WOO UPDATE TIME YAY! Let's get stuck in!


A buzzer shot through the air, but it was instantly drowned out by the roar of the crowd and the sudden surge of hundreds of students all rushing towards the exit at once.

It took about a second for Izuku to suddenly click as to what was happening, right as the first elbow went into his ribs. The students clashed and smooshed together within the doorway and instantly a giant block was formed as everyone tried to push through all at once.

He could feel his furious power light up his blood and fire lick at his scars as inwardly he cursed himself for falling for such an obvious trick. The door wasn't the entrance to the obstacle course, it was an obstacle. It was the first of many, and if they were all like this, he wondered how devious they were all supposed to be.

Another elbow hit his rib, and a hand pushed at his face, and another shoved at his back, someone even stood on his tail, all causing his already temperamental curse to growl loudly from within his brain. "GET OFF US! WE'LL BURN THEM ALL ALIVE!"

He felt fire lick across his hands and he instantly curled them into fists. No! No! Not now, not this early! He couldn't already be failing! He'd not even got out the damn doorway!

Despite his better nature he began shoving and pushing as much as he could to force his way through the crowd, though it was doing very little. Already some of the more mobile students had jumped up above the heads of others and were quickly making their way towards the exit.

For a second, Izuku wondered if there was a way he could convince Nemesis to give him enough control to grow wings and fly up.

And then the ice came.

It rushed across them all, almost freezing everyone in place and certainly locking their feet to the floor. Izuku felt the bitter cold so suddenly it almost hurt, a deep snapping bite that went right to his bones.

He turned his head just in time to see Shoto rise up on a sheet of ice and dart overhead, frost still trailing from his feet.

Damnit, damnit, damnit!

Then his skin crawled as another, and by now all too familiar, feeling rushed across his body. He turned his head again only to see vines sprouting from the tunnel wall, forming a platform above him. Then, just as suddenly, Ibara landed onto it from a jump. As she did so, another platform formed before her and again she jumped, repeating the motion over and over. Hands reached up to grab at her, or grab the platforms, to somehow use her quirk against her or at least pull themselves from the ice, but they curled and then snapped dead the second her foot left them.

Another half-second, and there was a roar overhead, followed by a mass of explosions as Katsuki rocketed himself above the herd of students.

Izuku felt shame hit him hard in the stomach, and for a second, he wondered if he could even win at all.

"WE WILL NOT BE BEATEN BY THE ICE PRINCE, THE BRAT AND THAT DAMNED EVANGELIST!" Nemesis roared suddenly, and, in a shocking loss of control, Izuku felt blue fire rush across his scars causing steam to erupt around him.

He almost yelped in surprise, that was until one foot broke out from the ice sheet and then his other, and suddenly he was running, dashing forward on legs fueled by the petty jealousy of his inner demon.

On one hand, Izuku was terrified that he had almost slipped up. On the other, it had, well, worked.

He rushed past the other, still stuck, students and found himself instantly pulling ahead as he made it out of the archway and onto the course proper. He glanced back, and a jolt of light-bright pride shot through his spine and he found himself grinning a toothy, sharp grin.

He would have yelled and punched the air for joy if he hadn't turned suddenly to refocus on the race. He had done it! The first obstacle had been beaten! Now he… just had to finish the rest of the course. Great.

His pride was further dented when, with yells and shouts of their own, Momo, Mashirao, Mina and Tsuyu came flying overhead, having used their own quirks to avoid the ice, followed by what seemed to be pieces of a girl he vaguely recognized as the one who had flipped his entire class off a few weeks ago.

Some of the other class of 1-B were also soon breaking from the tunnel, and even some of the support and general study students were managing to get free.

But it was alright, he was ahead of them, and he was going to hold his lead no matter what. Well, almost no matter what.

Just as his lungs were starting to burn there was a thump at his side, and Izuku turned his head to see Fumikage matching his pace.

The crow-headed boy turned to him, and as he did so, Dark Shadow morphed from a pair of long, clawed arms back into their usual jackdaw form.

They grinned wickedly at Izuku and called out, "See you at the finish line, little demon!" Then they morphed back into the pair of claws once more and slammed the ground, jolting Fumikage over another large patch of ice.

"If we do nothing else, we are beating Dark Shadow. Our pride is on the line!"

Izuku half-wanted to argue with Nemesis, but he suddenly found himself agreeing. He had no qualms against Fumikage, he was his friend and he knew even if they were competing, it would be friendly. But Dark Shadow?

Yeah. Yeah, he wanted something to shove in Dark Shadow's face, though he suspected that was the Nemesis part of his heart talking.

Either way, he picked up the pace, doing his best to avoid the patches of ice Shoto kept popping onto the floor.

He kept running, fire fueling his limbs and burning his heart, pushing him further and further on. He wasn't catching up to the front runners, nor was he particularly falling behind. He was stuck in what he estimated to be around maybe fifteenth or twentieth place and reasoned with himself that, at the moment, it was probably the best he could have hoped for.

It didn't seem to matter though, not as they turned the first major corner of the course. Because everyone was standing in a small crowd. Even Shoto had stopped, but then again, it was rather obvious as to why.

Looming ahead of them were six zero-point robots from the entrance exam. Around them were numerous three-pointers, even more two pointers, and even more one pointers.

Mashirao summed it up nicely from Izuku's side as the blonde simply paused, sighed and loudly announced, "Well shit."

And yet this too seemed no obstacle for Shoto. As one reached a massive hand towards him, there was a rush of arctic cold air and a huge block of ice rose forwards, engulfing the robot within seconds.

To say he was a little in awe, and kinda scared, would be an understatement. Weirdly, he could also see why Hitoshi had such a giant crush on the guy. He was skilled, smart, and powerful. If Shoto had come riding in on a white horse and saved his life, would he really be so different in his admiration?

And of course, Izuku quickly reminded himself, he had openly declared war on him less than thirty minutes ago.

So… more things to look forward too. Yippie.

As Shoto darted forwards again, though the zero-pointer that the teenager had frozen solid wasn't just staying still. It was starting to fall towards them… and it was quickly gathering speed as it did so.

Memories of the last time he faced one of the monstrous robots flashed through Izuku's mind and, for a second, he wondered if he would have to repeat the process once more. Panic gripped him for a moment as he knew if he threw himself at one of the vast machines, he would shatter himself and completely ruin his chances to-

Hundreds of vines suddenly rushed from the ground and speared the monolithic robot before it could fall any further, its fingers only a few meters from touching the floor. Then, with an almighty crack, the vines tore the thing apart from the inside.

Izuku, and several of the other students ducked as pieces of machine flew, flaming or otherwise, over their heads and smashed into the floor. Izuku looked up and over his arms, which he had raised in some small manner of defense, only to see Ibara standing for a moment atop the head of the zero-pointer, glancing back before turning and following Shoto into the vast dust cloud the death of the machine had created.

So, that was personal antagonist number two at work, also yippie.

Just as he thought it couldn't get any worse, suddenly there was Katsuki, jumping forward and launching himself into the air with a vicious, almost animalistic roar of battle-hunger that reached over the sounds of his rocketing explosions. Half a second later and one of the zero-pointers no longer had a head.

Annnd there was personal antagonist number three. Triple yippie.

Izuku allowed himself a long, drawn-out groan of irritation at his lot in life before deciding to bit the bullet and forced himself forwards. Nemesis once more rushed through his blood, setting fire to his scars and swiftly reminding him they had a race to win and heads to mount on sticks.

He only took on the first part of the message to heart and fixed a determined look upon his face.

Instantly the air was filled with the symphony of battle as the hero students, and several of the support and general students went to war with the robots.

Izuku, however, was doing his best, not to get involved. He rushed and dodged and darted, knowing that he couldn't spend too much time fighting in the dust and noise filled skirmish. This was part of the trap, he knew it. Those that got bogged down dealing with the robots would fall behind, and he had no interest in falling behind.

A fist swung for his head and only by breaking into a roll did he avoid it, and then another smashed down on his position, only to find nothing but earth as he again dodged out the way. His scars burned with fire and he knew he was walking a very fine line, but he kept his focus forwards. He had to, one misstep and his classmates could be dealing with something far, far worse than a giant robot.

Yet even so, in all the maddening chaos, in all the smoke and dust and cries for help and even with the tangy scent of blood somewhere in the air, Izuku couldn't help but feel a rush of vicious, hot, wolfish energy take hold of his heart. He was grinning when he hadn't been a minute ago. Battle called to something primal in his blood, something he knew he needed to ignore but found that he just couldn't.

It called to him to rise above, to fight will all his power and pride, to tear the throats out of those who opposed him and stand tall, victorious over those he dominated. Bathed in blood and fire, the master of all before him.

Suddenly, roaring out before him, was a three-pointer. It utterly blocked his path and Izuku knew, in a millisecond, there was no avoiding it. He had to fight, and he had to do it fast.

His fists were already on fire.

The three-pointer raised a vast mechanical palm and, with a surprising amount of speed for a machine, swung it at the young man.

There was an almighty boom as blue flame erupted from his palm and within an instant, and with a static-laden, monotone scream, the robot exploded into flaming pieces of burning oil and steel. Izuku's head spun from the use of his demonic power, and every noise and smell and taste and touched seemed heightened to the point of over-stimulation.

And yet he suddenly found himself on top of its mechanical corpse and before he could stop himself, he clenched his fists and screamed his violent victory at it, fangs open, tail whipping and scars flashing with blue fire.

It was only when he suddenly spotted Hanta, just to his left, standing with eyes wide in a mixture of shock, concern, and horror, that he realized what he was doing.

The world slapped him across his face as his common sense kicked back in, and his more logical side reminded him he had a race to finish. His stomach lurched, though he kept his breakfast down, and before his classmate could say or do anything more, Izuku leapt off the robot and kept running forwards.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." He barked to himself as he darted forward, again avoiding more of the robots, as well as the glassy sheets of ice Shoto seemed intent on leaving behind him.

"We should go back, we should tear through them all, it would be so satisfying to rip something, anything apart."

"No!" Izuku snapped, knowing he was talking to himself but in the madness of the robot battle he knew he wouldn't be heard, "No! We're winning this race!"

Nemesis almost seemed to consider this for a moment before it settled back through his scars in a wave of boiling heat, "Fine, but if Dark Shadow asks, we killed a Zero-Pointer."

"Fine!" Izuku shouted to himself as he sprinted forwards, dodging another huge swinging paw of a hand from a three-pointer robot.

And then, suddenly, he was out of it. The pathway narrowed, and while behind him there was a maddening orchestra of noise and sound and light, before him was nothing but trees and open track. And of course, several of the front running students.

He also realized, with a tired and panting grin, that he had gained a few places. He had to be just outside the top ten now, or perhaps even within it. His senses were settling back into place, and while his lungs burned like battery acid and his limbs felt like they were about to quit in protest, he felt as though he could do it.

He could finish this race, and not only finish well, but maybe even win.

The fire was reignited into his limbs and some of the ache was eased. Nemesis was on board with victory, and while he knew he'd be paying for it later when his body would be utterly exhausted, for now, he took the blasphemous energy it offered and pushed himself forward.

From some loudspeaker hidden somewhere in the tree line, he suddenly heard Present Mic laugh noisily and announce, "Our front runners have reached obstacle number three! Hope you're not scared of heights!"

The pathway opened up once more… and Izuku almost skidded to a halt.

"When the heck did they build this thing?" Someone shouted from his right, and Izuku couldn't help but silently agree.

The floor had been carved away, and instead, the path had become nothing more than a series of rock pedestals with only thin ropes connecting them.

He scanned across the vast open space and was unsurprised to see Shoto already running ahead, using his quirk to slide along the ropes, and of course, freeze them in the process making them utterly unusable to anyone else. Katsuki was already leaping and firing himself over the vast gaps, and Ibara was there too, using her quirk to create her own vine-bridges which of course withered the moment she was across.

Dammit, they were all so far ahead… though he knew he had something that could gain him the lead in mere seconds.

The question was, of course, could he even use it? He knew if he threw himself off the cliffs Nemesis would spawn wings to fly with, but the only time he'd used his wings had been under absolute emergencies, and even then, he had no idea how to fly.

Dammit, dammit, dammit.

He had to think of something else.

"We can jump," Nemesis suddenly suggested, "We're good at jumping."

Izuku went to argue… but stopped. Actually, that was something he could do, and even more so, he was shocked that it had been his inner demon to suggest it.

"What are we waiting for?" Nemesis pushed once again, "We're losing time!"

"Right," Izuku was still shocked that his demon was being, well, helpful, but he quickly reminded himself that it was only because its own, over-inflated sense of pride would be hurt if they didn't absolutely dominate everyone on the field. It didn't care about him, it cared about victory.

He supposed, for now, that was something he could share with it. As long as it kept it cooperative.

As the other students began crossing the ropes, doing whatever they could to move across them quickly, Izuku backed up for a moment. He focused on one of the vast stone pedestals and bounced on his heels, hyping himself up before, with an almighty yell, he darted forwards.

Just as he got to the cliff edge he jumped, and as he jumped, he shoved Nemesis into his legs. Within an instant he felt pain and fire rushing through his limbs as the blasphemous power of his demon flowed through his muscles and blood and bone.

But what a jump.

The rock at the edge of the cliff simply gave away as the boy fired himself on legs already half-transformed from human to wolfish and there was even a small trail of blue fire left from the ground to his heels.

Something giddy and infectious ran through him as he cleared two of the columns, flying through the air with the wind throwing his messy hair back and causing his tail to trail behind him.

He almost yelled in excitement, even though another dizzy spell hit him, and every sense seemed to stand on end.

He had done it. He had used his quirk to push himself forwards, to do something amazing, to maybe even win.

Then he began falling… and he realized, suddenly, that maybe the pedestals weren't quite so big as he first thought.

He did indeed yell… though it was one of sudden panic as he practically nose-dived towards the ground. Izuku braced himself for impact, landing shoulder first and going right into a sudden roll which threatened to throw him off the side of the pedestal entirely.

Only by scraping his fingers almost raw into the dirt did he stop himself in time.

His heart was pounding in his chest and the dirt in his mouth caused him to choke and cough. He could feel the pain pulsing from his hands and knew already that he would have cuts and grazes there. His shoulder cried out from such a harsh landing but thankfully did not feel broken.

He could still move, and he could still keep trying to win.

He climbed back to his wobbling legs and looked back. He had overtaken several students, and, to his sudden realization, he was fourth. Behind Ibara, Shoto and Katsuki he was fourth.

Sure, Momo, Tenya and that girl who could apparently separate parts of her body were catching up fast, but damn. He was fourth!

Without wasting another second of time he began quickly crawling along the ropes, trying hard to keep his gain without looking down or thinking about how painful it was to keep his shoulder moving.

By the time he got to the end of the obstacle, he knew he had dropped down a few places. Momo and Tenya had indeed overtaken him, as had Tsuyu, though the girl with the separating body parts was still making her way bit-by-bit behind him.

Seventh place wasn't bad, and hell, it was far better than he had ever thought he'd end up doing. And besides, while Tsuyu was good at climbing ropes, she wasn't great at running.

With a measured, controlled breath he overtook Tsuyu, who shot him a rather wide-eyed, blank expression as he did so.

His lungs were burning, his arms and palms bloody, his feet aching and his muscles a mix of dull pain only barely blanketed by his own fire.

But his eyes were set, his focus forward. He had to win. He had to win. He was sick of losing, he was sick of always having his quirk ruin everything he wanted because of its damned bloodlust. And besides, more than that, he wanted to prove his enemies wrong. He wanted to let Shoto know he wasn't going to roll over for him, he wanted to let Katsuki know he wasn't a mindless animal, and he wanted to let Ibara know that while he may be of Hell, he wasn't a demon and she wouldn't crush him like a helpless unborn.

He had something to prove, and damnit if he wasn't going to prove it.

He saw the sign long before he even approached it. A huge smiling skull face with the words 'Mines!' printed above and below it. He grimaced as he kept moving forward, a minefield? They would really, really place a minefield in front of the students?

The answer was yes, because this was U.A., and U.A. was insane.

Over the speakers, he heard Present Mic yell something about them being non-lethal, though he somehow felt that U.A.'s definition of non-lethal was something they tended to stretch as far as they could.

However, it did mean one good thing.

He could see the front runners slowing down, almost to a crawl, and Izuku couldn't help a sharp-toothed grin. Shoto couldn't use his ice to make a path, it would mean easy passage for whoever was behind him, and at a glance, he could see that Ibara was having the same issue. Unless she too wanted to forge a path for others to follow, she had to step between the mines one by one.

Katsuki, however? He was taking a more direct route.

With a roar he leapt up and simply used his explosions to fire himself over the tops of the mines, rushing instead directly towards Shoto.

The boy looked up just in time as Katsuki began diving towards him, the blonde screaming something about how he wasn't a coward and how he'd be number one or something equally as egocentric. Nemesis disagreed, but Izuku ignored it and like many of the others he began trying to step between the mines, though his focus was lost for a moment when Tenya tried rushing past him.

Within a second the air was divided by the surprisingly high-pitched bark of a mine exploding, followed by a huge and slightly acrid tasting cloud of pink smoke that billowed up. Izuku winced as he saw his friend launch into the air, only to land with a heavy thud some way behind him.

The fire within his limbs and flowing along his scars was getting impatient at his lack of speed. He could feel the tugging at the darker parts of his heart and mind, telling him to just start running, to use his blasphemous fire to carve a path forwards and allow the flames to simply consume whoever got in his way.

No, he couldn't do that, it would be far too cruel and besides, it would only make the same issue that Shoto and Ibara were trying to avoid.

But more and more he wondered if it was worth taking the chance.

Others were catching up, including Tsuyu, Fumikage, several class 1-B students and even a few he didn't recognize at all. He turned back to see Shoto had given up and was running along an ice path while Katsuki hounded him, and even worse, it seemed as though Ibara had similarly surrendered caution to the wind. Vines spouted constantly out the ground, holding mines within their embrace and easily clearing her path, though he noted curiously she stopped every now and then to sprout more.

And the more he hesitated in his steps, the further behind he felt he was falling. Damnit, damnit, damnit!

He had to do something, anything to-

"We could slaughter them all."

He had to something else, anything else to-

"We could use our wings."

Again, Izuku had to pause in shock. This was the second time today Nemesis had suggested something helpful, and Izuku had to wonder just how badly his demonic power wanted to win that it would actually work with him for once.

But suspicion curled in his heart. "This is a trick," He muttered to himself as he stepped over another mine, "You're trying to trick me."

"Out of what?" Nemesis replied, "Victory? We want victory over all, we want to dominate and rule and prove our power to the world. There is no trick."

He felt weak, and he knew it was because he had already used his quirk twice. However, he had recently managed to gather up enough control to use Nemesis five times in quick succession without losing any control.

Surely one more couldn't hurt? It was well within his boundaries after all.

The question was, however, how it would be used.

"We- I don't have a high point," Izuku hissed as he watched Fumikage on the far side of the mine field pick his way across. At least he couldn't use Dark Shadow here. "And I don't know how to fly."

"We can jump up and glide down over all their pathetic heads and land victorious before them. We can set fire to the gate and let none pass. Our victory will be complete."

Izuku grit his teeth. Dammit, it was a… reasonable plan. The last part could be thrown out, but everything else he couldn't argue with. Not when first place seemed so close. And yet his common sense knew there would be some kind of trick, there always was.

But he was losing. That was an unavoidable fact. People were already starting to overtake him, even Tenya was catching up, and far ahead Shoto, Katsuki and Ibara had almost reached the end of the minefield.

It was now or never.

He chose now.

"Fine!" He yelled to himself, causing a few other students to look his way, "On my mark, ready?"

"We are always ready."

Izuku pushed his quirk into his legs and again felt his muscles ache and shift painfully within his pants. His feet seemed sharper within his shoes and the air became superheated around him. The ground blackened as he bent his knees, and then, suddenly, he rocketed upwards.

"Go!"

He screamed suddenly as Nemesis tore through his system and, like a man holding back a tidal wave with his hands, he felt it wash over every scar in his body, lighting him with flickering blue.

From below him, several students gasped as they saw wings grow suddenly from Izuku's back, tearing through his shirt and suddenly folding out, great and terrible.

For a second, silhouetted against the sun, he hung in the air, the very image of a demon brought into the world, with his strange digitigrade legs, his flowing spear tipped tail and now a great pair of bat-like wings that seemed coated in black shadow.

Izuku however, instantly knew he had made a mistake.

This was too much to hand to Nemesis, and already he could feel it clawing at his heart and mind, smashing at the locks he kept it under and straining to the very edge of the leash.

Fear gripped his heart as he pulled it back, panic and terror rushing through him in equal measure to the intoxicating madness of his hellborn power. Blue flame flowed across his scars just for a second before he began plummeting back down to earth, his wings folding in and out as he battled with his quirk over control of his body.

"STOP! STOP!"

"LET US FREE! HAND US VICTORY!"

"NO! STOP!"

Tears were falling from his eyes as he knew he had lost. In that second, he knew he had lost. How stupid, how greedy had he been to think he could allow Nemesis even a moment of trust. The monster wanted him, it wanted to use his body to slay and kill as it pleased.

And he curled it all back. He poured the fire inwards as he fell, uncaring how or where he landed.

"WE'RE GOING TO-"

"I DON'T CARE STOP STOP STO-"

He landed, and he landed hard, his back breaking into screaming pain as he hit the ground with a heavy thud loud enough to cause several other competitors around him to look and turn in horror. They didn't wonder long.

Erupting from his landing point came huge explosions that rocketed and shook the ground, followed by a huge and all-consuming cloud of pink smoke, though some swore they saw flickers of blue flame within it.

Izuku world became a cacophony madness. They rocketed around him, throwing him forward and up and spinning him uncontrollably. Instantly his breakfast came back to his throat, but he couldn't even throw up properly as he was spun too fast. He hit another mine, and another, and another.

It was like being punched in the kidneys over and over again, like someone firing a fire extinguisher directly into his face. He could barely breathe, and every gulping half-choke he took was filled with acrid pink smoke that burned his lungs. Every sense he had, already heightened thanks to his quirk, was overstimulated to the point of madness.

When Izuku finally came to a halt, it was on one of Shoto's ice tracks, sliding him along until he managed to finally stop himself with shaking limbs. Spit and vomit leaked from the corners of his mouth and his head swam with the dizzying sensation of the mines.

He couldn't right himself. He tried to climb to his hands and knees but fell again. His body was wrecked, his limbs useless, his mind a swirling blender of colors and noises and smells and sensations.

And yet still his mind, whatever was left of it, demanded he get to his feet. He had a race to win and maybe, somehow, he-

"WE HAVE OUR WINNER!" Present Mic's voice boomed over the speakers, joyful and cheering and manic all at once. "SHOTO TODOROKI TAKES FIRST PLACE!"

Humiliation. Shame. Disappointment. All of those emotions pushed their way slowly into his stomach with barbed edges tearing at his insides. Tears welled in his eyes as he again tried to climb just to his knees.

Damnit, damnit, damnit.

"If we hadn't held back then-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Izuku screamed suddenly, "SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT. UP!"

Disgrace swam and mixed and melded with anger as he slowly, painfully crawled to his feet. His fingers curled into his palms and tears swam down his dirt-covered face. He picked a direction chosen only by the blurry, swirling image of a vast dark archway, and he began moving forwards again.

His limbs were numb, and were not numb. His stomach was trying to relocate to his mouth and his fire, his terrible, awful fire, seemed to both burn and stab at his scars in equal measure.

Names were called out over and over again, ticking off those who were earning their place. The top ten, the top twenty, the top thirty.

And what would he get? Where would he land? Fiftieth? Sixtieth? Would he even progress the next round?

Probably not.

Because people like him weren't meant for the spotlight, they were meant for-

No.

"NO!" A new fire burned through Izuku. The fire of indignation, of facing another possible failure, of being reminded once again that despite all his power he did not belong amongst the heroes.

But despite it all, despite the fact he could barely see straight, despite the fact he knew he was most likely going to not finish this first round, he wanted to keep going.

He wasn't a villain, he wasn't evil, and despite everything he had learned about himself he wasn't about to let his dreams just slide away because he didn't finish first in some stupid race.

He wasn't going to let Shoto look down on him. He wasn't going to let Katsuki call him a monster, and he wasn't going to let Ibara get away with whatever the hell it was she was planning to do to him.

He would prove them wrong.

The roar sparked from Izuku's pounding, aching heart and echoed through a mouth of fanged teeth. His feet pounded the dirt as he rushed forwards, allowing everything left within him to give him energy.

He couldn't give up, not when he was this close.

The archway loomed forward, and he could see students filling it, rushing through, almost fighting one another for their chance to claim the last spots left.

Izuku focused forward. All aches and pains were pushed by pure adrenaline and blind willpower.

He could feel Nemesis trying to move through him once more, to press fire into his hands and power into his blood. He grit his teeth and ignored it. No, he would not fall for that trick again. If he was going to finish, even if he finished last of everyone in the school, he would finish on his terms.

He barged past the other students, uncaring now how he treated them, shoving them aside or dodging under grabbing arms. One student tried to grab his tail, but he curled it back just in time, their fingers slipping over the very tip.

He saw someone with a shock of purple hair before him, and before he knew it, he was barreling into them.

"HITOSHI SHINSOU TAKES THE FORTY-FIRST PLACE!" Present Mic shouted over the baying crowd, "AND IN LAST PLACE WE HAVE-"

Izuku collided with his friend, smashing into him like a missile. The two instantly crumpled together, rolling and falling onto the lush cut turf of the stadium.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Present Mic yelled, his voice bouncing to every corner of the stadium, "IT'S IZUKU MIDORIYA! WHAT AN ABSOLUTELY ASTONISHING RECOVERY, WHAT IS THIS KID MADE OF?"

The crowd erupted into cheers as Izuku finally stopped rolling with his friend and managed to turn himself onto his hands and knees. Or rather, onto his head and knees.

Izuku's body was still burning. Fire was still flowing through his scars threatening his heart and soul and mind. Nemesis was still howling within him, demanding it was let free and furious that it had been denied its chance to do so. He had danced along the tightrope and had come too close. He had been so stupid, so foolish, and it had almost doomed them all.

But he had done it. He had finished the race.

Nemesis roared for more. For blood and fire, to set alight those who had stolen their prized first place. Izuku held it back. He pressed his forehead to the grass, his jaw set and his arms crossed across his chest. Black fingernails dug into the burning scars of his arms as they flickered a hellish blue and his tail spiked and swished with the effort.

He breathed tight, shuddering breaths through a mouth dripping with bile and coppery saliva, his eyes wide and twitching.

"Izuku," Hitoshi panted from beside him and he felt a hand rest gingerly on his shoulder, "Come on, dude, breath it out. Calm it down, you've got this, you made it."

Hitoshi's words were more comforting than perhaps the teenager realized. Nemesis was pushing at his barriers and straining the leash, knowing that it had come so close, so close, to getting what it wanted. But as Izuku panted, it faded back into his soul, not calmed but at least pacified, like a tiger pacing the bounds of its cage.

"Is he okay?" Someone asked. Someone Izuku didn't recognize. He didn't look up. Without the blue fire in his blood, every ache and pain came pulsing back into his body and he breathed hard, forced breaths.

"He's fine, just needs a moment," Hitoshi replied for him, his hand still resting on his friend's shoulder.

A few seconds passed and suddenly more shadows fell across him.

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"Did he get hurt?"

"Here, take this, rehydrate yourself, Izuku."

They were the voices of his friends, Ochaco, Fumikage and Tenya. He felt a blessedly cold bottle of water press to his forearm and with a final, shuddering breath, Izuku pulled himself into a sitting position, his tail laying flat on the grass behind him.

Tenya handed him the drink, which he took and began gulping down. When he finally looked back to the others, he found them smiling softly at him.

"Well done, Izuku," Fumikage spoke first, his arms crossed over his chest, "You almost beat me, you know. It is truly an ill fate you did not."

Dark Shadow was gone, and Izuku had the distinct impression it was to save them all from the shadow-demon's bragging.

"Indeed! You almost beat me too, it's a huge shame you didn't," Tenya added with a nod.

"I can't believe I almost lost completely," Hitoshi sighed as he sat beside Izuku, his hands resting on his raised knees, "Fuck, that was tougher than I thought."

"N-Nemesis wanted to-" Izuku gasped as he spoke, his limbs still shaking from exhaustion and effort. Nemesis had not quite almost taken him, but it had made a huge go at doing so. Pushing it back into him had taken all his effort, as did finishing the race at all. He took another mouthful of water and managed to regain his voice, "Nemesis wanted to use our- my wings to fly over the mines but… the moment I let it I knew it wanted to do more." He shook his head, "I- I couldn't let that happen. Dammit, I shouldn't have ever listened to it."

"Well I think you did the right thing," Ochaco spoke with a soft, apologetic smile, "And think about it like this. You didn't let it get you, that's a huge plus for everyone."

"We will avenge this loss," Nemesis hissed through his brain, "And we will show the world our power. Through shadow and fire will we win this day."

"But hey, you came in last but that's still a pass! And you did it without hurting anyone!" Ochaco grinned at him, "You really are getting better!"

Izuku raised an eyebrow at this before allowing a long, slow sigh, allowing the last of his anger and shame and bitterness to leave him. Or at least to be bottled up for now. Ochaco was right, though her point felt small. He had passed, just barely, just by the skin of his teeth.

So, story of his life.

Now of course, he had to face the next round.

He really, really, hoped it wouldn't be anything to do with combat.


The dark room was lit only by the glow of the TV screen. It was a large TV and looked bizarrely out of place considering its almost medieval surroundings. The cold stone of the walls clashed with the large, stripe-patterned couch sitting in the center of the room, though the wooden, glass-topped coffee table and the ornate floor rug at least helped tie things together.

Shigaraki Tomura watched the TV, his pale skin almost ghost-like in the gloom. He leaned forward, his back arching and pulling the bandages he wore tight across his body. He wore black pants and a long-sleeved black shirt as always. His robe was placed to one side though, he found it sometimes got a little hot.

He had been healing well, or so his doctor had told him, and soon he would be well enough to begin reapplying the sigils of protection and strength. The ones the demon Nemesis had torn from him with a single swipe.

His hands curled slowly, pressing against his knuckles as he bridged them, his elbows resting on his thighs.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" The voice of the announcer, the hero Present Mic, shouted through the speakers, "IT'S IZUKU MIDORIYA! WHAT AN ABSOLUTELY ASTONISHING RECOVERY, WHAT IS THIS KID MADE OF?"

The camera focused on the young man who was face down on the turf of the field looking like he was struggling to stop himself from screaming to the wind. Beside him, a boy with Arabic skin and a shock of deep purple hair spoke to him, though whatever he said was lost.

Tomura's eyes narrowed slowly.

The boy's black, spear-tipped tail flicked and tensed, then slowly seemed to relax. At the same time, the strange blue tint which had flashed along his interconnecting scars faded.

His jaw tightened and his teeth clicked together in his mouth. That was the boy. That was the demon-host who had caused all his plans to fail. That was the one who had eaten Legion. They still could not find all their parts, and they'd been scrying and searching for weeks now. His Sensei was wondering if they should even bother with reassembling it at all, at this point it would be easier to hand the new host body to another demon.

After all, Legion wasn't the only powerful demon in Hell.

Tomura, however, didn't care. All he cared about was killing that boy and enslaving Nemesis to his own will. At least, that's what he wished to do. He suspected his Father had different plans.

"Well, that was interesting, wasn't it?"

At the sound of the voice, Tomura instantly stiffened, his back shooting straight before he suddenly moved. In one fluid motion, he stood from the couch and to the floor, where he turned, fell to one knee and bowed his head low.

"F-Father! I-"

Father Satani chuckled, "Do not worry, my child, you are still recuperating, and a little TV time never hurt anyone, now, did it?"

The voice was like the finest of wine, flowing from an emerald green bottle to a perfect crystal glass cup. A cup already half-filled with the blood of an innocent soul. There was no gender to the voice, and really, he knew that Father wasn't even a he, or a she, or any particular sex whatsoever. He only used male pronouns because he was Father Satani, their spiritual leader, second only to his Sensei in authority within the Heralds of Eversoris.

And even then, that authority was more… shared than tiered. Kurogiri had once likened it to a marriage. Tomura dared not even think such things, and he had chastised Kurogiri for giving such thoughts a voice.

No one spoke ill of Father Satani. He always knew if they had, and they would always be punished for their transgressions.

A hand came to rest on his shoulder, and instantly he felt warmth flow from the touch. A warmth that whispered to him untold, forbidden sins and pleasures, of sadistic bliss and hedonism unquestioned.

He dared a glance to the hand and saw the perfect, marble-white skin of his Father. The nails were long however, clawed almost, and painted the perfect pitch of void-black. They connected to a slender arm that was devoured by great, flowing white robe of gilded, impossibly alluring, migraine-inducing patterns.

"You know, I believe I'll join you." The hand removed itself and Father glided past him, as saying something as crude as 'walked' or 'stepped' did not suit the unearthly motion of Father's movements. They were too perfect and too inhuman.

As his touch left him, so did the warmth, and almost instantly there was a moment of aching void that opened up with Tomura. His body mourned the loss of that touch, that whispering, sadistic power. It faded quickly, as he had long since grown used to the sensation.

The young man remained where he was, his head still down as he heard his Father sit upon the couch.

The motion made Tomura feel uncomfortable. This was… not like his Father. Usually, he was so elegant and refined and removed himself from such things like watching TV. "Father, surely you-"

"Don't presume to tell me what to do, Tomura," There was no threat to the words, but then again, there wouldn't be. Father never threatened anyone, his words were too beautiful, too soothing to the ear to bully or force compliance.

Father did punish, however.

And so Tomura kept his mouth shut.

"Come, join me, let's watch this boy, the host of Nemesis, together. Consider it a bonding moment, between Father and Child."

Tomura hesitated for another moment before slowly rising and moving back to the couch, sitting as far as he dared from the flawless Fallen Angel. Despite all that he had gone through, all that he had seen, Tomura had never gotten used to the feeling of power that radiated from Father Satani.

It was intoxicating, threatening, maddening, awe-inspiring and, like him, it was perfect. Too perfect. Too wonderful to be good, too glorious to be pure.

Tomura did not look to his Father. He knew better than to lay eyes upon his infernal majesty, at least, not without asking first.

Instead, he kept his eyes focused forwards, on the TV, as they showed scenes of the students once again gathering together before the next round began.

Beside him, his Father moved forward, one elegant leg crossing over the other, his long robes flowing precisely around him, almost like they were staged impeccably to further glorify his form.

"Now then, let's see if I am correct about the boy," There was a growing smile to his voice. A smile that held all the kindness of a sadist's mercy kill, "Let's see what my sibling has created."


SO. DAT ENDING HUH. Father Satani makes a little intro, more description to come soon.

Also hope you all enjoyed the race! It was fun to write :D

Anyways, thank you for reading and commenting and I'll see ya'll next update!