Hey everyone I'm back with another chapter! Hope you all are doing well during these chaotic times! Once again, thanks for clicking on my story (and sorry about the long wait. College has been putting me through the wringer!). Anyways, I'm going to go ahead and cut this off here, I've got a lot of content for this month's chapter, so look forward to it. After all, this is the point in the story I've been waiting for ages to write, so please, without further delay, let's get on with the story!
Notice of hiatus: Yeah, sorry about the 5 month wait. Don't worry, I wasn't on a ventilator or anything like that. I was actually working on publishing my first book, which I've finally finished after quite a few years. To avoid this being an advertisement, I'm not going to list the book's name or anything like that. But just know that's why I've been off the radar for a while. Now that it's out, I plan on taking a break to finally focus on fanfiction again, so enjoy it! And thanks for your patience!
Disclaimer: I don't own -man or BNHA, all rights go to their respective owners
Chapter Twenty-One: Different
The breeze was heavy that day atop the radio tower. With every slight movement, every twitch, Allen felt the world around him begin to warp and deform. In an instant, he felt his chest begin to tighten as his heartbeat skyrocketed. "What's going on?" he thought, dumbfounded and at a loss for words, as he tenderly touched his bulging cursed eye. As if the hand of God had broken a proverbial wall, a putrid black ooze was gushing out of it like a never-ending waterfall of dark tears. His classmates below, who were oblivious to his current situation, could only watch on in confusion as he stood there—frozen in place like some sort of twisted ice sculpture.
"What in the world is he doing?!" Monoma asked himself as he dodged one of Ashido's attacks. "Hey, Walker, get down here and help!" he called out, but his cries fell on deaf ears. Like a drum, the atmosphere of the world seemed to fluctuate with every passing moment. As tension rose to unbearable levels, Allen found his right hand instinctively grasping his left arm. It wasn't just him, Crown Clown could feel it as well; something terrible was about to happen.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the city—near a large public beach—the ocean was slowly beginning to sink back towards the horizon. This change was calm and subtle, so much so that no one, not even the heroes, noticed as the white seafloor gradually began to seep up to the surface. The only person who recognized this danger was, of course, Allen. Who, from his perch atop the radio tower, could easily detect the rapidly approaching catastrophe. "It can't be," he thought as he bit his lip. Suddenly, flashes of past briefings at the Black Order shot through his mind. Specifically, ones pertaining to the identifying markers of certain dangerous akuma. "For the ocean to flow back so much... how many of them are there?!" With every moment, a new onslaught of knowledge assaulted Allen's being, making his knees weak and his face sickeningly pale. As he hurried to gather his scattered thoughts, Allen found himself looking over the railing at Midoriya down below—who was quite confused.
"Is he okay?" the boy pondered as he scratched his forehead. During this brief period of distraction, Monoma and Kodai were quick to unleash a flurry of attacks upon him. However, they were too slow, and Midoriya was able to dodge in time.
"Dammit!" Monoma cursed as he once again looked up at Walker. "What?" he thought when he noticed his teammate's legs begin to tremble and buckle, "is he sick or something?" In an instant, Monoma contemplated pausing the match. After all, if his teammate really was ill, he couldn't allow this fight to continue. But, just as he was about to raise his hand, Walker shot back up.
"You've got to be kidding me," he mumbled as he bit his lip. "Why's my left eye deactivating now?!" At the worst possible moment, Allen felt his curse begin to dissipate. This effect, of course, could've been due to a deluge of reasons. During his time as an exorcist, he had the displeasure of fighting in a talisman-covered arena that purposefully negated his ability. However, that couldn't have been what was going on. "There's a chance that the akuma dived deep below sea level, enough to the point that they're out of the range of my curse." If that was the case, then there wasn't anything he could do. "Could this mean that they know I'm here?!" Allen asked himself, shocked, as he rubbed some sweat off his brow. Without the aid of his eye, he was incapable of locating the demons. This meant that he was barred from safely eliminating them in secret—if he was even capable of doing so. As the possibilities swirled through his mind, Allen came up with an idea that made his stomach churn. "My God... they're waiting for nightfall." Akuma weren't idiots, they were weapons designed to kill as many humans as possible. If what he thought was really lurking underneath the water's surface, then it'd be much more efficient for them to bide their time until after the majority of the city's populace were asleep. "If I don't do something, this town is going to be overflown by a river of death." As a host for innocence, he couldn't let that happen. "That said," he started as he turned his attention back to his teammates fighting below, "what can I even do?" It wasn't like he could warn the heroes of the rapidly approaching slaughter—they wouldn't believe him. Plus, that would only result in needless deaths. He was the last exorcist left, after all. Even if all of them fought, they'd quickly be killed and tossed to the wayside.
"Mr. Walker, can you hear me?" a digitized voice asked—snapping Allen out of his thoughts. The culprit was a small drone hovering in the air a few meters away, no doubt belonging to one of the teachers grading this little activity. "You suddenly stopped moving, you see. Would you like to drop out of this battle?" Mr. Aizawa and the other teachers couldn't have him spacing out in the middle of such a dangerous examination, after all. However, with Allen's mind currently in shambles, he didn't respond.
"Mr. Walker?" the drone asked again, but the silence remained, weighing the atmosphere down with an unsettling aura. Of course, none of the heroes recognized the reason for Allen's strange actions. They could only watch on in confusion as the remaining students fought down below. Little did they know, this was the beginning of one of humanity's most trying moments. Slowly, a disaster the likes of which the modern world couldn't even fathom was trundling towards them. In just a few hours, the rules of their feeble society would be turned on its head—for better or for worse.
"Do you think something's wrong?" Aizawa asked All Might as he pinched the bridge of his nose. For a moment, he was actually quite impressed by the boy's agile reflexes and ample strategic skill. All by his lonesome, Walker was—albeit momentarily—able to hold off Midoriya's team. Truth be told, he didn't think such a thing was possible for someone with no quirk.
"I've got no idea," All Might responded as he scratched his temple. "Maybe he's trying to survey the arena for some sort of advantage?" he continued, but his conjecture was hastily shot down.
"There's no way," Aizawa started, "he was absolutely tearing into the opposing team. I can't imagine that someone as careful as Walker would just give that advantage up to do whatever it is he's doing now." Everyone was confused. However, before they could get too deep into their own personal theories, All Might felt his phone begin to ring.
"Hmm?" the hero mumbled as he fished the device out of his pocket. "The Hero Association?" he continued as he accepted the call and held the speaker up to his ear. "Yes," he started, "this is All Might. What's going on?" After a few moments of silence, the man sighed, turned off his phone, and leaned against one of the nearby walls.
"What's up?" Aizawa asked with a raised eyebrow. "The Association doesn't typically call on a whim like that. Is it the League?" All Might shook his head. Truth be told, he had no idea.
"They simply told me to inform you guys to stand by, I've got a feeling that they've got their hands tied. They also want any trainees ready for deployment as well, apparently."
"You serious?" Aizawa was shocked. "This must be one hell of an operation to require this many bodies. Are they planning on gathering every hero in the city?" Yet again, All Might shrugged and shook his head.
"Don't worry," the man started as he placed a hand on his fellow teacher's shoulder. "I didn't get the impression that whatever caused this was that urgent. They probably just want to gather all of us for a regulation meeting after that whole mess with Endeavor and that special nomu." Truth be told, they were rather short on powerful heroes at the moment. In that case, assembling all of them for an emergency briefing would make some sense. However, even though he knew this, All Might couldn't stop himself from worrying. "I've got to perk up!" the hero thought as he tried his best to motivate himself. No matter what happened, he'd be there to lead Midoriya and his classmates every step of the way.
"For their sake, I sure hope you're right," Aizawa responded as the pair of teachers turned their attention back to the main monitor. Of course, the battle was still underway. With Uraraka and Ashido acting as backup, 1-A was able to cut massive swathes through 1-B's front line. Without the aid of their fourth member, Monoma and his teammates began to fall behind. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before their team was completely routed.
"Damn, this isn't even fair," Kirishima started with a frown. "It doesn't appear that Walker's been brainwashed by Shinso, so can't you just force him to go in and fight? Since he doesn't have a quirk, I understand why he'd be hesitant to just dive in against someone like Midoriya, but that doesn't excuse abandoning his comrades like this." At the boy's words, Bakugo, Yaoyorozu, and the rest of the onlooking students nodded in agreement. None of them wanted to throw Walker under the bus—especially since they were all trying to make amends for their earlier actions—but what they were seeing was simply inexcusable!
"You should listen to him," Kaminari said as he scratched the back of his head. "This sort of thing is built around trust, you can't let someone who wants to be a hero stand on the sidelines like this. It ain't right. Not to 1-B, or even Walker himself." Sometimes, it was the most unexpected people who hit the nail on the head. As much as All Might wanted to give Walker the benefit of the doubt, he agreed that he couldn't let this continue.
"Should we dock him points? Or maybe issue him a warning?" All Might asked as he frustratingly rolled his fingers against a nearby desktop. Aizawa shrugged. At this point, that was their only option.
"I'll be the one to break the news," the man spoke as he grabbed one of the nearby mics. "Why don't you go ahead and—" he stopped when All Might's phone once again started to ring. It was probably the Association trying to touch base about their previous call.
"Hmm," All Might grunted as he pursed his lips. "I don't like this. They usually wait about an hour or two before sending a follow-up. Do you mind?" he continued as Aizawa gave him a thumbs up.
"Go for it, I've got this."
"Make sure you're not too rough on him. Remember, Walker's only a teenager, there's a chance that he's just confused about something." Hopefully, that was really all this was. And so, as All Might snuck out into the hallway, Aizawa swiftly turned his attention back to the battlefield. However, right as he grabbed the drone's controller, a truly bizarre sight caught his eye.
"What the hell?" the hero thought as he clenched his teeth. "Is that... Midoriya?!"
With Walker's absence, Monoma's team quickly fell into a state of chaos. Without the support of their fifth member, they were hastily surrounded and cornered into a large makeshift building. They were on their last legs, and—to be honest—it was a miracle that none of them had been captured yet. "Damn, talk about an inconvenience!" Kodai cursed as she cracked her knuckles. "Is he still standing up there?" she asked as she stealthily surveyed their surroundings.
"Yeah," Shoda started as he bit his lip. "I can't believe he just stopped like that. How can we defeat 1-A if we're down a member?" His question floated in the air like a pungent stench, filling the room as if it were a dense fog.
"Can we stop talking about Walker!" Monoma yelled as he ground his teeth together. Nothing was going as planned. "If we want to pull ourselves out of this mess, we've got to think and come up with some sort of contingency plan." If they could simply separate Midoriya from the rest of the pack, they'd be able to take out the rest of their opponents one by one.
"That's easier said than done," Kodai mumbled as she rubbed one of her bruised arms. "That team packs a punch, and they're in full swing. Our only chance is if we can somehow distract their leader, but that's basically impossible at this point. Midoriya's both strong and fast, after all. How can we possibly get around such an overwhelming quirk?" At his classmate's words, Monoma frowned and rubbed his temples.
"When in doubt, return to basics," the boy said as he scratched his chin. "We won't be able to fight him head-on, but that kid's a hero fanboy if I've ever seen one. All we need to do is catch him under the right circumstances and he's ours." Shoda and Kodai scoffed, if only it were that easy.
"What're you suggesting, Monoma?" one of them asked as their leader watched Mineta slowly approach their position.
"I'm saying that we should take a hostage," he responded, his eyes scouring Midoriya's teammates for the best possible choice. "None of our quirks are particularly powerful, but they're adaptable. Even without Walker's help, we should be able to handle this on our own." Truth be told, most of what Monoma was saying was a courageous front. Being one man short, they were naturally at a disadvantage.
"We aren't allowed to do that, right?" Yanagi added as she used her quirk to gather nearby debris for ammunition. "Remember, this is supposed to be a training activity for heroes. If we ever have to resort to such underhanded tactics, then we've already lost." Monoma frowned as his teammates all nodded in agreement. There were some lines they just couldn't cross.
"That's true," he agreed, "but I don't mean that we literally capture one of them like a gang of villains. All I'm saying is that we should single one out. If we all attack someone like Mineta—whose quirk is somewhat lacking in the raw power department—we'll be able to catch their leading members completely by surprise." In a way, this contest was almost like a house of cards. Both sides were masterfully using teamwork to try and pull the rug out from their opponents' feet. All they needed was one chance for 1-A's strategy to come crumbling down.
"Just a heads up, they're going to reach this place soon," Shoda told them as he bit his lip. "Damn," he thought, "I really wished that Shinso was taken out during that earlier assault. His power's a pain to deal with."
"Let me guess," Monoma started as he stretched his arms over his head. "You're worried about Shinso, aren't you?" He didn't even have to look at Shoda for him to know that was the case—it was obvious. Besides Midoriya, that boy was the one with the most troublesome quirk. "We'll have to be careful to not get snagged by his ability. Especially when you consider that horrid device wrapped around his jaw." Truth be told, he didn't think that little gadget would be that big of an issue, but, sadly, it had grown to be a massive thorn in his side. "Here's hoping that Walker's paying attention," Monoma hissed as he turned his gaze back to his motionless teammate. They all saw how skilled Allen was thanks to that earlier battle. The last thing they needed was him getting hypnotized. "At the very least, it'll be impossible for 1-A to get the jump on him from that position. I still can't believe how quickly he sped up that spire, but he's only human. With no quirk, it'll take at least a minute for him to climb down safely. And that goes for most of our opponents as well." Midoriya had his hands full serving as his team's vanguard, and it wasn't like Uraraka could simply float up—that would make the girl an easy target. "Prepare to set a trap, guys. Let's show 1-A that they aren't the only ones who can make a heroic comeback!"
"Hear, hear!" Kodai and the others cheered. Thanks to this brief moment of respite, they had a chance to lick their wounds and recover some stamina—one of the few advantages that they had over 1-A. Their opponents had spent all this time searching for them, using Uraraka's quirk to move debris and rubble all the while. If they played their cards right, they might be able to pull off a miracle.
"Okay, everyone, settle down. Remember, we're still a man short," Monoma started as he hurried to get everything ready. "We'll only have one shot at this. If you're all okay with my recommended strategy, we'll target Mineta when they enter this building. Shoda, I want you and Yanagi to take up positions in the rafters. Midoriya will most likely be able to jump up there, so you'll be in danger the second you reveal yourselves. However, this will buy us the precious seconds we need to make our move. Are you two okay with that?"
"You don't even need to ask," Shoda responded with a gleeful grin, while Yanagi—who didn't utter so much as a peep—sprinted off towards her assigned post. Like cogs in a machine, all of them were cleanly and efficiently moving towards their team's common goal.
"We may not command an immense amount of raw power like Bakugo or Todoroki, but we compensate for that with sheer comradery and cunning. It's a lopsided outlook that frequently leaves our class on the wrong foot, but, for some reason, I can't imagine our group being any other way." As Monoma watched all of this unfurl, a strange feeling of melancholy slowly filled his chest. For some reason, this bizarre sense of nostalgia was welling up within him, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. "The air... it's changed," he continued—mumbling to himself—as he saw a flock of birds flying overhead. "Damn," he finished when he saw a crow amongst them, "what an ill omen."
It didn't take long before the battlefield once again erupted in a veritable choir of noise and chaos. Monoma's planned ambush was sprung the second Mineta walked into the building, catching the students of 1-A completely off guard. As they rushed in to corner their target, Uraraka and Midoriya immediately fell back into a defensive formation. However, this was all following their predictions, and before their opponents realized it, they were showered with a rain of projectiles courtesy of Yanagi and Shoda. "We've got to retreat!" Ashido yelled as she threw several handfuls of acid at their attackers. She wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but even she could discern what they were trying to do.
"Cover Mineta and let's get out of here!" Midoriya yelled as he used his quirk to hastily pluck Mineta from the thick of the fighting. As he did this, the boy flooded the floor and walls with an uncountable number of sticky traps—ensuring that they wouldn't be followed.
"Even though he isn't strong, that quirk of his is surprisingly versatile!" Monoma thought when he felt his right hand brush against one of the balls. "Damn!" he cursed as he stretched his disabled appendage as far from his legs as he could. One wrong move and he could very well take himself out. "I definitely made the right call about going after Mineta. These traps are practically an impassable iron curtain when paired with Midoriya's strength and Uraraka's gravity manipulation! We've got to take one of them out here and now!" This desperate thought floated around in the minds of every one of his teammates. They were all desperately trying to turn this horrible situation around; sadly, no matter how hard they tried, they were simply outgunned.
"Monoma! Duck! Shinso's brainwashed Kodai!" he heard Yanagi yell from up above. Thanks to her warning, he was able to dodge his hypnotized friend's attack and avoid taking any serious damage. In the end, even with their ample precautions, it was impossible for them to be perfect.
"It's just one thing after another," Monoma thought as he bit his lip. "One of you run over and snap her out of it!" he screamed as he pushed himself to pick up the pace, using his quirk to momentarily copy Yanagi's abilities to keep 1-A pinned down. "We can't afford to let them get the upper hand! Now's the moment that'll determine the victor of this battle!" He was going to show the whole school that his class was just as deserving of the hero mantle as 1-A, if not more so! With the crushing pressure of the game's outcome weighing upon his shoulders, Monoma—for a split second—began to get anxious. Given the situation, it was only natural. However, when in the middle of a bloody bout, such illogical feelings were destined to pave the way to detrimental decisions. Regrettably, that's exactly what happened. In a futile attempt to keep Mineta inside the building, Monoma used Yanagi's quirk to fling one too many metal projectiles at the boy. He overextended himself, resulting in a flurry of uncontrolled debris that slammed into the nearby support pillars. All Monoma was focused on was the task right in front of him, he couldn't even begin to fathom the bigger picture hovering just above their heads—none of them could. And so, when the structure's foundation began to shake, it appeared to come out of nowhere.
"Gah! What the heck is happening?!" Ashido yelped as she felt a few pebble-like rocks bounce against her skull. In the blink of an eye, the roof of the complex began to collapse. Massive chunks of concrete came crashing down to the floor, nearly flattening Yanagi and Shoda—who were still fighting in the rafters. Even though they were all heroes, the sheer shock this development hoisted upon them caused most to momentarily freeze in place.
"The building is falling apart!" Midoriya thought in horror as his mind raced to create some sort of plan. As he and his teammates were right next to the exit, they could easily escape. However, in this situation, they had more to worry about than the winner of some faux battle. "Monoma and the others are still in there!" Since 1-B's whole strategy revolved around cornering them into a trap, they were all practically burrowed in the rapidly crumbling foundation. Plus, he knew that none of them had quirks that were capable of neutralizing this disaster. If he just dropped everything and left now, the opposing team would be massacred by the falling rocks!
"Midoriya!" Uraraka yelped as she ran up to him. "We've got to do something!" Judging by the rapid rate of the collapse, they only had a handful of precious moments before it would be too late. Monoma and the rest of their classmates from 1-B were trying their best to escape via the windows or any alternative exits, but it wasn't enough.
"Dammit!" Midoriya cursed as he jumped up to kick a few falling pipes aside. "I'm the only one who's fast enough to dive in and save them!" In the end, there was really only one option. That said, even though he had the resolve necessary, Midoriya's feet simply wouldn't budge. When suddenly thrust into such a perilous situation, his natural instinct couldn't help but force him to hesitate. Due to this, the lower half of his body sat motionless for a handful of moments—though to him they felt like hours.
"Shit! We're too slow!" Monoma realized in horror as a pair of large pipes came collapsing down towards them. His team, who were too busy creating a new escape route to notice the sizable debris, didn't have enough time to react. Suddenly, memories of days long past shot through his brain—as if preparing himself for a painful demise.
"I've got to do something! Otherwise, they're all going to die!" Midoriya panicked as his heart throbbed like a war drum. With his legs still out of commission, the only thing he could do was reach out his arms—stretching them so far that they felt like they'd fall off their sockets. With no options left, Midoriya fell back on his training and curled his fingers for a desperate last-ditch attack. "It's a longshot, but maybe I can push some of the rubble aside!" In the milliseconds that followed, he forced every last drop of strength into his right arm. However, right when he was about to release it, something bizarre happened.
"Midoriya, we've got to—" Uraraka was cut off when she noticed a horrifying new development: all alongside Midoriya's arm and fingers was a collection of mysterious black tendrils. At first, she guessed that this was the result of some crazy strategy by 1-B. However, her mind quickly tossed that hypothesis aside. None of their opponents, after all, had a quirk that could do such a thing. No... what was happening now was a completely unforeseen occurrence—one that would eventually rock their humble campus to its knees.
"What in the world... is this?!" Midoriya thought in panic as the black tendrils shot forward like a barrage of bullets, piercing and latching onto every piece of debris in its way. Luckily, this sudden attack also caught the piping which was tumbling down upon 1-B in the crossfire—reducing it to shards of bent metal and broken nuts. In a way, this had effectively solved the sudden crisis; however, now they were thrust into another, even more uncertain, situation. "Run away!" he cried out as he tried his best to reel in his power, but his efforts were useless.
"Dammit, dodge!" Monoma screeched as he forced some of his comrades to duck. "Right out of the frying pan and into the fire, huh?" he thought as he leaped out the crumbling complex.
"Is this some sort of new move?" Kodai theorized as another mass of dark tentacles whizzed past their heads. Monoma frowned. There's no way that was the case.
"This power isn't anything like what we've seen from Midoriya before—it's too different to just be a technique. Plus... if that was all it was... he wouldn't be attacking his own teammates." They weren't the only ones being caught in the crossfire. Mineta, Uraraka, Ashido, and Shinso were all being targeted as well. "That's not something that somebody like Midoriya would do willingly, he's got to be—" Monoma stopped as his blood went cold. Instantly, he recklessly bolted towards 1-A's leader. Normally, he'd use this confusion to his advantage and attack the boy. However, after that near-death experience a few moments ago, his mind was momentarily clear of such thoughts. "If his quirk's going out of control, then we've got to stop it!" he realized as he turned to the rest of 1-A.
"Crap, it's Monoma," Ashido groaned as she raised her arms to defend herself. "Sorry, jerk, but now's not the time!" However, instead of snapping back, Shinso simply raised up his arms—a sign signaling a momentary ceasefire. Confused, his opponents hesitated, allowing him to address the person who he believed could stop this mess.
"Shinso!" he yelled. "Use your brainwashing! Your leader's gone berserk!"
"Huh?" the boy in question thought as he narrowly avoided a slashing tendril. "Brainwash Midoriya? Is he serious?!" Could he really do such a thing? However, upon looking at his leader's pained form, he realized that was the only option. As a hero, he didn't have time to hesitate.
"Got it!" he responded. "What should I ask?" he thought. After a few moments, he finally arrived at his answer. "Okay," he continued as he lowered his mask, "let's hope this works!"
With everyone's gaze firmly focused on Midoriya's sudden new power, few—if any—still had eyes on Allen Walker. The boy was still perched up on his tower, trying his best to collect his thoughts to come up with a possible plan of action. Sadly, no matter what avenue he went down, he always came up short. "There's nothing," he realized as a fistful of bile shot up his throat. "No matter what I say, those guys will never believe me." This might've been a world of superpowers, but demons—for most—were simply too much. Hell, even when the Order was around, he'd come across this issue more often than not. "I'm truly alone in this, huh?" he muttered to the sky as he bit his lip. Regardless of what would happen, he had to do something. He couldn't afford to let the akuma get in position. By that time, it'd already be too late. "Even if I move to attack them at this very moment, I don't have the power to defeat that many powerful devils. I'm... I'm too weak!" he conceded as he scrunched his hand into a frustrated fist. Was there really nothing he could do?
It was then, right when all seemed lost, that something bizarre happened. Suddenly, his left arm spasmed like a captured snake, sending a wave of pain throughout his body. And, as soon as this symptom appeared, it vanished. "Crown Clown?" Allen thought with a raised eyebrow. "What are you trying to tell me?" For some reason, at that moment, a terrifying batch of memories bubbled to the surface: Suman Dark falling from grace. "No," he sputtered out loud, "you can't be telling me to—" Yet again, another spasm threw him to the floor. "I guess that wasn't the right answer," he groaned as he bit his lip. In his haze of confusion, another image entered his mind: that of him forcefully releasing his innocence back in China. "Do you want me to do that again?!" he asked as he grit his teeth—expecting another assault of stinging agony to overtake his being. However, surprisingly, it never came. He'd guessed correctly.
"What?" he whispered, shocked, as he dragged himself off the ground. "That's... what you want?" In hindsight, maybe he should've seen this coming. He hadn't properly used his innocence since the day he arrived in this time. In a multitude of ways, this was similar to when he fought that akuma back at Bak's branch. His weapon was starving—both for demons and to be used—it wanted to be set free. "But... I've never... what'll happen?" After centuries, humanity had steadily gotten more susceptible to innocence's presence. All that chaos with Chin-Mae, and the adverse effects he observed back at the slums, all showed him this. For him to forcefully release his innocence now... he shuddered at the thought. "To defeat the apocalyptic army at my doorstep, I'll have to push myself harder than ever before. Isn't that right, Mana?" Of course, his query was only met with crushing silence. This was truly it. "God, it's been a long time since I've prayed to you, but please, please keep everyone safe." After this, he'd likely not be able to see them anymore. "Shit!" he cursed as he threw out his left arm in front of him. "Now's not the time to hesitate!" he yelled as he directed every last fiber of his being into his innocence. "I'll worry about how they see me after I save them!" he thought as his arm began to glow a blinding light like the sun. "Crown Clown... activate!"
Author's Note
Hey everyone, just writing here to say thanks for clicking on my story! As well as to apologize for how long this update has taken, usually, I like to upload a chapter around the first of every month, but I wasn't able to this month due to classes and my own personal projects! Sorry about that! Anyways, besides all that noise, I've been getting some requests regarding the continuation of my other non-abandoned story, A New Dawn, which hasn't been updated for like two years (oof). First off, for people who read it, I'm sorry it's taken so long. I've been trying to get this story finished first, before going off to finish A New Dawn. And, since this story has gotten to be quite a bit longer than I initially planned, it has taken quite a bit of time. But, don't worry, I do plan on finishing it!
With that out of the way, again, thank you for all of your feedback and comments. They really helped with growing my writing as well as ensuring that this story is of the highest quality I can manage. So, again, thanks for that! Again, thanks for all your support, and I'll see you guys on the next chapter of A Tale of Two Endlings!
Chapter Twenty-Two: God's Last Angel
