Guild Master here again, again.

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Gamemastersden and then .com

It was the first encounter between class 1-A and 1-B of the final round. Both sides were aware of the stakes that have led up to the final match up. These students understood enough about the other party that this was more about their personal measures and whether or not they added up to the efforts of their fellow students.

There was a strangely adaptable sort of chemistry that caused a synchronicity in the remaining members of class 1-B for the last round of the joint exercise. A tumbler of large metallic objects were being hefted at the party that was practically on the defensive with Monoma being the agitating presence he was known for. Izuku was already being defensive due to the fact that Mina and Ochaco were trying to dodge and deflect massive amounts of metal debris. Even though it wasn't intentional, even by Monoma's standards, a massive metal bolt that was grown to gargantuan proportions violently collided with Mina's head.

This was an accident in all contexts of the term. Nobody from class 1-B intended this to happen. A series of unfortunate circumstances caused the acid user to lose control of her footing enough to collide with the incoming metal projectile that caused her to violently collide with the large metal bolt head on.

Yui and Reiko were the ones in charge of the onslaught of projectiles. Reiko was one with the ability to control items with an almost telekinetic level of mobility as long as their weight was below that of her own body weight. Yui was one to enhance the size of certain objects as long as they were not living objects. The synchronization of unfortunate circumstances caused an enlarged metal bolt to collide violently with Mina's head.

In an environment where kids were told to beat each other senselessly, something like this was never disclosed to be expected of the students. A standard that was left alone out of respect for the educators in charge of such exercises.

Izuku heard the noise. Turning to the source, all he saw was the girl he asked to marry him fall towards the ground while suffering from a head wound. Mina was plummeting towards the industrial piping below that would surely make the fall she was in a lethal one. Although it was to be expected that heroes were to be expectant of any scenario; Izuku was not about to let Mina suffer from a preventable fall if he was able to do anything about it.

He immediately abandoned Monoma as an opponent and desperately dove for the pink girl who fell towards the metal death trap below her. Pushing his power to one hundred percent would do nothing since he was midair with no surface to kick off of. She was about to collide with a metal pipe with the back of her neck that would surely kill her. This was not something he could tolerate. Anything but this.

Whatever could happen that would prevent her injury; he begged for. To be so far away left him feeling helpless. Something to help save the woman he loved. He would have given anything to make sure that she wouldn't hit that god forsaken pipe.

A burst of black webbing exploded out of Izuku's outstretched arm. Webbing of the strange substance attached itself to numerous areas around him in a cone that would allow Midoriya to slingshot himself into the girl too far away for him to catch without assistance. He was too focused on saving this girl to care about the consequences. When it came to her life or his, Izuku would pay his life one hundred percent of the time.

"SAVE HER!"

?

It was then that Izuku was once again teleported to the blackened realm that he was previously in his dreams. A major difference was the rain that had now completely snuffed out the flames that had dominated the area previously.

Midoriya was still up on his feet as he stumbled through the water that came up to the middle of his shins. The rain was coming down on him with enough volume to wet his hair in a matter of seconds.

Looking around yielded no results for the teen as to where he was exactly. Remembering where he was before falling into this place only triggered the violent reaction of black tendrils to spawn yet again. In this place, it was a terrifying place to be alone as he tried to control this new power. It hurt to try and control this power he had no experience with.

He was alone. This blackened place with darkness stretching out forever in all directions isolated Izuku. All he wanted to do was save Mina. He wasn't even sure he could save himself at this point. With his head spinning out of control, the more coherent thoughts began to fade out as he was about to fade away…

What are you doing?

Izuku perked back up at the voice that spoke to him out of nowhere. He was once again standing ankle deep in the rainwater that had pooled from the downpour as if there was no rise in elevation.

Why are you scared?

There was so much that was trying to overwhelm the teenage boy. He wanted to save someone while he was now trapped in this strange place. Nothing seemed to be possible except for him to just accept he lost.

So you haven't lost just yet.

As much as Izuku wanted to stand up against this strangely optimistic voice, he was tired. It was a weight that felt like swimming through lead beads for miles on end.

Why are you swimming when you can walk?

Each bit of thought that came from this strange limbo he was trapped in was infuriating in its own way. It just felt impossible. This new power felt like trying to plug an open pipe that was flooding the room.

Then don't plug it. Why would you stop a pipe from flowing if that isn't what you need to do to fix it?

Because… There was a good amount of time spent thinking about this conundrum. Izuku felt a massive amount of power overtake him to the point of being overwhelmed. It was starting to swallow him whole.

That's because you're not thinking. What this is isn't some monster; it's something that's just doing what it was meant to do.

Something about this situation was odd. Midoriya couldn't hear a voice as much as he was just knowing what was being said to him. Like thoughts that weren't his own.

Do you fear a knife or gun if it's just sitting there? There is no reason to fear it, just the need to find how it functions. So calm down and breathe.

Izuku didn't know why, but he closed his eyes and started to just feel what was happening. Without resisting the energy of this new power; Midoriya realized that he was able to withstand the enormous amount of energy. His previous sensations of being almost swept away were not as prevalent now. Now that the problem of trying to approach the power was handled, he still needed to learn how to control it. The memory of Mina falling to her probable death instilled panic into Izuku as he was just able to get his bearings.

You're doing it again. You want to save her? First gain the means to do so. So calm down and focus.

A pragmatic piece of advice helped keep his head on straight. Rather than visualizing himself trying to stem the flow of this power he had resisted earlier, Midoriya tried something else. He first reached out and just let the edges of himself just feel the power come pouring out from some sort of unknown source.

From there, he slowly moved his reach back and forth to see how it would react. It wasn't much, but Izuku was able to gain some sort of understanding about how it functioned. Another thought popped into his head and it was there that Izuku tried something a little more extreme.

If this was a sort of flow that was the amount of power this new ability possessed, perhaps he himself could become a conduit to channel that power.

Steeling himself; the brave teen allowed the power itself to flow through him rather than around him. It was like being hit with a frigid wind that was about to freeze him to the core. Still, his mind did not waver. It was now obvious to Izuku that this was not a living thing that was trying to swallow him whole. All it was doing was just being a great source of energy that he lacked the knowledge to address. By remaining calm and collected, the flow of this new ability was malleable and his to do with what he willed.

It still was an immense flow that felt needed a good amount of focus to maintain under control. Though it was rudimentary, this new quirk was his to use.

Just in time as well.

UA Industrial Training Area

Returning to the real world only reminded Izuku that Mina was still plummeting at a dangerous speed. There was a single tendril of this new web like material that he was able to control which shot out to grab the falling pinkett. He was just able to slow her descent and lift her out of harm's way. The other black tentacles that were holding him in place lowered him and Mina to the floor, where Izuku checked up on Mina, who was groaning in pain.

"Mina! Mina, I'm here! Just don't move around too much. I'm here…"

ESD medics on standby stopped the timer and canceled the round to come and help the pink girl. They determined that she may have had a minor concussion with a laceration on the back of her head. Thankfully they estimated that she would be fine with a few days of monitoring and care in case they needed to address any additional internal issues.

She was carried off the space with Izuku in tow with some of the other girls in their class following behind. Looking at the retreating Midoriya, All Might wasn't sure what it was he just saw. If memory served him correctly, there was an inheritor that his teacher spoke of that was the previous inheritor's power. What he saw was hauntingly similar to what his teacher described as that man's power when he wielded One for All.

UA Medical Facility

Yui and Reiko stopped by the room that Mina was resting in to apologize for the incident they felt responsible for. Nobody held it against them and let them down easily. One by one the students all left over the course of the day.

Ochaco returned to give Izuku his phone and a set of toiletries so that he could stay the night. Keeping Mina company was the least he could do for all the times the girl sat at his bedside in the past. He gave Ochaco a kiss goodnight before sending the girl on her way. His costume was left to hang on the back of his chair while Izuku was now sitting next to the girl hooked up to monitors to check for any irregularities.

His thumb was constantly brushing Mina's fingers as he gently grasped her hand into his larger ones. It never really occurred to him how delicate her fingers felt while she slept. Watching her in that bed felt painful, like he failed her somehow. Now that the shoe was on the other foot, it was clear why Mina was so cross with him when he got injured repeatedly in the past.

He felt like such an idiot for acting the way he did in the first place.

Nakamura entered the room with a look of concern for Mina. Izuku welcomed the man, but could tell that his mentor was feeling quite distressed to see another one of the kids he knew from childhood in a hospital bed. They shared their time with Mina in silence after they said their greetings to one another. Neither man wanted to be in this position of just waiting for someone to wake up. Midoriya could see another side to things with how Haru looked so defeated at how helpless Mina appeared to be. He put his mentor through this multiple times without thinking. It really did hurt to realize how irresponsible he had been.

Both were silent for some time before Haru left the boy and girl by their lonesome. Asking that he call him when she woke up, Haru let Izuku know he had time off from class until Mina came too. Apparently Mina had refused to leave Izuku's side when he was down for the count, so it just seemed appropriate that he give him some leeway.

Some time late into the evening, another guest made themselves known. Itsuka had wandered into the room with some hot tea to help warm both Izuku and herself up. Wanting to help the boy through this emotional time, there wasn't much he asked for besides the company Kendo offered.

Both were seated in silence as Itsuka watched Izuku look at Mina while never letting her hand go. He did it with such focus that it felt as though she could scream at the top of her lungs and nothing would phase him.

There had been something that Kendo was curious about the two of them. Now was as good of a time since there wasn't much else in the way of entertaining themselves.

"... You seem to really love her."

"... Yeah. I do."

Such sincerity from a teenage boy that made it out to be like he was married to Mina for over forty years already.

"... When did you two meet?"

Wanting to lighten the mood, Itsuka listened to Midoriya retell the way he and Mina first met through their mutual adult figurehead. Haru had wanted Mina to take up a partner for certain pieces and Izuku was with plenty of time on his hands. Mostly it was just Nakamura making Mina play nice while introducing Izuku to a new friend. They had a bit of a rough start at first since Mina had been a more advanced dancer in comparison to Izuku at the time.

A month or so later, he and Mina ran into each other on the off time from class and it made Mina realize he was really trying while she thought poorly of him. That break in their relationship went on for about a year; until one day, they got locked into the dance room on purpose.

It was then they just slow danced with one another and fell in love. It wasn't them being quick to latch onto one another, but more of a connection they valued to this day still. Hearing such a romantic tale made the orange haired martial artist a bit envious of such a relationship. Not so much to steal it, but that she hadn't felt something even near what these two had with one another.

It was getting late. Izuku skipped dinner out of a loss of appetite and just wanted to go to sleep. He laid down on the bed next to Mina's with Itsuka climbing in as well. Remembering her sleep therapy, Izuku took the girl into an embrace that would help the girl feel physically secure enough to drift off into a deep slumber. To his surprise, Itsuka turned around and cradled Izuku to her chest.

"I know this must be hard, so if you need me for anything, let me know. It's the least I can do for how much you two have helped me."

Kendo was a lovely girl with a kind heart. Izuku buried his head into her chest and soon fell asleep. Though it wasn't exactly a sleep therapy technique, feeling Izuku pressed up against her body chased away all sorts of nasty nightmares she would have had without him.

?

Back in the blackened space, Izuku saw that the rain was gone for now. Flames were dancing all around the empty space with someone who came out of the darkness that looked to be a bald road warrior. It was the inheritor with the tentacles Midoriya managed to control to save Mina.

"Well now, I can see you ain't just some squirt that just happened to be at the right place at the right time."

"... Uh, who are you?"

Izuku saw he now had more body parts in this blackened space. From last time, his mouth down to his collar bone and even some of his forearms were now visible. A cocky grin from the man as he introduced himself as the sixth one to inherit One for All gave Izuku the impression this guy was one hell of a fighter back in the day. After the pleasantries, the man explained to Midoriya what was going on with his quirk now manifesting in the boy.

The power he possessed that was now Izuku's was something called black whip. A quirk that produced these black web-like tentacles to grab onto and hold things in place with thought alone. This power had apparently reacted to the panic in his desire to stop Mina from falling to her death. The inheritor was even good natured enough to congratulate Midoriya for having a girl like that in his life. That sort of relationship was rare, so he told Izuku to treasure that girl with everything he had to offer. A single nod with a strength in his eyes was enough of a confirmation for the older man.

These weren't just echoes, but fractions of the actual people who possessed these powers. Midoriya was told that all their powers would be his in the future, so it was up to him to complete One for All as its ninth inheritor. All of them had faith in the boy's ability to do so.

Just then, a dribble of the same black rain began to fall. There was a look of suppressed panic in the sixth inheritor's eyes at the change of weather. Before Izuku could ask more questions about the one in the rain, he was sent back to the land of the living.

The Next Morning

Izuku awoke to the feeling of someone in his arms. Spooning Itsuka, she too awoke and turned to face Izuku. Rather than acting startled, she just flipped onto her back while still in Izuku's left arm. They just stared into each other's eyes for a bit with the sun starting to peek through the blinds.

Her hair was amber gold in the light, something Izuku saw as truly befitting for the girl who shared a bed with him. Perhaps it was the circumstances or the mood that caught up with them; but Itsuka and Izuku kissed then and there.

Kendo had been a stranger to such things like passion, so she was the one to get caught up and flipped Izuku on his back to kiss him deeply. If this was her way of showing thanks, it was a very nice way of doing so. He felt her through her clothes as she too kept reaching for his body. After twenty minutes of heavy petting, they managed to contain themselves and just lie next to each other with Izuku being Kendo's hug pillow.

Both were looking at the unconscious Mina with concern in their eyes. She still was the most prevalent thought in their minds for how much she's done for them. Kendo left Izuku to return to her dorm, though not without kissing Izuku and thanking him for all his help with her sleep so far. He told her that it was nothing while leaning up against the doorframe of the hospital room. It was quite the turn on to see the boy she was giving a chance to was much more man than most others twice his age. A nice thing to look forward to is how it would change him in the future.

A Few Days Later

"Here's everything we got so far, dad."

Back in the residency of Nakamura, Hawk was going over some information with Haru over what was occurring at the time with the groups he was keeping tabs on. It was a short meeting since time was short for the acting dorm mother and his daughter being supervised by the students.

Looking at the data that was all collected, it seemed that things were falling into place. The Detnerat Company was looking to enter the market with their shareholders being mostly his companies. Investors were already planted deep into the company a few years ago with all finances running through firms that Nakamura owned. This play they were making in opening themselves to the private market of hero equipment was one that was seen coming from miles away.

Getting their roots into society was the next play for the Liberation Army. To integrate with agencies and become synonymous with public protectors had been an objective this terrorist group reached too far for. They were still unaware of the bondage they were in that disguised itself as armor for them.

"... Send a message to our contacts. Have them be aware that this is going to be a lockdown on all high priority channels until further notice. How many of our agents have occupied the liberation front forces?"

A chart was brought up for the past twenty years of growth that had been monitored. One line was the army and the other was the volume of his own undercover operatives.

"... Good. Give our leads command for any agents that are pulled into the field effective immediately. All that's left are these…"

The meeting was all to make sure the safety measures were all put into place to prevent a vacuum that would draw a crowd after these crazed idiots were buried. Time was now on Nakamura's side as the pieces moving on his board were making the moves he predicted.

"Big Brother, look at this! I made it for you."

Eri came bolting out of the room that was Nakamura's. In her hands was a drawing that was of her and her new big brother, Hawk. Bending down to take a good look at it; he looked amazed as he picked up the silver haired girl into his arms.

"Wow! Is that us?"

A nod with a smile that expressed how proud she was to make something he approved of. He was quick to adapt to his new role as an older sibling and was even enjoying it quite a lot. It certainly helped that Eri was such a sweetheart.

"You are something else! How does someone as old as you draw such a masterpiece? I'm gonna hold onto this so that I can look at it whenever I want. Is that okay?"

To hear he was gonna keep it as he traveled was a huge boost to her confidence and how much she loved her new big brother. From out of the room, Inko was peering through the door after leaving the restroom to see Eri playing with her older brother and Haru looking over the data that he and Hawk were analyzing for the upcoming operation. She loved this man and how he never forsook those he loved; even going as far as making sure she knew the truth about him. She came up behind him on the couch and wrapped her arms around his neck. The wool fleece was soft and warm on his neck as the woman he came to admire was burying her face into the side of his head.

Haru smiled at the contact of her lips against his ear. She loved being physically affectionate towards Nakamura, since she had spent many of her years without affection from another man at home. This was just her making up for lost time with a man who was now there for her and everything she loved.

"Sorry about that. Eri was so excited to show her new big brother a new drawing and I was in the bathroom. How are things?"

Inko wasn't a complete expert on this subject, but Nakamura did teach her a little about what it was he did for her benefit if she needed his organization for anything. The amount of data was large with a lot of intricacies that were well beyond her basic understanding.

"Not a problem at all, babe. I felt bad for letting you girls get bored while me and Keigo were talking business. We're pretty much done for today anyways. Plus, we're still on schedule for moving forward. I just hope I can find her in time…"

Inko knew of her lover's conundrum of having someone he knew in the League of Villains. Things were getting too serious as it were and there was no sign of her getting out of the situation she was involved with. If they were to be there when Haru brought down the hammer, he may have to put himself on the anvil as well.

There was little she could do to help him through his angst, though keeping him busy with other things in the meantime was more than enough for him at the current moment.

"You'll find her. I know you will."

A kiss over the shoulder and he was smiling at the woman who was his and only his. Having her was one of the better things he had in comparison to the control that was continually growing under his command.

"Anyways, how about dinner? We should get started on that."

As a family, everyone was involved with making dinner. Even Eri was given a role with Inko to help out. Keigo was better than most due to his upbringing and was a major help in getting things done quickly.

Though this time around; neither of these men wanted to rush such a wonderful time to bond with the people in their lives. It took longer, but every second added was a blessing to them all.

Later that Evening

Out in the snow were a group of thugs that were out to mug pedestrians out in the open. Their leader was spraying a high pressure stream of carbonated water everywhere while causing a panic in the streets. Though they were moving fast, another group was even faster on the draw.

The street they were all on was cut off from both sides with black armored vehicles with officers in tactical gear pouring out to set the perimeter for civilians. Others were armed and were already in position to take the villains into custody. Despite their preparations, they were not prepared for something like this.

"Boss! How are they already here?! The police patrols and heroes were supposed to be far away from this place; why are these guys here?!"

"This is the Emergency Security Department. Lie faced down on the ground with your hands above your heads. Any deviation from our instructions will be seen as an act of hostility and we will respond accordingly. You will not be given a third warning."

Speakers built into the vehicles were used to broadcast the officer's voice to the entrapped villains. For the past few months, the ESD were making a name for themselves throughout not only Japan; but the world. Nations from Europe, America, China, Australia were clamoring for more of the department's results of keeping the public safe. As it were, the trial period in America had transformed into a formal contract practically overnight. The areas they were sent to protect had actually become safer and were dropping in crime rates.

Many were giving this wide praise, while others were seeing something else from their perspective. Some were fearful that this was going to cause a shift in the age of heroes. Voicing their concerns, a new argument was now on the rise all around. About whether or not this blind trust in a system of privatized protection was even a good system to have without another failsafe to keep people safe.

All around the world, the way people thought was evolving with the recent loss of the world famous All Might. It was just the instigating effect that got the public to reevaluate themselves from how things turned out now that the symbol of peace was gone.

"Fuck you! We aren't gonna do shit with you!"

"Then what about us, jackass?!"

From above, a loud blast came down towards the unsuspecting muggers. None of them were prepared for a stunning wave from an explosion to rattle their skulls. A newly licensed Bakugou Katsuki had made his presence known by christening the new provisional license he received less than an hour ago. Following him was Shoto, sporting the same sort of license Katsuki possessed.

They had succeeded in obtaining their provisional licenses the second time around. Now they were out and about in the wild with an eager energy to do some good immediately. By the looks of it, the ESD had the villains pinned. Now it was up to the heroes to do what they were meant to do.

Todoroki and Bakugou worked like a well oiled machine as they brought down the villains. Applying what they learned, these two first took out the subordinates to the boss character. There was only the leader left standing against the insurmountable odds he was cornered with. His mind was racing with what he could do to find his way to escape. An idea came in the form of just blindly firing at the heroes. His gauntlets had jet shooters for him to fire the carbonated water stored in his equipment. Thin streams of pressurized water went in all sorts of directions.

Blindly firing caused a few streams to cut into the surroundings. Buildings and a lamppost or two were cut with the force of the water caused by the mugger's quirk. When his streams swept across the shields of the ESD defensive line, not a scratch was left behind. It was something that the villain hadn't expected from the ESD equipment, considering he easily sliced through the metal posts lining the streets.

That was the last thing he thought of before Todoroki ended the fight with an intense blast of heat that knocked out the criminal. Their efforts rendered the criminals unconscious with minimal damages and all the stolen property returned to their rightful owners.

One thing was disclosed to the young heroes who saved the day. As the ESD were placing the criminals under arrest, an officer came over to speak to the boys and told them of the paperwork they would need to fill out regarding the damages. Bakugou wanted to argue that none of it was their fault, though that wasn't an excuse to skimp on the forms he and Shoto needed to fill out. To properly address the damages, heroes were always sent documentation to fill out after certain incidents to keep liability where it needs to be. For the boys, it was a good thing that they didn't actually damage anything.

That set of paperwork was something that nobody in the hero industry wanted to deal with. An effective indirect deterrent for heroes who tend to act rashly out in the field.

Elsewhere

A meeting was taking place in a highrise with all sorts of shady figures gathered to discuss the future of their plans for hero society. As a sort of trial phase, the equipment produced by Detnerat was circulated into the black market to test the effectiveness of their products. Each piece of equipment had been equipped with a self-destruct function in case the heroes managed to subjugate the villains who were equipped with them.

Just then, a delivery had arrived for the group in the form of Giran, the League of Villains broker. He looked beaten to shit when he was dragged in and forced to sit in the chair prepared for his arrival. Bruises and broken bones littered his body from when he was trying to resist capture from the Liberation Army.

Yotsubashi Rikiya, current president and CEO of Detnerat Inc., was the man most looking forward to his guest's presence. As the leader of the Liberation Army his father was once the leader of, his current mission was to find and destroy the league once and for all.

Giran was just laughing at Rikiya's expense. His sense of professionalism in not revealing information on the league was not necessarily out of a sense of loyalty to the group. As a broker for an illegal industry, a sense of discretion was needed for one who dealt with information regarding his clients. Being intimidated with torture and physical violence. Even Rikiya was andiring the man's convictions to his business sense.

"Very well. If that is out of the realm of your means; what can you tell me about Bloodsoaked?"

There was a pause for a moment before Giran asked why the CEO wanted to know about that sort of thing. He claimed that the Liberation Army was not interested in keeping such a dangerous individual out in the open where he was free to do what he wanted. For the army, his death would mean a step towards the freedom they wished to obtain. Though it was an inspiring speech for the cause, all that served to do was make the broker laugh rather hysterically. Hearing something like that coming out of the man had the broker in stitches. Wanting to know what was so funny, Rikiya asked the man why he was finding the goal of killing Bloodsoaked so outrageous.

"... When you've been in the industry as long as I have, you hear things. Whispers and stories of all sorts… And let me tell you right now; that man is nothing but impossible for you to even think you can touch him."

Looking up, he stared down the leader as he shared his tales in a more or less summarized version.

"He is nothing but death. A man that killed like he did is not human. He made All for One kneel as he tortured him with wild abandonment. The very underground world knows him to be a legend, something that not even the boogeyman would approach. A being like that is one who will not be found, but will find you…"

Information on Bloodsoaked was sparse regarding his actual presence in the underworld of society. All Yotsubashi could gather was that this individual killed thousands by himself and shifted the balance of the criminal world by doing so. Such a thing was thought to be nothing but a myth to a businessman like him. Watching this information broker speak of the killer like he was a monster that fed on children unsettled him a little. To see someone of Giran's reputation treat something that he first thought was a myth as a real threat gave the company leader a moment to pause.

His plan had no room for such an unpredictable entity such as Bloodsoaked. Still, their paths were to cross at some point; he wondered what sort of challenge this man was to begin with.