Warning: Self-harm warning, also warning for usual violence. Not really necessary at this point, but this chap has the most self-harm shown and referenced so far. SO you know, just a warning. Also, how are y'all? I've been busy, but I wrote nearly half of this chapter in one sitting due to the fact I've been busy. And thank you all for your kind words!

Answers to questions that have been asked!

Izuku is, in fact, getting stronger faster than the average hunter. He has been gaining levels quicker than an average hunter, which at the moment does not make him insanely OP but definitely will lead to an incredible power curve by the end of the Yharnam Ark.

There was a person who disliked how I'm portraying Inko so far. And I do want to make this clear that this is an AU. People are a lot less kind to Izuku... obviously, their tolerance of what they deem impure is at 11, and their violence is also at 11. That, however, is not to say all people are totally worse; Inko was at a crossroads. Care for her son and be ridiculed by coworkers and friends or "act" like she didn't care about him. Sometimes, as some people know, an act can swiftly become a person fully when they forget who they actually are. I am not villainizing Inko; I am, however, showing a path that in a world just slightly worse, even kind people can be turned into villains.

After those sadder questions, here is one. I might... MIGHT let Izuku make a minigun cannon. BUT ONLY BECAUSE THAT THREAD IS WAY TOO BIG TO BE NORMAL!

Where was I for so long? The combination of school starting up, work, and my school's marching band program took 6 out of my seven afternoons a week for a long time, but the band has ended! So I have cleared up most of my days!

Anyway, how have all your days/ nights been? I have been busy myself. ONTO THE STORY! Thank you for reading ^-^

—

The tough grass of the forbidden forest crunched heartily under Izuku's boots. The new whip, shining brightly in the moonlight, paired only with the fluorescent green of his eyes that peered out at the cowering hunting mob. The sweet smell of moonflower and blood blooms wafted out from the young hunter as he strode towards his marks. The Mob readied their weapons of choice in opposition to the hunter that stepped with a fierce gate, one of their ranks rushed in, their pitchfork going wide, then being reduced to spare parts as in mere moments the reaper's whip eviscerated the man. While their minds were shrouded in the veil provided by the Beasthood and fear, some remembered the old stories. Stories that told of the hunters of old and regaled them in their exploits. Specifically, a hunter that strode out into the night and finished beasts without missing a step.

Step.

The two with shields, the ones that were supposed to hold the front, were shredded before the eyes of the rest, entrails and blood showering the battlefield, the fires burning on either side of the hunter shadowed their face leaving only the silhouette of death.

Step.

The oil bearers hesitated for a moment at the horrifying sight in front of them, only to have a silver streak slice their heads off. And in moments, the axemen, who were rushing to take the hunter down, were shredded into ribbons, gurgling screams of the pain, their last call.

Step.

The fencers, the most veteran of the hunting mob charged, were the last to stand in front of the frightening beast. Only to have their scimitars turned on them, their blades being hooked by the whip and flung into their bodies; They followed their compatriots. Their bodies fall into the damp soil saturated with oil, the creeping flames of their campfires spreading out and swallowing them.

The hunter continued, their footfalls never breaking their confident gait as they continued their hunt. And not once did they ever look back at the carnage they left, for the boy never would again.

Why do the inhabitants of the Forbidden Forest cage their dogs? Not that Izuku was complaining, his least favorite to fight were the dogs; They were fast, faster than he was, and attacked in a flurry that he could never comprehend. However, that did not mean that he couldn't kill them with little effort. A clean gunshot was all he needed for most of them. His eyes caught on a side path, a path for later exploration for sure, but he needed to reach the basin of the forest, where the muck and grime coalesced into a massive lake; The area where Byrgenwerth was situated.

He didn't have many written records of Byrgenwerth; most of his information was from Gerhman. But from what he could find, it was the precursor to the Healing Church, and supposedly they did not partake in the use of the blood of the great ones and instead attempted to gain insight to connect to the great ones.

When Izuku read that the first time he couldn't help but let out a slight giggle. He had gained what they were looking for by accident. Hell, Gerhman even managed to contact Flora! So that leaves Izuku to wonder, did they ever succeed? Oh, he hopes they did; perhaps then he could gain an ally? HA, unlikely, the most likely thing to happen is him having to fight some cosmic bitch boy because he killed the wrong monster.

Anywho, Izuku was currently hiding on top of a house after almost getting his legs eaten by like 12 dogs... NOT hyperbole! Okay, a little bit of an exaggeration...

"Craghhh?"

And then Izuku learned at least four carrion crows had taken their time to surround him before making a sound.

"shit."

Izuku did, in fact, go back to that roof to give the crows a stern talking to that did include a mild amount of cursing and a hefty fall when one flew directly into him and off the roof.

But at the moment, he was being chased by a giant man with a sack over their shoulder. They had a real grim reaper vibe, and Izuku had always wanted to steal a scythe and make it into a hunter weapon. However, as he went and stabbed the creature from behind, it just turned around unfazed and seemed to flex its entire body... and started glowing a light red. Now Izuku didn't have a major in... whatever he would need to deduce what something glowing red meant, but he could guess that it meant nothing good.

And what do you know, it meant the fucking bag bitch was going to start going mock three and sprint at the very confused Izuku and slam the... whatever it is in the bag, into Izuku and launch him into and through a fucking wall. Now Izuku didn't die, thankfully, but his leg was definitely fucked up. He only had a few seconds to roll out of the way as the bag slammed into the area he had landed, and as he got out of the way, his hand gripped what felt like a severed lycanthrope foot... Gross.

Quickly jumping up, he unloaded a few shots into the bag bitch as it swung its bag rapidly, nearly hitting the young hunter. One bullet hit its mark in the beast's head as it overextended. A mental cheer rang through Izuku as he reached deep into the fuckers chest and gripped. It was unnatural the feeling of claws forming and, gripping deeper into his prey, the hot coppery blood flowed through his enhanced arm as he pulled, and in a spray of crimson, the beast flew back and into the wall of the shoddy cabin with a resounding crack.

The euphoria ended disappointingly fast as Izuku pocketed the claw he found on the ground and any lost items around him. The spray of crimson leaving him shimmering in the bright moonlight. If his eyes were unfocused, no one noticed.

By the time he came out of the mental funk the shower of red had caused he, was ankle-deep in a shimmering lake of definitely not water. The smell, both sweet and sharp of oils and a slew of other flammable liquids, caught Izuku's keen nose.

A momentary swivel of his head Izuku took in where he was, ankle-deep in a muggy river of flammable liquids. Suddenly as if a jolt of fire went up Izuku's spine, he started sprinting, dodging the incoming molotovs and maggot-filled flesh of the corpse beasts that saturated the small pond. The pounding of his heart met the same tempo of his feet; in a tight swirl, he swapped his cane to whip form and lowered his body mass down into a crouch. The long line of blades lightly caressed the liquid's surface as the corpse beasts that encircled him were sliced into two.

Not missing a step, he kept running, dodging under the swipe of a man who had almost fully been encompassed by the beast hood and reaching for the buzz in his mind. Izuku's body quickened, just as a cannonball from the mounted cannon on top of the hill he was running towards descended. Crashing into the spot he once was in. Completely destroying the beast.

His body became corporeal just as a shard of shrapnel flew into where his leg formed; the flash of pain caused a stumble, but an injection of a blood vial doused the pain. The final stretch was near. His feet pounded into the soggy mud of the incline as the monster who operated it aimed at him.

15 feet. The buzz in Izuku's mind he had come to associate with quickening grew louder.

10 feet; the cannon's wick was almost gone, in mere moments, Izuku's body became overtaken by a sickly yellow mist, and then he was behind the beast, cane formed into its skull and hands aiming the cannon for the pond of oil.

.

.

.

The defining silence was haunting. The only thing left of the seven or eight houses that once stood on either side of the path Izuku had run up was nothing but rubble. The corpses of many beasts littered the wreckage.

Izuku took a second, a deep breath...

.

.

.

"Blimey! Don't scare me like that. On a night like this... I took you for a monster."

How... How did he get on top of a roof? A quick scan showed that he was still near the smoldering wreckage he had caused.

"Oh, thank the stars, you're fairly normal... Was it you put down that awful beast?"

Looking over the voice, rough and definitely older. Izuku couldn't even begin to comprehend what he saw. The man, crouched still over the still bleeding corpse of a family, blood lingering on its hands and mouth, looked into him. With eyes bandaged over.

"Oh, that thing had me trembling, frozen in me boots. And then you came along."

Why was it acting? It smelled sweet, inhuman. And yet it still thought it could hide from him?

"Well... if you're a hunter... then..."

Izuku gripped his cane tighter- his whip at that moment.

"Would you know of any safe havens?"

And that's when Izuku struck. One slice and, the beast took off its disguise as a man.

Where the beggar once sat, a beast of massive proportions, just under the cleric beast, took its place. Its large dark-furred body crackled lightly with lightning. Then it spoke.

"Oh, you are a sick puppy! You drink the blood of half the town, and now this! And you talk of beasts? You hunters are the real killers!"

Izuku dodged the beast's hands as they crashed into the shingled roof. Using the momentum from his dodge Izuku went into a spin, slinging the whip towards the beast's ankle... Only for it to be intercepted by the beast's hand. He quickly pulled out his gun and unloaded an uncountable amount of shots into the beast's elbow of the arm that held his whip.

The beast pulled the whip, taking Izuku with it. And as its other hand reached to grab the struggling hunter, Izuku quickened behind the beast. And in a moment of desperation shoved his hands into the holes made by his gun and began trying to rip the arm off.

"Have you got a screw loose? Or is it your... animal intuition?"

The beast's body began to try to shake the young hunter off, but Izuku had a grip on the beast's bone. Quickly pulling out his gun again, unloaded more bullets into the bone.

One solid tug and the arm came off with a sickening rip.

"You hunters have got more blood on your hands!"

Izuku's body quickened again, a sharp hit of fatigue hitting the small hunter as he dodged another claw attack while trying to pull his whip out of the decapitated hand that still clutched it. Only to be hit and launched into the only wall on the roof... That held the door that led there. Huh.

"Die! Die, die! Hunters are killers, nothing less! You call ME a beast? A Beast!? What would you know? I didn't ask for this!"

Izuku kinda wished he felt any sympathy for the beast, as he gripped his whip tightly and quickened above the beast, and in one quick movement wrapped the whip around its neck, he began to saw at its jugular. And then he decapitated it. As it uttered its final words.

"Rancid beasts, every last one of us..."

Izuku collapsed next to its body. It took two blood vials to make him feel any better.

.

.

.

Izuku's bones ached as the elevator ascended at high speed. He had just fought what appeared to be ordinary people. Only for them to have a cacophony of snakes to sprout out of their heads... and arms.

With a solid thunk, the elevator stopped. Making Izuku raise off of it slightly by how fast it was going.

His steps were shaky as he stepped into the small hut-like structure, and he went straight for the door opposite of his position. Utterly oblivious to the man standing patiently to his left.

As soon as the door was open, the man coughed lightly. And that's when Izuku noticed him. With a surprised jump, as to him, the man had just suddenly appeared.

The man was tall-ish, definitely above average height. And wearing a dark blue uniform, one Izuku had not seen before. They also stood with an air of authority. The main defining trait of the man was the metal helmet that covered their face, with one eyehole for the man to see out of.

He started speaking when he noticed Izuku was not coming any closer.

"Ahh, a new face, are you? A young but an accomplished hunter... it would appear. HAHAHAHA!" The man's voice was joyous and assertive as he spoke, "I am Valtr, Master of the League. Members of the League cleanse the streets of all the filth that's spread about during the hunt. Like any half-decent hunter ought to, you know? Haven't you seen enough of these wretched beasts, freakish slugs, and mad doctors? Sentence these fiends to death. With the help of your League confederates. What do you say? Why not join the League?"

"What... What would joining the League gain me? To- Not to sound greedy, but I just don't know what I would get out of it? N- Not to be disrespectful!"

"Ah! Such Gumption! HAHAHAHA! Well, as for what the League can offer you, Assistance in your quest. No hunter has ever come here without a goal they need to finish."

"I-... I guess I'll join? I don't see a reason not to."

"Yes! As a hunter, well should. Commit this to heart! Our own Caryll rune, the Symbol of the League!"

Suddenly, much like the rune Flora gave him, a rune rushed into Izuku's mind. However, it seemed to be latched onto by the Moon Oath Rune. Izuku watched in a sick fascination as the rune the Master of the League gave him was formed into the intricate lines that formed the Moon Rune.

"Now, there is one thing you must know. By the oath of the League, those who bear its rune will see Vermin." As he spoke, Izuku could feel the smile on the man's face, "Vermin writhe deep within all filth and are the root of man's impurity. All Vermin are to be crushed. The League exists to expunge all Vermin, ridding us of any trace of human corruption. And so, until we are rid of all Vermin, you must continue to hunt and kill. This bloody fate is ours alone. Do not expect the world to grasp our work... But remember, the confederates will always have my blessing... And each other. Always."

Izuku stared up at the man, whose confidence was palpable, and couldn't help but smile. It only took a while, but he finally found another sane human!

So sane might be a stretch... but come on!

As Izuku went to leave. And return to the dream, the older hunter spoke.

"When you find Verman, return them to me and crush them before me. In doing so, I will add them under your name, and when you get enough, you will be respected amongst your peers!"

And with that, Izuku left.

—

~~~FLASHBACK~~~

When Izuku was nine years old, a year and some change exactly since his mom decided he was worth less than anyone else, Izuku couldn't stop his mind from wandering. Before, when Izuku let his mind roam the colossal halls of his imagination, it would conjure thoughts and wishes from nothing and connect dots that need not be correlated; There was a constantly positive, happy energy about them. But as the months passed by, the minutes ticked by with no positive outside force. His thoughts became pessimistic.

Was he ever really worth being a hero?

Was there even a possibility?

If others think it's okay to hurt him. Then why was he always told never to harm himself; what's the difference? At least maybe then they would stop when they see he was punishing the worthlessness in himself? At least if he did the damage himself, he would stop before it became too much!

It was not... the best thought process. But with the constant put-downs and negativity and injury, Izuku felt on a near-daily basis. Who could blame him for thinking a stupid thought? He was a KID, a kid without a support system. A KID without friends, positivity, and people, constantly putting his dreams down into the dirt and stomping onto them until they were no longer recognizable.

So that's how he ended in the bathroom, the cold, dry tile leaching the heat from his warm skin as he sat on the freshly mopped floor. A couple drops of crimson littered the ground as he stared wide-eyed with his emerald eyes at the cut he had just dug into his arm.

The razor he had found in his backpack. A razor that was not there before. But appeared after he managed to get his bag back from the bullies from the high school. Gleamed in the sunlight so, tantalizing with the slight red sheen; from Izuku's finger that had been cut when he went to grab a pencil from his backpack. The cut on his finger didn't even hurt at first, but the slight burn soon followed and blossomed into the almost comforting constant that was pain. Izuku should have put the razor in the trash. He should have, but he didn't.

So yes, him ending up on the frigid white tiles of the bathroom floor, with streaks of red crisscrossing his arm, could have been prevented. But that moment marked the beginning of a habit that lasted years, a practice so ingrained by his middle school years he could never do without.

But god, did he wish he could have done without it.

—

Izuku's hands tightly gripped the whetstone, its once sharp edges smoothed from its use on the myriad of blades Izuku had acquired. While he might not use all the armaments. The proper care kept them sharp in case he ever was in genuine need of them. He had learned already that while his whip was efficient in its own right, the saw cleaver had its place in his arsenal when it came to... well cleaving into his enemy's blindsides.

The constant work with his hands also gave him time to think. He had been blacking out during battles a lot lately. Flora had assured him he was not being overtaken by bloodlust. So what was happening?

Izuku huffed as the record that was at one point playing a soft, sad tune was summarily replaced by a new one. This one held violins, softly beginning before a plethora of other stringed instruments entered. It held a slow crescendo up from the softness to a much more jaunty tune; Gerhman had joined him in the workshop.

The older man had, at one point or another, in their months of companionship. Decided to let Izuku know the secret of him being able to walk. This was a total shock to Izuku at first. Because for so long, he was led to believe this frail old man was, in fact, not able to walk. And then said old man just hobbled into the workshop asking where his goddamn soybean seeds were. It was a long day.

"Gah!" Gerhman's shout of exasperation was loud and intentionally annoying while clearing the distance between the door and Izuku in a few quick strides, "How can you be held up in this old 'n dusty hovel, huh? And for so long! Bah, While you're here at least, how would you feel about helpin' poor old Gerhman with a project?"

"If by help... you mean to do the entire project with only an avocado as payment. Nah."

"To be fair kiddo; I thought you'd like the avocado... An' this time, I'll only be guiden' you to making yourself a neat toy!"

"from what you read, I positively do not trust anything you would call a toy."

At that, the old man's face tinted red as he lifted a gnarled finger and poked Izuku in the forehead, his sharp finger poking into Izuku's skin, "Hey now! Yer' the brat that brought this old man those books! And if they're here, someone who can appreciate the material better read 'em!"

Swiftly retreating the finger used to poke his disciple, the old man fell back into his wheelchair, which appeared there... somehow. "Anywho kid, what I meant, you nasty-minded child, was a weapon you don't have in yer collection yet, for a couple of reasons like the materials being rare and such. But your old man here pulled some strings and got some through them, their messengers... But hey, if ya don't want a fancy new weapon, I can always resell-"

At the thought of losing the chance to get a NEW weapon, Izuku fell out of the stool he had been sitting in for... a set amount of time that was totally not unhealthy, and grabbed Gerhman by the shoulders, "NO! I- umm... I would really... uh... appreciate it if you helped me make this neat weapon... Please?"

"HAHAHA! Now that would get ya! Let's get to work Izuku! An' please stop shaking me!"

The first step of their process of making the weapon was melting down the copious amounts of metal. The process was slowed considerably by how it wasn't any old metal, and it had to be extracted from objects that held or were made of it. But eventually, it all melted down, and the process of removing the slag had begun. It was slow and tedious, but with the working hands of two smiths who had made a considerable amount of the armory that hung around them, not a piece of slag was left.

The next step was pouring the molten metal into a long rectangular mold with a metal rod coming out of one end through a slot. After the heated metal cooled into a moldable solid, the detachable mold split into two halves, leaving the long rectangle and the pole coming out of one side. With wrapped hands, the two smiths got to work. Gerhman, being the one who knew the shape they needed, had given the pole to Izuku to hold steady on the anvil. Which allowed him to hammer at the hunk of metal with near reckless abandon.

...

The first three hours were, forming the metal and reheating it to the desired temperatures. Which for Gerhman, as he was a hunter who had not made a weapon in a long time, near hellish. The sparks flew over his skin, some slightly burning him in the process. He had long shed all three of his regular chest layers, the old coat, shirt, and undershirt sitting in a pile somewhere in the front of the workshop. The heat was familiar, if not slightly foreign, as he had grown used to being sedentary in the dream. But the take to gardening had been the wake-up call his old muscles needed to gain their former strength. In fact, he had never felt better but at that moment, shaping a hunk of siderite with his apprentice.

He couldn't help but feel the wafting heat of the sparks fly angrily at him like they knew what he was making. But he couldn't help but smile as his apprentice was doing. Soon he would need to switch with Izuku, he could only hammer the basic shape out before he would get tired, but Gerhman knew Izuku wouldn't stop until the blade was done.

Gerhman took a deep breath and steeled his resolve, he said he wouldn't make another, but here he was.

The hammer hit the siderite with renewed vigor.

...

Izuku took the reins after the basic shape was formed; the long crescent-like form of the odd metal had become his to shape. Following Gerhman's instructions, he continued to shape the blade.

Izuku really wanted to know what the weapon was going to be, he had a few guesses, but it could be anything.

The next step came into play almost another hour and a half later; they had removed material to lighten the blade as they had made it too thick and the sharp crescent shape of the blade was perfectly defined. There were no bends or warps to be seen as they sunk the metal into the barrel of oils. And as soon as the steam let up, they quickly removed it to inspect the shape... There were no warps in sight!

They continued to reheat and treat the blade five times more to harden the siderite. After they had strengthened the blade to the desired level, Izuku was set upon the task of sharpening the inner edge and point of the crescent. While Gerhman was working on his project. He had started on it in advance, the hilt and mechanisms that went into it.

By the time they had both finished their respective duties, nearly twelve total hours had passed... they think.

The weapon they had forged was what Gerhman had told Izuku was called a Burial Blade, something that meant a lot to Gerhman, even if it was not his original, as this one didn't hold the tainted memories of the old one. And with the blade, Izuku was given a badge, right off of Gerhman's own shirt.

Izuku couldn't help but break into tears.

—

Izuku was running.

Had he mentioned he hated snakes?

Undoubtedly he must have? The snake guy from earlier? Nearly caused Izuku to start crying as his head exploded into snakes.

So yes. Izuku was sprinting deeper into an area he had never been.

He had passed bundles of snakes that had joined into somehow moving piles, and at one point, he had seen a giant one with at least a thousand snakes coiled around each other!

But, at least he was at a giant pond, full of muck... and a GIANT PIG! Actually, it was the size of the one from the sewer...

The giant pig's flabby body cascaded through the water, pushing a wave around it as it sprinted at Izuku. But as it came close, Izuku rolled to the side, and with a click of a new mechanism, the beast's legs were sheared from under it; As a scythe cut through its limbs like butter. The momentum carried the torso of the pig multiple yards until it crashed into the muddy earth. Its squeals of rage evolved into squeals of agony as its body thrashed in the now bloody mud before a streak of silver sliced into the beast's skull, silencing it.

The new scythe was entirely different in handling than his whip, as he knew it would be, but the extra weight allowed him to deliver more powerful blows than he thought he would. Not to mention it seemed to have a much longer range than it should.

Izuku had not abandoned his whip. In fact, it was hanging at his side as he waded through the muck; Through the roots of a massive tree, and was swiftly pulled out as a moldy and rotten corpse hand gripped his ankle from the muddy water. Its more modest size allowed it to be used in the close quarters of the roots, as the scythe's blade hung from his waist, and its folded hilt hung on his back...

There was another pig.

After being tossed into the air, into a burning fire pit, Izuku shot the pig in the eyes and cut into it quickly with his whip.

Continuing his path, he came to a T section in his travel, up or down. Well, he headed up to see what was there as down was his path the entire time.

The path up led to more graves as the area he had sprinted through had mirrored, but only a single snake guy knelt in the little alcove, Izuku had arrived in. A swift strike from his scythe left the man in two, and the items around the small area to be his to appropriate; One of the things he found was another rune, he would look into it later, and a few bullets lying around here and there.

Izuku left swiftly as the top half of the man seemed to spring back to life as the snakes began to burst from its head and began dragging themselves towards him... At least Izuku now knew that Yharnam was never going to stop surprising him.

Izuku hurried down the path he had come from and continued to follow the path until he got to a suspicious-looking archway of stone that opened up into a large open area... Unquestionably something wrong lived here.

And as the young hunter stepped into the clearing, three shadowy figures emerged from the mist on the other side. They were tall, cloaked in complete black, and two held swords suspiciously looking like katanas. One also carried a candlestick with a lit candle, and the other had nothing extra. The third of the group held a mace, and the other hand was seemingly lit aflame.

Izuku let out a sigh, rolling his head and feeling a small pop, before swinging the massive curved blade of the scythe that rested in his hand into the slot on the folded pole that hung from his back. Before swinging the entire thing out and snapping the folded carved wood into place.

Izuku's foot left a pothole in the soft earth as he launched himself between the three, crouching down and spinning in a quick motion, extending the scythe out as he rotated; the three made a move to jump away. But the scythe had already sliced into one and soon bit deep in the others. Izuku's twirl ended as he dragged his foot across the hard stone of the rock that made up most of the floor. A quick breath out his nose, and he was off; he focused down on the one with the mace. As he was running, the tip of the blade dug into the ground. And as he closed onto his prey, Izuku sliced upward, cutting through the stone. And into the torso of the black-clothed man.

The man didn't have time to react as the blade sliced through his chest and out his back. The force of the attack had carried the man into the air, the scythe still stuck deep. And in a massive arc was slammed into the ground. It took Izuku a bit of force, but the blade came loose of the man, leaving the nearly cut-in two-man lying in a growing pool.

Turning around, Izuku couldn't help but shiver as the other two seemed to tense and writhe as snakes started bursting out of them. Gulping down his rising disgust, he shook the blade clean with a flourish. And charged again. He was against the two closer ranged fighters of the three, so they easily dodged his initial strikes and went on the assault. Their arms seemed to extend as snakes, appearing to replace the flesh and limbs in their whole. The range and speed of the two increased as one lit their blade on fire. Izuku swiftly dogged the flurry of attacks as they came, the sweat building on his forehead as he felt the resonant buzz in his head... and he quickened. The shift was cold as he jumped back across the massive room, and as he landed and re-coalesced, he lifted his arm and used the blade of the scythe to cut deep into his hand. The blood dripped and seemed to be magnetically pulled to the symbol imprinted, and the energy grew as the two rushed forward to him. In a surge of desperation, he wiped the blood that glowed onto the blade of the scythe and struck out as the two were nearly on top of him, their blades; going down to strike him. The now blood-red scythe sliced a deep red crescent into the air and expanded.

The pressure of the attack had launched both the two shadows and Izuku into opposite directions. But not before burning an acidic divot into the bodies of the two shadows. Izuku stood up shakily and lifted his gun with his cut hand. And aimed at the two shadows. Only one got up, however, and their legs shook violently. The burning blade seemed to spurt and go out as they stared dead at the young hunter. Their legs gave up before Izuku took the shot, and they sat on their knees. And right before Izuku finally put the shadow out of its misery, he noticed the droplets of dirtied clear liquid drip from the shadow of its hood. He shot before he let his mind wander too far.

He couldn't give up now.

...

He continued his trek through the small opening that he found out of the area he had killed the shadows. His body ached with exhaustion, but he kept forward. And as he made his way onward, as the path widened, he was suddenly attacked by... a bug? Its size was around six feet, its head was massive and bloated with the hundreds of bug-like eyes that glowed green like lanterns. Its body was bony and nearly see-through, and tattered wings hung uselessly from its back. It jumped forward towards Izuku, its clawed hands going to grab at Izuku's head. But just as it came close, Izuku ducked out of the way. Its bony but still, hefty body hit the ground next to Izuku; it stumbled forward from the weight of its head. And Izuku took advantage and jabbed the lone blade of the scythe into its head.

Undeterred... for now, Izuku continued his trek and quickly found a lantern, the little messengers waving at him as he lit it. In front of him was a massive building that creaked with age and gave off a haunting aura. It was the place he had been needing to go, Byrgenwerth, the place where all the study of the great ones began. Izuku cracked his neck before connecting the blade to the rest of the scythe. And began sprinting. The subsequent bug creature never stood a chance as the blur that was Izuku ran by and sliced a slab of its head clean off. And Izuku continued without a falter in his step as he came around a curve in the cobble path. There was a door to the building, but it did not budge. A bit farther, there was an overhang, and on top of the overhang that connected to the building were three more bugs. And across the way, on the other side of the trail, was a massive... something. Before he could analyze what it was, the three bugs jumped off. Two never met the ground before they were cut in two. And the final one was cut from head to toe in moments.

Turning his attention back to the... something, he watched as the flower that was at the top of its long... neck? Shot a flaming ball of something at him. Quickly quickening, Izuku dashed across the path. And came close to what was now a centipede creature with a massive sideways mouth and its long neck-like appendage that split off was his first target. He sliced through it, a splatter of greenish-blue blood coated the young hunter as he kept hacking into the hundreds of legs until eventually, it stopped moving.

With another deeper breath, he continued, ignoring the horror of the thing he had just killed. There was another bug, but it fell like the rest. And he opened a gate that opened a path to the lantern. And turned to the second door to the massive building.

The massive doors were dusty and ground as he pushed it open. And what Izuku saw was a dream come true. A large room, its walls lined with bookshelves and books. In fact, there were so many books that there were piles four feet tall stacked everywhere in the room. There were vials and glass jars filled with... things. And a staircase, and a man walking towards Izuku from the top of the stairs... with a cane whip... And definitely did not look friendly. The hunter was not a tough fight for Izuku, as the scythe had allowed him to catch the whip and wrench it from the hunter's hand. And tear into the defenseless hunter without remorse.

Izuku explored the entire building and found countless nicknacks. And even a shell of... Something in a chest at the top of the building being defended by a bug for some reason.

Eventually, Izuku opened the final door on the second floor and found himself on the overhang from earlier, and a man sat in a rocking chair to his left. He looked oddly familiar. But Izuku could not place where he would know them from. The man turned their head, their eyes covered by a massive mask from the nose up. And lifted the cane in their hand with a grunt of effort. And pointed to the ledge in front of them both. Izuku walked over to the edge and stared into the moon's reflection that seemed to glow in and ripple against the waves.

And Izuku jumped in.

At first, he expected the frigid rush of the water, but that was not what he got. As if the water was thin paper, Izuku fell through the water and went into a freefall, descending to a floor that resembled the shimmering water he was meant to hit. His body tucked and rolled instinctively, as he hit the ground, the... water? Leaving him lightly damp but not submerging him. He stood up and looked around the vast expanse of water that seemed to continue on forever. And he saw a giant potato-shaped... something. As he closed in and brought out his scythe, it became apparent this thing was not hostile and a spider. Its bulbous body was supported by hundreds of arachnid legs, and its body was covered in a combination of small and large black beady eyes and flowing white flowers that covered its back. Its face was like a slate of bone and held numerous amounts of the same eyes as its body.

As Izuku approached, he could guess it was about six or seven feet tall, and its body was around ten feet long. In all, it was massive. As Izuku surveyed the beast, it stared at him, all its eyes unblinkingly, and focused on him solely. So Izuku took a moment to prepare for the battle that was about to happen when he hit this thing. Stretching his arm out, Izuku focused on the rune that Flora had given him. And cut deep into the soft skin. The blood flowed to the rune and shimmered a vibrant sickly red as it formed a sphere in his palm. In a quick motion, he smeared the volatile liquid on the blade and watched as it seemed to shape to the edge of the weapon.

And then, after a quick moment, Izuku ran at the massive beast and struck. The red burst forth from the blade and deepened the crevice Izuku carved into the side of the beast. And then the monster's kin dropped from the void that was above them. Twelve smaller but longer-legged versions of the beast landed and quickly turned to the young hunter, surrounding him as Izuku dug into their kins side. Izuku ripped the scythe from the beast and went in for another attack. While narrowly avoiding the clawed leg of one of its kind. As his blade reached deep into the blubbery yet crunchy mass of the beast. He had to quicken out of the area he had been sitting in. Just as four of the smaller kin went for an attack. And just as he went for another strike, the massive beast began walking in a spiral, its form shifting into a pale white mist as it vanished from sight.

Izuku turned his vision to the smaller kin and began cleaving through their legs, leaving the spiders motionless torsos on the wet ground. Glancing quickly around the area, Izuku watched the massive figure form a distance away. As well as its kin dropping around it.

Izuku muttered a quick swear as he ran in a full sprint at the beast, and about halfway to it, he lifted his left arm and pulled at the arcane energy that he had begun getting used to using. He felt the palm of his hand tear away as hundreds of orbs of crimson floated out of the wound and shot at the beast. A handful of the unaimed attack missed, but most pelted into the surrounding kin. Clearing a wide berth for Izuku to go in swinging. But just as Izuku closed in, the massive beast lifted itself from the water. At first, nothing happened, but suddenly, blue meteor-like objects began falling from the void above the battle. Just barely missing the full sprint Izuku.

As the beast's body lowered back to the ground, Izuku slid into range and began his assault. His scythe dug into the beast's back, and Izuku pulled himself on top of the creature and planted the barrel of his gun into one of the soft eyes. Continuous gunshots were fired from the gun. Digging a crater into its soft flesh and cracking the hard chitin that covered most of its body. Its body began moving again, in the same pattern that allowed itself to teleport, but Izuku was not letting it leave without a fight. He brought up his scythe and slammed it into its back, and began pulling the blade towards himself. Just as it vanished from under Izuku, he was sprayed with crimson blood.

He landed on the ground with a thud. While just managing to avoid the attacks of many of the kin. He did the same tactics for clearing as last time, go for the legs.

As Izuku finished off the last of the beast's kin. He watched the beast again appear at a distance, and it began lifting itself from the ground. Izuku started sprinting full boar towards the beast, both to close distance and to attempt to escape the strikes falling from the sky. He was not so lucky this time. The final meteor in the cycle slammed into his back, The sheer energy knocking him onto the ground and causing a snap to originate from his chest. Izuku, as fast as he could, struggled to his feet and injected two vials into himself, feeling the bone knit together as it forced itself back into place.

It hurt to breathe as he kept his sprint, but he couldn't stop. He neared the beast and its kin and began taking the kins legs out one by one. He kept some distance between himself and the beast itself, as when he got near, it would flail its massive body around with impunity. But he managed to get hits in between each thrash and sent bullets into its sides when he could land a shot.

Its body was leaking blood in pools, and Izuku's arm hurt from the heavy usage of arcane spells. But with one final strike of the scythe, the beast's head came tumbling off.

Izuku's mind soon fell to unctuousness, unaware of the women in a wedding dress and a bloodied belly that stood near him, nor the moon, going from its crisp white to a blood red.

—

Sorry, this all took so long! I wanted this to be a more significant chapter, and it to be good. I also got a stomach bug at the 2400 wordmark. I have only really have been able to write today, November 11, because all my prior arrangements are finished. So more active updates soon!

[I am not a trained smith, so there are likely wrong things in the smithing scene.]

I'm thinking of making a patrion of some kind, maybe not specifically patrion. But I'm not sure I know lots of people love this story, and having income not just from my job would help me find more time to write, but I wanted y'all's opinion on this before I just put a link for no reason. To me, it feels wrong? As much as I would love to make money from writing, there are always those who believe a person who writes in a free domain shouldn't be able to make money.

So I'm asking y'all, should I make it like a patrion type thing? I could make a thing about those who donate at the end of chaps. And even give early peeks at chapters and such.

Anyway, hope you all have a good day/ night, and I hope you get to eat some food you love!