Strangers in a Strange Land

by EvilMuffinLord

What's a hero-in-training to do when he awakes in a strange land filled with fantastic sights and terrifying monsters? If you're Izuku Midoriya, then you fight like hell to help the people of your new home out. Together with Mina, now his trusty Palico sidekick, he'll show the residents of Astera what it means to be a hero!

7. Alpenglow

Astera was abuzz with activity, to the point that it was even busier than before the first attempt to capture Zorah Magdaros. Cannons and cannonballs were piled in teetering mountains that threatened to crush any unfortunate souls that bumped into them. Members of the logistics division dashed to and fro, carrying crates of supplies to whichever section needed them. High above, the workshop was working overtime, cranking out weapons and armor as fast as they could be put into the hands of waiting Commission Members.

Izuku looked over all of this from the raised command deck, thankful not to be caught in the melee. It reminded him of the trains back in Mustafu city during rush hour. People were just as likely to shout at anyone who got in their way here as they had been back home, which was comforting in some ways. He could almost close his eyes and feel like he was back home.

Before he could get lost in the noise, the Commander's booming voice caught his attention.

"Now that everyone is here, it's time we began our briefing," he said, thumping the table for emphasis.

The table, like the rest of Astera, was absolutely covered in supplies for the upcoming mission. Maps and charts for both sea and land overlapped each other, and stacks of requisition forms and mission briefs towered over them all. Interspersed with it all were numerous empty and half empty inkwells that threatened to shower everyone and everything with ink if the papers beneath them were disturbed.

Surrounding the table were representatives from each division of the Commission, each looking haggard from the long hours they had been putting in to arrange the assault on the Elder Dragon.

By comparison, Izuku and Mina looked exceedingly fresh, having got a full night of sleep and a full meal before coming to the meeting, which just served to make Izuku feel even more out of place. The others here had been integral to designing and arranging their plan at every step of the way. Izuku, meanwhile, had only relayed what information he and Mina had gleaned from the First Wyverian and given his thoughts on the nature of the "Everstream" that the being had mentioned. They weren't even particularly insightful thoughts, in his opinion, since anyone would have come to similar conclusions with the evidence before them. The Commander and Field Team Leader had jumped on them, though, and started basing a large amount of the operation around them, which made Izuku feel more than a little bashful.

"Now, thanks to the diligent efforts of our star hunters from the Fifth fleet, we finally have some insight into Zorah Magdaros's intentions. It is following a path of concentrated energy henceforth referred to as the 'Everstream,' a path that will lead it inward towards the center of the New World. Unfortunately, it is carrying an immense amount of bioenergy with it, energy which threatens to turn this entire land into a blasted hellscape if it is unleashed."

A ripple of worry and confusion passed through the division heads. They had known about it ahead of time—the Commander had made sure that everyone had gotten a report about it—but it was different to hear the facts stated so plainly, and by someone so authoritative. Even Izuku, who had known before anyone, felt his stomach clench at the Commander's words.

"Commander, shouldn't we begin to evacuate Astera?" the Analytics Director asked. "The Third Fleet's mobile base could carry a large number of people…"

"Not all of them, though," the Smithy pointed out.

"And not nearly fast enough," the Chief Botanist added. "No, our only hope is to take down Zorah Magdaros."

"Quite the tall order, considering how our last attempt went," the Tech Chief said, crossing his arms and frowning. "'Sides, wouldn't taking the beast down blow us all to bits?"

"Not to mention it would defeat the entire purpose of us coming here," the Chief Biologist said. "We're here to study Zorah Magdaros, not eliminate it!"

"Be that as it may, I do not believe we have any other choice," the Commander said, regret clear in his voice.

"Um, I might have an idea," Mina said, raising her paw into the air in order to be seen over the table.

The various chiefs and division heads looked a little skeptical, but the Commander shrugged his shoulders and gestured for her to continue.

"The problem is Zorah dying in this Everstream, right?" Mina said, clambering up onto the table so that she could be at eye level with most of the others. "Well, what if we took Zorah, and just… pushed it somewhere else? Then it wouldn't be as bad."

The smug expression she wore reminded Izuku a lot of the cat pictures that often floated around social media sites back on Earth, and sent a pang of homesickness through him. He could also swear the idea she had just proposed sounded familiar, but couldn't quite place where he had heard it before.

"That… isn't a bad idea…" the Chief Biologist said after a moment of consideration. When the others looked at him incredulously, he continued, "I'll admit, the proposal is a little simplistic, but the basic premise is solid. The Everstream borders the sea at numerous points. If we were to lure it into the open water…"

"We could mitigate the blast!" the Commander said, a wide grin splitting his normally grim face. "And the bioenergy it released would start a whole new ecosystem!"

"More sea-bound monsters," the Huntsman said, clicking his tongue in disgust. "Just what we need."

"Need I remind you, Commander, that our supplies are still low from our previous attempt at capturing Zorah Magdaros," the Provisions Manager said.

"Actually, I have some good news on that front," the Commander replied, his grin growing even wider.

Before anyone could ask what he meant, he put his fingers in his mouth and let loose a piercing whistle that had people across the tradeyard flinching in surprise. The only one that didn't was a thin, wiry man that Izuku didn't recognize. He was shirtless, and his exposed skin had been darkened by long exposure to the sun. When he heard the Commander's whistle, he perked up and trotted over to the command deck with shaky steps, as though he couldn't quite keep his balance.

"Ahoy, Commander!" the man said, snapping a quick salute once he reached the table. "What do ya need me for?"

"At ease," the Commander said, returning the salute before turning back to address the table. "The Captain here has brought us an entire boatload of supplies, courtesy of the Guild back home."

"Aye," the Captain added, "I've got ballistae, cannon balls, explosive charges, and everything else you'd need for a siege. Even got a special weapon for ya, direct from the Guild."

"A special weapon?" the Smithy said, sounding intrigued.

"Aye, the Argosy's armed with the latest in anti-Elder Dragon weaponry. She's got a Dragonator in her bow, and enough boilers in her belly to run it. Just give her seawater and coal, and she'll drive off anything what's giving you trouble."

"Excellent," the Commander said, "With the Dragonator in hand, I think we have everything we need to drive Zorah Magdaros off. What do the rest of you say?"

"Aye Commander," everyone else said, in nearly perfect unison.

"Then I say it's high time we get started. Has the research division managed to plot Zorah's route?"

"We have it down to three possibilities," the Chief Biologist replied, adjusting his spectacles. "Once our scout drakes come back, we should have the correct one. An hour or two at most."

"Fine work. Once you have it, we'll find a spot to set up and start construction of another barrier, assuming the Third Fleet is still up to the task?"

"Tell us where you need it, and we'll build the toughest barrier you've ever seen," the Smithy said, crossing his arms with a confident smirk.

The Commander nodded, then turned to Izuku and Mina, who straightened under his forceful gaze.

"As for you two, leave the planning to us and make sure you're prepared for the battle to come. Elder Dragons don't go down easily, and I have a feeling that this will be a battle for the ages. If your equipment needs any adjustments, make sure it gets done right away. If you need, you can put it on my tab."

It was an expression of absolute faith in their abilities, and one that Izuku had never heard of the Commander extending before. If the stunned looks on the Division Head's faces were anything to go by, it was indeed a rare honor, and one that Izuku intended to live up to.

"We'll be ready, sir," Izuku said, snapping a salute of his own.

"Ready to kick some butt!" Mina added helpfully. Her own salute was much more sloppy, but was equally heartfelt.

"I would expect nothing less," the Commander replied. "Dismissed, all of you. This will be one for the history books, so be sure to give it your all."

---

The Argosy ground to a halt against the rocky shoal, sending nearly everyone aboard stumbling forward. Only the experienced seamen and a few of the more steady hunters were spared of the indignity. To their credit, however, not a single person aboard the ship fell over from the impact.

Before them, built solidly into the shoal, was a great wall of wood and stone. The timbers that served as the heart of the barrier were truly massive, at least as wide as Izuku's outstretched arms, and as solid as steel. Surrounding them was a complex lattice of smaller timbers that formed the bulk of the barrier, as well as creating a storage place for the weaponry that had been mounted to the top of it. True to their word, the Third Fleet engineers had constructed a truly impressive barrier to block Zorah Magdaros's path, and they had done it practically overnight.

"Hunters!" the Commander called, gathering everyone's attention to him. "You have your orders, so I will be brief. The subterranean tunnels that Zorah Magdaros has been using to travel continue deep underground from here. We'll have one, and only one, chance to divert it once it surfaces. That's why we've brought out the big guns for this operation."

At his signal, the whole ship began to creak and groan as it shifted. Its bow spun to the side, then split in two to reveal the truly monstrous spiked harpoon within.

"For anyone who has not encountered one before, this is a Dragonator. Once Zorah Magdaros has been sufficiently weakened, we will use this to drive it out to sea. But it will need to be weakened. Its magma cores must be destroyed, and as many parts broken as possible before it reaches us. Be relentless, and don't give it an inch, understood?"

The chorus of "Aye, Commander!" was almost deafening.

"One more thing. Nergigante is bound to show up and make a mess of things again. Keep one eye on the skies, and be prepared to repel it. That goes double for our star hunters. When it shows its face, you'll be our best shot at repelling it."

Izuku and Mina nodded in unison, spines straightening involuntarily. Having that sort of responsibility was a heavy burden, but they were prepared to meet it, even if they harbored a few doubts deep within. Those could be shoved down, though. After all, they had a job to do.

Satisfied with their response, the Commander turned to the Huntsman and tasked him with protecting their backs during the operation. After all, they could hardly fight Zorah Magdaros with everything they had if they were worried about a stray monster attacking their exposed rear.

A moment later, a wingdrake swooped low over the deck and deposited the Field Team Leader in front of the group.

"It's coming!" he said simply.

"Move out!" the Commander called, waving them all forward. "Use everything at your disposal, and come home victorious! May the Sapphire Star light your way!"

Izuku raised his fingers to his lips and let loose the loudest whistle that he could. In response, a wingdrake flew in close to the ship, one of half a dozen that had responded to the hunters' summons.

He grappled on to it and was carried into the air, with Mina clinging to his leg as usual. They climbed quickly, giving Izuku a perfect tour of the area that they would be confronting the monster in.

A massive tunnel branched off of the cave, its ceiling high enough that Zorah Magdaros wouldn't have come close to banging its head if it stood on its tip toes. Truly massive stalactites and stalagmites jutted out from the ceiling and the ground. The former were strapped with explosive belts and could be dropped down on Zorah Magdaros as it passed by them by using a simple bit of slinger ammo.

At the far end of the tunnel, Izuku could see pools of glowing liquid that reminded him of the deepest reaches of the Rotten Vale. He and Mina had explored there only briefly while trying to trap an Odogaron, but the glowing acid pools in the area had made quite the impression.

The Elder Dragon itself was just as Izuku remembered it. It's massive, rocky form dwarfed any creature that he had ever encountered, and the ground trembled with every step it took. Smoke poured off of its body, and Izuku could barely make out glowing spots across its form where the magma that roiled beneath its rocky shell shone through.

There was a slight difference in Zorah Magdaros's behavior, however. It's head hung lower than Izuku remembered, and its gait was closer to shuffling than striding forward.

A tapping on his ankle distracted him from the truly impressive site, and he glanced down at Mina. She was grinning, as positive as ever despite the odds they were up against. It did wonders to settle his nerves and to focus him on the task at hand.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall, right?" she shouted up at him, struggling to be heard over the rushing wind.

"Right," he said, returning his gaze to the Elder Dragon.

It might have size on its side, but they had teamwork on theirs, and Izuku would bet on the skills of the Commission any day. And with Mina by his side, there was no way he was gonna lose!

"Let's do this, once and for all!"

At his command, the wingdrake swooped down towards the Elder Dragon's massive form, dodging flying debris as it went. At one point, they passed so close to the monster's head that Izuku was able to stare into its eye, and see the desperation clearly written there. The moment seemed to last an eternity, and Izuku's heart went out to the Elder Dragon. It was just following its instincts, trying desperately to cling to life. Unfortunately, that desperation would mean doom for all the life on the New World. They couldn't let that happen. So, Izuku steeled his heart, and directed the wingdrake ever lower.

He landed on Zorah Magdaros's back with a thud, rolling to disperse the force of the impact. Mina landed just to his left, coming down on all fours gracefully, as though she barely felt the drop at all.

Smoke was thick in the air, and every breath smelled like sulfur, but that hardly troubled Izuku at all. Compared to the unfiltered effluvium of the Rotten Vale, the air on Zorah Magdaros's back was practically fresh.

They had landed on its left side, midway up the creature's back, and almost in the exact same spot where they had been dropped the first time they encountered it. Down towards its tail, Izuku could see more wingdrakes wheeling around, other hunters dangling beneath them as they searched for a safe landing spot. They were the largest group, tasked with handling the massive magma core nestled in a crevasse by the base of the Elder Dragon's tail.

Izuku and Mina, meanwhile, had been set to deal with the exposed magma core towards the middle of its back. It was the simplest of the cores to reach by air, and the pair had been dropped nearly on top of it. The idea was that they could deal with the core quickly and efficiently, then be free to deal with any problems that arose after its destruction.

The red crystal pulsed with energy, droplets of magma oozing out of the cracks that ran along its surface. As Izuku watched, the energy inside the crystal flared, and the droplets turned into jets of burning rock that would sear anyone unfortunate enough to be caught by them.

Thankfully, the jet only lasted for a few seconds, and most of the magma that had been unleashed drained away just as quickly, leaving the crystal vulnerable once more.

Izuku charged forward, grabbing Dear Lutemis's hilt as he did so. When he was just a few steps away from the crystal, he triggered its axe shift and brought it down with all the force he could muster. The crystal was fragile, much softer than he remembered it being, and his blade bit deeply into it, carving a long channel into its surface.

Two more swings, and two more gashes later, and Izuku saw the crystal's surface beginning to bubble once more. There wasn't enough time to get clear of the coming blast, especially with his weapon still in its unwieldy axe form.

Working as quickly as he could, Izuku shifted his weapon back into its sword and shield mode, raising the latter to protect himself. A wave of magma splashed against it, but not a drop landed on him, and he was able to return to the assault after just a moment.

This time, he opted to continue in the sword and shield mode since changing back and forth between forms would only take up valuable time. The shorter reach of the sword made it a little more difficult to do damage to the crystal, but he still managed to shave it off bit by bit.

Mina, lacking a shield to protect herself, supported him as best she could. She darted in after the crystal unleashed a burst of magma and patted down any fires that had caught on Izuku's clothes, then attacked the crystal as well. That mostly came down to chipping away at the base of it, but Izuku appreciated the help.

Finally, after several cycles of magma expulsion, the crystal began to fracture. Long cracks ran up its length until they reached the tip, and the light inside of it began to dim.

Rather than leave things to chance, Izuku thrust his sword into the largest crack that he could see and twisted it like he would turn a key. The crack widened rapidly until it finally reached the tip of the crystal. It stopped for a moment there, and Izuku thought the crystal was going to hold. But then the energy began to build inside of the crystal again, and the whole thing began to groan and vibrate.

Izuku's eyes widened. He yanked his sword free and sprinted for all he was worth. His shield could theoretically block an explosion like that, but he really didn't want to test the theory unless he had to.

He heard the groaning of the crystal reach a fever pitch and hurled himself to the ground. He covered his neck with his hands and pressed himself as flat as he could. Hopefully most of the force would pass over him and the shield on his back would deflect any shrapnel.

The crystal didn't just explode; it detonated in a massive burst of energy that sent tremors through Zorah Magdaros's shell. A fountain of magma erupted from the spot, showing the lower parts of the massive Elder Dragon's body and sending the hunters there running for cover of their own. Zorah roared in pain and stumbled to the side, its steady progress halted for a moment as it tried to recover from the loss of energy.

If Izuku had ever doubted that Zorah Magdaros was carrying enough energy to wipe out the entire New World, he certainly didn't anymore. The magma crystals contained only a fraction of the energy that the Elder Dragon was carrying, and one of them had still nearly blasted him to the other side of the New World. He'd been lucky that most of the force had been directed upwards. If it hadn't, he might have been killed.

He blanched as he remembered descriptions of the lower magma crystal, the one nestled into a crevasse with only one entrance and no cover to shield anyone from such an explosion.

"Mina!" he called, waving his arm to get her attention.

She had ducked behind a small rocky outcropping, which had shielded her from the worst of the explosion, and was currently massaging her ears. The combination of the blast and the roar had done a number on Izuku's own hearing, and it must have been dozens of times worse for her.

Despite that, she perked up at Izuku's gestures and stared at him attentively.

"We need to warn the others!" he called. When she didn't respond to his words, he pointed towards the lower magma core's location, then mimed an explosion with his hands.

That she understood, and she darted over to him, lending a paw so he could climb to his feet.

They made their way down Zorah Magdaros's back as quickly as they could while dodging falling pieces of the monster's shell. Chunks were breaking off every few seconds and tumbling down its sides, forcing them to always keep one eye open for falling debris. The other eye was trained on their feet, where frequent cracks in the monster's shell sent bursts of magma shooting into the air at irregular intervals. There was usually enough of a gap between the cracks appearing and the magma emerging that they could get clear, but there were a few close calls.

They reached the lower core's location just in time. Four hunters, including the rather excitable A-list hunter who had been one of the first to welcome Izuku to Astera (and whose name Izuku still hadn't managed to discover), were attacking their magma core in unison and making some decent progress at destroying it. One of them had a Greatsword, and was making a run at the core, while the A-lister and another hunter each carried a Sword and Shield. The last hunter was holding a Heavy Bowgun and was taking potshots at the core whenever she was certain that she wouldn't hit her team.

Their core was much larger than Izuku and Mina's had been and was set into Zorah Magdaros's back in such a way that it was nearly horizontal to the hunters, making it much harder for them to land a solid blow. There were also fewer avenues to escape a magma eruption, just lIke Izuku had feared.

"Midoriya?" the Excitable A-Lister asked, looking confused by the intrusion.

"Keep away from the core!" Izuku shouted. "They explode when they break!"

As if on cue, the magma core began to pulse with energy, with the areas that the hunters had already damaged glowing especially bright. A sharp crack echoed throughout the crevasse as a new fissure formed in its surface.

The Greatsword user paused mid-swing, his arms trembling with the effort of keeping the massive weapon suspended in the air. Slowly, he began to shuffle away from the magma core, as though it would detonate if he moved too quickly. The rest of them took a step back as well, though they stayed close enough to help the Greatsword hunter if necessary.

To everyone's relief, the core hadn't reached its breaking point. When the energy reached its peak, it surged outward as a wave of magma that splashed against the walls of the crevasse. The Greatsword hunter was forced to roll backwards to avoid the surge, but the rest of them were well out of the splash zone.

"Thanks for the warning," the Excitable A-Lister said, giving Izuku a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Don't mention it," Izuku replied.

"Now what do we do?" the Greatsword Hunter asked, sounding rather huffy. As he spoke, he sheathed his weapon and wiped some loose gravel off of his armor. "Dunno about you, but if I can't get close to that thing, then I'm about as useful as a fart in the wind."

"Speak for yourself!" the woman with the Heavy Bowgun said, hefting her weapon up to display it. "If you need ranged firepower, then I'm your gal! Now stand back and watch the fireworks!"

With a quick, practiced movement, she opened her weapon at the center seam and placed it barrel-first on the ground. From her belt, she pulled a canister filled to the brim with ammunition and inserted it into the weapon. When the cylinder didn't click into place, she gave it a hard thump with her fist, which finally did the trick. That done, she hefted her weapon back up, the two halves clicking into place easily, and aimed it directly at the magma core.

"Eat Wyvernheart!" she shouted, a nearly manic smile on her face.

An absolute torrent of bullets poured forth from the gun, tearing holes in the crystal with every impact. The woman's arms strained as she fought to keep the weapon level, but she managed to keep it under control for the duration of the barrage.

Finally, the last of the casings scattered to the ground, and there was a moment of silence. Then the core shattered, and its energy poured forth in a mighty torrent. The Excitable A-Lister tackled the Enthusiastic Bowgun Hunter out of the way at the last moment, pressing her to the ground beneath the flush of energy. The rest of them dived to the side, taking cover behind the rocks there. Despite the fact that he was wearing heavier armor, Mina pressed up against the front of Izuku's body, as though she could shield him against any stray magma that came their way.

Like the first one, the explosion didn't last very long. After just a few seconds they were able to clamber to their feet and survey the area. Drops of magma were everywhere, and there were a few shards of crystal lodged in Zorah Magdaros's shell, looking similar to the mineral patches around the New World. A river of magma was flowing out of the crevasse and down the Elder Dragon's back, separating the area in two.

"Ugh, damn that madwoman!" the Huffy Hunter groaned, clambering to his feet. His armor was a bit singed from the explosion and a trickle of blood was running down his forehead, but he seemed to have made it out all right.

On the other side of the magma flow, the rest of the group was clambering to their feet. The madwoman in question looked distinctly smug about the whole affair, while the Sword and Shield Hunter was shaking his head in exasperation. The Excitable A-Lister, meanwhile, was staring at the woman and her weapon in awe.

"Oh, I have got to get me one of those," he said, his jovial smile much different than the wicked one that the woman had worn just a short time ago.

"You're welcome to take hers!" the Huffy Hunter called. "I'd sleep better at night if I didn't have to worry about any more misaimed sticky bombs!"

The Enthusiastic Hunter stuck her tongue out at him and clutched her weapon to her chest defensively. "Better than being launched into the air when you somehow miss the broad side of a Barroth!" she called back.

Izuku smiled at the banter. The Enthusiastic Hunter reminded him a lot of Mina, from her excitability to her gung-ho attitude. Add in a pair of furry ears, and they could even be related.

Their levity was cut short when a roar echoed through the tunnel. It didn't have the same force as Zorah Magdaros's, but it was just as nerve-wracking.

Nergigante flashed by, circling around Zorah Magdaros once more. It made three loops, almost as if it were looking for something, before finally slamming into the massive Elder Dragon's shell with a thud that was audible even where they were.

"Midoriya!" the Excitable A-Lister called. "You two deal with Nergigante! We'll go warn the other teams about the cores, then catch up!"

Izuku started to object, not wanting his and Mina's overblown reputation to cause problems for the quest. After all, a team of four had to have a better chance of suppressing Nergigante than a team of two, no matter how skilled the two were.

Before he could say anything, however, Mina cut him off. "Don't take too long, or you won't get to see any of the action!"

The Excitable A-Lister and the Enthusiastic Hunter laughed at that, while the Huffy Hunter merely let out a long-suffering sigh. Then they each raised their fingers to their lips and whistled. A cadre of wingdrakes swooped in, carrying them into the sky and to the other teams at Zorah Magdaros's head and the base of its neck.

Izuku watched them go with a sense of trepidation, hoping against hope that they would be all right. The air space around Zorah Magadros was dangerous, filled with falling boulders, wheeling wingdrakes, and strange air currents. Navigating a drake through all of that to land in a precise spot, and doing so quickly enough to reach the other teams before disaster struck, was going to be incredibly tricky. Compared to them, he and Mina had it easy. They just had to face down a monster.

By a stroke of good fortune, Izuku and Mina managed to make their way back up Zorah Magdaros's shell with relative ease. The destruction of the second magma core had shifted the flow of magma on the monster's shell and left them a relatively clear path to Nergigante. They still had to dodge falling stones on occasion, but it was much easier going.

Nergigante had touched down on the large, rocky shelf at the midpoint of Zorah Magdaros's back. The smaller dragon was facing away from Izuku and Mina when they arrived, sniffing curiously at the massive Elder Dragon's shell. If Izuku had to guess, he would say that it was searching for a weak spot in Zorah Magdaros's shell to dig into.

On the one hand, that might be to their advantage. Any extra damage dealt to the massive Elder Dragon would make it easier to drive out to sea, since they would have to do less damage. But if it drove Zorah Magdaros into a frenzy, they might not be able to change its course.

Besides, it wasn't as if they could just leave the Extinction Dragon just running around on Zorah Magdaros's back. If it got bored and attacked one of the teams, they would be in serious trouble. No, they needed to deal with Nergigante here and now.

He and Mina crept forward as stealthily as they could, hoping to catch Nergigante unawares. Before they could get close, though, Nergigante raised its head into the air and drew in a deep breath. Then it spun in place to face the hunters, its gaze locking onto them in an instant. Apparently it had been more aware of its surroundings than they had first thought.

There was no time to think. Nergigante was already preparing to roar its fury at them, and Izuku reacted instinctively. He charged toward the monster with his sword held high, and his entire body tensed. He waited until the last possible moment, when Nergigante was just parting its lips to roar, then threw himself forward into a roll.

The roar crashed into him with an almost physical force and scrambled his thoughts as he tumbled through the air. Then his back slammed into the ground, and the shock of the impact kicked his mind into gear once more.

He popped back to his feet in fighting shape, his blade already swinging towards Nergigante's face. The monster, for its part, seemed shocked by Izuku's resistance to its roar. It tried to jerk its head back out of range, but it couldn't quite move quickly enough, and Izuku's blade scored a direct hit across its cheek. Its hide was tough, almost as tough as the Rathalos's scales had been, but Dear Lutemis was stronger. Its blade carved a line of blood along the monster's cheek, and left a hefty dose of poison at the same time.

Nergigante snarled its frustration and lashed out at Izuku with a foreleg, forcing him to hop to the side to avoid the blow. As the blow sailed past, a scraping sound caused Izuku to glance down towards his chest for the source. What he saw sent a shock of surprise through him; the mass of spines on the side of Nergigante's leg had nearly disemboweled him, and had succeeded in carving long gashes into his breastplate

He gasped, stumbling further to the side. That had been far too close for comfort, and he made a mental note to give the monster's attacks an even wider berth in the future.

It made to attack again, but Mina's boomerang cut through the air and bounced off of the monster's horns. It was followed a moment later by Mina herself dashing underneath Nergigante's rear legs and slashing at its ankles. She screeched like a banshee as she did so, and Nergigante turned its attention to her, attempting to step on the feline annoyance that now plagued it.

As it lifted its far leg, Izuku was ready. He drew his sword in close to his shield to charge it, then lashed out with two quick swings at the foreleg it was using to balance itself. His blade scraped against the spines there, but the end of his swings struck flesh.

The pain that the strikes caused was enough to distract Nergigante from its goal of squashing Mina, and its confusion threw it slightly off balance, a weakness that Izuku quickly capitalized on. He thrust his shield forward, slamming it into the monster's relatively unprotected side. The charged shield bash unleashed a gout of energy into the monster, destroying what little balance it had left.

The Extinction Dragon stumbled to the side, slamming its wings into the ground in an attempt to keep itself upright. Mina, having remained under it as it stumbled, was trapped beneath its right wing, though she didn't seem to mind the position and simply changed her target to the monster's belly, which she was now able to reach with ease.

Izuku stepped forward, intent on joining her assault, only to be blasted with a hail of flying debris. Nergigante had snapped its wings open, and the force had sent a shower of shards hurtling towards him. He brought his shield up to block as many as he could, but a few shards sliced at his legs.

By the time he lowered his shield, Nergigante was already rising to its feet. Mina did her best to hamper it, but her assault was more annoying than damaging for the ferocious creature.

Nergigante charged forward until it was standing practically on top of Izuku, then raised its head into the air. There wasn't nearly enough time to get out of the way, so Izuku placed his shield in front of himself as best he could and braced for the impact.

Moments later, Nergigante slammed its head into the ground with such tremendous force that Izuku's block was shattered and he was sent skipping along the ground. He rolled with the force as best he could, which helped to dissipate it some, but he was still roughed up from the blow.

When he finally came to a rest, he scrambled to his feet as best he could. His arms trembled as he hefted his shield, which didn't bode well for the rest of the fight, but he didn't have the time for a break to recover.

Across the arena, Nergigante pulled its head from the ground, shaking shards of rock from its horns, and glared at Izuku furiously. A low growl rumbled in its chest, audible even over the reverberations of Zorah Magdaros's steps and the crash of rocks tumbling off of its shell.

Suddenly, Nergigante jerked in surprise and began to wave its tail about furiously. Mina was firmly attached to the tip, her blade buried deep into the monster's flesh. She was hanging onto it for dear life, each flick of the monster's tail threatening to send her flying.

Izuku quickly closed the gap between him and the monster and lashed out at it with his blade. His first strike bounced off of Nergigante's horns, but he quickly adjusted his aim and focused the rest of his blows on the exposed parts of its face and forelimbs.

Before long, Nergigante tired of being attacked from both sides. Rather than deal with them one at a time, it decided to attack them both at once. The monster spun so that it was facing away from Izuku, then slammed its tail down towards him. He rolled out of the way, though a shower of rock dust still coated him. The force of the blow had been immense and would have crushed him flat if it had landed.

The tail strike did succeed in dislodging Mina. She went tumbling away from the appendage, though her blade stayed embedded in the monster's tail. The tumble seemed to stun her, and Izuku could see her stumbling back and forth with a paw on her head as she gazed blankly at the monster.

Realizing that he couldn't let the monster take advantage of her vulnerable state, Izuku closed in on the monster. It tried to lash out on him, but he slid underneath the blow, then came up with a spinning slash against Nergigante's flank. He tried slamming his shield into the same spot, hoping to knock it off balance again, but without it already reeling, the blow didn't do much to disable the monster.

Nergigante spun to claw at him some more, and Izuku danced to the side, drawing the monster into a slow turn. By sticking close to the monster's body as he continued to strike at it, he was able to use its own movement against it, almost helping to push him along as it spun.

The only issue was the power that was being generated by Izuku's sword. It was already beginning to glow a bright, cherry red. In just a few more strikes, he knew that it would begin to vibrate wildly from all the energy it was struggling to contain, making it much harder to land a solid strike on Nergigante. At that point, he would have no choice but to store the energy, a process which would take at least a few seconds and leave him unable to move. With Nergigante so focused on goring him, he couldn't take the risk of stopping for even a moment.

Then Nergigante suddenly hopped to the side in a manner extremely similar to Izuku himself. For a moment, he was stunned. He'd known that Nergigante was more intelligent than many of the monsters that they had faced before, but there was a difference between knowing and seeing. It had just adapted to his tactics in mid-fight, which put it well above the rest of the monsters in the New World.

Nergigante lashed out at him once more, and Izuku rolled out of the blow. When he came to his feet, he found another blow waiting for him. He barely blocked in time and was sent skidding backwards by the force.

Nergigante wasn't the only one who could adapt, however. As he slid back, Izuku slotted his blade into his shield and triggered its transformation. He swung it around himself, channeling as much force into the counter as he could, then slammed it into Nergigante's face.

The Extinction Dragon roared in pain and stumbled backwards, shaking its head. A chip was missing from its left horn, and a long line of blood ran down the side of its face. It turned to glare at Izuku, panting heavily, but not moving to attack him.

Izuku started forward, but before he could get more than a few steps, Mina's boomerang whipped around Nergigante and smacked directly into the monster's eye. It had been a blind shot, and Izuku was sure that Mina hadn't intended for such a critical hit, but it was impressive all the same. A moment later, she hopped up onto Nergigante's tail and yanked her blade free, holding it over her head in a triumphant pose.

Nergigante, now with one eye squeezed tightly shut, attempted to shake her off as best it could. Rather than trying to ride the shaking out again, Mina leapt clear of the monster and raced over to Izuku's side. She was dusty, and a spot of blood matted her fur along her right arm, but her eyes were bright and brimming with anticipation.

A massive tremor rocked Zorah Magdaros at that point, sending both the hunters and Nergigante staggering. Far above them, a gigantic plume of magma burst forth from the massive Elder Dragon's shell. The core at the base of its neck had been destroyed, leaving only the one on the top of its head.

For a moment, Izuku was concerned about the hunters who had destroyed the core. That magma core had also been located in a crevasse with very few exits, and he wasn't sure if the warning had reached them in time.

To his immense relief, a few moments after the magma plume dissipated, a cadre of wingdrakes swooped low over Zorah Magdaros's shell, and half a dozen figures grappled onto them. Thankfully, all six of them seemed to be moving on their own, which ruled out any major injuries or deaths by the explosion.

He wasn't able to breathe freely for long, though. With three of its magma cores destroyed, Zorah Magdaros's shell began to fracture even faster than before. Cracks ran along under their feet, and gaps opened to reveal the churning lava beneath. One opened almost directly beneath Izuku's feet, and he was forced to leap for safety before the hot gasses and molten material the crack released could cook him where he stood.

Nergigante, much larger than either of the two hunters, was unable to dodge around many of the cracks and opted to simply ignore them as best it could. The strategy worked, up to a point. When a larger crack opened directly under one of its feet, Nergiganted lurched forward as its leg sunk into the ground. It was able to yank the appendage free, but not quickly enough to escape damage. The patches of exposed skin between its talons had been burned bright red, and it licked at them gingerly.

Finally, Zorah Magdaros stabilized a little, and the fracturing of its shell slowed down as well. Cracks still opened, but they were far less frequent, and afforded much more time for Izuku and Mina to dodge out of the way when they did.

With a moment to breathe, Izuku took stock of the situation. Nergigante was hurting, yes, but it was far from being driven away. He wasn't quite sure if they even could drive it away all by themselves, especially given the limited time that they had remaining.

From his position, Izuku could see past Zorah Magdaros's frame, and the ocean beyond it. He hadn't noticed during the fight, but it had slowly been growing brighter as Zorah Magdaros approached the mouth of the cave where the barrier was located. In just a few minutes, they would reach the point of no return, and they needed to drive Nergigante off before then.

He readied himself, and at his side, Mina did the same. She knew without him saying anything that it was do-or-die time.

They charged together, with Izuku slightly in the lead so that Mina could keep out of Nergigante's line of sight behind his larger frame. Nergigante turned to meet them, lashing out with its injured leg. It might have just been Izuku's imagination, but he thought he could see some hesitation in the swing, as though it was wary of aggravating the burns on its leg. No matter the reason, he was glad for any advantage they could get.

He deflected Nergigante's attack with his shield, bracing his entire body against the blow so that he wouldn't be thrown back. While he covered, Mina came up from behind him and jumped onto the Extinction Dragon's face. She latched on and sunk her claws into the exposed hide while she clawed at its eyes with her back legs. Even though it read her intentions and shut its eyes quickly, Nergigante still growled in pain as her scratching aggravated its previous injuries.

At the same time, Izuku let loose a flurry of slashes against Nergigante's weakened foreleg. He hoped that enough damage to one part would force it to flee, or knock it off balance again and expose a more vulnerable part of its underside.

After five strikes landed without any significant damage, Izuku was starting to lose hope. Mina was keeping it occupied for the moment, but that wouldn't last much longer. It would overcome its disorientation and knock her loose, then turn on Izuku.

Then he finally caught a break. The spines on Nergigante's leg cracked under his repeated blows, then finally shattered into pieces. It stumbled back, actually letting out a small whimper as it did so. Before that moment, Izuku wouldn't have thought the monster capable of letting out such a sound. The sign of progress reinvigorated him, and he attacked with renewed vigor.

He shifted his weapon into its axe form and brought it down on Nergigante's wings and side with as much force as he could muster. The blow landed perfectly, but he was utterly unprepared for what happened. Rather than shearing through the monster's side, or even shattering its scales, the axe bounced off of Nergigante's wings without doing any noticeable damage.

Like the Kirin before it, Nergigante had deflected his most powerful attack without effort, and proved exactly why Elder Dragons were so feared in this world. It also caused his arms to ache as the force of the blow rebounded back on him.

Izuku didn't let that stop him for even a moment. After all, he'd gone through far worse as he trained to master One For All.

This time, he swung his axe up and under the monster's wings. The blow was awkward, and he couldn't put nearly as much force into it. It did do more damage, though. The axe bit into Nergigante's stomach, and Izuku was gratified to see a spurt of red when he pulled it free.

He went in for another blow, but Nergigante wasn't content to keep letting the pair attack it. It spun around, forcing Mina to hop off of its face, and Izuku to duck under its flying tail..

He rolled to his feet, and shifted Dear Lutemis back into sword and shield mode, ready to deflect an incoming attack. His instincts were spot on, but he was unprepared for the assault that was coming.

Nergigante launched itself into the air with a pair of powerful wingbeats, then hurled its entire body at Izuku. His comparatively flimsy guard was nothing against the weight of an entire monster, and he was driven into the ground beneath its bulk. His breath rushed out in a mighty burst, and he could hear his armor creaking with the strain of keeping him from being crushed. In that moment, he was more thankful than ever that he had upgraded his armor recently, though he wished he had worn a more substantial helmet as his skull was crushed against the rocky ground.

Even through the body of the monster pressing down on him, Izuku could hear a furious shrieking as Mina attacked. Nergigante seemed content to stay on top of him, however, and simply lashed out at her without moving. Izuku could feel every single movement as the Extinction Dragon's weight shifted around, increasing or decreasing the pressure on various parts of his body.

He couldn't breathe, could barely think through the crushing force and radiating pain. Only sheer force of will kept him conscious. He had to stay awake, had to find some way to drive Nergigante off, before it spoiled the whole plan. He couldn't let the Commission down, couldn't leave Mina to fight Nergigante all alone.

And then the weight that had been pressing down on top of him vanished, leaving Izuku gasping for breath as sweet, sweet air rushed into his lungs. Strong hands grasped his shoulders, hefting him upwards while a set of distinctly fuzzy paws shoved something into his mouth. He bit down on it instinctively, and a flood of bitter, earthy flavor filled his mouth. His aches and pains vanished in mere seconds, and his vision cleared.

Mina was at his side, the wrapper for a max potion held in her paws, and a concerned look on her face. After the incident with the Rathalos and Izuku's struggle to fetch an antidote after getting poisoned, she had started carrying a small stock of healing and restorative items to use in a pinch. Mostly small, light items that wouldn't weigh her down, like max potions and herbal medicines.

The Excitable A-Lister was the one propping Izuku up. Unlike Mina, he wore a comforting smile as he looked down at Izuku.

"Need a hand there?" he asked, extending a literal hand towards Izuku.

Izuku took it gratefully, and clambered to his feet. Mina still looked a little worried about him, but seeing him on his feet seemed to do a lot to ameliorate her concerns.

The Excitable A-Lister wasn't the only one who had come to their aid. Both the Huffy Greatsword and Stoic Sword and Shield Hunters from before were there as well and were doing their best to attack Nergigante. A Dual Blade-wielding hunter that Izuku vaguely remembered seeing around Astera was there as well, though the Enthusiastic Hunter was absent. If he had to guess, Izuku figured that she was probably with one of the other hunter groups, maybe helping to take down the core on Zorah Magdaros's head with her ranged capabilities.

The group was managing to keep Nergigante occupied, but it was far from a clean fight. The three were fighting together, but they weren't in sync. As Izuku watched, the Dual Blade Hunter slashed at Nergigante's face, forcing it to step backwards and away from her furious dance. That same step took the monster out of range of a mighty slash from the Greatsword Hunter. His blade slammed uselessly into the ground, and he swore loudly.

The missed swing left the man vulnerable as he struggled to lift his massive weapon up once more, and Nergigante was quick to capitalize on the vulnerability. A single swing sent the man flying backwards with a large rent torn into his chestplate. Thankfully, Izuku didn't see any blood, so it looked like the armor had done its job.

The Sword and Shield Hunter leapt in to defend his friend, but his shield was barely more than a buckler, and wasn't up to defending against a full power strike from Nergigante.

As Nergigante reared above the two of them, preparing to crush them with a headbutt, Izuku reacted on instinct. He yanked a flashpod from his bag and slotted it into his slinger in a single motion. He didn't have time to aim for the monster's face, so he aimed for the ground instead. The pod burst against the stone and sent a blinding flash through the whole area.

Izuku, Mina, and the Excitable A-Lister had averted their eyes the moment before the pod burst, so they were spared from the flash. Nergigante, on the other hand, had not been paying attention to their actions and took the brunt of the flash directly in its face. It stumbled backwards while pawing at its face in discomfort.

"Nice shot!" the Excitable A-Lister said, slapping Izuku on the shoulder.

Izuku smiled at the man, then turned back to Nergigante. It's eyes were still squeezed shut in pain, but it was recovering far more quickly than he would have liked. The other hunters were recovering as well, but they still looked shaken by the close call. The Dual Blade Hunter was keeping her distance, despite not having the monster's attention, and the Greatsword Hunter's knees were visibly shaking.

The flashpod had bought them some breathing room, but they needed to press their advantage if they wanted a chance of driving it off.

He took a step forward and drew his weapon, preparing to charge the monster. To Izuku's surprise, the A-Lister matched his movements, then flashed Izuku a grin.

"We'll follow your lead," he declared, widening his stance a little in preparation. Despite the grin, his gaze was steady and filled with a steely resolve that surprised Izuku. It had been a very long time since he had seen the man fight, and he had been much more focused on the monster at the time. Seeing the normally affable man turn into such a serious warrior was a little bit of a shock to the system.

He was also taken aback by being suddenly thrust into a leadership role. He had never thought of himself as much of a leader and was usually content to let someone else fill that role. It was why he had been so willing to give up the position of class president back at UA so long ago, and that had just been a minor position. Now, he was being entrusted with people's lives in a pivotal and dangerous battle.

Something warm pressed itself against his leg, and Izuku glanced down to find Mina there. Her gaze was locked on the monster, but her side was pressed against him, and her tail wrapped around his leg in a comforting manner. Somehow, she had sensed that he was freaking out at the proposition of being in charge and was helping as best she could.

It helped more than she would ever know. Having her there to support him, to stay by his side no matter what, gave him the confidence to move forward, no matter what was in their way.

Izuku whistled as loudly as he could, drawing the attention of everyone in the area, including Nergigante. His gut twisted at the stares, and the thought of what he was about to do, but he fought through it as best he could.

"Pair off, teams of two. One shield per team. Deflect it's attacks, don't block them, and try and hit whenever you see an opening. If we work together, we can drive it off!"

Given that he'd suddenly started shouting orders at them, he'd expected to get back looks of surprise and confusion, or maybe just a swift nod of confirmation if he was lucky. He wasn't expecting them to let out a battle cry and rush to fill his commands with a vigor that had been sorely lacking before.

The A-Lister dashed over to the Dual Blade Hunter, and together they moved to Nergigante's left side. The other two took the monster's right side, with the Greatsword Hunter preparing for a powerful swing at Nergigante's side.

That just left Izuku and Mina to deal with its head. Arguably the most dangerous location to be, but also the most important.

Izuku opened with a pair of charged swings at Nergigante's face. The energy stored in his shield was fading fast, and he wanted to make as much use of it as he could.

The slashes set Nergigante snarling, and it lashed out at Izuku with its right leg. Taking his own advice, he angled his shield to deflect the blow rather than taking it full force. The sound of Nergigante's spines and claws grating against the shield was tremendous, but the impact was much more manageable.

Nergigante, surprised by the lack of resistance to its attack, overextended itself and was slow to retract its leg. Mina jumped on the opening, literally, and grabbed onto its leg. Once there, she got a one-pawed grip on its spines, and used the other to stab her blade into its knee repeatedly.

She wasn't the only one to take advantage of Nergigante's mistake. The Huffy Hunter brought his blade down on the monster with tremendous force, carving a significant wound into its side. As quickly as he could, he swung his blade around behind himself and prepared another powerful strike. On the other side, the Dual Blade Hunter was slashing at Nergigante's back leg with tremendous speed, her eyes seeming to take on a demonic glow as she attacked. The A-Lister was doing his part as well, slashing at Nergigante's tail and keeping it well away from his partner.

Attacked from all sides, Nergigante did its best to clear the area. It slammed its wings into the ground, tensing them as it prepared to blow them all away.

"Get clear of its wings!" Izuku called. He was safe by its head, and Mina was still attacking its ankles, so they could keep up their assault.

The others began to disengage, getting clear of the strike zone as best they could. The Greatsword Hunter looked annoyed at having failed to land a second strike, but still threw himself clear of Nergigante's sides, while the A-Lister and Sword and Shield Hunter moved towards its rear. The Dual Blade Hunter was the only one to stay behind, still locked in the ferocious dance she had been performing. At the last minute, she finished her attack and tried to flee.

She was fast, but not fast enough. Nergigante's wings clipped her back and sent her flying. The A-Lister immediately ran to her, but Nergigante had other things on its mind.

It surged forward, trying to bowl Izuku over with pure force. As it approached, Izuku idly noticed that its mouth had begun to foam, tendrils of purple poison dripping down from its jowls. The damage wouldn't have a lot of time to stack up, but the pain might help lower Nergigante's morale enough to get it to flee.

He met its charge head on, pushing back against the force with all of his strength. His arms shook with the effort, but he managed to hold fast against it. The strain of the battle was starting to show, even on the tremendously powerful Nergigante.

When it was clear that its charge wasn't working, Nergigante leapt backwards and glared at Izuku with fury. It looked every bit a demon straight out of hell, and if looks could kill, Izuku would be dead.

Another hunter would have turned and run under the force of that gaze, but not Izuku. He stood firm and returned a glare of his own. He knew it didn't have the same effect, but felt compelled to do it anyway.

Nergigante took a step forward, raising its wings to make itself look even larger than it was. The effect was impressive, but not nearly enough to send Izuku running. He had looked into the eyes of a human monster before, one that wanted to burn the world for no other reason than to watch the flames. Compared to that, a dragon that was simply fighting to fill its stomach was nothing.

Before their confrontation could continue any longer, the other hunters made their move. Rather than take the moment to attack Nergigante, they rushed to Izuku's side, brandishing their weapons and adding their own strength to the standoff. Mina took it one step further, clambering up onto Izuku's shoulders and balancing there while she hissed furiously. She was a bit too large to stand there properly, but managed to keep her balance in the short term.

The monster roared at them, but they refused to back down, ready to keep going as long as it took to drive Nergigante away.

There was a long moment where no one moved, and the hunters hardly dared to breath. And then, the moment shattered. Nergigante roared again and launched itself into the sky, vanishing from view almost as quickly as it had arrived.

An involuntary cheer burst out of Izuku's lips, joined moments later by the others. They had done it, despite all the odds against them. And just in time. Zorah Magdaros was approaching the barrier, and would reach it in just a few minutes, unless they destroyed the final magma core—

The explosion from the final core's destruction slammed into them with an almost physical force. Fire rained from the sky, the rock beneath their feet rolled like the deck of a ship in a storm, and a tremendous roar deafened them all. It was a volcanic eruption in all but name, and they were caught in the center of it.

The eruption seemed to go on forever as the hunters clung to each other, doing their best to protect and shield their fellows. They couldn't do much against the searing gas and semi-molten debris that pelted them, but together they managed to hold out in a way that a single hunter could never hope to. Mina, the one with the lightest armor, was stuffed to the center of the group and squeezed from all sides. It was probably incredibly uncomfortable, but Izuku was more concerned with her safety than her comfort in that moment.

Eventually, the eruption did taper off, and the hunters were able to untangle themselves and look around at the aftermath.

Even more cracks had spread throughout the monster's shell, though these ones showed no signs of closing anytime soon. There were also loose stones and rocky debris scattered across the ground. The magma flows on the shell had shifted once more, though by a stroke of good fortune none had come close to the group.

A clutch of wingdrakes soared past, dropping the Field Team Leader down on Zorah Magdaros's back. He rolled to his feet effortlessly and gave the group a wide smile.

"Good work, team! We saw Nergigante running away with its tail between its legs and came to give you a ride. Now, let's get to the barrier. It's time to end this!"

Izuku was already exhausted, but he squared his shoulders and nodded his affirmation. They had put too much into this to let someone else take over at the end.

The wingdrakes deftly dodged the loose stones that tumbled down Zorah Magdaros's back and carried the group away. As they did, Izuku got a good look at the Elder Dragon from a distance. It was definitely slowing down, shuffling into the water that filled the sea cave's entrance at a snail's pace. It was fortunate, since it would give the Commission more than enough time to pepper it with cannon balls and ballista fire as it approached the barrier.

While the hunters had been busy on Zorah Magdaros's back, the Third Fleet engineers had continued to work on the structure. It was positively bristling with weaponry at this point, and the whole thing had been reinforced with crisscrossing logs and even metal plates. The Argosy had also been worked on, pulled up onto shore to rest next to the barrier and held upright by supporting pillars. It would probably be hell getting it back in the water once this was all over, but it would let the ship fire the Dragonator freely and much more effectively when the time came.

The wingdrakes dropped them at the top of the barrier, and they were immediately surrounded by people checking on them. A fresh mega potion was thrust into Izuku's hands, and he was forced to gulp it down. When he tried to mention that he was fully healed and only feeling a little tired, an energy drink was quickly placed in his other hand. He was forced to chug them one after the other under the watchful eyes of a vaguely familiar medic.

The aftertaste was indescribable, but it did leave him feeling hale and hardy enough to keep fighting for hours yet. Or, at least until the energy drink's effects wore off.

Mina, too, had been given an energy drink, though Izuku questioned the necessity of it. The last time he had given her one, during their fight with the Rathian in the Wildspire Wastes, her pupils had grown to the size of dinner plates, and she had started vibrating whenever she wasn't moving. It had been more than a little disturbing, and Izuku had done his best to keep any energy drinks away from her. That level of agitation couldn't be good for her heart.

Sadly, she was already halfway through the drink by the time he noticed, and glared at him angrily when he opened his mouth to say something. He knew that look. It promised a scratching if he tried to stop her, and he didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of those again. Her claws hurt.

And so he turned his gaze onto Zorah Magdaros. It was still limping towards the barrier, a slow but inevitable force that was not going to be deterred just by being weakened. Said weakness was also relative. As Izuku watched, the Elder Dragon stumbled to the side slightly and leaned up against a massive stalagmite for a moment. When it pushed away, the entire structure toppled over, sheared off by the Elder Dragon's incredible strength. That same feat would have taken the Commission's best engineers several hours and a few tons of high explosives.

It was going to be a close battle, no two ways about it. Sure, they had literal tons of cannon balls, forests of ballista bolts, and whatever the Dragonator counted as, but all that would do is annoy the beast. Their best bet was to be such an annoying pest that Zorah Magdaros was forced to turn away from its course.

It really brought the power of Elder Dragons into perspective for Izuku. He'd asked a few hunters and researchers around Astera about them, but hadn't gotten much information that way. Barely anyone knew much about them, and those that did were reluctant to share the information. It took a few conversations to figure out, but Izuku had eventually realized that it wasn't out of a desire to keep the information hidden, but out of a superstition that discussing the Elder Dragons too openly would cause them to appear in the field, something that most of the hunters considered a fate best avoided. Even the researchers were cagey about the topic, directing Izuku to a few books in the archives that described the traits and behaviors of a few Elder Dragons.

He'd read through those in a day, focusing on Zorah Magdaros and Kirin, the two that he and Mina had encountered so far. He hadn't been expecting much about the former, since they were still in the process of researching it, but he had been expecting a little bit more about the electrically charged unicorn-dragon. Sadly, most of the information was vague or based on hearsay from a hunter who knew a hunter that had narrowly escaped an encounter with such a beast. The little of substance were mostly things that he had already discovered for himself in the brief encounter, which really hadn't helped him prepare for a possible second encounter.

Now, looking out on the sheer power that Zorah Magdaros possessed, Izuku wondered if there was any way to prepare for a meeting with an Elder Dragon. The average person would be like a blade of grass to creatures like that, and the average hunter wouldn't be much more threatening. They could barely be hurt by normal weapons, and it was taking the entire Commission combined to even slow Zorah Magdaros down. How did one even prepare to fight such a creature, let alone beat it?

The answer seemed to be lots and lots of help, with a generous dollop of cannon fire for good measure.

With their wounds seen to, or at least treated for the short term, and their energy restored, Izuku and the others were turned loose to join in the repelling effort. All of the ballistae were already manned, and most of the cannons were loaded and ready, but there were still a few lagging behind.

He dashed over to the closest one, putting his shoulder against the body of the cannon and helping to rotate it until the barrel was aligned with the approaching Elder Dragon. The hunter who had been attempting to shift it on her own shot him a grateful look, then hurried to add a fifth and final cannonball to the firing tray. Izuku still didn't understand how the cannons fired multiple rounds with only a single barrel and without any additional gunpowder being added, but he had long ago stopped trying to find a logical explanation to the more fantastical elements of the New World.

When the call to fire came, Izuku shoved the tray into the cannon's body, then braced against it as the cannon shuddered. The cannon balls flew through the air and slammed into Zorah Magdaros's shoulder, exploding on impact in a satisfactory manner. More explosions bloomed across its form as the hail of cannon fire struck home. Large chunks of its shell were broken off under the assault, revealing the relatively vulnerable form beneath.

A cheer rose up from the barrier as Zorah stumbled slightly to the side under the force of the assault. Their efforts to reload the cannons and prepare for the second volley redoubled, while those on the ballistae began to fire as rapidly as they could, targeting the weak spots that the cannon fire had created.

It led to a sort of controlled chaos atop the barrier. Hunters dashed back and forth, lugging cannonballs and ballista bolts in equal measure. Palicos dashed underfoot, carrying various items to the hunters who needed them or even manning a ballista or two on their own. Meanwhile, wingdrakes of both the tame and wild varieties swooped overhead, occasionally coming down to pick up a hunter or to take a swipe out of them. Thankfully, a few hunters were serving as aerial defense, taking potshots at any of the wild drakes that got a little too frisky. It did make the space above the barrier rather hectic, however, and ensured that most people were crouching slightly as they moved about.

They managed two more volleys before Zorah Magdaros reached the barrier and attempted to push past it. There was a terrifying moment when it first arrived when the entire barrier swayed under its touch. A few hunters went tumbling over the edge, only barely managing to latch onto a wingdrake on their way down, and the rest only barely managed to stay on top by grabbing at whatever they could find. For Izuku, that was the base of the cannon he had been working at, while Mina grabbed his leg and held on for dear life.

The Elder Dragon was strong, but the Commission's engineering managed to hold out in the end. The timbers groaned and bent, but they didn't break. Instead, they sprung back into place, actually pushing Zorah Magdaros back with the force of their return. Whatever wood the Third Fleet had used must have been incredibly springy in addition to being impossibly durable.

With pushing it over being out of the question, Zorah Magdaros began to swipe at the barrier, trying to tear it apart with its talons. The timbers held, barely, but the barrier wouldn't be able to take such punishment for very long.

It wouldn't have to. The second that the barrier snapped back into action, the hunters did as well. Another cannon volley slammed directly into Zorah Magdaros's chest, more ragged than the first few, but still enough to do significant damage to the monster. It was joined by a hail of bowgun fire, most of which centered directly on Zorah Magdaros's face. The gunfire didn't really do much damage to the monster, but the hail of bullets did force the monster to close its eyes and turn away from the hunters a little bit. It was a welcome reprieve for those who specialized in melee combat, and would probably lead to a lot of boasting by the ranged specialists once the battle was over. Assuming they succeeded, of course.

They continued to pound away at the massive Elder Dragon with everything they had, but it showed no sign of stopping anytime soon. It continued to paw at the barrier blindly, tearing away chunks as casually as Izuku might tear up a loaf of bread.

They needed a game changer, something to send the Elder Dragon reeling so that they could deploy the Dragonator.

The chance came when Zorah Magdaros reared back and opened its mouth wide. A molten glow swirled there, growing brighter by the moment. It was obvious that it was charging some sort of powerful attack, one that would do some serious damage to the barrier.

It also provided the perfect avenue for attack. A cannon shot to its mouth before it fired would create an explosive problem for the monster, one that it would not be able to ignore so easily.

Izuku dashed for the center section of the barrier, needing a clear line of fire towards the monster's mouth. The hunter that he had previously been working with called out after him, either trying to dissuade him from running into danger or just confused about where he was going. Either way, Izuku barely spared her a thought as he pushed his way through the crowd of hunters before him. They were heading the opposite way, trying to escape the incoming attack, and did not appreciate Izuku getting in their way. A few recognized him, their eyes going wide before they did their best to get out of his way, but the majority just gave him angry looks and tried to shove their way past him even more forcefully.

It was painfully slow going, and Izuku was beginning to despair of making it in time to stop the attack when something slammed into his back. He stumbled for a moment, nearly running into one of the fleeing hunters, but quickly regained his balance thanks to a combination of training and experience with Mina clambering all over him.

A moment later, she crested his shoulders and balanced on top of his head with her rear paws placed against his weapon for balance. It wasn't the most stable of positions, but it did provide her with the means to see over the crowd, and made her much more visible, which appeared to have been her goal in the first place.

"Out of the way!" she shrieked, her voice tinged with just a little bit of panic. "We need to get through!"

To Izuku's shock and relief, the crowd actually responded to her words and began to part. Maybe it was her panicked tone, maybe they recognized her voice, or maybe they were just relieved to have a set of specific orders to follow in such a hectic situation. Regardless, the hunters stepped out of Izuku and Mina's way as they surged through the crowd directly towards the centermost cannon.

The cannon itself was partially loaded, its previous user having abandoned it the moment the attack started. If he had more time, Izuku would have tried to finish the process, but with Zorah Magdaros's mouth glowing brighter by the second, he didn't want to waste a second.

He placed his shoulder against the firing tray and pushed with all his might, Mina doing the same by his side. For one terrifying moment, the tray refused to budge, even under their full power. Then, finally, it slid forward and into the cannon's body. The internal mechanisms whirred, giving Izuku a moment to brace for the inevitable.

Moving quickly, he pulled the sword of Dear Lutemis from his back and slammed it into the wood of the barrier with one arm, locking him in place. With his other, he grabbed Mina and pulled her tight against his chest. It wasn't much, but he hoped that it would be enough to keep them safe through whatever came.

A moment later, twin explosions detonated in Zorah Magdaros's mouth, mixing with the energy already there and triggering a truly devastating explosion.

The force slammed into Izuku like an open-palm slap from an angry god. The breath was driven out of his chest in an instant as blinding light flashed in his eyes. The sound was deafening as well, reverberating off the walls of the sea cave until he could hear nothing but its deafening roar. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't even think. The only thing he could do was endure, muscles straining to keep himself and Mina from being knocked backwards.

Finally, the explosion faded, and he was able to breathe once more. After a few greedy gulps, as well as a little time to collect himself, Izuku climbed unsteadily back to his feet. Mina seemed to have fared a little better than he had, though she still looked a little shaken by the explosion as she leaned against the cannon for stability.

They weren't the only ones who were struggling to recover. Hunters were strewn across the barrier in various states of consciousness. Many were rubbing at their heads or cradling their battered limbs as they tried to regain their footing. Their weapons had been tossed about as well, though a few hunters were still clinging doggedly to their equipment, signifying their above-average strength and determination.

The hunters weren't the only ones to have been affected by the blast. Zorah Magdaros had been forced back a few steps by the blast, and its head was lolling aimlessly from side to side. The lower half of its jaw was hanging down, though Izuku was amazed to see that it was still attached to the monster's head. By all rights, its face should be a gaping crater after a blast like that, but it was still standing. Worse, it seemed to be recovering. The shaking of its head was starting to become more purposeful, and Izuku could imagine its eyes starting to clear as it recovered from the stunning force of the explosion.

Quickly, Izuku glanced down towards where the Argosy was anchored. Now, more than ever, they needed its Dragonator.

To his immense relief, the ship was still in position, and still mostly intact. The sails were in tatters, and the ropes that controlled them were tangled in massive knots that would probably be a nightmare to undo later. The deck was a mess as well, awash with both water and the ruined remains of several supply crates. It seemed like a massive wave had struck the ship, probably from when Zorah Magdaros had stumbled back after the explosion. The force of said explosion had probably made the wave even bigger as it traveled, until it washed almost completely over the ship and its crew.

Thankfully, most of those who had been stationed on the ship were sailors or hunters with plenty of nautical experience, the kind who wouldn't trip over their own feet when the deck rocked beneath them. Because of this, it seemed like everyone on the deck had managed to keep from being swept off by the wave. They had still been hit, though, and most of the crew had been washed against the side of the ship by the force. Some few were stumbling to their feet and helping their fellows, but most were still laid out flat on the deck, probably groaning in pain.

It painted a stark picture of their situation. The Dragonator was intact and in position, but it didn't look like anyone would be able to use it anytime soon. They were too busy recovering from the last attack, and they were doing so much more slowly than Zorah Magdaros. Even as Izuku watched, it began to slowly shuffle forward, the last traces of stunned confusion fading from its eyes as it moved towards the barrier and the inevitable demise of every living thing in the New World.

He glanced back towards the Argosy, and the prominent lever on its prow. That it was visible indicated that the Dragonator was ready to fire and only waited for someone to activate it. From his position, though, it may as well have been on the other side of the New World. There hadn't been time for the engineers of the Third to construct a staircase down to the ship, assuming that everyone would simply take a wingdrake if they needed to reach it. That wasn't an option now, though. The wingdrakes had all fled or been knocked out of the sky by the explosion and wouldn't be back for some time. That left only one option, and one that Izuku wasn't looking forward to taking.

He was going to have to take the express option.

Before he could even take a single step towards the edge, Mina's arm snaked out and grabbed onto his leg. Her claws sunk deeply into the fabric beneath his armor and prickled at his skin, not deep enough to hurt him, but enough for him to be acutely aware of their presence.

"Don't even think about it," she hissed, her eyes as sharp as razors as she glared up at him. "I know that look, and you're not leaving me behind while you do something stupid. I'm coming with you, and that's final."

"But Mina, it's—"

"Don't care. Coming with you."

"You'll—"

"Do. Not. Care."

He opened his mouth to make another objection, to tell her that he was planning to turn her absolute worst fear into reality and he wouldn't subject her to that unless it was absolutely necessary, but was cut off by a deafening cry that was halfway between a roar and a shriek. While they had been arguing, Zorah Magdaros had taken the final step forward and reached the barrier once more.

It slammed bodily into the structure, seemingly only focused on pushing through the obstacle and reaching its final destination. Small streams of magma poured from the edges of its maw and sprayed the barrier with every heaving breath. None of the drops seemed to be causing any fires of the wooden structure, though Izuku worried about some of the droplets landing on top of an unconscious hunter before they could be woken up, or at least dragged to safety.

All of a sudden, the dizzying plunge down to the Argosy was starting to look like the safest option, at least when compared to remaining on top of the barrier and in Zorah Magdaros's sightline.

A quick glance at Mina showed that she was still dead set on coming with him, though her tail was twitching in the quick, jerky pattern that Izuku had come to associate with her trying, and failing, to suppress her nerves. She might not have any idea what Izuku was planning, but it was clear that she knew it was bad. It was also clear to him that she was going to push through her fear no matter what he said or did. It was a trait of hers that he loved, even though he hated how often it pulled her into danger with him.

He sighed, then quickly unhooked Dear Lutemis from his back and let it drop to the floor with a clatter. If the Smithy had been around, he would have given Izuku a tongue lashing for mistreating his equipment like that, but Izuku needed to be as light as possible and have his hands free for this next part. Any damage to his weapon could be repaired, assuming they survived.

With his weapon discarded, Izuku reached down and pulled Mina up onto his back once more. She squawked in surprise at the sudden manhandling, but quickly latched onto the straps that Lutemis normally hung from and fastened herself tight.

He gave a quick shake, and when she didn't go tumbling off, Izuku began to sprint. As he ran, he channeled the long, careful strides that Iida had drilled into him back at UA. He had never been able to reach Iida's level, but Izuku had improved his speed and form considerably, something that had come in handy more times than he could ever count in the months since.

"What's the plan?" Mina called, pulling herself up slightly until she was shouting into Izuku's ear.

"We jump!"

---

"We jump!" Izuku said, barreling ahead with reckless abandon.

Mina's eyes widened at the words, and her stomach dropped as she realized what was going on. If it had been anyone else, or if the circumstances had been a little bit less dire, she would have chosen that moment to jump off, leaving the madman to leap off the edge to almost certain doom.

But it was Izuku's plan, and as much as Mina's heart pounded in fear at the idea of falling without any sort of safety net, she trusted him implicitly, and not just because of her feelings for him. He was the best planner that she knew, and while some of his ideas seemed crazy on a surface level, he had never let her down before. So she swallowed her fear as best she could, pressed herself tight against his back, and waited for the sickening plunge.

It was just as horrible as she had imagined. The wooden planks of the barrier disappeared out from under them in an instant, and the drop beneath them seemed to stretch out into infinity. For a horrifying moment they seemed to hang in the air, making Mina feel as though they would be trapped on the edge of destruction forever.

Then gravity took hold once more, and they went hurtling downwards. A shriek tore its way past her lips, despite her best efforts to contain it, and her claws flexed on reflex, digging deeply into Izuku's back.

He was facing things stoically, not emitting a single peep as they fell. His arms and legs were spread out in an attempt to keep them from spinning in the air, and his gaze was fixed firmly on the rapidly approaching deck beneath them.

At the very last possible moment, Izuku's arm snapped up, and he fired his slinger towards the Argosy's mast. The grappling hook that he used to scale the various sharp inclines and vine covered walls around the New World shot out, wrapping around the wooden beam several times before the end bit deeply into the structure.

Their momentum ground to a halt in an instant, the rope snapping taut with a sharp crack. Said crack was followed by another, much more grisly crack a heartbeat later, one that caused Mina's head to snap up in alarm.

Izuku's shoulder had been wrenched out of its socket by the sudden stop, leaving them dangling from the dislocated appendage while they swung back and forth from the mast like a pendulum. He let out a choked scream and immediately reached up to grab at the line with his good arm, trying to spare himself from any further pain.

Mina, too, reached up to deal with the problem. Her way was a little bit more direct, however. Her claws flashed out and sliced through the line with ease. Rope was absolutely nothing compared to monster hides, and her claws were like tiny razors at this point. The two of them tumbled to the ground in a heap, forcing yet another pained cry from Izuku's lips. He had, thankfully, fallen onto his uninjured arm, so at least their dismount hadn't made things even worse in terms of his injury.

She wasn't at all surprised when Izuku clambered to his feet just a few moments after the impact. He'd always been able to push through intense pain when the situation called for it, and now was no different. He would reach the Dragonator's lever or pass out, whichever came first. She'd seen it time and time again, both at UA and in the New World.

But it was different now. Mina was with him, and she wouldn't let him go it alone. Not this time, or ever again. No matter where he went, no matter what danger he faced, she was going to stand with him and support him however she was able.

She pressed herself against his side, holding his battered arm in place as best she could while supporting him at the same time. It wasn't perfect, and he still winced in pain with every step, but he was doing better than he would have been otherwise.

Step by painful step they marched forward, gazes firmly fixed on the Dragonator's switch. There were others on the ship's deck, Mina was sure, but they existed only on the periphery of her perception. Not a single one of them got in the way of the two hunters as they crossed the deck.

The few steps up to the raised platform the Dragonator's switch sat upon presented a far greater obstacle than Mina had anticipated. They were human sized, which made them difficult for a Palico to scale in the best of circumstances, and still slick with water. In the end, she was forced to let Izuku go for a moment, quickly scramble up the incline, then grab onto him once more at the top. It was messy, painful, and probably looked more than a little stupid to anyone watching, but they did it.

The last steps were the hardest. Zorah Magdaros was shaking the barrier at that point, causing a rain of splinters to fall upon the deck. None of them were large enough to cause damage, thankfully, but they did land in Mina's fur and prickle uncomfortably with every step. She was also thoroughly exhausted at that point. The energy drink that had been keeping her going was rapidly wearing off, leaving her limbs feeling like lead and her eyelids drooping, despite the adrenaline from the battle.

The Dragonator's switch was at least as tall as she was, a long shaft of bone wrapped neatly with leather, and stood ready to unleash devastation on the unsuspecting Elder Dragon.

Quickly, Izuku leaned his good arm against the lever, and began to push. The device barely budged, and Izuku's boots began to slip on the slickened deck, threatening to send him toppling to the ground before he managed to trigger the weapon.

Then Mina grabbed onto the lever and threw her back into it as well. She sunk her claws into the wood beneath her, locking herself as best she could as she strained along with her partner.

Izuku glanced down at her, the look in his eyes filled with gratitude. She returned the look, an impish grin tugging at her lips despite the dire situation. He had a way of bringing that out of her, of making everything seem like it was going to be okay.

As the lever finally began to shift, slowly creaking as they shoved it forward, Mina couldn't help but grit out the words that had become second nature during her time at UA.

"Go… Beyond!" she hissed through gritted teeth.

"Plus… Ultra!" Izuku finished, a smile of his own blossoming on his face.

With the mantra to give them strength, the two shoved the lever with all of their might. It trembled, squealed ominously, then finally shifted.

The Dragonator burst forward from the prow of the ship and slammed into Zorah Magdaros's side in an instant. Shards of rock and spurts of magma exploded outwards, pelting the Argosy, the barrier, and everything in the vicinity as the massive spear tip ground against the Elder Dragon's stony hide. The noise was deafening, both the sound of the Dragonator and Zorah Magdaros's roar of pain in response.

Like with the explosion, the massive Elder Dragon stumbled backwards, trying to get away from the pain it was feeling. Its arms flailed, its tail thrashed, and its entire body trembled for a long moment. Waves rippled outward from the monster and hurtled towards the Argosy, though at least none of them looked large enough to wash over the ship this time.

And then, oh so slowly, Zorah Magdaros began to turn. Its head swung out towards the cave mouth and the ocean beyond it. It's body followed along, and then the monster began to limp away with a noticeable hitch in its step. After a few steps, it dove into the water and began to swim away, nose firmly pointed out to sea and well away from the Everstream.

The sight of its back was one of the sweetest things that Mina had ever seen in her life. Every bit of tension rushed out of her in an instant and she dropped to her knees in relief. Next to her, Izuku did the same. He was cradling his arm still, but the smile on his face was massive and filled to the brim with joy.

Awash with endorphins, flush with victory, and more than a little loopy from exhaustion, Mina did something that she would have never considered otherwise.

She lunged forward, wrapped her arms around Izuku, and pressed her lips to his.

---

It was, all things considered, a rather horrible first kiss. Both of them were soaked in sweat, Izuku's arm was still throbbing in pain every time he so much as thought about it, and the ship was rocking beneath them as waves slapped against its side. The taste of Mina's lips was also… interesting. She tasted of fish, sweat, and wet fur, which was not a combination that Izuku was particularly a fan of. Mina's fur also got in the way, sticking to everything from his face to his lips and tickling at his nose.

A second later Mina pulled back, panting heavily, with eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"That… you… I…" Izuku said, his brain struggling to catch up to everything that had just happened. He was simultaneously thrilled, concerned, terrified, on edge, and completely and utterly baffled at the sudden embrace.

At least Mina seemed to be feeling something similar. He couldn't even begin to identify the cocktail of emotions that were visible on her face, and her tail, his normal gate into her inner thoughts, was perfectly still with all of its hair standing on end.

"Mina, I—"

"Izuku—"

Izuku stopped short, waiting for Mina to continue. She was always the one to pick up the slack in their conversations, to continue when he couldn't figure out the right words or just didn't know what to say. He expected her to do just that and was a little taken aback when she didn't jump right in. In fact, she looked almost as hesitant as he felt, biting at her lip as she kneaded her legs with her paws.

Once again, Izuku opened his mouth to speak, only to see Mina do the same. Rather than repeat the same mistake, however, he quickly shut his mouth and gestured for Mina to continue.

"That sucked," she said frankly, "It was awkward, and stupid, and I should have waited until later. But… I don't regret it."

She swallowed hard, but pushed forward despite her voice growing shaky as she spoke.

"I like you. I really, really like you. I know things are weird because I'm stuck as a Palico and we might not get home, but I just had to say something, even if it makes things weird between us. I had to, because I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you and I can't just not say it. So…"

Izuku's heart sped up as a massive blush spread across his face. Despite telling himself over and over again that Mina couldn't fall for someone like him, that she just saw him as a friend, he'd pictured what it would be like to have her return his feelings. He'd pictured dozens of different scenarios, and yet somehow, the real thing completely took his breath away. It took every bit of concentration and willpower he had not to melt into a blushing pool right then and there.

Instead, he forced himself to sit up straight, and look her dead in the eyes. Twin pools of shadow and gold started back at him, wide and liquid, pleading for an answer that he was only too happy to give.

"Mina, I… I like you too. You're… you're amazing, and I couldn't have done any of this without you. You're literally irreplaceable to me. I wanted to say something, for a while now too, but I just… didn't know what to say. Or think you'd like me back."

The last words were more to himself than Mina, but she heard them anyway. She quickly pressed herself closer, placing her paws on his shoulders and her face just inches away from his.

"Well I do! I like you a lot! I think you're smart and funny and kind and cute! And when we get back to our world and I get my regular body back, I'm going to jump you, got it?"

Izuku didn't know how to respond to something like that. He couldn't ever think of a situation in which someone had expressed such blatant interest in him, or even any interest at all. Before UA, most people had wanted to spend as little time around him as possible. It was what he expected, what was normal.

This was very much not. He'd only just adjusted to being at UA, at having people value him as a friend, having people want to listen to him. Now he was dumbstruck by the idea of a girl actually liking him, and quite a lot, if Mina's statement was to be believed.

A sudden, sharp cough interrupted the two of them. It also reminded Izuku that they were having their moment on the very public deck of a crowded ship.

He turned to find the Commander standing just a few feet away, arms crossed in front of him and a single eyebrow raised as he regarded the two hunters. Strangely, he didn't look like he was about to chastise them for the public display. Instead he looked curious, and oddly satisfied.

"Your regular body, hmm?" he said, taking a step closer.

And just like that, Izuku's stomach lurched in worry. He'd been so focused on his and Mina's feelings that he hadn't thought about moderating what they were saying. Now they had all but spilled one of their biggest secrets, one that they had no idea how the Commission would react to discovering. Would they call Izuku and Mina crazy and lock them away? Give them counseling? Would they believe the two, then subject them to intensive study just like what they did with a new type of monster? Should they run? Surrender?

Before his thoughts could spiral any further, Mina placed a comforting paw on his head. Its weight grounded him and helped to stave off the rising panic.

"That's what I said," Mina replied, fixing the Commander with an intense stare. "You got a problem with it?"

"Not at all," the man replied, shaking his head. "I do find it intriguing though. Your statement answers a number of questions that I had, although it raises quite a few more."

He paused for a moment, contemplating the two, then nodded to himself.

"For now, I'll leave it at that. It's time we returned to Astera. After all, we have a victory to celebrate, one which the two of you played an integral part in. After, though, I think we should have a talk. From the sound of it, the two of you have had quite a journey, and I am quite eager to hear about it and where you came from."

With that, the Commander turned on his heel and walked away, acting for all the world as if he hadn't just dropped a massive bomb on the two hunters.

"So, that was a thing," Mina said, staring after the man. "Think we should be worried?"

"I… don't know," Izuku replied, "He didn't sound angry or anything. Just… curious. I mean, we did sort of come here as stowaways, even if we didn't mean to, but we also helped the Commission out a bunch, so maybe he just wants to figure out what's going on."

"He's not the only one," Mina quipped.

It was a sentiment Izuku shared as well. He and Mina still had no idea how they had arrived in the New World. Anything before waking up in the Ancient Forest or Astera was just a blank to them, even long after the other effects of their concussions had faded. It was a source of curiosity, frustration, and concern for them both, made all the worse by the inability to share it with anyone without sounding insane.

But now that Izuku thought about it, maybe the Commander's discovery was an opportunity to do just that. True, the admission may strip some of the man's faith in them, but it could also be the gateway into figuring out what had happened to bring them to this world. After all, the Commission was nothing if not tireless when it came to exploring new ideas. If Izuku and Mina could convince the others that they weren't crazy and they really were from another world, then they would be in good hands.

"You're right. And we could probably use their help at this point. We're no closer to figuring out how we got here than when we first arrived. So, would you be okay with telling people, even if it's risky?" he asked.

Mina looked up at him with an amused smile on her face. "I think risky is kind of our trademark at this point. If you think it's a good idea, then that's good enough for me."

Izuku let out a small sigh of relief at her words. He hadn't exactly been worried about her disagreeing, but it would have been awkward if they had different ideas of how to go forward. Doubly so after their confession from earlier.

In the panic of the Commander finding out about their secret, he had nearly forgotten that Mina had confessed to his face. She had kissed him. And sure, it hadn't exactly been a pleasant kiss, but how many people could say that their first kiss was actually nice and magical? Besides, the feelings behind the kiss meant far more than any physical connection. That could come after they made it back to their own world, if at all.

"Izuku, you okay in there?" Mina asked, waving a hand in front of his face.

He flinched a little, not having noticed her calling his name until just then, but quickly relaxed. A small grin crossed his face as he met her eyes once more, one that he didn't even bother to hide.

"I'm fine. Just happy about what you said to me before," he replied.

To his surprise, Mina looked a bit bashful at that. She ducked her head for a moment, and when she came back up, Izuku could swear that her cheeks had darkened a little bit. It was hard to tell under all that fur, though.

"Shush, you!" she said, giving his uninjured arm a gentle punch, "You still need to get your arm looked at, so there's no time to be sappy. If the Medic thinks you're avoiding her, she's gonna lock you in the medical wing 'til we're old!"

Izuku winced, though not from pain this time. He wondered if being intimidating was a requirement for medics everywhere, or if it was just a coincidence that the medic here reminded him so much of a younger Recovery Girl.

"Got it," he said, clambering to his feet.

"Once you're done, I have a date with the Chef. He told me he was gonna have a whole Gastronome Tuna for me if we managed to take down Zorah Magdaros, and I intend to collect!"

Izuku snickered, and followed after his… partner? Girlfriend? His Mina, he decided. He followed after his Mina dutifully. It was hard to feel down when she was around, and when there was so much to celebrate.

All around them, the same look of elation was plastered on the faces of the Commission members. They had accomplished a truly colossal task that day, and now it was time to celebrate. They could worry about tomorrow when it came.

---

Author's Note:

And that's the halfway point for the series, at least in theory. It's been quite the experience getting here. When I first started this, it was a meme idea that I never thought would go very far. Honestly, I expected to end up abandoning it before I got very far. And yet, it's become one of my absolute favorite stories to write. Funny how that works.

I'd also like to thank each and every one of you who read this story and enjoy it. I don't talk about stats much, at least not publicly, but having over 200 favorites and 16K views on a story this niche means the world to me. I'm so very glad you all gave this thing a chance, and that so many of you are sticking with it, despite the terrible upload schedule. It's really amazing, and I wish I could give each and every one of you a big old hug.

Going forward, I have a few plans for the story that I hope will intrigue everyone. There is a bit of a retcon coming up in the next chapter that I hope everyone will forgive me for. When I was originally writing this, I was planning to go a more "godly intervention" angle. As such, Izuku and Mina's arrival in the world is a little disjointed with the rest of the story. I plan to address it, just know you might have to do a little bit of mental gymnastics to make everything work. Beyond that, I'm really excited to show you guys what I have planned for the future. A new character joining soon, one who I hope you all will enjoy, despite it being entirely original.

Finally, as one person pointed out, the current chapter plan doesn't leave enough room for each of the Elder trio to have their own chapter. Originally I did this because I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make each of those fights unique and interesting enough on their own. The Elders are great, I just wasn't sure if my writing was up to the task. I've been gaining confidence there, but I'm still not quite ready to commit to giving them each one chapter. I do have a plan for condensing them, but we'll see if I stick to it, or extend the timeline yet again…

Thank you all so very much for reading. I hope you have a fantastic day, and I hope to see you all again for Chapter 8- Ascension!