"I thought we'd agreed that you wouldn't go in on your own!" Tokage snapped. "Fighting them by yourself is-!"
"It's only to distract them long enough for your forces to get into Tartarus," Izuku looked her dead in the eyes. "I need you to trust me."
She looked away after a few seconds of silent staring. "I do."
Lady Nagant tapped the strategy table thoughtfully. "It has merit. You're powerful enough that they would solely target you. But it's not guaranteed. They would suspect something is up."
"That's why I needed to talk to you two," Izuku said, looking at her, then to Kuroiro. "Did you see or hear anything about a new recruit? Or maybe a prisoner? She would have cosmic related powers and the ability to warp."
Kuroiro frowned. "I did hear something like that. One of the villains was complaining about how they haven't killed the prisoner yet. But Cryoheart refused to let them be killed."
Izuku sighed in relief. "Then this just might work." He pointed at the map of Tartarus laid out on the table. "The All For One in my world knew the sort of state I'd been in. Refusing to let others help me in finding and defeating him. It's something he made sure the assassin coming after me knew."
Lady Nagant nodded slowly. "Yeah, he did say that to me when he sent me after you here in this world. I was almost caught off guard when I was ambushed by you lot."
Tokage snorted. "We kicked your ass. And that was before you exploded."
"Anyway," Izuku gathered their attention again. "If Starfall was given the same information, then she'll relay that to the villains. Knowing me, they'll think that I'll go in alone to fight. Their guard will be down. It's… not perfect. And so many things could go wrong."
"But it's our best bet," Tokage said confidently. She took a deep breath before nodding to Izuku. "Okay. You can go in alone. But stay alive until we can get in there to back you up." She frowned at the map. "We'll need a squad to invade the lower levels. They'll have the quirk dampeners on no doubt, so we'll need another team to take those out. And then…" For a moment she looked overwhelmed.
Izuku reached out instinctively, grasping her hand. "We can do this."
She looked at where their hands were connected, then at his face. She smiled. It was a real smile. One full of hope. And Izuku couldn't help but feel warmed by it. "Yeah, we can do this."
"We can do this."
Tokage's words echoed in Izuku's head as he hovered high above Tartarus. A flicker of lightning ran down the length of his suit before the blue outlines began to glow and hum as he let the quirk imbue him with power. Then he fell. He tucked in his arms, picking up speed. The courtyard was teeming with villains, but his gaze was on the watchtowers. Energy flared behind his eyes as he took careful aim with his body, letting Blackwhip fan out and allow him to spin like a corkscrew.
He shot through the tallest tower while wreathed in One For All and Blackwhip's graces, the metal shredded as he crashed through. Izuku slammed into the ground with enough force to blast a crater in the ground, sending a dozen villains flying. Behind him, the tower creaked and groaned as it toppled over and collapsed in a heap. Izuku stood as strands of Blackwhip seeped from his gloves, writhing around like snakes before he gripped his fists, Blackwhip obeying him as they grew out and lay upon the ground, waiting for his command.
All around him, the villains just stared. They had been preparing for an attack, but they hadn't expected such a bold assault. And from a single person. Then one-by-one, they began to recognize him. Izuku could tell by the way they seemed to back away from him, all of them sharing a single panicked look.
Izuku remembered the fear from those villains the day he'd arrived in this world. They had feared the very name of Deku. He was the greatest hero, spoken in with great renown from those who saved, and dreaded by those he stopped.
I may not be this world's Deku, Izuku's eyes sparked as he brought One For All to a comfortable 50%. He needed to conserve energy. But I will be a hero to those who need it, no matter what!
He flipped backwards, just barely avoiding being slashed by a black whip of sorts. It carved a gash in the concrete as if it was butter. The tendril seemed to collapse and splatter across the ground. Danger Sense flared again and he twisted midair just in time for another black tendril to shoot past him. This time he saw his attacker. Someone cloaked in all black with a hood pulled up. As he watched, they formed two shurikens of the same black substance and hurled them. Izuku shot each one with controlled air bursts before landing back on the ground.
Danger Sense was going off like a beacon in all directions now. The moment of panic was over, and now the villains were out for blood. Smokescreen poured out of him as he used it as cover to slip past several villains, knocking them out while he moved further into Tartarus. With a loud sucking noise, the smokescreen was stripped away as a large villain with a vacuum like head sucked it all in. He swept his leg upwards, kicking the villain's head before kicking off him.
There! The main facility! Izuku thought as he shot air bursts at any villains who got too close, dodging attacks, while moving towards the prison's main structure. There he could get in below and have to navigate the inner chambers to find All For One. But not yet. He just had to make it look real. Real enough to keep all eyes on him. At least, he hoped.
He slid to a halt just in time to avoid the massive ice wall that erected itself not a meter away, blocking him off from the main building.
"Well well, you did come," a sickly sweet voice spoke. "How delightful. It seems she wasn't wrong."
Atop the ice wall stood a woman in a decorated red kimono, her white hair flowing off to the side. Cold eyes assessed him along with a chilling smile.
"Cryoheart," Izuku clenched his fists, powering up to 55%.
"They told you about me," she clapped her hands. "Or was it… Aww, how sweet of him to remember his mother still." Her smile dropped. "That bastard child is the last one. It's a shame he didn't come along with you, but that's not how you operate, is it, Izuku Midoriya."
"No, it isn't," another, familiar voice said behind him and then Izuku was in the sky, falling. "Did you miss me!?" Starfall shouted as she appeared above him, her cloak spread out around her as a multitude of light beams shot at him. With two flicks of his fingers he shot away while he took aim with his gauntlets, firing Blackwhip at her. It wrapped around her ankle and he yanked her towards him before punching the air. The resulting wind pressure slammed into her gut, making her eyes go wide before she was launched backwards.
A colossal glacier, bigger than the one he witnessed first-hand at the Sports Festival, forced him to shoot himself up. Thick, dark green vines broke through the ice, wrapping around his ankles as the thorns tried breaking through his suit. He was yanked down before he could cut himself loose and he slammed into the ice, the breath knocked from him. Heaving himself forward, he fought against his bindings before more wrapped around his middle and arms, pinning him to the side of the glacier. A figure covered in the same vines crouched just above him, glowing yellow eyes peering at him from within.
"Five minutes," Tokage had said. "Give us five minutes tops and we'll back you up. We'll do less if we can. We just need to get the drop on them to push the battle into our favor. So make that opening possible, Izuku."
Just a little longer! Izuku mentally shouted at himself, ignoring the pain as the thorns dug deeper into his suit's fibers, almost piercing through them.
A huge werewolf quirked villain leaped from where he'd been climbing the ice, slamming his fist into Izuku's middle, pushing him further into the glacier. It had the added effect of loosening the vines just slightly for a moment, which Izuku capitalized on by turning his fists and slamming them down against the ice. The vines were shredded along with the ice being blown into chunks around him. He let out multiple Blackwhips, grabbing the ice all around him in the air, and swung himself around, spinning faster and faster.
Shoot Style! Izuku gritted his teeth as he broke out of his spinning as he hurled the splintered ice in all directions. "ANCHORAGE SMASH!"
They shot like bullets, several hitting the lycanthrope while the rest hurled into the glacier, making the top half crack and crumble. The vine villain was buried amongst the ice while a new villain ran up the side of the still intact glacier, dragging a hand along its surface and breaking it into glowing particles. They shot at Izuku moments later and he canceled Float, going into a dive. The energy beams changed directions, shooting down towards him. He flung out a Blackwhip and broke it through a nearby guard tower, using his momentum to swing around the glacier towards the villain. He got within several feet of him before flipping over him, the beams crashing into him and the rest of the glacier, breaking more of it apart.
Izuku landed back on the ground as ice fell all around him. He broke into a run before jumping with a boost from One For All. He had to look desperate. Ignoring the other villains for the sake of one purpose. Except it wasn't the purpose they thought it was.
Starfall came literally out of nowhere, grabbing onto Izuku's arm and shoulder before blasting him point blank with celestial energy. He cried out as she refused to let go, her hands heating up hotter and hotter. His suit's integrity held for the moment, but he could smell the smoke. He momentarily upped his percentage before jerking himself into a spin, the super fast rotation generating tornado force winds that wrenched Starfall off of him. He turned sharply, swinging his foot to shatter the incoming ice spike that had been flung his way. As it broke apart, he saw more of them coming. He smashed his way through them before he felt a chill creep down his spine.
"Hello, Deku~"
He whipped around just as something slashed down at his neck. It shaved off a small portion of Gran's cape instead and he leapt back. Who he saw was a raven haired woman in a traditional wedding kimono with. Blue eyes blinked at him before becoming a sickly yellow as whatever had been used to slash at him slipped back beneath her kimono and out of sight.
"It's just so nice to have another chance at gutting you," she licked her lips. "Didn't imagine I'd get one after All For One finished beating the other to a pulp, but here we are."
Off to his side Starfall stepped out a wormhole, looking a bit worse for wear while behind him he turned to see Cryoheart casually walking towards them, ice spreading from beneath her boots. Her kimono had been stripped away in favor of her pale blue bodysuit. With several shattering sounds, someone slashed their way through the mass of ice blocking off the rest of the villains. The cloaked person from before stepped through the resulting ice mist, twin curved blades forming in his hands made of the black substance he controlled as more villains appeared from behind.
"Nowhere to run, Deku," Starfall gloated as chunks of concrete were ripped from the ground and began orbiting around her. "All For One will have you. Ours or the one from this world, it doesn't matter. Soon enough you'll be dead and the last great hero of Japan will be gone. And everyone you have ever cared for will perish soon after."
I should be able to manage with the current power output, Izuku's eyes glanced around quickly, assessing what he could. I've been building up Fa Jin, so I should be able to pull off a big smash with that. I need to save Gearshift just in case All For One shows up, but everything else… He sharpened his analytical gaze into a glare.
"Oho, getting serious are we?" Cryoheart's grin was tinged with a hint of madness. "C'mon, Deku! Show us what you can do all by yourself!" Ice shot from her, spike emerging from the ground, getting bigger the closer they got to him. Starfall fired the objects from her orbit while the lady in the white kimono dashed toward him.
Alaska- Izuku raised his right foot as he allowed Fa Jin to maximize his strength output. "SMASH!" He brought it down, pulverizing the earth beneath him. The ground rippled, cracked, and broke away in a wave, sending the villains in the immediate radius flying backwards. Izuku catapulted himself up before air bursting himself back towards his supposed destination. Starfall appeared ahead of him, a gravitational wave slamming into Izuku and repelling him. He narrowly avoided the black blade of the cloaked villain before landing beside him. As he ducked beneath another slash of his blade, Izuku managed to see that it was made of a liquid. It rippled through the air like water, yet it cut through concrete like it was nothing and was black as night.
The sword was plunged into the ground and the surrounding area cracked as the liquid ruptured the ground. Izuku threw himself back, but a single drop grazed his arm and he couldn't help a yelp escaping his lips. It cut straight through his newly improved hero suit and sliced his skin away. It wasn't bad, but he had felt something akin to great pressure from such a tiny drop.
Keep your distance, Izuku told himself as he danced away, gauging just how far his range was. Doesn't feel like it's burning like an acid would. It behaves like water, but can cut through just about anything. An incoming blade curved into a scythe at the last second, forcing Izuku to leap up. Everyone's giving us a wide berth. That means this villain must be pretty high ranking. And dangerous if they're not willing to help. Or he just likes to go wild with his quirk without caring for those around him. Two shurikens carved deep grooves in the ground when Izuku dodged them. Wait-! I remember this guy!
He hadn't had a lot of time earlier before he left to go over this world's Izuku's notebook on the villain's profiles and quirks, but he did what he could. The page in question that came to mind was one he'd read briefly while getting here. It wasn't even a full profile either, since it seemed this guy had appeared randomly one day and had joined All For One's cause.
Villain Name: Kage-Shinobi. Quirk: Abyssal Waters. The user can draw upon the dark waters from the most extreme of the unknown depths. Because the water is at such a great pressure that deep, it can cut through just about anything. This quirk has also given the user enhanced capabilities when in the water.
Izuku felt something akin to pride as he remembered the little note at the bottom of the analysis page.
Side Note: He isn't immune to his own water.
That's all I need to know! Izuku primed his fingers, his gauntlets humming as they began charging. He waited until the last moment as Kage-Shinobi formed another scythe and swung it overhead. Izuku let go and the concentrated air bursts ripped through the water, forcing the villain to leap away unless he wanted to get hit by the falling droplets.
Faux 100%! Izuku fired off Fa Jin, darting towards him faster than the water could fall. He swung out his arm, lowering the percentage of One For All to safer levels just before impact. BEND SMASH! He slammed the length of his arm into the villain's middle, bending him inwards before the impact sent him skyrocketing away, crashing into one of the guard towers.
A slow clapping sound filled the otherwise silent air as Izuku lowered his arm. He looked to see the white kimono lady sauntering over. "Well done. I wonder though, how much of this can you keep up with? Surely you can't expect to defeat us all. Cause that's what it'll take to reach All For One. Nothing less than 100% of your everything." As she walked, her lower body began morphing into that of a spider, eight yellow and black legs ending in sharp points jutting out from the spider's main body.
"I'm going to take my sweet time taking you apart," she cooed, flexing her fingers. Izuku lurched forward as if invisible strands were drawing him towards her. He fought against it, but whenever he moved, another strand seemed to stop the movement.
"I've been developing these webs for a while," the villain whom he now recognized as Crimson Bride from his other self's notebook leered at him. "They can last just long enough to withstand your strength. So sit still and let me do my work~."
Just as her hand reached for Izuku's face, a hail of concentrated bursts of fire rained down from above. They lit the webs aflame and burnt them away, allowing Izuku to break free. Someone landed just feet away with a burst of flames from their left side. Todoroki stood from the small crater he created, cracking his neck.
"Sorry about the wait," he said, ice racing across his right arm. "Traffic was murder."
"YO!" A voice yelled from above and Izuku whipped his gaze skyward to see Inasa Yoarashi, aka Gale Force, flying down towards them, his right hand raised above him to hold the several dozen heroes within his whirlwind. "Let's join this party already!"
Izuku saw an eyeball eject itself from the whirlwind before flying off over the battlefield, its gaze lingering on Izuku the longest before moving on.
"You-!" Starfall was staring at Izuku as the heroes descended upon the battlefield. Izuku recognized a few of them, but the ones he focused most on were those he knew intimately. Pixie-Bob, her head still wrapped in bandages, pressed her large cat paws on the ground as soon as she could, the earth below the concrete erupting to the surface into a tidal wave of monsters. Kyouka, or Earphone Jack, added to the earth golems by vibrating them to the point where they exploded against the villains before Pixie-Bob commanded them to reform around the fallen villains, imprisoning them. Meanwhile Tusukoyomi and Dark Shadow were a combined force hell-bent on destruction, plowing their way through the enemy lines while Honenuki created a massive hazard field to block most of the villains from making their way across to where the heroes had touched down.
"You weren't supposed to-!" Starfall looked anguished. "All For One said you wouldn't-!"
"Shouto."
Cryoheart stood off to the side, seemingly oblivious to the chaos that had broken out only moments ago. She paid no heed to the villains who were once again caught off unawares, stepping closer to where Izuku and Todoroki stood. Her eyes flicked to his left side, his flames curling along his arm. A twisted scowl formed.
"How deplorable," she spoke with venom in her words. "You continue to use his fire. That is why you cannot be forgiven. It's why I must kill you, Shouto."
"I know the feeling." Todoroki's glare was burned hotter than his flames. "Don't think you're getting out of here alive for what you did to Touya, Mother!"
"Yes, you two play," Crimson Bride said, having recovered from Todoroki's earlier attack. "Darling Izuku is mine to torture. Then his girlfriend. Oh how sweet you two will look displayed with your insides all outside."
"As long as you leave my son to me," Cryoheart's voice told her, tone cold.
"Of course, Rei-" Crimson Bride halted in her advance, her face going blank.
"Damn, too easy," Shinso appeared from the shadows, adjusting his mask's fake vocal cords. "Izuku, get going. Revenger, you know the plan."
"I sure as hell do," Todoroki's flames grew in intensity as a radius of ice grew from where Cryoheart stood.
"What about-?" Izuku's question was answered as a distant explosion cut him off.
"Oh good, the others arrived!" Gale Force boomed as he flung a villain he'd been fighting.
"This surprise attack of yours won't last!" Starfall spoke, finally having gotten over her initial shock. "The forces here vastly outnumber any force you could have mustered up!"
"It doesn't matter," Tokage flew down as her body pieces reconnected. Her right eye was missing, likely still surveying the battlefield. "Our goal here is to kill All For One. The rest of you won't matter much after that. Earphone Jack!" She raised her voice. "Mudman! Mockingbird! You three are with Deku! Get down below and find All For One! We'll hold the line here!"
"Like I'd let you!" Starfall disappeared and reappeared behind Tokage, hands glowing like starlight. "You won't-AUGH!" She yelled out as Tokage's disembodied hand yanked on the back of her hair, giving Tokage the time she needed to swing around her right arm, aiming her wrist gauntlet at her. Something shot out from one of the holes in the gauntlets and embedded itself in Starfall's thigh.
"What?" She blinked before she fell to the ground. She groaned, holding her head as she stood, unsteady on her feet. "What did you-?"
"Get going, Izuku," Tokage kept her aim on Starfall, but she glanced back at him, a smile flitting its way across her face. "Remember, no unnecessary risks. If he wakes up, we fight him as a team."
"Of course," Izuku nodded. He still didn't feel good about this. He wasn't sure he ever would. But he had to, no, he knew he could trust her. Trust everyone. And that's what drove him to fight at his strongest. So he turned and darted for the prison proper, Mockingbird, Earphone Jack, and Mudman in tow. Cryoheart moved to intercept, but Revenger's blue flames incinerated the ice.
"Your fight is with me," he growled, stepping between her and his friends. "For what you did to Touya, our family, and everyone else!"
"Fine by me," Cryoheart said softly. "Afterall, once I kill you, the last of the Todorokis will be dead." She grinned madly. "And won't that be a day to rejoice."
"You drugged me," Starfall stared at Setsuna with wide eyes. "What kind of hero are you!?"
"One who had to adapt," Setsuna flexed her fingers as her hand reattached to her main body. "You should try it sometime." Her eye widened and she quickly dove to one side as one of Crimson Bride's sharp legs came slashing down where she'd been standing.
"Playing hard to get are we?" Her smile was unnerving. "Don't worry my dear, it won't be long until I've gorged myself on your flesh. Then I'll tear that lovely boyfriend of yours limb from limb."
"Oh?" Setsuna's expression made the villain's smirk falter and she took an instinctive step backwards. "That's cute coming from a third rate villain." She lowered her arm and one by one her body began splitting itself apart. "If you think you'll lay one hand on his precious head, then let me tell you something." Her mouth twisted into a snarl, razor sharp teeth on full display. "I'll be the one to tear you limb from limb, you bitch."
It didn't take long to find him. Most villains who ran into them on their way to the surface were too shocked to see Izuku to muster up any defense before he dropped them. It wasn't until several floors deep that the anti-quirk defenses kicked in when they knew they were close. Then they found him. The man who struck terror to all who heard the name All For One lay on a bed, seemingly asleep. His face had been restored, his youthful features looking almost innocent, but Izuku knew better.
Kyouka had one hand pressed to her ear. "Definitely comatose, but we should be careful."
"I've got the area behind us secured," Honenuki told them, standing in the doorway as he softened the hallway leading up to the room.
"Izuku," Shinso looked to him. "We may never get another chance like this." He held out a knife to him, handle first.
"I know." Izuku's throat was dry as he took the weapon. All For One had stolen from and killed so many people in his long life, longer here than in his world. Yet it didn't sit right with him that he was preparing himself to kill him while he was in such a vulnerable state. But then he remembered those that have suffered at his hands in both worlds, the state he reduced the world, and people like Kaminari who would never be the same ever again.
"There's no shame in this." It wasn't Nana this time. "He's lived too long of a life," Yoichi told him. "He needs to be brought down. Perhaps it's fitting that this is the way he goes. Utterly defenseless, just like many of those he put down."
"I know," Izuku repeated softly, moving towards the bed. One strike to his unexposed neck and the greatest villain who ever walked the Earth would be gone. Surely it couldn't that-
It happened too quickly for Izuku or his friends to react. One moment he was preparing himself to kill his archnemesis, the next he was coughing out blood as three black tendrils embedded themselves in his body. He was yanked forward, slamming into the side of the bed and forced to his knees. His vision tunneled and he heard a deep, familiar voice inside his head as darkness threatened to overcome him.
"You didn't think it would be that easy, now did you, Izuku Midoriya?"
Then he was falling. Farther and farther into darkness before all became silent.
Izuku stirred. He could hear the distant sounds of fighting. He forced himself to rise, stopping to stare in shock at his hands. Wisps of black smoke flickered across his skin as he crouched in a void of darkness, much like the one where he would visit the vestiges. He felt for his mouth and sighed openly in relief upon discovering it wasn't covered.
"This is so weird."
Izuku started, his gaze whipping upwards. His eyes only widened further once he saw who had spoken.
"I mean, you're me, and that's…" the other Izuku scratched the back of his head as he stared down at him. "Weird. Like, really weird. Oh God, how do I even talk to you when you're-" He gestured at Izuku as if he still couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. "Me."