Chapter 21_Across the Barrier
Chapter Summary: The Demon King and his army arrive as Shouta and the dwarfs race to make it across the barrier. But will they make it?
A fist punched itself from the deep pile of snow. The hand was soon joined by another, and both worked to pull Bakugou from the cold. His skin glittered with flames as steam fluttered around him. He huffed and puffed, every breath coming with a grunt which made him seem like an angry boar. Smoke came out of his nose.
"Those fucking brats!" he growled. His teeth were clenched hard as the bones struggled not to crack. They thought they beat him?! That he lost?! No. No! He didn't lose! He didn't lose again!
He was the best. He always won, no matter what was thrown at him.
Until-
Until he challenged Half and Half.
He was loathed to admit it, but he didn't stand a chance. The ice prince beat him with no effort. He blocked every attack and broke all his defenses without even trying. It was a humiliating defeat.
Ever since then, he couldn't get back on his game. He kept losing, but that wasn't possible! He was the best! So why-
"I'll kill them," he seethed. "I'll find them, and then I'll kill them!" That would get him back on track. He would beat them, then the imp prince.
Because he was better.
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Shouta couldn't believe his eyes. He didn't want to believe them. He didn't want to see it. He didn't want to acknowledge any of this—but he had.
The Daemonium Forest was here. It was here, in the frozen lands of ash.
'How?!' How could it be here? How could an entire forest move and be here? What insanity was that?! Did it chase them here? Was it that determined to kill them that the cursed woods uprooted their roots and follow them?! Could it actually do that?! What logical-
Above him, the sky turned red as the snow beneath him turned black.
"Shit!" A curse slipped through frighted lips as he stumbled back on trembling legs. The man then fell forward to his knees when the flames of the ember tree flared and became a pure blackness. A dark feeling of dread filled Shouta's entire mortal coil.
It didn't matter how or why the forest was here. Even the barrier didn't matter right now. Shouta had to find the kids quickly!
"Come on!" He motioned to the bird, who didn't move. Instead, it gazed at the forest in the distance as if in a trance.
"Hey!" It looked at him, its large eyes blank. "Come on." Shouta urged, voice tense. It stared at him, its face scrunched as if fighting an inner battle in its head. Shouta didn't want to leave the creature when it was injured, but if he couldn't move it, he may have to. Finally, the beast stood, despite looking torn mentally. Shouta felt relieved, but only for a beat.
"Let's go." He placed a hand on its neck for warmth and comfort—whose comfort he couldn't say—and started to lead the bird through the snow.
Unfortunately, they didn't get far.
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The sky turned red, the snow became black, the dwarfs paled, and the imp prince's stoic mask fell to reveal an expression of shock and confusion.
"What the hell?!" he gasped, jumping as the snow changed color. Beside him, the dwarfs were making small noises. They were sounds they couldn't contain but had the unconscious knowledge to keep quiet.
Momo was the first to be able to form words, "I-it's here…" Then her voice became higher pitched as the tone shifted from emotionless to frantic. "It's here! Why is it here?!"
Tenya tried to speak, but struggled. Fear held a tight hand around Tenya's throat, making breathing hard and speech near impossible. "I-I... don't...!"
"What?" Shoto's irritation grew as the hair on the back of his neck prickled. "What is that? What's happening?" The dwarfs looked terrified, more than any creature he had ever seen. Their fear alone tugged at his survival instincts, which was trying to push him to run or attack something. He already knew that something terrible just happened, but the terror on the children's faces dialed it up to an extreme.
"It-i-it's th-the for—the forest," Izuku answered, the first to be able to form a sentence, though anything he said quivered thanks to his trembling body. His bones shook and rattled, shaking the rest of him. "I-it foll—it followed—It followed us! Did it follow us? It can do that?" The imp scowled, hands tight as his side.
"That's ridiculous. A forest can't follow anybody…" Shoto started to say. Yet the conflicting evidence was before him, albeit miles away.
"It's not a normal forest!" Momo exclaimed. She stepped backward, her eyes never leaving the woods. She was starting to hyperventilate. "It's cursed! And it came all the way to kill us like the others!"
The dwarfs were all a mess, to terrified to think clearly. It broke Shoto's heart to see them like this, but he had no idea what was going on. How was he supposed to wrap his mind around a monster forest? More than that, how did you defend against it?
"Let's—"
Just then the ground rose beneath them, lifting them up before it cracked and quake. It then split apart as green fire erupted from the cracks. The ground started to tear beneath Izuku.
"Izuku!" Tenya rushed forward and grabbed the boy before he fell into the crevice. The two then rolled back as the earth rose and curved. Shoto used his ice to create a barrier as rubble flew at them, ice and rocks raining down. Suddenly a hand reached out from the crack, followed by brambled that twisted into monster. It loomed over Tenya and Izuku. Their screams were stolen before they even opened their mouths. It reached towards them but was pierced by an ice spear, then separated by an ice wall. Shoto grabbed Momo's hand and dashed to the boys.
"Hold on!" He waved his arm and suddenly the group found themselves being carried forward on a stream of ice. As they rode away, the bramble destroyed the wall and let loose a loud cry.
It glared after them, but wasn't able to follow. Even so the kids knew that they weren't safe and that they had to reach the barrier before it was too late!
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"Wha-what the hell is going on?! Why is the snow black and the sky red?!" Mina exclaimed, nerves standing on edge. The dwarfs panicked, hearts racing.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Denki cried. He pulled at his hair as terror filled him. "It's here! It followed us!"
"What are you talking about?!" Mina snapped. "What is it? And what do you mean it followed you?"
"It's the monster forest we lived in! It spent our whole lives trying to kill us, and now it's here to take us back-" Before he could finish, the ground cracked open. From the crack, a vine-like branch shot out. It was followed by more that surrounded them in a ring. The dwarfs screamed as one stabbed at them. Before it could touch them, Mina released a stream of acid. The vine let out a shrill shriek as it melted.
"Did-Did a plant just scream?!" Mina exclaimed. "Trees don't scream!"
"These trees do a lot more than that! Look out!" Ochaco cried out a warning allowing Mina to turn just in time to dodge the spear branch. One of the tree limbs tried to grab her arm, but because of the acid that coated her skin, it recoiled.
"Everyone, take cover!" The dwarfs dived under a rock as Mina aimed her palm into the air. Acid rained down, melting all the attacking trees.
When it was deemed safe enough, Tsuyu grabbed Denki while Ochaco grabbed Mina by her shirt.
"Hurry! We have to get out of here before it reaches us!" Tsuyu called. All sleep had been banished from her brain as alarms flared. She turned to the impette. "How much further is the barrier?"
"Not far! But even if we get there, we can't get through!"
"We'll deal with it then! For now, we have to move!"
And so they ran. They ran knowing that if they slipped up, that if they weren't fast enough, then they were dead.
Or worse.
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Shouta and the bird moved as quickly as they could, but it wasn't long before a shadow impeded their way. The demon trees, that made their home in Shouta's nightmares, blossomed around him and the beast, surrounding them. From the branches, figures swung down. For a moment, they were bones, then they became creatures that Shouta could not describe.
The beast let out a cry of warning as it moved to defend the man, its wings flaring out protectively. Shouta cursed inwardly, seeing that they were surrounded.
'What now?!' How did you fight a forest? The beast seemed like it was willing to help, but how much could it do when it was injured? What could HE do?
A voice echoed from the mist.
"So this is the famous Snow White, hm? You've caused quite a stir, haven't you?"
From behind the shield of feathers, Shouta saw a figure step out from the black mass. His heart stopped.
"Shigaraki?"
The King smiled in a way that was inhuman. The form was slightly familiar, though Shouta did notice a few changes. The voice, however, was completely different. It was a voice that paralyzed Shouta as all the letters it used to form words seemed to be pulled from his darkest thoughts.
"Not exactly," The King said. He threw his arms out dramatically, giving Shouta a broad view of the toned chest Shouta was sure wasn't there before. "This is his body, but 'Shigaraki' doesn't exist anymore. Something I think you'll be glad for."
Shouta didn't understand what was being said but believed the man when he said he wasn't Shigaraki. But then, who was he?
The King gave a mock bow.
"Allow me to introduce myself; For years, I hung on the wall of Shigaraki's chamber. Every day he would come to me and ask; 'Who is the most powerful of them all?' and every day, I would reply, 'With powers of flame and darkness at your beck and call, you are the most powerful of them all.
"But then you changed all that. I only saw your powers in sparks over the years, but I knew you were the key to my shackles. So one day, on a whim, I replied, 'Skin as white as snow, fresh fallen, hair as black as the blackest raven in winter's sky, and eyes red as blood just pricked from a vein lies the threat to your rein…'
"And now here I stand, free from my cage in a new form; I am the Demon King. And before I seek my vengeance upon the elfs beyond this land, and finish my deed from an eon ago by fully erasing the dwarfin race, I shall devour your heart and take your Erasure for my own."
Shouta stared.
'This is insane!' This was the Demon King? The one from the stories? No, no way. Shigaraki must have gone mad from all his spells. Then again, wasn't he told that Shigaraki was working with a demon? If that was the case, then it wasn't hard to imagine that the bratty King got possessed. But then, where did that leave Shouta and his options? If Shigaraki was dead, then what should he do?
Two sides fought against each other in Shouta's head to answer this. Apart of him wanted to run forward and beat the hell out of Shigaraki—or whoever the hell this was!-for all the pain the king caused, as well as for starting this whole mess.
A primal part of him wanted to run. It knew that Shouta didn't stand a chance against—whatever this was. Forget that this might have been Shigaraki, the man who was responsible for his miserable life before. Forget the fact that somehow he managed to uproot and bring the forest that almost killed him as a literal army. There was something about this man, something that terrified him to the bone.
He wanted to run. All his instincts told him to flee.
But he didn't. He stood his ground for one reason, one reason that gave him the courage to stand tall and speak clearly.
"Where's Hizashi?" he asked. His heart pounded against his chest tight with worry, fear, and dread. His beloved Hizashi. If Shigaraki was gone, then what became of his love? That thought made unfallen tears burn at his eyes and tighten his throat. "What did you do to him?!"
A surge of hot fury surged through his cold body. He almost ran out from behind the safety of the blackbird but stopped himself just in time.
Shigaraki—the Demon King sighed.
"Of all the questions to ask, that's the one you choose? How—human."
Shouta growled. "Just answer, dammit!" he demanded.
The King laughed. "Don't tell me you don't recognize him! I know he looks different, but I thought true love recognizes each other, whatever the form." The demon waved his hand towards the bird that stood before him.
Shouta's eyes widen in shock, and his heart almost stopped in realization.
The King continued his taunt, very much amused;
"You are a very unique person, Snow White. First, you develop a power that even I have never seen. Then you managed to charm one of my cursed beasts. Now I've seen many things, but never that. Although I'll admit that your lover is quite unique on his own."
Shouta didn't even hear him. "Hizashi?" He stared at the beast.
He couldn't believe it, he couldn't believe it. How-
He snapped his gaze back to the demon. "What did you do to him?" The ever-present smile on the King's face grew.
"I did nothing," he said. "This was Shigaraki's doing. He was determined to have your lover finish the deed he gave him, but alas, even cursed, your Hizashi seems to have a mind of his own. Very curious, though. They usually don't hold on to anything. Of course, Shigaraki may have made a few slip-ups in the spell. He tended to get sloppy when he was cocky or upset."
Shouta snarled as he narrowed his eyes at the demon king. They flashed red to convey his fury. "Change him back!" He was well aware that he was surrounded—it was hard to ignore the stares and sound of the Picasso styled mouths and eyes of the demon trees as their cackles filled the area. He could sense the bramble slithering through the blackened snow like snakes. But none of that mattered in his angered state.
The other lopped his head to the side in a way that made it seem as if it would snap off. "Why would I do that? I worked hard to give him his new form. Besides, he doesn't talk as much in this form. I made sure of that." Once again, the human went to charge forward but stopped as dark roots sprang from the ground, creating a barrier between the two.
"Besides, it won't matter; I did tell you that I came to you for a specific reason, didn't I?"
Common sense finally took control of Shouta's mind as he realized he was outmatched. He needed to get out of here and fast!
He grabbed the fire rune from his pocket. The imps gave it to him to keep warm but would it—no time to think. He had to risk it!
He tossed the fire rune at the thickest part of the trees. As soon as it touched wood, the rune lit and created a fire that started to snake around the trees, causing them to thrash about. They even whipped out and smacked into the Demon King, who was thrown into a wall of ice. Icicles shook, then rained down, spearing and pinning him to the ground like a butterfly to a board. Somehow Shouta knew this wouldn't stop him for long.
"Hizashi, let's go!" He pulled at the bird, who started to thrash when the flames appeared. It leaped into the air, and Shouta grabbed hold of its talons as it used its remaining wings to fly away. The trees lashed out to trap him while demons leaped, but Hizashi was fast. He sliced through the trees with his beak, then smacked a leaping skeleton away with a wing, flinging it into two others. Brambles shot up to wrap around his other leg, but Shouta pulled Himiko's blade from his boot and sliced them away with ease. He then stabbed another demon with it with resulted in Shouta losing the blade. Not that it mattered as Hizashi was able to break out and into the air above. Shouta watched as the forest grew smaller, head pounding despite the momentary relief.
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Because of his wounds, Hizashi didn't fly far and soon crashed into the snow with a skid. Shouta grunted as he hit the snow but dragged himself to his feet quickly.
"Hizashi?! Are you okay?" Why was he asking? It wasn't as if Hizashi could reply… could he?
The bird pushed it—no, himself out of the snow, then curled into himself. Over fluffed feathers, Hizashi gave Shota a look of concern. It was a look that was so familiar it stirred something in the brunet.
Shouta focused on the bird demon that had been revealed to be his lover with a new perspective. Was the king lying to him? Was this some sort of trick? Did he dare to hope after everything?
"Is it really you?" All this time Shouta had been so sure that Hizashi was still at the castle being tortured or worse. But he was here. He had been by his side the whole time, watching over him and protecting him. Yet he never realized...
Shouta reached a hand out towards the beast, but Hizashi flinched back from his touch. A whine escaped his throat as he held his scorched wings close to his body. Shouta pulled his palm back, staring at his cursed lover with pity. It pained the man to see the creature recoil in such pain. Even more so now that he knew the truth.
"Hizashi…" Shouta felt so helpless. Hizashi was right before him, yet he was so far away.
His eyes burned and shined with unshed tears as he slowly took a step forward. As he did so, he started to sing in a low tone that only Hizashi could hear. He didn't know if it would work, but it was all he could think of at the moment;
"Now that I've found you, here's what I have to say," Shouta reached up and stroked Hizashi's face. "One Song, I have but one song, one song, only for you." The bird instinctively leaned into the touch and bent his head lower. As he did so Shouta brought up his other hand to press his forehead against the feathers. "One heart, tenderly beating, ever entreating, constant and true... One love that has possessed me. One love, thrilling me through…" As he sang the bird's eyes became half-lidded and daze. This gave Shouta hope as he finished the song. "One song my heart keeps singing of one love... only for you…"
Silence fell. Shouta looked up, hoping for some form of recognition, but there was none.
Shouta sighed in disappointment. He should have known it wouldn't be that easy. Nothing on this whole trip had been easy. Why-
There was a sound, low and soft.
Shouta whipped his head up, and his heart caught in his throat.
The bird was humming to itself. Not only that, but it was humming the tune to the song he had sung. Shouta may have been offbeat, never being able to sing, but Hizashi, even in this form, was singing the same song he had the first day they met. If Shouta wasn't sure this was Hizashi before, he was now.
His eyes welled with tears as a small smile crossed his face.
Hizashi stared at him, confused at his own actions. Shouta held him, gently petting his neck.
"I'll get you back, Zashi…" he whispered. "I promise. We'll fix all of this."
The bright side to all of this was that even though Hizashi was a giant demon bird with a beast mind, he was here, and he was safe.
Well. Almost safe.
Shouta pulled away and thought. The imp land was dangerous enough, but now the demon forest was here, being lead by the Demon King, who possibly possessed Shigaraki and now said demon wanted his heart. To top it off, Hizashi was cursed into the form of a monster bird who was wounded with one and a half wings burned to cinders, and the dwarf children were still missing. So despite technically being reunited with his lover, Shouta was still in deep shit.
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Sitting around wasn't going to get them anywhere however, so he nudged Hizashi into moving. It took some literal prodding, but he managed to do so. Shouta rode atop Hizashi, who seemed unaffected by the cold. Shouta lost his warmth with the rune, but luckily Hizashi was able to replace it with his body heat. Shouta hoped beyond hope that the dwarfs had all made it to the barrier. If they hadn't—he honestly had no idea what to do. If Shouta could make it across the barrier, then the rational thing would be to get help as quick as possible.
But—
Just the idea of leaving the kids behind hurt. No. He wouldn't do that. Damn all rational thought. If he had to, he would comb the area and fight every tree and beast he had to in order to find them. He wouldn't leave them to die.
At least the area had seemed to settle for now. Was that because the demon king had been knocked out?
As per usual, when he started to think, Shouta was ripped from his thoughts when a cry echoed out.
"DIE DEMON!" Hizashi reared back as a kick of flames fell. He crouched and let out a warning cry, allowing Shouta to see the attacker.
It was Rumi! Her eyes were wild, and despite the fact she was covered in injuries, she looked like she was having the time of her life.
"Wait!" Shouta cried. He slid off of Hizashi's back and interceded the two. "He's not a demon!"
"The hell it ain't!" Rumi growled.
"He's just been cursed!" the former prince explained quickly. "He was a human huntsman who was turned into a beast by Shigaraki." Or the Demon King. Shouta was a little confused still on all of that.
Rumi frowned. "Cursed, huh?" Her face became sympathetic, but she didn't lower her stance. "Shit, that sucks. Sorry to tell you this but even if what you say is true, it's too late."
Shouta's body became still. "What?"
"If he was turned into a demon, then it won't be long before his mind is lost and he becomes, well, demony," she explained. She bent her body lower to the ground, preparing to leap. "Better to take him down now before that happens."
"No!" Shouta yelled. "I'll take him to the elfs, and they'll undo the curse!"
"Do you think the elfs are capable of fixing everything?!" Rumi snapped. "Even if they can break his curse, it won't mean a thing if his mind is gone!"
"He's not gone!" He couldn't be. Shouta wouldn't accept that! "Ever since we've reunited, he's never once tried to hurt me or anyone else!" Not technically true, as he did kill a monster, but that didn't count. "Hizashi has done nothing but protect me!" Just like always. Ever since that day they met Hizashi has always protected him. "No matter what you say, he's still Hizashi! Curse or not!"
The impetta scowled, annoyed but full of pity.
"Well, there's the proof you're not a summoner. You don't know the first thing about demons!" Flames flurried around Rumi's legs.
Behind him, Hizashi lumbered over him. Shouta jumped for a moment, then realized that in Hizashi's confused mind, it looked like Rumi was threatening him, not Hizashi. Hizashi thought Shouta was in danger, and despite his wounds, he was going to protect him.
"Hizashi! No!" Rumi leaped into the air and aimed a kick at Hizashi. The attack created a fire in the air and a blast upon impact. Hizashi cried out, wings already injured and in pain before the attack. Still, he pushed back and flung the imp back. Rumi slid back a little on the ice but was quickly leaping to attack again.
"Stop it-!" Shouta yelled, but neither was listening to him. Hizashi opened his wings and with a cry created a wind tunnel that not only pushed Rumi back but threw up the snow as well. The attack threw her into an ice rock and this, added to her other wounds, knocked her out cold.
Shouta ran over to her and checked her pulse. She was still alive, which was a relief.
"At least you didn't stab her," he muttered. He picked her up and placed her near a tree of Ember. The demon trees seemed weak to fire, so hopefully, she would be safe. If he took her with she may attack them again and cause more harm. He used Hizashi's feather to light it. Fortunately the black flame seemed harmless enough.
When the tree was lit he grabbed Hizashi. In the distance, they could see the towering barrier of green flame. They were almost there.
'Everyone… please be there. Please-!' Near the wall, there was an explosion. A bad feeling shot through him as he started to run.
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The wall of green flames brought out many feelings in the dwarfs, and worse, they brought out memories they worked hard to repress. The only reason they were still able to function was that they knew their survival depended on it.
"Do you see the others?" Ochaco asked. The others looked around but shook their heads. They should have known it wouldn't be that easy, though they really hoped it would.
"What now?" Denki asked. They had only been by the barrier for a minute, but Denki was already starting to sweat through his clothing. The dwarfelles were also sweating, but Mina seemed perfectly fine.
Tsuyu looked up at the wall of fire, scrunching her lips as she tried to see how high it was. "...Ochaco, try to see if you can float over." The other dwarfelle looked surprised.
"Huh?!"
"See if you can float over the barrier and get help!" Tsuyu repeated. Mina blinked in confusion, then realized something.
"Ah! That's right! You can fly!" she gasped. "You can go over and get to the elfs!" Ochaco shook her head rapidly.
"No, I can't! I mean, I can't just go and leave all of you!" she cried.
"Yes, you can!" Tsuyu snapped. She grabbed Ochaco's face and forced the other to look at her. "The forest came here to hunt all of us! And the only ones who can do anything to stop it are over there! We've survived all this time, we'll survive a little longer! But only if you get to the elfs!"
"But what if it doesn't work!"Ochaco cried, tears leaking down her face. "I don't want to be all alone!"
"What else can we-"
An explosion echoed behind them, and the dwarfs fell forward. They were afraid it was a demon tree but saw that it was Bakugou—they weren't sure this was any better. He was panting, drenched in sweat that pooled around him.
"I knew you cowards would come here!" he wheezed. "I knew it…" His body was shaking, and his eyes were wild. For a moment, Ochaco felt pity.
"Hey are you-" The moment was gone as he released a blast that almost threw them all into the wall of flames.
"You all keep making a fool of me, but this time I'll win. I'll win…"
"Come off it, Bakugou! This isn't the fucking time for your pride trip!" Mina yelled. "Look around you! The sky is red, the snow is black, and literal killer trees are shooting out of the ground everywhere! This is no time for your 'I'll win' bullshit!"
"Shut up, loser! I don't care about that shit!" Bakugou growled, looking like a man possessed. "I'm better than them… I'm stronger than anyone! I'll win and prove it!"
"Hey, you don't need to prove anything to us! We already know you're strong!" Denki cried. This seemed to infuriate the imp.
"Shut up and die!" Bakugou readied to launch another attack but found himself frozen to the earth.
"What the fuck?!"
"That's enough, Bakugou." Riding on a stream of ice, Shoto had his hand outstretched, three dwarfs peeking out from behind him.
"Momo! Izuku! Tenya! You're alright!" Ochaco called happily. The rest of the dwarfs looked relieved as well.
Bakugou's anger was nothing compared to the fury on his face when the ice prince appeared. "Fucking bastard! Getting in my way?! I'll kill you!"
Using the pool of sweat, he destroyed the ice trapping him while also sending fire into the sky. His face became as twisted and horrid as a demon's as his pride started to swallow him in the form of his flames, which were eating at his skin and clothing.
"I'll kill you all!" He roared over the fire, though it wasn't clear if he was talking to them or himself. He hated them all. He should have killed them already, he should have won! And yet they kept beating him! "You're nothing but cowards! Always running, but I'll show you all! I'm stronger! I'll win! I-"
"You're going to sleep!" Tsuyu snuck up behind him and with a long hop, stabbed the comb into his hair. The effects were instant, and the angry imp slumped forward into the snow, which put out his fire in a hiss of steam.
Tsuyu let out a breath of relief. "Thank goodness! We were super lucky to find that comb."
"What did you do?" Shoto asked. He used his right hand to extinguish the flames that still burned Bakugou slightly.
"Magic comb, long story, no time!" Mina said. "Did you see those trees?"
Shoto nodded. "Yeah, and the snow and sky too. Do you know what's going on?" Mina shook her head.
Off to the side, the dwarflings were sharing hugs and tears as they made sure the other was all right. None of them brought up the forest that was coming for them. If they did, then they would have to think about it, and doing that would paralyze them.
"We just need to find Mr. Aizawa and Toru." Izuku when the group hug was finished.
"Nope! I'm right here!" Izuku almost toppled as a familiar weight flung itself at his back.
"Toru! You're alright!" he said, relieved. "But how did you get here?"
"I was wandering alone when I came across this scary guy!" Izuku didn't see Toru's hand but assumed she was pointing at Bakugou, who Shoto had kicked over so he wasn't lying face down in the snow. "He mentioned something about hunting you guys, so I followed him. He's hella strong!"
"Wait, aren't you cold?" Denki asked the invisible girl who currently lacked clothes. It wasn't anything new, but still.
"Freezing!" Toru confirmed. "Or I was. When we got here, everything got hot-"
"Kids!"
The dwarfs turned towards the familiar voice and cried with joy. Shouta ran towards them, the bird demon right behind him.
"Mr. Aizawa!" They ran towards him, and he embraced all seven.
"Thank goodness!" Shouta said, glad that the gods were finally taking pity upon him. He had Hizashi and the dwarfs. Things were finally looking up.
"What do we do now?" Izuku asked as he and the others pulled away.
"The—The forest. It came, and we don't have our jewels…" Momo whimpered as her imagination went wild at the thought of what would happen if the trees caught up to them. Shouta furrowed his brow as he thought. Shielding his eyes, he looked up at the green barrier. He glanced at Hizashi. He was pretty wounded, but he might be able to carry them. Then again, he might not.
"We-"
A voice chilled the air.
"Die. You all die like you were supposed to."
Panic swept through Shouta's body as he turned to see the demon king stalking towards them.
The children—imp and dwarf-stared, primal fear filling them before grabbing at their insides and squeezing them. They didn't dare to make a single sound, not even an intake of breath, which caused them to become disoriented. Their minds screamed at them to run away however, their bodies didn't even move to tremble. The dark, foreboding figure advanced. Behind him were the dark, twisted roots of the Daemonium Forest. The branches ached to fly out and rip them all to shreds, but it held back to await their master's command. The soulless gaze of the demon narrowed in on the dwarflings. The expression may have been pleasant enough, but it carried a dark hatred.
"I thought I killed every dwarf a long time ago. But I guess a rat always manages to slither through."
Shouta stood between him and the dwarfs while Hizashi stood before him. Even Mina and Shoto moved to defend as the Demon King raised an arm. The demon laughed at the scene. "What bravery! But ultimately pointless-"
Everyone braced themselves for an attack that never came, for at that moment, a voice erupted at the scene like a volcano.
"SHIGARAKI!!" it roared.
The voice broke the hypnotic spell on them. Everyone all turned to see Endeavor as he stomped through the snow. Trees and branches sparked from his mere presence as the flames consumed his body with a green glow from his chest that lit his angered features. He growled like a lion, his fangs bared as if he was getting ready to tear someone's throat out with them.
"You have a lot of nerve to return here!" he seethed. There was an odd quiet to his words, hiding a tranquil fury. "You came here to gloat over our graves? But we survived and thrived! You made a mistake returning here, and you shall pay!"
The Demon King looked the man over, his eyes tracing over him before settling on the emerald. Then he smiled a smile that would send any person—mad or sane—running.
"Your envy has blinded you so much that you cannot even see what's right before you," he chuckled, very much amused. "Nonetheless, I shall play—if only to get that precious gem off your chest." He waved his hand, and white branches shot from the ground. Skeleton monsters rode on them, then detached, landing in the black snow.
One of them tried to lunge at Shouta and the others but Hizashi knocked it back with a headbutt. Shaken back to reality Shouta thought of a plan. He realized that Hizashi wouldn't be able to fly them all to safety with monsters attacking—it barely worked before-so Shouta had to hope that there was another.
Ryuko stated that she thought Shouta's erasure might work on creating a hole in the barrier. As Shouta turned towards it he prayed she was right.
"Work, work, work!" he muttered under his breath. It took a lot of strain, and he felt as if he was fighting something. Finally, after a few minutes, the fire folded back to create a hole. The others stared in amazed confusion. The hole wasn't very big but it was enough for them all to squeeze through.
"Everyone, get to the other side!" Shouta hollered over the chaos. "NOW!"
The dwarfs immediately dashed through with the imp children, Shoto and Izuku carried the paralyzed Bakugou across.
After all the children had gone, Shouta walked backward through the barrier, keeping his gaze on the hole to keep it open.
"Come on!" He called out to Hizashi. But the bird didn't move.
He looked at Shouta, then the valley beyond. Shouta couldn't place what was wrong. Why was he hesitating? Was it the barrier?
'He has the mind of a beast right now, and he was severely injured by fire. So maybe the flames are scaring him.'
"It'll be okay, I promise! Just c'mon!" The demons were getting closer, the ground cracking and exploding as the roots dug under. Still, Hizashi didn't move.
"Hizashi, please! Just come with me!" Shouta begged. His eyes felt like they were bleeding from the strain of keeping them open, but even so, Shouta refused to close them. Hizashi looked at him, expression conflicted, confused, and sad. He didn't say anything, but Shouta heard the words loud and clear,
"I can't."
Hizashi spread his injured wings.
"No!" Shouta started to run back, hand outstretched. "Hizashi!"
Hizashi flapped his wings, and the gust threw the prince back. The action forced Shouta to finally blink. He opened his eyes almost immediately, just in time to see the barrier snap shut. Through the transparent flames, Shouta saw Hizashi dived bombed the demons. He skewered the first demon with his spear beak and tore through it. The beast moved on to the next and ripped it apart with his talons. Soon however, Shouta's view became blocked by the roots and brambles of the demon trees as they tore from the ground. They aimed towards Shouta but were repelled by the flames of the barrier. A high-pitched screech was heard as the roots and branches recoiled, making Shouta flinch.
"Mr. Aizawa!" He turned to look at the dwarfs who were waiting for him, each looking more terrified than the next. Feeling physically and mentally torn, he turned to look to where he had just seen Hizashi, but the bird was hidden behind the chaos.
'Just when I found him…!' Gritting his teeth and fighting against tears of frustration, he made a decision. He turned and ran towards the dwarfs.
He grabbed two of their hands and called to the rest to follow him.
"Come on! We have to get to the elfs!" And All Might. All Might would stop all this and save Hizashi!
Right?
{To be Continued…}
A/n:
*Poor Shouta. He finds Hizashi only to be separated again. :(
*We're getting close to the end here!
*These chapters are all so long! Why did I make them long?