I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.

Mineta woke up with a jolt before a dull pain coursed through his body. He looked down at his person and saw that his body armor was in tatters. Slash marks, punctures, broken plates… The whole thing was compromised. However, to his surprise, the actually injures under the armor were actually quite light. Either the armor did its job, or their foe STILL held back…

"Mineta-kun… Are you okay…?"

The shorter boy turned to the weak voice of his partner and found him equally messed up. While all of the wounds on Midoriya were equally shallow, the green hair boy could barely move himself. Even the light of One for All wasn't shining all that brightly... It was as though that last fight was more about beating their stamina out than actually hurting them.

"Somehow… But…" Mineta said as he slowly said up. But the more he moved, the more he wanted to stay down. However, the shorter boy knew better than to do that, they were still in enemy territory after all. He took a look around to get sense of what happened. And what he saw was startling.

For one, they were no longer in the lab where Overhaul was killed. They were in some demolished room with one single hole in the wall. The room beyond the hole wasn't the lab either, meaning Damocles smashed them through at least two other rooms.

And two… Damocles was still in the room. And he was just casually sitting around as though he didn't just finish beating down two people.

"You…!" Midoriya shouted weakly as he tried to stand. But even with One for All, the green haired boy could only kneel. Mineta tried to get up as well, but he couldn't even get onto one knee. How much energy was beaten out of them?

"Hey! You're finally awake! I kind of got carried away before and was afraid I might've accidentally killed you. So, for the sake of the Road, I stayed until I was sure you guys were alive." Damocles said, head tilting up to face them. Mineta wasn't even sure how to respond to that. But he had to admit, Damocles would be quite the Hero if he wasn't a killer.

"Well, now that you're okay, I'll take my leave. My boss has probably been waiting for me for a while now."

He then proceeded to stand up and started to walk towards the door in corner of the room. The two boys, almost automatically, picked up a chunk of rubble and hurled it at Damocles. However, because of their exhaustion and the giant's armor, the chunks simply bounced off. It did stop his walk though and caused him to turn around again.

"I like your spirit kids, but don't–" Damocles began. But before another word was spoken, two more bits of concrete hit him. And had it not been for the mask, Mineta was sure he and Midoriya would've did something to Damocles' eyes. But no, the armored giant continued to remain indifferent to their struggle.

That was until a chunk went into the opening in his armor and hit his wound.

"Enough!" Damocles shouted, finally reacting. He swung his broken sword at the next two chunks and hit them back. Mineta and Midoriya flinched at how close their stones came to hitting them and could only wait. The armored giant then took a deep breath before resting his broken sword on his shoulder.

"I understand what you kids are going through… Faced with a desperate situation, you will do anything to escape it. But without strength in both mind and body, things will not go your way. So instead of trying to waste your lives here, live and gain strength. Only then you'll be ready to face me again." Damocles said. Mineta, however, didn't make it past that first statement. Was this guy seriously pulling a 'we're not so different, you and I' card on them?

"Bullshit! You could never understand us!" Mineta shouted.

"Nor do we want you to understand! You're just a killer!" Midoriya added.

"So says the lawbreaker who rescued his friend from All for One. Even if the crime is different, the idea is the same. You couldn't sit still, could you? You couldn't be the bystander and wait for someone to make things better. The Hero within you couldn't help but reach out to those hands you could still reach." Damocles replied, pointing his armored finger at the green haired boy.

Now that really gave the two a surprise. How did he know about Midoriya's rescue Kamino? That information wasn't available to the public. So for him to know… This meant that Damocles wasn't acting alone. Somewhere, someone was providing this armored giant the information he needed. Was that how he was able to discover what Overhaul was doing?

Was that how Damocles executed his attack with the Heroes' raid?

Still, that wasn't important right now. Right now, they needed to refute him with every ounce of strength they had. And while Midoriya was unable to say anything, signs of lingering regret present… Mineta spoke up on his partner's behalf.

"What you did isn't even comparable! He was saving a life, you just ended one!"

"Still, that doesn't ignore the fact that we are people of action, just like our Stone Age ancestors long ago." Damocles replied. Mineta almost did a double take at that last part. What on Earth was he going on about? But before he said anything, the shorter boy managed to remember something Fenghuang said during his time with her.

'Learning about one's perspective can tell a lot about a person's character. It tells me of their struggles, their achievements, and the events that lead them there. More importantly, it shows me the weaknesses in their thinking.'

So if Mineta could understand where this guy is coming from, he could counter whatever twisted ideals Damocles has. He has gotten through to Stain before, so this should be easy. The shorter boy even had Midoriya by his side to help him. Sure, they've lost the physical battle…

But there is no way they could lose the battle of ideals.

"What are you talking about? How does that relate to anything?" Mineta asked. Damocles simply rested his broken sword on his shoulder as he began thinking. The shorter boy swallowed a lump in his throat as he heard a hum of understanding coming from Damocles. Why did that sound so ominous?

"You must first understand what Crimson is about before all that. As I said before, we aim to bring justice back into this world and give hope back to the people. And the first step in doing that is to clear the Road of any unrepentant degenerates who block the way." He finally said.

"What about those who changed their ways? What happens to them?" Midoriya asked, finally snapping out of his stupor. Still, the green haired boy presented a good question. If this guy really was a follower of Stain, those 'frauds' and 'fakers' will be facing their swords. Has nothing changed about the Hero Killer?

"Oh don't worry, they live. We aren't so unforgiving that we don't recognize character growth. Anyone who realizes what they've done and honestly start improving themselves will only find our sword hanging. However… The moment they start resorting to their old ways…" Damocles said as he tightened his grip on his sword.

"But that isn't right! Brutally forcing things won't actually change people's minds… You're just oppressing them at that point! People aren't perfect; they slip sometimes. So to give them no leniency means you never intend to let people change in the first place." Midoriya argued, glaring at the armored giant.

"But no one seems to understand that leniency has its limits. It's called a second chance, not third or fourth. Being understanding is great and all… But if that prevents people from actually bettering themselves, then what's the point in even trying? That's why Crimson was founded, to ensure people like them stay motivated on the Road to improvement. Or the 'die trying' part of their resolution is going to be a lot more literal." Damocles explained. Midoriya finally managed to stand up, the fury in his eyes burning much brighter than normal.

And that worried Mineta, since he couldn't be there to hold his partner back.

"Putting a gun to people's head… That's not going to lead to anything good." Midoriya said as he forced his feet forward.

"And waiting around for things to get better will? I don't think so. Did Hideyoshi Toyotomi wait to build his famed Sunomata Castle and risked his men on the siege with his enemy? Did waiting help the Allies deal with Hitler and his madness before World War II? Did YOU wait to save that little girl from Overhaul and the cruelty he had planned for her? Can you honestly say that when your hands have already reached out to the desperate? When your feet were running towards the needy? When your back has, time and again, shielded the weak?" Damocles asked.

He then thrust his broken sword at the pair, the force of which caused Mineta's body to tense. The feeling only worsened as Damocles repeated his question. "Can you honestly say that to me after everything you've done?"

The weight of that question cascaded down onto the boys like an avalanche. Worse still was the fact that Mineta couldn't come up with a counter-argument to anything. He had decent knowledge of history, but not enough to refute those first two points. But the third point provided the worst sting of defeat as there was absolutely nothing they could say to disprove Damocles.

They did reach out. They did run forward. They did protect others. They weren't waiters...

They were people of action… People like Damocles….

"Even… Even if I can't answer you… I will stop you." Midoriya said, voice full of uncertainty.

"Y-Yeah, nothing you say matters one bit." Mineta added with hesitation, finally getting to his feet. However, nothing the shorter boy could do could stop his knees from shaking. And based on how feeble Midoriya's back looks, Mineta knew his partner wasn't feeling any better either. However, before Mineta could think of a strategy…

Damocles darted forward. Mineta flinched as the shadow of the armored giant fell upon them and blinked. However, the sound of deflecting metal had brought the shorter boy's attention back and turned to the sound. The armored giant was now behind him and Midoriya, his sword out as though he finished swatting something away. And falling to the ground were two small, unfamiliar knives.

"Hey! Why did you get in the way? Deku would've looked a lot cuter with more blood gushing out of him." Said a gentle but unnerving voice. Emerging from the darkness of the hole behind them was a teenage school girl with messy, blonde buns and a man dressed in a black and grey bodysuit that covered him from head to toe. Whilst Mineta had never seen them before, it was easy to guess who they were.

Though it seems his partner knew who one of them was.

"Toga Himiko!" Midoriya said, barely able to get his stance ready again.

"Deku, you remembered me! Just wait right there, I'll stab you with the perfect knife and take an nice long drink of you once I've dealt with that weirdo." Toga giggled excitedly as she pointed her knife at Damocles.

"And she's a yandere… Great…" Mineta muttered, picking up the nearest chunk of concrete.

"Now hold on a minute Toga-chan, who is that weirdo to begin with. There aren't any renaissance fairs around here! Though tell if there are, I'd like play the princess." The man in the bodysuit said.

"Unfortunately for you Twice, nobody will be rescuing you from your tower. You and Toga Himiko are going to rot either in a cell or a grave." Damocles said, readying his broken sword. Mineta tensed up, as did Midoriya. Was he about to fight the two League members? If so, do the two boys have enough strength to stop everyone from killing each other?

"As fun as it might be to fight you… We're still on a mission. We've got to ruin Overhaul's day and we haven't seen him since the meeting before the Hero raid. Have you seen that bird faced weirdo?" Toga asked casually, even though she didn't relax her guard for a moment. But while Damocles' sword fell to his side, as if in apology, neither of the Villains actually made a move.

Mostly since everyone could tell that the armored giant's guard wasn't down.

"Oh… Well his day can't get any worse unfortunately, since I've already killed him. You could go spit on his corpse or something. You can find him going one room back, three rights, and one left."

"That's disgusting and disrespectful! Sounds like my kind of party!" Twice said before turning around. However, before the strange villain could take another step, Toga grabbed him as her faced turned dark. And while she was threatening before, she was now exuding pure malice.

"Hold it Jin-kun… What do you mean he's dead? We were supposed to make him pay for killing Big Sis Magne… Who gave you the right to take away our target?"

"I did."

Mineta froze to the sound of that voice. Echoing footsteps from beyond another hole began getting closer to them. And with each step, Mineta's eyes shrunk more and more. This gait… That voice… When he and Midoriya figured out who Damocles' boss, never did they consider that he was actually HERE. Wasn't this Damocles' first mission unsupervised? But then again…

All that meant was that he could do something else without worrying about the armored giant.

He stepped into the light, appearing for the first time since Mineta saw him in Hosu. His appearance might have changed, wearing more black than before… But nothing could ever make Mineta forget the contemptuous glare and aura of bloodlust he possessed. Before them was the Hero Killer Stain and was stronger than ever.

His looming presence told Mineta that much…

"Oh… Hey Boss… You're done already?" Damocles said nervously, facing the Hero Killer.

"I was actually running late, the Hassaikai was in the middle of moving the research and I had to track down every last scrap. However, it seems you have a far larger problem on your hands… Is the target at least–?" Stain replied, eyes slowly going to the two other parties.

"Face first in a pool of his blood? Yep. I was going to meet up with you but… These guys stopped me and we had a scuffle." Damocles answered quickly, pointing to Midoriya and Mineta. Stain turned to look at the two boys, his eyes widening in surprise. He even showed a genuine smile upon seeing the shorter boy.

"That is to be expected, it is their job after all. Still, it is good to see you again, little Hero. Has Ingenium become an upstanding young man yet?" Stain asked.

"More upstanding than you will ever be." Mineta said, practically spitting in his direction.

"And I see that will of yours has remained strong, excellent… But as surprising as our meeting is, I'm more concerned with their presence here." Stain replied, turning to Toga and Twice.

"Ever since All for One's fall at Kamino, I thought that child gave up and shut himself off from the world. It seems I was mistaken." Stain said, his voice rumbling as the air around him darkened.

But despite this intimidating aura, the blonde girl just stared at the Hero Killer. Her eyes were just full of stars, like an adoring fan meeting her Hero for the first time in person. Though given how she's a Villain and part of the League, it's not that surprising that she idolizes Stain. However, this was one of the worst times for two individuals such as them to meet. For one, this will definitely become a bloodbath if Mineta and Midoriya don't do something.

And two…

Being rejected by your Heroes could do terrible things to your mind. And knowing Stain, Mineta knew he and Toga will never be able to see eye to eye, which will further destabilize an already unstable person.

"Hi… I'm Toga Himiko. I-I really loved the work you did a few months back, with all those dead Heroes. I joined the League with a bunch of others so we could meet you… Co… Could we stab each other? To commemorate this moment of course!" Toga said, going into shy schoolgirl mode as she brandished another knife. The girl then charged the Hero Killer, fully intent to stab him.

And she would've been cut in half by Stain and crushed by Damocles had Twice not pulled her out of the way. Both Mineta and Midoriya attempted to move forward. But when their knees almost collapsed out of exhaustion, the two finally realized just how little energy they had. Meaning, even if things went south now, neither of them could do anything about it.

"Woah man, you can't just ice my girl!" Twice shouted.

"Don't blame me for the consequences of her actions. She charged at me, I had the right to defend myself. And what's this about joining the League with the intent of meeting me? What sort of lies were you feed by that fool you call a leader?" Stain asked, pointing his black bladed katana at Toga.

"Though I guess that would explain how they got their numbers up so fast… The League got more recruits by making you marketable!" Damocles said, turning to his Boss.

"Disgusting… Listen well scum of the Earth, I have no connection with Shigaraki and his pathetic League of Villains. I never have, or ever will be, associated with children who have no idea what they want. So discard any thoughts of working together with me… Because the next time you approach, your head will be mine." Stain said, venom lacing each syllable of his words.

And as Toga listened to the Hero Killer, the gleeful smile slowly turned into a strangely, calm frown.

"Just when I found someone who could understand me, I get rejected… Fine, if that's how you feel… I don't need you either." She said with a low growl. But before she could charge in, Twice placed a hand on her shoulder. It seemed to have calmed her down a little, but not by much…

"Now hold on Toga-chan, even my senseless self is saying to stay screwed on straight. Me thinks we're a little outgunned by that giant's big guns. We should get back to base and tattle to the boss." Twice said as he leaned in and whispered into Toga's ear.

The blonde Villain looked at her ally, her murderous glare still present. She then looked to Stain and Damocles, who weren't exactly standing at the ready but Mineta could tell they would be able to react. What was going to happen? If a fight broke out now, neither he nor Midoriya has the strength to stop both groups from killing each other.

"Hmm… That armored guy does look pretty strong… And my knives don't have the reach for Stain… Maybe you're right Jin-kun, retreating might be a better move here." She said, relaxing her glare.

"You think we'll allow you to get away?" Damocles asked as he stepped forward, but was cut off by one of Stain's blades.

"I'll allow it. The League of Villains gets one chance to surrender themselves … But know that, should you and your ilk continue going down the path you're on… Our swords will fall upon your head." Stain replied grimly, aiming his blade towards Toga and Twice.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever… Bye Izuku! It was nice to see you again! We'll hurt each other plenty next time!" Toga replied, brushing the Hero Killer off before addressing the green haired boy. And just like that, the two Villains left… Leaving Mineta and Midoriya with two individuals who were arguably worse than the League.

"Now that the nuisances are gone, let me have a good look at you two…" Stain said as he and Damocles turned to the two boys. Both Midoriya and Mineta tried their best to take their usual combat stance. But with all that has happened today, their bodies refuse to move the way they wanted it to.

"Injuries and exhaustion aside, I'm glad to see you two in good health. However, considering your condition, I recommend not pursuing us any further right now. Rest up, get stronger, and we'll give you a chance to apprehend us another day." Stain said before he and Damocles began walking away. Mineta, barely scrounging up enough energy to move, stepped forward. He couldn't just let them walk, not now.

But the moment he did take that step forward, the edge of a blade was on his throat.

"Mi–!" Midoriya began before a firm hand stopped him. Damocles was holding one of the green haired boy's shoulders. Mineta swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked back at Stain, who was looming over him. And though his eyes were calm, the murderous intent within was burning brighter than ever.

"I've always admired your spirit... But don't use it to throw away your life, not while you've still got work to do. You've saved that little girl, the Heroes won this day… Your mission is over." Stain said carefully. Mineta gritted his teeth and defiantly glared back. There was no way he could say that knowing he and Midoriya allowed a notorious murderer to get away.

"As if I'll–" Mineta began before a twitch from Stain's sword nicked his skin, causing it to bleed a little. Midoriya groaned as Damocles' armored fingers dug a little further into his shoulder.

"Your mission… Is over…"

Mineta clenched his teeth even harder. Stain was forcing him to admit defeat and there was no way he could do that. His mind raced to see if there was anything that could be done. But as each possibility opened up, it just ends right away with Mineta and Midoriya dead on the ground… And that thought was made worse with the vivid images of their friends and family mourning over them. As such, the words slowly, but surely, made their way onto his tongue.

There was no way out of this… They had to admit defeat…

Otherwise, they wouldn't make it to see tomorrow.

"Our… Our mission is over…" Mineta and Midoriya said as a pain appeared in both their hearts. The blade was slowly removed from the shorter boy's throat as the green haired boy's shoulder was released. Stain sheathed his sword and Damocles patted Midoriya on the back. Then, without another word, the two left.

Disappearing into the dark…

As Mineta stared at the spot Damocles and Stain once stood, a pain began slowly building in his heart. Earlier, Mineta thought uselessly throwing stones at Damocles was worse than their fight with Muscular. Well, this moment had just supplanted that. Being ideologically defeated by Damocles, forced to mentally accept defeat by Stain, and physically overpowered by both… Mineta and Midoriya lost on all fronts. And though Eri was ultimately rescued in the end…

They didn't feel like they won.

For nothing has changed…

And that has been Chapter 106.

I'm sort of tired right now, so I'm not in the mood for making this AN too long. Know that there is a rhyme and reason for everything, with how these encounters play out... And hopefully, all of it would unfold the way I intend it to. Still, wish me luck. I've been juggling course work, this story, a couple of games, and work. So it'll be a while before I can go back to a more frequent update schedule. But whatever the case, I hope you'll be there to read the next chapter to this story.

So...

Until Next Time. T1.