Disclaimer:
My Hero Academia was created by Kohei Horikoshi. Shin Megami Tensei was created by Atlus. This story uses plot elements and characters from them.
The Quirk War
By: RB3
School Days Ch 4: Sports Festival Bull Run
At the Foundation Domain, Izuku's friends sat at the colosseum's front row. A holographic image of the closing ceremonies hovered over the central arena. The Domain had tapped into the broadcast of the media, providing the group with footage of the events at the Sports Festival. The group had just seen Izuku get the medal for 1B's MVP placed upon his neck. "Alright Izuku! Woohoo!" cheered Manami.
"That's it lad! You were incredible!" remarked Danjuro.
"That's my baby!" cheered Inko.
"Way to go!" cheered Atsuro.
As the audience cheered, a scream suddenly came from somewhere distant. All Might and other UA faculty started looking around for the source when the video feed suddenly cut out and left only static. "The feed's gone! What happened?" asked Yuzu.
Their video feed came back as a Wild Hunt got into position and beamed the events in the stadium. A herd of stampeding, one-eyed bulls suddenly rushed into the stadium, causing a panic among the crowds and startling the pro heroes in attendance. Present Mic attempted to address the audience, but his voice on the microphone became garbled by interference, then a high pitch reverberated within everyone's ears. When one of the bulls approached All Might, the pro hero attempted to punch it, but found that his fist went through the creature's body. All Might got rammed and hurled to the ground, though only roughed up instead of being seriously hurt.
Manami arose from her seat, her jawed dropped in shock from witnessing these events. "Those are Stonka! What are they doing there?" asked Manami.
"I thought we calmed them down! How did they get loose in the stadium?" asked Danjuro.
"Everyone, get ready for combat. You have to clear those Stonka out of the stadium before too many people get hurt," Abel told the others.
"Roger!" said Melissa.
As the stadium descended into panic and chaos, the students on the field fled for dear life. Kinoko Komori, a girl with brown hair who looked like a mushroom, ran from a Stonka charging her way. The bull lifted its head as it rammed her, knocking her several feet into the air before she landed on her front in the stands. Mashirao Ojiro, a blond-haired boy with a tail, raced to the retaining wall with a Stonka hot on his heels. The Stonka got to him and gave him a boost to the stands by ramming him into the air and leaving him splayed on the seats while emitting acrid electrical smoke.
Another Stonka came through an opening in the aisles and found itself in the bleachers. Due to the bleachers being stepped in shape, designed for upright human bodies, the Stonka got bogged down trying to navigate the cramped environment. Trapped between the seats, it started to arc electricity from its body. That in turn caused the audience to panic even more and flee to safer space.
At the hallways, Yaoyorozu and other students fled from the Stonka charging in. Iida waved to Yaoyorozu and the other students, who were fleeing across the halls from the stampede. "Over here! We'll lock them out!" Iida cried to the girl.
Yaoyorozu saw that Iida stood in the ajar metal door to 1A's waiting room. He let the students flee in, then slammed the door shut behind them and locked it. The students immediately grabbed anything they could find, from lockers to benches, to toss before the door and barricade it from the Stonka. In the midst of the chaos, Izuku had fled the stadium with a crowd of people. The Stonka were right behind them. He took a detour into a wooded area to hide. The Stonka passed by, kicking up a large cloud of electrified dust as they chased a crowd towards the Sports Festival midway.
The bulls charged into a cotton candy tent, tearing the canvas to shreds and smashing the equipment. Pink cotton candy got scattered all over the ground. The bulls had trampled it flat in their wake. They went into a neighbouring teriyaki booth and smashed through the grill. Teriyaki sauce spilled over the ground and stained it black and brown. The Stonka's electricity ignited a fire spread on some paper napkins scattered on the ground. The flames spread in all directions and followed a trail back to a grill's propane tank, triggering a loud boom and raging inferno!
Back at the woods, Izuku glanced at the explosion for a brief moment before regaining his composure. He then looked around and noticed that no one had followed him. He was deep behind tree cover where no one could see him. He promptly transformed into Altered Beast, becoming the silver Werewolf. He jumped to the tree tops, then leapt towards the midway. When he touched ground, he gave chase to the Stonka at top speed, terrifying patrons who saw him run by. Three of the bulls were about to trample a young child.
He quickly launched into a Lunar Kick, tearing through two Stonka like a flaming blue arrow. He pounced on the third and raked through it with his claws. "Altered Beast, can you hear me?" asked Abel through telepathy.
"Yes," replied Beast via the telepathic link.
"Those Stonka are the same ones you met during your mission north of UA. We're herding them through a hole in the north. Send them there," said Abel.
"Okay. I'll get them there," replied Beast.
Altered Beast raced towards the main herd of Stonka, then sent Lunar Balls at the ground near them, scaring them into turning the other way. After a series of such attacks, the Stonka had turned around and started stampeding towards the north, around the stadium and towards the exit hole. Serenoa, Metal Gear, Queen, and Plant Zombie were doing the same, driving the scattered bulls into a single herd, then forcing them through the hole out of the UA campus.
The demon hunters saw a group of pro heroes, hired security for the Sports Festival, converge upon them and the herd racing out of the hole. Among them were Mt. Lady, Kamui Woods, and Death Arms. "Stop!" she cried to the demon hunters.
Plant Zombie lobbed a pod at the group. It exploded and released a massive cloud of golden pollen. Once it got into their eyes and faces, the pro heroes seized up from the tears welling in their eyes and the sneezing fits they induced. "Demon hunters, can you hear me?" asked Abel.
"Yes. What's the matter?" asked Plant Zombie.
"There are still some Stonka in the first-year stadium. Please head there and herd them out," replied Abel.
"Roger," replied Serenoa.
The Foundation demon hunters rushed to the stadium, where they found one of the bulls trapped in the bleachers. It was caught between seats, unable to navigate through the cramped aisles. Serenoa lifted the creature via telekinesis, then flew it away from the area. Below, All Might and the UA faculty hurled Quirks at the Stonka in the arena. Their Quirks did nothing to harm or impede the Stonka, but did distract them, which was the faculty's ultimate goal. A Stonka charged at All Might and Midnight, who scattered and let the bull pass by.
Beast landed on the front row seats and hurled Lunar Balls at the bulls, scaring them towards the north exit of the stadium. Plant Zombie lobbed a pod which released pollen into the midst of the faculty. Distracted by the tears welling in their eyes and relentless sneezing fits, the faculty could not offer any opposition. By the time they had recovered, the Stonka had fled the stadium. The entire Sports Festival grounds had been cleared of bulls as the demon hunters herded them into the northern wilderness.
Meanwhile, the pro heroes started hosing down the burning midway booths with water to keep the propane fire from spreading any further. Sirens from police, ambulances, and fire trucks converged on the UA campus. With help from the incoming fire fighters, it was only a few minutes before they had extinguished the fires. The police sealed off UA's grounds, sending the patrons away while closing off the stadium. Paramedics loaded Kinoko and Ojiro onto stretchers and carried them away to receive medical attention.
Outside UA's grounds, the Stonka had been herded far to the north. As they were forced into their home Domain at a clearing, some of them started to pop back out. "The Stonka are fleeing their Domain for reasons unknown. This unit will enter and investigate," announced Metal Gear.
"Okay. We'll hold the fort out here," said Beast.
She went inside the Domain and came upon a vast verdant field with some Stonka. Ball lightning struck the ground near them, triggering a panic among them. Above was the creature who had attacked them, an angel-like statue made of what appeared to be a dark turquoise gelatin. Its heart floated visibly in its stomach. This creature was actually a Virtue, a demon of the Divine family, an actual angel. The Virtue noticed Metal Gear and started hurling ball lightning at her. Despite dodging the first in the volley, the next struck her. After a brief stay on the ground, she levitated herself upright.
The Virtue fired more ball lightning, but Metal Gear hopped away from them, then fired several bullets. The Virtue evaded them in series of banking manoeuvres, then resumed its offence with more ball lightning. Metal Gear put up a heater shield, then countered with a shotgun-like volley of metal pellets. The Virtue tried to evade, but got dinged in the wing, causing its mobility to suffer. In response, the Virtue made lightning crackle from its fingers and surge throughout her body.
Suddenly, several Lunar Balls came from behind, but were nullified by the Virtue's innate holy power nullification. It turned around to fire at Altered Beast, who nullified its own holy attack in turn. Beast's attack had distracted the Virtue, allowing Metal Gear to fire a shotgun-like blast of metal pellets into its back. The shots tore out its other wing and grounded it. After a metal spike through the head, the Virtue tumbled from the sky.
Upon hitting the ground, it broke into motes of Magatsuhi and vanished. "Are you okay?" asked Beast.
"This unit is still operating at 90% efficiency," replied Metal Gear. "That Virtue was responsible for the stampede."
Once the Stonka returned to the verdant fields of their home, they seemed to calm down greatly. "We sorry! Angel shoot us again and we got scared!" apologized the Stonka when they were asked why they were stampeding.
"Don't let this happen again. You caused a mess on school grounds!" scolded an irate Queen.
After the demon hunters returned to the Foundation Domain, they reported what they had discovered to the Spade Mercs at the colosseum. "So another angel was zapping them again, this time a Virtue?" asked Yuzu.
"Yes. I defeated the Virtue with some help from Izuku, but we have to do something to keep the angels from attacking them again," warned Melissa.
"I'll send a few demons to guard the Stonka Domain. The angels won't get away with this again," said Abel.
"This is worrying. I hope we're not getting dragged into another Law-Chaos war here," said Midori.
"What do you mean by a 'Law-Chaos war?'" asked Izuku.
"Demons adhere to two opposing ideologies, Law and Chaos. Demons of Law believe in an orderly world ruled by God, but risk an authoritarian and autocratic society when taken too far. The demons of Chaos want absolute freedom with the most talented and strongest reaching the top, but it will devolve into a predatory might makes right environment where the weak become nothing more than prey for the strong," replied Abel. "As you can see, both extremes are very bad."
"The two sides can't get along, so they're constantly fighting," warned Yuzu.
"Is Hero Society going to get caught in the middle if real fighting breaks out?" asked Izuku.
"Yep. Stopping a fight or two is one thing, but stopping a whole war is another!" warned Midori.
"So we risk a war breaking out? We can't let that happen! We've got to work harder and make sure it doesn't get that far," Izuku said to himself mentally.
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Later that night, in the city of Hoth, a pro hero clad in white armour had entered an alley on the trail of a villain. He looked around, but the villain he was seeking was not there, only darkness. Suddenly, he was stabbed from behind! His attacker pulled out the knife, then a sensation of numbness came over his body, leaving him helpless on the ground. "I'll show the heroes the truth of this warped society they have created!" declared the villain, who promptly thrust a sword into his back.
Leaving the hero for dead, some time had passed before a homeless man wandered into the alley. He noticed the hero sprawled on the ground, all covered in blood. The hobo became terrified and fled the other way as quickly as he could. Moments later, emergency services had swarmed the area with paramedics loading the pro hero onto their ambulance via a stretcher.
A nurse at a desk of the hospital made a call to the young man's family. "Hello," replied a woman from the other end.
"Is this the Iida residence?" asked the nurse.
"Yes. What's the matter?" asked the woman.
"We have just admitted a pro hero who had been identified as Ingenium, Tensei Iida, to Hoth General Hospital," replied the nurse.
"Tensei's there? What happened?" asked the woman, alarmed by what she had heard.
"He had been ambushed by a villain while on a call. He had suffered serious damage to his back and spine. The doctors say he will survive, but these injuries may be severe enough to end his career," said the nurse. "If you wish to visit him, he is in room 201."
"Thank you," replied the woman, who was in fact Tensei's mother and by extension, the mother of Tenya Iida of Class 1A at UA.
When she hung up the phone, Iida was right behind her. "I heard Tensei was at the hospital. What happened to him?" asked Iida, concerned for his brother's welfare.
"A villain got to him. It was pretty bad. The doctors say he might not be able to return to hero work anymore," replied his mother.
The Iida family rushed over to the Hoth General Hospital to check on Tensei. When they entered his hospital room, they found a shirtless young man hooked up to life support machines via tubes running out of his body. His midsection had been wrapped in bandages. "Brother!" said Iida upon rushing into the room.
"Is that you Tenya?" asked Tensei, delirious and weak from anaesthetics.
"Yes, it's me! Mom and dad are here too!" replied Iida.
"I see. I wanted to be someone you could look up to and respect, but look at me now," said Tensei. "Brother, I'm so sorry."
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Some time after the incident at the Sports Festival, the faculty held a meeting to discuss events and contingencies they could take to improve security around UA. Nezu showed them a newspaper article about the event, where the media wrote about the strange one-eyed bulls which had stampeded across the Sports Festival grounds. Since the media was unable to get pictures due to their cameras glitching, an artist had to draw the bulls as they were described by witnesses.
The hand-drawn picture the artist had produced was a perfect representation of a Stonka demon. "A one-eyed bull? This is quite unusual," remarked Midnight as she scrutinized the picture.
"I tried to punch one of them, but my fist just went through its body like a ghost. They appear to have abilities like that of young Togata from Class 3B. They can also generate electricity, just like young Kaminari of Class 1A," said All Might.
"Is this another ploy by the League of Villains like the USJ attack?" asked Snipe, the cowboy-like teacher.
"No one has come out with anything that might suggest the League's involvement. It's possible that this is a separate incident unrelated to them, but we can't rule out their involvement outright," suggested Nezu.
"The Werewolf from the USJ showed up here too, along with his friends. They had herded the bulls away from the campus. They were the same people who had killed the Mustafar Lords during their war against the Alderaan Rebels, according to witnesses," said Midnight.
"So we're not dealing with one vigilante, but a team of them?" asked Snipe.
"Yes. They all have what appear to be Transformation Quirks if their non-human forms are any indication. The only exception is the masked young woman, who has an Emitter Quirk. According to our information, her Quirk creates a castle and soldiers like those ruled by the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland," said Midnight.
"Do we have any clues as to their real identities?" asked All Might.
"None so far," replied Midnight.
"While I can't condone vigilantism, their intervention had proved a major factor in restoring order then and today," remarked Snipe.
"Let's move on to the summer training camp for our first-year hero students. Have we decided where we'll host it?" asked Present Mic, turning to Nezu.
"Not yet. With all these incidents on our campus, we're keeping the location secret, on a need-to-know basis," replied Nezu. "Until then, we'll focus on getting the first years into their internships."
At lunch later on, the students of 1B met at the lunch room. "Hey Midoriya! Come sit here! There's plenty of space," offered Tetsu while waving at him to come over.
"Hey!" greeted Izuku as he came over and took the seat nearby. "What have you been up to in class?"
"Mr. Kan had us pick our hero names today!" replied Itsuka. "Everyone really wanted to do that for such a long time."
"Oh, that's great! What names did you choose?" asked Izuku, waiting eagerly to hear their response.
"I'm the Real Steel! Not just Steel, but the Real Steel!" replied Tetsu, with emphasis on "real," prompting Izuku to chuckle.
"I'm going to call myself 'Battle Fist' after my Quirk and that I'm into martial arts," replied Itsuka.
"I'll call myself 'Vines' after my hair," replied Ibara.
"I'm going to be the 'Phantom Thief.' I basically steal Quirks from people and make them my own," replied Monoma.
"Now that you mention it, what would you call yourself, Midoriya? I know you're not in the hero course, but I'm kinda interested in what name you'd go by," asked Tetsu.
"That's hard to say. My Quirk is Regeneration, so there isn't a cool name you can make from that," replied Izuku modestly.
Deep down, Izuku was not only being humble, but also concealing the truth from them. After being infected with Atma, he had gained the power of "Altered Beast," taking that as his code name while acting as a demon hunter for the Atma Foundation. He literally was an "altered beast" in those forms. Such a power would almost guarantee him a career as a pro hero, but he had promised Abel not to pursue such a career to reduce the risk of spreading Atma.
"Maybe not, but you're one tenacious guy. We all saw how you held back Bakugo during the Escort Race," said Monoma. "Maybe they should call you the 'Tenacious Hero.'"
"Maybe," replied Izuku pensively. "If you picked your hero names today, does that mean you'll be interning soon, under a pro?"
"That's right. In our class, all the agencies were impressed by Tetsu's silver medal win at the Tourney," said Itsuka.
"I got more than 1000 offers!" boasted Tetsu, pointing thumbs to himself.
Izuku's jaw dropped. "1000? Wow! That's amazing!" remarked Izuku.
"I heard Bakugo got about 800," said Itsuka.
Izuku's eyes widened. "800? That's less than what Tetsu got! Didn't Katsuki win the Tourney?" asked Izuku, who found this so unusual.
"Yeah, but considering how he acts, the pros probably didn't want to take a guy like him on," replied Itsuka.
Izuku nodded silently, as he was quite familiar with the scowling face of Bakugo as he screamed at him. "I have to thank you, Midoriya," said Tetsu, breaking Izuku from his reverie. "I couldn't have gotten this far without your help. You helped me get here and those agencies noticed. Thank you so much, MVP!" Tetsu patted his buddy on the back.
"All of us at 1B are grateful for your help. It's like the Lord sent you to guide us to victory at the Sports Festival," said Ibara, who clasped her hands in prayer. "Thank you Lord, for sending Midoriya our way!"
"No problem! I'm glad I was able to help, I really am," replied Izuku. "How many offers did the rest of you get? I hope it's a lot."
"I got about 300 offers myself. I got past the elimination rounds, but if I managed to defeat Bakugo, I probably would have gotten more," replied Itsuka.
"I got 50. I didn't even get past the elimination rounds, but the Lord still gave me charity with these offers," said Ibara.
"I also got 50. I wasn't in the Tourney, but they must have seen how useful my Quirk could be during the Escort Race," said Monoma.
"Seems everyone got quite a few. Winning the Sports Festival really got your name out there," remarked Izuku.
"Yeah! I can't believe how many people recognized me on the bus to UA!" remarked Tetsu.
"Me too! They were giving me condolences about getting stomped by Bakugo," said Itsuka.
Monoma looked at his smartphone, then showed the time to his friends. "Look at the time! Our lunch break is almost over!" said Monoma.
"Sorry Midoriya, we'd better head back to class," said Itsuka.
"Yeah. I'd better head back too. See ya tomorrow," said Izuku.
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When the night came around, Izuku returned to the Foundation Domain to train in demon hunting skills. He joined Abel at the magic firing range to learn how to use Altered Beast in a new way. "Tonight, we're going to unlock a new form for Altered Beast, the Werebear. Focus inward and draw the strength of the bear outward," said Abel.
Izuku did so and saw the image of a humanoid bear growling with ferocity. His body became encrusted in rock and dirt as it enlarged to monstrous, ursine proportions. Like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon, the Werebear tore its way out of the rock as it growled in triumph. "This form feels even more powerful than the Werewolf!" remarked Altered Beast.
"Yes. The Werewolf has all-around capabilities, being faster while the Werebear is stronger and especially durable. The first of the Werebear's special abilities is Petrification Breath. It should be obvious what it does. Try it on those dummies now," said Abel.
Altered Beast turned to the target dummies and spewed a dusty brown aerosol out of his mouth. On contact, it coated the dummies and quickly cured into rock. For moving dummies, he turned his head left and right to spread the breath over a wider area and catch them. The longer he kept the spray on the area, the more and more the rock coated the dummies until they were covered completely, becoming like statues. Charging in with a single swipe, Altered Beast had shattered one of the dummies.
"Pretty deadly!" remarked Altered Beast.
"Of all the abilities of the beast forms, Petrification Breath is one of the most debilitating. Just beware that certain foes can nullify petrification," warned Abel. "The second major ability is Scrunching. The Werebear can curl up into a ball and somersault or roll into people like a bowling ball."
After a fresh new set of dummies replaced the ones lost, Altered Beast attempted the technique and became a furry sphere the size of a volleyball. He rolled himself into the dummies, knocking them over the way a bowling ball would do so to pins. After reverting to normal, he leapt into the air, then Scrunched up and landed on a group of four dummies, which were crushed beneath his weight.
"This is good for fitting into tight spaces too," remarked Altered Beast upon reverting to normal.
"Yeah. Keep that in mind if you ever need to get into one," said Abel. "The last ability is to form Rock Armour around your body. It's pretty self-explanatory as an ability. You simply form rock over your body as armour, or to strengthen attacks."
Altered Beast recognized this ability as being much like Eijiro Kirishima's own ability to Harden himself. When Beast did so, he was covered by rock as expected. However, it was smoother rock rather than the jagged stuff Kirishima formed over his body. Altered Beast's was purely defensive while Kirishima had offensive properties from being able to prick and lacerate attackers.
One of the dummies rammed Altered Beast as a test of the Rock Armour. As expected, it cushioned the blow. "You're really getting the hang of this form," remarked Abel. "Tomorrow, we're going to talk about a special project. Please be on time to hear about it."
The next night, Abel brought the demon hunters to the Domain of the Stonka located north of the UA campus. Already, there were demons hard at work in the wilderness, clearing the trees and flattening the ground for a construction project. "So we're having our lesson at the Stonka Domain? What are they clearing the forest for?" asked Izuku.
"We're going to create a tea factory on this site. Master Abel spoke with Danjuro and me about it and suggested that we build a business to help fund our late night exploits," replied Manami.
"As a tea connoisseur, it was my idea," said Danjuro with a smile.
"Today's lesson is about fronts and building a source of income. As demon hunters, you're vigilantes and aren't sponsored by the government like pro heroes. You'll need fronts to secure funding. Although Dr. Abraham gave us a generous donation, that money won't last forever, hence this factory. Let's go inside the Domain and look," said Abel.
The group entered the Domain and found the Stonka grazing in a grassy field. Some of them were gathered around an object which resembled a metal pillar with a circular base. Dr. Shield was monitoring the strange technological device and taking readings on it. "Dad, you're here?" asked Melissa, surprised to see him.
"Hi Melissa! Abel wanted me to show you this new device. It absorbs electricity from the Stonka and stores it. Once Danjuro's factory is built, it will power the building," replied Dr. Shield.
"Wow! Pretty clever!" remarked Melissa.
"As part of the Foundation, you'll also handle demons. You'll negotiate with them and employ them as allies and assets for the Foundation. As you can see here, Dr. Shield is going to employ the Stonka for energy generation," said Abel.
"I see. Not all demons have to be our enemy. Some can be made into our allies and friends," remarked Izuku as he watched the Stonka graze around the device. As they emitted bolts of electricity, the device captured it and became charged.
"That's right. We hunt demons, but we also befriend and employ them," said Abel.
"That also gets the demons off the streets so they aren't attacking people. That also means we don't always have to kill them to ensure they aren't a threat," noted Kashiko.
"To get everyone to work together means diplomacy is important. Instead of fighting each other, we can work together so everyone gets ahead," remarked Melissa.
"That's right," replied Abel.
"I've wondered this, but I noticed that Domains bring Magatsuhi inside where a demon can use it. If they can do that, why do demons even bother to attack people if they can get Magatsuhi so conveniently?" asked Izuku.
"Sure they can do that, but that way produces smaller amounts over time. Consuming a person or even another demon gives a much larger sum immediately. It's like hunting a buffalo versus raising cattle," replied Abel.
"I see, so short term versus long term gains," said Kashiko.
"Correct!" replied Abel.
"So if a demon does both, setting up a Domain to collect Magatsuhi, then luring people in for the slaughter, they're getting the best of both worlds," noted Izuku.
"Indeed. That's why these ones are among our strongest and most fearsome foes," said Abel.
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The following day, the Foundation demon hunters gathered around Abel at the colosseum to learn about a new mission. "As I mentioned yesterday, we'll be getting the Foundation some new allies. Our scouts have discovered a group of yokai, demons of Japanese origin. They are led by the Shinto god Inari and centred around a Domain with anchors at various shrines across Japan. One such shrine is the Mustafar Shrine to the north, at the edge of the wilderness. We're going to meet Inari and get him to ally with us against Law and Chaos," said Abel.
"So it's just like yesterday when you told us about befriending demons," said Izuku.
Abel nodded. "Inari and his group are historically guardians to the Japanese people, revered at these Shinto shrines," said Abel. "We've noticed that they've come under attack from random demons, including those from the Chaos and Law factions."
"Just like the Stonka were during that stampede," remarked Kashiko.
Abel nodded again. "The forces of Law appear to be congregating in Nagasaki over in southwestern Japan. In the same manner, we're seeing a similar phenomenon with the Chaos demons in Deika City. Since there are Inari shrines near both locations, his Domain would serve as an important beachhead should war break out. You can see how important this mission is to us," said Abel.
"Don't worry, Master Abel. We're behind you 100%!" said Kashiko.
In flickers of blue light, the Foundation's demon hunters appeared by the Inari shrine north of Mustafar. It was a small area built into a natural alcove in the dirt in an area surrounded by trees. A torii demarcated the entrance to the grounds of this small holy site. They approached the shrine and found it empty, save for a sense of time and space being distorted over the area. This was the entrance to a Domain.
They immediately employed their Atma power to enter the Domain and found themselves before another, larger torii. This version of the shrine stood in an area with a crimson sky. A large flight of steps stood before them, leading up the side of a mountain. As they ascended, the sky became darker, as though night was coming in the physical world. They soon came upon a Japanese deity, who stood beyond a second torii marking the entrance of the main grounds. This god wore a fox-like mask and white robes. He was being flanked by a group of kitsune, a few of which had nine tails, making them the most powerful of their species.
"Greetings! My messengers told me you would come. I am Inari, the god of rice and agriculture," said the deity to introduce himself.
The Spade Mercs and the demon hunters bowed. "Great Inari, we are members of the Atma Foundation. We've come to request an alliance against the demons of Law and Chaos," said Abel.
"Aye. My foxes have told me about your organization and how it fights both angel and demon alike for the sake of humanity," replied Inari. "Both factions have expelled my followers from the shrines they used to inhabit near Nagasaki and Deika. We'd like assistance in reclaiming these shrines and battling both Law and Chaos."
"We'll provide that assistance. Let's join together and help each other get through this crisis together," said Abel.
Abel and Inari shook hands firmly to seal the alliance between their groups. "Very well. Consider this alliance formed. Let's open our Domains to each other so we may use them to attack the other factions," said Inari.
"Thank you," said Abel.
END OF CHAPTER