College sucks. Anyways, I might have mentioned it before, but I'm thinking about maybe doing a Demon Slayer crossover soon. Also two chapters today because I can.
Frostlash: I'm glad you liked that detail. It always bothered me that the only time where permission was granted to the students to fight was in the training camp arc. Even in the Stain Arc, I felt like Torino, Endeavor, and Manual should have at least lt Shoto, Izuku, and Tenya enter into combat should it come down to it. Anyways, what's happening on ao3 is something that's inevitable because of human nature. I'm not overly bothered about it, I'm just... disappointed.
Midoriya and Iida made quick work of the door that blocked their path to the hall after the students had all reached the catwalk safely. Chiron dropped from Hippogriff's back as Astolfo circled above them, glancing around from the beast's back.
"This way's blocked too," Iida reported and Chiron grimaced. Should he and Astolfo just continue on alone? It would be safer and they'd go undetected that way, but he didn't want to leave the students alone...
"Great, what do we do now?" Mineta huffed and Chiron gazed around. His eyes landed on a hatch just as Midroiya's did.
"Melissa," the boy asked, "Where does that hatch lead?" The girl blinked, walking over and glancing up to where he was pointing.
"I think that leads under the maintenance room for the sunlight system here…"
Iida perked up at that. "There's probably an emergency ladder in the maintenance room right?" he asked and Chiron glanced to Astolfo, who nodded a bit.
"Yeah, there is," Melissa confirmed, shifting a bit. "But it's manual release, so someone will have to be inside in order to let it down for us."
The hopeful mood from the students immediately plummeted.
"Is this as far as we go?" Uraraka asked.
"No," Chiron said and the others looked towards him. "We just have to get in there right? Astolfo can get that done." The students stared at him as Astolfo adjusted Hippogriff's reins in his hands.
"I mean, she could climb through the vent to the maintenance room, but that'd be too much of a squeeze, right?" Melissa asked and he shook his head.
"I don't mean that," he told them, "Melissa, in due time things will be explained, but I need you to promise that when Astolfo, Gray, and I speak of our…Quirks, you leave the questions to a minimal, alright?"
Melissa gazed at him, his eyes serious and seeming to have an ethereal glow as he spoke. She nodded slowly, swallowing and the brown-haired man nodded after her. Chiron turned, gazing up at the vent.
"There's something that us Servants can do— entering a Spirit form. We're fully non-corporeal and unseeable. We can slip in and out of matter. Astolfo and Hippogriff can get up there and release the ladder that way." It only took a moment of hesitation before the students agreed and Astolfo took off, he and Hippogriff vanishing in a shower of golden flecks.
"I have a question, though, Chiron-sensei," Yaoyorozu asked as they waited.
He blinked, nodding to her. "Yes, Yaoyorozu?"
"W-Well, when the wall was blocked off at first, why didn't you just phase through?"
He smiled, patting her head. "That's a good question," he said, "The thing is, we can't touch things in spirit form. It's true that we can control our direction and if we want to be seen or not, but no matter what, we can't touch solid matter. A servant from France would cloak himself in a shadowy aura and slip through walls sometimes, but you could always see him because that's how he wanted it to be. Though considering the oddity of the Count, he tended to be able to do things many others couldn't." he told her with a hum. "In short, yes, I could have, but the result would have been the same. We would have been located as the door opened and if there were any cameras past that door, I would have been seen."
Yaoyorozu seemed to accept his answer, nodding as the others listened.
"Oh, I get it," Midoriya said as the ladder was released and lowered down to them. "So instead of blindly rushing in, you were going to see what else you could come up with."
He nodded, placing a hand on the ladder as it clicked into place. "Yes," he told him with a nod, starting to climb. "I was, but that was cut short for reasons we all recognize."
"Hurry on up, you guys!" Astolfo called down with a grin as he waved.
"We're moving as fast as we can," Chiron called up with a chuckle and Hippogriff squawked from where it was also peering down at them.
He climbed up without a problem, helping the others out.
"Thanks, Astolfo!" Melissa said with a smile and the Rider gave her a thumbs up.
"It's just what I do," he said, grinning.
"Let's continue on," Chiron said, "Is everyone alright with that?" "Yes!"
(x)
Jiro was a smart girl and was quick to think on her feet. Chiron was quite proud when he saw her destroying cameras with her Earphone Jack while they ran. He had shot some of them with arrows, but with her working with him, the destruction of the cameras was going quite fast. He had left some for her to break after he saw her destroying them with him.
The lack of barriers in the way after they hit the 100th floor was suspicious though, Jiro voicing as such as they ran. Astolfo agreed and their suspicions were confirmed upon reaching the 130th floor.
"Security robots, then," Astolfo said as he gazed through a door's window. The lab was crawling with robots, looking for them.
"They're not trying to stop us now," Chiron said, "Now they're actively trying to capture us."
"They must realize who we are," Midoriya suggested.
The green-haired boy turned to Chiron. "You wouldn't be able to do that thing you did in the exam, would you? Something-catastrophe?"
He shook his head. "Only if you want me to bring this tower and everyone in it to an early grave," he said as he gazed out.
"Why don't I just blast them?" Kaminari asked, sparking a bit and he blinked, looking over at his student.
"You'd be right in the center of them," he warned, "Are you alright with that?"
"I can go with him," Astolfo said, perking up. "Blasted Tree is basically the same, right?" Chiron gave Astolfo a look and the boy sweat.
"Is that a no?"
"Astolfo, barring Hippogriff, any of these Phantasms would take the entire building down," he said in a quiet tone as Kaminari and Iida talked 'strategy'. "Two require the sky to be above us and one is an entire golem that we are not using."
"Yikes," the Rider sighed. "I get it. We'll have to limit our use of phantasms then…"
"Chiron-sensei! We have a plan but you can't get mad at us!" Kaminari said as he and Iida jogged over. Chiron sighed, but smiled a bit. Even in the face of danger, the blonde was still full of energy.
"We'll see about that last part," he said, "I leave this to you then."
Kaminari nodded, grinning before Yaoyorozu created an insulated blanket. The students all got under it as the Archer and Rider both vanished into their spirit forms. Kaminari ran to Iida, holding his arms out. The engine quirk user grabbed his wrists before the engines on his legs started. Iida swung Kaminari around before launching him at the robots.
"Indiscriminate shock!" Kaminari yelled, electricity exploding outwards from his body. "1.3 Million Volts!"
The red-colored robots paused for a moment, only to all enter into a defensive mode by retracting into the shock-resistant outer casings. Midoriya peered out, eyes wide.
"It's not working!" he cried and Kaminari seemed to huff. Chiron pinched the bridge of his nose as Kaminari increased the output of his blast.
"He's gonna overdo it…." Astolfo sighed and Chiron just sighed in return as the voltage stopped and Kaminari sat among the next to undamaged robots with a dumb look on his face.
He and Astolfo reappeared as Jiro put her palm to her face. The students stood, walking over to Kaminari as Chiron materialized his bow.
"Well, at least he stopped the robots," Midoriya said and Astolfo groaned as the said machines rebooted and came out of their casings.
"Don't jinx us!" he said as the robots tied Kaminari up. Several more started to rush the group and Chiron raised his bow.
"Plan B, then!" he called and Yaoyorozu materialized canisters of gas with signal jamming particles in them. She tossed a few to the other girls and Astolfo before they started throwing them towards the robots.
"Mineta!" Midoriya ordered and the boy started throwing his balls in the path of the robots. The first few got stuck, making the ones behind them crash into the first wall.
It almost worked, before the others hopped over the roadblock.
"Iida, Midoriya!" Chiron yelled back and the two nodded, activating their quirks and rushing the robots. The ones in Midoriya's way went flying as Iida recovered Kaminari.
"Jiro!" Astolfo called and the girl nodded, already kneeling with her earphone jack in the ground.
"Coming from the right!"
Chiron nodded before he pivoted, facing that direction.
"Iida, take lead, I'll be right behind you all!" he ordered the bespectacled teen nodded, taking off in the opposite direction with the others. Chiron let his arrows fly when he saw the first round of robots, sending them sprawling back.
"I'll just have to pay for repairs," he sighed as he fired another hail of arrows at the robots. After a few minutes, he stopped his assault. The remaining robots were having trouble clambering over the other, fallen ones, and he had bought enough time for them. Turning, he took off, shifting forms as he followed Astolfo's Spirit Signature.
"We've entered combat on the 138th floor!" Astolfo's voice said suddenly Chiron leaped up the stairs that lead to the 137th floor. "The Server Room, we sent Midoriya, Melissa, and Uraraka ahead!"
"Server Room? I'm just below you, I'm on my way!" He told the rider as he picked the pace up.
The Archer arrived in moments and burst into the room, eyes blazing as he took in the sight before him in seconds. There were too many robots for the students to deal with alone, and even Astolfo was getting overrun trying to be careful of the Servers.
"GET DOWN!" He ordered as he raised his bow. The students were captured and surrounded by the robots, but the ones still sitting up hit the ground and laid as flat as possible. Astolfo instantly vanished into spirit form and took off (probably above them all) before Chiron open fired. Arrows fired so rapidly it looked more like machine gunfire speared the robots and stopped them in their tracks.
"Astolfo!" He yelled, "Get to Midoriya and Uraraka!"
"Right!" The Rider's voice said from further away and the boy's presence vanished from the room.
"Stay down, students!" He added as more robots started to flood the room. "You did well, but leave the rest to me."
Angry Horse Mama.