Comments:

Miqila: Someone bullied Shoto more. We had couple centimeters of snow just last Tuesday. At this rate whoever did that is going to irritated even Eijiro like Stain does. Speaking of which... let's go.

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Proofread by 3DPhantom

Chapter 69: Sword vs Rock

"You might be the perfect man to stop him," Izuku said as the realization hit him. Perhaps it was just Shirokuro trying to convince him to not expose himself. He shouldn't risk Eijiro's life to keep his secrets.

Eijiro pressed his hand firmly on Izuku's shoulder and hardened it. The expression on his face had gone from doubt and worry to determination he rarely showed, only when he declared he would never regret being too weak again.

"Don't die," Eijiro said.

Was that an actual order? Eijiro had never given one. The moment took less than a second before he pushed up and was already charging forward. Izuku pushed through the pain to raise his head enough to see down the alley as Eijiro ran towards the serial killer. Izuku made sure to zoom his vision to keep up with what was happening.

Somehow Mr. Brave had avoided being sliced up. Then again, he was specialized in sword combat, or at least sword-like hair combat, even if Eijiro hadn't been convinced by his strength. Eijiro reached them just as their swords clashed and went in with a swing that forced Stain to back away.

Eijiro had gone around to approach from the side Tenya was laying on, so he had already helped make Tenya safer. At least now there was a boulder between him and the killer.

But Stain was not so easily deterred. He struck out again. Brave barely parried it, giving Eijiro another opportunity to strike, but Stain was still too quick. They seemed to manage on defence, that was Eijiro's specialty after all, but that could not last forever.

Eijiro seemed to think the same, launching a barrage of punches, driving Stain back against the wall. It was an impressive achievement for Eijiro.

Actually, it was too impressive even for him. It seemed like Stain didn't get a counterattack in, but it was clear he did not even try. Eijiro's arm rose to make another strike, but Stain's swung faster.

A knife flew out right under Eijiro's arm at Brave who didn't see it in time from behind Eijiro. It seemed like he evaded it or at least didn't suffer any serious injury. Izuku knew better.

Stain dodged Eijiro's punch which sunk into the wall, surprisingly deep at that. If he actually hit Stain properly it would easily have killed him. Was Eijiro really fighting that seriously or did he just lose focus in a real fight?

Stain jumped and pushed off the wall, basically flying past Brave, blocking his attempt at slashing the killer midair. Stain spun around and landed on his feet; by that time he was holding the knife he threw earlier. Brave collapsed on the ground as Eijiro pulled his fist out of the wall and turned around, ready for the next round.

Now he was alone.

Izuku gritted his teeth. Why wasn't he already there turning Stain into ash? Stain had killed tons of pro heroes. Why was Izuku still relying on Eijiro fighting him? He had to help. Even if it meant he would lose everyone.

So why hadn't he already gotten up and gone there? Izuku gritted his teeth.

Eijiro couldn't even get a hit in. Stain had lectured Shirokuro for lack of experience for long days and now Izuku could truly see the same difference between the killer and Eijiro, who still had the tendency to extend himself too much while going for an attack like the punch he just made. Stain evaded it easily and shifted his hold of his Katana. Izuku gasped.

Stain swung the sword in a wide horizontal swing faster and with more power than Izuku had ever seen him do. It was a decapitation strike aimed straight at Eijiro's neck. It hit, and kept moving until passing Eijiro's neck on the both sides.

Izuku gasped, incapable of breathing. He wasn't even sure if his heart pumped for a second. His eyes widened, tears already trying to push out.

The part of the sword behind Eijiro's neck flicked away and clung against the wall behind.

The other half of the sword still held by Stain stopped and moved back into a more defensive stance as the man avoided another fist.

Whatever force had squeezed Izuku's throat and heart released its grip as he remembered why he had risked relying on Eijiro instead of paying the price of joining in. That didn't mean he was convinced it was right. A villain would use someone they called friend like that.

Then again, wasn't that what he was already?

Stain used the remnants of the Katana for another strike, swinging it with apparent rage, but the attack was only a distraction to lure Eijiro's arm up in defence as another gnarly looking knife stabbed under the arm right into armpit and joints of the shoulder.

Good thing Eijiro's armour was not a suit of armour with such weaknesses with joints and he had gotten better at making sure there were not openings by accident. Izuku always went for those if Eijiro didn't keep his defence up all over, just like that first time when Eijiro had his hardening slip just long enough for a punch at the gut.

It wasn't as easy to do anymore, which was why he was still alive. All the sweat Izuku had squeezed out of him was at least worth it.

And Eijiro wasn't done. This time he was fast enough to catch the knife from its blade before Stain pulled it all the way out and this time, despite Stain being bigger, he did not win the tug of war and had to give up the weapon. Eijiro tossed the bent knife. Stain seemed to be talking.

"Why?" Eijiro said loud enough for Izuku to hear. "You tried to kill them."

Stain said something more, but he was at the wrong angle for Izuku to try to read lips.

"No, I did that before. I'll never do it again. I'll never be that weak again."

Eijiro jumped forward with uncharacteristic intensity. He was almost always intense, especially with any kind of training, but this was more the kind of intensity driven by grief and anger. Izuku was very familiar with that kind of intensity, just not with Eijiro.

Eijiro struck out with what seemed like another wall-buster. He was still fighting too straightforward and raised his arm to block similarly useless stabs from yet another knife, now aimed at his face, possibly his eyes. That still shouldn't work any better than the previous attacks.

Izuku knew from experience.

His heart had calmed down considerably from just a moment earlier.

Eijiro suddenly pulled his blocking arm back and caught the knife as it was striking at him. That was new. Their fingers were entangled with Eijiro literally squeezing the weapon out of his enemy's hand. Stain used his other arm to slash at Eijiro's face repeatedly with the broken Katana, but to no avail.

Izuku could hardly believe it but the Hero Killer started to look desperate.

"Give up!" Eijiro shouted. "I'll never let you go."

Perhaps he had really won.

Stain's stare turned darker.

"Perhaps you really have what it takes to be a real hero, unlike these others," Stain declared to Izuku's great surprise, but his tone.

"We will see about that."

He held out yet another knife ready to throw, but he wasn't aiming for Eijiro. Eijiro realized that too and tried to stop it with his free hand, but it wasn't enough. Stain tossed the knife at Native.

Eijiro spun around, letting go of Stain in an attempt to reach the thrown knife. Stain had thrown it slow and Eijiro managed to just narrowly swipe it with the tips of his fingers. Disappointingly that was enough to make it miss the man laying against the wall.

Stain bolted, running towards Izuku. Perhaps this was best. If he escaped he could still expose Izuku, but he wouldn't be hurting anyone here, and at least on the loose he wouldn't be interrogated right away.

Their eyes briefly met and then Stain had passed. Eijiro was already running after him but his ultimate defence didn't do much for his speed. Despite how fit and fast runner Eijiro was, speed was one advantage Stain held. There was a familiar clinging behind Izuku.

The air got colder while he struggled to turn with his injuries. There was a giant ice wall blocking the entire alleyway with two comforting forms standing in front of it and the stopped killer.

Another stream of ice burst along the ground towards Stain, but the killer was too quick even for that and jumped aside at the last moment.

"Hey Stain!" Hitoshi shouted. Stain's head spun around just as he jumped to evade Shoto's attack.

"Wha…?"

It was over, or would have been if not for one thing.

Stain fell on the ground hard, then jolted and relatively gracefully bounced back on his feet. The squeeze around Izuku's throat and heart came back with vengeance.

"Great trick," Hitoshi shouted, but even he couldn't completely mask the nervousness in his voice and Stain did not fall for it. "Bang!"

Stain shuddered as the Surprise-quirk struck again, but he was already on it and slapped a hand on his mouth. His other hand already had yet another knife in it. He evaded another ice attack, then leaped towards Hitoshi.

Izuku forced his injured hand to move as sparks of blue fire appeared agonisingly right over his wound. Before he could take the shot he was blocked by a rock hard mess of red.

This time Eijiro hit.

There was a sickening crack as his fist hit somewhere around Stain's shoulder. The killer spun all the way around from the power of the impact and the knife flew off the newly useless arm.

Miraculously Stain avoided falling over, stopping himself with his remaining limbs. Instantly one of his feet swung up, a sharp spike on his boot sunk right between Eijiro's legs. The force made Eijiro jolt a bit upwards, but he didn't show any sign of pain, not even a sound, instead he grabbed Stain's leg with both arms and yanked.

With a quick spin he threw the killer face first on the wall.

With that turn Eijiro's face came in sight. His stare wasn't just determined but angry, angry like he had never shown before. It was the kind of stare telling people: 'Stay away from him, you don't want to fight me.'

A very Izuku-esque stare.

Izuku wasn't sure if he should be proud, sad, or terrified.

Stain began collapsing after the impact, unclear if he was even conscious, but a mass of ice struck him, pinning him against the wall. Complete silence filled the alley for a few seconds. Then there was one more thud as Eijiro fell on his knees, thankfully before releasing his quirk. His shoulders were crouched, head down, seemingly staring at his hands.

There went the only person in the group who didn't need therapy before.