Inko Midoriya was a normal woman, well not really, but she supposed that she was relatively normal compared to her husband. Trained as an assassin from childhood, she was one of the best around. After all, what can someone really do when their still beating heart was ripped out of their chest? She had been given a mission to kill Hisashi Midoriya and she obeyed. For some reason she couldn't understand at the time when she failed in her mission. Instead of killing her, Hisashi took her in. For months she underwent extreme psychological deconditioning. By the end of it Hisashi took her to see the directors of the organization she had formerly been used by. They were on their knees chained up. Usually Hisashi allowed one of his subordinates to kill such important figures, but this time he allowed her to do it. She can still remember how romantic it was. To allow her to kill her former masters. It still made her blush when she thought about it.
After that Inko worked under Hisashi as his personal guard for some time and eventually they fell in love. Most sane women would have walked away knowing just who he was. Clearly she was not most sane women, because she chose to marry the man. To be honest she lived a pretty normal life even married to the most powerful man in Japan. While he was often gone Hisashi still came by as much as he could. All in all she was quite satisfied with the life she had.
Then they had Izuku. Inko wanted the boy not to have to carry Hisashi's burden. Hisashi survived at least one assassination attempt a year and that was on a good year. She would know. To say that the man had taken over Japan was an understatement. Perhaps she should be worried that a single man had such power but she didn't think he would abuse it. She had seen him wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat because of ghosts from his past.
It had been nearly two hundred years since so many had died that Day, but it seemed that he would never forget what had happened. All of the elders she had met who lived through that time all agreed. If something like that Day ever happened again then the world would be gone. That day had truly traumatized the entire supernatural world. Not only had humanity lost all of its Campiones but the Heavens, their Archangels, the Underworld, their Satans, and even the Wizard Marshal of the Clocktower died on that day. If that wasn't bad enough then the appearance of quirks made a bad situation into a calamity.
Some parts of the world had yet to even start to recover. Japan was leading the world in terms of prosperity and stability. A carefully calculated situation created by Hisashi. The man didn't rest and carried the weight of Japan upon his back. He often spoke to her that his greatest dream was to give his position to a worthy successor and retire with her to the countryside. Unfortunately, none met his criteria. When Izuku was born he was so happy. Even when they found out that Izuku had no Magic Circuits or a Sacred Gear he was still elated. Still, she made Hisashi promise that he would not push Izuku into becoming his successor. He agreed all too easily. Inko thought that she could give Izuku a normal life. She did everything in her power along with Hisashi to ensure that Izuku wouldn't have to lead a life like either of them and yet it soon became clear that all her efforts were in vain.
Izuku was not a normal child, not by any stretch of the imagination. He never cried and rarely complained. She had never seen him get anything below a ninety in any of his grades. Though he was a helpful child to all, there was never any empathy behind his actions. He was like a machine that received an input and output what he thought was the correct answer. That's not to say he didn't have emotions. No, she knew that he loved both her and Hisashi, but the problem was that he seemed to have two separate groups in his mind. People he cared about and people he didn't. Finally he had inherited the worst trait from Hisashi that he could. He loved fighting.
She desperately wished that it hadn't been so but alas the world was not so kind to her. Izuku would never live a normal life. Not because of his parents. No, in spite of everything they had done he would never live a normal life because that was just not in his nature. Pseudo quirk training was considered far too extreme and was outlawed as a practice in many countries for a reason. That a ten year old could keep up with even a scaled back version of the same training and still go to school is absolutely horrific. Such a thing would be considered child abuse of the worst degree. Despite that Izuku not only completed the training in record time, he also never complained. She had desperately wanted Izuku to give her any reason to convince Hisashi to stop with the training but Izuku gave none. Izuku couldn't be classified as a normal person because he was never one to begin with. The apple had not fallen far from the tree at all.
She could see why Hisashi was always so happy nowadays. For someone as long lived as him it must seem like retirement was just a few months away.
Kunou was sitting seiza waiting for the other constituents of the meeting to arrive. Beside her sat her mother Yasaka. She had finally convinced her mother to reopen relations with the wider world rather than hiding in their pocket dimension in Kyoto. Although she couldn't say she blamed her mother, the East Yokai in Kanto had been all but destroyed with its remaining members fleeing to Kyoto for protection. The past few years had been filled with strife but things had finally begun to stabilize in recent years.
She stilled. Her mother had also done the same. Something very potent, evil, and familiar had entered both of their senses. Focusing all of her senses she was able to visualize the being that was drawing near. An adolescent human male. It seemed that it was not him but the katana he was carrying that gave off the darkness. Now that she was focused on it she recognized the blade. The Tsumukari Muramasa hadn't had a user since that Day. She had thought that another wielder would never be found considering that another incarnation of Ahriman had been sealed inside of it by the previous wielder during the final Heaven's Feel. That the last user was insane enough to possess a Reality Marble put into perspective just how crazy you had to be to use the sword without succumbing to its corrupting influence. Although considering how disfigured the human's soul was it seemed as though it was a match made in heaven.
She calmed down and relaxed since he was walking rather calmly with the mediator of this meeting and another human mage. Her mother seemed to come to a similar conclusion as her touki became far more relaxed. Eventually the group of humans neared and she was able to hear their conversations thanks to her enhanced hearing.
"You must act with the utmost respect. Both Yasaka and Kunou have both long reached the Peak of Reason and the members of the HCC who will come will be no different.." The mediator spoke to the young man in a gruff tone.
"Peak of Reason?" The young wielder of the Tsumukari Muramasa asked.
"Oh, you probably know it by the Devil's ratings. Since it's so simple and universal, that's usually taught first." The young female mage spoke with a soft voice.
"The Devil one has Low, Mid, High, Ultimate, and Super Classes right?" The boy asked.
"Yep, humanity mostly determines strength through Levels of Reason. It comes from how magic works for humanity. As mages we utilize the Od we produce from the Mana in the atmosphere to power our spells. In our case magic works in a similar way to an executable computer program, we input Od into the spell and receive the results based upon the nature of the spell itself and the amount of energy poured in. Anything that does not follow this is considered Beyond Reason or as a classification Unreasonable. For the Faith mages, that comes in the form of the Authorities of gods and for Mystery mages, that comes in the form of their True Magics and the like." The young mage explained to the katana wielder.
The boy seemed to be rather new to magic if he did not even know that much. That reminded her of the sword's previous wielder. While they weren't close the man had worked together heavily with Issei and Japan's previous campione to protect the world before dying with both of them on that Day.
"So the Peak of Reason would correspond to Ultimate Class?" The boy asked.
"Yep!" The girl responded chipperly.
"Quiet down. We are approaching the meeting. Remember this could affect the entirety of Japan, so don't speak unless spoken to and whatever you do, do not offend the Yokai." The mediator ordered his two companions.
Soon they arrived. Entering, the mediator kneeled and introduced himself, "I greet Lady Yasaka and Lady Kunou. I am Todoroki Enji, but I am best known as the Flame Hero Endeavor. Today I will be the mediator between the Yokai and the History Compilation Committee. If you feel that you have received any slight please inform me and we shall resolve the situation in a fitting way." That the Flame Hero was mediating today was of great comfort to Kunou. He was one of the few humans that interacted with Yokai as a go between and had helped resolve many problems in the past.
"Sir Todoroki, there is no need to stand on formality. You have helped many yokai in the past. But if I may ask, who are the ones accompanying you?" Her mother asked Todoroki.
"Of course Lady Yasaka. This one." He pointed toward the female mage in miko attire. "Is Mariya Kaede, a descendant of Kusanagi Godou and possesses Spirit Vision of a similar level to Mariya Yuri. And this one." The flame hero pointed to the wielder of the Tsumukari Muramasa. "Is Midoriya Izuku the grandson of Midoriya Ichika and the heir to the Amairin. He has been given permission by his father to act in his name to ensure the smooth proceedings of this meeting with Mariya as his attendant."
Before her mother's reply she spoke, "The boy has the Tsumukari Muramasa."
Todoroki's eyes widened a fraction and his own lifeforce twisted in a way that clearly signified surprise. He turned his face to the boy before asking, "Is that true?"
"Huh, Yeah, why?" The green haired boy asked, slightly confused.
"The Tsumukari Muramasa hasn't been wielded by anyone for nearly two hundred years. All those that tried either died on the spot or were taken over by the curses in the sword and began rampaging." The Mariya explained to the confused boy.
"Yeah, I already knew all that. Is there a problem?" The boy asked, still confused.
"Were you listening?" Todoroki asked the boy.
"Yeah but I don't see how that affects me. I can use the sword just fine." The red eyed boy blankly responded.
She couldn't help herself. "Pft. Hahahaha."
"Lady Kunou?" The red haired man asked.
"Sorry, sorry it's just the boy reminds me of the previous wielder. While I wasn't so close to him, he was rather well known for his eccentricities." I responded, quite happy. Even the boy's broken soul was similar to his.
Her mother broke out into a devious smile and covered it with a fan. "If I may ask young Midoriya, what is your dream?"
"Well, to be a hero I suppose." The boy simply responded.
"A Hero of Justice?" Her mother further pressed.
The boy's life force stilled for a second in surprise, despite not showing it on his face. After the surprise wore off it seemed as though he went into contemplation with quite a few different emotions in the mix.
"I-I do not know. To become a Hero of Justice requires qualities I do not possess. I am not a saint. I know that much." The boy responded.
Interesting.
We had been holding a conversation with the two yokai women for some time waiting for the HCC representatives to arrive. I remember Yasaka and Kunou from somewhere but it definitely wasn't MHA. Yasaka looks just like I remember but Kunou looked fully mature rather than the adolescent that I remember. Both were wearing formal shrine maiden attire with Yasaka wearing a golden crown atop her head. Yasaka seemed to adopt a more mischievous approach especially when it came to me whereas Kunou was more reserved and serious outside of her outburst when we first arrived.
Finally the two HCC members arrived after several minutes. A man and a woman came in. The man had red eyes and black hair and was in a traditional yukata with a katana at his side. The woman had red hair and black eyes and was in a business suit with no particularly apparent weapon on her person. Eventually HCC representatives and the Yokai leadership were sitting opposite to each other at a table with Endeavor, Kaede and I sitting in the middle.
The man in a kimono dipped his head in respect and began, "Lady Yasaka, Lady Kunou I formally greet the Great Leadership of the Yokai, I am Seishuuin Gojo, the current head of the Seishuuin Clan. I am able to speak upon matters pertaining to cooperation between the Yokai of Kyoto and the HCC."
The woman in a business suit copied her companion and bowed her head and said, "I also would like to formally greet the Great Leaders of the Kyoto Yokai, I am Sayanomiya Akane, the current head of the Sayanomiya Clan. I speak with authority on matters pertaining to yokai reintegration into society at large."
"I see. Very well we may start, but know that this is not without any caveats. Know that any signs that my people will be in danger if they leave Kyoto and this deal will be off." The older kitsune declared to the HCC leaders.
"Mother! You agreed to approach this with an open mind." The younger kitsune argued.
"I am, but the world still is in a state of chaos and Japan is still far from an ideal state. No risks can be taken given that our numbers have still not recovered to before." The leader of the Kyoto Yokai stated with a fan covering her lower face.
"But mother-" The younger yokai started.
"Lady Kunou, we understand that given the state of both the Yokai and Japan that this was never going to be an easy process or without bumps in the road." Red told Kunou.
Kunou settled down at that and gave a small sigh. For some reason I feel as though Yasaka was smiling behind her fan. I looked at Endeavor who was just watching at the moment. Considering how accommodating the HCC seems to be I wondered if he was even needed here in the first place. After all, why would you need a mediator to settle disputes if there were no disputes to settle?
Soon the meeting fell into a pace where both sides would bounce around from one subject to another speaking on the merits or disadvantages of certain policies. Somewhere along the line it seems the HCC heads had fully convinced Yasaka to reopen Kyoto to the rest of Japan. Of course that might sound weird because Kyoto was open but the Kyoto Yokai lived in a pocket dimension that was layered atop Kyoto itself. Given how apparently ninety percent of the supernatural species of the world were still in isolation that in of itself could be considered a miracle.
The more direct cooperation between the Kyoto Yokai faction itself and the HCC was a bit more touch and go. As little as humanity had recovered since the Quirk Revolution most supernatural species were extremely long lived as well as having very low fertility rates. That meant that since a large number of them died around two hundred years ago in a supernatural war that everyone loved to allude to but never actually speak about. Yasaka and Kunou were the only Kyoto Yokai currently alive who were at the Peak of Reason. That Yasaka had even agreed to a meeting on neutral ground far enough away from Kyoto that she didn't have access to the Leylines was already an immense show of trust. In the end all they could agree on was that Kunou herself and some of her direct subordinates would work directly with the HCC.
Eventually they somehow arrived to the current state of Japan where the Seisuuin was speaking, "Actually currently villain activity has reached an all time low and public trust is at an all time high since the beginning of the Quirk Revolution thanks to the Amairin. The only reason the HCC didn't dissolve was because of the Amairin."
"The Amairin. Forgive me but while I have heard of them on occasion I'm afraid that due to my isolation I only know of the Amairin from my interactions with Sir Todoroki." Yasaka said.
Endeavor made to answer, but I beat him to the punch, "It's basically just the Japanese Illuminati." Endeavor proceeded to give me a heated look. "What? It's true."
Kunou proceeded to give a small chuckle while Endeavor looked like he wanted to throttle me.
"I mean don't get me wrong, the Amairin are a very nice Japanese Illuminati but they are most definitely the Japanese Illuminati." I declared to the kitsune leaders.
Endeavor looked like the definition of restraint and the HCC leaders looked very surprised. Meanwhile Kunou started laughing quite loudly while Yasaka was hiding her mouth behind her fan. Soon enough Kunou was able to reign her laughter in and everyone was quiet.
"That is quite a claim, boy. If that is true then does the HCC answer to the government as they did in the past or your group?" Yasaka asked calmly.
While I had never been taught about this directly I wasn't stupid. "I mean the Amairin control enough of the government that there isn't really a distinction between the two, so?" I shrugged.
"Oh, so then the HCC answers to the Amairin." Yasaka pressed.
By this point Endeavor looked like he was already resigned to his fate while the two HCC leaders were rapidly paleing but had not said anything yet.
"I mean, technically none of the four founding families of the HCC are subordinate to anyone besides the will of the Japanese government but I suppose that's more like plausible deniability or to protect their pride." I explained.
"Hmm, I see. Then why am I not speaking to your father?" Yasaka asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know. Probably he believed that I was enough or that the HCC would do a good enough job and he had other things to do. I mean he does control essentially every aspect of Japan, so it's not like he can just be in every place at once."
"A fair enough answer." Yasaka snapped closed her fan and put it down on the table. "But if you are able to act in your father's name then tell me. Can you guarantee the safety of the yokai who leave the safety of Kyoto?" Kaede was motioning to me to shut up and Endeavor looked like he wanted to die already. The HCC leaders were no better and looked like I had just set their house on fire.
"No." I responded.
Yasaka's eyebrows raised. Clearly she was surprised at my answer. "Would you care to elaborate?" She asked.
"Sure. The world is a dangerous place even without taking into account the effect quirks have had on our society. Humanity is still capable of great destruction and evil and that has not changed in the years since you went into isolation. While I can say that Japan is at its most stable and peaceful since before the Quirk Revolution, that does not make the world a safe place. If anyone tells you otherwise then they are liars. The world cannot be made into the heavens no matter how much we try. Danger will always exist and no mortal can guarantee the safety of anyone. Not so long as Unreasonable beings exist. But still, nothing will be resolved by hiding in the shadows forever. " I explained my position.
Kunou had clearly liked what I had said and turned to her mother and gave her an 'I told you so' look. Yasaka on the other hand had no expression on her face and looked at me with an intense expression.
"I see, so what would you do in my position?" Yasaka asked with an unamused look.
I made to answer but suddenly a presence fell over me. It felt as though I was being crushed under the weight of a building. I couldn't move and I already felt sweat building on my body. Endeavor and the HCC representatives went from defeated to extremely tense in a second. Kaede looked like she was on the verge of panicking. The Seisuuin went for his blade, the Sayanomiya suddenly had a talisman in her hands, and Endeavor ignited his so far dormant flames. Kunou looked rather distressed and was about to say something but Yasaka held her hand and she stopped.
"Well I'm waiting. Tell me." The nine tailed fox yokai asked me seriously.
"Yasaka, what is the meani-?" Endeavor snapped.
Then I held up my own hand to Endeavor, he took the signal for what it was and stopped. It felt as though I was moving through molasses and like I would black out any second. She was strong, that much I didn't doubt, but to know that just her presence alone could so thoroughly suppress me just showed how big the gap between us was. I could fight her a thousand times and I would lose a thousand times in my current state and this was not nearly close to her full power. A grin spread across my face as I realized this. One day I would be this strong. That much I knew. I wouldn't last long under this pressure though so I had to finish fast. Thankfully I could still just barely use my mouth.
"It depends on what I would value more in the situation. Safety or freedom. Freedom to create alliances could lead to great benefits but also great risk. Personally, I value freedom far more than safety, but I am a child with no real responsibilities. If you want a guarantee of safety I cannot give one but know that should you choose to work with the Amairin then I will make sure you are protected to the best of our abilities." I bit out as I struggled to keep myself upright and awake.
"Oh, can you truly back that claim up boy?" Yasaka asked in a heavy voice.
I could see that nothing I could say would be able to change her mind so I didn't speak. Instead I used my arms to help push myself up to a standing position. I began walking toward Yasaka. Every step I took felt like it had taken a minute. A few times I nearly fell over but I caught myself each time. When I finally reached Yasaka and stood a little over a meter away from her I bowed. It was the deepest bow I could give.
"Yes. Lady Yasaka I can promise you that much as the next head of the Amairin." I tilted my head up to look the woman in the eyes. "Know that at the very least I will always protect the innocent no matter the situation." Yasaka continued to bore down on me for what seemed like hours until I felt the pressure upon disappear. Unfortunately that destroyed my balance and I fell forward right into Yasaka.
"Oh my! So forward." I heard Yasaka say slightly muffled as I was now living every young man's fantasy.
Of course I pulled back as soon as I could but Yasaka wrapped her arms around me and prevented me from leaving her.
"Oh no, you can't leave just yet, not after such a manly display." Yasaka declared with a purr in her voice.
What.
"Mother! Please." Kunou grabbed my arm and started to pull me away from Yasaka. "You're scaring him. There is an order to these things."
"Aww, but I like him. He reminds me of Issei. Can we keep him?" The mother asked her daughter.
"No! You can't just take the heir of such an important clan! Let him go!" Kunou scolded her mother.
"Ok." Yasaka simply said and let go of me, sending me flying toward Kunou since she was still pulling me with force that would cripple a normal man.
As we were falling to the ground I twisted us so I landed first with her atop me. To be honest after the pressure Yasaka gave off earlier I was lightheaded and the fact that she continued to smother me right after that combined with the fall now made me take quite a few seconds to refocus. When I was finally able to see clearly I was able to see Kunou now straddling me with Kaede on the side very close to crying. Yasaka had a broad smile across her face with the HCC leaders having a look of absolute surprise with Endeavor going right back to a defeated expression.
"Oh no, are you alright." Kunou asked in distress.
"Lord Izuku, please don't die on us!" Kaede nearly wailed in panic.
I put a hand atop my head feeling the headache already coming. "I'm alright. Look let's jus-"
Everyone in the room straightened. I was sure we were all feeling the exact same thing. Danger. It was often referred to as a sixth sense, but those who faced danger regularly all seemed to develop a sense. The ability to detect killing intent. What Yasaka had done earlier contained none of it and that was the reason why Endeavor and the HCC leader didn't immediately start a fight. But now everyone in the room felt that killing intent bearing down on them from someone not inside.
Immediately the Sayanomiya and Yasaka both cast wards. I also moved as fast as I could. I changed my position and pushed down both Kunou and Kaede. Then the world went white as the wards held up for all of a fraction of a second before shattering completely and allowing the attack to flow through.
I was breathing in and out with strangled breaths. My back felt absolutely scorched as though Endeavor had decided it needed a sunburn without the ozone layer to protect it. Underneath me Kunou and Kaede lay with their backs to the ground with an arm of mine next to either one's head.
"You two alright?" I asked through gritted teeth. I received two nods and got off the ground with them. Everyone else was gone along with the top half of the building we were in. "Where is everyone?" I couldn't see any bloodsplaters nor any corpses so I was still assuming they were alive considering that the blast would have at least left their bottom halves.
"I can feel them. They're fighting someone over there." Kunou pointed in the direction of another building and at that moment a huge billow of flames came out of the building. "Whoever it is, they're strong. Very strong." Suddenly ethereal chains sprung from the ground and wrapped around Kunou.
"I apologize but my Lord wishes for you to not interfere in his battle." I turned around to see the one talking. It was a woman with bright green eyes and striking flowing ruby red hair. The girl looked to be about the same age as Kaede and I and had silky smooth skin. She had on formal knight attire that was red in color. From the symbol displayed upon her uniform it seemed as though she was a knight of the Copper-Black Cross. A Knight Order that was closely associated with the Church.
"What is a knight of the Copper-Black Cross doing disrupting a meeting between the Kyoto Yokai and the HCC?" I asked as I unwrapped the shroud from the Tsumukari Muramasa.
"I am Marie Romano. I am currently acting as the observer of the fifth Devil King Davi Ademir the King of Brazil ." The knight proclaimed with her red and black striped cape fluttering in the wind.
"This seems a bit more than observing." I spat out as I unsheathed my blade.
"Unfortunately, I cannot go against the will of a Devil King and must follow his orders. He has ordered me to keep you three out of the battle as he didn't want to accidentally kill you." Romano stoically relayed.
Kaede appeared surprised before muttering, "How oddly nice for a Devil King."
It appeared as though the knight heard Kaede as she responded, "Do not be thankful. The only reason he spared you three is because he sees killing those who have not reached their full potential to be wasteful."
"Why is the fifth attacking? Surely he knows that we can provide no true defense to a Devil King?" Kunou asked the knight.
"He had heard that Lady Yasaka had the ability to pull upon the Leylines to empower herself and so wanted to fight her." The knight simply responded.
"But she can only do that in Kyoto. So why attack now?" I wondered aloud.
The knight dipped her head and let out a hearty sigh, "Lord Ademir only heard up to the fact that Lady Yasaka was coming out of isolation for the first time in two hundred years and her special ability before he decided he wanted to fight her. He didn't really give me the chance to explain any further."
"Wow, now I just feel sorry for you." Kaede said.
"Well, this was certainly a nice conversation but I think it's time we ended it." I told the knight before readying myself.
I raised the Tsumukari Muramasa to swing down at the ethereal chains holding Kunou, but before I could complete the swing Romano appeared before me with a broadsword of her own. I redirected my strike to block her sword and was pushed back several meters by the sheer force imparted by the strike. Kaede had thrown out a talisman which floated in the air and fired a blast of green magical energy. The knight sidestepped the blast and rushed toward me. Our swords clashed with me being pushed back. While we were about equal in terms of skill she was just stronger and faster than me physically. Thankfully another blast from Kaede forced her to disengage from our blade lock.
Romano turned toward Kaede and made to dash toward her. Kaede looked surprised for a moment before pulling out a different talisman and throwing it in front of her. A green barrier similar to the one that she had used at the Crème de la Café appeared in front of her with the talisman floating in the center of it. The knight slashed at the barrier and it seemed to shimmer for a moment before holding. Romano dodged out of the way of my slash coming from behind her backing away tens of meters.
"Kaede, can you undo the bindings on Kunou?" I asked the Hime Miko with great impatience.
"No, if Lady Kunou cannot undo it herself then I have even less of a chance to do so. The Tsumukari Muramasa would be able to if you were able to land a hit on the bindings." Kaede responded short of breath.
"Yeah I had thought so. I was trying to do that earlier, but Miss Knight interrupted me before I could land the blow." I explained through grit teeth.
"Don't worry about me, Izuku. This is just a simple binding spell that is suppressing me. It will eventually fade on its own when it runs out of energy." The kitsune informed me.
"The spell is designed to hold and suppress even beings at the Peak of Reason for hours at a time. Lord Ademir personally infused his Mana into the matrix." The knight explained to us before disappearing in a flash.
Appearing right next to me already swinging her sword at me I barely had enough time to block. The force of the attack sent flying out of the ruined building only barely being able to right myself mid-air before I landed. I had no time to stop and catch my breath though because Kaede was still left in there. I dashed back inside only to see one of Romano's attacks destroying Kaede's barrier. Romano was about to take out Kaede before she noticed I was right upon her again and had to block my attack. This time she was the one pushed back. I was able to nick her hand. She was about to re-engage but I could see some darkness spread from her wound and she was forced to stop and apply a holy spell to stop the spread of the curses. Now behind me I could hear Kaede's ragged breaths. Her reserves were obviously running low.
"Kaede, how much do you have left?" I asked.
"Not much, I'll be lucky if I'm able to use five spells." The chestnut haired girl responded in between breaths.
"Alright, can you give me a boost? I can't take out Romano without your help." I couldn't keep up with the knight without some kind of boost that much was apparent. Her speed and strength outclassed mine far too much.
"Yes, here." Kaede announced before she threw a talisman at my exposed back, which landed on my skin before dissolving. Green lines spread out over my whole body like a glowing tattoo. I felt amazing. Like I could lift up a car and not even feel the strain.
"Izuku, I will also support you as much as I can." Kunou told me with her ethereal bindings seeming to shake slightly as she spoke.
I savagely grinned and sped up toward my opponent who had finished destroying the curses. We met with a clash of sparks. She still had a speed advantage on me but now we were about equal in terms of strength. Unfortunately she was able to break my guard with one of her slashes so I had to dodge out of the way. Romano didn't change her swing despite my movement so I backed up thinking that this was a feint intended to trick me. She finished her swing and then had a look of confusion on her face for a split second before going to re-engage me.
I looked out of the corner of my eye at Kunou and she was giving a devious smirk. Youjustu was an ability that all yokai had access to and it was especially adept at illusions. So it wasn't a feint by Romano, but a mistake created by an illusion that Kunou was able to cast despite the bindings. I blocked the incoming strike from the knight and moved out of the way of her follow up. She made to strike at where I had been a second before and I moved in to strike her. My blade was already halfway to her when her head twisted toward me far faster than I thought possible and redirected her blade to strike me. Faster than she had been throughout the entire fight, her blade cut my chest and then she kicked me full force. I was sent flying until my body touched the ground and rolled to a stop. Blood was pouring out of my chest and everything was going dark.
KILL
A/N: So the meeting between the HCC and the Kyoto Yokai goes horribly wrong.
Just to clear up any confusion. All of the previous Campione are dead and 95 percent of the characters from the Nasuverse and Dxd are dead as well. Also because of the nature of this world, while things are similar to their individual universes many things have turned out completely different. For instance the Fifth Holy Grail War follows none of the canon paths because Shirou got his hands on the Tsumukari Muramasa and was able to seal Angra Mainyu into it. The end of Campione did not happen at all in the same way it did in canon and the same is also true of Dxd.
Also while in this world it is possible to fight on a similar level to gods besides becoming a Campione. It is extremely rare. For instance if you have a Longinius Class Sacred Gear you only have the potential to kill gods and are still a squishy human that can still be one hit. So some humans have the ability to kill a god but really that is just theoretical. Right now almost every single supernatural race is in isolation so they won't be particularly common, that being said it's not like they won't exist either.
Next Chapter: Devil Kings and Devils
Till next time signing out.
Beta's Note: One funny thing I did as a beta for this chapter is when I said "Have you heard of our Lord and Savior: The Comma" and not really mean it as a joke. Hahaha -Fighingdragon