Hell lived up to its name.
Overhaul had been here for...who knows how long.
Probably the worst part about it was that there was some kind of magic that kept you from getting used to it. So the pain was always, fresh, always new. You never adjusted, it never got better.
You never got used to the air being so ridiculously hot, to the point where your skin burned and you couldn't breathe, but because you can't die in hell, you would spend eternity suffocating.
You never got used to the feeling of the scorching, rocky ground, that burned your feet each time you walked upon it.
You never got used to the torturous illusions. Hearing your friends, allies, enemies, all coming to torment you. He could see Pops there, scowling at him. Reminding him of how much of a disappointment he was. How he left him in a coma, basically dead.
And there were so many other things that made hell a living nightmare, spontaneous catching on fire, lakes of lava, the sky striking you with lightning, the other denizens of hell occasionally attacking you in fits of rage.
After Izuku had absorbed Zarathos, things had gotten significantly better. The air was less hot however they still couldn't breathe, the ground was a bit less scorching, the illusions never came, and no one else spontaneously burst into flames.
Perhaps Zarathos had been controlling the entire landscape of this place and made it as torturous as possible out of sheer hate.
Overhaul didn't know for sure, but what he did know was that he definitely still wanted out.
So when suddenly while he waited in hell, and everything went, black, he wasn't alarmed, he was relieved.
Because he knew he was out.
And then, he felt it.
Cold. He felt, for the first time in far too long, cold winds press against his skin. It was so jarring and painful in its own way, however after spending time in Hell he welcomed it nonetheless.
He felt air fill his lungs, and instantly he breathed as deeply as he could. Never in his life had he felt so overjoyed to just be able to breathe.
Another thing he never thought he'd be able to appreciate, the ground was not on fire. He could feel the cool grass touch the souls of his bare feet, and the bits of water that clung to them fall onto his toes.
It's funny, normally he would hate the feeling of being outside with no clothes on. All the bugs, and dirt and germs that might get onto him, suddenly became much less of a concern after being in Hell.
The overwhelming amount of joy that filled him, was enough to keep him from noticing that something was very, very wrong.
That is until he opened his eyes.
The sight that greeted him was Izuku. Which was to be expected given the situation
What was not expected, was two things. One, Izuku had an uncharacteristically smug look on his face, and he was significantly taller than him.
So something was definitely wrong here.
And then he got a look at his surroundings.
They were at some picnic area at night, with no one around.
The thing that alarmed Overhaul about this, was that everything seemed to be bigger than it should be.
And now that he could see that something was wrong, the joy at being released from hell subsided enough for him to feel that something was wrong with his body.
Like that fact that it wasn't his body.
He looked down at his hands, and they weren't his hands. They were small and petite, the hands of a child.
A few strands of hair fell over his eyes, as he moved his head and moved them out of the way, as he suddenly became aware that his hair had now reached his back.
This combined, with the feeling or rather absence of feeling between his legs, told him he was no longer his original gender.
In other words, he'd reviewed...as a little girl.
It took him about three seconds to understand why.
"This is some form of ironic punishment for what I did to Eri, isn't it?" He...she?...They turned to Izuku and asked. Overhaul was almost surprised by their new childish, high pitch voice.
"You don't seem surprised," Izuku said, his grin receding a little.
"I made a deal with a demon, I knew that there would be unforeseen consequences." Overhaul had tried to be as careful as possible while making their deal with Izuku.
Izuku was to bring them back to life, in the world of the living, with a perfectly functioning body. Overhaul would not have to serve him or be his slave for eternity or have something he desired taken away from him. Izuku couldn't kill him or take his soul.
The green-haired teen hadn't made many requests, other than that he help him against Zarathos, and that he never do anything to harm Eri ever again.
But despite Overhaul's caution, he knew very well that Izuku would try to screw him over, somehow.
He didn't quite predict it would be like this, but in hindsight maybe he should have.
"I thought it would help you learn what it's like to be a helpless little girl, well...not helpless, you still have your quirk," Izuku revealed. "That's a part of your soul, attached to you using Mephisto's magic. I can't remove it unless you or Mephisto allow me to...or at least I think that's how that works."
"I see." Overhaul said, making sure to keep note of the name Mephisto. "So what's the other catch?"
"Hmm?" Izuku responded.
"This body will prove to be annoying, but it is infinitely better than staying in hell." Overhaul pointed out. "This can't be the only thing that you've done, so what's the other catch?"
"None!" Izuku proclaimed.
Overhaul gave Izuku a doubtful look.
"Come on, I'm not really a demon...well technically I am, but I'm still human at heart!" Izuku defended.
"You act like that's much better." Overhaul countered.
"It can be. And it will." Izuku said. "I'm not someone who enjoys the suffering of others. Even yours and besides you've gone through plenty of punishment's already during your stay in hell. And I have other plans for you. Plans that you'll go along with of your own free will."
Ah, now that was an ominous statement if Overhaul had ever heard one. But what did it mean exactly?
"And why would I do that?" Overhaul glared at him, in a manner he soon realized was not intimating the slightest given their new body. "You may have gotten me out of hell, but you were the one who put me there. Possessed by a demon or not, it's your fault I had to endure that torment, and that I lost everything I once had."
"I didn't send you to hell, you did," Izuku argued.
Overhaul rolled their eyes and was about to respond, but Izuku spoke first.
"Even if I didn't kill you and eat your soul, what did you think would happen to you when you died?" Izuku asked them.
Overhaul paused, and slowly, a look of horror made its way on their face.
Because now they knew that hell was real. And that if they made any attempt to continue their previous lifestyle or anything like it, then they would, eventually, go right back down there. For eternity.
"So you've realized it then," Izuku said. "That no matter how long it takes your soul would have gone to hell anyway, along with all the people you cared about. And you're still going to go to hell without my help."
"W-what do you mean, without your help?" Overhaul cursed themselves for stuttering and showing weakness. "I can...I can repent, I'll find a way."
"Not when I own your soul you can't," Izuku revealed, much to Overhaul's shock and aw.
"But the deal said you couldn't take my soul!" Overhaul shouted angrily, and Izuku didn't need a penance stare to see the fear in them. Perhaps it was because of the little girl's body, or maybe they were just that scared of going back to hell.
"I couldn't take it even if I wanted to...because I already had it." Izuku saw Overhaul's little eyes widen in despair, as they saw the loophole Izuku had found. "I had it when I killed you. You can't take something you already own. And since I own your soul, it doesn't matter what you do to try and repent, when your mortal body is destroyed, your soul goes to me. Unless I choose to release it, or unless another demon manages to steal ownership of it, which would be, much, much worse for you."
Overhaul didn't respond for a minute. Seemingly overwhelmed by the fact they had no idea what to do. They had gotten out of hell but if they didn't do anything then they would be going back down there at some point.
In the end, there was only one thing to do.
And so they looked to Izuku. "What do you want."
"I'd like to make another deal." Izuku started to explain. "You see, there's something I learned about demons and deals. Firstly, a deal between a demon and a mortal can not be broken by either party. The only way to break a deal is if a powerful third-party intervenes."
This was how Zarathos broke him out of Mephisto's deal. In the void, when Zarathos had his full power, he was significantly more powerful than Mephisto and was able to take Izuku and merge their souls.
"Secondly, when a demon makes a deal, they seem to gain power they wouldn't have normally, to the point where they can even alter reality in order to make a deal work, there are still limitations to it, but since this is magic and not science I can't really figure out what works and what doesn't." Izuku continued. "This is how I was able to take you out of hell and give you a physical body. I can't normally make little girl bodies, I can make copies of myself but they all look like my Ghost Rider form. I can't just take souls out of me willy nilly either. And I suspect I can only do it at all to the souls I own. Like yours."
Overhaul waited impatiently for him to get to the point. "And?"
"And the point is, in this new deal, I want to make you immortal," Izuku said. "Well, not really immortal and more unkillable."
Overhaul's eyes went wide, as they put together what Izuku was saying. If Izuku owned their soul, then in theory, even if Overhaul died, their soul would go back to Izuku, and he could make them a new body.
It was an appealing idea, but it had to come at a cost.
"Continue." Overhaul said.
"The deal will go as such, I will revive you each time you die, in this body, and you will...well I don't want to say serve me but basically that, you'll serve me until your soul finds salvation. At which point I release your soul and allow you to go to heaven." Izuku explained.
That was...that was an offer alright.
Overhaul took a few minutes to think, before turning back to Izuku and asking. "Why so generous. You know how desperate I was. I would have settled for just immortality or a place in the higher ranks of hell. Why offer me salvation? What is your goal here? Your plan? What are you trying to do with me, and how does it help you?"
Izuku sighed and shook his head. "You would think an offer to get you into an eternal paradise would be enough but I guess I'll explain."
The green-haired boy walked towards a nearby bench and took a seat. "When I was a kid, I always wanted to save people. I thought that just meant saving people from danger, like the heroes, but now that I'm a demon, and I know hell exist. I have a much...greater goal. You see I don't kill villains, but I realized that in the end, it didn't really matter too much. Because whether I killed them or not, they would all go to hell eventually. If I killed them, I took their whole lives away, as well as taking away any chance at redemption. If I take them down and they get arrested, then they spend most or the rest of their life in jail, and then they go to hell. And I don't think that's right. No one is born a sinner. People are guided down that path by circumstance. There are some really good people, forced down the road to hell by things outside their control. And even if someone is truly horrible I don't think they deserve an ETERNITY of torment. They just need to be taught a lesson."
Izuku stood up and looked down, but not at the ground, at something past it, like he was trying to look at hell itself. "And that's what I'm going to do. I am going to redeem every sinful soul that has ever existed. I'll guide all the sinners on earth towards salvation."
"And the ones in hell?" Overhaul asked.
"I'll do to them what I did to you," Izuku said. "Bring them back to the mortal plane, then redeem their souls."
"And what about the souls you don't have control over?" Overhaul questioned.
"Of for that I just have to take over all of hell," Izuku said a bit too nonchalantly.
"...I'm sorry what?" Overhaul wasn't sure if he heard that correctly. "You're going to...take over hell...where the Devil lives."
"Well, actually no one has really seen the Devil since...well since he was cast down there," Izuku revealed. "He doesn't seem to get involved in wars in hell so shouldn't have to worry about him for now. Just the other demon lords."
"It feels like I'm trapped in one of those shitty reincarnated into another world stories." Overhaul lamented. "Being turned into a little girl, magic, demon lords. Ugh."
"It will proublby take me millions of years, but I'm immortal so it's fine." Izuku continued. "You'll most likely be long gone by then."
"So basically, your plan is to force every sinner that has ever lived, and presumably, ever will live, towards redemption, and also take over hell so you have access to every sinner's soul, which would require you to defeat every single demon lord down in hell, including this Mephisto person." Overhaul summarized. "Did I leave anything out?"
"Yeah, I'm also going to need to undo the sealing spell Mephisto put on me and regain my sealed power from purgatory," Izuku said, without any further clarification on the nonsense he just spouted.
Overhaul weighed their options.
Option A, say no and try to redeem their own soul without any immortality and in the body of little girl with no friends or family to support them. They would essentially be living on the street as a homeless girl trying to cleanse their sins with absolutely no idea how to do that.
Or Option B, become essentially a slave, but with immortality, it would keep them from going to hell, and give them a greater chance of actually finding redemption. They would have to go along with an absolutely absurd plan concocted by a mad demon, but the deal didn't say that Izuku's plan had to work for them to be free.
The downside of option B was becoming a slave. The downside of option A was a greater chance of going back to hell.
And maybe, just maybe, if Izuku would allow it, she could repay her debt.
"Fine, you have a deal." Overhaul extended their hand out forward, their fear of hell and their loyalty to their boss surpassing their pride. Is this what it feels like to believe in god? To be constantly afraid of your actions in fear of eternal torment? Oh, this is gonna suck, so much.
Actually, speaking of God, that brought another thought to Overhaul's mind.
"And what happens if god intervenes?" Overhaul asked.
Izuku paused.
"Had you not considered that?" Overhaul asked him. "You plan to empty hell itself. Go against the natural order of things and all that. Do you think God is gonna be ok with that?"
Izuku didn't answer at first. Taking a few moments to think, before giving his response. "That's a good question, let's ask him."
"What?!" Overhaul stepped back in shock.
Izuku turned around, faced the sky, and in a flash of fire he transformed into his Ghost Rider form.
And the, he grew.
Bigger and bigger, until he reached the size of a skyscraper.
People in the city saw the enormous Izuku and screamed in terror, running as far away from him as they could, even if Izuku was already miles and miles away from them.
"God," Izuku spoke towards the sky. "For years, I have suffered, unjustly, at your hand. Because you denied me what everyone else had, because you allowed the quirkless to exist in the first place, I suffered years, prosecution, for no other reason than being born different. All the pain I, my sister, and my mother were put through, and you did nothing!"
Izuku's voice was so loud, that it could be heard for miles, he knew this, yet did not care in the slightest.
"Even as I turned to hell, in a desperate attempt to save what little I had left, you did nothing!" Izuku roared. "But now...now that suffering has a chance to mean something. I ask of you one thing, continue what you have done. What you have always done. To do nothing. Or, strike me down now, and damn millions. What is your choice, God?"
A minute passed, and nothing happened.
Izuku shrunk down, swiftly returning to his normal form, and looking back at the now shaken Overhaul.
"You've really gone mad haven't you?" Overhaul asked in a voice that was shakier than they had wanted.
"No...well yes but in a good way...I think." Izuku's response did not fill them with confidence. "I think that's more Zarathos's influence that made me do that."
"But Zarathos is gone." Overhaul pointed out swiftly.
"Yes and no." Izuku thought about how best to phrase this. "Let me put it this way, Zarathos and Izuku Midoriya had their souls fused, but their consciousness had been kept separate. When you fused the two together, Zarathos didn't die, demon lords can't truly die, after all, he was fused together with Izuku to make, this new Izuku that you see in front of you. But since Zarathos had no real personality or character to add, the new Izuku is almost exactly the same as the old one, but with a bit more confidence and slightly more aggressive."
"I...see." Overhaul made note of that.
"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, are you going to accept or not?" Izuku asked them. "The heroes are most likely on their way to annoy me so I'd like to leave before they get here."
Izuku crouched down and extended his hand, which engulfed itself in green flames.
Overhaul still had many, many questions. But their mind had been made up for a while.
Not going to hell, was worth anything.
They look Izuku's hand.
Green flames engulfed both of their arms and then wrapped around the bodies, engulfing them both for a few moments, before disappearing.
"Alright now that that's over with, let's go," Izuku said getting up and pulling back his hand.
"And where are we going?" Overhaul asked him.
"Well...first I want to test something out, then I can go take care of some...personal matters," Izuku explained.
Later, back in the city.
Sashio Gisira was glad to be home.
As he put the key into the door, he breathes a sigh of relief.
It'd been a hard day at Aldrea Middle School. It'd been hard ever since that brat Midoriya Izuku decided to kill himself and bring all sorts of undue attention and negative publicity. And it had only gotten worse when he became the Ghost Rider.
And as principal Sashio had to deal with all of it. He'd been scared at first, that Midoriya would come for his vengeance. But he had always lacked a spine, and as weeks flew by, he knew he was safe.
As he entered his house and shut the door behind him, he only wished he didn't have to hear the name Izuku Midoriya for the rest of the day.
However, as he walked further into his house, he noticed...the light was on in his living room.
Did I leave that on all day!? Gisira sighed.
He walked into the living room and froze.
Because facing him, sitting down in his favorite chair. Was Midoriya Izuku.
"Hello, principal Gisira." Izuku greeted him somberly.
Immediately his instincts told him to run, but before he could move, he felt small hands touch his legs.
And then they exploded.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Gisira yelled his pain, as he fell to the floor.
Izuku transformed his arm and shot out a chain that wrapped around Gisira's mouth, muffling his screams, before looking to Overhaul, who was standing behind Gisira holding his two amputated legs. "Good job Chisaki."
"I don't recall giving you the right to call me that." Chisaki glared at him, only intimidating because they were holding two legs.
"Well, I thought if we're trying to redeem you, calling you by your supervillain name isn't a good place to start," Izuku explained.
Chisaki growled but didn't object.
Izuku turned his attention back to Gisira, and transformed back into his demonic form.
Gisira tried to apologize, beg for forgiveness, but chains muffled his cries.
"Let's just get this over with, for both our sakes." Izuku picked Gisira up by his hair and made him stare right at his eye sockets. "I'm not doing this because you hurt me, I'm doing this so you don't hurt anyone else, including yourself. Hell, is real. And it will claim your soul if I don't stop you. Don't bother with fake apologies, I'll know when you're really sorry. Now...let's begin."
Gisira found that he couldn't look away, as the flames in Izuku's eyes turned to spirals.
And then unspeakable pain washed over him.
Overhaul could not help but flinch as they watched the man suffer, as memories of their own death served to remind them of just how much physical and emotional pain that man was in.
They almost felt bad.
But if anything this would serve to help the man in the future. So they withheld their pity.
Because this pain was only temporary. Hell was eternal.
Okay, so now you get to see how some things are gonna be different going forward.
Izuku's not only gone a bit nuts, but he's also been changed by absorbing Zarathos. As he said he's more confident and aggressive. But he's still Izuku, and he still wants to help people. So he's gonna save some souls...by torturing them. Sometimes he'll do other things, but mostly torture, and lots of penance stare.
Overhaul is now a loli. Because fuck him. If you haven't figured it out, I don't like Overhaul much that child-abusing fuck. But I needed him for his quirk so...yeah. I thought turning him into a little girl would be some poetic justice. I used they and them pronouns for them during this chapter, but in the future, I'll just do whatever.
Anyway, we're gonna get some more Izuka next chapter, I'm actually gonna turn her into a character rather than just something in the background. She's not gonna have as much time as she did in the previous fic of course but she needs at least, a little bit of time.
Anyway, please review and have a nice day.