My name is Izuku Midoriya, and I am dead.

I was involved in a car crash years ago, along with my parents. They passed away, but I wanted to be a Hero. Quirkless or not, I had a desire so strong it turned me into a ghost.

Or maybe I had a Quirk all along, and it just happened to be the ability to turn into a ghost after death. I met other ghosts, but they are different from me, less… conscious. I really hope that's not the case because it sounds… lonely.

People can't see me or interact with me, except when they are on the verge of death. All they feel otherwise is a chill on their backs when I get close or touch them, and a mild discomfort vanishing when I keep away. At first, I didn't really know what to do, but years after my death, All Might of all people visited my grave! That was really amazing, and even more so when it turned out All Might would have made me his successor if I was alive!

I mean, bit of a bummer since I'm… indisposed, but it's the thought that counts. Either way, I started following him around, and so I found out about the Multiverse and why he had found me in the first place. So this year I followed him in the tournament.

And I happened to run into other Izukus, alive and in need of help. I couldn't just stay behind, right?

I'm Izuku Midoriya.

Alive or dead, I want to help people. There's nothing else I would rather do.

Ghost took a deep breath. Yeah, Ghost. Unoriginal, but it worked. Helped distinguish him.

Man, breathing was something he wasn't used to. Hopefully, the body he was possessing could still handle basic automatic stuff like that. He gripped his hand on the hammer. From what he had seen, the object was the only weapon he actually had against Muscular.

The thing was, Ghost didn't have any combat skill, on account of having been dead since he was eight. The best he could do was swing the hammer to hopefully crack the opponent's defenses, or raise the shield to stop death. He hadn't... He hadn't really put a lot of thought into this. 'Figure it out as you go. Sounds like a plan, I guess.'

He marched forward and, before Muscular could recover from the surprise, he hit with the hammer at full strength. The Nanomachines still reacted, placing themselves in the way, and promptly getting shattered by the impact of the heavy hammer. He noticed that, while a few seemed to get damaged by the electricity, the vast majority didn't, instead apparently absorbing the electric discharge. He panted, pulled back the hammer, and swung again.

He felt Muscular's bone crack behind the blow, at the same time as Captain Kamino's bones started to hurt. Not that he could feel it, but he could tell they were giving way. Ghost had no way to hold back the strength Captain Kamino controlled so casually. Every swing, no matter how little, was accompanied by every ounce of force the body of Captain Kamino could put together.

Paradoxically, that was exactly what they needed. Muscular's defenses were excellent, but not absolute. The nanomachines were not unlimited, and the more fell apart, the less he had to cover himself or counterattack.

Which meant Ghost's one talent, his ability to bring out Captain Kamino's full strength without holding back was what they needed-

A fist covered in nanomachines hit him in the cheek, sending him flying against a wall.

"Ugh, alright, not the only thing we need…" He murmured, standing back up. He felt his body buckle, "Come on Cap, don't go on me yet?"

It was dangerous, frankly, and the worst part was, he wasn't the one in danger. If he took this too far, it was Captain Kamino that would die.

He refused to accept that.

"You are nothing special, brat! You are just a kid with some muscles! Do you really think you can do something against me?!" They heard the far-off sound of a building crashing down, and from the corner of his eye Ghost spotted the Big Ben that had appeared before coming down, but it was far-off, so he could ignore that. He focused back on Muscular, and stepped back as his knuckles turned into chainsaws again. "I'll fucking murder you!"

"Yeah, not me. I'm already dead. But I can't exactly let you hurt this one." Ghost said with a grimace. 'Alright, so, what do I have? Electricity… it was frying some of them, but the majority seemed to hold. Maybe the voltage is too high, but then it disperses? I don't know how to win…'

That was when he realized.

He couldn't win this, and he shouldn't have to. His objective wasn't to win, it was to save someone. He slammed a hand on his face. "Ugh, I'm the worst. Of course I can't win this. If I could, Captain Kamino would have won before. The whole point was that he was a bad match-up."

Muscular grinned. "You are getting cold feet, kid?"

"Yes." Ghost replied flatly, "You know, I really wanted to be a Hero and save the day. The problem is, it turns out I'm not good enough. Sure, I got a bad match-up, but really, you try to train when you are an undead. And not even one of the cool ones that can move stuff around."

Muscular roared, clearly annoyed at his sudden shift in tone, and rushed forward. Ghost instinctively threw the shield, trying to copy Captain Kamino. It hit the man in the face, and it did make him stagger enough for the possessed body to then swing Mjolnir at him and sending the towering man fly back, while scooping up the shield from where it had fallen. He panted, and grimaced. Yup, that had broken a shoulder. Way too much strength. It really wasn't sustainable. "So what?! You gonna trying to keep stalling me with lucky shots?!"

"Well, I guess I can't beat you, that's all. Then again, I can do the next best thing."

"Which is?"

Ghost turned around and started to run, putting his full strength in his legs. He heard the shout from the man following him and hoped his last-ditch attempt at helping Captain Kamino win this would be a success. Even if it really meant relying on someone else.

-x-

Clockwork was really glad he had One for All, he decided as he was thrown through a wall and managed to twist in mid-air and land on his feet. Blackwhip extended out of his body as he tried again to grab Captain Celebrity, who he had to let go earlier as they flew low near the city, and tried to grab him again, only for the man to dodge up and down, before diving toward him.

Izuku kicked down, his leg impacting against Christopher Skyline's arm. He had gone to his limit with the kick, and it showed when the American fighter was pushed back, even if nothing more. Izuku took the chance to tie him up with Blackwhip and bring his fist forward, and managed to land a hit on his chin, but Celebrity used the impact as a chance to push himself backward, before pivoting in midair and, tied up and all, throw Izuku toward the closest building. Izuku kicked to destroy the wall, but in the process had to let go again Blackwhip, his control of the power still a bit too shacky to hold on Skyline without watching him.

He rolled on the ground and settled on his feet, panting slightly. "Alright, this isn't working…"

Flight, Skyline's Quirk, produced an energy barrier around his body. It allowed him to fly, gave him super-strength that could challenge even the Number One from the US in hand-to-hand, and was in general considered one of the best Quirk of his generation. Not only that, but after the Sky Egg, analyzing the events and therefore the Quirk had become sort of a passion for his fanbase, and Izuku was included in that, even if more as an 'analysis fan' than a 'Skyline fan'.

So he knew he was losing, badly. He should have already lost, if it wasn't for the fact his opponent seemed to be toying with him. Maybe the only advantage Izuku had in this fight.

Christopher Skyline entered through the hole, floating inches from the ground. "You know, I'd still take that surrender."

"Same here." Izuku replied, before using Blackwhip to throw a table toward Skyline. Of course it shattered on impact, but it gave him the chance to dive out of the window and try to gain distance as he tried to think about a solution.

A group of Demon appeared from behind the houses nearby, but the creatures didn't attack him, instead trying – and failing – to swarm the blonde man. Izuku looked to his left… and stared.

'Is that the Big Ben?!' He wondered. Alright, it was official, he had ended up in one of the sanest universes last time. 'The one where I probably… Well, that. You know, maybe this one isn't so bad.'

He looked at the tower as he run towards it while the Demon shrieked as they were mauled by their opponent, wondering if he could have climbed it with Blackwhip to try and face Skyline from an equal footing. No, that still meant he wasn't really airborne. Worse, if he happened to fall… No, the man would catch him, it was pretty clear he was trying to…

To get him alive…

"This is really really dumb…" He muttered, before breathing in, "Demons! Bring down that tower in one piece! Bring it down towards him!"

The Demons, has he had been told, obeyed the commands of Lord Arkin. And since they were magical summons of Lord Arkin, Clockwork and the others counted as 'Lord Arkin', so long as their orders weren't conflicting.

The Demons immediately darted toward the tower, more joining in as the few present in the area, most likely stragglers from Canary's attack that didn't know where to go, rushed toward the tower and attacked the base. Izuku turned around, and unleashed a pair of Air Force toward the American. Skyline twisted out of the way of the impact, but Izuku knew this was his one chance.

"I commend you for the attempt, but you know I can just dodge, right? Not to mention I'm clearly off the mark." Skyline asked, diving forward, just as behind Izuku there was a loud crash, as the Big Ben started to come down on his orders. "Why, the one more likely to get hurt from this is you."

'… I just ordered to bring down the Big Ben.' He realized, and then he started to run.

Toward the falling building.

He was sure the Vestige he knew, the one belonging to Daigoro Banjo, was having some choice words toward him, and his predecessors were likely the same. It was a pretty desperate plan, considering it hinged on the fact Christopher Skyline was there to save him.

That he would have to stop the crumbling building before it collapsed on top of him.

And that he wouldn't take the risk of Izuku miscounting.

He was betting this fight – and his life – on a game of chicken with the American Number Two.

Looking up he idly noted he had already run in the shadow of the falling tower, past the clock. He was going to get crushed in seconds.

Instants.

'Shit…'

And then the clocktower stopped, Izuku less than three meters away from the tower that should have clearly killed him. He retreated the Blackwhip he was extending to try to get out of the way, and turned around.

Christopher Skyline was holding up the fallen Big Ben by himself. Normally that should have been impossible, but Izuku wasn't a Hero nerd for nothing. He had read a lot of online discussion on how Flight worked exactly, and he knew the common consensus was that it allowed Christopher Skyline to coat himself and what he touched with some sort of energy that held things together and made them weightless.

And he knew the one weakness exposed three years before at the Tokyo Sky Egg: the bigger the object he was holding, the less he could protect himself.

The Demons roared, and Izuku gasped as he realized they wouldn't hold back. "Don't! We want him alive!" He shouted. He felt a sting on his hand, but it was only a lie by omission. Technically, he had been ordered to capture or kill, but it was his choice. The Demons growled, but retreated back.

Izuku charged the Full Cowling, as strong as he could without killing his opponent.

"No hard feelings, right?"

"Not really." Skyline said, panting slightly, "It's the life of an action Hero. Sometimes you lose in the first act.

Izuku darted forward in Full Cowling, and punched the defenseless opponent with a Smash, Skyline spitting blood as he punched his abdomen. Izuku felt the thin layer of energy still covering the man, thankfully, and decided to not consider what would have happened if it wasn't there.

Skyline was launched back, Izuku using Blackwhip to let the momentum pull him away from the clocktower that was now falling down again. They both landed less than a hundred meters from the point of impact. The Demons weren't as lucky, crushed by the tower except for two.

Izuku panted, shaking on his feet. He had just… Oh god, had he killed the man? He turned around to stare at Skyline, but it seemed the moment he had lost his grip on the tower his Quirk had gone back to covering him, cushioning their hard landing.

And then the man groaned, holding his chest and panting. Clockwork launched a Blackwhip to block his arm as it came up and tie it to his body.

And then brought down his fist. The energy barrier held, but shielded or not, an impact was still an impact. Skyline fell unconscious.

Clockwork panted, gasping for air. Then, slowly, he breathed out.

'I just defeated Christopher Skyline by dropping the Big Ben on myself and then punching him when he saved my life.' He thought.

He really didn't feel like a Hero right now. Once again, Clockwork find himself missing his home. Either of them, both his original world and the one where he was a guest.

At least in those he could be the person he had always dreamed to be.

-x-

The Director stared.

And then he started to laugh.

"Unorthodox. Unorthodox, unique, and certainly not something one could pull without this specific situation, but you know what? I love it! Sekigai, I want everything we can on that Izuku."

"Yes sir, at once. If I may though, sir, it seems it was a mistake telling Christopher to hold back. Won't his fans call for inconsistencies?"

"We will add a flashback of him not being willing to go all out." Danjuro replied, "I remember he once faced an Izuku and miscalculated, almost killing him. I think it was in 'Skyline: Stormcrash'. We should still have the footage, right?"

"Of course… I see, I see. You are a genius sir. I have a long way to go to stand up to your screenwriting."

"Nonsense, Sekigai, you are merely twenty-one! When I was your age, I was cleaning sets, you are already an assistant director." He smiled, "Now… The question is, do we let dear Christopher get captured, or do we tip-off the League?"

"I would advise for saving him. He could use a second wind, to please his fans. I'm sure he will have the chance to go all out."

The Director nodded. "Very well." He tossed to her the communicator, and smiled as she spoke, listening to the conversation.

"Good day, miss Kiruka! It's the Director's assistant, Kashiko Sekigai. Yes, we have one of your communicators. No, at present the director cannot give you information on the full situation. You understand, it wouldn't make logical sense for the movie for you to have this kind of information. We have a tip. Yes. Christopher was defeated, and… Yes, a surprise attack, you could say. Surprising for sure. No, no, I'm merely asking for you to pick him up and get him patched up. He has a fast recovery and could be useful in a following fight…"

He could feel the bristling from Kiruka's side. Skyline was the strongest actor on the Director's payroll, safe for… well, the Director himself, and for them having to save him had to be an insult. Christopher had faced the Battlemaster several times, and while he had always lost, he had managed to achieve decent fighting times. Unfortunately, beating the Battlemaster seemed out of his scope, so the Director had called it quits after the American had cameoed in 'Battlemaster: Battle of the Death Zone". Ah, his third highest grossing movie, such a cult already…

He shook his head, letting his thoughts on the matter go. He had better things to focus on. Oh, how exciting this was. He might even have to break up this first movie in a duology, if things kept going like this.

-x-

My name is Izuku Midoriya. But you can call me Spider-Man.

There is no need to introduce yourself, Midoriya. It's a waste of your time.

And the person you are hearing right now is my mentor, predecessor as Superior Spider-Man, and now disembodied voice in my head, Doctor Otto Octavius.

I owe a lot to the Doctor. He was the one that believed I could be more with just a little help. He believed I could be his legacy. A better man than he was, and a Hero worthy of the title of the Superior Spider-Man.

We have been through a lot. Heck, even my UA Entrance Exam was attacked by Villains, wasn't that ominous for my school future?

And you were foolish enough to almost die to try and save everyone. That is what I would have called truly ominous, Izuku.

I know Doc, but I can't help it. That's why you chose me.

Because I'm Izuku Midoriya, the Superior Spider-Man.

And I will do anything to prove it.

Superior stared, eyes wide, at the Spider-Man that rose from the crowd, using his own webbing to grab on the left spire and land there. At the same time, Superior landed on the right one, less than fifty meters separating the two Spider-Men as their respective Spider-Sense reacted.

'Watch out Izuku. The fact he is a Spider-Man doesn't mean he will be acting like you. We are a varied kind across the Omniverse, and we can't discount the possibility he might be a Villain. Make sure to pay attention to what he does.'

Then the other Spider-Man pointed at him.

And waited.

Superior cocked his head to the side.

"Oh come on man, we have to do this!" The other Spider-Man shouted. "Point that finger!"

'Should I…'

'I should have expected that he would turn out to be like Parker.' The Doctor grumbled.

"So!" Spider-Man shouted, "What was it? Radioactive Spider-Man? Anansi? Machines?"

"I don't think I should tell you."

"Oh come on man, it's my first time meeting another Spider-Man since my mentor went back home."

'Don't you dare answer. The less insight we give him, the better.'

Izuku nodded. While the other Spider-Man was definitely friendly, it wouldn't do to answer in kind. He was supposed to be better, if nothing else to repay the Doctor. They had their difference – as one would expect, given Doc Oc's history wasn't exactly pristine and his morals were a lot darker than Izuku's – but he refused to let the man down.

"Sorry, don't think I will." Superior said, and then jumped, before extending a web to swing around the spire and propel himself forward.

He launched a second spider web, aimed at his opponent's chest, but the other answered in kind, the two webs intertwining and blocking one another. He detached it and extended his other hand to grab onto the wall, before stepping on it.

His Spider-Sense rang, and he let go a moment later, jumping out of the way of a bomb of web fluid his opponent had stealthily launched. The web fluid burst out of its container, coating the side of the tower, but not Superior as he dodged out of the way. A pair of flying Demons attacked Spider-Man, and he took the chance to build some distance.

'Using your webs will get you nowhere against another Spider-Man, and given he seems a bit older I would suggest you don't challenge him in a test of skill with the webs. He is likely more proficient.'

Izuku grimaced. There went his main weapon. 'Suggestions?'

'Change opponent. While I understand the temptation to test yourself against another Spider-Man, I know from experience that facing a Spider-Man is not the best use of your time and energies.'

Izuku hadn't expected that, truth be told. He expected the Doctor to tell him to prove once and for all he was the better fighter. He said as much. 'I figured you'd want me to prove myself.'

'I would normally. But that thing on your hand doesn't give us the luxury.'

Of course that was the real reason. Izuku rolled his eyes. The mark on his hand came with the order to do his best to win and capture or kill his opponents. Apparently, filtered through Doc Oc's logical mindset, this meant ignoring a fight that would drag longer, and instead aiming at more efficient fights.

He looked down. The Demons were still swarming the Garden, but they were reducing more and more in number. Horizon seemed busy doing… something while flying above the battlefield. Prowler was fighting a pair of kids. One was another Izuku, the other was a girl that looked similar to Katsuki. Gun was busy shooting at an Izuku armed with an axe. Finally, Piper, Kitsune and a whole lot of Demons were facing the duo of lightning wielders.

"The Kaminari?" He asked.

'Good, I was worried you'd need me to spell it out.'

Izuku jumped down, using a web to slow his fall and land on the ground below, and then launched a web toward one of the large drums that were flying above the blonde man's head, pulling shifting on his feet and then releasing it, launched directly toward the man's face. Whatever control system they used, it clearly didn't account for the throw, because it made the object smack against Kaminari's face, his nose cracking painfully.

The blonde man smirked, "Alright, finally a fight that isn't against one of those useless things." He said, as a rain of lightning took out a group of ten or so Demons that had tried to attack together.

The man tossed the hammer he was wielding, and Superior ducked out of the way, using his web to grab it and throw it back… Except the hammer slowed down and landed in Kaminari's hand in a way it shouldn't have.

'Suggestions on fighting Thor?' Superior asked, dodging out of the way of a retaliatory shot. As he did, he took in the field, noticing Kitsune was now trying to do something at Nine, while Piper was turning around to face Spider-Man, who seemed to have finally taken care of the Demons.

'There's a trick here. If that was the actual Mjolnir, you would have been dragged away when you caught it.'

'Maybe I'm just worthy?'

'I'm in your head, I fail to see how the real Mjolnir would consider us worthy.'

'Good point.' He was forced to admit. Alright, then it was tech or magic of a different kind. Good. He dodged another strike and launched a pair of webs at the hammer to try and pull it out of the man's hand, but one of the floating drums struck him in the head, making the webs miss wildly. He turned towards it and tossed it to another one, the two objects impacting but hitting each other on the front, thus just floating off rather than breaking.

The Spider-Sense allowed him to duck in time to dodge another hit, and then he flipped to kick his opponent in the face. With a grunt, the man staggered back, and then moved to bring back up the hammer… Until he paused. Or no, more accurately, the Hammer stopped in mid-air.

And then flew off and up, landing in someone else's hands, followed by the drums.

And then they settled around Horizon.

-x-

My name is Izuku Midoriya, also called Horizon in this world.

I'm not a fighter. I found a bigger dream than UA, a bigger dream than being a Hero.

I dream of the stars. I dream of being the first man in post-Quirk history to set foot on the Moon. The first man ever to set foot on Mars. The first man ever to reach the distant stars.

And I will make that dream a reality, because that's what now drives me. I will prove that in this world, a world that has given up on the stars after the dawn of Quirks, a man can achieve much, much more, if only they dare to look beyond. If only they dare to believe in a dream that sounds impossible.

If we try, we can achieve what we always assumed was just a child's dream.

I'm Izuku Midoriya, a scientist and engineer.

And I'm gonna be the first of a new age of explorers.

There is nothing else I will ever be.

Horizon was angry. He had the right to be, of course: kidnapped from his home, forced to fight, putting at risk his current tech…

But what really irked him was the magic. Quirks were already on the edge, but those had some, admittedly often barely believable, explanation. Magic was just magic. A snap of a finger and the laws of physics, even the ones redesigned to fit the various Quirks within them, were shattered and left on the ground as a mess.

That Izmird bastard had even tried to use Magic on his hoverboard, like it was just a toy. What did he know about it? Izuku wasn't dumb, and he would accept a second opinion on his inventions from someone worth their salt, but to hear a man whose best knowledge of machinery seemed to be a superficial understanding of the idea of a steam engine trying to work on his inventions?

He refused, of course.

He sighed.

Well, at least this was technology again, judging by the fact he had managed to hack into it. He looked at the electrified hammer, and at the drones surrounding him. Were they purely tech, just from another world? He had to hope so. Last thing he wanted was give Izmird the satisfaction to know he was fighting with magic.

He checked his connection. The source was somewhere on the enemy's body, either in his clothes or internally. Hacking it hadn't been easy – the defenses were on par with the level of technology needed to achieve a brain to machine direct connection – but he had finally succeeded.

'Let's see, if I use this…' He moved his hand, and the drones disguised as drums unleashed a series of lightnings toward the guy with the lightning Quirk.

He grinned, "Good job, Hijack!"

"Don't mention it, boss!" The AI shouted back. He still wasn't sure how the Ais still worked, the servers being in another universe. Hopefully the answer wasn't magic, the idea they were meddled with didn't sit right with him.

"Wayfinder, done mapping?" He asked.

"Yes boss!" The second AI, Wayfinder, a 3D mapper that used his camera drones to create a full map of the city he could examine, replied.

"Good. Hijack, go back on the radio chatter."

"They are mostly keeping quiet, but I'm on it bossman."

Smart. They probably figured the chance of someone being capable of receiving their signal wasn't zero, "Block their communications if you can. Hotshot, take over the board, keep us out of the lightnings and-"

Then he noticed the wind pick up all of a sudden. Looking down, he saw Kitsune blown back by a sudden gust of wind, sent into the crowd of Demons, and then the white-haired man he was fighting aimed his hand at him. Instead of a lightning, though, the wind started to blow even faster.

He focused on using the drones, unleashing another round of lightnings, but they crashed against another lightning, as the wind grew even stronger. "Hotshot, situation?"

"The wind is accelerating fast, and the weather patterns say the potential for a hurricane is increasing every second."

"Fuck me, Quirks are utter bullshit." He thought, "Change of plans, give back control and keep me updated on the storm."

He dove down, almost vertically, his new array of drones keeping around him in a tight circular formation. If the guy was planning to use his Quirk to knock him out, maybe he wouldn't be as prone to it if he was closer.

Except apparently short range wasn't a weakness, as he dove out of the way of a light shield. He released a lightning, but anot shield appeared to block the blow.

"Multiple Quirks?!"

"Yes." The other man replied, before pointing a finger toward him. Horizon expected a lightning and dodged out of the way by holding tight on the overboard and doing a full spin to the left, his head passing just above the head of a couple of demons that were charging his opponent. Instead, his eyes went wide as five laser beam shot him, destroying two of the hacked drones, the skull of a couple of demons, and grazing his cheek. Had he been where he was before, the shot would have destroyed his overboard.

Horizon groaned.

The Multiverse was really bullshit.

-x-

Itsuka looked around. The master of Zhandou Quan and her disciple had entered the Spire through the door, but apparently that had been a trap. A beam of white light had hit them both, sending them somewhere else. She looked around the unfurnished room, her eyes zeroing on the door immediately. "That was a teleportation trap…" Huanly murmured.

"Actually, they weren't traps." A voice said, as a flash of light appeared on the opposite side of the room, right in front of the door. There was an odd, mechanical nature to the voice, "From what we could gather, they were simply platforms used to quickly take objects and guests up and down the Spires. They do however serve their purpose."

Huanli stilled, as her eyes settled on the man standing in front of her. The black mask with gold edges covered the bottom half of his face, a red vertical light splitting it in two halves. The black cloak he wore hid most of his body, but his golden eyes, pale skin and black hair were clearly visible, the first almost shining in the dark room.

"Overhaul…" She whispered, a strangled breath coming out of her mouth.

"I keep being called that. 'The Overhaul', 'Adult Kai', 'Beakless Yakuza' even. Insulting." The man looked at them, "By the way, know there are no personal feelings behind our confrontation and your death. I'm furious with myself for being taken over, and you find yourself in my path. I'd do the same to anyone."

Itsuka stepped forward, and Huanli did the same. They both could see the movement he did standing up, the way his hand moved to his hip. "You are a swordsman."

"A swordsman is a bit of a limited definition of what I can do." He said, pulling out an object similar to a torch, and pressing a button. With a loud sound, a red, straight blade of light appeared, cutting through the air with an almost reverberating echo. "I'm Darth Verhaul, future Dark Lord of the Sith. I'm told you are a Master. As a show of respect, I shall threat you as a Jedi Knight." His eyes stilled, "Now draw your weapon, you and your Padawan both, and die."

Huanli gulped, and Itsuka put a hand on her shoulder. Of course, there had to be a universe like that. She moved her fists forward, and pushed herself through the stages to reach Shou Quan, and then concentrated her Qi around her hand.

The first Shou Quan technique she had ever created, the technique that she considered her own.

The Qi took the shape of two large hands of Qi.

-x-

Deku dodged out of the way of the samurai's blade. The alternate Moonfish was a known quantity, someone they had discussed before. He easily dodged the swing of his katana, blocked the follow-up of the wakizashi with his Full Gauntlet, leaned low to avoid the third attack, and finally closed the distance.

His opponent retreated both swords and tried to block his attack by crossing them when his right kick shot forward. For a moment, Izuku expected them to hold, to resist against the impact of his attack, even with One for All active, since he had been told the shorter the blades were, the stronger the metal was.

Apparently, that wasn't enough. Both blades exploded in a hundred pieces, Izuku feeling several scratches on his face as a few pieces flew past him, and then the kick hit the Moonfish. The samurai was sent flying back and impacted the whole, falling to the ground, instantly knocked out.

Izuku sighed in relief. It was… Quite the change. Sure he hadn't fought the samurai before, but with this level of skill, his fight against the gunman would have also been a lot different.

'I'm a lot stronger.' He told himself. He looked at his arm, the black metal of the Full Gauntlet shining against the light of the torches. 'Am I strong enough to defeat Tomura Shigaraki and All for Deku?'

He could only hope he was.

He looked back at the downed opponent, and touched his ear to activate his communicator. "Slice, it's me, I…"

"The number you called is momentarily unavailable."

"What?!"

"Hi, Hijack here, bossman-that-isn't-bossman. Got told to keep you out, so…'

Izuku gulped. Their communications had been taken over. Oh, that wasn't good. "Zuzu?"

"Yes, Izuku?" The AI asked.

"Can you take care of this?" He asked, taking the communicator from his ear and putting it on her screen, where a moment later one of her sensors extended to connect to it. "We have been…"

"Hacked, I can tell. They actually tried to get me, when I connected. My defenses aren't weak enough for that though. You want me to get rid of the interloper?" She frowned, "He is pretty insistent."

"Yes. If we can do that…"

"We can get communications back. I know. Alright, I will get to it." She smiled, "Good luck!" And with that, she stopped talking, seemingly moving to concentrate. He wondered what an AI battle even looked like, and then glanced at the Moonfish.

With the communicators down, they couldn't exactly share his position. And with teleporting traps all over the place, there was a serious risk they couldn't find him until it was too late. Who knew if he needed medical attention?

Izuku sighed. He pulled the unconscious man over his shoulder, and promptly started to run up the stairs, One for All making the weight an afterthought.

Maybe it was dumb to worry for the man, just because he couldn't be taken away immediately.

But he was a Hero. He wouldn't let someone die if he had a choice in the matter.

-x-

'If you ever asked yourself what cruelty means, consider this.

Akihiko Sugoh, once a contractor for I-Island, expelled from the research center for his clear lack of understanding of the bounds of ethics and morale. This man came back to Japan, and he kidnapped a child. A young, Quirkless teenager called Izuku Midoriya, put through a violent Simulation.

Eight games from the times before Quirk, turned into glorified torture chambers, all to satisfy a man's ego. It might sound like the dream of escapism, but remember: the Simulation is accurate. Pain and death feel like pain and death. And none of the game are enjoyable adventures for their protagonists.

Ask yourself, what does that do to a human psyche?'

Nedzu sipped some tea, 'It turns them into a dangerous person, good sir. I'm well aware of that. I do believe Akihiko Sugoh himself called him 'his perfect weapon'.'

'And you believe he should come to your school? Among other teenagers? So soon after he came back?'

'Frankly, doctor, I dread what will happen if someone like this is left without the support UA can give. He was hardened into a weapon. I wish to soften him into a Hero. I believe it's the best future we can offer him.'

'And if he falls back?'

'Frankly, Doctor,' Nedzu sipped the last of his tea, 'I doubt whoever makes him fall back will have time to regret his mistake. I've seen what young Midoriya is capable of. And I've seen the other.'

'The other?'

'Doctor, you can tell the difference, can't you? There is Midoriya, the teenager that recovered. But that teenager didn't cause the Rapture Massacre. He didn't destroy Sevastopol. He didn't defeat Gwyn the Lord of Cinder.'

'And who did?'

'Simple, doctor. The Survivor did.'

The Simulation Survivor dodged the Sunlight Blade, the polished metal reflecting the light of the lamppost nearby like it had once reflect the sunset of the Undead Parish.

'Let's engage in jolly cooperation.'

He ducked under the follow up strike and sliced, the blade cutting through cloth and mail and leaving a gash in Solaire's side, even if it didn't quite debilitate the undead.

'You really are fond of chatting with me, aren't you?'

He blocked the following attack, without taking a step back. He knew full well that at range Solaire had his ways. Instead, the Survivor pulled out Samurai's Edge, the gun firing a rain of shots. Solaire spit blood as the bullets crashed through the chainmail and hit the body, stopping the man in his track.

'Exhilarating, is it not? The power of the Sun!'

"My own… Sun!" The undead that was once the Survivor's mentor, the man that helped him survive through the darkness of the final Simulation, the man he had trusted in the land of suffering… He was nowhere. All that was left was an image of his last moments, the suffering remains of one of the people the Survivor had befriended, now the host of a parasite.

The slash of the blade hit the Survivor's shoulder, flesh and blood leaving Izuku. What was new? He knew everything about pain.

So why did it hurt so much to bring his blade forward, a thrust through his opponent's head, right in the chest of that burning parasite, so hot the blade started to turn bright red before he pulled it out.

Why did his chest hurt as he watched the light fade from the eyes of the man that had done so much to help him?

Why did every part of his mind call for nothing but vengeance as he saw him slowly step back, gargling even as he fell to his knees?

Why did it matter? He knew this wasn't real. It had never been real…

But for the Survivor, it was.

"My Sun… Is setting… It's so, so dark…"

He shook his head, Solaire's last words ringing in his ears. Words he had hoped he would never hear again, back to haunt him once more. The Survivor took a single step back, clicked his teeth together, and stepped forward, past a body that he had hoped to never see again. "Come down, now." He said, pointing his sword toward Jack, "I'm done with your game."

Jack grinned, standing atop a lamp post, the tip of his shoes the only thing holding him up. "So easy? That wasn't even a competition." The man said, ignoring the face-splitting, toothy grin on his face. The Survivor pulled Samurai's Edge trigger, each bullet shooting toward Jack. The man smiled and jumped back, from one lamp post to the next. "No hesitation? Not even a hint of mercy? Maybe I should have expected as much. Do you tell yourself killing your mentor was a mercy killing? Do you sleep happily knowing that your dear Solaire found his sun and then you took it away because that sun was madness?"

Izuku shot again and again, his magazine emptying as Jack jumped from pole to pole, and then atop a house. A raven cawed on a nearby building, and then Jack vanished. The Survivor looked around.

"Well then." His voice echoed, and Izuku looked around, finally spotting him on top of a chimney, sitting leisurely, a raven on his shoulder, "Who do you want to see next?"

The Survivor put away Samurai's Edge and pulled out Mjolnir, throwing the hammer with all his might, the weapon crackling with electricity. Jack yawned mockingly before he let himself fall to the side and roll down the roof, the hammer making the chimney explode even as the man stood back up, cleaning his clothes.

"Come now, Revenant, you know better than me that there will be many guests tonight. Perhaps, you want to tell mister Waylon Park you are sorry for killing him?" Jack asked.

Midoriya looked down, hearing a groan, and saw a man stand slowly up. "Why, Midoriya?" he asked, "You were supposed to stop them."

"Waylon, I…"

"Or maybe," Jack continued, "You can tell mister Marlow that his hell was just a game."

A man emerged from the shadow of a building, staggering, covered in the acid blood of something that had sentenced his death.

"Midoriya, what is this?"

"I…"

"Oh, Midoriya, tell me, what else is there? Why don't you tell me what you are holding in your hand?"

Izuku looked down.

At the golf club in his hand.

"Would you kindly tell me what that is?" Jack mocked, "Would you kindly tell me what you used it for?"

A man walked out from the house, elegantly dressed even as his face was covered in blood. "Andrew Ryan…" Midoriya murmured.

"Ah, and while we are there, could you remind me, who else do you regret killing?" His smile had grown vicious, "That's right, let's talk about a knight and his overgrown puppy, why don't we? You killed them, didn't you? Oh, I'm sure you justify yourself, again, and again, and again. It wasn't real. They were going mad. Me or them. But my dear, dear Midoriya…" A knight stepped forward, a sword behind his shoulder, inky black darkness exuding from his body covered in dark armor, his black cloak floating in the wind. From the end of the street came a howl, and a large wolf marched forward, sword in the mouth, growling at each step. "Isn't that all just pointless? They are fake. They don't matter to anyone. I'm sure most people don't even understand who they are when they look back. You feel oh so lonely, I bet. 'Congratulations Midoriya, you survived. You beat some games, it was painful but certainly you don't feel guilty?'"

The Survivor panted as the circle of people grew closer.

"Come now, Midoriya. Make your choice."

(XX)

Alright, guests:
Captain Kamino from Kamino's Ward by tunafishprincess
Clockwork from A Spanner in the Clockworks by
Superior Spider-Man from Superior Legacy by Saint Danielle
Spider-Man based on Amazing Fantasy by The Infamous Man
Horizon from Horizon: Star Driven and Revenant/Survivor from Locked in Digital by Rogue Druid

Oh boy, where do I even start?

Ghost is a pretty funny character. Yes, he revived Captain Kamino's body. No, that doesn't mean he can win. If he could, Captain Kamino would have. His only additional ability, after all, is that he is puppeteering the body rather than being limited by our limiters. Against the Nanomachines, that's not enough.

That said, while I understand it's easy to underestimate him, I assure you, he is far from useless.

Meanwhile, Clockwork beat Captain Celebrity in a very unorthodox and very lucky way. Not because he was stronger, but because his opponent was holding back for movie footage. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?

Superior is an interesting one. As you can imagine, when two Spider-Man are in the same battlefield, not setting them against each other becomes just wrong. Buuut, would Doc Oc, having been ordered to fight at the best of his ability, choose to challenge a more uncertain match-up? I don't see it. That said, does that mean we are done with the clash? Of course not.

At this point, I just think Rogue Druid's Izukus are the God of Thunder's worst fear. First one beats him and now the other steals his gear? Not cool.
Jokes aside, I had a hacker, I better use it, right? I actually try very hard to give a good rendition of each character based on their fic.
The Revenant piece is actually only half of what I had initially planned, by the way. But the second half needs a lot more polishing to be effective, and either was splitting it up worked better for the pace of this chapter and the next.

Still, I hope everyone is liking the arc. i know battle-heavy chapters can be... well, heavy, so I really hope the personalities of the characters are coming through.

Darth Vrahul, believe it or not, is a Villain I've been waiting for ages to introduce. Man, I can't believe he is here.
And I also can't believe Deku beat Ripper just like that. Guess that's Jack suing the Samurai for copyright...

Ugh, still so much I want to talk about, but I will leave it for now.