AU NOTES
Well, writing this little darling of mine took a while. I sort of had to mull over many details and plot points where I wanted to take the story while also juggling the characters and their established personalities. It took a while to get going and even more to properly make sense.
I hope that it does give you all the same amount of joy, tension, excitement and all those fancy words associated with our feelings, 'cause I certainly felt all of that when writing this while listening to a few bangers as BGM. It is quite the feeling when you are writing an action scene with a chorus chanting in high gothic. Hell, I even dreamed a bit with some action scenes I had on my mind!
But all of this is beside the point and you all came here to read Blood God, not listen to me ramble about my personal life. Thanks for your patience and reviews while waiting for this, now get ready to rumble with another chapter!
Blood for the Blood God
Chapter 34: [Pyrrhic Victory]
[XXX]
"Don't you fucks get in my way!" Bakugou shouted over his shoulder, working away at chopping some condiments.
"Bakugou, be more respectful towards our classmates!" Momo reprimanded the ash-blond while she placed an apron around herself, the girl dressed in a casual outfit. A loose red shirt and long shorts were covered by a common apron, the rich heiress also approaching one of the pots on the stove.
The bomber snorted, doing a twirling trick with the knife he was using. "Shut up, Ponytail! Last time those piss-ants touched the food it came out like dog chow. If that shit was served to me at a restaurant, I'd have thrown the plate back on the face of whoever the fuck tried to serve me such half-assed shit!"
There were a wave of complaints sent at the angry teen, but he let them wash off his frame with practiced ease. Instead, he addressed another person in the cooking area, pointing the knife towards the individual. "And what the ever-loving fuck do you think you are doing, you shitty leech!? Don't you fucking touch my potatoes!"
Izuku, whose focus had been on peeling the small pile of potatoes placed next to him, raised his head to face his childhood acquaintance, his hands still expertly working with his own knife to peel the outer layer of the tuberous vegetable. "Huh? Are you talking to me?"
Bakugou almost frothed at the mouth. "YES! I am talking to you, you fucking bloodsucker!"
The ash-blonde would have continued a rather long string of curses and expletives were it not for a resounding smack that hit him upside the head, Katsuki almost toppling over the counter he stood by and wasting his work. He furiously growled and turned to stare at whoever had the sheer gall to do such suicidal thing, finding out an upset Yaoyorozu, the girl holding a paper-fan, her hands firmly planted on her hips.
"You bitc–…" Before the word was finished, Momo brought the fan with excellent timing, hitting the blonde over the head with a downward smack and shutting him off.
Silence reigned king among all the teens present, those that belonged to 1-A stunned into shock while those in 1-B were wondering why the rich heiress had decided to act.
"It is nigh time for you to learn to be respectful to your classmates, Bakugou. I tolerated enough of your tendencies, thinking you would change after the school festival, but so far it seems that you refuse to do so. Now, every time that you swear or offend one of your peers, I'll punish you." Momo was firm with her words, her frame emitting an aura that said that she was not playing.
Bakugou was just about to sweep his hand in a retaliatory blow, but a message rang in his mind, the most odious voice of the person who he hated the most.
/If you enjoy having that limb, I suggest that you put it down and focus back on your task./
Those words echoed in his mind, the vampire's voice unmistakable. Bakugou focused his harsh gaze on Izuku, the vampire returning the stare full force, even while he kept on peeling potatoes. The green-haired teen's eyes were glinting with a red shine, a sign that Katsuki had come to associate with the Izuku's use of a mind quirk. The two kept their staring contest for a few moments, some tension building up between the two.
Growling, Bakugou relented and huffed, returning to his task of chopping up herbs, although it was clear that he was less than pleased.
The vampire shook his head, turning his gaze to Yaoyorozu, noticing the heiress sending a pleased and confident look to him. He offered her a small smile before returning to his own task.
For the last night of the groups the teachers and instructors had allowed the teens to have some fun and truly unwind from their training. Most used the opportunity to relax and laze around as much as they could; that was until Kaminari, Hanta and Mineta begged for Aizawa to allow the groups to do one fun night activity: a test of courage for all the classes. Seeing it as harmless enough, the usually grumpy teacher – surprisingly – allowed the activity; although it was to happen under Vlad's and Ragdoll's supervision and wouldn't run too late as they had to catch the bus to return to school grounds early in the morning. He had also kept a silent stare upon the shortest teen of the group, getting a verbal promise from the diminutive teen that he would behave, less his chances of returning to the heroic classes be permanently cut off.
That then led to the girls begging for a chance at eating something different. To which the Pussycats responded by dropping a few cardboard boxes with fresh ingredients and graciously pointing towards the kitchen. A few complaints were raised, but in the end it was decided that they would cook for themselves, to which some were quick to pick on roles (so as to have a pleasant memory of the training trip).
Izuku, Momo, Bakugou, Sato, Kendo, Monoma and Komori were the ones currently busy with preparing the feast.
The vampire was no master-chef, but he was confident in his skills to make something simple and fulfilling. Considering the abundance of ingredients and mouths to feed, they opted on dividing tasks and cooking some varied dishes; the spat with Bakugou had raised some tension, but soon enough the group returned to their tasks with a bit of efficiency.
Which brought Izuku to this moment; he had been peeling potatoes at Momo's request, the girl commandeering a grill and working on her own dish. The vampire could smell fresh meat even before it was placed on the hot metal, the sizzling of the fat just about music for him; he was a Japanese at heart, but one could not deny the pleasure of eating a well done steak or meat dish. Kendo had moved at some point to stand beside the rich heiress, the two getting along rather well. The martial girl seemed interested in what Momo'd be cooking.
Sato was working a bit on the slow side, considering that before he even opened his mouth, just about everyone delegated him to dessert duty. He was busy mixing batter, but every once in a while he would circle around the kitchen, pointing out a few details about the dishes that everyone was working on and offering a few tips.
Monoma secluded himself to his little corner of the kitchen, chopping a rather great quantity of vegetables. He would take a peek at Momo and Kendo while the two were having fun with their work, but it surprised the vampire that Neito didn't direct any unneeded commentary at the two or those around him, merely focused on his own work; although the vampire could hear light muttering.
"…and then those peasants from class 1-A will have to admit that we are better than them! They will practically beg to have even a taste once they smell it!" The blonde teen muttered to himself.
Bakugou opted to not pick any of the potatoes that Izuku had peeled, doing the work as he fussed over his own pot, spices tickling the vampire's nostrils. Most likely curry (since he remembered Bakugou frowning in distaste on the day they had curry), and of the spicy sort. The ash-blonde was working with two pots, one for large servings and one for small ones, which coincidentally was also the spiciest.
That left Izuku to work on his own, though he was without any ideas. He had mostly helped people get their ingredients ready, but since he had volunteered to help it would be lame for him to back out now. He walked to one of the boxes with ingredients and remained pensive for a while, a few ideas popping up before being dismissed. He had half a mind to work on some Katsudon, but they did not have pork cuts, so down the drain went the idea. Five minutes of thinking and he remained without any ideas, but the vampire did notice the abundance of rice and chicken.
Might as well make something simple, he shrugged his shoulders and began to work on his dish. Or so he would, but then he noticed someone among the group who was a bit left out. She was on the shorter side, but her most distinctive feature for him was that she seemed…it would be bad manners to call her plain, but he lacked any other expression to label the girl. She mostly resembled Uraraka, the differences being their height and hair. While Uraraka's was shorter and framed to enhance her round and chubby face, this girl had longer hair that hid her features.
The vampire approached her without suppressing his presence or muting his steps, the girl soon enough noticing his approach. She flinched, remaining in place while trembling a bit.
"Hello there, Kinoko-san, right?" He hid his claws from sight and lowered his frame, almost squatting. It seemed to ease the girl by the slightest margin, her tremors stopping at the very least.
"Y-y-y-yes?" Her voice was almost a whisper, but Izuku was unbothered, patiently remaining in his squatting position.
"Would you like to help me cook a dish? I want to do something simple, and with the ingredients we have, I figured that maybe chicken and mushroom omurice would be easy to make in large quantities." He explained, tilting his head to motion towards his own portion of ingredients that sat untouched on a nearby counter. The shy Kinoko stood on the tip of her toes to inspect the ingredients, her expression falling a bit as she noticed the number of canned mushrooms would not be sufficient for the amount they were supposed to make.
She almost used her quirk, but held off on it for a moment and tried to focus her eyes on the vampire. She flinched once she got a glimpse of his emerald orbs, hiding her own eyes behind her bangs and looking to the side. "A-are you sure you want my h-help?"
Izuku nodded. "It would be my pleasure." His tone made the girl blush, her shyness flaring at full force.
"I-I-I see…" She whispered an answer and slowly moved to reach the counter. She could manage to reach it, so there were no immediate problems for the impromptu duo. "W-w-w-would you m-mind if I used my quirk?" She asked in a low tone, almost as if ready to hear a refusal.
Izuku hummed a noise of agreement. "Few free to do so." He was nonchalant with his reply, standing at her side while filling a large pan with water and placing it on the stove to begin heating it up. Kinoko blinked a few times, wondering if Izuku was playing a prank on her.
"Eh?"
The vampire was quick to move and use his own powers, black tendrils emerging from his shadow and beginning to move at accelerated paces around his counter, allowing the vampire to multitask his work. He himself was working on a cutting board, dicing the chicken breasts with a serious expression. Kinoko couldn't help but be left in awe at his precise use of his quirk. The vampire didn't hesitate, the girl remembering his display a few days ago as he helped everyone improve their quirks; she wished to have the same type of confidence, but all she was good for was growing shrooms. A gloomy quirk suited for someone like her, it was a mystery how she was even in the hero course.
Still, the sight of the shadowy tendrils moving about and the vampire himself working in tandem with his power, Kinoko couldn't help but be inspired by the sight in front of her. She began to create batches of mushrooms from her arms, dropping the fully grown bodies on the sink to properly wash them before beginning to work on dicing them.
Izuku observed her work from the corner of his eye, a small smile quirking his lips up.
[One Hour Later]
" " " "OHHHHHHH!" " " "
The entirety of the two heroics classes and their two tag-alongs form the general course exclaimed in wonderment at the absolute banquet that was presented to them on the cafeteria tables. The adolescent cooks had spared no effort, their work suddenly turning into a competition to see whose food was the most delicious.
There were several plates stacked high with juicy steaks and side servings of gravy that made one's mouth water terribly. Momo and Kendo looked extremely pleased with themselves, staring proudly at their work. They were also drooling at the sight of their own cooked meals, but that much could be excused, as the smell as captivating; there was also a large porcelain dish containing an assortment of varied and colored vegetables that had been cooked to perfection. Monoma was almost breaking his back, so curved was the backwards arch that it was bending at, the blonde teen constantly laughing to himself in a maniacal manner, assured that his meal would be chosen as the best there would be.
Bakugou was setting his own pans of curry, his fierce gaze making people wary of even trying out his food. Some had peeked on his work and differently from his shitty attitude, the ash-blonde had a rather strict and serious work ethic. If only he could clean up his attitude, maybe the bomber would be more popular among his classmates.
Izuku – with the aid of his eldritch faux-limbs – was setting down on coasters the pans that held the steaming chicken-and-mushroom rice that he finished with Kinoko. Much to their surprise they had a lack of eggs, which (obviously) impacted their ability to make Omurice; nothing that substantial, they still managed to make a tasty meal, but the vampire was a bit miffed that his plans had been hindered by such amateur mistake of not fully checking their available ingredients.
Kinoko was shyly standing on the sidelines, watching as their classmates sat down to eat the many dishes. Sato had his surprise dessert stored away, the sweet treat only for when everyone finished the entirety of the prepared food.
"Think of it as a reward, guys! I want you all to fully experience the efforts of everyone who made you food!" He said, smiling as he presented the meals to everyone. He was acting almost like a head chef, but then again it was his efforts in guiding the cooks in his (sacred) battlefield that lead to the timely completion of the banquet.
"Woah! That looks too good!" Kirishima wiped some drool from the corner of his mouth; by his side stood Tetsutetsu, who was also wiping drool from his mouth. The two glanced at each other and butted heads, but soon enough their focus was brought back to the delicious food on display.
"An exquisite mad banquet for those who faced the abyss and returned." Tokoyami added his own comment, the small form of [Dark Shadow] popping from underneath his shirt. "Revelry in the Dark!"
Everyone then tackled the food, already too hungry to wait for anyone else. From the sidelines the teachers watched the students enthusiastically eat, warm gazes appreciating the cacophony and mess of the young adults. Even Aizawa – who was known for his grumpiness – did let a small smile paint the corners of his mouth, his bored eyes carrying a little more light than usual.
Luckily the teens were much too hungry to start any food-fights, the prepared meals being shoveled into their mouths.
"Careful not to choke~" Mandalay spoke into her cupped hands in a carefree tone.
"The young kittens deserve to roughhouse a bit, let them do it." Tiger commented, watching a small spat between Kamakiri and Shiozaki, the two soon forgetting about whatever they were discussing in favor of eating more.
Izuku himself had already separated a full course meal for himself and Kinoko, the shy girl already left behind in the mess that had become the cafeteria. Even the prestigious Momo had forgone manners in favor of gorging herself with as many of her steaks as she could, aided by the big hands of one Kendo. It made the vampire wonder if the rich heiress had forgot that she had made the juicy steaks to share…but hey, he wasn't going to question it or try to stay in the way of the raven-haired heiress and her steaks.
He called Kinoko's attention with a hand on her shoulder, the girl flinching and rapidly turning around to check. He chuckled a bit and presented to her a plate that had resulted from their combined efforts. "I think it is not wise to try to approach that." He pointed to the tables.
Kinoko agreed with a stiff nod of her head, but she accepted the offered plate. "T-thank you."
Izuku sent her a teasing smile. "Don't worry about it."
The vampire moved to grab his own plate, his eyes noticing a small figure whisking away from the noisy and messy hall to flee outside. Kota-kun, huh? He mused, taking a spoonful of his meal. It warmed his insides, his joint work with the shy girl from 1-B giving him a homely feeling as the taste lingered at the tip of his tongue. His eyes scanned the table to see if what remained of the meals, seeing that no pan or plate was untouched. Everyone had eaten a bit of everything, but it was clear that there were favorites.
Momo's steaks were being fiercely attacked by just about everyone, the heiress and her martial artist friend defending their kingdom to the last meat. His own rice had been exhausted, the simple meal resonating with everyone that tasted it (it was also the second-most abundant, losing only to Katsuki's large pots of curry) and being of easier access. Monoma's ratatouille dish had also been fairly appreciated, though a fair bit remained as people were still fiercely trying to get even a piece of the steaks. Bakugou's meal, much to everyone's surprise, had been extremely good; the large pan of mild curry was just about on its end and even the spicier version had its fair share of fans.
Izuku finished his plate and placed it on the sink. He had made the meal, it was only fair for someone else apart from the cooks to be on dish-washing duty.
"Yo, Izubro, over here!" Kirishima's over the top voice echoed in the hall, the vampire approaching as requested.
"Kirishima-kun, everyone, hello there." He greeted the group around the redhead, ignoring the growl that Katsuki sent his way.
"Izuku! My man!" Denki took the chance and pushed a plate full of – if his nose was working correctly – full on spicy curry topped off with a heavy helping of garlic cream sauce towards one of the few empty seats. "The boys were speculating a few things and we would like to know if you would take us on a small gamble."
Izuku raised a brow in amusement. For Denki to be trying to speak fancy it must be something silly, he figured out, seeing a few looks sent his way. "What sort of gamble?"
Iida seemed to be alerted to the word, even from the distance they were at. He immediately stood up from his seat to try and give those ruffians that were trying to corrupt his class vice president down a dark path, but before he could accomplish his task, he found himself stuck to his seat. He tried to forcefully stand up, only to hear a slight ripping noise from his shorts. He glanced in a panic to his side, spotting Yosetsu Awase giving him a slight smirk.
"Sorry, but I betted on Midoriya losing!" He whispered, motioning to the other group.
While Iida was left stunned in horror and shock, Denki pointed towards another teen. "We were having a friendly conversation about quirks – you know, strengths and weaknesses – and we ended up mentioning yours."
Izuku could already see where this was going. He sighed in exasperation, but took the seat and the spoon nearby. "You want to see if I can eat this?" He picked a sizeable portion, but still let it remain on the plate.
Denki, Kirishima, Hanta and all the surrounding teens watched the vampire, eager to see if he would truly eat. Kamakiri had left his seat close to Shiozaki and approached the group, also eager to egg on the vampire.
"Yeah, right! Let's see if you can do it, tough guy." The insectoid-looking teen spoke in a challenging tone. He had been unable to spar with Midoriya due to Vlad King's and Tiger's Spartan-like training that left him half-dead with exhaustion, but now he was quite sure he could take on the vampire and win, even if for a simple challenge like this.
Jurota looked from the side on his own seat, having already finished his own meal. He glanced towards the vampire's plate and took a small whiff of air, his face scrunching at the sharp smell that lightly burned his nostrils. "You should stop these childish antics…" He commented, fixing the position of his glasses, but still watching to see if the vampire was going to follow through.
Izuku rolled his eyes. "Sure, I guess that is no problem…" He said while bringing the spoon close to his mouth. All the focus was directed to him, eyes glued on him to see if he would eat the condiment-heavy meal. Just before the vampire ate the contents on his spoon he did a take back. "Wait a moment, what do I gain from this?" He asked pointedly, pointing the spoon towards Kaminari.
The blonde teen almost screamed, but controlled himself and offered Izuku a friendly smile. "Come on Izuku! Think of this as a scientific discovery?" He stuttered, trying to find a suitable excuse.
The vampire was less than convinced and glared at Kaminari with narrowed eyes, making the other teen feel intimidated. The hemomancer kept his hard stare for a few moments, the pressure of his gaze enough that after a few seconds the other teen broke.
"Ahh fine, stop staring at me like you are going to bleed me dry." Denki squirmed under the emerald-green slit orbs that stared him down, the teen even losing the opportunity to make a lewd joke. "We made bets, okay? That's it!"
Izuku dropped his gaze, satisfied with the answer. "That wasn't so hard now, was it?" He teased a bit, eating a spoonful with no problems. All that were distracted immediately snapped their attention to the vampire, wondering if he would burst into a cloud of ash or something like that. He chuckled and took another spoonful, making a show of swallowing the food and then showing his empty mouth.
There was the wish to tease his friends and get some petty payback, but the vampire relented for now. He ate half the meal, the novelty of the fact that he could (in fact) eat garlic soon wearing off.
Kamakiri bitterly glanced at the vampire's plate. He then pointed to Denki. "If Midoriya can do it, I can do it too! Give me a plate!"
Izuku then finished his plate, the spoon hanging from his lips. "I would recommend you do not try it. The flavor can be quite…overwhelming." He stated, standing up and getting a new plate of the remaining milder curry. Others were wondering if he was that hungry, but the vampire dropped the plate on the ground.
"Izuku! What was that?" Kyouka asked, immediately grabbing a nearby rag to help with clean-up.
"What are you taking about?" He questioned. The girl then noticed that there was no mess. No spilled rice or curry, neither broken ceramic pieces. In fact, the plate had very well vanished with no trace.
"Where did it go?" The rocker asked, confused.
The vampire pointed to his shadow, a dark limb growing from it and lifting the intact plate for all to see. He smirked, seeing Kyouka huff at his antics.
"I swear, ever since you got new powers you have been insufferable." She crossed her arms and turned her back on him.
Izuku returned the meal to his shadow and approached the defenseless back of his friend. After the majority of the teens gorged themselves with food, most had fled the cafeteria to avoid getting settled with dish-washing duties, which only left a few lingering while they ate all that remained and fooled around for a bit. The dessert would be served later, but as for food everything had been devoured.
Izuku then hugged the rocker from behind, making the girl yelp as the vampire threw most of his weight atop her frame, just enough to bother her, but not enough to get both of them on the floor. His arms were draped on her shoulders and his head loomed over her right shoulder.
Kyouka groaned at him, trying to get some distance, both out of shame and to avoid the garlic-laced breathing of the vampire. "Your breath stinks!"
Izuku closed his mouth and hummed, still hanging from Kyouka's back. She could feel the gazes from the remaining students on their backs, her face dusted with a blush. She could hear a few hushed whispers, but her own heart began to beat faster and betray her enhanced sense of hearing.
"I'm still a bit unsatisfied...you don't mind sharing some blood, do you Kyouka?" He whispered by her ear, getting the punker's neck-hairs to stand on their ends. The effect was still somewhat mitigated by the fact that she could still smell the garlic, but the proximity was still a bit too much.
"…off me, now." She firmly spoke, feeling Izuku release a whine before he let her go and got his feet under him. The rocker would be dead before she admitted that she enjoyed the feeling. "You keep getting cocky, you little shit." Jirou stated, sending her best version of a glare at him. The remaining blush on her face cut much of the effect.
The vampire shrugged his shoulders and kept making his way outside, sending a glance towards Ragdoll, who sensed his departure. He sent her a cheeky eye-smile, the pro heroine answering with a thumbs-up to him. He took the chance and went outside, seeing the majority of the full-bellied teens hang around the common room of the lodge. Mineta, Kaminari and Hanta were shaking in place with excitement, the courage test that they were organizing supposedly a very common, yet appreciated activity for summer camp. The vampire knew the basis for it, but since he had never been invited for such activities he decided to watch from a distance.
He finally exited the lodge, taking a deep breath to fill his lungs with fresh air. They were scheduled to return in the morning to school, the vampire already looking forward to meeting Mei once more. All the new blood he had imbibed had been used to fuel both his discovery and development of new quirk-factors, which while beneficial, had also the slight side-effect of increasing his more primal instincts. He wasn't an animal that would easily succumb to them, but he certainly felt the strain increase. The [Inner Beast] remained silent ever since their last conversation, but the vampire could feel the urges ask for release; be it fighting, drinking more blood or having sex, Izuku needed to vent soon.
He had been getting bolder and more touchy-feely with his friends and sometimes even the female members of the Wild Wild Pussycats, something which he was sure that Aizawa had already picked on. Lucky him that training was over.
The vampire sensed Kota's scent, the child still salty and hostile towards the trainees. The hemomancer could sympathize with the kid's suffering, the aggressive attitude a coping mechanism that Izuku had plenty of experience dealing with; Mandalay explained to Izuku about the Water Hose duo and their death at the hands of a powerful villain, also mentioning that she was the closest relative of the child. It must be tough on the kid seeing his remaining family risk limb and life for the sake of others, he himself had been sort of left alone in the world. Of course he wasn't truly alone, but it was hard to explain to a child that their parents were dead.
Izuku followed the scent, noticing that instead of the forest, Kota had opted to go upwards to where the vampire had previously been training both his shooting skills as well as the new quirk-factors he'd developed and their possible combinations. The mountainside was full of uneven rocks, craters, cracks and plenty of damage caused by the vampire's experimentation, but it was still fairly stable and would not crumble easily.
He found Kota crouched near one of the larger rock formations, the child muttering and sniffing, clearly upset. He stopped silencing his steps, the noise immediately alerting the kid of his approach.
Kota whipped around and stared at him with an angry scowl as he noticed who it was.
"What do you want? If auntie sent you to get me then I'm not goin'!" He rudely spoke to Izuku, although he choked a bit on his last word.
The vampire shook his head, slowly approaching the child while his shadow spewed a dark limb carrying a still warm meal. "Nobody sent me here, Kota-kun. I just noticed you walking out here on your own before you ate, so I decided to bring you a meal." He explained, picking the plate and spoon from his faux-limbs.
Kota narrowed his eyes and scoffed at Izuku. "Yeah, right. I'm not hungry, so stop bothering me already." Although he said that, a few seconds later his stomach grumbled as the smell of the curry wafted to him. He blushed in embarrassment and tilted his head to hide his expressions with his cap. Izuku held back a teasing chuckle, aware that if he were to antagonize the child he'd likely lose the only chance to talk with him.
"I guarantee the taste, if that is what you're worried about. Bakugou may be a pain in the behind and rude, but he does take things more seriously than the average person." The vampire pointed out, offering the plate towards Kota.
The child raised his gaze towards the plate, frowning as he learned who prepared the meal. "Bakugou? You mean that douche with the fireworks quirk?" Kota rudely remarked, ripping a snorted smirk from the vampire, who tried to play off his amusement at the description of his childhood acquaintance in such manner by pretending to be coughing.
"That is…one way to describe him." He went along with Kota's statement, noticing the child still hesitant on approaching the food. "Are you scared of me?" Izuku candidly asked, trying his best to appear non-threatening.
Kota widened his eyes before frowning them into a glare towards the vampire. "I ain't scared of you!" The kid hastily spoke. He pointed to Izuku before speaking again. "You are just another dumb teen trying to play hero. Heroes are not real, sooner or later they will die and abandon you for people they don't even know properly. That ain't a hero…" He seemed to deflate after speaking, gaze low and focused on the earth under his feet.
The vampire hummed and cut the remaining distance short, one hand still carrying the curry plate while the other touched the earth, green lightning sparking from hand and raising a small pillar to support the plate. It was rough, but serviceable.
The vampire propped the plate and gave Kota the spoon, the kid taking it with a sour face. "I told you I wasn't hungry…" He spoke in a defeated tone, picking the food and bringing a small spoonful to his mouth.
Izuku hummed and nodded his heard. "I heard you the first time." He stated, letting Kota continue eating the meal in silence. The child did not need moral lessons or some sort of pep-talk, he needed to have an example, someone who he could follow to clear his mind and birth some hope in his heart. "But I decided to ignore it."
Kota grumbled something under his breath, still moving his tiny hands to scarf down the curry.
"You know, Kota-kun…" The vampire let a tiny smile divide his lips. "…you say that heroes are dumb, but you seemed to be rather interested in my classmate, Momo-san." Izuku dug their first conversation back, the child suddenly stopping his hands.
"What do you mean?" Kota was quick to ask, but it was clear that he wanted to change subjects. The hemomancer let his hand dive into his shadow, bringing out of the inky-black pool a red kunai. Kota recognized the item, his eyes focused on it.
"Momo-san was practicing with these…you seemed to be fairly interested in them, and on her too. Do you think that her dream of being a hero is dumb?" She hadn't, but that was not the point.
"…"
Kota, for the first time, seemed to be out of snappy commentaries or quick comebacks. He kept glancing at the red-colored weapon, thinking back about his time lost in the woods, only for the created items to guide him back to the lodge.
"I'm not saying for you to simply get over it, god knows what I would do if something was to happen to my mom, but I just want you to give us – dumb heroes – a chance to change your mind just a little bit." Izuku's voice echoed inside the child's mind, Kota shifting his gaze from the red kunai to the vampire's green orbs. He then lowered his head, his cap once more hiding his features from Izuku's sight.
"…you can't bring mom and dad back!" Kota exclaimed, his voice cracking as emotion began to seep out.
"That's true…" Izuku hummed in agreement. "Your parents loved you thought, and gave away their lives not only to protect other people, but to make a better future for you."
Kota ran one of his arms over his eyes. "I didn't want a future without them in it."
The vampire knelt by the child, one hand rising to pat Kota on his head. The child didn't rebel or smacked the vampire's hand away. He sobbed a bit, trying his best to hold in his tears.
"It's okay to miss them, to cry about it and to feel sad; that's normal, that's human." The vampire stated, continuing to lightly pat Kota's head. "However, don't let your grief over their loss become everything that defines your world, Kota-kun. There are still people that care about you, don't neglect and lose them too."
Kota kept quietly sobbing. "…it's not fair…"
The vampire nodded. "It never is."
The vampire remained by the child's side until the sobbing died down, Kota rubbing his eyes to dry off his tears. He glanced at the vampire and then looked at the side, still trying to put a tough front. "This doesn't mean we are friends…"
Izuku chuckled, nodding. "Sure."
Kota sniffed, pulling on his hat. "I still think that wanting to be a hero is dumb…"
The vampire massaged the back of his own neck with one hand. "Unfortunate, but understandable."
"…but…" The child let the word hang on the hair, eyes eventually settling back on the red kunai that was on the vampire's free hand. "I will let you try to change my mind."
Izuku let a friendly smile split his lips. "That is all I ask for, Kota-kun."
The child harrumphed. "Don't think that I'm easy to persuade or trick! You will have to try really hard, and you can't die!"
The vampire nodded along with the terms. "Big words, Kota-kun. I see that you have been studying." He lightly teased the kid, rubbing the top of his head. "But I'll see what I can do. My alias is about being an immortal hero after all."
[!]
[Master, you can sense it, right?!]
Yes, I'd recognize that quirk-factor anywhere. Izuku mused in his mind, his head snapping towards the mountain top, his senses immediately blaring about something dangerous approaching him. He focused on Kota, pushing the red kunai to the child.
"Kota-kun, I need you to listen to me, okay?" He spoke with as much candor as he could, the sudden shift from the relaxed aura to now a serious front a bit jarring for the kid.
Kota looked a bit astonished, wondering what happened. "W-what's going on?" He couldn't help the stutter, seeing the previously calm emerald green orbs of the vampire become slit and predatory.
Izuku placed the weapon on Kota's hand and closed the child's fist around the handle. "It is just a feeling, it might be nothing at all. How about you hide over there while I check the perimeter. I'll come and fetch you once I'm done." The vampire pointed towards one of the more solid-looking boulders of the mountain range, his senses blaring further that whatever was approaching him was dangerous and bloodthirsty.
Kota staggered a bit. "What sort of feeling is that?!"
Izuku focused his eyes on the child, the green and slit orbs now glinting with crimson red light. "Nothing that you need to worry about; you need to hide now, Kota-kun." The vampire pushed [Mesmerize] upon Kota's mind, the prepubescent offering little resistance to the hypnotic suggestion and soon enough Kota was following the command with little issue.
Now with the child out of immediate danger's way, the vampire could now focus on the speeding and incoming foreign person arriving at his location. He stood up from his kneeling position, his shadow already spitting out his sheathed Odachi, the vampire holding the weapon by the tsuba-sheath.
It didn't take long for whomever it was coming to arrive, the large figure hidden behind a large brown cloak.
"Oi, oi, oi, that damn hound pointed this way, but I only see one brat." The figure complained, one hand emerging from the cloak and pointing towards Izuku. "Oi, you! What is your name?"
The vampire narrowed his eyes, his nostrils picking on the heavy scent of blood coming from the man behind the cloak. He separated the blade from its sheath with his thumb. "It is bad manners to ask somebody their name without giving yours first." Izuku put on a confident smile, but his instincts were warning that the individual before him was trouble. A much different kind of trouble than Wolfram.
"Tsk! Brats these days!" The man clicked his tongue in annoyance. "The name is Muscular, brat! And if you know what is good for you, you will tell me where Midoriya Izuku is." The man asked, making the vampire frown.
My face was in national and international broadcasting; how come he can't recognize me? The teen wondered, already building up power inside the musou-black sheath of his sword.
"There was a briefing, but it was too boring and it had no blood, so I sort of blanked out. Those weirdoes said that I would find an interesting brat by the name of Midoriya, so if you know him, spit it out!" The man aggressively requested, a rather thick arm pointing towards the vampire.
Izuku was immediately on guard. He tried to expand his senses, but his [Hunter Instincts] flared and the vampire had to dodge an incoming charge from the cloaked man. His fist impacted the stone and broke his surroundings, the vampire summersaulting with one hand.
"Ohhh! You are good! Most just sort of freeze up and die!" The cloaked individual exclaimed with prideful joy in his voice, almost as if bragging about his own physical prowess.
Izuku sent a pointed glare towards the man. "What do you want with Midoriya?"
The man was about to speak something, but as he moved his cloak emitted a ripping noise. He roughly grabbed the hood and pulled, tossing the fabric aside and revealing his appearance. The man was tall and his hair was of a dirt-blonde color; much like the name he revealed, the man was rather buff, his red tank-top barely managing to contain the broad shoulders; he had military-styled trousers and worn out black boots. However, what stood rather prominently was the scarred skin spanning almost the entirety of his face's left side, the orb replaced by a gnarly prosthesis.
"To be honest at first I didn't really care about him, but I have been hired by these strange guys to capture him. Supposedly he was really good with using his blood as a weapon, so I told them that I was gunning for Midoriya! I want to see the color his blood!" Muscular spoke in almost maniacal joy, his bloodthirsty grin bothering Izuku. It was too much alike his. "So, you know where he is?"
"I might know him…" The vampire drew out his sword, still focusing on building up power inside the sheath.
"Good! Then tell me already! I promise to leave you alive." Muscular shouted at Izuku, just about ready to charge him again.
The vampire focused his senses, ensuring Kota's safety. Muscular also didn't seem to have sensed the kid, so Izuku readied his fighting stance. The two stared at each other, Izuku with a serious expression while Muscular had a psychotic grin.
(Start of Red Sun OST – MGR:R Soundtrack)
"I was hoping that you kept quiet!" Muscular shouted, flexing his right arm, the limb bulging. Izuku noticed that the man's shoulders began to expel red thread-like fibers, the red matter covering the entirety of the man's arms until his fists. Izuku also noticed the smell of blood become far stronger in the air, his eyes widening a bit as he noticed the make-up of the fibers.
"Muscle cords?" He muttered, seeing the demented grin splitting Muscular's lips increase.
"Oh, you figured it out? Normally it takes people a while!" He shouted, charging at the vampire even faster than his previous attempts.
Izuku said nothing, letting an electrical charge run through his nervous system. His hair spiked a bit, small sparks of lightning running across his body. Ride Lightning was in full use for the vampire, together with increased blood flow to his brain. Muscular's charge appeared to stop in midair, but in reality the vampire's perception had just increased to ludicrous levels.
"Ninpou Hissatsu: Shutsugen Kira! (Shinobi Arts Ultimate Move: Apparition Killer)" Izuku exclaimed, swinging his sword with the clear intent of dismembering one of the attacking villain's limbs. The red-tinted blade sliced some of the muscle tissue of the reinforced the limb, but much to the vampire's surprise it had less effect than he predicted. He immediately backed off, Muscular hitting his previous location almost like a locomotive.
"Ouch, that stings!" The villain mocked, bringing the cut to his eye level. "You are faster, but you'll need to be much stronger than that to hurt me! My quirk lets me control my muscle fibers however I want!" Muscular taunted, flexing the limb, the cut covered up by more fibers and nullifying the damage.
Izuku kept his silence, only focusing on the energy build-up on the sheath that he was holding. He fixed his stance and pointed the sword to Muscular. How arrogant… He mused in his head, hearing an acknowledging growl. Look who decides to show up.
[We need to finish him while he still is underestimating us, that muscle control is too troublesome.]
Izuku agreed with his wild side. He had been preparing the use of [Jetstream], since Shutsugen Kira had not been effective. [God-Shattering Star] was too visible, whereas [Jetstream] could be accumulated in a stealthy manner.
"Stop being so boring! I can see that glint in your eyes! You too enjoy bloodshed!" Muscular said to Izuku, already coming over with his fists cocked. He reached Izuku and began to launch a terrifying assault, his fists almost a blur to the common eye. Were anyone else facing the man, death would have been a sure thing.
Yet Izuku was dodging them constantly, doing his best to retaliate. His blade would constantly nick and cut Muscular, yet nothing that truly seemed to affect the violent man. The vampire even coated his blade with poisonous blood to see if it would have any effect on the muscle tissue, but so far it seemed to have little to no effect on the villain. The vampire ducked under a particular vicious straight and backed off with a [Blink] once a following left was immediately thrown, the mere air pressure ringing a bit in Izuku's ears.
Muscular huffed in displeasure, seeing his tank top full of cuts and slashes. He ripped the tattered clothing off and tossed it aside, more muscle fibers emerging from his body and further reinforcing his frame. "You are playing it too careful. Are you protecting something?"
Izuku did not let any emotions be displayed on his face, but the violent man cared little for it. "Once you realized you couldn't win with these weak-ass slashes you should have fled, but you are still here! You have plenty of breath too, so it is weird for you to keep buying time here…" Muscular concluded his words with another charge, increasing further his speed.
The vampire dodged it, keeping the distance between himself and Muscular. A few backward jumps had Izuku close to the mountainside, the vampire noticing the ground under him filled with cracks. This is getting too dangerous. He could spot Kota, or even collapse this pass if he keeps doing this…
"Oi, I think I get it now…" Muscular called out, this time in a less confrontational tone. "You are him, right? You are Midoriya Izuku." The villain stated, spreading his arms wide in a somewhat invitational manner. "You better try to face me head on and quick, since I'm not the only one here. You wouldn't want to arrive late to the party, would you?" Muscular spoke with a growing grin, scanning his surroundings.
Izuku immediately sheathed his blade and took a wide Battoujutsu-stance, further flaring Ride Lightning until its absolute limit. The Full Gauntlet beeped, sensing the tension and energy build-up on his limb, and extended to wrap around his right hand. A roar echoed in his mind, the [Inner Beast] tackling the cage of his will and begging for release.
[Let us SLAUGHTER him! Him and whoever else has arrived! We demand he pay tribute for his words in blood! All of his!]
The villain noticed that Izuku's stance spelled trouble and further reinforced his limbs and torso, muscle fibers wrapping around him like armor. However, his preparations were not out of fear; no, Muscular was getting ready for a fight! "COME ON! Show me your abilities! They said you could use blood almost like I do, so do it! Fight me! Bleed for me! Show me your innards! Give me a good time, Midoriya! Let me bathe in your blood!"
In my veins I hold the key of life. Flowing, shapeless, without clear definition. I carve my path against this ruthless mountain that does not give back what it takes. I call upon the power of the fierce, bloody wind; please, grant me a rending... The chant echoed in Izuku's mind, the vampire transferring all the build-up energy to his blade, the ground under him cracking as this time Izuku was the one that rushed to meet Muscular, the vampire's frame a mere blur.
[JETSTREAM]
*SLICE*
…
…
…
[XXX]
[XXX]
"Fuck you!" Katsuki shouted as he backed off from his position with a creative use of his explosions. His previous location was pierced by various elongated constructs that resembled swords. Following the long constructs to their origin one could see a body wrapped up in a black restraining body-suit, and although the restrains were all loose, the person barely moved their body, being sustained high in the hair by the long constructs that originated from the person's mouth.
"M-m-midoriya! I want Midoriya! But your flesh looks so soft!" The voice was male and sounded terribly ill. The man whined and complained, but his long and sharp teeth dissuaded anyone from getting close to the man.
Although…
"What the fuck do you want with that shitty leech, huh? You freak-face!" The bomber shouted, explosions destroying the teeth that aimed to spear him. "It wasn't enough for that fucking bloodsucker to be a freak, he invited a get-along too?!"
The man whined once more. "I have bring him back or the leader will get angry. But you look so supple! Let me have a taste, just a tiny bit!" The deranged man kept attacking Katsuki, the blonde snarling but still keeping up with his dodges.
The teen huffed as he felt sweat slide down his arms. Finally I have enough to kill this circus-freak reject! He let another few teeth lances attack before he weaved in between them with precise curves, his blasts rapidly carrying him towards the man's body. "DIE!"
*KABBBBOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!*
The explosion launched Katsuki a fair length backwards, his target obstructed by the cloud of smoke generated by his attack. The ash-blonde grasped one of the treetops and hung from it, observing the development. The smoke then finally dispersed and he could see the results of his labor. The villain's clothing was charred and full of soot, many of his teeth broken, resulting in a sight none too pleasant on the eyes. Yet, Katsuki was full on grinning at the achievement.
"Fucker!" He exclaimed, but maintained his distance. After the dinner Bakugou exited the lodge as soon as he could to avoid the extras and their dumbass game/activity/whatever the fuck they had planned and headed to a quiet part of the forest to reflect a bit. Things had been going good for him as the training had finally ramped the fuck up, but the ash-blonde wasn't dumb. First years did not receive this sort of intensive training unless things outside were becoming dire.
Japan was tired of seeing pompous heroes without any resolve or skill to back their loud-boasting talk about shit they didn't understand on TV and it showed. Katsuki could understand since true heroes acted the part. It was why he looked up to All Might and Endeavor. You could talk shit all day about his attitude, but at the end of the day the Flame Hero did bring in more collars than All Might; that didn't mean everything, but it was a good ruler to measure. Endeavor was a good hero.
Yet, All Might was that much better.
His mere presence led to lower crime rates. Fellow heroes were inspired to act, civilians were blanketed in hope, but more importantly: villains feared All Might. His name was enough to up-bring peace, and that was the standard that Katsuki hoped to reach. However, he was still far from it. Ever since arriving at UA his delusions were being shattered left and right. Bitterly he had to admit that he no longer was the top dog, the world had increased so rapidly before him that he fell short for a while. Even that shitty leech had surpassed him. Bakugou would show him. Everyone would recognize his grandeur!
However, he needed to get stronger. To beat that half-n-half fuck at full power, to beat ponytail, to beat the blood drinker. Those would be the stepping stones of his success, the starting board that would spring him to the top, to reach and beat All Might as the number one hero in Japan, and one day become the first ranker in the world list; to be the absolute best!
His resolve further stoked, the ash-blonde began tracing his plans and brainstorming training ideas, but he sensed something was amiss; then, suddenly those sharp, spear-like teeth things were trying to strike him down. Ample focus on the trying part of that sentence since he was Bakugou Katsuki; he'd never be brought down by some shitty ass villain with a shitty, lame ass teeth quirk.
He had guided the fucker deeper inside the forest to solo the guy, but it had taken far more time that what he was comfortable with. If one fucker like this one was around, especially if looking for that lamprey-eel, then there were surely others around. Katsuki took advantage of his current altitude to scan his surroundings, noticing that rather far from the lodge a part of the forest had been lit on fire, blue flames ominously licking at the far trees while another part seemed to be surrounded in an mustard-yellow cloud of seemingly gas.
He clenched his jaw, his hand holding on the top part of the tree smoking as it burned the wood. Whatever this was, it was the shitty leech's fault. Bakugou could feel it in his heart.
"Ahhhh…"
"Shut the fuck up!" He roared and launched himself from his perch towards the still standing villain, his attacking option an explosion-boosted flying kick. The soles of his shoes smashed onto the villain's front teeth and finished breaking whatever remained. Still unsatisfied, Bakugou raised both hands into the sky and began releasing a torrent of explosions, blasting him and his improvised platform down until they both crashed into the forest floor like a bomb.
As the dust and dirt settled, one frame was left standing in the midst of the crater formed by the explosion.
"Bring it on, shitty villains! I'll send you to jail in a full-body cast!"
[XXX]
[XXX]
"Grab your partner and run!" Momo shouted, immediately ducking for cover as a gunshot rang. She was quick to make a gasmask too, her eyes and nose already itchy from the noxious cloud that was spreading, its source the tiny man that suddenly arrived in their middle.
The classes were just about ready to enjoy their time test of courage, the few missing people bound to arrive later. She would have gone to search for Izuku (since he was one of the ones missing from their group), but Ragdoll had stopped her, telling that he was doing something important, but that he would arrive soon enough. However, before they could even begin to play someone suddenly began to violently cough, the noise followed by the arrival of this unknown individual.
"Please do not make this harder than it has to be. Just breathe in deeply and let the gas do its job. I'd hate to hurt you more than necessary." The voice was heavily modulated, no doubt a piece of support gear.
The heiress began a rather common-these-days build, thankful for having had devoured those steaks with such greed. She was quick to raise her shirt until her midriff and pull out the fairly short, but stocky construct she had been working on. Momo laid it by her side and began on the following build, this time various red-colored shells popping out from her. The work done, Momo began reloading the firearm, taking a deep breath to stabilize herself.
"I know that you are behind that tree. Just give up, alright?" The man dressed in a heavily modified and armored hazmat suit pleaded, pointing his standard six shooter chambered in .38 special to the tree. Soon enough the tall heiress emerged from behind her cover, hands high up in the air. "There it is, that wasn't so hard, right? Now slowly come towards me, and no funny business!" Although there was heavy modulation, the rich heiress could still perceive nervousness on the person's voice.
Still, she did as instructed and began to slowly make her way towards the villain, hands still up in the air.
"Stop there." The person said, pointing his weapon at her. "Should have just remained quiet and let the gas knock you out." He spoke, now noticing the girl to be wearing a gasmask. "Hey, how did you get that? How did you know about my [Gas] quirk?"
She shrugged her shoulders, one hand moving differently from the other.
"Hey, you better answer me properl– !"
*Clack-kin*
*Booooom*
"ARRRHHHHH!" The hazmat-suit person was dropped down by the blast of a shotgun shell. Momo then rushed to subdue him, a Taser crackling to life on her hands as a precaution. Which she – in a very precautious manner - immediately jabbed into the neck of her assailer, the person's body dancing in spasms as just about 50.000 volts coursed through them.
Momo began to create rope to restrain the individual, first stripping them of any other weapon. She let the hazmat suit remain, unsure if it was a support gear or something needed for life. It did manage to withstand a shotgun slug after all. Nonetheless, the heiress wasted no time and went to fetch her weapon, finally revealing the trap.
On her grasp was an SPAS-12 automatic shotgun with a fancy optical attachment at the top while another apparatus was attached to the trigger guard of the weapon. A timed trigger-puller with a camera that would pull the trigger at a specific hand signal, which so happened to be a wave of her hand.
She took off the trigger-puller, the attachment cracked and only useful for another two pulls. The heiress shouldered the gun and kept her aim on the hazmat-suit wearing villain, also creating a megaphone to call her classmates back. If this was anything like the villain attack on the USJ facility then they needed to regroup.
Then, Momo felt shivers run down her spine.
"You are soo cute~~ 3! How cuter would you become if you were to bleed a bit?"
Momo immediately spun in place, racking to reload her firearm, but it was a moment too late.
…
…
…
"Ohh, you are already done? Well, don't worry~! Darling would be angry if I were to truly hurt you, so this will have to do! Toots!" The attacker exclaimed while they vanished, leaving behind a hurt Yaoyorozu. She had a myriad of cuts on her arms, all of them bleeding slightly. She was grasping her weapon with weakened hands, her breathing a messy thing.
A few moments of silence remained, Momo trying her best to create her megaphone. She managed to do so, the item falling on the earth in front of her as it slipped from her grasp, slick with blood.
"Ahh~" She cried, unsure why her eyes were stinging. She had not suffered any eye damage.
He displayed a small smile, grasping the offered limb. "You were excited to show off." His statement was followed by the growth of his smile, his expression now becoming a teasing and smug grin.
The memory played, the girl holding back her tears. She was strong, she had improved! She would show him that she was not a spoiled little princess!
Momo grasped the handle of the megaphone and turned it on:
"EVERYONE! PROTECT YOURSELVES! USE YOUR QUIRKS!" Her voice echoed loudly and clearly from the electronic booster.
[XXX]
[XXX]
Aizawa just about finished subduing the punk that had been setting the forest on fire when he heard Yaoyorozu's voice echo, the teacher worried about the state of his students. It was clear that the lodge and forest were not the only places under surprise attack by villains, the homeroom teacher trying to figure out how on earth had they been tracked. The location was kept under lock and key by Nezu himself, only being revealed to the staff one day before their travel.
The students' communication devices had been retained, turned off and placed inside signal-blocking lead boxes, which meant that it was impossible to track them down that way. Worrying about that, however, would be a waste of time now. The teacher tightened his hold on the black-haired villain with various burnt patches of skin.
"What is your goal here?!" He demanded an answer, his scarf restraining the man while his eyes canceled his quirk out.
The man chuckled. "Man, it seems that we really pissed you off, huh?"
Aizawa further tightened the scarf, the neck-binding restrain becoming especially tight. "I'd recommend that for your health you begin to talk!"
The man groaned, but kept a smug grin parting his lips. "Don't be such a downer, Eraserhead. The party has just begun! It would not do for me to spoil the fun, right?"
The underground pro pulled his scarf, intend on cutting oxygen supply to the villain for just enough time to make the man go unconscious. However, the tension on his scarf suddenly slacked, the subdued villain gifting the teacher a psychotic expression.
"You heroes are always the same, hiding behind pretty words and moralism, but when push comes to shove, we all act the same; I wonder if he will be any different." The villain ranted, his body becoming a gunky goop, only his neck and head retaining any semblance of appearance. "I'll give you a hint though, to make things fair; there is a Demon Lord in the making, and he really wants to learn how to play with blood!" The black-haired man lost his substance and was undone, becoming nothing more than sludge-like goop on the floor.
Aizawa stared at it with hard eyes, blinking to dismiss the effects of his quirk. He had shut down the man's quirk, but it was obvious that there was much more than that happening. The blue flames were cancelled, but the man he had subdued was a some sort of clone. Then, where was the original? And what did he meant by Demon Lord?
"How troublesome!" He muttered, rushing to the lodge to see if he find any of the Pussycats. Things were about to become much more dangerous for the future. He could feel it, this was just one of the first steps.
…
…
…
"Well, that was quick. No problems, time for plan B. Oi, Twice, do it!"
"Fuck you, sour-patch man, you're not the boss of me!/ Right away sir, one fresh right outta the oven!"
"…fucking weirdo."
…
…
…
"Why won't you let me use my tool already, mouh!?" A strangely effeminate female voice whined, dodging and blocking a flurry of blows from a pair of cat gloves. Those gloves belonged to Tiger, the man incessant in his efforts to suppress the invader.
Nearby his partner Mandalay was on the exact opposite situation. She was forced to be on the defensive, dodging a rather enormous amalgamation of swords and knives strapped together.
"You fake heroes!" A young male shouted, straining his strength to swing the monstrosity. "Do not deserve that title!" Each part of his sentences was followed by a heavy swing. "You all should die already!" He shouted, slamming his sword down, Mandalay dodging it by jumping backwards.
Since they had been attacked so suddenly by the villains (that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere) they had barely the time to take in their attacker's features; Mandalay was busy with a lizard-man looking villain who seemed to be doing his best cosplay of Stain, down to the edgy factors – considering the knives and swords – and the same anti-fake-hero propaganda. She huffed, taking a quick glance to the side, spotting Ragdoll to be knocked out with a bruise on the side of her head. The most troublesome part was that their fellow heroine was closer to the villains than their side.
Their only luck was that only these two had arrived to attack them, the villains too busy dealing with them to try to get the knocked out heroine as hostage. Nonetheless, the situation was not too favorable for them. Neither side seemed to be getting any grounds, making the situation a stalemate. Still, if the heroes were not careful they would get into much trouble; these villains were not petty thieves, they were seasoned fighters and seemed to be very much resolute in killing them.
"Tch!" Mandalay complained, unwilling to face the knife-sword in close quarters like this.
I hope that the kids are safe! They should have fled already, else they could get in trouble for quirk misuse. She mused. It wasn't as if she was truly satisfied with the rule, but they were still first years. Some had some combat-oriented quirks (an image of Izuku flashed in her mind), but they still lacked the experience necessary to face these villains. Their skills were on a whole other level when compared to the two-bit thugs that were locked up on the USJ attack. Kota, please be safe! I'm coming for you! She let the thought remain on her mind, dodging yet another couple of dangerous swings from the Stain-copycat.
[XXX]
[XXX]
"You bastard! You almost damn killed me, you son of a bitch!" Muscular spoke in a joyful tone, blood emerging from his mouth. The villain used one hand to hold the sword that was currently digging into his torso, the smell of burnt flesh emanating from him. He tried to use his right arm as a shield, but the quick-draw technique blew past his defense – his right arm only attached by a few remaining muscle fibers. Still, he managed to stop the attack, if only barely.
Izuku stared at the incoming left fist, a blow that would have broken a fair number of bones if it landed. The fist stopped a few centimeters shy of his face, wind pressure fluttering his hair.
"Ah?" Muscular released a dumb-founded noise, wondering why he had stopped. Izuku chuckled.
(Bloodborne – Ludwig the Accursed OST)
It began as a light chuckle, something that would not look out of place as a response to a joke. Yet, it continued to ramp in intensity, growing louder and more out of rhythm as it continued, making even the villain wonder if there was something wrong with the vampire's head.
"I see…" The vampire teen spoke in a low tone, his sword still deeply settled in Muscular's torso, yet the hero trainee didn't seem to mind the fact. The villain tried to force his body to act, to obey him and punish the brat for such devastating blow; yet, his body refused to move even a single muscle fiber…no, it didn't refuse. It could not move. It had received superior orders, which dictated that they should remain still.
[Chewy, yet rich. A fine quirk-factor, best suited for us instead of simpleton such as you!]
[We shall fest and dine on this offered meal. Your fate was settled when you decided to challenge us! You thought yourself to be a superior existence, but we shall show you the truth!]
[Lesser being such as you should remain bowed.]
The villain felt weak, his strength seemingly slipping from betwixt his fingers. Instead of the heat and excitement of battle, all that Muscular was feeling was a growing sense of dread and a creeping cold encroach his body. His senses dulled and he began to feel the world spin around him.
"W-what did you do?"
"Kota-kun…" Izuku spoke in an emotionless tone, calling the child which had remained hidden.
"W-w-what is going on?" The child asked, clearly afraid of the villain. Now that he wasn't under the spell of [Mesmerize], Kota felt all his suppressed emotions burst forth. His fear and wonderment at the fight flared at once, the child facing the man responsible for killing his parents. He wanted to cry, to shout.
"This is the man that caused your suffering; yours and of many other people, taking their loved ones for his own mere satisfaction. He came here to rampage in the same manner, to cause more death and destruction. I just want you to know that I'll put a stop to it." Izuku stated, slowly pulling his odachi from Muscular's torso. The blade was previously just tinted with a light red color, but now it shone with a deep crimson red color, having had deeply drunk and gorged itself on the villain's blood and also passing a great deal of it to Izuku in blood echoes.
"I might not be able to change your perspective on heroes, Kota-kun, but if I erase him then I can at least ease your burdens. Remember what I said: do not neglect those that are still with you here." The vampire exclaimed, his shadows emerging from the ground and turning Kota away from the sight, going so far as to cover his eyes. "As for you…become my nourishment."
"You…what the fuck are you?!" Muscular managed to ask in panic. Never did he found himself in such a position, unable to retaliate or to not even be able to move. The villain did his best to force his body to obey, for even a single muscle to move and help him get away from the perilous condition, yet no matter how hard he tried, his body still remained motionless.
The vampire readied a stance and got ready. His crimson-red blade moved as a blur, the weapon now capable of slashing a great deal of muscle tissue away from Muscular's torso – more specifically around the area of his heart. As his bare chest was exposed, Izuku sheathed his odachi and made a claw hand motion. Muscular widened his eyes, a loud shout leaving him as he stared into Izuku's red and slit pupils, the world slowing to a crawl for the villain.
…
…
…
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Muscular shouted continuously for a few minutes before he noticed that he was free. Which was strange, since he was quite sure that a few minutes ago he was fighting Midoriya Izuku the vampire from UA and his target for the mission; the fog-villain and the hands-leader were quite insistent on their point that they wanted him to bring the kid to them, but Muscular just wanted a fight.
Yet, here he was in some sort of strange…void. There was nothing around him, merely a thick darkness that surrounded him.
He checked himself, still dressed in the clothing that he had acquired for the mission. Had all been a dream? Was his imagination getting that out of control?
He glanced around, yet nothing was in sight except the all-encompassing blackness. He began to walk in a direction, unsure what to think.
…
…
…
How long had it been since he began walking? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Days? The villain was unsure, since nothing ever came on sight for him no matter how long he walked for. It was annoying at first, and he shouted and swung his fists around, trying to hit anything; nothing ever gave any response, and ever the floor seemed to disappear under him as he tried to hit it. This lack of sense was grating on the mind, the silence and darkness all that he had. His thoughts began to spin wildly out of control and a few times Muscular thought about snapping his own neck or biting his own tongue off. However, any time these thoughts surfaced to his mind, they seemed to be forcefully snuffed, almost as if physically removed, causing him a tremendous dread. His thoughts didn't seem to be his own, and more and more he felt like he was sinking in some sort of muddy sludge.
…
…
…
"Ahhh…" A noise devoid of reason echoed from the villain's mouth, the man falling on his knees, defeated. Time was meaningless, there was no stimuli and all that rung in his head were thoughts that did not belong to him. He wondered what happened a few times, but no answer ever seemed to be satisfactory or even make sense for that matter. How had he arrived here to begin with?
*Ccrreeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaak*
Muscular snapped to attention as he heard a rusty and loud noise echo in the darkness. He immediately shot to attention and tried to make sense of where the noise came from, but the sound faded before he could pinpoint it. He began running again, almost desperate to find the source of the noise again. And then, it began.
(Bloodborne – Ludwig the Accursed OST (only the Accursed Chorus part))
*Drip**Drip*
…
*Drip**Drip**Drip*
…
*Drip*
…
*Drip**Drip**Drip*
A sound of droplets hitting liquid; they echoed all around him, the villain trying to figure out which sort of fluid or liquid was causing the noise. He began to run harder, to try all the more to find the source, to end the senseless hell he somehow had walked upon.
*Grab*
Something grabbed his legs and he fell face-first on the floor, but instead of hurting his noise, Muscular felt a liquid break his fall. He turned around to see what had tripped him, his eyes widening as a clawed and red hand lay there, emerging from the floor itself. A liquid pooled around the dismembered limb, rippling as it strangely enough seemed to be the source of the member.
*Grab* *Grab*
Then something else grabbed him, this time his arms being the targets. He snapped to attention, finding more limbs emerging from liquid pools, their hold surprisingly strong for such gangly limbs. He tried to pull against their hold, but the limbs were relentless, maintaining their grip easily. Then…
*Grab* *Grab*
More limbs grabbed his head and others grew longer, wrapping around his mouth to shut any sort of scream or shout. His wide eyes tried to take in what was happening, but his restrained head only capable of looking up. The villain finally found something else besides the dark void that he had been trudging on for so long.
A cage.
An open cage.
"…he has come!"
"…forgive us! We offer this one!"
"…Oh Lord, we beg forgiveness!"
"…free us from this torment!"
Muscular heard innumerous voices whining and calling out, echoing from everywhere inside. He tried to shake off his restrains, but they tightened further, the sound of rippling liquid increasing. From the edges of his vision he began to see the red limbs grow from their pools, finally granting the villain sight of what was restraining him.
People.
Deformed, husks that could barely resemble humans, but they could only be classified as such. They were covered in wounds of various origins; bruises, cuts, ripped chunks and many more, yet all the victims shared a rather distinct and same wound: two round punctures, mostly aimed on the neck.
"Ahhh, that is right…" Muscular muttered, his voice cracking and trembling. He stared up, seeing two red eyes stare at him from the open cage. His ears finally sensed the noise that had been unconsciously ignoring this whole time. A constant drum that beat like a song, a secondary and lesser song trying to play along, but being obfuscated by the major one.
"I died." He stated, matter-of-factly.
[Indeed, foul being.]
[Worry not, food. At the end, your blood echoes shall become nourishment for us.]
"…"
[You were merely…]
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
[PREY TO BE SLAUGHTERED!]
…
…
…
Kota was scared out of his mind. He had been having a conversation with Izuku, the two finally managing to build something akin to friendship when the big villain began approaching. He looked into Izuku's eyes and suddenly felt as if his body had a mind of its own. He felt compelled to simply follow Izuku's words and do as he was told.
A rather short, but tremendous fight happened while he hid, the deepest parts of his mind full of fear; yet, said fear could not truly reach him, the agency of his fight-or-flight instinct surpassed by the cold commands of Izuku's words to him.
Then, the effect settled as Izuku called him out and presented the villain that he had been fighting against. The same villain that had attacked his parents. He remembered being told about it by the adults in suits that came to visit him and his aunt, the people who delivered the news of his parents' death.
The words Izuku told him were spoken in a cold tone, and Kota couldn't help but shiver.
"…I just want you to know that I'll put a stop to it."
They weren't fancy or promising words that so many dumb heroes had carelessly blabbered on in an effort to comfort him. The vampire wasn't promising anything…no, he was not. He was stating a fact, something that he would inevitably do and that nothing would stop him. Words carried power and Izuku was very careful with his.
At this moment Kota began to let tears freely flow from his eyes. He was still scared and fear gripped his heart, but the child also felt protected. He could not help but turn around to see the sight of his hero, after all he had been saved, right?
…
Izuku stood there observing the body of the villain sink into his shadow, his eyes akin to floodlights. He had gorged himself with Muscular's blood, the rich and powerful fluid granting him both an upgrade to his odachi as well as a new quirk-factor and plenty of blood to spend. There was no doubt for him that, after all the blood that he had consumed during his training and now this feast, he was [Blood drunk].
He sensed small movements behind him, the vampire turning to Kota. There was some blood splatter on his clothes and his right hand was absolutely caked with the thick fluid – most of which was being absorbed slowly through his skin – the sight surely a frightening thing for the child. Yet, Izuku could not find in himself to care.
It felt good, extremely so. He was full of life fluid and brimming with power. Of course he was still aware of himself, he had progressed tremendously from his early days with [True Ancestor] after all.
"Let's get going, Kota-kun. I have to guarantee your safety and help my classmates." The vampire stated, shadowy matter extending to fetch the child. Kota nodded, unsure what else to do but be picked up. In a few moments he was firmly placed on the hemomancer's back, the vampire staring at the lodge's direction in particular. "The movement might be a bit jarring, so please bear with it for just a bit, okay?" He didn't wait for the answer, triggering [Warp].
[XXX]
[XXX]
"How are the rest of you?" Aizawa asked Kyouka in a hurry as he applied bandages to Yaoyorozu's cuts, the girl gingerly doing a few herself.
The rocker had a few bruises and some cuts, but she was mostly fine. Plenty of teens from both classes were around in various states. Some stated to have faced strange monsters in the forest, the described creatures surely the noumu of the league of villains.
"A bit hurt, but we will survive." The punk rocker explained, helping with head count. She had been the first to rush towards Yaoyorozu when she heard sounds of combat, but she was delayed when she was surrounded by a group of four noumu. Kaminari and Hanta were close and helped deal with the monsters, but when they arrived to check on their class leader she had already defeated the gas-using villain and was doing first-aid on herself.
Reports from every student included facing at least one noumu, although it was clear that the creatures were not that strong, their stamina and endurance for punishment the most notable thing about them. Which rubbed the Homeroom teacher the wrong way; still, he could not abandon post to go chasing after the creatures for answers.
There were already plenty of problems for him to deal with, including the unauthorized quirk usage of his students. He was willing to bear the punishments for sure – he would never see an student get hurt if he could help it – but bureaucrats had amazing skills when it came to twisting situations out of context and if anything about this incident was leaked, then the pressure-cooker that was Japan these days would inch closer to the point of no-return.
"Sir, there are some classmates unaccounted for." Momo stated, already done with her work. Kyouka was by her side, ready to support her at any moment. The heiress had a mature and firm look settled in her eyes, the teacher unsure how she acquired such gaze. "Midoriya, Bakugou, Shoto, Kamakiri and Jurota are all missing sir! Vlad-king is also not at the lodge and we can't see any of the Pussycats nearby."
Aizawa hardened his gaze. He felt many eyes settle upon him asking for his guidance, their weight something that the underground pro was still unused to even after all his years on the profession. He was about to issue some orders when someone appeared on the field.
Izuku appeared in a burst of fog-like black mist, Kota carefully held on his back by black matter. He carefully set the child on the ground, checking over him. Many surprised voices echoed in the clearing of the lodge, but the vampire had his focus completely settled on the kid, kneeling on the spot and putting one hand over the child's head to give him a comforting pat.
"Now be on your best behavior and listen to Aizawa-sensei, okay?" He spoke to Kota, the child silently nodding along, seemingly in shock. The vampire kept his gaze over the kid for a few more moments before standing up and turning his attention to his teacher.
The two stared at each other for a few moments, Aizawa's gaze firmly settled on the vampire's red and slit orbs. No words were spoken, but it seemed that the pro-hero found his answer anyway. He took a deep breath, running one hand over the bridge of his nose while sighing out in frustration.
"What a shitshow…"
Izuku said nothing, turning his head to scan his surroundings. His eyes immediately settled on Yaoyorozu, his throat gulping as he took a deep breath and sucked in the scent of her blood. He began approaching her with easy steps, Kyouka looking at him with worried eyes.
"H-hey vampy, you alright there?" The rocker asked, remembering the first time that she saw those eyes.
Izuku answered nothing, closing in the distance between himself and his two friends. Once they were close enough to touch hands, Izuku stopped.
"You're hurt." He stated, his fangs gleaming with saliva.
Momo seemed to be unbothered by his state. It was an impressive thing, especially since she had been one of the first to have been intimidated by the sight a while back, yet here she was now, calmly facing the vampire – even with bloodthirst on his eyes.
"I'll survive, Izuku-kun." She proclaimed with a small smile.
He raised a hand, displaying his open palm to the heiress. Sitting on it were five small marbles.
"Aren't these…" Kyouka interjected, eyeing the familiar pills.
"Yes, they are." Izuku acknowledged, pushing the items towards the girls. As the girls held the pills, Izuku grasped one of Momo's wrists, the girl gasping at the contact. The vampire took another deep breathe, inhaling all that he could.
"Vampy, I swear you're being really creepy right now." Kyouka stated, her ear jacks aimed at Izuku almost like living snakes, ready to strike him down. The vampire remained silent, still taking in the scents that clung to the taller girl. There was tension building up among the group due to Izuku's antics, but he silently kept taking in air.
He slowly released Momo's wrist, but it was clear that there was fury building up in the vampire's frame as he seemed to have figured something out.
"You see that there were some of our classmates missing, right?" He questioned, turning towards his teacher.
Aizawa already knew that sort of body language. "Midoriya, no!" The homeroom teacher sternly warned, approaching the vampire while also carrying Kota together with him. "There is too much danger right now."
The vampire scoffed, turning his head towards the one particular direction of the forest. A few seconds after that a grand explosion echoed, many students also following their worried gazes; the vampire turned to Momo once more.
"How are your lipids?"
The girl nodded to him. "A few cuts didn't put me down for the count, I can still go on."
Izuku finally let a small smile quirk his lips up. "Good, then we can work. Communication station and units are a priority. We also don't know who else we might be facing out there, so to make sure of our identities, please some hidden trackers and a GPS."
Aizawa released a frustrated breath. "You really don't plan on obeying me, do you?"
The vampire focused on eyes on his teacher's, the man's black pupils staring fearlessly into the teen's slit ones. "I don't plan to put our classmates into danger, which is why I'll be the one going out there." His statement brought about a wave of surprised gasps and some students came over to speak their mind. Their statements died in their throats as both the vampire and the underground pro turned their heads in perfect synchrony to stare down the newcomers, fierce gazes killing most of the motivation of the teens.
The two then returned their stares towards each other, neither backing down.
"You are a student and first year without even a provisional license. When the cops and the investigators begin sniffing around you will get in trouble with the law. Midoriya, you cannot count on Edgeshot to constantly bail you out."
"Neither can we sit here in inaction, Aizawa-sensei. I'm the one most suited to scout and aid out in the field; I can quickly reach places and stealth my way out of problems should the situation require it. We do not have the time to discuss semantics, there are killers out there." The vampire spoke his last sentence in a whisper-like voice, only for his teacher's ears. Aizawa hardened his gaze, already aware that there was much danger. He frowned and grunted, shifting his hold on Kota to better secure the child and try to shield his ears from the talk.
Izuku was quick to further darken the pro-hero's mood. "One of the first villains drop spot was close to us. We ended up in a fight and I protected Kota-kun; it is why I arrived this late." He pointed out, eyes flitting down to his sword before going upwards. Aizawa understood the hidden message, his expression hidden by his hair for a few moments.
"Midoriya…"
The vampire shook his head. "It is done. What matters now is that we help the other missing people. I'll be responsible for my actions, but now we need to fight." His argument was too logical for the teacher to counter without pulling up rank. Even worse, if he were to pull on his authority, the vampire would just do it anyway without regards for the punishment.
"Sensei, I think that Midoriya is right. We don't all need to go out in search parties, but we can make most use of our quirks. It is why we trained here, right? To improve!" Momo pointed out, approaching the two together with Kyouka. The rocker looked a bit intimidated by the two males, but she took a deep breath.
"Yeah, thinks are looking really serious. We can help on our little ways, but all help adds up." The Punk girl spoke with a strained smile, trying her best to appear confident.
The teacher then glanced to the students that were close, their eyes filled with determination to act. He took a deep breath, aware that he might regret what he was about to say.
"Fair enough…" Aizawa agreed, but he immediately clipped the growing enthusiasm of those that heard his words. "You will not act alone. Everyone will get a tracker and move on squads. Anyone that disobeys will be strictly punished." There weren't a lot of reliable options for him to pick, but Aizawa tried to do his best given the circumstances.
Yaoyorozu sat on the floor, took off her shirt and began the creation of the required items. Kyouka remained by her side to act as both a bodyguard as well as a radar. It would be hard for anyone to get the drop on the [Creation]-quirk user when Jiro was around.
Izuku barely waited for the creation of the first tracker and communication devices before he took off, vanishing in a cloud of mist-like smoke. Aizawa released a frustrated sigh, his gaze towards the direction that the vampire had possibly headed towards. The teacher then went to the students and began dividing them in squads with even numbers, trying to get members that covered each other's gaps, no matter which class they belonged to; the situation required this much caution for him.
"…why?"
Aizawa noticed the whisper of Kota, the child undoubtedly traumatized by the villainous attack. The pro-hero tried to be as soothing as possible, his lack of experience with children showing. "Everything will be fine now, Kota-kun."
The child's grip on his clothes tightened, the kid getting some distance from the teacher's chest to look him in the eyes. Kota's orbs were wet with both shed and unshed tears, the kid's lips trembling as he tried to hold in whatever emotions he had.
"Why is he trying so hard? Why does he want to be a hero so bad?"
Aizawa pursed his lips at the hard question, trying to come with something that could be easily by the young Kota. Even he himself was at a loss to explain the reasons behind the vampire's tenacity and willingness to self-sacrifice. If he were to try and overly simplify things with Midoriya's words, then it was all about logical choice:
Izuku's hero alias was the Immortal Hero. That certainly could be taken as exaggeration, but he knew of Midoriya's abilities; the teen had survived crippling injuries and came back all the stronger for it. Hell, he had defeated the Hero Killer Stain. His vampire abilities were rather uniquely suited for a myriad of things and once he got going then there was little that could get the teen to stop. Aizawa had been pouring over the psychological profile that Hound Dog provided to him on Midoriya and there were many observations and points that could lead to such behavior.
Midoriya had all the circumstances that could have led him down a dark path of tyranny and villainy, yet he chose to restrain and control himself; he opted to take the hard path of heroics, and even while heavy scrutiny of both press and the suited-up big shots, he kept on trudging the path of his choice. Many points and many explanations could be pointed at, and even Aizawa had his own pet theory:
Izuku controlled his quirk-given instincts and urges through the psychological effects of the hero's madness.
Aizawa knew that humans were selfish creatures that could do acts of good and fairness, but at their very core, humanity was selfish. The hero's madness was that overwhelmingly powerful sense of selflessness that led heroes to a downright destructive sense of duty to their heroism. The one most affect by such thing – in his opinion – was All Might. Aizawa was privy to information that most teachers weren't (and even then there was much that was still kept from him by that rat Nezu) and from his findings on the Symbol of Peace, it was very clear that the hero was more than a hardcore worker. For All Might, being the perfect hero was almost like a core need, almost like eating or sleeping. He would keep being a hero even at the very apparent detriment to his health or even forgetting about his other duties, solely due to the narrow focus on hero-ing.
Maybe it was subconscious, but Izuku seemed to be using such madness as a control valve for his own needs. The vampire was much less affected by the hero's madness; he had friends and did activities whose purpose was not to – directly or indirectly – aid in his hero training, but in certain moments it was rather clear that the vampire would not stop until he saved the day.
It could be a good thing, but moderation was needed. Not everyone could be All Might, for even the Symbol of Peace could fail – as constantly shown by the man himself.
Still, the pro had yet to answer Kota's questions.
"Midoriya had… harsh difficulties when younger. Be it with his quirk or in family matters, but especially related to his quirk, things were harsh and difficult for him; yet he was inspired by someone to pursue the path of the hero. To try to do something not only for himself, but to help others too." Aizawa explained while motioning for the remaining students to organize themselves. He placed Kota on the ground and knelt to match the child's eye level, trying his best to come off as reliable. "He can be a bit too hasty with his choices, but he is trying to create a better future in his own way."
Kota lowered his head, holding back from shedding anymore tears.
"do not neglect those that are still with you here."
The child remembered the words of his aunt Mandalay/Shino.
"One day, Kota, you will find someone who will inspire and save you from your despair. Someone who you can put all your trust and say: this is my hero."
Kota remembered the sight of Izuku, covered in blood that wasn't his. It was scary, but it also comforted him. Izuku acted, protecting him in his own manner. It was not beautiful or noble, it certainly wasn't kind or coddling, but Kota didn't want any of those things. Many had tried to do that and their fake sweet words did nothing but further push the thorn that had been prickling at his heart ever since the death of his parents.
Some of the words that Izuku spouted hurt and did not hide anything, but the painful truth opened the doors of realization. Kota was not alone; his parents may have departed, but there were still people who loved him and wanted to help him. He just had to let them in, to allow them to help him.
"…my hero." He mumbled to himself, seeing the many other teens do their best to help out others. Momo-san doing her best, even when covered in bandages and hurt. "My hero."
[XXX]
[XXX]
"Haaaa….haaaaa…haaaa." Bakugou kept exhaling tired breathes, his hands trembling a bit and still smoking from quirk usage, but at his feet laid a thoroughly defeated villain. Nearby there were also other creatures with scorch marks, but they also had layers of ice frost over their bodies. Their brains were exposed, their skins more of a leather-like hide than anything, and the beings did not speak, all they were capable of doing was releasing groans and pained moans. "I did not need your help, you candy-cane looking bitch….haaah….huff."
Emerging from a bush while carrying two more frozen bodies, Todoroki stoically stared at the ash-blonde. The heterochromatic teen eyed the small gashes and cuts and peppered the bomber's arms, his eyes then focusing on the defeated villain at Bakugou's feet, many fragments of broken teeth nearby.
"I see." Shoto's less than emotive answer had the ash-blonde marching close to him, red eyes and scowl completing the usual Bakugou look.
"I had this shit in the bag. It didn't matter how many of these weak-ass monsters they sent."
"Very impressive." Todoroki replied, creating a small fire on his left hand's palm to light the way on the forest.
Bakugou tsked and grabbed the villain that first attacked him by the throat, dragging the body with him. The two had met halfway through his fight with sword-teeth-whatever-the-fuck, a group of these noumu-monsters arriving as reinforcement for the villain. It mattered little for Katsuki, but their numbers were distracting and they specialized in long range attacks that would force him to dodge and pay less attention on the main villain.
Then Todoroki arrived not too later after the villains. He had been walking around doing that dumb class activity, but had gotten separated from his duo. When Katsuki –uninterested he might add – asked about the type of scares that happened the dual-hair colored teen looked at him as if he had asked about quantum physics.
"Scares? All that I did was walk around, nobody tried anything."
"When did you lose your partner?"
"Right after they announced it. I began walking on one direction, but when I noticed my partner had not followed I was already deep in the forest."
Katsuki did a double take. "…did…did you fucking get lost?"
Shoto stared at him with unblinking eyes for a few moments. Then, he turned around and said nothing, walking towards the lodge's direction. "I don't like this courage-test stuff."
Bakugou was stunned. "Did you just ditch your duo just because you got someone you didn't want to do this with?"
Shoto this time remained silent. Bakugou followed along, dragging the villain's body with him, unsure if he should laugh or mock Todoroki. He opted for both, snorting at him while laughing like hyena.
The two were being followed by someone high in the trees, the unknown stalker merely listening for now.
[XXX]
[XXX]
Jurota huffed as he defended himself once more from the onslaught of punches that were thrown his way. Behind him lay a defeated Kamakiri, the insectoid-looking teen missing his mouth tusks, the growths broken at the base.
The other fur-covered teen was trying his best to defend his classmate, but it was clear that his attacker was not too keen on allowing them the chance to flee. They had been suddenly ambushed while lying in ambush, being selected as the "ghosts" that would haunt the path for the others. It would be rather funny and ironic, were it not so dangerous.
Shishida had no idea what he was facing. It was humanoid, with a blackish-blue tinted skin and strangely enough resembled a female human, or so he thought, considering the rather large chest of the creature. It also strangely had the top part of its head open, exposing its brain in a rather gross manner. The creature was fast, hit hard and seemed to be untiring. They had been at this for a while, and even at the beginning when the hero trainees had advantage, it didn't seem to mind or care for it.
The female monster had been fighting them with a sort of boxing stance, the fast movement sometimes looking like it was floating off the ground.
Shishida tried maintain his guard, but one mean hook broke past his defense and nailed him in the jaw. He had been trying to push his [Beast] quirk to aid him, but strangely enough he seemed to be capped. His quirk was working alright, even better than usual, but he had yet to go berserk. Which was what usually happened when he pushed it past its limit; however, no matter how hard he tried now, he could not go berserk.
Jurota opened his guard and resolved himself. He knew he would not win a confrontation like this, but with his enhanced strength he felt confident that the monster would not escape grappling. He took another blow to his jaw that almost made him pass out, but the teen managed to hold on his consciousness and bear-hug the female monster, being careful to tuck his shoulder under its jaw and avoid the possibility of getting bitten.
However…
*Crack Crack*
*Slink*
He suppressed a pained growl, feeling a burning sensation on his chest. He had heard something akin to bones breaking, but he was sure that he had not tightened his hold on the monster to that point. He began to feel his strength slip away as the burning sensation in his chest grew, the teen unable to keep his hold on the monster.
As he slipped away and fell on his back, Jurota noticed the cause of his pain. The female creature had broken her own wrists and ripped at her own flesh, using the improvised bone shanks to stab him. He felt blood rise to his mouth, the metallic taste unsavory and telling of the sort of damage that he suffered.
The teen roared, trying to intimidate the monster, but it was almost like a machine, unfeeling and uncaring. It sped towards him, one gnarly and bloodied stump aimed at his head. He closed his eyes and waited for his end.
…
…
…
"Shutsugen Kira! (Apparition Killer!)" Izuku roared, parring away the sharp bone and aiming a slash at the creature's neck. The crimson-red blade cut off the flesh without resistance, the being unable to back off in time to avoid the damage. Still, it had jumped backwards to dodge and it did manage to avoid having its head chopped off.
Izuku did not pursue it for the moment, more worried about Shishida's worrisome injury.
"Jurota-san, please do put pressure on the wound and try to not move too much." Izuku's voice carried an aggressive tone that the other teen seldom had heard during his stay here. The vampire's shadow darkened and one faux-limb emerged from it, tossing towards the fur-covered teen a red marble. "If you haven't lost too much blood, then please eat that. It will help you recover enough so that you can retreat back to the lodge."
Jurota wheezed a wet cough, but ate the pill. It would take a few moments to work, but the vampire could buy him that time.
Izuku readied his stance, carefully watching the female noumu.
[Another banquet for us? All For One and his lackeys are much too kind!]
[Shigaraki truly thinks that he could defeat us? Hah, what a joke!]
[Shall we drain this one too, Master?]
The vampire felt the [Inner Beast] roar in his mind, challenging the man most likely responsible for the creation of these bioengineered monstrosities. The vampire felt a strange sort of tension in his mind, wondering what was the objective of this attack. Muscular didn't know much about the attack except that he would take part in it, Izuku cursing the man even from beyond the grave. Well, in technicalities he was still alive, but the vampire wasn't going to think too hard on the effects of [Stockpile] and [Permanency] for now. He was still figuring out what All Might's quirk truly was, the blood echoes acquired from the hero refusing to reveal much. Not that these thoughts mattered at the moment, Izuku maintaining his focus on the Noumu.
The female-look-alike stopped at a fair distance between the two and glanced at her mangled wrists, the empty eyes staring intently at the broken bone and ripped flesh. Then, flesh began to quiver and wiggle in a gross manner. The female Noumu then did something that had Izuku narrowing his eyes at it.
*Crunch crunch crunch*
*Gulp*
It bit and tore off its own hands, eating the flesh in a disgusting manner as it crunched bone and swallowed the contents in its gulled whole. Not that Izuku had time to be impressed or disgusted at the sight, the female noumu's stumps soon bubbling with a thick ichor, its hands suddenly sprouting back, unharmed.
[What superb regeneration. It will be difficult to fight this one.]
The [Beast Within] commented, Izuku snarling, but agreeing with it. He sensed Jurota and Kamakiri still behind him, the fur-covered teen most likely stunned by the grotesque sight. The other one was still unconscious, which most likely was a blessing in disguise for him. Nonetheless, the vampire stood firm, his stance ready to intercept the Noumu.
The creature squared up a boxer's stance, making Izuku narrow his eyes at it.
"Cough cough, it fought like that against me, Sir Midoriya. It can withstand enormous amounts of punishment and will resort to any tactic it needs to try to win. Please, do exercise caution against it." Jurota called out, his breathing and heart-beats telling Izuku that he was out of danger for now.
The vampire didn't take his eyes away from the female noumu. "Thanks for the update, Jurota-kun. Now hurry up and escape with Kamakiri-san." The vampire spoke, further tightening the grip on his odachi as he noticed the noumu dig in her feet on the earth. Charging? Does it intend on trying to rush past me to reach them?
Izuku's thoughts were proven wrong as the noumu charged straight at him, cocking a fist back. The vampire also dug in his heels and got ready to block, his shadows ready to skewer the noumu and subdue it with [Coagulation]. The moment his blade and the female noumu's fist would touch, the vampire felt his [Hunter Instincts] blare out a warning.
-Wait, that's my…
The creature seemed to ignore gravity's hold on it, its form flying over the vampire with a summersault. The noumu hung on the air, aiming a brutal spinning axe kick at the teen's head. Izuku's hair spiked out, lightning sparking off his frame as he enhanced his reaction time. The vampire managed to turn his blade on its flat side, receiving the kick that sunk his feet a few centimeters in the earth.
The Noumu tried to use his blade as a foothold and jump towards the retreating Jurota, but unluckily for it the vampire had his shadows. Various black tendrils emerged from his shadow and caught the creature midair, launching it backwards with the intent of making it crash against one of the many trees nearby. They were successful in their launch, but the female noumu corrected its course and gently descended back to the forest floor, almost like it was floating.
The two stared at each other, red and slit eyes staring into emotionless black orbs, the air around the two thickening as their killing intents emanated. The female noumu once more squared into a boxer's stance, however its frame hovered a few inches off the ground, the already tall being standing even taller against the vampire's shorter height. It began snarling and him, legs coiling as if preparing for a sprint.
-Watch out kid! That's my Bullet Punch.
Izuku blinked once and the female noumu had already cut the distance between the two of them short, one fist ready to impact his abdomen and most likely break his ribs into dust. Izuku managed to place his right arm – the one which the Full Gauntlet was wrapped around – into the way, but the charge still managed to take him off his feet.
The vampire clenched his teeth to try and resist, but he was uprooted from his spot and launched upwards, the blow reminding him from his exam against All Might for some reason. The female Noumu followed along, another fist cocked back and ready. He received it once more with his right arm, using it as a shield as his sword aimed for a counter on the offending hand. Izuku managed to cut half-way through the limb, but was soon put on the defensive once more as the Noumu began a flurry of blows, each punch heavy and difficult to block and receive.
The vampire was carried by the blows towards another part of the forest, trying his best to counter, but considering he was midair and without enough time to create his jet wings, Izuku bid for some time. His arms were soon covered by his [Blood Gauntlets], the teen managing to better take the flying blows. Strangely enough it was as if the Noumu was trying to push him towards somewhere.
Confrontations are not working well, but then how about a trap? He then rapidly decided on the bait. The vampire sheathed his blade midway a swing and decided to change tactics. The female Noumu took the change and tried to break past his defenses. A resounding blow flew at him, slipping inside his guard and mightily slamming into his torso. The sound of cracking echoing on the night sky; Yet, it was not the sound of bones cracking. Flakes of red amour, created to be strong enough to barely withstand the blow.
The vampire smirked, his clawed digits grasping the offending arm, easily sinking into the flesh and connecting Izuku and the Noumu through blood. [Coagulation] took effect immediately, the two plunging from their current position in the sky back to the earth almost like a comet.
*SLAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMM*
[XXX]
[XXX]
Mandalay was puffing hard, her breathing pattern a messy and choked thing. She held her left biceps with her right hand, trying to staunch a bleeding caused by the strange sword of the Stain copy-cat. He managed to clip her during one of his swings, his stamina too bothersome with that enormous thing.
Tiger was also put on the defensive as while he was facing the okama-villain another one joined the fray. A strange blonde girl wearing a school uniform was running interception on Tiger, trying to slash at him with knives or stab him with a needle-like tube that connected to some contraption at her back. It was unnerving how the new intruder was so precise in her fight, not saying a word as she covered the other villain's back when exposed.
"Accept your death quietly! The world doesn't need any more fakes such as you!" The lizardman shouted with at her. He was breathing a bit harder, but it stood to reason, since he was swinging that massive and exaggerated thing. It honestly was her luck that he insisted on fighting with that cumbersome thing, since if he tried to use normal swords or knives, then Mandalay was sure that she would have much more injuries now. She was an agile rescue hero, not a combat one. She was doing her best holding on to avoid having the villains overwhelm Tiger, but she was hitting her limits.
"That's what I've been telling you! I don't know what you mean by that!" She shouted back, dodging a throwing knife, courtesy of the blondie. Still, the lizardman villain took the chance and charged at her once more, an overhead swing prepped.
"Shut up and di– Argh!" The Stain copy-cat almost finished his swing, but a blur slammed atop him, bringing him and his monster sword down while also raising a small cloud of dust and earth. Two shapes jumped in opposite directions from the created crater, the dust quickly settling down to reveal the new arrivals.
Midoriya appeared close to her, his clothes dirty and somewhat bloody, but the vampire teen seemed to still be in fighting shape. He had his arms clad in bulky red gauntlets, but they strangely diverged from the norm. Instead of clawed armored fingers, each digit of the teen's hands were connected to small tubes that ended back on a gross figure that reminded Mandalay of the police reports she read back with Eraserhead about the sort of creature that could even match All Might.
Bio-engineered quirk weapon, Noumu.
It was a frightening sight, yet she couldn't help but notice that the red tubes connecting the vampire and the being. What were they and why did Izuku did that?
The vampire had a sadistic smile splitting his lips, the likes of which Shino had never seen. His expression seemed to be downright evil.
"This will take care of you."
He spoke in a tone that seemed to promise death. Never in all of her years as a Rescue Pro Hero had she faced or heard a villain capable of this. It was cold, choking and fierce. Something that did not suit a hero at all. How could such a young teen be capable of emanating such a fearsome aura?
Mandalay noticed the tubes burrowed on the Noumu's skin, wondering what sort of move was the vampire about to employ.
The tubes seemed to pulse for a moment, almost as if they were pumping something into the creature. It tried to move, but its muscles seemed to be locked in place and soon the creature was moaning in pain. The vampire pulled the tubes from the creature, no sides willing to make a move until they understood what was about to happen with the tall female villain.
"At the end of everything it all returns to blood. We are born out of blood; made man by the blood; and will be undone by the blood. Let it all mix and brew inside you, my lovely [Blood Cauldron]." Izuku spoke in a chant-like tone, his eyes akin to red floodlights.
The Noumu began to trash around, its hands seemingly trying to scratch an itch. It continued to desperately scratch itself, roughly doing it until it managed to rip off strips of skin, bleeding lightly as it continued its desperate attempt. Veins all around its body began to bulge and pump in a very visual manner, almost as if the pressure inside the female Noumu's veins was becoming too great to bear.
Everyone in the clearing remained motionless, waiting with tense eyes what would result from the vampire's action, his words ominously hanging at the back of their minds.
Then, the vampire raised his right hand, the motion capturing everyone's attention. The gauntlet-clad hand made a simple motion, one that anyone could do and not think much on. He clicked his fingers, the dull noise of the flick seemingly echoing in everyone's mind.
*Burst*
The female Noumu weakly groaned, still trying to scratch at its own skin. However its noises soon gave way to a much more horrifying thing. The wet sound of flesh ripping and bursting was something that none would forget so soon, the creature literally exploding in a show of gore and splattering blood, painting the area surrounding it with the red fluid, the smell a fierce and nauseating thing.
All standing on the clearing had strong stomachs, but none could help feeling queasy and sick at the sound, smell and sight of the noumu. Whereas it was, now only its lower limbs remained attached at the waist, everything upwards simply gone in a shower of rotted and fetid blood, gunk and chunks of meat spread on a small radius around the torso-less body.
"Stand down," Izuku's voice broke the silence, the vampire now staring at the villains with his predatory eyes. "…unless, you wish to suffer the same fate?"
The lizardman, whose body had served as a cushion, stood from the crater. Some blood had splattered on him, the man staring at Izuku with a blank expression.
"You are the one that defeated Stain, right?" He managed to ask with a choppy voice, seemingly in a trance as he stared at the previous spot of the Noumu.
Izuku grunted an affirmative answer. "Indeed."
The villain with thick lips grabbed a strange bar from the ground, and from behind him a feminine voice called out. "Every time I see him he becomes even more dreamy, don't you think so, Mag-nee?"
The dubbed Mag-nee let a stiff smile sprout on her lips. "I certainly wouldn't put it like that…"
Tiger and Mandalay finally had a true moment to breathe, yet tension would not leave their bodies, the heroes unsure what to think on the situation. The leader of the group tried to come to grip with the situation, but it was hard to focus when the stench of blood had firmly taken root inside your nostrils. Tiger was also bothered, but seemed to be coping less than she was. His gaze hardened.
"Where is Pixie-Bob?" He directed the question towards the vampire, Izuku still focusing on the villains but attentive to his teacher.
"I was hoping you would now, Tiger-sensei. Most of the students have returned to the lodge, but so far we are missing Bakugou, Todoroki, Vlad-sensei and now Pixie-Bob-san. Aizawa sensei is holding the fort since it seems that some villains attacked there, but so far things have been quiet since I left to search for our classmates. I also rescued Kota-kun safely, Mandalay, so you don't need to worry about him." Izuku quickly relayed the information. He took a few steps back and took off the communication device from his ear, handing it to the woman. "Yaoyorozu and Kyouka-san are managing communications, so they should report any news to you."
Mandalay took the device from the vampire's offered hand with some hesitation, unsure what to think about the vampire. She thought she had an idea about him, but the most recent events shook her pretty bad. Still, she firmed her resolve.
"Thank you, Midoriya-kun. I'm relieved that you saved Kota-kun." She managed to push the words out, still feeling shocked at the brutality with which he dealt with the Noumu. Sure, it was not human anymore, but she couldn't help the repulsion at the thought of the vampire's employed technique. Were she not fighting and full of adrenaline, she wasn't sure how she would react to such move.
"We are still not out of the fire yet." Tiger coined in, fighting stance firm as he stared at the villains. Mandalay placed the communication device on her ear and tapped on it, beginning to relay information back to the lodge.
"Speaking of missing people; I sense Ragdoll-san's scent, but I don't see her." The vampire said, making the two Pussycat members double take and snap their heads towards the villains.
Ragdoll had been knocked out behind enemy lines, but she had been within sight all the time during their fight. It was impossible to them to have missed anyone trying to kidnap her. Unless…
"We were distracted due to your landing…" Tiger did not shift blame on the vampire, but it was clear for all to see that the man was furious. Mandalay also hardened her gaze.
Izuku did a scan of the area with his eyes. "I see…" he cocked his right arm out, the [Blood Gauntlet] liquefying. It shoot from his arm with incredible speed towards one of the many trees surrounding them, someone jumping from it as the blood spear sheared the tree trunk before it exploded in crimson flames.
"Whoa, that was dangerous. And here I thought that I was being stealthy." Another person spoke out, remaining close with the villains. Dressed in a suit, mask and a tophat, the newcomer was a male and definitively not here on a field trip. "I'm certain of my capabilities, so it makes me wonder how did you manage to find me."
The vampire didn't answer, merely taking a battoujutsu stance. He lowered his voice and spoke for Tiger and Mandalay to hear. "I can sense Ragdoll from on him, her scent is the strongest on him." Information shared, the vampire was ready to act.
"How can you be so sure that he was Ragdoll, Midoriya? We cannot afford to act recklessly." Tiger protested, but the vampire was unmoved.
Izuku sparked with lightning, his mind enhanced and reflexes pushed to the absolute limit. I can regenerate, but this is abusing Lightning Ride…I have got this last safe use of it before I start pushing it. Nerve endings, especially those in the spinal cord were extremely sensitive since they were in charge of reflexes, their response time faster than even the brain signals. Izuku had been boosting both to absurd lengths, the act only possible due to his regeneration. Yet, everything had a limit; and the vampire was reaching his for such act.
He could still fight for sure, but the teen would be out of uses for this particular enhancement. That was without mentioning his use of blood. Still, he could feel battle fervor boil his blood and push him to keep going. He could smell Ragdoll on this villain, he had gotten used to her unique scent other the last couple of days and since he developed [Beast's Embrace] his senses – particularly smell and taste – had shoot through the roof.
"If we can quickly regroup, then the villains will have no choice but to retreat. They tried to divide and conquer, but it has not really worked out so far. If we can rescue Ragdoll, we have won." The vampire insisted, feeling the power inside his sheath just about ready for his ultimate move.
Tiger still wasn't convinced. "We cannot rely on a gut feeling Midoriya. Please, be reasonable. We can fight safely and use your abilities to push them back. I also want nothing more other than to rescue Tomoko, but I can't put anyone else in danger on a whim." The man seemed to be pained by his own words, and even Izuku could not deny his logic; yet, the vampire still grasped his odachi.
"Then, you better get ready to make a break for it." Izuku coldly stated, the emerald-green that occasionally sparked from his frame becoming more intense, the vampire muttering under his breath a few words that Tiger and Mandalay did not get.
"Oi, he is going to do that super move of his!" The tophat villain exclaimed, quickly patting his pockets. Mag-nee seemed to be using her quirk on the metal pole she carried, while the blonde villain seemed to be enchanted by it.
"Let him do it, I'll try to repel him! The rest is up to you, Compress-kun."
"I'll stab him too~!"
Compress shook his head in exasperation, looking to the lizardman for aid. "Spinner, I suggest you either duck or use that sword of yours. You're about to see something magical." There was plenty of sarcasm in his voice, but one could also notice the great apprehension marring his tone. "I hope that Twice managed to do it…" the villain whispered to himself.
Izuku fixed his stance, power practically emanating from his frame. Tiger tried to get the vampire to wait, but it was clear that nothing could stop the vampire; even Mandalay tried to approach Izuku, but she couldn't. The ground under Izuku cracked and he disappeared in a split second.
[JETSTREAM!]
…
…
…
*Slash*
For a moment all time seemed to stop for all those present in the clearing. A thunderous noise echoed loudly as air was split and energy was released, the sharp whistling of the crimson-red odachi cutting air being the most prevalent among them.
Yet, the sight was something unexpected for the heroes: the vampire's attack vanished.
He had aimed to slice through the newly arrived villain and rescue Ragdoll, his aim true and evidently clear for anyone to see. However, it seemed as if nothing happened. Then Mandalay looked upwards towards the sky, seeing some of the night clouds split in half. She widened her eyes in surprise and confusion. How had Izuku's attack been deflected like that?
"I apologize for the tardy arrival, but there were some complications." A baritone and male voice exclaimed, arriving by a split in reality as a purple fog-like mist portal stretched to reveal the source of the voice. Acrid yellow eyes materialized on the fog, staring down at the vampire's arm sunk half-way through it.
Izuku managed to back off in time with a [Blink], avoiding a repeat act of his list time when facing the villain. He snarled at the fog, the [Blood Gauntlet] on his right arm cracking and vanishing as the blood became unusable. The Full Gauntlet that was protecting/compressing his arm became visible, the vampire's hand trembling as it suffered the after-effects of the unleashed technique.
"Kurogiri!" Izuku's voice sounded downright venomous.
The villain hummed in satisfaction. "Midoriya Izuku, it pleases me that you remember my name."
The other villains behind the mist of [Warp] released sighs of relief.
"Ahh, I thought it was our end." Spinner whined, lowering his massive amalgamation of blades that he had planned on using as a shield.
"~Ohh, I was looking forward to seeing a bit of blood!" The blonde villain in a sailor's uniform spoke candidly.
Mag-nee had a strained smile, firmly grasping her tool with one hand while the other pulled her undershirt to get some air flow. "Mah, that was dangerous!"
Izuku kept his fierce expression, eyes glued on the tophat villain. "It would best for you to release the heroine you have captive and surrender." The trainee stated, pointing his sword towards the villains.
Kurogiri shook what everyone supposed to be his head. "My apologies, Midoriya Izuku, but that is simply not a possibility. We have plans for her – and it would suit us fine if you were to join too. It will make clean up less messy." The gaseous villain insinuated, something exiting from his frame.
Izuku frowned his brows further once he saw the being, Mandalay stunned by his side.
"What, didn't you just… –"
"Defeat this Noumu?" Mr. Compress interjected, doing a few spins and hand gestures. He then displayed to the heroes his right gloved hand, his pointer finger moving in a patronizing, metronome-like fashion. "Tsk tsk, how dull! As if we would waste our hidden ace like that! I'm not too familiar with our leader's lingo, but I think he refers to this as a…" The villain teased and held on, seeing the frustrated Tiger and Mandalay. "Exploit glitch."
Izuku growled, trying his best to still his trembling hand. A second, almost identical Noumu; it had the same smell and presence. Hell, it was almost as if it was a perfect clone of the first one Izuku used his most brutal ultimate move on. He discreetly glanced at the bloodied spot, noticing that besides the life fluid scattered around, there was some sort of sludge on the spot that the creature's torso-less remains should be.
He frowned further, but had little time to think as the female Noumu charged once more, aiming for Tiger. The hero could not react and took a punch straight in the face, throwing him back a few meters into the woods. The bioweapon turned to Mandalay with a haymaker, the heroine trying to jump backwards to dodge it, yet still falling a few inches short.
"Not on my watch!" Izuku roared as he sliced the being's arm off, managing to save the leader of the Pussycats from being knocked out of the fight. The Noumu cared little for the missing limb and cocked a punch with its remaining arm, the vampire releasing his shadows to pierce and distance the Noumu from him.
Mandalay seemed a bit shocked at how close she had come to possible death, the vampire then sweeping her off her feet, less she find herself impaled by some throwing knives. The vampire backed off with a few acrobatic moves, dodging knives and using his shadow tendrils to bat aside those that could not be dodged.
He managed to protect them both, reaching the downed Tiger. The hero was clearly hurt, but still conscious. "Are you okay?" He asked both the heroes. Mandalay nodded, trying to keep her eyes on the fight, while Tiger groaned in pain, touching his own jaw.
"Brhokhen…" His pained voice and bloody teeth delivered the message well.
The vampire had a sour expression, turning to face the villains that were slowly surrounding them. I still have enough blood to fight well, but considering Tiger and Mandalay, it will be too hard to fight and protect them. Tiger has amazing hand-to-hand combat prowess, but when quirks start getting thrown around, it is clear that he was a disadvantage. Mandalay is also amazing, but her focus is on rescue, her reflexes are not up to par.
The female Noumu growled, exposing a maw of strangely regular sized teeth. The Noumu was clearly different, of a higher caliber than the one that invaded the USJ; it seemed to be more autonomous, more intelligent. To make matters worse, it seemed that Shigaraki and his goons had access to more of those, meaning that attrition fights would be playing on his favor. The situation is looking quite dire, huh? He mused, creating another [Blood Gauntlet] to cover his right arm.
The vampire began to accumulate power inside the protective gear, switching his hold on his Odachi from his right to his left. It was awkward, the longer reach and weight something that he was more used to with his right than the left. In the end the vampire let the weapon drop inside his shadow, another weapon soon being expelled by the darkness.
Nightedge, his first kodachi and gift from Edgeshot. The vampire glanced at Tiger, seeing the rescue hero stand and square up his own fighting stance.
"Tora, you can be thinking on fighting on your condition." Mandalay chastised, trying to get the man to sit back down. He merely chuckled, but then released a pained hiss. He certainly would not be delivering any speeches or motivational words, but the message that his body conveyed was clear.
I can't let a kid this young surpass me just yet. My body is still filled with youth!
The vampire focused on the slowly incoming villains, his gaze drawn to a particular one among the crowd.
/Since you haven't tried to stab them with your technique I assume you have an explanation…/
His message got the villainess to flinch a bit, but the vampire was sure that she had gotten his message. He turned to Mandalay and pushed his power again, feeling a dull throb in his head at the use of his blood reserves. /Could you use your quirk to alert Aizawa-sensei and the others to reinforce us?/
The woman looked at him, her expression a stern thing. /I have been trying to do so since the beginning, but something is interfering with my power. Long range messages are capped, only close-range ones like this have been getting through./
Izuku then glanced at Tiger, both males' expressions resolute. The vampire returned his gaze towards the heroine. /Then you best get to running. Tiger and I will hold then off; reach Aizawa-sensei and get us help./ He send the thought, Shino's answering immediately.
"No way! Forget it!" She shouted, angry at the teen for suggesting that she leave them behind.
Izuku side-glanced back to his close-quarters instructor, seeing the muscular man display a content expression. The vampire then got close to Mandalay, seeing the heroine clearly distressed and displeased with his idea. Izuku sighed and offered her an apologetic smile.
Her expressions eased for a brief moment…
Izuku's eyes became lamps of red light, his frame suddenly right inside the heroine's personal space. His shadows grew and locked Mandalay's legs in place, more blood tendrils emerging from his neck and back and restraining her momentarily, one thick tendril going so far as stuffing itself in her mouth. She would try to protest about the sudden erratic behavior from the vampire, but he continued his eye-contact, Shino feeling her willpower diminish as the thick tentacle in her mouth forcefully feed her something.
Her body slacked in the grasp of the shadowy matter and blood, Izuku's will blanketing her and subjugating any other rebellious thoughts.
[Obey our orders, it is for the best.] [We are immortal, you are not.]
[Let us do the hunting, for we are not prey.]
[Everything will be alright.]
Mandalay shivered as the ideas took root in her mind, the woman forced to acknowledge the power of the vampiric teen. The restrains suddenly released her and she felt her body automatically move against her own will. She glanced at Tiger with desperate eyes, trying to convey her message. Even her quirk seemed to be in the vampire's control. She turned around and took off inside the forest in the direction of the lodge.
Izuku pointed his left arm towards Compress, the armor melting back into liquid blood and shooting off into heated projectiles towards him, the villain using the trees as shields as he backed towards his allies. He did try to chase Mandalay, but the vampire's message was clear. Kurogiri also tried to rush towards the heroine, but he felt his body become sluggish and unresponsive.
"Where do you think you are going? The fight is here." The vampire declared, getting into his fighting stance. The gaseous villain looked at the hero in training, wondering what was going on with his body when he noticed that the vampire's eyes were focused on him, the orbs strangely hemorrhaging and emitting a light at him. The villain backed off, feeling much spryer once he was out of the vampire's sight.
He looked at Tiger, the man sending him a thumbs-up. The vampire took a deep breath, letting the scent of sweat and blood fill his nostrils, a fierce grin splitting his lips. Strangely enough he felt much more comfortable showing Tiger his bloodlust than Mandalay or any of the other Pussycat members. More blood seeped from his skin, re-armoring his left arm; some blood also covered his face and shaped itself into his draconian maw face mask.
"Let's dance!"
[XXX]
[To be continued…]
…
…
…
[Immediate – fucking – ly!]
(Guilty Gear Survive – Smell of the Game OST)
The female Noumu roared and charged at them, the other villains following behind. Izuku met the creature in the middle of the clearing, dodging the cocked punch of the being by sliding under it, his momentum allowing him to slash its ankles. As the monster fell, the vampire kept charging ahead, blade aimed at the next villain, Magne. He was intercepted by Himiko, the girl's lips split into a psychotically pleased grin.
"Fight me~! Fight me~! Fight me~! Fight me~! Fight me~! Fight me~!" She chanted with childish joy, brandishing her knives with great proficiency. Yet, Izuku could not sense the same killing intent that was usual to Himiko. Was she acting? Still, the vampire wasn't exactly willing to be cut by the blades, and did his best to parry and deflect any that tried to slice him.
Tiger was facing off against the agile Compress and the brute Spinner. The sword swings of the lizardman were easy for the agile fighter to dodge, Tiger more worried by the follow-up attempts of the suit-wearing villain who seemed to be doing his best to try to touch him.
Izuku locked blades with Himiko, his superior strength and sword beginning to cleave through her weapons when the vampire was forced to back off, else he take a direct blow to his head by the large tool Magne carried. Midair he felt his momentum come to a stop; then it was as if he was being pulled by a strong force, Magne's and the female Noumu's fist waiting for the vampire, Toga also ready with her knives.
The vampire [Warped] from sight, appearing right behind Kurogiri, the villain having remained always in his sight; the gaseous villain widened his acrid eyes and tried to escape the surprise attack, but Izuku's blade struck first. He stabbed the blade into the metal neck brace of the villain, finding it to be tougher than last time; he managed to pierce a few centimeters of his blade, but it was enough for now.
A combination of [Poisonous Blood], [Blood Dampener], [Permanency], [Coagulation] and [Corrosive Blood] coated his blade and entered Kurogiri's body, the villain groaning in pain and collapsing. Izuku would have taken him hostage to try and stop the villains, but she was then struck by a devastating blow from the female Noumu, throwing Izuku against a tree. The vampire managed to right himself mid-spin and land on the tree feet-first, immediately using it to launch himself back into the fray, cracked ribs healing at a rapid pace.
He and the female Noumu began engaging into a high-speed exchange, Izuku dodging with precise moves and counter-attacking, his blade coated with the same concoction that put Kurogiri out for the count. Once he managed to land a truly deep stab he took the chance and backed off, aiming to assist Tiger.
The male Pussycat member dodged an overhead swing from Spinner and push-kicked the lizardman far from himself and towards the incoming Compress. The tophat villain had no choice but to abandon his attack, else he would have served as a momentum-stopper for the other villain. This gave Tiger some breathing room, the hero noticing Izuku appear by his side, blocking and shooting down a wave of knives thrown at his back.
Compress then pulled a marble from his coat and threw it at the duo. It suddenly became a large boulder, forcing Izuku and Tiger to change positions to dodge it.
The vampire felt the effect of his powers cease to work on the female Noumu, the creature taking the same stance as previously. Izuku didn't know how, but the blood echoes whispered in his mind. Bullet Punch!?
-Dodge it, kid!
The vampire kicked Tiger's back, pushing the hero out of the way as well as using his back as a platform, allowing the two to safely dodge the sudden rush. Izuku summersaulted, preparing a [Blood Spear Burst] to counter a large number of marbles thrown at him by Compress. The vampire's attack pierced and destroyed many of the orbs, resulting in a large explosion and a cloud of dust.
Large debris, broken trunks and stone rained down together with dust, the battle stilling for a moment for the villains.
Their number is too troublesome! Izuku mused, sniffing the air and [warping] close to Tiger, protecting his back from the female Noumu. The vampire slammed into the monster and brought it down to the ground, blade ready to slice its neck off. He then felt his body be pulled towards Magne, the vampire growling at the interruption. This time he let himself be pulled, noticing that Magne had gotten closer to Kurogiri and Himiko, the two most likely protecting the downed villain. Bad choice!
He cocked his right arm, where he had been stock-pilling energy since the beginning of this new brawl. Eat this, [God Shattering Star]!
"That is mighty dangerous!" Kurogiri muttered, Izuku sensing the villain trying to use his quirk. The vampire sensed a portal appear at his side, the size somewhat insignificant since it couldn't warp a person.
[Back off now, master!] [Incoming!]
The vampire felt his [Hunter Instincts] react, but it was too late to move out of the way. Shadow matter emerged from his body, his Casull Revolver spawning from it and being manipulated by the dark matter, pointing towards the portal. A hand emerged from it, too close to the vampire's right gauntlet-clad arm, the limb belonging to Compress.
Izuku's skull pounded as he increased blood flow to his right orbit, the life fluid bursting from the socket, but also activating [Blood Dampener] in his sight. The small portal further diminished, but Compress had already touched his limb.
*Swoooop*
*Crunch*
Izuku swallowed a terrible groan of pain as his right arm vanished, compressed into a single marble. The effects of his [Blood Dampener] were weaker than the original [Erasure], only hampering quirk-powers, but it was much better than being captured by the enemy. Not that Izuku didn't get payback as his shadow tendrils pulled the trigger of his revolver, the round in the chamber not a rubber one.
Special Incendiary Blood Bullet MK II
A terrible roar of gunfire echoed in, ringing in the ears of all those in the clearing as a curtain of crimson-red fire left the barrel and blanketed both the portal and the offending arm of the villain, a shout from Compress alerting the vampire of his success.
Still, Izuku was still being pulled towards Magne, Kurogiri and Toga. He readied his kodachi, aiming for the villain pulling him with her tool.
"Hisatsu: Shutsugen Kir–"
"Flashfire Fist: Incineration!"
The vampire's airborne frame was engulfed into blue flames, their temperature warping the very air around them into it resembled a devilish figure. The flames continued raging on until a body shot towards the pillar of fire, emerging from the other side carrying another figure.
The female Noumu had Izuku on its grasp, the monster holding the vampire by his head with one hand while the other grabbed his sword wielding left in a tight grip. Izuku was terribly scorched, his body smoking and burnt. Even so he held on his blade, trying to swing it to cut his captor's limbs and free himself.
The female Noumu had no qualms about slamming him on the earth, the vampire feeling incredible pressure on his spine and skull. The monster slammed him a fell times before bringing him close to its face. The vampire groaned in pain, but still raised his kodachi with the intent of stabbing the Noumu's head. The blade sparked with green lightning and crimson-red flames, but…
*CRUCH*
The female Noumu cared nothing for it, biting down on his shoulder and severing the limb. Izuku roared in pain and tried to bring out his blood and shadows, but he was then flared in blue fire, the quirk-user uncaring if the flames cooked the Noumu alive. Eventually the temperature was too strong for the clone to resist and it died, becoming a grey goop that soon evaporated, so strong was the fire that burned.
"Yesh, how grossly strong are you?" An unknown voice uncaringly chatted, the vampire's eyes trying to heal from their cooking. The smell of charred flesh filled his nostrils, so he could not guide himself. His ears were also cinders, the internal hearing organs still damaged from the flames. "Even that special Noumu got done in, yet here you are, still trying to fight. Gotta say, impressive conviction. Shame that your friend did not have the same conviction."
Izuku tried standing up and relying on his [Hunter Instincts] to locate the villain, but once more fire burned him.
"Oi Dabi, don't hurt Izu-kyun too much! I'll kill you." Himiko spoke in an uncharacteristic serious tone for once, seeing as the vampire was looking not too different from campfire wood.
The man called Dabi scoffed at her, but stopped his quirk. "Whatever, our work here is done. Didn't accomplish everything the boss man asked for, but I guess the main objective is fine. Let's retreat already, they have reinforcements inbound." Dabi explained, pointing towards a direction of the forest. Close to him was a smaller Noumu with screws on both sides of its head.
Tiger lay nearby defeated, a knife sticking out of his right shoulder.
The dark-haired villain approached the downed Kurogiri and took something out of his pocket. It was a syringe filled with a green-colored fluid. He stabbed the syringe on Kurogiri's exposed neck-wound, seeing the villain finally regain some vitality.
As soon as villain collected himself he began opening a [warp] gate for the villains to flee. From the portal another being emerged, standing tall and prideful. The original female Noumu.
Dabi pointed towards the charred mess that was Izuku. "Oi, fetch." He spoke in a lazy tone.
The female Noumu said nothing, but moved accordingly and got the vampire, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck. Izuku tried to move, do pull on his quirk, but his power was too busy maintaining him alive.
From one of the edges of the clearing a group emerged. Aizawa and Mandalay spear-headed it, running towards the portal. Yet it was too late, their last sight of the vampire his burnt and corpse-like appearance as he was captured and kidnapped by the villains.
Dabi smirked as the portal washed over him last, making patched skin and grim stare mocking the heroes as the villains vanished.
"See you later, heroes~~!"
[XXX]
[To be continued!]
AU END NOTES
Okay, now we are done for real for now.
Thoughts?
I might still modify somethings about it, so think of this more like a trial chapter for Blood God. I still am not sure if it was satisfying, since I had a few endings for it, but this one felt more natural for the story flow.
I had one where AFO himself came to fetch Izuku; one where Izuku himself surrendered to have the villains release hostages; one where He, Mandalay and Ragdoll were kidnapped; the list goes on and on. Feel free to comment and tell me my work was shit! Heh!
Ryujin Maou out!
Ps: I have been playing SWTOR and Bloodborne (True ending was my first ending because fuck you MP, I'm an the Great One now!) to get those creative juices flowing, so tell me if it worked. Also, Huniepop is a great source of inspiration for the naughty parts since that OST (in the Bedroom) does things to my emotions!