Monster King: Thanks!
Bearticguy7: That would make for a fun cooldown chapter?
Kyeo307: You'll enjoy this chapter.
Euphoria: I like to have antagonists that aren't all evil, to add a bit of moral complexity to it. Santana is the villain that has gotten the most development, and as for Himiko...I'm planning big things for her.
Jpx0999: It'll be explained this chapter.
Yung Chxst: There are more cameos coming soom! Including a rather funny one.
Makobro23: Santana is going to pop off.
BryanTF2: You might see a bit of Tenko this chapter.
Dumpstertrashfire123: I've added a mechanic that kind of explains it. It isn't necessarily new, more like it was repressed.
Guest: Well, as fabulous as a burnt husk can pose.
Kasumi Kenshiro: DIO is not the Stranger.
Osman Gazi Bey: Well...about rejoining AFO...might be a little hard after this chapter.
Olof the Viking: Wait and see...
Katsuki stepped out of his dorm room, stretching his arms. He had overdone it yesterday in training, and now his arms were sore from over using his explosions.
Maybe it was because he was worried? He normally didn't push past his limit unless he was trying to break it, but his concern over the current events might've come out in his aggression...
He gave poor Izuku an afro.
As he rounded the corner, he was suddenly grabbed by Joseph Joestar.
"HUH?! WHAT'RE YOU DOING YOU OLD-"
"Shut it Spiky! This is important!" The second JoJo's voice was firm, indicating that he meant business for a change.
Katsuki raised an eyebrow, and waited for when they were in the clear before talking. "What is it? I don't have all day."
"We have reason to believe AFO has broken out of Tarturus..."
"...WHAT?! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN?!"
"SHHHHH!" Joseph waved his arms around in an attempt to keep Katsuki quiet. "We don't know the circumstances of it, only that there was some weird mask in his empty cell...listen, stick to Midoriya, but don't breathe a word of this to him until we can be sure what's going on...knowing him, he'd consider it his sworn duty to take this guy out."
"It is, isn't it? That's the whole reason OFA was created."
"That's why it was created, but it is just a Quirk. It didn't really come with a destiny, and Midoriya is no chosen one. AFO is the same way, he's no chosen one either, just a man. Just...keep an eye on him...the only reason those two are 'destined to fight' is because AFO is an obsessive prick."
"Ponytail should know."
"Agreed."
Katsuki's face was frozen in a glare, masking concern. He gave Joseph a brief nod and strutted off, growling under his breath.
First Ears gets that fucking hand, JoJo is fighting a fucking Creepypasta, and now that nutsack might be back, and we aren't fucking ready for him?!
It already felt like we were being attacked on all sides...but now it's fucking obvious that we are! Something is fucked about this whole situation!
Joseph sighed, and reached into his jacket, pulling out the mask left in All For One's cell. It was carved, almost like a traditional Japanese mask from a Noh play, except without any defining features. Hand-crafted...
Except it was made out of BONE. Human bone. Someone carved bones and melded them into a mask,
So precise...the carving is immaculate, like the work of an expert craftsman...
From Momo's description, this was clearly the work of the mysterious inhuman man who killed [War: What is it Good For?] during her escapade with Ulric. When Joseph held it, he couldn't help but feel uneasy...
The mask had to have answers, there was no way he would be getting such a foreboding feeling if it didn't.
Fishing around on the inside, he found a small bone jutting out from the mouth area, a lever. Flicking it, the mask disassembled...
Next thing Joseph knew, he was holding what looked to be a note.
-:-
Only some are destined for greatness...the man who was in this cell isn't one of them. Only one being in this world could ever be his idealized "Demon King", as ridiculous as the title is...only ONE can rule over all.
If you are concerned by his escape, don't be. He won't last very long.
-:-
Joseph stared at the note for a while, before stuffing it in his pocket. The Stranger was clearly manipulating AFO in some way...and he believed himself to be superior to ALL.
He knew a few people who had that belief...
Nagant took cover behind a rock as electricity crackled in several directions, swearing under her breath as she spat out a bit of blood. She had been pinned down by PLF goons, who were doing everything in their power to prevent her from getting another shot on AFO.
"Damn them..."
Reaching into her boot, she pulled out a knife and stepped out from behind the rock, stabbing a villain in the eye, twisting the blade. She then unloaded her arm rifle into another's chest, blowing a hole straight through.
More were coming for her though, and it wasn't just because of AFO...
She was a former hero after all, they hated her guts. In many ways, their anger was directed at her because she presented the flawed society that had wronged them. That didn't justify their actions though...
A victim resorting to violence usually creates more victims.
Nagant dodged a bullet, grunting as she flung herself over another rock, only to see a ghastly sight. The magician, Compress, was lying on the ground with a spike in his chest, and AFO was advancing on a sobbing Himiko Toga, who was trying to drag herself back to the area in which Santana was clinging onto life.
That was a kid.
Nagant ripped some of her hair out and fashioned it into a bullet, shoving it inside her arm rifle. She bolted past the villains in a frenzy, jumping to the side and firing, nailing AFO's helmet again, blowing a bit off the top.
Part of his ugly bald head was now exposed, and the delusional villain turned his head in her direction, finally fed up with her.
"How many pot shots will you take before you realize it's hopeless? Wait...you're the traitor, the hero who murdered a member of the Hero Public Safety Commission!" AFO said in delight. "Are you sure you want to join up with Santana's goons?"
"Don't see why not!" Nagant growled out, as she fired another shot, but AFO just tilted his head to the side, his smirk visible from the hole in his damaged mask.
"Is this perhaps some form of false hope? You've seen the way that the government does things after all...under my rule, people will finally understand the truth. Santana's stupid little fairy tale won't expose them to the harsh truth that you had to experience..."
Nagant was in a full blown sprint, villains pursuing her with the intention of ripping her apart. AFO's biggest weakness is that he doesn't take things seriously. He's a manipulator more than a fighter...saying something to get me to doubt my actions...
"You would only lead society into an age of darkness! You don't care about change unless it suits you! I do want people to know the truth, but not for revenge! I WANT TO FIX THINGS!" Nagant snarled, turning around and firing at AFO once more, getting grazed by a buzz saw that was hurled in her direction. "That solution does not lie with a PATHETIC man like you!"
"Why do you people keep insisting I am pathetic?" AFO wondered aloud. "My power is practically unmatched when it comes to Quirks, only OFA is truly able to compete with me-"
"It's that belief that makes you pathetic in the first place! You only think in terms of power...you're so fucking shallow!"
"I'm the Demon-"
"WHAT WOULD YOU BE WITHOUT YOUR QUIRK, 'DEMON KING?!'" Nagant yelled.
There was silence as AFO simply levitated in the air, his smirk slowly turning into a frown. The villain was seemingly trying to think of a response.
He couldn't find one. AFO legitimately couldn't find a response to the question, and it was clear that it had angered him.
"As if I needed to answer the questions of simple jobbers."
"You already did, Bucket Head!" Nagant said with a smile.
It felt...good, fighting a villain again. Taunting them, it was almost as if she were her old self again.
AFO simply raised a hand in response, and Nagant quickly realized what was going to happen. He was about to use a long-distance Quirk to obliterate her from where he was, but in all honesty she was okay with it.
She had distracted AFO long enough for Himiko Toga to drag herself out of danger, and that was good enough for her. Maybe she really got to be a real hero after all...
Closing her eyes, she braced for the end...
Only to hear AFO gasp.
The villains that were chasing her began screaming in fear, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw why:
A large wave of fire was heading in their direction, not Dabi's flames, but bright red ones. From the flames, an imposing figure with a mane of equally fiery hair was levitating above them.
*CRACK!*
Tomura Shigaraki was sent flying straight past her, crashing hard into the ground. He had apparently been in the figure's vicinity, and had attempted to attack it, only to be swatted aside like a fly.
"Forgot to say this...but nice 'awakening' you've got there Tomura...your decay has become quite deadly...however..."
That son of a bitch! Nagantthought to herself, grinning.
Santana raised his arms as a new golden version of Genesis appeared around his regenerating body. The skull-esque helmet, just as the rest of the wearable Stand, was now gold...and sported three pronged horns that raised to the sky, resembling a crown.
His loincloth was replaced by samurai armor, and a large red cape spread behind him, looking almost like wings.
A large orange symbol of what appeared to be an Aztec symbol, a hawk by the looks of it, burned on his chest.
His orange hair, as well as his formerly blue eyes, now burned a bright red.
He had apparently unlocked a new version of his Stand.
"Pillar Men do it better."
How on Earth?! I...I fried him! I tore out his bad lung! AFO thought, the fear from earlier returning as Santana caused several villains to flee.
"He really is alive!"
"We're fucked! I shouldn't have come here!"
"I don't want to die!"
They all screamed in terror at the Pillar Man's appearance, and Santana seemed to be enjoying it.
"It makes sense...you would attract like-minded people AFO." Santana taunted, touching down to the ground. "Dishonorable, selfish cowards. I'm afraid you won't be pulling an attack li-"
The Pillar Man froze, his fiery red eyes dimming...
He had seen Compress.
There was a moment of silence as Santana stared at his fallen comrade in disbelief, and then his dimmed eyes shifted over to the burnt, naked, and tearful Himiko. She looked like she was overjoyed to see him standing...but also hurt.
That potato bastard stabbed his friend and terrorized his little girl.
AFO fumbled for the right words to say as the crowned helmet of Santana slowly turned back towards him. There was a cold, quiet fury emanating from the Pillar Man as he raised his hammer.
"W-well, your return is...unexpected." AFO began, deciding that now was the perfect time to get in his opponents head. "Still, this is your fault you kno-"
*BOOM!*
Santana had moved much faster than he expected the Pillar Man to, and a powerful blow had ragdolled AFO, sending him flying. Santana was visibly shaking, his fists clenched in fury, as he turned towards Himiko.
"I'm sorry..."
"I'm just glad you're okay..." The teenaged girl on the ground said through her tears, a shaky smile forming on her lips.
Tomura landed nearby, snarling as he glared at Santana with a look of pure hatred. "YOU!"
Santana raised his hand, and his glove opened, as well as his flesh. Kneeling beside his surrogate daughter, he brought said hand to her face.
"Your bravery inspired me to live on, Himiko. All of you did...and that's why I'm doing this."
Himiko felt something warm running down her cheek, and she turned her face into Santana's hand, drinking his blood. She then proceeded to turn into his double once more, and got to her feet thanks to her Quirk mimicking Pillar Man biology.
"I love you...Dad."
AFO got to his feet, brandishing his UV Quirk with a sneer on his face. His dress suit was torn to shreds from the blow. "That was expensive."
"I love you too...let's see to it they pay for what they HAVE DONE TODAY!" Santana yelled.
At that moment, both of them moved and attacked AFO and Tomura at once, Santana once again moving at a new speed, ramming into AFO and throwing him.
Himiko had dodged a strike from Tomura, trapping his throat in the crook of her Santana arm, and heaved him to the side, letting AFO crash into him.
Two on two.
How on Earth did he recover?! His eyes changed?! His hair?! His speed?! How did Santana not only survive, but grew STRONGER?! AFO thought to himself, his heart quickening in a panic as he pried himself off of Tomura. There has to be some kind of rational explanation for this!
There was, but AFO would never get it.
Stands remain one of the biggest mysteries on Earth, there is still much to understand about them. Were they a virus carried to Earth on a meteor? Or a gift from God himself? How were they tied to Quirks?
The supernatural is not so easily explained, nor was it ever intended to be.
Santana had experienced what is known as pseudo-death, a trance-like state in where a seemingly doomed individual on the verge of death can interact with the afterlife. Okuyasu Nijimura, Diego Brando, and Kyoka Jiro had all been in this state at one point.
Just as Kyoka had gotten assurance and guidance from Jonathan Joestar, Santana had gotten it from Wammu.
Individuals who come out of this state alive typically change for the better, as only at the end of their lives, or being perilously close to it, can one achieve clarity. It is...in a way, a function of fate.
Kyoka's impending Quirk Awakening came from her two experiences with Jonathan Joestar, especially the second one. She had received clarity, recognizing just how important she truly was to the people around her.
Santana had received it too, his clarity coming from finally accepting that his compassion was actually his greatest strength. Thus, a change occurred from this realization.
Genesis was never used at it's true power. It was always capable of this new form, but Santana's subconscious fear of fully embracing his compassion had held it back. Thus, instead of an evolution, Santana merely tapped into his Stand's true potential. This was no Act 2, but the true power of Act 1.
As such, Genesis assumed it's true form, as did Santana. His red eyes and hair came from his Stand, as did a slightly boosted healing factor.
No longer sporting his Achilles lung, Santana was now at his strongest.
"ALLLLL FOOR OOOOOOOONE!"
Santana's enraged roar echoed throughout the battlefield, and many of Tomura's goons were starting to panic.
The ice user, Geten, was sweating.
"He's...back...he really is a god..."
"It doesn't make sense...we were winning! We were crushing these freaks into the ground!" Another villain responded.
"Freaks...huh?"
Geten turned to see the Cartoonist getting to her feet, black blood dripping down her face. Her cartoony features were twisted in rage.
"She's alive?!"
"Yeah...I am...people like AFO could never understand. He doesn't care about anything but himself...he doesn't truly want change. He only uses the unfortunate, and tosses them aside when he's done..."
The Cartoonist got up to her feet, clutching at Compress' top hat.
"Fuck your stupid Flat Earth Quirk Singularity bullshit..."
She slowly put it on.
"Fuck AFO."
Geten activated his Quirk, his breath fogging up as he glared at the rising artist.
"Fuck all of it...because I just want a world in which I can draw in peace, without worrying about critics who judge me on how I look, and not my artwork! I want people to accept me, to accept my art...which is why..."
The Cartoonist raised her pen to the sky, and a large demanded Felix the Cat emerged from behind her. It's elongated arms and creepily wide smile was enough to make the villains shiver in fear.
She had drawn it with her own blood.
The severely wounded Cartoonist swung her mallet, knocking several PLF members away with a BONK!, as the large demented cartoon cat began tearing into them, ripping Geten in half before he could even touch her.
"I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU WIN! THIS FREAK AIN'T GOING DOWN EASY!"
AFO sent a blast of UV at Santana, who simply charged at him. Now that Genesis was completely restored, he had regained his immunity.
Himiko, on the other hand...
He attempted to use the UV Quirk on her, but she shoved Tomura in the way and lept to the side. Just then, Santana became solid ice, stretching his hand towards AFO.
You became ice?! What is that going to do other than make you brittle, Pillar Man?!
Santana's finger brushed against his helmet as AFO used rivets to push the Pillar Man aside, and attempted to target Himiko once more.
He then was met with stiff resistance from his own helmet.
"WHAT?!"
"Genesis' true power was not only to turn into any inorganic material, but also the ability to use a new power based on the form I take." Santana explained. "I can lock myself in a form for 5 minutes, gaining an ability in the meantime. Ice freezes anything in place as soon as I touch it, including your helmet. You know...the one you need to breathe?"
In other words, the only way for AFO to move was for him to take his helmet off.
"Interesting new ability! If only I could steal Stands...that also means you are brittle for five minutes, are you not?" AFO asked with a grin, his rivets forming a protective shield around himself. "TOMURA! I'll assist from here!"
"Yes Master!" Tomura yelled as he was about to attack, but Himiko roundhoused him in the face, cracking the stone hand he was using as armor.
"Did you forget I was here?! I have his back!"
Rivets came from AFO's protective shell, but Santana's hands moved faster, freezing all the rivets in place. He began lightly punching away at AFO's shell, essentially trapping the villain inside as Himiko threw Tomura into one of the frozen spikes, impaling him.
"AAAAAAGH!" Tomura screamed, blood spurting from his chest as he tried to pry himself free, but Santana managed to touch him before that happened, trapping the monstrosity on the spike.
Santana slid towards Himiko, standing at her side. They had trapped AFO by using his cowardice against him.
Tomura snarled with rage, extra stone hands sprouting from his chest like a chestburster, and began tearing away at the rivets and hurling them at the two. He could've just used his decay, but that meant decaying his master too.
Santana's new speed got them both out of the way, and the Pillar Man's arm began returning to gold. "My ice is wearing off Himiko, soon AFO will be free."
"Then we have to do as much damage as we can."
"Tomura can regenerate...still not sure of what he has become..."
"He's an asshole. That hasn't changed." Himiko spat out. "They're going to pay for what they did to you and Compress! Both of them!"
"One step at a time!" Santana yelled, using his restored arm to launch a Divine Sandstorm at Donuts from above, pushing him further down the spike. Blood flew from the monstrosity's mouth as the wound on his chest grew wider, and the winds tore his flesh from his body.
That's when rivet that Tomura was impaled on pushed the struggling monster towards the surrogate father and daughter.
"Come on Tomura! Push through the pain! Push towards our victory!" AFO said from within his prison. "I'm almost able to help you, but I need you to bear it until then!"
"WHAT...DO YOU...THINK...I'M... DOING?!" Tomura screamed.
"Got any new forms to counter that?!" Himiko asked.
"Still experimenting! I could have a form that could hurt you, so I have to be careful!"
AFO finally freed himself as the last of Santana's ice form vanished, and swung the impaled Tomura straight at them. However, Santana was now free to engage in combat, so he and Himiko joined hands.
They then proceeded to both punch the monster at once, Santana adding a burst of flame as a thruster to strengthen the impact. They both sent Tomura back to the ground with an astounding BOOM!
"Let's try copper." Santana said, assuming his copper form and locking it in. Almost immediately, AFO's helmet, the neon parts, began turning gray.
"WHAT?! I see...you can sap electricity!" AFO said, and began flying in the opposite direction, attempting to get away. "I'm not sticking around so you can disable this helmet's batteries! You won't be defeating the Demon King so easi-"
*ZAP!*
*BOOM!*
Santana had hurled a bolt of lighting, striking AFO in the chest...no...Santana was the bolt of lightning.
"Copper Form: it appears I can now not only absorb electricity, but I can use it to enhance my speed even further." Santana said, humming to himself. "I can can now travel as fast as a bolt of lightning, as long as there is enough electricity stored up. Luckily, that mask is quite full of it...must've taken a while to charge."
AFO skipped along the ground, slamming into a rock.
"GYAAAGH!"
There's no way! He's that fast?! Surely I must have some Quirk able to compete. It's like he's using me as a practice dummy to test his new abilities, damn him!
Got it! I forgot I had this!
"Well, you're quite lucky my immortal friend. You nearly died and got stronger...but things like these always happened in the comic books I used to read!" AFO said, readying an attack. "The Demon King was challenged by a contender for his throne, seemingly pressed into a corner, only to find a way to come out on top! That is clearly what is happening here!"
"The first stage of grief is denial." Santana stated.
"Ha! What am I grieving?"
The Pillar Man's eyes gleamed as he brought up an electric hammer.
"The death of your delusions, of course."
Katsuki grabbed Izuku by the back of his uniform's collar, pulling him away from his conversation with Shoji. "wha-Kacchan?!"
"You're coming with me."
"I...do I not get a say in this?"
"No."
"Er...bye Shoji!"
The tentacled armed student simply waved, and headed off to discuss something with Ida.
"Kacchan, can you explain what's going on here?"
"No. Not until we're sure of what's happening."
Izuku's face fell.
"Kacchan..."
"Oh my God, WHAT?!"
"What are you hiding from me?"
Katsuki whipped Izuku around and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Listen nerd, I don't like not telling you, but at the same time I know you. If I told you what might be happening, you'd have a fucking panic attack and would run off, and then I'd have to fucking chase you down because you're an idiot."
"That just makes me more concerned. You're making it sound like something big..."
Katsuki's lips tightened as he struggled to not come out and just tell Izuku. What was he supposed to say? A psychotic villain with one of the most powerful Quirks in existence and an obsession with Izuku's had broken free from prison and could come after him at any time?
"I...wanted to...help you train Blackwhip."
"Kacchan, that's a fucking lie."
"Just...let's train...near Exodus."
"...okay..."
A mess of rags entered the battlefield, watching the ensuing confrontation with it's red eyes. The Stranger watched as Santana powered through a barrage of rivets, screaming in fury as they shattered to pieces.
AFO was the type to sit behind a desk and manipulate people from afar. He only ever bothered to fight OFA users, and people who he believed weren't a threat. Now, he was getting a brutal taste of reality against an opponent who combined both power and skill.
Power and brains were one thing, but skill was what truly got the other two to shine, and that was Santana's advantage.
Santana broke through AFO's guard and upper cutter him in the stomach, sending the self-proclaimed "Demon King" all the way up to the ceiling of the caves, and rocketed back to support Himiko, who was holding her own against Tomura.
AFO removed himself from the rocks, and brushed off the remains of his business suit, muttering to himself. Clearly he was coming up with a plan...
"You have given me more of a fight than most of the OFA users did...I'll give you that. I have severely underestimated you Santana!" AFO yelled, levitating back down. "I might even consider you an equal to...All Might's predecessor. That woman was quite fierce."
"You mean Nana Shimura?"
Tomura paused before he followed through with a hit on Santana. "What...?"
"Your grandmother was an OFA user...Tenko." Santana replied, grabbing Tomura by the face. "She left your father behind after that asshole up there murdered her husband. In a way...AFO is responsible for your suffering."
"You're lying! HE'S LYING, RIGHT MASTER?!"
AFO was about to reply, but Santana turned his hand into fire and hurled a bit of it at the villain, forcing him to dodge.
"Your master has manipulated your anger, your family, and he murdered your grandmother before she could ever explain things to her son. Your father was bitter and resentful as a result, and I've got it in writing."
"Tomura! He's tricking you!" There was a hint of desperation in AFO's voice.
"Tenko...I'm a man of my word, and you know that."
Tomura's mouth was wide open, yet he was unable to speak. The same man who raised him, who mentored him, was the reason he had suffered in the first place.
"He needs you for his plan, but he never really accounted for the possibility that I would develop sympathy for you. Don't get me wrong, your other half, Tomura, is far past redemption...but it's not too late for you Tenko. I know you're still in there...you do not need to be this man's pawn anymore." Santana said, before brutally tossing Tomura over the hill. "As for you, AFO...prepare yourself."
"It doesn't matter, do you really think I didn't plan for a scenario in which Tomura found out the truth about his grandmother? As soon as the Doctor-"
"Guraki? His lung suits me quite nicely."
AFO took a step back, and for the first time since he had entered the battle, he came to a sudden and terrifying realization.
I could seriously lose this.
The Demon King, now knowing that his master plan was seriously in jeapordy, suddenly took a serious demeanor. It had finally dawned on him, the horrific truth of his situation...
Santana was more of a threat to him than OFA was.
"No more holding back then..."
The Stranger, who was still casually observing the fight, gasped as AFO pointed a hand towards him.
*CRUNCH!*
An enlarged amalgamation of Quirks smashed the ragged man into the ground, leaving a smear of blood in it's wake.
"I bet he thought I wasn't wise to his treachery...sorry Lugh, but enough is enough."
"Himiko...get Compress somewhere safe." Santana said, charging up an ability. He began turning into uranium. "It's time to end this."
"Santana..."
"I'll be fine." The Pillar Man said, patting Himiko on her exposed head with his non-transformed hand. "Go."
"I'll be waiting for you, you better come back!"
"I'm not dying twice."
Himiko used the last of Santana's blood to grab Compress and lept a good distance away, and her surrogate father turned a neon shade of green. AFO's arm mutated further, and released a mass of Quirks Santana's way.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
The area erupted into a bright white light as AFO unleashed all of his Quirks onto the Pillar Man, hoping to shatter the armor and burn away the regenerating creature of the night within using his UV Quirk.
However, it blew the roof clean of the cave, unleashing a wave of pure destruction. Tomura had been blown away, his mysterious body being torn to shreds by his master's attack.
Santana stood firm. He was so irradiated that it burned away a majority of the attack.
AFO, for the first time in a long time, felt genuine rage.
YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST SHRUG THAT OFF?! TAKE ANOTHER!
*BOOOOOOOOOOM!*
Next thing he knew, Santana was in his face.
WHAT?!
The Pillar Man grabbed him by the throat, and immediately the Demon King felt sick to his stomach. Unleashing a blast from his feet, Santana shot up into the air, carrying AFO with him.
AFO screamed as his exposed skin began peeling away, as one of his arms crumbled to ash. It was as if he had been hit with a nuclear bomb, but the destruction of his body was far from instantaneous.
"I have irradiated your body, causing your systems to fail. At least...the ones I want to. I have something more fitting than death planned for you." Santana stated, but AFO managed to wriggle out of the Pillar Man's grip...
By taking his helmet off.
AFO's bald disfigured face gasped for air as he activated the Quirk he was originally planning to use.
I never thought I would have to use this Quirk...it's risky, and could blow up in my face...but I have no choice! I must defeat him!
"EAT THIS, SANTANA!" AFO managed to scream through his labored breaths, as he reached out and brushed his remaining hand against the Pillar Man's helmet, losing a finger in the process. He then snapped his remaining fingers..
Santana's eyes widened as his flesh began turning inside out.
"A body contortion Quirk, it pulls all of the body's mass towards the heart of anything it touches. I just ensured that your body would crush your heart like a grape!" AFO stated, before collapsing to the ground, clutching at his chest. "Unfortunately...it also...did...a number...on mine...it's quite dangerous...to use..."
Santana took a step back as AFO collapsed to the ground, his heart stopped as a result of using a Quirk such as that. It took a toll on the body whenever he used it, and since Santana had already caused a few of his organs to fail, it had stopped his heart in it's tracks.
AFO gave himself a heart attack.
However, he didn't take into account that Pillar Men could morph their own bodies, so Santana had manipulated his ribcage to form an iron barrier around his heart. With the Quirk's effect negated, the Pillar Man knelt beside AFO.
"You aren't getting off that easy."
He resumed his copper form as the five minute time limit passed, and sucked the remained battery out of AFO's mask, using it to give the Demon King's body a jolt. Upon hearing AFO's heart resume beating, Santana examined the helmet with contentment.
He had avenged Compress, hopefully there was still time to save him.
With a thud, Santana landed on a mountain surveying the battlefield.
All eyes turned to him, and the Pillar Man responded by lifting AFO's helmet into the air.
"YOUR 'DEMON KING' HAS FALLEN! YOUR FORCES ARE SCATTERED! YOUR PATHETIC IDEOLOGY, SMASHED!" Santana roared at the PLF. "IT'S OVER! GO, OR YOU WILL GET NO MERCY!"
AFO's attack had shredded Tomura, and the monster was trying to get up. Santana walked over and grabbed him by the hair, yanking his head back.
"Now for you, Tomura."
"Please..."
Santana paused.
That was not the voice of the psychotic villain he had clashed with for so many months, but that of a terrified child.
"Tenko?"
"Kill me...please...I can't escape him..." Tenko's eyeless face was covered in both blood and tears. "I understand now, everything. Tomura and I...we were once one. We both hated the heroes...we both wanted to destroy it all...but...I just wanted a place to belong..."
Santana slowly let go of Tenko's hair, which was now sporting a streak of black.
"The League was my new family. I loved them...and then you came and took it away from me. I hated you...but...you're just like me, right?" Tomura's inner child asked. "You want to help people like me, don't you?"
"I do..."
"...good. I...I wish you had found me, instead of him."
Santana placed a hand on Tenko's shoulder. Compassion was his greatest strength after all, and while the monster before him didn't necessarily deserve it...perhaps the version uncorrupted by AFO did.
"I would've fought for your happiness, as I fight for my friends and family. I would've made the heroes who didn't save you pay..."
"Tomura's quiet...isn't that weird? He's usually the one in control..." Tenko said.
"I'm sorry Tenko, you deserved better." Santana said, readying his hammer to strike Tenko in the brain. "I'll make it quick...may you find peace in the next life..."
"Thank you..."
"By the way...how did you become this?" Santana asked.
"This masked man named Lugh gave me this fruit and a bone...and I absorbed the bone to become something other than human. I thought it would give me a chance..." Tenko explained. "We looked him up, and apparently it's some Irish god of light and crafts."
"Light...and...crafts?" Santana said, his eyes widening underneath his helmet.
"Yes?"
"A master of light...and...and inventor...no, that's impossible!"
Tenko suddenly grabbed the hammer and flung it aside, to both of their surprise.
"What?"
"I-I'm not doing this!" Tenko said, his face frozen in fear. "NO! STOP IT! WHO ARE YOU?! AAAAAAAAGHH!"
"What?!"
From Santana's right, a man covered in rags got to his feet, his hand outstretched.
One side of The Stranger's mask was broken, his face covered in shadow. However, his red eye could still be seen, as well as the beginnings of what looked to be a smirk.
"Shame, I was hoping AFO would incapacitate you."
Santana's eyes widened to the size of saucers as Tenko screamed in agony.
"You see, the bone he absorbed was one of mine, and it was far from dead. With a piece of me inside of him, I effectively made Tomura Shigaraki mine to control." The Stranger explained. "AFO was so easy to manipulate, even if he thought he had the upper hand."
"I...I..." Santana tried to get out, but he couldn't. He was in shock.
"He always fancied himself a puppet master...a pity he never truly realized he was the puppet." The Stranger said with a sneer. "I have to admit Santana, you've impressed me. I was wrong to doubt you for all those years..."
"That's impossible...YOU'RE STILL FROZEN!" Santana exclaimed, fear evident in his voice.
"Please, I simply shed my old skin like a snake." The Stranger said, walking forward. "Both you and AFO fell for it, Santana...
The remains of the mask fell to the ground...
Kars, the ultimate lifeform grinned at his former lackey in amusement.
"You both underestimated my capabilities! If you really thought that pathetic worm was the biggest threat to you, you're gravely mistaken. It's time for the ULTIMATE LIFEFORM to rise again! I'm sorry about your human pets Santana...I know how you can be..."
Kars puppeted Tenko to get ready to fight.
"Everything I'm about to do is for your own good."
With the pretender defeated, the true Demon King appears! How will Santana manage to overcome his overpowered former master? CAN he?
Will Kars destroy the LOV? Will everything Santana has accomplished be for nothing?
The true final battle of MVA begins next chapter...