Izure smiled, tilting his head.
"Okay, class, that's our time up!"
Immediately, chattering broke out amongst the students, several of them bouncing up and down in their seats in excitement.
It was the end of the school day after all, and a Friday at that.
"Mr. Izure!"
It took a few seconds for Izure to remember that was his name, ever since he had that dream it had become a recurring issue. Sometimes it almost felt wrong to answer to his own name.
He had dreamed of another world, of metal and strange mutations, not unlike magic, but lacking any need for spells, everyone limited to just one ability.
"Yes, Harzol." Izure acknowledged, pulled himself from his internal musings. "What is it you wanted to ask?"
The seven-year old boy lowered his hand. "You always assign us homework for the weekend, but you haven't given us any yet today."
It hit him again, a resemblance he saw in Harzol, the ramrod posture, clipped tone.
And yet he couldn't remember who it was that he reminded him of.
Izure gathered himself and replied. "Well, you've all done such a great job this week you managed to get through what I planned to give you for homework as well. Well done, everyone."
Izure's class of thirteen children, a mix of six and seven years old, cheered, even Harzol beamed proudly.
It had been two months since Izure had that dream, with a different name and those strange things called quirks. Fortunately, after a couple of hours his actual memories had started to come back to him, the dream fading into the background.
Whereas that dream had powers called quirks, Izure knew the real world had magic. Unlike those quirks everyone could use it, strength was not inherent but earned, by practice and hard work.
And yet, the magic seemed wrong, thinner than he remembered, like someone had hastily papered over the blanks in the mechanics of it.
Every night, he dreamed, and saw faces he half-remembered.
A dark-haired girl, with an unusual ponytail. An explosive blond, yelling and shouting at everyone and everything.
The skeletal man, who despite his frail appearance inspired hope and sense of safety in Izure. His mother, wearing the same strange style of clothing as the others.
He missed them, every second of every day, these people he didn't know.
Izure watched as his class filed out the room, chatting and laughing amongst themselves.
He was a teacher here, in the small farming community of Lars, a town in the Jundland Province. Izure felt so far out of his depth, even now after three years of training, but tried his best to emulate his teachers each and every day.
An image of a man in strange black pajamas and a light grey scarf came to mind.
{Acting like Eraserhead is likely to traumatise small children.}
Izure cursed. "Go, foreign thoughts, you are not mine."
If anyone had noticed he was suddenly acting any differently they hadn't said anything.
Reaching his hand out, Izure muttered an incantation before pulling.
A discarded book flew to his hand, slapping against his palm.
It was a summoning spell, simple yet effective, and handy for a teacher to be proficient in.
In this world everyone had a natural proficiency towards one kind of magic or the other. While they could learn spells outside their proficiency, it would never be as strong or powerful.
For Izure this was imitation magic, he could copy two other people's magic at one time. But they had to cast it in his presence first, and if he wanted to copy a third, he had to let go of one of the other two.
Right now all Izuku had was his mother's summoning magic. It could float an object across the room, or teleport someone halfway across the kingdom.
Not that he was anywhere strong enough for the latter.
Turning the book over, Izure smiled sadly.
King Tozanori
A hulking man, blonde hair pressed down by a golden crown, beamed back at him from the front cover. A diamond blade in one hand, an emerald blade in the other.
The former king of Restaria, he and the All Queen had been killed by a dark sorcerer six years earlier.
Since then the country had been ruled by a caretaker government, led by Lord Ingen.
Until someone could find and weld the Twin Blades of Yoichi, heirlooms of the first king of Restaria. Then they would become the new king.
Izure slid the book back onto the shelf.
{It's all very cliché.}
Shaking his head, Izure banished the foreign thought and took one last look at his classroom, making sure it was ready for Monday morning.
Satisfied, Izure left, locking the door behind him.
{Formal education in a fantasy world, how unusual.}
Izure clenched his fists, he hated these thoughts, they would not leave him alone. They made him feel not of his own mind, like he wasn't seeing something.
Like he'd forgotten something important.
Izure wished times were simpler, he yearned for the days of being a child and carefree. That was only something you could enjoy until thirteen, when you chose your profession.
{This world was strange, the way people speak, the way they act, the beliefs they hold. It's like someone has placed a fantasy lense over the real world.}
"This is the real world." Izure whispered to himself.
A horse neighed.
"Huh, that's strange." Izure mused, looking up to see three horses tied up outside the cottage he shared with his mother.
Opening the door carefully, Izure peered inside.
His mother, named Inza, sat at the kitchen table whilst a knight, his back turned to the door, sat at the other side.
Another knight stood in shadow on the opposite wall, occasionally shooting dirty looks at the first knight.
A woman, a mage based on the clothes she was wearing stood behind the first knight, still Izure couldn't see their faces.
"Lady Inza, I must ask most humbly once again if you know the whereabouts of the second blade." The first knight spoke, his voice oddly familiar, yet warped beyond recognition.
"Please don't call me that, I never took that title." Inza replied. "In fact, I believe it was your grandfather who stopped me."
"You didn't answer my question." The first knight stated, annoyance creeping into his voice.
Having heard enough, Izure pushed the door open and entered, tensing his body up ready for a fight.
The occupants of the kitchen all jumped, the first knight leaping to his feet and drawing his blade.
A diamond blade.
Like the one on the cover of King Tozanori. One of the blades of Yoichi.
The second knight fared better, only placing his hand on the handle of his sword before relaxing, deeming Izure not a serious threat.
A muttered cantation flew through the air and the next thing Izure knew he was floating in the air.
His gravity was gone.
Izure instinctually saved the magic ability to his second slot.
"That's my son, I would appreciate it if you didn't attack him." Inza spoke, her tone darkening.
"Oh, sorry about that, I thought it was an ambush." The mage apologised. "Release."
{Release? Uraraka!}
A name, Uraraka? Why did he know it? Why was it so familiar? The dream, he remembered it from the dream.
Landing with all the grace the skeletal man had drilled into him in his dream, Izure stood, his new position allowing him to see his mother's guests properly.
They were all from his dreams.
The mage was Uraraka as he'd recognised, slightly taller than from his dream and with darker hair. The first knight was Iida, his hair blond and his eyes bright blue.
Turning his head Izure saw the second knight was Todoroki, his hair all red instead of half and half, both eyes were piercing blue.
"Hi, I'm Kocha." Uraraka, or he supposed Kocha, held her hand out, mage's staff gripped in the other. "Sorry about that, I get kind of jumpy."
"Sure, I'm Izure." The green-haired teen greeted in response, suppressing the strange urge to bow, something that was far from being a social norm here in Restaria, or at least, not in a very long time.
"Nice to meet you, Izure!" Kocha exclaimed. "This here is Sir Tenra, the Crown Prince of Restaria, and my boss."
The first knight ignored Izure and his interaction with Kocha, instead speaking again to Inza.
"You never said you had a son."
Inza tilted her head. "You never asked."
"How old is he?" Tenra demanded.
"Sixteen." Inza answered.
"Is he?" Tenra questioned, clearly implying something Izure wasn't privy to.
"What do you think?" Inza retorted. "Or are you just hoping that I was cheating on your father."
Izure's mind whirled, he was now absolutely internally panicking.
If he understood what they were saying correctly then that meant King Tozanori was his father.
The All King of Restaria.
"I am so confused right now." Kocha sighed.
"I'm just bored." The second knight sighed.
"That's Sansho, he's the youngest son of Lord Endeavor, the ruler of this province." Kocha explained. "He doesn't like Sir Tenra very much so he's forced us to have his son accompany us while we're in this province."
Izure nodded dumbly, still trying to piece everything together.
"I will ask one last time, Inza, the second blade of Yoichi, where is it?" Tenra insisted. "The sorcerer who killed my father, the All King, his army grows near, without a strong king the country will be overrun by his alchemical monsters."
"You mean the first blade of Yoichi, Hinode." Inza corrected. "You wield the second, Yuyake, not the first."
{Sunrise and Sunset.}
Izure wasn't quite sure how he knew those words, they were not of any tongue he was aware of.
"Tell me where it is, if I am to protect this country I must wield the symbol of my father, to prove my legitimacy." Tenra insisted.
Inza sighed, eyes filled with resignation. "I've lied long enough, I will give you the blade, if you allow me to explain this all to my son first, to tell him the truth."
Tenra stared at Inza for a few seconds, before nodding. "Fine, we will wait outside, come, Kocha, Sansho!"
With a swish of his cloak, Tenra exited the cottage, Kocha on his heels. Sansho sighed and rolled his eyes, but acquiesced, following the others.
"Izure, could you take a seat."
He did as his mother asked.
"King Tozanori was my father?"
Inza nodded. "Yes, we grew up together, in this village, when he was naught but a farmer's son working the land."
Izure's mind reeled, all those years alone with just his mother, wishing he had a father, his father was King Tozanori.
His father was dead.
"After he beat back Blackthorn's first invasion with the fusion on the twin blades he asked me to marry him." Inza continued. "I said yes."
Izure listened to the words with a strange feeling of detachment.
"He was to be crowned king, the previous ruler, Queen Namie, had died ten years earlier." Inza continued. "Her son, Lord Ingen, had hoped to assume the throne, but the blades rejected him after her death. He believed his bloodline had the divine right to rule."
"He stopped you from marrying King Tozanori, my father, didn't he?" Izure queried.
"He did." Inza affirmed. "There was a rule, that the person chosen by the blades must be married before they were crowned. Ingen had it amended, so they had to marry someone of noble blood, and there was only one unmarried noble woman old enough to fit the mold."
"His daughter." Izure breathed. "Tenra's mother."
"Queen Amdala." Inza supplied. "She was a friend, we fought together during the first invasion. She wanted no part in this, her father was trying to force her to agree to marry Tozanori."
"But she did end up marrying him." Izure stated.
"She did, she was going to run away, but I insisted she stay and marry him." Inza paused. "I knew if Ingen tried to have her kill Tozanori she wouldn't do it. But I suppose it didn't matter in the end."
Izure placed a hand on his mother's shoulder, trying to comfort her.
"I didn't know I was pregnant with you before I left." Inza admitted. "Maybe if I did I would have fought harder to stay."
"Did he know?" Izure queried. "About me."
Inza nodded. "He did, eventually, the royal visit to Lars, when you were six, do remember that?"
"I do, the All King visited our class, spoke to each of us, he played hide and seek with us outside." Izure reminisced. "That was so he could visit me, wasn't it?"
"It was. But he also came here, with Queen Amdala, they slipped away from their royal guards." Inza stood, moving over to the kitchen and lifting up the loose floorboards. "He entrusted me with this, he wanted both his sons to have one of them."
Inza placed a bundle on the table, unwrapping it to reveal an emerald blade.
Hinode. The first blade of Yoichi.
"You said you were going to give it to Prince Tenra."
Inza shook her head. "I was lying, so you would have time to bond with it. Quickly, you must touch it."
A knock pounded on the door. "Lady Inza, you've had enough time, bring it out."
"Now, Izure, take the sword!" Inza urged.
Izure reached out, his hand grasping the hilt of the sword.
He felt power surge through him, magic unlike anything he'd felt before.
The door burst open.
Izuku blinked.
My memories, they're all back!
Momo, Bakugo, Iida, All Might, Mikumo, his mom. They were all back. He was back.
Izuku Midoriya was asleep no more.
"You gave him the sword, do you have any idea what you've done!" Tenra barked at Inza.
"Enough!" Izuku called. "That is enough! You don't talk to my mother that way!"
Tenra's eyebrow flared angrily, as he drew his own blade.
On instinct, Izuku slipped into his quirkspace.
Except this wasn't his quirkspace
Instead of his black void filled with quirks of every colour, he was on a hills, grassy plains stretching out in every direction.
Izuku supposed this was Restaria's equivalent of a quirkspace, the representation of their magic.
At the very top of the hill stood a large stone, as tall as Izuku, glowing green lines forming ever changing patterns on its surface.
So this is this world's interpretation of One For All? I am dreaming? Is this the effect of a quirk I copied, or one of the ones All For One made me copy when I was unconscious?
Izuku placed his hand upon the stone. The lines swirled around it, before red lines joined them, issuing from the point of contact.
Standing back, Izuku watched the stone change, growing slightly taller, the green and red lines intertwining and shifting, beating like a heart.
Quirksmith and One For All. In harmony.
Is this just something my brain has made up to entertain me during my coma, or is it a challenge to beat, and only then I can wake?
The ground rumbled, two smaller stones protruding from the earth, forming the beginning of a circle around the main stone.
A henge.
Walking closer, Izuku examined them. Instead of the glowing lines flowing free over the entirety of the surface of the obsidian, here they originated from a tablet set into the stone, the lines only traveling half a meter before they ran out.
What if I?
Izuku reached out to the first minor stone and removed the tablet.
The green lines faded from the minor stone, contained within the detached jade tablet, which likely represented Inza's Summoning. Turning to the second minor stone, Izuku removed the rose quartz tablet, Kocha's Gravity Control.
He switched them, the two minor stones now glowing in reverse.
"I can switch quirks, I mean, magical abilities in and out while in quirkspace." Izuku mused. "This is how Quirksmith was supposed to work!"
And the realisation came.
"The quirks outside of Quirksmith are what are causing the strain on my body. I should only be using the quirks active inside Quirksmith."
Izuku should have known this, but he'd bulldozed his way through and broke Quirksmith.
"When I wake up, if I wake up, I need to fix Quirksmith, I need to get rid of the suppression." Izuku resolved.
But in both this dream and the real world he wouldn't be able to switch his combination of quirks that resided within Quirksmith freely in a fight.
The process took a few seconds to complete, meaning that Izuku couldn't rely on any quirks not with Quirksmith for split-second decisions, if he did, lives could be lost.
That wasn't a chance he would take.
Izuku turned, taking the distance between the two existing minor stones and extrapolating.
Ten stones, I can have ten quirks, or magical abilities, active at once, just like Quirksmith when I started. I don't know how passive quirks fit into this, I'll just have to test that when I wake up.
Taking a steadying breath, Izuku allowed himself to slip out of quirkspace.
Bringing Hinode up to bear, Izuku deflected Tenra's attack with its twin. Izuku felt a jolt in his shoulder, he hadn't blocked well, this sword may have One For All's power, but Izuku didn't have a clue how to wield a sword.
Grabbing the sheath from the bundle of cloth, Izuku slid Hinode into it and secured it diagonally across his back.
Activation Summoning, Izure's experience with it allowing him to bypass the incantation, Izuku pulled a chair towards himself, tripping Tenra as he charged again.
There was shouting, Inza at Tenra to stop, Kocha defending Tenra.
Sansho looked bored.
How accurate.
Tenra's eyes suddenly glowed, and then he vanished.
Invisibility? Kocha's magic is like Uraraka's, why would Tenra's be so different from Iida's.
Izuku figured it out a second too late, as Tenra slammed into him at super-speed, sending him flying through the table.
Picking himself out of the kindling that remained Izuku felt a new magical ability join his others, taking the third active socket.
Time Dilation.
Similar to Iida, but not the same.
Reaching out to One For All, channeled through the sword on his back, he could feel it there, around sixty percent.
Tenra having the other blade represents that I gave One For All to Iida and it's stuck in limbo between us.
Izuku knew he would be able to use it like the real world, to enhance his strength, but he still couldn't regulate it.
Plus he didn't want to kill anyone, this may just be a dream, but Izuku wasn't a murderer.
"Tempus. Segnis. Amino." Izuku whispered.
A spell to slow the target's thought processes, akin to alcohol intoxication, pulled from the knowledge he gained from Tenra.
Izuku aimed it back at its originator, counteracting the spell Tenra had used to hasten his thought processes.
But not the one that hastened his movement speed.
Tenra slammed into the wall, his brain unable to send the signal to turn in time.
Brushing splinters off his waistcoat, Izuku turned. "Are you okay, Iida, I mean, Tenra. Do you need something for that bump on the head."
Izuku examined the aforementioned bump of Tenra's head, hissing in sympathy.
Fortunately, Izure did know some healing magic. Nothing spectacular, not a proficiency by any means, but enough to patch up his students.
"Purgo. Sano. Frons."
Wisps of silvery magic traced their way across Tenra's wound, cleaning it and healing it, leaving a small mark that would fade in a few days.
"There we are, all better." Izuku assured, only just stopping himself from asking Tenra if he needed to be picked up by his parents.
Weird, it's like I really was Izure. Like I lived all those years, I have his memories, his instincts.
The sound of muffled laughter caught Izuku's attention, turning his head to see Kocha barely manage to stop herself from bursting out into giggles.
Sansho scoffed. "He attacked you and you heal him, really?"
"Izure's a teacher." Inza informed. "It's always been like that, trying to help everyone he can."
So Izure and I aren't that different, I suppose.
"Get off me." Tenra slurred, trying and failing to stand.
"Careful, don't force yourself up, you'll just fall and hurt yourself again." Izuku chided, before glancing at Sansho. "Can you help me get him in a chair, please?"
Sansho rolled his eyes and sighed, before begrudgingly helping, the two of them managing to heave the armoured knight into a chair.
Huffing, his face red from exertion, Izuku stepped back. "I forget how much I relied on passive strength quirks, man, I got lazy."
Kocha frowned. "What was that? Quirks?"
Izuku flushed even redder, he'd been talking out loud again.
"N-Nothing, I just call magical proficiencies by a different name, quirks because everyone is unique to them." Izuku hurriedly explained.
Kocha nodded, satisfied with his answer, Sansho looked anything but.
"So, you're All King's secret love child." Sansho said distrustfully. "I never would have guessed, you're nothing alike."
Izuku choked back a laugh, producing a strange sound like a chicken in the process.
Kocha giggled. "I guess it's kinda cool, you're a prince! There's no need to be so panicked."
Izuku smiled, even in this strange land, this strange dream, he saw a glimmer of what felt almost like normality.
Which is of course why it was instantly shattered by the sounds of screaming and explosions.
"Nomu attack." Sansho stated instantly, his head whipping around as if he'd heard a voice no-one else could.
Wait, Nomu? Here?
And Sansho was gone, charging out of the cottage, drawing his sword in one fluid motion.
Maybe super-hearing is this Todoroki's magical ability, seems a bit more different than the others though.
"I must defend this town!" Tenra declared, standing unsteadily.
"Prince Tenra, you're far too injured to fight! Allow us to fight in your place this day." Kocha insisted, the screams getting louder and closer, snarls mixed in with them.
Tenra shook his head decisively. "No, right now, I'm the closest thing this kingdom has to an All King, I have to fight, for the safety and freedom of my people!"
Izuku smiled slightly.
This is the Iida I know.
Tenra placed his hand on his face, index and middle finger on his forehead above each eye, thumb under his right eye and last two fingers curled tight into his palm.
"Tempus. Adcelero. Capitis."
He's using a spell to hasten his the passage of time on his body, healing himself essentially naturally, but much faster.
Tenra's hand dropped, his eyes alert and focused once more. "Izure, I must implore you to return Hinode to me."
But Izuku couldn't do that, for all he knew this sword was a metaphysical representation of the real world One For All, hanging in limbo between him and Iida.
If he gave it up now, he may never wake, and he had to.
Because Izuku had a promise to keep.
I'll save you, Eri!
"I can't." Izuku apologised. "But I can fight alongside you."
Tenra shook his head. "I can't allow it, you're a civilian, I can't put you at risk."
"I'm no civilian, Tenra. I'm your brother." Izuku implored. "You said it was your burden as prince to protect the people of Restaria, well I'm a prince too then, we share that burden between us!"
No-one spoke, Izuku felt like Tenra was gazing into his very soul, and then.
"I suppose it is your duty as well." Tenra acquiesced.
Izuku released a breath he didn't know he was holding, a grim smile forming on his face.
Tenra was the first out the door, using a non-verbal spell to provide a minor boost to his speed, Izuku only a few steps behind him.
Lars was burning.
The monsters came from the North Road, the direction of Darthmorr.
They were quite similar to the Nomu of the real world, beaks in the place of mouths, their brains exposed. However, they were far smaller, a similar height to Tenra, and far more numerous.
Their movements were unnatural, their grey skin dripping liquid clay.
Izuku watched as Tenra cleaved the head of the nearest Nomu, crushing it under his boot as soon as it hit the ground.
The Nomu crumbled to dust.
They're far more fragile.
Izuku drew Hinode, swinging wildly and sloppily, clearly Izure had never done any sword training.
The sword cut through the Nomu's arm, the limb dropping to the cobbles, before dissolving.
The Nomu roared as its arm began to regrow.
"Great, Hyper Regeneration." Izuku sighed, no copy of it appearing in his quirkspace, the spell must have been cast as a passive effect when it was created.
Izuku swung again, missing entirely this time and nearly falling over.
"Hey, Izure, you need to destroy the head!" Kocha called, holding her hand out and floating three Nomu high into the air.
And then released, the monsters smashing in nothingness as they hit the ground.
Note to self, do not annoy Uraraka.
Reaching his own hand out, Izuku cast a Summoning spell on the head of the Nomu.
Catching it against his palm and closing his fingers around, Izuku called on One For All, imagining as small of an amount as he could.
Egg in the microwave. Egg in the microwave.
Izuku's fingers tore through the Nomu's clay head like paper mache, destroying it instantly.
Hissing in pain, Izuku held his hand up, the fingertips were bruised, but nothing was broken.
That was around thirty percent, half of what I can access right now, but I can't keep using that amount if I injure myself again and again.
Eventually those injuries will add up.
Ducking a swing of a Nomu's arm, Izuku kicked it in the chest, forcing it backwards.
"Help! Help me! Please!"
Izuku recognised the voice. It was Harzol, one of his students.
Charging forwards, Izuku made a beeline for the source of the shouting, a half collapsed cottage.
Taking the groaning stairs two at a time, Izuku turned the corner to see Harzol trapped under a fallen section of roof, a Nomu bearing down on him.
Drawing Hinode with a yell, Izuku drove it through the back of the Nomu's head, the monster shattering to dust immediately.
"Mr. Izure?"
"It's okay, Harzol." Izuku gave the boy his most reassuring smile. "It's going to be okay now. I am here."
Harzol nodded frantically, the sobs starting to slow. "I can't move, I'm trapped."
"Then let's fix that then." Izuku assured, sheathing Hinode and grasping the fallen section of the roof.
Heaving with all his might, Izuku could barely move the debris.
I could use Kocha's ability to lift the roof, but that wall behind looks like it would fall on him then.
Izuku glanced back and forth between the debris and the wall, he would need to use two proficiencies at once, something Izuku didn't know if he could do in this world.
If only I could limit One For All's output.
And then it hit him. He could, and he'd known how to since the USJ incident.
Izuku needed to treat One For All like a circuit, just like he did when he used multiple quirks at once.
Calling on One For All in his arms, Izuku imagined the base quirk at the battery and the output as a bulb, before adding the largest resistor he could think of.
With a shout, Izuku heaved at the roof.
And lifted it, not without considerable effort, but he did it, using the debris to stop the wall falling on Harzol.
"Go!" Izuku grunted. "Get out of the way."
Harzol did as he was told, scurrying towards the top of the stairs.
Izuku let the roof drop, the wall collapsing on top of it. Taking a step back, Izuku wiped the sweat off his brow.
He'd done, he'd finally done it, he'd finally managed to control One For All's output.
That was one percent, I must be able to handle at least three or four percent without any injuries.
Turning, Izuku scooped Harzol up. "Let's get out of here."
Heading back down the stairs Izuku moved to the doorway, checking the coast was clear before he went back out into the street.
Not much had changed, Kocha was still floating and dropping the Nomu, Tenra cutting through them with ease.
Those flashes of light coming from further down the road must be Sansho, guess he does have some kind of fire magic after all.
"Aunt Hokyo! Uncle Denshi!" Harzol shouted.
Izuku turned his head to look towards the centre of town, catching sight of Harzol's aunt and uncle in the distance. The latter was waving frantically while the former held off the Nomu surrounding them.
Racing out, Izuku dodged the swipe of a Nomu's clawed hand and made a break for Harzol's aunt and uncle.
Skidding to a halt, Izuku handed the young boy off to his uncle, while his aunt sliced the head of the Nomu clean it two.
Izuku dimly realised he recognised her.
It was Jiro, a little older than the real world, perhaps seventeen.
"Uncle Denshi, Mr. Izure saved me, it was super cool!" Harzol announced as his uncle hugged him tight.
"Ya gave us a fright, kid." Denshi said, sighing in relief.
The uncle was Kaminari, older again, with a goatee and longer hair, lacking his lightning bolt.
"And I'm not your uncle, kid." Denshi added. "Kyo and I aren't married."
"Not yet you aren't." Harzol refuted, his tone sounding hopeful.
"A little help here." Hokyo grunted, before screaming, releasing a sonic blast that turned a Nomu's entire upper half to rubble.
Izuku felt a new magical ability join the others, Sound Manipulation.
"On it." Denshi gave her a thumbs up and dashed towards, touching three Nomu in quick succession, leaving a glowing red handprint on each one.
Moving away from the Nomu, Denshi raised his hand and clicked his fingers.
Instantly, with a crack of thunder, the three Nomu exploded, the force emanating out from the points Denshi had touched.
Another magical ability was added to his quirkspace.
Thunder Touch, allows the caster to use spells that apply a concussive force by touch, they can be detonated by a variety of methods, including with a snap of their fingers.
"Fall back to the town square." Izuku instructed. "Set up some kind of blockade in case we can't stop the Nomu."
Denshi looked happy to oblige, Hokyo less so.
"Why should we be taking orders from you, Izure?" Hokyo questioned. "You're a school teacher and I'm a Lieutenant of the Town Guard, I have authority."
A sound behind them.
Izuku drew Hinode and turned, slicing the Nomu's head clean off.
"This is why you should be listening to me."
Both Hokyo and Denshi's eyes widened, recognising the blade.
"No way, Izure's got the missing blade of Yoichi!" Denshi exclaimed. "Cool!"
Harzol cheered along with his not-uncle.
"Look out!"
Charging One For All into his blade, Izuku spun around, slicing through the Nomu bearing down on him.
Now, I'll use Hokyo's magic.
Activating Sound Manipulation, Izuku cast a non-verbal resonance spell and opened his mouth, ready to release the sonic attack.
He never had the chance, instead the spell was channelled into Hinode, the blade's vibrations amplified in volume until the Nomu exploded.
I can channel spells through the sword, instead of my body.
Switching to Thunder Touch, Izuku dashed forwards, making small slashes to two Nomu's arms.
Seconds later, with a crack of thunder, they exploded into a shower of dirt and clay, taking the head with it.
"Fall back to the town square, you need to defend the civilians in case more Nomu are sent from another direction." Izuku instructed as he destroyed another Nomu, this time with a three percent One For All punch.
Hokyo nodded. "Don't die."
"Not planning on it." Izuku replied, covering Hokyo, Denshi and Harzol as they ran back towards town.
Not again.
Looking up, Izuku saw the horde of Nomu charging towards him, twelve in total.
Let's try something a bit different, if can imbue the sword's attacks with other abilities, can I do the same with a Smash?
Charging One For All and Thunder Touch into his arm, Izuku raced forwards and jumped high into the air with the aid of Kocha's magic.
"THUNDER SMASH!"
Landing prone, Izuku slammed his fist down onto the cobble street, creating a spiderweb of cracks and green shockwave that tore all the Nomu to shreds.
Standing straight, Izuku looked at his hand, his mind running at a mile a minute with all the possibilities there were to explore with these Combination Smashes.
I wonder if I can do the same in the real world? I don't see why not.
A gout of flame shot past Izuku, melting a Nomu that was creeping up on Kocha.
Sansho charged into view, fire flaring from the palms of his hands with every thrust.
Fire Manipulation joined the rest of his new power, taking the total count to six.
Then came a wave of ice, freezing a small group of Nomu solid as they attacked, their momentum forcing them to top to the ground and shatter on impact.
Another Sansho raced after the other, his hair all white, grey eyes glaring at the Nomu.
Two Sanshos, is Todoroki two people in this world?
As if to answer Izuku's thoughts, the two versions of Sansho merged, almost creating the familiar visage of Todoroki, his hair split the opposite way and lacking his scar.
Two more powers joined the rest, Ice Manipulation and Elemental Division, but Izuku could tell the two Manipulation proficiencies were tied to the Division spells somehow.
"Tenra! They're merging!" Kocha shouted. "It's going to go Zenith!"
Izuku turned, the remaining Nomu were congregating, their bodies fusing together as they clambered over each.
When it finally stopped, Izuku's blood ran cold.
The Shock Nomu, from the USJ attack.
"A Zenith Nomu!" Tenra hissed, banishing his sword and charging with a burst of enhanced speed. "Eligar Burst!"
A giant hand flung out, the Nomu blocking Tenra's attempted slice to its head.
Tenra stumbled as he landed, breathing heavily.
That must be this world's version of Recipro Burst, meaning Tenra's magic must stall like his engines do.
The Zenith Nomu lumbered towards Tenra, the young Prince trying and failing to stand.
"Lift! Please lift!" Kocha shouted, casting her magic again and again, not strong enough for a beast this size.
A wave of ice shot out, freezing one of the giant's legs in place.
It paid it no heed, ripping it clean off, the limb regrowing in a matter of seconds.
Izuku watched as the severed limb shattered into dust, the ice overcoming the healing factor.
I know how to do this! It'll block any strike to the head, thus stopping it from being destroyed, but if I combine? Yes, that will do it!
Holding up Hinode, Izuku charged the full sixty percent of One For All into the blade, followed by Sansho's Ice Manipulation.
Burst forward with a four percent One For All-powered leap, Izuku raised his sword and slashed at the Nomu.
"GLACIAL SMASH!"
The sword sliced through the Nomu's arm, ice exploding out of the point of impact and enveloping the giant completely.
Izuku hit the ground with a roll, and then back onto his feet, clear of the Nomu as it toppled over, shattering instantly.
Sheathing Hinode, Izuku winced as he looked down at his arm. It was bruised and aching all over like Kirishima had run into it with his quirk on it, but it wasn't broken.
He'd done it, Lars was safe.
This town, these people, may only be a dream, but I'll save them anyway.
That's what it means to be a hero.
Izuku took a wobbly step forward.
Giving help that's not asked for is part of what makes a true hero.
Isn't that right, All Might?
Izuku collapsed to one knee, his body exhausted, that last smash had drained him more than he'd realised.
Huh, I forgot. Every magic system has its costs and limitations. Great or small, they're always there.
He'd found this world's cost.
Izuku slumped face first, asleep before he hit the ground.
Night had fallen.
Inza tucked her son into his bed, his bruised arm bandaged and a minor healing spell applied.
Hinode rested at the side of the bed.
"Is he going to be okay?"
Inza turned, seeing Kocha at the bedroom door, Tenra and Sansho behind her.
"He's just tired, Tozanori was the same the first time he used all the sword's power." Inza assured. "A good night's rest and he'll be as good as new."
"That's great." Kocha sighed.
Sansho nodded stiffly. "It is. A formidable fighter like your son is a great asset."
"Don't sound so formal, Sho!" Kocha exclaimed. "You're going to turn into Tenra at this rate!"
"Don't call me Sho."
"Make me!" Kocha grinned.
"Please do not cause such a rabble, Izure is sleeping!" Tenra admonished, chopping his arm.
"You're the one being loud." Kocha noted.
Tenra hung his head in shame. "I have become what I fear the most, uncouth."
Kocha stifled a giggle.
Inza smiled fondly, reminded of her days as an adventurer.
Trekking around the kingdom with her friends, her allies, her family.
Tozanori. Amdala. Genzai.
But those days were gone, she was the only one left now.
"Will you be leaving?" Inza queried, subtly shifting her body to shield Hinode from sight.
She wouldn't allow Tenra to take it while Izure was recovering.
Tenra shook his head. "No, Izure has bonded with the sword, and I must humbly admit, he is far more proficient with a blade of Yoichi than I."
Kocha rolled her eyes. "What he's trying to say is he's sorry for being a dick and he wants to learn from Izure."
Tenra turned red and spluttered indignantly.
Inza brushed her son's hair away from his face. "Using the blade so instinctually, he's just like his father in that way."
Tenra gave a funny expression, clearly still not used to the idea that Izure was his brother, and his older brother at that.
Kocha spoke up. "We've booked rooms at one of the taverns in the town, what was it called again, it had a silly name."
"You mean the Bellowing Walrus." Inza supplied. "It used to be called something else but the owner lost a bet."
"With who?" Sansho queried.
"Me." Inza smiled. "You're all welcome for breakfast in the morning. Tenra, if you're anything like Tozanori, you'll be hungry after all the energy you used wielding that sword. Izure will be too."
Both Tenra and Sansho went to decline the offer, only to be immediately cowed by Kocha's glare.
Returning to normal, Kocha smiled. "That sounds amazing, Inza, thank you very much for your generosity."
Sansho awkwardly nodded along. "Indeed."
Kocha glanced at Tenra.
"Say something." The dark-haired girl whispered. "Thank her."
Tenra started, before bowing. "Of course, we are humbled by your gracious offer, Lady Inza."
Kocha face-palmed, muttering to herself. "Why is he bowing? No-one's done that since the fourth millennium, it isn't the dark ages anymore."
Tenra straightened. "We should be off, the night grows long, sleep is required after such a busy day."
Kocha nodded in agreement. "Night, Inza, see you in the morning!"
With a flurry of farewells and valedictions, the three teens departed, leaving Inza alone at her son's bedside.
Inza leaned over, Izure's hand in her's, placing a kiss on his forehead.
"I am so proud of you." Inza said with a watery smile. "So would your father be if he was here now."
Inza took a seat at the side of the bed, still holding Izure's hand.
"Wake up soon."
Inko Midoriya stood alone at her son's bedside.
A heart rate monitor beeped in the background as Izuku's chest rose and fell, he was breathing on his own now.
Inko leaned over, Izuku's hand in her's, placing a kiss on his forehead.
"I am so proud of you." Inko said with a watery smile. "So would your father be if he was here now."
Inko took a seat at the side of the bed, still holding Izuku's hand.
"Wake up soon."
A sob echoed through the hospital room.
"Please."