Chapter 9

Izuku´s and Dekiru´s fists were clashing with each other. Izuku´s powered by One for All and Dekiru´s by his own strenthening Quirk he had absorbed, added by the Black-Mass Quirk, that had formed a black gaunlet around his hand that enhanced his power and durability even more.

They had now moved outside of the building, to not accidentally destroy their only chance to leave this world.

They continued their clash for a few moments, but neither of them came out as the winner.

Bakugou joined the fight by threwing a couple of explosive attacks at Dekiru.

But the explosions were stopped once again by his black matter Quirk that formed a barrier in front of him.

At the same moment however, Izuku was already throwing another punch at him from the other side.

But once again Dekiru caught his fist with his own hand, covered by a glove of his black matter Quirk.

Dekiru was older, more experienced... and as it looked most likely more powerful than either of them individually.

"I know you both so well," Dekiru remarked. "I could as well be reading your minds or seeing the future," he stated. "Or maybe I can actually do that?" He grinned. "After all, who knows what kind of dangerous Quirks I might possess, right?" he said baitingly, trying to confuse and unsettle them.

"Oh - shut up!" Bakugou responded. "You want to play psycho-games now bastard? We are not dumb enough to fall for them."

"Really?" Dekiru replied. "And what Quirk do you have - One for All?" he said to Izuku. "You should know better than anyone that I know Allmight´s fighting style inside out."

Suddenly Dekiru used one of his absorbed Quirks and his body started to rose up into the air and he levitated above the ground.

"I am not Allmight. You will see, there are things about One for All you don´t know," Izuku replied.

He now powered up to 45% of One for All.

At the same time he accessed the Quirks of the past-users and activated two of them - Float, that allowed him to fly up into the air and then Blackwhip as well and manifested black energy that formed into tentacle-like appandages that were reaching out from his body and controlled by his mind.

"What?" Dekiru was completely surprised by this. "How?"

But he had no time to think this over before Izuku´s Blackwhip tendrils moved at him from all sides. Everywhere around them they were clashing with his own black-matter manifestations.

These Quirks? He remembered what he had learned from All for One. This were Quirks of two of the former Weilders of One for All. Somehow Izuku was able to use them.

Interesting. He admitted he had underestimated his other self.

xxxxxxx

The others were meanwhile continuing their own fights. Like Izuku and his double and Bakugou they had left interior of the building and fought outside.

Momo was right now facing herself and the double of Mineta. Neither of them had actually done anything so far.

While Himiko, Aizawa and Kurogiri were already fighting Tokoyami and Ochako.

Himiko send a barrage of explosions - from Bakugou´s copied Quirk - that hit Tokoyami´s Dark Shadow. That stunned it for a few moments, did however not manage to do any real damage to the Quirk manifestion. In this environment especially, Dark Shadow was incredible powerful.

This of course also meant that it was more wild, dangerous and hard to control. But this version of Tokoyami was not very concerned with issues of control and `collateral damage´ right now. He did not want to control Dark Shadow as much as he wanted to unleash it´s power on his enemies.

Aizawa was trying to get close to him, but was stopped by Ochako, who was getting in his way.

"I am sorry `Sensei´," she said. "But I can not let you do that."

She tried to disable him by letting him float in the air.

But he had already deactivated her Quirk. So they both resorted to hand to hand combat.

They were stuck in a short match. Like her counterpart, this Ochako was a well trained martial-arts fighter.

After a short time however, Aizawa with his far greater experience was starting to get the upper hand.

xxx

Momo´s double then however made a move that surprised all of them. Well, she created something.

Only that what she created was not any object, but an exact copy of herself. And that copy then created another one and so on. After a few moments six Momos were standing before them. The one on their side not included.

On top of that each of the Momo´s was creating themselves a couple of handguns that hey aimed at their opponents... and fired.

Just in time Himiko used Shoto´s Quirk to form an ice-wall that protected her and the others from the bullets.

Toga and Dabi were still standing aside. But everybody knew now which side they were ultimately on, for better or worse. After a few moments they joined the fight on the side of the Heroes.

"Isn´t that Twice´s Quirk?" Toga questioned.

"Who is Twice?" Himiko asked, while she was at the same time doging a strike from the still rampaging Dark Shadow.

"One of our friends from the League," Toga responded.

"His real name is Jin Bugaigawara," Dabi told her. "Dekiru must have taken his Quirk and given it to her."

"Yes - he was a member of the Resistance who disappeared some time ago," Kurugiri stated.

"That means Twicey is dead here," Toga said grimly.

"Most likely," Kurogiri replied.

"I see."

Toga now threw a barrage of explosives - like her counterpart, she had copied the Quirks of both Bakugou and Shoto - at the armed Momo Clones.

The explosions first hit the ice-wall that Himiko had errected earlier and blew apart. Several of the clones were hit by sharp splinters of the ice, quickly followed by the next explosives that together put three Momo´s to an gory end.

Dabi joined in with his flames and and he and Toga killed two more together by burning them and blowing them up simultaneously.

The original one however had avoided their attacks.

xxx

Kurogiri was meanwhile seeing the situation Aizawa was in. He had by now overpowered Uraraka and managed to use his scarve to shackle her.

But at the same time Dark Shadow was charging at him once again from the other side.

As long as he was restraining Ochako, he was not able to move himself, but if he released her, he would have to deal with two enemies at once.

Kurugiri opened an portal that send him right next to Aizawa.

"Come with me," he said as he grabbed him.

Aizawa gave him a short nod and let go of Uraraka. The next moment they both had disappeared again.

The surprised Dark Shadow however, as it realized what had happened, could not longer stop it´s movement and rammed right into Ochako. It had slowed it´s movement enough not to seriously injure her, but it blew her off her feet, temporally disable her and probably leave some nasty bruises.

Tokoyami only starred in shock at what had just happened.

In the same moment however Kurugiri and Aizawa reappeared right next to him.

Before he even fully realized it, Kurugiri had drawn a knife and rammed he blade right into the raven-headed young man´s throat.

For a split-second he starred at them in surprise before he collapsed.

Aizawa looked down at the dead body of the counterpart of one of his students. Normally he would be vehemently against this. But here, there was no prison, no justice-system that deserved that name... and they were in a fight of life and death, not only for themselves, but to keep this disaster from repeating in their own world.

Still, he hated that they had to do this.

xxxxxxx

While the others were fighting Dekiru´s group, Endeavor and Shoto had moved further away from the building.

Towards the mass of monstrous creatures that were in this moment approaching the building.

The two Todorokis were exchanging a short look as they saw them in the distance.

It was like they had feared.

It were far more mutated creatures like the last time. They came from all directions. It had to be thousands, most likely ten thousands.

And this time they didn´t have the advantage of taking them by surprise. They heard their distorted screams as they came closer... and closer.

But the mutated citizens were not even the greatest problem they had.

From behind the thick clouds, high above them in the sky, the same monstrous creature they had seen a few glympses of earlier was looking down to them.

And giant tentacles were starting to reach downwards to the ground.

Time was running out, for all of them.

xxxxxxx

A short distance from the others, Tsuyu and the native version of Shinso were in a stand-off.

For the moment they were both keeping their distance from each other.

Shinso had drawn a couple of handguns he was now holding in both of his hands and waiting for her to show herself.

Tsuyu had crawled up the walls in one of the neighboring rooms of the building and was now holding herself up in the air, clung to the ceiling. She had activated her camouflage ability and was now practically invisible. Especially in the half-light of the abandoned building.

"I know you are here," Shinso said.

"Really - are you a frog or a rat? Hiding like a coward? But again, I guess that is all you ever were. I remember how your other self begged Dekiru to spare her. She talked about how they were lovers. Pathetic."

No reaction. Shinso continued to walk through the darkened factory hall, guns drawn and looking in all directions.

"Not that it ever kept either of you from fucking someone else," he continued. "Ochako, Toga, you - you were always only number three in his little harem anyway, weren´t you?"

"She even offered me sex before her execution if I let her go. Okay - I admit I actually went along with it, but when it came to the part of releasing her - well, I screwed her, then I screwed her over. You were actually quite good for a toad - Tsuu," he told her mockingly.

Not toad, frog, Tsuyu thought angrily. But she held herself back from saying this loud. They both knew Shinso was only saying all this to rile her up and provoke her to respond to him. So that his brainwashing Quirk would affect her.

He had truly gotten better in it than the Shinso she knew, she admitted.

"Too bad that she was dead a few hours later and I will never get to do it with her again," he said. "Unless of course you want to spread your legs as well if we spare your..."

"Liar," Tsu´s voice came from out the dark.

Now a smile formed on Shinso´s lips. Finally.

"Tsuyu - come out," he said.

Like expected, she now shed her camouflage and obediently came out in the open.

"Ah - there you are," Shinso commented. "Now please come here and stand completely still for a moment till I shoot you."

Once again she did exactly what he had told her and walked right in front of him. Her expression was blank. She was slightly looking downwards, with her arms folded together and one of them lying over the other, a strange looking posture.

"I have to apologize for my disrespectful words from a moment ago Tsuyu. Of course none of it is true," he admitted. "It is nothing personal, right?" he said sardonically.

In the next moment however, Tsuyu moved her right arm, something she should not even been able to do, drew the gun she were carrying on her belt, created by Momo earlier, and shot him on short distance twice in the chest and stomach.

"H-how?" Shinso stammered.

Still wordlessly, Tsuyu used her other hand to pull a small object out of her pocket.

It was a recording-device. She pushed a button and her own voice was to hear: "Liar... liar... liar."

She fired a third bullet right into his head.

"Like you said - ribbit," she stated, "it is nothing personal."

xxxxxxx

Meanwhile the three-way fight between Izuku, Bakugou and Dekiru continued.

All three of them were now fighting up in the air.

At the same time however they saw the army of monstrosities on the ground coming closer and closer.

"You know this is senseless, right?" Dekiru told them. "They will be here soon. If we don´t end this fast, it will not matter who of us wins, we will all be destroyed together."

Both of the young Heroes gritted their teeth. They knew he was right, even if they hated to admit it.

"Oh - and the Nameless Ones will keep their hold on the Gateway and sooner or later destroy this world," Dekiru added, "... and maybe yours as well when they ever find it."

"While you only want to conquer it?" Izuku replied.

"Yes. But it would still be much better than having your entire world consumed by the Nameless Ones, right?" Dekiru responded. "Besides, you can still try to stop me later. So how about we make a temporally agreement?"

"With you?" Izuku asked.

xxxx

Dekiru was like a second All for One - well, given that he actually possessed the Quirk, technically he was All for One - an even more bloodthirsty and ruthless version than the real one. Even without his group of Super Nomu, bringing him to their world might bring disaster. Especially if he acttually teamed up with the League (or rather the organization the League had turned into recently when it merged with the Q.L.F. But that was something the Heroes didn´t even know about yet.)

But even that would be nothing compared to if Robert Jones actually used the Gateway to let these Monsters into their world like his father had done it here.

It was a few dangerous Supervillains more compared to the end of everything.

xxxx

"We are Heroes," Bakugou said. "Do you think we would just let a manace like you come to our world? That we would even help you with it."

"Ah Heroes," Dekiru replied, "I remember your other self telling me once about his idea of Heroes being the ones who fight with all they have and win in the end." He grinned with a mix of sarcasm and bitterness.

"I am sure one day in this world has shown you what a load of complete bullshit that is," he said. "My new Masters and what happened to Allmight both thought me what it really means to be a Hero.

The truth his a Hero is someone who faces overwhelming odds, who never gives up even when the situation is hopeless, who shows courage and determination beyond human understanding... and who in the end still fails. Who dies brave and selfless and ultimately achieves nothing."

He looked at them.

"And that was the moment I decided that I didn´t want to be a Hero anymore," he told them. "So now make your choice. What kind of `Heroes´ do you want to be?"

In this moment they saw the giant tentacles of the monstrosity up in the sky coming down to them.

And at the same time an nearly endless army of mutated former citizens that were coming for them on the ground.

Did they even have a choice anymore?

Izuku and Bakugou exchanged a short look.

"We..." Izuku started.

"... agree," Bakugou finished for him.

"Very good." Dekiru send a message to the rest of his team through his communicator. "Stand down. We have an agreement," he told them.

Izuku´s and Bakugou´s teammates heard the message as well. They could not believe it.

But they understood very quick as they looked around and saw the army of monsters approaching them.

xxx

Endeavor and Shoto, who had just been preparing to send the first waves of flames to slow down the incoming monstrosities heard it as well.

"You can not be serious," Endeavor said.

"I fear they are right father." Shoto was looking up in the sky, where two hundreds of meters long tentacles that were reaching down to them had become visible. "We have no real choice."

Both Todoroki´s decided that it was in fact better to retreat now. Even if they had to make a deal with the devil.

xxxxxxx

A minute later

They had now returned to the Gateway they had left activated a short time earlier.

They all, the group around Izuku, Endeavor and the others, Dabi and Toga and the surviving members of Dekiru´s group were now standing in opposite to each other in the hall.

xxx

Dekiru had been all but happy as he saw he state his team was in. Shinzo and Tokoyami dead, Ochako injured. Well, it had to be expected, given that they had been badly outnumbered without their Nomou group.

But he showed no outer sign of emotion about the loss of his men. He had known the risks before he had started this mission.

Still, they were weakened to the point that his plan to conquer the other reality had become very questionable at best. With their reduced numbers they would likely only end up being absorbed as another part of All for One´s organization if they managed to team up with him or as yet another group of Villains if not.

But it was far too late to turn back now.

"I see you are still alive Mineta," he commented. "I am not sure if I should be happy or sad."

Yes he was. Mostly because he had barely directly fought anyone. In fact he had during most of the battle been hiding behind his teammate Momo.

xxx

"The Gateway has locked on a target," Kurugiri said as he red the displays.

"That probably means that they had activated the Gateway in our world once again," Aizawa stated. "And it also means that we have to be fast, before Jones manages to realize his plan."

"Then - then let us hope that it will actually bring us home and not somewhere else," Izuku said.

They heard the loud distorted shouts and growls coming from outside. Endeavor, Shoto and Dabi had formed a large ring of fire around the building. But that would only hold them back for a few moments.

"We have no other way out anymore anyway," Endeavor stated.

The Gateway had once again build up a portal between the realities in front of them.

"I will stay and make sure that the Gateway is destroyed the moment after you pass through," Kurogiri said.

"You are not coming with us?" Himiko asked pleadingly. "Maybe a bomb?"

"The risk is too great that these monsters could deactivate it in time," he answered. "I am sorry. I wish you a good life from now on Himiko."

"Come on," Aizawa shouted at her.

They now took the final step and jumped through the opened Gateway.

Kurogiri at the same time already had concentrated his powers on the object. And used them to tear it apart and send the remains to four different locations at once.

And he himself teleported away as well. Just before one of the giant tentacles burst though the roof and the first of the mutated people stormed in.

He was not sure how much longer he would be able to survive in this cursed world. But he was glad that at least one of the people close to him was save.

Like announced, this is now the second last chapter. The next one will be the last and the final of the story.