Pain seized his body with overwhelming intensity, as the burning of his wounds felt like scorching flames licking his skin. The weight of exhaustion crushed him, but more than the physical fatigue, it was his spirit that was in a state of deep dejection.
Bandages wrapped around his body like a cocoon, and each attempt to stand was like climbing an impossible mountain.
"We have lost..." he whispered in a barely audible voice, his eyes fixed on the wall in front of him, as if seeking answers in its cold surface.
His hands, covered in scars, were a silent testament to his failure. He painfully recalled the disaster that had occurred just a few hours earlier. All for One had stormed onto the battlefield, carrying All Might, whose twisted smile was a reflection of his anticipated triumph.
In a desperate cry, he had tried to reach him, extending his arm to take his mentor's hand, but they were too far apart. Shigaraki Tomura stood between them, making the mission seem like a lost cause. And then, the words of his mentor, who had given him the opportunity to fulfill his dreams, echoed painfully:
"I'm sorry... young Midoriya." A cycle repeating, a tragedy clinging to an inherited power.
All for One reveled in his victory, laughing with a voice that grotesquely resonated in the air. Before Midoriya's horrified eyes, the torso of the man who was once the symbol of peace and Japanese society was split in two, in a scene etched in his mind with blood and horror.
Izuku Midoriya captured that moment in his memory, an image that would become an indelible scar on his psyche, awakening in him an emotion he never thought he would experience with such intensity: rage, an absolute and scorching rage that contrasted with his usual nature.
"Hahaha! How pathetic, did he really think his simple desire to be a hero would make him win?" Shigaraki Tomura mocked, pausing his attack on the ninth bearer of One for All. For Izuku, time seemed to have stopped. How could someone control such fury? How to endure the helplessness in the face of such an atrocious act witnessed before his eyes? Someone he swore to protect... and failed. He had failed to be a hero.
Society, from that moment, plunged into overwhelming darkness.
(...)
The young man watched in silence at the new "ally," a servant who, by whim or personal purpose, seemed to have allied with them. He was skeptical, but understood it was better to have an alliance than make him a potential enemy.
"Get ready, girl! Your technique is poor, but your courage is great!" exclaimed the man, seeking to lift the young woman's spirits. Mash swallowed hard but prepared to follow the instructions of the blue-haired man, raising her shield with determination.
Izuku, for his part, prepared to defend. His training had taught him to protect others, and now, the male servant's voice directed at him.
"Hey! Boy! You're her master, aren't you?" The question was more of an affirmation, glancing at the red marks on his hand, remembering the role he now had. "A master commands his servant to fight, servants fight for the survival of both... Teamwork." Something he hadn't experienced in a long time, and certainly not in this way.
"Yes, that's right..." admitted Izuku, showing some discomfort but also acceptance.
"Then give the orders here. Your judgment in this battle is key to covering the girl's weaknesses at your service," the servant insisted. Izuku nodded, aware that although he had been called a "problem child" in the past, his ability to learn in unknown situations was undeniable, especially when it came to saving lives.
"You are no longer in school, kids. Here, if you can't keep up with the danger, you won't lose a subject... you'll lose a life." Endeavor's words resonated in his mind. Taking a breath, Izuku looked at Mash.
"Get ready," he whispered to her.
The young woman nodded towards her Senpai, fixing her gaze on the enemy.
"Idiot, as you wish... You've only hastened your end... But I'll take you alive, Caster," muttered the enemy, wielding her scythe with skill. In a blink, lamp posts transformed into chains that launched towards the servant Caster.
With agility, the servant avoided the attack, dancing in the air to dodge with fluidity. In an instant, the woman leaped, her scythe ready for a descending strike.
Izuku watched in silence. The woman seemed focused on Caster, considering him a greater threat. That played to his advantage.
"Mash..." Izuku called to the pink-haired girl. She paid attention. "A moment ago you shielded yourself with your shield. Use that and find an opening when the two separate. When I tell you, launch yourself at her. That will give him a chance to attack," Izuku explained.
Mash nodded.
"Do you trust him?" Olga asked, looking at Izuku.
"From what I see, they both consider each other a threat, but he seeks to cooperate to defeat her. That means he needs us in some way, and probably we need him too," Izuku responded. "By the way, you mentioned servant classes and said that, depending on the class, each has assigned abilities."
"Of course! Each class has its specialties, and I think by the name you can guess what I mean," Olga explained.
"Caster... I suppose he's a sorcerer, right?" deduced Izuku.
"I guess that's your way of seeing it. Normally, Casters don't stand out for their combat abilities, I mean, a servant like a Saber or a Lancer who specialize in that stand out more, the class highlights those attributes..." Olga said.
"And what about Mash?" Izuku asked.
"Well, she's a special case. We don't know if it's because she's a demi-servant that her class is something extra... We call her Shielder," the white-haired girl replied.
"Well, at least they didn't complicate it with the name," thought Izuku, observing the large shield the girl carried.
The green-haired boy watched as the man dodged the woman's attacks, understanding the threat of a wound that doesn't close. He also concluded that, indeed, his hand-to-hand attacks would not be very effective or would be quickly countered.
"The right moment," thought Izuku. In an instant, the Caster placed his hand on the ground to jump back. For Izuku, it was curious to notice how the floor's relief changed. It wasn't very noticeable, but it was the strangest thing.
"What's wrong, Caster? Don't you have time to chant your spells?!" the woman shouted, extending her weapon again.
"Mash!" exclaimed the green-haired boy.
"Yes!" she replied, cracking the ground under her boot and launching herself between the woman and the man. The metallic sound and the wave of air demonstrated the girl's firm stance. "A tank," thought Izuku, comparing these roles to those of typical role-playing games, RPGs, or gachas.
"Tsk!" The woman retreated, avoiding the girl's possible counterattack. Once she stepped on the ground and prepared to guard again, the sound of breaking concrete alerted her.
Her ankles were bound in a second by dark chains.
"What?!" she was alarmed, but now she heard the laughter of the blue-haired man.
"That's what I call adapting quickly!" Caster, making a quick finger movement, made a symbol glow beneath the woman.
"Idiot, runes are not chanted!" A storm of fire started, a huge whirlwind devoured the servant. The burning didn't take long to make her scream. Once it dissipated, she could barely lean on her weapon, glaring furiously at everyone.
But she wasn't even allowed to speak when several more runes were drawn in the air with a hand movement by the Caster. The magical projectiles were fired at a ridiculous speed towards the woman, causing a series of continuous explosions that shook the entire place.
Everyone remained silent, waiting for the smoke cloud to dissipate. Kneeling, with blood dripping, the servant only looked down at the ground, perhaps accepting her defeat. Small bright purple particles surrounded her, disappearing from where she once stood, leaving no trace upon her disappearance.
"Heroic spirits have already died... I guess it makes sense..." thought Izuku, trying to dismiss the idea that they had killed someone.
"Ufff, finally one less," sighed the man, laughing. Apparently, he had wished to do this for a while.
"I... Thank you very much for helping us," Mash said sincerely, bowing in a bow. But the man, quite unabashedly, embraced her by the shoulders.
"Oh, don't be so modest, we did it thanks to your help!" Mash blinked at the approach. It was the first time something like this happened to her, so she didn't know how to react. But a small tap on the man's hand broke the gesture.
"Thank you very much, but don't take such liberties," Izuku said, separating Mash from the man. He was a stranger and already looked too old for a young girl like Mash.
"Great, an old pervert!" Olga growled, knowing that Mash didn't have a well-developed common sense. Even Fou hissed towards the male servant.
"Uh, come on, I'm just grateful," the man laughed.
A small beep interrupted the moment, and a holographic image appeared.
"Uh?" Caster looked curiously at the image of the man in front of him.
"I see you apparently found a decent heroic spirit," Roman commented, unaware of what had happened moments ago.
"Is that a magical communication?" the man asked, interested.
"Nice to meet you, I don't know who you are, but we..." Roman was interrupted by the man.
"Bah, no need to introduce yourself, just get to the point, will you? Can you do that, weakling...?"
"Weakling!?" the doctor exclaimed indignantly.
Izuku blinked; without a doubt, he was quite a special subject who was helping them.
To be continued...
New chapter...
I know I'm dragging it out.
But the good news is that I'm finally on vacation!
So I'll write a quick chapter after this one and upload it in less than a week.
I just want to wrap up this singularity as fast as possible.
I hope you understand that Izuku needs to learn to be a master, no matter how strong he is.
We're talking about magical beings that are quite powerful.
So we'll need to shuffle this around.
Thank you very much and see you later.