17.07.2023
It is I, the Absolute Madman and I'm back with your weekly dose of Evil Within! And since there are no comments to address-!
Enjoy the chapter!:
Laying his hand on the Black Blade mere weeks after the exact same incident was wrong, Izuku knew that. It was also unfortunately the only choice he had.
The Hero Killer strolled past him and without even looking Izuku could tell that he was going for Iida, most likely to injure him like he did his brother or just out right finish him off. Izuku himself was paralyzed in the very same manner that Iida was when he arrived and there was no way of telling how long this state was going to last. Native was still out cold and so it was up to Izuku to make the judgment call and try to salvage the situation.
It took all the strength in his body just to make his fingers twitch and even more than that for his arm to actually respond to his commands through the lens of the paralysis. He did it though, his jaw clenched and all of his muscles mobilized to make one single move. As soon as his fingers scraped the surface of the Blade of Antwyr, the horror began.
A bloodthirsty aura flooded the remote alleyway, easily overwhelming the two interns and causing the Hero Killer to pause in his tracks, intrigued by this feeling that was so similar to the one he himself exuded.
Izuku felt the control slipping away as the daemon quickly took over. Izuku was already preparing himself for that awful feeling of looking through his own eyes whilst being unable to do anything himself, but that moment never came. Marvel in his eyes, he traced the spiked tentacle that emerged from the Blade and climbed up his arm, destroying his gauntlet in the process. He was expecting the tentacle to climb all the way towards his shoulder, possibly higher, but was surprised to see it stop right around his elbow.
Confusion overtook him for a brief moment before a deeply daemonic voice brought him down to Earth.
"How long are you going to just stand there?" The daemon asked in a mocking manner, motioning for Izuku to stand beside it.
Getting to witness its shadowy form was a first for Izuku, who was either used to watching from afar or getting second-hand descriptions. The wings sprouting from its back looked tattered and torn up, the membrane filled with holes and the skeletal structure itself seemed seconds away from collapsing.
"See something you like? Want me to hook you up with your own pair?" This time Izuku ignored the remark and approached the daemon like it wanted.
"What's this all about?" Izuku questioned, suspicious about everything, but undoubtedly curious.
"And what does it look like to you, Mr Chivalry?" The daemon responded with a healthy dose of sass. "We're partnering up so that your friend doesn't get turned into a modern piece of art and I don't have to look for another Warp-attuned fool to carry my ass around." It explained with an angry undertone in its voice.
Not much made sense to Izuku at the moment, though standing side by side with the daemon was proving to be quite the experience.
"So… how does this work exactly?" Izuku wondered, choosing to leave the less important questions for later.
"Basically I'm going to say what we're going to do and you'll agree to everything I say or I'll put you in the backseat again. As much as it pains me to admit it - you're better with a sword than I am." The daemon explained, clearly stating that this partnership was not established on equal terms although that wasn't very surprising. The daemon seemed to have a knack for the most violent of problem-solving ways.
"Fine, but we're not killing that guy." Izuku stated firmly. The daemon only snorted in discontent but seemed to have accepted the condition anyways. "You got a plan?"
"A few." The daemon responded with a sinister grin.
"And how many of those don't involve killing the Hero Killer?" Izuku countered with narrowed eyes, already having a vague idea about the answer he should be expecting.
"Two." The daemon answered, surprising Izuku which was easily noticeable and the daemon decided to comment on it. "For your information, killing someone is not always the easiest course of action. I'll have you know that I'm knowledgeable in the art of war as a whole and not strictly killing." It was very miniscule, but the daemon seemed annoyed by Izuku's unspoken assumption.
"What's the plan then?" Izuku asked, his curiosity peaked.
"It all starts with Reclaim." The daemon stated and got to work.
Izuku was expecting this new move to target the Hero Killer and draw his attention away from the downed Iida. He couldn't have been further from the truth.
The daemon's ability was focused on the still unconscious Native. Nothing happened for a split second before a wide gash appeared on the hero's upper arm. And then another on his forearm and forehead. One across his cheek and two on his chest, blood spilling from the wound. Just as Izuku was about to exclaim and berate the daemon's actions, he felt his body getting lighter, the fatigue melting away, the bruises fading like a distant memory and most importantly - the paralysis ending.
"Something's different about you." Stain immediately realized as he saw Izuku get up from the ground and stand back up on his own two legs which by all means should've been impossible. The thing that had his interest though was the strange sword. "There's something… wrong with that sword. I was hoping to keep him alive, but there's no other choice. He's too dangerous. I need to cut him down!" The Hero Killer thought to himself before charging forward.
He readied his katana, aiming for Izuku's neck and counting on ending the fight with one move, but that move was easily stopped thanks to the combined efforts of Izuku and the daemon.
"Well, ain't you an observant one?" The daemon mocked in a voice that sounded like its and Izuku's combined, causing a strange, malicious echo.
Stain jumped back as soon as their blades connected, having already underestimated his opponent once. There was no telling what this new version of Izuku could do so bringing the guard up was the logical course of action. It quickly turned out to be the right choice as Izuku - or whatever this hybrid creature could be called - chose to rush at Stain, slashing wildly to force the Hero Killer to stay on the defensive.
The sheer amount of strikes was enough to overwhelm Stain and he left himself wide open for a front kick that sent him skidding backwards. He was mostly unphased by this and his guard was back up well before his slide ground to a halt. A stationary exchange ensued with neither side being able to outright overpower the opponent. Where Izuku now held the high ground in terms of power, Stain had way more experience which was how he was able to deflect all the disastrous slashes away from himself.
The trick with two people being in charge was that they'd need to be in perfect sync to keep their movements fluid and natural and the daemon was surely the least compatible co-pilot that Izuku could ask for. It was no surprise then that one of Stain's throwing knives was eventually able to weave in between Izuku's wide slashes and nick his ear.
The stinging pain that flared from that fresh wound would normally be substantial enough for Izuku to commit even more mistakes, setting off a chain reaction that would inevitably lead to Izuku's demise. With the daemon in the driver seat however they managed to stay in the game and push through the pain, ignoring the sensation as a whole and focusing on the fight instead.
The stalemate was renewed at that point and lasted for a few tense moments with both sides taking turns to attack and defend. It was clear however that experience was superior to strength as Stain's savage swings managed to force Izuku back on multiple occasions. It didn't seem to be that bad as for every inch of ground lost, Izuku made Stain sweat bullets, effectively trying to outlast his opponent. Izuku and the daemon were too focused on the exchange of blows however to pay attention to the bigger picture and they only realized what the Hero Killer was going for once it was too late.
Continuously backing up would sooner or later result in Izuku hitting a wall or some other obstacle, but that's not what Stain was counting on. The alleyway was wide enough that Izuku could side-step in addition to backing off and so cornering him would take up too much time, time that Stain didn't really have. As such he employed a vastly different tactic and disguised it as an attempt at cornering Izuku. In reality he was going for something else.
Once he's pushed up far enough, Stain threw a slew of his knives at Izuku, forcing the boy/daemon tandem to dodge to the side and focus on deflecting the projectiles that he couldn't avoid with his sword. Using this brief opportunity, the Hero Killer dove for the first knife he threw during the fight, the one with Izuku's blood on it.
Izuku recognized the threat too late and even though he charged straight at the villain with his sword ready to stab right through him, he couldn't make it in time and felt his body once again seize up.
"I'm still not sure what's this all about, but one thing I know for sure." Stain began his monologue once he was sure that Izuku was neutralized. "You're too dangerous for me to let you go. You have potential to become a real hero one day, but there's also the risk of you stopping me before I fulfill my mission." The Hero Killer said as he sheathed his main blade and reached for one of his backups. "Society is rotten to the core. Those so-called 'heroes' are nothing but parasites, feeding off of the common man and wallowing in money and fame, fueling their greed endlessly. Heroes used to care about helping but now turned into nothing more than spandex-clad celebrities. This new society is ravaged by cancer and I'll free it, one tumor at a time." Stain crossed the last couple of steps between him and Izuku before readying himself for the clean cut that would finish this once and for all. "I do this with a heavy heart, but if this is the price of salvation, then I'll gladly pay it a thousand times over."
"Oh this guy is so full of shit." The daemon grumbled. "It's easy to pay any price as long as the funds don't come from your own pocket. And what the fuck's all that mambo jambo about this cancer stuff and salvation? That's an ego and a half if I ever saw one." The daemon continued berating in a carefree manner, not even flinching in the face of imminent death.
"How about you focus on getting us out of this situation first and whine about his motives later?!" Izuku exclaimed, visibly agitated since his neck was on the line.
"Relax, big guy." The daemon responded as it rolled its eyes in a dismissive manner. "I've got the fucker right where I want him. It's time for something more refined. Something like Exsanguination!"
Yet another move that Izuku has never heard about, caught Stain midswing, although it didn't really make a difference due to the non-physical nature of the daemon's abilities.
Open wounds sprouted all over Stain's body, causing his grip to falter and his blade to slip from his hands, narrowly missing Izuku's neck and clanking against the ground as it landed near a stack of trash cans in the back of the alley. Simultaneously Izuku felt his own body become lighter once again. He felt the second wind kicking in and was about to say something about the fate being on their side, but was silenced by a sudden pain in his left calf.
One quick look was all Izuku needed to spot the wide gash running from just under his knee all the way to the back of his ankle. It didn't make sense since he was sure that he'd blocked nearly all of Stain's attacks and even if he was struck before, there was no way he wouldn't have noticed the wound earlier, even with the adrenaline running high. The only logical explanation was to attribute this sudden wound to the daemon's newest ability. It seemed like something that could give you immediate relief at the cost of damage over time in the form of bleeding.
"Weak vessel." The daemon complained with a scowl.
The pain was enough to force Izuku to take a knee, though he was still faring much better than the Hero Killer who was currently busy tearing his attire into pieces and using it as makeshift dressings. He'd already discarded his spare blade and was frantically trying to stop himself from bleeding out so he was unaware that Izuku was already standing back up and no longer paralyzed.
"What's wrong with your abilities? Why does it damage me almost as much as it hurts my opponents? And what was that with Native at the start?!" Izuku finally snapped and yelled at the daemon, demanding answers.
"If your body was more durable than it could've resisted the side-effects, it's not my fault that it's ill-suited for my powers. You should consider yourself lucky nonetheless. I remember a bunch of sorry sods in Jerusalem that thought they could handle me and paid with their lives for that arrogance." The daemon stated nonchalantly as if he was talking about some innocent news article from yesterday and not about taking lives. "And you have no right to question my methods. We're alive, are we not? Besides, did you really think that you can magically make all the boo-boos go away? That's a fairy tale. Grow up. If you have two people injured it's better to transfer all wounds from one to the other so at least one of them can make it." As much as Izuku hated to admit it, there was some logic in the daemon's reasoning. It wasn't sound logic by any standards, but it made a messed up amount of sense at the moment.
"What now?" Izuku asked calmly, though a scowl formed on his visage.
"Now we cut the fucker down and be on our merry way. Ain't no way I'm stopping here!" The daemon exclaimed and Izuku was wholeheartedly prepared for a mental fight only for the daemon to start laughing like a maniac. "You should've seen your face! I could easily overpower you right now, but where's the fun in that?" The daemon asked rhetorically as it strolled around carelessly.
Izuku didn't lower his guard however, more than aware of the number of tricks that the daemon employed in the past, lulling him into a false sense of security being one of the more prominent tactics.
"Oh relax. If I'm ever taking control of your body I want it to be a fair fight. I'll come at you when you least expect it, but when you're at your best. Otherwise it'd be just a formality and the amount of bureaucracy that I witnessed when bound to Garran made me severely averse to those." The daemon said off-handedly as it started walking away and back into the clouded expanse of Izuku's psyche. "Go on and make the arrest, hero." The daemon said as his parting words before becoming one with the shadows, finally leaving Izuku alone.
Now firmly in control of his body, Izuku was able to relax a bit, though he couldn't rest just yet as the Hero Killer was still up and probably as dangerous as ever. That's what Izuku expected to see once he lifted his head, but was surprised to see Stain laying on the ground in a pool of his own blood, alive, though hanging by a thread.
Immediately mobilizing his strength, Izuku began the process of healing the villain, hoping to stabilize him enough to save his life. Not many people would fault him for not saving his life and letting him die considering the amount of blood on his hands, but Izuku wasn't about to play judge, jury and executioner. Heroes saved lives, regardless of who they belonged to.
"What are you doing?" Iida, who finally seemed to be regaining control of his body, said with newfound anger bubbling underneath his skin. "Just let him die. He deserves it!" He yelled out, baring all his rage.
"Would Tensei let him die?" Izuku calmly responded, not even sparing a glance in Iida's direction, knowing that a single mention of his brother would be enough to shut his classmate for good. "If you have the strength to complain then go check on Native, like a real hero would."
Nothing happened for a few moments and just when Izuku realized that he'd have to do everything himself, Iida stood up before walking over to the immobilized Native to start administering first-aid. Izuku let a small smile grace his face as he thought that there might still be hope for Iida. Sure, he'll have to endure a lot of talking-to from various people and possibly most of Nezu's wrath, but if he was able to withstand that then he'll surely remember this lesson for the rest of his life.
Izuku kneeled over Stain, healing the most severe wounds first to try and staunch the bleeding and didn't realize when his eyelids grew too heavy for him to keep his eyes open. As the fatigue from both his activities and the daemon's influence lulled him to sleep, Izuku still focused his remaining strength on healing, hoping to close just one more wound.
The next thing he knew, Izuku was in a hospital bed. It was easy to realize what was going on due to the squeaky clean white tiles that covered most of the room and the overall overabundance of white in general. The beeping of machines was the only sound present in the room, the steady rhythm of his heart visualized on one of the displays next to his bed. Izuku took a quick look around and sure enough, his case was currently propped up against the windowsill.
"The view ain't half bad. I still prefer that landscape from Titan, but I'll take what I can get. It definitely beats any of the Hive-Cities that I've seen." The daemon explained its deliberate position without even being prompted to do so.
Izuku allowed himself to smirk a little, already knowing that he'd have one hell of a headache trying to grasp everything that had happened last night, but he had high hopes for the future. Afterall he managed to actually work alongside the daemon just like Nezu theorized he could! Sure, it was mostly due to the daemon reaching out first, but who's to say that the opposite couldn't be true in the future? The daemon is selfish, arrogant and prideful, sure, but those are traits that Izuku could look to exploit in the future.
As he saw a nurse enter his room and noticed her eyes widening up at the sight of him sitting up on his bed wide awake and then rushing out to inform the doctors, Izuku already knew that this was going to be a long day. At least he's had some time to rest up before the inevitable interrogations start.
"Thank Lord that Monk'ai gave me free reign to operate as I saw fit or else I'd definitely be in trouble. Although I don't think he considered me facing off against the Hero Killer as one of the possibilities when he made that call." Izuku chuckled to himself briefly, idly wondering how his mentor was doing after all the fighting.
He'd learn of that soon enough, as Monk'ai was amongst the many people that'd come to visit him in the hours to come.
Did anyone expect another daemon rampage? Were you surprised by the sudden team-up? I sure hope so! I also hope the fight was fun to read as I'm not entirely convinced if I did good on that or not.
Regardless, we've weathered the storm that was the Hosu Incident and now we advance towards the fallout of the aformentioned disaster. Things will be said, facts will be stated, punishments will be given out and some hugs may be exchanged, but that's-
All for today so have a great day and I'll catch y'all in the next update!