What the hell is going on?!" Ben exclaimed as he saw the burning city seemingly plagued by the undead.
"What a mess..." Gran Torino scowled as he looked over the city. "Come on kids, we got work to do!"
Regenizard nodded. "Everyone, we're giving you express permission to apprehend any villains you come across but be sure not to leave our side without our go-ahead!"
"Roger!" Hilda said, charging OFA up.
As everyone jumped out of the hole in the train, Izuku stayed behind to trap the Nomu in a pool of candy with the power of the [Lick-Lick Fruit] before following after the others.
Rosa landed on one of the rooftops to see five of the skeleton creatures from earlier. Turning to see some stray bricks on the ground, she grabbed them before absorbing the material, her entire body turning a rough reddish-brown color.
"They aren't alive, they aren't alive, they aren't alive! The chubby girl recited to herself.
Rosa morphed one of her hands into a hammer and swung with all her might, causing it to crumble into dust in an instant. She then did the same thing with the other four.
"Okay, let's hope I can find the others..."
"Rosa!"
Hearing Ben's voice, the plump girl smiled in relief as he came over.
"Where are the others?!"
"They went down into the city. Things are looking pretty rough, there are skeletons everywhere!"
Rosa looked around. "There aren't really any materials I can absorb to make me fly..."
Ben smiled before sprouting a pair of large gargoyle-like wings as his arms bulked up to muscular size, which he used to pick up Rosa as if she was as light as a feather.
"Hold on tightly!"
"EEP!"
DEVIL
At another location, several heroes were fighting against three Nomus with little luck. Explosions from vehicles were raising fire everywhere, giving the Nomus a chilling visage.
"Manuel! Put out the fire!" ordered a Hero with bull horns as he ripped open a fire hydrant.
The Normal Hero: Manual nodded as he used his [Hydrokinesis] Quirk to control the resulting stream of water to put out the nearby fires. Ibara Shiozaki of Class 1-B had been interning with him and was helping evacuate civilians and providing support for the active heroes.
"What manner of sinful creatures are these..." She muttered as some skeletons were making her rescue efforts harder than they had to be.
Fortunately, a pink blur struck down the skeletons, reducing them to dust as she saw it was Koby, giving a reassuring smile and a thumbs-up as he moved to help carry multiple people out of the burning building at once. Ibara gave a small smile of relief before picking up her own efforts.
Meanwhile, N had been caught off-guard by the arrival of the skeletons and Nomu but he and Mewtwo were handling things relatively well, Mewtwo's powerful [Psych] Quirk providing plenty of support in dealing with the skeleton horde.
"I hear the only one on par with you is Tatsumaki of the S-Rankers," N said as he turned both arms into the arm cannons of a Magmortar and fired giant blazing cannonballs to wipe out multiple skeletons at once.
Mewtwo, who wore a a full-body armored suit with a helmet that concealed his features with a black visor for visibility purpose, nodded his head as he formed a ball of dark purple psychic energy and fired it at an approaching Nomu, knocking it away.
"N!" Tenya called out as he came over. "Glad to see I'm not the only one seeing this!"
"Yes, a Nomu like the one at USJ. Very surprising." N muttered.
"This damn thing never blinks! Makes it hell for my Quirk!" Swift Sculpt cursed nearby, handling another Nomu.
Mewtwo scoffed and flew over to help his fellow hero with the monster before turning to Tenya and N.
"If you see the one behind these monstrosities apprehend them. And any other villains you may come across along the way taking advantage of this chaos."
Tenya nodded. "Right!"
"Kodai? Kodai!"
Tenya and N turned to see Vivi there as well as two of her fellow 1-B students; Jurota Shishida and Togaru Kamakiri.
"Vivi! What's going on?" N called out.
"It's Kodai! She and Jurota were with Native on internship but they got separated!" Vivi explained. "Togaru and I were interning with Rose Vista and he gave us permission to go try and find her."
"I think I can try and find her but I need focus..." N then closed his eyes.
"Wait...you can use Haki too?" Tenya asked.
"You didn't know that?" N playfully asked, opening one eye to respond before focusing again.
Soon, the boy found Yui's location and his eyes widened in horror as he turned to Tenya.
"Iida, you and I are the fastest, we need to hurry! Follow me!"
Transforming the bottom half of his body into that of Rapidash, N galloped ahead as Tenya followed after him. Vivi looked at the two boys and then at Jurota and Togaru before giving them an order.
"You boys stick here and help the Pros with whatever they need!"
"Indeed, Lady Vivi!"
"Fuck 'em up, Boss Lady!"
Vivi then turned and formed wings of air to fly after N and Tenya. She soon caught up with them as they arrived in an alley to see Yui there, lying on the side with what looked like a nasty cut on her arm, seemingly unable to move.
Further ahead, they saw none other than the Hero Killer himself holding Native by the head against the wall. The Pro Hero was also cut up pretty badly and seemed unable to move out of Stain's grasp.
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!"
Fuelled by the still-present anger of what happened to his brother coupled with the outrage at seeing Stain threatening not just another Pro Hero but also one of his schoolmates, Tenya bolted forward at high speeds, slamming into Stain with his full body and making him let go of Native.
Vivi quickly moved to pull Yui to safety, taking her duty as Class President of 1-B seriously and creating water to cover the wound on her arm while N pulled Native to safety. Swift Sculpt had ended up nearby to make sure Tenya was alright while Mewtwo stayed to handle the skeleton horde and saw what was going on.
Stain picked himself up and took a moment to process the scene before him as he saw Tenya glaring at him with hatred in his eyes.
"For a second I thought I was facing down my last target again. But you're slightly different. Your engines are in your legs. So who are you?"
"You're carrying blades all over your body, and you have a blood-red scarf," Tenya said as he glared at the villain as he got up. "You're the Hero Killer Stain, correct?"
"He's also the successor to the man you assaulted and put in the hospital." Swift Sculpt added from behind as N and Vivi tended to Native and Yui. "This is the Overdrive Hero: Reciprium."
Stain had a wary look toward Swift Sculpt but didn't lose his composure.
"Swift Sculpt of the SCP Foundation...Well, that's not good, your flesh is too strong for my blades. I won't be able to draw blood from you, even with Haki."
"I had been hoping to find you, Hero Killer..." Tenya began coldly. "I was scared to do so because after what you did to my brother, I feared that I'd be in no state to confront you. But this has given me a chance to ask just one question; Why did you try to end my brother's career, instead of killing him outright?"
DEVIL
Back on the streets of Hosu, Hilda's fat body was coated in pink and white electricity as she smashed apart several skeletons before delivering a sumo palm strike to a flying Nomu with wings.
"You seem to be handling things pretty well!" Izuku noted as he used the [Dice-Dice Fruit] to slash apart several skeletons at once.
"Thanks to Regenizard's training, I feel like I might be channeling 30% of OFA now!"
"Not how I expected to implement your practical training..." Regenizard began as he slammed a Nomu with no face, only a lower jaw, into the pavement. "But you look like you recognize these creatures."
"They're kinda like the Nomu that was with the League of Villains during the USJ attack," Hilda explained.
The faceless Nomu threw Regenizard off its body and began to target random civilians only for a spiked flail to slam it down into the ground again.
"BALL OF JUSTICE!" Seryu shouted as she and Koro arrived on the scene.
"Seryu! What are you doing here?" Izuku asked.
"I was interning with Vice-Admiral Momonga!" Seryu explained. "When these creatures came, Koro and I were given permission to take them down and protect all civilians in need of help!"
A familiar bellowing laugh was heard, followed by a loud shockwave as several skeletons were seen flying away, turning to dust on impact.
"Looks like Garp is here too," Hilda noted.
"If Grandpa is here, then Koby and Todoroki might be here as well!" Izuku realized.
"Captain!" Yaato called out as he and Marco came nearby. "Seems you got invited to the party too!"
"Ya-Chan! What are you doing here?"
"Superalloy Darkshine had taken us here to Hosu because he was part of the strike team hunting down Stain," Marco explained. "Then these skeletons came and started attacking everybody. We've been doing everything we can to take them down."
"Well, we better split up and cover more ground. Maybe we can find who's making these monsters." Hilda noted.
Marco nodded. "I'll see if I can call in Todoroki to come help you guys. I have more options when dealing with large hordes."
Izuku, Hilda, Yaato, and Seryu went one way while Marco headed back into the fray to help Shoto and Garp with dealing with the creatures.
DEVIL
Up above, Tomura observed the chaos along with Tobi, Burgess, Auger, and Laffitte.
"I wasn't expecting such powerful heroes to be in Hosu right now. These Nomus weren't designed to be as strong as the one we used to attack UA." The leader of the group muttered, scratching his neck slightly. "They couldn't hold a candle to All-Might, so any Pro Hero even remotely in his league would wipe the floor with them."
"The Doctor did say that they weren't high on the power scale, merely meant to stir up trouble and attract attention," Auger noted.
"Well, it's not like we're tearing down the city. Just wrecking it a little to send a message." Tobi pointed out.
Tomura smirked in agreement. "The League of Villains isn't just some random group of low-life thugs, but a serious threat. Stain's dangerous to be sure. But at the end of the day, he's just another serial killer playing at social reform."
"Looks like we've gotten the message across pretty well!" Burgess laughed.
DEVIL
Back in the alleyways, Stain was confused by the question Tenya had asked him.
"Why didn't I kill your brother? I think the reason should be obvious. He's one of those rare heroes who doesn't do this for fame or money. He's a genuine hero. But he was still coming after me, and my work wasn't finished. So I had no choice but to remove him. However, I couldn't leave him dead. Doing so would prevent him from saving hundreds of lives."
Tenya grit his teeth. "That's just plain BULLSHIT!"
"Whoa, Iida..." Vivi whispered, shocked at the language the normally respectful and rule-abiding young man had used.
"Many of the heroes you've killed have also saved hundreds of lives and could have saved hundreds more!" Tenya continued. "How many people in Hosu are hospitalized, or worse, because a hero you removed wasn't there to save them?! Do you even realize that my brother gave up hero work because your attack permanently damaged his legs?! "
That caught Stain off-guard for sure, his posture nearly faltering at what he heard.
"That can't be. I left him in such a way that someone should have found him in time. Sure the damage would have been bad, but at the same time..."
"Star Plasma!" Swift Sculpt cut in.
"…What?" Stain asked, only to grow sligthtly concerned when the Pro's brow furrowed.
"Oh. Oh, you don't remember?" Swift Sculpt growled. "…Of course you wouldn't. Well, let me remind you; she had only graduated, just turned 18 when you cut her down. Before she died, she said you claimed that if she couldn't actually fight, never mind came from wealth, she could never be a proper hero. If you had actuall;y researched her, you'd know that money she came from was old, and she spent most of her free time volunteering and donating to various causes. Hell, most of her pay went to those charities!...Sounding like Ingenium, eh? Hell, All Might himself said she could become the next Recovery girl, a girl healing and support Heroine. And you? You, just because she didn't fit into your ideal of a hero? You killed her before her career even began. Let me as you Stain; how many have you killed by killing her, let alone the other heroes?"
As those words hit him, the Hero Killer began trembling with rage, recalling the words the League of Villains had given him as well.
"No... NO! I won't accept this! My cause is just! I'm trying to purge this world of false heroes!"
He charged forward, but his focus was purely on Ida, who replaced his helmet. Swift Sculpt was able to dash in and strike while Stain wasn't focused.
"We're not heroes because we're a comic book fantasy! We're civil servants much like police officers, firefighters, and paramedics!" The SCP Hero admonished.
"He's right!" Vivi said after making sure Yui and Native were alright. "We're more than just a fantasy, we're an ideal! And more to the point, we're HUMAN!"
"My brother was a caring person and an incredible hero!" Tenya added as he pushed against Stain. "And I may have never known Star Plasma, but I am sure she would have made a fine hero herself! And for you to just attack them and take all that away...I can't forgive any of it, no matter how much you claim your cause is right!"
"SHUT UP!" Stain roared as his sword was coated in a familiar black aura and slashed, cutting through Tenya's chest, leaving a nasty gash as he stumbled back, his armor had protected most of his body but he was still bleeding.
"Iida!" Vivi cried as she moved to support him while N glared.
"Does it hurt to face reality? I don't know what sort of story you had, and maybe at first your goals were noble. There are indeed some heroes out there who only do this for fame and fortune, but it's not as black and white as you think."
Stain breathed heavily. "As enraged as I am at your words... I still can't bring myself to kill you all... But I can't have you getting in my way either."
He used his large tongue to lick the blood off his blade. Everyone cringed in disgust only for Tenya to grunt as he felt his entire body lock up, nearly falling over had Vivi not caught him.
"Iida, what's wrong?!"
"M-My body...I can't move...!"
"You're going to be the real problem here. Not sure how I'm going to stab you to make you bleed when your skin is practically concrete." Stain noted to Swift Sculpt. "Not to mention I need to keep my eyes on you to avoid you striking me from behind. Right now your Quirk's locked onto me, yes? It's only practical, after all."
"Don't forget the rest of us," N said with a glare. "You've got plenty of heroes still able to fight on all sides."
"And a few of them are right behind you now." Swift Sculpt added.
Stain was confused until he heard the sound of electricity crackling. And it was drawing closer. The next thing he knew, he was struck with a hard right to his cheek. The man's face contorted as he was sent flying from the impact and skidding to a halt on his back, the ground being turned up from behind slid down the alley with tremendous force.
"AND STAY DOWN!" Yaato cheered as he, Izuku, Hilda, and Seryu arrived on the scene.
"There's no need to worry...BECAUSE WE ARE HERE!" Izuku declared.
"Midoriya! Toukotoya! Yaato! Ubiquitous!" Tenya called out in relief.
"Wow, talk about perfect timing!" Vivi beamed.
"Wait, didn't Regenizard send an intern for one of those kids?" Swift Sculpt noted as he saw Hilda. "What is she doing in Hosu?"
"We all kinda have the same story." Yaato shrugged. "We were all just interning with our heroes and then all those skeletons and Nomu began popping up outta nowhere!"
"Sounds like the League of Villains decided to try again after their failure at the USJ," Hilda said. "And I guess they got Stain with them too."
Stain scoffed. "It's true they tried recruiting me, but I rejected their offer. Our goals are far too different. But that's twice now I was caught off-guard. Normally, I'd be able to see your attacks coming."
"Sorry, but that power of yours really only helps with those in the area with you unless, of course, you train it to a certain degree," Izuku explained as he coated his fist in Armament Haki for emphasis. "And believe me...I know."
The Hero Killer's eyes widened, a smile beginning to overtake him.
"So you've been given the gift as well?"
"Haki isn't much of a gift as it is something that surrounds us and penetrates us all," Yaato explained. "So you must be the Hero Killer, huh? Kinda thought you'd be taller."
"I saw you at the Sports Festival...you all came out of nowhere and showed such great power and promise..." Stain hissed. "But all that power and promise won't do you any good if you do not show the essence of being a true hero."
"Oh, we heard about that, actually," Hilda said mockingly, putting a finger to her chubby cheek. "Word is that you kill heroes who you think are fake."
"But let me ask you something, Stain...Let's say, hypothetically, that there's a girl who wants to be a hero. Her parents are poor, poorer than poor, really. And she wants to become a hero so that she can make plenty of money so that her parents, who are about as wonderful as you can think, can have an easy life." Izuku said as he pointed at the Hero Killer. "Tell me Stain, would you kill a girl who simply wants to help her family? Would you have the gall to call her fake too?!"
The question actually took Stain aback for a moment before he regained his composure, looking at Izuku dead in the eyes.
"I'd kill her because it's only a matter of time before she gets consumed by her greed." He declared.
What happened next shocked everyone, Izuku's body erupted with Conqueror's Haki, the aura of the king nearly suffocating everyone in the vicinity, most of all Stain.
"So you have chosen...DEATH."
Hilda, who was unaffected due to the Haki not being directed at her, cracked her knuckles with a scowl.
"Save some bones for me to break, Izu...this bastard is gonna get it."
"Let me have a piece!" Yaato snarled as he took out his three-section staff. "FOX HUNT!"
Stain quickly leaped into the air to avoid the air blades Yaato created before he charged at the Seraphim of Greed, blade-ready. However, Izuku sped in front of his friend using Soru and caught the blade, wasting no time using the [Rust-Rust Fruit] to erode and destroy the sword in the process, followed by Hilda punching Stain straight in the stomach.
As this was going on, Vivi had taken the time to get out her phone and transmit her location to any other Pro Heroes in Hosu while Swift Sculpt picked up Native.
"You kids all have my permission to engage. Keep Stain busy until backup can arrive. Try to subdue him if you can."
"We'll watch each other's backs," N said, giving a thumbs-up.
Stain just grunted as he got up ignoring the pain in his gut as he looked for his sword only to see the destroyed hilt of his sword and knives. Though Stain had no time to think as he was suddenly bombarded with a barrage of Armament Haki-covered mochi fists from Izuku using the [Mochi-Mochi Fruit].
"MOCHI GINCHAKU!"
"Damn, these brats aren't just fast, they're powerful!" Stain realized internally.
"JUSTICE LANCE!" Seryu shouted, thrusting a giant drill-shaped lance at Stain, who blocked with two of his knives coated in Armament Haki before leaping over her and throwing them, only for Koro to jump in front and take the knives to his durable hide.
"HEADS UP!" Hilda shouted as she rocketed up to meet Stain, only for the Hero Killer to see an opening and strike her.
"It's only a small amount, but that should be enough..." He thought as he quickly moved to lick the blood up to activate his Quirk.
Hilda smirked. "So you got me... But it seems my Quirk is stronger than yours."
Stain was confused, then realized that Hilda had only been paralyzed for a second.
"Can't cut THIS gut!"
"Splendid!" Seryu cheered. "Comrade Hilda's [Optimal Condition] Quirk allowed her to adapt to the Hero Killer's Quirk!"
"So he drinks blood to use his Quirk?" Yaato questioned in disgust. "How has he not gotten Hepatitis yet?"
"Indeed, my Quirk's called [Bloodcurdle]. When I ingest someone's blood, they instantly become paralyzed. The effect can last up to eight minutes." Stain explained.
"Good to know..."
Confused by the new voice, Stain spotted something glowing behind him and quickly got out of the way as a stream of flame nearly roasted him.
"Now who's trying to distract me?!"
"Todoroki!" Vivi called out with a smile.
"I wish you'd have given more details about your location." The half-and-half boy said as he held up his phone. "It's not like you to leave out details like that. You wouldn't do so unless you were in trouble."
"We all got the message!" Regenizard said as he came in. "Man, I sure picked a bunch of crazy kids to intern with me!"
"I was nearby and I was the closest to the area so with Garp's permission, I came over here while he and Koby dealt with the problem on the streets," Shoto explained. "Who would have thought my classmates would be facing the infamous Hero Killer."
He generated an ice sheet from his right leg, forcing Stain to leap into the air to avoid it.
"This new brat...he's clearly related to Endeavor, the king of all fakes. But this is one apple that wound up falling very far from the tree."
"Careful, Todoroki!" Tenya called out. "He can paralyze you by ingesting your blood!"
Shoto heard the warning a second too late as Stain had sent a throwing knife his way, clipping his cheek. Stain tried to move in for another slash, only to get blocked by an small ice column.
"UP ABOVE!" N called out.
Shoto noticed that Stain had thrown his other sword. The distraction let him get close, only to have to pull away as Shoto lit his left side on fire. As this was going on, Tenya felt movement slowly return to his body.
"Iida, you're moving again!" Vivi smiled.
"Yes..." He said as he began picking himself up. "How is Kodai doing?"
"Still...can't move..."
N realized something. "He said he could paralyze someone for up to eight minutes. But maybe it's not a variable he can control. It must have something to do with blood type."
Stain smirked. "So you figured it out again. The amount of time my Quirk can freeze someone depends on their blood type. Type O takes the least amount of time to recover, then Type B, AB, and finally Type B takes the longest. Of course, I can't know how long someone's going to be paralyzed since I typically don't know their blood type when confronting them."
"Don't know what my blood will do since I have Green Blood," Yaato said. "But then again, let's not experiment now."
Stain sneered as the hero students all gathered back together, glaring at him collectively and ready to take him on, no trace of fear in any of their eyes.
"We won't stop, Hero Killer Stain. Before this night is over, you're going down once and for all!" Izuku declared. "For Star Plasma, for Ingenium...for every hero you've killed or maimed!"
"Being able to know how my Quirk works won't help, since I don't rely on it in combat. And I've had far more experience." Stain warned as he pulled out another sword, coating the blade in Armament Haki.
"Then get ready to be shocked by what the next generation can do!" Seryu declared.
Knightmare Lord A/N:
The battle of Hosu is in full swing! Izuku and Co. have confronted Stain but they have something special on their side this time; PERMISSION TO FIGHT. How will this battle play out and who's behind the army of skeletons tearing Hosu apart?!
Mrotrax A/N:
TUNE IN NEXT TIME TO FIND OUT AND SEE!
Utnil then? Stay safe!