These next five epilogues take place over a few centuries. Each one follows one character to the final moment of their character arc and each is intertwined with the other. There are events Shuichi might speak about casually that Shouto or Fumikage focus on in their epilogues. The reverse also applies.
The only exception being the first scene of each epilogue which chronologically follows the night events were set in motion. So this is the first part of that night and epilogue 3 is the third part.
'In these twilight years, I wonder more of what my legacy shall be. I believe we all do so. I could speak of Titan but by now we are all sick of hearing of his actions. He is not my greatest achievement and never will be. Graviton Lance passed years ago and I visit his gravesite often. He was the heart of the New Heroes, a heart we never knew we lacked until he came to us. When he defected, he was an intensely quiet man, naturally lonely, for who would trust a traitor? I chose to take a chance on him and he would forever make us laugh.
When my daughter perished, he was there to comfort me. His words were simple. 'There is beauty in broken things but fixing a broken thing is more beautiful.' It was a simple reminder that shit happens and you must move on.'
—Excerpt from 'My Eclipse' by Hawkmoon.
Shuichi Iguchi is still uncertain of many things.
He barely understands the way the last battle ended. He was on Earth coordinating the Lightning Bolts and the military against hordes of enemies. He personally took to the battlefield and fought against what seemed like an endless horde of enemies, his lance slaying monsters and demons as though it had been forged for that very process.
It had seemed a futile fight, his allies falling one after another. In the bleakest moments, surrounded by dead allies and legions of enemies, salvation had come. A black fire had manifested, incinerating the hordes of enemies. Shuichi had looked around, surprised at the sudden lack of enemies to fight. The cheers had been thunderous, but he'd stopped paying them any attention. No, he'd been entirely focused on the moon and the goings-on there.
The others may not have noticed it, but Shuichi could hardly avoid paying attention to it. Everything had been focused there. The final Singer chained by Fumikage's powers. Shouto's awesome power the likes of which would annihilate the universe. The sight of a beam of hellfire and godflame cutting across the sky and destroying a creature in another realm, larger than the cosmos, stays with him and keeps him up some nights.
It is the memory of the monster, a king of true darkness, striking down the Singer that sticks with him most nights. The green light that lit up the solar system, a king's judgement to be seen by everyone. The power of Izuku Midoriya is haunting and uplifting because he is Shuichi's master.
He looks up and gazes at the destroyed moon, only the largest pieces visible in the waning hours of the day. It's odd to consider that the moon was there a few months ago, bright as always. Admittedly, a few months ago, Hisashi Midoriya hadn't grafted a pair of dragon wings to his back.
They add a lot of weight and change his centre of gravity constantly. It's been a struggle learning to use them to their fullest, and he feels it will be some years yet before flying is second nature to him. For now, he needs to pay attention or risk tumbling through the sky.
His comms unit beeps. "Spinner here."
"Hostiles at east side perimeter, heading south by south-west along the river. Weapons free."
"Acknowledged," Spinner says to the security officer on the other side.
He flies towards the location and observes the river until he can see the people. Three of them with unknown quirks and abilities.
Nothing he can't defeat with his lance.
His lance is made from a material he does not know the name of as a base. It was borne from the same power that gave him wings.
He breaks through the tree cover like a falcon, lance aimed down. It plunges through the first assailant as he lands violently on the ground, the earth cratering beneath the force of his dive. He jerks the lance out, bisecting the man.
For a moment, he takes joy in the simple brutality of the act. It isn't very often that he can revel in blood and suffering.
Instinct makes him duck low and shift the lance to rest over his shoulders as a glowing knife whizzes past over his head. He dashes forward and spins low, unfolding the lance and letting its length bridge the distance between him and the woman's torso. The blade cuts through cleanly.
He pulls it back and beats his wings once to evade the shimmering force that nearly took his head. He grins at the final man and twirls his lance.
The attack is a wave of what he thinks to be a psionic force. Spinner waits until the last moment before slashing downwards. The blade cuts through the force, parting it cleanly.
The man spends a moment staring dumbstruck at the sight. Then he sends another wave.
Spinner simply walks forward slowly, twirling his lance and letting the blade destroy the man's hopes of coming out this alive. When he's close, he places the blade at the man's throat.
"What the fuck did you think would happen?"
The man glares. "Those monsters need tohgffm—"
His words die off when Spinner slices his throat cleanly. Spinner walks away and leaves the man to die a slow and painful death.
He makes a call with his coms unit to the security station. "Hostiles neutralised."
"Objective?"
"Any of the two dozen reasons people are our enemies. Same old shit."
The security officer stays silent for a few moments. It gives Spinner time to wipe away the blood on his lance and attach it to the magnetic holster along his spine and between his wings.
"That's the third attack this week. Stay vigilant."
The call cuts. Spinner rolls his eyes. "No shit."
He trudges back to the compound his charges are being kept and checks on them. Kouta first, always him as he is the most vulnerable. The boy sleeps soundly in his room, hugging some stuffed animal, despite how early it is. Shuichi hesitates. He's never truly been able to speak to the child following the camp attack. He's protected Kouta from a distance, but he never feels he has the permission to so much as apologise for his role in what happened.
Shouto Todoroki is outside staring intently at the sky. Spinner observes him for a few minutes until he decides the boy is observing something with his weird eye, the one that sees spirits and futures as easily as Spinner sees the sun at noon. He sends a message to the staff to check on Shouto in an hour.
Fumikage Tokoyami is meditating, floating above the floor. Spinner isn't sure how he does it, but he's long since given up on ascribing limits of any sorts to these children. After all, he's surrounded by a herd of creatures from the abyss—the hounds observe him warily whilst the crows try to get him to fly with them; only the dragon's head is visible today, and Dark Shadow meditates beside its master.
The last of his charges is always the easiest to find. Izuku Midoriya is in the study, hunched over a desk. Some monitors show the world in chaos, still reeling from the months leading up to the Singers, and the chaos that followed afterwards.
Shuichi is neck-deep in that chaos. He is Izuku's Disciple and represents him amongst the Lightning Bolts. With many of the original leadership dead barring Crawler, it has fallen on Shuichi to pick up the slack. It's hard being both commander of a massive organisation—though hard doesn't begin to describe the logistical nightmare of feeding and clothing hundreds, negotiating with their international allies, battling opportunistic groups, slowly evicting the local government from Hokkaido, and courting the Yaoyorozu's for their support—and being stuck on the compound to guard Kouta.
They've moved to a compound on Hokkaido's coast, secluded and hidden. It once belonged to the League but Shuichi appropriated it. The remaining League leadership had been accepting of the idea since Izuku was terrifying before. Now, the knowledge of his indomitable strength inspires existential dread.
The final monitor has the book Izuku is failing to write.
"How far along?"
Izuku looks up, blinking. His eyes forever burn a bright green, a continual reminder of his power. "Oh, Shuichi. Did you say something?"
Spinner walks forward and hits a button that switches off all but the main monitor. Izuku's jacket is on the floor. Spinner takes it and shuts the window, not willing to deal with the chill. He drapes the jacket over his ward.
"Thanks. I didn't realise I'd been…" the boy gestures at the remaining monitor. "Busy."
"Busy? You? You've given me all the hard work."
"I guess I have. Thanks."
"It's the least I can do for saving us all. Have you made a dent in that book?"
Izuku shakes his head. "It's hard. Hawkmoon and Graviton Lance, Stormwind and Master Railroad. Hero and her wife Legion. All for One and One For All. There's so much history and I'm the culmination of it all. Why can't this be fucking easy?"
Spinner leans against the wall. "Life is not easy. Neither is the path you chose."
"I sound arrogant, don't I?"
"What you have done in eighteen years is more than any one person before you. You will do more in time. Take however long you need to finish that book. Between all the people you just named, you've got half a millennium of history."
Izuku ducks his head. It amazes him that the boy can be so shy as to be painful. It amazes him that he can be innocent despite all he has seen. It is not the innocence of youth and naivete, but an innocence that comes from having faith in humanity.
They stay like that, taking comfort in the silence.
"Do you think things will get worse?"
Spinner blinks, waking up from his light doze. "Yes. People search for answers. You hold them."
"I don't want to be important anymore."
"You made yourself important time and time again. You must be a leader, Izuku. You must show us the future. You have to show us a new world."
"I'm scared I'll make the wrong decisions."
Shuichi doesn't mention China for all he believes that was a mistake. He knows the death toll haunts Izuku. He hopes it haunts Izuku enough to never make a choice like that again, to never let Shouto or Fumikage steer his decisions.
"Have you forgotten your own words? 'What is a hero? A hero is someone who sees injustice and says no. Where is the justice here? I say no. This is the line and I refuse to be moved. Call me a villain, but I will not stand for this.' This chaos and madness will lead to another Dark Age. It'll be violence and slaughter and tyranny. Unless you stop it."
"It's too big."
"I believe in you. My lance is yours. You just have to try."
Izuku smiles fondly. "You're my favourite disciple."
"I'm your only disciple and thanks to you I gained wings."
Maybe, just maybe, things will turn out alright.
-TDB-
Years pass since that day. The world has changed drastically. There is no peace, no area without some form of unrest.
The safest areas, the likes of southern Africa, only have mild civil unrest and politically motivated protests, often turning violent and dangerous for days on end. Some countries have completely collapsed—Russia and China, both having suffered the full brunt of a Singer have broken up into dozens of successor states; America currently is split into three separate warring factions now that the North East is decimated; Canada, split between the west controlled by villains and the cobbled remains of the government in the east. The only positive about South America is that Tokoyami is there dealing with threats in the background, those who might have access to nuclear weapons or abyssal armaments.
Regions like Europe and North Africa have other issues to deal with. The spawning grounds during the war had led to so many regions being burnt to the ground. Worse still, chunks of the moon had crashed into major population centres. There is nothing left of Paris and Munich, Alexandria and Baghdad. Luckier countries only had fields and landscapes destroyed: England with vast tracks of forest ablaze, Algeria with poisoned water sources and the remaining Grecian population starving under harsh quarantine.
There is no part of the world not suffering from the destruction the Singers caused.
Japan is still violent. The war they've waged to unify it is ending. Hokkaido had fallen in line immediately. As a bastion of League support—of which their loyalty to All For One had been claimed by Izuku—and a major base of operations for the Lightning Bolts, it had taken little effort for them to plant their flag. It had served as their major HQ until Shuichi could march his armies unopposed down to Sendai which now serves as their capital.
Shikoku was the first to refuse their overtures of the alliance because of the army's high command who completely refused any opportunity for peace. They had formed a defensive line from Niigata to Iwaki. Shuichi had scoffed at their efforts and marched down with his ragtag army. It had looked like it would be a terribly bloody war until the navy defected to their side and bombarded the army's defensive positions.
With aerial and naval superiority, it had been Shuichi's job to deal with the land invasion. He'd had to make hard choices, the hardest of which had been army battalions to trust. Many had defected after seeing Shuichi's indomitable strength. Some, however, had been traitors. He's lost many good many from the disastrous battle to take Osaka.
That had been years ago. They had taken everything from the northernmost tip of Hokkaido to the southernmost point of Honshu. It had seemed they wouldn't have to fight in Kyushu. They had been receptive of Shuichi's overtures of peace and confederation.
Their attack had come as a complete surprise. The orchestrators of the sudden attack was even more surprising.
As such, he's been tasked with stabilising the region, political talk for invading and dismantling any possibility of armed resistance. The months since the order have been filled with lots of slow advances of their battle lines interspaced by bouts of intense battle. In a few months, he's personally taken more lives than he could ever imagine and ordered the deaths of even more. There is no place for guilt in this war. Because ultimately, this will bring them closer to a vision of Izuku's paradise.
Spinner, the Great Dragon, first Disciple of Izuku Midoriya, will die to see that happen. Shuichi Iguchi, the man behind the myth, will die gladly for the cause.
He is surprised to see Shouto in the meeting room. The boy has become a man now, tall as his father before him but built like a sprinter instead of a bodybuilder on steroids. He even has a beard now, thin and well cared for, and coloured similarly to his hair except that the colours are mirrored. His black eye is always disquieting since it sees Shuichi down to his very soul.
Shouto nods and gestures for him to take control of the meeting. Shuichi smiles, glad that his authority isn't being subverted. Not that he has any issue with Shouto. He just knows more about the operation and it's better for morale like this.
"This is the last hostile base in Kyushu," Shuichi, begins, "and for there to be true peace, it needs to be taken. They have refused all offers of surrender and so we will give them no quarter. There are two priority targets. The first is Yo Shindo, an A-rated threat."
A picture of the former Ketsubutsu student comes up on the screen. He looks battle worn and weathered by the last year of conflict, hair cut short and revealing the scars where an assassin nearly killed him. The man had seen years of battle working with the remnants of Katsuki Bakuguo's team before the group splintered, their members dispersing across the world.
"Strike Team Iron and Suppression Team Throne will neutralise him. Our secondary threat is Inasa Yoarashi, an S-ranked threat capable of wide-scale destruction and precision strikes. I'll neutralise him should he take the field."
Shouto steps forward. In his waistcoat patterned with snowflakes and dark trousers, he looks every bit the regal leader people expect of him. Even the gold chain is pleasing, not garish, and Shuichi knows it to be a gift from Momo Yaoyorozu, their greatest ally. She funded much of their operation and her estate serves as the seat of Izuku's government.
"Lord Amaterasu," his aide says in reverence, stepping aside to give Shouto space to take control of the display console.
An image comes up displaying two people Shuichi hasn't heard from in years. The pictures take him back to a time before he became Izuku's Disciple, and that term carries with it more authority than he thought he would ever wield. It takes him back to a time before he had wings and his abyssal lance.
"Tomura Shikaragi, Kurogiri and Enji Kirishima are believed to be aiding the resistance," Shouto says in his monotone voice. "Capturing Kurogiri is a priority objective. Find Tomura and Kurogiri will surrender."
Shuichi nods. "Understood."
"To avoid splitting your forces, I will eliminate Inasa myself."
"What of Kirishima?"
"He's a B-rank threat at best. A standard rifle platoon will be able to deal with him."
The battle is nothing like the movies. It isn't one final battle that lasts a few hours. No, it takes them days to get through the barriers and armaments of the city surrounding the base. It's only made worse by Kurogiri's portals moving enemy soldiers behind his line. And when the bastard isn't doing that, he's decapitating Spinner's command structure.
Shouto is the only hope they have of detecting the portals promptly. He spends all his time relaying changes to enemy forces compositions to the field leaders.
In one bit of downtime, Shuichi glances up to see the man. Shuichi stands in only his trousers—shirts and jackets have long since stopped being an option with his wings. They're good for many things, but clothes that fit aren't amongst them.
"Yes?"
"Some call you the Great Dragon," Shouto says, not looking at Spinner. "Not a bad name, I suppose."
Spinner shrugs. "Better our enemies fear my name."
"Oh, you're not dangerous to anyone." It is only the years they've spent together that lets Spinner know he's making a joke. "Did you think you could defeat Inasa?"
"No, I knew I would die in that battle," he admits. "But fighting Yorashi means his army would be destroyed. My death would have meaning."
Shoutoshifts and stares at him, the full force of his gaze stripping all Shuichi's secrets bare.
"Not as much meaning as your life. You have a role to play in things to come. You will be His Lance, and by your blade, you will bring forth his paradise by blood and bone."
Spinner looks away towards the ever-shifting map. They've lost a heavy infantry platoon on the east flank, courtesy of Shindo's specialised quirk units.
"Izuku would feel sick to hear you say that." He cocks his head, understanding. "You don't speak like that to Him, do you?"
"Of course, not. No point in making him upset. But, you, Shuichi Iguchi, you are His lance, his general and his knight. I am his right hand, his diplomat, and his strategist. And Tokoyami is the hidden blade in the night."
Shuichi knows that intimately well. He was the one who took the Lightning Bolts and the remnants of the League's combatants and made an army out of them. He was the one who trained the officers. It was only possible with the help of military defectors to organise them properly, but Izuku's myth had brought them into the fold.
It may not be perfectly organised but it's better than many armies. With Yaoyorozu money supporting them with resources and supplies, it had been easier than they hoped. Shouto had managed to convince the navy to side with them over the army. The promises had been extravagant and disgusting showcases of wealth and corruption, but it had done the job. Now the navy blockades anyone supplying the rebellion.
"More Stormwind than Titan," Shuichi says, a mantra that at some point he needed to justify their actions. But, after seeing the chaos and madness, he understands why those two Great Tyrants were needed.
Why Izuku Midoriya, the hero Shadowshield and the bloody peacemaker, is needed. And why it is Shuichi who will stain his hands in that blood to uphold the image of his master's greatness.
"Was Stormwind a villain?"
A common question. "No. She brought peace where there was chaos. Europe remembers her as a hero. Those like her are needed now more than ever."
Shouto nods, satisfied as though Spinner has passed a test. With him, everything is a test. Every action Shouto makes is simply to verify that the future is still on track and hasn't shifted significantly.
Discomfited of the reminder that Shouto knows more than he lets on, Shuichi changes subjects.
"How is the lunar colony?"
"We've had a thousand people in the hab domes as a sample size of actual viability. The next four domes should all be done later this year and we'll start filling them up. We're looking at ten thousand per dome."
"How long until we can actually walk without spacesuits?"
"Momo and I will have to go up again for another two years." Shouto smiles, warm and gentle. "You'll breath lunar air within the next decade, Spinner. And perhaps, after a few more, you'll bring His peace to Mars and Venus and Jupiter."
He feels something budding in his chest, a resounding drumbeat of something like a promise, but more at the same time. It has weight to it, and he knows he must be the one to grant it. Like a flower blooming, the future writes itself. In his soul, Shuichi knows he'll travel the solar system and ensure Izuku's nation spreads to every planet and asteroid.
One day, they will face the abyssal threat growing in the heart of Jupiter. On the day that they win, Shuichi will personally plant Izuku's flag.
Staring at Shouto, he sees how much he's being manipulated, his very nature being twisted against him. And yet, he knows he would do the same regardless. It doesn't change his annoyance with the manipulation.
"Has it been difficult? Kirishima was once a friend." Shuichi smiles cruelly. "He isn't the only one."
"They chose their side."
Shuichi sees an opportunity in Shouto's hesitation to inflict pain.
"And how did you justify it to Izuku? Did he shout? Did he curse you out?" He takes a step forward, flaring his wings. "Is that why you're not on speaking terms?"
"They were necessary casualties."
Shuichi frowns. There is something dark and cruel there, a flame that will burn away all resistance. It is the cruelty of the godflame, of half of Shouto's passion brought forth. It is the part that lets him choose whom they will let suffer for the greater good.
"Kirishima's part of your plan. That's why you're here. That's why you're sending a simple rifle platoon after him. To make sure they don't kill him." He narrows his eyes, a deep growl building in his chest. "To make sure I don't kill him."
For a moment, he sees a spark of dark fire near Shouto's eye. The first flames of creation belong to Shouto, and just as his power can create, it can also destroy without prejudice.
"Remember your place, Disciple."
"I am Izuku's disciple, not yours. I swore to serve one Lord, one Master, one King. You are not Him." Spinner stands fully, no longer slouching, unafraid of a possible battle with a god. "Kirishima is a threat. I will see him dead before he becomes a greater threat."
The air is heavy with the weight of violence and destruction. Shuichi knows there is no possibility of victory, but he will not back down.
"There will come a day for you to kill him," Shouto says finally, yielding an inch. "But only when he is the world's last hope of resistance. Only then can he fall. Only then can you secure the final victory for Izuku."
They glare at each other, neither wanting to give any more ground. Just to be spiteful, Shuichi will assign another platoon to hunt down Kirishima. If it derails Shouto's plan and causes him some pain, then Shuichi will gladly do it.
They say no more, and over the next few days, his forces advance through the city. He knows it is time to take the field when Yorashi and Shindo take the field. Teams Iron and Throne know their orders and infiltrate the base to neutralise Tomura, and by extension Kurogiri.
He takes flight over the base and heads towards Shindo's location. The boy has long since learnt to wear full armour and not walk around shirtless. Spinner wishes he had the opportunity. His scales have hardened, but they aren't that strong enough to replace a good set of armour.
Spinner isn't one to exchange words or speeches. The time for that is long past. He dives down, lance swinging down, ready to end the fight before it starts.
Which Shindo completely avoids, sidestepping neatly. Shindo doesn't wear shoes, so he doesn't need to place his hands on the ground to make it shudder.
Spinner loses his footing as the ground suddenly shatters. He barely manages to duck beneath Shindo's outstretched hand, unwilling to discover what happens when your internal organs are vibrated with enough force to crack the earth. He's seen the bodies before and they are delightfully violent.
He sees the gun in Shindo's other hand too late and takes a bullet to the shoulder. Spinner winces and beats his wings, taking to the air. He hates that these bastards are smart enough to supplement their quirks with conventional weaponry.
There was a time when things were simpler, when they were playing dress-up hero and villain. Back then, there had been a code, a set of limits that were rarely crossed. Now, every battle is one for survival. Every victory a step closer to the ultimate victory, and every loss a step away from death.
He twirls his lance to block bullets. It isn't necessarily that he's fast enough to do that, but his lance was forged in the abyss. It can do whatever the fuck it wants.
The battle is long and hard-fought. Shindo is smart and fast and cunning. He's learnt to use his quirk in versatile ways. There is a gaping hole in Spinner's wing from when the bastard vibrated the air till it turned to plasma and fired it like a beam.
But despite all that skill and raw power, he still lacks the years of experience Spinner has. Youth is the bane of many fighters, and he's seen so many die because of it. There is a sense that comes from constant battle, a whisper in your soul to dodge at the right moment, to step back when you once sought to press the advantage. Experience has saved him more than once.
There might only be four years separating him and Shindo, but Shuichi's spent more time at war. He's spent more time fighting for his right to live against killers.
Spinner removes his lance from the boy's heart and removes his head, smiling all the while. No chance of someone like Eri bringing him back like that. He wishes he knew where she was hiding. He'd kill her personally for all the trouble she's caused them.
He takes flight once more when he receives the message the enemy forces have surrendered. He has no doubts that Shouto has won. There are only two people alive he thinks can match Shouto, and both are allies. Certainly, he believes Sensei at the height of his power could battle him on even footing for a while. And he knows very well how powerful the legends of the past were—Hero and Hawkmoon, Stormwind and Titan, Lung and Scion. Those legends came the closest to being unbeatable.
But men do not come close to gods.
His ragtag group of soldiers in their cobbled-together armour disarm the remaining enemy soldiers. It's been a nightmare unifying equipment amongst the disparate groups that form his army. There's a standardised uniform being introduced soon, but Shuichi leaves that for someone else to deal with. So long as they have a gun or quirk in hand, so long as they can kill, he doesn't particularly care what they wear.
His people salute him, some loosely, and some with the crispness of former soldiers. All of them are unified in their faith to their commander, to Shuichi, because they know he fights on the front whenever possible and holds everyone to the same standard he holds himself.
The hate from the enemy combatants is palpable. One tries to rush him. Spinner shakes his head before his soldiers gun the fool down. It takes him all of a second to have the man on the floor, neutralised and harmless.
"You're angry and bitter. I will forgive you that. But I will not forgive further violence." Spinner lets go of the man. "Ensure they are given medical treatment first and treated humanely. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Lord Disciple."
Spinner doesn't show his displeasure at the title. It has utility. It grants him authority, a divine mandate to lead in Izuku's stead. Authority enough that no one questions him as he heads to the cells.
Kurogiri looks much the same as he did all those years ago. He looks away from the one-way mirror showing Tomura under armed guard, an explosive collar on his neck. A threat or perhaps a promise. This conversation will determine the nature of their relationship going forward.
"The Great Dragon himself," Kurogiri greets politely. "Or should I call you Lord Disciple? Or should I call you the Vanguard's Traitor?"
Spinner shrugs and sits on the table. No point in fighting with a chair given that his wings will only get in the way. "Call me whatever you please."
"Spinner, then. It was your name when we were allies, however short that was. What will you do with him?"
Kurogiri watches Tomura as he says that, the former leader of the Vanguard rubbing his wrists nervously. The handcuffs must chafe after hours in the same position.
"Yours is the last of the great warp quirks. You will join this cause or Tomura will die."
"I simply followed the orders of my master. He told me to leave and to raise Tomura. I was faced with the choice of serving their cause of watching him die."
It had been a surprise to find Tomura was a captive as well. It's the only reason Shuichi hasn't placed him under stricter guard.
"Hard choices. Will you work with us?"
"Sensei told me to obey his heir. If Izuku wishes me back, then I will obey."
"Good. Your quirks will be invaluable to us."
"I simply ask that you do not harm Tomura. He is the only reason I haven't joined those I loved."
Spinner glances at Tomura. He looks much healthier than when he ran the League of Villains. Worn down with age, perhaps, but that's the case for everyone.
"If he wants, he can live a good life. We'll show him how to live in the paradise Izuku creates."
"Sensei was right to make Izuku his successor. He's changed the world more than I could have expected. I wonder how far this Federation of yours will go?"
Wherever it leads, Shuichi knows the road will be built on the blood and bones of their enemies.
-TDB-
Nearly three decades have passed since that conversation with Kurogiri. Shuichi is older, worn down by the passage of time. But he is still loyal, still fervent in his fealty to Izuku Midoriya. If anything, his faith in the man has only increased.
His strength has also grown. His scales have hardened, darkening with time. It is why he does not flinch when the tank shell hits him straight in the torso. He sighs, looking at his damaged armour, an experimental power suit that the R&D department will chew him out for destroying.
He presses the button that makes it slide away like a second skin and walks forward in his undersuit, lance held at the ready. He dashes forward, spinning between bodies and soldiers with the grace of decades of practice. His blade cuts armour and flesh and steel whilst his wings protect him from damage, sometimes batting away enemies that get to close.
It is hours after fighting that he finally sits on a destroyed tank. He accepts the bottle of water from a soldier under his command and listens to status reports: Kurogiri's warp quirk allowing their soldiers to infiltrate key locations quickly, the success of their experimental infantry railguns, and a dozen myriad pieces of information. Usually, he would direct the battles from the safety of a base, but this is the last outpost of the Russian Remnant Forces, a cobbled alliance from the remaining Russian successor states attempting to stall Shuichi's army.
He has long since learnt to ignore the guilt of killing people simply trying to live freely outside of Iuzku's paradise. In the aftermath of the Singers, Russia had splintered. A dozen successor states had risen, and instead of doing anything productive, they spent their time killing each other over pitiful resources. Now, under Izuku's banner, they will at least have the benefit of food and clean water and energy.
And Russia will be key to their victory over Central Asia. It will serve an avenue to invade the Middle East and India. One day soon, Asia and the Middle East will be under their control. It may take decades and millions of casualties, but Shuichi has faith in his soldiers.
"Disciple-General Iguchi, urgent communique from Lord Midoriya."
Spinner nods. "Inform him I'm heading to a secured location. Send it to the command base."
The Lieutenant nods. Spinner stands and walks out the base drenched in the blood of his fallen foes. Soldiers salute him as they pass, some even bowing in reverence. He's learnt to ignore it. He's deserving of respect as both a military leader and as the first disciple of Izuku Midoriya, someone who is very much a deity to these people.
Some of that reverence they reserve for him and him only. It is not simply his strength that has increased. Where before he was average height, now he is nearly thrice the height of the average person, his vast wings nearly twice that length. When he leads from the front, he is the first thing his enemies see, the inexorable approach of a war god, lance in hand to tear through armies.
His strength and legend have helped the Federation as it grew. The Philippines and Korea had been amongst the first. Now, all of Southeast Asia belongs to Izuku's burgeoning nation and it shows no signs of stopping. Already, the Federation is the largest nation in history. One day, every nation will swear fealty to Izuku even if it must be at the tip of a spear.
It's raining hard outside the base. Shiuich lets it wash away the blood of his sins. He spreads his wings and flies to his command base. There's a landing pad just for him, one that he fought against vehemently until he realised the futility in arguing with faithful engineers.
An entirely new generation has grown up only knowing a world where the abyss is real. A world where Gods walk the Earth. A world where Shuichi is the chosen of God.
His aide-de-camp has a towel and a formal military cloak fitted just for him. Unfortunately, because of the wings, he can't wear standard clothes and even the cloak is unusual. It is a long material with a hole for his head and drapes over his front in billowing waves and between his wings in a much thinner strap. It has straps and decorations to lend it an heir of formality, though he'll never truly have that with bare arms.
He lets the aide add the epaulettes and rank insignia without complaint as he shimmies into the formal trousers. It is awkward since the aide needs to use a ladder, but the conversations they share are always pleasant. When he is done, he looks less like he's come from a warzone and more like he's been at a state event.
In his private meeting room, he accepts the call. The holographic emitter comes to life and renders Izuku Midoriya in real-time, scaled so that Shuichi doesn't completely tower over him.
Shuichi kneels. "Lord Midoriya."
"Oh, get the hell up. I'm not going to have that nonsense from you."
Shuichi rises, a smile on his face.
Izuku is, and, will forever be short, but he has matured since he was a child. He looks young, no more than his mid-twenties, and hasn't aged a day since then. His scars, once distasteful, have become dignified. It may have something to do with the black military uniform that exudes discipline and menace. Perhaps it is the green mantle, the same shade as his eyes, held together by a gold chain and an emerald lightning bolt.
"I thought I'd annoy you a bit."
"I've been told the remnant is neutralised. Good job."
Shuichi bows lightly. "It was a simple enough job."
Izuku laughs. "My analysts predicted it would take six years, not the three you completed this phase of the campaign. I would promote you but then I'd have to make new ranks."
"None are necessary. This is your wish and I do this because I believe in what we are doing."
"And not because you're worried my father's ghost will forever haunt you."
He can't help snorting. "He was a… calling him a good man is a stretch, but he loved his family. He loved you and Kouta.
Izuku's cheer fades. "You have to forgive yourself. Kouta doesn't blame you for what happened anymore."
Shuichi sighs. "Every decade you ask me to forgive myself. Being blameless isn't the same as being forgiven. I won't cause Kouta any more pain."
"You know I'll keep asking every decade until you say yes."
"I do. That's why I believe in you, not your demagoguery."
"Is it that obvious?"
"I know you. I'm not some acolyte singing your prayers. I think you should be more willing to accept peace from Kirishima if—"
"We're not having that conversation."
Shuichi shrugs. He's tired as well of constantly being shut down. "Was there anything else besides congratulatory words?"
"Not really. How is your wife?"
Shuichi smiles. "Headstrong as ever. I don't doubt she'll scream at me for destroying the armour her teams spent so long researching."
"I think she suits you," Izuku says, laughing. "Well, I think I'll save you and distract her with a new project in Siberia. It should hopefully revolutionise infantry warfare."
He bows his head. "Thank you. I know my soldiers will be grateful."
"Hold on."
Spinner waits patiently as Izuku leans away, listening to one of his many secretaries. The man is forever busy, be it from the science divisions trying to learn the secrets of the universe from him or the business of running a government. Being High Consul of the Federation is no simple task. Leading a Federation of nearly two dozen member states will never be easy, but Izuku has handled it gracefully thus far.
And where His grace and charm failed, Shuichi had been more than willing to wage a war.
"Sorry," Izuku says when he's done, his face a few shades paler. "You've got new marching orders."
This he can understand. "My lance is yours. Tell me where and it will be done."
"Turkey. Kirishima's resistance has taken root in the country."
Shuichi closes his eyes for a moment, accepting what is to come and knowing his arguments will be ignored. There is a cruelty to Izuku that startles him sometimes, a willingness to follow the plan to the letter no matter the cost in blood.
"Is this your wish, my lord?"
Still, it is not his place to cast judgement. He is a weapon and a weapon does not question its wielder.
"It is. Show them my wrath."
This will involve invading two other countries on the way. It will mean months, if not years, of battle and death. It will mean thousands killing and dying at his command. By the time they reach Turkey, his claws will be stained red.
He lets the wish coalesce deep in his bones and dragon wings, lets it permeate his body and soul. He will grant this wish of his king and spill a sea of blood with his dark lance.
"Your will be done, my Lord."
-TDB-
In the years since that conversation, Shuichi finds himself growing weary of the constancy of war. Some days, he wishes peace were possible. Peace with Europe. Peace with Africa. Peace with the Americas. He knows it is a foolish hope. Whilst he may have read Kouta's treatise on the possibilities of peace, he finds them infeasible.
Especially not after what Izuku has done. There can be no peace after the crime Izuku committed. A crime that is currently straining their nation to a breaking point. Whatever image of benevolence Izuku once had is gone, his name blackened by the vileness of His actions.
Shuichi sits cross-legged at a beach, trying to enjoy his last moments of peace. His wife sits on his knee, speaking about some avenue of research or other. Shuichi certainly does pay her some attention—the concept of shields for his soldiers sounds incredible—but more than anything, he merely wants to enjoy her presence.
They don't get to see each other much and when they do, negotiating the logistics of their height difference is always a nightmare. Relatively speaking, at an even six foot, she is rather tall. Realistically, that means she's a quarter as tall as he is.
"Don't you get bored of listening to me?" she asks, shaded by his vast wings.
"Never."
"Some days I wish—"
"We've spoken about wishes," he says, cutting her off. "Never say those words near me."
Once, long ago, he accepted the wings of a wish-granting dragon. On that day, he made a wish and his lance came into being. He still has it, but it was his first wish, and he has, unconsciously, granted many more. Most are simple wishes from his soldiers: prayers for protection and good health that are easy to grant. Others were more complex: generals wishing for good weather and sound logistics; mothers praying for their sons to return safely; and even the wish of a diplomat for a fair peace agreement.
In the process, some of that energy returns to him. A wish is much the same as a prayer and he feeds on those prayers, growing into his role: his wings lengthen and his scales both harden and thicken, his claws are sharp enough to cut diamond and he keeps growing. Even his features have become more draconic, losing whatever vestiges of humanity he had as a child.
The transformation isn't complete yet. He still walks on two legs and can speak with human vocal cords, but he can feel the change coming.
So, when someone says 'I wish' he feels compelled to grant the wish. And too often, he twists the meaning of the wish. It has something to do with his very nature. He never wants anyone he loves to ask for a wish that he could possibly twist.
She punches him hard on the knee, her dull red hair splaying with the motion. It's nothing more than a soft poke, a way to convey annoyance and indignity.
"Pay attention to me."
He runs one claw along the length of her long horns.
"I love you," he says, "And I don't deserve you."
They spend the rest of the day together, watching the waves. It will be the last moment they have together. She runs a massive research department churning out exotic weaponry and materials for the Federation. He leads the soldiers that use those weapons. A match made in hell as his enemies say.
He watches her leave, regret filling his heart. The sun has set and twilight rules over them.
Then he sighs, turning to a shadow. "Thank you for not disturbing us."
Izuku Midoriya materialises from the shadow, darkness dripping down his black suit. He's gone from wearing a uniform to emulating his last teacher. At least he doesn't have a stupid mask.
He barely reaches Shuichi's knee at this point.
"It would be cruel to interrupt you."
He hums and takes a seat on the warm sand. He stretches out languidly, resting his head on his fist. Lying sideways, he doesn't tower over Izuku. Much.
"Yes?"
"We'll need a show of strength to reinvigorate morale," his Lord says urgently. "This would be the perfect time to crush Kirishima's rebellion."
"I refuse," Shuichi says calmly.
"I'm sorry?" Izuku says, in the same tone of voice He uses when someone has said something foolish. It is an opportunity to retract what has been said.
"I will not authorise any further military movements outside the borders of the Federation."
It is his right as Disciple-General to dictate how the armies of the Federation move. He was the one who forged them and led them through the first conflicts in Japan to successfully assimilating Russia over a campaign spanning decades. The world associates the Great Dragon with the armies of the Federation. It is most telling that the army flag has a dragon coiled protectively around the lightning bolt and planet of the Federation.
"I am your King. You swore an oath to be loyal."
Shuichi inclines his head in agreement, his wings folding shut. "I swore an oath to be your Disciple," he clarifies. "I have never broken that oath. But already you have broken your new oath."
"I've stayed true to it."
"Really? You're asking me to do something that will lead to internal strife for decades to come. You're asking me to throw my soldiers, men loyal to me, to a meat grinder and watch them die because of Your actions. No one forced You to do what you did that day. I will not bear the weight of that sin."
The weight of that sin is immense and would crush Shuichi. There are many lives he's taken, many families he's destroyed, but each time he offered them the chance to surrender.
There were no combatants when Izuku Midoriya committed his sin that is now breaking the Federation. No surrender offered. There is no justification for the act and Shuichi will not carry that burden. Some burdens weigh too heavily, and this one would crush Shuichi.
"You swore to be my Wrath."
"I did," Shuichi agrees once more. "The person You are angriest with is yourself. You hate this idea, you loathe it so much that I can feel it like I feel gravity. I will not do it. My only goal is to reorganise the army and ensure internal security. We will not conquer anymore of the world until the internal strife is resolved."
"I swore to do better," He says, angry only with Himself.
Shuichi shifts, kneeling so that he doesn't completely tower of his Lord.
"You're angry that it isn't easy," Shuichi says. "I know it hurts because you stayed on the path even when Fumikage and Shouto faltered. I know it hurts because Your oaths can't survive in this world."
"Then tell me how to fix it."
"You can't. If you fail now, the Federation fails. And if the Federation fails, mankind dies. Are your oaths worth more than billions of lives?"
"What do I do?" He asks, tiredly. "I've already done so much that can't be forgiven."
"I don't have that answer, my King. I am only your loyal Disciple."
"You're my friend as well. You never ran away like Fumikage or Shouto."
Shuichi chuckles, a deep rumble that shakes the ground.
"Then as your friend, you must stay true to yourself. You love life and that is your greatest strength, but it also a weakness. A prosperous humanity is the goal you seek, but you bargain away human lives as a means to that end. You're seeing the big picture, the map upon which the Great Game is played on. That's what they've taught you to see. All For One and Shouto taught you to view the world like that. That isn't you."
Shuichi raises a large finger. Gently, carefully, Shuichi pokes Him in the chest with a sharp claw. It won't hurt Him, won't even push Him back.
"Make each individual life the end. Make a prosperous humanity the means to that end. Not the other way around."
"You make it sound so simple."
"It is simple, but it isn't easy." Shuichi smiles. "You are my Lord and I do not regret my loyalty. I will follow you to the very end."
"I've caused you a lot of trouble."
Shuichi nods. "You did. I'll have to clean up your mess and deal with the civil unrest you've caused. In one day, You birthed more rebels than Kirihsima did in decades."
Izuku winces. "What will you do to the traitors? To the rebels and defectors?"
That's a question he's been warring with. Ever since Izuku's great sin, revolt, rebellion and secession have become everyone's favourite game. He's had army battalions take over territories and naval fleets defect to different nations.
"Send them to the moon and Mars," Shuichi says. "It's time we make use of the colonies."
Izuku cocks his head. "How?"
"Rebels and defectors can bolster the population. The regiments that turned traitor can become security forces. How many orphans are there? Send them to the moon and teach them the ways of our Federation."
"We aren't ready to open them. Mars is barely habitable. And we're pushing the limits on lunar habitation. This will just give them a place to start a new rebellion."
His wings flare out in annoyance.
"Shared struggle unifies people. What would you propose? Mass incarcerations? No, we don't have the resources for that. Genocide?" Izuku flinches back. "I won't take part in such."
"Colonisation is Shouto's job."
It is a weak argument and they both know it. So long as it is Izuku asking, Shouto will simply smile and find a new pocket of humanity to torment with his cruelty. He's not particularly picky about being a controlling prick.
"I think it's time. I genuinely do. Humanity was meant to walk other planets. Let's reach the stars and prepare for the war to come."
He stares at the sky lit up by millions of stars. Monsters are hiding amongst the stars and they will eat mankind if given the opportunity. But there is also light and hope. So long as they try, they can reach the stars and reign supreme.
Shuichi wants to walk on Mars and Venus and travel to different stars. It isn't a pipe dream anymore. Mankind can claim that glory.
-TDB-
Three years later he enters his home for the first time in years. It is a compound in eastern Russia, miles upon miles of empty land just for him and his family. Shouto's efforts to terraform the country have turned the bleak landscape into something bright and lush, vibrant with all manner of life, both mundane and abyssal.
He steps over an ethereal serpent a few hundred metres long, its upper half coiled protectively around one of the heat-generating spikes they use to warm vast landscapes. In the distance, he can make out some herdsmen tending to a flock of bovine, aided by quicksilver hounds.
Some days he worries for his wife, worries that she will be harmed by all manner of creature. But she seems to enjoy being here. It lets her research the effects of abyssal lifeforms and technologies on earth whilst also having the benefit of them having a massive home.
"It's a nice place," Kouta, who must walk briskly just to stay near him, shouts.
Speaking to Kouta is a novel experience, one that started only a few short years ago. Shuichi had gone down on his knees the day Kouta requested to speak to him and apologised honestly. Shuichi had offered Kouta his life in recompense for the crimes he committed, in honour of Mandalay and Tiger and Pixiebob and Ragdoll. Regardless that he never directly killed them, and tried his hardest to save them, he still bears that burden.
For some reason, Kouta had simply waved away his apologies and spoke to him as an equal. Not as a monster or the Great Dragon, but as a simple person.
"It is," Shuichi says easily. "And you don't have to shout. I can hear you clearly."
The boy laughs. He's a grown man in truth and growing into his role. There is a formless wish that follows him, a wish to record history and preserve it for future generations.
On a whim, Shuichi decides to grant it. To his sight, the golden glow around Kouta solidifies. He senses every abyssal creature in the region stop and focuses on Kouto who walks oblivious to the wish now granted. The gold light dims, seeping into his skin and twining around the fabric of his soul.
As the wish takes shape, he sees it in its entirety. Kouta will chronicle the unification of the earth itself and he will be remembered for generations to come.
An insidious part of Shuichi wonders what will happen to him after Earth is unified. After all, does he still need to live after that point?
They approach Shuichi's home, an expansive palace that is reminiscent of Izuku's personal palace in Sendai, once Momo Yaoyorozu's childhood home. It is ostentatious and gaudy and everything Shuichi hates, but it serves as a reminder of their power. They can build monuments like this in the middle of nowhere. What more of regions where the Federation invests its limitless potential.
The front door is built to suit Shuichi and stands nearly twenty metres tall. It's still more than double his height, but in the last three years, he's put on another metre. The main wing is sized for him to walk around comfortably. The rest of the palace, however, is not. That is where his wife stays most of the time. It makes sense given how easy it would be to crush her by mistake.
Today is a special occasion.
She is waiting for them on the staircase, helped by one of her many attendants. Her skin is pallid and there is a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead.
Shuichi kneels so that he is closer to his wife, Kouta struggling to keep up behind him. Even so, they are separated by a good four metres. Thankfully, his eyesight is sharp as a hawk.
"Hello, my dear."
Her smile is gentle. "I'm not angry with you. Now, stop hesitating and say hello to your daughter."
He extends his massive hand to her, slow and gentle. In her hands is a bundle wrapped by blue blankets. Their child fits in the palm of his hand. It seems so incongruous that this tiny lifeform is his.
Her tuft of hair is the same vivid pink Shuichi has. Around her eyes, he can make out a smattering of scales, a dull red just like her mother's hair. Two tiny nubs peak out from her forehead. He doesn't doubt they will grow into horns just like his wife's.
"She's beautiful."
"Takes after her father."
He tilts his head. "Really?"
"Yeah, she never talks. Now tell Kouta why he's here."
Kouta, standing at the base of the stairs. In his middling years, he has a certain grace to him, grey of hair and wiser than them all combined. His eyes are sharp and compassionate. He is nothing at all like the boy Shuichi protected from a distance. There is a reason he's amongst the most respected people in the Federation.
"I brought you here to ask if you would be willing to be her godfather?"
Kouta startles. "Sorry, could you repeat that?"
His wife laughs. "You heard right. I don't really care about the concept but Shuichi is a romantic."
"I'm not," he says with false heat. "But I would rest easy knowing you were there to look after her."
"I would be honoured." He smiles. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm not always around. I'm godfather to nearly half of Fumikage's brood."
"Would you like to hold your goddaughter?"
Kouta takes her gently, holding her as though she is liable to break at any moment. It makes Shuichi smile because there's no chance of her being hurt. Her bones are the same material Shuichi's are hewn from, unbelievably strong and yet incredibly light.
Kouta simply stares at her, a mix of wonder and joy.
"What's her name?"
"Shino, if you'll permit it."
That was once Mandalay's name. Kouta's aunt. The same aunt Shuichi had a hand in kidnapping.
Kouta looks up. For a moment, there is grief on his features. It is decades old and a festering wound that never truly healed. Then he masters his emotions.
"It's a good name. I think she would have liked it."
It doesn't make up for the pain he caused Kouta as a child. But perhaps, they can move past it together.
Perhaps, forgiveness is possible in this cruel world. And if even he can be forgiven, then doesn't that mean his enemies can be forgiven.
"Do you believe in peace?"
Kouta smiles, gentle and soft and everything good in this world. It is the same smile Izuku once held.
"I believe we should try."
-TDB-
Shuichi Iguchi is proud that mankind walks the stars now. He had been right all those decades ago when he allowed the other planets to be colonised. The shared struggle had brought people together. Most of all, he's proud of Kouta for making peace on Earth. Shuichi will always be grateful for his actions.
On this day, he walks the surface Ceres. It is situated in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, a tiny body compared to the planets it is nestled between. He clambers over a hill on all fours, finding it far more comfortable than walking on two. As Shuichi has grown, the changes to his physiology became more pronounced. The tail that sprouted had been surprising. It had been accompanied by changes to his spine and pelvis. Combined with his height of nearly fifteen metres, it had just been easier to walk like the dragon he is.
The hill gives him a good view of the pale expanse of Ceres. Beyond it, in the background, Mars is a luminous beacon of prosperity and growth. Fleets of ships glide through the void of space, guided by ephemeral roads of godflame. Seeing how mankind has grown under his care will never cease to amaze Shuichi.
Behind him, however, is the one thing that still keeps him up at night.
"/This will be a good location/" Shuichi rumbles to the person beside him. His voice is monstrously deep in the vacuum, but most of his speech occurs through the soul. Soon enough, he'll lose the ability to speak like a human but that doesn't bother him. The spark of the abyss within him will ensure he can communicate with anyone.
"For?" Fumikage Tokoyami asks.
At a hundred years old, Fumikage doesn't look any older than his twentieth year. He stands calmly in scaled armour, a longsword strapped to his back, and a perfectly white cloak billowing in a non-existent wind.
That is how he physically looks. But, through Shuichi's senses granted to him by the abyss, he can see the totality of Fumikage's being. The god is dozens of universes unto himself, a perpetual seed of life, and its great defender. Shuichi long ago gave up on trying to catalogue everything within Fumikage's soul and so did the god.
When your soul houses entire galaxies teeming with life, keeping track of them all isn't worth it.
Shuichi smiles. "/A fortress against Jupiter/" He points at the gas giant, a pinprick amongst the stars. "/Ceres will be the first line of defence against the monsters that would destroy humanity/"
Growing within the Red Spot is the threat that made them unify Earth. When the battle against the Singers ended, the universe had been altered. There is no difference between the universe humanity inhabits and the rest of the abyss. From Shouto's errant whispers, Proxima Centauri, the next star over, is being consumed by something from the depths of the abyss. It will be a threat mankind will need to win against.
But only after they win against the entity growing in Jupiter. Its presence is dark and constant, but it is interspersed with sparks of godflame and green lightning. It is something new, an entity that can only exist in this new era of Creation. Shuichi will see to it mankind can fight it alone.
Ceres will serve as the forward base of operations when the time comes. The first inklings of the fortress's final form are already taking shape. Ceres will be the central hub of the asteroid cities. The Federation's astro-engineers and their fleet of construction ships have built the core of the filaments that will one day bind the asteroids together.
"You wish to stare the enemy down," Fumikage says, amused. "Your tenacity warms my heart."
"/Mankind must be tenacious if they want a place amongst the stars. They will only grow if they struggle against those greater than them/"
"You don't include yourself amongst mankind?"
Shuichi chuffs and spreads his wings. His scales glow a bright green, casting them both in the light of his soul. Shuichi inhales, sparking the core of fire in his soul. When he exhales, bright plasma spews forth, a bright beam that illuminates the darkness like a second sun for a second.
"Point made," Fumikage says. "I suppose I can help with your fortress."
Fumikage sweeps his arm across and the universe shifts suddenly. Ceres' orbit suddenly slows, jolting Shuichi violently. He'd be pressed hard across the face of the asteroid if not for the spark of abyssal divinity in his soul.
As it is, he observes as Ceres and the asteroids around it stop moving. No, rather yet, their orbit is tethered to Jupiter.
Fumikage stares at the filaments for a moment before snapping his fingers. In an instant, living crystals spread across them, dozens of miles wide at their thinnest. Each crystal filament is a living ecosystem, and already Shuichi gets a sense of the life that will grow here, creatures that will feed on the vacuum and emit warmth.
It always humbles him when any of the three wields their power, but Fumikage's is the one he finds most beautiful. The power to shape life and nurture it is something breath-taking, and on occasion, Shuichi finds himself crying.
"That should help you stare it down."
"/Thank you. How are the other two?/"
Fumikage crosses his arms. "Shouto got lost in time for a bit. I believe Izuku is arguing with the Senate over expansion to Venus. He wishes to slow down. However, Earth's population is reaching untenable levels. Mars and the moon have hit their habitation limits."
"/Leaving only Venus and Mercury/"
"Indeed. It's a futile argument, but you know how stubborn Izuku can be."
The closest planets from the Sun. He knows Fumikage and Shouto had a terraforming spree a few decades ago during one of their many arguments with Izuku, but he's yet to visit either planet. Other matters have consumed his thoughts.
He stares at the sun, a sudden pang of longing gripping his heart. For someone like him with fire in his soul, the sun almost speaks to him, always beckoning. One day, he hopes to fall into its burning embrace and slumber.
-TDB-
Nearly forty years pass from that day. Mankind flourishes amongst the interior solar system. Mars with its vast amethyst oceans, a royal purple for their most extensive terraforming project. Venus with its great mountains and forests, the first planet they discovered alien ruins. Mercury which serves as a massive industrial hub where solar matter is used to feed the insatiable human empire.
Earth serves as the crown jewel. Rebuilt after the years of war, it is filled with towering monuments from different eras. It teems with abyssal life that has been tamed and put to work. Shuichi hasn't returned there in decades.
It hasn't been perfectly peaceful. There have been rebellions and riots, one insipid revolutionary attempting to carve out their own empire after another. Shuichi had led armies to crush the enemies to His Lord's nation.
When he isn't bringing peace and prosperity, he grants wishes to those he deems worthy. Sometimes, there is a price, but it is in his nature to grant wishes. Unfortunately, there are two wishes he can never grant. The first had been to see his wife live but she chose to pass on, happy with her work, and joyful to have lived a fulfilling life. Shuichi will never forget the moments they spent together or the children they sired.
In the intervening years, he's learnt to move on from the pain. He doesn't feel flashes of bitterness or grief as often as he did. One day, he will learn to accept that his powers aren't inviolable and that not all wishes can be granted.
Shuichi flies through the expanse of space, his wings stretching for miles and his scales the darkest green. In the bright purple wake, each beat of his powerful wings leave are his children, dozens of dragons of all colours and ridden by Fumikage's Knights. His eldest daughter is first amongst them, bright as a small sun.
He swings his serpentine neck to the side and observes the legions of vessels propelled by engines of godflame. They are armoured thickly with abyssal shields and bristling with reverse entropic and reality-tear weaponry. They are the culmination of Shouto's research efforts and dedication. Each one can destroy the moon with ease.
Shuichi doubts more than a handful will return from Jupiter's orbit.
Further back he sees the dread legions pulling worlds of ruin, chained together by obsidian links that stretch for miles. They, and the creatures on them, alongside the Knights, are Fumikage's contribution to the battle to come.
As for Izuku, well, Shuichi is His Lance. Shuichi is His Wrath, His Disciple and General of His armies. Shuichi alone is enough to stand in His place.
And yet, He is here, sometimes sitting between the spurs jutting out of Shuichi's neck and sometimes walking vacuum. He and his fellow kings all ride Shuichi to Jupiter where they will once more fight for mankind's right to inherit the future.
Despite the weight of expectation, the kings are having a drink of tea on a platform of infernal fire and true darkness. They laugh easily, not indifferent to fear, but being so used to the unknown that it matters little at this stage.
"I still say Mars is prettier than Venus," his Lord says loudly, not caring that there is no air to carry His voice. "There's something to be said for those oceans. Purple as far as the eye can see and all the underwater cities. You can't tell me that isn't beautiful."
"Dark Shadow would disagree," Fumikage says quietly. "Venus is the best. When was the last time you walked through the crystal grassland? When did you explore the Black Garden or visit the sky barges? Dark Shadow says you never even visited the forest of his children."
Izuku waves his concern away.
It also happens to create a colossal wall of darkness that protects the fleet from Saturn's long-range attack, an entropic beam wide as a continent. The beam creates rips in the fabric of spacetime, condensing and swelling to black holes that Izuku casually shatters with bolts of green lightning. A scorching solar wind rushes forth, eliminating the rest.
Shuichi coughs to draw their attention. "I say—"
"We all know you think Luna is the prettiest place in the galaxy," Fumikage says to Shouto, though not unkindly. "Your opinion is invalid."
"Fine. Let's settle this. Shuichi, which colony is prettiest?"
Shuichi turns his neck to stare at Him. When He speaks, His voice is always filled with power. Even during this casual conversation, there is no mistaking the power He wields.
Shuichi is not as great as any of the three. He may possibly live an age with them, but he will never be as powerful. Nor does he care for power.
/Mercury, perhaps. It may not be the sun, but is closest/
He does not speak like a human any longer. The days of his mundane life as His Disciple on Earth are over. Shuichi is a Wish Dragon now, and the greatest tragedy is that he cannot grant the second wish he yearns for.
Shuichi wishes to rest and finally find peace. Asleep, full of sweet dreams and quiet breathing, nestled in the solar flares of the sun and its nuclear fires. Solace at last, without the ghosts of the dead hounding his every step and the crushing weight of God's expectations looming over him constantly.
One day, he hopes to put down his lance and find completion in himself, singular and perfect. Perhaps, if he digs deep enough, he will find a man clean of blood and muck.
Izuku smiles sadly but it is still warm as the sun. "You'll get your wish to sleep."
It is the Last Wish Shuichi will ever grant. This he knows in the depths of his soul. And thus, it is the wish he can never cast until His nation is stable.
/One day. After Jupiter/
"Stay strong," Shouto commands, sending a beam of godflame towards Jupiter's hordes, incinerating them in the now and burning them away in the past. "You are the Lance of mankind."
"He will not falter," Fumikage says, his chains binding the remaining vanguard opposing them, never once seeming strained by the act of enslaving millions by his will alone. "And what of you?"
There is one other with them. The woman is old but wears no suit against the vacuum. She is human, not in form but in spirit. In his youth, had he seen this lady with the oddly shaped limbs and metallic attachments and glowing quills, he would have thought her an alien. Now, she is mundane against all he has seen.
The vacuum of space and the radiation inherent to it trigger something in humans. Mutations had been abundant before, but exposure to space had triggered secondary and tertiary hidden quirks, most of them mutations, in the populace.
So, though her third pair of arms directly interfaces with the quantum communication hub and her shoulder fronds glow brightly across the visible spectrum, she is human.
She stands for Kouta as the chronicler of history. Earth is Kouta's home and the place his ashes will be stored. Space is the one frontier he chose not to breach centuries ago.
"The final colony Shuichi will visit," she says simply.
Fumikage laughs brightly, a legion of his crows tearing through true gods. "Your dedication is commendable. I understand now why Kouta chose you to finish Shuichi's story."
/Your duty will not end/
She laughs softly, a sound that eases his soul. "My duty will end once you finally sleep, Great Dragon. Only then may your story end."
Shuichi says no more. He flaps his wings, flying vaster than light and enters the fray. He is the Lance of Izuku Midoriiya, his Disciple and General. He will always be the first to enter the battle and the last to leave it.
It is what he has always done.
It is all he knows.
All the words for glory,
All the words for honour,
All the words for loyalty,
Will be hollow
If you cannot find peace,
Within yourself.