Chapter 38 - Berserker

The mission was clear. Go to Deika City, the base of the Meta Liberation Army, rescue Giran, their broker, and crush the Army before they could pose a massive threat to Tomura Shigaraki's plans. While they didn't have their leader with them for this mission as he was currently meeting with All For One's doctor, Toru believed they had more than enough combat power to take them down. Currently, they were overlooking Deika City from above.

"You guys know the deal. Stay with your groups and kill anyone who stands in our way," Dabi called out.

Toru shifted in place. Her group was herself, Toga, Twice, and Minato. The three of them always paired well together and got along, and Minato was there because he liked Toru the most and no one else really had a spot for him in their group. While it was true their group had some heavy hitters, the sheer size of their enemy was a bit daunting. The high possibility of this entire thing being a trap for them didn't help her nerves either.

"You guys all stay safe, yeah?" said Spinner. "Be on the lookout for any traps and make it back in one piece."

"We'll be fine," Twice said enthusiastically. "We're gonna die," he then added.

"Let's give these guys a performance worthy of our name," Mr. Compress declared.

"Just focus on the mission," Dabi repeated.

"There's someone coming," Toru suddenly interrupted. She could sense someone approaching them.

As they readied to fight their opponent, a voice called out, "Stop!"

Toru saw what looked like a pro hero sliding towards them.

"I have been commanded to be your guide! If you want to speak to the leader of the Meta Liberation Army—" His speech was cut off when Transfusion slammed his arm into the hero's head, knocking him out.

"Don't waste your time on someone like him. We have a mission to carry out," Transfusion said. "Let's move."

"What? How do you know he wasn't going to say something important?" Spinner complained.

"None of them have anything important to say. We'll figure out what he wanted to say ourselves," Transfusion replied dismissively. He turned towards the city and pointed towards a tall tower. "I bet that's where we need to go. The hotshots always think they deserve a spot at the top. Whoever has Giran will be there."

"Whatever. Break up into your teams and slowly make your way to the tower. Be on the lookout for Giran while you travel and eliminate anyone who would stand in our way," Dabi commanded.

Toga linked an arm with Toru and pulled her along. "Come on, Toru, let's go. Jin, you too."

Toru looked back. "Minato, you too. Come."

"R-Right!" the boy yelped.

The city was quiet and strangely empty. Toru and her team made their way through the streets, wary of any enemies that lurked in the shadows for them.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Minato asked quietly.

"It's too quiet…" Toga noted with a frown.

"I don't sense anyone nearby either," Toru replied after taking a peak in the Inner World for any Quirk cores nearby.

"So this is a trap and they're luring us towards the middle of the city more," Minato deduced.

"What choice do we have but to play along?" Toru asked. "We have a mission to carry out and it looks like there's only one way to move." She then turned towards Toga, who had stopped moving. "Is something wrong, Himiko?"

"I smell blood," Toga said in a low voice.

"Blood? Whose blood?" Minato asked.

"Welcome!"

Everyone turned towards the voice. Before them stood two people: a lady with blue skin and a bleeding man with a crazy look in his eyes. His smile grew when he met Toru's eyes, unnerving her.

The woman continued, "It's such a shame to not receive the entirety of the League of Villains, but you are just the group I was looking for!" She then held up her fingers as if taking a snapshot of the girls. "Two high school girls gone mad! Their Quirks proving too much to handle for them! The shocking interview reveals all before their deaths. Will you do those interviews with me?"

"Huh?" replied Toga.

"Mad?" replied Toru.

"Yes. I have been keeping an eye on you girls," the woman continued. "You both have such fascinating stories that I would love to tell. Inside the mind of the girl who attacked her classmate. What possessed her to do such an unthinkable thing?" She then looked towards Toru. "And you! Inside the mind of the girl who cold-bloodedly betrayed all of her friends. Did she have any regrets while doing so? Such interesting stories waiting to be told!"

Toru turned towards Toga, an unspoken discussion going through their minds in a few seconds. They nodded. They both disappeared, Toru by shedding her clothes and Toga by using her disappearing technique to mask her presence.

"Ah, right, I heard of this!" the woman commented. "Such fascinating abilities! I wonder what kind of missions you have been able to carry out with such stealth? Will you please do the honors of telling me?"

Toru frowned. The woman had some sort of craze to her, but she appeared well-informed about them and their abilities. She claimed to have been looking for them so she probably had planned to combat their stealth in some way. How, Toru wasn't sure, and she didn't have a good way to test it out without risking herself. That meant she only really had one option.

Toga was way ahead of her. The girl suddenly appeared in front of the blue woman, a knife in her hand primed and ready to go for the kill. The warriors beside the woman blocked the attack, and a sudden explosion sent Toga flying off into the distance.

"No hesitation when it comes to going for the kill. What kind of life were you forced to live to take such an action so quickly?"

Toru shot a beam of light at the woman from her blind spot. It was immediately tanked by one of the people nearby, sending the man flying.

The woman turned towards Toru, "It appears this one doesn't quite have it in her yet to do as her comrade. Can I push you towards the edge, Toru Hagakure? What will it take to make you snap? Have you already snapped? Please, you must let me interview you!"

"Leave me alone lady; I don't even know who you are," Toru snapped back as she blasted another woman with her light. These warriors really didn't have any regard for their own safety.

"My MLA code name is Curious. I'm the executive director of Shoowaysha Publishing and a warrior for the Meta Liberation Army. Now that we've met, will you agree to sit down and do a story with me?"

Toru made a face, not that anyone could see it. She didn't want to be understood. She knew how severe her actions were. She already knew no one would understand her and the woman's questioning told Toru that she wouldn't understand it either. She wasn't doing this for fame or fortune. She just wanted to get her master to steal her siblings' Quirks so that they wouldn't be overtaken by them. This woman before her was a small obstacle in her way of reaching that goal.

"No chance in hell," Toru replied.

Curious smiled. "No worries, I'm sure you'll change your mind after my warriors have a quick chat with you."

Toru's eyes widened as several warriors suddenly turned towards her location, despite her invisibility, and lunged towards her. How can they all track me?

Curious seemed to have somehow noticed her confusion. "Deternat's patented heat-seeking lens. Don't think I haven't come here prepared for my interview with you."

Toru frowned as her opponent continued delightfully explaining their technology. Her biggest advantage, her invisibility, was effectively neutralized. She didn't want to cross the line yet of killing her enemies, but she at least needed a way to immobilize them. "Special Move: Crossbeam!" Toru brought her fingers in an X-formation. Two spikes of light materialized from the floor and impaled her opponents' legs, preventing them from moving.

"Fascinating!" Curious said delightedly. "These moves aren't in your documented abilities! Have you honed yourself even more?! For what reason do you get stronger? I must know!"

This was when Toga jumped back into the fight, looking battered and beaten as she charged Curious again. Curious turned towards her. "Himiko Toga. You have the story I am most interested in. Let's have a chat, shall we? I'll deal with Hagakure later." A few explosions nearby accompanied her statement.

"You think I'll just let you—" Toru was interrupted by a man stepping before her. His body was bleeding all over and he held a crazed look in his eyes as he glared at her.

"Blood…" the man growled. "Yours… must… have…" He charged at her, arms swinging wildly as he swung a sword in the air.

"Crossbeam!" Toru tried. The beams impaled the man's legs but to her horror, he freed himself by ignoring the spikes and charging forward, his legs bleeding profusely as he ran.

"BLOOD! BLOOD! BLOOD!" His speed seemed to get faster as he ran.

He doesn't have the heat-seeking lens that the others had. Can he really see me?

Her thought was answered when the man came within touching distance and swung his blade towards her head. Toru managed to barely avoid the swing by leaning backwards, her face just below the sword's blade as it passed through where her head was just moments ago. She dragged up a hand from her side towards the man, the light particles in the air forming into a solid blade of her own as she swung. The man caught her blade with his arm and seemed to grow even larger from the wound that accompanied it.

"MORE! BLOOD!"

A bright flash of light suddenly shone, blinding everyone.

"Shinechaser!" Minato yelled as his body started to dim.

Toru used the distraction the young boy had caused to distance herself from her opponent.

"Minato! Are you alright? Did anyone hurt you?" Toru asked the boy when she got near him.

"I'm okay. Are you okay? I want to help. Please, let me help. I don't want to be useless," Minato said quickly. Toru could see just how nervous and scared the boy was, but his bravery in the moment was very touching.

"I'm alright," Toru replied while ruffling the boy's hair. "Thanks for buying me some time." She turned towards the bloodied man, who was rubbing his eyes from the flashbang. He roared. They didn't have much time before the effects wore off. She looked at Minato, who suddenly looked frightened again after hearing the roar. "Minato, can you help me take him down?"

"Can I really help?" Minato asked, unsure. His sudden bravery seemed completely drained as he further studied his opponent.

"Together, we can. Trust me. Just let me take the lead and you use your Quirk like we practiced, okay?"

"Okay…"

Toru approached the man, her eyes analyzing everything she could from her enemy. "Warrior, what is your name?" she tried. People liked to talk about themselves if asked and she hoped to get a clue of his abilities from his name.

"...Berserker…" He then charged again.

"Minato! Now!"

"Right!" Minato used his Quirk and flashed a bright light.

"Synchronized move: Imprisonment!" Toru shouted as she took control of all the light Minato had summoned before it could dissipate. With such a large amount of power within her hand, Toru converged it all on Berserker in an attempt to crush him. The light caught him and bound him as he struggled against her grip.

"GRRRRR…" Berserker's growl got louder and louder as he struggled against his restraints. Toru could feel her grip lessening.

"Minato, again!"

Minato flashed again and Toru grabbed the additional light to slam it again on her enemy.

"GRRRAHHH!"

Toru fell backwards as Berserker broke free from his restraints. He glared at her with bloodshot eyes, a feral growl escaping his lips. He charged her again, moving even faster than before. With a swat of his hand, he sent Toru flying into a building.

"Ugh…" Toru noted her injuries and slowly and painfully picked herself up.

"NOT… BLEEDING…YET?" Berserker asked as he approached the building she walked out of. He sniffed the air in focus. "BLOOD!"

Toru groaned. He's getting stronger and faster as we fight. Is that his Quirk? Or is it something to do with blood? I can't keep up like this if he broke free from Imprison. What should I do?

"AHH!"

A scream from Minato, as well as the sound of an explosion, rang out from nearby out of Toru's vision.

"Minato!"

As she tried to move, Berserker postured in front of her. "BLOOD!"

Toru brought her fingers up in an X-formation again. "Cross…beam…" she cried out weakly. Her attack came out weakly and was more akin to a gentle shove than an impaling attack. She fell to the ground, her body giving out.

Berserker grinned. "Blood."

Before he could take another step, he suddenly froze, a groan escaping his lips as he fell to a knee.

"Get up, Shinechaser."

"Huh…?" Toru groaned.

Transfusion approached her and held an arm up to her face. She drank his blood and felt it revitalizing her body.

"BLOOD!" Berserker screeched.

Transfusion turned to their enemy. "As your healer, it is my job to keep my team in good health. Now get up and help me take him down."

"Right… Thanks…" Toru replied as she picked herself up. While she was feeling infinitely better, the fatigue was still prevalent in her limbs. "Listen, Transfusion, I don't know how much I…"

"Fine, I'll do it myself." Transfusion moved towards Berserker, a steady confidence in his step. He held a knife in his hand as his only weapon.

Berserker yelled one more time before charging.

Transfusion moved swiftly and nimbly around his opponent, and in a way that made Toru feel both embarrassed and impressed, managed to get enough stabs in to knock Berserker down for good. He glanced at Toru again.

"I'm good. Thanks again. Let's keep moving."

A low rumbling suddenly shook the streets. Toru and Transfusion turned towards the source to see an army of Twice Doubles running along.

"Twice?! What happened?"

"The power of love and courage and friendship triumphed!" replied one of the Twice clones.

"We're here to save you all!"

"Let's go beat everyone up!"

"Hey, stop pushing so much! Stay in line!"

"What? No, I'm better than you, let me go first!"

"Hey! Stop that!"

"Um…" Toru said with a look at Transfusion.

Transfusion shrugged. "I don't know, but we keep moving."

A/N: Thanks for reading.