Annnd! Hello everyone! Finished the 3rd chapter of Echoes of War! Hope you enjoy it!
Because today, we got some things happening!
But before that: the reviews!
edeath756: Oh don't worry, I have a special idea for the USJ!
powerhendler: Thank you, don't worry ;), some interestings things might happen at some point!
Neiltanael: Thank you! Glad you like it!
Colossus Bridger: Thank you! And you're absolutely right on every point when it comes to control and personnalities. It was actually my idea at the very start! So as to respond for the leadership part: As I explained, the Necrons are simply too destructive to be used... FOR NOW AT LEAST :), plus it's Izuku's opinion on them right now, too destructive and... cold. Orks, despite Izuku beeing the warboss or nobz... Well... We all know how ork are don't we XD? They will probably forget who to target, it isn't rare that orks go smash the face of who the boss tell are allies. And for the T'au... Well... They tried to negotiate with the space bugs so... I think they would try with robots XD, actually, I am sure they will try to XD.
Concerning 'Holy Emperor' things to Izuku, I didn't plan going that way, I would probably cringe behind my screen XD
The Ork Mayhem? Uhh... That's a project for later actually, but it is an option for one of the future chapters!
And last: the craziness and the corruption... I am so freaking excited when speaking about that :), I have BIG plans for Chaos, but I won't spoil much. Mentally mature? Yes, kind of, because... Yeah... He saw things in his mind, but in real so... Half yes half no.
Faithless wanderer: Thank you!
Evernesx: The Lucifer Black? Oooh never heard of them... But they sound interesting! As I said in the second chapter, the Imperium doesn't necessarily emotions to be brought, so I guess Imperium's emotionless units aren't a big deal for Izuku. As for other factions, he will learn to control them, slowly but surely, so at a point it won't be a big deal I guess. Depends on how I want the story to go.
ProlapseAnoos: :)
Nobody here: It will be explored in this chapter a bit, and explained, but Izuku will keep some things away.
gread dxd: ¡Sí, efectivamente lo hace!
Yesplease: :)
Guest: :)
HOWEVER! READ THIS PLEASE!
There will be a brutal part in this chapter, including a big amount of blood and death, and not in a particular elegant way... So... Blood and guts incoming!
Izuku didn't need to stay in the infirmary for more than a few minutes, he was just tired after all. A painkiller later, he was able to get out and go home. Ochako also thanked him from the infirmary bed where she'd been put, and Izuku smiled solemnly, saying it was no big deal.
He walked through the streets, happy with today's feat. Summoning a Knight had been perhaps the most hardest thing he'd done in recent times. But it was a major breakthrough in itself, proving that he had mastered his quirk a little better. The first time he'd tried to summon a Knight, his mother had found him on the floor, almost in a coma.
And it had taken Izuku several days for his headache to disappear... And also to convince himself that a truck hadn't hit him in the head. Who knows why he'd thought it was a truck, maybe because his aching brain had found it the most rational explanation.
He finally arrived in front of his apartment block, and climbed the stairs to the floor where they lived. He approached the door discreetly... He knew full well what his mother's reaction would be...
He discreetly opened the door with his key and...
The door was almost torn off its hinges when his mother brutally opened it. She pulled Izuku inside, and the boy only had time to grab the keys before his mother slammed the door shut.
"IZUKU!"
And Inko started the 'big hug' protocol, proceeding to crush him against her.
Izuku gave her his hug too, and the two remained motionless for a while.
"Mom... You're... You're crushing me!"
Izuku complained as his mother squeezed him even tighter. She finally released him. He smiled at her as he took off his shoes and bag.
"Well? How did it go?"
She asked, Izuku went to wash his hands as he answered. "Very well, the written exam was simple, the maths were the easiest. And I thank the followers of the Mechanicus for filling my head with technical data and mathematical formulas every time I see them in my dreams," he heard the smile in his mother's reply, "Does that mean those cyborgs helped you learn math? By the way, dinner's ready!"
His mother asked from the kitchen. Izuku heard the scrape of a pan lid, and a sweet smell that made the boy salivate filled the house.
"Yes, and technology too." replied Izuku, as he finished washing his hands and went to the kitchen.
The two greenettes prepared the table and sat down, then her mother asked the question as she served the dish.
"I spoke with Mitsuki earlier on the phone, she reported that there was a big explosion at UA... I didn't hear it, but the glass cutlery made little sounds at one point... Bakugo did something?" his mother asked, and Izuku almost choked on a laugh, was the first person Auntie thought of really Bakugo? His mother looked at him with a raised eyebrow, then Izuku replied shyly, he knew how his mother reacted when he spoke of Knight, "It... may have played with my quirk a little again during the physical test, and I... unluckily summoned a Imperial Knight?", his mother exclaimed, standing from her chair, "IZUKU! I've already told you that I don't want you to do anything that dangerous with your quirk, especially with those kind of machines! I've already told you thirty times that I found you downstairs totally knocked out, and you've already damaged the facade with your little skirmishes!", Izuku laughed nervously. "Uh... I had to summon it... UA brought out a massive machine... And I had to save a girl who was about to be crushed, and we almost got crushed... So I summoned it... But it's okay! I just had a little headache afterwards..."
Her mother fell back in her chair with a sigh...
"You're a hopeless case Izuku... How am I supposed to see you grow up if you cause me scares like that..."
Izuku burst out laughing.
/
The rest of the week was very tense for Izuku, as he waited for his entrance exams results to come back. This manifested itself mainly in him biting his nails, murmuring about everything and nothing, and sometimes pacing up and down in his room. And sometimes, all three signs manifested themselves at the same time.
Then, one fine morning... Izuku opened the mailbox...
There, on the iron, lay a single sealed letter, addressed to him. "MOM! THE LETTER IS HERE!", Izuku slammed the door and ran into the living room, where he sat on the sofa, immediately joined by his mother, who had botched whatever it was she was doing.
Izuku opened the letter... and took out a sheet of paper. He began to read it...
"Dear Mr. Midoryia,
It gives me great pleasure to write to you to announce the results of your recently passed exams. I am delighted to inform you that you have passed your exams with flying colors, demonstrating your intelligence, strength and unbridled heroism.
I'd like to congratulate you warmly on this remarkable achievement. Your success is an inspiration to your peers and to us all.
Once again, congratulations on this brilliant achievement!
Best regards,
Director Nezu
High School UA.
Results :
89/100 points for the written exam
94 points in the physical examination
70 rescue points in the physical examination.
Footnote: You are required to report to the principal's office on the first day of school. "
Izuku winced as he read the footnote... He already knew what the discussion was going to be about... His mother hugged him tightly, "MY BOY!", and she burst into tears of joy.
/
Today was the big day...
/
Chapter 3: First day at UA
/
Izuku had decided to arrive early, to be precise, 1 hour before school started. And for a good reason... He walked down the alley where, not two weeks ago, he'd been walking to take his exams...
And he was happy to think that he'd be taking it every day now.
He entered the building, but instead of going to the classrooms, he went straight to the principal's office... Nezu... Principal of the high school, and whose intelligence would probably make a Lord of Change shudder... Izuku was happy, of course, but this meeting with the principal didn't make him serene. He arrived in front of the office and was about to knock, but a voice cut him off from behind the door.
"Come in Mr. Midoryia!"
Izuku felt a shiver down his spine... How had he?
"I had planned for you to come a moment in advance, and I heard your unserene footsteps in the hallway."
That's what he said. Smarter than a Lord of Change. And just thinking about them, he heard their voices, a croak, as well as a sensation, as if something was scratching at the doors of his mind...
Here's what he meant by Chaos was probably the most dangerous...
He opened the door and stepped inside. The office was rather empty, apart from a desk covered in paperwork and a chair, a coffee table and two sofas. Nezu was sitting on one of them, accompanied
by Power Loader, and the rodent's black eyes shone with interest and mischief as he set them on Izuku. The boy swallowed nervously.
"You... You had asked me in the letter sir?" Izuku asked, just to reassure himself a little... It didn't help. And Power Loader's pose, probably staring at him through the holes in his helmet, made matters worse.
"Indeed, Mr. Midoryia. Please sit down," the white rat invited him. Izuku sat down just to the right of Power Loader, and opposite to Nezu, who brought out a cup of tea from nowhere and began to sip it.
"We have several questions for you Mr. Midoryia..." began Nezu, "Power Loader... Would you like to start?"
The hero with the esoteric helmet nodded at Nezu's question and turned his head towards Izuku, who felt even more oppressed.
"Mr. Midoryia. First of all, congratulations on your entry to UA. Next, we need to know exactly what your weaponry is, and exactly what your quirk is. The massive devastation you caused to the terrain where you were tested has still not been repaired, and it's been two weeks since Cementoss started to exhaust himself trying to rebuild the devastated housing blocks."
Izuku had seen it coming a mile away, but the way Power Loader had asked that question, in such a calm, cold tone... It had surprised him. He was very uncomfortable, no doubt about it. He even wished a Tyrannocyte could fall on his head so he could escape from the pressure in the room. Even Nezu, though perfectly calm, gave off a frightening aura of that same calm. Izuku shuddered.
And yet he'd seen auras like that. Inquisitors, Chaos Lords,Space Marines... and many others.
"Uh... Well... Actually... My quirk may be unique... In fact... My mind managed to create an entire universe, a galaxy even, the troops I used in the physical test... Well... Uh... This is only a tiny part, not even an atom of what was created by my mind..."
Nezu nodded, eyes closed...
"So you have a creation quirk... But actually... No... Indeed... It's a one-of-a-kind alter... I've personally never seen a quirk like that... An intelligent, self-sufficient quirk, mixed with a manifestation and summoning and transformation quirk... Interesting combination..."
His eyes opened and landed on Izuku again.
"Mr. Midoryia. I want you to know that what you've shown us can be extremely coveted, not only by villains, but also by other countries. And the damage you've done shows that your quirk is both deadly and devastating. We ask you to use your quirk with extreme prejudice. We count on you to avoid using it against your comrades..."
Izuku sighed and spoke.
"Unfortunately, my quirk is much more complex..."
And he explained everything to them, the different xeno species, the factions, their behavior... etc. When he was finally let go by the principal and Power Loader, there were only 10 minutes left before classes started... He dashed off to his class, class 1-A, as fast as he could, and got there very quickly, having not gotten lost in the massive high school.
Finally, he arrived at the large door, marked with the class number... He took a breath, and opened the door.
There were relatively few people. Not surprising, everyone would arrive a little before the bell.
The only people present were a boy with red and white hair, a burn on his face and eyes of different colors, one gray and the other blue. A girl with black hair in a ponytail. A boy with a bird's head leaning against the wall at the back of the classroom. A girl with pink skin, pink hair from which protruded two small yellow antennae, and black eyes with golden pupils. A blond with a strand of black hair that seemed to be concentrating on his hands. And a bluenette with headphones dangling from her earlobes he recognized, the girl he'd helped during the exam. Everyone looked up as Izuku entered the room.
God, the silence was so awkward.
"Uh... Hello?"
It was the only thing his lips managed to produce. He received only a few nods in response, and immediately moved to an available seat, not looking at his classmates. He put down his bag and sat down... Then, against all expectations...
"Are you the machine boy? Thank you for helping me during the entrance exam."
A feminine voice told him. He looked up. It was the bluenette, honestly, he hadn't expected to be thanked for it, he'd only done what his mechanically augmented brain at that moment had deemed propitious to do... " Uh... No problem?", he noticed out of the corner of his eye the boy with the burn stare at him suddenly, but he pretended not to notice. Then another voice called out, this time from the door.
"Izuku? Is that you?"
Turning his head, he had a friendly smile, "So, we're in the same class, Ochako?" and the brunette approached, returning his smile, "Looks like it!". Now that Izuku was paying a little attention around him, he noticed that the class had filled up a little more. The only ones he'd seen before were Ochako, the girl with the earphones on the earlobes and the boy with glasses who seemed a little stiff in his posture.
He'd get to know them later... And he started a conversation with Ochako, slowly the class filled up. Then came the last person in the class.
"DEKU? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THERE YOU QUIRKLESS FREAK!"
Izuku's gaze changed immediately. From friendly to extremely hard, like steel. He felt the need to pull the Necrons out of their graves, and summon them... He should learn to control his emotions better than that as he thought about that
"... Kacchan, you are here... What were the odds."
Izuku said sarcastically. The blond made his way, pushing aside the students in his way, to plant himself in front of Izuku, his eyes filled with rage. "So you're hiding from me that you've got another personality, eh? You quirkless freak...", Izuku laughed coldly.
"Funny how you think it's just another personality. Deep down you may be right, but it's not an alter-ego like you think. Although, that's only what you're trying to think, isn't it? To convince yourself that you haven't fallen beneath me now that I've discovered I have a quirk?"
Explosions crackled in Bakugo's hands, slowing doubling in power second to second as they both glared at each other. Ochako wanted to help the greenette, but Izuku dissuaded her with a look. Then intervened the boy with glasses.
"Stop this immediately! This behavior is unacceptable for a UA student!"
Bakugo immediately turned to the source of the problem and shouted.
"WE DIDN'T ASK YOU TO COME GLASSES!"
Izuku grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close to his face, staring into his eyes. The explosive blond was taken aback by the sudden movement and stared into the green eyes of his favorite victim. However, what he saw was only intense rage... In truth, Izuku was even radiating that rage, producing an aura that made the other students stagger back. A weight that crushed everyone under a dull anger.
"I forbid you to pour out the hatred you feel for me on someone who has nothing to do with our discussion."
Izuku's voice was distorted, his infantile voice mixed with a much darker, deeper one. Bakugo, even if he didn't show it, was frightened. Izuku continued.
"If it were up to me I'd unleash the hordes of Khorne to gut you of your blood in an absolutely magnificent bloodbath."
A small rift opened behind Izuku, and a clawed red hand emerged, scraping the air like a solid surface, creating new rifts that oozed hues of purple, red and yellow, and through these rifts something looked at Bakugo with bloodthirsty yellow eyes. However, the rift closed, forcing the creature to remove its hand. Izuku let go of Bakugo, staggering backwards, leaning on one table and sitting on the corner of another, holding his head.
He'd almost lost control... He couldn't bear to see anyone so involved in a problem that only concerned the two of them. He shook his head... It was a mess... The forces of Chaos really were the worst... A small, but strong enough influx of negative emotion was enough to make him loose his mind completely. Such silence had fallen over the classroom... Nobody could say anything after what they have felt. The only one who had seen the creature was Bakugo. And he stood there, confused and scared.
Everyone felt a shiver down their spine.
Fear.
This boy could be dangerous.
If the machines and cyborgs hadn't already shown it, then that aura convinced them.
However, their train of thought was rudely interrupted by the classroom door opening on a sort of yellow caterpillar with a human head.
"Go to your seats and be seated immediately, the first not to be seated in 10 seconds gets kicked out of the establishment on the spot."
Izuku, once seated, massaged his head a little, still a little sore from the near loss of control he'd already partly broken the promise he'd made to Nezu, but hey... he couldn't help himself. Then he watched the yellow caterpillar hop over to the teacher's desk.
He recognized him immediately.
Eraserhead, the Erasure hero. He was delighted to meet him, and especially to have him as a teacher.
"Very well. My name is Shota Aizawa, my code name is Eraserhead, and I'm your homeroom teacher this year... Now, you'll go to the locker room and change into your PE gear.", the man said as he extracted himself from his sleeping bag, Ochako asked, "But? Shouldn't we go to orientation?", the hero looked at her.
"Here I make the rules, so if you have a problem with that you can leave right now."
The class was stunned... The guy wasn't kidding.
"Let's go! Let's go! No time to dawdle!"
Izuku was the last to leave, and felt Eraserhead's inquisitive gaze on his back.
He was the last to arrive at the boys' changing rooms and began to change. As he took off his uniform jacket, a hand came to rest on his shoulder, startling him a little.
"Was it you who summoned the red automatons?"
He turned around; whoever had asked him that was a boy with spiky red hair and shark teeth. Izuku nodded.
"In that case I thank you, one of them saved me from elimination..."
Izuku chuckled nervously. "Yeah... I had nothing to do with it... I don't think he even did it on purpose to be honest, he must have been in extermination protocol all the way through the fight on the center..."
The boy scratched the back of his head... " I understand... But even for a machine the way she fought was very manly...", then he held out his hand, "By the way, Eijiro Kirishima, a pleasure to meet you.", Izuku hesitated a little, then grinned and shook the hand. "Izuku Midoryia. It's a pleasure to meet you too."
/
When the whole class came out onto the training field, Aizawa was already waiting for them, one eye on his watch. As they approached, the hero said, in a harsh voice.
"12 minutes. That's 12 minutes in which a villain could kill civilians. You've got to learn to be faster," he looked up and pulled a ball from his pocket, "All right, do you remember the test you took in primary school to see how strong you were? We're going to do it, but this time using your quirk, although you're not allowed to step out of the red circle next to me. Who wants to go first?"
Unsurprisingly, it was Bakugo who stepped forward first. Aizawa threw him the ball, which he caught with ease as he stepped into the circle. With a grunt, he prepared himself and threw the ball with a loud explosion. Aizawa looked at some sort of device, and announced the score.
"705.2 metres. By the end of this year, we'll have increased this score tenfold. Who's next?"
Immediately, everyone wanted to do it. Some scores were not bad, the best being Uraraka's, whose score was infinite. Then came Izuku's turn. The boy stepped forward. Calm down Izuku, it's all right... You can do it...', he began to choose a shape that would help him, and finally found one. He smiled, and chose it.
But nothing happened.
Izuku knew immediately that something was wrong, as if suddenly there had been a shutdown in his mind, but he had felt a quick sensation of something leaking.
Oh no.
He turned to Eraserhead.
He was motionless, his red eyes gleaming, but they seemed to look into nothing...
Oh, hell no...
/
He knew the boy's quirk was dangerous, he'd seen the destruction it could make... So when he saw the boy step forward with a certain confidence, he decided to block his quirk.
It was a mistake.
He felt a whirring in his head, then everything stopped. He entered a kind of trance and found himself in a kind of void. He was floating, but motionless, amidst hues of light blue, dark blue, yellow and pink.
Then it manifested himself.
The thing appeared from a void woven of light and dark blue hues, yellows and pinks, a lord of inconstancy embodying metamorphosis itself.
His imposing silhouette emerged through the veils of time and space, distorting the dimension around him. His ethereal essence shimmered with fluid light, as if the stars themselves were dancing in his wake.
The Lord of Change's form was a symphony of contradictions. Its contours were both fluid and fractured, seeming to deform and reform in an eternal cycle of transformation. Tentacles of energy vibrated around him, emanations of an elusive, volatile power.
His gaze, burning with boundless intelligence, burst through the nothingness of deep, captivating blue. Gleams of gold and rose danced in his eyes, revealing the complexity of his being and the breadth of his forbidden knowledge, as they settled on the hero, his raven head tilting slightly to one side...
Azure wings, ethereal and moving, unfurled majestically behind him, bearing the marks of millennia of chaotic existence. Each feather a piece of a cosmic puzzle, a reminder of a world torn apart by the tumult of war and desolation.
The hero asked, trying to move, "Who are you and what do you want?", the massive humanoid bird approached, its gaze gleaming with interest, "Ah, a new interlocutor invites himself into the meanders of my web. I am Czodzul, The Amberblaze, Lord of Change and faithful servant of Tzeentch, God of Change. And you, hero with the scarf, what is your name and your quest in this tormented world?", Aizawa eyed him suspiciously, all of this seemed like a trap, "I am Eraserhead, a teacher of the UA Academy and pro-hero, tasked with maintaining order and protecting the innocent. I know nothing of this 'Tzeentch' you speak of, but I sense a malevolent aura emanating from you."
Something that might have sounded like a chuckle emanated from the thing's beak.
"Ah, Eraserhead, your name echoes through the corridors of destiny. Tzeentch sees in you immeasurable potential, a thread to weave in the great carpet of destiny. You could be the instrument of great change, if you so desire," the thing finished with a smile.
Here it was… The trap…
"I'm not a pawn to be manipulated at will. My duty is to protect others, not to sow chaos and destruction. What are these machinations you speak of?"
The Lord of Change flicked his wings, propelling himself behind Aizawa, and whispered in his ear... " Tzeentch's machinations are vast and impenetrable, much like the flow of time itself. But imagine, Eraserhead, the power to control destiny, to shape the world to your own desires. With our support, you could surpass your limits and become a truly unstoppable being."
Eraserhead was about to respond negatively to this proposal when he felt a burning sensation on his cheek, and felt himself torn from this strange dimension, which seemed to be sucked away... Before emerging from his trance, he heard the angry scream of the Duke of Change, from whom his prey was being snatched...
/
Izuku was taken aback when Eraserhead took a sudden gulp of air, his teacher looking at him with bewildered eyes, as did the rest of the class... Had he really just slapped a teacher?
Yes.
"You... you..." the hero began, Izuku interrupting him, with an enormous seriousness in his voice.
"Who.", mumbled Izuku, avoiding his classmates to hear him, Eraserhead looked at him in confusion, but Izuku insisted. "Who.", it didn't help the hero who still didn't understand who this 'who' was. "The entity you spoke to. I felt a cut, but not before something leaked. Who did you speak to? "
Eraserhead then understood... And answered, if the kid could enlighten him, then he would answer. But he whispered. If the kid was whispering, then there was a reason to it.
"A certain Czodzul, a Lord of Change if I understood correctly."
Izuku grumbled. Oh no... It was worse than he thought. He asked, "Do you feel anything abnormal in your head? Like a void or a warm feeling in the corner of your mind?"
He saw the hero's questioning, then thoughtful look, before the latter replied, "No, I don't feel anything's wrong."
Izuku relaxed... Phew... He had probably just saved his teacher's sanity...
"And now, Midoryia, you're going to explain to me what it was."
Izuku grumbled. "Don't ever try to block my quirk again, I didn't knew it could do that if it was blocked. And whatever that entity told you, don't believe it, and forget it. It's best for you. This thing is a emissary of Chaos. Of the god Tzeentch to be precise. Don't ask me any more questions, it's better for your sanity. And don't speak about what you saw."
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the class staring at them, they were in total disbelief and curiosity. Why had Izuku slapped their teacher? And why were the two whispering?
"Everything is fine! Do not worry... I... zoned out and your classmate made me realize it." Aizawa came to his rescue, giving a quick look to him. Izuku nodded, thankful.
But now they had a thing to do.
"Can I do what I was going to do with the ball?"
Eraserhead nodded slowly... Izuku rethought what form he had wanted to take, and planted himself in the middle of the circle. Then he let the transformation pass through him.
A basic form to be honest. That'll do.
He gained a few centimeters, his features became those of an adult, while a large scar appeared on his face, crossing his right eye without damaging it, his green hair shortened and turned ash-black.
His PE outfit was replaced by a sandy yellow one, and green armor plates covered his torso, completed by shoulder pads. A black belt encircled his waist, and black boots replaced his sneakers. Izuku pulled out a cap from nowhere and placed it on his head, before putting a headset on it. 3 bars on his right shoulder, and a number and letters, 88th Cadian, on his left shoulder. Black rifts then opened, and two soldiers, wearing the same clothes as Izuku, the only difference being their facial features and the fact that they wore helmets on their heads instead of caps, stepped out, carrying a mortar which they set up while other black rifts let out sandbags, boxes of ammunition and other things needing to be placed. Soon the two soldiers finished installing the mortar. The circle was unrecognizable, and now looked more like an artillery position than anything else. Izuku approached and ordered.
"Guardsmen Merek Meloxtius, please fire this ball as far as you can."
He somehow knew the names of the two guardsmen… Probably an effect of the quirk he didn't paid attention to?
The guard in question took the ball, and exchanged a confused look with his teammate. Then both looked at the class and Aizawa, the other guard grumbled, "We're doing this for kids and a tramp? Plus, half of them are abhumans!" Izuku turned, and his eyes fell on the confused expression of his classmates, and on the discomfited face of Aizawa, who couldn't believe he'd been called a 'tramp'. And obviously, someone had to bring her back.
"Hey, shitty soldier! Who are you calling abhuman?", Bakugo stepped forward, red with fury, the soldier replied with a hiss filled with rage, "Who are you calling shitty soldier you brat?", the second guard, Merek Meloxtius, also fulminated.
'They're not used to being insulted those two,' Izuku thought with a sigh.
"You're the one I call a shitty soldier, you asshole!"
Replied Bakugo, the guardsman saw red and stepped forward, fists clenched, ready to smash the face of the kid who'd dared say that to him, while Bakugo began to produce explosions with his hands. The soldier was even more enraged, "Plus it's a piece of psyker trash who talks to me like that? A scumbag?"
Izuku spoke up, in an authoritative voice.
"Guardsmen Gorurev Gunson, return here immediately."
Gunson didn't listen, and Meloxtius called to him, "Gorurev! The sergeant is talking to you", but he didn't listen. Izuku lost patience, his Imperial Guard sergeant demeanor took over and in a couple of strides he was behind the angry guardsman, grabbing him by the collar of his uniform and angrily throwing him inside the circle. He then returned inside. Meloxtius looked at Izuku with surprise, not expecting such a display of violence from his sergeant.
Gunson rose to his feet, even more furious, but caught Izuku's boot flat on his face, causing him to topple backwards, his helmet hitting a shell box with a clang of metal against metal. Then Izuku yelled in a voice filled with cold anger as he slammed his boot into the armor plate repetitively, "SOLDIER! YOU'VE GOT THE NERVE TO DEFY AUTHORITY HERE? YOU THINK YOU'RE AT THE BAR? YOU'RE IN THE IMPERIAL GUARD, SOLDIER! THIS IS A PLACE OF ORDER AND DISCIPLINE! YOU'RE HERE TO OBEY ORDERS, NOT CHALLENGE THEM AS YOU SEE FIT!
I WON'T TOLERATE YOUR INSUBORDINATION! YOU'VE BEEN TRAINED TO FOLLOW THE RULES, TO RESPECT YOUR SUPERIORS AND TO CARRY OUT ORDERS WITHOUT QUESTION! YOU MAY THINK YOU KNOW BETTER THAN YOUR SUPERIORS, BUT LET ME TELL YOU, YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!
WHEN AN ORDER IS GIVEN, IT MUST BE CARRIED OUT QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY, WITHOUT DELAY AND WITHOUT HESITATION! THAT'S WHAT DISTINGUISHES A TRUE SOLDIER FROM AN INSUBORDINATE COWARD! IF YOU CAN'T RESPECT THIS FUNDAMENTAL RULE, THEN I'LL ARRANGE YOU ON A DATE WITH THE COMMISSAR AND THE MATTER WILL BE SETTLED VERY QUICKLY UNDERSTOOD SOLDIER?
YOU'VE GOT TWO CHOICES: GET OVER YOURSELF AND RECTIFY YOUR BEHAVIOR, OR FACE UP TO THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR INSUBORDINATION! AND LET ME TELL YOU, SOLDIER, THE COMMISSAR WON'T MINCE HIS WORDS!
NOW STRAIGHTEN UP, BEFORE I PUT THE BALL WHERE I THINK!"
Everyone was taken aback by such a display of verbal and physical violence. Gunson lay on the ground, his torso aching in spite of the flak armor. Then Izuku stepped back and stuffed the ball into Meloxtius's hands. Gunson rose to his feet, grunting, and positioned himself next to the mortar, while Meloxtius moved to the opposite side. Izuku began to scream.
"LOAD THE BALL!", Meloxtius dropped the ball, which entered the mortar tube, and moved aside a little. Then Izuku shouted.
"FIRE!"
Gunson activated the firing mechanism, then plugged his ears and opened his mouth, letting it hang open, while Meloxtius did the same. Only Izuku remained with his arms behind his back, waiting for the shot.
And for a shot, this was a damn strong one.
The mortar fired with a big boom, deafening the students, and especially the girl with the earphone jacks, whose ears must have been very sensitive. He then turned to Aizawa. The tired man looked at his device and announced the score.
"13,000 meters, or 13 kilometers."
Izuku nodded, and opened rifts that sucked in the two soldiers, the mortar, and all the equipment. Then he regained his normal appearance. With a glance, he dissuaded his comrades from asking any questions about what had happened with Gunson. Then he rejoined their ranks, waiting for the Sensei to tell them the rest.
He decided to move to the back, and as he went, apologized to the bluenette for the headache he'd caused to her.
"Well, that was quite a show of authority you gave us there...", Ochako chuckled as she approached him, the green-haired boy nodded, "I know, the temperament of an Astra Militarum sergeant is often pig-like behavior when disobeyed, and still... You haven't seen a Commissar..."
"What do you mean by 'You haven't seen a commissar'?" asked someone Izuku recognized just by the person's serious tone. The boy with the glasses
"He executes the person. Iida Tenya isn't it? Ingenium's little brother?"
The boy stammered, "Uh... Indeed... But h-?", Ochako interrupted him, "How's that? An execution?", Izuku sighed... " The regular army you've just seen is highly organized, and discipline is at the heart of everything. If someone messes with that, the Commissar has the right to stick a bullet between his eyes in the name of 'Holy Discipline of the Imperial Guard'", Ochako looked at him in disbelief... "They... Get killed?", Izuku nodded slowly, "T-That's horrible! They can't do that!", but Izuku responded with a sharp tone.
"We can't do anything about that. It's what they do, it's their rules. And rules are meant to be followed, if they die, well. It's a number to add to a list. It's unfortunate, but it's like that."
Ochako looked at him in desbelief... But Aizawa authoritative voice spoke up.
"All right, stop jabbering. That was only the first test, there are seven more, at the end there will be a ranking, the last one will be kicked out."
It was a cold sweat for everyone... Would the last one be kicked? To many, this seemed extreme, but Izuku smiled. Eraserhead would easily have made a feared company leader in the Astra Militarum.
And so they exercised most of the afternoon.
In the 50-meter sprint and long jump, Izuku took on the appearance of a Harlequin, fast and elegant, finishing the test in 4.32 seconds for the sprint, and flying over the sandbox with a elegant jump. Unfortunately, the Aeldari's arrogant behavior got the better of him and he mocked his fellow classmates with the name 'mon'keighs'. Of course, as soon as he no longer needed this form, he apologized to everyone, while inwardly blaming the arrogant attitude of the Aeldaris.
For the hand pressure test, he took the form of an Ork nobz and broke the handle, but the score was still announced. 1241 kg of pressure. Then it was with an amused voice and with a heavy accent that he spoke. "'Dat's how yer do 'dat 'umiez!"
For the repeated side steps, Izuku again had to use the form of an aeldari, this time that of a Dire Avenger, and passed the studs with flying colors.
At the distance run, he set off in the form of a Krieg Imperial Guard, and ran for two kilometers before stopping without being able to take another step.
And for sit-ups and seated toe-touches, he used the form of a Cadian Karskin, using his steel mentality and physical abilities to push himself even further, and especially while wearing the equipment.
He had decided not to use particularly powerful forms like Space Marines or others to give his comrades a chance and not to discourage them.
Aizawa gathered them all together at the end of the tests, and displayed the scores. Izuku was first. And he was pleasantly surprised: he hadn't exactly given it his all after all...
And the last was Mineta. Izuku had noticed his most perverse behavior, and he felt no pity for the grape boy. Perversity was almost the only thing that animated him... And every time Izuku looked at him, Slaanesh and his minions came scratching at the doors of his mind to corrupt him...
The boy in question burst into tears, but Eraserhead returned to the building, saying in a tired voice, "Nobody's fired, it was a lie, just to see if you were using your quirk to the full... Mr. Midoryia, I'm disappointed in you, I get the impression you're not using your potential to the full and are holding things back. Doesn't it? I expect to see you surpassing yourself", Izuku winced at the remark... Eraserhead had seen what his quirk could do mentally though... And he certainly wasn't blind to the destruction he could cause... " Yes Sensei...", he said with audible reluctance... This was such a bad idea... And they'd find out soon enough...
As they headed for the changing rooms, following Sensei Aizawa, Iida approached him, "I think I should compliment you on your attitude when you were that soldier with the cap... I've never seen people obey so quickly...", Izuku nodded, "Normal, it's because Cadians are born soldiers, and so discipline is innate. Certainly not as much like Krieg or Mordia, but they obey orders. All we got was a hothead earlier... Not a big problem, it just takes a big pig temper to put guys like that in their place...", Iida nodded..." You just mentioned Cadia, Krieg and Mordia... What are they? And even if I know it might be personal, I'd like to know what were all those appearances you took..."
Izuku smiled a little...
"Krieg, Cadia and Mordia are just a few of the thousands of planets colonized by one of the most powerful factions in my head. You see, Tenya Iida, my quirk is unique."
At this mention, most people began to pay attention, curious about how his quirk worked, some purely out of interest, like Bakugo and the dual haired boy, others simply out of curiosity.
"Indeed, my quirk has created an entire universe in my head, each being living in it is intelligent, and can count as a person in its own right. The universe is self-sufficient, having created its own animals and plants, allowing living beings to feed themselves. But it's not all wildlife. Factions and races populate the galaxy, and humanity is one of them. I'm able to summon troops from these factions, as many as my quirk can manifest in the real world, and I myself am able to transform myself into every life form in this universe stuck in my head."
Some students looked at each other, impressed, and an invisible girl (Hagakure if he remembered correctly) said in an excited voice.
"It must be amazing as quirk! A world stuck in your head, and you can summon anything you want!"
Izuku gave a mirthless laugh...
"You have no idea what I see every day... The psychological pressure is immeasurable... It's not 'great' like you think... You haven't seen the things I've seen, both in my head and in reality..."
/
Flashback.
"Come on, Izuku. You can do it."
Izuku encouraged himself...
He was going to test his quirk in a new way...
Trying to summon two different factions at the same time. He chose to summon the Astartes and the T'au...
A squad of Tactical Marines and a squad of Fire Warriors. It was his first attempt, and Izuku didn't know what to expect... He concentrated hard, and opened a first portal... The massive footsteps of the Astartes echoed in the undergrowth. Then he opened another portal. Xeno voices echoed inside. Izuku opened his eyes with joy. He'd done it!
In front of him stood a squad of five tactical marines, wearing the Novamarine livery, to his left, and to his right a squad of 10 T'au fire warriors from the Sept Vior'la, in white and red armour. However... something wasn't quite right.
BAOM!
A shot rang out.
And a T'au fire warrior fell, what was left of his head spraying blue blood in all directions with spasms.
Izuku's smile disappeared completely. He should have known better.
And the undergrowth exploded in a violent skirmish.
Both factions took cover, sheltering as best they could behind trees and rocks. The silence and birdsongs were covered by the powerful war cries of the Space Marines, bolter fire and the zap of railguns. A bolt passed centimetres from Izuku's face, hitting the torso of a fire warrior who was about to change cover before detonating, annihilating the T'au's torso in an explosion of blue blood and guts.
The Space Marine who had fired was hit once in the shoulder, the shot digging a fist-sized hole which began to bleed, but it would take more than that to bring down the Marine, who punished his assailant with a bolt to the skull. Then the Marine took another shot in the torso, in his primary heart, forcing him to fall on a knee, another shot shattered his breastplate, and finally a last shot hit his secondary heart, and the Space Marine collapsed face first, dead.
Izuku curled up on the ground, breathing heavily, limbs trembling, eyes wide. His heart pounding and his ears ringing, he could no longer feel his limbs and his vision was almost reduced to a foggy corridor of light, everything seemed to be in slow motion... The shots flying around him, impacting trees and rocks with resounding 'POCS!', the war cries and howls of pain, he perceived the smell of blood with extreme affinity, burnt flesh and blood... The two smells that now dominated the undergrowth.
Blood sprayed over him as the body of another fire warrior collapsed beside him, the lower half of his body vaporized...
The blue blood was warm, and soaked into his clothes, sticking to his hair...
It was warm...
Too warm...
Then, the fight ceased as abruptly as it had begun...
Izuku remained on the ground for a while longer... His panicked breathing not calming down at all... He then got up on trembling legs, his heart not calming down, his ears still ringing, and his breathing seemed to be the loudest sound he could hear as he staggered amidst the destroyed trees and rubble-reduced stones, covered in viscous blue and red blood... Suddenly, his feet hit something on the ground... Looking down, he saw that he had hit the lifeless body of a T'au fire warrior... Half of his helmet was shattered, revealing his face, whose blue skin was pale, and whose eyes had lost all glimmer of life...
He contemplated the body for a moment, then the ground shook slightly beneath his foot, and he turned his head, still wearing that haggard expression... The three Novamarines who had survived the skirmish emerged from the trees... One had part of his helmet charred, and sizzling wires were emerging from certain impacts on his armor, from which fresh blood was still flowing. He was supporting another of his brothers whose leg had been torn off by a shot... The stump had already coagulated and crusted, preventing the blood from continuing to flow. One of his shoulder pads was burned, and the ceramite that composed it had been torn by a railgun shot, his breastplate bore burns, and one of the wings of the aquila he wore on his torso had been caved in, it was the sergeant, because he wore the red helmet. The last marine was probably the least injured of the three, his armor showing only a few burns, and one of the green optics of his MK VI helmet was shattered, revealing the eye behind, he had a wound to the joint of his left arm, and held his shot-damaged bolter in his right hand...
The Space Marine in the MK VI helmet barely glanced at him, too busy looking at the carnage and trying to understand how they'd been caught in such an ambush... Izuku looked at them and staggered away from the T'au's body...
He sat on what was left of a rock that had been pulverized by bolter fire... He put his head in his lap...
And cried...
End of Flashback
/
Izuku remembered all the skirmishes he'd witnessed, sometimes not far from home, he remembered the scars that their building wore now after he tried some things again, and sometimes in the nearest forest... The real carnage he'd seen more than once...
The images in his mind had made him believe that he wouldn't flinch in the face of carnage...
However, they had only been dreams, images, he hadn't expected to witness the death of real living beings.
His comrades watched him walk along, his expression gloomy...
"You haven't seen real death... Haven't felt it... Know... That I've already summoned two factions at the same time, I've witnessed real combat, I've smelled blood, sometimes been covered in it, if it hadn't been vaporized on impact. I've seen bodies... Sometimes whole, sometimes in pieces... Not just in the images communicated by the universe, but in reality... "
The class remained silent... Then Ochako and Iida approached and each put a hand on his shoulder to support him. Hagakure, for her part, apologized, "Sorry... I didn't know...", then it was Jiro and Kirishima's turn to speak, "You helped us, so now it's our turn to repay you, we're with you", Izuku smiled...
"Thank you..."
And here's the chapter! Hope you enjoyed it!