Rather than swimming around to the dock visible in the distance, Umuto led them up a flight of stairs carved into the coral-like crags. Izuku hadn't ever seen or heard of any rock formations quite like them. Was it natural? What would have caused them to form that way? Maybe the Zora had carved them? He wanted to ask, but Umuto had fallen into a sort of brooding silence, and he wasn't sure how to broach it.
It didn't take long for Izuku's group to catch up to the others. At the top of the flight of stairs, they came across a pair of Zora standing guard. The two visibly relaxed as they caught sight of Grayscale shoal. Izuku glanced between them, taking in the erratic way their gills pulsed and the way their head-tails twitched. Something must have happened.
Umuto must have picked up on it too. She frowned at the two, and when she spoke, the tone of her voice surprised him. He didn't know fish—well, fish people—could bark. "Report, soldiers! Where is shoal leader Talo?"
The Zora on the left, a gray-scaled Zora, opened his mouth to respond, but stopped abruptly and turned away, heaving. His companion's red scales also had a greenish tint around her gills and face, but she seemed to retain her composure better. "Ser, we found Redfin shoal. Or what's left of 'em. Something ripped into 'em like a shark in a school of porgy. It's… not pretty."
"That's an understatement," the gray Zora gasped. "Beggin' yer pardon, ser, but I—burp—ain't ever seen anything like it. I'd almost think they'd been blown up, but the—hurk—the pieces are too big fer that."
Izuku exchanged glances with Umuto while the Zora continued emptying his guts. "Do you have any idea what could have caused it?" he asked. He really hoped it wasn't more lynels. Actually, whether it was a lynel or not didn't really matter to him; he really didn't want to meet whatever could rip a squad of Zora apart.
The red Zora's eyes focused on him, and she jumped slightly. "Oh, sorry; didn't see you there, uh, ser. No ideas yet. Only clues we've found were big gouge marks in the coralstone an' some bootprints in the mud. Look to be about twice the size of any of yours."
Twice the size? There were only a few people he could think of that could fit that, and most of those were back on Earth. All Might could in his muscle form, but he wouldn't have killed a bunch of Zora. Maybe someone from the League? Weren't they all about normal size? The only one who could actually do that was a NNomu. Or…
He stiffened as the realization washed over him, a reaction that didn't go unnoticed. "I'm not good at reading Hylian faces," Umuto observed, "but yours says you've clearly made an unpleasant discovery."
"Yes ma'am," he said slowly. There was one person in the League who could leave footprints like that. "More suspicion than hard fact though. I was just thinking about if any of the League of Villains could be responsible. Most of them are normal sized, like you and me. Their boss is huge though, easily over two meters, maybe even taller than Prince Sidon. If he's the one who made those footprints, we need to get the survivors and everyone else out of here."
She snorted. "I sincerely doubt one Hylian could take on a full shoal, let alone two."
"Ma'am, the last time I saw him, he had single-handedly leveled a building the size of the Domain and was going toe-to-toe with the mightiest hero in our world. If this was him, we won't even slow him down."
Finally, that seemed to get through. Umuto hesitated, her eyes glazing over. Izuku could see the wheels turning as she worked through this information, and he couldn't blame her. Under normal circumstances, he'd agree; no Hylian, with maybe the exception of Link, could hope to win in forty-to-one odds. All for One wasn't a Hylian though, and those odds were grossly in his favor.
After a moment, she nodded. "We'll proceed, but with caution. All squads, keep eyes open to the currents; I don't want us being surprised by whatever caused this."
Tired murmurs of "yes, ser" drifted from the shoal, and Izuku had to smother a quick smile as he started walking. It seemed that resigned acceptance to unpleasant assignments was a shared reaction between students and soldiers.
The stairway opened up into a wide valley made of more of the same pink-ish gray stone. Up here, the coral patterns were much more distinct, to the point that Izuku couldn't tell if they were natural or carved. Much as he would have taken the time to examine them more closely, the sheer carnage covering the stones put a damper on his enthusiasm.
If anything, the guards had undersold it. Limbs had been separated from bodies, heads from shoulders, torsos from legs, and all strewn across the clearing. The rocky ground had been torn up and stained a deep red, something that Izuku was pretty sure not even the constant drizzle would be able to wash away. Here and there, members of Pinkcoral shoal were reverently gathering up the dead.
It was one of the most harrowing scenes he'd ever seen, and as he looked it over, he could feel his stomach start twisting itself in knots. His eyes darted around, looking for any sign of relief, but there was none. Behind him, he could hear more sounds of retching as Grayscale shoal came over the ridge. He didn't know if it was comforting or concerning that professional soldiers shared his reaction.
"Jabun's gut," Umuto cursed. "What a mess. You may have been—are you all right? You look a bit green around the gills."
Izuku looked up at her, relieved to not have to stare at the scene of destruction. Her large eyes were focused on him, studying him intently. After a moment, her features softened slightly. "You've never experienced something like this before?"
"N-no. I've heard about stuff like this, b-but never seen it myself."
She sighed. "Well, for what it's worth, neither have I. I've seen my fair share of death, but monsters don't usually go this far. Tides, the Hylian bandits I've fought wouldn't go this far. Your theory is sounding more probable, and I'll admit that I find that deeply disturbing."
"That makes two of us." Mentally steeling himself, he turned back to the clearing, trying to see everything without seeing the remains. "So what do we do now?"
"Now we check in with Pinkcoral leader and see what they know." Umuto frowned. "Or we would if they were here. You there! Where's shoal leader Eko?"
The guard she'd addressed jumped. He must have been working for a while; his normally blue arms were red to the elbow. Idly, Izuku wondered how long it would take to wash all that off. "Sorry, ser, didn't see you there. She and the pink Hylian went to check the next clearing over."
Izuku exchanged glances with Umuto before hurrying off in the direction the bloodied guard had indicated. The coral-esque walls closed in around him, shading him from what light shone through the rain and funneling him along to the next clearing. Behind him, he could hear Umuto jogging to keep up, the clinking of her armor echoing off the walls.
As he jogged, he thought, trying to figure out what they could be dealing with. He'd suggested All for One, but the more he played with the idea, the more that didn't make sense. All for One wouldn't be out smashing common soldiers, not unless he was really trying to demoralize someone. As gruesome as the deaths of the platoons had been, he didn't really think it was All for One's work.
That, unfortunately, begged the question of just who it could be. Nobody in the League was big enough to match the footprint, and of them, the slaughter didn't match their methods. The only person—or thing—he could think of that could possibly do that was a Nomu, and, as far as he knew, there hadn't been any living ones near the warehouse.
He was still muttering over the possibilities when a voice cut through his thoughts.
"M-Midori? Midori!"
Ashido's voice registered just before she did, though it lacked the force her full-body hug had. Izuku stumbled backwards in surprise, fighting to keep his balance as Ashido clung to him. After a moment, he managed to get his feet back under him. "Uh, hey, Ashido. Are you all right?"
He mentally kicked himself as she looked up at him with watery, swollen eyes. 'Sorry, that was a dumb question."
That managed to pull a chuckle from her, and if it sounded a bit on the hysterical side… Well, it had been a day. He pulled her back into the hug and glanced around the clearing while she wiped her eyes. It looked almost identical to the last clearing, though with a distinct lack of bodies. A couple of trees were growing out of the far wall, stretching up toward what little sun was currently shining through the rain. Here and there, patches of grass broke up the coral-like rock, though all of it looked a bit drowned at the moment.
Across the clearing, Umuto was talking with a massive, shark-like Zora. He was almost like a blue Sidon, if Sidon had let himself go a bit. Instead of the chiseled musculature that most of the guards seemed to have, this man, who Izuku could only assume was Eko, had a bit of a paunch. Even from here though, Izuku could see that that gut hid a lot of power; the Zora stood and shifted with the practiced ease of someone who had fought for a living.
Ashido shifted, pulling away slightly. "Th-thanks. I'm—it's not like we wouldn't have seen stuff like this back home, ya know?"
Izuku frowned. "That doesn't make it okay. To be honest, it made me feel a little sick. And I've seen footage from some of All Might's fights."
She winced. "That's fair. Yeah, I'm… not great, but I don't think right now's a good time to talk about it."
Unfortunately, that was a good point. And they had a lot to talk about. As he sat there, holding her, his thoughts returned to his earlier dilemma. Kapson's advice flashed through his mind, and he mentally nodded to himself. 'Yeah, once we've solved this, I have a very important question to ask Ashido.'
His thoughts were interrupted by someone coughing next to them. He jumped and instinctively let go of Ashido while also trying to put himself between her and the noise before he realized that it was just Umuto and the giant Zora. The latter laughed and grinned down at him. Even Umuto seemed amused, though the only sign he had was the slight smile she wore while she spoke.
"Forgive me. Are you two ready? Eko has briefed me, and I've shared your theory with him, Midoriya. We need to decide on a plan."
The mirth faded from Eko's eyes as he nodded, his shark-like face twisting with concern. "I will admit, I do not know of any monsters that might make such tracks. I'd thought that moblins might, but they do not often wear boots. Are you sure this 'boss' you spoke of is the cause?"
"Boss? You mean the big scary guy leading the League?" Ashido asked. "But why would he be here? He didn't seem to be the kind of guy to be out leading his armies from the front."
Izuku nodded. "Th-that's what I was thinking. Maybe it was a Nomu?"
Ashido winced. "Yeah, it could be a Nomu. That's… not awesome."
"Excuse me," Eko cut in gently. Izuku turned to him as the giant crouched to put himself at their eye level. "Forgive me, I'm afraid I do not know what a 'Nomu' is. Your words suggest that it is more manageable than this boss?"
More manageable. Izuku suppressed a laugh at the simplicity of the statement. "I g-guess it depends. They're monsters created by… um, something. All we know is that he sticks multiple quirks—our powers—into them."
"It's like comparing a riptide to, like, a tsunami," Ashido chimed in. "Yeah, the riptide's less destructive than a tsunami, but it's still deadly to those involved."
Izuku couldn't help but be impressed with her comparison as understanding washed over both Zoras' faces. While maybe not a hundred percent accurate, it got the point across. Both were bad news, though the Nomu were certainly easier to fight. In the same way that it was easier to stop an avalanche.
After a few moments to digest the information, Umuto shook her head. "I hate to admit it," she started, each word feeling like it was being dragged out of her, "but I think this might be beyond us. We may need the prince—or even the king, goddesses help us."
"Oh, I'm afraid that you're beyond their help now, little fish."
The voice hissed out of the shadows around the clearing like paper slicing into flesh. The hairs on Izuku's arms rose as he spun around, searching for the source of the voice as it laughed at them. Besides themselves, the clearing was entirely empty. He glanced up at the cliffs, but didn't see any movement.
"Show yourself, monster!" Eko demanded. Izuku glanced at him; the big Zora was leaning against his trident, clearly trying to project a sense of ease and confidence—probably for his and Ashido's benefits. His voice, however, was tight, and his eyes darted around the clearing just as feverishly as Izuku's.
The voice chuckled menacingly. "And leave my lovely shadows? Well, if you insist."
'Shadows?' Izuku jerked around, searching the clearing again. For the most part, the clearing was fairly well lit thanks to the early afternoon sun. What pockets of darkness there were were all small, slivers at best. He turned, searching for more—and stopped cold.
Shadows far darker than was natural drenched the mouth of the small slot canyon leading back to the others. As he watched, the darkness seemed to condense and coalesce into a tall, gangly form. It crept out into the sun, revealing long, twisted arms and legs obscured by folds of fabric that hung unnaturally still against its movements.
By far the most unnerving factor was its face. Half of it was that of a tanned woman with full lips and light brown eyes. The other half was obscured by—no. Izuku squinted and looked again; half of its face was a mask marked with the red Yiga eye.
Even once it had fully emerged from the natural corridor, it refused to stand upright, remaining hunched over in a terrible parody of a cat waiting to pounce. As it took another step, something dark dripped from its side and splashed onto the grassy rocks. The overall effect reminded Izuku of some of the demons he'd read about. Like something that would hide under a kid's bed or lurk in the woods.
"My, my, what have we here?" The monster licked her lips and shivered. "Truly Ganon has smiled upon me today. First I get to dispatch a traitor, and now I have fresh toys to play with. I hope you hold up better than the last ones. So weak."
The woman's voice took on a hungry tone that sent a shiver down Izuku's spine as he recoiled. His brain scrambled looking for an adequate response to what his instincts screamed was like a dark version of Midnight.
Umuto and Eko saved him an immediate reply as they swung their tridents around to point at the Nomu—because what else could she possibly be? "You'll find us a better match than Redfin shoal," Umuto snarled. "We know you're here."
The Nomu's smile stretched up to her ear, and she threw back her head and laughed. "Oh, you know I'm here, but I'm afraid it won't help you. Knowledge doesn't save the rabbit from the hawk."
"But it lets the seal fight the shark!"
Moving as one, the two Zora lunged forward, water spraying off their tridents as they swung toward the Nomu. The creature's grin twisted into a snarl as she whipped out a wicked-looking sword with a wavy, serrated blade that was almost as long as one of the tridents.
Clang clang!
Whoof.
Clang clang!
The Zora recovered quickly from having their attack deflected, flowing smoothly from thrust to slash to slash to thrust. Izuku's mouth fell open slightly watching the two dance around each other in a way that spoke of years of trust and practice. They were more like appendages of one large being than two separate people.
Two separate people who were in trouble. Eko just barely ducked under a wide slash that should cut him in two. Umuto deflected another with the haft of her trident, which buckled under the force of the blow. They needed help.
Before he fully realized what he was doing, Izuku took off, Ashido close on his heels. He activated One for All as he ran and let the surge of energy boost him forward even more. An image flashed through his head as he closed, and he grinned to himself before using his momentum to launch himself upwards and into a front flip. The Nomu barely had time to register his presence before he brought his foot down on her in what felt like a passable Luna Fall.
The Nomu's face was smashed into the ground from the force of the blow. He followed it up with another One for All-enhanced kick to the side, sending the Nomu skidding across the clearing. He grunted as painful aftershocks ran up his leg; the Nomu was heavier than he thought. 'Glad I used my leg though; with how heavy this thing is, that could have messed up my arm real bad without amping up OfA.'
As the thing struggled to its feet, Izuku risked a glance at the Zora. "Are you two all right? Sorry for not helping sooner; you caught me by surprise."
His questions were answered with silence. 'Oh no, was I too late?' Izuku slowly turned his head toward the Zora, fighting to keep his mind from jumping to the wrong conclusions. His fears went away when he realized the two were just staring at him, slack jawed. "Um, is everything okay?"
Ashido's slightly hysterical giggle drifted over. "I think you surprised them. Eko, you remember how I said I could melt stuff? Midori's quirk makes him super strong and super fast."
The burly Zora relaxed, though his eyes remained dinner plate-sized. "Aye, that makes sense. I'd love to hear more, but first, we've a demon to slay."
"Bold words coming from a fish about to be fileted," the Nomu said. She had managed to stagger up to her feet and was staring hungrily down at the four of them. "You were right; you four will be much more fun than the other fish, or even that excuse of an Arbiter."
Something about her statement tickled Izuku's mind, and he quickly unlimbered his shield and sword. Whatever it was must have caught Umuto's attention as well. "What do you mean—Arbiter?" she demanded as the monster started stalking closer. "That's not a Zora title."
The Nomu froze, her eye going wide, before she started to shake. "Oh, she didn't tell you? So she was still undercover!" she cackled. "Well, allow me to explain, little fish. Your dear friend Yneira was a Yiga Arbiter, sent to kill the Hylian Champion. She betrayed her oaths to the Calamity, and I killed her for her treachery. Prepare yourselves to join her in death!"
As the words left her mouth, the mask that was half of her face shimmered before stretching across the other half, reforming the Yiga eye that Izuku was becoming all too familiar with. With a muffled snarl, she spun forward, lashing out in three great slashes. Rather than trying to deflect a sword larger than he was tall, Izuku dodged around the blows aimed at him.
And they were most definitely aimed at him. While each of those sweeping strikes could have flattened all four of them, he was at the center of each of their arcs. Clearly, this lady didn't like getting hit in the head.
He decided to keep it that way and started doing what he could to keep her attention on him. As she finished her third swipe, he spun under her guard and lashed out, scoring a thin slice along her wrist between the gauntlet and her arm plate. Before he could do much more, he was forced to jump away again as she tried to smash him with her free hand.
Behind and around him, he was vaguely away of the others also doing what they could to bring the Nomu down. He couldn't spare much attention to check and just occasionally caught glimpses; Umuto jabbing at her shins, Ashido cartwheeling around, Eko slicing at her back. He even thought he saw a figure up on the ledge, but each time he spotted it, another flurry of blows would rain down on him.
Even with the brunt of the creature's attention on him, they weren't able to do much. After a few passes, it became apparent that they weren't able to get through her armor. Even Izuku was having a hard time of it; he'd gotten the one lucky cut, but the rest of his attempts had been futile. Try as he might, he wasn't able to get any more damage in.
That put them at a massive disadvantage. If they couldn't get past her armor, she'd win.
"Midori! Give me a boost!"
As he ducked under another sweep meant to slice his head from his shoulders, Izuku glanced to the side and saw Ashido running at him, trident cast aside. Without thinking, he turned and raised his shield over his head just in time for her to step on it. In a perfect parody of an old movie he'd seen once, he heaved and sent her soaring over their opponent.
"Hey ugly! Why don't you try some of this on for size!"
As she flew overhead, Ashido let loose a jet of acid that drenched the entirety of the Nomu's back. The creature screeched, and Izuku saw Ashido grin—right before the Nomu straightened out of her horizontal crouch and used her free arm to bat Ashido out of the sky. Everything seemed to fade away as Izuku watched her smash into one of the walls and tumble to the ground in an unmoving heap.
"MINA!"
Something inside Izuku snapped, and he felt raw power course through him. Before he could leap to his friend's aid, the Nomu's sword came down once more, forcing him to leap back. He growled to himself; it was time to end this.
Hssssst…
Clangclang—Crash!
Bits of the Nomu's armor began to clatter to the ground as Mina's acid worked its magic. The crumbling armor revealed a stretched and distorted Yiga yoroi that barely covered masses of rippling muscle. It also revealed the still-bleeding gouge in her side. Whatever had made it had done a good job of it; there was a sizable chunk of flesh missing, as if it had been carved away.
Izuku couldn't believe that a wound like that hadn't slowed the Nomu down at all. It looked like what he imagined All Might's had.
The Nomu hissed as the last of her neck armor fell away. "You children are just full of surprises. Maybe I won't destroy you; after all, I'm sure Ganon could find a use for your corpses!"
She lashed out at Izuku again, and he swore as the tip of the sword drew a fiery line of pain on his cheek. Of course shedding loads of heavy armor would make her faster. He needed to think faster, or he would end up very dead. As the sword came whistling back toward him, he raised his shield, tensed his legs, and, doing his best to mimic Link, channeled One for All into his arm and swung.
His entire arm shook from the force as he blasted the Nomu's sword back, ripping it from her hand and sending it clattering across the clearing. He didn't let her recover, leaping forward and using the momentum of his jump to drive a foot into her chest.
The combined might of his parry and kick sent her stumbling backwards into the Zoras' waiting tridents. Umuto and Eko went back to work with a savage glee, jabbing and slicing into the exposed flesh. The Nomu roared in pain as one particular thrust bit into her existing wound and lashed out, smashing Eko and sending him skidding across the clearing.
Before she could hit Umuto, Izuku was in her face again. He darted around her, slashing with his sword and keeping her off balance with a series of kicks and shield bashes. Try as she might, she couldn't touch him.
With a final kick to the chest that he knew he'd be feeling for weeks, Izuku sent the Nomu soaring across the clearing where she collapsed in a heap. Panting, Izuku hefted his sword. "Give it up! Your armor's gone and you're unarmed; you don't stand a chance!"
The abomination twitched, then chuckled, and then let out a piercing, cackling laugh as she clambered to her feet. "Surrender? Never," she rasped. Blood and a dark liquid seeped from her wounds, but she didn't seem to care. "So long as I draw breath, I serve the Calamity."
Izuku saw a flicker of movement behind the Nomu, and his eyes went wide when he saw the light flash off a sickle. The sickle was followed by a hollow-sounding voice that made Izuku's skin crawl. "You know Van, you could have just told me that breathing was the problem."
The Nomu's eyes widened as the sickle flashed through the air.
Squelch!
Thud.
Izuku winced as the Nomu's—Van's—now-headless body toppled to the ground, revealing a bloody Yneira behind it. She'd definitely seen better days; she was covered in cuts, and while he couldn't tell from here, she seemed to have a massive hole in her chest over her left breast. Clearly, there had been some truth in what Van had claimed.
Yneira swayed, whether from exhaustion or blood, before jerking upright and staggering backward, almost like she'd been struck. She took a deep breath, and a look of relief spread across her face. When she opened her eyes, she raised her fist in salute before collapsing.
For a moment, nothing moved. Izuku glanced at Umuto, who was breathing much harder than he was, and she nodded wearily at him before lowering her spear. Relief flooded him, and he let One for All slip away as his arms fell to his side.
They'd won.
Remembering what Link had taught him, he stowed his shield and used part of his tunic to wipe his sword before sheathing it. He turned to Mina to congratulate her before remembering, his stomach suddenly filled with lead, what had set him off in the first place. Moving quickly to try and quell the uneasy knot in his stomach, he hurried over to her.
Mina's landing hadn't been smooth at all. The coralstone had cratered where she'd smashed into it before sliding to the ground in a heap. Thankfully, she'd somehow managed to not drop into one of the many puddles in the clearing. Carefully, gently, Izuku turned her over and propped her up against the wall. He stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to wake her up.
Vah Ruta's thunderous trumpet solved that problem for him. Mina jerked forward with a gasp, eyes darting back and forth across the clearing. "Hey," he said gently, "it's okay, Mina; it's okay. We killed her."
She stared at him for a moment, and then his words registered and she slumped against him. "That's a relief."
"Yeah." He carefully repositioned himself to sit beside her. "And we couldn't have done it without you. You melted her armor off and let us get to her. That was super cool—and kinda dumb."
She chuckled. "Getting launched like a clay pigeon really wasn't a good idea."
They fell silent for a moment. Izuku watched Umuto pull Eko into a sitting position, and the two of them began discussing something animatedly. Probably something similar to his situation.
Or maybe not. Mina shifted again before stiffening. "Hey, Midori? You said "Mina," right?"
Heat shot up through his face. 'Did I call her Mina? Oh gods, I totally did. I think of her as Mina too. When did that happen? Is that a bad thing? I don't think it's—'"Damn it, I'm muttering again, aren't I?"
Mina's giggle was all the answer he needed, and he groaned. "One of these days, I swear I'll get that under control."
"Nah, it's cute." She sat up and turned to face him, her face full of innocent curiosity. "So…?"
For a moment, Izuku didn't understand what she was asking. Then his brain ground back into motion. "I, um, w-was really worried, and—well, I w-wanted to—" He stopped and took a deep breath. "To hell with it. Mina, I li-like you a lot. This might not be the best time, but would you be my g-g-g-girlfriend?"
Izuku could only describe the sound that came out of Mina's mouth as a squee. She started bouncing up and down, but winced and stopped. "Okay, bouncing's a bad idea. Ow ow ow." She took a few deep breaths before flashing a blindingly radiant grin at him. "Of course I'll be your girlfriend, Izuku! I was worried that I'd scared you off."
He shook his head, flushing harder at being called by his first name. "N-not quite. I just needed to think about it 'cause I value you as a friend and wanted to make sure that I wasn't just doing it 'cause you're p-pretty."
"Aw, that's sweet." She paused for a moment, and then giggled. "How do we do dates, exactly? It's not like we can go to the movies while we're here."
"We'll think of something. M-maybe the Zora have something like a restaurant." Speaking of which. Izuku looked over at Umuto and Eko. Eko was watching them with a wide grin, and even Umuto was smiling softly. "We can check when we get back."
"Good idea." Mina hesitantly moved her legs and winced. "I don't think anything's broken, but it might be a good idea for Kapson to take a look."
Izuku nodded. "Yeah, we need to get you, Eko, and Yneira back to Kapson."
Mina's head snapped up. "Yneira's alive?"
"I guess so. She's the one that killed the Nomu—wait, shoot, she passed out. Yeah, come on, let's get going. We might need to stop Umuto from killing her."
Izuku hauled himself to his feet and carefully helped Mina up after him. Once he was sure she could put weight on her legs, he went to get Umuto and figure out what to do next. He only made it a few steps before a ray of evening sunshine hit his face, and he stumbled to a halt in surprise as, for the first time in days, the rain stopped.
Atsuhiro surveyed the battlefield and shook his head in disgust. They'd been sent to apprehend the UA children, secure the dam, and see what all the fuss was about these "Divine Beasts." What Kurogiri hadn't told them was that the fish people were skilled warriors—or that they were hiding a stone titan in one of their valleys.
It had been an unmitigated disaster. Their forces had been scattered around the basin to secure the shores, but the fish, these Zora, had utterly outmaneuvered them. Had they more lizalfos, the battle might have gone in their favor, but recruitment was still ongoing.
Even their two darknuts, malevolent armored beings reminiscent of Nomu, had fallen, though they had performed far more impressively. Indeed, the prototype had been the one to bring down the stone titan, though it had gone inert shortly afterwards. The lanky one, the former Yiga woman, had gone off somewhere, claiming that she was seeking an old comrade. They hadn't seen her since.
The final nail in the coffin had been the Divine Beast itself. A truly impressive piece of machinery, the mechanical mastodon had pulsed blue before roaring and disappearing beneath the surface of the reservoir. Somehow, it had reappeared a half mile down stream, climbed up on top of a mountain plateau, and fired some kind of targeting laser at the castle.
He removed his mask and blew out another disgusted sigh. No, things had not gone well at all.
The clanking of metal announced his companion's return. He glanced over at Spinner as he picked his way across the field. An interesting man, Spinner. A staunch adherent to Stain's ideology, but there was a softness to him. Deep down, Atsuhiro believed that man just wanted people to see him for who he was instead of for his quirk.
"What news, my friend?" he asked as Spinner plopped down next to him.
The lizardman sighed. "It went just about as badly as we suspected. Those fish bastards know how to work those tridents, and no one except the darknut stood a chance against that stone thing. Damn pile of rocks reeks of magic—um, no offense, Compress."
Atsuhiro snorted. "None taken. It was indeed unexpected, though given what we've discovered in this world, perhaps not too surprising."
"Yeah."
Spinner fell silent, and Atsuhiro didn't blame him. The discovery that actual magic—and dark magic at that, if their darknuts were any indication—both existed and was a functional part of this world had been a shock. Truth be told, he was somewhat uncomfortable with it. Magic was meant to delight and astound, not to corrupt and decay.
He glanced back at his companion, who was clearly working at something. Atsuhiro debated for a moment before deciding that it might be prudent to pry. "What troubles you, Spinner?"
Spinner jumped. "Am I that easy to read?"
Atsuhiro just smiled at him. After a moment, Spinner sighed. "I joined the League because they felt like they might make the change Stain was shooting for. Those damn pro heroes need to be taken down a notch or two. But… that was on Earth. There aren't any heroes here."
"Except for the UA children."
Spinner waved a hand dismissively. "One of those is the one Stain declared worthy, and the rest… Well, I've heard Kurogiri's reports. It sounds like they're turnin' into real heroes, even that Ingenium kid."
Fascinating. He'd heard the reports and had drawn much the same conclusions. Whatever their corrupted roots, those curious children were proving themselves far more capable than he'd imagined. The pair to the north were doing an excellent job of protecting travelers, the duo traveling from the west had saved several settlements from the malicious machines, if in their own abrasive way, and the trio here—well, they'd defended a race of mutants, something that he was sure Spinner had noticed.
He glanced up and realized that Spinner was waiting for a response. "I, too, have noticed that. Indeed, there are many innocents here who could benefit from the sort of work those youth have been perpetuating. And several dastardly devils who need reminding of their place."
"Exactly." Spinner thumped his fist into his open palm. "I was thinkin' that there might be room for some work on the side. I ain't no hero, but the locals seem decent enough."
Atsuhiro caught the swirling of purple mists, a sure sign that their time on this blood-soaked battlefield was drawing to an end. "Something to consider, to be sure. But let us save the conversation for later; our tempestuous transport has arrived."
Spinner nodded and stood up as one of Kurogiri's portals fully swirled into existence. Atsuhiro took a final glance around the battlefield before shaking his head. Spinner may yet have a point, but it would take far more study to determine the correct course of action. Until then, all they could do was return to their makeshift family and keep their eyes open.