Hey, all! Welcome back to ATOTE! I'm sure everyone just wants to get to the action, so I'll keep this brief. Anyways, thanks for clicking on the story, and let's get on with it!

Disclaimer: I don't own BNHA or DGM, all rights go to their respective owners.


Chapter Twenty-Three: The Sinner's Dance

When confronted with an unknown and unfamiliar concept, it isn't unheard of for people to find themselves in a state of panic. For a brief moment, this was the feeling that coursed through Metal Meister's veins. After hearing Walker's words, it felt as if time had stopped. Of course, the sheer dread of his expression drew quite a few unwanted gazes, but he barely noticed. "Is something happening? Who are you speaking to?" one of the many students from U.A. asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"How long have you been lying to me?" he asked with a frown. It wasn't completely unheard of for quirks to awaken well into adolescence, but it was still exceedingly rare. Considering how calm Walker's voice was, he had no doubt in his mind that this wasn't some recent development.

"Since the day we met," the boy told him. He didn't make any effort to apologize for his dishonesty or even try to come up with some offhanded explanation. It was a matter-of-fact statement that was quite uncharacteristic of the young hero he knew.

"I should've known something was up back when I first fell unconscious after that horrid fire," he thought. He was trained to notice inconsistencies like that, but he just brushed it off. "Do you at least have a good reason for holding back?" Knowing the kid, there wouldn't be any point in him beating around the bush. And, considering how quick Walker's reply was, he understood this perfectly well.

"Yeah."

"Is that all you're going to say?" Something about this didn't sit well with him. He never heard the kid's voice sound so... strained.

"Sorry," he responded as Metal Meister overheard a familiar sound on the other end of the receiver.

"Waves... is he on the coast?" the hero thought. "Where are you?" His tone was as sharp as a razor's edge. "Look, I'm not sure what's going on, but just remember that you've got others who're able to help you." He wasn't going to be able to convince Walker to come back with standard pleas—he was far too uptight for that. Instead, he'd have to appeal to his sense of comradery. "You've always wanted to feel like you belong at U.A. High, this is your chance to achieve that dream." Sadly, before they could cross that bridge, Walker would have to pay the toll. "We've been through quite a bit in the brief time we've known each other," he started with a frown, "Don't you think such a relationship deserves honesty?" If the kid wanted to get anywhere in life, he'd have to be straight with him.

"Hah," the boy sighed, "I'm sorry... I know you're right. It's just... I'm not even sure where to begin." Metal Meister couldn't have known, but, currently, Allen felt like he was lying atop a bed of needles. However, like a dam on the brink of bursting, neither of them could stop the truth.

"Just start with something simple," Metal Meister responded, offering the boy an olive branch of sorts. Now that their conversation had progressed, Metal Meister's previous panic had evolved into a crushing state of depressed acceptance. He was still getting deserved glances from his fellow heroes, not to mention numerous worried gazes from All Might and the others, but he ignored them. Honestly, at that moment, it felt as if he was the only person in the world.

"Did anything happen to my classmates after they fell unconscious?"

"Since you know about that, I'm going to hazard a guess that that's your quirk?" Powers that granted one control over another's state of mind weren't exactly unheard of. However, there was definitely more to this puzzle.

"If that were all it was, I wouldn't have kept my abilities hidden," Walker answered him with a sad chuckle. Metal Meister immediately knew where this was headed. If the kid really was the reason for all the unexplained phenomena he'd run across over the past few months, then it was logical to assume that he was also responsible for some of the more... unsavory... events.

"And Chin-Mae? Did you—"

"No, well, at least, not on purpose," Walker immediately cut him off. The pang of guilt in his tone told him all he needed to know. Judging by the boy's reactions, it was obvious that this wasn't his first rodeo.

"You're strangely calm, given the circumstances," Metal Meister muttered as he watched a pebble of shattered brick fall from the ceiling. After a few more moments of silence, he frowned and turned his attention to Walker's classmates—who were all quite confused as to why he was acting in such a bizarre manner. "They're okay," he told the kid, who let out a sigh of relief. "I can tell you're struggling." Walker wasn't exactly the sort of person who frequently opened up to others. "So, why don't we start with something simple?" He'd open this can of worms little by little. The boy didn't respond, as if he was asking him to continue. "Welp, how about this, when was the first time you threw yourself into the battlefield?" Truth be told, he always wanted to ask this question, but he just never had the chance.

"Hah!" the boy chortled, "You could tell?"

"That clears up any doubts, I guess," Metal Meister thought as he nudged his way past All Might, who was still quite bewildered, and headed out into the hallway. "I didn't think there were any mercenary groups that accepted children. Is the world really that far gone?" he haphazardly flung his first hypothesis out into the open, however, like most of his theories, it fell flat on its face.

"Is that what you think?"

"It isn't exactly like you're giving me much to work with," Metal Meister responded in a frustrated tone. "What? Unless you're about to tell me that you're some grizzled veteran," he joked. Surprisingly, though, Walker remained silent. "Wait..." he continued, "Walker, c'mon, you can't be serious." Forget about being trained, being put through such a horrendous ordeal at his age was simply unheard of! Sadly, neither he nor the boy had the time for him to properly digest this new revelation.

"I'll just start at the beginning," Walker spoke. He obviously couldn't explain things like innocence and the like over a simple phone call, but a basic explanation of his predicament would be enough to placate Metal Meister, at least for now. And so, without waiting for the man to reply, he dove into a veritable trove of old, unpleasant memories. "Let's just hope this doesn't take too long."


Midoriya and his fellow classmates' eyes followed Metal Meister's back as the hero stormed out of the hall. "That was... surprising," All Might muttered as the conference continued awkwardly in the background. Metal Meister's adverse actions had garnered quite a bit of attention. Of course, in this hectic situation, none of them were willing to pry into what was going on.

"Judging by what little I overheard, maybe a member of his family or a comrade lied to him about something?" Todoroki added. "Perhaps they got caught up in the blast?"

"No way, a pro like Metal Meister wouldn't act like that when the city's in the middle of a crisis," Midoriya told him. He hadn't spent years doing research on heroes for nothing, after all. "Still... it does make you wonder." Whatever was happening, it had to be important.

"You three," Aizawa cut in as he motioned for Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki to come closer. "Go and check on him." They weren't the only ones who'd noticed that something was amiss. "This town just got bombed, we need everyone in their tiptop shape." They couldn't afford to let a prominent figure like Metal Meister freak out and lower morale like that.

"Got it!" Midoriya said with a slight nod. Bakugo, surprisingly, hurried after him without so much as a grunt. "I guess even he recognizes how heavy the situation is." There was nothing like the fear of death to put the pep back in a person's step.

"Think someone died?" the boy asked as he adjusted one of his gauntlets.

"That's certainly possible," Todoroki murmured. "Although, I didn't think Metal Meister had much in the way of family in this town." He'd done his research, apparently. It was true that the vast majority of heroes around Metal Meister's rank were lone wolves, but that came with the territory.

"Maybe," Midoriya responded. "Back during the parent-teacher conference, he seemed rather protective of Walker." If he could get that worked up over a student, then Metal Meister's actions were quite believable. They continued to chat like this until they exited the bustling hall, heading out into an empty lobby where—of course—they found the aforementioned hero.

"Wait a minute... stop!" Bakugo hastily whispered as he grabbed his classmates' shoulders. Before either of them had the chance to ask the boy what was wrong, Bakugo silently motioned for them to turn their attention to Metal Meister's face. Resting upon it was an expression none of them thought the hero was capable of making. It was a combination of fear, dread, pity, anger, and a whole array of other negative emotions. "I don't think that that's a family member talking to him."

"Yeah," Todoroki thought, dumbfounded, as he watched the distressed hero collapse into a nearby bench.

"How's that possible?" they overheard him say. "What sort of military organization would accept someone like you?"

"Military?" Midoriya pondered with pursed lips, his curiosity rising with every word.

"Does anyone else know about all this?" the man asked after a few moments of silence. "Well... thank goodness," he sighed, "We can't risk having this information leak. If your testimony falls into the wrong hands, it could be used to blackmail you." There were only so many ways criminals could compromise U.A.'s walls, extortion was one of them. "Yeah, you're right, I guess I'm being a bit paranoid," he continued as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. Not seeing an end to this conversation in sight, Bakugo bit his lip and walked out into the open.

"Yo, Metal Meister, is everything okay?" he asked. "You've been acting weird ever since you picked up your phone." There was no way that the man didn't notice half the auditorium staring at him. As fellow heroes, it was their duty to help one another. However, Bakugo's words fell on deaf ears. Metal Meister barely even registered his presence. "That must be one hell of a phone call," the boy thought with an annoyed glare. Eventually, though, his persistence bore fruit, and the stressed hero had no choice but to acknowledge him.

"Hold on a second," Metal Meister told whoever he was talking to before placing the receiver close to his chest. "What do you want, boy?" Normally, he wouldn't be so standoffish, but, given the situation, he didn't really have any other options.

"All Might and the other pros sent us to check on you," Midoriya hastily added, trying his best to diffuse the tension.

"Oh, is that all?" Metal Meister thought. He knew his actions must've drawn some attention, but it wasn't like he could simply suppress his emotions, what the kid was telling him was simply too insane for that to be possible. "I'm sorry... I've just got a lot on my mind."

"That's obvious," Bakugo whispered under his breath. "Who are you talking to, anyway?"

"I don't feel comfortable answering that question," Metal Meister stopped the boy dead in his tracks. As one of Walker's supporters, he wouldn't disclose anything without the kid's permission.

"I see."

"They're getting suspicious," the man thought with a sigh. "I've got to throw them off the scent. They can't afford to be distracted by this now." With that, he pulled out the best poker face he could manage and gave the boys a faux smile. "Listen, I know my actions have been distressing, but, please, don't worry. None of it concerns any of you. Once I'm done here, I'll be back in the auditorium like nothing ever happened, okay?" When in a crisis, offering a moment of normalcy was a tactic he found to be surprisingly effective. However, Midoriya and the others refused to take the bait.

"Don't be ridiculous," Todoroki said as he placed a hand on Metal Meister's shoulder, "We all heard what you were talking about, so let us help!" They were all heroes for a reason, after all. "The city just got attacked, we can't have you lowering everyone's morale. You know that." Todoroki's words were uncharacteristically crass, but, that lack of tact made his point painfully clear.

"Hey, is that my classmates?" they overheard someone say on the other end of the line. Metal Meister immediately pressed his thumb against the speaker, trying to mute the sound, however, the damage had already been done.

"Is that Walker?" Midoriya thought with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, Metal Meister, that's not—" a massive quake shook the area before Midoriya had the chance to finish his question.

"Ugh... what the hell was that?!" Bakugo yelped. "Don't tell me the city's been attacked again?!"

"No, that's not what this is!" Metal Meister realized as he reached for his phone. "Was that you, kid?" Silence filled the hall as he awaited Allen's response with bated breath.

"I'm sorry," the boy started, speaking up so that his classmates could hear. "It looks like this is the end of the line." And, with that, the line went dead.


There was an odd stillness that permeated the air as Allen watched the waves slowly trickle in. To a passerby, this minor change in the tide would be forgettable at most, but, for him, it was the first blast of a storm that would shake the world to its knees. "They're coming," he thought as he bit his lip. All around him lay the unconscious bodies of civilians—who no doubt succumbed to his innocence's influence—and a few police officers. "Once the fighting starts, I'm certain a hero will come and save them." He'd do it, but he was simply out of time. He could thank his cursed eye for letting him know that. "Like moths to a flame," he muttered as an uncountable number of souls churned beneath the water's surface. His innocence was acting as a sort of lighthouse, leading the akuma toward him at a terrifying speed.

Like a drum, he felt his left hand throb. Every beat brought a near-electric surge of energy shooting up his spine and into his brain. This was a familiar feeling, similar to when he destroyed that level three in the Asian Branch all that time ago. "Here they come!" Instantly, he shot up into the air and threw his claw toward the water like a bolt of lightning.

"I smell something!" a monstrous voice said from somewhere beneath the sea foam. And, just like that, Allen's gaze was overtaken by an unfathomable wall of black. The end had come.


Nobody in the city knew what was happening at first. The bombardment started slowly, beginning with the occasional stray explosion or shake. Truth be told, the populace—heroes included—believed they were simply stuck in the middle of yet another earthquake. But, once the first building fell, they quickly realized that what was truly happening was something far more terrifying.

"What's going on?!" Midoriya yelled in confusion as he and his classmates rushed out of the conference hall. The sudden disaster had cut his, Todoroki's, and Bakugo's conversation with Metal Meister short, however, after seeing the destruction, any worries they had about that flew out the window.

Like rain, an uncountable number of purple projectiles filled the sky, cutting through buildings like hot knives through butter. The sound of the barrage was so intense that it shook Midoriya's brain, and sent a handful of heroes into a state of shock. For a moment, none of them could even move, much less think, as they watched one of the bullets come crashing down on a nearby street. The force of the impact flattened all the nearby infrastructure and tore through any close civilians; it was hell, plain and simple.

Thunk! Midoriya and his classmates heard something wet and squishy land behind them.

"Ah hell," they overheard a nearby hero curse as Bakugo felt a few droplets of splattered blood splash across his neck.

"I wouldn't recommend turning around, kids," another hero mentioned as she placed a hand on Ashido's shoulder. Even though they were from U.A., there were some things that children simply weren't meant to see.

"Uh… o-okay," Kaminari stuttered out, frozen in place, as several batches of fresh explosions shook the area.

"We've got to move," Aizawa growled as he walked out in front of his students. "If you stop now, none of you will ever become true heroes." Immediately, he took command. "I and the other pros are going to go find the source of these bullets, you guys focus on protecting the civilians!"

"Roger!" Bakugo cried out, apparently unfazed by the sudden violence.

"Good, so get going. Midnight, Metal Meister, you two are with me."

"Let's just make this quick," Metal Meister responded with a restless grumble as he ran down the sidewalk.

"Is he trying to find Walker?" Midoriya thought as he bit his lip. After what they overheard, it was obvious that something bizarre was going on.

"This is insane."

"Yeah, I know, do you think it's the League?"

"No way, those types are too flashy to have not taken credit by now." That was true. Modern villains were typically prideful and usually announced their presence at a moment's notice, they wouldn't keep quiet during such a large-scale attack.

"Either way, this is likely connected to that explosion from earlier," Midoriya thought. There was no way this was a coincidence.

"Keep sharp, Midoriya, I've got a bad feeling about this," All Might told him as he jogged alongside the rest of the class.

"Got it!"

"Hmm… these attacks seem to be coming from the coast," All Might realized as he waved to Metal Meister and Aizawa. "We need to get all the heroes with speed or teleportation-related quirks on the other side of the city, now!" Leave it to the previously top-ranked hero to know what to do in such a dire situation. Metal Meister wasted no time and immediately phoned the rest to inform them of All Might's instructions. Soon, they were all shooting towards the beach at breakneck speed, which gave them more than enough time to take in the ample destruction which had now overtaken the city.

"Help me!" a nearby pedestrian screamed as they scrambled up to them. The blasts had blown off parts of their body and torn their face so badly it was impossible to discern if they were a man or a woman.

"Midoriya, carry the civilian back to the medics," Aizawa ordered, however, right as he was wrapping his arms around the victim, something strange happened.

"I don't… wanna die," they muttered as a strange black pattern—almost like stars—quickly covered their entire body. In the blink of an eye, the poor soul then exploded in a cloud of strange dust, leaving only their clothes behind.

"Gah!" Midoriya screamed as he scrambled back to his friends in shock.

"Watch yourselves, I think this gas is toxic!" Metal Meister told them as he hastily used his quirk to turn one of the decaying corpses into a hunk of iron. "If they're already dead, there's no point in letting them become dirty bombs." To his fellows, this act came off as barbaric, but, given the circumstances, they couldn't complain. "Focus on saving the civilians that haven't been hit!"

"Roger!"

What followed was a blur of hasty decisions and death. The vast majority of the victims they found were either long dead or dying. On top of this, the constant bombardment put intense pressure on the heroes' bodies and tore through their stamina. However, the most terrifying thing was just how useless their efforts were. None of them were able to see their attackers, a situation that ran against most of their training. Instead, they were forced to fend for themselves, mitigating the fallout of an assault that left all of them in the dark.

"This is getting ridiculous!" Todoroki thought as he froze one of the incoming bullets. A fresh wave of attacks had come pouring from the beachfront; filling their view like stars in the night sky. There were so many that even the veritable army of heroes found it difficult to keep up, until, eventually, one slipped through the cracks.

"Shit!" All Might yelped as they all watched in horror as a stray projectile sped toward a nearby building, however, before it leveled the area, something bizarre happened.

"Shoot that thing out of the sky!" a familiar voice screamed as a stream of quirks appeared out of the building's windows.

"It can't be…" All Might muttered with his jaw on the floor.

"Oooh~, look, it's a group of heroes!" Midoriya felt his heart plummet into his stomach when he heard that voice.

"Why the hell is the League here?!"

Suddenly, an uncountable number of villains swarmed out of the alleyways. In an instant, their little band was completely surrounded, however, much to their shock, the villains didn't attack.

"Uh… what's going on?" Ashido whispered to her classmates right as another barrage landed nearby.

"Man, this city's really taken a pummeling, huh?" the voice from before, Himiko Toga, continued as she practically skipped toward them. Joining her were the other prominent members of the League, along with a few new faces.

"Hey... that's Rikiya Yotsubashi! What's he doing here?"

"Rikiya Yotsubashi?" Midoriya thought. He'd heard that name before.

"The descendent of Destro, in the flesh," the man introduced himself with a curt bow. Given his relaxed demeanor, it was obvious that he'd been working with the League for quite some time.

"They must've gotten more help," Aizawa scowled, "Great."

"Our organization has grown since we last clashed, heroes," Dabi chimed in as he scratched the back of his neck. "Although, now, we go by the Paranormal Liberation Front."

"Same fools, different name," Metal Meister thought as the whistling of shattered buildings and jets roared overhead. "Those are... American warplanes. What are they doing here?" He wasn't the only one who noticed this, a few of the villains did as well.

"Shit," one of the League cursed as they watched the fireworks, their mouth agape.

"If the military is getting involved..." Midoriya started as he turned to Aizawa, "What in the world is going on?!"

"Heh, that's what we wanna know!" Twice added with an insane laugh.

"What? Aren't you guys responsible for this?"

"Obviously, we're not, dumbass," Dabi cursed as he gave the meddlesome trainee who asked that idiotic question the bird. "Why would we bombard a city that we're currently in?" Knowing the League and its penchant for indiscriminate murder, that logic had to come off as laughable. That said, Dabi's point had been made.

"This is what happens when our country is run by weak fools," yet another familiar face hissed from the back of the crowd.

"The big cheese came all the way out here himself?" Lo and behold, Shigaraki, the League's leader, was there in the flesh.

"All For One's successor?!" Midoriya thought as he instinctively readied himself for battle. Shigaraki, noticing this, responded with a sickening grin.

"Hmph… All Might and his gaggle of students, huh?" the man hissed in a strangely-cocky tone. Going off his demeanor, it was obvious that he'd gotten stronger; in fact, all of the League's main members had a more overwhelming presence than before.

"What should we do, leader?" Re-Destro asked, as giddy as a child. Shockingly, though, Shigaraki didn't respond. Instead, he quietly turned and watched as several blocks were reduced to rubble before him.

"Indiscriminate destruction." It was a sight he salivated over, but, for some reason, he just didn't feel right with this. "Someone's messing up my turf," he thought with an enraged growl. He was supposed to be the one to crush this city. "I don't take kindly to people stealing my thunder," he muttered as he stared at his palms. "We're moving out."

"What? You serious? All Might's right there, y'know," Re-Destro said confusedly as he scratched his head. But, in the end, he followed Shigaraki without complaint.

"W-watch out!" a nearby civilian cried from a pile of rubble. They were all so focused on their sudden meeting that everyone forgot to watch the skies.

"Shit!" Dabi cursed as he tossed a wall of blue fire at the incoming missiles. The heat was scorching enough to make them all sweat, but, in the end, all the attack accomplished was slightly pushing the assault off course. "You've got to be kidding me," they heard the man mumble.

"Scramble!"

Like firing a cannonball into a puddle, the heroes and villains leaped out of the way. Some, however, were too slow, and fell victim to the bullet's toxin. The vast majority of the casualties belonged to the League, but, the result was similar on both sides.

"Dammit!" Shigaraki screeched in rage as he turned to his comrades, his eyes bloodshot and flowing with insane vigor. "Find whoever the hell is blasting us and tear their spine out!"

"I hate to say it, but don't worry about the villains for now! Provide cover for your fellows and head towards the coast!" Metal Meister ordered.

"If you don't want to die, stay alert and keep to the backstreets!" Twice told his comrades as they all flowed into the barren cityscape. All around them lay countless disintegrated corpses, along with an equally large pile of battered dead. It was truly hell.

"Awww, I wanted to talk to Midoriya more," Toga whined.

"You can worry about that once we've killed whoever's shooting at us."

"Try not to charge in without thinking, Dabi," Shigaraki told the man in a tone uncharacteristic of the League's leader. "I've got a feeling that this is going to be a hard battle." Was the sinking pit in his stomach just his imagination? Or was it his instincts calling out to him?

"Somebody! Somebody, please help me!"

"Civilians?" Midoriya thought as he bit his lip. On impulse, he and his fellow heroes jumped into action to find the source of the voice. But, sadly, they soon discovered that it was too far away.

"Must've come from one of the central buildings," Aizawa muttered to himself as he scanned over the nearest glass skyscraper. Its windows were blown out thanks to the previous blast, leaving behind an eerie, decrepit ruin.

It was around then that they felt a foreboding shake echo beneath their feet. It started soft, like a gentle ocean wave, and steadily grew. "Run!" they overheard another voice, belonging to a rather scrawny businessman, as he and several others dashed around the corner of the destroyed skyscraper. None of them noticed the heroes or villains, opting to haphazardly dash past like terrified chickens.

"You should run! It's coming!" a lady told Ms. Midnight right as a sickening crunch filled their ears.

"It's coming?" they pondered her words.

"Hey, guys, get behind me," Shigaraki told his troops as he walked to the head of the pack. Before any of them could question his actions, the top half of the skyscraper they were all perched next to came crashing down. "Die!" Instantly, Shigaraki jumped up and used his quirk, reducing the hazard to a cloud of dust.

"Wow," Midoriya muttered in horror. It was obvious to all of them now just how strong the League had gotten over the past few weeks.

"Keep your head in the game, Midoriya!" Aizawa yelped as something unfathomable crept through the dust.

It first appeared like a giant cloud had wafted over the area, covering everything in a thick blanket of shadow. However, when they felt the quakes, that's when they knew something was terribly wrong. And it was then, right at the peak of the shaking, that they saw a gigantic eye peep at their group through the dismantled buildings.

"Hu… humans," a disturbing, and almost guttural, voice spoke.

"Wha-what is that?!"

"That's the monster that destroyed these buildings! Run for it!" a civilian from a neighboring alleyway yelled. Soon afterward, the beast's eye vanished over the ruins, casting an even wider shadow as its gigantic frame stepped over the skyscraper and into the clearing.

"Shit!" a villain cursed as he dove out of the way of the creature's foot, "Somebody kill that thing!" The second those words left the man's lips, Shigaraki's soldiers filled the skies with a wave of attacks.

"You guys might want to join in," Twice said as he used his quirk to fill the area with bodies, which slowed the beast down.

"Us? help villains?! You've got to be insane," Ashido said as Twice frowned.

"Now's really not the time for that, cause," he started as the colossus took another effortless step forward, "I think we're screwed if you don't!"

"Yeah, this isn't worth it!" one of the League's peons thought as he unloaded his weapon-based quirk into the monster. "Our attacks aren't working at all! Dammit!" Like a stone in water, morale amongst both sides' rookies plummeted. In the face of such a bizarre adversary, who appeared to be immune to every possible attack, a crushing feeling of hopelessness quickly filled their minds.

"Hmm," Shigaraki bit his lip. His new and improved powers weren't leaving so much as a scratch on the monster's body. "Is it a being similar to a Nomu? Maybe one with a defensive-based skillset?" No... he knew that was impossible. For one thing, the abomination was simply too large, and there was something else.

"Ah, we're all going to die," Shigaraki and his lieutenants overheard one of the recruits say. They were all about to reprimand the woman for cowardice, however, when they saw what she was staring at, the words got caught in their throats. The beast's expression had changed: morphing from a blank visage to a horrifying, unreal grin. It was almost as if the being was laughing at their very existence, at their very souls. In the face of such a demonic creature, everyone there momentarily forgot their allegiances and lashed out at their newfound adversary, however, it was simply useless.

"Dammit! Nothing's working! Dammit," Midoriya said as terrified tears welled up in his eyes. Having their trump cards be so effortlessly cast aside was simply defeating. And, before any of them realized it, they were staring down the barrel of death.

"Evil Star Gita!" the monster said as its body contorted in a demonic dance, summoning forth a countless number of purple bullets. None of them said a word as they just stood there: quietly watching their impending doom. The radius of the assault was simply too large to dodge, and, by the time any of those thoughts would've crossed their minds, it would've already been too late.

"Mom... dad, bye," Bakugo thought as he faced his destiny with gritted teeth. However, right before the monster fired, something crazy happened.

"Guh!" the beast cried out, prompting all of them to look up and stare at its disgusting visage. And it was then that they witnessed a truly incredible sight: a being, who looked almost like an angel, running a blade across their aggressor's neck.

"Kid," Metal Meister thought with a smile, "Took you long enough."


Author's Note

Well, another day another dollar, I guess. Thanks for reading the chapter! As you can no doubt see, things are ramping up towards a hasty climax! After this story is done, I'm planning on going back to finish my second DGM fic, so, please, look forward to that! Sorry about the monthly updates, by the way! I know it sucks to have to wait! Sadly, that's all I can manage with my current college schedule, so please bear with me as this final arc ramps up!

Anyways, I don't have much to say here besides the usual thank you. So, without further delay, I'll go ahead and stop with this. Again, thanks for reading the story, I'll see you guys in the next chapter of ATOTE!

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Final Storm