Izuku, Itsumi and Todoroki carefully walked in the basement, on edge. There was little light in the room, only what filtered from a small window on the wall, a rectangle too small to slip in for normal people and blocked with a metal grid for good measure. In theory, they were safe. Mustard couldn't use his gas without his gas mask, especially in a small room, and the guards had dutifully emptied the room of anything he could use to harm himself or them.

Their target was sitting in a corner, glaring at them as they entered. Izuku had only seen pictures of the Villain, but even from that he could tell they weren't the same. This Mustard was in his late thirties, his hair tied in a short ponytail on the back of his head and his brown eyes lost in the distance. "Not the one from my universe." He replied out loud for the benefit of the others.

"Neither mine." Todoroki replied "Not that I expected otherwise, since we killed him years ago. Itsumi?"

"The age is right…" She said, unsure.

"Well then, let's ask him." Todoroki cracked his neck and walked forward, looking down at the man.

Looking at him closely, Izuku noticed a few more details. He had bump on his forehead and scratches over his body. If he had to guess, someone had smashed through the gas mask the Prince had described and hit him in the face.

"Hey. Talk to me." Todoroki said, and Mustard finally looked up. "Do you know a Hero called Lady Bomb?"

"The Number Four?" He asked confused. Izuku gulped. A point for this guy being from Itsumi's world.

"What's her name?"

"Katsumi Bakugo." He replied again, and Izuku saw his eyes lit up suddenly "Wait, you guys are…"

"I see." The cold response from the red-white haired man stopped him immediately "Seems he is from your universe Itsumi, or at least from a similar one. Izo was right, which means, this guy has something to tell us." He turned around, looking down to him once more "How did you arrive here?"

"I can't say."

"Who summoned you?"

"The owner of a large villa near the hill."

"Where specifically?"

"I can't say."

Todoroki's scowl grew deeper, and Izuku looked at Mustard. There really wasn't a point in asking. Izo had managed to figure out whose mansion he referred to by asking questions to narrow it down, but he had only done so because he already knew the city well. Even the Truth spell that Izo had cast on the room and that was presently in effect could do nothing to make him speak of how he had arrived or give any important information on his allies.

"Are you from another world?" Todoroki finally asked.

Mustard nodded, staring at them in disbelief "What, you were summoned here as well?"

"Answer."

The man pushed back, shifting awkwardly "I am, yes. I had just been released from a ten-year sentence and was starting to get back on my feet when I was suddenly dragged here." He sighed "I can't tell you anything else." He quickly added, showing them the cloud on the back of his hand. They winced. Izo had explained them that a Summoner Crest was a Spell that tied the summoned creature to the summoner in an unequal balance where they were forced to obey or die. A forbidden Spell that someone was now using on people from other universes. People like them.

"What about their numbers? Their names? Their powers? Anything?!"

"I can't say. I can't say. I can't say."

Todoroki grunted "Fine then. Let's go." He told the others.

"What, we are just giving up?" Itsumi asked, looking at Todoroki "This guy could be from my universe for all we know. If they can grab him, it means they can take anyone. What if my parents are next?"

"Interrogations aren't my forte anyway, that was always Tooru and Mineta's job, but I can tell you we won't get anything out of him. We are using a Truth spell and we still can't get him to spill anything, so we are better off winning the raid. Although, the Prince's description doesn't really fill me with confidence."

Izuku nodded. The description the two had given them of what had happened was of four individuals attacking the Prince. One of them could control constructs made of living ice, but they had fallen against Shor's fire. One was something they had described as a large humanoid beast that had wounded the Prince in the chest with its claws before his fire and numerous stab wounds had forced it back. And finally, there was the swordsman. For some reason, his blade had never been consistent, sometimes being shorter than most knives and sometimes longer than a normal sword. It was only a combination of Shor's fire magic and Dekrin's knowledge of the city alley that had saved them. 'I wonder if taking him back to the castle would have been the better choice.' He had said when Izo had raised the obvious question, 'But I thought that it was too obvious to not end with us caught in an ambush.'

They calmly made their way up the stairs, after carefully locking the door. Izuku glanced once more at this Mustard before the doors locked. He wondered what would happen to him, and decided to ask someone that would know. "I don't like this. For our attack on the Shie Hassaikai, we knew exactly how many powerful Quirks they had."

"I agree." Todoroki replied "We need something more, but I don't think we will get it any time soon. We know they had at least five assassins, since the attack on the Prince and the King took place at the same time in different parts of the city. But what if they are ten or more? Depending on the Quirks we might be at a big disadvantage. Heck, we don't even know if they all have Quirks. For all we know, half of them are magic or something like that."

Itsumi cocked her head to the side, "I don't know, Izo's magic is crazy strong. Unless they have someone so powerful that can take him down, wouldn't he just defeat everyone on his own?"

"Even Izo's magic has its limits, otherwise the wielder of One for All would be invincible. I don't think he has told us everything about it, only bits and pieces. For one, there would be no need to train as a swordsman if he can just blast demons with his magic non-stop." The Hero's response left both Izuku and Itsumi surprised. "I've been thinking about it, and I'm sure there is some trick to beat it. Nana Shimura died while wielding both the blade and the normal One for All from her world, after all. No way she would have without some weakness to both."

"I think you are right." Izuku nodded "There must be some limitations that have him need allies. Which means, we shouldn't count on his powers alone."

"That's why we should ask him if there is any way to get a better idea of who we are facing. I can accept we won't know every single enemy involved, but the more we know the better." He grimaced "As soon as Kamin… Dekrin is back, we need to ask them."

Ojiro was standing in the corridor. They had asked him to make sure none of the guests that were still in the mansion were coming their way, since Todoroki would raise a number of questions they needed to avoid. When he nodded, they snuck past the main corridor and up the stairs, back to their rooms, before slipping each back to their own to wait.

As Izuku laid down on his bed, he tried to figure out what could be going on, but found no answer. Enemies from one or more universes was somewhat understandable, and since they had apparently been summoned by someone they knew why they were interfering with this world. But who were they? He thought back at All for Deku. Was it going to be someone he knew? Mustard seemed to come from Itsumi's world, so was it possible someone from his would be involved as well?

'Too many questions and not enough answers. This is such a mess…'

He thought back to his world. At this point, after almost two weeks, what would they be thinking? 'Probably that I died.' He suddenly realized, feeling tears swell in his eyes at the thought of how his mom and All Might were taking the news 'If I disappeared after trying to Teleport over the Pacific and then never showed up at my goal, thinking I fell in the sea would be an obvious choice.'

He grimaced, doing his best to stop the tears he felt coming forward 'I'm alive, and I can go back home. And while I am here, I need to do what a Hero would and help them.'

He clenched his fist. There wasn't much more he could do, admittedly. He didn't like how Izo had tried to force them into helping, but what Todoroki had said struck a chord. Maybe he did have some limitations holding him back from using One for All to defeat every enemy on its own. Still, he could have just asked. He would have agreed.

He was the heir of All Might. Helping others was his duty. 'I'll be back, All Might. Wait just a little longer.'

-x-

It was hours later, in the late afternoon, after a lunch consumed alone in his room and more time to think than he needed, that finally someone knocked at his door. Izuku put on his tunic and opened the door to see Gentle - the butler – observe him for a moment before bowing. "Lady Yaru announces her betrothed and his guests are here, and wishes to talk with you present."

Deku nodded and followed him downstairs, in the now familiar dining hall. Differently from the previous time, however, now there were no butlers and maids serving at the table. Instead, besides him and his three companions, seven other people were present. Momo… The Duchess, he corrected himself, Izo, Dekirn, Prince Shor, and then three more people he had not expected to see. He blinked, unsure of what to say seeing Iida, Overhaul and Jiro sitting at the table.

If his expression was hard to read, the open disgust from Shoto and Ojiro as they stared at the second was clear as day, as was the small column of smoke rising from Shoto's fingertips, as his father's side started to get out of control. Ojiro, for once, wasn't any better, looking like he was fuming.

"You are here! Thank god." Itsumi whispered as he sat down between her and Ojiro "They have been like this since we have stepped in the room. I think they will jump on him if we don't do something."

Izuku nodded "See, he looks like…"

"A villain from their world, I figured that much." She replied, with a worried expression "But look at them, they look livid."

"Probably something to do with what's going on in their world." He replied, thinking back at the newspaper he had read. Hero Suppressor Overhaul was a thing, and apparently a dangerous one.

"It's a bit more personal than that." Ojiro replied with a grunt. His tone reminded him of the first time he had met him. The same disgust. The same anger. He shivered at the thought. He understood, of course, Overhaul had been a terrifying villain, a monster that would use a child for his own ends. He did find it disturbing to stare at someone that looked like an aged version of him, his black hair turning grey in various spots, but he reminded himself that he had defeated his world's Overhaul. This one was just a man that looked like him, and one Izo clearly trusted to bring him in the fold.

His eyes moved to Iida. The man was at least ten years older than Iida was in his universe, with the same black hair but lacking the glasses and sporting a pair of black mustaches that would have made Deku burst out laughing on his friend's face. Looking at the Prince, he couldn't help but think there was a pattern there. Maybe mustaches were just common among the nobility. The man nodded his way, and Izuku did the same.

Finally, Jiro. She actually looked around Deku's age and was almost identical to the one he knew, with the same hairstyle as well, but the change was in her hears. Where the Jiro from her world had two earphone jacks under her hears, this one had long, pointy ears. She looked at him, staring right in his eyes for a moment before moving forward, bending over the table to look closer.

"You look a lot like Izo."

"Uh? Ah… Yeah, I-I'm his cousin, Izu. And this is my sister, Isu." He added.

"Mmmh… Sounds like a lie though." She said, and his eyes widened, she chuckled, pointing at her hears "Word of advice, you shouldn't lie to an Elf, kid. I can hear your heartbeat from over here." She winked "But we elves also understand the value of a secret. You are free to keep it." She added, before sitting back on her chair.

Izuku wanted to try and continue the conversation, but before he could say anything he was interrupted. "Just one more and we will be all." Yaru suddenly commented, making Izuku turn her way. Apparently, however, she was just thinking to herself, since she wasn't looking toward the table. Izo nodded anyway.

Izuku was about to ask Itsumi if she knew who they were waiting for, when suddenly the doors opened and Uraraka walked in. At a guess, Izuku would have said she was more than five years older than her, and kept her hair long. She also had no pads on her hand, and a cane to walk with, though Izuku decided it was most likely a magic cane of some kind. She sat down smiling next to Iida. She froze a moment when she saw Todoroki and Prince Shor, but after a second she collected herself and sat down.

"Excellent, everyone is here now." Izo said, "Thank you everyone for listening to my request."

"I'd say it was a good idea, judging by who you brought in the room." 'Uraraka' commented, her eyes locked on the Prince "What happened, Izo? Why is Prince Shor here instead of at the palace?"

"I think the Prince can answer for himself." Shor's response drew everyone's attention.

"I will take the offer then." 'Iida' replied "I wish to ask why you escaped the palace right before the King was attacked. The guards at the gate all attest you left alone in the middle of the night, with only your horse and a coat to cover yourself. That is hardly something I'd expect of an innocent."

"Ser Tenro, I will not tolerate…" Yaru started, but the Prince rose one hand to quiet her.

"You are correct, Knight Captain, I did leave the palace in a rush. However, this is because of a letter I received. Said letter claimed that the anonymous writer could give me information on my sister's kidnapping from a year ago, but feared for his life and wished to meet away from it."

"And you actually believed that my Prince? That seems extraordinarily naïve of you…" 'Overhaul' asked, his voice noticeably raspier than what Izuku remembered. Not of what the others did, however, judging by how Ojiro's grasp on the table grew even tighter, his knuckles paling.

"I made a mistake. My sister's kidnapping is a weakness of mine, I admit that much. But I didn't go without some preparations. I had a Knight and some guards depart from another gate, with the order to shadow me the entire way from a safe distance. I regret to say all of them were killed while doing their duty by fighting in my defense. I'm sorry, Knight Captain."

"I was informed a squad has disappeared, but no bodies have been found in the city this morning…" Tenro started, but it was 'Uraraka' who interrupted him.

"If those men are smart, they probably hid them away before morning. I imagine this meeting took place in the less reputable part of the city, which is why he found you." She pointed to Dekirn, who bowed slightly with his ever-present smile turning impish.

"I had heard rumors for a few days actually, Madame Urane. 'Something big is going to happen in the Alley of the Broken Rat'. Whoever those people were, they had planned in detail, choosing the perfect place to ambush the Prince, a rather large area that gave them space to rush him using their superior numbers. However, that meant they had been spotted before. The Thief Guild was aware of it and taking a look was the obvious choice. I wasn't even the only one there, though I was the only one that chose to intervene."

"Such loyalty to the crown your people have…" 'Jiro's' sarcastic comment drew a few chuckles from the table, but Dekirn was unfazed.

"Loyalty doesn't buy you survival down there, Kikora. But my loyalty was already bought before," He winked to Izo, "So I moved in to help him. We managed to knock out one of them to capture him and ran away from the others."

"You think you can give me lessons of survival, street rat? You know what I went through. I know survival far better than any of you."

"I thought you said you drove them off." Yaru interjected, moving the conversation away from the topic while, Izuku noticed, still managing to throw an insult at Dekirn. He really wasn't popular at this table.

"Details, my lady, details. The point remains that we managed to hide our way of escape and make our way here."

"How do you know they aren't right behind you?" 'Overhaul' asked, making Deku flinch. 'It's so stupid, but I really can only think of the Villain. Is this what it feels like to them whenever I speak?'

"I've examined the area around the house for the past day. No signs of anyone spying it. Odd choice if they know where he is."

"I did as well, and I can confirm. There are no tracks from someone that would be spying the house for extended periods of time." 'Jiro' added, and everyone seemed to relax at that. Clearly, they trusted her on this.

The black-haired knight nodded, slightly fixing his mustache with a hand deep in thought, before turning to the Prince "What of the prisoner then? Did you manage to get anything from him?"

"Yesterday Izo cast Truth on the room he was held in, and we have figured out a few things. First of all, he bears a Summoner Crest."

Izuku looked at the way the four reacted. The witch's eyes widened as she stared at the man. 'Overhaul's' expression changed slightly, and Kirora's hand instinctively moved to her shoulder. Tenro stood up. "Where is he?"

"Sir Tenro, calm down. We have already asked him all we could."

"I know. I want to try and remove the crest. If it's on the hand, I won't have to cut too much."

'Overhaul' scoffed "That might work, but what exactly would it accomplish. It's annoying, but even if there is no safety system added from the summoner to make the Crest reappear somewhere else, he will hate you for chopping off his new hand. Moreover, if the enemy isn't interested in losing an asset and prefers to ensure silence, it's entirely possible that will dispel the summon itself and send him back to wherever he comes from with a missing hand. Hardly useful either way, since you will either cost him a hand for a few minutes of freedom during which he will likely curse and hate you, or send him to die in some alley of whatever city he comes from."

"Lord Koash is right." Urane's intervention made Izuku turn to her, and she quickly continued, a calm look on her face as she gave the opinion of someone he could tell was an expert at a glance, "A Summoner Crest is a wicked spell that we have been trying to bury for centuries because it's so easy to apply with additional safety measures. Still, the fact that it's on the hand tells us a number of things: the person that applied it clearly did not care about hiding it, for example, or he could have made it invisible as well. Or he could have applied it on another body part. Or worse, applied multiple."

"So who is it? Have you figured it out?"

"Yes actually." The Prince's response made them turn to him once more "It was fairly easy. He gave sloppy orders to this Mustard person, only telling him to not reveal their hideout or the number of individuals they have summoned. The fact alone Mustard could still admit it's a villa near the hill massively reduced the possible candidates. We just asked him some questions to narrow down the area and then worked by exclusion. Is the family rich, for example, was answered with a 'clearly not anymore', and we managed from that alone to narrow it down immeasurably." The glance he threw at Lord Koash was eloquent.

"Glad to know I'm not a suspect, my Prince." The man replied. Izuku did note he was dressed quite lavishly, with gold trimmed in his clothes and a large ring on his left ring finger.

"After that, it was simply a matter of confirming how much help he had in the castle. That's why we sent Dekirn, able to easily slip in the castle and the rooms of his allies, and he brought Kirora, an expert tracker. Not what I told him to do, but it did help. Together, they have collected enough proof that, at the very least, Lord Arkin is connected to the Demon King's army."

"How did you go undetected in the castle, if I might ask? I was busy with Ser Izo today, something I now understand was to distract me, but my guards…"

"With all due respected, Ser Tenro, your guards just don't assume someone that leisurely walks through your castle without trying to hide is a thief, they assume it's a simple servant. But don't worry, I couldn't get in any room you actually wanted to keep guarded. That said, I could get in a lot of room dignitaries are using, which proves very useful."

Dekirn took out two pieces of papers and moved them over the table. "This was found in his room, and this one in one of his vassals', Lord Koan. They are letters that prove a connection to a certain Tokiaz, a merchant that is known for connections with the Demon King's Army, even though nothing conclusive has ever been proved. The second letter mentions passing his regards to the One Above. This is a common term used to refer to the Demon King. The first instead mentions the Inquirer, and orders for 'her' to collect 'news' on the Horned People. This seems to correspond with our information that there is a Demon King's spy among the Tribes over there. With all this, we can present a good case for Lord Akirn's involvement in the case."

"I don't know if I should be glad or angry about this." The Knight Captain mumbled. The grin that flashed on Urane's face wasn't missed by Izuku.

The elf was the next to speak. "Meanwhile, I tracked the killer's steps through the castle. They led back to Lord Akirn's room, though I don't blame the guards for failing to follow them. Whoever they were, they took a very roundabout route and multiple times concealed their footprints by stepping back on their own, or similar tricks. I almost lost them three times, and had to resort to my magic once to figure out they had climbed a wall using what I assume were claws, judging by the small marks I found irregularly on the walls, to not leave footprints over a series of stairs. I also found traces of blood, though they tried to hide them at best they could. I asked around and two maids have been unaccounted for since that night."

Ser Tenro grew pale. Izuku could tell that, if the man was anything like his friend, knowing the guards and Knights he was responsible for had failed in their duty was hitting him right in the heart. He looked at him sympathetically, though the man didn't seem to notice.

"So they had a good infiltrator and killer. No, they have one. I can see why it's a good idea to hide the Prince until we take care of him." The black-haired knight nodded "Very well. Where does Lord Akirn live?"

"A villa on the said of Crown's Hill. Which means there is likely a connection from the Villa to the tunnels under the Hill."

"Tunnels?" Izuku asked.

Izo nodded, but before he could speak, the Knight Captain spoke up "Yes. Since Colfire was founded, the lord around the Hill have built time and again tunnels to ease their escape from the city either to other parts of the city or outside the walls. There is a veritable maze under that Hill. If we lose him in there, we are done."

"Which is why you'll need me." Kirora replied with a smile "I won't lose my prey in a maze, no matter how hard it is to track."

Izo smiled "The plan is simple then. We need to first create a distraction, and that would be your job." He looked at 'Over- at Lord Koash, Izuku corrected himself, and at Urane, "We would ask you to organize a meeting of the members of the Swords and Crowns."

"You want to make sure only few nobles will be outside the castle. Clever."

"It's the same strategy as today, just used for the assault instead of the investigation…" Dekirn muttered, but no one paid attention to him.

"Yes. Tenro, we trust you to capture him or his confirmed accomplice if they show up at the castle. If he does not, we will storm the castle."

"Will that be enough?"

"We can't take a much larger force without being easily noticeable." He replied "And we can't trust he doesn't have spies. We need to keep this between as few people as possible."

"Very well. I agree." The noble with raven hair stood up, and his look towards them made Deku chill. The image of a giant creature of meat and rocks, with that very same man in his mouth, flashed before his eyes, before he could dispel it. "I will serve the Kingdom, my Prince, but I hope the Swords will be afforded some favor from this."

"I will keep in mind who helps today." The Prince replied, shaking his hand. Ojiro and Todoroki tensed when the man made contact, and Izuku felt ashamed when he realized he was doing the same. The handshake ended quickly, with nothing else happening, and the three relaxed soon enough. The man gave a similar farewell to Izo and Yaru, then saluted the rest and left the room. He was soon followed by Tenro and Urane, once they had all shared pleasantries with the Prince and the other nobles.

The moment they all stepped out of the room Todoroki jumped up. "God, that was… I feel so disgusted."

"Why?" Yaru asked.

"In our world, the man you know as Lord Koash is a villain." Ojiro explained "One of the worst at that. Seeing him was… Unpleasant."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but he isn't the same. I might disagree with him when it comes to his role as leader of the Swords, and will always say they are foolish, but the Duke and his family are one of the most loyal vassals of Colfire, sworn enemies of the Demon King that trace their lineage back to the Third Wielder."

"I can believe that. I travel with Izu." Todoroki replied, "Doesn't mean sitting at the same table of Overhaul is ever going to be pleasant." His last sentence was delivered as he stood up "With your permission, my lady, I will see to get some sleep."

The woman nodded and Todoroki left quickly. A bit too quickly, Izuku noticed. Ojiro sighed "I'm sorry. There is a lot of guilt on us regarding Overhaul's actions in our world. This isn't easy."

"I will note to not have you meet Lord Koash again. I can promise you that much."

Ojiro thanked her before standing up as well. "I'll go try to rise his mood a bit then. If someone can keep him from brooding himself to death, that's his Quirkless friend." He bowed respectfully, nodded to the others, and walked away. Izuku's attempts to think of something to say fell silently. Unable to think of anything, he just groaned. Not for the first time, he found himself wondering if what he was doing would actually help anyone.

-x-

The man leaned back on his chair, lighting one of his last cigarettes as he looked at the room they had been given to use as a common room of sorts. The decorations on the wall and the rich furniture of the most varied materials was a display of wealth that went far beyond what he would have deemed necessary. And judging by a few empty spots that showed there were once portraits, it was clear that flaunting was coming at a price.

Hearing the door creak, he quickly pulled up his red bandana and wore his dark green cowboy hat. There was an unspoken agreement between the house guest of not showing each other their faces after what happened on his first meeting with the blonde bastard, and he wasn't going to pull back from it. Still, wasting a cigarette made him grunt. He took out the knife to cut off the burnt end. Like hell he was wasting one completely when he only had seven left.

Three men and a woman entered the room. The blonde bastard himself walked up to the large velvet couch he had claimed for himself. The thing audibly creaked as the man sat down, his eyes looking both at him. Even he had to admit he found it unnerving at times, despite all the shit he had seen on the frontier. The guy's lower face was covered by a white scarf, but he was the only one that didn't seem to care about really hiding his identity. Maybe because across the various worlds, it seemed pretty unanimous he was trash. 'Muscular is Muscular, no matter the world.'

At least, he had thought so until he had met the girl that went by the name of Bell Witch, currently sitting on a chair and playing with a few small spheres, making them roll on the table at will. She had instantly called Muscular one of those 'goody two shoes from UA', which had been hilarious for everyone else. The image of a good Muscular was just too much. Still, since then he had been given a scarf to wear, even if he did so only in the gray-haired girl's presence. 'Lucky bastard. I have to put this on with almost everyone, including the boss.'

"Our lord was displeased by our performance." The third man said, sitting down. Dressed like a samurai, the Ripper was wearing the kind of clothing the outlaw had seen numerous times on other of his kind, something named an hakama or something like that. The swords on his side were a pair of short blades, more similar to knifes. His face was almost entirely covered by black cloth.

"Can you blame him?" The man asked with an amused look "Four of you plus Apocrypha's toys and you couldn't get a single man. And you lost Mustard in the process."

"He should have just sent me." Muscular grumbled.

"He needed the Prince alive, and you wouldn't have done that." The outlaw replied "Honestly, most of you weren't up for that task. Mustard was the best choice for the job."

"Not that you did anything." The shortest man in the room said. Apocrypha, a feminine looking guy with light blue hair and eyes, stared directly at him. Not that he could see any of his feature now, with the hood up. The only thing that made him stand out was the small rat perched on his shoulder, entirely made of ice. The creature moved its muzzle against the man's hood and earned back a scratch on the forehead.

"The boss tasked me with guarding the fort. And last I checked, your toys did nothing either to the King or the Prince. If it wasn't for the newbie, it would have been a complete failure."

"If I was told they use fire magic, I would have sent in some strongest summons!"

"Your puppets aren't worth the ice they are made of." Muscular commented from the couch "You are better off just admitting that."

"You…"

"Enough!" The cowboy shouted, hand on his holster and everyone went silent. 'Good, at least the chain of command is still working.' "Fighting between us will do nothing but weaken the group. We all hate it, but we need to work together until the boss sends us back."

Everyone stared uncomfortably at their hands. On it was a simple tattoo, different for each of them, his being a rattlesnake, tying them all to the man that had summoned them. If they tried to rebel, they would have been killed by it. At least, that had been his explanation, and to some extent it was true for sure, considering what had happened to the Lizard. No one wanted to try and test the limits of it. He shook himself and looked back at the other four "Where are the others?"

"The newbie is guarding the boss. He seems to have taken a like to her after she succeeded in her mission. The Beast is asleep, she wants some rest after yesterday's debacle. She was the one that got stabbed six times in the wings and arms."

"Good, she has to be ready. We were just told when their attack will come." He said, standing up and moving to the table. "The boss has tasked me – and I assume the newbie – with his protection. Anything changed since?"

"No, we are to kill all of Izo's men, and if possible him. The boss will retreat through the tunnels, and we will be tasked to slow down his enemies as we go."

The outlaw grimaced. Suicide mission. Selling that to people like Apocrypha and the Bell Witch was hard. He had figured out the type of man he was working under. The Duke of Kirne was a man that saw all of his summons as expendable pieces. And why not? For one gone, one more could be called in. His power was quite terrifying, especially now. "I can't go against the orders, but I can tell you he didn't say you can't escape after killing them. Win and you can get out."

Some of them nodded, other just grunted, and that told him the difference between the few that believed in him as their leader and the many that just obeyed because they had to.

He opened his pouch and took out his gun, starting to clean it as he usually did when he was bored. The ivory of the handle was simple, but on the gun was carved a single line in Latin that he carefully cleaned to perfection, before continuing his work. Some of the others looked at him with interest, but he didn't let them distract him from his work.

'I'll find a way back.' He thought 'I just need to figure out a flaw in this accursed mark on my hand. Until then, I will survive as usual.'

He rolled the drum of the revolver and smiled looking at it, his green eyes moving up and down over it, until he stopped as he often did admiring the clean engraving.

Omnes pro uno.

All for One.

(xx)

A/N: Since someone asked in the comments: yes, I'm caught up with the manga and reading weekly so don't worry, I'm aware of anything that comes up ;)