Hello there everybody! Long time no see! I gotta say a lot happened while I was writing this chapter. Firstly, we finally hit that triple digit bookmarks on AO3! Secondly, this story got added to two collections all in the span of a week! And thirdly, we crossed that 80k words threshold! I just wanna say thank you guys for reading this story and making this all happen. So to celebrate, I present the largest chapter yet, a grand total of 30 pages in my doc application. Whew, I hope you guys enjoy it because it certainly was a slog to write, but I am satisfied with it completed. But enough about that because I am sure you guys are anxious to see read this week's chapter. Enjoy.
WELCOME BACK EVERYONE! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED LAST ROUND'S FIGHT AND THE SMALL BREAK AS WELL!". Present Mic screamed into the microphone, "BUT ONTO THE NEXT ROUND!"
Hagakure steadied her breathing as she walked down the suffocating hallways to face Kirishima in a trial by combat. She was nervous, but she couldn't afford to be nervous. She needed to be brave, she needed to win.
"Do not worry, I am here with you Haga-chan.", voiced Marris in her head.
The sun was blinding to Hagakure as she left the confines of the belly of the arena. Flashes of camera lights dashed across the stadium like a wave of water. Excited cheers and whoops mimicked the sounds of seals drowned out the sound of her footsteps on the turf. She swallowed the lump in her throat and kept her head straight, trying to not focus on the fact that millions of eyes are on her.
"Watch out Ladies and Gentlemen because if I didn't warn you then you couldn't see her coming. Making her way first to the ring is Class 1-A's own invisible girl….TOORU HAGAKURE!", Present Mic hammed up in the microphone.
Hagakure sighed at the cheesy entrance announcement given by her english teacher. To her, it sounded more like it belonged to a pro wrestling match rather than a sports festival.
"And her opponent is none other than 1-A's own manliest of men! A student with a body as hard as stone, and is as tough as he is strong! I present….EIJIRO KIRISHIMA!", Present Mic said with cheese on the ham.
Said student began his own trek towards the fighting ring, but he was different from the Kirishima that Hagakure had met on her first day at UA. His hair was drooping as if it had lost its signature spikiness, and top of that was the color change. On the lower part of his head, towards the roots, was the tell tale sign that Kirishima had been dying his hair red. But now it was returning to its original color of black, and he either forgot to or intended not to apply color to them. His walk was stilted and stiff, as if he was lacking confidence.
Hagakure got a good look of his eyes when he took the spot parallel to her in the ring. They were filled with an empty crushing feeling that she couldn't place her finger on.
"Is Kirishima okay?", Hagakure pondered.
However, her thoughts on her opponent's wellbeing were dashed when Midnight cracked her whip.
"Alright, You all know the rules by now! I want a nice clean and fair fight!", the R-rated hero said on the microphone, "NOW LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"
Kirishima wasted no time and immediately charged towards Hagakure, arms already hardened using his quirk. The invisible girl knew she was at great disadvantage against Kirishima because of his quirk. Not only could he use it as a powerful offensive attack but also use it as a defensive ability that would cause Hagakure's attacks to backfire. To make up for this disadvantage, Hagakure had to be fast and precise. So she held her ground and waited for him to come to her because she was not eager to charge a rolling stone like Kirishima head on.
Her opponent began his attack with a left uppercut that was directed towards her stomach. With surprising speed, Hagakure sidestepped the attack and flanked Kirishima in one motion. Tooru then quickly used the opportunity to punch Kirishima in the face with a right hook. However, Kirishima was a guy that shrugged off punches on a daily basis, and instantly retaliated with a right hook.
Hagakure just barely avoided the punch with a backstep, sighing in relief that she avoided a punch to the face. Before the air even finished its 'whooshing', Tooru countered with a jab to the stomach. Kirishima grunted in pain when the sudden attack connected, but hardened his left leg and did a blind kick towards Hagakure in retaliation. The attack missed its target, but it was enough to scare the invisible girl into backstepping away from the boy.
"Well, would you look at that folks! It looks like Hagakure has some tricks up her sleeves, she certainly floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee!", Present Mic narrated
"Asymmetrical warfare.", Said the annoyed voice of Mr. Aizawa, "The two have completely different approaches to fighting. However, it cannot be understated without mentioning that Miss Hagakure is at a disadvantage. In a fight against an opponent like Kirishima, all it takes is one mistake or a miscalculation to lose their advantage or even the fight. Mr. Kirishima on the other hand could afford to make a mistake or two."
The invisible girl heavily breathed in much needed air after that brief engagement she had with her classmate. Even though she had yet to hit an area under the effects of his quirk, Hagakure felt like she spent the entire fight chipping away at a large stone with her fists. Her initial strategy was just to merely chip away at his soft parts, but that was about it. She had no solid idea on how to finish the match.
"Even if I can avoid his attacks, all it takes is one mistake and I am finished", analyzed Tooru, "What do I do?"
Hagakure's thoughts drifted to all the tools she had available in her arsenal, and how she would be able to use them. Oarfish? No, at least not yet. She had a limit on that power, and she needed to save it for one of 1-A's powerhouses or use it as a move to finish the fight. Perhaps she should shed off her clothes and become completely invisible? It's not a bad idea considering that anyone would be unable to deal with attacks they cannot see coming. Yes, that should do it! Good thing Izuku is the only who can…
…
…
…
A red blush developed on the unseen face of Hagakure at the realization that Izuku could see her body to its fullest. Suddenly, her idea somehow became a lot harder to execute. Her long sleeves moved close to her face as her hands clasped her cheeks in embarrassment.
"Nononononono! He already saw me naked before by accident, and what if he thinks I am some kind of voyeur from doing this? Our relationship is only a couple months old, we can't be progressing their relationship that quickly! We haven't even held hands!", Hagakure mentally screamed out.
Wait? What in the name of All Might was she thinking!? What was all this talk about moving too quickly in their relationship?! They weren't even dating, yet! Wait, she wasn't supposed to think that! She got all flustered at the thought of holding Izuku's hand, and she would probably explode into a pile of blood at the thought of willingly stripping with Izuku wa…
A hard punch to the gut knocked Tooru out of the world of fluster and into the world of extreme pain. A shocked cry escaped Tooru's lips as she went tumbling away from her peer who gave her a sucker punch.
Hagakure cursed herself for getting so distracted as she tightly held onto her stomach as she slid away from Kirishima. Damn it! She's lucky that she is used to getting punched there, otherwise that might have been a KO. But that still left Kirishima with only one punch away from victory and her with no plan to actually beat him.
"You are the fish, he is the bear. His jaws are powerful and sharp, but you are fast and nimble.", Marris echoed in her head, "But every bite of his jaws takes great effort. Do not strike him but make him think you will. Do this until he grows weak and then strike him with all you have."
"We don't do things because they are easy, but because they are hard.", the invisible girl paraphrased as she resumed a wobbly battle stance, "Thanks for the advice Marris."
Kirishima re-hardened both of his arms before once again charging Hagakure with a bellow. Hagakure let out another deep breather before charging back into the fray. She just hoped Izuku was watching her right now.
The sound of clanging steel echoed in the alleyway as a shower of sparks illuminated the battle taking place in its isolated confines. The Hero Killer dug his heels into the ground to stop the momentum of his sliding, and as soon as he stopped, Stain took off in a sprint back towards his opponent. Meeting him halfway was the Vigilante known as Ghost. He had no weapons but his human arms had been replaced with two monstrous four fingered ones. Steel met claws as the two rapidly exchanged blows causing a shower of sparks as Stain aggressively attacked Ghost. But Ghost wasn't content to remain on the defensive.
In the blur of the exchange, Ghost caught the screaming blade of the Hero Killer in his left hand, and used the unnatural strength of his Patron's arms to squeeze the sword blade and shatter it. Shards of metal rained from the blade as it was separated into two pieces. Taking the initiative from the shocked expression of the Hero Killer, Ghost quickly swiped his right claw at near blinding speeds towards the flat footed villain. With equal swiftness of Ghost, the Hero Killer attempted to back dodge the swipe, dropping the remains of his sword. But he was only partially successful due to how close he was to Ghost's counter attack. Tearing fabric wailed as the combat vest Stain wore took the brunt of the damage, leaving only four shallow cuts on his ribs.
Stain growled in anger as he landed into crouch on his backfoot, but was quick to aggressively retaliate the interloper. Still using the momentum of his dodge, Stain used all his strength to jump towards the nearest wall of the alleyway before springboarding off of it to shoot himself towards Ghost like a missle. Stain crossed his arms towards his hips during his flight, and roared a triumphant scream as his deranged eyes homed in on Ghost. Faster than Ghost could react, the Hero Killer filled his hands with concealed throwing knives, and flung them in droves at Ghost.
The speed and sheer volume of knives prevented Ghost from being able to dodge them all. Ghost quickly crossed his two arms into an 'X' to protect his face and neck from the raining knives. Many of the knives missed, due to the fact Stain sacrificed accuracy for coverage, but many others connected with their target. The knives that struck his robes and arms bounced off harmlessly, leaving only large bruises as damage. However, one of the knives struck a part of his body that wasn't covered by his white robes, his face. The knife whizzed by his head and ground his teeth into his cheek, leaving a deep cut across it before bouncing out of his hood and onto the floor when it hit the back of his hood.
Stain was quick to follow after the knives, and crashed into Ghost with a strong superman punch in the chest. The cloaked vigilante was torpedoed from the blow before his back scraped against the floor. A pained gasp escaped from his lips as his form came to a stop. Stain seized the initiative with a blurry dash and pounced on Ghost like a predator does his prey. Zoning in on the open laceration that blemished the pale face of the vigilante. Stain opened his mouth wide allowing his long whip-like tongue out, only millimeters away from the red liquid oozing from the wound.
Sparks of electricity danced all over Ghost causing Stain's body to seized up in spasms, preventing him from using his quirk to paralyze Ghost. A tendril-like liquid twisted itself around one of Stain's boots before flinging him away from the downed vigilante. Stain tumbled and rolled when his airborne body hit the floor, smoke sizzled off his body as he laid on his back.
Izuku silently cursed his luck as he stiffly sat up from his prone position. So much for ending the fight in his usual style. It looks like this was going to be one long and brutal fight. He was already having a bad day from his personal life, and it looks like work wasn't going to make it any easier.
"He is really strong, and is most certainly a huge leap above the average criminal?" thought Izuku, "I cannot take lightly with all the heroes he's killed."
The sheer speed and lighting-like reflexes of the Hero Killer was a factor that he cannot afford to neglect for it seems to be on par with his own speed if not greater. His enhanced vision hadn't been too much of help besides warning him about the mouth of the Hero Killer. It was most likely quirk related, but he had no idea what it could do, and he didn't intend to find out the hard way. Unless he wanted to end up like the twenty three heroes before him and the countless villainous scum that met their end by the hands of the Hero Killer. However, unlike his previous experiences on the streets he was running against a clock with a victim that was slowly dying behind him. He needed to act fast, while the Hero Killer was briefly out of commission.
"Sanctus Aquam", Izuku whispered and the pool of liquid beneath his feet began to stealthful slither its way towards the downed hero.
The crawling liquid began to cover the body of Ingenium, filling every damaged region in the suit of armor with the liquid. Once the liquid had finished wrapping itself protectively on the hero, the liquid fainly shined before its viscous surface seemed to harden. The new surface of the liquid now had the texture of gelatin, but seemed to have the same consistency as tree sap. Whatever state the liquid had turned into didn't matter for the effect of its transformation was immediate in stopping the blood from leaking out Ingenium's ruined body.
"I cannot heal like Crab, but she was at least able to show some of the tricks that Holy Water can do. Hang tight Ingenium, I can slow down the bleeding at the cost of using it in combat.", Izuku mentally spoke out.
The sound of clattering instantly brought Izuku's attention back to the villain he was battling. The Hero Killer was back on his feet, but was swaying side-to-side like a tree in the wind. The closed eyes of the villain shot opened to reveal a pair of two stars radiating a cold hatred. Stain's swaying body stiffened awkwardly before he once again took off in a mad sprint towards Ghost; picking up the remains of his Katanas' hilt in one hand and the largest piece of the shattered blade in the other. The Warlock Vigilante quickly sprung back up to his feet and locked his eldritch arms into a 'W' stance as he charged against his opponent.
Steel and claw screamed once again in the alleyway as the two fighters clashed head first in a brutal onslaught that locked the two weapons together in a stalemate of strength. The Hero Killer used his greater speed and larger size to push against his smaller and less experienced opponent. While the Ghost of Musustafu used his superior strength and tougher armor to endure the onslaught and push back against the momentum of the Hero Killer.
Despite his face covered by an oversized hood, Ghost exhumed a fierce and determined face with his only visible facial feature gritted into a toothy snarl. Stain shared an equally fierce and determined expression, save for his mouth which was carved into a deranged grin and his eyes bloodshot with bloodlust.
Hagakure growled in pain as she clutched her hand that had the bad luck of punching a hardened part of Kirishima's body. It appeared that Kirishima was finally catching onto her game of chip away at the stone. Despite this, it had been clear that Kirishima's attacks were slower than they should've been. It was as if he didn't have his heart into the fight or was not going all out against her. Whatever the case, she wasn't going to pass up on using this weakness to her advantage. Until then, she was lucky that she didn't break her hand, but she had more pressing issues. Such as the fist coming straight for her face.
By instinct, the invisible girl ducked underneath the punch and dashed behind Kirishima. The partially red haired boy cursed as he moved to do an elbow drop with a hardened arm on the girl trying to flank behind him. But Hagakure's back dash was nothing more than a bait to open up Kirishima. She changed course mid dash and tackled Kirishima's kidneys while punching his gut. Kirishima choked out a bunch of spittle as he was caught completely off guard by the attack. The manly teen fell onto his rear as he clutched his stomach, completely oblivious to Tooru.
Seizing on the opportunity, Tooru quickly grabbed his right shoulder and applied a nerve lock on his Trapezius muscles and used all of her strength to hold it down. Kirishima's eyes grew wide and watered from the excruciating pain that was seizing up his shoulder. He vainly tried to use his quirk to harden his shoulder, but the pain from the lock was making it extremely difficult. There was no way out unless he muscled through!
"How shocking? A fake like you losing to a true hero. Just give up now. It's the least you can do for abandoning her.", echoed the dark voice in Kirishima's head.
Something sparked in Kirishima upon hearing those words in his head, and it wasn't good. It was as if something cold and empty snuffed out a light inside him, and with it his will to continue. But another voice emerged in the depths of his mind, one that was small and nothing more than a whisper. It strangely reminded him of Mina's own voice.
"Don't listen to him! Please don't give up! You can still be a hero!I believe in you!", encouraged the voice.
Spurred on by the small voice, Kirishima felt his will to fight and win return to him. A desperate roar escaped his lips as he used as much stamina as he could to force his quirk to manifest in his shoulder, biting down on all of the pain as he did so. The effect was instant with his quirk finally coming to his shoulder and negating the pressure applied on by Hagakure.
The invisible girl squealed in surprise and immediately let go of Kirishima, but escape was not possible without any damage. The sharp toothed boy hardened his arm and swiped behind him with as much force as he could muster. However, instead of connecting with the legs of Hagakure he was met with empty air. A pit of dread formed in his gut before panic set in, causing the teen to turn his attention behind him. There was no sign of Hagakure, nor were her clothes scattered on the floor. It was like she just vanished in thin air!
"What!? She was just right there, and there's no way she could've moved away that fast!", his mind raced.
In the corner of his eye he saw a sudden jump of movement heading straight towards him, and the scent of kelp filled his nostrils unexpectantly. All Kirishima could do was move his irises to and watch in horror as a shoe came straight for his face. He didn't even have time to think to use his quirk, and by the time he did it was already too late. The shoe connected with his face with an audible crack! Stars swarmed his vision as the sensation of falling overwhelmed all of his senses. Kirishima fell to the ground with his drooping hair flowing and his eyes rolled behind his head as he crashed on the cold concrete. A small and meek voice screamed in despair while another voice laughed sadistically at his fall.
"Kirishima is unable to continue! Hagakure wins!", shouted the voice of Midnight as she cracked her whip.
Hagakure stood over her opponent still locked in her battle stance while the floating uniform heaved up and down. Unseen to the world was the face of an elf girl who lost her peachy color for a red one. The heaving was Hagakure breathing deeply as she struggled to take in air after the fight. Her limbs felt heavy as she let them sink.
"Damn, I had to use Oarfish to finish him, and I am lucky that he was knocked out by the blow. If he didn't, then I would've lost for sure.", Hagakure thought.
The invisible girl then began the trip back to the stands for rest before her next fight as medical bots took Kirishima to Recovery Girl. If the match up was to be as she thought it was going to be, then she was certainly going to need to gather as much strength as possible.
ROUND ONE OVER-MATCH UPS FOR THE SECOND ROUND.
SECOND BRACKET:
Shinso vs Shiozaki
Ida vs Todoroki
Ashido vs Tokyami
Hagakure vs Bakugou
Ghost growled in pain while clutching his other cheek after yet another barrage of knives came flying his way. A quick glance at his hand revealed a thin layer of blood covering his fingers, he got cut again. However, aside from the two cuts on his cheek, Ghost appeared to unhurt in the fight with Stain. That couldn't be far from the truth. The robes had done a tremendous job of preventing Izuku from getting cut, but they did little to dampen the force of Stain's attacks. Underneath the clothes, Izuku was covered from head to toe in black bruises. However his enemy didn't know that, and was primarily focused on his attacks towards Izuku's face. It may have to do with the unknown quirk of the Hero Killer or maybe he was trying to end the fight with a finishing blow in the most vulnerable place available. Frowning, the Warlock returned his attention to the assassin that had given him another cut on his face.
Stain was quite ruffled as well with many pieces of his outfit torn or with a number of holes in them. Cuts and Bruises covered his arms like tattoos while his chest armor was nearly torn to shreds from the battle. He still carried his broken Katana, but had lost the blade shard and replaced it with a Tonto in his offhand. The Hero Killer breathed heavily after their fight had taken them up to the roof of one the buildings that made up the alleyway. In fact, it was Izuku who did this by tackling the Hero Killer whilst he was doing one of his mid air assaults. His enhanced hearing could make out the sound of someone heading for the alleyway amid the hissing and screaming. If his guess was right, then it was most likely one of Ingenium's sidekicks coming to look for their leader. Thus, Izuku's main priority was to take the fight elsewhere so Ingenium could get the help he desperately needs without the need to have the authorities deal with Stain first. The last thing he also needed was to get trapped inside that alleyway by the Police and Heroes with a man who will fight to the death. Thankfully, a boost from Marris' tail was more than powerful enough to accomplish the job, and fling both of them onto the roof of a nearby building.
But now they were out of the alley and it was only a matter of time before they would catch the attention of the Heroes. Ghost needed to end the fight before he found himself cornered without Holy Water to guarantee his escape. Ghost huffed a breath of air as he readied himself to go on the offensive against the murderous villain.
"Well, Well. The Ghost of Musustafu is here and so far away from home.", The Hero Killer said in a calm voice, "A creature of your caliber and reputation doesn't strike me as one that would stray too far away from his city. What brings you here? And why do you impede on my work?"
Ghost was glad his hood covered most of his face, otherwise it would betray the surprise on his face. Aside from Shigaraki, no villain had ever talked to him especially with something as mundane as this. But then again, Stain wasn't a manchild like Shigaraki.
"Musustafu is full of Heroes, and roaming its streets would only end in my arrest.", Izuku said in the wisp-like buzzing his alter ego used, "As for you, our confrontation is one of happenstance. Though I would say that I am fortunate to run into the likes of you."
Stain raised an eyebrow under his red mask, "Fortunate to run into me? Do you have a death wish or maybe you are arrogant enough to think that you can subdue me?"
"Both those answers or wrong because I don't think I can take you down Stain.", Ghost replied, "I know I can take down a villain like you with no problem."
Stain smiled his grisly smile, "I see...so the morally righteous vigilante persona, then? But one that also has an ego to match as well. How typical. It seems that all those papers are wrong, and you are much worse than you expected."
Ghost felt a nerve twitch in irritation, "What's that supposed to mean?
The Hero Killer chuckled, "It means that you are no different from me beyond a shadow of a doubt."
"Like You!?", Ghost balked, "I am nothing like you! I do not murder people and claim it is for the greater good! Are I really desperate enough to use tricks to try and unhing me?
"Tricks?!", Stain said like he had been insulted, "I don't resort to such cowardly tactics against anyone, especially villains in the making like you, Ghost! Do you really think that you have the moral high ground over me?! That you are the noble and righteous vigilante!"
"I am…", Ghost began to say.
"Are really delusional enough to even think that!",Stain interrupted while pointing his broken sword at Ghost, "You became a villain in the making the moment you thought your judgement was greater than all the others. It's only a matter of time before you cross the unforgivable line and descent into villainy.
"I will never become a villain, my intentions are good! And what would you know about judgment! A man that murders people for not living up to his ideal version of a hero, judging me as if he knew what kind of person I am!", Ghost countered.
Stain snorted at the remark, "I said the same thing long ago before I took up the mantle of 'Hero Killer'. I was once like you, a dissatisfied idealist who took matters into my own hands to save this rotten world from itself! I was also not the only one to follow the same path as you Ghost, or rather you are following my path. However, unlike you, I never rebelled against the system of Hero Society."
"How can you say that?! You murder people in the system, and claim not to be a villain!You also act like the system isn't wrong and flawed beyond repair!", Izuku said bitterly, "I would be better off if I wasn't shackled by the Hero system and its favoritism!"
"The system isn't wrong! It's the fake and the corrupt that are making the system wrong! And It is my duty to purge that corruption and return it to his purer form! That is my conviction! That is my purpose, that is my great but terrible quest. To stain myself full of sin to create a purer society!Then tell me this, Vigilante of Justice! What is your conviction?"
"My conviction?" Ghost questioned.
"Yes! What is your reason for doing what you do? What great cause do you justify your actions! Why do you take matters into your own hands?", stressed the Hero Killer.
"Why does that even matter!?", balked Ghost.
Stain growled in anger, "Because I can see your whole history written all over you! You are like every other villain that washes our world with their filth! A self-proclaimed victim of society that uses their past injustices as nothing more than an excuse to justify their criminal actions. You claim that you are in the right and you couldn't be far from it. All your actions point to a child that is lashing out in spite and anger, determined to spit in the face of those who wronged you! To proclaim that you are better than they are!"
"That's wrong! You are wrong!", denied Ghost, "How can a system that favors the strong be a Just one? Where those with power are given everything while the weak are casted aside like garbage?"
Stain said nothing for a moment as his bloodshot eyes scanned Ghost, "You act like you don't have a tremendous power beneath you. Not one, but four quirks! All of them powerful in their own way! Yet, you talk as if you are one of society's helpless and downtrodden.", Stain argued back, "You possess a strength that's only ever graced this world forty years ago, a power that could be used for the greater good. But for it to be wasted on an individual like you is saddening."
"SHUT UP!", Izuku barked in anger, "YOU KNOW NOTHING OF MY LIFE OR WHAT I HAD TO ENDURE! A VILLAIN LIKE YOU HAS NO RIGHT OR GROUNDS TO JUDGE ME!"
"Neither do you.", Stain said in an oddly quiet voice before he raised his two weapons, "I now know what you truly are, Ghost. You are nothing more but a slighted child who uses their gift in pursuit of selfish means. And yet, proclaims that what they do is Just and for the better. You are no different from the frauds that fatten themselves off of profit and indulge themselves with the drug of fame. In fact, you are even worse than them. But unlike those fakes, you have the power to uproot society into chaos and destruction."
Izuku was trying hard to steady himself from the Hero Killer's words. He was trying so hard not to shake from those words. They pierced him harder than any of Stain's Knives. Tooru's words echoed in his head like a cryptic warning he had chosen to ignore.
The Hero Killer repositioned himself into a fighting stance, "You are a threat to everyone, but one that has yet to fully develop their skill. So for the good of a purer society...I must kill you while you are still only budding."
Ghost was shaking in rage at the words of Stain, "I'd like to see you try Hero Killer because from this moment onwards...I will defeat you and end your madness!"
A moment of silence and gentle peace fell on the rooftop, before it was mauled into shreds.
A bloodcurdling scream escaped from the Hero Killer as his face contorted into a maddening rage, "A newspaper had the audacity to compare the likes of you to All Might! The greatest hero to ever exist to be compared to a petty creature such as you...I cannot...think...of anything...more...INSULTING!"
Faster than Izuku could react, the Hero Killer closed the distance between the two with a single dash. With inhuman speed, the Hero Killer sliced at Izuku's chest with his broken Katana while he stabbed at his shoulder with his tanto. The broken blade bounced off harmlessly off the robes, but the hero killer was finally able to pierce the hard shell of the robe with his tanto. Izuku screamed out as the cold blade buried itself into his shoulder. The Hero Killer, not wanting to lose his opportunity, dropped his sword hilt and grabbed the tanto with his now empty offhand. Using both of hands and his full strength, the Hero Killer used his momentum to knock Ghost onto the ground pinning him with the blade.
"You think you are invincible but your arrogant sense of self confidence will be your downfall!", shouted the Hero Killer, "I am not like those cowardly fools who attack children and run when they are met with resistance! I am not a villain! I am a necessary evil to purge corruption and other evils!"
The Hero Killer roughly pulled out the embedded dagger, and brought the blood soaked blade to his face. Nothing could stop Stain when his tongue connected with the bloody knife.
Izuku could feel his body go slack immediately when the red tanto kissed the tongue of Stain. His eyes widened in shock as his worst fear came true.
"I can't move!", Izuku thought frantically, "His quirk! It paralyzes people!"
Stain raised his tanto high into the air, "IT'S OVER GHOST! THIS BATTLE IS NOW OVER! NOW DIE!"
The knife whistled a sickly tune as it descended upon the exposed neck of Ghost. Blood splattered as the blade dug into the neck of the warlock.
Endeavor huffed as he watched the retreating back of his masterpiece disappear into the dark folds of the UA Stadium. That boy and his childish rebellion was giving more grey hairs than all his years dealing with the media. It didn't matter if the boy accepted him or not because he needed to realize that using only half of his potential was a quick ticket to a gruesome death with a villain or at the hands of the vultures when they blame him for some disaster could be averted if he used his fire half.
All this headache just to spite him. How irksome that his legacy was going to be tarnished by the boy's own naivety. Perhaps this was fate's way of telling him that he was always destined to be alway come up short. To always be behind All Might. Damn kids.
The elder Todoroki snorted in irritation as he began strolling to his spot in the stadium. Debating about leaving the Festival for his agency and avoiding the failure in the making that was his youngest son.
*BEEP BEEP BEEP*
The elder Todoroki growled in irritation as he heard the annoying sound of his phone grate against his ears. He was already having an irritating day already, and was in no mood to deal with the antics of his annoying sidekicks, so this had better be important. After pulling his phone out of his pocket, he was surprised to see that it was a text message sent through an official channel by Law personnel. The normally scowling Hero began to grimace as he read the contents of the message. It seems that fate had other plans for him.
Stain stood motionless like a statute, paralyzed in his killing blow. His breathing was shallow and quick despite exerting himself beyond his limits to secure the kill. He kept his hands secure on the Tanto, ready to push it past the point of Ghost's spine should he prove not dead. But that was not likely. Ghost's face was bloody, his mouth drooling red, his eyes were hollow. He did it. He was victorious. Ghost was dead…
BOOM!
Clouds gathered and darkened as they blanketed the sky blocking the sun. Stain looked up to the sky with surprise as a cloudless and sunny day suddenly became stormy. Lightning glowed deep in the clouds as wind began to violently howl like a wolf was in the sky. The Hero Killer narrowed his eyes as he scanned across the rooftops for anyone who might be using a quirk to alter the weather. Perhaps a hero had finally come to interfere with the fight. He was so focused on the deteriorating weather around him, that the Hero Killer was caught completely off guard when the body beneath his feet spoke out loud.
"Ǘ̶̥͖͎͒̒͂͝d̶̨͚̩̪̤̎͊ø̸̧̹͇͎̇̍̽͘d̷̺̎̓̍ȩ̷̱̏̔ḷ̸̡̬͖͙̑͛͛í̴̞̃̾̆͝g̴̛̱̏́͠ ̶̡̖͖́͋͆̆̕R̶̡̟̓̽a̷͍̜̋̒͠s̶͍̯̞̈͜e̴̳͇͇̎͜r̴͉͕̾̂͌ì̶̯̳͎͑̽̈́!"
Fear and surprise enveloped the face of Stain as he looked back down to see a blue monstrous hand coming straight for his chest. A small shockwave briefly interrupted the wind as Stain was punched in the chest. Blood, spittle and bile sprayed out his mouth as he was flung off the 'dead' vigilante with enough force to throw him off the building. His thoughts raced at a million miles an hour trying to make sense of how Ghost survived being stabbed in the neck. But none of them seemed possible. Stain landed unceremoniously on his belly onto a lower building that was cramped as close to the higher building as possible.
The Hero Killer coughed and grunted as he used his arms to shakily push himself off the ground. The sound of steady and slow footsteps make the Hero Killer quickly glance back up to the taller building. His eyes widen in shock at the sight of Ghost standing at the edge of the building.
Blue electricity swarmed the small fram of Ghost like insects, and strange tentacle-like appendages were overflowing from the confines of the hood. Flickers of blue light revealed black empty eyes and mouth full of wickedly sharp teeth. But those features paled in comparison to the tanto that was still embedded in the vigilante's neck, and a strange black liquid oozing out of the wound like blood. In a slow and deliberate motion, Ghost reached out and grabbed the handle of the knife with his monstrous limb. The sickly wet sound of tearing flesh could be heard as the blade was slowly pulled out of his neck, revealing the injury in its entirety to the Hero Killer. Stain's irises shrank and jittered in the whites of his eyes as looked on in horror at what he was seeing.
"I-It c-can't be? There's no way.", Stain said in shock.
With the hand that was devoid of the knife, Ghost raised his other hand high into and squeezed it into a fist. Lightning flashed across the sky, darkening the details of the warlock for the tiniest of moments. Stain felt his chest tighten up at the sight of Ghost's neck after that flash of lightning because the devastating wound he delivered to Ghost was now gone.
"Your belief in your skills is applaudable, but you underestimate me and my power! But don't worry, I'll play your game of wills, Stain. You said you wanted to know my conviction! Then I will tell you!", Ghost said in a deep rumbling rage, "You were correct in assuming that my reasons were drawn from spite and anger."
Ghost squeezed the tanto in his hand causing the blade to groan in agony before shattering into fragments of metal. The warlock then jumped from the taller building down to the shorter one, landing into a crouch only a few feet away from Stain.
"However, that was until I learned the truth about the crumbling pillar.", Ghost continued as he rose from the crouch, "The shining pillar whose brilliance blinds the world to its impending end. My purpose is to lessen the strain it endures, until a new pillar can take its place. In short, I deal with the scum that chip away at its base, hastening its end. I, Ma'ken Ris, stop blind scum like you S̴̢̼͚̀̉ͅẗ̴͕̪̯̈́͠ā̷̘̀ȋ̵̙̄͋̚n̶̡̧̖̘̆!"
With that final statement, Ghost locked his arms into another 'W' stance and his body into a slight crouch in preparation for the final battle.
Stain looked on at his opponent with an unreadable expression, before slowly pulling himself off the floor. Stain had no trouble steadying himself upright in front of his enraged opponent. The Hero Killer causally reached for a knife hidden away in his combat vest. Stain then used the small blade to cut off the knots that were holding the mask and scarf to his person. The howling wind blew away the fabric, revealing the deformed skull-like visage of his face. Letting the knife fall harmlessly to the floor, Stain reached down and unbuckled the armor around his knees, also letting it fall to the ground. The sound of a unzipping was lost to the roaring wind as Stain undid his combat vest and peeled off his chest, revealing a chest full of battle scars.
With one final motion, Stain reached for the final sheathed weapon that was tied to his lower back. In his hands was a Wakizashi clad in an ornate wooden sheath. With a steady and careful hand, the Hero Killer pulled the blade from its sheath. The hilt of the short sword appeared to be styled after the traditional style of Chinese swords. Silver metal glazed the ornate patterns and embroidery of the hilt, while the handle was made from ivory wrapped in a silk that was dyed black. The black of the sword was pristined and well cared for. Swirling red vines of an unknown metal were laced into the fabric of the blade, making it look like blood was flowing through the steel weapon. Etched into the center of the sword blade was a single word written in the language of the Nara Period of Japan.
スターベイン
Sutābein, Star Bane
The Hero Killer dropped the sheath in his hand and took the hilt of the sword in both of his hands. Stain took up a defensive stance before his opponent, all unhinge rage gone in his system. Instead it was replaced with a disciplined and focused aura that seemingly didn't belong to the radical serial killer.
"Then we shall see whose will is stronger!", Stain calmly stated, "Your will against mine! Abomination!"
The howling wind became silent in the ears of the villain and the vigilante.
Ghost was the first to engage, charging with a feral roar on his breath, causing cracks to appear on the rooftop with every step. The Hero Killer also took off into a sprint, running like the shinobi of old towards the inhuman monster coming at him. A flurry of blows exploded when the two opposites clashed. Without his armor slowing him down, Stain became inhumanly fast, as if he had a speed quirk, he sliced his odd blade defensively rather than aggressively. Ghost was slower with his monstrous half form, but that was balanced out with his unrelenting ferocity and his quirks. Bursts of shockwaves buffed against the wind as claw and steel clashed against each other in this death battle. A stalemate emerged in the fight with Stain unable to counterattack from the beast-like aggression from Ghost keeping him on the defensive, and in turn Ghost was not able to land a blow due to his slower attacks and Stain's increased speed.
The final battle has begun, and those caught in the path of the two will suffer the consequences.
Ida nervously paced back and forth in his waiting room as he was clearly agitated by his upcoming fight.
"The strongest of our class. I have to fight Todoroki-san.", the speckled teen thought to himself.
His fight against Mei was nothing more than a joke or rather as a glorified advertisement for the maniacal inventor's machines. It didn't reflect his own capabilities that well, especially since he foolishly agreed to wear all the gadgetry. But his next fight was a make or break when it came to his performance, he just hoped that he wouldn't end up like poor Sero did.
*RING RING RING*
Ida jumped at the sudden sound of his cell phone ringing, and was quick to pick it up. The caller id said it was from his mother. Odd. He was expecting a call from after his match with Todoroki, but why would they call while he was waiting for him to begin. Ida shrugged and thought of the call as nothing more as a pre match good luck chat. Without anymore thought the navy haired teen answered the call.
"Hello.", was all he said when he answered.
And then his world turned to ashes.
Smoke and dust billowed from the city of Hosu amid the storm that was raging in the sky as the sound of battle echoed on the streets. The howling wind did much to dampen the sounds, but did little to prevent the two combatants from spilling into the streets. A path of destruction followed in their wake as they fought to the bitter end.
Amid this battle, the Hosu Police Department was in chaos. It was already bad enough that most officers were off duty with only a skeleton crew manning the emergency line. They had expected a couple instances of noise complaints or maybe a barroom brawl caused by some heated passions caused by the UA Sports Festival. What they didn't expect was a raging battle between two villains in the midst of the city.
The skeleton crew quickly became overwhelmed with the number of emergency calls being phoned in by terrified civilians caught up in the crossfire of the battle. At first it was fine, nothing more than a few callers expressing worry over some sounds they heard in the back alleys. But soon things started to explode when the two started moving across the city. The crew was desperately working to get off duty officers to report in while simultaneously alerting other emergency services to the call.
"Help they crashed into my store! Oh God!", screamed the caller before disconnecting.
"Hello, are heroes here? Mommy said to call this number. bad men are in the house.", said the confused voice of a child caller.
"Please send an ambulance as quickly as you can! Two men were fighting and my brother got hurt trying to stop them. Please there's so much blood.", said another panicked caller.
"There is a villain and monster fighting in the street! Hurry send someone because they are destroying everything!", another terrified caller said.
Everyone in that crew was at their limit, and could not spare any second away from jobs. That was until Line 99 began to screech. Everyone in the office stopped what they were doing and paled at the flashing light of the line. It was the line used exclusively by Heroes, for dire emergencies. No one dared touch it at first, but a young man with peppermint hair stepped up and answered the line.
"This is the Hosu Police Department! State your Emergency!", the man said with strained urgency.
"This is Crawler, a sidekick a part of Team Idaten!", screeched the panicked voice, "I need dispatch to send an ambulance to 21 Suki Ave! I repeat! I need an ambulance at 21 Suki Ave! We have a hero down! I repeated a Hero is Down!"
"This is dispatch, Crawler, we hear you loud and clear!", the dispatch operator replied, "We are sending an ambulance right now!"
"Hurry!", shouted the sidekick, "Ingenium is also covered by a strange quasi-liquid like substance. I think it might be the work of a quirk, but I cannot confirm what its function is!"
"Roger that Crawler! Paramedics will be alerted to the situation.", stated the dispatch operator.
"Team Idaten is also requesting immediate backup! We have confirmation that the Hero Killer and another party are involved with the attack. I repeat! The Hero Killer and a third party is in the area and active!"
The Hero Killer….? Everyone in that office once again became silent. A villain of that notoriety in their town, and with the only available hero down for the count. Everyone became frozen in place, and became oblivious to the world around them. The ringing of phones sung like a chorus at a funeral while the 'hellos' from the sidekick on the line fell on deaf ears. Until the tell-tale sound of boots on tile sounded like the roar from a jet engine. All turned towards the door to see a man with a dog head, while dressed in casual clothes, standing in the doorway. Everyone knew who this man was, and were utterly surprised to see him there. The man wasted no time and immediately got to restoring his subordinates to their duty.
"Dispatch I need every available officer to report for duty, and to take to the streets! We have a known Serial Killer roaming the streets uncontested right now with only Team Idaten as the available heroes!", Ordered the Chief of Police taking control of the situation, "Send a request of aid to Musustafu for any available Hero to come and assist the situation in Hosu. Preferably ones who can make great haste!"
"Are you sure you don't want me to help Haga-chan? It will be difficult, but I am sure I can help you in the same way as Izuku.", Marris said in a worried tone
"It's fine Marris, I appreciate the offer. But I have to do this on my own.", Hagakure said reassuringly
"Please, Haga-chan. Allow me to help, I beg of you.", Marris pushed.
Hagakure seemed puzzled at Marris becoming insistent of helping her, "Is there something wrong, Marris? You didn't act this way with my match with Kirishima, and what makes Bakugou any different?"
Marris' voice remained stoic and neutral but betrayed a hidden emotion beneath its surface. "Shark Tooth is one of your fellow hatchinglings in the reef. He plays rough but his heart is kind and good natured, so there is nothing to worry with him. But that is not true with him."
It was almost as if Marris was trying hard not to spit out the words that seemed to address Bakugou directly? Did she have a history with the explosive quirk user or was there something else to it?
The incredibly unfitting sound of Marris huffing echoed in her head, "Do not trouble yourself with such things at least not today. Go and continue with your fight, but know that I will be watching...carefully."
Hagakure gulped at the veiled threat in Marris' voice, and she wasn't sure it was directed to her or Bakugou. Wisely, Hagakure opted to not push the subject and hurried towards the ring for the upcoming fight.
"ALRIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! CAN I GET A BIG 'YEAH' FOR THE NEXT MATCH OF THE SECOND ROUND!", announced Present Mic.
The cracking silence of the stadium caused a heavy bead of sweat to crawl down the forehead of the noise hero. And a resounding snicker could be heard from the cocooned man next to him, and it was loud enough for the microphone to pick up.
Not one to lose his cool so soon, Present Mic continued his broadcast. "Um, Right. Anyways staring us off in the second round of the third event are two extraordinary students! Coming first to the ring is a boy that is strong as he is fierce. You know him as the number one student in the entrance exams and a powerhouse throughout the entire festival! Will he win and move on to the finals or will his streak end here? Give it up for the Bombardier of UA: Katsuki Bakugou!"
Right on que, Bakugou strolled out the tunnel that led to his side of the arena. The crowd erupted in cheers and whoops, but the explosive teen paid them no mind. He walked all the way to his side of the arena with that same disinterested expression he always carried, hands in his pockets.
"Next up, is a girl that we certainly didn't see coming this far into the festival, but we are cheering for her nonetheless. Will this underdog earn another victory or will she bite off more than she could chew? Give it up for the Invisible and Charming: Tooru Hagakure!"
Much like Bakugou, the invisible girl strolled out from her side of the arena. Unlike the explosive teen, Hagakure returned all the cheers thrown her way with waves and a big smile. If only anyone could see it. Her strut hid a deep nervousness within as she was terrified at going against one of the strongest in her class.
The cheers of the stadium died as Hagakure took up her position in the ring, as many prepared themselves for the one sided beatdown that was going to occur. The crack of Midnight's whip signaled the beginning of the fight, and like a bullet the two opponents sprung into action.
Hagakure shot into a sprint trying to close the distance between her and Bakugou. If she had any chance against the boy, then it would be in close quarters and not at a distance where he can just blast her with his quirk. However, Bakugou wasn't going to just let her waltz up to him unimpeded, he raised both his arms and unleashed an explosion from both.
With honed reflexes, Hagakure was able to dodge the first barrage without issue, and from the lingering smoke closed the distance between her and Bakugou. In a singular and graceful motion, Hagakure removed the jacket she was wearing and tossed it towards Bakugou. Instinctively Bakaugou blasted the jacket with his quirk and turned it into ashes.
With the momentary distraction, Hagakure slid underneath the explosion before spingboarding into an uppercut on her classmate. Her fist connected with his jaw with a fleshy thud, and continued her assault with a haymaker towards his liver. The blond teen growled in pain at the blow, but was quick to counter with a knee jab into Hagakure's side
The force of the blow and her smaller size caused her to go flying. Hagakure stifled a yelp as she impacted the floor. From her spot, she could see Bakugou charging her with smoke in his palms. With her instincts telling her to move, she forced herself to roll away from her spot just as Bakugou brought down his open palms onto the ground. An explosion followed the action and shattered the concrete ground like an eggshell.
Tooru kicked up back onto her feet and rushed onto Bakugou's exposed back. She locked her arms around his head into a sleeper hold while her legs locked around his waist. The blond teen instinctively grabbed at the arms holding his neck prisoner while he also tried to shake her off. But Tooru's grip was like that of a python's, and thus refused to let go no matter how hard he tried to loosen it. With his face beginning to turn blue, Bakugou jumped into the air and landed on his back with all his weight bearing down on Tooru. She retched as her breath was forced out from the impact causing her to intentionally let go of her quarry.
Bakugou instantly rolled away from the downed girl, but he wasn't quick enough to get on his feet as she was. Hagakure dashed towards her target as quickly as she could, intent on collapsing on him while he was in a bad position. Bakugou didn't get up before sending bursts of explosions towards his opponent.
Hagakure was quick enough to dodge the first explosion, but was unable to dodge the second one. The heat from the fire singed her skin, and the force of the explosion forced her back. But Bakugou wasn't one to relent, and let out a chain of explosions on her as he got to his feet. Without being able to recover Hagakure tumbled and somersaulted repeatedly, growing closer and closer to the edge. However, Bakugou stopped his chain of attacks and merely watched with a smug expression at the invisible girl who collapsed at the edge of the ring.
Hagakure trembled uncontrollably as she attempted to get back on her feet, but her body was refusing to cooperate. Her breathing was hoarse as each explosion felt like getting hit by a car repeatedly without end.
"Hagakure are you able to continue?", asked the concerned voice of Midnight.
Hagakure said nothing to the hero, and instead started to scream out. With every ounce of her strength the invisible forced herself to her feet, swaying and shaking as she did so. With hoarse heaving, Hagakure took a fighting stance and steadied herself.
"I-I can continue, Midnight-sensei.", Hagakure replied.
Bakugou looked like he swallowed a lemon, but that soon changed back to the same dismissive look he presented to her on the first day of school.
"Well, it seems that you are tougher than you look, invisalign. But that won't help you against me. Pebbles like you are to be brushed aside so I can deal with the important extras.", stated Bakugou.
"That's where you are wrong Bakugou! You say that I am a pebble in your way of victory, but that couldn't be any further from the truth! In reality, you are the pebble in my path and I have no choice but to win!", Hagakure retorted back with a fire in her heart.
"Are dumber than you look or are you trying to bluff me like I am some moron? Can't you see that you are completely outclassed. Your battle with shitty hair was a fluke and that was becuase he was too stupid to beat you into a pulp the proper way. But when I say you are outclassed, then you are fucking outclassed, and what I say is fact.", Bakugou sneered.
A smile creeped up on the unseen face of Hagakure, "Then you've made a great mistake."
The tattoo on Hagakure's arm tingled as electricity shot through her system. The veins under her skin darkened to an inky black and displayed themselves proudly like a badge of honor, despite the fact that no one could see them. Her brown eyes changed to the color red and her short hair began to take a more tentacly appearance. Small webbing also developed on her hands and three shark-like gill slits appeared on her neck. The power of the oarfish was in her veins, the true form of Ma'Kal Ris, her trump card.
"Because I spent weeks preparing for this festival, training both quirk and body with the intention to win! But not for my sake, but for another's! SO I CANNOT LOSE!", Ma'Kal Ris shouted defiantly.
The scent of kelp began to linger in the air as an aura of strength began to emit from Hagakure. Bakugou's face flipped to a shocked face before he quickly raised both of his arms towards the invisible girl and shot a massive explosion without hesitation. The ball of fire and ash raced towards Hagakure and engulfed her like a wild animal. The crowd gasped in shock as the invisible girl was seemingly devoured by the explosion, but completely covered by the thunderous sound of the explosion was a simple phrase said on the lips of the girl.
"Pivu Na'ai, Rift Walk!", spoke Ma'kal Ris
"Sir we are getting reports that the Hero Killer is fighting the Ghost of Musustafu!", exclaimed one of the dispatch operators, "What are the orders for the officers should the reports are confirmed?"
The Chief of Police remained stoic, "As of right now our focus to get any civilians out of harm's way. Send out a Hero Alert to all cell phones in Hosu, and I want our Officers in the field to proceed with extreme caution. And if the Ghost of Musustafu is really in our city, then I want him handled with the same scrutiny as the Hero Killer."
"Yes Sir!", replied the operators .
"Natso! What's the ETA on the support from Musustafu!", barked the Police Chief.
"Support is on its way, and due to arrive in fifteen minutes."
HERO ALERT!
WE ISSUE A WARNING TO THOSE RESIDING IN THE HOSU AREA! STAY INSIDE AND LOCK YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE NOT HOME TAKE COVER IN ANY BUILDING OR BUSINESS. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LEAVE FOR ANY REASON SAVE FOR EMERGENCIES. TWO CONFIRMED VILLAINS ARE RUNNING RAMPANT IN THE STREETS. BOTH INDIVIDUALS ARE CONSIDERED ARMED AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. IF YOU SEE AN INDIVIDUAL DRESSED IN WHITE OR ONE WIELDING WEAPONS, DO NOT ENGAGE! RUN AWAY OR HIDE AND ALERT THE POLICE IMMEDIATELY!
THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
Bakugou, and by association, the stadium watched in tension as smoke lingered in the air far longer than it should have. But the dissipating material scattered enough to reveal the spot where Hagakure once was, and the spot was empty of the girl.
Bakugou's eyes grew large and his irises began to twitch in the white void in his socket. She should have been blasted into the wall with that peculiar explosion! There was no way she would have been able to dodged it! It was impossible!
"What the fu-ACK!". But the swear word he was trying to say was cut off by a powerful punch delivered behind his back. Another attack was swiftly followed by the first before the blond teen could turn around causing him to choke out a grunt of pain. Quickly using his quirk to propel himself and get some distance between his attacker, Bakugou sent out another burst of explosions to turn him around to face his attacker.
His face contorted into a vicious snarl ready to strike at the unseen attacker, but his face would soon return to shock as he was once again struck from behind. A loud crack mumbled in the arena as the next series of attacks managed to break a rib of the explosive quirk user. With the scream of an enraged animal, Bakugou shot a large explosion blindly behind him. The explosion snarled like a ravenous beast as it indiscriminately tore up the arena without a care.
Yet, it did not strike its intended target. As right before his eyes, a long sleeved UA uniform literally materialized right in front of him. He nearly jumped back in surprise, and was so caught off guard that he didn't use his other arm to either attack or defend. Seizing on the opportunity, Hagakure began to repeatedly punch at the chest of Bakugou.
"Doradoradoradoradora!", Ma'kal Ris bellowed as she knocked the breath out of Bakugou with each punch.
Bakugou jammed his eyes shut as he stumbled back either trying to get away from Hagakure or had lost his balance from the assault. But Hagakure did not relent in her fury, but instead kept the close distance to her opponent. In turn, Bakugou began to randomly shoot out explosions, hoping for a lucky hit. However, Hagakure used Oarfish to sidestep in between worlds to dodge his blind attacks while continuing her push on the larger teen.
Bakugou sweared loudly as he vainly tried to regain his footing as he was keenly aware he was being pushed towards the boundaries of the fing. He wasn't sure how close he was to it, but he was sure to lose if he did not do something. So he opened his eyes…
...and saw the fiend that plagued his vision. The fiend whose very image made his heart tear itself into self destruction. The fiend that clearly wanted him dead. Fused into the form of invisalign was the distorted shape creature that attacked him at the USJ. Only this time it wasn't distorted.
It was a head that was shaped like a human's, but without ears or a nose. Instead there were a pair of soulless black diamonds that were sunken into the skull of the creature, and its mouth was filled to the brim with a random assortment of teeth from different carnivorous and herbivorous animals. His head contained a mane of fleshy tendril-like hair and a red crest-like fin grew out where his spinal column was located, while his neck had fibrous red gills exposed on the outside of its body. Its skin was scaly like a frog's with a mucus esque substance coating it. Its hands had only four spindly but strong looking fingers that ended with ivory white claws.
Almost instantly Bakugou's heart began to beat out of control at the sight of the creature. But the thing also didn't remain idle because it followed the strikes of invisalign perfectly. The blond teen could feel his chest stall each time the creature hit him in the heart. A hollow feeling emerged inside Bakugou as each attack seemed to chip away at his life. His lungs burned in agony and his face turned pale.
"Am I dying?", Bakugou idly thought to himself as he closed his eyes again, "I don't wanna die!"
With these words, a spark suddenly jolted through the system of the blond teen. Rage. A rage that was hotter than the surface of the sun burst into the body of Bakugou. A rage that jump started his stressed body into overdrive as a final attempt to survive the threat that was trying to kill it. Eyelids opened without hesitation, revealing a pair of crimson eyes that were contorted into balls of burning hatred. They locked onto the monster/person that was attacking him, and all Bakugou saw was red.
"Man this fight is starting to get really intense. Do you think they will have to stop it?", asked a watching bystander.
"I dunno man? I hope so, because those two are really taking a beating.", said another bystander.
"Guys, we should really do what the alert said to do and not linger around.", said another bystander.
"Yeah, but none of us have a TV at our place or even a computer to watch the festival. And I don't want to miss out on all the fights.", retorted another.
The sound of a miniature explosion rocked the plaza behind the crowd of people causing many to drop down in surprise. A small cloud of dust could be seen in the heart of the plaza, clearly the source of the explosion. Murmuring erupted in the large crowds of people as they conversed among themselves, trying to make sense of what caused the cloud. That was until a brave woman dared get close enough to the cloud to get a better look.
"I-I think someone fell from a roof!", yelled out the panicked voice of a woman, "Somebody call an ambulance!"
Yet, no one made a move to do anything. Surely the heroes would arrive and take care of things, right? However, that changed when the cloud of dust settled, and revealed who had crashed into the centre. Even without much of his signature costume, it was hard for any of the people to not recognize a wanted murderer lying on his back in the center of the crash zone. Stain looked slightly disoriented, as he started to lean back up from his prone position. The crowd of people stared at the villain like a deer in headlights before the Hero Killer dashed towards the crowd of people without warning. The crowd screamed in terror before scattering like a herd of deer. Pockets of people remained either trembling in fear or paralyzed in awe with their phones recording the unfolding situation.
Another cloud of dust rocketed in the plaza square, but this time was accompanied by a shockwave that knocked all but Stain to the floor. The clearing dust revealed a small figure dressed in white inside a small crater where the Hero Killer was only a mere moment ago. The remaining crowd gasped in awe and terror as the monstrous features of the newcomer became more visible. Long blue arms that ended with four clawed fingers. Tendril-like appendages leaked from underneath its hood, and electric sparks of electricity danced off its body like frankenstein's monster. An aura of suffocating pressure leaked from the monster in white and into the courtyard. Many people found themselves unable to move because of a primeval fear that gripped them like a cold fist over their hearts.
The monster dressed in white let out a beastial roar that caused the ground to rumble before leaping towards the Hero Killer. It was at this moment that the lingering crowds of people descended into chaos, and scattered from the plaza in terror. The beast swiped wildly at the Hero Killer, slashing with the ferocity of an enraged lion. Stain easily blocked the attacks with his sword or was able to dodge the claw's pathing. In the blink of an eye, Stain leaped over the beast in the air and was able to get behind the creature. In one fluid motion, Stain sliced at the berserking vigilante's back cutting from shoulder to hip. An explosion of black liquid escaped from the wound while the liquid coated his blade.
Stain was quick to lick his blade when he landed on the ground, and felt his quirk take hold on Ghost. But instead of collapsing on the ground, Ghost remained standing. Stain's eyes again expanded in surprise at his quirk on working on the abomination before roared in pain and anger as he quickly turned around in one move. The sparks dancing on his body increased in frequency as Ghost slammed his arms into the ground creating a small crater from the impact. Electricity buzzed like a swarm of bees as it was violently and indiscriminately penetrated into the ground.
I̵̛͕ͅ ̴͚̙̺̾́͝a̷͉͎͇̯͊̀́m̷̞͗ ̷͙̟̾͌̆ũ̷̱͇̄n̸͖̍̍͝ṡ̷̯̓ț̸̓̽ợ̴̼̱͓p̴̦̼͌̒̀p̵͖̰͕̀̀͌̽ả̸̗͙̙̅́b̷̥̭̞̋͒͘l̶̲̀͌è̴̥̳̦̠͘!̷͈̀̈
The Hero Killer was quick to leap onto an elevated position before the sparks got to him. He returned his gaze back to Ghost after he landed on a nearby tree, but was unable to dodge the chunk of rubble that had been thrown at him. The sound of bones crunching could be heard as the object made contact with the body of the villain. Stain grunted in pain as he fell from the tree and unto the paved street right on his belly.
A crackling sound of breaking asphalt laughed out as the Hero Killer quickly returned his gaze to see Ghost sprinting with his claws plowing into the ground at his sides as if they were nothing more than butter. Stain rolled onto his back and did a kick up to his feet as quickly as he could. With a grunt of pain, Stain back stepped on time to avoid the two claws that crossed into a destructive X. Pieces of asphalt and tar rained from the cataclysmic damage done by the Vigilante's relentless pursuit of the villain. However, the failed attack had left the underside of the white robed vigilante exposed to attack.
Stain ducked into a crouch and tilted Sutābein horizontally before dashing towards Ghost. Sutābein shined brightly in its wide arcing wide slash and was eager to taste the black blood of Ghost again. However, a clear liquid materialized out of nowhere in front of Ghost's exposed belly, and from the liquid emerged the monstrous claws of Ghost. With uncanny speed, the claws reached out and entombed Sutābein within its iron grasp. Stain's eyes widened in surprise as his last weapon had literally fallen into the hands of the enemy. Blue sparks once again increased in intensity all along the body of Ghost and soon swarmed over the blade of Sutābein, but the Hero Killer was quick to dash away and abandon his sword in order to avoid the electric shock of the vigilante.
Stain looked at Ghost in unrestricted hatred as the monstrous vigilante held onto his prized sword like a trophy. Ghost looked at the Hero Killer with a strange expression of glee that was accompanied by a toothy smile. With a taunting chuckle, the monstrous vigilante tossed the blade right back towards Stain, and the Hero Killer didn't hesitate to take back his sword.
"İ̵̛͉͝ń̴̨̇g̶͙͌̄͑͜è̴̛̙͔̌͂n̸̮̩̒̌͗͜i̶͕͙̭͌̂̊̀u̵͉̇̏̉̊m̷̢̞̮͛͗ ̶̺͓͖̣́̽h̷͔̆͑͜ą̷̗̳͝s̵̫̈͝ ̴̘͋b̸̛̥̎͘͠è̶͍͆̉̊è̶͈̱̝̓n̷͇͠ ̵̤̣̎r̶̮̰̺̪͑è̵̖͚̋͗ş̴͉̻̂̃ͅć̷̯u̸̡͕͇̣͐̚e̸̼͌ḑ̸̧̛̣̅̕,̴̯͊̀͜ ̴̛̺̔̉w̷̢̃́̀̍h̴̙͖̹̎ī̴̺̻̏͒c̷̢̭̏ḩ̸̧͉͑̒̈́͋ ̷̡̙͌ḿ̴ͅe̴̡̫̩͍͑̋̅å̷̛̩̼̖̾n̴̛͍s̴̡͉̉̆ ̵̢̻͉̎͗̆I̵̺̠͆̓͝͠ ̷̦̉̐̇̕h̶̹̦̱̓͗͛̆ả̷̦̪͉̓̇v̶̦͉̖̐̈̀̒e̷̛̗͍͐̓̃ ̷̮̼͐̏͝á̵͓̫̪ḽ̷̡̛͈̘͂l̷͈̟̰͌͛̋̆ ̷̨̳̝̒̎m̴̰͚̠̮͌̀y̸̹͋ͅ ̴̡̳̦̐̌͠q̸̟͍͕̩̋u̴̖̓ͅi̸̡̢͍͎̍̏r̴̢̹̣͈̔̈́͋̃k̸̨̜̘̒̍s̸̡̗̰͍̓̍ ̶̢͎͕̌̏̕͜a̴̧̠̥̒v̴̙͘͜a̴̹̬̘̎̋̽ȉ̶̛͖͇̙̍͜l̸͕̫͕͘a̷̡̎͑b̸̳͕̼͊͂́͂ͅl̶̮̯͓̜͗̌̎ȩ̷̮͕̜͋͝͝.̸̯̗̭͌͐̑͗", Ghost stated, "I̵̢͐̈́͒ͅt̶͎̹͈͈́̃̐̚'̵̲͂̓̚̚s̵̭̩͊́ ̷̠̬̥̲̏̉̕o̷̬͇͒v̸̺͓̤̀͛͜e̶͈͙̪̟̔̈́r̶͇̖̖̘͛̔͛ ̴̧́͝H̵̖̗͎̍̍̈̓e̷͇͉͂͘͝r̵̼͕̔͑͠o̶̹͆̈́͘͝ ̸̰͔̏͌͝K̵̫̻̔͗͐̇i̶͙͓̔l̵͍̀̈́̓̈͜ͅḻ̷̖͝e̷͉̹̓̈̑͘ṛ̶̝͛̉̈̕͜,̶̡̹͍̍͝ ̴̨̥͕͋̚y̷̟̔̄̈́o̵̫̱̥̿ū̵̙͇̺̿̉̀͜ ̴̡̖̘͛͠ẖ̶̳̤̀̂͝ạ̴̻̜̥̈͑́̎v̶͖͉̼̌͠ẽ̴̤͚̮͍̄͌ ̷͉̚ĺ̶̞̙͎́̏ȏ̷̫͈̄͝s̸̟̲̫͜͝t̴̝͆̓̍!̵͚́̈͘".
As if to punctuate his point, the water-like liquid grew in size and pooled beneath his feet and formed two man sized tentacles at his sides. They squirmed and pulsed as the clouds in the sky grew darker and wind grew fiercer. The taste and scent of metal lingered in the air.
The hunched villain dropped his head and his body began to tremble. Stain's fists clenched tightly before his head shot backup to face his opponent. Stain's face was lost in shadow save for his eyes which became blood red headlights. Black and red tendrils of light began to dance around Stain like her were a bonfire. A suffocating aura of fear began to envelop the courtyard as it clashed with the aura of Ghost.
T̶̢̤͑͘h̵̹̍i̸̟̳̓̅s̴̱̼̀̕ ̷̗͎̂̂w̸͎̪̃̕ȏ̵̩̕r̵͉̘͊̉l̶̞̤͋d̶̜̐͘ ̵̣̆͝ͅȉ̸͎̮ṡ̸͇̉ ̷̯͓͒͠c̸̡̳̈ö̸̧͍́́r̷̜̕̚ͅr̶̻͐̈́ͅṷ̵̈̈́p̵̌̈ͅt̴͇́͛!̶̗̇ ̶͓̓̃I̴̡̞̽̊ń̸̢ͅf̴͈͆̉è̸̯̊ś̵̼̺͂t̶̡́e̸͇̬͝d̷̢̦̕ ̵͉̀͝w̶̼͊̂i̶͔̘̋͠ṯ̷̒h̸̰̎̽ ̸̤̔f̵̭͚̏̕ả̶͕ḳ̴̢͆̚ẽ̵͙̟s̷̺̜͝ ̷̬͒̃a̴̝̬̽̕ņ̴̅͠d̸̠̟͝ ̷̤̃v̷̢̥̔ḯ̷͉̲̊l̸̝̽̀͜l̵͙͈͐͒a̸͔̙͌̕î̴͉ń̸́͜s̵͈͙̐̊ ̸̗̿́͜l̵̹̀i̵̪̖̓k̵̰͆̓é̶̤͍ ̴̯̄y̵̮̓̓o̶̮̻͑ư̸̈́͜,̶̜̌ ̷̙̋̌b̸̫͑u̶̢͛t̴̤̺̀̑ ̴̧̄̕I̶̖͒̎ ̸͓̙͒̚w̷͔͗ō̶̭͐n̵̲̘͛̄'̸̼̲̀t̷̩̤̂͝ ̸̯̞̀l̷͎̭͌ơ̸̞͝s̵͖̿̀ͅe̸͉̾̐ ̸̜̏̅ȏ̷̜̪r̷̳̆ ̴͇̒g̸̛̻̑͜î̶̘̬͊v̷̤̗̄̀e̴͎͗ ̵̼̖͐̕ǔ̵̻ͅp̶̠͉̔̇ ̴̆̅͜ȉ̶̡̳̊n̷̫͛ ̸̻̆t̸̒͜h̶͙̯͑̈́ȅ̵̦ ̵̮͛̿f̶̟͘a̷̟̫̍c̵̖͓͝é̷͎̬̋ ̷͎̯̐̌ö̸͉̭́f̵̨̦̀ ̵͍͋i̵̼̫͘t̵̢͂ ̵̛͔̈́a̵͎̖̕l̵̮̓̀l̷̮̣̐̽!̴̠̆̉ ̴̜̆O̶̭̳͒̌n̶̙̅l̴͕̽̃ý̷͓͠ ̸̟͋à̴̠̠̾ ̴̙̮̍̊t̴͙̞̽r̶̡̭͘u̸̖̓ê̷͚ ̷̘̙̓̔h̴͉̓ḛ̸͐͊ṟ̶͝ò̵̬̎͜ ̷͍̬̎̍c̴̮̳̈́a̴̜̗̐̕n̷̡̗͘ ̶̖̹͝k̵̞̭̉i̴͈͐͒l̷̢͎͗ḽ̷͑ ̷̼͊͘m̸̪͚̆e̸̝̙͝ ̴̩͍̈ã̷̳ń̸̜ḏ̵̩̌̎ ̶̧̟̑̾t̶̘͊̓h̵̩̒a̷̡̍t̶͚̦͐̽ ̷̨͍͆m̷̀͜e̶̖̣͊â̵̫͝ͅn̶̛̩̕s̶̢̟̓ ̷̨̛͖I̸̪̍̾ ̵̙̅͠c̴̯̓̊á̵̡͛n̷̙̝̽͝ ̴͔̺̽ö̴͓̰̈́n̶̺͂̒l̸̙̼̀y̶̩̹͆͒ ̷̦͝d̶͖̖̈́ĩ̶̘̲͗ě̷͔̳͌ ̵̧͝ṯ̶̲̌o̶̱͔̅͑ ̸̧̭͒͊Ȧ̶̬͊Ļ̴̑͝L̸̰̰͊ ̵̟͗̊M̵͙̖͑͝I̷͉̒G̶̥̻͋̒H̴̪͝T̷͜͝!̴͍̠͆̀
Stain began to twitch and jerk in spasms as he began to walk towards Ghost without a glint of fear or resignation in his face. No, the only thing left in Stain's face was a deranged impression of a human skull.
V̷̬̙̌͛͊̾͑͋e̴͚͍̤̬̲̱͑̆̊̈́̒̆̇ŕ̸̪͚͗̌̇̌͘y̵̹̯̓͜ ̴̝̱̞̞̊w̸̋͗̓̈͝ͅe̶̮̎̀ļ̷̛̺̙̗͙̎̉̎̓̚͝ļ̵̗̈̍͋̃̍!̵̳̟̲̖͇͙̍͐̎͂̉̓͘ ̵͍̈͆̎F̶̧̢̞͉̓̅ȩ̸̗̙̮͓̣͛̏͝ͅè̴͔̪̀̈́l̵̒̒͋̋͗͜ ̵̛̛͚́̓t̸̪̅͗͌̾́̕h̸̭̘͓͉͑ȩ̷̧̦̭̝͎́̍ ̵̬̦̥̹̄̈́w̵͕̼̩͉͈͌̍̆̇͒̈̽r̵̢̛̗̹̮̈̽̄͐̌̕a̴̡̝̻͔̠̖̓͗͋͘t̸̙͈̥͎̙͓̓̃͗͝ḩ̶̥̗͎̓͛̀̃͝ ̸̻̳͙͆̔̅͑̓̚͝ó̷̡̤̦̩̭̳͒͜f̷͚̜͚̱̕ ̵̯̱̦̥͉͉̋̈̏̓M̷̨̡̭̪͊a̶͎͔͎̐͑̐̂̈̅͘'̷̢̛̦̫͐͑̈́͘͝ͅk̸̳͔͚̺̍̇͒̋e̷̡͎̤̪͑͂̕n̵̨̢̛̦̯͈͈̈́͒ ̶͙̤̫͙̫̩̌̎̈̌͝R̴̡̢̖̳͇̱͔͋ḯ̸̳̹̬̼͙̻s̴̪͍̳͝,̵̼̥͖̲̭̭́̊ ̵̡̟͈̜̝͒H̸̭̲̖͂̇̉͌̚̕e̸̬̹̹̭͇͍̓ŕ̶̦̎ǫ̷̥̪̟̞͔͔̌͗̓̈́͋̎̕ ̷̮̥̪́͗̓̌́̕͘K̵̖͙̻̀͂į̷̢̃̋̔l̴͙̪̞̘͌̐̑̃͝l̵̮͓̟̺̹̓̾̓͌̕͜ę̷̅͗̏͜ͅr̷̘̼̙͛͜!̴͙͔̳̟̼̜̏̓
Ghost's body seemed to begin to warp and twist itself as if his bones were as malleable as clay. One of his arms lengthened abnormally to be dragging on the ground while the visible mouth grew wider and larger. A tail that resembled a lampreys manifested behind the vigilante as the breathing from his shark-like mouth became strained. It was as if he was unable to take in the oxygen in the air as effectively as before or rather he wasn't meant to take oxygen from the air in the first place. His strut towards the Hero Killer was awkward and possessed a limp.
The battle of wills between the vigilante and the villain was one of stalemate, and had been so since the beginning. The indomitable will of the Hero Killer would not relent to defeat, especially to a vigilante that was a mockery of all that he admired. The unholy powers of the Ghost of Musustafu allowed the vigilante to be an unrelenting force for the purpose of protecting the ailing titan, and Ghost wouldn't allow Stain to chip away at its strength, not when there were others trying to do so. Stain, the murderous villain, a representation of what all vigilantes are destined to become. Ghost, a spiteful vigilante, a representation of what all villains once were, before their world became corrupted beyond repair. They were mirror images of each other, a past and a future, and were destined to destroy each other. Yet, their destructive battle had made its mark on the world around them. Buildings and homes destroyed in their frenzy, injured civilians caught in the crossfires, and the understaffed emergency services strained under the unforeseen event. Sirens blared like the screams of people as every police officer in the city of Hosu raced towards the epicenter of the battle. And a Hero had arrived amid the chaos to put an end to the battle.
Spindles of orange flames circled around Ghost before erupting into a tower of flame, catching the vigilante completely off guard. The monstrous vigilante unleashed an unearthly wail of pain as the fire kissed his body like a swarm of insects. Stain quickly turned to face whoever had decided to interfere, and was met with a whip of fire heading towards him. An attack of that type was something that the Hero Killer could dodge, if he had been at full strength. But battling Ghost had left Stain much weaker than before, and Stain could do nothing but attempt a dodge. However, his dodge was not successful and was only grazed by the inferno, even then, the power of the fire still carried a punch. The flames sunk into his skin like a blade as the force of the fire whip flung him back. The Hero Killer crashed into a pile of debris with a thundering boom before falling flat on his belly. The scent of burnt clothing and human flesh lingered in the air as the wind had abruptly died without warning. He wobbly pushed himself up enough to adjust his head and see the scene before him.
Ghost was also on the ground, but unlike Stain he was sitting on his rear in a hunch. The ends of his robes were smoldering with fire, while his monstrous features had disappeared. Ghost was also blackened and burned, and his liquid quirk appeared to have shrunk down significantly in size. And flying in the air was a man that only a blind man could not recognize. Fire danced on the man's body as his signature scowl was replaced with a determined grin of satisfaction. Rage boiled inside the Hero Killer as the greatest of the Fake Heroes had shown his face. Endeavor had joined the fray.
Hagakure was doing it! The second strongest student in her class was on the ropes, and it was all thanks to Marris' gift. But she needed to hurry and finish this fight because she had a limit on how long she could maintain this form before she exhausted herself. Yet, it seemed that victory was within her grasp as Bakugou was unable to mount an actual counter offensive or even a way to defend himself beyond blind desperation.
"One more punch ought to do it!", she thought to herself, "COMET STRIKE!", she shouted out as she put all of her strength in that punch.
The sound of cracking boomed across the ring as her fist connected with something solid and extremely tense. Hagakure felt her heart drop into her stomach and her eyes widened in shock at the scene she was looking at. Her squeezed fist was had been caught by one of Bakugou's hands despite the fact that said arm was clearly broken with black bruising. Without hesitation, she swung her other one at the boy with as much strength as she mustered. But to even further her shock he caught it without even looking at it, and it too damaged his arm but to a significantly lesser degree than his other arm. Then without warning, Bakugou squeezed his hands, grunting in pain as he forced his damaged limbs to carry out the action. Hagakure cried out as her hands were crushed like paper in Bakugou's iron grip, cracking as he easily broke her hands.
Terror filled the unseen face of Hagakure as Bakagou raised his head to face her directly. The corners of his face were stretched unnaturally while his eyes and mouth contorted into the scariest of monsters. Without warning, Bakugou headbutted Hagakure, striking her just above the eye. Stars swarmed her vision as a gash had opened up on her forehead, causing blood to stream down her face.
Panic and terror filled her system, as she tried to pull away from Bakugou but he would not let go of her no matter how hard she struggled. That was until he abruptly let go of her without warning causing her to fall on her rear, but that was so Bakugou could free up his hands.
Howitzer Impact!
Without any hesitation, the blond teen shot out a tremendous explosion at point blank at the off guard girl. The fire of the explosion singed her uniform and burned her skin while the shock wave sent her flying. Hagakure cried out in pain and in terror as she was sent careening. She landed with a thud in the center of the ring having lost the power of the Oarfish. The invisible girl trembled as she tried to prop herself on the ground, and was met with another explosion before she could even try to sit up. Due to her closeness to the ground, she was only pushed a short distance.
Hagkure gasped in pain as she lay crumpled on the floor like a ragdoll and tears streamed down her face as she lay there before being blasted by another explosion. Then another, and another. Each one breaking and burning her further and further.
"HAGAKURE!", screamed the panicked voice of Marris inside her head, "I WILL KILL YOU! YOU YELLOW VERMIN!"
The explosive quirk user stopped his barrage, clearly with sudden distress on his face.. The blond teen's breathing then began to go erratic as he reached into his pockets and pulled out a pill bottle. He fumbled in opening the pill bottle for a moment, but was able to open it and dump some pills into hand and swallow them. The effects were immediate with his breathing slowing and his body and face softening from its tension.
"Y-You.", Bakugou said wearily, "I underestimated you, but I won't allow that to happen again. I won't let you win."
Hagakure was trying to stifle a sob as she was struggling to rise up from the ground. Every part of her body ached and stung like it was still burning in the flames. Her breathing was quick and desperate as the scent of sickly sweetness filled her nostrils.
"Hagakure, can you continue?", Midnight called out.
"I-I can...can c-continue.", stuttered out the invisible girl.
As Hagakure went against her protesting body, she could feel the hands of Marris assist her in standing her back up her feet. After a moment of swaying back and forth, she shot like a bullet back towards Bakugou. But she was met with another barrage that sent her falling back to the floor, but she forced herself back onto her feet, biting through all the pain as she did so.
"I can't lose! I have to save Izuku! Oarfish, please come back!", Hagakure's thoughts screamed out.
But Oarfish couldn't come, she was too hurt for the gift of Marris to be of any help. The fact was that Oarfish was her trump card, a final and desperate assault to take down her opponent. After that, she was left with nothing. But that didn't stop Hagakure! She kept getting up everytime she was knocked down by an explosion.
Despite ruthlessly peppering Hagakure with explosions, Bakugou was clearly also on his last legs. He only used his arm that was less injured, while he hugged his other arm towards his chest. Every so often, he would start punching his chest with his injured arm, and swearing he wasn't going to die underneath his breath. His legs shaked wearily as he clenched down his jaw in either focus or in pain.
Hagakure meanwhile was bruised and battered beyond relief. Burns dotted her invisible body as blood dripped down her face. Yet, her spirit was still strong, a will worthy of the great heroes of old. Yet, while she was as strong as steel, her body wasn't as malleable as the metal. Upon being downed by another explosion, it wouldn't respond to any of her commands.
Get up! Get up! GET UP! GET UP", She screamed at herself, "I NEED TO GET UP!
She didn't know why but her vision was beginning to fade as the sounds of the outside world disappeared from her ears. Her limbs felt as heavy as lead while her neck couldn't seem to support the weight of her head. In this hazy world, she saw the silhouette of a boy dressed in white with blue hair and sharp teeth. It was Izuku!
"Izuku help me up! I know I can still win this! Please, help me up!", Hagakure called out.
But Izuku didn't respond to her calls for help, but instead a frown and sad expression filled his form. He pulled the oversized hood over his head, and obscured his facial features. He turned his back towards her and glanced back at her one last time before walking away.
Izuku?Izuku, come back! Izuku! IZUKU! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!", Hagakure screamed out desperately. A sudden and familiar warmthness filled her body before the sensation of falling hit her like a truck.
"I am sorry Haga-chan.", Marris said in a teary voice, "I am sorry that we couldn't win."
And with that, Hagakure blacked out.
Endeavor made no move to attack his quarry beyond the bursts of fire he initially shot out. Stain growled like a feral animal as he rose to his feet. He took a stance of defiance despite the fact his legs trembled and his arms hung limp in his shoulders.
"Endeavor!", Stain yelled out in anger, "You dare show your face to me!"
"Endeavor? The number two hero is here?", said the confused voice of Ghost as he stirred from his position and up to his feet.
"His presence here doesn't matter, just another fake for me to eliminate alongside you!", Stain growled.
The Hellfire hero did not look amused at the slightest by Stain's comment, but kept his intimidating look as he descended towards the ground. The smoke in the air obscured everything behind Endeavor, like a thick black fog.
"Hmpt, How awfully arrogant of you, Stain, to believe that you stand a chance against me. Someone of your skill and calibur would lose at full strength, much less in the state your in.", Endeavor said matter-factly, "And as for the Ghost of Musustafu...well it seems that you really do not have a fondness for fire."
"A lucky hit.", Ghost said as his tendrils of water rose up from the puddle beneath him, "I don't intend on being captured, and I am more than capable of dealing with fire."
For once the fire hero looked like he was actually going to burst out laughing from the comment. Stain and Ghost looked at the hero with a confused but guarded expression.
A big smile was on the burning face of Endeavor, "As much as I would like to have the glory of putting you two problems behind bars by myself, but I believe the situation doesn't call for that."
Right on que, a red dot appeared on the chest of Ghost and the forehead of Stain. Then dozens soon materialized all over their bodies. Ghost swore under his breath in a strange language while Stain's eyes widened in surprise. A burst of wind blew away the lingering smoke in the air to reveal dozens of Police officers, dressed in riot gear and normal uniforms, aiming assault rifles and pistols at the vigilante and the villain.
"I believe the term is called stirring up the hornet's nest, and you two got the hornets really angry.", Endeavor mocked, "Listen up! You two are cornered with no way out! Drop your weapons and release your quirks with your hands on your heads! You both are under arrest!"
The fire of Endeavor increased in size and intensity as his intimidating face returned with a scowl, "Resist and be met with equal force! It doesn't matter to me what you choose! Either way, I am throwing both of you to rot in Taraturus for the rest of your days!"
A tension hung in the air as Ghost and Stain took in the words of Endeavor, and neither dared not move lest they get chalked full of holes. That was until a vortex of black mist appeared beneath the Hero Killer and began to swallow him up. The Hero Killer looked as surprised as everyone else, and vainly tried to struggle out of the vortex.
Izuku's eyes widened at the familiar sight of Kurougiri's quirk, and instinctively moved to cancel out the quirk with his own. But the sudden action had broken the hypnotic hold the warp gate had on the police.
"THEY'RE TRYING TO ESCAPE! OPEN FIRE!", Shouted the voice of a Police Officer.
A symphony of gunshots riddled the courtyard as the officers fired their weapons. Another black portal emerged in front of Stain, and absorbed all of the bullets beelining for him. The black mists disappeared the moment Stain was completely devoured by the warp gate. However, Izuku had foolishly released his only form of protection, leaving him exposed to all the bullets heading towards him. From Underneath his hood, his eyes were wide with shock and terror as he saw a wall of bullets move as fast as a pitched baseball coming at him. There was no escape. He was going to be gunned down.
"How annoying.", his mouth said as it moved on its own in a voice that wasn't his.
"What's hap-", Izuku thought before he disappeared into unconsciousness.
Bullets tore into Ghost like a hole puncher does to a piece of paper. Black liquid splattered from the exit wounds like a vile form of fireworks as his body appeared shaken by a pair of invisible hands. Gunsmoke choked the air as every Officer had unloaded their weapons into the vigilante. The sound of clicking broke the screeching gunfire, and the plaza fell silent.
…
…
…
A gust of wind blew away the gunsmoke, revealing the area they had just showered in bullets. But there was not the mulched body of a vigilante, but instead there was someone or something wearing a tattered white robe. Laying there on her large tail was Marris, her floating hair hanging limply while her blank visage stared into the posse of police. An aura of fear emerged from their ranks at the sight of the strange and alien creature in front of them.
"I knew I should've kept my eyes on him. We get into one fight and he goes off and gets himself into this mess when I wasn't looking. Why couldn't he just stay home and watched Haga-chan from the little box", Marris thought to herself, "Well, I better scare off these humans so I can go and discipline him."
Marris raised her hand into the air, and squeezed it into a fist. Holy Water raced faster than the human eye could process towards the police. With pinpoint accuracy, the liquid cut through all the guns like a hot blade rendering them useless. The police officers cried out in surprise at their weapons suddenly becoming torn to ribbons in their very hands.
"Okay, now they are fangless and afraid. Perhaps I can go home undisturbed.", Marris pondered.
However, before she could do anything, a pillar of fire engulfed her. She didn't even realize she was being burned alive until she noticed her flesh burning off her skin. With a lazy turn of her head, she gazed upon the one who was burning her. He was a man dressed like those that lived in the box, but he had his facial hair on fire. Marris tilted her head in confusion. Since when did humans have hair that was made of fire and how wasn't it burning him? Last time she checked, humans got burned when they touched fire. Things like that were simpler to understand when quirks didn't exist. What next? A human who looks like one of those white boxes that humans put their spare skin into.
"So this is the fabled form to rival All Might!", spouted Fire Face, "Let's see if it can handle being burned to ashes! PROMINENCE BURN!"
The fire vortex that was entombing her increased greatly in heat and magnitude. There was no doubt that Fire Face could melt away her flesh to the bone, if he could keep at it for maybe an hour or two. But regenerating the flesh from the bones always makes her itchy and stiff for a couple of months, so this little game has to stop.
Marris simply lowered her fist and extended her index finger into a pointing gesture towards the Fire Face. Holy Water raced blindingly fast towards Fire Face, and in one swift strike made a slice at the head of the human. Fire Face cried out in pain as he stopped his fire storm to clutch his bleeding face.
"I do apologize, that attack will most certainly leave a nasty scar. But wear it with pride, Fire Face, you did more damage to me than those welps from the league.", Marris said out loud.
Endeavor looked up at the thing in front of him with an enraged expression and revealed the wound done by Holy Water. It was a clean cut over his eye, and would leave a jagged scar once it heals but Marris was careful not to blind him. But it seems that he didn't take Marris' gesture of mercy well.
"DON'T YOU DARE MOCK ME!", Fire face bellowed as he raised his right hand, charging it up with fire.
Marris rolled her eyes, or what constituted rolling her eyes. Right on que, Holy Water grabbed the hero's legs by coiling around them like a python. Fire Face gawked in surprise before bellowing a shout as he was suddenly flung into the air and away from the plaza like one of those villains inside the little box. The police officers looked in horror as the Number Two hero was tossed aside like it was nothing. Their gazes fell upon Marris as if she were a hungry predator about to descend upon some helpless barn animals.
"You are next!", Marris said mockingly while pointing.
And just like that, the police officers began to clamber over each other trying to run away from the unstoppable monster before them.
Marris snickered a little bit before using Holy Water to open a door to her world. This day had been taxing, both emotionally and physically, and it was far from over. But sometimes unpleasant things cannot be avoided. She just hoped that things would work themselves out before the sun leaves the sky.
For those who are wondering, Oarfish has two effects: First it allows Hagakure to enter Marris' world whilst she sleeps and this makes it the only other way to enter in Marris world. The other effect allows Hagakure to teleport by openning a portal into marris' world briefly before exiting into another location a short distance away. I do apologize that I didn't explain it in the story, but I don't like the rundown of powers in any shonen during a battle.
But aside from that, be sure to let me know what you think of the longest chapter yet. Love it, hate it, or improve it. Be sure to write it down in the comments. And I'll see you in the next update.