First, Thank you guys for the 150 bookmarks on AO3 and 248 on FFN! We made it in the nick of my birthday week for that benchmark, and I cannot thank you guys enough for doing so. We also have made it past our 1 year anniversity (I totally didn't forget on the actual day). On top of all that, another fanfic author has stepped forward and asked to write a chapter in thier fic using a chapter in mine. I'll provide a link to his stuff at the end notes, so you guys can see when they post that particular chapter. I also wanted to give a Special thanks to Project Iceman for having a hand in that little creation. Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter, I didn't enjoy writing most of it, because we are now seeing the light at the end of the Stain Arc. One more chapter and we will move onto a small break of development before the Overhaul Arc. I won't keep you waiting any longer, enjoy this week's serialization.
Hosu was burning. Fires rampaged throughout the city like a swarm of ants, devouring buildings as if they were bread crumbs. Civilians, now jostled like panicked herd animals, began to flee from any danger they saw. The Nomu of the League of Villains robotically and indiscriminately attacked anything that moved. Heroes and Law Enforcement attempted to regain control of the situation, but the situation was too chaotic to exert over any real control. But that didn't stop everyone from doing their best.
Lowly traffic officers, didn't forgo their duties and began to direct the panicked citizens towards the cities' shelters. Firefighters rushed to the scene and ruthlessly tried to beat back the growing flames even as the Nomu continued to battle with the Heroes only blocks away. Ambulances were already screaming their way across the roads to deliver the wounded. But amid the chaos, three children would part from their groups and descend face first into the fray.
"IIIDA! IIDA! WHERE ARE YOU?!", Yelled out Manual
"DAMMIT KID! WHAT GIVES YOU THE IDEA TO JUST LEAVE!", Mirko screamed.
"HAGAKURE-SAN!", Lemillion exclaimed in a panic, "NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO DO THIS!"
Flames and screams reverberated across the concrete jungle as Iida ran across it as fast as possible. He only had one goal in mind for his exodus from Manual, and that was his revenge against the Hero Killer. So he ran, and ran like a blur of grey across the streets.
He dashed! He swerved! He weaved! In and out! In and Out! Every nook and hidden street was checked with the utmost haste and anticipation. His labour soon bore him fruit as he stumbled into a rather isolated alleyway that held the prize he longed for.
Stain was there in the alleyway with the iconic scowl/crazed expression that he was known for in the media. He somehow looked exhausted and was still clearly in the process of recovery from his fight with Ghost. His sword, an oddity even for a blade, was caked in the red liquid of someone's blood.
Iida, while still sprinting towards Stain, swiped his fist towards the deformed face of the Hero Killer. However, the fist of Iida was met with air as Stain, with almost superhuman reflexes, dodged the attack with a back step. In a show of reflexes, the Hero Killer instantly dashed forward towards Iida whilst slicing his sword in an arc. Iida for all his worth managed to jump pack far enough to avoid getting bisected.
Sparks lit off the alley as the sword scraped against the armor that Iida wore, leaving a fraux scar across the metal skin. The Hero Killer, his eyes narrowed, gazed upon Iida in confusion.
"Get out of here child, this is no place for someone like you.", Stain dismissed.
"I am no child, Hero Killer!", Iida retorted whilst taking off his helmet, "I am here to avenge my brother, the man you maimed!"
The Hero Killer looked at Iida with a raised eyebrow, "Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?", He said in irritation, "I've killed many brothers and their vengeful siblings as well. What makes you think you will be any different?"
Iida's expression hardened, "I am Tenya Iida, and I swear to you! That Ingenium will be the hero to take you down!"
The Hero Killer's eyes drifted to the side before they shot open unexpectedly and in one swift motion, he flung a throwing knife towards Iida's shoulder. Iida was slow to react to the knife, but was utterly surprised when the blade did not embed itself in his shoulder. Iida flinched in response, a second too late to dodge the knife, before jumping around and looking behind him. Embedded into a nearby garbage bin was the knife impaled on a strange liquid.
"What have you done?", Stain said, his voice dangerous.
"FOUND YOU!", Ghost exclaimed, causing a roar of thunder across the black sky.
With a flutter of his robes, Ghost took off in a burst of speed which made him look like a specter as he glided off the building he was waiting on. His feet only lightly touched the ground before he was already off in a dead sprint. The air around Ghost simmered like a pool of water before he completely vanished from view. A maddening glee was in the eyes of Ghost as he zeroed in on the location of his quarry like a starving dog. The hunt was now on.
"So that was his plan. To use you as bait.", Stain said in disgust, "Now he comes to finish our fight. How clever, but also vile of him."
"That doesn't change anything!", Iida retorted, "I will still get my revenge!"
The Hero Killer scoffed. Then in an instant Stain was upon the novice hero. The cold blade of Sutābein pierced the flimsy armor of Iida and gnashed into his shoulder. Iida cried in surprise and in pain as he was flung onto the ground like a ragdoll. Stain, while pushing his full strength down on Iida, yanked his blade out of the body of Iida the moment his body collided with the ground. Stain's whip-like tongue streaked across the red blade and in an instant Iida's body lost its ability to move.
The "Battle" was over before it began. Tenya Iida, in his anger and grief, had failed to consider a real plan to take the herculean task of defeating the Hero Killer. In his deluded thoughts, he convinced himself that he would succeed where so many pro heroes, with more training and experience than him, had failed. No, no one had succeeded at bringing the Hero Killer to his defeat. Only the Ghost of Musustafu had brought Stain to the edge of defeat, a human-monster with four quirks in his arsenal. If that was the power required to fight the Stain of Society, then it was obvious that Tenya Iida never stood a chance on his own.
Iida still snarled and growled at the Hero Killer, despite the fact he was as helpless as a newborn child before the serial killer. In response, a spiked boot came down on Iida's throat. Iida's eyes bugged out of his sockets as he attempted to will his hands to try to grab the boot that was crushing his windpipe. But his body remained unresponsive.
"Pathetic! Pitiful! And Tiresome!", Stain growled, "Did you seriously think that you could waltz up to me and expect anything different. I don't know whether you are too stupid or too arrogant to see how foolish your actions are!"
The Hero Killer pressed his foot harder down on Iida's throat and bent down to where his noseless face was a mere inches away from Iida's. Tears streamed down the face of the paralyzed novice hero
"As if you are a hero to begin with! You are nothing more than a fake with delusions of grandeur, along with a conviction driven by simple vengeance!", Stain practically spat, "I don't have time for this! I don't have time for fake scum like you! Not while there are things even worse lurking about."
The Hero Killer raised his sword up towards Iida's face threateningly, "You deserve a lesson in humility, Boy! Let me show you what happens to fake heroes like you and your brother."
The Hero Killer pulled himself away from the face of the boy, and raised the odd sword high into the air and it came crashing down on Iida. The scent of Iron invaded the alleyway.
Ghost was hot on the trail of his quarry, and much like a beast on the hunt his focus narrowed down on the prize before him. What he had failed to realize was the fact that the hunter was being hunted. Thus, it was a huge surprise to Ghost when a wall of ice formed directly in his path towards the Hero Killer.
Ghost dug his heels into the ground to avoid a collision with the ice or getting swallowed up by it. The still invisible Ghost turned around to see if anyone was behind him, and to his surprise, he appeared to be completely alone. The vigilante's thoughts pondered the strangeness of the "attack", but his thoughts were cut short when another wave of ice was sent careening towards him.
Ghost dashed away from the line of impact without much of an issue. What he wasn't prepared for was a person emerging seemingly from nowhere and grabbing his right arm in an iron Ghost could react or even see who was the one grabbing him, a deep freezing pain shot up his arm. He shouted in both shock and in pain as he looked to see his arm encased in ice.
In a panic, Ghost dropped Octopus in favor of Eel. Electricity surged through his body, warming up his painfully cold arm and getting whoever had attacked him off of him. Continuing his evasive maneuvers, Ghost rolled in a random direction to throw off his attacker's next course of action. It appeared to be the right call as another wave of ice sprinted in the direction that he was last in. Seizing the opportunity, Ghost sprinted parallel to the wall of icy spikes believing that whomever was shooting them would still be at the origin point.
He was fruitful in that guess for a boy wearing an electronically packed set of goggles around his face was in that location. Ghost charged up a flux of lightning in his body before quickly closing the distance between him and the boy. The boy was quick to notice the vigilante barreling towards him, and responded by stomping his foot down and sending a wall of ice towards Ghost.
"Udødelig Raseri!", Ghost shouted, which resulted in the sparks across his body intensifying in frequency and size.
The vigilante continued his headfirst charge towards the ice and wound his right arm back in a fist before striking the wall of frozen water. Blue Sparks rippled through the ice before it shattered like glass. The boy was not deterred by the development and continued to send wave after wave of ice at the vigilante. Ghost in return just kept shattering the ice sent towards him, and used the brief window in between shots to close as much distance as he could.
It was a battle of attrition to see which would give out first before the other. Lightning or ice? The answer seemed to lay in the boy that had attacked Ghost. It became clear that he was slowing down in the speed in which he was sending the ice as well as a visible shiver in his posture as well. Ghost on the other hand didn't appear to be tiring or was even faltering in any visible way.
A thunderous crack of shattering ice signaled the end of the test of strength when Ghost broke through the ice and closed the distance between him and the now shivering boy. The vigilante let out an aggravated battlecry as his electrified fist connected with the chest of the boy. His opponent gasped in pain before seizing up from the jolts of lightning.
He promptly fell on his back with a light thud. Ghost towered over the boy, whom he noticed the red and white hair beneath the goggles. The robed figure walked towards his downed opponent, and allowed Eel to fade, believing his enemy had been incapictated. Ghost took a position to the side of the boy.
"Awfully brave of you to interrupt me and my business, but that didn't make it any less stupid.", Ghost said dismissively.
The boy let out a raspy cough before speaking, "The news didn't tell me you were arrogant. I thought you would be more humble considering this battle is far from over."
Ghost let out a laugh, "You can't be serious? It is clear that you are finished, and even if you recover, it doesn't change anything."
"I hate to break it to you, Ghost, but I am afraid that I am far from finished.", the boy said, unleashing a creeping surge of ice into the floor.
The ice had entangled the feet of the vigilante due to its abruptness. Ghost instantly pulled his guard up expecting another attack from the boy on the floor. But no attack came from the front, instead, he was kicked from behind by a dark skinned woman in a white leotard with enough force to produce a shock wave.
"And I forgot to mention that I brought backup.", the boy gloated.
"Dammit kid, don't act like hot shit right now!", Mirko screeched, "Because when I am done with this vigilante, I am going to beat your ass for running off like that!"
Ghost was sent flying from the kick from Mirko and collided with one of the stray walls of ice. A throating retch escaped his lips as he broke through the ice as if it was tissue paper. His body ragdolled on the tarmac before coming to a complete stop, Ghost lifted himself up into a crouched position and looked upon his attackers with angry eyes.
The vigilante reached out for Crab, but the quirk was not able to respond to his call. Ghost growled in annoyance. Ghost let out a bellowing roar which synced with the blue sparks that emerged across his white body. He dashed at full sprint towards the duo like an angry bull.
He didn't even get halfway to the two before the scream of a gunshot ripped through the air. Ghost came to a screeching halt as his right arm exploded with a small shower of black blood. He didn't have time to see who took the shot before a perfectly round rock stuck him in the chest. He let out a wheeze as he was sent flying back.
The wounded vigilante twisted mid air to land on his feet, and dug his heels into the ground to prevent him from sliding further away. He quickly looked up to see that "Backup" was not just a single hero. It was a small army of police officers, heroes, and sidekicks. A small tinge of fear sprang up in the vigilante as the numbers of his opponents surpassed those of the USJ, and he was not at full strength either.
Mirko let out an annoyed expression before speaking, "Alright you chumps! Don't let up on Ghost and don't let him escape! On me!"
In the blink of an eye, Mirko took off in a single white blur. The defenders of Hosu sprang into action and unleashed a torrent of attacks on the Vigilante.
"Udødelig Raseri!", Ghost screamed, "Trench Rat!"
Ghost's body disappears in a splash of the air, but bright blue sparks betrayed his form. Not that hiding mattered because he had caught a glimpse of those same goggles that his first attacker. No, he sought out Octopus for the increased speed and evasion, and it helped in dodging the long range attacks that were aimed at him.
However, he was nowhere near as fast he needed to be to fight the leader of the defenders.
He saw only a white blur in the corner of his eye before he was struck by a powerful kick from the sky. Ghost grunted in pain before blindly swiping at the source of the blow, but was only met with empty air. Then another powerful blow struck him from the back causing him to drop Octopus after losing concentration from the pain.
The defenders of Hosu seized the opportunity to land some blows on the vigilante. Ghost was in a trap. He was horribly outnumbered and outgunned. He did not have his signature quirk available and it made him a sitting duck to long ranged attacks. Mirko's aerial attacks negated his electric defense and opened up opportunities of attack from her companions. And Ghost could only react to his attackers, never able to strike back and deal damage. It was only a matter of time before he fell to their assault, and his patron knew that.
Marris' eye shined like polished stone as she gazed on the scene before her in horror, she would've been crying if not for the deep maternal instinct telling her to protect her child had overridden her emotions. For centuries she had been relegated to the sidelines, and had to watch everyone of her children die before her eyes. But now she had the freedom to inverne for the first time since her imprisonment, and she intended to do just that.
Without any hesitation, Marris began to force the connection she had with Izuku and materialize herself into the world to fend off his many attackers. She was careful to not do so all at once lest she arouses the ire of the attackers to intensify their assault. As a result Marris began to force her presence through Izuku's right arm, but what she hadn't counted on was Izuku to notice her.
"STOP IT!", He barked, "I DON'T NEED YOU!"
He grabbed his now half changed arm and began to resist her with all his might. Marris found herself struggling to use his quirk and come into the world, and had to use more of her strength to try and overpower the rebelling human. The time away from him had weakened her presence on earth, plus her brainwashing of Nighteyes had been more taxing on her than she expected. But she still had reserves to draw upon to use in this emergency. Even with those reserves, however, the task was like trying to force a stubborn animal into a cage by pushing it by hand.
However, her focus was broken the moment she witnessed Izuku take direct attacks from the horde of humans looking to take him down. He grunted and wheezed as the dark skinned human delivered a powerful kick to his back, but made no effort to dodge or block the attack.
Panic and another emotion boiled inside the fish woman, "WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?! THEY'RE HURTING YOU AND YOU WON'T LET ME PROTECT YOU!"
"STOP LOOKING DOWN ON ME LIKE I AM HELPLESS!", He roared back even as he took another hit causing him to spit out black blood.
Marris snarled, causing her mouth to rip open across her face in sheer frustration. She gave up on the gentle approach and materialized in front of her rebellious charge. Her blank face now contorted by a toothy mouth stretched into a silent angry roar. He met her rage filled face with own blank face hidden by the hood of the robes with an equally angry expression.
"I DON'T CARE IF YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! THIS IS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!", Marris bellowed as she began to overwhelm Izuku's resistance with sheer brute force of her superior strength.
Izuku clutched his right arm as if it were burning him, and screamed in rage filled agony as he tried fighting back. Throughout this all, Izuku continued to take attack after attack before the group noticed his odd behavior. For a brief moment, the assault on Ghost paused as they observed the vigilante that seemingly lost his mind. That was until someone in the group noticed his right arm.
"HE'S CHANGING INTO THE MONSTER FORM!", shouted an indistinct voice from the crowd.
In an instant, every single one of the Hosu defenders unleashed their full might on Ghost in the hopes of taking him down before he changed into his seemingly invulnerable form. Ghost, with his full attention on Marris, was hit by every bullet or quirk thrown his way. He shrieked like a terrified animal as the intensity of the attacks took their toll on the vigilante. He tried to shrink in on himself to become smaller while vainly tried to shield himself with his one arm that was still human.
Marris on the other hand was going absolutely hysterical. She shrieked like a banshee as she increased her pressure on Izuku to take his place in the living world. Yet, even through it all, Izuku continued to resist her.
"STOP RESISTING! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!" yelled Marris, her jaws quivering .
From the darkness of the hood, Marris could see a pair of blue eyes stare directly into her black ones. Rage. Fear. And Hatred. His eyes were overflowing with these toxic emotions and they were directed solely onto Marris. She froze up from this realization and in her state of shock she barely comprehended Izuku spoke to her in a voice that was devoid of any of life or emotion.
"I'd rather die than spend a lifetime being your pet.", He said clearly and calmly amid the chaos, "If you can't accept that, then I never want to see you again."
A searing pain erupted inside the fish woman as the world turned grey around her. Her will gave out like a pair of tired legs causing the fish woman to let go of her attack on Izuku. Hagakure's words echoed in her non-existent ears like the words of warning that she had arrogantly ignored. Marris scanned the scene around her and onto the attacking humans, she looked at her own hands then onto the battered Izuku.
She was hurting him. She had been hurting him far longer than anyone else, and that was why Izuku was acting the way he was. Images of his murderer flashed in her mind before she stopped seeing him as Izuku's greatest threat. She saw herself. Her heart shattered in an instant, as her whole world came crashing in on her. How could she do this to her child? How could she be like...HIM!
Before she even knew what was happening, Marris was fleeing the scene away from the child she had scorned. Away from the mistakes she had made and the danger they presented. She fled like the coward that she was, for she deserved nothing but misery. Izuku deserved to be happy, and he would be happier if she were gone. Marris...felt alone.
Todoroki had his reservations about the battle he now found himself in, but the plan that the Chief of Police developed was effective as it was cold and calculating. He just hated the fact that so many extras managed to weasel their way into his moment of triumph. Maybe he should have expected this, after all, who wouldn't want to claim the glory of capturing the Ghost of Musustafu. But he expected the vigilante to put up more of a fight, and not be reduced to...this.
He narrowed his eyes on the pitiful sight of Ghost trying to vainly block the ranged attacks directed towards him. Despite the damage he was taking, Ghost appeared to either have strengthened his regeneration or had toughen his body to superhuman durability. It doesn't matter anyway, there were simply too many people for him to outpace the damage or endure it for very long.
"He's turning into the Monster form!", shouted an indistinct voice.
Without even thinking, he sprung into action.A few took heed and cleared the way, but others didn't. Without waiting for anyone to clear, Todoroki powered up his ice to its maximum limit. The temperature of the air plummeted causing frost to form on objects and people's breath to appear in the air. From his position, he could see Ghost, couched and clutching his arm, turn his head to seemingly look at him.
Todoroki stared back at the covered face of the vigilante with a fierce and determined expression. Without any hesitation, he let go of his mother's quirk. Mist and ice showered the air as a skyscraper sized wall of ice was sent careening towards the vigilante. Ghost didn't dodge the attack, infact, he didn't seem to notice it until he was already consumed by its cold embrace.
Hagakure was running as fast as she could amid the chaos that had befallen Hosu. It took every ounce of her to not stop at everything that came across her path, but she needed to find Izuku before the Heroes did. Disaster was inevitable if the two opposing sides were to meet. However, it seemed that she was too late for that.
She clutched her chest as a sharp pain echoed within her flesh like the walls of a cave, but more than pain she could feel the emotions of her patron and other half . Flashes of a bloody and battered Izuku appeared in her eyes along with brief images of an army of men and women attacking were already fighting! She was running out of time!
Hagakure dropped any idea of saving Oarfish, and she immediately transformed into her aquatic shape. The scent of kelp filled the streets as she began to warp as fast as she physically could go. The fires and smoke stung the nostrils and gills of her aquatic form, but she swallowed down any irritation and soldiered on forward.
"Pleasedontbetoolatepleasedontbetoolate!", she prayed as she closed the distance between her and the heart of the attack.
As the icy mists began to dissipate, it revealed a gruesome scene. In an effort to contain Ghost before he could switch forms, Shouto had shot out a glacier unrestrained at the vigilante. The officers and heroes at the scene stared in a macabre interest before turning into horror at the devastating attack on the wanted fugitive.
Ghost was completely encased in ice on the right side of his body, entombing his leg and arm in the frozen liquid. His head, narrowly avoiding the ice, hung low as he breathed incredible heavy breaths of air. From the ice, his half transformed arm had black streamers of blood trailing behind it in the ice. The parts of Ghost that were outside the ice hang limply from the glacier, but were still a threat. Yet the vigilante made no move to try to break himself free.
Shouto stared in shock at the sight of the damage his quirk had done to the vigilante. It was a scene out of the many takedowns that his father had done, with the villain being utterly injured by the flames of Endeavor. He...wasn't like his dad. No, his mother's gift was nothing like his father's quirk. It didn't hurt like the flames, it wasn't…
"What are you idiots doing!?", Barked Mirko as she hopped onto the scene, "Get this vigilante secured!"
The others on the scene began to carefully approach the partially trapped vigilante, but with an obvious fear in their faces. Shouto didn't really pay much mind to them, and instead directed his full attention to Ghost. The world was silent in his ears as he stared at the hooded face of the vigilante, and jumped when Ghost spoke to him in a calm and clear voice.
"Why did you seek me as you did? Why did you want to hunt me down?", Ghost asked.
"I am Shouto Todoroki and I am the son of Endeavor.", Shouto said with disgust. " I came here with the purpose of defeating you."
"You sought me out to avenge your father's defeat by my hands?", Ghost assumed before Shouto could speak.
Shouto stared at the pitiful thing before him before speaking, "No, I sought you out Ghost because you are the very thing my father failed to overcome! He failed to surpass you, a symbol of All Might, and that's why I was born! To succeed where he failed! But I refuse to be a pawn in my father's failure and I will prove to that scumbag that I am not him nor do I need him to be greater!"
An odd sort of twitching emerged from the almost still form of ghost, "There is a madman terrorizing this city! And all you can think about is your petty revenge against your father? A hero, one of your own, was brutally butchered by a monster and all you can think about is one-upping your daddy issues?"
"And what would you know about being a hero.", Todoroki fired back, "You are a vigilante, you are no better than any other villain. But know this Ghost, I'll never forget your sacrifice as a stepping stone to my rise over Endeavor."
A metallic taste and scent filled the air like a poison. Ghost's injured body tensed up and began to tremble in a clear rage. Even though the hood obscured his face, Shoto could sense a pair of inky black eyes zero in on him. Hatred scorched from beneath the hood.
"A stepping stone?", Ghost said his voice was nearly a rumble. "Is that all I am to you people? A prize to parade? Even after I saved your class? After I saved all those other people! I just wanted to help! I just...Why? Why is the whole world against me! What did I even do wrong! You...aren't...a...hero...none..of...you..are.", Ghost began to tremble in a clear rage, "Stop... looking...down...on...ME!"
The sky immediately blackened to a dark abyss as clouds covered the stars with a menacing growl. The approaching grunts of the heroes and police immediately stopped in place while the rabbit ears of Mirko twitched. She suddenly grabbed Shouto by his collar before dashing into a full sprint.
"EVERYONE! GET CLEAR!", She warned with a bellow!
An explosion of ice and water rained from the sky as a bolt of lightning descended from the heavens and onto the glacier. Police and Minor Heroes stampeded like a herd of cattle as they tried to get clear of the site of the explosion. Then in a scene out of a sci fi movie, all the water and ice stopped midair before rushing back towards ground zero. Those that were brave enough to look back saw the source of this unnatural phenomenon.
Ghost had been completely freed from the icy prison, and in full control of the water quirk that had been mysteriously absent when they confronted him. Sparks danced across his body as he let out a bloodcurdling roar and the water and ice began to coalesce around him. A miniature storm raged inside the shapeless liquid before Ghost rose out of the liquid. The water convulsed as it began to take the shape of large tentacles that independently moved on its own accord. These celephapod-like limbs attached themselves all along the body of Ghost, save for his head. A crushing pressure blanketed the area as Ghost's terrifying aura of fear invaded the small humans below him.
Hysteria overtook the group as many lost their nerve and had completely deserted in the wake of the monstrous creature before them. However, Mirko didn't get her position as number six hero by running away. With Lightning fast speed, the bunny heroine quickly dropped off her reckless charge before jumping back into the fray. Her expression was fierce and full of fire as she rushed back to meet Ghost headlong.
Tendrils of water dashed from the writhing mass and shot with near blinding speed towards the rabbit heroine. Mirko pushed herself to the limit and began to do what rabbits do best, and dodge and dash like their lives depended on it. She shot out with shocking speed in a seemingly random but calculated path causing the tentacles to miss their mark and crash into buildings and the ground. Concrete and Tarmac pelted Mirko as she narrowly avoided getting crushed by the tendrils of Ghost.
"Keep your speed and be unpredictable! He packs a punch but he can't take a hit! Avoid his limbs and aim for the soft center!", Her thoughts raced.
But it would be a false statement to say Mirko wasn't affected by the imposing presence of Ghost. The animal part of quirk had her startled to her core, and she knew she would be running away had it not been for her years of discipline as a pro-hero. And yet, her rabbit instincts were screaming, no, begging her to run away from Ghost. But what made him different compared to everything she faced before? She didn't know, but she couldn't just abandon the city to the mercy of a berserking monster.
Mirko springboarded away from the crushing blow from the wall of tentacles sent her way, and used her momentum to propel herself towards a nearby building. Ghost visibly turned his head to see her use the building as yet another springboard to torpedo at breakneck speed towards the exposed vigilante. Mirko bellowed a triumphant roar as she prepared a kick with all of her strength and Ghost was only an arm's length away!
"LUNA SIDE KI-"
The words of her special move died in her throat as he collided with something soft causing a shockwave and a huge splash of liquid. Her eyes grew as wide as saucers as they shook in their sockets at the image before her. Her attack had been caught by a tendril of water that had protectively covered Ghost's chest, causing her attack to be completely blocked. Without warning, the water that her foot was trapped inside, shot out and snuggly wrapped itself around her leg. Snapping herself out of the shock, Mirko attempted to break herself free of its grip but it was already too late. The other limbs that had failed to hit her now descend upon her like a pack of ravenous dogs. She kicked, punched, and resisted with all her might, but there were too many limbs for her to fight off. Soon she had been completely captured by the many limbs of Ghost.
The black maw located where the vigilante's head was supposed to be, only gave her a sparing glance before turning his attention away from her. The moment the maw turned away from her, the liquid limbs holding her, squeezed down on her. Mirko gasped in pain as the mother of all bear hugs hit her like a rolling freight train. She tried to push back against the tightening arms, but it was all in vain as the task equivalent to stopping a flash flood. Her mind began to grow hazy and delirious as her breathing became strained and near impossible. The blue limbs of water began to look like a swarm of pythons, eager to squeeze the life out of the little bunny they had caught.
Mirko let out a defeated cry when her strength finally failed her, and her resistance to Ghost's ever tightening grip gave out. Her vision faded in and out of consciousness as oxygen was all but deprived from her. The last thing she saw was a wall of spears shoot towards her faster than she could track before she finally blacked out.
"LEMILLION! WE HAVE TO FIND SALACIA!", Nighteye blared on the coms to the heir of One for All, "I'VE SEEN HER FUTURE WITH MY QUIRK, WE HAVE TO MAKE SHE DOESN'T CONFRONT GHOST ALONE!"
MIrio knew he fucked up the moment he lost Hagakure during the Chaos, and to be fair Gran Torino running off as well didn't help. As such, he ran like hell to find his Kohai but that task was quite literally trying to find an invisible needle in a haystack.
"Sir, what happens to Salacia in the future you see?", Mirio replied as he moved through the streets.
"I think Ghost will kill her. My vision showed her standing against Ghost as he strikes her down!", Sir Nighteye balked, "Mirio if it comes down to it, you need to fight him without any restraint!"
Mirio hastened his pace after hearing those words from his mentor. He didn't want to fight Ghost, and not because he said to be as strong as All Might. No, he didn't want to fight Ghost because he believed that Ghost had good deep down in him. He believed Ghost was a well meaning individual that was trying to help in his own way.
However, Mirio knew that no matter his intentions, if Ghost showed he was more than willing to kill people in his way, then Mirio had no other choice. He was going to be the next symbol of Peace, and he needed to protect the world from those who threatened it. The blonde hero suppressed a stir in One for All, which caused gold lightning to dance across his body. He didn't know why, but he had a strange conniption that his quirk was trying to speak to him.
Ghost let out a pained wail as the careening glacier had completely caught him off guard. Yet, Shouto didn't pay mind to see if his attack had hit the vigilante, no villain, directly. His priority was to catch the unconscious Mirko that had been knocked out of the death grip of the monstrosity. He used the glacier as a pathway to rapidly close the distance between the falling rabbit hero and the reeling villain. Shouto caught Mirko just as she was about to hit the ice tower that he had created, he grunted in exertion as he hefted the full weight of the number five hero.
However, with the added weight combined with the speed he used to get there Shoto found himself speeding towards the edge of the glacier. Shouto, thinking quick, used his mother's quirk to create a slide that looped back towards the city streets. Shouto and the unconscious Mirko crashed into the street with a resounding thud, causing the two to tumble before coming to a halt.
Shouto rolled back onto his feet and carefully scanned the surrounding streets for the downed hero. He spotted Mirko laying limply on the ground with a stream of blood flowing down her head. Shouto muttered a curse before hurrying up towards the unconscious hero, but was interrupted by the tree sized tendril of water slamming into the tarmac in front of him. The hero-in-training spun around after nearly getting crushed to face the origin of the tendril and saw Ghost blaring down on him in his newest form.
"I came here to destroy my sworn enemy, but if you want a fight then I will give you one!", Ghost roared. "I'll show you all that I am not weak!"
Shouto didn't bother to respond and instead unleashed a torrent of glaciers towards the villain. Ghost responded by combining all but two of the squirming limps into one, and swiping the glacier away with one swing of his massive extension. Crystals of ice rained from the sky as the ice was shattered like glass.
As Shouto readied for another attack, Ghost threw his large appendage towards Shouto. It was slow and easy to dodge, allowing Shouto to get clear of the path with no issues. However, that didn't appear to be the intention of the berserking villain. Like a rubberband, Ghost stretched the limp out before using it to catapult himself to the location in which it had crashed. Dust bellowed into the air as Ghost landed inside the crater.
Shouto quickly fired off a massive glacier of ice towards the crash site, attempting to restrain Ghost again in a pillar of ice. Dust and mist particles filled the air as an eerie quiet descended upon the battlefield. Shouto kept his eyes trained on the last location of the villain, his right side geared to strike.
With an animal-like wail, Ghost came bolting out with his water limps more akin to mimic spider legs with four free limbs hanging off his back. Oddly, Ghost only had one sleeve visible as he went charging out of the fog of war like a rhino. Shouto smirked to himself as he watched the vigilante run headlong towards himself, completely exposed to another wave of ice. The ice-hero pulled out the full power of his mother's gift, ready to entomb Ghost in ice once again. However, Shouto felt a pang of fear and panic fill his heart as he could've sworn the abyssal maw of Ghost smiled at him.
"You've lost.", Ghost gloated seemingly inside his head.
Before Shouto could react, an arm grabbed onto his right arm with an iron tight grip. He spun his head around to see a vortex of water with Ghost's missing limp right behind him and was firmly holding on his right arm. A sickly blue glow of lights caused Shouto to turn around again and see Ghost, his body completely full of sparks. Ghost quickly let go of the electricity building up inside him before Shouto could do anything to react. Shouto screamed in agony as the electricity hungrily surged into him. It was far stronger than before like Ghost had been restraining the power when they first fought. Now he couldn't find the strength to hold himself up and slumped over as his legs gave out.
The scent of iron and burnt flesh lingered in the air in the nostrils of Shouto. The ice hero breathed hungrily as he collapsed to the floor. However, the sound of cracking filled his ears before a red hot line of fire struck across his chest. Shouto gasped in surprise as the blow sent him sprawling, his eyes shot open to reveal a tendril of water careening towards him. The blow crackled across his body like a scorching piece of metal causing Shouto to tumble back. Then another whip of water struck him before he could recover, and then another, and another, and another.
A rain of whips descended on Shouto without an ounce of mercy, each one crashing down on the ice-hero without pause. Ugly bruises and red marks developed over Shouto's body as he vainly tried to crawl away from Ghost. Panic and desperation overtook Shouto as his instinct to survive took over, he blindly shot out his ice in the hopes of hitting Ghost or shielding him from the attack. However, the moment he raised his arm back to attack, Shouto saw one of the tendrils wrap around his arm faster than he could react. Ghost raised his cloaked arm, in which the sleeve fell down and revealed a bloody and injured arm, and squeezed his fist almost cruelly.
THUMP THUMP
The tendril around his arm squeezed without any restraint. Shouto cried out in pain as he felt his arm get crushed making it limp and useless. Shouto fell onto his rear and stared up at the multi-limbed monster before him, it had no face, no emotions, only an empty foreboding. Without any warning, Ghost raised another limb and slashed with unrestrained speed towards the cowering hero. Shouto screamed in agony as the attack had cut a path directly over his eye on his cold half of his face. Pain gripped Shouto as he clutched his face and began to desperately scoot away from the villain attacking him, keeping his remaining eye locked on the villain.
THUMP THUMP
Ghost casually walked towards Shouto in a manner that was akin to a cat playing with a wounded bird before killing it. Shouto meanwhile was entombed by hysteria. His remaining eye jittered in his socket as he hyperventilated. His limbs shook uncontrollably as he scooted away from the monster coming at him, and his fragile mind jumped between reality and his gruesome past. In his mind, he was nothing more than a helpless little boy trapped in the clutches of a monster that jumped between Ghost and his...mother.
THUMP THUMP
But his mother didn't look anything like his mother, even at her darkest moment. She was draped in Ghost's robe while her hands were tipped with claws made of ice. While her eyes had been replaced by the black void eyes of Ghosts' most powerful form. Shoto couldn't say anything, his voice was locked away in sheer terror as a voice deep down told him he was going to die. However, his movement was interrupted by him hitting something solid and stone-like, completely stopping him dead in his tracks.
THUMP THUMP
The Ghost/Mother monstrosity stopped dead in its tracks and stared at the cowering kid in front of it. It tilted its head as if pondering its next course of action, but then it began to slowly raise one of its limbs in preparation to strike him down. Shouto in turn, cowered in fear and curled up on himself waiting for the attack. The limb came down onto Shouto.
Even from the Police HQ, the Chief of Police could feel the aura of the Ghost of Musustafu. It was an omnipresent and bone chilling fear that invaded the mind like a poison. Those under his command and the civilians they were charged to protect also could feel it. Most if not all of the defenders of Hosu were now fleeing for their lives leaving a small brave few to fight against the Nomu of the League.
The radio communications and emergency lines were overwhelmed with the chatter of those seeking help or safety. This prevented crucial information from being relayed effectively to and from command due to the cluttered frequencies. The few pieces of vital information that could make it through painted an awful situation.
Edgeshot and support tied down with Nomu in the East District.
Best Jeanist aiding rescue efforts with the fires in the Central District.
Mirko has engaged with Ghost….Hero is down, repeat, Hero is down.
It seems that he put too much faith in the sheer magnitude of numbers that they had put into the city. But the city was not without its trump card.
"It seems that the situation is worse than what our expectations had predicted.", said the cat-headed chief, "I am afraid that we will have to resort to the heavy guns to solve this issue."
The Police Chief turned to face the muscle bound titan that was idle behind him.
"Go and do what you do best, if you may.", said the cat-man.
All Might did not need to say anything to the smaller man, but he nodded to him before shooting off into the air at super sonic speeds. It was time for order to be restored to the city of Hosu.
Before the final blow could be struck, a figure dashed in front of the downed heterochromic teen as a protective shield. Ghost would have continued his assault had it not been for the fact that the person who came to Todoroki's aid was a girl with short brown hair and sharp elf ears. Ghost's eyes widened beneath his hood as he recognized the girl instantly and stopped the strike at once. The snake-like liquid was only a mere inches away from the face of Hagakure Tooru.
A deafening silence descended upon the scene as the hero-to-be and the vigilante locked in on each other like reflections in a mirror. Ghost's hood blocked any facial expressions, and left him unreadable as a result. Hagakure's face was determined and full of courage, but betrayed traces of fear behind her eyes as she looked upon the monstrous form of Ghost.
Todoroki quickly stirred from his curled up position to see his classmate acting as a human shield. Further memories flooded his mine as he tried vainly to tell his classmate to get out there and save themself from the danger. But his voice was lost amid his sea of turmoil, even as he feared that Hagakure was going to be impaled by the berserking criminal.
Even without being able to see her face Todoroki knew she was trying to be reassuring as she glanced back at him. Despite her invisible face, Hagakure somehow looked like the gentle and smiling face of Rei Todoroki. Not when she was the broken and tormented woman, but when she was the mother that loved him. Todoroki let out a muffled croak before his body gave out on him from the physical and mental stress of the night. He felt...at ease.
"Ghost.", she said stalwartly as she turned back to Ghost, "Stop this fighting, and leave before it's too late to walk away from this."
The monstrous Ghost twisted and squirmed as he closed the distance between him and Hagakure. His black maw only a mere inches away from her invisible face despite being raised high in the air.
"Do you intend to fight me, little hero?", Ghost jeered in a rumbling voice.
"No.", Hagakure retorted, "I don't intend to fight you."
The limbs of Ghost swelled in size as they twisted threateningly towards Hagakure. "Then what gives you any idea that you can stop me? Do you perceive me as WEAK?"
Most people would have shivered or cowered as the monster appeared to be back on the edge of the blind rage that had brought destruction. Yet, Hagakure maintained her defiant stand against the storm before her.
"No, I don't see you as weak.", She said, "We won't fight because I know you are better than all of this."
This comment appeared to have a profound effect on the vigilante. His tendrils seemed to lax and his demeanor became significantly less hostile. The crushing pressure in the air laxed in weight.
"I understand you, Ghost. You were someone who was in pain and cried out for help.", Hagakure said as she closed the meager distance between the shocked vigilante, "You cried out for so long, hoping that someone would come. But no one ever did, did they?"
Several of the massive tentacles fell to the ground as puddles of water onto the street floor. Ghost's position was lowered to the level of the street. Hagakure paid no mind as she continued to talk to the vigilante.
"Is that why you became a vigilante? To help those like you? You wanted to help those whose cries were never heard.", Hagakure continued, "But the world didn't see it as you did, and not many believed that you are a hero. They believed you to be nothing more than a villain.
Ghost tensed up at the mention of those words, and clearly became more agitated. Hagakure took a deep breath as she continued without any fear. Some of the tendrils of water fell to ground as Ghost's will over them appeared to slacken.
"But the people you saved, they believed in you. But it wasn't enough was it? You've been told your whole life that you will never be that hero. You were always were supposed to be nothing", Hagakure said with tears only visible to Ghost
Rage returned to Ghost as a Tentacle shot wrapped around Hagakure. The black maw of Ghost was etched in a silent snarl, while Hagakure's invisible face showed compassion to the only one who could see her. She continued even though she was now utterly helpless before the vigilante.
"When I asked you that question all those weeks ago it wasn't because I didn't think you were capable of being a hero.", Hagakure continued unfazed by the threat, "I believed you deserved to be a hero for all that you have done, and I wasn't the only one! All Might believes in you, Ghost!"
Ghost shook like a leaf in the wind as he spoke shakily, "Y-You are lying! He didn't say that! He wouldn't say that about me!"
The sound of a large object crashing into tarmac reverberated across the torn buildings like an echo chamber. Dust and debris rained from the impact and pitter pattered like rain before a new sound emerged from the fog of war.
"She is not lying, Ghost!", interrupted by a voice that was both familiar and new, "I was more than happy to oblige Young Hagakure because I agreed with her."
Ghost and Hagakure turned their heads to see a man walking from a newly born crater in the street. He was dressed in a spandex suit of red, blue and yellow. He was a mountain of a man that possessed a muscular body that would make the Greeks jealous. However, what made him distinct was his blond hair with two bangs styled to form a "V" and soft but stern smile that adorned his face like a fine piece of jewelry. In the blink of an eye, the number one hero closed the distance between the two and was only a few feet behind Hagakure when he spoke again.
"You have the trappings of a great hero deep within you.", All Might said with absolute certainty, "A heroic spirit such as yours is wasted on the likes of the Hero Killer and his senseless violence. You are not like him, in fact, I believe that you have the potential to be something greater. I know you can be a Hero, Ghost."
Almost all of the tendrils of water fell to the ground, and Ghost hung his head in what appeared to be shame. The one wrapped around Hagakure loosened its hold on her. Ghost began to visibly shake though it is unclear if it is rage or another emotion is the reason for it.
"Please! It's not too late to turn back away from this path, and be the Hero we know you are!", Hagakure said with her own fortitude shaking.
In a surprise move, Hagakure raised her out from the loosened restraints and touched the chest of Ghost. He flinched when her hand caressed his chest. Hagakure couldn't feel anything inside the chest of Ghost. It was like he had no heart. No heart to feel anything but emptiness. No heart to be truly alive.
"Ma'Ken Ris! Taya'ytu vitti un'kai! Un inai unar'kir! Izuku! I am Sorry! Please come home! I miss you!", Hagakure shouted to Ghost before letting her head hang.
…
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THUMP THUMP
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Hagakure stirred from her stupor at the new sensation she was feeling. While the fear inducing aura of pressure vanished from the air.
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THUMP THUMP
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THUMP THUMP
It was the beating of a heart, Izuku's heart. Hagakure looked up to see the face of Izuku dimly hidden by shadow instead of the black maw of Ghost. His expression was one of surprise as he was slouched while clutching his chest over with his left hand. He was breathing deep and loud, as if he had just surfaced from underwater. She wanted to reach out and grab onto him and never let go, but something deep down urged her not to.
She noticed his gaze drifted from the ground and onto her. Izuku and Hagakure locked eyes, and Hagakure could've sworn she saw green tinge the once pure blue eyes of Izuku. Before she could ponder the thought any further, a tendril of water emerged and devoured him before disappearing from sight. Hagakure fell to her knees as she finally remembered to breathe as well. All Might zipped off from his spot behind her and onto a far away section of the street. He carefully bent down and picked up something before zipping back to Hagakure.
In the arms of All Might was the unconscious form of Mirko. She was battered with a small trickle of blood leaking down her forehead. Large bruises could be seen jotting out from underneath her costume and exposed parts of her body.
"Gather Young Todoroki, Salacia. We need to get them medical help before we rejoin the others.", All Might said in a somber tone, "Let's hope your words were persuasive to our vigilante friend."
Izuku warped into the decrepit alley that was the last known location of the Hero Killer. Izuku scanned around to see if anyone was still there, and to his surprise there were only two vague shapes of people hidden in the shadows. He rushed to get a closer look and saw one was slumped against the alley wall and the other was lying on the street.
He rushed to check the one against the alley wall, and saw that it was the Hero Native. He was dead, clearly killed by the blade of the Hero Killer. Izuku cursed as he quickly rushed to the other person, and checked his pulse. A faint beating could be felt in the sensitive senses of Izuku, he was still alive but only just. Another look at the downed person revealed the mecha armor of the younger brother of Ingenium lying in a pool of his own blood.
Izuku quickly turned the fallen teen on his back and froze by what he saw. The familiar spectacles and the navy-blue hair that littered his head. It was the boy that had sabotaged his entrance exam. Izuku's limbs shook with emotion as he stared into the dying boy that upturned his life. His skin was a deathly white while contrasted by crimson that painted his armor.
"It's you.", Izuku said in a neutral voice, "The one who said I didn't deserve a place among your ranks. The one who said I didn't have the makings of a hero, and yet, here you are."
Izuku scanned around the alley to look for any signs of the Hero Killer. Yet, no sign of the Hero Killer could be seen within the confines of the alleyway. But something glistening on the walls of the alley caught the eye of the vigilante. A message was written in the blood of one of the victims upon the dingy brick wall. Izuku's eyes lingered on it before turning his eyes to the sole survivor.
"I HATE YOU!", Izuku shouted, "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DID AND EVERYTHING YOU SAID! WHY!? OF ALL PEOPLE, DID IT HAVE TO BE YOU!"
Izuku fell to his knees as his body trembled with bottled up emotions. Tears fell down from his eyes as he gazed upon the broken form of Tenya Iida. He wanted to leave him behind like how he did to Hagakure. He wanted him to feel what it was like to be abandoned while his life hung in the balance. He wanted to scream at the boy who said he had no place as a hero! He wanted to do all that, it would be something Ghost would've done without a second thought. However, he wiped away his tears and rose to his feet and his expression hardened with determination.
"I won't forgive you, I never will be able to, but…", Izuku said as he used Holy Water to pick up the boy and place him in his arms., "That doesn't mean you deserve to die."
Ghost was born from a boy who merely wanted petty revenge against a world that had wronged him for so long and robbed him of his dream. It was a future that Izuku only could see himself go down, and the more he went down it the further and further he lost himself. It was a pit that he had trapped himself in without a way to get out. Until…
Please! It's not too late to turn back away from this path, and be the Hero we know you are!
I know you can be a Hero Ghost!
"I won't disappoint you anymore.", Izuku said to himself, "I'll do everything I can to become better. I promise."
With those final words, the water swallowed up Izuku and his injured charge vanished from the alley. Leaving behind the body of Native and the final message of the Hero Killer to the police and heroes.
If you have comments, concerns, or just want to rant about about my writing; be sure to write them down below so I can read it. Thanks for the support and the reads, it makes me want to continue this little project.
s/13870190/1/Archive-of-Knowledge or Archive of Knowledge by Noxtum on FFN
Thank you guys and I'll see you later.