This is it. The start. THE BEGINNING... OF HITOSHI'S THREE HOUR LONG LECTURE ON ALIENS. Strap in cos- oh, oh wait. This isn't the three-hour long lecture chapter, this is the start of the Heralds attacking chapter.
... well, you guys can forgive me, right?
As for now, ENJOY ME GOOD DUDES.
The days passed. Three of them, in fact.
The first morning after, Katsuki suddenly showed up at the Tai Chi lesson, alongside a very smug and clearly a little distracted Ibara. Thankfully Katsuki had done nothing but glare at Izuku and stood on the very opposite side of their little line, refusing to speak to him.
Izuku had been glad Aizawa had been there otherwise things might have become… ugly. They still hadn't spoken, not since the whole USJ thing which seemed a million years ago.
And honestly, the Nemesis part of Izuku had absolutely no desire to strike up a conversation. He wanted to heal whatever rifts he could between them, but he felt this wasn't the time. Katsuki was clearly there to watch over Ibara and that was it. He doubted the young man would keep up with Tai Chi and quiet meditation once the camp was over.
After all, in a small post-routine discussion with Fumikage, the bird-headed teenager was sure that Katsuki had spent more time looking at Ibara than the two of them.
Other than that, the days progressed as planned. Each day Izuku went out to his isolated little copse and each day he inched closer and closer to getting just the candlewick lit.
But as the third round of intense training ended, Izuku found himself returning to camp still frustrated.
"I just can't narrow the flame enough," He grumbled beside an exhausted-looking Tenya, who simply nodded. "It's like fwoosh and then blam and then bleeegh," He threw his hands up before looking to his taller friend. "You know?"
"I don't, but I think I understand in the wider context," Tenya straightened up, then chopped one hand into the other. "It's like trying to use my Recipro Burst over and over. Tiger-sensei says I should try to use it on rotation every thirty minutes to build up to using it more, however, in doing so I feel I'm getting weaker at it throughout the day," He sighed, exhaustedly before looking back up. "Clearly I must try harder!"
"You're burning yourself out," Shoto replied as he came up beside Izuku. "Even you can lose focus if you're doing the same thing over and over for hours on end."
Izuku wasn't sure if that was true. He wasn't like the other two, he wasn't fully human like they were and all the little human faults they possessed were less or not even there in himself.
He didn't even feel tired unless he allowed himself to, though he knew pushing himself too far for too long was never a good idea.
"Perhaps we are looking at this wrong?" Nemesis hissed softly through his mind. "It may not be our focus externally, but internally. The more we hand over to us, the better we perform. Perhaps we should be pushing for a higher threshold of endurance."
At one time, such a thought might have scared him. Letting Nemesis take over more, letting his human-self step further back.
But now he considered it as serious as any other option. Perhaps more so.
The worry was that it just another sign he was moving further from his humanity. He wouldn't deny he had apprehensions of relying too much on Nemesis, and yet the more he trained the more he felt as though it was inevitable.
After all, wasn't the goal to one day eliminate both himself and Nemesis as two separate yet linked halves? To become one being, one… Morningstar.
And how human would he be then?
"Izuku?" He turned to see Shoto frowning in concern. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, just… thinking."
Any further questioning was cut short as they approached the camp. The Pussycats were standing, arms folded and grinning, along with Aizawa-sensei and Ken-sensei.
"Ahh! Look at these adorable kittens returning to camp!" Pixie-Bob announced with a wide grin. "Let's hope they're up to the challenge tonight!"
The classes, who had mingled together as they walked, paused, all eyes forward.
"Oh, I'm sure they will be," Mandalay added with a grin. "Because tonight is the Test of Courage!"
A murmur instantly sprang out amongst the students, which was only silenced when Tiger, who was a giant, muscled, and slightly terrifying man with short brown hair and small, serious dark eyes, stepped forward, hands on his hips. "Quiet down! The Test of Courage is a serious endeavor! After dinner is made and the dishes are done, you will be broken into teams of two where each class will take turns terrifying the other! Those that fail to pass the test will get extra lessons courtesy of me."
Izuku hadn't done any training with Tiger, though he knew Hitoshi had. And Hitoshi looked like a sack of fried death each time he'd done so.
So, he knew that the threat wasn't a light one.
Still, the thought of walking around the forest at night with all its many unborn sent a curious thrill down his spine.
It sounded… fun.
After all, as far as he was concerned he would be the scariest thing in the forest. And then getting the chance to terrify the other class?
A rather mean-spirited smile wormed its way onto his face at the thought of getting one over on Ibara and Katsuki.
He had to pretend to cough in order to hide it.
"Better get to work, kit-cats!" Ragdoll, a wide-eyed, green haired woman with a grinning face that shone like sunshine, bounced forward. "And make sure your meal is a hardy one! You're gonna need it!"
The Heralds were almost ready.
Their small, hidden camp stood on an overlooking cliff. Below them the valley spread out, dotted with the bright glow of the Pussycat's HQ. The sun had set an hour ago and the world was plunged into a summer night that was hot and humid. The forest was alive with the sound of screaming insects and hidden, rumbling beasts.
The wind rustled Tomura's robes around him. The night was perfect for the spear-thrust of their attack.
To one side, motionless, stood the newly created demon host. This one was called Kul'thalkar, though that was really just the dominant demon within the beast.
They'd used the corpse of the man they'd killed a while back, so the monster was huge, hulking, and muscled. A few spines made from jagged bones stuck out from its arms, thick as tree trunks. It was also a sort of fresh-muscle red, and where its head should be was nothing but a mass of teeth and exposed brain tissue, all stamped and seared with binding ruins.
Hopefully, they would succeed where Legion failed.
The others stood nearby, checking their gear and going over last-minute preparations. He watched as Magne fitted her earpiece with a slightly disgruntled frown. They had been engraved as to not give out with the unholy energies they'd be using, though Tomura had his doubts.
He had his doubts about all of them.
His eyes scanned the assembled team. They were supposed to be his flock, his followers, his future court.
He hated them. All of them.
He hated her especially.
But she had yet to arrive. She had made a habit of that lately. She would only arrive when Father arrived, often trailing in his wake. Of course, Father would not be on this mission. He was too important, and he needed to be at the church to make the final preparations for what was to come.
Tomura's fist curled in cold jealousy.
She would be the first to go. Once he ascended, she would die. Father might be angry at him, but he would get over it.
Any punishment was worth suffering to get rid of that parasitic little girl.
Suddenly, before him, the air opened as a black hole split into reality. The wind rushed into it like a death rattle and, as it widened, the others looked up to see two figures exit.
The first was Father Satani, as he was always first, resplendent in his ornate robes and brilliant golden jewelry. Following him was Himiko, hooded in her own robes.
"How goes the preparations?" Satani's nightmarishly beautiful voice sang through the night. The sound of insects in the forest seemed to whimper.
"We're almost ready, Father," Tomura announced with a bow. "We can strike soon."
"Good. Shuichi, did you do as I asked?"
The lizard-like man looked up from where he had been wrapping tape around one of his hands. He nodded swiftly and then reached to the two weapons he had strapped to his back.
"I did what you wanted, Father. The first blood these blades tasted was mine." He held the weapons out. They were huge, teethed axes, etched with hellish symbols. They looked old, sharp, and bloodthirsty. Literally, as Tomura stood by, he could feel the battle hunger radiating from the weapons.
They wanted blood. They demanded blood.
"And their names?"
"This one," Shuichi held out the right blade, "Is called Massacre. This one," He held up the left, "Is called Slaughter."
Father nodded, "Good. They will serve you well. Listen to them and let them guide your hand in battle."
"I will, Father."
"Dabi," Father Satani looked to where the black-haired man was sitting on a rock. His eyes had been as Tomura's had, scanning the forest and watching the distant, flickering lights. "Are you not going to use my gift?"
The man looked to the Fallen Angel and answered carefully, "… not now. Not for this. My fire will be enough."
"After I so graciously gave it to you," Father Satani sighed as if all the world was letting them down. "For shame." He shook his head softly, then looked back to Tomura. "Are you ready to cast the spear? To declare this a true battle?"
"I'll take the spear and stab it through the first heart I see," Tomura replied with a harsh tone.
"No," Father replied with a smile. "No, you won't."
Tomura felt his blood go cold. "… but- but Father, this is my battle-"
"This is not your battle," Father cut in sharply, instantly silencing the man. "Think, Tomura. If you were to be hurt here, or even fall, all would be lost. A true King knows when to step away, to allow others to work for them." He stepped aside and held out a hand towards Himiko, who stepped forward.
She was smiling under her hood.
"Himiko will lead this strike."
"… what."
"What?" Dabi stood up, his hands suddenly striking into blue flame. "That child is going to tell us what to do?"
"It'll be my honor to serve you, Father. Tomura." The girl giggled as she took her hands from her robes, and quickly, almost in one swift movement, removed it.
Her robes dropped to reveal a surcoat, white with golden flames painted along its segmented trim. Under that, she had on a black bodysuit, one that ended at her knees and elbows. On her feet were, oddly, a pair of sandals that tied up to her ankles. Her hair flowed naturally from her head, untied despite the possible hazards it could cause.
She took in a deep breath and she stepped forward, then let out a matching long breath of air.
Tomura felt his heart hammer in his chest, and it was all he could do to stop from screaming in rage, in horror, and perhaps just a tiny bit, in fear.
Himiko looked to him, grinning like the cat that had caught the mouse. "Don't worry. I'll make sure this mission goes off without a hitch," She turned, matching eyes with everyone on the cliff. "Just follow my orders, and it'll be fine. Trust me!"
"She has my blessing in this," Father Satani announced in a voice that was both a suggestion and a command. "Don't disobey her."
There was a small pause before the others nodded in response. No one was going to go against the orders of their Father, after all.
Kurogiri formed another portal and Father Satani reached into it, drawing out a long, ornate looking spear. Its tip was as black as the depthless void, like a solid piece of unlight.
He held it aloft as if admiring it, before moving over to Dabi, lowing the tip before him. "Would you like to do the honors?"
The man fixed Father with a harsh look before looking at the spear. He placed his hand over to tip before allowing azure hellfire to burst from his palm. The tip of the spear lit in spectacular fashion, blazing in the night like a beacon of oncoming war.
Father Satani moved back over to Tomura, holding the spear out towards him. With a stiff bow, Tomura took it, then turned and moved to stand by the edge of the cliff. The wind again rushed and danced around him, but he held his ground.
Himiko's eyes… he could feel them, as sharp and as dangerous as the dagger she was slowly pushing into his spine
His grip on the spear tightened. He wouldn't let her win. He wouldn't let this upstart bitch take his position, not when he was so close to his goal.
He raised the spear and readied it, "In the name of our Glorious Sensei. In the name of our Father Satani. In the name of the Hell that is to rise, I cast this spear." His eyes narrowed, "Ora pro nobis Satani."
And with that, he hurled the spear towards the Pussycats HQ. It wouldn't reach it, of course, they were much too far away for that. But that wasn't the point.
It was the symbolism of the act.
The spear flew through the air, a blinking azure fire that fell and vanished into the forest.
"Good. Now come, Tomura. The final preparations for your ascendency must be made."
And with that, Father Satani turned and vanished back into the swirling black portal that Kurogiri produced.
However, as Tomura turned to follow him, he passed Himiko.
And he stopped, grabbing her arm tightly. Not with all five fingers, but tightly, nonetheless.
Without looking to her and in a low tone, he hissed, "You'll die before I rise. Your soul will fuel my power, and your bones will be ground into the ash at the end of the world."
She didn't move, though as he turned his head to glance at her, she met his gaze.
He saw her eyes.
Her serpentine, golden eyes.
"Do you really think so, false prophet? Watch me succeed where you failed," She pulled her arm out of his grasp and began striding to the edge of the cliff. "And then we will see who ascends."
"I swear I saw it."
"Uh-huh." Hitoshi looked to Izuku, one eyebrow raised.
"It was like… a blue flash? Falling from that cliff."
"You think it was a UFO or something?"
"I- wait, do you think aliens exist?"
"Well yeah, duh. I mean, the math says we can't be alone in the universe."
"Whose math is that?"
"Frank Drake."
"Who?
"Frank Drake? The guy who came up with the Drake equation? Am I the only one around here who stays up all night watching weird youtube videos about aliens?
"Why would aliens be here though?"
"World conquest, obviously. Oh! Or maybe it was a ghost. Oooooh~" Hitoshi grinned and wiggled his fingers as Ochaco and Tsuyu began walking off into the forest, the frog girl taking Ochaco's hand in her own.
"… yeah, naw."
They were standing in a large opening which Pixie-Bob had made just for the occasion. The night was dark, though the Pussycats had brought a few flashlights for the students. Not that anyone going into the forest had any of those, of course.
That would surely spoil the fun.
No, the path was lit only by the moon and stars above, both of which seemed intent on hiding behind the occasional passing cloud.
Class B was to start out as the scarers while class A was to walk the route. There were tags with their names on at the far end of the route, with the goal being to take their tags and return with them. Izuku and Hitoshi were supposed to go together, though Nemesis had already boasted that they didn't need anyone and could pass it alone.
Really, Izuku was more excited for when it was their turn to scare class B.
"Do ghosts exist?" Hitoshi put a hand to his chin in thought. "I mean, souls exist. Maybe some stick around after they die."
"I'll ask Lucifer about it," Izuku replied in a low tone, not sure who was listening in and not wanting to take any risks.
Hitoshi paused for a moment. "You and Lucifer have gotten pretty close, huh?"
"What?" Izuku's voice echoed as he turned back to Hitoshi, his expression tight and irritated, "No we haven't!"
"You talk about him a lot you know," Hitoshi folded his arms, keeping his eyes forward. "Maybe you should introduce us sometime."
"No, never."
"You know I think we'll be okay," Hitoshi glanced at his frowning friend. "You're there. His weird assistant said we're your court. I bet it'll be, like, some weird, hellish breach of conduct if he tried to harm us."
"We said no," Izuku snapped before sighing and drawing his inner Fallen back. "I mean, I- I get what you're saying, I do. Honestly, I do. But… you don't… you can't…" He fumbled for the right words.
He knew some already, but he wouldn't say them.
You're mortals. You wouldn't understand.
Izuku frowned, mostly at himself, defeated. "… maybe I can talk to him. See if I can… get you some protection from his… him."
"… you do that," Hitoshi replied with a strange, flat tone.
A moment passed. A moment in which Izuku felt oddly removed from Hitoshi, even though his best friend was standing right beside him.
"Look, Hitoshi, I-" He paused suddenly.
His tail curled behind him.
"What?" Hitoshi asked, looking to him with his arms folded across his chest.
"Do you smell that?" It was a familiar scent. One he'd tasted on his tongue a thousand times before. It was ash, and burning wood, and devouring flame.
He could smell it on the gentle breeze.
"No?" Hitoshi raised his nose up and sniffed the air before frowning. "Where's it coming from?"
"Over there," Izuku pointed to his left, to the direction of the breeze.
The direction where, after only a few seconds of looking, he could see something far in the distance.
A glow.
An azure glow.
Fear was rising in his heart, battling with the sudden, intense desire to go out and fight whatever was there. The war within paralyzed him, his whole body freezing in place. He knew what that blue flame meant, what it could mean for everyone here.
Demons.
But for him it was something entirely different.
A challenge.
"Why are you smiling?"
He turned back to Hitoshi. He had been utterly unaware he'd been smiling, but he knew why. He couldn't tell him the truth.
"I'm not!" He turned the smile into a grimace. "Somethings wrong, it has to be connected to what I saw. Maybe someone started a fire and-"
"Students!" The two boys turned to see Mandalay with one hand up, drawing the attention of the crowd as the other two Pussycats, Tiger and Pixie-Bob began moving to the edges of the forest, clearly drawing up a boundary of protection.
They knew something was happening. There was a growing fear in the air and the shadows started to seem darker and deeper.
Izuku had suddenly noticed that the unborn, which he had seen often in the dark overhang of the forest, were fleeing.
Goddamnit, he could feel his excitement starting to rise. The battle-lust of Nemesis knew that something was about to happen. Something that would involve blood and fire and the swinging of sharp claws.
He had to keep his eagerness in check, even as he felt his Fallen-self boost fire into his blood. Unlight was starting to crawl up along his arms and legs, shifting the muscle and bone.
"Gather together! I'm going to lead you back to camp while Pixie-Bob and Tiger-"
She was cut short by a roar.
A roar that was of no creature born of the earth, but one that Izuku knew was born purely of the shadows of Hell. A roar that was loud and sky shaking. A roar that was, undeniably, avian.
"Dark Shadow?" Hitoshi gasped, his whole body freezing where he stood.
Which gave Izuku the single opening he needed.
"I'm going to go find Fumikage!" He shouted suddenly, moving before he was even thinking. His legs sprinting towards the forest where Fumikage and his teammate, Shoji, had vanished not more than ten minutes before. "Stay here! Protect everyone else!"
"IZUKU MIDORIYA, STOP!" The command came not from Hitoshi but from Pixie-Bob.
But while Izuku heard her, he openly chose to ignore her.
Dark Shadow was unleashed. And it didn't matter if his blood was burning for a fight, he knew without a doubt that there was no one else here, save perhaps Hitoshi, Katsuki, or Shoto, who could stand against the demonic crow. But they were already too far into the forest, and if this was what he truly thought it was, they would have their hands full soon enough.
No, this was his fight. He had to stop him. And he had to do it now.
"IZUKU! Dammit," Hitoshi had gone to chase after his friend, but was stopped by a sudden hand on his shoulder.
Tiger growled down at him even as Izuku vanished into the shadow of the forest. "Stay here!"
"But my friend-"
"We'll get him as soon as we can, but you have to listen to us," The giant of a man barked before gently pushing him back towards the others. "Tenya Iida!"
The teenager, who had been patiently waiting with his partner, Mashirao, seemed to jolt back into life. He blinked, then straightened up stiffly, "Y-Yes, sir?"
"Take the students back to the headquarters and do not engage anyone! You are to regroup with Aizawa there, do I make myself clear?"
"Y-Yes, sir! Class one-A!" He turned to the others, holding out a stiff arm. "Let's go! Hurry!"
The others began to move, unsure at their retreat. Hitoshi felt the same. He was supposed to be a hero, dammit, and whatever this was it was clearly a situation for heroes to act in. Falling back felt… wrong.
A terrible scream wrenched Hitoshi out of his thoughts, and all eyes turned towards Pixie-Bob.
There was a knife sticking out of her shoulder.
The alarm ran so quickly and so suddenly through the group that they almost didn't react. The blood was so fresh, so red, and the pain on her face so openly terrible that for a moment every soul was frozen with just blind shock.
But then the heroes kicked in.
Tiger rushed from Hitoshi's side towards his teammate, while at the same time Mandalay quickly turned and did the same. Several of the students stood, unsure on what to do, how to react.
Things were falling into chaos.
Hitoshi, however, knew now for sure that he was not going to retreat. He hadn't been there when others needed him, he hadn't been the hero he needed to be when others were in danger.
He was going to turn that around here, now, tonight.
Though even he hesitated when he saw two shadows emerge out of the dark line of the forest.
One was a tall, bulky figure carrying what looked like a giant hammer over one shoulder. The other was slimmer, slightly shorter. Both were dressed in long, flowing surcoats of dark shadow black and blood red trim with heavy combat boots. Though the shorter of the two had their arms and head completely covered in black gloves and a black facemask.
The taller one grinned, and in a slightly husky voice, announced, "Good to know my aim isn't off."
Hitoshi knew, immediately, that these were the Heralds of Eversoris.
"VILLAINS!" Tiger roared as he stood before a wincing, bleeding Pixie-Bob.
"Victims," The short man hissed out in a tone that reminded him of Dark Shadow, of Kuroiro, and slightly, of Nemesis.
"Get back! All of you! Get back to the HQ!" Pixie-Bob shouted suddenly to the students, and indeed some of them began to step back and away.
But Hitoshi didn't
Because he had just realized something terrible.
"… where's Kota?"
Even as he spoke the words, he felt his stomach turn to ice and his heart almost stop within his chest. The sky was now black with smoke which the blue, devouring flame flickered against in the far distance.
He stepped back, his legs starting to move once again, "… guys, get back to the HQ. I… I need to go…"
"Hitoshi!" Tenya barked, his voice stern and heavy. "You can't go off on your own!"
"I need to find Kota!" He shouted back before turning away from his friend. "Don't worry! Just get back to the HQ!"
And with a sudden burst of One For All, he turned away from his friends, his classmates, and his teachers and began rushing through the forest. The air was hot with the fire but still seemed chilled against his now sweating skin and he prayed with all that he had to a God he hoped was watching that these monsters hadn't reached Kota just yet.
Ochaco and Tsuyu paused as they looked at the sight before them.
Someone was standing in their path. Someone they didn't recognize. Someone clad in the same chainmail-like armor they had seen the Heretic Killer dressed in, but theirs was darker and somehow more… bloodthirsty.
The thought became even more apparent as he stood up. His shoulders were strong, broad, and hulking.
Ochaco's eyes darted to the man's feet, where a pool of red was slowly forming.
Her stomach dropped from under her as she heard a soft, wet ripping noise and then the undeniable clump of a body falling to the floor.
All air was robbed from her lungs, all blood drained from her muscles and her heart barely beat as she saw the body of Ragdoll fall at the man's feet.
She was lifeless, her eyes wide and staring, her mouth open in an eternal scream which would never end.
Beside her, she felt Tsuyu's hand grip tighter, tighter, ever tighter on her own. She let out a strangled, choking, and terrified croak that died on the air before them.
The man turned towards them.
He was some kind of giant lizard, and when he started growling, his teeth were lined and pink with the consumed flesh of his heroic victim.
But what was most terrified of all, even above the image of the half-shadowed woman's body, dismembered and torn apart before them, were his eyes.
They were red. Completely red. A bloody, unholy rage that spoke of madness beyond anything she could ever wish to have nightmares of.
And they were focused on her.
Blood dripped from a pair of huge, toothed axes as the man turned fully to face the two young would-be heroes, and as he raised them, a single, barely controlled sentence slipped through his teeth.
"Blood for Satani."
Only a few moments earlier and Aizawa had been casually discussing with Sekijiro how they should proceed with the extracurricular lessons.
They had been considering a team-up, what with Tetsutetsu being the only member of Class One-B to have failed his exams. Apparently, he had done much the same as Eijiro, charging in without thinking while his partner had just about managed to pull it out the bag.
Aizawa didn't know a whole lot about Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, but he did know that trying to go headfirst into Ken's waves of pure concrete was never a good tactic.
Unless you were All Might.
And even he might get tired of punching wall, after wall, after wall.
He had been about to suggest some group tasks focusing on situational awareness before Mandalay's voice had cut through his thoughts.
And his blood had run cold.
Villains were attacking the camp. An unknown number with an unknown amount of strength. Already several students seemed out of Mandalay's reach, and they couldn't find Ragdoll to give a constant update on the locations of the missing students.
Within moments Aizawa had been moving. Sekijiro had immediately told him he'd remain in the building, protecting the kids who were there while waiting for the others to arrive.
His quirk worked better in tight, narrow corridors anyway.
So Aizawa had turned and simply left, knowing where he would be best placed. Outside, blunting the main force of their attack.
His heart pounded in his chest as he moved, and the scar under his eye seemed to pull tight and burn against his skin.
They couldn't have picked a better time to strike, nor a better place. The school had purposely chosen this spot because it was so far out and isolated. No one was supposed to know they were here.
So how the hell had they found them?
No, that wasn't important right now. What was important was getting the students to safety.
He could already smell the fire and ash in the air, and he hoped that the HQ was isolated enough so the flames wouldn't jump to them.
But he also had to take out one causing the fire.
He paused for just a second as he passed a window, glancing out with horrified eyes to behold the tree line.
The fire was blue.
And he knew of only two people who used a blue flame. One was Izuku, who he knew despite the darkness inside him would never do anything so terrible.
The other… the other was long fallen.
His heart froze even more at the thought of his greatest failure returning to face him again.
He burst through the double doors of the main building, all but ready to go rushing into the unnatural darkness of the forest.
But instinct screamed at him to turn.
"Hey, Erasure, long time no see?"
The world erupted into flame. A fire that raced to consume every living thing it touched. A fire he barely avoided and, honestly, mostly didn't. His clothes, skin, and hair were instantly singed by the devouring flame that exploded around him, less than a second from consuming him entirely. The very heat almost robbed the air from his lungs and the strength from his limbs.
He had never been more thankful for his capture tape, or the hanging light above the HQ doors.
He darted, the flame raking his back as he quickly swung above the light, then dived back down again, his leg hammering down onto the head of his target.
But the black-clad figure moved aside, dodging the blow with an expert grace.
Aizawa moved back, one hand on his capture tape, his eyes focused but without his goggles on he knew he was at a disadvantage.
He was at a disadvantage for another reason, too.
Because he recognized the figure standing before him.
He had changed. Drastically. The youthful smile and energy of the teenager he once knew had gone and in its place was a terrible, grim nihilism that radiated from him in waves. His stitched together cloak matched his stitch together skin, which had burned to a horrible purple. Even now he could smell the scent of burning flesh coming from the man.
If it wasn't for the blue flame, and those eyes which matched it, he might not have ever recognized him at all.
"… you've dyed your hair," Aizawa said in a cold, even tone.
"White wasn't my color," replied the man, "but you knew that, right, sensei?" He chuckled suddenly, "Heh, sensei. I guess old habits are hard to break."
Aizawa took careful breaths. They tasted of burning wood.
"Why are you doing this, Touya?" He spoke calmly, yet the second he mentioned the name he saw the man's eyes widen, then narrow in anger. "You can stop this, here and-"
"MY NAME IS DABI!" Dabi screamed, throwing out his hands as blue fire burned around his fingertips. Yet it died instantly, fading and vanishing to the shocked expression on his face.
Aizawa eyes blazed as he darted forward, quickly grabbed the villain's head, and smashing his knee into his teeth.
They broke easily. Too easily.
He wrapped the capture tape around the shocked man as he fell to the ground, though even as he hit it, Aizawa knew something was wrong.
His gut twisted into a tight knot as he could see Dabi's features starting to melt in a horrible parody of human skin sloughing off bone.
In a maddening last effort to gain some insight, he shouted once again to the quickly decaying figure, "Why are you here?"
Dabi grinned even as his remaining teeth dissolved, "We've come for Prince Nemesis. Father… Satani… summons him…" And with that, the entire body of the man melted in a horrible greyish goo.
Aizawa's head was spinning. What the fuck just happened? It had to be some kind of quirk, yet he knew that had been Touya Todoroki.
His greatest shame had come back to torment him, twisted as deformed as he was.
Aizawa grit his teeth and pulled himself back together. No, he couldn't dwell on that now. He had other students to save, students he could still pull out of the fire before it consumed them as it had done to Touya.
But how had Touya done that? Touya was a fire user and-
… and he was with other villains. It wasn't Touya but a clone of Touya. A copy made to keep him busy while-
The air became filled with screams and explosions and the smashing of trees. Battle was erupting everywhere, in every direction, carried on the burning winds of war.
But now at least he knew. They were after Izuku Midoriya, though why was beyond him. And why had they called him Prince? No, those questions didn't matter. The logic here was clear.
They had come for blood, and they were going to paint the forest red until they found their target.
But the heroes could still win. His mission was obvious. Find Midoriya. Keep him safe.
His feet were moving before he knew it. He was rushing towards where he had left the class with the Pussycats.
He would not let history repeat itself again. Not now when the ghost of his failure had come back to haunt him so openly.
He would stop them, here and now.
As he ran, he raised his hand once again to the pendent he kept under his shirt, and he hoped to the God he had thrown aside that tonight, just tonight, He would keep these kids safe.
Because they would need all the help in this world, and the one above, to get through it.
Katsuki wasn't scared.
Sure, it seemed that there was a fire erupting around them, and the air tasted like burning wood, but he wasn't scared.
He couldn't be scared. He had Ibara with him, after all. They had just managed to scare the crap out of Half-And-Half and Nudist Girl not five minutes ago.
It was rather creative, actually. Ibara had been using her vines to slowly sneak up behind them, and when they were distracted by the rustling forest, Katsuki would let out a sudden explosion to shock them.
Nudist Girl had basically jumped into the air. Half-And-Half had blinked and then continued on.
Bastard.
But then, as they got themselves ready for the next group, the night sky had become tinged with the hint of a terribly familiar blue.
And then the screaming had started. From deep within the forest they had heard it, not the sudden shrieking of shocked teenagers playing about in the midnight shade. But the fearful, terrified screaming of fear.
There was one scream that tore above all others. That inhumanly loud, demonically avian cry that had truly set his scars burning and the hair standing on the back of his neck.
He had given one look to Ibara, and together they had begun moving.
Naturally, their instinct was to head towards the others at the very end of the loop. They had to make sure they were okay first, then they could link up and head back. As Ibara had put it, there was strength in numbers, and a Knight did not leave others behind.
But their path had been blocked.
Katsuki almost hadn't noticed him. He was wearing some kind of all black leather suit and it was only because of the light being given by the distant fire that he had picked out this strange, tall, thin silhouette in the darkness of the forest.
The figure had twitched in a way that was utterly unnatural. A creepy, back-breaking spasm that made it seem as though something inside the thing had tried to lurch out of it.
Then it went back to being corpse still.
Ibara had her vines already curling around her, ready to crash over the thing like a wave, and Katsuki felt his explosions popping into his hands.
He also felt sweat running down his spine and the hair standing on the back of his neck. His scars seemed tight on his face, and that only made him angrier.
"Who are you?" Ibara called out to the dark figure.
There was no answer.
Katsuki's stomach began to twist slowly, painfully.
"In the name of God, I demand you answer me!"
The thing didn't speak as much as it let out a horrible, inhuman gargling from its open mouth. As Katsuki's vision had adjusted to the flickering light, he could see its eyes, its nose, its entire head, and face were completely wrapped up in tight bondage-like leather. All except its mouth.
And it opened its mouth. Wider. Wider. Wider.
He could hear its bones cracking. Its spine breaking as it screamed its blood-curdling cry into the night.
And then it charged.
It moved faster than Katsuki would have thought, though thankfully Ibara moved faster. Her hair, the wave of vines she had prepared, smashed into it like a tide. Within seconds it was drowned under a mountain of curling, spined vines, her hands moving in soft motions that he had only recently discovered to be Tai-Chi, as she began wrapping them around their attacker.
He had seen this before, in the fight with Shoto.
But this time it didn't work.
She gasped loudly as something shot through her vines and past her cheek, cutting a neat slice across her skin as it did so.
Katsuki dived into her, knocking her to the floor as five more shot out of the vast ball of vines, cutting, and slicing it to pieces.
They were long, razor-wire-like blades, and they most certainly would have decapitated them if they had still been standing.
They both quickly rolled up and back to their feet, even as the figure came skittering out of the ball, writhing, and screaming into the night. Though it was not in pain, but in some sick, undiluted joy. And it made the bile rise in Katsuki's throat.
Thankfully, the foul taste of ash somehow managed to keep it down.
The monster rose as more razor-wires shot out of its body. They were coming from within the folds of its bizarre leather bonds, all the while the mouth continued to scream and chatter and snap at everything around it, blind and hungry and too wide and big for its own head.
"This… this is a demon," Ibara stammered before her iron will took over. Katsuki could see the change in an instant. He had wished before that she would let her guard down, that she would let go of the templar paladin she had been hammered into being, if only for a short time.
But just for tonight, he was glad to see that not all the old training had softened. If this was an attack, if the Heralds had returned to extract a blood vengeance on their class, then he would need her.
Especially if… if Nemesis was the one to bring them here.
Or even if he wasn't.
A thousand questions and concerns ran through his mind but with a tight, clenched-teeth breath he pushed them aside. Deal with the now, deal with the monster before him, then he could see where Nemesis stood.
"Okay, so what do we do?" He growled out as the thing seemed to twitch and jerk again in its horrifically unnatural motions.
"We do the work of the Lord, and we send it back to Hell," Ibara summoned her hair around her again and again, moved her arms forward, this time focusing her hair into one tight weave that curled and twisted in mid-air.
The vines missed. Incredibly the thing dodged out the way, before spinning in place as it fired off more of its own razor-wire vines. Katsuki dodged as one of them sliced into the earth where he had been only moments before, cutting a swathe through the dirt.
He could only imagine what would have happened if it actually managed to hit him.
No.
He growled and snarled in fury as he forced his thoughts back onto the battle. He and Ibara were circling around now, trying to flank it on each side as they fought for an advantage. Yet the thing moved so quickly and so erratically that he couldn't see an opening. He let his fire explode from his palms, hoping to land a hit on it somehow, maybe even engulfing it in enough fire that it would back down.
It simply kept coming. It seemed somehow immune to the disorientation of explosions, and Katsuki ducked and rolled as one of its razor wires sliced across where his shoulders had been only seconds ago. It cut clean through the bark of the tree behind him, causing him to move again as it toppled and fell down onto the pathway.
Ibara was there in a heartbeat, raising up on her vines as she moved gracefully, yet with eyes as cold and as focused as a forged sword. She knew her target, and she knew more than anyone how deadly this thing was. What it was capable of. What it took to stop it.
Katsuki had never been happier to have her by his side. And in that split second as she rose to be illuminated by the moonlight, he saw her.
A warrior-priestess. A deadly bane to the dark around them.
A Templar of God.
And he thanked God for Ibara Shiozaki.
It was the first time he had ever thanked God for anything.
But he had no time to dwell as she moved to bring down a vast hammer upon the wretched creature.
It twitched and turned, and even if wasn't fast enough to avoid the blow. The monster was smashed down into the ground and surely, surely that was the end of it.
Yet like a mass of writhing tendrils, the wires shot up and out, slicing through the air, through the arm of Ibara's mighty hammer of vines, and cutting it off completely from her control. The vines were torn to pieces as it again rose up.
She had done damage though. Some of its bizarre, bondage-like uniform had been torn.
And this time Katsuki did not manage to hold his bile back. It came spewing from his lips and he had to stumble away into the bushes to regain his composure.
She had torn the mask around its face.
Its face.
It… it has no eyes. It had no skin. Its muscle stretched across open, exposed bone which showed signs of being chiseled and filed into strange, bizarre, unnatural shapes.
Katsuki had vomited because he realized it wasn't wearing a bondage suit of leather. That was its skin.
"Great God Almighty," Ibara's soft words came across the path, and he looked to see she had taken another cut on her arm. It was bleeding quickly, as clean cuts of metal often did. She seemed to not even notice as it soaked into the white of her shirt.
That brought Katsuki's thoughts in line. The thought of her hurt, of something hurting her. That wouldn't stand. Even more than the thought of Nemesis unleashing this terror on them, or the Heralds of Eversoris, or whoever it was doing all of this.
Her. Ibara being hurt.
That's what really got him mad.
"You… fucking… piece of SHIT FUCKING DEMON FUCK YOU!" Katsuki screamed into the night, spitting the last of the bile out of his mouth and clenching his fists.
It turned its eyeless face towards him, still making those bizarre, horrific clacking noises with its mouth filled with too many teeth.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and forced a battle-ready grimace to his face.
"I'm gonna make you wish you were back in Hell."
And at that, he charged.
His battle cry was just another desperate, terrible echo amongst the night of fire and chaos.
So... IT BEGINS.
Hopefully it'll be satisfactory for everyone. I've learned lessons from the Sports Fest and I'm trying to keep this contained and quick, rather than drawing it out needlessly. Still, I tried to keep it all exciting and fun and tragic and lots of things. But yes, we're finally getting the Dark Shadow vs Izuku/Nemesis fight that we've ALL been waiting for since... like chapter 16 or something I dunno.
And it's a doozy.
But of course, we have Hitoshi rushing off to do his own heroic thing! And Katsuki and Ibara and of course, lurking in all this mess is Himiko. Himiko who now has the eyes of Satani, finally. It's funny how she now has her canon eyes... sorta.
Either way, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Next up we have Hitoshi vs totally-not-demon-muscular and Izuku vs Dark Shadow. A double fight creature feature! Till next time, thank you for reading and keep safe! Peace!
