Hello everyone, I have some things to say.
I am so sorry. I have a lot of things to apologize for.
First and foremost, the merging of chapters 18 and 19. This was done as a suggestion and I thought it would work out but as previous attempts at this have shown me, it's only caused confusion and problems for my readers so I will refrain from doing that from on.
Secondly, cutting chapters in half. At first, I thought it was a good idea but it has now occurred to me that this has made me sound lazy and uninspired, something I did not want to convey to my dedicated readers. That and I kinda end up caving into pressure when less-than-patient reviewers tell me to hurry up or say that my fic is dead. I never wanted my readers to get the wrong impression and for that, I am sorry.
But now I'm turning things around and making a change. No more excuses, no more half chapters, I'm doing things right this time. I will take my time doing chapters and no more false promises of a finale; I will only say that when I feel like it's at that point. I will do my best to not get pressured into a rushed release and do my work when I am comfortable and able to. Being a fanfic writer has always been hard for me and this is my first step toward improving myself.
With that being said, thank you for hearing me out and for your continued patience.
My Hero Academia, DOOM, and Darksiders belong to their respective owners, I do not own either of them.
Chapter 19
Hidden Depths
I-ISLAND CENTRAL TOWER-ROOFTOP
The repeated swings of Wolfram's fists forced the Doomslayer and Miruko to dive out of the way as the impacts left craters along the roof. Wolfram clenched his golem's right fist and it sprouted rebars rods along its fingers, shooting at the pair with a deadly hailstorm of sharpened steel. Mirko swerved and ducked around the implements in a blur of superhuman acrobatics while the Slayer shrugged off the rebars bouncing off his armor while he blew away the unarmored cables with his Super Shotgun. For the armored ones, he resorted to one-shotting them with his bare fists.
How many fucking cables was this tower filled with?
Wolfram then switched to another form of attack: the golem's shoulders morphed into a pair of cannons aimed right at them! The cannons fired their payload at them, non-explosives shells filled to the brim with shrapnel, and scattered the duo; destroying a large section of the rooftop in the process. The burst of razor-sharp metal pieces forced Miruko to seek cover amid the uprooted rubble as one errant blade sailed over her ears, nearly taking them off and forcing her to fold them.
The Slayer was caught up in the collapsing portion of the roof and he ran up the falling slab; double jumping back onto the roof before Wolfram transformed his left arm into a giant drill and thrust it at the Hellwalker! He was knocked out of the sky and driven into the roof as the drill ground against him. But the Doomslayer gripped the drill with his bare hands, stopping its motion and tearing it off in an inhuman display of strength. As Wolfram drew his hand back in shock, the Doomslayer hurled the drill at the golem's right shoulder canon and destroyed it along with its arm just as he instantly drew his Rocket Launcher and fired a missile at the other shoulder canon. The payload sailed directly into the barrel and exploded as soon as it reached the end. As the canon crumbled off of the golem, the Slayer noticed Miruko staring at him with an awestruck expression.
"Jeez, I'll have whatever you're smoking." Miruko found her voice as she cracked a smile.
Flynn never did smoke. The last thing he needed was lung cancer. Of course, being a demigod gave him immunity from any disease but still.
"YOU LITTLE SHITS ARE LIKE COCKROACHES..." Wolfram's smug insult caught the two's attention and turned towards the madman. "YOU JUST DON'T KNOW WHEN TO STAND STILL AND DIE!" A swarm of cables replaced his missing arm until it formed into a giant lamprey appendage with a suction-like mouth lined with rebar roads as its teeth. Then, he created a massive cutlass in his other hand using pieces of his armor with his Quirk. To say that Wolfram looked imposing would be a colossal understatement.
Miruko's eye twitched as she bared her teeth. "I am so fucking sick of this guy." She seethed.
The Doomslayer frowned. Ditto.
/Wolfram's power is increasing and he is dangerously close to breaching the vault./
He frowned deeper. That and they were starting to run out of roof to stand on. Wolfram prepared to attack with his lamprey arm but then a flurry of feathers came from the sky and swarmed all over the arms, slicing it to pieces!
"HUH?" Wolfram grunted as the feathers flew back up into the clouds and a blur shot downwards towards the golem and cut straight through its sword like a hot knife through butter. "WHAT THE...?!"
The unseen figure flew past the Doomslayer and Miruko, perching itself on a pile of rubble behind it as it unfurled its red plumage to reveal the pair's surprise ally: The Wing Hero Hawks!
"Keigo!" Miruko exclaimed with elation as the Slayer charged towards Wolfram, not giving a rat's ass about Hawks.
"Call me fashionably late." Hawks charismatically boasted as he tapped his feather katana against his shoulder. His smile faded when he saw the sorry, bloodied state Miruko was in. She looked like she was using all of her willpower to stand upright. Why did she have to keep punishing herself like this?
"I know what you're going to say, so save it." Miruko rudely interrupted. "We need to take that Villain down; he's wearing some kind of headband that supercharges his Quirk."
"Another genius invention of I-Island he probably stole." Hawks sarcastically drawled. His expression turned serious when he noticed the Vigilante shooting Wolfram with his Rocket Launcher, the Villain blocking the explosives with his construct's free hand. Keigo tensed up when he remembered the river of blood on his flight through the island; the Vigilante was responsible for it all. "So what's his story?"
"Believe it or not, he's been helping me fight this guy." Miruko revealed. Keigo raised an eyebrow at Miruko, seemingly thinking she was fibbing. "You think that's crazy? Listen to this: when I found the hostages at the airport, they claimed he saved their lives."
Hawks almost let his jaw drop. He saved them? That couldn't be right. This maniac pulverized several Pro Heroes, blew up half of I-Island, slaughtered God knows how many mercenaries, turned Ragdoll into a gibbering headcase when she scanned him and he managed to protect innocent lives before professional Heroes could? "Well, that's not going to give him a free pass." He remarked. "We'll deal with him later after we stop the Villian?"
"Yeah, good luck with that." Miruko muttered under her breath, knowing full well that even she couldn't beat him. That was enough to give Keigo pause. He always knew Rumi as someone who never backed down when facing a strong opponent and ran towards danger headfirst. But to hear her voice doubt and uncertainty...
The Doomslayer jumped out of the way when Wolfram swung his fist at him while several smaller arms made of metal shards with serrated fingers shot out of its left side and swarmed the Slayer. They engulfed his body, scratching and clawing at his suit in an attempt to tear it off but to no avail, the Slayer responded by pulling out a grenade. He yanked off the pin and the detonation destroyed the hands, giving him some breathing room but not before another mass of hands surged towards him only to be sliced into ribbons when Hawks sent a wave of feathers at them.
The Doomslayer leaped into the fray as Hawks dive bombed Wolfram and delivered large gashes on Wolfram's armor while Miruko bounded all over the area, occasionally taking potshots at Wolfram to keep him distracted. Wolfram was pelted with blows from Miruko's kicks and slashes from Hawks' sword. The only thing he could do now defended himself as best he could but then he saw the Slayer moving in. Wolfram summoned a burst of steel columns at him and though the Hellwalker did jump over most of them, one column blindsided him and he was sent sailing off the tower.
The Doomslayer gritted his teeth in annoyance but then he landed on something oddly soft. Looking down, he had safely landed atop a circular platform made from red feathers floating in midair. The feathers started to form a stairway that led him back up to the roof and he ran up the makeshift stairs without pause. He made it back up to the roof where the stairs led him near Wolfram just as Hawks flew up next to the Slayer.
"You're welcome!" Keigo teasingly said to him. The Doomslayer ignored him and picked up the pace, leaving him behind. "Good talk." He sweat dropped. Truth be told, Hawks had his reservations about saving the Vigilante beforehand but he needed to learn more about this nutcase and he couldn't do that if he got tuned into pavement pizza. He would assist him in the fight and stall him long enough for the Heroes to arrive and subdue him. Hopefully.
Jumping off the feather stairway, the Doomslayer landed on the golem's shoulder and fired his Rocket Launcher at the last remaining bits of armor around him. At the same time, Hawks recalled all of his feathers back and formed his katana into a large, bladed glaive and flung it at the right arm. The glaive severed the golem's hand while Miruko leaped towards the giant's midsection and thrust both of her feet into its metallic/stone surface with enough force to literally break the golem in half!
Wolfram toppled over forward as the Slayer jumped off of his shoulder and landed a few feet away from him, soon joined by Hawks and Miruko. Wolfram willed his golem to pick itself up by forming pieces of metal around the area into spindly, insectoid legs. The Doomslayer aimed his Rocket Launcher at Wolfram but Miruko charged toward the Villain, blocking the Slayer's shot.
"LUNA DRILL!" She launched into another flying dropkick but rotated her body around until she spun like a drill. The Villain was right in her sights and she sailed through the air like a missile towards him but a twisted smile formed on Wolfram's lips and rebars stuck out from the golem. Hawks and the Slayer saw this and they made a break towards the Villain to stop him but it was too late. The rebars shot out of the golem and hurled towards Miruko; Hawks quickly flung out his feathers at them like they were throwing knives and was successful in deflecting the rebars away from Miruko.
But not all of them.
The first rebar speared itself into her right foot.
Two impaled themselves into her left knee and thigh.
The Third and fourth shot into her left arm.
Two more were shot through her left shoulder and collarbone.
The final rebar stabbed into the right side of her hip, just barely missing her major internal organs.
Searing pain shot through Miruko's body as she coughed up a wad of blood, roughly tumbling across the debris-laden roof where she screamed in agony. The Doomslayer froze; his eyes widening. As Wolfram cackled victoriously, Hawks flew over to Miruko and tried to help his writhing friend who bled profusely. The Doomslayer was motionless where he stood, staring at the mangled form of Miruko. As his irises shrunk, his eardrums bombarded by Miruko's pained screams, his mind went back to an event that seemed disturbingly familiar to the scene before him...
The day when he lost everything.
EARTH-SUN VALLEY, IDAHO
MANY EONS AGO
"GRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHH!" Flynn Taggart roared as he smashed the butt of his shotgun into the face of an Imp. The force of the blow nearly caved in its skull as it crumpled to the ground and had its windpipe crushed when Flynn stomped on its throat. Whirling around, Taggart fired at the incoming Imps, blasting chunks out of their bodies as the fires raged around him. Running out of shells, Flynn ducked to avoid the green fireball launched from the hand of a Hell Knight and unslung his Chaingun from his back.
He unloaded his weapon into the Demon's legs, ripping them off in a hail of bullets and causing it to topple to the pavement. It struggled to stand but Taggart was already upon the creature, perforating its head apart with his Chaingun as he unleashed his war cry. Hearing a snarl behind him, he peered over his shoulder and barely dodged a charging Pinky. Flynn rolled over to his side and pulled the trigger...only to realize his Chaingun had run dry. The Pinky charged at him with his maw wide open and Flynn threw his Chaingun away; drawing his Rocket Launcher that was holstered to his right leg. He launched a rocket at the charging Demon and it sailed right into its open mouth. The resulting explosion scattered its entrails across the area and painted most of it and Taggart's face red.
As Flynn wiped the blood off of his face, he suddenly noticed flames forming around his feet. Realizing what it was, he ducked behind a burning tree just as a gout of flames erupted where he once stood. Sauntering out of the flames of the forest was an Archvile; blood oozing around its enlarged palms as it used its dark magic to resurrect its dead brethren. As the previously deceased Demons reformed themselves like they were made of clay, Taggart dove from behind the tree and aimed his BFG at the horde, his teeth clenched with contempt.
The Archvile had no time to retaliate as the green plasma orb engulfed it and the other Demons in a tremendous explosion, liquefying the flesh off of their bones and reducing them to ash. With his enemies dead and no other Hellspawn in the area, Flynn nearly dropped his BFG as he breathed heavily. This was a fucking nightmare. After killing that giant mecha spider back in Hell and after leaving through the portal, he found himself back on Earth; believing that he had finally won and his home was safe.
Oh, how wrong he was.
The Demons had invaded the entire planet, killing billions on their warpath and setting whole countries on fire. He realized that his wife and child, along with their family pet, were in danger and he raced to their home in Idaho, praying that they were safe. He had managed to find transportation that could get him there until he was forced to travel by foot the rest of the way. When he finally reached Sun Valley, the lush forests and mountains were ablaze while the whole town had been slaughtered by the Demons. The smoke from the burning trees stung his eyes, as did everything else. His light green armor was almost falling apart due to the damage it sustained, his pants were a tattered mess, he lost his helmet, and he was covered in burns and claw marks. Anybody else in his situation would collapse but Flynn had to find his family. Emily was a tough and resourceful woman. If anything, she could have already evacuated and left a note for him.
They had to be alive...they had to be.
Running down the street, he spotted his mailbox up ahead and picked up the pace. Dread gripped his heart when the sight of his burning home came into view. Every inch of it was ablaze along with the garage and toolshed.
"No...no, no, no, no, NO!" Flynn shook his head in denial as he bolted down the dirt road that led up to the conflagration that used to be his family's abode. "EMILY! BILLY! DAISY! WHERE ARE YOU?!"His breathing was frantic as he ran around to the backyard; his mind was close to snapping in two.
He rounded the corner of his house...and saw the unspeakable.
He fell to his knees.
I-ISLAND CENTRAL TOWER-ROOFTOP
PRESENT DAY
(DOOM 2016-At Doom's Gate)
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Wolfram laughed as he attracted more metal onto his golem and began to reshape himself until he looked like a giant scorpion made of sharpened steel and jagged debris. "NOW IT'S TIME TO GIVE YOU A DIRT NAP SIX FEET UNDER!"
He thrust his stinger at the Heroes, Hawks spread out his wings like a shield to protect Miruko while creating another feather sword in his hands. Just as he was about to slice off the stinger heading towards him, a green blur darted in front of him and grabbed the needle-like hunk of steel with one hand. Miruko, despite the horrific pain she was in, opened one eye and saw the Vigilante standing in front of Hawks, his one hand gripping the large stinger. Scowling, Wolfram tried to yank his stinger away but soon realized he couldn't. It didn't budge an inch. Hawks blinked in confusion as Miruko tried to sit herself up, despite her pin-cushioned state.
But that's when everyone froze when they felt something wash over them. It was like they had been skinned alive and then thrown into a pit full of hot coals. It was originating from the Vigilante, who stood motionless with his head lowered and his other hand clenched into a trembling fist. Wolfram broke out into a cold sweat as the Vigilante slowly lifted his face to glare at Wolfram. The Villain saw the man's eyes and nearly shat his drawers. It was almost as if he was face to face with some kind of inhuman being that towered over him.
The Slayer's eyes were one of pure, unrestrained, unmerciful, unforgiving...RAGE.
(0:41)
The Scourge of Hell tore off the stinger and clubbed the golem across its body before throwing it away and grabbing its razor-sharp pincers and ripping them off with ease. He took advantage of the terrified Villain by jumping toward the metal scorpion Wolfram was perched upon and slamming his fist into the creature, shattering it into pieces instantly. The Hellwalker grabbed Wolfram by the throat and flung him away from the remains of his golem, right next to Hawks and Miruko. The Berserk Slayer hopped off the rubble and barreled towards Wolfram who tried to summon metal to protect himself only to have his organs explode when the Slayer stomped on his stomach.
(0:53)
As Wolfram vomited blood, the enraged Doomslayer grabbed him by his collarbones, his fingers tearing through the Villain's skin and gripping the bones, and headbutted him; the force of the impact was like getting hit by a steel girder. Wolfram howled in pain as he felt his skull shatter but the Doomslayer furiously headbutted him again. And again, and again, and again, and again. The Doomslayer kept bashing his head against Wolfram's face over and over and over much to the shock and horror of Hawks and Miruko, the former moving as close as he could to her protectively. Teeth, bits of skull, blood, and broken pieces of the Quirk Amplification Headset scattered everywhere as the Slayer continued his berserker fury; tearing up Wolfram's flesh and exposing his broken skull while his mangled face looked like a dropped pie.
The Doomslayer reared his head back as far as he could and slammed his head into Wolfram so hard that the Villain's skull exploded. Wolfram's body went limp as blood poured from whatever was left of his head as the headset clattered to the ground, fully destroyed. The Great Slayer stood up as he let go of Wolfram's corpse, his helmet covered in blood and brain matter which dribbled off of his visor.
Hawks and Miruko were left speechless. None of them dared move until the Vigilante whipped his head over towards them, his focus mainly on Miruko. He suddenly marched over towards them with a threatening, blood-drenched posture. Hawks wasn't taking any chances and he erected a barrier made of feathers that formed in front of Miruko while he created two feather daggers in his hands. Keigo's heart pounded as the Vigilante drew nearer; having not forgotten how the Vigilante pulverized him the last time. Hawks knew the maniac's armor was virtually indestructible, but maybe his visor could be damaged in some way. He flapped his wings, sending a plume of feathers at the Vigilante to blind him while he darted to the right.
The Doomslayer swatted the feathers aside just as Hawks closed the gap and thrust his dagger at his visor...only to have the blade snap off as soon as it connected. Hawks paled as the Vigilante snatched him by the scruff of his shirt and flung him into a flat outcropping of debris; knocking him out when his forehead banged against the concrete. He walked up to the feathered wall separating him from Miruko and tore it away like it was made of cardboard. Miruko gritted her teeth as the Vigilante towered over her bloody form. Guessing that this man was going to finish her off, Rumi glared up at him in defiance to deny him the satisfaction of finishing off a weakened Heroine.
To her surprise, however, the Vigilante scooped her up in his arms as gently as he could as to not drive the rebars in any further. This caused her no amount of pain as she tried her hardest to stifle a scream as blood steadily dripped from her wounds and stained the Vigilante's armor. The Doomslayer deeply grimaced as he looked down at the squirming, bleeding form of Miruko. In his vision, the woman in his arms kept flip-flopping between Rumi and Emily.
It drove him nuts to no end.
/Miruko is in critical condition: medical attention is required. I have scanned the building and located a med lab in David Shield's office on the 14th floor. Proceed to the waypoint on your HUD immediately./
The Doomslayer ran towards the destroyed portion of the roof and jumped down the hole, landing five floors down into a hallway where he kicked away the debris blocking his path. He sprinted down the halls with the wounded Heroine in his arms, his mind solely focused on helping her. But unbeknownst to him, he was being watched. From outside the windows he was running past, there were multiple figures on the roof of one of the buildings watching him run by. Four figures sitting atop four horses.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: demigod enforcers of the Eternal Balance and punishers of the wicked who dare threaten it.
Death, the leader of the Riders, was a gaunt figure with deathly pale skin, scraggly black hair, and eyes that glowed a dull orange. He wore a featureless mask made of bone that perfectly captured the title bestowed upon him. The lower portion of his body was dressed in bone marrow-like armor and dark blue rags while his upper body was bare, showing off his muscled yet lanky body. Death's weapon was an oversized scythe known as Harvester that could split into two handheld sickles. His steed was a ghoulish, skeletal horse with rotting features that made it look like it was an undead revenant. Its mane, tail, and hooves were aglow with green energy, and its name summed up its appearance well: Despair.
War was a psychically intimidating warrior dressed in heavy armor with a red rood covering his head. He appeared human but his white hair and ghostly eyes were an indicator of how otherworldly he and his siblings were. Slung across his back was Chaoseater: a sword with monstrous faces carved into the blade and was large enough to cleave a building in half. He sat atop his steed, Ruin, a massive horse with coal-like skin, fire dancing around its hooves and glowing red runes etched into its hide.
Fury was the only female of the group with a vicious mean streak a billion miles wide. Her shapely form was dressed in light armor befitting her mean-spirited nature. Her hair violet hair flowed in the wind while her pupilless white eyes made her look both beautiful and intimidating. Her main weapon, Scorn, was wrapped around her waist and was capable of transforming into a variety of destructive implements though she preferred to keep it in its whip configuration. Rampage was the name of her steed; a sleek stallion with jet black skin and stripes on its body resembling lightning bolts. Its mane crackled with electricity yet it still kept a graceful feel to it.
The final Horseman was Strife and his appearance differed quite greatly from the rest. Whereas War, Death, and Fury resembled ancient warriors, Strife looked like a cowboy from the dark ages. His body was covered in armor that resembled a kevlar vest with an ammo belt slung around it and wore a belt with a skull emblazoned upon the buckle. He wore a silver helmet that covered his face, leaving what he looked like unknown. His eyes were illuminated yellow while his spiky dark hair poked out the back of his helmet. His signature weapons were a pair of firearms in his holsters: Mercy, a black quad-barreled pistol, and Redemption, a white engraved revolver. His steed Mayhem was covered in armor and wore a ghastly helmet with steam visibly rising from its nostrils. Its skin was fair colored yet its hair and tail were dirty, unkempt, and mossy.
"So the myth was real this entire time." War remarked. "The Doomslayer was not some demonic superstition after all. Perhaps we should not have dismissed the Helix Stone so easily back then."
"Regardless of that matter, his sudden appearance in the Mortal Realm appears to be connected to that burst of energy we felt nary a few days ago. "Death said, his voice raspy. "But what purpose does he have here?"
"Beside wiping out those Hero killers?" Strife pointed out the obvious. "Who knows, none of us are clairvoyant. We mostly leave that sorta stuff up to the Ascendant Realm."
"I doubt even they know what to do with him. His actions here don't seem to cause disorder, at least not yet." Fury answered him.
"If anything, he did this world a great service by annihilating the Steel Sabers." Death looked down at the river of blood below.
War sneered. "Paid for every life they took; this is retribution at its purest."
"Quite." Fury agreed with a sadistic grin. She relished watching those hired guns being brutally ripped apart by the Bane of Hell himself. "You know...we could offer him the chance of becoming the fifth Horseman."
"Hey!" Strife suddenly exclaimed, pointing at Fury. "That position's still open for Ulthane!"
"He's yet to make his choice." Fury reminded him.
"Eh, he'll come around." Strife waved his hand.
"I have a feeling the Doomslayer would respectfully decline that offer." War dryly commented, earning an annoyed look from Fury. "I believe the best course of action is to not approach him unless it's deemed necessary."
"I concur." Death nodded. "We are returning to the Basilica to consult with the Eternal Balance."
"I was thinking we could stay here a little longer to watch him beat up those Heroes who'll try to nab him!" Strife snickered. Fury raised an eyebrow at him while War and Death looked at him blankly. Without a word, the two Horsemen turned their horses around and headed towards a flowing, green and white portal that materialized behind them. "Oh, right. I'm just the plucky comic relief, my opinions don't mean squat." Strife groused sarcastically.
"You know, some of us do enjoy your witty banter." Fury assured, smiling slyly. Strife rolled his eyes in response but knew his sister long enough to know that she meant what she said. The two Nephilim followed their bothers into the portal where it closed, leaving nobody on I-Island the wiser.
I-ISLAND CENTRAL TOWER-BOTTOM FLOOR LOBBY
"Is that everyone?" All Might asked Elecplant, trying his hardest to maintain his muscled form.
"We're getting the last of them down now as we speak." Elecplant answered, just as the rest of the hostages were ferried down via Mr. Plastic's Quirk. A while ago, the rest of the Heroes had caught up with the panicking partygoers and safely guided them down to the ground floor by using each of their varied Quirks to get them down as fast as possible. They had successfully got everyone down in the main atrium but the hardest part was trying to calm them down and have their eyes averted from the dead bodies in the room.
Meanwhile, Class 1-A was located in another part of the room, fixated on the bloody symbol on the wall.
"Holy shit, what the hell is this?" Kirishima whispered to his friends.
"Is this guy some sort of devil worshipper or something?" Mineta gulped, beads of sweat rolling down his face.
"I don't think he is..." Momo said. "If he was, we should be seeing pentagrams. This looks more like a traditional cross."
"I'm not exactly well-versed on religion but I don't think crosses are supposed to look like that." Ida confessed, just as scared as the others. Izuku, Uraraka, Shoto, Mirio, Bakugou, and Jiro were staring at the message written in blood under the symbol.
RIP AND TEAR
Izuku had never experienced such chilling unease before in his life. It was like he was staring at a bad omen: a curse or a warning that could spell doom or ruin. Something the Vigilante personified. But why would he scrawl something like this? To intimidate? To scare? To warn? To taunt? There were so many questions in Midoriya's head it was giving him a painful migraine. Why was all of this happening? He wanted this to stop so bad that he was close to sinking to his knees and crying. But he had to stay strong until this was over. His eyes eventually found their way over to Bakugou who was staring at the symbol.
Izuku swallowed a lump in his throat when he noticed a glint of Bakugou's trademark explosive temper in his frightened eyes. He remembered Kirishima telling him how the Vigilante ran straight past him while on the way down to the bottom floor. Izuku was well aware of his friend's massive inferiority complex and his inability to let things slide. Bakugou was never going to let what happened between him and the Vigilante go. He just hoped that Bakugou wouldn't get permanently crippled if he was ever insane enough to try to fight that madman one on one. But Midoriya started to reconsider calling the Vigilante a madman. He did not forget how he saved them from that Villain's attack back on the roof earlier but it still didn't explain his excessively violent behavior.
His internal conflict was interrupted when Cow Lady, the Number 3 Pro Hero of North America, went up to them appearing concerned. "Alright, young'uns, let's get you back on over with the others. Ya'll don't need to be seein' this." The Cowgirl Heroine ushered as she led the group away from the sigil. The teens were led back to the civilians and stood near Melissa who nursed her still-unconscious father next to the WMD, and Denki who was beginning to recover from his "short circuit".
"Everyone! If I can have your attention for one moment..." All Might announced, garnering everyone's attention. "We will be evacuating all of you to the main airport where you will be safely evacuated by Heroes arriving from the mainland. I need all of you to stick together in one big group while we escort you over to the airport. Stay close to us and we'll get you to safety as quickly as we can!"
This gave the stressed-out civvies some much-needed comfort. After all, who would be more suited to giving a reassuring speech than the Symbol of Peace himself? They all formed a group with Heroes guarding them at all sides and hurried towards the blown-open main entrance. As All Might led the group, he spared a glance at Nine's body on the floor and grimaced.
It did not have to end this way.
They all exited through the entrance and everyone stopped dead in their tracks at the horrific sight before them: a literal lake of blood stretching on for miles with flaming wreckage and disemboweled corpses scattered everywhere. The Heroes and civilians could only stare in horror at the bloody madness before them. The partygoers began openly screaming or crying, holding each other while some emptied the contents of their stomach onto the ground. Class 1-A wasn't faring any better either, their minds completely snapped. It broke them; sinking to their knees as their mouths hung open.
"No...no, no, no, no, no, no fucking way, man!" Denki clutched the sides of his head and tears welled up in his eyes. The Pro Heroes were just as horrified as the teens. They had been through many ordeals during their careers as professional crimefighters: natural disasters, dangerous Villains, and harrowing rescues to name a few. Through all of those hardships, they learned and grew from each experience; becoming better Heroes in the process. But this was something they had never experienced before in their lives.
"Madre de Dios!" El Magnifico Matador, the Number 1 Pro Hero of Spain, whispered in fear as he performed the sign of the cross.
All Might was so horrified at what he was seeing he almost powered down on the spot. This was beyond what he could comprehend. All of this was a million times worse than whatever All for One could do. It almost made whatever his nemesis did in the past look tame compared to the carnage before him. While he and the others had seen the massacre on the main screen in the ballroom, it was nothing compared to the aftermath. Steeling himself as best he could, he turned to Big Red Dot, the Number 1 Pro Hero of Singapore. "Get everyone ready, we'll stick to the sidewalks as best we can."
The Merlion Hero did a double take between the hostages and the river of death before regarding All Might with shock. "Surely you can't be serious!"
All Might did not repeat himself or yell, he stood there staring at the literal hell with a thousand-yard stare. BRD swallowed before silently relenting as he walked over to the rest of the group. Midoriya forcefully held down the wave of bile rising in his throat but Uraraka couldn't hold it in and vomit. After she was done retching she buried her face in her hands and began crying. Izuku shuffled over to her and was about to comfort her when he suddenly lurched forward and gripped the sides of his dress shirt, burying her face into his shoulder, and sobbing hysterically.
"I can't take this...I-I-I...I can't take this...!" Uraraka whimpered; her tears staining Izuku's shirt. The boy could only hold his friend as she wept, glancing back at the sea of gore. He was experiencing the same feeling of despair and trauma as Uraraka; he couldn't even formulate words to comfort her. When he saw the other Heroes escorting the civilians away, Midoriya gently held Uraraka and guided her over to follow the others. Izuku softly pattered her back while mustering his courage...only to feel it falter when he took his first step into the sanguine water, feeling the blood seep into his shoes and soak his socks.
I-ISLAND CENTRAL TOWER 14TH FLOOR-OFFICE OF DAVID SHIELD
The front door was kicked open with so much force the doors flew across the room and over David's desk, smashing through the large window behind it. The Doomslayer walked inside the office with the bleeding Miruko in his arms and turned right into a large room with an operating table with an abundance of medical supplies on the counters.
He carefully set Miruko down on the operating table, the Heroine wincing and crying out in pain. He went over to the nearest cabinet, tore it open with his hands, and snatched the first bottle of Morphine he found along with a syringe. He popped off the lid, dunked the needle inside, and pulled back on the plunger to absorb the liquid. He made sure to get the right amount, not wanting Miruko to suffer an overdose. Walking back over to the table, the Slayer injected the tip of the syringe into her wrist where he could see her veins and pushed the plunger down. Her rapid breathing began to slow down a little and her pained expression softened but was still clearly in a lot of Slayer set the syringe down on a nearby operating tray; thankful for paying attention to those field medic lessons back on his Earth eons ago. The next step was finding a way to remove those rebar rods.
/Normally it would be unwise to remove the rebars due to the risk of damaging Miruko's nerves and blood vessels but my scans have pinpointed a device that can circumvent said problem./
His HUD guided him to a large display case that held several advanced medical implements that were made of some kind of carbon fiber material. He forcefully opened the glass case with his fist and grabbed an instrument that resembled a cordless power drill but with a thin nozzle instead of a drill bit and a translucent container filled with a thick, turquoise liquid.
/According to the tower's database, this surgical instrument is specially designed for impalement injuries. When removing said object from the wounded body, application of the solution to both the entrance and exit wounds will seal the injuries as well as partially repair any damaged tissue and muscles./
That sounded useful. His eyes drifted over to another tool that looked identical to what he held in his hand but resembled a hand-held sewing machine.
/This particular instrument is best suited for closing lacerations. It has seen widespread distribution across the world, rendering traditional suturing methods obsolete. The specially designed stitches are capable of completely sealing wounds and are laced with an enzyme that will regenerate lost tissue, after which the stitches will safely disintegrate over time. On a side note, this world's medical technology is surprisingly advanced; almost on par with the UAC./
Yeah, well let's just hope the people who made these wouldn't go and open portals to Hell so they could mine it for resources like the oil fields of Texas.
Looking back at Miruko on the table, the Doomslayer knew that the rebars had to be removed and that would hurt like Hell for her, even with the Morphine he gave her. After he put the medical tools on a tray next to the operating table, he went over to the drawers and looted around until he found a metal tongue depressor, gauze, and a hefty spray bottle of antiseptic. He wrapped the gauze around the depressor and walked back to Miruko who creaked an eye open at him right up until the Slayer then forcibly pried her mouth open and stuck in the depressor.
"Ughggk?!" Miruko gagged in confusion before the Slayer began spraying the antiseptic over her wounds, causing her to bite down on the depressor. Miruko shut her eyes as hard as she could as the Doomslayer kept spraying all of her cuts and anywhere else that had damaged skin. After he stopped, Miruko ceased biting down and relaxed a little as the stinging pain subsided when she felt whatever the Vigilante injected her with finally take effect.
And that's when she experienced the most white-hot, blisteringly mind-searing pain shot through her when the Vigilante started pulling out the rods!
"URRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHH! RRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG!" Miruko screamed through the makeshift gag as she gnashed her teeth upon it so hard it almost snapped in two. Her eyes were wide open and bloodshot; darting around as the armored psycho pulled out another rod, making her scream again. Each time the Doomslayer pulled out a rebar rod, he was quick to use the first instrument he picked up by applying the liquid to the entrance and exit wounds. The gel sunk into the circular punctures where they immediately settled in, presumably accomplishing what VEGA described.
The Slayer continued to pull out the rebars and treat the wounds, with poor Miruko spasming and uttering muffled shrieks. The echoes of clattering steel against the floor could be heard outside the office as the Slayer pulled out the last rebar. Miruko slumped into the operating tables, her eyes shut and beads of sweat rolled down her face as she breathed weakly. The Slayer took the depressor out of her mouth and was could see tiny indentations where she clenched her teeth upon it. Discarding the depressor, the Hellwalker grabbed an office chair in the corner of the room, rolled it up next to her, and sat himself down while taking the suturing tool from the tray.
He took Miruko by the arm and lined up the apparatus up to the first laceration he found. Pulling the trigger, the tool automatically stitched up the wound, closing it so perfectly with no blood seeping out. The Doomslayer resumed patching Miruko up, the Heroine mustering the strength to open her eyes to stare at him. It dawned upon her that this man was helping her; an act that only served to confuse her.
"W-why are you helping me?" She asked weakly.
The Slayer did not respond, he simply kept stitching her wounds. Miruko was too worn out to ask him again and so she resigned herself to letting tend to her injuries while she stared at the ceiling. For the next several minutes, there was nothing but silence in the room, save for the sounds of the suturing device. Miruko's ears perked up when she heard approaching footsteps and Hawks stumbled into the doorway of the medical lab with his feather sword in one hand and a bleeding forehead. The Wing Hero looked ready for a fight but his expression turned bewildered when he saw the Vigilante providing first aid for his friend.
"Did I...uh...miss something?" He blinked.
"You missed a lot." Miruko dryly responded.
"Do tell." He said as he cautiously walked over to where Miruko lay, his eyes never leaving the Vigilante until he inspected Miruko's wounds. "How are you feeling?"
"Well, I'm doped up on whatever he gave me so I'm pretty sure I'm high as a kite right now," Miruko smirked a little as she flexed her fingers.
"Nice to see you haven't lost your sense of humor." He returned the smile. He focused back on the Vigilante and after deciding that he wasn't a threat (at least not at the moment), Hawks dematerialized his sword into feathers which then floated back up to his wings. "So! When can I expect Dr. Spartan here to give me his diagnosis?"
The Slayer momentarily ceased his suturing to jerk his thumb over to a first aid kit on the far wall.
"...Much obliged." Hawks deflated as he walked over to it. As he popped open the case, the Doomslayer stood up and worked on Miruko's legs. The morphine had dulled the pain Miruko was in but despite her impaired state, she still harbored suspicion against the Vigilante. Not only that, but she disliked the feeling of vulnerability as she lay on the table. It made her feel weak and helpless, something that didn't suit her tough nature. Come to think of it, when was the last time she felt like this?
She gazed up at the Vigilante who paid her no mind. "So, what compelled you to wage a one-man war on the Steel Sabers?" She questioned. The Vigilante did not answer, frustrating her. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"
"Let me guess: the silent type?" Hawks spoke up as he wrapped some bandages around his head while sitting on a counter.
"/We intervened in your operations to retake I-Island because your methods were deemed ineffective./"
Miruko and Hawks were briefly startled at the synthetic voice that came from the Vigilante. Hawks smiled. "Well, what do you know, he can talk!"
The Slayer lifted his head and tapped his finger against the small circular port on his chest plate. The TV monitor mounted on the ceiling turned itself on revealing a white symbol with a light blue background, followed by a cheery tune.
"/Hello. I am a sentient artificial intelligence powered by the systems within his suit. I speak in his stead./"
The duo's eyes were as big as dinner plates as they stared up at the talking TV. "Did not see that coming..." Hawks muttered numbly.
Miruko turned her head towards the Slayer. "Just how much of that shit did you inject me with?" She demanded.
Taggart glanced at the bottle of morphine on the tray. Not enough apparently. He also took note that VEGA did not reveal their names or the name of his Praetor Suit. Smart thinking on the AI's part.
"/I am not a drug-induced hallucination, Ms. Usagiyama. To elaborate on your question, we interrupted your operations and engaged the Steel Sabers because they were not planning on letting the hostages live. Any demand or ransom they would've made was a stalling tactic to buy them more time so they could steal the island's support items. Afterward, they would execute the hostages once they were finished./"
Hawks stared at the screen as a chill went down his back. As much as he wanted to deny the possibility of something like that happening several hours ago, it did sound like something only the Steel Sabers would pull off.
"He's not joking," Miruko confirmed as she turned to Hawks. "They were setting up some kind of nuke up on the roof when I got here."
"/Correction: the Weapon of Mass Destruction was VX poison gas installed into a maximum dispersion rocket. The League of Villains intended to leave no witnesses of their activities./"
"Well, that sounds even worse." Hawks gulped before picking up on a certain detail the AI revealed. "Hold on, you just said the League of Villains-"
"/They were in a joint operation with the Steel Sabers. Their leader, All for One, instructed several agents to cover up any evidence of their involvement here once we disrupted the Saber's operations./"
"All for what? Isn't Shigaraki the leader?" Miruko questioned as she tilted her head.
"/We have concluded that Shigaraki is a leader in name only./"
"A patsy, huh?" Hawks surmised as he rubbed his chin. Looking back at the USJ Villain Invasion he heard about, was it really just a random attack or a coordinated scare tactic? Either way, this All for One had to have some kind of ulterior motive at that time, and just now the I-Island Siege. "You said before that our methods were 'ineffective'. I'm guessing you and your friend don't exactly have a high opinion of us?"
"/On the contrary, your impressive service records are to be commended. Unfortunately, when up against a sizable army of mercenaries reputable for eliminating Heroes, your usual strategy would not have been enough to retake I-Island and stop the Steel Sabers./"
"Y'know, we could've handled them if you hadn't blitzed us before!" Miruko barked at the Doomslayer as she jabbed a finger at him.
"/You would not have let us through./"
"Oh and I guess putting four of us in the hospital was okay?" Miruko snidely fired back. The Doomslayer did not answer her, finishing up on her legs before moving on to her other arm. "Great, giving me the cold shoulder." Miruko muttered to herself.
The Doomslayer wasn't ignoring her or anything like that, he was busy suturing the last of Miruko's cuts. That and he simply chose not to talk. He had lost his ability to speak eons ago after receiving his demigodhood from Samur Maykr via the Divinity Machine, a process so horrifically painful that he nearly blew out his vocal cords from screaming in agony. It was painful for him to talk afterward but he eventually got better and regained his speech. However, the continued mental trauma he received from all those eons of fighting demons was taking its toll on his sanity and he eventually took on an oath of silence afterward. And even if he wanted to speak, what would he say to her?
"/If I may inquire, Ms. Usagiyama, why do you refrain from avoiding potentially lethal attacks?/"
Shockingly enough, that would've been the first thing he'd ask her.
"Huh?" Miruko blurted.
"/You were perfectly capable of avoiding any of Wolfram's strikes but you instead chose to throw yourself directly in their path, risking mortal if not fatal injuries. Why is that?"/
Hawks fidgeted a bit where he sat. He always told Miruko half a dozen times not to take so many risks during a fight but she just wouldn't listen to reason. He knew this most likely stemmed from her time as a Vigilante and despite his best efforts, he couldn't get her to abandon that mindset. And the fact this AI was accurately pointing this out made him nervous.
"Why do you care?" Miruko huffed. She was almost tempted to ignore him like how he was ignoring her but after glancing down at herself and seeing all of the good work he did in patching her up, she figured she owed him that much at least. "Well, if you're that curious, being a Hero doesn't come with risks. There is a real chance you could die in the line of duty but that doesn't bother me one bit. I don't care if I lose a limb or two, so long as I get to pummel whatever Villain comes my way. You think that guy was going to end me? I live every day of my life like there's no tomorrow so when my Number's up, I can clock out with no regrets." She said with a proud smile and her eyes closed.
That's when she felt the Vigilante pause his stitching and opened her eyes, only to see him glaring directly at her; looming over her like some kind of a reaper. Miruko felt intimidated as the featureless visor of the Vigilante stared down at her. To her surprise, he slowly shook his head in disapproval.
"/That is not a healthy mindset, Ms. Usagiyama. You should make an effort to avoid purposefully injuring yourself so that you may better combat your opponent./"
Miruko was legitimately offended upon hearing that. "What?! I should be taking fighting lessons from a walking tank and his pet computer program?!"
"/You should not throw your life away so recklessly. Think about what you can do more for society in the future rather than focus on the impression you leave on others if you were to fall in battle as a result of your inability to avoid fatal harm./"
As the TV shut itself off, Miruko was stunned silent while the Vigilante resumed patching her wounds. She never thought of that before though it made her uncomfortable. She lived with her creed for years but this was the first time someone, or in this case an AI, told her that her logic was flawed. She couldn't find a comeback or any way to defend her opinions and opted to just sink back into her seat as she felt herself succumbing to fatigue, looking away from the Vigilante with a light flush on her cheeks. Hawks sat wide-eyed at Miruko, surprised that she backed down from someone pointing out the flaws in her outlook. He was just a little dismayed that it wasn't him. Maybe he should've taken her to a psychiatrist after convincing her to leave her Vigilante life behind.
The Doomslayer finally closed the last laceration wound and discarded the tool onto the floor. He observed Miruko starting to fall asleep, her eyes struggling to remain open.
"Thank...you..." She slurred out before sleep finally claimed her. The Slayer could tell that wasn't the anesthetic talking, she truly thanked him.
Hawks hopped off the table and walked over to the operating table with a relieved smile. The Doomslayer could tell that Hawks was her friend, and decided she would be safest with him keeping her guard. He walked around the table and went over to the exit-
"Hey, hold up a sec." a friendly voice stopped him. Annoyed, the Hellwalker glanced over his shoulder to eye Hawks as he slowly stepped forward with his hands raised. "Easy there, I'm not going to try and stop you. I learned that the hard way. I just want to talk."
The Doomslayer wasn't buying it but humored him nonetheless.
"The fact that you helped my friend speaks a lot of volumes about you if you know what I mean." Hawks started off, maintaining a casual posture. "Most of us Heroes were ready to write you off as a psycho but after seeing you're little impromptu recreation of a medical drama episode and now that I know you saved the hostages at the airport, it's kinda shed some light on you. You're not all that bad."
Oh no, he was BAD. But not evil bad.
"However, what you did here won't exactly make everyone turn a blind eye to you, especially how you 'dealt' with us back at the port. I mean sure, the Steel Sabers were horrible people but was it honestly necessary to paint the town with their blood?"
That was asked? That was literally just asked? VEGA, somehow sensing the Slayer's bafflement, turned the TV back on causing Hawks to turn around. What the TV showed, to Hawks's disturbance, was photos of the Steel Saber's crimes against Heroism: dozens of Heroes shot up, blown up, or hunted down like animals. Some footage consisted of helmet cam footage of Saber soldiers shredding the costumed crusaders of justice with bullets or gibbing them with explosive ordinance. It disturbed Keigo greatly and as much as he wanted to look away from the screen, he was glued to every bloody atrocity the Sabers carried out. The TV finally shut itself off just as the last bit of video footage showed Nine ordering his Lieutenants to execute a group of captured Heroes.
Hawks vacantly stared at the floor as he wiped off the sweat from his bandaged forehead. He glanced up at the Vigilante who stared back at him. Hawks hung his head again and cleared his throat. "You've...made your point." He reluctantly admitted. "But as a Hero, I will say that you went too-"
The Bane of Hell instantly threw a straight punch to Keigo's face, taking advantage of his distraction to knock him out. Keigo dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes, unconscious and motionless. Out of courtesy for Miruko's friend, the Slayer dragged him over to the counter by his leg and propped him up against the furniture. The Slayer mentally questioned Hawk's attempt at reasoning with him but waved it off as buying time. He was about to leave when he noticed something behind a stainless steel storage cabinet.
He walked over to it and noticed a crease running up the length of the wall. He moved the cabinet aside (or rather knocked it over) and could make out the shape of a doorframe installed into the white metal wall.
/Scans indicate there is a room behind this hidden door. Accessing now./
With an audible klunk, a section of the wall retracted to the left; revealing a darkened and extensive medical lab. The Slayer entered the room and took note of the large pod in the middle of the lab connected to numerous wires and various medical apparatuses. He walked up to the pod and ran his hand against it; reminding him of the sarcophagus the Demons sealed him in. VEGA turned on the computer at the other end of the room and the Slayer took a closer look, observing what appeared to be a line chart that made a very sharp dip to the bottom with red colors. But what was it for?
The red port on his chest blinked, indicating there was an Echo in this room. Echoes were holographic records of certain events; his suit could detect past events of interest and display them as holograms. It was a handy feature that the Wretch implemented into his suit and then of course the UAC managed to copy it when they recovered his sarcophagus and the Praetor Suit. The recording began when two pixilated blue forms coalesced inside the room: David Shield sitting at his computer and a boxers-clad man laying inside the pod wearing a breathing mask.
The Doomslayer studied the man in the pod with interest. He was a lanky, emaciated individual with an oddly angular face, dark sclera with blue irises, and messy blonde hair that sprang out in different directions. What caught the Slayer's attention was the mass of damaged skin and scar tissue upon the man's midsection. It was almost as if a Pinky took a bite out of his body. He looked at the holographic vitals on the pod...it did not look good for this guy.
He heard the hologram of David gasping as he looked at the chart just as the man sat up in the pod, his body phasing through the hatch.
"I don't get it Toshi, why are your Quirk levels going down so dramatically?! I know you were seriously injured by All for One but to suddenly get these numbers is absurd! What in the world happened to you?!"
And there it was again: All for One. The head of the LOV had some sort of connection to this Toshi but what was it? The Doomslayer kept listening to their conversation. Any info he could get on the Villain would be helpful in the long run. He heard Toshi cough.
"I suppose if you're a Hero for a long time, your body starts to fall apart."
There was a dull silence in the room as the men looked away from each other. David spoke again.
"At this rate, the Symbol of Peace will disappear."
This only further cemented the connection between AFO and All Might, not to mention the Hero's injury. But the more the Slayer thought, the more noticed something peculiar. He inspected Toshi's face and concentrated on his tired eyes. He felt like he had seen those eyes before...
That's when the realization hit him, his eyes widening in response. Toshi was All Might!
This walking skeleton was the Symbol of Peace? The Slayer wondered how this was possible but figured that his Quirk allowed him to transform into a muscular state. He looked at the line chart and then back to Toshi's wound. Whatever AFO did to him, it affected his Quirk and its power seemed to be decreasing. David continued.
"The only reason Japan is able to keep its crime rate at 6% is because of your presence. Other countries have around 20% and some are even worse than that. Honestly, part of me wishes you never left. America could use you."
So All Might had a bigger morale effect on the populace than he thought; he really was the glue holding this country together. It was no wonder why so many people looked up to him. To lose All Might would be devastating for everyone and crime would skyrocket as criminals would have nothing to fear anymore. Hearing that info about other countries' crime rates gave him the impression that the Heroes there either stretched thin or their Villains were tough customers. Yagi walked over to David.
" There's no need for you to be so pessimistic, Dave. The world is full of capable Pro Heroes, not to mention the good people like you who support them. Besides, I can still be All Might for a few hours each day! I'm not dead yet-"
"Come on, what if a monstrous Villain appears and you're not capable of saving us again?
"Listen, just in case that day comes, understand that I have no intention of stepping down."
And with that, the holograms dissipated. The Doomslayer stood in the middle of the room as he absorbed all of this info. All Might had a time limit for his powers and there was also the heavy implication that he was dying. It was a lot to take in. But despite all of that, this man had the courage and willpower to keep on fighting to protect innocent people. He had a newfound respect for Toshi but now realized his encounter with him in the ballroom more than likely made All Might label him a psychopath. Regardless of that, he still admired All Might and the Heroes for fighting against the impossible.
He noticed a small picture frame near the computer and picked it up. It was an old photo that depicted a much younger All Might and David, smiling happily with Toshi's arm slung over his friend's shoulder. Flynn could see the staggering difference between how All Might looked back then and how he looked now. From shining paragon of justice to a near-crippled man on his last legs. All for One was going to die for this.
He then focused on David Shield and frowned. For all his efforts to mitigate All Might's condition, he never even considered the lives of the people and his daughter he was endangering. Despite his seemingly good intentions, it was blind fanaticism at its core, something he had seen way too many times in his war against Hell. Also, the Quirk Amplification Headset would've made things worse for All Might if Wolfram was any indication. But he wasn't going to kill David, just let him be haunted by his idiotic actions for the rest of his life.
/I have downloaded the information from David's personal computer but I still need to analyze them. You should head to the Vault./
The Vault? Oh yeah, he had almost forgotten about his other objectives. He set the picture frame face down and left the room, stopping to look at Miruko. Still conflicted about her resemblance to Emily, the Slayer figured that maybe it was for the best to avoid her for the time being...and yet he couldn't help but think he was going to meet her again. He headed towards the door and was just about to leave the room when he heard Miruko speak.
"They...deserved it..."
He glanced over his shoulder to see Miruko stirring her sleep; mumbling to herself as she shifted. "Those...Hero murdering...bastards...they all...deserved it..."
The Doomslayer stared at her for a few seconds before leaving the room and out of the office. Finally, someone agreed with him.
To be continued...
Boy, there are a lot of developments going on in this chapter, huh?
I haven't forgotten about my inclusion of Darksiders and it was great to feature War, Death, Fury, and Strife as well as a mention of Ulthane! Do keep in mind that I have an alternate backstory for them opposite of canon so be aware of that.
More interactions between the Slayer and Miruko are always welcome and this is only the first step of their eventual Demon killing adventures together. Baby steps! Also, I'm not a medical genius so I just worked with what I knew and used anime logic.
What I loved most was making little bread crumbs about All Might and AFO for the Doomslayer to follow and should make for some interesting stuff in the future! For those who keep asking about when the Demons will arrive, I am not telling, it's my story, and I decide when it will happen.
Here's a fun little factoid, the Demons that the Doomslayer fought in the flashback are based on the originals from the 90s! I'm looking to explore how the Demons alter their forms after every encounter with the Slayer.
Thank you for reading and hearing out my apology, you all have a great day! If you are having problems leaving a review for chapter 19 due to the merging of chapter 18 and the previous version of 19, you can always leave me a review in the PM. Don't fight the urge!
Don't forget to review but please don't flame.
P.S For all you Titanfall fans out there, Respawn has finally got off their asses and fixed the servers! For those who are still having problems, you can always download the Northstar mod to jump back in.