Hello, hello, everyone! Your dear uncle Klyju here, back with another chapter of Symbol of Hope! Sorry to keep you waiting, but life is kind of a bitch, and work was a tad more demanding. But on the plus side, I was able to get my application for college changed to the Spring Semester! Yay! Enough about me, though, and more on the story! Okay, I knew I was playing with fire when I made that "murder religion" joke, but when I read that Urdak basically inspired every religion in the DOOM Universe, I knew someone had to make a joke like that considering what the Slayer did to Urdak. Anyways, as you all know, I own nothing here, and everything is owned by their respective parties. Without further ado, OPEN THE GAME!

"Thank you for coming over, Katsumi," Inko said as she set down a cup of tea on the table in front of the ash-blonde, distraught expressions on their faces. It had been a week since Izuku disappeared, and depression was quickly settling in their hearts. "It's nice to see that Izuku still had a friend in school." The green-haired mother continued, earning a flinch from the young woman.

"Yeah…" Katsumi said as her eyes darted away from the mother, something that the green-haired woman immediately took notice of.

"Katsumi?" Inko asked. "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing, I just…" The blonde let out a sigh. "I just miss him a lot."

Inko's face softened as the sense of dread in her heart dropped. "Me too, Katsumi," She said. "Sometimes, I just want to go and look for him myself, law be damned."

"Yeah…" Katsumi muttered before letting out a sigh. "If only I didn't say anything that day…"

This immediately got the green-haired woman's attention. "What do you mean by that?" She asked, receiving only silence in return. "Katsumi, what did you mean by 'If only you didn't say anything?'"

Katsumi was quiet as she felt tears pool at the corners of her eyes as memories of what she did that day flashed through her mind before her vision refocused on her disappeared friend's mother. There was no reason to hide it from her now. She'd eventually find out, so might as well get it out of the way.

"On the day Izuku disappeared…" She began, her voice quickly getting shaky. "He mentioned how he wanted to get into the UA Hero Course… and I was so damn stupid. I got mad at him for trying to get in, and… I told him that if he wanted a quirk, he should jump off a building and pray he'd be reborn as a woman."

The world went quiet as soon as Inko heard those words, her irises shrunken in horror. "... What?"

"I'm so sorry!" Katsumi yelled as her tears flowed down her face. "What I did was wrong, and I never should've said it! I just-!"

"Get out…"

"Wha?"

"GET OUT!" Inko yelled out as she began to toss any small items she could get her hands on. Katsumi let out a scared yell as she raised her hands towards her head, trying to prevent as much damage as she could. "GET OUT NOW! IT'S YOUR FAULT HE'S GONE!"

Left with no other option, the blonde quickly ran out the apartment door, small objects hitting her back as she did so before she got out. "AND DON'T COME BACK!" She heard the green-haired woman scream out before the mother slammed the door. It was after a few moments that the sounds of crying were heard from the other side, making Katsumi realize just how awful her actions were as tears now freely flowed down her face before she walked away.

Katsumi woke up, her vision focused on the ceiling as the memories of that day played over in her mind. She just couldn't seem to catch a break with anything, huh?

Class

"I AM…." A familiar voice yelled out before the door opened to reveal All Might, only she was wearing her Silver Age outfit, the cape billowing in the wind she made. "COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"

"WOAH, IT'S ALL MIGHT!" A majority of the class cheered out, with a few exceptions around the room, though some of the students were somewhat curious about the bandage over their teacher's nose.

Izuku, on the other hand, smirked as he saw his call sign on her face.

"I'm glad to see that you are all eager for hero classes, which is why we're doing something special today!" The blonde mass of muscles stated as she pulled down the projector screen to reveal some writing on it, thankfully, nothing that would earn Aizawa's ire more than simply writing on it in the first place. "Combat training! There's no better teacher than experience, so get into your hero outfits, and I'll see you all in training ground Delta!"

Training Ground Delta

As she waited for the class to arrive, Toshiko let out a sigh of exhaustion. To think, it would get so difficult maintaining her hero form so quickly after passing on One for All.

And yet, she doesn't regret choosing young Katsumi as her successor.

Toshiko let out a gasp as she saw the flaming building in front of the crowd. It was only a couple of hours ago that she reached her limit, and it was just her luck that she wandered towards an area that needed help. She cursed her inability to help as several other heroes tried their best to keep the situation under control, keeping as many people as safe as possible.

However, destiny quickly changed gears.

An ash-blonde blur raced past her towards the building, stopping only to bust down the door, which allowed the heroine to see the young, red-eyed woman before she disappeared inside, leaving everyone else staring at where she once was.

After what seemed to be a minute or two, the young woman came back outside carrying a pair of children in her arms, a girl and a boy. She set them next to the crowd, but instead of stopping, she turned back and went back inside the building, despite the heroes around trying to stop her. However, this seemed to be for the best, as the young woman was rescuing people each time she went back into the building.

However, when she brought out one last person, the young woman collapsed to the ground, panting in exhaustion. Toshiko ran towards the young blonde and grabbed her from under her shoulders, dragging her away from the burning building as she let out a cough. "Are they alright?" The girl in her arms asked as she hacked out the spot from her lungs. "Are they alive?"

Toshiko looked at the girl before her face hardened. "Yeah, you did good, kid." She stated.

The young woman smiled softly before passing out, glad that she was able to save people that were caught in the fire. Seeing that smile on the girl's face was what made up Toshiko's mind.

She had found her successor.

Hearing the footsteps of her students coming closer, Toshiko quickly buffed up and transformed into All Might once more, turning to take a look at her class's hero suits. "Well, well, well!" She exclaimed. "They say that the outfit makes the hero, and I say you all nailed that excellently! You all look amazing!"

The class smiled at the notion, proud that the Number One Hero approved of their outfits, though they did notice the outlier that was Midoriya. Instead of the intimidating Praetor Armor, his new outfit was composed of what seemed to be bright green military armor with a hole around the abdominal area. The pants were made of a darker green material, and he was wearing brown combat boots and gloves. However, some elements from the Praetor Armor stuck around, namely the Equipment Launcher and the DOOM Blade, both on his left shoulder and forearm, respectively.

"Woah, that's a pretty cool suit, Midoriya!" Eiko stated as she took a look at the Slayer's outfit, earning a grunt and nod that she understood as a thanks.

"Yeah, you look awesome in it!" Ochako said as she walked up towards the tall beast of a man, looking a bit nervous as she rubbed the back of her head. "Wish I could've specified the details on mine like you did. Instead, the costume department made it skintight, and it's a bit embarrassing for me."

The Slayer just gave her a thumbs-up to tell her that it was fine, earning a thankful smile from the bubbly girl before she noticed the hole on his costume's abs. "Uh, are you sure you're gonna be okay with that hole there, Midoriya?"

Tomoyo took notice of the hole in her fellow armored classmate's outfit as she walked over to the group. "I must agree with Uraraka's concern, Midoriya. Isn't it a bit dangerous having a vital area exposed like that?"

Izuku merely raised his fist in response before he whacked his abdominals with it, a metallic clang emanating from the impacts.

The unexpected sound got the attention of several other classmates, who were impressed at the definition of his musculature. "Ah, I see now," Tomoyo stated. "Very well, you do you." Unknown to everyone, she was sweating underneath her helmet. "Good lord, those abs!" She thought to herself. "You could grind meat on those things! WAIT, NO, YOU'RE THE NEXT INGENIUM, ACT LIKE IT!"

However, she wasn't the only one who felt different.

"That clang was real, right? If it is, then I kinda want to see how long I'd be able to ride on them- BAD JIROU!"

"O-oh my… To think that he'd be so shredded… Oh no, what are these thoughts?"

"Homina homina homina, he is absolutely jacked."

"Oh geez… What would it feel like being in Midoriya's arms… so close to those muscles…"

If he could tell how thirsty the girls were, the Slayer didn't seem to care, for his attention was drawn towards Katsumi's outfit. It resembled the one that she showed off during her application for UA, but there were elements that seemed familiar. Upon closer inspection, it hit him. The mouthguard, the horns on her mask, and some of the white highlights were taken from his old costume design!

"Anyways, today's training will be different than what Aizawa did!" All Might yelled out, getting the attention of her class as she began to read off of some notecards. "As you all know, despite the new threat that the demons pose, you are also training to protect the public from villains; human threats! As such, today, you will be dealing with indoor battles!"

"Despite it seeming cliche, most battles with villains occur within buildings, and as such, heroes need to be prepared for combat within enclosed spaces!" The blonde heroine continued to speak. "Today, you will all go through a mock exam, each test being split between two teams: Heroes and Villains! Each team will be composed of 5 members, resulting in two battles! You will all need to cooperate with your team to succeed in this task! Are there any questions?"

Immediately, she was bombarded by a large number of questions from her students, ranging from ones she should've seen coming, to those that were pointless ("Isn't my cape magnifique?"). Eventually, it became a bit too much for her before she yelled out over her students. "Okay, one question at a time now!" She exclaimed, silencing the students. "Now, one question I heard was 'what was the assignment?'. Your assignment is that the villains have hidden a dangerous bomb somewhere in the building. The heroes' job is either to find the bomb and capture it, or detain the villains in the building! To do so, you will be using a capture tape to tie them down!"

"Ma'am, I have a question!" Tomoyo exclaimed as she raised her hand. "How will the teams be formed?"

"Excellent question, young Iida!" All Might stated as she pulled out a box from behind her. "You will draw from a randomized ballot, and as such, you will have to learn how to adapt with on-the-spot team-ups!"

"I see! Thank you for the explanation!" The armored girl said as she took a step back.

"Now! Come pick out your lots, one at a time, please!" All Might ordered, and the students went up to draw out their lots, one-by-one. When they finished, the teams were formed, composed of:

Team A: Katsumi Bakugou, Tomoyo Iida, Jirou Kyouka, Eiko Kirishima, Doi Kaminari

Team B: Fumikage Tokoyami, Tooru Hagakure, Kanna Koda, Minerva Minoru, Maka Ojirou

Team C: Izuku Midoriya, Momo Yaoyorozu, Shoko Todoroki, Mina Ashido, Ochako Uraraka

Team D:Yuno Aoyama, Mai Shouji, Rika Sato, Hana Sero, Tsuyu Asui

"Now then!" All Might began. "With your teams made up, you will now be placed into your separate factions for the trial, and the first battle will be…."

"Hero Team A vs Villain Team C!"

Inside the building

As the teams got ready for their trials, Tomoyo inspected the building, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. "Alright, our first ever battle test," She muttered before turning towards her group. "Alright, we'll need a plan to fend off the villains, take them down, and/or capture the bomb!"

"I can try listening for them," Jirou began as she fiddled with her jacks. "The thing is, I'll need time to pinpoint them precisely, so I need someone to keep guard."

"I'll stay behind to make sure nobody jumps her," Eiko stated. "Hey, Bakugo, you know Midoriya, right? Anything you can tell us about him?"

"He's an expert when it comes to analyzing quirks," The ash-blonde stated. "It wouldn't surprise me if he figures out your weaknesses the moment he sees your quirks. As for fighting skills.. I'm not sure… He went missing for ten months and then he comes back as a mountain of muscles and hatred."

"So we're blind when it comes to him, huh? That's gonna be a problem…" Kaminari said as she gained an inquisitive look on her face before she began to discuss things with the others. As the team began to formulate a plan, Katsumi's vision turned towards the building, her mind drifting back to a conversation she had with All Might a couple months ago.

The young woman let out an exhausted gasp as she fell onto the sand, her body burning in pain from all the training she's gone through for the past four months. It was unlike any training she's ever gone through before, and her body was not used to the pressure she's been putting on it lately.

As she slowly forced herself to get back up, All Might jogged towards her, a concerned expression on her face. "Young Bakugo… have you been overworking yourself?" She asked. "If you keep doing that, you'll do far more harm to your body. You need rest."

"I can't!" Katsumi growled out. "I can't take anything lightly anymore! I need to be the best hero… that he would've wanted me to be! I can't let him down!"

The Heroine's eyebrow quirked up at the declaration before her charge continued. "I need to be the best that I can be… I made so many stupid mistakes… And if he's gone because of me… I need to make it up to him…"

All Might was quiet for a few moments before she spoke up once more. "This someone… is Izuku Midoriya, isn't it?"

Katsumi looked up to her trainer in shock before the taller woman deflated, a solemn expression on her face. "I feel like I understand… I met him on the day he disappeared and told him something I shouldn't have…" She stated. "Sometimes, I feel like his disappearance was my fault."

The younger woman looked up at her idol with shock in her eyes before fury clouded her vision. She raised her hand in an attempt to strike at the heroine… only for her rage to burn out. Punching her now would fix nothing… And besides, they were both at fault…

The young woman then felt Toshiko grab and pick her up to her feet. "Come on," The elder blonde said with a determined expression on her face. "We'll both work to be greater heroes… ones that he can be proud of…"

Katsumi wiped away the tears in her eyes before her trademark scowl returned, but the light in her eyes was one not of rage, but of determination.

"The trial is about to begin!" All Might exclaimed from the speakers, getting the attention of the groups at the training grounds. "Get ready teams, for combat begins in 3…"

"2…"

"1…"

"Begin!"

Hello there, my peeps! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter of Symbol of Hope! Sorry about blue-balling you all with this chapter, but I overestimated how much I could cram into this chapter before I began losing my mind. Anyways, before I close off, I want to announce that one reader has accepted the first challenge I posted last chapter. If you all wanted to see how Slayerzuku would deal with the world of Blessings of the Goddess, stay tuned for that story in the future! And another thing, some reviews from FF have caught my attention, and I want to tell those reviewers something. That thing about the past couple of chapters being there to set up a harem… You are correct! After reading Total Command, as well as similar stories, I wanted to try my hand at it, and since I helped co-write "The Heroic Slayer" and had some unused ideas for it, I decided to write this story. And I don't care what you all think about this story! I'm having way too much fun writing this for once!

Anyways, that's all I've got, until we meet again: Klyju, OUT!