"Of course it's zealots." Mariah replied, leaning back on the table of the conference room she and Mel had been called to as soon as the pub group came back, "That's exactly the kind of people that would..." She frowned, "No, there is still a missing piece here."
"What do you mean?" Jiro asked.
"The motive. Ridding the Multiverse of All for One and Midoriya is not an effort someone undertakes without at least a goal of their own in mind."
"Maybe they just hate both?" Shoto guessed. Mariah looked at him. Todoroki's world was ruled by All for Deku, a Midoriya with All for One. It could hardly be said that Todoroki wasn't prime material for recruitment by this self-proclaimed True League.
"See, that's my point. You might hate All for One and Izuku Midoriya. You might want to kill him, and maybe you might even think that purging All for One and Izuku Midoriya from the whole Multiverse makes sense. But why would so many people follow you?"
"Didn't you say they were zealots?"
"But then why would they even try to recruit Power Suit? They clearly stated they were willing to make exceptions for those Midoriya that side with them. They only asked for me, and that's likely because they know I have All for One and I am a Midoriya. A zealot would not compromise this much, it's a glaring contradiction. Those people don't sound like they are led by zealotry, they sound like they are being pragmatic idealists."
"So you are saying they have a larger goal?" Power Suit asked. Mariah looked at him. He had been oddly in a foul mood since they had returned from the pub, and a few people were sending weird looks to him. Worry, mostly, but Todoroki's expression seemed to be more of cautious interest.
"I'm saying the reasons they gave are probably only a part of their organization. Yes, they want to take out All for One and Midoriya, but there is more behind the scenes." She tapped her fingers on the table again, thinking. "They went after One for All in secret. At least, mostly after One for All, if we consider that version of Camie an outlier. They went unnoticed until they killed Takeyama, at which point we went on high alert. The question then becomes if they did it on purpose – they wanted us to go on high alert – or if they didn't expect us to put together what was going on so quickly."
"I think it was on purpose." Itsuka Kendrick replied, "Because then you did something they were probably hoping for. You collected everyone." Everyone turned toward her, and she shrugged, "It's the best guess, if you think about it. They clearly didn't know about a lot of people, otherwise hiring the journalist would have been pointless. Even after Tokuda did his whole investigation, assuming he passed to them his full results, they couldn't be sure that they had captured everyone. So, what's the best way to make sure everyone gets caught in the net?"
"Make us put all the eggs in two highly fortified baskets…" Mel whispered, before punching the table, "We played in their hands, then?"
Power Suit nodded, "Probably. Us going after Tokuda probably made them decide to accelerate a bit, because they wanted to make sure we couldn't put together any leads on our own, but their objective is still here, and they know we can't just send everyone home."
"At that point they could follow us. They clearly did when we went to meet Tokuda, so following us to see where we hide everyone is feasible."
"We could always move them out of the planet, on the One for All." Jiro proposed, "It's built for a crew of a hundred, we could easily fit everyone from the HQ in it."
"Which is where the other issue comes in." Shoto replied, "They have intel on you all. Everyone except me and Bakugo, and that's not strange, since we arrived only recently. They knew you all. In details."
"That's true, and not a nace thought. It means they might have someone on the inside." The Amazon said, finally speaking up, "If I find this bastard..."
"One thing at a time. For now, let's focus on what we must do, since we have been given a very clear ultimatum." Mariah nodded. "Mel, go tell Isaac everything. He needs to know. This is our biggest crisis yet."
"What do we do tomorrow?" Jiro finally asked.
"We say no." Mariah clarified, "And then we fight. Hopefully, we can stop their threat before it's too late."
Shoto nodded, but inside his mind he kept analyzing the exchange he had with the True League for All. There was something bothering him in their pitch, in their behavior, in their actions, something he couldn't quite put together. A hole in their thinking, and none of the ones brought up in this discussion. He just couldn't put his fingers on it.
-x-
Argali yawned, walking outside of the large building where the B-Listers party was being held. He cracked his neck, pushed his clothes back in order a bit, and then started walking back. Fuyumi had promised to take care of Izumi, and he had taken that as a promise to make sure a teenager under his care would come back shit faced. Shinomori had already left as well, stating he wasn't used to having so many people around. He was a hermit, after all.
Sometimes, Argali regretted he had never started smoking. It would have helped him calm down a bit. The truth was, knowing where Itsuka was had been the greatest shock in his life, and even over a month later he was still far from ready to just let it go. Since his arrival in this universe a week before, he had even ended up meeting other versions of himself, his friends, and his enemies. It was extraordinary. And quite honestly shocking.
He took a deep breath. What was a UA teacher even doing here? He had a bit of a talk around the party before. There were professional fighters, other Pros, rebel warriors, some sort of magic knight… He really felt that despite everything his resume didn't really hold up.
He looked up at the sky. It seemed the same as the one back home, moon and stars shining brightly. Argali wasn't an astronomist so he had no idea if the constellations were correct, but there was enough light pollution from both Musutafu and the various buildings around that the Pro doubted he would be able to tell either way.
He wondered where he could go. Back to Heights Alliance? He didn't feel quite tired enough yet. Back to the party also didn't sound like an option, he wasn't young enough to enjoy loud music and too happily married to think of the other thing people usually went to parties for.
"Eh, I can probably go give a look at that Grand Palace Hotel. Maybe even meet up with Cap and Deku." Argali decided, shrugging. Worst case scenario, he took a ten minutes walk to the place, didn't find anyone outside, and walked back to his own room. Mind made up, he started to walk.
It was halfway there that he felt a shiver on the back of his neck. Most people would have just shrugged it off, but Argali wasn't most people. He was a Pro Hero and, thanks to a few experiences in his youth, more than used to the idea of being followed. Hunted. Sagawa had thought him a lot about predators, after all.
He considered his options. Making it to the Grand Palace still seemed the best one. Heights Alliance was further, and if someone was really following him with this much hostile intent, he didn't want to give them a larger stretch of road to attack him. He touched his pocket to look for his phone and grimaced. Gone. Did it fall out of his pocket at the party? He had bumped into a few too many people before leaving. A theft seemed unlikely, but not impossible. He would just have to hope it wasn't.
So, five minutes left to get to the Grand Palace. Could he do it?
Well, the sheep could.
He was engulfed in green smoke, and a moment later his sheep form was running away. At this speed, it would only take a couple minutes to-
He dodged the blade only because a well-placed lamp post's light beam reflected on it for a second. The large ram jumped to the side, the blade cutting off a bit of wool. The moment he stopped next to the lamp post, he transformed back into a human. "Uh, it's sheering season in this world, but back home it's still mid-winter, so no offense but I will do without a cut."
"Truly? I was hoping I could make a carpet. Hang the head on a wall too." The man that emerged from the shadow wore a featureless red mask, that covered everything except his eyes and his long, unruly black hair. His body was athletic, muscular but not overly so. He was carrying a pair of long katanas on his lower back, one drawn and the other sheeted, and a third one on his side. A combat knife on his side, a wakizashi under the katana… the man was definitely packed with weapons.
"Alright, I have already had my fair share of song and dance when it comes to Villains wanting to steal my wool and hang my head on the wall. What do you actually want?" He asked.
"The head of a Midoriya." The man replied, rushing forward without another word.
-x-
Revenant froze, his head rising up to look outside the window.
A lot of people would have claimed that the idea you could feel killing instinct and bloodlust was bullshit. The idea that you could just tell when someone was fighting to kill laughable.
Those people had never been in actual danger. There was something that changed in the air, something that tethered to your skin, crawling under it and telling you that it was coming for you, even when you just happened to be close to the target. He had felt that same sensation just now. Someone was fighting nearby, and not the friendly fights this world seemed to be obsessed with. Someone was fighting to kill.
A part of him wanted to say this wasn't his problem. That the JTO had enough security in the hotel area that someone would intervene. That he wasn't even properly armed – he only had the minimal weapons he could hide in his boots and under his shirt, and the sword he managed to bring in as an accessory, and by the time he did pick up outfit and equipment worth of a deathmatch from his room he would have been too late.
None of that stopped him from cursing under his breath and start walking towards the doors. The selection was already finished, but people were still mostly hanging out at the party. Aside from the Battlemaster, who had left right after, and the All Might that had walked in, picked a name, and walked out, no one else had left the party yet, but neither of those two were likely the culprit.
He reached the doors and stepped in the hall of the hotel.
"Going somewhere?" A voice asked from behind. He turned to see Zombie. He was dressed like he had barely put any effort in it, a stark contrast with the extremely elegant outfit Revenant had picked. Where everything Revenant wore had been designed with the stylist Keigo had sent him to, leaving the Izuku with clothing that would have made a model look ugly while also being as comfortable as possible, Zombie's black button-up shirt and dark brown suit were good, but had been put on haphazardly. And Revenant would not comment on the tie.
"Just a walk." Revenant replied, on edge. Zombie reminded him of himself, and not in a good way. Of all the Izukus he had met, he was the only one whose eyes seemed as cold as the ones Revenant saw in the mirror every morning. They were both Izukus that had gone through hell, that much he could tell. It was a different look from the melancholy of Captain Kamino's eyes. They were both angry, before being sad.
"How convenient, I was doing the same. If you are not just going to a beauty salon, want to join? There is a fantastic spot a few minutes from here." Zombie replied, and Revenant grinned, ignoring the little jab. Style aside, they were definitely made of the same stuff.
-x-
Argali really wished he had his scarf right now. Then again, not putting one on in the middle of summer, while going to a party that promised to be scorching hot due to so many people packed closely and dancing around a pool, was hardly his fault. And it was hardly his fault that someone decided to attack him in a place that by all logic was supposed to be safe.
The katana swung toward his neck, but in response he turned into a sheep, the sword now passing over his head, horns included, and the green smoke blinding his opponent. He hit forward with a headbutt aimed to the man's thorax, but the flat of another katana got in the way, metal and bone resounding as they impacted. Izuku grinned as he watched his attacker forced to jump back to reduce the blow, but he also noticed that was the only result he had achieved. Not to brag, but his headbutts were strong enough to crack bones, send people flying and even break stone. The sword, however, was still intact, not even slightly bent, and the man showed no sign of damage. Where his horns should have hit were two indentations in the man's clothes, that thus proved to be body armor rather tan a simple shirt.
"What do you even want? If you are looking for One for All, you chose the wrong customer. I don't…"
"You have neither One for All nor All for One." The man replied, "You are a target because you are Midoriya, and that is enough."
Izuku winced. This was bad. He could hold his own in a fight, and confidently, but right now he only had his most basic skillset. Knowing what kind of party he was going to he hadn't even put on a tie, so any substitute for his usual techniques was unavailable. Unless…
Argali moved back, and when the opponent charged forward he turned back into a human, the smoke once again blocking the masked fighter's sight. Using that chance, he pulled off his jacket and rolled in into a makeshift rope, tying together with a knot a couple points to make sure it didn't reopen completely. It was a rather big waste of a jacket, but with that in hands he waited. A throwing knife suddenly emerged from the dissipating smoke, and Izuku moved left to avoid it, before the enemy slashed forward with a downward swing of the katana held in the right hand, having closed the distance in that moment.
Argali didn't let it go that far. He moved forward, makeshift rope in hands, and deflected the blade with his left horn, before closing the rope around the arm of the opponent and then pulling hard with both arms to force him to lose his footing or his grip on the blade, accompanying the movement with a kick from his not-pivoting leg to the right knee. The kick impacted, but to his dismay he found the hard surface of a knee guard under the pants the assassin was wearing. Still, the man did lose his balance, though instead of letting go the blade he accompanied the movement, managing to keep himself from falling.
Argali didn't miss the opening this had created, however, and transformed again, turning into a sheep. The headbutt this time hit the open right flank, and he felt the body armor under the shirt shift and crack as the enemy rolled back on the ground. When he stood back up, he looked positively murderous, from the look in his eyes. "That was a good trick. Guess you aren't a Midoriya for nothing."
"What do you want?"
"To purge the stain of Midoriya and All for One from the Multiverse." The man replied, pointing his blade forward… Then he spun around, swatting a large metallic object out of the way just as it flew toward him. The axe – that was what he had just blocked – flew off to the side, planting itself in a tree. Both men looked toward the figure arriving from the road. He walked lazily, another axe in his hand. Pale skin surrounded by green hair, eyes attentive and focused on the man he had just attacked.
The assassin instantly shifted his pose, moving back a bit so he could face at once both Argali and the other Izuku. Argali himself took a moment to realize he was watching Zombie. The other Izuku didn't even acknowledge him, instead keeping his eyes on the opponent, and Argali did the same a second later. He had no idea what abilities Zombie actually had. From their training he knew he was strong, he knew he was almost reckless in fighting, and he knew he was unafraid of injuries.
He proved that when he grabbed the knife the masked Villain threw toward him with his bare hand. The sharp edges opened a small wound on his hand, but barely any blood trickled through, and the one that did wasn't the normal red, but a dark shade that appeared almost black, and flowed like it was already half-dry. Zombie tossed the blade aside and charged forward, now holding the axe with both hands.
He seemed to be going for a telegraphed downward attack, but at the last moment pivoted on his left feet, turning the axe back, making a full circle and bringing the weapon now upward, in an attack that might as well have cut in half the other man, if it wasn't for his own skills in hand to hand combat that allowed him to bring down both swords in a cross that stopped the axe inches from his lower body. The sound of metal on metal ringed in the air.
Then another Izuku emerged from the bushes, making barely any sound, and slid a butterfly knife in the unprotected right side of the enemy, aimed to pass through the ribs. If it had been the other side, the one where Argali had broken the body armor, it would have been a lethal attack. As it was, the knife instead snapped in half due to the sheer force of the blow and the resilience of the armor.
Revenant – because that was Revenant – didn't stop to even look at the broken weapon, instead moving fast as lightning and aiming the knife in his other hand at the man's throat, killing intent adamant as he led the weapon up to slice the man's throat. But once again the assassin saw it, and bowed his neck. The knife didn't hit the target, instead impacting on the mask and sliding off the unnaturally strong surface, the blade shattering. Zombie freed his axe and turned it horizontal, trying to hit the man's side, at the same time as Revenant turned the broken knife in his hand to bring it down on the unguarded skull, but that also freed the katanas. Revenant had to abort the attack and move back to dodge one sharp blade, and zombie's axe hit the flat of the other. The weapon bent this time, finally buckling under the unrelenting assault, but using the opening that created the Villain kicked forward, hitting Zombie in the chest and pushing him back while using the recoil to move back a few steps, out of range of further attack.
He turned around, probably to face Revenant where he had been just a moment before, but the teen had disappeared, having likely slid back into the bushes and trees that covered the sides of the road, prowling the forest like a wolf stalking his prey.
The entire exchange had taken perhaps four seconds, and Argali thanked his training as a Pro if he had managed to keep up. "You ok?" Zombie asked, stepping back a bit, axe ready on the defensive.
"Yeah, but he is strong." Argali replied.
"I can tell. Thought Revenant would take him out with the second knife, but he is skilled." Zombie cleaned his hand on his clothes, then grimaced, "Fuck, forgot it's not my usual stuff. Hope I don't have to pay for the cleaning." Argali despite the situation snorted. It was good to know his ally was relaxed enough to joke at a time like that.
The assassin now was moving slowly at an angle, keeping himself from the side of the road where Revenant had disappeared, but without removing his eyes from the two Izukus he could see. His mask showed a long scratch, making it look like an obliquous, jagged scar, but it hadn't been cut deep enough to open a wound underneath, and both eyes had been outside of the trajectory of the broken blade. Izuku had to admit he wondered if the man had even considered he might have lost an eye if Revenant's blade took the wrong direction, and the idea that he probably had and had determined it was an acceptable loss made Argali reconsider once more who he was fighting.
Argali considered attacking, but he could tell the assassin was ready to kill. If he made the wrong choice, he would get slaughtered like a lamb. Looking to his left, he noticed something. "The axe is gone." He murmured, and Zombie nodded. The weapon planted in the tree had been picked up, and it didn't take a genius to figure out who did it. "If I create cover, can you make an opening for my attack?"
"With that, I'm fairly sure that guy is dead." Zombie replied, and Argali gritted his teeth. He didn't like the idea of killing, but the situation was self-defense, and he was dealing with an assassin whose motive apparently was purely killing Midoriyas. He wouldn't argue to capture him alive, even if he wanted to. There wasn't the time either way, since any moment now the enemy would try to kill him.
"Alright." He said, rushing forward at full speed in ram form. Halfway through covering the five meters distance between them, a knife flew toward him. Argali turned back into human form and instantly crouched to the ground, rolling and getting back on his own feet, keeping on running. A new knife, and he turned into a ram again, this time not dodging but letting the fur and hide of his sheep form block the weapon. It still drew blood, but it was a shallow wound. The assassin made to pull out another knife but was forced to instead block the axe Zombie threw at him with his sword, and still in ram form Argali finally got into range. He planted his hooves on the ground and attacked forward. His head impacted with the man's chest, his horns and skull both crashing into him. This time, he felt the body suit underneath crack and split, pieces of it rattling as they moved in the fabric. Then he turned into a human again in a puff of green smoke, completely blocking his opponent's sight.
He didn't hear Revenant emerge from the bushes or run closer, axe in hand, but he saw him, an almost spectral being surrounded by green smoke, eyes shining of pure bloodlust, swing the weapon with both hands toward the chest of the Villain. The assassin gasped and desperately raised his katana, but the weapon broke on impact, already weakened by the previous bout with Zombie, bent and cracked, finally shattering, a few stray shards impacting both Izukus. That didn't stop Revenant, nor it made him flinch for an instant, despite one of the shards hitting a few millimeters below his left eye. The weapon the pale Izuku was wielding made its way through the fabric and into the flesh of the assassin, who was launched back, blood surging from his wound. No, he jumped back, Argali realized a moment later. He had reacted at almost inhuman speed.
"Tch, too shallow." Revenant muttered, looking at the blood trickling on the edge of the weapon and confirming Argali's assessment. True enough, the man had a large gash on his chest, plus a few puncture wounds from the blade of the sword breaking and the shards impacting him too, but they weren't deep enough to incapacitate him.
The man pulled out a wakizashi and his last katana in good shape, and Revenant started to move, no doubt planning to move back into cover, before suddenly stopping a smirk on his face, while Zombie moved closer to Argali and picked up his axe from where it had fallen. For some reason, his grimace turned into a smile.
"You still want to go?" Zombie asked.
"Until all of you are dead." The assassin replied, though now he looked worried, understandably. His body armor was gone, his mask was at least damaged, and he had almost died already.
"I don't think you will." A new voice said from behind. The assassin's eyes went wide and he turned around to find the gigantic figure of Kendo Rappa, the Battlemaster, stare down at him. Argali hadn't seen him arrived, probably because the mountain of a man moved surprisingly lightly despite his mass, but now that he stood there his presence alone was enough to make everyone else feel small by comparison. "You dare to try to ruin my Tournament?"
"I'm not here for you, Battlemaster."
"Too bad." Rappa said, and his fist came down toward the assassin. An explosion, for lack of a better term, surged from where the assassin was, and Argali and Revenant both had to look away due to the debris flying in their eyes.
"Dammit!" Rappa shouted, anger clear in his voice, "Why do they always run away?! Assassins are all sneaky bitches!"
Argali looked down. Where he expected to see the splattered body of the Villain, only a broken up mask and a dropped katana remained. The rest was nowhere to be seen, vanished into thin air.
-x-
"Might I ask something, my lord?" Izmird calmly asked, sitting in his chair.
"What is it, Wizard?" Arkin leisurely asked, while personally drawing its summoning circle on the ground, preparing for the next summon. Izmird studied it. The man was as much a bore as it was a disappointment. There was no refinement in its spellcasting, no interest in the magic it was using. It was swinging magic with the finesse of a soldier's mace, instead of delicately wielding it with the precision of a cerusic's knife.
"I wished to ask why you are using this method."
"What do you mean?" Arkin asked, and Izmird saw the glint of suspicion in its eyes, the end almost mechanically clenching in the wish to order him to suffer for his impudence at asking a question. Izmird pretended to not see, but he despised it. The strong doesn't fear the weak. Never once since he had become who he was Izmird had ever shown the fear Arkin so clearly projected toward any of its conscripted followers.
Truly, it was more pitiful the longer he looked at the man.
"Well, you see, I have been reading the notes you allowed me to analyze, and I saw that you mention often the name of various… variation of myself, for lack of a better term. First Isaac Midoriya, then Isaac Green – that is, Gun – then Izuku Midoriya – who you mention thrice, I notice, twice as a so called Patroller and once as one of the men that attacked your base – and of course, Sir Izo of Green Valley and myself."
"What of it?" Arkin asked. Izmird resisted the urge to scoff at the clearly limited intellect of the man. Such was the faith of an inferior creature that toyed with magic. No thoughts and analysis to figure out patterns, a mere focus on the most boring of application. The lack of interest of discovery was but a signed of his lack of comprehension.
"Well you see, my lord, I was considering how the pattern of my alternate versions being so prone to reach the Multiverse might be indication of the fact it would be more useful for you to summon more of… me, rather than attempting to find someone 'useful' through the current method you are using."
"A valid opinion Wizard, but you might notice that neither you nor Gun have such an ability?"
'I will in no time, I merely need to deepen my studies. And for that I need more samples, you useless oaf.' "A rightful concern, my lord, but I believe it can be easily solved. I understand the reason for your request to not include 'Multiverse travel' is that the word Multiverse does not exist in the language you use for the spell, thus being unusable. I believe this can be reworked, but I suggest that reducing the pool of options considerably would still prove more useful. Moreover, I have a few suggestions, if you are willing to try them."
"Uhm… Perhaps you make a good suggestion. Very well, I will humor you for a few days. Know however that I expect to see results."
"You will, my lord." The dragon nodded.
"I will also need your blood." It replied, "Or that of Gun, the trace of soul power in it will allow the incantation to connect with similar souls through the Multiverse."
"Of course." Izmird said. While he had a preference to project an expression of invulnerability, he wasn't above using his own blood and scales for the study of magic. Even if this was rather unrefined, he understood that Arkin's limited capacity required such sacrifices. Once he had fully understood what he needed to suit the spell to his needs, Izmird would likely not need the blood any longer.
Arkin took the vial the dragon-turned-elf offered it, after cutting himself with a knife, and dropped it in specific points of the circle, before dragging in the child. Izmird couldn't say he pitied the human child, per se. He had no particular feelings about it. Still, he disliked it. Children were supposed to grow up to worship him, or failing that at least serve as distraction once as adults they tried to face him. Procuring a new subject that was more vigorous would be a priority, given the lack of efficiency in using the child.
The incantation begun, and as usual Arkin tried to use another language for the spell. Its lack of brilliance in assuming an elf would only speak human and elvish languages was another clear example of his simple mind. Not that it would matter if he did, Izmird was constantly under the effect of a spell to understand languages. He mentally noted the terms and stipulations of the incantation and internally winced. No request for abilities or skills. Arkin merely asked for Izuku Midoriya – at least he had the intelligence to use the most common name – and to use the soul to tether him to his will. 'Just because you can't wish for someone with experience with the Multiverse, it doesn't mean you can just randomly fish, you worthless excuse of a mage.' He thought. Frankly, it was growing painful to observe Arkin, but Izmird had still use for it as a guinea pig.
The portal shone brighter, and then a mass of green and black stepped through, before the portal closed.
Green hair over a human body dressed almost from head to toe in black. Childish features only partially hidden by a metallic mask, and curious yet scared eyes, one green and one red. The human child – or teen, as he understood they preferred to be called – stood back up, using the pipe he was holding in his arms as a pole. He showed signs of a recent fight, a cut on his forehead being the most obvious.
"Wh-Where…" He asked, as the Summoner's Crest on his hand shone brightly for a moment. The shape of a pipe, the same one he was holding, appeared on it.
"Who are you?" Arkin asked.
"I'm uh… Pied Piper?" He tried, "Wh-Where am I?"
"I mean your actual name."
"I-I can't just…" He winced, "I'm Izuku Midoriya." He said, before blinking, "Wh-Why did I say that?! No. No no no! You shouldn't-"
"Silence. Do you know anything about the Multiverse?"
"Multiverse? I-Isn't that a movie concept?"
"Enough." Arkin sighed and looked at Izmird, "A failure then. A useless child."
Izmird noticed the so-called Pied Piper grimace as he heard that, before he looked at Izmird and his eyes went wide in shock at seeing another version of himself. Unwittingly, Arkin had struck a nerve with that last comment. Good. "If I may, my lord, I would take time until tomorrow to compile in my language a series of options for the incantation. You can then select the ones that can be spoken in the language you are using."
For a long moment Arkin pondered the proposal, no doubt his minuscule brain trying to process pros and cons he had no way to fully understand. "Very well. I promised you a few days of testing of your theory, but if I don't see results, my disappointment will be known."
Meanwhile, Piper had taken time to survey the room, at first in awe… until he saw the child. He made to reach for him, but Arkin stopped him with a call to his Summoner's Crest. Piper winced. "He is hurt…"
"Mere exhaustion. By tomorrow he will be healthy again. It is no concern of yours… I suppose Piper is a worthy name for such a lowly being." Arkin said, and Izmird almost snorted, "What can you even do?"
"I'm a fighter." Piper was forced to say, "I know muay thai, a martial art from a country of my world, both unarmed and using a bo – like this."
"A weapon wielder, like Gun then. Very well." Arkin sighed, "Little use for me."
"If I may then, my lord, I could use an assistant." Izmird grinned, "If you have no use for him, he seems healthy and strong enough to serve my purposes."
Another round of waiting for Arkin to process a simple request, and then the man shrugged. "Very well, he is yours. Use him whatever way you wish." It looked at Piper "Obey his orders, unless they harm me."
Izmird bowed – to hide his grimace, mostly – and gestured for Piper to follow him. When he didn't, he sighed. "Piper, move."
"The child…"
"Is fine." Izmird snarled, dragging him out of the room despite his protests. The pipe clanked on the ground, so he allowed him time to pick it up, closing the door, "We have work to do. Walk now." And with that he turned. He noticed the teen – Izuku Midoriya, he thought, trying to picture himself in his place and failing – hesitate a moment, still looking at Arkin's door, and for a moment he was convinced he would barge back into the room. Before he could, however, the compulsion of the Summoner's Crest forced him away. The dragon nodded.
Judging from what he had learned from Hawks' mind, he had less than a week before the enemy reached Arkin's base. A battle would ensue, both sides trying to claim the child.
But Izmird would make sure that, out of the rubble of the two groups clashing, he would be the one coming out on top.
Lord of the Multiverse sounded like an enticing title, for a Dragon.
(xx)
You know the drill! First of all, big thanks to blackholeca for permission to use Pied Piper from the fic Pied Piper. Our Quirkless Vigilante finds himself dragged in a conflict he had no part into. Will his rightfulness prevail in the face of danger?
Guests in this chapter also include:
Power Suit from Rejected Stones by FullParagon
Argali from Sheep go to Heaven by Dramatic_Spoon
Revenant from Locked in Digital by Rogue Druid
The Long Night of the Multiverse (as I dubbed this miniarc) comes to an end with our first conflict. And of course, Multiversal conflicts bleed into the Multiverse, reaching back into the Arena. No plot is ever truly detached, no matter where they take place. And as Argali, Revenant and Zombie find out, they can come to bite.
This is the first time that multiple Izukus fight together in a life and death battle, by the way. Took a bit of time, thinking about it, but it does make this fight feel more special. Revenant of course can only fit the role of the executioner in the team dynamic.
I could write an entire fic that is just Izmird calling out Arkin's smooth brain. I don't because I don't hate Izmird enough to subject him to Arkin's presence for so long.
What will be the consequences of the Long Night of the Multiverse? How will the conflict of the True League for All and Arkin's group continue? Who will win the Arenaverse Tournament? And how does this all feed into the final battle of the All for Ones? Stay tuned to find out.