Chapter 11: What does it mean to be (A Chaldean?)(A Hero?)
Hello hello! It's that time once again! The decisive clash between Servants and Heroes! How will the battles flow as pro heroes face down the uncertain element of magic for the first time in their lives?
Stain tried to weave past Georgios but was met with an impassable wall.
He was simply out of his league.
With a single swing of his sword Georgios lifted Stain and flung him back several meters just from the force of that swing alone.
"Please! Stop! This is my fight! You have nothing to do with this!" Iida called out.
"My boy. You are truly telling me to turn away from two injured heroes? Has your grudge blinded you to that degree already? I can see why I was assigned to guard you." Georgios said evenly. His presence was a blinding light, Iida could barely regard that shining hero.
But it was not a physical light…
Stain was reevaluating his tactics. He had tried flinging daggers at that man, he'd tried attacking and weaving past him, but there was simply no way through.
If he could just draw his blood it would be over but even that seemed impossible.
A true hero still existed in this world, but he was protecting the scum that needed to be purged.
And he had a weapon specifically designed to deal with Chaldean Heroes...
He reached behind him and pulled that mysterious device from its place on his belt.
He had no idea how that device truly worked. What did they say? A partner would be supplied to him should he use it?
The logistics of it were beyond him but he needed the help.
"I hate to be indebted to those idiots, but I must continue my mission. Please survive. The world needs true heroes like you." Stain said while pressing the button at the top of that device.
An explosion of force blew through the alleyway.
Another opponent had entered the fray.
Georgios' eyes widened.
"A summoning spell? I see. So they've finally begun to move."
His stance shifted as the smoke from that explosion cleared.
"Aaaaah, what a pain. I guess I've got to deal with you huh?"
Georgios recognized the man by his voice alone. He wore a red cape and held a golden spear casually against his shoulder.
"Hector of Troy?!"
"Huh? You know me? How's that work cuz I don't recognize you at all."
That man with short brown hair and a short beard spun his spear and readied himself for combat.
"Orders, Master?"
Stain bristled at the term Master. What kind of man had that device just summoned? More importantly, why did that Chaldean already know who he was just from seeing him once? Was there an organization out there that responded to these calls that was poised against Chaldea?
Regardless...
"I need to fulfil my mission. Keep that true hero busy but don't kill him,"
"That's gonna be kind of rough. You really want me to fight another Servant while holding back? Alright. I guess. Lets tango mystery man."
Georgios tensed. He was an invincible wall sure. But he could not be in two places at once. Hector was too powerful an opponent to be taken lightly…
But…
He could tell from where he was standing.
The Hector before him did not have the same level of power as the one he was used to. The summoning method must have its drawbacks, as such this Hector was likely degraded.
There was no comfort in this fact. Even if he was degraded Hector was a bad matchup for him.
And unfortunately Hector was not alone.
The Master and Servant combo charged together only to be met with a wide swing of Georgios' blade. Hector smashed head long into it, locking weapons with the saint.
"Oooh! You are strong huh!? Man! This definitely isn't my kind of fight but…" Hector tried to push Georgios but he would not budge.
Stain used the distraction to slip past him.
"Now then-"
He didn't even get a chance to refocus on Iida before someone else arrived and punched him square in the face.
A bolt of green lightning came to a stop in front of Iida.
Stain took the moment to fall back, taking point next to Hector.
"BINGO!" Midoriya shouted, a triumphant smirk on his face.
"Midoriya!?" Both Iida and Georgios shouted.
"Why-" Iida started before Izuku cut him off.
"I saw it on the news. 60% of the hero killers victims were found in back alleys leading to dead corners! So from the center of all the commotion I checked every alleyway until I finally lucked out here!"
Hector let out a low whistle.
"Is this what modern heroes are like? Wish I could have had kids like you back at Troy…"
Georgios forced the errant Servant back but was unable to knock him off his feet.
"Iida can you move? We need to get to the street so we can get more backup-"
"I- I can't… Ever since he cut me-"
Midoriya paused and looked to Georgios. He had been in the group they'd fought in Chaldea's cafeteria during the nerf war. They hadn't gotten the opportunity to speak much but knowing he was a Chaldean hero brought immense relief.
But he had to wonder… Why was he here?
"There are two victims here. Hector is not an opponent I can freely disengage from."
Pro hero Native was slumped up against the alley wall. It would be nearly impossible to carry him and Iida away at the same time while trying to deal with the Hero Killer...
"Wait." Midoriya's mind came to a halt as he saw the man standing opposite Georgios, "Isn't- Isn't he a Chaldean too!?"
He recognized the spear that gruff man wielded.
"I do not have time to properly explain the situation, but that man is currently an enemy I cannot afford to ignore. I am sorry but I must request your aid young man," Georgios said with a pained smile.
A Servant fighting alone was at a distinct disadvantage when fighting against a Master Servant pair. Without Nathan present he would have to improvise.
Luckily, the young hero next to him would do nicely.
"Midoriya! Don't get involved! This has nothing to do with you!" Iida called out. "This is my fight and I refuse to run away! I will never forgive you if you-"
"Iida-kun what are you-"
"It must be nice to have good friends Ingenium. Boy. I have a duty to kill these two. If you get in my way it is only natural that the weak will be culled. So. What will you do?"
The amount of murderous intent those words held was unmistakable. Instinctively Georgios took a step forward, intending to meet that man head on.
Briefly, Midoriya froze up. This was on a whole other level than the villains at USJ. The conviction behind his words. The pure intent to kill. Such things had only risen from Shigaraki out of anger at Nathan…
But if Nathan could stand up to it…
He held his phone behind his back and sent a ping to a small group chat the class had set up. It only contained his location but he hoped someone would be able to figure out what he meant.
He pocketed the device and readied himself.
"STOP! PLEASE! RUN AWAY! THIS DOESN'T CONCERN YOU AT ALL!" Iida screamed
Hector watched on with a smile. He knew it was impossible, but he kind of hoped everything could be resolved quickly and peacefully.
It really would be a shame to have to kill those kids.
"If you say that, then heroes can't do anything! I have a lot to say to you, but I'll save it for later. It's just like All Might said… Meddling where you aren't supposed to is the essence of being a hero!"
Midoriya took up a stance. He resolved and faced Stain's murderous intent head on.
Stain straightened up, a massive smile on his face.
"Good! Hector was it? That one is a true hero!"
"Yeah. I can see it from here. He's a bright one isn't he? Sure takes me back."
"You are not to kill that one. Keep them busy while I go about my work!"
"Whatever you-"
He was not allowed to finish his thought.
Georgios rocketed forward in a burst of motion and smashed into Hector, sending him tumbling.
He was back on his feet in an instant, matching Georgios speed with his own casually.
Spear and sword danced as the two Servants reached an explosive stalemate. The force of their blows alone rocking the entire alleyway.
He regretted it, truly. That he would have to leave Midoriya mostly unassisted against such a powerful opponent. But he had already stood up to that vast murderous intent.
There was no way Stain could defeat him now.
What was a Heroic Spirit doing here?
First of all, none of these villains had any mana to speak of, so how was he summoned in the first place?
Chaldea came to Japan because someone was summoning Servants without a Greater Grail or the Chaldea summoning system to support them.
But he never imagined a non magus would be able to do it.
This was extremely bad.
"This is Nathan Relnor, requesting backup immediately! Send Asterios to my location ASAP!" He called into his communicator.
"Acknowledged, deploying Berserker Asterios, ETA 5 minutes. What is the situation?"
"A villain summoned Eric Bloodaxe, can you guys get a read on my location?"
"Confirmed materialization of Eric Bloodaxe. It seems like his parameters are lower than expected. Must be a side effect of the summoning. Don't take any unnecessary risks. If worst comes to worst keep running until Asterios arrives."
"Whooo. Don't know where you came from big guy, but if you're with those punks then you're goin down just the same!" Rumi called out, bouncing on her feet as she evaluated the target in front of her.
It was odd to say the least.
Her instincts were screaming at her to run away but…
Nathan landed next to her the next moment.
"We need to get out of here! You feel it too don't you!?"
"Yeah… I can feel every hair on my body standing on edge. This guy's somethin else ain't he!?"
Eric let out a roar and advanced in an explosion of motion.
He swung his axe with enough force to send out a shockwave.
The two split, dodging in different directions as the wall behind them was obliterated.
"Oh yeah! He's the real deal alright! Let's go kid!"
"RUMI I SWEAR TO GOD!"
She was already in the air by the time he started screaming. She spun gracefully, catching Eric by the chin with a powerful kick.
He barely even stumbled out of it.
"You're kidding!" She called out as she flipped out of range of another swing of that axe.
If Nathan remembered right Eric Bloodaxe had both an Endurance and a Strength stat of B+. Even ranked down it was going to be extremely difficult to damage him with physical blows.
Thankfully that was not all they had available to them.
Eric's attention was on Mirko so he took a gamble and dodged away.
Nathan darted behind one of the wrecked vehicles scattered around the warehouse and pulled a nail from one of his uniform's pouches. He magically reinforced it and his arm as his right hand split open.
A railgun would be enough to punch through stats like that especially if he pushed his reinforcement ability to its limit. He just needed to believe Mirko would be able to keep him busy.
He felt himself pitch backwards as the vehicle he was hiding behind was lifted up.
"Oh fuck me," He muttered before using his leg to push off the wall magnetically, shooting across the floor past Eric.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
He threw the car.
It was moving too fast. Nathan did not have enough power to bring it to a stop before it hit him.
Instead he pulled on the ceiling, darting up and over the attack.
"RUMI KICK HIS ASS!"
"IM GETTING MIXED SIGNALS HERE!"
A knee slammed into the side of Eric's head.
This time it carried enough force to stagger the man, leaving him open to a follow up kick to the jaw.
But that was not enough to keep him off balance.
He swung, his axe carving through the ground like it wasn't even there.
Rumi was blown back in a shower of debris.
The sound of crackling electricity drew his attention back to Nathan in short order.
Instinctively he held his shield up.
He couldn't tell what kind of attack that boy was about to use but he definitely wanted to be on the defensive.
A tremendous noise exploded out shattering every window in the warehouse.
That nail struck his shield at three times the speed of sound. Magical reinforcement gave it the durability it needed to keep its shape despite the extreme forces acting on it. So instead of melting or crumbling it punched through that shield and continued on, tearing through his left shoulder.
"Ooooh… OOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Eric screamed as Nathan fell back to the ground.
"Oh get over it, I only have one working arm too you know," Nathan said casually as his hand weaved itself back together.
"I stop paying attention for twelve seconds and you've got him screaming like a madman. Nice work," Rumi said with a smug smile on her face as she returned to Nathan's side.
Maybe…
Just maybe…
If his stats were ranked down far enough there was a chance they would actually be able to deal with him by themselves.
Maybe he'd been a little too cautious in calling Chaldea immediately-
An odd pulse shook the warehouse.
He felt an immense weight strike his body. No. That wasn't quite right. He felt like something had grabbed hold of his muscles and was relentlessly pulling them down to the ground.
"What-" Rumi managed to get out as she too fell under that same effect.
"Oh fuck," Nathan muttered.
It had truly been a long time since he and Eric had fought together so it totally slipped his mind.
Supporting Curse Rank C+
A gift left behind by Gunnhild to her beloved husband. It was a skill that lowered the physical abilities of Eric's opponents.
And they'd both just fallen under its effects.
Hector truly was a challenging opponent for him. Georgios could not spare any focus when engaged in combat with the great hero of Troy. Especially considering his Noble Phantasm was capable of piercing any defense…
If he allowed Hector to actually throw that spear there was a real chance he could die. Even if his defenses were nearly limitless a spear that ignored defense would still do damage to him.
Their weapons smashed together over and over, the force of their blows damaging their surroundings with every clash.
But that was simply what happened when two Servants clashed.
"Man. I'm too old to be dealing with this kind of pressure… Plus… I'm not connected to a Greater Grail am I? So what the hell is all this nonsense?" Hector said casually.
"I could not begin to tell you my friend."
The fact that they could converse so casually while fighting with such force baffled Native.
"Mh… Where's your Master in all of this? Not one of these kids is it?"
"Heavens no. My master simply told me to act as a shield for the armored one."
"Oh. He picked a good one. Still can't quite figure out who you are but uh,"
Midoriya slumped to the ground as Stain's quirk paralyzed him.
"Ascalon!"
Georgios's sword gave off a brilliant light as it smashed into Hector's spear, sending the Servant flying backwards.
He exploded forward, swinging that glowing blade at Stain and forcing him to abandon another attack on Iida.
Hector landed with a loud thud next to his master.
"This could be going better boss."
"I thought I told you to keep that hero out of my way."
"Yeah but he's a real rough one. I've got something that might be able to do something about him but you told me not to kill him."
Stain ground to a halt.
What was more important?
Purging the filth before him or preserving the heroes he'd encountered…
It simply came down to numbers. Killing Georgios would be a shame but if he purged two scumbags calling themselves heroes it would even out.
"Do it."
"Ugh. Guess I'll have to bring it then… Target confirmed, angle set. Durindana!" He flipped his spear and took a stance. The spear itself began to shoot a catastrophic fire from it's tail end, almost as if it was some kind of rocket. Stain was forced to jump away to avoid the intense heat. "Blow em away!"
With that he released the weapon.
Durindana had the property to pierce all defenses but its reach was too wide. It was an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm being used on a single person, and Georgios' defense was not to be underestimated.
"ASCALON!" He roared as he met that strike head on. A terrible explosion rocked the alley as those two Noble Phantasms met.
Hector's spear flew back to his hand. He was winded after deploying his Noble Phantasm but he'd landed a solid hit.
"Can't help but notice I'm running on borrowed time here. I started with a ton of mana available but it doesn't seem to be replenishing at all…" Hector said.
"What are you talking about?" Stain muttered before returning his focus to the explosion. Was that this man's quirk? No. That didn't make sense. How was he keeping up with the Chaldean hero's strength quirk then?
"You're terrible at this whole summoning thing you know Master?"
"You! Is the Hero Killer the Master of Chaldea!?" Midoriya called out.
"Chaldea?" Hector asked, "Never heard of it. I'm just a wayward Servant that got plucked out of the Throne of Heroes. But uh. For better or worse this guy is my Master."
Stain didn't bother answering.
Or rather he wasn't given an opportunity to answer.
The smoke from the explosion was blown away with a single swing of that sword.
It had been degraded.
It hadn't had nearly as much power behind it as he'd been expecting.
But Durindana was not a Noble Phantasm to be taken lightly under any circumstances.
His left arm hung limply at his side.
Despite the fact that that decisive strike had been aimed directly at his heart he'd managed to knock it aside.
"Are you alright child?" Georgios asked Iida as he leveled his sword at his opponents.
"Please… please stop…"
It was the reaction he'd expected.
He paused for a moment noticing something in the reflection of his blade. He gave the new arrival a slight nod before returning his eyes to the battlefield.
"Well I was kind of hoping that would have done a little more damage but one arm down? Against me? Even if you have a proper Master that's gonna be tough."
"Fear not. As long as I am protecting others you will never be able to cut me down."
Hector smiled as he and Stain rushed forward together.
Georgios jumped up, allowing a pillar of fire to shoot past him. Stain evaded the blast but Hector simply opted to blow the fire away with a swing of his weapon. This proved to be a miscalculation as his spear was no longer in any position to block Georgios' next strike. That blade that boasted a perfect defense tore through Hector's shoulder as Georgios landed, sending him stumbling to the side.
Ice flowered out, elevating Midoriya and Native in a way that caused them both to slide behind Georgios.
"You've got to be more clear next time Midoriya. You made me late." Todoroki said holding his phone out, "The pros aren't far behind me."
"Excellent work young man," Georgios said, taking point with his sword at the ready, "Please protect your friends. I will keep those two busy."
Things were going well. He'd rounded up all of the attempted escapees into a nice little bundle. All that was left was for Rumi to give the all clear.
"Sorry you didn't really get to do too much again, but hey, observing pros at work has some merits doesn't it?" Hawks said cheerfully.
"I suppose. Hands on experience is preferable but being involved in something like this…"
"Least you aren't that Relnor kid. I mean I saw the sports festival but Rumi's somethin else. Keeping up with her is work even for me."
Loud crashing sounds were still coming from inside that warehouse. There was no doubt in either of their minds that Mirko was just going wild in there.
They'd been startled by the windows suddenly blowing out earlier but when the sounds of fighting continued they simply assumed someone had some kind of sonic quirk.
"I suppose, but if anyone could do it it would be Relnor-san."
The wall next to them exploded as someone crashed through it. Mirko smashed into the building across the alleyway before quickly prying herself free. She staggered somewhat as she tried to pull her senses back in order.
"Wait. Rumi!? What the hell?" Hawks called out. This wasn't right. Rumi was the one who put people through walls, not the other way around. If she was getting tossed around-
"Gurh. Fucker's tough. Got some sort of weakening quirk… It feels like my body is being pulled apart." She shook her head before launching herself back inside.
Hawks watched as she bounded towards that large man with an axe.
She was right. Her movements were a bit more sluggish to his eye… A weakening quirk? On someone who clearly also had a strengthening quirk?
"Multiple quirks?" Hawks muttered to himself.
"Hawks! Should we assist!?"
"Yeah. Come on kid."
They both darted inside the warehouse, Hawks pausing to assess the battle further.
Rumi was having trouble hitting this guy hard enough to knock him out of his movements.
They had to have been going at this for a while considering Rumi's battered state, and the state of that guy's left arm.
Nathan dropped down from the ceiling, spinning in mid air out of the way of an axe swing before letting lose a monstrous amount of electricity. That villain finally staggered allowing Nathan to weave his way under him and over to Hawks and Tokoyami.
"Need support. We can't take a hit from this guy in this state. There anything you can do to get our speed back up to normal!?"
"That's doable. How tough is this guy if Rumi can't even slow him down?"
"She was doing fine before we got hit with his weakening quirk, we've got at least another minute or two before it will wear off."
Nathan's reinforcement and anti-curse mystic code was keeping him at around the same level he'd been before getting hit but he was still straining against that curse. He couldn't imagine how bad it was for Rumi with no magical knowledge or protections.
But something he'd said set Hawks off.
How did he know how long that quirk lasted? Had they already been hit by it multiple times? But this fight couldn't have been going on that long could it?
Eric avoided another blow from Rumi before exploding towards the three idling heroes.
"Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami called out.
"YOU GOT IT!" That shadow met Eric head on, delivering a powerful gut punch to the Servant, sending him sliding backwards.
"Holy hell that worked," Nathan muttered. He'd hung back, letting his arm build up energy for another Railgun.
Eric took a step back before swinging his axe at Tokoyami himself. Red feathers snagged the two students, swiftly pulling them out of the way of that blow.
On impact that axe pulverized the ground, launching a cloud of debris in every direction.
A powerful flap from Hawks' wings blew it all away, revealing that Eric was still locked onto the students.
At least until Rumi delivered a knee drop powerful enough to nearly knock the man over.
Another swing of that axe followed. Rumi managed to weave under the attack but the sheer force it produced was enough to send Hawks skidding backwards.
What an insane villain. He was already strong enough to produce bursts of force like that and he had a wide ranged weakening quirk!? Was this connected to the League somehow?
Rumi pivoted and kicked Eric's knee in an attempt to make him fall. But while under the effects of Supporting Curse she could barely make him flinch. Only her strongest attacks would be able to get over his high rank in Endurance.
A Gandr curse struck him in the back followed by two more. He whirled around, leaping towards Nathan with his axe at the ready.
He didn't make it that far.
Dark Shadow smashed into him from below, sending him flying up into the ceiling.
"It's over!" Nathan called out. He aimed his railgun at the Servant and pulled the trigger. He didn't have the cleanest shot in the world but he had to pile on the damage where he could. Any Railgun he landed would bring the fight closer to its conclusion.
The warehouse trembled as that nail was launched at three times the speed of sound straight through Eric's midsection.
His arm gave off a sharp cracking noise as he tried to form it back into a hand. He'd been using too much power to maneuver around Eric's attacks. Not to mention taking out an entire drug ring before he was even summoned…
He wouldn't be able to use his arm for a railgun again…
Eric landed with a sharp thud, kicking up a cloud of debris as he hit the ground.
Hawks watched the two students. He had no idea Tokoyami's Dark Shadow was capable of that level of force. And was that a railgun Relnor had fired? When did they have time to coordinate this?
His hearing was still ringing from the sonic boom that last attack had produced but he absolutely heard Rumi swearing under her breath.
"Damn kid…"
"We need to get out of here while he's down!" Nathan called out.
"Um, you shot him with a Railgun. I think he's dead."
"You don't get it we need to go! Something like that won't bring him down!"
Mirko was about to speak before an impossibly loud scream shook the building.
That axe smashed into a nearby unconscious villain, almost completely pulverizing his body. But…
"There's no blood?" Hawks muttered absentmindedly.
All four of them watched as that small time villain was drained completely, shriveling up into a husk as that axe drank from him.
"Fuck." Nathan muttered, shifting his attention back to Eric.
His Battle Continuation would allow him to continue fighting even if he was dealt a fatal blow.
And that axe would allow him to replenish his vitality as long as there were fresh corpses available to be drained of blood…
"Wh-" Tokoyami whimpered as he took a step back.
Oh right this was the first time he'd seen someone die right in front of him probably.
"RAAAAAAAAAAH"
Eric planted his foot to advance only to have Mirko smash into his knee from behind.
He buckled, Hawks slashing at his undamaged shoulder with a feather blade.
Unfortunately he barely even managed to scratch him.
"What the hell are you made out of guy!?" Mirko shouted.
Eric recovered quickly swinging his axe in a wide arc to force the two pro heroes away.
Durability, enhanced strength, a quirk to weaken enemies, and a quirk that allowed him to heal himself by draining blood with his axe.
"What's someone like this doing here?" Hawks muttered as he took point in front of the two students, "This situation has escalated, you two need to get moving."
"I'm charging up another railgun, I just need a clear shot. If I can put him down then you can all escape!" Nathan called out.
What?
He'd again demonstrated a deep knowledge of their opponent but now he was going off about having them escape?
Hawks couldn't let that boy's reaction stun him when facing down an absurd opponent like this.
Why was he focused on getting everyone else out? He was the student here. Did he really think two top level pro heroes were so badly outclassed? No. If he thought that then him staying behind by himself made even less sense.
Mirko bounced off a nearby wall and smashed into Eric again, only narrowly avoiding another swing of his axe.
But she wasn't doing any damage…
The air distorted.
"FUCK YOU I WAS JUST FEELING BETTER!" Mirko roared as she weaved her way through another attack.
This time Hawks felt it. Had they been fighting like this the whole time!? He knew Rumi was insane but this kid was just as crazy as she was.
How were either of them moving like that with such a weight holding them back!?
His feathers had barely scratched this guy without invisible hands tugging at his muscles. Now…
"I'll provide support… Do what you can."
They were students, but right now he needed to rely on them as if they were pros.
"Acknowledged." Nathan said.
An unsettling crack sounded as he straightened up.
The force of two servants crashing into each other shattered Todoroki's wall of ice once again. Thankfully, Stain was just as trapped on the other side of the pair. They'd figured out that he needed to ingest blood in order to paralyze with his quirk and were keeping their distance. The only one available to him at the moment was Saint George, who was bleeding quite severely from the wound Hector had inflicted upon him.
But.
It was a fool's errand.
After disengaging from an aerial clash Hector landed behind Stain only to have to guard immediately. Ascalon smashed into his spear knocking him off his feet and into the side of the alley.
Even down an arm Georgios was a match for the two of them by himself.
And he was not the only one fighting.
Stain was forced to dodge a wall of fire after attempting to approach the downed heroes. Ice flowered across the ground, prompting him to immediately take to the side of the building rather than be trapped.
That secret weapon against Chaldean heroes had undoubtedly helped but Stain felt that it still wasn't enough.
He decided to switch targets to Todoroki himself. He'd be able to maneuver properly if he could just get that kid to stop hounding him. With the flick of his wrist he sent two knives flying towards that boy.
They didn't make it.
They were pulverized by a single swing of that Chaldean's blade.
Hector slammed into his unguarded side, the point of his spear denting his bronze armor from the force of impact alone. But without activating it properly it did not have enough power to punch through Georgios' defense.
Fire washed over the trojan hero, forcing him to back off.
"This is getting us nowhere fast boss." Hector shouted as Stain returned to his side.
"Chaldean pro heroes… Are you all this strong?"
"More or less," Georgios answered.
"... And yet you choose to hide in the shadows and let these fakes parade themselves in the streets?"
"This may sound harsh to you but we have no place interfering with the world of pro heroes. For all of their faults we are equally flawed in our own ways and we must not fall into the trappings of thinking that our strength allows us to make choices for the world at large,"
"Not to mention as Servants we don't really have any place to be interfering with the-"
"Hector of Troy! You will be silent. To divulge that much would place my master in danger. Surely you have enough respect to stay your tongue?" Georgios shouted while pointing his sword at the other Servant. Even if it was a small alley with a handful of people, the existence of Servants and magic was a secret that needed to be kept. If only for the sake of keeping Nathan out of Clocktower's crosshairs.
"... Alright, alright, I'll play along. I don't have a lot of time left at this rate anyway."
"I thank you, my worthy adversary."
Midoriya couldn't understand it. They were still relatively friendly with each other… And yet… Georgios' arm hung limply at his side from all the damage he'd received. Not to mention… What was Hector about to say?
Hector was undoubtedly a Chaldean hero too! They'd met! He'd seen Voyager take him out during the nerf war! But here they were fighting to the death! Why? Why was Georgios accepting this so readily? What was going on with their organization?
Terms like Servant, Master, and mana flew between them freely, each having a meaning that only the two of them seemed to understand…
There was an out of place commonality there even if he was mistaken about Hector...
Midoriya pulled himself to his feet without even realizing what he was doing.
"Wait. You can move!?" Native called out.
Stain clicked his tongue.
"Is there a time limit?" Todoroki asked.
"If there was, I should have gotten out first," Native said.
They went over the possibilities as Hector and Georgios squared off, crashing against each other with a familiar level of force.
It was like watching All Might fight that Nomu.
Stain confirmed their hypothesis that it was blood type that controlled his quirk's duration.
Right now. Midoriya and Todoroki had an opportunity. Now that there were two of them they could flee with Georgios covering them.
But.
What kind of hero left someone as badly injured as Georgios behind.
"I'll keep Stain busy, Todoroki focus on long ranged support."
"It'll be rough but we don't have another choice. Lets go. The three of us will keep those two safe."
Georgios opened his mouth to protest but if Midoriya was anything like his master it would be useless.
You could not tell someone who cared as much as those two did not to worry.
So he accepted the help without protest.
Midoriya launched forward, landing a glancing blow on Hector and knocking him slightly off balance. It was enough for Georgios to jab him in the chest sending the trojan hero tumbling backwards.
Stain tried his best to advance but a wall of ice blocked his path. Before he could deal with it both Midoriya and Georgios were on him, Georgios already swinging his blade. His katana snapped clean in half from deflecting just that single swing which gave Midoriya a wide enough opening to punch him straight in the face.
Durindana thrust towards Midoriya only to smash into Ascalon with a loud clang. The sheer force of the blow was enough to send Midoriya tumbling away from the two. With his opponents cleared, Stain shot past Georgios, tongue grazing his left arm.
He felt his blood turn to sludge as he fell under the effects of that villain's quirk. But he was a Saint. He was a Servant. This was nowhere near enough to bring him to a halt.
With a sharp shove he freed his blade from Hector's spear and slashed through his armor, leaving a deep gash on the man's shoulder.
Ice encased Hector's legs but it was like trying to hold a truck back with tissue paper. He tore through it and thrust his spear forward, leaving a deep scratch on Georgios' armor.
"Che-"
The difference in defensive ability was staggering but Georgios' speed was suffering.
He could no longer cover both Stain and Hector.
Stain weaved through hellfire and bitter frost, slashing Midoriya's ankle with what remained of his katana and quickly catching Midoriya in his quirk again.
"Please stop… I'm already…"
Stain was advancing on him so Todoroki couldn't afford to look back at Iida. But…
Words spilled freely from him.
He'd been concerned about Iida since the sports festival.
He knew the look on his face all too well after all.
"If you want us to stop then stand up! Stand up and look properly at what you want to be!"
Iida's mind came to a complete stop.
Ingenium…
He felt his body start to move on its own.
Stain closed the distance between himself and Todoroki. Next to Georgios and Hector his speed had been unremarkable, but when turned against them the difference was clear.
He swung his broken katana in an attempt to cut Todoroki's side open.
But.
Iida's metal grieve smashed into his hand, pulverizing it to the point where he could no longer hold a weapon.
Stain did not have time to counter. Iida's quirk sent him into a spin, allowing him to deliver a second blow before he even touched the ground.
Stain slid back, having only barely managed to guard in time.
He needed to get his bearings back. He had two targets again and Iida was considerably faster than he'd expected-
A great weight slammed into him from the side sending him tumbling.
"Sorry boss," Hector said from on top of him, "Starting to run out of gas here."
"Can he still-" Stain groaned out before the answer to his question stepped forward.
"Yeah whatever you tried to do slowed him down a bit but boy howdy did it not stop him."
What a monster.
No wonder a weapon had been developed specifically to try and counter Chaldean heroes.
"For getting the three of you caught up in something that has nothing to do with you… I truly apologize," Iida spoke, taking point in front of Todoroki.
"Iida not this agai-" Midoriya started.
"That's why. I will not allow you to spill any more blood."
Georgios smiled.
There it was.
The anger and vengeance had parted.
He was taking his first steps towards being a true hero.
But…
"A man's true character doesn't change so easily. You will never be anything more than a fake who prioritizes his own selfish desires!"
Stain's own anger was not so easily cleared.
A bolt of electricity slammed into Eric's chest, causing him to take a step back. Nathan darted under his swing of retaliation, staying under the axe and out of Eric's direct line of sight.
A small grouping of red feathers at his back pulled him along faster than his cursed body could move.
His arm split open and formed an arc fusion blade.
He wouldn't be able to keep it up long but he needed to keep Eric busy while he built up power.
His leg had fewer scales than his arm did so it took longer for it to generate enough energy to fire a railgun.
"RAAAAAAAAH!" Eric brought his axe straight down. Nathan planted his foot and launched himself backwards letting Hawks pull him out of Eric's range. Mirko landed on the axe as it hit the ground and delivered a devastating knee to Eric's chin.
If she had been fighting absolutely anyone else that would have been enough to shatter their jaw.
But Eric's endurance allowed him to tank the blow. He simply launched forward. He would crush them both against the truck before him.
Nathan flared his back scales, pushing up off the ground while Hawks pulled him towards Eric. Reaching out with his left hand he grabbed Mirko under her shoulder and pulled her up just enough to send them both rolling over Eric's blisteringly fast charge.
Despite all of those forces at play they both managed to land on their feet.
Hawks regarded Nathan with fascination. He had no idea how they were coordinating so well without any real communication. He simply pulled in the direction he would want to be going if he was that close to that monster and Nathan was already moving in that direction.
Assume the most insane answer to the problem and advance.
A loud crash sounded as Eric slammed into the truck. With his horns embedded in the vehicle's side he lifted it up and swung his entire body with enough force to send it hurtling towards his four opponents.
Once again it was too heavy and moving too fast. Plus Nathan only had his back scales available…
He pushed his arm to its limits, extending his arc fusion blade. With one powerful swing he cleaved the truck in half, allowing its pieces to pass safely by the heroes behind him. Immediately his blade shrunk to just under 15cm. His arm let out an odd sparking noise as more of its scales began to fail.
He and Mirko launched forward, Mirko jumping over the next axe swing and Nathan ducking under it. He slammed his arc fusion blade straight into Eric's knee as Mirko delivered yet another crushing blow to his head.
This time the two of them managed to topple that giant of a man.
"They're insane…" Tokoyami muttered.
"Yup. Completely out of their damn minds," Hawks said with a smirk, "But sometimes you gotta have some of that crazy on your side."
With Eric down Nathan jumped back and began converting his leg into the proper configuration for his railgun. All he needed was for Hawks to get him in the air.
But.
With an explosion of movement Eric launched forward, swinging his axe faster than Nathan could dodge. He only barely managed to get his right arm up in time. A devastating cracking noise sounded as it carved through his scale arm, shattering it just above the elbow. But in sacrificing his arm he was able to push the rest of his body out of that axe's path. Nathan was flung backwards despite this, sending him crashing through a crate behind him.
He was dazed but-
Mirko tried to land another blow only to get blocked at the last moment. Before she could even try to evade, Eric pushed out and up, flinging her into the rafters.
"Oh fuck-" Hawks got out, drawing the berserker's attention.
He took a single step towards them before a scream reverberated through the warehouse.
An orange line tore through Eric's torso from the side.
Despite the catastrophic damage.
Despite the force of being hit with yet another railgun.
Eric did not fall to his knees.
Instead he countered.
He flung that living axe at Nathan. Hawks's feathers had been knocked off by the blow that had severed his arm and his leg was in no state to properly grab anything.
He was stuck.
A golden portal opened up next to him but before he could reach inside it he felt a tug on his right leg.
Dark Shadow yanked him away the moment before impact, dragging Nathan all the way to Tokoyami's side.
"Are you ok!?" He called out.
"Dark Shadow! Listen carefully alright! Hold my torso steady, take my leg and pull it out to the side a little, then turn my foot in and pull down sharply!" Nathan screamed through the pain he was feeling.
"You got it!"
Firing a railgun with his leg was a last resort. His knee could handle the force of the shot but it usually left his hip dislocated. But this was far from the first time this had happened so Nathan knew exactly what he needed to do to be back up and moving. And so, with a sickening crunch a wave of relief washed over Nathan as his hip was pulled back into place.
It was painful to stand on but compared to the pain of his hip being out of joint it was nothing.
He was back on his feet by the time Eric went to retrieve his axe.
"How is he still moving after that!?" Tokoyami asked, completely baffled that something so devastating could be easily shrugged off.
"Sorry. I was dazed after he hit me and I didn't want to miss so I took the shot at his center mass instead of his head."
"You were dazed!? Your arm is-" Hawks stopped in his tracks and registered that that right arm seemed to be made entirely of scales. Not a drop of blood had spilled from that stump. Was that how he'd managed to keep his head despite all of that?
"Kid! You ok!?" Mirko shouted as she landed near the group.
"I'm alive. Sorry I missed the headshot we needed-"
"FUCKING HELL! SHUT UP! YOU'RE ALIVE!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
Their attention was immediately drawn back to Eric.
He held his axe over his shoulder and was about to charge forward and carve them to shreds.
He never got the chance.
What was left of the ceiling came down on top of him as a mass of white crashed through it.
The man had an even more imposing figure than Eric's and wielded two gigantic axes.
Nathan pushed off of the wall with his back scales as everyone tried to process what was happening.
"Asterios! Deploy your Noble Phantasm!" He shouted as he latched onto the man's long white hair.
"Lets go! Wander… Lost... DIE!"
That warehouse was wiped away by a massive explosion of light. Everything around them warped and distorted. Walls sprang up between Nathan and the other heroes, separating them from the fight as the Chaos Labyrinth took shape.
"Now then Eric Bloodaxe! Let's end this!" Nathan Relnor, Master of Chaldea, roared from his place atop Asterios' shoulder.
"You embody the cancer that plagues society! Someone must cleanse you!" Stain shouted.
"You're really set on this whole murdering kids before they even get the chance to grow thing aren't you boss?" Hector muttered as he locked weapons with Georgios, "Hey… I'm just about out of time. If you're gonna keep this whole thing under wraps just put me through a wall and I'll give out…" He said in a hushed tone.
"Understood. I thank you for the courtesy," Georgios nodded. He could hear Iida assert himself as Todoroki tried to keep Stain away with a constant stream of fire.
"You're not someone I know, but you know me. That's the only thing I wanna know before I go."
"My true name is Georgios. I know of you because I have fought alongside you before in the halls of Chaldea."
"Ah. Previous war?"
"Of sorts."
"That makes sense. Alright Georgios. It's been an honor."
"Likewise Hector of Troy."
With one final burst of strength he broke their stalemate and swung his blade with enough force to push Hector through the wall behind him.
He returned his attention to Stain just as he flung a knife at Iida. Georgios smashed the blade apart with another swing of Ascalon, darting under Todoroki's flames as he did so.
"Child are you alright?"
He had been too late. Iida already had a knife sticking out of his arm.
But.
"Todoroki! Freeze my legs without plugging my exhausts!"
Ah.
He was going to get up and fight. There was no more anger, only determined purpose.
"I will cover you. Proceed with caution, it would seem our opponent has become quite frenzied." Georgios trained his blade on the man.
"Hector!"
"He will not come to your aid anymore I am afraid. He has been dealt the losing hand in our duel."
Stain flung another knife at the Saint but it simply bounced off of his armor. There was nothing that madman could do to harm him anymore.
Iida and Midoriya launched past him, both landing crushing blows on the Hero killer. Todoroki followed up by finally catching him in a pillar of fire.
It was over.
The two slid back and prepared to jump right back into the fray but…
Stain hit the ground unconscious.
Georgios sheathed his sword.
"Excellent work you three. I thank you for your assistance in this matter," He said with a shining smile.
"W-We should restrain him and take his weapons away. Just in case."
"An excellent idea young man. But first. Assess yourselves. How badly injured are you all?"
Todoroki looked at himself, "I'm fine. Tired."
"My ankle's been slashed… Other than that I'm ok," Midoriya said, demonstrating the same alarming definition of ok that Nathan usually did.
Iida was quiet. He was clearly the most severely injured but the fact that his friend had been hurt...
"Ingenium should rest. Tend to Midoriya Izuku and that pro hero over there first and then fetch me a rope when you're sure they're in no further danger. I will set about disarming him."
"But! Your shoulder!" Midoriya called out.
"Rest assured young Midoriya Izuku, my injuries are nothing to fret over. Now, sit, I will take care of the rest."
If Stain was faking it Georgios wanted to be the one in arms reach. And of course there was his secondary concern.
The strange silver device that hung on his waist… The glass tube extending from the bottom did not have a drop of that red liquid in it anymore but it was still imperative that he get it back to Chaldea.
He covertly removed the device and stored it under his armor.
With that he began tossing knives away. Todoroki came along his side with a bundle of rope he'd found.
"What about that other guy?"
"It is unfortunate but in the heat of battle sometimes the choice must be made between your opponent's life and the lives of those you are trying to protect. It is a gruesome sight so please do not venture over. I will notify the pros and have someone come along for his body in short order." Georgios said solemnly. It went a bit against his words earlier that nobody was beyond salvation but only Iida and Native actually heard him say that. As it stood now he needed to keep the kids away from the hole he'd put Hector through so they wouldn't see that he just wasn't there anymore.
It would only bring them needless hardship.
"I see… Thank you… You're a Chaldean pro hero right?"
"Yes. My true name is Georgios, You can call me George if you wish." He said as he finished tying Stain up, "His ribs are broken so we'll need to be careful."
Todoroki nodded as they dragged him towards the others.
"Iida Tenya, I trust you're well despite your arm," Georgios said.
"Y-Yes sir. I-"
"Then I am well. Come, let us get you medical attention."
Native was up and carrying Midoriya to help keep him off his injured ankle. He moped briefly about being a pro hero yet still being being unable to do anything but Midoriya was quick to point out how unfair fighting someone like Stain was one on one.
"Georgios, Todoroki, please let me help drag him. I-"
"Your arm is too messed up," Todoroki shut him down quickly.
"Yes. There's no need to burden you further. Besides it doesn't really matter too much anymore."
"Wh- What the hell are you doing here boy!?" A small old man shouted before rocketing forward and planting his foot square in Midoriya's face. A gaggle of pro heroes followed him towards the group.
Their harrowing fight against the hero killer and a Servant was well and truly over.
A dozen golden portals opened up behind Asterios. But that golden king was nowhere to be found. Indeed Asterios' Chaos Labyrinth had sealed everyone but himself and his Master away from the fight.
"I'm giving you my full support Asterios! Let's put him out of his misery! Sherlock what are his readings?"
"Honestly he's already at the end of his rope. I believe he has not been receiving any mana from whoever summoned him."
"Understood! Gate of Babylon!" Nathan called out. Those portals produced a number of thin blades, all of which were fired at Eric before he could even think to charge them.
Asterios launched forward, smashing his dual axes against Eric's living one.
"I am sorry Eric Bloodaxe. We'll make this quick so you can go back to your peaceful slumber…"
Eric let out a terrifying scream as he attempted to push Asterios away.
But the difference in power was staggering.
Even if Eric was operating at full strength.
Even if he hadn't just come out of an extended fight that had been draining his reserves.
Asterios was simply that much stronger.
Asterios kicked him hard in the sternum, sending him tumbling back into the nearby wall.
"Deploying Black Keys!" Nathan shouted. More golden portals supplied more thin blades, each striking Eric with the force of a bullet.
Asterios let out a terrible roar as he swung both axes.
A tremendous amount of blood spilled out.
"Ah… I see… What a shame… To have been summoned for something so megar…" Eric muttered.
"I'm sorry. I can only wish you well on your return to the throne, my king." Nathan said, bowing his head respectfully.
"Thank you weary traveler. To think I would meet such a fierce opponent outside of a Grail war…"
With his last words Eric's body broke apart fading away into a golden dust.
"Spirit Origin confirmed terminated. Excellent work Master."
"Right… Asterios you mind bringing down your Noble Phantasm?"
"Sure..."
The Chaos Labyrinth came apart at the seams, the destroyed warehouse taking form all around them.
"What the fuck! There you are, you idiot!" Mirko shouted as she came back into view, bounding over to Nathan and Asterios, "Who's this guy? What the hell just happened? Are you ok?"
"This is Asterios. He's a Chaldean hero. I called for backup when that other villain appeared."
"Yeah where is that guy!?"
"He's gone. Still trapped in that Labyrinth."
"Aaaaah," Asterios nodded.
"Not a man of many words huh?" Hawks said as he approached them, caution written all over his body language.
"No. He has some trouble speaking but he's a good man!" Nathan said cheerfully, "Do you mind letting me down?"
"Alright.."
Nathan touched down as Tokoyami walked up, clearly stunned from the latest turn of events.
"Well. This is gonna be a report and a half to write. Rumi, you stick with the kids. Asterios was it? You and I can scout the area and see if there are any survivors." Hawks said simply.
"I'm fine, there's no need to watch over me. You ok Tokoyami?"
"Er… yeah… I… My body was… But it's gone now, right?"
"Yeah. I'm not feeling the effect of that guy's quirk either."
"You're gonna be feeling the effect of mine though!" Rumi shouted as she grabbed Nathan into a headlock. "What the hell was that last act eh!? Jumping off without the rest of us!?"
"Rumi I can't breath."
As she dragged the two UA students away from the remains of the warehouse Hawks turned his attention to Asterios.
"You make house calls for that kid?"
"Uuuuhhhh. Our responsibility… to Master…"
"Mh…" Hawks spread his feathers across the area, plucking the still living from the wreckage, "You mind carrying these guys over once we round them all up?"
"Aaaah."
"But uh. Tell me something. That guy. That wasn't a normal villain. You Chaldeans deal with stuff like him a lot?"
Asterios nodded in confirmation.
Hawks remained silent. It was abundantly clear that something was hiding under the surface of that organization. He was in the middle of investigating the league of villains, but maybe he had time to throw a few feelers out at Chaldea.
He decided not to bother with Asterios. If it was difficult for him to talk then trying to force answers was both cruel and likely not to be fruitful.
They approached Mirko and the two kids, Asterios depositing two armfuls of villains next to the pile of attempted escapees.
Mirko was engaged in giving Nathan a fierce noogie for leaving her behind at the last second and causing her to miss the end of the fight.
Tokoyami merely watched the two of them, clearly shell shocked from everything he'd witnessed.
"Hey kid. I'll get you in touch with a shrink so you have someone to talk this over with, alright?" Hawks said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Ah… Thank you sir. Sorry I- He killed a man didn't he?"
"Yup. Happens from time to time. You get used to it."
Both of their eyes locked onto Nathan, who now had Asterios fretting over him as he attempted to escape Mirko's grasp.
"Apparently…" Tokoyami muttered.
The fight had not lasted very long. At most it had been ten minutes since they entered the alley. Despite everything they had managed to bring down the Hero killer and were currently being escorted back to safety.
For a moment they were allowed to relax.
But only for a moment.
"Get down!" Grand Torino shouted.
Georgios was too slow. A winged Nomu plucked Midoriya straight off of Native's back.
With a burst of motion he launched himself into the air. He grabbed Midoriya, adding to the weight that the struggling creature was trying to carry. With one arm unresponsive and humans watching him from below that was the limits of his capabilities.
He felt them start to descend as the creature's entire body locked up.
Stain vaulted up and stabbed it in the head with a knife George had clearly missed.
"The fakes that have overrun society… And the Criminals who aimlessly use their power idly… Shall all be purged!"
They landed with a crash.
Despite this Georgios kept his footing, yanking Midoriya out of Stain's reach and sending him rolling backwards. Stain wheezed deeply as Georgios drew his blade in preparation for further violence.
"All of this… For a just world."
"Is that where your pile of bodies will bring you? Justice?" Georgios shouted. He heard a commotion behind him as another pro hero arrived. He recognized the man vaguely as Endeavor, but he couldn't afford to take his eyes off of Stain.
"Aaaaah! Another fake! I must make things right…"
Stain's presence spilled out like a flood. Murderous intent, righteous anger, pure purpose. It was a torrent that swept the pro heroes up, leaving them paralyzed in its wake.
"Someone must be dyed with blood…"
He took a step forward, towards that unyielding holy blade Ascalon.
"I must take back what it means to be a hero…"
One by one, everyone behind the saint was taken in by their fear.
"Come and try to stop me you fakes! The only one I'll let kill me is the true hero… All Might!"
But.
"You who would point your blade at a child? A child that your methods drove to desperate anger? You who inspire only fear and hatred? You who think people are beyond salvation and so choose to purge them? You are the one who will bring meaning to the word hero?"
He cut through Stain's overwhelming presence with his words instead of his blade.
"Everyone behind me that you have branded as a fake came out here today to save lives. You stand alone in your quest to end them."
Georgios sheathed his sword.
"And… Do you really think a true hero like All Might would choose to kill you when he could just as easily extend his hand to save you?"
A blinding light blew away Stain's ill will with a single stroke. Georgios stood with his arm out as Stain fell forward, his body finally collapsing under the weight of his injuries.
The area was swarming with police, taking in the remaining criminals and beginning the process of cataloging the dead ones.
Mirko for her part was reluctant to stand around but Hawks had forced her to at least give a report to the first responders.
Tokoyami looked at Nathan's destroyed right arm.
"Are you sure you're ok?" He asked.
"Yeah! I'm fine. This happens every now and then honestly." He replied with a smile.
The two of them were sitting on Asterios's shoulders. Being about two and a half meters off the ground after an encounter like that gave Tokoyami some sense of safety, even if he was concerned about burdening Asterios with such nonsense.
"Ah. I'm glad… I was… I was scared when I saw him go for you. I sent Dark Shadow out but he only got to you after…"
"You saved my life Tokoyami," Nathan said with a smile that pierced through Tokoyami's heart, "If Dark Shadow hadn't dragged me away after I fired my railgun I don't know what would have happened. I think you did amazing out there… And I bet I'm not the only one."
They both looked to Hawks as he spoke to the various officers buzzing around the scene.
He noticed their combined attention and gave them a wave before returning to the work at hand.
"How do you do it Relnor-san?"
"Hm?"
"You almost died back there, by your own admission even, but you're…"
Nathan had to suppress his first answer. He was used to that kind of danger. In fact this wasn't even the first time he'd fought Eric Bloodaxe.
"Oh. I'm sure I'll be having some fun dreams later, but… I survived. You survived. We all survived. That's the important part. Come whatever may, we can take our time and deal with it because we're still alive."
"Ah here we are. Once again, you've gotten yourself involved in something terrifying." Sherlock said as he arrived on the back of Achilles' Chariot.
"Yo Nate! Heard you had quite the exciting evening!" Achilles called out with a great big smile on his face.
"It's been a time." Nathan responded with one of his own.
"Eh? These two friends of yours?" Mirko asked. As she, Hawks, and a gaggle of investigators approached the two.
"I am from Chaldea so it's only natural that most of them would know me," Nathan said dryly.
"Yes. I'm here to take over the investigation as one of our heroes was called, please take me through the events of today."
With that the police led Sherlock off.
"Well. We should probably get you three checked out. Ambulances are over there," Hawks said dismissively.
"Ugh. Doctors are such a giant pain in the ass though!"
"Rumi." Both Hawks and Nathan said at the same time with the exact same tone.
"GOD WHY ARE THERE TWO OF YOU!"
"I am concerned about your safety as your first intern. I think it would reflect badly on me if you got beaten up keeping my ass in line."
"I'm just trying to keep my coworkers alive Rumi. I know it's your solemn goal in life to make that as difficult as possible but come on."
"UUUUUGH! YOU TWO ARE IMPOSSIBLE! FINE LETS GO BIG GUY!" She motioned to Asterios as she began the trek over to the medics.
With the kids and also Rumi, who qualified for that group some days, gone to get patched up Hawks made his way over to Sherlock and Achilles.
"So, you're Sherlock right? Chaldea's ambassador of sorts?" He asked.
"That's correct pro hero Hawks. How may I help you today? I've already collected your statement from the investigator so if you have anything you'd like to add feel free."
"Yeah, what the fuck is up with your kid?" He gestured back over to Asterios and crew. It was the broadest way to ask the question he really wanted answered but he figured he had to be a little careful when dealing with Chaldea.
Achilles immediately tensed up, for the briefest of moments Hawks thought he was going to attack, but a raised hand from Sherlock caused him to relax.
"He has not had the easiest time. Chaldea was not always this way. Its management changed hands several times over Nathan Relnor's stay with us. His safety was not always a primary concern of the administration."
"And how long have you been there?"
"Oh only a few years myself. I have only been acting in the role I'm in now for a year or so."
"Yeah alright so let's get to my main question. Who was that guy at the end? He had at least four different quirks and wasn't like any of the other criminals here. Nobody had any reports of anyone near that strong. So how did he get here and how did your kid know exactly what he was capable of?"
"I would give you an answer if I had one!" Sherlock said with a smile, "Unfortunately we have no idea where he came from either! That's why I personally came out to investigate. Tell me, you've been in two incidents which required Chaldean intervention no? And yet we've never met. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions as to why this situation is different."
Sherlock had only answered one part of his question. And even then he hadn't actually answered it.
"I see…"
Hawks looked to the green haired man who's name he didn't know.
Achilles wasn't even really paying attention to him.
Perhaps going directly to the source wasn't his best idea…
"Did you notice anything else strange when this man arrived?" Sherlock asked.
"No. He was already here by the time I got involved. You're gonna have to go to Rumi or your kid for that one."
"He has a name," Achilles said sharply, "Nathan Relnor."
"Ah. My bad," Hawks said holding his hands up in a sign of surrender, "I didn't mean anything by what I said earlier. He's gonna be wild once he hits the scene. Never seen anyone able to synch up with Rumi before. I'd love to work with him myself someday."
"Oh. Lovely. I'll be sure to let him know. Now then. Would you like to help us canvas the area or are you needed elsewhere?"
"Yeah sure lemme get a good look from above."
"And that's when the other pro heroes arrived," Georgios said, finishing his retelling of events.
"Hm. I see. We might have to doctor the reports somewhat for those kids… Would you be able to do that internally with Chaldea? The public would surely praise those boys for their actions but we would have to punish them for acting…"
"Of course. If it is to protect the future of those children I will do whatever it takes."
"Now. Are you sure you don't want to have that injury looked at?"
"It's quite alright. It's not as bad as it appears. I will simply get it treated when I return to Chaldea."
"And you're absolutely sure you want to give credit to Endeavor?"
"Yes. This was a hard fought win by those boys. If you had to give credit I would rather it go to someone more closely connected to them than Chaldea."
"... I can't say I'll ever get used to working with you lot, woof." Police Chief Tsugaramae Kenji said with the shake of his dog head.
"Pardon?"
"You Chaldean heroes stick to the underground so fervently. It's almost like you don't want any public attention at all."
"Well that's part of it. We would rather our operation stay out of the public's eye. Let's just say that a few of our heroes are more comfortable with as little attention as possible so the rest of us follow suit to protect them."
"It truly is outstanding. That your entire operation sacrifices so much for so few."
"It is a small price to pay for their comfort," Georgios said with a smile.
"Alright the boys are getting treated… Oh! You're still injured! Hold on I'll-" Pro hero Manuel said as he walked up to the two.
"Georgios has refused treatment for the time being. He is about to return to Chaldea."
"Ah. Well. Let me be the first to thank you. Truly. I am sorry I was not able to protect Iida from himself and I thank you for being there when I could not be…"
"Think nothing of it my friend. The actions you took in subduing those monsters are just as worthy of praise. I merely tended to a few children, rather poorly I might add considering young Iida was still injured even after I swore he would suffer no further harm."
"It could have gone much worse if not for your intervention," Grand Torino said as he approached the group.
"There's no sense in exploring such hypotheticals," Georgios said with the shake of his head, "They have survived. They will move forward. I believe the three of them will turn into truly splendid heroes. Now. I will take my leave. May the evening see you well gentlemen."
"To you as well Georgios."
They exchanged farewells before Georgios was finally allowed to leave. He darted into a nearby alley and shifted into spirit form before finally being able to return to Chaldea.
"So… You stickin with me for the rest of the week or what?" Rumi asked. Her head was lightly bandaged and she was going to be sore as hell tomorrow but otherwise she'd come out of the fight with a clean bill of health.
"I might go home for a little bit to get this sorted out but I'm down if you're ok with it." Nathan said with a gesture to the remains of his right arm.
Tokoyami had barely been involved in the fight so he'd been allowed to leave the scene once Hawks wrapped up his own investigation.
"If I'm ok with it? You can't get rid of me that easy kid! I'll come all the way to Chaldea just so I can be on hand to get you back to the hotel!"
Nathan's smile froze in place. Rumi in Chaldea? If she met the celts she might not ever leave.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea! We can all take the chariot back!" Sherlock said as he and Achilles approached them.
If looks could kill Sherlock would have dropped dead on the spot.
"Yooo. So this is the hero that's been keeping Nate busy this week!" Achilles looked Rumi up and down before nodding approvingly, "If she's coming back with us she'll have to pay a price."
"Eh? Eh? Are there like Chaldea Tickets I have to pay for? What's this horse shit?"
"No no nothing like that! If you're gonna be there we might as well spar! You look tough as hell! It'll be fun!"
"Oh. OH! OH I LIKE THIS ONE!" Rumi shouted excitedly.
"Oh god she's never going to leave Sherlock you've done this to me."
"You're the one that agreed to intern under her. This was inevitable." Sherlock wasn't even bothering to hide his shit eating grin. Come to think of it, why had he decided to ride with Achilles?
"YOU DID THIS ON PURPOSE!" Nathan screamed as he launched himself at Sherlock.
"Hahahaha I would never!" He said as he dodged out of the way.
Asterios simply reached over and picked the thrashing boy up by the collar as the group laughed heartily at his expense.
At times Nathan felt that Sherlock was utterly impossible. But he'd saved his life so many times he could never stay mad at him for long.
And so the five of them returned to Chaldea. Nathan and Sherlock splitting off as Achilles and Asterios quickly herded Rumi to the simulation room.
"So," Nathan spoke as Asclepius began the process of removing what remained of Nathan's scale arm, "What were you able to figure out?"
"Unfortunately from your encounter very little. Whatever process managed to summon Eric was likely destroyed when Asterios arrived. But. You were not the only one to fight a rogue Servant tonight."
"Huh?"
"You deployed Saint George to watch over Iida Tenya did you not? He's on his way back now. It seems the Hero Killer was able to summon his own Servant."
Nathan let out a hiss as Asclepius got to the bottom most layer of scales. The scales directly attached to his arm were painful to remove, but thankfully Sherlock had given him something else to think about.
"Oh that's not good. Two in one night?"
"Yes well. Georgios managed to recover the device so we'll be able to pour over it when he gets back."
"At least one of us managed to get a lead. How's Iida?"
"It seems everything is well. He sustained minor injuries before Georgios, Midoriya, and Todoroki arrived on the scene to help."
"Midoriya!? Who did Stain summon!?"
"Hector of Troy."
"Fuck did they meet? When Midoriya was here?"
"Unfortunately I believe so. I advise you to start thinking of a way to explain it away now so Midoriya does not surprise you."
"Yeah. Thanks for the warning. I'll think of something."
"There. Your arm is ready Master," Asclepius said, stepping back from him.
"Alright. Ugh. Let's get this over with. Rumi meeting Achilles is bad enough, I don't want her to meet anyone else that might keep her here."
"Naturally. But passing her off to him was a surefire way to be able to have this conversation in private."
"I mean I guess…"
And there you have it. Something is seeping in from below. Guess we'll have to see how much worse that uncertain element will make things in the future. For now everyone has managed to walk away from their first real encounter with Servants relatively unscathed. Let me know what you guys thought!