Boku no Hero Academia: Tales of Heroism

Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction story of Boku no Hero Academia. I own nothing of the series other than the fanfiction stories that I make.

Tale11.1: The Valorous Outsider, Porter

Men are not created equal. That is the tragically unavoidabletruth ofany world in which people exist,including my original homeworld wherethe majority of its human inhabitants possesssuperhuman abilities known as quirks.Admittedly, I have only visited one other world which lay beyond my home world's boundaries of space and time. That said, I most certainly have no intention to visit any more worlds for as long as my physical body still draws breath.

After all, one terrifyingly harrowing experience is more than enough for most people, myself included.

Sadly, that world no longer exists due to the unspeakable horror that once slumbered within it. Even now, I still have nightmares of that dreadful monstrosity which could justifiably be called a god, its innumerable ever-shifting eyes glaring at me with every variation of hatred, disdain, mockery and cruelty as I somehow managed to escape from its grasping clutches by returning back to my home world. The undecipherable eldritch words that it uttered with its multitudes of cancerous tongues and malformed lips still claw at my sanity even to this present day.

Though the world which I somehow managed to find myself in due to inconceivably ridiculous luck was undoubtedly full of agonising suffering and damnable horrors, I must confess that it wasn't all bad in spite of its hopelessly tragic end. After all, I managed to find true companions whom I would have willingly died for had they not decided to prioritise my safety over their own. What was more, they made me realise that a person's true value lies in their ability to survive and overcome adversity no matter how hopeless the circumstances may be.

For a boy who had no friends and was constantly bullied due to being quirkless, finding true companions and uplifting inspiration was like finding the light of hope while being trapped in an abyss of hopeless despair.

To honour the memory of those people who saw value in me just because I showed then genuine concern and kindness, as well as being surprisingly resourceful and useful during hazardous expeditions, I strove to be a hero as soon as I had managed to return to my original home world.

This is a story of how I, a quirkless nobody, became the most infamously dark hero of my time…

--Scene 1--

Tsukauchi Naomasa, a detective of the police force who had the ability to sense lies, needed a "fucking drink".

As for why he needed a strong drink, he had just spoken to Midoriya Izuku. A quirkless boy who had tried to commit suicide by jumping off a school building a month ago, Izuku had recently regained conciousness.

Japanese people who regain consciousness after a month-long coma normally do not scream in primal terror while speaking in English. They also normally do not suddenly experience an unnatural growth spurt which somehow included hideous scars of all things. Needless to say, Naomasa got involved to investigate both the abnormal changes in Izuku's body as well as confirm the reasons for his attempted suicide.

What was suppose to be simple questioning for less than an hour turned into an hours-long tale of the boy's recollections of his… "experiences" during his so-called coma which was something that came straight out of a Lovecraftian horror story. Some of the things which Izuku described were so disgustingly horrendous that his cat-headed colleague, Tamakawa Sansa, had to excuse himself halfway through Izuku's story so that he could rush to the nearest thrash can and vomit.

Naomasa sighed as he knew that a certain No.1 Pro-Hero named All Might, who had been blaming himself for causing Izuku to decide committing suicide, was not going to be too happy with the decidedly unnatural turn of events.

--Scene 2--

"What you say?" asked a boy with fluffy dark-green hair, green eyes with dark eye-bags, freckles on his cheeks and a lean scar-covered body named Midoriya Izuku. Due to living in the other world for at least five years, where most of its inhabitants spoke in English, his Japanese was somewhat broken due to the lack of use.

"I said that I'll fucking kill you, you worthless Deku!" yelled a boy with spiky ash-blond hair and sharp red eyes named Katsuki. It was already bad enough that he had recently received a permanent bad mark in his student record because Izuku had actually tried to kill himself but the fact that the latter was somehow STILL determined to be a hero was like rubbing salt onto an open wound.

Izuku stared at Katsuki and his two cronies for a few seconds before he suddenly smiled and laughed. It wasn't a nervous laugh or even a joyful laugh. It was a full-blown belly laugh with just enough hysteria to make even Katsuki feel unnerved.

"By the Light, you're so fake!" said Izuku who was wiping a tear from his eye.

Stunned by Izuku's response, Katsuki was dumbstruck for a moment before he became infuriated and yelled, "Who the fuck are you calling fake?!"

Izuku raised his hands in a placating manner while he explained, "You're selfish, abusive and cruel. However, you're no killer."

Katsuki blinked and had to ask, "What?"

Izuku smiled knowingly and repeated, "You're no killer, Katsuki. You lack murderous intent."

Taken aback by Izuku's explanation, Katsuki struggled to find a response. Even the home room teacher of Izuku's class was at a loss for words.

Izuku sighed before he started speaking in English, [Forgive me for speaking in English, Katsuki, but the years of being… away while I was in a coma had made my Japanese rather rusty. With that said, I'm sure that you can still understand what I'm saying. After all, we both know that you're not a savagely dumb brute in spite of your general behaviour.]

"How the bloody fuck did Deku learn to speak English so well?" thought Katsuki who was shocked by Izuku's fluency with the language.

[As I was saying, your words lack true murderous desire. Granted, you certainly have no problem with not only hurting other people but also goading them to commit suicide with neither care nor remorse. However, unless you have actually murdered someone in the time when I was in a coma after my failed suicide attempt, you are no killer] said Izuku who then fearlessly stepped forward and said, [After EVERYTHING that I had suffered over the time when I was in a coma, I no longer have any reason to fear you any more, Bakugou Katsuki.] There was a demented gleam in Izuku's eyes as he grinned at Katsuki and held up his arms as he continued to speak, [I will be a hero, Katsuki, so you can either step aside and let me try to be one in spite of being quirkless or you can use your 'strong and flashy quirk' to either cripple me permanently or even kill me outright.]

Shocked by what Izuku was saying, Katsuki's eyes widened as he stepped back and yelled, "Y-you're fucking crazy, Deku!"

Izuku's grin widened as he replied, [There can be no bravery without madness, Katsuki. I am now more than brave enough to no longer fear your explosive yet impotent wrath. The real question it, are you going to fully embrace the monster that you have been towards me for so MANY years and finally stain your hands with MY blood?]

Katsuki's eyes were wide with panic as he trembled and sweated profusely. He was supposed to be a hero who would be even greater than All Might and yet he was terrified by Izuku of all people. A small treacherous voice from the back of Katsuki's mind then whispered, "He's no longer the Deku whom you used to know. He's now a monster of YOUR own making." It was at that moment that Katsuki finally fully realised that he had truly "fucked up" due to being Izuku's bully and tormentor for years. Whatever hateful anger that Katsuki had towards Izuku, which the former had been desperately clinging onto to deny the feelings of remorseful guilt, withered away and he caught a glimpse of the madness that lurked within Izuku's eyes.

Realising that Katsuki was not going to attack and was in fact starting to hyperventilate, Izuku lowered his arms and said, [It seems that your resolve to be a hero is the real deal in spite of your abusive and cruel ways. I sincerely hope that you learn the value of kindness and empathy for they have a far greater value than what YOUR quirk-obsessed society realises.] He then walked past Katsuki without even bothering to acknowledge the presence of his terrified classmates and teacher so that he could take his seat.

Although many of Izuku's classmates did not understand much of what he had said due to their lack of fluency in the English language, they knew enough to know that Katsuki was intimidated by both his words and his apparently insane fearlessness. They shuddered as they could not help but wonder what kind of horrific experiences Izuku had suffered to lose his once-timid nature so completely and compare his well-spoken English words to an eldritch language. As for Katsuki, for the first time in his life, he felt a genuine desire to stay away from Izuku out of fear towards the boy who had changed into someone whom he could no longer recognise and the crushing feeling of guilt over his past actions which could never be undone.

--Scene 3--

Izuku was being interviewed by a woman with pale-blue skin and ling lilac hair named Kizuki Chitose. The woman who worked as a journalist was eager to learn about Izuku's mysterious changes after his coma. Thankfully, she was fluent in English although even she had trouble understanding Izuku's distinctively American accent.

Somehow, their interview was diverted from talking about Izuku's unusual circumstances to talking about the Meta Liberation Army. Considering Izuku's years of suffering due to discrimination for being quirkless, his desire to speak out his criticisms of the Meta Liberation Army which wanted quirk usage to be completely unregulated would be undeniably understandable for most in hindsight.

[So you're against the goals of the Meta Liberation Army because of your status as a discriminated quirkless person?] asked Chitose.

Izuku shrugged and replied, [Admittedly, that would be one of my personal reasons. After all, my former tormentors were not exactly obeying the current laws of quirk usage then they used their quirks to show off their… so-called superiority over me.]

[What is your other reason then?] asked Chitose.

[To answer that question, allow me to first ask you this: What do you think will happen when people realise that they possess power over others and no longer have to fear the consequences of misusing that power?] said Izuku.

Chitose blinked and asked, [What do you mean?]

[As you know, during my month-long coma, my half-shattered mind somehow managed to find itself in a completely different world where quirks as we know it did not exist and nightmarish monsters were real] said Izuku who then added, [However, in spite of the fact that unnatural horrors existed in that world, the humans there were no less capable of depraved degeneracy and vulgar cruelty. Among them were the corrupted authorities including the so-called nobles who indulged in decadent hedonism with wild unrestrained abandon.] His eyes narrowed with a dark glint in his eyes as he continued to explain, [To allow the Meta Liberation Army to achieve their goal is to allow the creation of… 'Meta Nobles' who will gleefully torment others for the sake of their cruelly uncaring amusement. Never mind the quirkless, even people with weak quirks and/or constitutions will be targeted by them for vicious sport simply because they can do whatever they please and get away with it without repercussion.]

Chitose frowned and argued, [You're exaggerating. The deregulation of quirks would allow people to fight back against their tormentors.]

Izuku chuckled bitterly as he replied, [You speak as though fairness and justice can never be vanquished. Believe me, good is no less vulnerable to defeat than evil and, more often than not, human madness and cruelty thrive when there is no moral accountability to restrain the excesses of instinctive desire and insane debauchery.] He then leaned forward and added, [The last time I checked, people with powerful quirks are still human beings capable of both valorous heroism and cruel villainy.]

Chitose leaned back and was starting to sweat nervously as she realised that she was losing in the battle of wills against Izuku. He wasn't some idealistic young man who wanted to be a hero nor was he a hero who was concerned about his public image. He was something else, a foreign outsider who did not give a damn about the current norms of society after experiencing life in a different world where actual inhuman monsters existed. She wished that she could call out Izuku's claims as the ramblings of a madman but his intelligently calm demeanour meant that he was being logically rational regardless of his beliefs.

[So you're saying that humanity as a whole should not be entrusted with complete freedom?] asked Chitose.

[Precisely] confirmed Izuku who did not seem to care about Chitose's shocked expression as he calmly added, [The idea of freedom is not evil by itself but responsibility and accountability based on sane logic and relatable morals must exist to ensure that humanity does not have the 'freedom' to devolve into hedonistic savages.]

[What makes you think that our current leaders and heroes who uphold the current laws are any less capable of… excessive indulgence?] asked Chitose who was starting to get "visibly heated" by Izuku's beliefs which went against they very core of her personal ideals.

Izuku laughed in response and said, [Honestly, nothing other than their personal set of morals and the fear of getting 'demoted' by a sufficiently incensed public!] He then grinned as he added, [I may not support the Meta Liberation Army as I believe that letting them achieve their goals would cause humanity as a whole to suffer… degenerative devolution instead of uplifting advancement but even I'm not so blind as to not notice the failings of our current system of laws and leadership. I did suffer discriminatory isolation while living as a member of our current society for years after all. Change is certainly needed but, in my opinion, unrestrained freedom will not bring about a positive change unless one views chaotic disorder as a positive.]

Chitose took a calming breath to stop herself from yelling at Izuku and said, [I think that's enough for today. Thank you for your time, Midoriya Izuku.]

[Please, the pleasure is mine. I haven't had a good discussion like this in a while] replied Izuku who then cheerfully added, [Even if the person in question is going to do everything in her power to put my words out of context to smear what little reputation I have left so that she can uphold her quirk-supremacist views.]

Shocked by Izuku's accurate assumption, Chitose stared at him as he smiled smugly at her and said in Japanese, "My Japanese broken, not completely gone. Do be honest, Miss Kizuki. I will know."

"O-of course I will be impartial, Midoriya-san!" said Chitose who then bowed and left without saying a word. She almost had a panic attack as she realised that she was close to exposing herself as a high-ranking member of the current Meta Liberation Army. Even more galling, Izuku was clearly aware of her intentions to use his own words to defame him which meant that any attempt to smear his reputation might be ineffective at best or even counter-productive at worst. She made a mental note to get someone with a strong mind-reading quirk to get a good look into Izuku's mind so that they could better understand the thought processes of that… outsider.

--Scene 4--

Chitose stared at a villainess who was a loyal member of the Meta Liberation Army with wide eyes and asked, "What in the world has happened to her?" The said villainess was currently in a room with soft wall and floor paddings and was dressed in a straight-jacket so that she would not claw at her own face. She also had a gag over her mouth so that she would not bite off her own lips and tongue or bite someone's throat off. Insane muffled mutterings could be heard as she kept repeating certain names and phrases over and over again while curled up into a pitifully small ball in a lonely corner of the room.

Yotsubashi Rikiya, a tall middle-aged man with a long pointed nose and an obtruding chin, frowned as he grimly answered, "She looked into Midoriya Izuku's mind. THIS is the result of her attempt."

Horror filled Chitose's mind as she tried to wrap her mind around the fact that Izuku, a quirkless boy, was somehow still relatively sane in spite of having memories which actually drove a strong mind-reader to insanity. She had to say aloud, "Just what kind of life did he have in THAT world?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. However, she does and that's why I need you to come with me and speak to her so that she can tell us at least some of the things that she had learnt which the heroes and police force have seen fit not to fully reveal to the public," said Rikiya who was also known as Re-Destro, the current leader of the Meta Liberation Army.

Chitose had an uneasy look on her face as she spoke to Rikiya, "With all due respect, Grand Commander, you need a psychologist to understand her mad ramblings, not a journalist like myself."

"I know, but apparently she's sane enough to remember that we are both responsible for sending her to that mission. She refuses to answer to anyone else," explained Rikiya.

In spite of her reservations and dread, Chitose was loyal to Rikiya and the Meta Liberation Army. As such, she agreed to go into the padded room with him to question the mentally-broken mind reader.

A few hours later, they both agreed to make themselves "stupidly drunk" in an attempt to inure themselves to some of the more horrifying truths that they had learnt from the insane villainess who had looked into Izuku's mind. After all, it was not every day people learn that cosmic horrors are real.

--Scene 5--

Izuku, who somehow managed to become a student of U.A. High School with the help of some very sharp dirks and a reinforced backpack during the practical portion of the entrance exams, tilted his head as he stared at some villains and innocently asked, "You kill and rape us?" He was currently dressed in a pair of loose brown cargo pants which was held in place by a black cloth belt, a grey pocket vest which was worn over a comfortable white T-shirt, a pair of black boots and white bandages that were wrapped over his hands and forearms. He was also carrying a reinforced backpack and a number of sheathed dirks.

The villains, who had successfully infiltrated the Unforeseen Simulation Joint (USJ) of the high school with the help of a certain misty villain with a warping quirk named Kurogiri, leered at him and two girls named Jirou Kyouka and Yaoyorozu Momo. One of them cockily replied, "Do you even need to ask?"

The villains were laughing cruelly when Izuku suddenly smiled brightly and said, "That's a relief! It makes fighting easier."

Surprised, everyone stared at Izuku in confusion until he suddenly spun around to take off his bag and then charged forward while throwing the bag at the nearest villain. Shocked by the unexpected attack, especially the unfortunate villain who realised too late that the bag was both reinforced and surprisingly heavy as it collided into his nose, the villains failed to react in time as Izuku unsheathed one of his dirks and ran towards the next nearest villain to cut his neck. His leaping strike was so decisively quick that the villain whom he had wounded took a moment to realise that he was starting to bleed. The wounded villain wore a horrified expressions on his face as his life blood flowed profusely from his cut neck.

Izuku did not even bother to turn around to look at the villain who was desperately trying to close the fatal wound in a futile attempt to stay alive as he dashed towards his next villainous victim with murderous intent. The villain panicked and tried to shoot Izuku with bullets that he could produce from his fingers but the boy easily dodged the attack and even caused him to accidentally shoot at his fellow villains by running around him. A number of the shot villains were crippled or even mortally wounded due to the unintended "friendly fire", thus forcing the bullet-shooting villain to stop using his quirk.

A villainess charged towards Izuku and transformed her arms into blades in an attempt to cleave him into two but the boy stepped back and then threw his dirk into her left eye, thus blinding it in the process. While the partially-blinded villainess was screaming in pain, Izuku unsheathed another dirk as he ran around her and then stabbed her back repeatedly. Blood spewed from her mouth as she fell forward with her back bearing numerous stab wounds.

A growing sense of horror dawned upon the villains as they realised that Izuku wasn't a mere hero in training but a well-trained killer. He smiled in a disturbingly serene manner as he spoke to them, "Surrender or be destroyed. The choice is yours." His voice was quiet, gentle even, but it held an unmistakable undertone of cold ruthlessness and promise of agonising death.

Many of the villains, so used to preying on the weak and innocent, felt their bladders and bowels empty themselves as they stared at the boy who had survived and even slain unspeakable horrors in the darkest of places. Even the braver ones felt their resolve tested in ways they never knew were possible.

As for Izuku's two classmates, a petite slender girl with lazy-looking onyx eyes and plug-like earphone jacks hanging from her earlobes named Kyouka and a tall girl with a mature physique, catlike onyx eyes and long black hair named Momo, they stared at Izuku with expressions of unadulterated horror as they realised what Izuku had done. Their horror only grew as some of the desperate villains tried to kill Izuku only to be cut down by his cunningly vicious and cruelly pragmatic style fighting. It was at that moment when the two girls realised that their quirky quirkless classmate, who loved to learn about the quirks, hobbies and ambitions of others, was a ruthlessly dangerous killer.

By the time Izuku killed his sixth villain by literally gutting him alive, he was covered in the blood and gore of his enemies. Many of the remaining villains either gave up surrendered or fled for their lives. He shook his head and sighed in honest disappointment as he spoke English, [Even the quirkless brigands of that other world had more grit than these… quirk-dependent weaklings.] Both Kyouka and Momo, who had some familiarity of the English language, were shocked by his claim.

Izuku turned his attention to Kyouka and Momo who flinched at the sight of his blood-covered form. Realising that he was… unpresentable for the lack of a gentler term, he smiled sheepishly and said, "Sorry about this. Kill or be killed, you know."

--Scene 6--

Izuku, who was still covered in blood and gore, was laughing at a tall and slim man with deathly pale dry skin, messy greyish-blue hair and red eyes named Shigaraki Tomura. As for why Izuku was laughing, he was immensely amused by Tomura's hilariously inaccurate accusation of him being an overpowered assassin character. Angered by Izuku's laughter, Tomura yelled, "What's so fucking funny, you god-damned boss in mook's clothing?!"

Izuku wiped a tear from his eye and mirthfully explained, "I'm not an assassin, let alone an overpowered one. I'm actually just a porter, a support hero." He then grinned as he added, "Also, I'm quirkless."

Incredulous, and a little intimidated if he was being perfectly honest to himself, Tomura yelled, "Y-you're fucking lying! There's no way a mere support character who's quirkless can kill so many enemies even if they're low-level mobs!"

"I'm serious," argued Izuku who then smirked as he added, "Compared to real monsters, they are lambs for slaughter."

"Then it's a good thing that I have a boss-level character to use against you," said Tomura who then yelled, "Noumu, kill that freak of nature!"

Izuku was barely able to avoid a direct hit from the noumu, a huge muscular humanoid beast with a bird-like beak and an exposed brain, by moving his body to the side. However, in spite of avoiding a direct hit, Izuku could still feel his bones fracture and break as he was sent spinning and flying by the blow. Gritting his teeth due to the pain, he was sure that his broken body was in no condition to continue fighting. However, he felt neither terror nor despair as he continued to hold onto his last remaining dirk in his hand. Instead, he was filled with determination to vanquish the beast as he recalled a line from a certain highwayman named Dismas, [Fear not the hangman, nor the reaper!]

Smirking in spite of the pain and very real possibility of death, Izuku threw his dirk at the Noumu which was getting ready to charge towards him, right into its exposed brain. The beast staggered as the dirk embedded itself deeply into its brain. It's mouth frothed and its bulbous eyes twitched as it tried to pull out the dirk from its exposed organ which was starting to bleed profusely. However, before it could even touch the dirk, it fell onto the ground like a puppet which had its strings cut. It lay still with the dagger still lodged into its bleeding brain, a clear sign that it was no longer capable of fighting even if it was still alive.

[Well struck, if I must say so myself] thought Izuku as he smiled at his admittedly very lucky strike. He was quite certain that Dismas, whom he viewed as a father figure, would have been proud of his latest achievement regardless of luck. As his body landed and rolled onto the hard ground, he thought about his other companions from the other world: Reynauld, Boudica, William, Fergus, Sarmenti, Baldwin, Barristan, Paracelsus, Audrey, Bigby, Margaret, Josephine, Missandei, Tardif, Alhazred, Junia, Damian, Amani, Persephone and, the one person who was responsible for not only bringing Izuku to her world but also for sending him back to save him, a humble librarian named Velma.

Tears filled Izuku's eyes as he thought about Velma who tragically died along with the rest of his companions due to the awakening of a certain cosmic horror known as the Heart of Darkness, an eldritch abomination which was both the progenitor and the destroyer of humanity on that other world. He could still remember his confusion and despair due to ending up in a completely different world after his suicide attempt but Velma's soothing kindness had helped him to adjust and eventually become the man that he currently was.

In truth, Izuku wanted to live on that other world with Velma and the others for the rest of his life but fate had other plans as the Heart of Darkness was awakened in the end in spite of everyone's efforts to stop it by travelling around the world in a truly gruelling journey. With its awakening, the world was doomed to end and all of humanity being absorbed back into its being. In spite of Izuku's pleas to stay by her side to the very end, Velma tearfully used her hidden "trump card" to send him back in his home world. To say that the agony he felt over the loss was tremendous would be an enormous understatement. It could be said that part of his "fearlessness" was not only due to knowing true horror but also from the still-aching agony of losing both his companions and the one girl whom he had fallen in love with. Oh, how he missed her smile and gentle warmth as he held her in his arms.

Due to his severe injuries, Izuku was at death's door as he helplessly lay on the floor. He saw Tomura "completely losing his shit" due to losing the noumu and thought, [Well… I guess this is it for me. Unless help arrives quickly enough, I'll be a goner for sure.] Even though his death seemed to be inevitable, Izuku smiled as he thought, [My only regret is that I still haven't finished writing that book of mine. I'm sure Velma-chan and maybe even Tokayami-san would have loved to read it.] As Tomura stalked towards Izuku with murderous intent, the latter closed his eyes and softly whispered with a peaceful smile on his face, [I go with a clear conscience. I've given my all.]

Just as Tomura was about to end Izuku's life by making him decay through touch, a voice spoke out, [You will survive, boy. I judge it so.] Izuku opened his eyes in shock as he recognised the voice which belonged to a certain crusader named Reynauld.

Suddenly, a magic circle of arcane symbols appeared around Izuku. Shocked, Tomura stepped back as he had no intention of getting caught in whatever strange magic spell Izuku had gotten himself in. A pillar of light then erupted from the circle, engulfing the boy who stared in amazement and awe as he could make the forms of the people whom he never thought he would ever see again. Tears of joy filled his eyes as a certain girl with short brown hair and a book of eldritch lore in her hands turned around and smiled at him while saying, "Sorry it took us so long to get to you, Izuku!"

"Velma-chan… everyone…!"

--Scene 7--

Katsuki and boy with two-coloured hair named Todoroki Shouto stared with ashen-faced horror while a red-haired boy with a muscular physique named Kirishima Eijirou looked ready to vomit. Considering what they were witnessing, few could blame them.

Soon after Izuku's "unexpected reinforcements" arrived, they started to ruthlessly attack the surroundings villains. The resulting slaughter was so brutally one-sided that even Katsuki who was violent-tempered and loved victories could barely stomach it. Not even Tomura was spared from the onslaught as a certain hellion named Boudica literally cleaved him into half with her halberd before turning her attention towards the other terrified villains. Following her lead was a certain shieldbreaker named Amani whose spear pierced through even enemies with toughened hides.

Even more unnerving however was Izuku's genuinely joyous smile as he quickly joined the battle after getting healed by Velma and a certain vestal named Junia. His child-like laughter rang like melodious rings of wind chimes which only added to the insanity of the merciless killing as it pierced through the despairing death cries of the villains who were rapidly becoming "very unfortunate souls". Fighting alongside Izuku were Reynauld and a certain highwayman named Dismas who had an unmistakably proud fatherly smile hidden beneath his bandanna as he shot down a villain who tried to attack the boy.

Izuku's laughter was soon joined by the demented yet jubilant cackles of a certain jester named Sarmenti who was playing an uplifting tune with his lute as he pranced and danced around the bloody corpses of the slain villains. A certain man in chains named Bigby suddenly turned into a monstrous abomination which resembled a skinless humanoid hound with goat-like horns. The massive beast howled in fury before running after the fleeing villains who were starting to curse their bad luck, pray to whatever divine deity they knew of or cry for their mothers to save them.

A certain occultist named Alhazred rubbed his goatee thoughtfully while walking leisurely through blood-coated soil and a certain masked leper named Baldwin swung his broken blade to cut down any villain foolish enough to get close to him. Insane laughter could be heard as a certain flagellant named Damian rapturously accepted attacks which would have killed a saner man while a single wail marked the arrival of a certain "fool" who wielded a massive blade named Persephone.

Howls echoed across the battle field as a certain houndmaster named William charged into battle together with his dog, Fergus, a certain man-at-arms named Barristan and a certain bounty hunter named Tardif. Fergus harassed the fleeing villains while Tardif used his hooked chain to reel in any villains unlucky enough to be within range. Both Willaim and Barristan used their weapons to bash the heads and limbs of their enemies, breaking bones and crushing organs in the process.

Crossbow bolts and bullets flew as a certain arbalest named Missandei and a certain musketeer named Margaret shot at the fleeing villains to prevent their escape. Killing the fleeing villains who had pretty much given up fighting might not be necessary but it never hurt to make sure that they were crippled to prevent future attacks.

Not even the corpses of the fallen villains were spared as a certain grave robber named Audrey picked at their pockets to find any valuables such as wallets and cell phones while a certain plague doctor named Paracelsus gleefully dissected the corpses to study them. Following Audrey was a certain antiquarian named Josephine who gladly kept the items that Audrey had looted from the dead corpses. The fact that the three women were so nonchalant about death and slaughter deeply unnerved everyone who saw what they were doing.

Katsuki realised with growing horror that the people from the other world whom Izuku considered as his beloved companions were all insane and/or murderous. Indescribable ugly feelings swelled within his chest as he realised that he had played a role in not only driving Izuku towards attempting suicide but also making him live in a world where cruelty and murder were an everyday part of living. Forget about becoming a hero even greater than even All Might, Katsuki had actually driven someone like Izuku into becoming a murderous psychopath. Desperately pressing his hands onto his ears and closing his eyes shut to block out the bloody cacophony of gleeful insanity and terrible suffering, Katsuki recalled Izuku's words:

[After EVERYTHING that I had suffered over the time when I was in a coma, I no longer have any reason to fear you any more, Bakugou Katsuki.]

Despairing guilt and toxic self-loathing filled Katsuki's chest as he thought,"Fuck… how do I even start fixing this…? Does he even want to be fixed and be like the person he used to be…?"

--Scene 8--

After kissing Velma with passionate love, in spite of the fact that he was still covered in blood, gore and even guts, Izuku asked her, [How… how did you all manage to get here?]

[Do you remember that spell that I used to summon you to our world by accident?] asked Velma who then added, [A spell to send you back was not the only spell that I made.]

Izuku's eyes widened in realisation as he spoke, [You created another variation of that spell to send yourselves to my world after you all died!]

[That's correct, my boy] said Alhazred who smiled smugly while adding, [Of course, I helped her out in completing the spell. It's a magnificent achievement of eldritch spellcraft if I must say so myself.]

[Honestly, it was a risky gamble. Dying for real, while undoubtedly horrible given the circumstances at the time, was not the worst case scenario] said Dismas.

Izuku's expression hardened as he asked, [The Heart of Darkness, I presume?]

Dismas nodded and explained, [We couldn't let that damn thing find its way to your world.]

[Was that why it took you all so long to find your way here?] asked Izuku.

[That's the main reason. Believe me, that foul monster was determined to keep us all prisoner and had tried to hunt us down as our souls made our escape] said Reynauld.

[Thankfully, Persephone was a big help in getting us away from that horrible abomination. As it turns out, not even that cosmic entity can enter the Lost Realm without losing its way] said Junia. Persephone smiled and nodded in confirmation of Junia's claim.

Initially known known as the Fool, Persephone was originally impaled onto a small corpse which represented her lost childhood but Izuku was able to help her move on from her hopeless quest to reclaim it. Although she could have chosen to pass on, she decided to stay instead, regularly reappearing from the Lost Realm to aid Izuku and his companions in battle.

[What are the chances that IT will come to our world?] asked Izuku.

[As much as I wish to say zero, the fact that you're here is already proof that it can find her way to this world. It's only a matter of both its desire to find this world and how lucky we are] said Velma.

[That monster does hate you in particular for some reason] said Dismas.

Izuku nodded in understanding before he asked about a certain heir of a place known as the Hamlet which was built over a certain place of nightmares known as the Darkest Dungeon, [And Mr. Von Darkmoor?]

[He decided to stay behind to hold back his ancestor who had joined forces with the Heart of Darkness] explained Dismas.

[So another comrade is lost to us…] said Izuku who started to tear up as he recalled the death of one other companion, a certain "keeper" who was cursed to hold a living eldritch monster within her body known as Lavinia. She tragically died during the first battle against the Heart of Darkness which slumbered within the Darkest Dungeon. It was only by a combination determination and sheer dumb luck that Izuku and his companions managed to prevent the Heart of Darkness from consuming another victim before it was defeated. However, as stated before, they had failed to stop its followers' other attempts to awaken it in other parts of the other world. The fact that there were other threats on par with the Heart of Darkness, the very first one being the Sleeper which resided within the farmstead where the Colour of Madness was found, only made it harder to stop its awakening.

[While the loss of a comrade is indeed tragic, take heart in knowing that he chose to stay behind to confront his ancestor and to give the rest of us a chance to escape from the Heart of Darkness] said Barristan.

Izuku wiped his tears with his bloodied hands and smiled knowingly as he replied, [I understand. Thank you, Mr. Barristan.]

It did not take long for the "Champions of the Hamlet" to get acquainted with the professional heroes (pro-heroes) who were also the staff of U.A High School and the students of Class 1A.

--Scene 9--

Izuku's classmates from Class 1A, along with the students of another class from the hero course called Class 1B, stared at the a quartet which included Velma, Alhazred, Junia and Izuku himself. Velma smiled cheerfully and said, [Greetings everyone! My name is Velma and I'll be your teacher in the arts of combating eldritch forces from other worlds and universes. The first thing you will learn is how to distinguish different kinds of monsters.] Helping to translate her words to Japanese was a certain blond pro-hero who was also an English teacher named Present Mic.

Alhazred smirked as he started to chant a few spells to reanimate a dead bird into a small yet horrific unholy beast which released a mind-rending screech. Izuku, Velma, Junia and Alhazred were barely even phased by the screech while many of the students from Class 1A and Class 1B covered their ears to block out the horrifying sound. A certain cowardly and perverted boy named Mineta Minoru almost had a heart attack from the screech.

[Once you've learnt how to distinguish different kinds of monsters, we can proceed to teaching you all the best ways to slay them] said Velma who was still smiling cheerfully.

As if to prove her point, Junia crushed the bird with a single swing of her mace, causing its tainted blood and guts to spread around it. Even Present Mic struggled to stop himself from vomiting from the disgusting sight as Velma giggled and happily said, [I hope that we can all get along, everyone!]

"Plus Ultra!" said Izuku who was in an equally happy mood.

It was the start of a painfully long and horrifyingly torturous year for the students of the hero course…

"-but that is a story for another time…"

--End Chapter--

Author's Notes:

Yes, I actually made a 'Boku no Hero Academia' crossover with 'The Darkest Dungeon'. As for how the bloody hell it happened, it involved watching a few videos of 'The Darkest Dungeon' character mods and thinking about what Izuku would have been like if he had spent a few years in that world. It's no exaggeration to say that the idea had been "clawing at the back of my mind" until I started to write it down to finally put my over-imaginative mind at ease.

The Youtube Channel/Uploader which made me write this story:https//channel/UCLYLUZvuI91iU2xzSQU2gow

The Librarian is a Mod Character:https//watch?v=LvdmOm0v7fY

The Keeper is a Mod Character:https//watch?v=WNXpRDLaTng

The Fool is a Mod Character:https//watch?v=w0W62UgiEzQ

Also, just to make everything clear, Izuku's still a ray of sunshine… by the standards of 'The Darkest Dungeon' that is. He's happy to help out others by preparing good food, setting up comfortable places to relax and offering kind company. However, he will not hesitate to gut an enemy like a fish.

Shiozaki Ibara is most certainly going to be involved with the religious members of the Hamlet while Fumikage gets involved with Izuku and Velma. Himiko Toga, while insane even in canon, might just get along with at least some of the characters from the Hamlet.

It should be noted that Nedzu has allowed Velma to hold her "special classes" so that the students and even pro-heroes can be better prepared to combat the possible if not inevitable arrival of the Heart of Darkness or a similarly malicious cosmic entity.

Before anyone asks, there's NO sleeper agent or traitor plot twist as far as the champions of the Hamlet are concerned.

--

Here are some of Izuku's "In-Game" Skill Sets as a "Porter" which I came up with:

Combat Skills:

Dirk Strike - Melee attack. Causes low damage to a single enemy, causes Bleed and makes Izuku step forward. (Some trinkets add Blight effects.) (Increased critical chance against marked enemies.)

Dirk Throw - Ranged attack. Causes low damage to a single enemy, causes Bleed and makes Izuku step back. (Some trinkets add Blight effects.) (Increased critical chance against marked enemies.)

Inspiring Cheer - Support skill. Reduces stress for one targeted party member. (Cannot be used on self.) (Some trinkets help to increase chance of Virtue for targeted party member.)

Plushy Hug - Self-Support skill. Reduces stress for self. (The doll is in Midoriya Inko's image.) (Some trinkets grant it the ability to increase chance for chance of virtue for other party members.)

Bandage Wounds - Support skill. Heals a small amount of health and stops Bleed for one targeted party member. (Some trinkets add Blight-curing effects)

Keen Eye - Support skill. Marks two random enemies. (Some trinkets allow Izuku to mark three random enemies instead.)

Bag Throw - Stance-changing skill. Lowers defence but increases speed and dodge chance. Also causes low damage to a single enemy, has a chance to stun the targeted enemy and makes Izuku step forward. (Can only be used once per battle and the bag cannot be re-equipped until after the battle is over.) (Increased stun chance against marked enemies.) (Losing the bag increases accuracy and critical chance of Dirk Strike and Dirk Throw.) (Some trinkets grant it the ability to knock the targeted enemy back.)

Unique Camping Skills:

Sincere Kindness - Reduces stress and increases virtue chance of both himself and a selected party member for the next few battles. (Cannot be used on self.)

Bag Rummage - Produces one to three random provision items such as food and torches. (Does not include The Blood or The Cure.) (Includes Dog Treats when the Houndmaster is present.)

Comfy Camping - Reduces stress and heals the whole party. (Consumes at least twice as much time as Sincere Kindness.)

Intense Analysis - Improves Damage, Accuracy, Protection and Evasion of the entire party for the next few battles. However, it also increases the stress of the whole party.

Passive Skills:

Virtuous Heart - Reduces stress accumulation rate and increases Virtue chance for whole party.

Porter - Increases item stacking for all provisions such as food and firewood.

I hope that everyone likes this story and the change from the usual story format.

By the way, the next chapter of Izuku's Harem Academia should be out by March so please wait patiently. Thank you.

Until next time, go beyond, plus ultra!