"We're here."

Izuku's shoulders sagged in relief as he dropped Asia's boxes down at the door to his apartment. After the day he'd had, and all the training he'd done, the last thing he wanted to do was carry a bunch of heavy boxes halfway across Kuoh Town, but here he was.

She had only managed to carry one, but at least she looked grateful for the help - it seemed she realized that she would have been royally screwed without him. "Thank you so much for the assistance, Izuku-san!"

He sighed. "N-No problem." Izuku bit back a yawn. He felt like he was a dead man walking. If not for the fact that he could barely keep his eyes open, he probably would have been more embarrassed about her calling him by his first name, or having her stay over his house, or the fact that she constantly brought up the maid thing…

Maybe he'd be upset, too - after all, the money his mother was sending him to stay in this apartment was now going to be eaten into even more, considering the fact that he had an extra mouth to feed that he didn't ask for and only received because he was kidnapped and then turned into a slave by his 'rescuers'. And now he was a literal pawn in whatever fucked up game of chess Gremory was playing, forced to play host to her bishop.

Yeah, Izuku still hated his life.

But he felt strangely apathetic to it all today.

He sighed again. "Um, before we g-go in," he warned, grabbing Asia's attention immediately, "I, uh, d-don't know what your l-living conditions p-prior to now have been, but, m-my apartment isn't very e-extravagant."

"That's okay!" Asia said cheerfully, a soft smile on her face, "I'm just grateful that you're willing to let me stay here! It doesn't have to be anything special - I'll gladly sleep on the floor if I have to!"

Izuku winced. That wasn't gonna happen - he was pretty sure there were well over half a dozen women who would come barging through his door the moment he tried to make her accept such an arrangement.

Gremory, Toujou, his mom, the local chapter of Japan's Eighth-Wave Feminist Society… he probably wouldn't be able to blink before he was being beaten to death by a horde of extremely angry activists.

What a nice way to go. It probably still beat what fate he had been doomed to.

"O-Okay then…" he mumbled, turning his key in the lock and opening his apartment door, "Welcome to m-my… my home."

When Izuku said it wasn't extravagant, he meant it. In fact, it may have been the understatement of the century to say such a thing.

The walls were plain and bare. Aside from a few small windows and a single clock by the door there was nothing to disrupt the bluish-grey monotony around them. The floor consisted of an old shag carpet, clearly worn down by time and wear and tear, aside from the very small kitchen area where it turned to tile.

In terms of actual commodities within the apartment, there wasn't much. Aside from the aforementioned kitchen area, where things like a sink, oven, fridge, and dishwasher had all come pre-installed, the only things Izuku had bothered to add to the space were two plain wooden chairs and a small table that they were centered around. And a crummy beige couch for the living area - that piece of furniture was so ugly it may as well have not even been there.

Of course, there was also a bedroom and a bathroom… but they could wait a bit before seeing those. The tour so far had already taken up so much time, after all, Asia might need a break from all the sightseeing she was doing.

"Oh, wow!" Asia said as she looked around at the cheapest apartment money could buy (that wasn't infected by mold spores), "This place is very cozy, Izuku-san!"

Yeah. Cozy. Right. Because it felt like the walls were constantly closing in with how small it was.

She didn't have to pretend to be excited. Or maybe she did - because maybe if she couldn't convince herself that spending time here, with him, was a good idea, then she'd just turn around and leave.

It wasn't the worst idea in the world. Izuku probably wasn't a very good roommate.

"Um, h-help yourself t-to whatever's in the kitchen," he started, already preparing to lie through his teeth, "I, uh, I'm a l-little low on supplies right now, b-because I didn't know I'd have anyone s-s-staying over, so I'll probably have to go shopping tomorrow to get more s-stuff."

Yeah, no. He was 'a little low on supplies' because he never bought anything more than the bare minimum for himself - he could sustain himself just fine on stale bread and the deli meat that was reduced price for quick sale. He didn't need more than that.

But he'd feel more than a little bad if he forced someone else - let alone someone who at least had the courtesy to be polite to him like Asia - to eat the same way he did. He knew it wasn't the healthiest to basically let himself starve, so it looked like his grocery bill was going to be a lot higher than usual.

Just great. He'd already stolen his mom's life away by being such a horrible child; maybe he could bankrupt her while he was at it.

"T-That's okay!" Asia said quickly, bowing her head slightly, "U-Um, I already ate dinner today, so I don't need anything else until tomorrow!"

She spared a glance to the couch. "Is, um, that where I'll be staying?" She asked curiously, no hint of unhappiness or displeasure in her tone.

Izuku hid a grimace. "No," he replied, "Um, let me show you the rest of the apartment."

He gestured for her to follow him as he walked towards the small hallway that extended out of the living area. "That's the bathroom," Izuku explained, quickly pointing to the door to his left before opening the one on the opposite side of the hall, "And this is– was my room."

If it weren't for the fact that he hadn't made his bed this morning (four o'clock was a really early wake-up call), you couldn't even tell that someone lived here. His dresser was shut, his desk was orderly, the chair was pushed in, and even the bookshelf was completely barren save a small handful of textbooks he needed for school.

Asia blinked in confusion. "Was?"

"Y-You can take the bedroom." Izuku sighed lamely. "I m-mean, you're the guest, so…"

She shook her head in shock. "I-I can't do that to you!" Asia cried, "It's your bed! And your apartment! I'm j-just the guest!"

"Y-Yeah," he stammered, "S-So I should be a good h-host and let you have the bed. I-It's fine… I m-mean, you're above me in rank in the p-peerage too, you're a bishop and I'm just the p-pawn so you should probably be getting preferential treatment–"

"T-That doesn't matter!" Asia sputtered, "And it's not true! The peerage has nothing to do with this, we're friends now! And I couldn't possibly make my first f-friend more uncomfortable than he has to be! Or at all!"

"I'm p-perfectly comfortable with the couch!" He lied again - that couch sucked, but that was part of the reason he was so insistent on Asia taking the bed. "And w-wouldn't you rather have the room to place all your things in? There isn't a lot of space outside here!"

"I'm perfectly fine with leaving my things boxed up! I wouldn't want to clutter up your apartment, after all! I'm sure you have things a certain way that you like, and I couldn't possibly change that!"

Izuku felt like they were going in circles. "Please," he insisted, "Just take the bedroom. Please."

He must have looked really sad, because Asia finally faltered. "I– I would be perfectly fine with the couch, Izuku-san."

"A-Asia…"

She stared at him with a look on her face that screamed indecision. "A-Are you sure? I don't want to take advantage of your generosity–"

"I'm s-sure." Maybe he would have sounded more convincing if he wasn't stuttering like an idiot.

The frown on Asia's face slowly morphed into a small smile as she bowed her head to him once more. "Then thank you, Izuku-san," she whispered, "Your kindness knows no bounds."

He put his hands up in surrender, quickly moving to dissuade her from that line of thinking. "I-It's really n-n-nothing–"

"In return I promise I will be the greatest maid that you could ever ask for!" She declared suddenly, a fire in her eyes as she looked at his shell-shocked face, "I'll cook, I'll clean, I'll do laundry, I'll do whatever is required of me to pay back the impossible debt I owe you!"

His face erupted in scarlet. "You don't have to p-pay me back!" Izuku pleaded, "O-Or be my m-m-maid!"

She shook her head sternly, puffing her cheeks out as she pouted. "No. I insist!"

This started another argument that Izuku wasn't really sure was an argument but still had to argue because Asia really didn't owe him anything and she didn't have to do so much work for someone she barely knew and who was technically beneath her and oh my God why was she bringing up wearing an outfit–

Izuku lost that argument.

–

"So I'm sure you have a few questions, Izuku."

He fidgeted slightly as Gremory stared down at his tired, stretched out form in the grass. "Um…"

Izuku gulped. Was this a trick question? "N-No?"

Gremory raised an eyebrow at him. "So you're saying you don't want to know why I only had you do half the workout you did yesterday?"

"U-Uh… I n-noticed…" He felt like he was walking through a minefield right now, and had already set one off beneath his feet. "Is it b-because you want me to train my S-Sacred Gear?"

"Right in one, Izuku!" She smiled down at him. "You should be able to summon it a lot easier now that you've done it before. Just focus on calling Zenith Tempest out again, and it should appear."

He nodded hesitantly as he stood up, really afraid of what would happen if he fucked things up. This Sacred Gear was probably the only reason Gremory revived him, and if he wasn't good enough with it she might just decide he was expendable…

Somehow, that wasn't the worst idea in the world to him. At least if he was dead he couldn't be a slave anymore.

Izuku tried to ignore the part of his brain saying that to him.

He shut his eyes, trying to focus on Gremory's orders. Sure enough, he could… feel, for lack of a better word, the Sacred Gear - Zenith Tempest - inside of him. He pulled, and the next thing he knew the necklace was materializing around his neck. The large black gemstone felt heavy as it rested against his chest, though for some strange reason the jewel felt comforting to him - almost like it was meant to be there.

Gremory clapped her hands together excitedly. "Good job!" She praised, "This next part is where it gets fun. Like I said yesterday, Zenith Tempest is one of the thirteen Longinus-level Sacred Gears - Sacred Gears so powerful that they are said to have enough power to kill gods. Zenith Tempest stands above even those Gears, however, unmatched by all except the True Longinus itself, the spear that killed Christ. Only one of each exists in the world at a time, and are each extraordinarily unique - and God chose you to bear one of his most powerful gifts."

"O-Oh." Izuku suddenly felt a very real and very immense pressure. The power to kill gods? Did that mean Gremory was going to make him do that?!

She took a long look at the necklace - no, the Sacred Gear - that hung off his body. "I don't know exactly how Zenith Tempest works," the red-haired girl explained, "But I do know that its powers come from the ability to manipulate and control the weather, like I told you yesterday. It also grants the user a high degree of elemental manipulation. This, of course, is no small power - considering your potential, it's likely that you could hold the power to completely destroy the world one day, Izuku."

Again, not really helping. Did she want him to do that? Izuku definitely didn't want to do that, but if that was something she ordered him to do would he even have a say in the matter?

"But that's probably a long way off, best to start with something small, right?" Gremory asked, "I'm not expecting you to suddenly be able to make it snow in May. These things take time - just ask Yuuto! Just try it out!"

Izuku looked at Gremory worriedly, no small amount of fear in his eyes. "I d-don't even know what I'm d-doing, though!" He protested, "O-Or how to use this thing! I c-can barely even summon it!"

He immediately winced as he realized that he had just talked back to Gremory. Oh man, she was probably mad. Was she going to hit him? It had happened to him for less before - many times, in fact. He shrunk in on himself, already fearing the absolute worst possible outcome–

Her hands gently gripped his shoulders, and he reflexively flinched back at the contact.

That didn't seem to deter her - she just moved backwards with him. "Hey, it's alright," Gremory said soothingly, "Look at me please, Izuku."

She titled his head up for him when he failed to do so on his own. Her blue eyes shined brightly as she smiled down at him (wow, she was tall), her smile warm and inviting. "It's okay if it takes a while to get the hang of your Sacred Gear." Gremory squeezed his shoulders. "I get it. You're new to all of this. But that's fine. Just relax, take it slow, and try your best for me, okay?"

Her eyes stayed firmly trained on his as she spoke, and for most of her speech Izuku started to feel his heart flutter - hey, even if he was kind of afraid of her and her literal slave he couldn't deny how pretty she was - but then she reminded him of why he was even doing any of this.

For me, okay?

Because everything Izuku would do from here to the rest of his life would be for her, whether he liked it or not. He was nothing more than a pawn to her, both literally and figuratively, and he would do well to remember that anything she did for him was essentially still just for her benefit. She probably just wanted him to be a willing slave.

He pulled away first. He didn't really want to be touched by anyone, let alone his master.

"Okay," he mumbled dejectedly, "S-Sorry."

For some reason, Gremory frowned at him. "You don't have to apologize, Izuku."

"Sorry– I m-mean, sorry. S-Sorry."

He was really stupid. Did he mention that? She stepped back to give him some more space, as though she was afraid he was going to blow up.

Izuku sighed. He'd humiliated himself enough for one day, and it wasn't even five a.m. yet - and it looked like the show wasn't even over yet. He still had to fail to use this stupid Sacred Gear that he wasn't even the first to have and only showed up in his life after he died and became a slave for eternity when all he'd ever wanted was to be a Hero and save others but was forced to believe he was powerless and now he can't even say that the power belongs to him because he's a loser and a devil and a SLAVE–

"Izuku," Gremory breathed out, "Look!"

He was barely paying attention to the outside world at this point, too focused on berating himself and his stupid Gear that probably hated him as much as the rest of the universe, but he froze as he felt his clothes suddenly start to ruffle.

What the fuck. What the fuck.

His fluffy hair rippled and flew around atop his head as though he were standing in the center of a wind turbine. His clothes were lifted up slightly by the heavy winds he was suddenly in the center of, with fallen leaves and stray pebbles being taken up and spun around him in a frenzy as well. The gem on his necklace glowed a bright white, and he could feel the energy pulsing through it as the air whipped around him.

What the fuck.

His heart stopped as he felt the winds beat around in tandem with the heavy pounding of his chest. This was… this was him doing it, wasn't it? The winds only picked up at that realization, going from a heavy gust to what felt like a miniature hurricane that nearly knocked him off his feet - and the moment he thought that he was about to lose control the winds suddenly dissipated.

"You did it!" Gremory cheered.

Izuku frowned slightly. He didn't really do anything - he just got upset and all of a sudden it got really windy. He tried making it happen again, this time by himself and not through a subconscious act, and all of a sudden he was face first in the dirt after getting swept off his breeze by an even harsher gale than the first.

He spat out the grass in his mouth as he stood up slowly, not really sure what to think. "That didn't really s-seem like 'destroying the world' power…" he mumbled, "All I did was get myself dirty."

Gremory shrugged. "Obviously you aren't going to be doing that right away, Izuku! You have to train!" She teased, "What, did you think you'd suddenly be sinking islands and blowing up mountains?"

He looked down, eyes hard. Not really, but he at least thought he'd be strong - until he remembered that it didn't matter what he was, because the only thing of importance was the fact that he belonged to Gremory.

Suddenly training with his Sacred Gear didn't seem so fun… Not that he ever really thought it would have been.

"Hey, why the long face?" Gremory called out curiously, "C'mon, don't be discouraged by your results so far! If this is about it only being so powerful now then don't worry! Like I said, it takes time! I'm sure you'll master it in no time at all! Think of how strong you'll be if you work hard and keep at it - heck, I bet you'll be causing hurricanes with the flick of a finger in no time!"

Yeah, that wasn't gonna work on him. Pretending like she cared about him and not just his (because as nice as it would have been to pretend otherwise, he could tell - no, feel - the Sacred Gear was a part of him) power was a waste of both of their times. He might have been stupid, but he wasn't a complete idiot. He didn't care about being strong, and all her words served to do was remind him of the man who had finally crushed the last dying embers of his dreams - the man who could cause hurricanes with a punch.

Izuku stared at her silently. She really wanted this, huh? Gremory looked sort of worried, like she was afraid he was going to run away or something, and he sighed.

"Okay." His shoulders slumped lamely as his will to do, well, anything crumbled. There was no point in fighting with the person who could put a chain around his neck and parade him around town if she pleased. "What next?"

He didn't notice the way her features became even more saddened at his submission - not that it would have mattered.

–

The peerage was uncharacteristically silent as the six of them slowly crept through the darkness. Just the sound of grass crunching beneath their shoes was enough to make Izuku incredibly tense (and Asia too, if the way she was carefully inching along behind him meant anything), but each and every one of them was already wary.

They were out hunting.

"This one was originally a devil's servant," Kiba explained quietly, both for Asia's understanding and to inform Gremory as he read off the report on his phone. Akeno had received a call earlier in the middle of the peerage's meeting, and the next thing he knew they were transported to what seemed like the middle of nowhere. "Once in a while, there are those who betray their masters, or even kill them, then choose to live however they please. They are called stray devils."

Asia gasped quietly. "That's horrible," she whispered.

Gremory nodded as she motioned for all of them to stop, staring intensely at the building ahead of them. "We've gotten reports that this stray has been luring people into the abandoned house up ahead," she murmured, "And then eating them."

"E-Eating?!" The blonde cried quietly, quickly covering her mouth before she let out too much noise.

Izuku was similarly shocked - and also more than a little disgusted because he did not need that image in his head. He felt nauseous already.

Gremory nodded again, eyes hard. "Yes. And our job tonight is to put it down."

Kiba shook his head slowly, as if he were disappointed with this particular devil. "Not having a master," he continued to elaborate, "And using their devil powers without restraint always brings about such an ugly outcome. They are beyond help - nothing but death will suffice."

Asia shuddered. Whether it be in fear, shock, or disgust, he had no clue. She inched even closer to Izuku and placed her hand on his own and he immediately froze like a deer in headlights.

"S-Sorry, Izuku-san," she whispered quickly, pulling her hand back after realizing he'd nearly gone catatonic, "I just g-got scared, and you make me feel safe."

It took him a moment to reboot.

"I-I-It's fine," he mumbled, face as red as Gremory's hair as he remembered the last time they were together in a scenario like this, "I-It's f-f-fine."

His words were half for Asia and half for himself - Izuku was freaking out on the inside. Why were she and Gremory so touchy? Why did he make her feel safe of all things? He was the weakest one here.

Seemingly taking his words as permission to continue, Asia grabbed his hand and held it softly in her own (something that nearly killed him) as they walked into the ruined building.

"Izuku, Asia," Gremory called, "Do you remember my lecture on Evil Pieces, and how each of us constitutes a different piece on the chess board?"

At both of their nods, she continued. "Allow me to elaborate. I, the master, am the king; and I have my empress, Akeno, the queen. My cavalier, the knight. My tank, the rook. My clergyman, the bishop."

"And my foot soldier, the pawn."

Gee. What a helpful reminder. Maybe Gremory was suggesting that he should go walk out first and let the stray eat him. It'd serve as a useful distraction for the others to deal with it, he was sure.

"Evil Pieces allow us devils of high status to grant the characteristics of these pieces to our servants," she explained, "You'll see an example of this tonight. Watch closely, but don't get involved yourselves - I don't want either of you fighting the stray without any experience."

Asia nodded, even as her grip on Izuku's hand got tighter - she was clearly afraid. "R-Right."

Toujou froze. "It's here."

"I smell something unpleasant." An echoing voice that was distinctly female called from the darkness. "But I smell something delicious, as well. I wonder if it's sweet. I wonder if it's bitter."

A figure emerged from the top of the dilapidated staircase, and the Izuku blanched before looking away in horror.

It was the scariest thing Izuku could have expected.

A woman. A naked woman at that, with literally nothing covering up her curvy figure. As embarrassing as it was to admit, he was probably never going to be able to get that image out of his head.

"Stray devil Viser, you unfaithful wretch," Gremory said slowly, meeting the woman's leering stare evenly (not that Izuku was looking, obviously), "Running away from your master and running wild to fulfill your lusts, your sins are worthy of a thousand deaths. In the name of the Marquis of Gremory, I am going to blow you away!"

She finished her speech by pointing dramatically at the stray, but all Izuku could think of was how she said running away was a sin worthy of a thousand deaths. She really would torture him if he tried to escape, huh?

"Insolent little girl." Even as she stood in full view of himself and the others, her voice still echoed through the room like they were in a canyon. "Would you like me to stain your body with fresh blood, to match your crimson hair?"

Her voice got louder and louder as she spoke, and Izuku made the mistake of looking back just in time to see the woman start to fondle her naked breasts.

This was so weird.

Gremory clicked her tongue. "The smaller the fry, the wiser their cracks."

"T-This is a stray devil?" Izuku asked, almost in disbelief. "I m-mean–"

The woman laughed as she finally stepped out of the shadows…

One giant foot at a time.

"Like we said earlier," Kiba said calmly, "Their body and soul turn real ugly."

Izuku nearly puked. This was the worst thing he'd ever seen.

The woman (if you could even call it that) continued to laugh as she touched herself, but she was hardly the centerpiece of the abomination that was her body. Below her waist, what Izuku could only describe as a second, massive distortion of another human body grew out of her. Hair sprouted from below where her legs cut off, with a blue… ellipse sitting in the center of it like a giant stylized shield. Massive claws that dwarfed the size of her own body erupted out of the sides of her lower, larger body, and it looked like she had a giant ribcage in between them as well. There was even a snake head coming around from behind her body to look at them.

Whatever it was, it was the sickest thing ever - and Izuku immediately knew that no matter what happened to him or how badly Gremory or any of the others treated him, he was never going to run away.

Not if this was what he turned into.

He nearly cried from the thought alone.

Asia's grip on his hand turned deadly, knuckles pale as she gripped onto him for dear life.

The woman's laughs got louder, and as much as Izuku would have liked to turn away for his sake he was not risking looking away and getting eaten by this thing.

Then the strangest thing happened.

Red circles appeared around her nipples (ew), the same sort that Gremory had used to teleport them here, and before he could blink her nipples hardened and elongated (EW) as a golden light began to coalesce around them. The magic circles spun faster and faster until all of a sudden–

"Hit the deck!" Kiba barked, and not a moment too soon.

In what he could only describe as the most grotesque action he'd ever seen, the stray aimed her breasts at them and fired a volley of lasers out from them. They came in fast, too fast for Izuku get out of the way of, let alone Asia, and even though Gremory was already lunging to grab them he was worried that she wasn't going to make it in time so he'd better move quick to place himself in front of Asia because if one of them was getting hurt it was going to be him–

Something inside of him moved as his will hardened. Right before the lasers would have hit him, a massive brown-and-grey spike of earth shot out of the ground in front of them, and not a moment too soon. He threw himself against it, bringing Asia down with him and holding her tightly against his body as the mass of rock and dirt shuddered.

But it didn't collapse.

"Are you alright?" Izuku asked slowly, not letting go of her until the sound of the lasers melting the ground in front of them faded away.

Asia's normally pale face has a decidedly pink hue as she looked up at him from her position against his chest. "Y-Y-Yes," she stammered out quietly, her voice barely higher than a whisper, "T-Thank you, Izuku-san."

"I-It was nothing," he replied, before realizing exactly what sort of position they were in - his hands moved faster than they ever had before in an effort to stop touching Asia. He practically flew to his feet in a desperate attempt to make some space between them. "I-I'm s-so s-s-sorry–"

"Don't let your guards down," Gremory said suddenly, "Yuuto!"

The blonde boy nodded, unsheathing his sword from his side as he leapt into action. "Right!"

Izuku gasped, his embarrassment momentarily forgotten . "H-He vanished?"

"He's moving too fast for you to see," Gremory replied, "Yuuto's role is the knight. His attribute is speed, and his ultimate weapon is the sword."

As she spoke Kiba suddenly reappeared, somehow dozens of feet in the air and in front of the stray - who had by now stood up to her full height, supported by two monstrous armored legs. He swung his sword in two precise movements, and in the blink of an eye her arms were severed from her body.

The stray screamed in agony. Its body thrashed violently in shock and pain as blood gushed out from its massive open wounds, spilling out and pooling slowly onto the floor beneath it.

Izuku's stomach groaned as the urge to vomit suddenly came storming back. He shoved his hand over his mouth, barely keeping the bile in his throat from rising.

While he was distracted, Asia (who had stood up by now and had wrapped herself around Izuku's other arm for protection) gasped. "K-Koneko-san!"

He made the mistake of following her gaze.

The stray devil roared as its maw tore open, teeth elongating and eyes rolling into the back of its head, with her fingers similarly stretching out into a more demonic form. What Izuku had earlier assumed to be nothing more than a bony rib cage split open into a giant mouth positively filled to the brim with sharp teeth…

And then that mouth then closed around Toujou.

Izuku screamed.

Asia wasn't very far behind him.

He looked at Gremory in horror, completely lost for words, and was absolutely terrified by the amused look on her face. Did she not care that her friend just got–

"It's alright," she replied calmly, not even bothering to look in their direction, "Look."

Izuku didn't want to look. He really didn't want to look.

But he still did.

The stray laughed for a moment, second mouth closed tightly around Toujou, only to gasp in horror as she punched her way back out of it.

Izuku was going to be sick. For certain.

"Koneko is my rook," Gremory continued, "Her attribute is simple - a ridiculous amount of strength and defense. That won't even put a dent in her."

Maybe not her, but her clothes were absolutely shredded by the rows of ravenous teeth that she was now holding back. Saliva dripped down her form as she turned to punch the mouth that had tried to swallow her, and every tooth inside instantly shattered–

Along with the stray's body as it was catapulted into a giant stone column. It broke beneath the force of impact, though the giant devil wasn't much better off as dust swept up from the long-deserted floor.

Gremory looked to her final fighter of the night. "Akeno."

Himejima looked strangely happy as she was called on. "Yes, president," she said cheerfully, giggling as she slowly walked towards the downed devil, "Ara ara, what am I to do about this?~"

Izuku did not like that tone at all. No chance. That ominous feeling he'd gotten from the first time he'd interacted with Himejima suddenly came storming back, suddenly setting him on all sorts of edges and giving him a strong urge to hide from the girl.

It was probably that edge that gave him the ability to see the giant hand suddenly flying towards Gremory before the rest of them knew what was going on.

Another giant spike of earth erupted through the rotten floorboards, this time right behind Gremory. She jumped in surprise, gasping softly as she looked behind her to see what almost looked like an attempt on her life from her servant–

Only to freeze as she saw the massive arm impaled on said spike, less than a foot away from her. It was still outstretched towards her, even as it was nearly split in half by the spire that had burst up beneath it.

She looked at him, shock and gratefulness evident across her face. "T-Thank you, Izuku."

He just nodded silently, trying to tell himself that the only reason he acted was because he didn't want to watch a second being die in front of him today.

But he knew the real reason.

It was because his body moved on its own. Because some stupid, worthless, insignificant part of him still wanted to act like he could have been some sort of Hero.

Nothing could have been further from the truth.

Gremory turned to Himejima. "Akeno," she said coolly, the fire in her eyes betraying her otherwise schooled expression, "Finish her off."

The girl had her back turned to the stray. "You're a naughty little thing for trying to lay a hand on the president," she swooned, still smiling creepily at the demented figure at her feet, "You must be punished."

"Punished?" Asia repeated softly, tilting her head to the side in confusion as she stared at Himejima.

Lighting flashed between her hands. "She is my queen," Gremory finished, "My unbeatable vice-president, who possesses all the attributes of the other pieces - in Asia's case, that is an advanced aptitude for magic."

"Ara ara, you still seem quite active," Himejima swooned, sparks flying around her, "Well then, how about this?"

She thrust her hands dramatically into the air before slamming them down towards the stray. Electricity flew out from her palms, completely coating the devil as it roared once more.

"Her specialty is–"

The familiar smell of burning flesh reached Izuku's nose.

He couldn't take it anymore.

Asia barely had time to blink before Izuku shoved her off of his arm and out of harm's way, throwing up onto the wooden floor beneath them seconds later. Anything and everything he had eaten in the last twelve hours (which admittedly wasn't much) was suddenly on the ground in front of him, and it took everything he had to not faceplant straight into the pile of his own vomit.

His knees buckled, and suddenly that choice was no longer in his control. He barely slammed his hands down on the musty planks in front of him before he would have went through probably the second-nastiest experience in his life (the first being the time he was attacked by that sludge villain, of course), but the sight and smell of his own bile just made him start dry-heaving. His eyes burned and his arms shook beneath his own frail body weight, and all of a sudden–

A pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, lifting him up and away from the scene of the crime with ease.

"I'm sorry, Izuku," Gremory whispered in his ear, rubbing small circles in his back as he choked back sobs, "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize– I should have noticed. I shouldn't have expected you to be unbothered by this. I'm sorry."

Izuku barely heard her. All he could think about was the smell of burning flesh as Himejima cooked another living being alive, about how it ate people, about how he had to watch as it nearly did the same to Toujou–

He didn't want to be here anymore.

He didn't want to be a devil.

He didn't want to be a slave.

He just wanted to wake up from this nightmare in his old apartment like this whole thing was nothing more than a bad dream that he could eventually forget about, but that was never going to happen.

There was no escape for Izuku.

And there never would be.

—

A/N: Izuku's not having a good time. But you all know that by now, right? At least he has a power now… that isn't even really his, even if Rias would tend to disagree.

Zenith Tempest isn't really expanded that much on in the LN, so I'm going to be taking some creative liberties with it as we go along (for example I'm pretty sure it doesn't even have a physical appearance outside of like an aura around the user in canon which is eh), but we'll see more of that when the serious fights roll around.

As usual, thanks to my beta reader Lugia who has to deal with the worst possible ideas I could ever come up with and patiently explain why they are not things I should add into the story.

Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you thought! See you next time!