Hey there folks, the new chapter of DitM is finally here! Sorry for the delay with this one, lots of stuff happens in it and I had to do a lot of work on it, plus personal life stuff of course.
BUT, before we start, a quick announcement. I am going on vacation from this Sunday to the next Saturday. This affects in some way all of my fanfictions, as you can imagine, but DitM will be particularly impacted, because this means there won't be a chapter this weekend and there likely won't be the next.
And now, enjoy!
(XX)
My name is Izuku Midoriya, but some people call me Kitsune.
I was born in a world of Quirked people as a Quirkless kid. And one day, I woke up in a Quirkless world as a Quirked person.
I chose to become a Vigilante. I chose to try to use my power for good.
It's been difficult, scary, and sometimes… sometimes I've made mistakes.
But I'm Izuku Midoriya, someone that always wanted to save people. And now that I have the powers to do that, it's my duty to do it.
I'm Kitsune.
And no matter how difficult the path ahead is, there is nothing else I want to be.
Kitsune pulled back Piper, who landed right next to him. They were both panting, he realized. "Any idea?" He asked the other Vigilante.
Piper smiled a tense smile, "I'm about as out of my depths as you are." Izuku admitted. Kitsune chuckled.
"Same, but what's new?"
Piper snorted. "I suppose nothing. We can at least try." Kitsune helped him up, the two Izuku looking ahead. Gun was going down as soon as the six-armed Spider-Man was done dealing with the last demon, they could both tell. Gun was amazing, but he had admitted he was running low on bullets, and if Kitsune was right he had maybe ten left before he had to resort to put pebbles and coins in the All for One gun. It was an amazing power, for a gun to be able to adapt to anything that could be considered a bullet, but it wouldn't do much.
The problem was, Kitsune's telekinesis wasn't much help against overwhelming strength. His power, like any Quirk, had limitations, and while training with Bakugo had raised that limit, superhuman strength was his biggest enemy, apparently. The Spider-person could resist his Quirk easily, now. "I might have an idea. How are the magic items?"
"The Ward Ring is starting to run low, but the other two are fine." Piper replied. Kitsune nodded. Piper had been given a few magic items by Izmird, including his weapon.
"Then let's do it together, alright?"
"Right." Piper dashed forward, directly against the Spider-Man as he had his back turned on them, while Kitsune kept close but didn't quite do the same.
Piper attacked, but the Spider-person turned around and dodged the blow of the bo, the long wooden staff Piper wielded, and then released a web.
Kitsune pulled on the web, making it curve around and grab on the Spider's leg instead. The Spider-Man cut it loose in time to pivot on his right foot and jump back, dodging the bullet from Gun. Kitsune looked at him, and Gun showed him five fingers. Kitsune nodded, refocusing on the enemy.
He didn't like this. It didn't take a genius to figure out Arkin was the Villain and now they were his goons. But what could he do? He didn't know magic, he didn't have a Quirk that could help when dealing with this, and he was the weakest here. If any of his opponent got a direct hit in, he was sure to go down, even more than Piper, who at least had years of martial arts in his bag. Kitsune, in comparison, had about a year of training between his Gym, the physical training at the beach, and… Well, the mentorship. It didn't really stand up to anyone else in their group.
As he thought that, he tried to pull the Spider-Man into Piper's fist, but the man started glowing and, surrounded by lightning, forced his way through his powers and dodge Piper's blow.
Or so it seemed. Instead, Piper's staff grew in length, enough so to slam in the man's side. The Spider seemed to realize in time, as he tried to pull himself out of the way using a web, but that proved to be a mistake, as Kitsune once again made the web turn back around and get stuck in his arm instead. The impact a moment later made the man stagger, but he still managed to leap back in time to avoid another bullet.
'Four left.' Kitsune realized, and closed his eyes, breathing in. He could feel the invisible threads that allowed him to manipulate objects with his telekinesis. He pulled, but the six-armed Spider-Man jumped, dodging the large rock he had aimed at his foot. He quickly pushed the rock up, and in response Spidey just crushed it with a punch. Piper jumped in, and the Spider blocked the bo with both hands, even as Kitsune added his own power to Piper's attack.
Gun fired, and for an instant Kitsune thought they had the man.
Then he rolled in midair, grabbing Piper and the stick and throwing them both to the ground. Piper gasped for air, but Spider-Man just said something that sounded like 'I think I got the hang of it now' and rushed forward. He covered the distance between him and gun in an instant and punched.
Kitsune dragged the man out of the way, barely avoiding the knock-out blow, but that made the man turn towards him.
'Uh-oh.' Kitsune thought, and then the Spider-person dashed toward him.
He glanced at Piper, and sent him a sad smile. It seemed their plan was out of luck, but he would still give it his best shot. He reflexively tried to use his other power. His palms turned bright yellow as they aimed for his opponent's upper arms, to try and burn them, but the man pushed both arms aside with his two lower hands, held him by the shirt with his middle arms, and then hit him in the jaw with a dual uppercut using his upper fists.
The last thing he saw was an apologetic smile.
-x-
Piper gasped as Kitsune went down, and as Gun pulled himself up, he rushed forward.
Izmird had given the young teenager three magic items: A Ward Ring, that was supposed to protect his body until it ran out of magic, a Speed Ring to move faster, and the Extending Staff. All three of those gave him something he lacked before.
And all of those were proving useless. The Spider-person, the Fusion of Spider-Man and the guy known as Dekiru, was proving he was far stronger.
Piper extended his staff as much as possible, before using a large swipe to force Spider-Man in the air.
Except that, without Kitsune, there was nothing to stop the man from using his full power. He leapt forward, using his web to pull himself forward, and then launched the web again toward Piper, while another hand tossed a small sphere at Gun. The outlaw had a moment to realize what was going on before the bomb exploded in a rain of webs, trapping him for good.
Piper reduced the size of his staff and tried to avoid the web, but a second and third one followed, ending up with him tied down. For good measure, the Spider-Man quickly tied the kid to the ground.
"Stay put and don't get in trouble, alright?" Spider-Man asked, before turning back around and jumping off, over the ledge for some reason.
Piper sighed.
Well, that was it. Still not strong enough.
'At least they can save Kai, if they take out those four.' He thought with a sad smile. He just hoped Izmird wouldn't try too hard. The Wizard was strong, and Piper wasn't sure if his opponents were stronger.
Rain started pouring on his face again.
-x-
Superior dodged the lasers Nine fired his way and looked around. Horizon was gone for some reason, and the Demons were running low, only twenty or so remaining around to run interference thanks to the sudden canyon, the Stormlord attacking indiscriminately and the enemy slaughtering them. Even Prowler was busy fighting the girl that looked a bit like Bakugo. Spider-Man – or whoever he was after fusing with the other Izuku – was jumping the canyon and going to help the Izuku with an axe.
"Calm down, Midoriya." Doc replied in his head, and Superior grimaced.
'I'm calm Doc.' Izuku jumped barely avoiding a laser and threw a web, only to be immediately stopped and forced to dive out of the way as a thunderbolt fell from the sky and struck the point where he was an instant before. 'See? Complete control.'
"I see." Doc took a moment, "You know what I'm about to suggest?"
'Ditch the fight with Nine and go take care of the girl fighting Prowler?'
"Good."
Superior jumped away, rushing toward the two contenders, but the moment he tried, he was forced to step back and dive once again out of the way as a rush of lightnings struck the ground in front of him. He turned back around, to Nine shaking his finger, before the man was forced to turn around. From what Superior understood, him and Stormlord were locked in a match to try and stop each other from controlling the sky. As proof, the sky above their heads seemed almost cut in half, strong gales surrounding Stormlord while he tried to rain lightnings on Nine and the others, only for that side to deny him that as other lightnings came down, following Nine's lead, and forced the opponent's on a different path.
"Amazing! Now I really feel like this is a proper contest!" Stormlord shouted from above, his voice carrying over the storm. Nine seemed fully concentrated, but somehow he was also making sure Superior couldn't help Prowler.
"Plan B then." Superior decided, and he rushed toward the canyon, dodging a lightning before leaping over it and striking at Spider-Man just as he made to grab the other one.
"I will point out this is exactly what I said not to do." Doc Oc commented in his head.
"I know." Superior muttered, dodging an hit with the axe by the other Izuku, the pale one. "But if I can't take out the girl, he is the obvious choice. At least, I can trap the axe guy out of the fight."
"Who are you talking to?" Spider-Man… Six-armed Spider-Man… whoever he was asked.
"Not important." Superior replied, dodging a trio of right hooks before kicking forward, only to then having to quickly somersault out of the way lest an axe hit his leg again. He wasn't sure if the other Izuku was convinced Spider-Man was axe-proof or if the weapon was dulled to only crush his bones, but Superior didn't want to find out.
He kicked back at him, sending the Izuku staggering back right into a Demon, only for the man to slam his axe in the skull of the creature. Meanwhile, Spider-Man rushed forward and tried to engage him in a fist fight, but Superior wasn't dumb enough to challenge someone with six arms and a more powerful punch in a fist fight.
"Good, I didn't train you to be an idiot. Still, the Spider-Man is clearly overpowering us. Whatever he did, it has clearly made him a lot stronger. I'd suggest we retreat, but the orders don't allow that."
Superior really wanted to point out that he didn't need to be told, but he had to instead turn around and dodge another hit from the axe. 'This one first.' He decided, launching his webs at his opponent. He still had plenty, but he wasn't sure they would last for the whole fight, so they had to count. The moment he hit the axe, he grinned, and pulled. Surprisingly, the pale Izuku just let go the weapon, instead of trying to hold on it. Superior grinned, pulled it back and tossed it at the six-armed Spider-Man. Of course he dodged – the Spider-Sense was a thing after all – but that gave Superior a moment to rush the opponent and punch him straight in the face.
The jaw of the Izuku cracked and the man stepped back, but the Spider-Sense's ringing forced Superior to turn back around and dodge in turn the axe covered in webs that the other Spider-Man had tossed back at him.
Superior sighed. This was a tough one.
Then his hand started to shine.
-x-
Paladin glanced at the incoming Greed, the giant… entity? Calling it Shoji seemed unfair. It was advancing quickly, and would soon be on them. In theory, it had been told to not attack those that were serving Arkin, but who knew if accidentally stepping on them was that?
Not that it mattered. Now that the Greed was on the field, it meant everyone was out. If he wanted to go ahead, he had to go now. There was just an unpleasant thing to do first. He had never tried it before, and would probably never do it again, but desperate time called for desperate measures.
"Sagawa, are you hungry?" He asked, having long stepped in the way to protect the wolf man.
"Are you mocking me?" Sagawa asked.
"No." Paladin replied, "I want to offer you lunch." He showed him the hand with the shield symbol on it. He felt a twinge of pain in it, but he gritted his teeth and stopped another attack from Chimera, a stream of fire, that parted in the way of his shield. He was really glad he had a magic shield right now, because a regular one would have definitely melted.
"I don't eat humans."
"Just fucking bite it off then, I don't care!" Paladin replied, feeling a stronger pain up his arm. It was like someone had set it on fire with burning needles, but he pushed forward.
He was a Paladin. His job was protecting the others.
Sometimes, that meant sacrificing himself.
"… Is that gonna help with this fight?" Sagawa asked. Paladin nodded, without answering with words.
Sagawa grinned, and when Chimera attacked again, the Paladin took a deep breath and used a spell. A powerful wind shoved Chimera away, sending him rolling on the opposite edge of the destroyed plaza. He dropped his sword and shield. "Now!" He shouted, extending his arm.
Sagawa bit down into it. Paladin howled in pain. It was almost disgustingly scary how easily his teeth cut through bone and muscle alike. His hand vanished in his maw, along with the mark, but Paladin had asked before. It would be back.
In a minute.
Ignoring Sagawa spitting out his cut-off limb, he dropped his sword and grabbed the amulet of the God of Protection around his neck. "God of Protection, listen to the prayer of your suffering follower in his time of need. A great evil controls Izuku Midoriya. I ask you to set them free."
Invoking a God was fickle thing. Invoking a god in a world separate from his own, even more so. It was a gamble Paladin was making, counting on the magic that had brought him there keeping the connection between the two worlds alive. The God of Protection was more likely to answer his followers when they were hurt, and he needed to remove the Crest if he wanted to use his spell in such a way, hence the fact he had to get mutilated by a serial killer.
'Why is my life like this…' Izuku muttered, even as he felt the Crest reform, only for a radiant, white light to shine through it. The black mark and the white light seemed to fight for a moment, and then the Crest vanished.
Paladin smiled, then gasped in pain and grabbed his arm.
"What did you do?" Chimera asked with a low, deep growl. When Sagawa attacked the man, he finally got a punch in, and the wolf man fell on the ground, knocked unconscious. The fact Chojuro Kon didn't attack him was already a good sign.
"I asked my god to free Izuku Midoriya from the Slave Crest." He replied, "And he agreed."
"Was it worth losing an hand to free yourself?"
Paladin smiled, "I should be able to reattach it. And anyway, I didn't free myself. I freed Izuku Midoriya. All the Izuku Midoriya I know."
-x-
Clockwork almost lost his footing as the mark on his hand started to shine and then promptly vanished. "What?" He asked.
Then he noticed the multi-limbed giant stop, and turn toward him, eyes appearing on his skin as it now looked at him, like a hunter spotting a prey.
"Oh come on!" Clockwork jumped out of the way right before a rain of hands of all sizes slammed on the roof he stood on. 'Just when Slice finally gave up the chase. I really am unlucky…'
-x-
Slice sighed, picking up the unconscious Martian as Usagi panted, leaning on her a bit. "So, the Green Scar…"
"Run off, wounds and all, the moment he saw the giant monster." Usagi grimaced, "He said something about being able to help and how he couldn't afford to hold back just because of some injuries."
"He got stabbed and then cauterized his wounds with burning knives, how could he think this was…" She paused as a light started to shine from the Martian's hand. A moment later, the mark on his hand was gone. "… What?"
-x-
Superior dodged out of the way of a pair of right hooks, and then noticed the difference. The complete disappearance of his Crest was clear, something he could feel even without seeing the change due to his suit. 'Did they force Arkin to let us go?'
"Possible, but I'd expect the Prowler to turn on him too if that was the case." Doc commented, and Izuku risked a glance back to the other fights. The Prowler and Itsumi were still facing each other, the older woman showing no signs of stopping. "I think this is something limited to the Izukus taking part in this fight." He added, noticing Horizon seemingly reappearing, but keeping far away from the fight, despite the orders of fighting until it was impossible. "We can escape now."
'Or we can stay and fight.'
"Midoriya, that is absurd. We have no obligation to help them, nor should you risk your life in a conflict that would hinder your future and where we would likely make little difference, given most of our expertise is in the scientific department."
'… Yes, I suppose you are right. I guess they already have a Spider-Man anyway, so we won't be needed to help.'
"… Midoriya, I won't be convinced by childish taunts."
'I'm just saying that I expected the leader of the Spider-Army to be unwilling to follow someone else's lead, but he does look like a more competent Spider-Man than me, right now.'
"It's not working." Doc said.
'Pity. I guess we will never know which is the better teacher between you and Peter Parker...'
"-But I suppose I can allow you to make a choice on the matter."
Superior smirked. The Doc was his mentor and he owed a lot to the man, but that didn't mean getting a win on him sometimes didn't feel nice. "I'm free from the magic spell." He said with a smile.
"… How do we know that's true?" Spider-Man asked.
Superior raised both hands in a show of good faith. "I couldn't even do this, if I was still tied by the spell." He replied, "And I definitely couldn't do this." He turned around, grabbed the closest Demon left with a web, and bodily shoved it down into the abyss, sending it to his death.
"… Well that's a convincing argument." The six-armed man admitted, "Spider-Dekiru. Nice to have you on board."
Superior smiled. "Just call me Superior." He replied, shaking the man's hand.
-x-
Huanli dodged the lightsaber, quickly shifting her weight to find herself just barely out of the weapon's body. The laser whooshed before impacting the stone on the ground and cutting through it as if it was butter. Huanli took the chance to turn around and hit with her Qi tail, the attack blocked by an invisible force shielding him from the attack.
Overhaul. Huanli's heart was beating faster at the thought. Rationally, she knew this wasn't the same man. This was a Sith Lord, one skilled enough to almost kill her master and hold his own against her, her master and Izuku.
But not for long. He was clearly spent, trying to stop them using the lightnings again only for Izuku to dodge them and her master to block them. He used the Force to block both of them, but Huanli used the chance to hit from behind, breaking his concentration enough to let him drop them both. The two panted, the hold on their neck gone, and then both rushed forward. That took away Darth Verhaul's attention, proving to be a mistake. With a crack, Huanli's reinforced skull slammed in his face, the mask crumbling to pieces.
The man gasped, the broken mask revealing an hideous wound below, burns and cuts that made it look like someone had aimed a flamethrower directly at his jaw.
The man panted, his voice ragged. "You impudent little apprentice. You three are…"
The voice made Huanli freeze in fear. It was angry, low and heavy, and it made her return the small and frightened child she once was.
-x-
"Don't stop!" Overhaul shouted. Kids, rows and rows of kids from the age of six to ten, kept punching the air, sweating, panting, repeating the motion again and again. "That Quanteng woman might have destroyed the old All for One, but we will resurrect it again! It will be stronger! Train yourself if you want to eat, drink, sleep! Don't forget that all is for the glory of the true masters of martial arts."
That was the world Eri was raised into. From the moment she was picked up by the All for One, one of many children Master Shigaraki put in charge of Overhaul, she was raised to become a soldier. The program was called 'Shie Hassaikai', The Eight Precepts of Death. Raising her and other kids from birth to master Qi, thus making sure they could become warriors on a level unseen before.
The All for One was destroyed, but the Eight Precepts program survived. Overhaul ran with the best of his students, and Eri was among those.
"I expect great things from you." He told Eri, even as she collapsed from exhaustion, the last one standing in the room. She was… Six, or seven. Time had lost meaning for all of them. "Number Eight, your Qi is naturally drawn toward darkness. Your skills with the Diyu Quan will be unparalleled. You will resurrect the All for One and avenge us."
He was dry, to the point, and merciless. If any of the children couldn't keep up with the training, they were deemed defective. Thrown aside.
They were forty, then thirty, then twenty, then ten. Less and less as Overhaul over the years raised his standards. By thetime she was nine, there were three of them left. The failures were sent to train with 'lesser masters'. They would become the foot soldiers of the future Hassaikai, the followers to Overhaul and his pupils' leadership.
Number Eight almost believed he was right. That what he was doing was preparing them for greatness.
And then Itsuka Quanteng came and changed her world. She didn't see a weapon. She saw a child that needed guidance. Comfort. Care. The other two that had made it with Eri escaped, and she still hoped to find them one day. But Eri… As Huanli, she found a new home. A new life.
And yet, the terror of her old life, her old self, still loomed in the shadow. The terror that one day Huanli would turn out to be a mask Number Eight wore out of boredom.
She wouldn't allow that.
And the best way to ensure it never happened, was protecting her master.
Her mom.
-x-
Itsuka attacked with a staff made of Qi, and Darth Verhaul tried to dodge. But Huanli was ready. With an iron grip, she grasped at the Sith's clothes and pulled. They were sturdy protective clothes, and in that situation, this meant they wouldn't break apart.
Darth Verhaul tried to slam down his sword, but Huanli focused her Qi into the shape of a deer's horns. It was clumsy, the first time she tried a shape like this, but she focused her all into making the horns hard as possible.
The lightsaber caught into the Qi and got stuck there for a moment. A fleeting instant, before Verhaul could retract it and most likely use it to decapitate the girl, but her companions just needed an instant.
Deku's fist and Itsuka's Qi staff both slammed into Darth Verhaul, the first in his gut, the second in his jaw.
The Sith lord crumpled to the ground.
Deku and Itsuka panted, Huanli carefully moving the lightsaber away from her head and turning it off. "Well, that was…" Itsuka smiled, "That was something." She flinched as her hand moved almost mechanically to the large burn wound on her chest. She turned to Deku, "Thank you. If you didn't intervene when you did…"
"I did what I had to. We should…"
A scream resonated from the floor above.
"We should move, yeah." Itsuka replied. Deku moved a hand to his hear, and Huanli and Itsuka joined him on the same channel of the communicators.
"Miss Yagi? We have two captured opponents here in the tower." He called.
"You and everyone else." Slice replied from the communicator, "We have a bigger problem. The Dragon is still around?"
"Yes?"
"And we still have to deal with a Villain called Stormlord and a giant monster they call the Greed. Good news is that someone has freed all the Izukus in the place, so we might have some allies, if they don't try to run off."
"There's also a bad news?" Izuku asked.
"Yeah. I need you three to take out Arkin and force him to stop the Greed, now. Frankly, this thing might be too much for us. Skyline and Captain Kamino are out, Shinomori is…" She paused a moment, "Out too. Fuyumi is missing, I guess someone caught her. Usagi is exhausted and Kamui Woods is out a limb due to some magic sword. Everyone else will try to go and stop that thing, but even with the Green Scar, Canary, Arsenal and Chimera working together…" She took a deep breath, "Well, we might take it out, but if we also have to face the dragon after that, I don't like our chances."
"So we stop the Greed and then take on the Dragon as planned." Itsuka concluded, "And we should have the help from the other Izuku now."
"For what that's worth. The one they called Martian is out, and I'm not sure how Chimera's opponent is faring. I plan to go check on the kid I was trying to catch. He ran toward the Greed, before he got free, and now that he doesn't have the Crest…"
"Please do." Izuku replied.
"We are going upstairs." Itsuka continued, "We are ending this now."
Huanli nodded, and the three rushed upstairs, leaving behind the Sith Lord and the samurai. While leaving them for later was dangerous, Huanli did grab the lightsaber, in case the man woke up, and her Master did the same with the samurai's swords.
-x-
As it turned out, they were only a few floors below the control room, and they ran into no one else on their way up there.
And, apparently, they weren't the first to reach the top. Deku didn't know what he had expected, but it certainly wasn't a tied up Hawks, a screaming Arkin trying to defend himself from a monstrous ghost-like creature, and, sitting behind a group of large screens, apparently unbothered, Izmird.
"Help me!" Arkin shouted, but Izmird didn't move an inch. Instead, he turned toward the newcomers.
"Welcome. Izuku Midoriya. Deku, I suppose. And there we have Itsuka Quanteng and Huanli Quanteng. A pleasure to meet you."
"I can't say the same." Itsuka replied, her eyes moving toward Arkin.
Izmird smiled. "Don't worry about it. Lord Arkin served all the purpose it had, and I'm making sure it now pays for his crimes."
"The only people left on your side are the Greed and Stormlord."
"And they are all I need, for the time being. Or are you confident you can take them out without losses."
"We took out everyone else."
"And that drained most of your resources." Izmird shrugged, "I've been watching you, with the same curiosity a child might watch two anthills vie for supremacy. You have won a considerable victory in the first battle. You lost a few fighters, but it overwhelmingly went in your favor." Izmird's smile grew cold, "Except, everyone on your side is hurt. Jack Midoriya and his powers almost killed Revenant and even put a dent on Canary. Muscular defeated Captain Kamino, Arsenal is still hurt and shaken by Jack's powers, Chimera had to fight Paladin, Paladin himself had to amputate a hand to pull that little trick of his…" He shook his hand, "You get my point. Oh, a handful of your friends are still battle ready – mostly in this tower – but can they do something about all this?"
Deku wanted to say yes, but he knew that wasn't entirely true. He had only heard about Gigantomachia, so far, but he could understand how terrifying he was. Counting in that this Gigantomachia was derived from Mezo Shoji, arguably the physically stronger member of Class 1-A if Quirks weren't brought in the equation, and All for One, the man that ripped All Might's guts out of his body in his prime…
Izuku breathed in. And after that, they'd still have to deal with Izmird. "Why are you doing this?" He asked, "If you have seen all…" He gestured around the room, at everyone present, "this, then you must know you can't conquer the Multiverse."
"He is right." Itsuka continued, "We have seen people build their own empires, but no one ever succeeded for long."
"A good argument. Taking over the entire Multiverse would be a waste of time and effort. I've been talking with Jack, and he told me about the True League for All. An interesting group, but ultimately a doomed endeavor. They want to go to war with the entire Multiverse in a hopeless crusade. Let them, I say. Sooner or later, they will make a mistake and all die." He smiled, "Unless, of course, their whole crusade is a lie."
"… You know something." Itsuka deduced, at the same time Deku did.
"Maybe." The dragon in elf form smiled again, gesturing toward a nearby table, talking over Arkin's screams as the ghost he was fighting kept attacking the magic shield the man was hiding behind, trying to reach at his face and body. Deku felt the need to rush in to save him, no matter how much evil the man had committed, but the idea of turning his back from Izmird, when the dragon was clearly the one truly pulling the string, was a terrible idea. "Why don't we sit down and discuss what the future is like for… all of us?"
"Call back the Greed first."
"I don't believe you have a say on the matter." Izmird replied, his face showing just a hint of annoyance, "Now sit, and I might prove more amenable."
Deku glanced at Itsuka, who didn't stop staring at Izmird. Huanli seemed to be fidgeting, ready to attack yet anxious like everyone else.
Then Itsuka took a deep breath, and sat down. "Very well."
Deku hoped this would be the right choice, as against every instinct in his body he sat down too.
-x-
The water of the river Tames splashed against the unnatural edges of the river. And it equally splashed on a pale, bleeding man. Back on the ground, the figure of Jack Midoriya touched his own wound. He had escaped, but he doubted there would be a way for him to survive.
'I wonder what face I'm making…' He wondered, as his ravens started to flock around him. He looked through their eyes. He was smiling. Good, that's how he wanted to go. Smile on his face, taking the misery he caused with him.
A large bug landed on his body, near the wound. He swatted it – some sort of fly… no, it looked more like a bee or a wasp – but another one landed on his shoulder, it's large black eyes focusing on him.
He decided to ignore it, considering his current situation. His only hope for survival was the witch that was supposed to come check on the League's operations would prove generous, but he was a Midoriya, so that sounded unlikely- another bug, this time in his eyes.
He sighed. Bleeding to death was normally a much faster process, but he had the vitality of two living beings, not one, due to the Raven's soul living inside him. He had maybe… three more minutes, if he had to guess. And still no sign of any help. Just another large bug landing on his face.
'Ok, what the…' He paused, seeing someone looming over him. The girl had blonde hair, kept long on the front to cover her left eye, and a wide grin accentuated by the four large fangs in her mouth. But all that vanished, compared to the swarm of bee flying in and out of the part of her face hidden by the hair. "I'm… going to hell?" He muttered.
"No, silly!" The girl smiled, chuckling, "You are lucky. Tell me, how does the idea of becoming a recurring villain for a movie series sound?" She asked, "The Director offers a lot of incentives, not last of them ensuring you survive this."
Jack had no idea of what the girl was talking about, but the part about survival sounded great. He tried to speak, but a rush of blood poured out of his mouth, so instead nodded almost imperceptibly.
"Amazing. Now let's put you to sleep first…"
The last thing Jack saw was a swarm of bees fly towards him, one of them injecting something in his body while the rest moved around his wound. Then, darkness.
(XX)
And this is where we are gonna leave DitM for a bit. I will make sure to post a summary before the next chapter, because I'm sure the two weeks will prove a bit of an interruption for a very complex arc like this.
Guests:
Kitsune from Quirked by armoryofstars
Piper from Pied Piper by blackholeca
Spider-Man and Prowler inspired by Amazing Fantasy by The Infamous Man
Dekiru from Dekiru the Fusion Hero by | OmegaInfinity |
Superior from Superior Legacy by Saint Danielle
Sagawa from Sheep go to Heaven by Dramatic_Spoon
This chapter has a lot of stuff I've been waiting a while to show. From Kitsune and Piper showing their first teamwork, to just how strong Spider-Dekiru is, to Superior's relation with Doc Oc getting a bit more focus, to, of course, Paladin using Sagawa to go around the block that prevents him from removing the Crest himself.
Someone commented I'm using this or that character as a bit of a 'butt of the joke'. I am not. I assure you I really like each and every character involved in this fight, even those I maim or kill. It's never maliciousness against them, it's just that sometimes bad match-ups are a thing. From Kitsune and Piper ending up against Spider-Dekiru with as their only companion a Gun with very limited abilities, to Horizon being busy in a fully technological battle against an AI (and who knows what he will do now that he is free), it's never about making a character look bad. I assure you, if someone gets a bad show here, somewhere else in the fic they will have a nice role.
Unless they die, but that's kind of expectable.
Stormlord and Nine have very similar powers. Almost... suspiciously similar.
Doc Oc is fun to write. I tried to make myself familiar with the character, from reading Superior Spider-Man to rereading Superior Legacy while I was at it, but of course if he feels off, sorry in advance. It can be a bit challenging.
Imagine being Paladin, protecting Sagawa the known serial killer the entire time because you need him to bite off your hand. Man is an Izuku through and through, selflessness to the point of risking to cripple himself included. Luckily, Sagawa's rule against eating non-Heteromorphic flesh still applies.
Darth Verhaul got really unlucky, uh? He got a good fight with Itsuka, but when Deku was added in the mix, most of his skills started to get put to the test.
And more backstory from Huanli! Always enjoy writing her.
Ah, Izmird, here you go, finally getting rid of Arkin. I'm sure it was expected, even if using a very angry ghost probably wasn't. Is this the end of Arkin?
... I mean, maybe?
See you in a bit. Bye!