Heya guys!

So yeah, been a while since my last update. Things have been a little crazy at my job: lots of people going on vacation, lots of people moving on, and a lot of schedule changes. Last month pretty much ran me ragged. That and multiple games kept me distracted: Boltgun, Battlebit Remastered, Diablo 4, World War Z, and Slave Zero just to name a few. I'm only human, folks.

But I've still been working on this chapter despite it all so enjoy it even if it is on the short side. God, I am so exhausted.

DOOM, My Hero Academia, and Darksiders belong to their respective owners. I do not own either of them.

Beta read by Zeroth17


Chapter 28

Grace of the Angels

"The Lord works in mysterious ways..."

-Jake Blues, Blues Brothers

MUSUTAFU GENERAL HOSPITAL

3RD FLOOR

Fatgum, Mr. Brave, Crust, Selkie, and Gang Orca were recently given the all-clear to leave the hospital. The group was more than ready to get back to work after hearing that the I-Island Siege was over. Aside from hearing about a massive explosion from the nurses when they regained consciousness, they knew nothing about what transpired on the island. As they prepared to leave, Uwabami, Kesagiri Man, Wash, Air Jet, and Slidin' Go came into their hospital room to see how they were doing. They brought them up to speed: the Steel Sabers had been utterly annihilated and the Vigilante defeated up to forty-eight Pro Heroes. To say that they were shocked would be an understatement.

"ALL OF THEM?!" Fatgum nearly shouted. "HE BEAT ALL OF THEM?!"

"Yes, if you can believe it." Uwabami answered as she stared down at her feet.

The recovering Heroes were speechless. Knowing how one man defeated dozens of Pro Heroes on his own was staggering.

"And that's not the scariest part. We got word a while ago that he knocked out two other Heroes right after he slaughtered a whole street gang. He's still out there." Air Jet fearfully revealed.

"But hold on a minute!" Crust suddenly interjected. "You said earlier that you saw All Might leave the airport to go fight the Vigilante! If that madman was spotted in Musutafu, does this mean that All Might lost against him!?"

"We don't know for sure." Kesagiri Man shook his head. "The HPSC's still trying to piece together what happened and we've heard nothing from them yet. They're going to hold a press conference tomorrow."

The other Heroes glanced at each other with fear. Was there somebody out there who was stronger than All Might? Did All Might lose?

"All Might didn't lose." Gang Orca broke the silence, straightening his tie. "I refuse to believe it, there's no way someone like him could've lost."

That did little to ease everyone's fears over the situation. As much as they wanted to point out the glaring evidence, such as the Vigilante having escaped and All Might being nowhere to be seen, no one wanted to argue with Gang Orca. The Whale Hero was known to be as stubborn as a mule and could get pretty scary if anyone disagreed with him.

"Hey, uh, l-l-l-lets not talk about that right now." Wash nervously interjected. "We could really use some extra hands in Musutafu, it's bedlam out there!"

"How bad is it?" Mr. Brave tilted his head.

"It's getting more out of control by the minute." Air Jet placed his helmet back on. "At first, we had everything on lockdown but now word is starting to spread that dozens of Pro Heroes are out of action and the criminals are taking advantage of it. We've got multiple small-time Villain gangs pilfering stores on every street corner or waging turf wars with other gangs. The other Heroes, Sidekicks, and officers have them locked down but some of us are having trouble with the stronger Villain groups and we're already shorthanded as it is."

"Well then, it's a good thing we're rarin' to go." Selkie determinedly placed his goggles over his eyes.

"That's the spirit! No time to waste, the public needs our aid and we're here to answer the call!" Slidin Go posed with heroic fervor. "Let us cry havoc and let slip the dogs of justice!" The Hero was out the door in a flash, skating down the hall with the grace of an ice skater. Everyone else sweatdropped.

"Boy, I thought I loved hamming it up." Crust admitted.

"Never hurts to have one more." Uwabami playfully teased as she and the other Heroes left the room. Everyone took the emergency exit to avoid the mass of reporters crowding the front entrance and ventured into the night to bring order to Musutafu. Slidin' Go, on the other hand, slid into a hidden alleyway and dug out his phone from his pocket. He contacted one of the lieutenants of the Meta Liberation Army, who went by the codename Trumpet, via texting to update him on the current situation. Numerous MLA agents across Musutafu kept their eyes peeled for any news or important events following the I-Island Siege that they could relay to their superiors.

SG: Multiple Pros are out of action. Criminals are causing havoc throughout the city and the HPSC is having a press conference tomorrow.

T: Will relay information to Re-Destro. Resume your patrols and update us whenever possible.

SG: Roger!

Slidin' Go did the traditional MLA salute before putting his phone away. He then ran out of the alley and skated down the road to resume his "Hero duties." Uriel stood on the edge of a building, eyeing the double agent with condemning eyes.

The Archangel shook her head in disappointment. Tatsuyuki Tokoname had been granted a versatile Blessing that could've helped countless people but he squandered it on pretending to be a Hero by casting in his lot with the Meta Liberation Army. She bore a contemptible frown at the thought of the MLA. While the group claimed that they fought for the right for citizens to use their "Quirks" freely and that their powers shouldn't be regulated, they were nothing more than an army of spiteful terrorists who wished to cause as much chaos as they could and harm anyone who opposed their ideals.

"Disheartening, isn't it? A seemingly peaceful ideology used for violence and anarchy." A voice came from behind her as if they just read her mind. Uriel looked over her shoulder at the new arrival. It was her brother Jeremiel: the Archangel of Dreams. He was dressed in the same ornate armor his sister wore only lighter in color and his wings were relatively lithe compared to Uriel's armored wings. His eyes were a crystalline blue while his hair was curly and shimmering gold.

"It is." Uriel sadly answered. "Ayame Yotsubashi never wanted this."

The Mother of Quirks, who first coined the term, fought for the free use of said abilities but were purely non-violent and pacifistic. It was only when she was murdered by an Anti-Quirk hate group, the Creature Rejection Clan, her son Chikara Yotsubahi formed the MLA and took a decidedly more radical approach to her mother's ideals. After Chikara took his own life during his incarceration, his son Rikiya took over the organization and turned it into the terrorist organization it is today. As much as they wanted to lament the current state of affairs of the MLA, they had other important matters to attend to.

"Will you be able to heal Tomoko's mind?" Uriel inquired.

"Absolutely. The Lord has tasked me to rid the visions plaguing her mind." Jeremiel affirmed. "She will suffer no longer."

Uriel sighed in relief and contentment; grateful for the Ascendant Realm's "one Miracle per mortal" policy. The Gods, mostly through the Creator or his Son, would bestow upon a mortal a Miracle to save them from certain death or grant them an epiphany when they were at their lowest point. Knowing that the young Hero would recover from her mental trauma warmed her heart.

"But as surprising as this may sound, some of the Gods requested that we hold that off until they view her visions." Jeremiel revealed. "They believe that there may be clues to the Doomslayer's origins within them."

"What did the Creator have to say about that?" Uriel asked.

"While he agreed with their reasoning, he does not want to prolong Tomoko's pain." Jeremiel explained. "The Creator wishes to learn more about the Slayer as well but not at the expense of one mortal's suffering. Most of the Prime Council was in agreement and sent me here to the Mortal Realm to rid Tomoko's visions."

"With any luck, she'll heal." Uriel replied. "I should be on my way to the Crowfather and Ulthane. We need to have another look at the Helix Stone to see if there was anything else we might've missed the first time we read it."

"What of our Brother Usiel?" Jeremiel asked.

"He's traversing the Pantheons to question their Seers about the Slayer. They might know something about his arrival." Uriel surmised.

"In that case, I apologize for being the bearer of ill news." They heard the voice of Uisel on the other side of the building's rooftop. The two Angels glanced to their right to see the Archangel of Valor walk towards them; impeccable timing as usual. "I have sought council with Tireseus, the Norns, and many others have revealed the same answers: the Doomslayer's story is completely unwritten."

Uriel and Jeremiel's eyes widened in shock as their mouths hung open. "A being unbound by fate..." Uriel whispered.

"Not only that, his very presence seems to alter the fates of those around him." Usiel revealed in a grave tone. "We are dealing with something that has never occurred in this universe since the End War."

An uncomfortable silence followed as the implication of the possible dangers the Hellwalker posed. Since when was a Demigod capable of something as improbable as defying fate itself? And for other mortals for that matter?

"This revelation is troubling but we must not lose focus. I will go to Tomoko while you two continue with your investigation of the Doomslayer. I wish you the best of luck, brother and sister." Jeremiel said as he flapped his wings and took off in the direction of the hospital.

"And you, brother." Uriel nodded her head kindly. They were about to head to their destination, but Uriel turned her head over to the rest of the city to her left. Sensing the presence of someone familiar, her expression turned deeply crestfallen. Usiel sensed her sister's malaise as she flew off in the opposite direction, following after her as she did.


UPTOWN MUSUTAFU-ALDERRAN PARK

Despite the chaos around town, the park was deserted since there was nothing of value to loot from. Which made it perfect for its sole occupant to contact the League of Villains. The mole planted at U.A. scanned the area to see if the coast was clear before sitting themself down on a park bench and taking out their cellphone. After a brief moment of trepidation, they dialed the number and made the call.

"Do you have anything to report?"

"Nezu just announced that he's closing U.A. until the staff returns from the hospital. Also, the Training Camp trip has been canceled."

"Is that so? Never expected the rodent to make such a rash decision. Regardless, this is merely a bump in the road. Update me on when U.A. opens its doors again. Is there any other news of importance I should know about?"

"No, there isn't."

"Are you certain? You wouldn't happen to be keeping something from me, are you?"

"N-No! I-!"

"I don't want to remind you of what will happen if you don't cooperate..."

"NO! I do have some news! Izuku said that he met the Vigilante a couple of days ago; the man fell out of the sky near his apartment!"

"Izuku Midoriya...oh how the stars align. You wouldn't happen to know his address, would you?"

"I don't. D-Do you need me to find out?"

"Hmmmm. Not at the moment. That's further down the line of my plans. Inform me of any new developments in the meantime."

"I understand."

"Excellent! This is why you're my favorite little infiltrator."

And with that, the call ended. The mole stared down at their phone as teardrops fell onto the screen. They dreamed of becoming a Hero. That's all they wanted. How did it come to this? The infiltrator got up from their seat and left the park, resigned to their fate and the end of their dreams. All of this did not go unnoticed as Uriel and Usiel stood nearby, completely invisible to the naked eye, having watched the entire conversation.

The Archangels wore heartbroken expressions. Of all the poor, innocent souls that AFO had forcibly indentured into his cruel whims, why did it have to be that poor child? Uriel wanted to desperately break the metaphorical chains AFO had wrapped around them and guide them back into the light. But alas, she could not due to her oath to never directly interfere with the affairs of mortals. That is unless she was granted permission to do so by the Ascendant Realm. The Eternal Balance had to be kept after all.

But a Miracle was not happening fast enough for that lost soul and she couldn't watch them suffer for another minute longer. Uriel felt a hand gently placed itself on her shoulder and she glanced up at Usiel. Her brother had the same saddened look as her; desperately wanting to take action as well. The two stared at the mole for a few more seconds before they flew up into the midnight skies and headed for Ireland.

As they soared through the clouds, Uriel bitterly wished that the Creator would ignore one of his rules just once and smite All for One off the face of creation.


UNKNOWN LOCATION

ALL FOR ONE'S HIDEOUT

The Symbol of Despair smiled wickedly as he put away his phone. Hooked up to a specialized chair that monitored his health, AFO swiveled himself around to face the kneeling forms of Curator and the Volcano Thieves. The lair of AFO was nightmarishly foreboding: a circular, wide open room that made the occupants feel small with rows upon rows of cylindrical preservation tanks lining the walls. Hundreds of cables snaked across the ground from the tanks and attached themselves to AFO's chair or various experimental equipment. The tanks were filled with a purple liquid that cast an eerie glow throughout the room and within them were gestating embryos or half-formed Nomus. All in all, it was cozy if you were Dr. Herbert West.

"Now, before we begin, you can pick yourselves up. There's honestly no need for that." All for One politely requested.

"But Master, we failed you-" Curator responded just as AFO raised his hand.

"Wolfram is to blame for this fiasco, he let his overconfidence get the best of him so the fault lies solely with him. Your inability to retrieve the Headset and set off the bomb was the result of an unknown, unforeseen element that you could not have possibly accounted for. How were you supposed to know one man would drastically alter our plans?" AFO reasoned. "From what you have told me, you were successful in breaking David Shield so this wasn't a failure in the slightest. You made the right call by falling back once you saw the Heroes coming."

Curator was taken aback by his master's forgiveness when he thought for sure he was going to be killed for his failure. "You are too kind, Master..."

"With that being said, it is a shame that we weren't able to obtain the Quirk Amplification Headset." AFO expressed as he clasped his hands together. "It would've been a boon for our organization."

"Well, I do have some good news on that part." Volcano spoke up.

"Oh?" AFO tilted his head.

Maguma pulled on the collar of his bodysuit and dug out a slip of blue-colored paper. He walked over to AFO and gave it to him; the criminal mastermind plucked it from Volcano's fingers and opened it up. It was blueprints for the QAH.

AFO's scarred face lit up like it was Christmas Day. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yep. When I took care of Samuel and made my way back to Curator, I remembered there was a blueprint for the Headset inside its case. So I nabbed it and hid it in my suit just in case something were to happen, y'know?" Volcano recounted.

"Oh dear, it's learned to think." Curator snidely insulted.

"Hey." Volcano grunted in hostility.

"Now, now, gentlemen. There'll be none of that in here." AFO chided, causing both men to back down. "Volcano, you displayed quick thinking and initiative. I'm sure Dr. Garaki would be very pleased to work on this after he's done with Tomura's arm. Curator, give these blueprints to him; he should be in his lab."

"As you wish, Master." Curator bowed.

"In the meantime, Volcano, I want you to send a message to the core LOV members: they are to stand down until they receive further orders. Also, have Shigaraki sent here so that we may begin the reattachment process." AFO ordered. "Since our role in the I-Island Siege has no doubt been discovered, we need to lay low until U.A. reopens or until another opportunity presents itself to us. Until then..."

All for One rotated his chair around and tapped a button on his keyboard to bring up the video of the Steel Sabers' hijacked broadcast just as the Vigilante sawed one of them down the middle.

"I'm dying to find out more about our little diamond in the rough..."


MUSUTAFU GENERAL HOSPITAL

ISOLATION WING

"If she wakes up and starts to panic, do your best to calm her down but if she starts to become violent, you'll have to sedate her again." Chiyo told the group of orderlies before her. They nodded and left the room, leaving her with Tomoko.

The Heroine was restrained to a bed via leather straps tightly bound to her legs, arms, and torso. It pained Recovery Girl to see Tomoko like this. This girl saved dozens of lives throughout her career and was a beacon of endless optimism to everyone around her; she didn't deserve to be tied up like this. But it was for her own protection no matter how degrading it was. Shaking her head sadly, Chiyo took the clipboard from the end of the bed and read the diagnosis sheet. She grimaced; it did not paint a pretty picture for Tomoko at all.

TOMOKO SHIRETOKO

AGE: 31

HERO ALIAS: RAGDOLL

QUIRK:SEARCH

SYMPTOMS: POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER, UNSPECIFIED RAGE DISORDER, COMPULSIVE SCRAWLING, ACUTE MORBID DEPRESSION, APHASIA, VISUAL AND AUDITORY HALLUCINATIONS, CHRONIC HYSTERIA, PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA, FRENZIED CONFUSION, INTERMITTENT EXPLOSIVE DISORDER, ATTENTION DEFICIENCY, PERSECUTORY AND GRANDIOSE DELUSIONS.

TREATMENT: INTRAMUSCULAR MEDS, HEAVY SEDATION, PHYSICAL RESTRAINTS.

**WARNING TO ALL STAFF: ABSOLUTELY NO THEOLOGICAL DISCUSSIONS!**

Recovery Girl sighed heavily as she put the clipboard back onto a nearby counter. She did not want to imagine the reactions of the other Pussycats when they found out their friend had suffered a full-blown psychotic break. Tomoko's Hero career was over if this girl didn't get psychological help soon. But what confused Recovery Girl the most was the part about theological discussions.

Tomoko never struck her as the religious type but when they were bringing the unconscious Heroine into the isolation wing, she suddenly woke up and started screaming about biblical visions of doom: Angels, Demons, Devils among us, God smiting the wicked, Armageddon, and worlds on fire. It was honestly pretty scary to hear that kind of stuff coming from such a good-natured woman who loved to help people. Recovery Girl grimly went for the door, hanging her head. All she could do at this point was pray that Tomoko would recover from her insanity, for the sake of her friends who cared so much about her. Chiyo left the room and closed the door behind her, unaware that Jeremiel was standing right next to the door. Jeremiel quietly watched her walk right past him and down the hall like he wasn't even there.

The beings of the Ascendant Realm all had the innate ability to render themselves invisible to mortals so that they could easily traverse throughout the Mortal Realm and avoid unwanted detection. Jeremiel phased himself through the door and went over to the restrained Tomoko. She was currently in a medically induced state of inactivity but she had sweat pouring down her face and occasionally winced in discomfort. Jeremiel could see that she was in deep emotional pain due to her trauma and thank the Creator that he was here to heal her from that pain.

He held out his hand and small wisps of golden light started to swirl around Tomoko's head until they flew up to his hand and formed a basketball-sized orb. It was gold in color and warm to the touch as it emanated a shimmering glow that illuminated the room. Jeremiel reached down at the sheath attached to his belt and pulled out a curved dagger with blue runes imprinted along the blade. He tightly gripped the hilt, raised the dagger over his head, and plunged the blade into the orb!

Cracks formed around the orb as it grew brighter and it shattered into tiny pieces that froze in midair and dissipated instantly. Jeremiel put his weapon away; glancing back down at Tomoko who had stopped sweating and now had a peaceful, serene expression. The Archangel of Dreams smiled at the young mortal lying before him, proud that he had brought her peace. She would no longer be driven to madness by her visions and her life would gradually shift back to normal. But Jeremiel knew that this was also a double-edged sword: by destroying the visions, Tomoko would have no memories of what had happened to her and would wake up in a state of confusion. This meant she would not remember having a psychological breakdown or attacking Rumi Usagiyama.

It would be a huge gap in her memories but it was for the best. Jeremiel had accomplished his mission per the Creator's orders, and it warmed his heart to aid those in need. He gently patted Tomoko's hand and whispered in a kindly tone, "May you be blessed with good dreams from now on, child."

Jeremiel let go of her hand and left the room by phasing through the wall again, leaving everyone in the staff unaware of what had transpired and granting Tomoko peace of mind.

To be continued...


Sorry again that this took so long.

This arc will be done in two more chapters and the next one is Darksiders focused with a huge lore bomb added in for good measure. Onto the main plot points, I added more mystery elements to the Ascendant Realm as well as some AU ideas for the Darksiders universe as a whole. Not to mention the huge implications of Quirks connection to the Realm as well as the possible inclusion of other Deities and Gods. Whoever said I was sticking with Christian/Catholic themes?

The part about the Slayer's unwritten fate in the MHA universe and changing the fates of those around him is a reference to the Goblin Slayer's status as "He does not let anyone roll the dice."

Of course, I haven't forgotten about the U.A. Traitor, and for the sake of those who are not caught up with the manga or anime-only viewers, please no spoilers. As for AFO, it's only going to be a matter of time before he finds out he's cashing checks he can't write. For Ragdoll, I never intended to have her stay permanently insane and instead wanted to display the Ascendant Realm as a purely good faction that cares about mortals. Maybe it'll help build up some trust with the Slayer in the future, seeing as how he had been deceived by false angels if you know what I mean.

So big announcement, I'm taking a break from this story to pen out the next arc and get some much-needed rest. On the flip side, I am working on a one-shot that I think you guys will enjoy!

Don't forget to review but please don't flame.