Doubt assailed him as he tried to adapt to an unfamiliar environment, something that was not unusual for him. However, this place seemed abandoned by God, and what troubled him most was not knowing the cause of such desolation, more than the consequences themselves.
The air was thick and fatal, as if everything was wrong. That fire in the distance was disconcerting. The way to describe this scene was curious: a strange singularity and beside it, an equally singular girl. She had miraculously recovered after being struck by a rock that fell from the sky, destroying half of her body. Now she was as good as new.
Her outfit was also peculiar, although he had seen such suits before, and the shield... well, everyone had their tools.
A constant itch ran through his body, a slight tingling that reminded him of the first times he activated his Quirk, but he wasn't doing it now. And those tattoos on his hand...
"A contract," she called it. Servant and master. Wow, that sounded out of context, and the fact that she awaited orders too.
He felt like an intruder in this world, and he didn't know if he should say anything. He preferred to remain silent to gain more context.
"So much... destruction," Mash whispered.
Izuku noticed that she wanted to speak, probably to break the uncomfortable silence.
"Had you never seen scenes like this?" he asked as they continued walking.
"Only in history books that Dr. Romaní brought me... wars and black-and-white photos," she replied, and he blinked in surprise.
"Didn't the chaos of All for One reach here?" Izuku thought.
"Usually, a person seems more affected by these scenes... you don't look like that, Senpai," the young woman commented.
"Well, it's a desolate landscape... but if there's something that caused it and I can prevent it from happening elsewhere, that gives me a purpose," Izuku explained.
"Are you not scared or nervous?" she asked.
He stopped, searching for the right way to respond. Saying "I'm used to it now" would be strange, and saying no didn't feel right either. But he didn't have to respond, as a sharp sensation coursed through his head.
The danger sensor activated. He saw a red glow in the sky, like a shooting star, but he knew it wasn't what it seemed. Without hesitation, he hugged Mash and jumped with such force that the ground cracked, moving away just in time before a rain of projectiles struck where they had been.
Chain explosions, with an evident murderous intent. In the distance, a figure hidden in the shadows observed with keen skill. A small "oh" escaped her lips upon seeing that her target had avoided the attack. She prepared another projectile, a sword that seemed to materialize out of thin air, ready to be launched like an arrow.
The danger sensor activated again, and another red light appeared in the sky.
"Here it comes..." he said, but Mash interrupted him.
She took the lead, placing her shield in front of both of them. The rain of projectiles came with the same force, but Mash resisted it firmly. Izuku looked at her in surprise, wondering about her sudden strength, given that just a moment ago a rock had fallen on her.
"I guess she was caught off guard," he thought.
The attack ceased, and the attacker, frustrated, prepared for another round. However, they were interrupted when someone hidden launched a counterattack, causing an explosion at their position.
Izuku frowned upon seeing the direction of the explosion. "A long-range attacker..." he growled, aware of how annoying they could be.
"That was incredible, Senpai!" Mash exclaimed.
"Eh?"
"You reacted so quickly!" she commented.
Izuku shrugged; the attack had seemed very obvious to him. Before they could continue conversing, a female scream was heard in the distance. They looked at each other and ran towards the sound.
A young woman with white hair was running down a deteriorated road, chased by armed skeletons. The scene was surreal. In her desperation, she stumbled and fell to the ground.
Olga Marie Animusphere was her name, and she was not going to let herself fall there.
A halo of yellow energy formed at her fingertips, from which a dark red energy bullet was fired with precision, managing to defeat... a skeleton.
Well, at least she tried, right?
The rest of the skeletons began to laugh at her, or at least that was how it seemed, as the sound of the bones clashing in their jaws simulated laughter.
Without wasting time, the skeletons advanced.
Desperation engulfed her as she continued firing projectiles, destroying more and more of those creatures, although it seemed ineffective, especially as they got too close.
Suddenly, a sound alerted her. Above her, on a light post, a skeleton was watching her.
It jumped down from the heights to attack her. Olga tried to react by firing another projectile, but the skeleton, with surprising agility, dodged it while preparing its sword.
Horrified, Olga thought this would be her end and could only cover herself with her hands.
"Save me, Lev!" she screamed, bracing for pain.
At that moment, a gust of wind accompanied by the sound of breaking bones made her open her eyes. The skull of the skeleton had been pulverized before her by a kick.
A young man with green hair appeared...
Sliding to the side, he watched as the rest of the bones disintegrated.
"Was that a skeleton...?" the young man murmured, bewildered.
The sound of more bones crunching against cold steel diverted Olga's attention.
Mash moved with agility, destroying skeletons while dodging the attacks of the adversaries, quickly finishing them off.
"Enemies eliminated, Senpai!" the girl announced.
The young man nodded and then turned to the woman.
They stared at each other for a few seconds.
"Director, are you alright?... Director?"
"You... YOU! YOU!" Mash watched as the white-haired woman abruptly approached her Senpai, who seemed exhausted.
"We meet again... I suppose," the young man said, watching the woman approach him.
"Damn intruder!" Olga Marie shouted, filled with rage.
To be continued...