himself! We must help him mature!" Like an overly proud father, All For One sounded not the least bit worried about the imminent danger his pupil faced. In fact, he seemed delighted to see his apprentice faced with such an oppressive foe. Besides, were Shigaraki to sustain significant damage, they could easily bring him back from the brink. All For One would see to that.

Both fighters drew their weapons, Stain his knives and Shigaraki his open palms. Though Shigaraki was far less experienced, all he needed was to graze the bloodied veteran and victory would be his. He'd gone through countless trials since USJ and had regained the confidence he'd lost after that "Alex" guy cheated. Yeah, he definitely cheated. How else could he have nullified his Quirk? The recollection of that humiliating defeat only further motivated him, heightening his senses and grasp of his surroundings. He would not be trifled with, not by anyone. And it would all start with Stain.

0.0

*WHOOSH*

"Knock 'em out!"

Before he could pull out his pistol, a swift kick to the dome sent the criminal tumbling to the ground. He'd have a massive headache when he woke up, that was certain. His partner beside him was rushing to load a new magazine into his rifle. Fumbling with the clip, he at last lined it up and rammed it into the chamber. But just as he lined up his aim, a shadowy hound burst from the darkness and sank its teeth into his arm.

"AAAAAAGGHHH!" He shrieked, yanking his arm left and right in a panicked attempt to shake the damned creature off. "GET THIS FUCKIN' THING OFFA ME!" He screamed at his compatriots. Unfortunately, his friends could offer him no aid whatsoever as they too were being assaulted by the shadows. Gunfire rang out through the madness as gang members tried desperately to ward off their attackers. Quite a few bullets hit their mark, yet they seemed ineffective as their assailants gladly absorbed the rounds and continued unflinchingly with their ceaseless onslaught. Bats, wolves, crows and more. All manner of crepuscular monstrosities were unleashed upon these sorry infidels. Mirko was busy dealing with the stragglers but couldn't help herself from glancing at what her intern was doing. Seeing his Quirk in action, she was becoming more confident in her theory. A kid this talented should have at least made it into the top three of the Sports Festival, so the fact that he didn't only further cemented that he'd thrown the competition. She still didn't know why though.

"Gotta be something…" she whispered, deep in thought as she repeatedly punched a crook in the face. Were his eyes not swollen shut, the man would have felt some degree of humiliation that Mirko wasn't even focusing on him. Finally putting his suffering to an end, she gave him one more hard hook to the jaw before tossing him into the massive pile she'd built from his friends. Things were dying down now as there weren't enough crooks left to scream. All that was heard now was the occasional grunt from the mound of bodies that had gathered by the entrance.

Now alone amidst the carnage, she had a moment to breathe and evaluate Alexander Anderson's performance thus far. The nascent wunderkin's talent was undeniable. The way he flowed across the battlefield in sync with his familiars created a brutal yet picturesque mural. His speed was phenomenal, easily outpacing his opponents. And while these were not proper villains with advanced weaponry, the majority of U.A.'s students would have been hard pressed to overcome such odds without proper support. Alex had not only managed to keep up with Mirko but had even given her space to breathe! That was quite an achievement since getting deep into the thick of things was her style and preference. So while getting one-upped by such a youngster was irritating, she always appreciated seeing talent flourish outside U.A's enclosed, coddling environment. Mirko sincerely wished that there were more incidents like the one at USJ, just to sell to the students how dangerous life as a pro hero really was.

But so far, Alexander-kun had displayed far more caution than she normally saw with young prospects. She knew he came from a wealthy family overseas, so he must have grown up with everything handed to him on a silver platter. What, had his parents put him through the ringer or something? That sixth sense wasn't something you were just born with. It had to be developed and nourished through intense exposure to the worst society had to offer. No way some uppity rich kid would be willing to go through that, that was for sure. There was definitely something off about him.

*BZZZT*

"Um… Mirko-sensei?" Through her intercom, Mirko heard Mikasa speaking. "The police called. They said they'll get there soon to help out."

That was good to hear. Mirko always had trouble cleaning up after herself, which was why it felt so good to have the local authorities behind her to deal with the mess she left. This time though, it might be too much for them to manage. Ogling the huge mound of unconscious lowlives she and Anderson-kun had beaten, she pitied the poor souls who'd have to shovel these idiots into their transports. But no point in thinking about that. There was always more work to be done, for both her and her assistants.

"Good to know. Thanks, Mikasa. Wait at the office. Once we're back, we'll head out for dinner." She replied. After Mikasa gave her nervous approval, Mirko quickly switched the frequency of her intercom to Alexander's.

"Oi, pipsqueak!" Mirko excitedly shouted into her intercom. "Finish up whatever's left of them and meet me at the office. The cleanup crew should be arriving pretty soon, so make things easier for them and keep it clean."

"Yes ma'am." Her intern replied in a hushed voice, currently preoccupied with dealing out more pain and suffering. Oh, scratch that, "justice". Yeah, even Mirko had to admit that the boy's methods certainly wouldn't pass unquestioned by the likes of All Might. She could already hear his voice.

"I AM HERE! WITH THE INTENT TO REPRIMAND YOU FOR YOUR SAVAGE TREATMENT OF THOSE MISGUIDED CIVILIANS!"

There were times she was glad she'd never attended Yuuei. Its reputation alone must feel so suffocating for those students, all of them feeling obligated to follow All Might's lead. There were other hero institutions that taught their students more practical ways to mete out justice, but sadly their graduates rarely ever shined as brightly in the public eye as Yuuei's. Mirko's own past was steeped with memories she otherwise wished she could just move on from and forget, but just couldn't bring herself to. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't let go of what had helped define who she was. There were ups and downs to attending Yuuei, and her past actions were one reason why she could never disregard All Might's principles.

Noticing her signature grin had grown smaller while she'd been reminiscing over her past, Mirko quickly smacked her cheeks. "Focus on the present, Rumi. Live for the now." she mused. Dashing back outside, she buffeted herself up the building until she reached the rooftops. A light jog would help clear her mind. The cool breeze blowing over her face. Brushing away her doubts and anxieties like nothing else. She loved doing this. The wind running across her face felt refreshing and the open air gave her a true sense of freedom. Leaping from roof to roof, onlookers far below gasped at the sight of her skillfully and elegantly hopping in the sky.

"Look mom, it's the Rabbit Hero!" A dazzled child gasped in awe, tugging her mother's sleeve as they walked on the pavement. "Wow!" The mother replied. "She's as gorgeous as ever!" said a young teen, one wearing a custom t-shirt with her face on it. She appreciated the attention, but hopefully he wasn't using that shirt to do other things in private. "She just finished fighting someone, right?! Hey, wanna go check out the carnage?"

She hadn't become a hero for the attention, but she was grateful nonetheless. High morale was always a plus, after all. As she drew close to her office building, she slowed down and wondered if her newest intern had finished up yet.

0.0

Her eyes rarely left his back. From the start of their fight until its gruesome conclusion. Examining his every move as if he'd turn on her in an instant, she seemed to have no faith in his abilities. But that did make some sense, he guessed. She was his instructor, after all. Grading his technique was high on her list of responsibilities, and she hadn't done anything out of line for someone in her position. But there was a particular issue with the "lessons" she gave him. While she had indeed shown him around the city, had Mikasa show him how to operate their surveillance systems, and brought him with her to end a local drug dealership, there was a single otherwise minor issue.

The frequency with which she investigated his past was abnormal. Questions about his family, where he'd come from, what he had done growing up, why he'd come so far from home to attend Yuuei. Did he have any other connections here? Was he keeping in touch with his parents? Did his parents agree with his decision, and were they still helping him at all even though they were so far apart? What were his motives, and so on.

He brushed it off and told her that the important details should have been included in his personal U.A. profile, but apparently she didn't find that satisfactory.

"Listen here, kid. A wealthy European transferring to U.A has happened before, but it's seriously rare. So sorry for prying, but I'm just wondering what really made you want to come here." As she'd sipped down her ramen bowl during dinner on their first night, she made sure to pin him down with inquiries that he couldn't avoid without sounding suspicious. His initial impression of her, it seemed, had been nearly spot-on. Despite being widely known as a meathead, the Rabbit Hero was not one to sleep idly by.

Alucard was convinced that his "mentor" had seen through his earlier scheme. All things considered though, that wasn't necessarily detrimental. In fact, he'd been yearning for someone to discover who he truly was. That would give him a good excuse to let loose and slaughter All For One and his lackey's, a preferable activity than persisting with this charade. Playing with Izuku and his classmates had been satisfying at first, but now the novelty was wearing out and he'd begun longing for a right and proper massacre. Maybe that was why he'd chosen Mirko.

But that would have to wait until later. She hadn't yet confronted him about her hunch, and thus he had no rationale to bring it up. Despite how much it pained him to let these scum live, he had to remain true to his persona for at least a while longer. Delivering a blinding kick to the costumed man's skull, he wondered why this nameless buffoon had taken the time to dress up before having even made a name for himself. Whatever. He had to hurry up and deal with the last few members of this drug ring before rejoining Mirko at her office.

*BANGBANGBANGBANG*

Some rude interloper had the audacity to shoot him from behind. Absentmindedly swallowing the bullets and letting his hounds take care of that annoyance, he was reminded of another annoyance. One currently residing in Hosu city. Indeed, his familiar was still embedded in that petty child's clothing. He could still feel its presence, implying that nothing had happened as of yet. It appeared that Tenya Iida, that blind fool, had avoided acting carelessly thus far. But Alucard knew it wouldn't be long before he grew overconfident and did something reckless. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to take a glimpse at what the boy was doing.

*FWOOSH*

With his vampiric abilities, Alucard casually activated his mind's eye to shift his awareness to the familiar. Instantaneously, he took control of his familiar in Hosu and peered through its eyes. He was greeted by a reasonably peaceful environment. Crowds of civilians lined the streets as they followed their daily schedules, either suited up for work or just working out. The man guiding Iida through the maze of people wore a helmet affixed with a fish fin. He didn't even bother questioning it at this point. He'd been exposed to their extravagance for long enough now that the ridiculous costumes of these heroes no longer fazed him.

The young man turned around to address Iida, his unmarked face indicating his inexperience with true bloodshed. "Usually I'm just waiting around for a call to come in. But lately, well… Hosu's been in a bit of a panic."

"Because the number of patrolmen has been downsized?"

"That's right." He didn't let it reach his eyes but from the sound of his voice, Alucard knew he was anxious. This rookie hadn't seen much live combat in which he was the one at the disadvantage. As a result, he was weary that fewer patrolmen would lead to such a scenario. "Sure is nice to have Ingenium's little brother with me though."

Iida didn't response, instead gazing almost longingly towards the dark alleyways dotting the lively road. Alucard couldn't see through the metal plates of Iida's helmet, but he could distinctly identify from his body language that those feelings he'd kept bottled up were near to bursting. His brother's early retirement still stung, and the buffoon felt obligated to avenge him. What an idiot. He should have known better. Known he was nowhere near strong enough to contend with the likes of one who'd earned the monicker "Hero Killer". Alucard knew something would happen somewhere down the line, and he thankfully possessed the means to help whenever it did.

It didn't seem as if he needed to act just yet, which was a shame. As much as the boy's blind determination displeased him, Alucard was hoping to meet this "Hero Killer" and gauge how worthy they were of that title. With a little luck, they'd give him the fight he was itching for. If not…

Well, whatever clean-up crew they sent would need quite a few mops.

0.0

*THUNK*

"To truly accomplish anything… one needs WILL… and CONVICTION. Those without it… the weak ones… they'll be weeded out. It's only natural." Stain's raspy voice rang out in the still bar. No one could speak up in response, as he'd paralyzed Kurogiri and trapped Shigaraki below him. "That's why you're about to die," he emphasized. Both of his serrated machetes were stuck into the wood around Shigaraki's neck, ready to behead him at a moment's notice. One had already sliced through his shoulder, leaving a pool of blood on the floor. Most people in his situation would have been sweating profusely, unable to comprehend their imminent demise at the hands of this intimidating behemoth.

But Tomura Shigaraki was not "Most people".

"Ha Ha Ha Ha… Owwwww! So strong." The white-haired teen complained, not worried in the face of death. He chuckled like a madman, as if exposure to such agony was a daily occurrence for him. Perhaps life-or-death scenarios were a daily event for the young man, but that didn't mean he wouldn't do anything about it. "Kurogiri! Quickly, send him away!"

"I can't move! It's probably the Hero Killer's Quirk…"

His razor-sharp chin pointing down at Shigaraki's face, Stain dug his blade deeper into the boy's flesh. Shigaraki winced, but it wasn't his shoulder wound that concerned him most.

"The word 'Hero' has lost its original meaning. In this corrupt society, rife with fakers and shams. Criminals who aimlessly throw their weight around too. You're all targets of my purge…" gradually exhaling, Stain drew his blade closer to Shigaraki's exposed neck.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on…" he wrapped his free hand around the blade closest to his neck, fully aware that doing so left deep cuts in his fingers. "Not this hand… not this one." Stain was slightly taken aback by the sight of his trusty machete slowly disintegrating in Shigaraki's grasp. But he was stunned at his prey's subsequent threats. "I'll kill you," Shigaraki promised, an intense glare accompanying his air of menace. "You sure talk a lot… Conviction, huh? Nah, I've got nothing so grand as convictions. But if I have to say what drives me… I'd say it's All Might."

Similar. But Stain knew better than to accept what others said at face value. There was more to it than that. And in this case, he was woefully right.

"That piece of garbage. And the society that worships him. I wanna crush them all into dust… that's my conviction." The malice in Shigaraki's words was so severe that it made Stain shudder. And seeing the corners of his lips curl into a wicked smile, well beyond the hand that masked them, made pushing Stain off with a hard shove a simple task for the wounded Shigaraki. The boy managed to get back on his feet, but it was clear that his wounds were harsh. Blood dripping down the tattered remains of his sleeve, he was trembling. Be it out of excitement or blood loss, Stain couldn't tell.

"My wounds from last time had just healed… We don't have a healer in our party, y'see. So how about you take responsibility for what you've done?" Visibly wobbling from his new injuries, Shigaraki could barely remain standing as he badgered his foe with fiery words. Stain couldn't tell if the kid was bluffing or not, but that only made it more worrying.

Selfish. Greedy. Almost nihilistic, even. Tomura Shigaraki possessed many personality traits that Stain despised. Yet, eyeing the shattered leftovers of his machete, he took some time to consider the philosophies which they shared. Though he was loath to admit it, they both knew there was something wrong with Japan's society in need of fixing. Maybe there was something to this kid after all.

It was Stain who put an end to their fierce stare down after a few seconds of contemplation. "You first…," he muttered.

Shigaraki, having prepared himself for conflict, was baffled by Stain's sudden change in demeanor. "Huh?" he unknowingly blurted out.

"Our respective goals couldn't be further apart…" Stain admitted. "But… destroying the status quo. That's one ambition we have in common…"

"Get lost!" His patience had run out. This dude was out of his mind, even by villain standards. Shigaraki had no desire to work with a douchebag like him anyways. "Just go home and die! I'm the type you hate most… or whatever."

But Stain wasn't leaving until he'd said everything he wanted to say. "I was just testing your sincerity. People show their true colors when death is staring them in the face." Gazing blankly into Shigaraki's eyes, he seemed to take what he'd said quite literally. "You are an odd one, but… your will… I can see the seed of some warped conviction within you." Whatever he meant, he took it very seriously as his eyes drilled deeper into Shigaraki's consciousness. "I wonder what that seed will yield…" Stain mumbled underneath his breath. "I'll deal with you properly once I've seen that through. It might not be too late…" Shigaraki hated such cryptic talk. It reminded him of those worthless classes he'd attended as a child. No wonder he'd turned them to dust the first chance he got.

"Deal with me…? Can't say I really want this crazy guy as a member of our party…"

"Tomura Shigaraki. He'll add some much-needed firepower to our efforts. Our negotiations were successful!" Gladdened now that he could move again, Kurogiri went back to his usual job of reeling in Shigaraki's aggressive behavior.

Far from excited about being the newest addition to Shigaraki's "League of Villains", Stain was significantly more interested in returning to his crusade. "So we're done here! Send me back to Hosu. There's still something I've got to take care of there."

0.0

Having thrown out their garbage, Alucard reentered Mirko's office building wearing a light grin. While such menial labor was beneath him, he still felt the need to keep up appearances. He'd had centuries to perfect his neutral smile, and his current guise made that skill all the more necessary.

"Um… Alex-san…?" crowed Mirko's unassuming intern. Mikasa was a quiet child with scraggly blonde hair which masked her pretty face. She never accompanied them on their daily patrols. Instead, she stuck to her office chair and served as their monitor. Locating their targets and contacting the authorities once their task was complete. Despite caring little for her future, Alucard pitied the girl. Such a backseat role would leave her with a miserable resume if she ever decided to become a professional hero.

"Pardon, Ms. Brief?"

"Don't forget to… w-wash your hands first. You know what they say, a hero's as just as their office is clean."

He chuckled. "Did you concoct that proverb all by yourself, Mikasa dearest?"

"Um… I mean, I've heard other people say something similar, but…"

Still laughing softly, Alucard excused himself and headed off to the restroom where he did her the courtesy of thoroughly washing his hands. His ability to shapeshift made keeping himself clean an arbitrary task, but that precious little imp had asked him so endearingly that he felt obligated to obey.

Having fulfilled her wishes, Alucard made his way to the main lobby, which just so happened to be an advanced training room. His "mentor" certainly was living up to her reputation, not affording herself even the briefest amount of down time beyond nourishment and rest.

*CRACK*BOOM*CRACK*BOOM*CRACK*BOOM*

The sound of Mirko repeatedly dashing around her training robots and rebounding off the walls was so piercing that not even the reinforced, sound-proofed glass walls could contain the soundwaves. He'd grown used to this cacophony during his time there, but Mirko's dedication and endurance never ceased to impress him. For a non-vampire to be so durable was worthy of the highest praise. He could see why she was ranked so highly in the popularity polls.

Now standing next to the glass chamber, he spent some time observing her combat style as he waited for her to finish the few remaining training robots. Her techniques were hardly complicated. She relied largely on her overwhelming speed and superhuman reflexes to overcome her opponents and beat down whatever defenses were in her way. But what especially made her a threat was just her determination. Once she caught sight of her target, there was no stopping her from running them down and taking them out. He had watched her swallow bullets and sustain heavy damage over these past days, and none of it ever managed to stop her from doing her job. Thankfully, they had the medical equipment to heal the injuries she received daily.

There were visible cracks in the glass as the force of Mirko's movements pounded on them time after time. Apparently, the primary reason why Mirko's office was so small was because of this training room. The expenses they had to pay for this one chamber just about evened out with their monthly revenue. On average, the glass lasted a week before they had to order replacements, according to Mikasa. And the robots were also shipped from Yuuei. They were given a reduced cost thanks to Mirko's prestige, but that was still another expense they could ill afford.

He knocked on the glass just as Mirko dealt with the last android. Her blood must have been pumping particularly hard today, because she was absolutely beaming when she turned to face him. He waved to her before pointing at the chamber's exit. She nodded knowingly, a river of sweat forming on the floor beneath her.

*FWHOOSH*

Stepping out of the doorway, Mirko delightedly accepted the bottle of water he offered her. "I'm guessing you dealt with the last couple of crooks?" she asked in between swigs.

"Yes, ma'am." He politely replied as he handed her a clean towel. "They were a trifling few, nothing to concern yourself over."

Having emptied the bottle in seconds, Mirko tossed its drained husk into the trash can. "Hiroshima's a big city, Al." His most esteemed mentor had taken to referring to him by the nickname "Al" as of yesterday. Possibly inspired by Mikasa stuttering his name whilst speaking to him. "The criminal underground runs deep. Anyone you let slip might just be the one to make this society come crashing down, never forget that."

Would it not be more effective to kill them on the spot, he wanted to say but knew he couldn't. He bowed lightly. "Naturally."

She grinned as she wiped off her brow with the towel. Although he was still convinced she'd seen through his disguise, or at least his schemes, the duo had begun developing a comfortable dynamic. Even though he'd likely never view her as his "mentor", Alucard could envision her being a capable ally in the event she ever became cognizant of his true identity. But events would have to run rampant and entirely against Nezu's plan for her to learn that fact.

The now soaking wet towel plopped back into his grasp as Mirko trudged off up the stairwell.

"I'm going to take a shower. Oi, Mikasa! You help Alex clean up the dojo while I'm gone." As she left, Alucard took the slimy towel and tossed it into the laundry bin. The amount of sweat it had absorbed was simply uncanny. No wonder Mirko could stay so thin while eating so voraciously. The dinner they'd had on his first night? She'd devoured stacks upon stacks of bowls of ramen, crafting a veritable fortress of them all around herself. Dojo expenses? What about food! He'd long since abandoned the feeling of "hunger", at least in the mortal sense, but he still recalled having meals back when he was still human. And watching someone eat as much as her was sincerely astonishing.

He and Mikasa entered the training dojo and began wiping off all the walls and carrying the metal scraps to the pick-up room. From there, it would be transported back to Yuuei where they'd be repaired and eventually sent back to them. And the cycle would continue in perpetuity, or at least until Mirko decided these battle androids no longer cut it.

Alucard felt someone poke his shoulder. "Um, Alex-san?" he turned to find Mikasa standing behind him with an especially sizeable chunk of metal. "Would you please help me with this?"

"Of course."

Together, they lugged the debris out into the back alley and disposed of it in a bin where it would be collected later that week. They then went back inside and finished cleaning to the best of their ability. The training room was still unsightly since they lacked the tools to repair reinforced, bulletproof glass. But they scrubbed the intact portions of the walls and washed the floors thoroughly before treating themselves to a well-earned break.

His time spent here thus far, while not unproductive, had seen him perform more menial labor than he would have liked. Their daily run-ins with thieves, murderers and drug dealers, while satisfying, were nothing compared to what he'd dealt with in the past. These driveless humans were nothing in the face of synthetic vampires, Nazi cyborgs, and menacing werewolves. Ahh… to be faced with humanity's madness once more. If only that were easier to come by. Hopefully All For One wouldn't keep him waiting forever, and the ruler of Japan's underworld would live up to his reputation.

"Alex-san?" Mikasa's voice shook him from his thoughts. "You look kind of depressed. I-is something wrong?"

He cupped his chin and realized he'd been staring at the floor during their conversation. He'd become so distracted in contemplation that he hadn't even realized she was speaking to him. How amateurish of him to be caught so unawares.

"Forgive me, just feeling a tad bit homesick." A lie, given he had no real home to speak of. He went wherever his master, Sir Integra Fairbrooks Hellsing, ordered him. His coffin provided him all the comfort he needed.

"Oh yeah, I forgot… You're from overseas." Mikasa blushed from embarrassment. It was her job to remember these sorts of things, yet here she was letting it slip right through her figurative fingers. "H-how has your time here in Japan been? Liking it so far?"

"Assuredly so. All those who've graced me with their presence have been exceptionally good-natured. Well, outside of USJ."

"Yeah. I've heard about what you did there. No wonder Mirko-sensei picked you in the draft." Feeling comfortable after drinking a warm cup of tea, Mikasa eased into her usual, more calculative, mood. Though that didn't stop her from drawing back whenever she felt he was getting too close.

"I suppose so." He giggled at her shyness.

"Mirko-sensei tends to go overboard with a lot of things, teaching included. But don't let it get to you, it's just her way of showing that she cares."

With his otherworldly senses, he knew that Rumi Usagiyama had stealthily crept nearby and was waiting for her chance to butt into their conversation. Perhaps even to punish any rye remarks which happened to be made at her expense.

"Yes, yes. Her eccentricity even edges into foolishness at times. One has to wonder how All Might views her unorthodox style." He wasn't one to back down from such a challenge.

By the time she'd appeared behind him and the Mikasa's face grew pale, he'd already prepared himself for quite the beating. In fact, he was looking forward to it. It had been decades since the last time he'd felt himself being properly torn apart.

*BMMPH*

Instead, much to his disappointment, a stern yet merciful Mirko delivered a robust punch onto his scalp. He made a show of it, rubbing the bruised spot and forcing a trickle of blood to run down the edge of his lips. She was far from amused, no matter how wide her smile appeared, and brusquely wiped the blood off his face.

"Don't act like you didn't already know I was there, Al." She gave him a hard flick to the forehead for his lackluster acting skills. "And no matter what All Might might say about beating villains and giving them a chance to redeem themselves, that's not gonna stop me. There are plenty of examples of people who just come into this world wanting to blow it up. A moment of hesitation could be the difference between saving a life or turning Japan into a crater."

Mirko, having divested herself of her hero costume, now wore her casual attire in a plain white t-shirt with a mid-length pair of jeans and high-heeled boots. Her piercing white hair contrasted greatly with her tanned skin. A physical representation of her inner conflict between her bloodlust and her heroic aspirations. All that time she'd spent observing him, he'd been doing the same. And in that time, he'd been able to glean a good deal of information. While combat brought her no end of joy and excitement, he could see beyond that signature grin of hers. She knew that she had more than enough strength to break necks and snap spines. All of those criminals they'd left behind earlier that day could have easily been victims of her powers were it not for her self-imposed restraint. Alucard could see that, much like many other warriors, Rumi Usagiyama was always on the prowl for an opponent who could drag the best out of her.

*KCCHK*

Mirko happily began chugging down a canned energy drink she'd pulled out of the fridge, all while leaning with her elbow placed neatly on his shoulder. Alucard was perplexed by how upfront she was acting at the moment. If she was trying to hide her suspicions or trying to nudge him into revealing his secrets, she wasn't doing a very good job of it. He considered standing up and letting her fall over, but that wouldn't suit his persona.

Finally, however, she finished her drink and tossed it into the garbage bin. "Aaaahh…" she sighed satisfactorily. "Nothing like a cold can after a good day's work, wouldn't you guys agree?"

Mikasa reacted passionately, nodding frantically. "Hai, sensei!"

Alucard nodded in mild agreement. Such mortal pleasures no longer had an effect on him, unfortunately. And even if they did, Mikasa's response dissuaded him from giving Mirko a more vocal reply. The girl was loyal to a fault. Perhaps she had no intentions of ever leaving her place here. A reasonable choice given Mirko's caliber. But it was a sad sight nonetheless. He only really respected those who possessed unrestrained ambition, be it born from madness or righteousness.

Unrestrained ambition…

Ah! He recalled the boy he'd been charged with both protecting and guiding. He wondered how exactly that boy was handling being under the tutelage of one of the most notable heroes of the previous generation, at least according to Nezu. The tiny mammalian creature had provided him with papers and records detailing Gran Torino upon Alucard's request. He'd wanted to make sure there was no chance that the boy's teacher might be the one to kill him off. But the man had trained All Might, so odds were against that. That was why he hadn't left a piece of himself on Izuku. If the child was doing to develop, Alucard couldn't stare down his back all the time. He was eager to see how far that green-haired bumpkin had advanced in the past week.

0.0

*RRRMMMMBBBBB*

A blur of white zoomed past onlookers as the bullet train left Kofu station and sped towards Shinjuku.

"Is it okay that we're getting in at night?" asked Izuku Midoriya. The hero under whom he was interning, Gran Torino, was seated right beside him. They'd boarded the train at a much later time than he'd expected.

"Night's perfect! There're sure to be more incidents now. It'll be fun." His mentor nonchalantly replied, leaning back in his seat and preparing to take a short nap. The scrawny old man wore his yellow-and-white costume proudly in public. Whether it was out of pride or senile laziness, he wasn't sure.

"I don't know about fun, but I hear you…" ruffling his untidy hair, he hesitantly pulled out his phone and checked his messages. He wasn't certain of how much fun it would be, fighting villains at midnight. He still didn't feel experienced enough to really trust himself in that kind of situation, even though Alex-kun had told him to do that more.

He balled his hand and felt One For All surging through his veins. He hadn't been here for that long and he'd already managed to devise a new technique. Gran Torino had, indirectly, helped him come up with a new way to utilize One For All. It involved flooding his body with One For All's power, letting it consume his every orifice and radiating out of each and every hair follicle. Since it basically surrounded him in a cover of One For All, he'd taken to calling it "Full Cowling". The technique let him use One For All while staying on the move. He couldn't maintain it for very long, but at least now he didn't have to break his bones to use One For All. He couldn't wait to show it off to all his friends.

*FWIP*

"On your phone again?! I swear, kids these days!" Gran Torino-sensei scoffed.

Skimming his messages, he was weirdly perplexed by what he found in the text logs. "He read it, but there's still no reply… Even though Iida always replies within three minutes of reading a text…" he wondered. He'd texted Iida-kun earlier, but for some reason Iida hadn't responded yet. He wasn't sure if he should feel worried or not. Well… maybe they'd meet in some coincidental encounter. Hosu city was on the same train line as they were traveling, after all. He recalled the look on his face when they'd split up at the station only a few days earlier. Alex-kun had even offered to take him for an outing. With how rarely Alex-kun hung out with them, that was something.

If Alex-kun was worried about him, then something really was off with Iida. As he looked out the window in worry, Izuku pondered just how determined Iida was to avenge his beloved brother. How far was he willing to go? Surely not enough to… face the Hero Killer alone?

*BOOOM*

"What the…" he thought, as his field of vision suddenly tilted.

*SSKKKRREEEEEEEEE*

Out of nowhere, he lurched forward as the whole train skidded to a screeching halt. The intercom activated and an automated, robotic voice began addressing the train passengers. "Passengers. Please remain seated. We're making an emergency stop-"

*CRASH*

The sound of the metal train hull breaking was drowned out by the screams of injured passengers as shards of shattered glass and sharp chunks of steel flew through the air. Smoke filled the area as a costumed man came flying through the gargantuan hole and was embedded in the opposite wall. He and Gran Torino were utterly shocked by the sudden turn of events as the man, whom Izuku could tell was a pro hero, began to get back on his feet.

"WHO IS THIS GUY?" the injured hero shouted, coughing up droplets of blood.

*SLAM*

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!"

As a nearby passenger cried out in fear, Izuku was confronted by a foe he'd assumed had been beaten ages ago. Upon the mangled remains of the bullet train's hull, there now crouched a lanky monstrosity. Thin, mangled limbs were connected to a skeletal torso in a manner which vaguely resembled a human being. Were it not for its outlandishly bulbous eyes, its abnormally long limbs, and its exposed brain, one might have easily mistaken it for another pro hero.

"NOMU?!" Izuku gasped in utter confusion. To think there were more of these things!

"STAY THERE, KID!" Gran Torino swiftly ordered, wasting no time before leaping off his chair and launching himself away from the train, taking the Nomu with him. He barely had enough time to gasp before he was left alone.

"GRAN TORINO!" Izuku looked out of the burnt wreckage of the train hull in search of his mentor. But what he saw was not what he'd expected. Hosu City seemed to have erupted with criminal activity. Towering smoke clouds rose out of countless districts. Building complexes were being torn apart by explosions and gunfire. This was all…

Honestly, it was exactly like how the rumors had described Hiroshima, but that didn't make it any less unbelievable!

"What's happening?!" He was incredulous. Just minutes before, he'd been sitting comfortably in his seat while enjoying the appealing view through the window. "What the heck?! This is… Hosu, isn't it…?" Appalled by the mayhem pouring out through the streets, the image of Class 1-A's stalwart president popped into his head.

"Iida!" He couldn't just stand by while his friend might be in danger!

"EVERYONE, PLEASE REMAIN CALM! PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR SEATS!" By now, train attendants had filed into the broken carcass of their transport and had begun carrying the wounded away from the location. "WE NEED TO STAY CALM AND WAIT FOR HEROES TO…"

"SORRY, BUT I'VE GOTTA GO!" Ignoring their warnings, Izuku shoved his way through the stunned employees, dashing off the train and furiously sprinting towards the centerfold of the chaos. He couldn't help himself, not after the appearance of that Nomu creature. This one had a different body but the same overwhelming power. Maybe they were siblings? Anyway, he had to find Gran Torino. As one of the attendants yelled at him to stop, he ran down the train tracks in search of a fast way down to the streets. Please, he prayed, let Gran Torino and Iida be alright.

0.0

It wasn't long before Izuku realized he could just activate One For All and leapt over the chain fence, after which he soon joined the panicked throngs of civilians below. The air was filled with shouts as people sought desperately to escape the commotion. Unlike everyone else though, a single scruffy green head was running in the opposite direction. Directly into the fray. He knew he was one of the few to have actually seen the Nomu at USJ. So if this Nomu was as absurdly powerful as that one, then not only Gran Torino, but all of Hosu City was in trouble! And what about Iida?! He was interning here! Who knew how much trouble he was in right now?!

As he ran through crowds and raced down decimated street lanes, all he could think about was "What's my plan?! Think! What's the best course of action?!" Practically everyone he knew, from Alex-san to Yaoyorozu to even Kacchan sometimes, always had a clear plan of action before they fought. He knew he needed to do that if he was ever going to become the Symbol of Peace, and now was better than never.

"TENYA!" From the corner of his eye, Izuku caught sight of the alleyway where the voice had come from. Turning around the corner, he found a sight he could hardly believe was real. A new Nomu, different from the one that had attacked them on the train and similar to the one from USJ, was currently under assault by a whole platoon of pro heroes. Yet it was handling them with ease, bashing one on their forehead and knocking him out clean while tossing another into the air like nothing. Further past that abomination was another Nomu, this one with wings, that was carrying an unconscious hero up into the sky. The entire district was up in flames as crashed cars and buses decorated the city center.

"No way…! What's… going on here?!" What he wouldn't give to have All Might or Alex-kun with him right now.

"HOW COULD HE RUN OFF AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!" The guy calling out for Iida… he was Normal Hero! The pro hero whom Iida had selected as his mentor! If what he was saying was true, then Iida was nowhere near this battlefield. But it wasn't like him to run from a fight… Surely there must've been a good reason for him to ignore his mentor's commands…

Another pro hero rushed in front of Izuku and shoved him away from the battle. "STAND BACK AND DON'T GET IN THE WAY! WE HEROES WILL PUT A STOP TO THIS! FOLLOW POLICE INSTRUCTIONS AND GET TO SAFETY!" Mistaking him for an innocent bystander, she quickly used her Quirk to evacuate him from the premises before he could even offer a response. He apologized immediately for distracting them, but she left him just as quickly as she'd appeared and ran right back into the fight.

Iida ran off somewhere?! The always super-serious Iida…? That was just too odd. And in the middle of all this trouble… Hosu City… Nomu, or things that look like it…

As all these thoughts blazed through his brain at light speed, he felt his heart rate rising quickly. In all of this chaos and with trouble brewing in every street corner, wasn't this the best chance for the villains to "remove" some of the pro heroes? He hated even considering the possibility, but now was better than never for such criminals to do away with some of their biggest obstacles. And none were more probable to be here than… the Hero Killer…!

While the heroes struggled to deal with the Nomu's in the city center, he wordlessly turned right back around and began a mad dash back the way he came.

0.0

Standing atop a water tanker far from the center of the conflict, Tomura Shigaraki gazed upon the work of his Nomu with unending pleasure.

"Yep… Well done, my Nomu."

Standing right behind him, Kurogiri stared blankly at the utter carnage being laid out by their underlings. "I take it you're not joining the fray?" he asked.

"I'm hurt, you idiot. That's why I brought them."

He'd hoped to get more, but his master had chosen now to be stingy and given him half of the six that were currently fully operational. They might not have been on the same level as the one they lost at USJ, but they were getting the job done at least. Spreading fear, crushing this cheap bullshit society, and reminding everyone who the real threat was.

"Ha Ha Ha Ha… By tomorrow morning, the world will have forgotten all about you… Hero Killer!" As large smoke plumes rose out of Hosu City, all he could think of was the look on Stain's face when he learned that no one cared about his stupid "crusade" anymore.

0.0

*WHOOOOSH*

"GRAARR!" Kicking wildly, Tenya Iida pursued the Hero Killer with a mad fervor. Trying hopelessly to connect a single strike to the Hero Killer's general person, his target easily evaded all of his attacks time after time. "AAHHH!" and it infuriated him to no end.

A raspy voice croaked from above him. "Ingenium's… haah… brother?" He could barely react as the spike-tipped boot was presented right to his face. "I used him to get the rumors going. But you. You're…"

"ACK!" The steel tips were plunged straight into his bicep. Blood, his blood, spurt out from the deep wound that'd been made in his arm. "GAH!"

"So weak." The Hero Killer said casually, as though he were out on a morning stroll. Standing on Iida's shoulders, the Hero Killer placed one foot on the weakened boy's back and slammed his face hard on the concrete ground. With practiced ease, he switched the grip of his katana and jammed the tip into Iida's other arm. As the boy, thoroughly humiliated already, cried out in pain, the Hero Killer just stood on top of him. "Both you… and your brother are weak… It's because you're posers!" The Hero Killer didn't sound angry, or sinister, or insane. In fact, he just sounded… disappointed.

"SHUT UP, EVILDOER!"

Iida could care less about his useless arms at the moment. All that mattered to him right now was that the man... no… Fiend! The fiend who'd ended his brother's career was now standing in front of him. And he had the gall to call his brother WEAK!

"The damage you did to his spinal cord means he's probably going to be crippled for the rest of his life! He'll never be a hero again! My brother… he's saved so many people… He's a leader! He's a great hero!" A memory of his older brother saving injured civilians from a crumbling building came back to him. He'd just been a kid back then. Standing behind the yellow tape with his tiny arm raised in the air, he'd proudly cheered on his brother from the sidelines. That was his brother out there. His hero. "There's no good reason you could possibly have for crippling him…! He's my hero… He's a great hero… who inspired my dreams! I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID!"

A brief yet thick silence followed Iida's outburst. For a split second, the young man wondered if the Hero Killer had begun doubting himself. Sadly, that was not to be the case.

"Save him first." The look in his eyes as the enemy he despised stood above him and gave a speech, it could only be described as stupefied astonishment. Almost apathetic to his plight, Stain's voice seemed to run on repeat as if he'd given this speech multiple times already. "Forget about yourself for a second and try saving others. Don't wield your power for your own sake." A strained cough emerged from the crumpled pile of fabric. In reality however, it was a pro hero. Collapsed after receiving a significant beating from Stain. "Because getting trapped by your own hate and acting out of pure self-interest… makes you the furthest thing from a hero. That's why… You have to die."

With a revolting *SQUUEELCH*, Stain retracted his blade from Iida's shoulder. He could do little but watch as his opponent brought his blade up to his lips and, with his long grotesque tongue, licked the katana's bloody edge. All of a sudden, Iida felt like a ten-ton boulder had been hoisted onto him. Like someone had taken Earth's gravitational force and dialed it up to 100. He'd always maintained a strict workout schedule, but now he couldn't even move a muscle.

"My body… It won't move…?!"

Stain raised his sword high up into the air. Through his misty eyes, dark clouds appeared to be gathering around his cloaked nemesis. "Consider yourself a humble offering… to the betterment of society."

"SHUT UP… SHUT UP! It doesn't matter what you say now. You're still the criminal who hurt my brother!"

He hated himself for being so worthless. Hated himself for being so weak. The man who'd ended his brother's career was right there. ON TOP OF HIM! And he couldn't do anything. He wanted so desperately to fight back. Yet with his whole body under the Hero Killer's control, he couldn't offer the least bit of resistance. For all his talk of "revenge" and avenging his older brother, he hadn't even landed a single blow.

He knew it would have been smarter to have brought in the pro heroes. Maybe even a couple of his friends. Together, they most definitely would have been successful in besting this monstrous foe. But he wouldn't have been happy, were things to end that way. This was his enemy. His grudge. So was it all a mistake then? Maybe it would've been better to ask at least one person for some aid…

He couldn't let things just end like this, though. No matter how arrogant he might have been, challenging the Hero Killer on his lonesome, he refused to let himself go out in such a humiliating fashion. Resuming his struggle against Stain's unstoppable Quirk, what came next caught both of them completely off guard.

"Midoriya…?!" A streak of green flew across the alleyway in a blur of electricity, zooming straight down the corridor.

*SMAASSH*

A thundering punch was sent barreling into the Hero Killer's cheek. Anyone else would most assuredly have been sent flying down the opposite direction, but Stain was made of tougher stuff than that. Nevertheless, the sight of his classmate gave Iida mixed feelings.

Power coursing through his veins and literally bursting out through the seams of his hero costume, Midoriya proudly declared "I'm here to save you, Iida!"

0.0

"My oh my, isn't he threatening?" Alucard purred. Having hidden his familiar in a secluded part of the alleyway, he had full visual access to the fight. Less of a fight and more of a parent punishing their offspring, "Stain" had badly humiliated the foolish Iida to the point Alucard wondered if Class 1-A's president would ever recover. And even with the coincidental arrival of Izuku Midoriya, which he knew he'd have to inquire about somewhere down the line, their odds of victory were still miniscule.

It was plainly obvious that Stain was no mere serial killer. His physical structure was a roadmap of the perilous path he'd traveled. Toiling and plodding through battlefields unimaginable for the civil and domesticated heroes and perhaps most villains. As Alucard watched, Izuku slyly pulled out his phone. Holding it behind his back, he idly clicked the text button. The boy was cleverly notifying his friends of his predicament, though Alucard had to wonder how effective such a message would be if none were nearby to help.

Which was why he'd decided that his time in Hiroshima was over. He'd waited long enough for a decent fight. Deciding that this homely environment was starting to grow stale, Alucard politely excused himself from the lobby and made his way to the alleyway out back. Tidying up his student uniform, Alucard prepared himself for his imminent departure. So long as his familiar remained intact, he'd be able to transfer the entirety of his being and reform himself at that spot. No doubt they would have questions for him afterwards, but he'd deal with that when it came.

"What're you doing?"

He paused. Slowly glancing back at the exit, he met Rumi Usagiyama's firm glare. Dressed up in her costume already? He'd expected her to catch on, but still. Her speed was impressive. She regularly competed with herself to see if she could gear up for patrol faster than the day before. But they'd already finished patrolling today. She had already taken off her uniform and put on her casual wear. So seeing her like this was unsettling, to say the least.

"What are you doing back here, Alex?" she crossed her arms.

"Didn't I just tell you, ma'am? Performing some rudimentary stretches. I'll be back inside soon, no need to worry." he began a basic routine in the hopes she would lose interest and rejoin Mikasa, even though he knew she wasn't the kind of person to accept such an explanation.

"Oh, I'm not worried." Walking out of the doorway, the sound of her feet pacing along the cement only furthered the tension in the air. Her smile, normally spanning the length of her lower jaw, now narrowed into a slight upturned grin. "Just curious is all. You're hiding something, kid."

"Pardon?" he added an element of hesitation in his voice to try and ward her off, but that only made her come closer.

"You know I don't normally draft interns. I hate team-ups because they tend to make people complacent. But I chose you because I was curious. I might be harsh, but that's just because I'm your teacher. I care. And as your teacher, it's my job to keep you out of trouble." Disrespecting his personal space, she swiftly closed the distance between then and wrapped her fist around his chin. He made an attempt at backing away, but she already had a vice grip on his face. "Now Alex, I don't care what it is you're doing, but if you're heading somewhere dangerous, I'm going with you. Cause there's no self-respecting teacher who'd let their student run off into hell without their permission."

The look she gave him told him everything he needed to know. Indeed, she had not been deceived by his façade, barring his true identity. The Rabbit Hero was far more perceptive than pundits gave her credit for. Without giving him a chance to divert the subject and escape her clutches like he had in the past, she'd rapidly forced him into a wall and left him with no option but submission. Well… that or hypnotizing her, killing her, erasing her memories, and so on. But his "mentor" had demonstrated her experience and unique skillset throughout their time together. She'd done just enough to earn more favorable treatment than the trash mucking up Japan's darkest corners.

He sighed deeply. He'd met personalities like her numerous times in the past. She was the type of human who stubbornly refused to listen, no matter how much adverse their opposition. He'd always admired their headstrong nature, regardless of how much it irritated him. "Very well." On the wall behind him, he spawned an oily black portal. The expression on Mirko's face turned sour at his "new" power, but she didn't back down. "You've seen through me. Thus, I will reveal all my secrets to you once this is over." He bowed low before stepping aside. "After you." He gestured towards the portal.

Rumi Usagiyama took one final long stare into his eyes before entering the portal. She made sure to send a text message beforehand, telling Mikasa that she'd be alone that night. After she'd passed through, he wordlessly followed her.

0.0

"Bingo."

With a thudding blow, Izuku Midoriya launched Stain several meters away from Iida. With this brief respite, Izuku stood guard over his dear friend Tenya Iida's wounded form.

"Midoriya?! But why…?!" Bewildered by his friend's abrupt appearance, Iida could barely get out the words to ask him how Izuku had found him.

"It was on TV…! How 60 percent of the Hero Killer's victims were discovered around blind corners in deserted areas. So I've been scouring the back alleys near the Normal Hero Agency, close to the center of all the trouble… looking for you!" Firing off another burst of One For All, his newly designed hero costume served well as a support for his newfound strength. "Can you move?! Make for the main road and get some pros to come help us!"

"I can't move…! He cut me… That's likely his Quirk…"

As the Hero Killer eyed up the young Izuku Midoriya, recognition flashed in his eyes.

"This kid… He's the one from Shigaraki's photo…" he realized, recalling his meeting with that silver-haired brat from a few hours earlier. If Tomura Shigaraki had gone so far as to point out this kid to him, surely there was something this kid had that distinguished him from the rest.

As Izuku noticed the injured pro hero sitting incapacitated in the corner, he started taking what little he knew about the Hero Killer and tried to deduce the machinations and inner workings of the Hero Killer's Quirk.

"Midoriya. Don't… interfere." What Iida said next shook Izuku. "This has nothing to do with you!"

"What're… you saying…?" Seeing his friend in such a vulnerable position, his instinct had naturally been to rush to his defense. He hadn't forgotten Iida's grudge with the Hero Killer, but that didn't make it any less appalling just how bloodthirsty and vengeful Iida-kun looked right now. His eyes were practically bloodshot and he was grinding his teeth as he lay with the dirt underneath him.

"A friend shows up and says… 'I'm here to save you.' A good line for sure." The Hero Killer seemed passionate in his "understanding" of good and evil. Of right and wrong. Even though his actions seemed to deliberately run against everything he deemed as good. "But it's my duty to kill these two. And if we're forced to fight, then naturally… The weaker of us will be culled." As Stain unleashed a wave of killing intent, the still inexperienced Izuku shuddered. "So. What now?"

Checking that Stain couldn't see his right hand, Izuku reached into his back pocket and withdrew his phone. He quickly sent a text message to the first couple of people who came to mind before readying himself for the inevitable battle. Even without any pro heroes there to help, he refused to run away. Not when there were people who needed his help. At the very least he could buy time and, if possible, maybe even drive off the Hero Killer.

"NO! I TOLD YOU TO RUN! THIS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

"What's a hero supposed to do when you say crap like that?!" He rarely ever used such rough language, but that was just a sign of how much this meant to him. "I-I've got a lot to say to you, but… that'll have to come later…! Because it's like All Might said… Giving help that's not asked for… is what makes a true hero."

"Ahh…" For the first time that day, Stain smiled. But this wasn't any mad smile fueled by lust or greed. For the first time in a long time, Stain was genuinely moved. He now saw why Shigaraki held such a deep, festering hatred for this child in particular. "Good." Drawing his longsword, he surged forward in sync with Izuku's own charge.

Izuku knew the Hero Killer held the advantage at range, so he'd aim for the opposite. He activated One For All.

"Full Cowling!" Feeling power pouring into his body, he knew he only had one chance to get close before his adversary could react.

"WATCH OUT! IF HE CUTS YOU…"

But there was no need for that. He'd caught the timing perfectly. Just as the Hero Killer drew his machete, Izuku ducked and zipped right between his legs. Reacting instantly, Stain whirled around to face him. But by then, Izuku was already soaring over Stain's downwards stroke. In a matter of seconds, Izuku had gone from standing a few feet in front of Stain to floating right above him. However, his success seemed to almost gladden Stain, who was still smiling even after their fight had started.

"Five percent… Detroit… SMASH!" Izuku delivered a deafening right hook to Stain's cranium. His opponent was sent reeling by the aftershock alone. Iida looked amazed by Izuku's incredible movements. Stain began to crumble. Who wouldn't after such a deafening blow?

"It worked?! It WORKED! My Full Cowling!" He could fight! Izuku gave himself a mental pat on the back. He knew that he could have an effect in a fight. Sure, the fight wasn't over, but this much was more than he could have hoped for. Unfortunately, that was where his stroke of good fortune came to a blinding halt. Like a crippled old man, Izuku felt his knees give out beneath him as he crumpled clumsily to the ground.

"Wha-!" Wait, when had the Hero Killer cut him? He hadn't felt anything hit him so far, so he couldn't have been able to use his Quirk on him. Ensnared to the floor by the invisible weight that had been lobbed on top of him, all he could do was helplessly scrutinize the Hero Killer and try to surmise just how the bandaged menace had a chance to cut him.

Stain turned back around and, shockingly, congratulated him. "You lack power. But you did track my movements. You exploited my blind spot… and planned to bring me down… That's how you moved." From the sound of his voice, Stain would have been applauding him were he not wielding twin blades at the moment. "So many fools out there are nothing but talk. But you… are worth keeping alive… unlike these others."

"Oh crap! No, don't!" But his pleas went ignored as the Hero Killer waltzed past him and prepared to finish what he'd started, raising his nodachi with the clear intent of lopping off Iida's head.

Izuku willed himself to stand, but he couldn't move a muscle. Stain's Quirk had chained him to the cold hard floor. But that was nothing compared to the feeling traveling down his spine as, helplessly, he locked eyes with Iida. Was there even a plan they could devise, much less pull off? Had his message gotten through to their classmates? Was it really going to end like this? Another fight where his efforts amounted to nothing?

Ready to make another example out of this selfish "hero" and the other imposter, Stain was ill prepared for what came next. A pool of black sludge formed right where he was standing. For a brief moment, Stain brushed it off as a trick of the sun. It wasn't until two elegant hands emerged from the oily slime that he instinctually leapt to safety. But safety was no longer available to the Hero Killer. Having jumped into the air, Stain was left with very little mobility. From the roof of his line of vision, he spotted a flock of crows diving towards him. Unable to evade them, he unsheathed more blades and readied himself for the onslaught.

*SLASH*BLOOP*

"WHAT?!" As his daggers connected with them, the serrated edges sank into the red-eyed crows as if they were made of water. Stunned, he gave his attackers plenty of time to close the distance. But rather than peck him, they dove straight into him and seemed to pass right through him. In reality however, they were morphing into opaque splotches of black. Covering his eyes, mouth, ears, nose, hands, every part of his body! He frantically wiped the slimy substance off but their assault was endless. Staring in wide-eyed disbelief, Izuku was shaken out of his stupor as the tapping of soles on cement reverberated down the alley. Peering back, he gaped as Alexander Anderson walked towards him with a confident smirk adorning his handsome face.

"Hah…" he sighed. "I saw this coming, but… I'd hoped to be proven wrong. Deku, would you mind chauffeuring our dearest Iida to the nearest hospital? Leave the rest to me." Crouching down protectively over them, Alex-kun seemed a lot more tense than usual. He looked as kindhearted as ever but had taken on a more serious tone after getting closer to the Hero Killer. That just showed how much bigger of a threat Stain was in comparison to the League of Villains. But even though he'd won against that white-haired villain, that didn't mean he was ready to face someone like Stain. Then again, Izuku had done the same less than a minute ago. "And Todoroki, he shouldn't be too far behind. The pros should be arriving soon as well, so meet them halfway if you can."

"Alex-kun?" he whispered, curiosity overwhelming him. Hadn't he gone to Hiroshima? How had he come here so fast? How did he know Todoroki-san was coming?

"Later." Alex-kun brushed him off, sensing that answering one question meant answering them all. And he knew this was not the time for that. But Iida, steadfast as ever, refused to be denied his restitution.

"Anderson-san, you too?" As Izuku hoisted him over his shoulder, their dear friend protested endlessly. "Why…? Both of you… Just stop it… I've inherited my brother's name. I have to do this! He's MINE to-"

"Heroes, my dear friend…" Not even bothering to turn around, Alex-kun pointed a single finger directly at Iida's nose. "Don't make faces like that." Astonished, Iida grew slack as Izuku began dashing away with both he and the pro hero in tow.

"I'll come back with help!" The young boy loudly declared.

"No need." Alex-kun replied despite knowing that it wouldn't stop him. Holding firm, Alexander Anderson marched forward to "introduce" himself.

"One after another… So many interruptions today…" Having freed himself of Alexander's familiars, Stain peered menacingly towards this newest arrival. And what exactly was his impression of this newcomer? "You look just like the rest of them." The look on his face gave off an aura of confidence that bordered on narcissism. Stain knew from his U.A. uniform that he was still a student. But he hadn't adopted a fighting stance or even halted his march. "What an idiot." This kid was still sauntering over to him without a care in the world. Perhaps he should count himself lucky for this kid's arrogance, though. Killing him now would make sure that kids like the one with green hair were allowed to develop properly.

"You, too, will serve as an offering. An offering for the betterment of society."

Drawing his blades once more, Stain leapt into action. And then, everything became black.

0.0

Despite being well aware of her adaptability and persistence, Alucard somehow managed to convince Mirko that her abilities would be more useful elsewhere. After all, her penchant for mercilessly abusing her own body made Stain her natural counter. The man's Quirk meant that she would be incapacitated and left vulnerable almost instantly. Thus, while she would make for an invaluable ally in the future, Alucard had no other choice but to leave her on the sidelines for now. She had vehemently objected of course, but ultimately acceded after he promised her that he would reveal all of his secrets and more if she obeyed him just this once. He was still debating which would lead to the more entertaining outcome, divulging the entire truth or communicating only partial truths to her.

Stain seemed neither enthusiastic nor frightened by his presence. How odd, given that a warrior of his caliber surely would have sensed that this wandering student was no mere trifle. The emaciated man was lackadaisical in his response to Alucard's gradual march. Unimpressed, surely, by this haughty youngster who knew nothing of the battlefield. Perhaps his ability to see oncoming threats was not yet developed. Hopefully his other talents would make up for that deficiency, and this "Hero Killer" would be able to entertain him for a bit.

Once he'd lunged at him, Alucard swiftly wrapped his arms around Stain's neck before forming an oleaginous puddle of black right beneath them. Rapidly sinking into the oily brine with Stain in tow, no sign of either of them was left in the alleyway. Just to add a bit more challenge to the scavenger hunt which would inevitably form. He wanted time to enjoy his meal, after all.

The duo emerged in a room not too far from where they had been previously. An empty basement near the outskirts of Hosu City. The lights barely worked and there was mold growing on the edges of the ceiling. Rusty storage racks lined the perimeter of the room, with only a few cardboard boxes still remaining on their shelves. This would serve as an adequate arena for their "confrontation".

With a single push, Alucard sent Stain flying to the center of the room. Stain, lithe and agile, adjusted and managed to land on his feet smoothly. But where once he'd looked downtrodden and almost depressed, the expression on his face was now one of caution.

Stain was a veteran who'd seen his fair share of conflict. Although he couldn't claim to be unstoppable, he'd honed his instincts to where he could easily identify how best to respond to most threats. Rare was the day that he failed to understand a scenario. Yet, now faced with the chilling grin of this mysterious brat, he found himself unable to grasp the mortal jeopardy he was in.

With little light illuminating the room, Alucard's blood red eyes shined a deep crimson through the darkness. "Hero Killer Stain…" he drawled, clapping his hands together as if he were a businessman on the job. "How do you fare?"

Being confronted by some anonymous young upstart, Stain was not amused.

"What are you planning to do here, kid?" Already on guard, he surveyed the room in search for advantageous positions or potential traps. The boy's actions had put him on high alert. There was no way he'd just teleport him to a random location without some sort of plan. Something was up here, and Stain knew he needed to figure it out if he wanted to make it out of here unscathed.

"I'm sure you are already aware of my intentions." Unclasping his hands and spreading out his arms, Alucard welcomed Stain to take a swing at him. "Entertain me. If you succeed, you may depart safely through the door to your right. But if you fail…" The Hero Killer couldn't see it through the pitch-black shadow, but the grin Alucard wore stretched his skin like plastic. It was here where most would realize just how fake and artificial Alucard's physical appearance was. Where they would become cognizant to the demon lurking underneath that paper thin cover of pristine skin and well-kempt clothing. "Well, you will suffer the same fate you yourself have granted to others."

"And if I refuse?" Alucard didn't even entertain the thought of answering him, instead twisting his deceptively pleasant grin into a sickly smirk. The way his crimson eyes bent upward gave Stain all the information he needed. It was do or die. Kill this brat and continue with his crusade or perish here like the rat he knew he was. He'd embarked on this journey knowing full well what he would become yet had proceeded so despite that. Someone had to do it, and he was the only one willing. He would not let himself die here. Not yet. After all, the only one worthy of killing him was All Might. And it didn't take a forensics officer to know that this effeminate noble child was NOT All Might.

"Well?"

Stain didn't waste another second before unleashing a flurry of knives and daggers, flinging all of them straight at Alucard in a shotgun blast of blades. Alucard didn't bother dodging them. Instead, he erected a wall of shadow which consumed all of the projectiles, leaving none for Stain to retrieve. Fortunately for the masked man though, he had plenty in reserve. By the time Alucard had dealt with the first attack, Stain had already disappeared into the shadows and reappeared behind him. Drawing his huge cleaver, he swung wide with his gargantuan sword while thrusting his thinner katana in a direction where his opponent would be had they dodged the cleaver.

And yet for his expert maneuvers, his blades found naught but open air. Instead… bats! Stain was caught off guard by the sudden arrival of these furry bloodsuckers, since he hadn't sensed any other living beings in the room up until then. As he retreated once more into the shadows, he looked back to what had happened before this boy's spontaneous entrance. Red-eyed birds had flown directly at him, forming a thick layer of mush over his limbs and leaving him completely blind. The only reason he'd managed to escape their clutches was because they'd dissolved not too long after. Was that this kid's Quirk? Summoning animals? No, it had to be more than that. After all, he'd just formed a wall with the same substance which'd composed those birds and now these bats.

The shadowy mist was sucked away from him, reforming itself into a massive pair of toothy jaws. He instinctively dove away from them but was met by a screen of fire. Spewing out of the darkness, the mist now took on the shape of a dragon's head and poured out a wave of flames. He ducked underneath the spray and beheaded the beast, yet there was no blood for him to spill. Instead, the dragon dispersed back into the mist that had birthed it. But had no time to relax as the kid's fist came barreling at him through the thick fog.

Stain was grazed by the sharp blow that'd been aimed for his wide jawline. Despite evading the brunt of the attack, what little he felt told him that absorbing his opponent's blows was not an option. He couldn't afford to waste time here. If he waited too long, eventually this youngling would have chipped away at him enough to truly take him down. And his defense was too thick for him to break through. He hadn't even drawn blood yet, rendering his trump card useless. So, he switched his approach. From a reactive hybrid stance between offense and defense, Stain swapped to full-on assault. Dodging another fist, he leapt away from him while analyzing everything nearby.

The kid was still retracting his attack and was in the process of readying another one. Timing it well, Stain landed a few feet away before once again lunging straight at his enemy. This time though, he stayed in his line of sight. The kid's arms were fast, though. As he drew closer to him, Stain knew he'd have to take this if he wanted to penetrate his defenses. So he did, receiving a sharp hook to the chin that he swore broke his jaw. But that was fine, because not even a second later he was above him. As he readied his cleaver to slice through the kid's exposed neck, Stain was met with an unsettling sight. This kid actually turned to look at him. But it wasn't fear that resided in his pupils… No, it was something more akin to elation! Was he happy that he was about to die?

Stain knew he couldn't stop now, however. He'd put a lot into this attack. Whether this brat had something far more sinister lying in wait, that was up to chance. So, as Stain felt the serrated steel edges of his blade cutting into flesh and then bone, that familiar feeling of emptiness after a well-earned victory returned to him. He didn't exactly enjoy ending lives like this. But at the end of the day, society needed heroes. And those heroes who did not fit All Might's example did not deserve to be referred to as such.

Landing only a few meters away, Stain knelt down to catch his breath. He'd gone through fight after fight for the last thirty minutes, and his adrenaline rush was beginning to run dry. Pulling his sword out of the boy's corpse with a visceral *SCHLICK*, he paused for a moment to pay his respects. The kid had put up a decent fight, he'd give him that much. Yet while he was beginning to make his way over to the exit, the sound of laughter stopped him in his tracks.

The boy was still alive. And he was chuckling. "Hahahaha… Excellent." What? "I haven't had this much fun in ages." Why was he laughing? More importantly, how was he laughing? There was a grievous wound in his side. He'd nearly been sliced in half, a cut which would have gone all the way through were Stain in proper condition. "Do you have a name?" The brat's flesh snapped and curled as his wound began mending itself, reconnecting torn tendons and sinew. Wet crackles pervaded through the room as his bones healed and his muscles regenerated.

Something wasn't right. Looking downward, Stain realized his legs were trembling. Did his body unconsciously recognize this kid was a threat? What the hell was going on?! Was he legitimately scared of this random U.A. student?

"Stain."

Alucard tutted in response, long tendrils dragging the left half of his body back into place. "We both know that's not what I'm referring to."

Beads of sweat were beginning to form on Stain's forehead. He didn't feel at all threatened, yet something told him that this kid was not what he seemed. His eyes narrowed. This was no hero. Heroes didn't make people feel like this. Villains made innocent civilians' despair and run away, yet this was unique. There was no feeling of desperation, only a void of dull acknowledgement that there wasn't going to be an escape. That had never been an option, he now realized. Yet Stain also knew that if he let this creature out, not even All Might could be assured to defeat it.

"It's Chizome… Chizome Akaguro…"

"Chizome Akaguro…" a long, oddly soothing drawl slipped from Alucard's lips. As if he were tasting the name as it rolled off his tongue. The lacerations on his spine had fully healed by now. Even his uniform, torn into pieces by Stain's strike, had sewn itself back together in mint condition. Alucard locked eyes with his prey. "It's obvious that your powers are beyond even the highest category of man. I applaud your instincts...your skill... your bloodlust. Now..."

Black smoke was rising from the ground around him. The threadlike coating of flesh now began flaking away like dried paint. He was growing taller, with longer limbs and hair. Stain heard the click of a gun barrel. No, two gun barrels. "You have much to offer, though less perhaps than a vampire." Vampires? What was this kid talking about? Bloodthirst and a murderous intent spread throughout the room, permeating every corner and boiling Stain's eyes sockets. Stain, the Hero Killer, a veteran of countless battlefields, now knew that he'd vastly underestimated his opponent. And for the first time in what felt like forever, the Hero Killer felt fear.

"Show me more." Alucard drew his twin pistols and fired.

0.0

"RIGHT AROUND THIS CORNER!"

Izuku had wasted no time in taking Iida and the pro hero to a medical officer before immediately turning around and sprinting back with all he could. Iida insisted that he was well enough to accompany him, but his injuries were too deep to allow such a venture. A couple pro heroes saw the urgent look on his face and decided to join him, including the Rabbit Hero Mirko. He didn't know how she'd come to be here. Wasn't she stationed in Hiroshima? But that didn't matter. Her presence alone boosted morale as the group made their way to the alleyway where Stain was located. Hopefully he was still there. Because if he wasn't, that could only be because Alex-kun hadn't been strong enough to face him. And if that were the case…

He didn't want to even consider that as a possibility. Alex-kun was alive. Probably locked in battle right now. Despite how talented he was, there was no way the silver-tongued prodigy could outlast the Hero Killer. On their way there, Todoroki had even showed up. Apparently he'd read Izuku's message and immediately caught on to its true meaning.

"I've been running around Hosu City trying to find you."

"Sorry. Alex-kun showed up not long after I sent that text and told me to get the wounded as far from there as I could."

"Anderson is here? Wasn't he in Hiroshima?"

"I asked the same thing. He said he'd explain that later."

As they finally rounded the corner and arrived at their destination, many stood with mouths agape at what they saw. There, lying unconscious in a pool of his own blood, was the Hero Killer, Stain. And not too far from him was Alexander Anderson, gashes in his clothing and a trail of blood running down his face.

0.0

Author's Notes: I would have liked to add a bit more action to this chapter, but exams are coming up and I didn't want to delay this for too long. I do plan to make up for this in later chapters though. As always, please review and give me pointers on where you think I can improve. See you in the next.