Captain Kamino blocked the incoming blow. The large Demon's claw scratched against it, and in response Cap turned around and kicked it in the chest. The brown toad-like monster seemed to feel it, but instead of stopping or reeling back it attacked again, bringing down a closed fist like a battle hammer. Cap dodged to the side, rolling on the ground and then smashing his shield flat in the opponent's temple. The Demon staggered and Cap continued by dragging him in for a knee in the jaw, sending it stumble back… right into Revenant's blade, as it pierced its chest.
"Are you ok?" Revenant asked.
"I… How do you do it?" Cap asked. He still hadn't really killed any of them. He had defeated two of the strong demons, but both had then been finished by his allies, "I just…"
"I get it." Revenant replied, "It's not easy." He said, before pulling out his gun and shooting down a small flying demon.
"You don't make it sound too hard." Cap replied, looking around to assess the situation. Canary was singing and apparently throwing fire at his own opponent, Christopher Skyline was facing off against three large demons that looked like deformed, humanoid magpies, and the others were also busy fighting their respective enemy. The only exception was Kaina, who was off somewhere doing her own thing. She was guarding the perimeter now, shooting down any Demon that tried to flee and as many that tried to enter.
"Trust me, I didn't have a fun time learning. You are really better off as you are." Revenant replied.
Cap made to reply, when he felt… something. A chill down his back, and then ground seemed to be shaking, the air felt electrified like before a lightning storm. He looked up, and noticed Revenant doing the same.
"Guests?" He asked.
"I'll check." Cap replied, dashing forward toward the low sound that they could now hear. He ran outside the plaza and through a small side road, and reached another, larger street.
And right in the middle of it, a white circle was shining, crackling with electricity. "What…"
And then there was a burst of air and light, that sent Captain Kamino back. He managed to land on his feet, staring at… three Izuku and two men he didn't know.
"My my…" The taller of the three Izukus, wearing top hat and clothes similar to Itsumi's own Hero Costume, the style Izuku, in his limited knowledge, would have called 'victorian' grinned. "Seems we have a fine guest to begin with. Mind if I take him?"
"Orders are to capture." The second Izuku, wearing shining plate armor emblazoned with the symbol of a shield laying under a broken sword replied grimly.
"Or kill." The Victorian man replied, "But I'm willing to make it a hunting challenge, if you prefer. I believe there are three Izukus, after all."
"And the other three." Sagawa replied, "Speaking of which, I have a prey of my own." He stepped forward, but the stick in the victorian's hand stopped him, "Pardon me, my dear friend, but I don't think that would be the right choice. Sending you alone, I mean. We are already outmatched as it is, losing you would make it worse. Paladin, Clockwork, why don't you accompany Mutt? Don't worry about the Sniper, she is… occupied."
Captain paused. "Arsenal?" He called in the communicator.
"No answer." The man replied with a grin, "I didn't like the solution I was given regarding our handling of a Sniper, so I… arranged something."
Captain Kamino made to look toward Arsenal's current hiding spot, but it wasn't in view. "What did you do?" He asked, preparing his shield.
"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?" The Victorian man asked, and then signaled for the others to move. The other two Izukus seemed to be considering resisting, but they seemed forced to move forward. "What about me?" Muscular asked, grinning wildly.
"I suppose I can share. Try not to kill him until I'm satisfied."
"No promises." The man replied, his arms covering themselves in what looked like metal. Cap took his fighting stance.
And then Revenant emerged from the corner of the street, aiming to chop off the Victorian Izuku's head. The man grinned, blocking the sword with his stick. Surprisingly, the wooden tool wasn't even dented by the blow, and the response hit when he tried to hit Revenant with the metallic raven head at the top forced him to step back. "Good attack, good attack. Perfectly from the blind spot. Unfortunately, that's only my blind spot." He tilted his head toward a raven looking at them from the rooftop.
"Duly noted, thank you." Revenant replied.
"No, thank you for coming, young man. Two Izukus at once is a dream come true." He grinned, "Please, struggle as much as you can."
Revenant slashed forward with two more strikes of his sword, but each got parried by the wooden stick and then the Midoriya – Jack Midoriya, Captain Kamino realized – thrust forward. Revenant had a second to block the blow, using the flat of his blade and getting thrown back.
"Alright, enough talking!" Muscular shouted, rushing forward to reach Captain Kamino. Cap raised his shield, blocking the blow from Muscular's fist even as it sent him flying back and slam against a wall. The ruined construction cracked at the strength of the impact and he flew through it, landing inside the house.
"Still alive, kid?" Muscular called, as Captain Kamino stood up from the rubble, "Come on, you aren't already tired, right?"
Cap strapped his shield back to his arm. "I can do this all day."
Muscular's smile grew, "Eh. I understood that reference." He commented, and then a set of four small chainsaw emerged from his iron covered knuckles as he rushed forward.
-x-
Izuku Midoriya, sixteen, from Musutafu. Currently going by the name of Clockwork, the young Hero could hardly feel proud of what he was doing right now.
There was no doubt whatsoever he was siding with the Villains, and not because of any goal of his own, but because he was forced to. Because if he didn't do it, he would die.
He hated to admit he had considered taking the chance and try to see if the threat would deliver, but he always remembered his goal. There was a family, his family of another world, that needed closure. He needed to prove what really happened to their Izuku, and find a way back home to his home.
He couldn't die. Even if it meant fighting against people he deeply felt were in the right.
As he emerged in the streets, he took for the roof. Paladin and Sagawa had no way to face the flying enemy, but Clockwork did. Christopher Skyline, in his world the Number Two American Hero under the name of Captain Celebrity, here was wearing a different version of his Hero Suit, but his blonde hair, general attitude and recognizable Quirk made him unmistakable.
He extended Blackwhip and pulled him aside, allowing the last demon he was fighting to land a good hit on his body, a large wound opening on the man's chest.
And then he realized his mistake, as in response Captain Celebrity turned around and rushed toward him.
Clockwork had an instant to activate One for All's Full Cowling and guard himself, the impact sending him flying back. He didn't undo Blackwhip just yet, instead using it like an anchor thanks to Skyline remaining still, and landed on the roof, tiles flying off in all directions as he smashed against them.
"You are picking the wrong fight." Christopher Skyline said.
"Yeah, that was my impression too. Would you surrender peacefully?" He asked.
"I'm afraid I can't."
"I had to try." Izuku admitted.
"Would you like to surrender?" Skyline asked.
Clockwork raised his hand, "I'm afraid that's not an option."
"A shame. Well, I guess knocking you out it is." Skyline replied, and rushed forward.
Izuku kicked, hitting the enemy in the chest… no, he managed to grab him and tried to immediately yank his leg to the side to break it. Izuku had one moment to jump and accompany the movement, rotating in mid-air and slamming to the ground rather than letting his leg break.
But Skyline didn't let go, instead grabbing him and smashing him into the roof and through it. Izuku coughed blood as he landed on the first floor, using One for All to jump back. 'Alright, bad match up. Ugh, what beats Christopher Skyline?'
An incident at the Sky Egg. A giant tower that falls, explosive villains that attack Skyline on all sides. He almost died, if not for All Might. Izuku remembered vividly watching on TV the Sky Egg incident…
"Alright. That's gonna be a challenge."
'Don't hold back' was the order he had been given. So now, he had to do that.
He sighed.
-x-
"That's two hammers sent out." Izmird commented, "And since we have already prepared our forces for the Garden, I believe we can just wait and see."
"You are enjoying this, aren't you?" A new voice asked. Izmird turned to see the Stormlord, another of the three newest summons, one of the 'strong'.
"I'm merely serving my lord dutifully."
"Really? Because this seems off. You could have focused everyone on a single target, but instead you split our forces to be, Demons not withstanding, even, keeping us back as a second hammer. You didn't do this alone," He glanced at the Overhaul, "But I believe you have deeper reasons than just believing those forces are sufficient to win."
"Maybe." Izmird replied, "But so what? So long as we win, does it matter? I'm not betraying Lord Arkin, I'm merely handling this as I see fit within his orders."
The Stormlord stared at him, then bowed. "Very well! I accept your excuse, Izmird the Wizard! If you think this is the best way to handle it, do it! Just make sure we actually win. I've never lost, once in my life, and I'm not starting now!" And with that he marched off.
Izmird shrugged, as he watched the forces in the Garden come into contact with the enemies. As he expected, the enemy started to make their way through the Demons, and soon… Indeed, there it was, the division in two groups, one aiming for the Spire.
He watched the signals on the map. The signals of the last team, the one sent to back the Demons in the Garden, were moving stuff, some dropping directly from the tower and some teleporting in various spots in the Garden. Eight… No, seven, one quickly rushing away after taking down another. "There we go." He murmured, "Hawks took down Apocrypha and is running." He said out loud.
"What?!" Arkin shouted.
"It seems he managed to hide his true intentions from me." He lied, "Smart enough to take down Apocrypha, who can become a one-man army, over the other candidates. I suppose this means he will join our enemies."
Arkin sighed. "Yet another setback. How are you so calm, Izmird? From my perspective, we have been on the backfoot since the beginning."
"I wouldn't say that. I believe we were defeated in initiative, but not in strength. We still outnumber them greatly, and that is going to matter as the battle drags out, especially when they start to get tired. Moreover, we have to consider the winning conditions of both sides." He said.
"What winning conditions?"
Before Izmird could speak, the Overhaul did. "In other words, what do both sides want from this battle, my lord." Izmird replied, "We want to defeat them. For that, we can sacrifice most of our pawns. Meanwhile, they want to capture you, save the summoned and recover Kai. For that reason alone, we have a massive advantage. They need to beat a clear numerical disadvantage and are not aiming to kill. You alone hold the key for our victory. So long as you win in the end, everything else does not matter." The masked man replied. Izmird sighed. There was a certain amount of truth to this, but that wasn't what he needed.
He spoke up, "He is correct. That's why I'm considering our next move, my lord. We still have a hammer to bring down. We the three fighters you summoned yesterday ready. Well two, I believe our friend here might be more useful for a certain opponent I've noticed." The man in question sighed, standing up and marching off. Izmird smirked, knowing full well they both understood he was sending the man away. "Meanwhile…" He stared at the map, and silently cast a spell. Sight of the Eye allowed him to see through the eyes of anyone he knew that wasn't protected from said spell, and Transmission Image allowed him to show what he was 'seeing' as an image to others. What he was showing were the ongoing fights, each from a different perspective. "We watch and we learn. We will come out victorious, but this is all a test. Let us see what the Multiverse can offer, and how far our strength goes."
"… You are experimenting. In the middle of the most important fight of our lives, you are..!"
"My lord, I understand your worry, but please, let me explain. I'm not experimenting out of pure curiosity. I believe this test will be important for you as well. We need to know what 'strong' means in the context of the spell. We need to compare the results of your summons compared with a team of selected fighters. That will help us decide which direction we should take in the longer term."
"What if we lose then?"
"Well, I believe, my lord, you have me on your side." Izmird grinned, "I assure you I can take care of those people, if all else fails."
"Bold words, Wizard." Lord Arkin said, "I hope for you that is the truth. I'm not above punishing you for such a catastrophic failure, otherwise."
Izmird just smiled. 'Believe what you will, Arkin. The prize is mine already. All that's left is letting them waste their energies in a meaningless squabble.'
-x-
Revenant took a deep breath as he prepared to fight. His opponent was completely at ease. No, even worse, he was giving Revenant all the time in the world.
"I don't have to tell you he outmatches you, right?" Izzzuku asked.
'No. It takes an instant to figure it out.' Revenant replied. His opponent looked idle, like he was relaxing, but Revenant could tell he wasn't relaxing. He was readying himself. The barely concealed giddiness, the badly concealed smirk on his lips, the way his fingers slightly toyed with the raven head of his cane. This was a man that expected to enjoy himself, have all the fun in the world, and then win.
Revenant pushed a new magazine inside Samurai's Edge, and glanced around. Three ravens, two on the roofs on his left, one on his right. 'Tell me everything you can.'
"He uses hist cane to use a form of magic called Londonscape. It's… complicated to explain. It has to do with controlling the city of London itself." Izzzuku grimaced, "Just… Remember to listen to what he says. He sounds like he is rambling, but he is telling you everything you need to know."
Revenant nodded, 'Keep me informed.' He replied, and then darted to the left, disappearing inside a door. He had inspected all the buildings near the plaza the night before, and sure as hell he wasn't going to face the man in a straight match-
"My, what a quick escape." He whipped around, his gun aiming toward the heavy smell of smog, taking three shots toward the head of the man, only for it to pass through where his head should have been. Instead, there were only two eyes and a large, toothy grin, the rest of the body nowhere to be seen. "Oh my, did you just shoot me?" The mouth asked, "You know, a cat has nine lives, but I don't just turn into one, so I still have only one."
"Cheshire Cat." Izzzuku said, "Don't worry, he can't touch you while he is like this. He is just trying to scare you."
'Yeah, I figured.' Revenant turned back around, jumping up the stairs without looking away from the eyes and mouth. Like fog, the rest of the body followed, and Jack, now seeming completely solid, started to walk up the stairs, at a completely normal pace. Revenant reached the second floor, without taking his eyes off the man, and took another shot. This time the man dodged, inhumanly fast as he rushed up the stairs.
In response, Revenant pulled the pin off the smoke bomb he had been discreetly grabbing and threw it, before locking the door and jumping out of the window at the end of the room, right through a large hole on the side of a ruined house.
He looked around, rushing through another door, and then-
"Where are we going?" A voice asked, the smell of burnt ashes and smoke suddenly filling his nostrils, and he slowly turned around to see an upside-down Jack grinning madly as he stared back at Revenant. He slashed with his sword, and the head rolled on the ground, before the rest of the body, bleeding nothing but fog, went back, picked it up, and put it back on. "My my, that was very uncouth of you."
'This can't be real…'
"It isn't. Cheshire Cat is the name of the technique, but all it does is turning him into fog and smog. He is playing with you."
'All it does…' Revenant sighed. So, the man was intangible if he wished. His mind went back to the ghosts of New Londo. Shady bastards, always getting the jump on him.
"Just hold on until it's over. He has a time limit on that power. Once it starts, it only lasts a few minutes before it has to recharge."
That wasn't much, but it gave him hope at least. If there was no way to face Jack when he pursued, the only option was to face him directly. Revenant prepared himself for the fight, moving his stance to hold the sword with both hands.
"Good, good, you catch on fast. Usually, people try to run a lot longer before they realize they can't outpace the Ravens' gaze." The man said, pointing toward the roof. The Raven perched on it tilted its head slightly and croaked, the 'kraaa' echoing in the city over faint sounds of combat in the distance. Revenant closed them all off, focusing only on the man in front of him and starting to move slowly. The room they were fighting in had been some sort of elegant living room, and time, looters and Demons had long since taken their toll on the décor, leaving only a broken wooden table thrown on one said as far as furniture went. That meant Revenant had free reign to move, pacing, waiting for an opening.
The problem was that his opponent was full of openings, but also showed no fear of them. He was aware Revenant could stab him, and there lied the problem. If Revenant attacked at the wrong time, the man would just turn into fog again.
So, Revenant had to make sure he wouldn't know about it. He grabbed a second smoke bomb, tossed it, and the smoke screen raised. He saw a glimpse of Jack's grin once more, and then he vanished in the smoke.
He stepped lightly, focusing each movement into not making the slightest sound. He could see nothing, but neither would the ravens or Jack himself. He listened to the faint breathing, to the slightest movement of cloth, and then he took his chance.
A deathly silent step after another, he closed the distance, and with all of his strength he struck.
The blade struck the figure, and then nothing but mist remained. Revenant took a quick step back. "Foolish child, I become one with the fog and smog of London, did you forget?" A voice asked, incorporeal, a wide grin appearing in the smoke, "Did you think I couldn't meld with your own?"
Revenant grimaced, knowing this would hurt. The cane came out of the fog, aimed for his chest… tangible. Revenant got hit, feeling the air leave his lungs as the cane impacted his chest, and then stepping back and pulling out Mjolnir, the hammer crackling with electricity. It was a bet he was making, and he knew it, but there wasn't much else he could do. He took a deep breath. And then, he unleashed the electricity of his hammer. The discharge shot out of the weapon, hitting in all directions, even the wielder himself.
"Yes! Yes!" A voice shouted, slight pain mixing with amusement, "Now you get it! Good, good, good. I can actually fight you properly. No more Cheshire Cat, Revenant, let me show you what it means to be facing the Raven of London. Let me show you who I am!"
Revenant felt the movement in the smoke, the disappearance of the smell of ashes, and the light step behind him. He turned around, and a metal raven's head slammed in his face, his nose spurting into a rain of blood as it broke. Revenant panted and stepped back again, jumping out of the window and on the street below.
"Let's start with this. Londonscape: Thames." Jack said, the raven on the handle of his cane opening its beak for a moment, and something shifted. Revenant heard the sound of rushing water, and as he looked toward the road that was supposed to be beyond the window, he saw only a large, rushing river, about two hundred meters wide.
Without thinking, he tightened his grip on Mjolnir and did what the God of Thunder had. He swung the hammer at full strength and then tossed it, letting it drag him forward like the comics character and leading him to crash land on the opposite side of the river. He groaned, feeling his shoulder had been pulled by the sudden movement, and pushed it back in before looking around. Mikona itself hadn't changed in shape, but now there was a two-hundred meters wide river cutting through that part of the city, and extending toward the hill of the upper layers and beyond. He watched a large house that had been cut in half by the river's appearance crumble. A raven cawed from above his head.
"You didn't tell me he could do that!"
"I did. Also, sorry, but I have to focus a lot of my mind on protecting yours." Izzzuku added, "Either way, he is coming. What will you do, Revenant? If you are outmatched entirely, I can get you out."
Revenant watched as a mass of fog landed on the other side of the river, compacting back into Jack. The man waved, and then put the cane down on the ground.
The water of the Thames bubbled as the Tower Bridge cut his way through the river. It was slightly off, Revenant noticed, not quite fitting the streets it now connected, parts of it slamming into the houses nearby and making them crumble.
"Electricity works, and if he doesn't use the Cheshire Cat he is just a human." Revenant gripped his hammer, "You are right. He outmatches me. But I can make him bleed." Revenant knew this was a stronger enemy than anyone he had faced in the real world. Maybe even stronger than the enemies in the Simulation. "Let's try this game of cat and mouse again."
And with that, Revenant started to run.
-x-
My name is Jack Midoriya. I've been called Jack the Ripper, the Raven of London, Raven…
It doesn't really matter what you call me.
I was born in the city of London. While that is hardly an achievement in my world, what is notable is where I was born and who I was born from. My father was Japanese, but my mother was English. As for my birth, it fell in the midnight of a night of blood moon.
You see, there are six ravens in the London Tower. They watch over the city, and it is said that if they all die, the crown will fall and Britain with it. A fanciful tale, you might think, but there is a deeper truth. Those ravens see all that happens in the city. They see the evil, the murder, the cruelty, the abandonment. They know the sins of all that traverse London, all that breath his fog, step on its street, enter its buildings, work in its factories. They know, learn, share. And then, when they die, they fly away, taking those sins somewhere beyond.
But in a night of a blood moon, the spirit of a newly dead raven grows scared and seeks an innocent soul. It seeks a child. A newborn, yet untainted by all evil.
When child and spirit meet, that child becomes something else. It becomes… Jack the Ripper. The Raven of London. Me.
I'm Jack Midoriya, born on a blood moon of the night a Raven of the Tower of London died. I'm Jack the Ripper, the only one who can wield the Cane of London.
I'm a carrier of sin and a sinner myself.
There is nothing I wish to be.
Jack stepped through the copy of the Tower Bridge, whistling as he held his cane in a light grip, making it rotate in his hand. It was an invitation, but Revenant was smart enough to not take it, instead running away. Jack smiled. Smart of him.
He looked around. The river had probably gotten in the way of a couple fights, hadn't it? Well, no matter. It would vanish eventually. It was just a memory of the Thames on the day something evil happened near it, after all. The same went for the bridge of course, a memory brought to life of some forgotten villany. He glanced to his right and watched the shadow of a man push another over the edge to their death. Ah, murder, the simplest of all evil, and yet the most enjoyable. A look at the murder told him this was that case from a few years back, the death of some wealthy industrial at the hands of a disgruntled employee he had just fired. He walked closer and moved his cane lightly, letting the scene play in slow motion and focusing on what he cared for, the faces of the two.
One would think that being aware of all the ill things men can do since the day he was born might have made Jack hesitant to commit more. After all, pain, suffering, murder, those were all bad things he had witnessed in his mind time and time again. But the truth was, he didn't find them repulsive. There was something enticing in how death revealed the true nature of a dying human. Of how sin removed the mask of the culprit. The victim and the perpetrator's souls equally naked for all to see for a beautiful instant, telling the world 'yes, this is my true self'. Jack loved it. That was why he made sure his victims would forever be unmasked.
He chuckled at the surprise of the rich man, and then frowned as he saw doubt and realization cross the face of the poor employee. Oh, how he disliked murderers that started to regret their act immediately. So many fools that didn't understand the primal nature of killing. He shook his head, yawning and resuming his light walk.
A raven came to land on his shoulder, one of his many brothers. The raven whispered in his ears, telling him that there were no sins to be found. Jack frowned. Either Revenant was a saint, and Jack doubted that, or Izzzuku was guarding the teen's mind. Pesky astral projection, getting in his way all the time. "Good job, Hugh. We needed to know that much. Guess I will have to make Izzzuku leave. How is Arsenal faring?"
The crow cawed again, and Jack smiled. "Tell Moon to keep at that. See if Bran wishes to join her, we can't have her be killed by Arsenal."
The raven cawed and took flight. The light of day sit ill with Jack. He was a night hunter. All this visibility, the heat of the day… It just wasn't appropriate. "Perhaps I should change things a bit." He murmured, feeling a grin split his lip, but then he frowned. "Nay, not yet. Whitechapel can wait. Let's not spoil the fun."
With that in mind, Jack Midoriya kept walking on, hunting his prey with glee.
-x-
Paladin blocked the blow from the large wolfman and stumbled back, as a demon rushed forward to attack the large Quirked man instead. The man howled and ripped the opponent to shreds, even as more followed suit.
To summarize, this battle was terrible. Chojuro Kon was strong, wildly so. He had One for All, clearly, and on top of that his physical transformation boosted his already powered strength even more. It was like facing All Might, Izuku mused.
Even Mutt had turned back, his desire to devour Chojuro Kon tempered by his fear of the man's strength. One of Sagawa's arm was broken, laying limply on his side, and several teeth were missing.
"Mutt, keep pressure on Canary!" He shouted instead, and Sagawa grimaced, running forward. Paladin meanwhile took a deep breath. The only reason Sagawa was still alive was that their enemies were trying to take them alive. The demons worked as distractions, but the strength of Chojuro Kon made them little more than meat shields.
Paladin looked around. What was he doing? Fighting on the side of a serial killer and several demons, for a Lord that had enslaved him and under the orders of a Wizard with unknown goals. He was a Paladin of the God of Protection, but here he was, putting his life on the line for a man that wished to use him as a sword to cut a Hero's throat.
And yet, he couldn't leave. Not because of the sigil on his hand, but because, under Arkin, there were those that needed his protection. Piper and Kitsune, gentle souls dragged into a fight they didn't belong in. Clockwork, who shared so much with him, and yet had such a different situation at hand. Mustard, who had done his best to turn a new leaf and was now dragged back into being the aggressor. The Bell Witch, misguided as she was, a victim as much as a Villain.
Paladin was sworn to protect those in need. And here there were far too many that needed him.
Chojuro Kon slaughtered the last Demon and turned toward Paladin. "I don't suppose you'd like to surrender?"
"Not a chance."
"Figures." Paladin sighed, and activated One for All again. This time, however, the energy didn't stop at his body.
-x-
"You gave me quite the task, kiddo." The Magesmith said, "That power of yours is a tricky thing."
"I know, Medern, but if I have to become a proper Paladin I need to stop shattering my sword every time I hit something big."
"Couldn't you become a Monk instead?" The man asked. Izuku sighed.
"I looked into it, but it seems I lack the energy they use for their techniques."
"I thought all humans had that."
"That's what the Monks also said. Guess I'm just unlucky." Izuku sighed, "Did you manage to make the sword?"
"Of course. Behold!" The man showed him the blade, "I can make armor and a shield too, or any other melee weapon, if you are willing to pay. Just know it won't be cheap. I had to go through bloodline magic manipulation, hereditary skill transfer and spiritual transmission studies to figure out how to make this."
Izuku looked at the sword and smiled.
-x-
One for All expanded on Izuku's armor, up his arm onto the sword and shield, and he smiled sadly. "I can't hold back." He admitted, "I can only try to not kill you."
"Good to know." Chimera replied, and then he attacked. Paladin brought up his shield, but this time, the shield itself imbued by One for All, he didn't even feel the impact. It was like Chimera had struck a solid wall between them.
He pushed forward, putting all of his strength in each step, and moved the blade to thrust from behind the shield. The sword moved almost too fast for anyone to see, but Kon managed, dodging to the said. Izuku switched the thrust into a slash. The pure air pressure of the blade caused the walls behind it to crack and the few surviving windows that still had glass to explode, like he had used a different version of Air Force, but once again, Chojuro Kon avoided the attack. As he took a couple steps back, Paladin glanced toward Sagawa and grimaced. While the singing Izuku was clearly holding back, Sagawa was on the back foot. He wasn't a weak fighter by any means, but his opponent was just too versatile.
He returned back to Chojuro as he heard him step forward and once more raised his shield, the man's claws clanging against his shield. Paladin slashed twice more, the air pressure shattering walls and making the ruins crumble on themselves as a sword imbued with the power of One for All swung trying to get a hit on Chimera, but he was still dodging. Paladin moved his hand to his pendant. "Guardian of Faith, come forth and defend my wards." He murmured, and a large, brilliant entity appeared standing next to Sagawa, immediately bringing down a gigantic sword toward Canary. The singer had the good sense to step back, a moment before the guardian's blade swung where he had been a moment before. A large radiant light expanded from the point of impact, sanding Canary thumbling back and opening him up for Sagawa to attack.
Then a fist impacted Paladin's flank, sending him roll back even as the armor absorbed the blow itself. He winced, blocking the follow up attack from above with his shield, and swinging the blade only for Chimera to jump out of the way, still taking the chance to stand back up.
He panted, and stepped aside, moving to get between Chimera and the fight between Canary and Sagawa. "God of Protection, a pilgrim seeks your help. Please, grant a Shield of Faith to their hearts and souls." He said, brushing a hand on his flank. That was already his second spell, having used a Cure Wounds on Sagawa earlier. With two blessings from his god out of the way, he'd have to save the rest carefully. Last thing he needed was running out of healing entirely.
The men marched toward each other, and once more moved on the offensive. As they fought, Paladin considered what he was doing again. He was the guardian of the weak, the shield of the defenseless, and here he was.
"In another time, I'd have been fighting by your side." Paladin commented, unable to hold back his words.
"In another world, you are." Chimera replied, as he attacked again.
Paladin didn't buckle, even as the ground trembled under him.
He wasn't allowed to.
-x-
Captain Kamino jumped. So far, the fight? Not good. A man with nanomachine armor might have been cool, but he definitely wasn't fun to fight when he was out for your blood.
Muscular laughed maniacally as his chainsaw-tipped hands cut and punched through concrete, the nanomachines buzzing wildly. Captain Kamino tossed his shield right to his face, but the defense quickly came up, a mask of steel blocking the blow. The shield bounced off the mask, toward a wall and then back on Cap's arm. He looked back to the large street they were entering and made to stand his ground there.
He felt a chill down his spine and instinctively jumped.
And then the road disappeared, a large river that wasn't there a moment before having replaced it. Both Cap and Muscular were caught in mid-air above it.
Cap was the first to react, tossing his shield to the far edge and then taking a deep breath before he hit the water. The ice-cold water made its through his body armor, but he didn't let that stop him, instead starting to swim.
Except he didn't move. Something grabbed his leg and pulled, and looking down he saw Muscular, mask covering his face. Was it air-tight? Shit, was he trying to drown him?! Cap kicked the hand holding him. Big mistake, as the hand's armor shifted into a pointy weapon and he slammed his foot right into it. He gritted his teeth to not scream and lose all his remaining oxygen. Instead, he dove down.
Fighting underwater wasn't really something you trained for, but he knew there had to be a way out. Pulling back with all his strength, he kicked down, trying to hit Muscular somewhere where it counted. Face, chest, shoulders, neck, anywhere his leg could reach. All to no avail.
'Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit!' Cap shouted in his mind as his vision started to darken slightly as the oxygen went consumed at a rapid pace.
He felt his body burn as it tried desperately to find more oxygen. In desperation, Cap balled down around Muscular's arm, ignoring the spikes that instantly emerged from the arm and hit him in the leg, chest and abdomen, hoping none of those were deep enough to kill him as he put all of his remaining strength on opening the grip around his leg with one hand while stopping Muscular's other arm with the other. His vision was starting to blur, his body in desperate need of oxygen immediately.
'Am I going to die?!' He found himself thinking, 'Is this… it? I need to… Need to…'
His ears were starting to buzz, his head feeling light. He felt his grip loosen on Muscular's end.
Then he felt it again, another chill down his spine. 'Don't give up.' A voice said, his own and his uncle's.
-x-
"Hello Izuku! Guess what I got for you today?" The jovial man that was his uncle walked through the door. Sickly as the man was, he was still in a better condition than Izuku himself, the teen having been bedridden for a few weeks now.
Izuku's father, sitting near his bed, rolled his eyes, "I hope it's not another one of those…"
"It's a new set of Captain America comics!" His uncle said with a grin, his father sighing. Izuku's mother chuckled, as she finished brushing his hair.
"Thanks, uncle." Izuku said with a smile. He felt weaker than ever those days, and he could tell there was some edge on his family's members face. His dad kept saying there was a new hope for a cure, an experimental drug by a certain doctor Hatsume, but Izuku realized they were looking grim, whenever they thought he wasn't paying attention.
'Am I going to die?' Izuku wondered dully. He knew his illness was dangerous, but… well, he and his uncle had the same one, and the man had made it to his early thirties. Izuku hated to say it, but the idea he could be dying before he even became fourteen felt… unfair.
"Ohi, cheer up kid!" His uncle said, sitting down next to him, "Today you are going through some more Cap adventures. New enemy called the Winter Soldier, I think you'll like where this story goes."
"No spoilers, uncle." Izuku said with a chuckle that turned into a coughing fit. When he looked again, he saw his dad had stood up and turned around, while his uncle's smile looked a bit strained.
"I'm going to see Doctor Hatsume. She should be doing well."
"Bye dad." Izuku said, but the man had already walked out. His mom sighed.
"What am I going to do with him…" She murmured.
"Sometimes I'm amazed you married him, Inko." His uncle said.
"Oh, hush, you know there is a lot of good under Hisashi's… everything."
The man chuckled, Izuku knowing that, while the two brothers never saw eye to eye, their love was genuine. He sighed and looked at the comics, smiling. It probably looked sad as a smile, because his uncle put a hand around his back.
"Hey, little man. Don't worry too much. Kegare Syndrome has lots of ups and downs. This is just a down, I'm sure. Once you are better, we can go buy some comics ourselves, don't you think?"
He knew his mom now was glaring at his uncle. 'Better' for Izuku had not meant leaving the hospital in almost two years. The private facility was exemplary, and it admitted people with Meta-Abilities, a rarity in the world they lived in.
It still wasn't the same as living at home.
"I'd like that…" He said, fully knowing the truth. He was never going to leave the hospital, even if this really was just a down. Even if…
"Hey, look at me Izuku." His uncle said, and Izuku looked up, the man putting a hand in his green hair and smiling, "Don't give up."
"I…"
"Remember Captain America? He was a scrawny kid, a little man no one believed in. But he had this." Yoichi tapped on Izuku's chest, right over his heart, "You will live, Izuku. I promise. But you have to do one thing."
-x-
'Don't give up.'
Izuku pulled with all his strength on the vice grip around his leg, a sudden burst of energy coursing down his whole body as he fought desperately.
There was what he assumed above water would have sounded like a crack as two of Muscular's fingers snapped at an angle they had no business reaching and the man let go, likely in pain. Izuku immediately kicked on his helmet to propel himself upward and emerged above water, gasping for air even as his body, more on his own than out of any conscious choice. Swimming those one-hundred final meters that separated him from the riverbank was one of the most grueling experience of his life, his body burning and demanding he stopped and breathed properly, but he made it. Huffing, panting, he reached the edge and pulled himself up. He wondered where his shield had landed. He had tossed it, not wanting to risk losing it in the water, but it would have been useful against…
His eyes went wide as there was an explosion in the water, the giant splash making water rain in all directions as Muscular, clearly angry, landed on a roof nearby, grinning. "Hi, Captain."
Izuku sighed. His body was burning, his breathing was heavy. He was a man out of time and out of place, fighting in a city he didn't know for a cause he barely knew. There were a lot of reasons to just leave.
But he wasn't going to. He took his fighting stance, knowing his shield was, now that he looked around, just a few roads to the south from where he had made landfall.
He wasn't giving up. His hand moved to his belt, and he pulled out his new weapon. It wouldn't have helped in the river, where he couldn't control the sparks, and before he had tried to take out Muscular with the weapon he was familiar with.
Now he had to go all out, even if he had to improvise.
Mjolnir crackled to life.
-x-
The Green Scar panted as the last of the Demons fell to the ground, that was four War Demons for himself and two between the others. "Alright." He said. They had moved back, forced by the Demons in a slow retreat even as they defeated them, and then a goddamn river had decided to pop up, cutting through the hill like some sort of canyon. On the bright side, it had meant the Demons advance was entirely halted.
On the less bright side, it had sent their plan on a bit of a loop as the Green Scar found himself separated by Nishiya. He probably wasn't the only one, since they all had an instant to try and grab on either side of the wide ravine. He had to hope no one had been right in the middle.
The air suddenly changed, electricity sparking as a white light appeared not too far from him, and similar lights started to flare all over the woods. He turned toward the light with a resigned sigh, idly wondering if this was his fault. "Alright, who's next?" He asked, turning around.
"I suppose that would be us." The first man coming forward replied, covered in black, futuristic armor, except for his head, the head of another Izuku. "I go by Martian."
"Green Scar." He replied, "Nice to meet you. Also, goodbye."
"Good-" And then Usagi kicked him in the head, sending the other Izuku flying into the woods.
"I don't remember being paired with you." He quipped.
"I ran into Nishiya. He is helping out Ojiro with something and asked to switch partners, then made me a wood bridge to get here. No idea where Fuyumi and Shinomiya are."
"Very w- Usagi!" He launched Blackwhip forward, pulling his descendant back right as a large creature, an Himiko Toga with bat wings, claws and striped ears and tail rushed forward and sliced with her claws where Usagi had been a moment before. He heard a low humming from his right, and felt the impact of something a moment before it hit, sending Izuku rolling back on the ground. Martian emerged from the woods, black armor now covering his head too, a weird object lodged on the top of his arm, likely the weapon that had just hit him.
"So, what's the plan?" Usagi asked, kicking toward the Himiko Toga. The girl dodged and sliced with her clows, forcing the bunny monster to step back or get sliced, "They are strong."
"And they aren't alone. Guess that's why we aren't getting any help." He glanced at the woods. Having separated this much, they couldn't see where the other pairs were, the forest blocking their view of each other and the river providing a legitimate border, but he could hear the sound of combat thundering through the forest.
He activated One for All and watched as several Demons, remnants of the force they were facing, started to surround them. Almost alone, lost in the woods, surrounded by a hostile force, a princess at his side…
'Eh, guess some things never really change.' He thought amused.
"Stop joking around Nineth. It's time to go all out." The Second warned him.
"Yeah." Izuku activated Full Cowling, "I know. Usagi, take care of the Demons. I will take those two."
"I can help." She whispered back.
"You will be. Trust me."
The Green Scar charged forward, hoping the other pairs were facing easier opponent. He could tell the Martian was a skilled one.
And then a pair of electrified whips emerged from the man's armor at the wrist, while what looked like a cannon popped out of the forearm.
'This will be a pain.'
(XX)
Guests:
Captain Kamino from Kamino's Ward by tunafishprincess
Revenant from Locked in Digital by Rogue Druid
Canary from Canary by cloud_nine_and_three_quarters
Clockwork from A Spanner in the Clockworks by All_five_pieces_of_Exodia
The Green Scar from The Green Scar Worldbuilding thread by Quantum01 and The Green Scar by Pro-man
Alright, here are our first matches.
Captain Kamino opens and - almost - closes the chapter with his battle with Nanomachines Muscular. This one is such a fun match-up to write but man, I almost drowned Cap there. Thank goodness he is both a Superhero and an anime protagonist /s
But really, I'm happy I got to finally explore Cap's backstory a bit, he is such an interesting blend of Izuku and of Captain America's 'zero to hero' trope.
Speaking of a river... Well, Jack is just entertaining to write. His fighting style is based on memories, but that has a wide, wide range of applications. From Cheshire Cat allowing him to embody the fogs of London, to talking with the Ravens of the Tower, Jack is such a fun character. And of course, his magic can change the battlefield not just for him, but for his allies. Or getting in the way, depends on who you ask.
Jack is just fun to write.
Meanwhile, Clockwork is fighting Christopher Skyline, Canary and Chojuro are facing Paladin and Mutt, and we have no idea how the rest are doing. Well except for The Green Scar dealing with an evil space version of himself. Very nice(?).