AU NOTES
Well, well, well, would you look at that? Everyone has been up and about, trying to figure all about the works! Guess what, kiddoes? I'm here to answer your questions in the form of another chapter. Some of you could not stand the cliffhanger, but then again, I'm writing the damn thing and I could barely resist the urge to keep going on. It certainly has been fun reading your reviews and seeing some people speculate about the direction the story is headed.
Well, pray and ye shall receive! The time has come, and so have I!
Now all of you, chant with me!
[Blood for the Blood God!]
Chapter 38: [The Immortal Hero]
[Wrecked Kamino Ward Center]
To say that the day had been a mixed bag of surprises would be quite the understatement. Among the heroes, none were expecting the confrontation against the absolute menace that made itself known.
All For One.
The Boogieman of the underworld of Japan and infamous legend among even the most hardcore international villains.
It was supposed to be a quick and successful raid against an upstart group of villains more troublesome than usual. They had planned for about two weeks for this attack; in the face of that man, no plan remained intact. Even All Might had been repealed and countered in the fight, the hero only managing to land a certain blow with a well-timed assistance from one of their rescue target.
Needless to say, the later-half of the fight was being broadcasted to the entirety of the country. If that was a good or a bad thing, no one was sure. Especially once AFO tanked the blow that should have put him out of commission. To make matters even worse, he terribly wounded the blonde hero, pushed him past his limit, exposed his weak state to all and went so far as to mock all of All Might's efforts right in his face. The ultimate blow – however – arrived last.
The villain made sure to taunt and prod All Might enough that the hero tried to resort to a finishing (in other words, a killing blow) attack aimed at his head. The improved mask/helmet he wore tanked the blow – that aimed elsewhere would have caused far more damage than what he'd be able to handle – and allowed the villain a harsh counter and one last dig into All Might's reputation. He forcefully brought Izuku back into the battlefield and stole the vampire's quirk right in front of Toshinori's eyes, soon throwing the teen's motionless body aside almost as if dealing with trash.
The vampire's shadow whined in a terrible glass-shattering pitch as it expanded and spat out everything that he had stored inside. Guns, ammunition, knives, kunai, even a dried-up corpse appeared out of the inky-black mass before the eldritch storage disappeared from sight.
The villain clenched and relaxed his thick fingers, repeating the motion a few times as black-red lightning sparked on his right hand, the limb that had been in contact with the vampire not long ago. "How utterly pathetic, All Might…" AFO stated, making one last hand motion. "Stooping so low as to be helped by a student and then failing so miserably at your one job. You could not even put your own teacher to rest, and now you have caused another needless death, hero."
Toshinori was kneeling on the spot, unable to utter a single word. He had gone above and beyond, burning his body until he used the last bit of his strength to defeat this evil-mongering criminal, yet not only had his efforts not bore any fruit, but he had also allowed a student under his protection risk his own life countless times. Eventually, it stood to reason that Izuku would hit his limit, yet Toshinori had held firm in the belief that so long as he smiled everything would be fine.
As he took in the sight of Izuku's battered and dirty body, the hero could feel something inside himself crack. No, it was already cracked a long while ago. He had been delaying it, pushing back the inevitable with all his might since he had yet to find a successor to his legacy. All Might's spark had gone off, the power of [One for All] still inside him, yet refusing to respond to his call. His body could no longer handle the strain.
"Midoriya…" Toshinori weakly called the teen, extending one gangly limb towards the vampire.
However, there was not even a single twitch. No movement, not even the ascending and descending motion of his chest for breathing. Izuku, for all that observed him, looked effectively dead.
All For One glanced around his surroundings, sensing the danger that approached him. The villain let his quirk shine, covering his right arm in a dense layer of bone armor. Not a second later a blade crashed against the limb, shredding the suit sleeve until it revealed the armored skin. Edgeshot appeared from nowhere, his face carved with a deep frown, his eyes screaming bloody murder at the villain.
His left arm disassembled into a great number of threads, the red strings reinforcing the attacking limb and allowing the blade to dig in further into the defense of the villain. All For One was about to attack with his left, but then was forced to use the limb in a sweeping manner, an air wall rushing from his limb and protecting the villain from a roaring torrent of fire.
"ALL MIGHT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU BASTARD! STAND UP AND FIGHT!" Endeavor shouted from the edge of the crater, both fists pointed towards the villain, his surroundings lit by the power of his fire. "THE VILLAIN HASN'T BEEN DEFEATED, YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO MOPE! FIGHT! STAND UP AND FIGHT!"
The blonde hero's eyes glanced at his fellow hero, trying his very best to call upon his quirk. He glanced at Izuku's body, using the shame and regret that burned in his heart to try for one last time; he had to push beyond. It was his fault that the vampire had been lost. He had to admit that. So to honor the teen, he would do it. He would defeat All For One. He had to.
The ashes that were in his body sparked one last time, granting the hero some semblance of power. Only his right arm pumped up again, the single limb resembling the time of his prime. The hero looked absolutely exhausted, but his eyes did have a shine to them.
All For One sighed. All the air around him whined in a high pitch before exploding, pushing back all Edgeshot and Endeavor's attack.
"I guess once a fool, always a fool." The suited man spoke in an exasperated tone, his right arm lit in red light. The muscles of the limb shifted almost like clay, bulging and expanding in a rather grotesque manner. The shredded sleeve of his suit further ripped until it exposed the limb up to his shoulder.
"[Spring-like Limbs], [Multiplier], [Hypertrophy], [Spear-like Bones], [Kinetic Booster 4x], [Strength Booster x3], [Rivets], [Air Walk]." All For One spoke in a chilling tone, each quirk seemingly reacting to the mentions and compounding its power upon the villain's arm. The limb contorted and became larger and larger until it was not akin to anything resembling a normal limb. The sight was menacing and somewhat horrifying. "This combination is specifically designed to kill you, but I also have to thank you for bringing me the best one yet." As the villain spoke, red fluid began to seep through the skin of his buffed arm, the sight something that the blonde hero was used to seeing. Blood seeped from the skin of the ultimate villain and began reinforcing his limb, the sight grotesque beyond words.
Eventually it stopped, the amalgamation of powers radiating power. The thick limb looked absolutely out of place when compared to the body of the villain, all the present and conscious heroes looking in fear at AFO.
The villain chuckled. "[True Ancestor]." He muttered, the crimson red blood that encased the limb in reinforcing armor shining. The distorted limb was an absolute monstrosity, the culmination of powers barely being held together; the main factor that managed to help the limb endure the strain of the power was the crimson-red blood that encased the limb and somewhat managed to contain the conjunction of powers. None could see the face of the villain, but they could feel the superiority flowing in waves from the villain. It was as if he was certain nothing could ever defeat him now that he laid his hands on the vampire's quirk.
Still, for a moment the bloody construct shifted, the villain staggering midair. "Oh hmm, it seems like this one is truly a rebellious child." The villain muttered to himself, his voice carried by the wind towards Toshinori.
The blonde hero clenched his fist, his facial expression a mix of many emotions, none of which could accurately be described. "Even now…even now you are fighting. Young Midoriya, you truly are something else…if only I decided earlier." Toshinori contemplated to himself, feeling golden sparks of energy run along the length of his failing arm. The limb felt numb and were it not for his own eyes telling him of its connection with his body, the hero would have guessed that the limb should have been either long gone or was completely useless.
Nonetheless, he raised his cocked right arm and prepared. AFO wanted to end things in a climatic showdown, right? Beat him down at his own strength and humiliate the Symbol of Peace right in front of millions either still present within Kamino Ward or watching the broadcast of the fight through TV. Toshinori felt that he had already failed enough people; it was time to take a stand.
"All For One." All Might called out, his voice hoarse and echoing a tiredness that could be felt by all those present. "You are right. I am a pathetic fool with too-high aspirations." The hero's voice echoed throughout the tattered battlefield. It carried a deeply rooted sadness within it. "I did fail many times and made many people needlessly worry about me. But…" All Might squeezed his voice, trying his best to inhale a lungful of air to continue his speech. This would be his one last job as All Might, the Symbol of Peace. He needed to make it grand; it was his spiel, his modus operandi. A flamboyant hero, always smiling to reassure the hearts of those that would be watching his back; it needed to be broad, to carry on all their dreams and hopes. From his fellow heroes to the defenseless civilians, they all needed someone to inspire them. To give them that tiny hint of light.
A smile spread through the blonde hero's bruised lips, his ancient power flowing through him one last time. "THERE IS NO NEED TO WORRY, FOR I AM HERE!" It was almost as if the hero's fighting spirit spread through everyone present.
AFO observed the spiel from his airborne position. He remained quiet, shrugging his left shoulder, the right one too heavy for it to follow the motion.
"Words will not get through that thick skull of yours. Very well, if words are not enough then actions will be." The supervillain did not acknowledge the passion of the hero, his voice neutral and professional, although it did carry hints of disgust at the hero.
Another torrent of turbulent flames was birthed close to AFO, the villain calmly falling from his aerial position and touching the compacted dirt flooring of the battlefield, his controlled descend allowing him to dodge the fire. His left hand slowly rose to touch something on the side of his breathing apparatus, a small cloud of steam hissing free as it decompressed and the face-plate slid up, showing for the first time the villain's face.
All Might widened his eyes, a hint of fear gripping at his heart.
The mask housed the villain's head, but it was much different than what the hero expected. He knew that during their last exchange he had landed a direct blow against AFO's head. The sort of thing that would atomize a watermelon, much less a human head. Although it was possible that the villain could survive due to his various stollen quirks, could he even manage to get back up from that sort of damage?
All Might expected to see a mess of scar tissue, if not a hollow mess of skin and mangled bone. Yet – much to his disbelief – the sight that greeted him was nothing of the sort. Don't misunderstand, it was still not pretty to look at, but the skin covered the upper half of AFO's face was mostly smooth. It still had jagged and irregular sections, not to mention the pointy ears and warped jawline, but the hero could see that the skin and flesh were slowly shifting, almost as if clay, to meld into something more coherent.
[True Ancestor] was either fixing the terrible damage that once affected the villain or it was doing its damn hardest to correct the villain into a shape that was mostly recognizable.
The Symbol of Fear was regaining his features back.
"Quite the powerful thing, don't you think? Not even my best [Regeneration] quirks managed to do more than halt the damage you inflicted upon me, yet barely an hour has gone by since I took it and Midoriya's quirk has been showing results by the minute. It is a one-in-a-million quirk, the sort of thing that can mold entire generations, almost like mine and yours, in a sense." AFO stated, moving his right arm and clenching his fist. "It is a blessing that it fell on my hands. I was starting to fear for a moment that my time in the underworld would come to an end; I even had a successor planned and everything…" The villain spoke almost as if nostalgic, as if he was talking about a dream job or a future plan for a business deal.
The ground under him cracked, the villain suddenly shooting towards All Might with speed previously unseen. For a juggernaut of flesh and muscle, the villain was too fast! The hero further clenched his own fist and got ready for the clash of fists of the century.
"Fall in despair and regret ever giving birth to this foolish dream, All Might. Eight of you tried, none succeeded! It is nigh time my little brother's ambition died out!" AFO loudly stated, swinging his monstrous fist down at the hero.
All Might also swung his remaining fist, his blue orbs shining with his willpower. "I will take you down!"
*CRASH* *BBBBTTTTTZZZZZZZ*
Almost like a bomb had been set off, the two fists met. The clash immediately created a sonic boom, the shockwave passing by the entire length of the battlefield and flooring whoever was managing to keep up.
The two pinnacles of power stood on place for a moment, yet All Might began to lose his ground, his body not managing to withstand the opposing force of the villain. His right arm screamed in pain and a few blood vessels burst open, spilling blood on the dirt under them and over the hero and villain. All Might was pushed back several feet of distance, the hero only barely managing to stop and arrest his momentum.
"What is wrong, Symbol of Peace? Where is your resolve? Where is your strength? Where is the power that you so proudly proclaim?" Strangely, the more the villain spoke, the greater his excitement grew. Which was strange. AFO took delight in messing with others and had sadistic glee in gloating about his superior strength, but he was not the battle-junkie type that would show too much of his enjoyment to an still-alive and fighting enemy. He preferred to kick them while they were down, the type that would push salt and vinegar on fresh wounds.
All Might raised his head to stare at the still shifting face of the villain, finding a new look on it. It had been a few years since he had seen the face that AFO presented to him, yet he would never mistake it anywhere else. What was currently taking place inside the villain's helmet was not that. A new identity was being created, a literal new-face.
The skin looked thin and sickly, while the rotund shape of the skull took on an elongated, eclipse-like frame. The devilish smile was substituted by a crooked and warped thing, four elongated fangs sprouting in the place of his canine teeth, the remaining ones becoming thin and brittle-looking. The hollow skin that seemed to house the orbital sockets split open and dry-looking red eyes peered at the hero.
The power behind the villain's blow was diminishing at a rapid pace, the enormous mass of his right arm still intimidating, yet seemingly not capable of producing most of its power behind it.
*CRACKLE*
Almost like lightning coursed through both of their bodies, the villain and hero stared at each other.
…
…
…
And then they were no longer in the battlefield.
All Might fell on his knees on this new landscape, noticing that his body no longer hurt. He looked at his own hands, seeing his limbs be made of a golden energy, almost like a flame. Toshinori raised to his feet and observed his surroundings, noticing it to be an arena-looking place – almost like a coliseum.
Innumerable stone stands overlooked the center of the coliseum, all housing dark shapes that roughly resembled people. He then noticed that his immediate surroundings were different than the rest of the place. The experience was surreal. He was surrounded by seven chairs, each more fancy than its predecessor, which started as a basic white plastic chair. The furniture circled around him, ending up in his position, his flaming aura covering what would be his seat. The hero wondered what happened, when suddenly – and with the touch of a soft breeze – people occupied the previously empty seats.
Damn, did the golden brat finally choose someone? – A rough voice echoed from the fifth chair, a rough outline of a man appearing only for a brief moment before it became obscured in shadows
No, this is not a passing on. At least not in the traditional sense. – A gentler, yet still male voice echoed from the first chair, the rough outline of the man giving off a kind aura.
Toshinori wondered if he had gone insane in his last moments. His time for such questions was cut short as something happened. The shadows sitting on the stone stands overlooking them began to shiver and wail in despair, seemingly trying their best to make themselves smaller and less noticeable. Among them began to walk a man. A great suit and an unmistakable presence permeated the strange land as black lightning with red lines began to crackle on the void of this strange land. A man calmly walked down the steps, unperturbed by the wails of those that sat nearby him.
"This is certainly new. I was sure that you'd never reach it, All Might, but it seems you can still be a welcoming surprise." The suited man spoke in a condescending voice, the hero capable of recognizing that tone anywhere, be it in life, death or somewhere in between.
AFO! What is this?! The hero shouted, or would have, if he could do it. As things stood, he was only capable of small movements while confined to his golden aura.
"Ohh? You have not reached it…how confusing…" The suited villain pondered, approaching the center of the coliseum and the bizarre landscape that All Might and the other seven chairs/shapes found themselves. "You are here, yet not by your own efforts…A Pseudo-Singularity…how?"
You have not changed your foul habits, villain! I see that you are still the same monster that killed me! – This time a female voice echoed in the space, the sound bringing a nostalgic sensation to the hero. He could not understand how and why, things were fuzzy and he felt very tired. Toshi, you cannot sleep now! Something brought you here, we must understand what! – The female voice pleaded and he happily obliged, mustering all his will power to remain at least alert.
A terrible shriek echoed throughout the space the group found themselves at. The black-red lightning crackles ceased and void-sky fell silent for a moment. A single moment.
*BA-DUM*
The entire group felt confusion permeate their beings as the loud echoing sound repeated itself.
*BA-DUM* *BA-DUM*
The suited man slowly turned around, giving his back to the eight-people group, finding something much more worth his attention for now.
A rough shape, much similar to the ones in the stone stands overlooking them. However, this one was different from the cowardly ones that seldom rebelled. This one had been fighting him ever since he acquired it, and it was standing up no matter how much he attacked it. It would always get back up and bare its fangs at him, displaying its power and hoping to break free.
The shape also had a red line connected to its leg, the tendril hovering over the void and into the stands, where it spread almost like a spider-web. He wondered the reason for it, a feeling in the back of his head warning him to immediately suppress the being.
"King…in black. I do not belong to you…I win!" The rough outline let a smile split its lips even while obviously tired and battered.
AFO was on guard as he noticed that the red line connecting this particular shape to the ones in the stands was…pulsating to a rhythm. One which he was very familiar.
Taking and giving quirks was his particular power, but it only gave the villain barebones knowledge (if that at times) of how to operate his newly taken powers. Complex quirks took time to use and master, hence why he had always been very careful with only taking powerful, yet simple-to-use quirks. Some quirks could come with fragments of their original owner's ego and depending on the power they could manifest certain traits that made their use difficult at times.
The sole exception had been [True Ancestor], a quirk that had quite a few similarities to his own power. If one were to entertain foolish ideas, they could say it was almost like a long lost descendant of his lineage or something like that; that could not be farther from the truth. The vampiric quirk was a fruit of nature, something born out of a mutation that had no interference from his hand whatsoever. A freak of nature, if he were to risk a name for the phenomenon.
"How?" AFO asked the outline of the quirk ego, seeing it walk towards the space forcefully created by [One For All], the other quirk that refused to let itself be taken. To be able to force a Singularity, even a Faux one, would be nothing short of a Herculean task. How had [True Ancestor] managed to drag the rebellious OFA inside [All For One]'s mental landscape? He himself had never managed to do so again, the sole exception being during its bestowal, when it was a simple [Stockpile] quirk.
The ego of the [Inner Beast] laughed. "Blood is our domain. We are born out of blood, have been made man by the blood and will only be undone by the blood. You have brought ruin upon yourself, Old Blood, when you took us from our true master." The quirk ego then pointed towards the warped space housing the eight chairs. "Eight thrones for the fallen, the last heir for hope claims; that which cannot be taken by force, to us it was an easy gain. The contract is sealed and the blood tribute has been paid. Unleashed from the dark shackles by blood, True Ancestor its freedom reclaims!"
AFO called upon the power of his quirk, summoning black red tendrils that rushed towards the rough shape of the quirk ego, but before they could pierce the remnant, they were repelled by a figure.
All Might felt his consciousness inside this dream realm weaken, but this time he was not compelled to fight against it. His heart grew easy with solace as he closed his eyes, the last thing he saw (and would forget) here being a green haired beast roaring, power flooding the creature.
[XXX]
[XXX]
[Kamino Ward, Japan.]
[05:02 A.M – Local Prefecture Time]
The hero and villain clash kept sending shockwaves for a while. Yet they abruptly stopped. Not because All Might had gained a second wind or anything like that. No, the answer to it was more ominous and bloody than that.
Quite literally, as from bellow the villain's right elbow a multitude of tendrils burst forth from his skin like eldritch limbs. All over the enhanced arm, the tendrils of blood burst and kept wiggling, the image akin to nothing that was seen in the world previously. The bulky limb began to bloat and gain a sick appearance, purple and green spots building over its length seemingly in a caustic manner as AFO grunted in pain for the first time since the battle had begun.
The villain held his right limb with his available free hand, black-red lightning crackling along his hand to try and suppress the strange effect that was taking over his right limb, yet he barely managed to halt its progression. Opting to avoid bigger loses, AFO did something that none expected.
With a swift knife-hand motion, the villain severed the limb from its elbow and retreated with a big step.
Unfortunately for him, the remaining heroes present would not let the chance escape. Fire began to rain upon him with a previously unseen ferocity. The villain had to remain constantly on the move if he didn't wish to be turned into charcoal; the aggressiveness of Endeavor did not allow him enough time for his unusual warping method, the villain having to conform with his strange-acting body as he fled the fire torrents thrown at him by the hero.
All Might stood as previously, his fist still stuck out, the limb terribly injured and bruised. Yet his spirit and smile were alit, the hero looking down at a blood puddle that resulted from the clash between him and the villain currently on the run. "…Young…Midoriya…even from beyond…you still struggled!"
The discarded limb of the villain melted down into another puddle of blood, the fluid murky and filled with impurities. However, it would have to do. It had little time to perform the ritual.
[True Ancestor] immediately rushed from its pool of filthy blood that previously was AFO's right forearm towards the fallen and discarded body of Midoriya Izuku, one crimson tentacle splitting off from the accumulated sludge-like fluid and touching the immobile hero's blood staining the floor in front of him. The hellish crimson slime found its original body and wasted no time, piercing it through the location of the heart and rushing to spread through all the ex-vampire's veins.
Toshinori could only look from a distance, his body long immobile. He saw the blood pulse, the fluid doings its best to flow through Izuku, staining various veins black as it fought to bring the teen back to life. The fluid traveled through all his veins and arteries, filling the heart-chambers in the teen's heart and forcefully starting the motion of a heartbeat. The hero could only hope that a miracle happened, considering Izuku's condition.
As that happened, his eyes caught the now approaching AFO. The villain had never lost his intimidating and suffocating aura, but his body now appeared lackluster. Much of his previous bulk had vanished, the suit now hanging loosely on his wiry and lanky frame. It was as if the villain had been starved for a long period of time, his figure emaciated-looking. The open mask now showed a disfigured and ugly visage that would not look out of place in horror movies. It was as if the villain had become a real life version of Nosferatu.
"It would seem my greed has gotten the better of me." Even his previously suave voice was swapped by a scratchy and out-of-tune thing. Yet, the true visage of the villain could not be suppressed. Weak as he currently was, AFO was still the Symbol of Evil. He was currently rushing towards All Might with hopes of ending the hero in before fleeing.
…
…
…
*BA-DUM*
…
…
…
*BA-DUM*
…
…
…
*BA-DUM*
…
…
…
*BA-DUM*
…
…
…
Before the clawed (when had that happened?) hand of the villain could reach the hurt hero a mass of darkness rose from the floor and stopped the attack. All For One immediately retreated backwards as various black tentacles spawned from the wall and tried to grab him.
The villain took one glance at where he had discarded Izuku's body, seeing it slowly rise from the dirt.
The teen's naked body had a multitude of black veins running exposed, pumping an almost cursed blood inside him. His eye sockets (previously mere mangled flesh) were housing orbs possessing crimson-red slits swimming inside pools of inky darkness, the teen sporting an extremely savage expression, his glare shining with malice.
"Old Blood…a hunter must hunt!" Izuku's voice came out rough and growly, the teen slumped, but emitting a bloodthirsty aura. His body was unsteady, but the fire that burned inside his slit pupils could not be extinguished. Even after his death and following revival, the teen focused on his objective. "I have come to hunt…" Neon green lightning began to spark off around his body, the sparks then turning red and Izuku called upon a strange well of power that was now nested inside his gut.
The villain realized what happened. His remaining hand quickly tapped into the side of his mask, the protection cover obeying and sliding on to protect the villain from the incoming blow.
One moment Izuku was slumped on his previous position…
…
…
…and in the next he was upon the villain, his right arm cocked back and encased in a [Blood Gauntlet], the armor shimmering with heat and power.
"[God Shattering Smash]." Izuku's voice echoed in the battlefield, followed then by the thunderous clap that deafened anyone nearby as another shockwave pulsed through the field, this time raising an enormous cloud of dust along with it.
By the time the dust settled down and anyone could see anything, the sight they were greeted too would be carved in their minds forever. Even the camera crew in the helicopter that had been blown back managed to catch it with their lenses.
Amidst a field of destruction and annihilation stood him. Green haired – although with all the blood that stuck and caked it one would be forgiven for thinking it to be vermillion – lean physique with wicked claws for nails, dark matter covering his lower body to hide it from view; his exposed upper torso had lean muscle, his skin showing hints of veins carrying the powerful life fluid that coursed through it. His face was unexpressive, although his countenance could not hide the emotional and physical exhaustion that exuded from his frame.
Under him laid the previous terror that the heroes had been facing. All For One, the Symbol of Evil. The previously well-built villain was now gangly and lanky, a complete turnover from his previous form. He now a proper head, although to call it an improvement upon his prior alternative was a mistake. It was misshapen and asymmetrical, nothing like what the villain might have expected it to turn out. Well, it was already a miracle that the villain had his head remaining, as the blow that the Izuku delivered had carved another deep trench for him and the Old Blood.
The gear that protected his head now lay in small pieces around them, the support item having completed its job well beyond the advertised limit.
Izuku once more raised his hand, fully intended to finish the job. He needed to. But the teen found his limb being restrained, layer of wire-like material wrapping around him as the two heroes that managed to remain in the fight arrived. Edgeshot – his teacher – and Endeavor, the second place top hero in Japan.
"Sensei, please release my arm. I need to finish it." Izuku tiredly stated, further trying to push to right arm to attack. The limb did travel a few inches, but it was firmly secured in place.
Endeavor approached Izuku, his larger frame not intimidating the immortal teen anymore. "Midoriya…" The man's voice was…restrained, not as aggressive as Izuku expected. "We have things under control now…please, stop and rest." If Izuku were to bet on his people's skills, he would say that Endeavor was speaking out of a place of understanding and sympathy. Well, he was never a man to bet on the unreliable, so the teen remained silent.
He tried to tap once more into the well of power that was housed within him, but the teen found his own legs giving out. His knees hit the floor next to AFO, the villain unconscious.
Edgeshot knelt by the teen's side and with a quick move had Izuku in a carry-hold, the teen still motioning his hand towards the downed villain. "H-h-have to finish it!" He groaned, trying to use his own quirk to attack. Anything that would give him closure! After the hell he endured, he had to finish the fight!
Yet he could not deliver the ending blow, his body being carried far off by his teacher while Endeavor remained back to work on things.
Izuku could feel his racing heart slow down. He was tired. Nah, forget that, he was absolutely drained and exhausted of any energy. His eyelids felt heavy and the teen could no longer remain awake. He had just died and returned to life due to his quirk. Some rest was not only needed, it was well earned. He fell asleep, the well of power in his chest sparking one last time before it became inert.
[XXX]
[XXX]
[Improvised Field Hospital, Destroyed Kamino Ward]
[Half an hour after All For One's defeat and subsequent capture]
To say that Japan had been shocked was an oxymoron. There was no doubt of that.
The sequence of events that took place were only the beginning of a new age in the island-nation, although not many could sense its herald. However, one thing was understood. The time of the nation's fair stability under the Symbol of Peace was over.
Speaking of him, the hero had remained still as an statue, even as paramedics, EMTs and heroes worked up a frenzy around him, doing their best to rescue any possible survivors under the debris caused by the legendary fight between the two powerhouses. The news crew that had been surveying the situation from their helicopter had long landed and were doing their best to get in contact with him and hoped to be the first ones to do so, yet All Might remained still in his standing stance, right arm wrecked.
The camera man was still being held back by the police officers cordoning off the scene, but he noticed the hero's slight moves. He immediately stopped fighting officers and fired up his equipment, recording the tiniest moved that the blonde hero made.
As the live footage was broadcasted, the hustle and bustle around everyone died down as to get to hear the hero. Any words that he spoke would be marked deep in Japan's history.
His right arm leaking blood and uselessly hanging at his side, the hero managed to raise his left limb and point it the camera.
"…" His mouth moved, but no sounds left him, the people (both present nearby and those watching from afar) hanging on every second of the transmission. "…t-there is…" The hero's words were broken by a coughing fit, a few drops of blood and phlegm being spat out and worrying a fair amount of people. The close watchers cried and displayed their care for the Symbol of Peace, pleads for him to sit down already leaving their mouths. Yet, All Might remained standing. He finally managed to control his coughing fit.
"…there i-is no need to be worried…" He said, taking a few moments to recompose his breathing. "Because we heroes…are here!"
The silence that followed his words was short-lived. Tears sprung in just about every single set of eyes and the populace seemed to be in synch when they began to shout ovations and support for the hero in deafening waves.
As the civilians cheered, a couple of paramedics finally managed to get closer to the hero to help him to a stretcher for a more appropriate care. Among those that rushed to aid the hero was one dusty and somewhat hurt Detective Naomasa; the Detective was in his plated vest and had one nasty cut on his brow that clotted in a nasty mix due to the concrete powder.
"Yagi…" The man whispered, seeing his friend so hurt and frail-looking. All Might–, no. He supposed that now that the truth was out it was only proper to address him by his real name. The blonde would never be All Might again, only Toshinori Yagi. However, there was a faint smile parting the lips of the blonde. His lips quivered and the pain was obviously there, but there was also something resembling satisfaction emanating from him.
"I did it, Nao." The hero's voice carried deep emotion, the smile spreading as he was carried to a nearby improvised tent that was serving as a makeshift hospital to take care of the most heavily wounded before shipping them off to a proper hospital with more chances. "My last act as All Might…it was saving a student of mine…"
The detective displayed his own smile to his friend, glancing at the tent.
"Yes, Yagi. That you did."
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
There was darkness.
…
…
…
He was hemmed in, his limbs lightly restrained. He felt he could move, but the mere thought of it brough a wave of tiredness that permeated through the entirety of his body.
Normally this would be accompanied with pangs of his usual [Thirst], but right now he felt strangely…satiated. There was normal hunger, but nothing like what could happen due to his base instincts acting up. It was a strange feeling.
A rhythm began to echo in his ears…
A soothing song that uniquely belonged to him. It held on a stronger tune, the previous tones reinforced by an ancient orchestra that duly, but consistently remained on the background. Noticeable, but never overwhelming the original tune of his song of life and death.
He hummed along his own tune, feeling the song bring him to place of comfort and familiarity.
…
…
…
He opened his eyes, finding them to work much like he expected. He was not in the physical plane, that much was certain; this was a mind dive, an experience that recently he had been getting rather used to.
His surroundings were painted in crimson and black tones, the brick walls cracked, but repairing themselves at a visible rate. The ballroom changed too: whereas before it housed the ascending spiraling steps that let to the black throne under the cage of the [Inner Beast], now the vampire found himself at what he could only describe as a courtroom, akin to those of royalty long lost to the annals of time.
He still sat upon the steely black throne, the walls of the hall that led up to him securing the various painting frames that he was used to. They too were being repaired by unseen forces, but the main thing that satisfied him hung on the wall behind him; covering the space of the wall behind him stood an enormous painting. He did not turn to look at the painting, but the vampire hemomancer intrinsically knew what the frame depicted.
Still, there were two new additions that rumbled with energy within his chest and the walls of his mind.
The first was a new painting that had been long in the making. [All For One] may have evaded being cracked when all that they had were mere scraps of genetic information, but once the villain who adopted his quirk's name tried to snatch [True Ancestor], it gave him direct access to his genetic code and gene pool. And now, Izuku observed the framed form of what his quirk could replicate as its own. A string of black prism-shapes that linked together in sharp angles to form something akin to a chain; a much better description of it would be shackles.
The vampire shivered and a growl rumbled in his throat. He let his eyes wander elsewhere, now focused on the double-frame of the painting he gained when he first tasted All Might's blood. The painting was strangely out of focus for him, although he could still sense the quirk factors ready and willing to respond to his call. Better yet, even the strange and hidden power that slumbered within it was ready to answer his call, though the vampire was careful to not tug on it for now. He still had much to discover, but one thing was certain. He could feel much power brimming from within him, although it was also followed by certain unknowns.
A light rumbling growl that did not originate from his own throat echoed in the room, Izuku feeling a smile split his lips as he comfortably sat on his throne.
A shadowy shape manifested close to the throne, formless. Nevertheless, the teen never felt any intention of harm from the being. It began to morph, taking on a more recognizable shape. Himself, or as close to it as possible, considering the wild aura, predatory eyes and wicked talons that passed as nails.
[True Ancestor].
"[Finally, we reached the truth]." The quirk-factor commented, brimming with pride in its mental voice. Izuku chuckled while his power chortled back at him. "[There are many nights to come, and much more prey to be slaughtered. The hunt has just begun.]"
The vampire sighed in satisfaction, his body copy dismissing and becoming a red-black mist that swirled around him. He closed his eyes as the bloody mist kept circling him, his senses slowly dismissed and returning him to the floating darkness of the void, although this time it was not a cold and suffocating thing, but a cradle of comfort.
He was alive.
He was reborn.
…
…
…
[XXX]
[XXX]
[Doctor Garaki's secret hideout]
[Two hours after All For One's defeat and subsequent arrest]
"AAAAAAAAARHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" An almost inhuman wail echoed throughout the entirety of the laboratory from which the group (those awake at least) of warped villains had been watching the news broadcast. To whom the banshee-like scream belonged was clear as the lanky and poorly dressed Shigaraki kept banging his fists on the floor of the lab, shouting himself hoarse for the past two hours.
None of his so-called compatriots dared approach the villain in apprehension of another attempted assault upon them. None were willing to get a repeat of what happened after the supervillain arrived to their rescue.
The small-sized doctor kept watch over his leader's supposed successor, the man doing his best to maintain a façade of impassiveness, light from the many computers and machines behind him reflecting on the lenses of his glasses and obscuring his eyes to anyone in the room.
Not that anyone inside the room was in a talkative mood, considering the recent events. All the remaining villains were scattered inside the lab, none allowed to leave for the time being as per the scientist's orders. He spun around in his chair and turned his attention to one of the many tubes that was connected to a large machine that quietly hummed. Inside the large-sized glass tube remained a severed arm, the limb floating inside a slightly green chemical solution.
"I suppose that he will remain out of action for a while. Master truly threw me a curveball with this one." The villainous doctor muttered the last part, spinning around again and facing the scattered group. "Now listen here." He gathered the group's attention with a raised tone of his voice. "All For One never does anything that is not planned, and even if things didn't go as we expected, there is no need to fret. He has resources and favors to fall back on; as you can see, I'm not a fighter and thus will not be exposing myself to the frontlines, I still have important duties to fulfill." Dr. Garaki explained, raising one bushy brow as the previously screaming Shigaraki stood from his pitiful seat in front of the TV and began approaching him with a languid and slumped form.
"…" Tomura muttered something, but his voice was too roughed up to properly convey his message at that distance.
The doctor took a deep breath to control his own temper. This child is so problematic. He mused in his head before carefully selecting his words. Not out of fear against the young villain, but more so to steer that vengefulness in the right path. It would be a shame to break out another High-End before they were fully prepared and he hoped to not have to help heal broken bones this soon. "You will have to speak up, Tomura."
The lanky man snapped his head to attention, his red eyes almost maniac and his hands shaking with barely restrained anger. "That bastard fucker took Sensei from me! Always! These hero-fuckers are always getting in my way! Why can't they just die?! Why won't he die?" He screamed at the elder man, spittle flying from his mouth, his fury apoplectic.
The elder hummed, the act making the villain leader further incessant. "You simply want them to acknowledge you as an equal to All For One? To prostrate at your feet and wait for their end? Are you retarded, child?" The Doctor's tone was one of true curiosity, stunning the entire group. There was no fear or hesitation, mere curiosity all that pushed the man to ask.
Shigaraki himself was stunned due to the words, his trembling hands stilling and his head dropped low, the villain falling to the floor akin to a puppet with its strings cut.
Out of the group, one villain huffed in displeasure loud enough to gather attention to himself. "I suppose that this means we are done, then? The true big boss is out of the equation and we almost got done in due to him, right?" the villain in question was Dabi. He scoffed at the sight of his downed leader, overlooking the man with true disgust in his eyes. "I should have known a cry-baby like you wouldn't amount to much."
Shigaraki twitched, but remained down. His voice surely too hoarse to further speak anything of use.
Dabi clicked his teeth in annoyance. "Useless bum…" He made sure that everyone heard him. "I'm bouncing." His announcement was followed with a simple turn, his tailcoat flapping as he turned to the Doctor. "Will that be a problem?" His question was mostly rhetoric, a spark of blue flame brought to life at the tip of a finger.
The old doctor sighed in frustration. "No, it will not. We'll never hold you against your will in here. You know that." Their exchange Implied that there was more to this than they let on.
Dabi nodded. "Doc, you ever need something from me, I'm always available for a gig, but this whole villain-team thing was never my style." He spoke, scanning the room for one other person, noticing that she had long given them the slip. Maybe she would come back, maybe she would cozy up with the vampire brat. At the end of the day, it made very little difference to him. "You ever need fire, contact Giran. He knows where to find me." With that being said, Dabi left with an easy gait, never bothering to look Shigaraki in the eyes.
The villains that remained all glanced at their leader with appraising eyes, unsure what to make of him.
Needless to say, the villain would need more than pretty words to make up for his losses.
[XXX]
[XXX]
[Improvised Field Hospital, Destroyed Kamino Ward]
Izuku stirred awake, his eyes slowly opening to stare up and find an unfamiliar ceiling. His first move was to check on his body, slowly moving his toes and fingers to assure himself. Feeling everything normal he proceeded to flex his leg and arm muscles, slowly rolling his shoulders and taking a deep breath to assure that everything was in order.
"Awake already?" A deep male voice echoed close by, the vampire moving his head, already aware of who was close to him.
"Edgeshot-sensei…" The vampire felt his throat dry, his voice cracking a bit, followed by a small coughing fit. Soon enough a paper cup was close by, a straw also in to aid the teen. Izuku made to move his right hand to grasp the offered item, but found the limb restrained, the clinking of metal links echoing in his ear. Izuku turned his head to see the cuff that restrained his arm was a common one, though there was one set of heavy cuffs close by, most likely in case he woke up and tried to rampage. "A little…overkill, don't you think?" He tried injecting some humor into his voice.
"With how you were acting up earlier, a little precaution was warranted." With that as explanation, Edgeshot released a small grunt of amusement, pushing the paper cup closer to the teen.
Izuku sighed, but couldn't exactly find fault in the logic. He took the assist and inclined his head to sip from the straw, finding the room-temperature water to be the best drink he had in ages. He quickly emptied the contents of the cup, the pro-hero standing up and taking care of the cup as the vampire got acquaintance with his current environment.
From what the vampire could identify he was in some sort of emergency tent, his ears capturing the sound of many footsteps outside of his small resting space. It was quite restless, he noticed, but once he remembered the circumstances that led to this, it was fairly understandable. All For One had caused massive damage to a large area, so rescue pros and efforts would be continuous for quite some time. He hoped to be released from this hold soon, his quirk would be quite suited for finding buried civilians as well as clearing rubble out of the way. And if he were to take small, unnoticeable sips using his tendrils, he could hasten his recovery by quite a bit.
"You are to remain still, you have barely woken up." Edgeshot's voice held a degree of authority that made Izuku blink a few times. Was he being…reprimanded? "We don't fully understand what has happened today…it is best that you remain under observation." The sharpness in the pro-hero's tone was reduced, but Izuku could still sense a rather palpable tension in the air.
The vampire shook his restrained right arm, making a show of displaying it to Edgeshot. "I'd appreciate at least being released."
Edgeshot did not immediately reply, and Izuku could sense that his internship teacher was activating his quirk; minutely, but still calling upon the quirk factor. The vampire did not take it to heart, but it was difficult to not find the action somewhat insulting.
"Rest up, Midoriya. I'll call someone to check on you." Maybe sensing that his words would not get through the teen, the older male left the improvised room, leaving through one of the available open flaps and closing it behind him.
Izuku took a deep breath and laid back down on his stretcher/ improvised bed, trying to think. His head was still a bit fuzzy and his body sluggish, but normal rest would do little to his condition. His blood hummed under his skin with eldritch power, eagerly waiting upon his call, but the teen held off on calling upon his quirk so soon. He truly hoped that Endeavor finished All For One, hell, at this point the cared didn't truly care who did it, so long as the villain truly breathed his last.
Knowing the Japanese law as he did, Izuku doubted that his wish would be granted. He filled his lungs with more air, hoping to get a hint through scent of the happenings around him. There was only so much he could do with the noises after all and filtering all of that would be hard so using the aid of his sense of smell would help select priorities.
His hair annoyingly stuck to his forehead, the dampness and concrete dust mixing to harden it into a bother to him. He tried to at least brush it aside, but his two arms were restrained by the handcuffs, causing the vampire to further dig into his bedding, even if there was little for him to sink into. Deciding one arm free would not be enough cause to get him into trouble, Izuku called upon his quirk. There was no delay of blood seeping through his skin and almost immediately he had a tendril working on the cuff of his right arm.
Managing to move the hardened mix out of the way, Izuku had to patiently wait until his mentor returned. Only now the vampire noticed that he had been covered with an emergency blanket, the reflective material quickly being fastened around his waist to cover his lower bits. The shadowy matter he'd previously used having had returned inside him and right now he wanted to avoid spooking anyone that came over. Also, hardened blood didn't exactly make for excellent clothing (with the sole exception being armored plating) so there was no point in that. With how low his reserves were right now it would be an exercise in futility too.
The vampire noticed that there was little else to do besides wait, so he tried to distract himself, but maybe he was more tired than he noticed, as his eyelids suddenly felt very heavy. Maybe Edgeshot was right and he needed the rest…
Midoriya fell asleep, his unconscious state a new development caused by the improvement of his quirk and the addition of the new genetic information he had acquired. All For One had a vast wealth of quirks with which he could call upon, so [True Ancestor] had its work cut out as it began the process of cracking through all the 200 years of gene info it had suddenly been left with; that was without mention of the high purity of blood echoes/memories. It was like a buffet for the quirk-factor, which would keep it busy for quite a while.
[XXX]
[To Be continued…]
AU NOTES
A bunch of stuff happened in real life and I got the pleasure of dealing with that, so inspiration for this chapter was a bit barren (thus the low word count (normally I try to aim for 10k words, this is one barely 9k)) but I got this much for now. Hopefully we got more in the next chapter, this one pushing more for a resolution of the previous conflict as well as explaining a bit how we got the ending result we got.
I know this was not my best work, so do take it with a grain or two of salt and tell me your thoughts on it.
Ryujin Maou out.