Before they looked to the bridge as a means of heading higher up, they searched the area first to see if they could find any other way into the giant building further beyond. They found a door just below the room where Izuku fought with the twin-headed masked sorcerer, and surprise surprise, it was locked.

He had half a mind to just break it down, but then again, this was a magical academy. Who knows what might happen if he breaks something as sacred as a door leading deeper into the building. He tried that before in Stormveil Castle, and the following experience didn't go so well. And the funny thing is, when he came back to the same door after dying what could be called a slow and horrifying death, the damn thing was fixed and locked!

He sometimes questioned the sanity and inner-workings of this fantasy world, but Melina was quick to tell him to stop and just roll with it. When he came back with the key in hand, nothing bad happened, and the next time he came back again, the door was already wide open.

The less he questioned it, the better. That was relayed to Katsuki quite well and the ash blond didn't see the reason as to continue the train of thought if Izuku was already giving him warning bells in his head.

At least there was a way to open it by going to the top of the room and jumping off the balcony to the other side and opening it from behind. Of course, they had to knock out a sorcerer who was sleeping on the job after they had woken him up from the harsh landing their boots made. As for how he slept through the entirety of their fight earlier, he didn't know, but he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

With the door opened, Izuku marked it for further exploration since it led to the rooftops of some of the buildings, which wasn't the point of his climb right now. But there was another door at the top floor, and it was also locked. He looked around it and saw that it connected to the building further up and he let out a long and suffering sigh.

Why couldn't things just be simple?

Which led to now, with both Katsuki and Izuku looking at the vast expanse of the fog below, and a broken bridge that led to the main gate of the giant building further up.

"That's a long fuckin' drop." The ash blond remarked as he stared at the white abyss that blanketed his vision. "You sure this a good idea? I don't think you know how to fly."

"Eh, if I fall, you can continue waiting in that giant room until I'm back. Who knows, you might learn more about the magic you're trying to use." Izuku shrugged and stared at the two arches that connected the ground they were standing on to the broken bridge. Without further ado, he dropped down and landed with his legs almost slipping due to the surface. Fortunately, he managed to not fall by dropping to his knees and hugging the arch for dear life.

"Oi! Don't fuckin' fall! You hear me!" Katsuki yelled from above. "I don't want to be waiting for your sorry ass again!"

"Don't worry, I ain't falling to gravity this time." Izuku swore as he slowly stood himself up. Heights had made him quake his boots at one point in his life, but now? It was barely an inconvenience. Walking along the arc, he reached the bridge and stood on solid ground. A loud bang from behind caught his ears and he turned, seeing Katsuki flying through the air as he landed right beside him.

"You really need to find something that makes you fly." Katsuki commented with an eye roll. "There's magic and fucking magic in this world, and you still didn't find anything that makes you fly? What about a glider? Magical wings?"

"... Okay, you might have a point there." Izuku hummed as he mulled the thought in his head. Only for it to be cut short when the bridge shook. And then the sound came. Craning his neck to the main gate, his eyes widened when he saw a giant boulder rolling down towards them. "Ah shit!"

As one, the two immediately tried to find some safe areas, but there were none. However, his eyes saw that the entire boulder was a bit smaller than the width of the bridge, so they just had to time it as it bounced off the very durable parapet.

They took off, the rolling boulder slowly getting closer and closer. As they neared one another, they saw it. An opening. Jumping together, they barely managed to scrape by the skin of their teeth, the boulder harmlessly passing by as it rolled off the very end of the broken bridge and into the vast fog below.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Izuku exhaled out a gush of air, only for the bridge to shake again and see another boulder rolling towards them. Cursing in his head, he vowed to give whoever thought of this defense mechanic a firm handshake just because of how effective it would be against invaders, and a stab in the back because of how annoying it was.

()()()

Finally, after dodging what amounted to about six, maybe seven boulders, they arrived at the main entrance, its doors swung wide open for some reason. Heading inside, Katsuki collapsed next to the wall, breathing out curses whenever he could just at the sheer ridiculousness of their ascent.

As if zombies and sorcerers weren't enough, now there were giant rolling boulders that were reminiscent of an old, pre-quirk era film. His chest heaved up and down as he steadied his heart. Out of all the ways to go, that was probably the most unsettling, the most painful being death by fire.

Further into the corridor, he saw an opening into some kind of open courtyard, with one knight standing menacingly in front of another open doorway. Looking back at Katsuki, the ash blond just nodded as he stayed in his sitting position, clearly stating that he wanted nothing to do with that except watch.

"You sure? Thought you liked fighting?" All he got was the ash blond shaking his head.

"Nah, still need to practice my sorcery by doing some meditative shit." He grabbed his staff and laid it against the ground, the crystal on its end glowing a light blue. "Just go and wreck his shit."

"... Alright then." Izuku turned around then readied his gear. His flasks were still filled up, his armor didn't have the huge holes the red wolf's teeth caused – even if there were some dents here and there because it was a patchwork job – and his zweihander was still looking ready to maim and slaughter some more. Hefting his weapon against his shoulder, he strode out of the corridor and into the courtyard.

"You are unwelcome here, trespasser." The knight declared, his sword gripped firmly in his right and a shield strapped on his left. A staff hung on his back, the crystals on the end remaining unlit, but Izuku could sense the power residing within. "Your rampage through the academy has not gone unnoticed. However, since you have spared our sorcerers, I will grant you the chance to turn back. Or even remain for the duration of your stay." He glanced up at the towering structure behind him, then returned his glare to Izuku. "You will not meet with the Queen, Tarnished."

"Well, that saves me the trouble of introducing myself." Izuku readied his zweihander, its edge ready to spill blood. "That being said, can I really not just go up and ask for the Great Rune? After all, I'd rather not kill if possible."

"Your intentions, noble it may be, but I have sworn my oath." The knight readied his weapons. "You shall not pass, not while I draw breath."

"... Welp, I tried." Izuku sighed. Oh well, at least when he kills him, he would be back in maybe a few days to come back and guard his mistress. That is, if she was amenable to giving him the Great Rune.

The two stood motionless, the howling wind the only sound in the empty courtyard. And then, just like a snap of the fingers, they moved. Izuku's sword crashed against the knight's shield, metal ringing through the air. The knight grunted, bracing against the impact. He backed off when he saw the knight going for the stab, his blade piercing nothing but air.

Channeling draconic power, he lashed out with a dragon arm, but the knight's shield flared with blue light, deflecting the blow. The light hardened into three spectral swords that hovered above the knight, their tips aimed at Izuku like poised fangs.

His eyes widened as he dodged left – just in time. A sword speared through the space he'd occupied a moment ago. He parried the next sword, sending it spinning past him. It buried itself in the wall with a burst of glowing embers, leaving a blade-sized hole. The last blade struck home, piercing his shoulder. Pain flared as blood trickled down his armor, but he gritted his teeth, fending off the knight's blade while with a snarl.

Izuku kicked the knight back. The moment his feet touched the ground, he hurled a kukri toward him. The knight blocked it with his shield, but that bought him just enough time to rip his flask from his pouch and take a swig. Warmth surged through his wounds as they knitted back together. Putting it back in his pouch, Izuku channeled draconic power once more and a spectral dragon head formed overhead, unleashing a mighty roar that shook the courtyard. Its eyes gleamed underneath the moonlight and promised pain as fire began to build up from within its maw.

The knight was unphased, raising his shield against the tide of flames that washed over him as Izuku let the dragon out. It lasted for a solid five seconds before the dragon head vanished into thin air. He could smell the scent of burnt flesh as he looked at the knight. He heard him cough and a trail of red liquid coursed down his helmet.

Izuku got him.

And then the knight brought out a flask similar to his own and took a swig. Eyes widening, Izuku rushed to the knight with his zweihander held high, but barely sidestepped in time as a spectral blade the size of a troll's sword speared past him.. Looking at the knight, Izuku saw that he had discarded his shield and wielded his staff in his left, the gemstone at the tip glowing brightly as it dimmed, the spectral sword vanishing into motes of light as it did so.

The knight said nothing, silently taking up a stance that took his staff into account. Izuku's heart pumped, this was the first time he'd seen a knight use both a sword and sorcery at his disposal, and it excited him. Something new to see, something new to fight.

A grin overtook his face as Izuku rushed forward, his zweihander trailing from left to right as he tried to cleave through the knight's defenseless side, only for the knight to step back and ready his staff, the gemstone at the top glowing bright once more.

Instinct took over and Izuku ducked, the giant spectral sword piercing through where his head would've. His grin didn't vanish and he immediately stepped up to deliver a piercing blow, only for the knight to parry it to the side with his blade and deliver a kick to his head.

Izuku tilted his head up and the knight's boot barely scraped off the underside of his chin. Seizing the moment, Izuku grabbed the knight's leg with his left hand and pulled him down, forcing the knight to the ground, but he could see the staff's gemstone glowing.

Knowing that this would be the last clash, Izuku braced himself and let the sword pierce through him, pain flaring all across his body as he held in a grunt. But that was enough of an opening to grab onto the knight and hold him close, draconic power surging through his chest as another dragon head formed overhead.

Knowing that this would be his end, the knight whispered, but Izuku's enhanced ears could hear them clearly enough. "I have failed you, my Queen."

Flames poured out of its maw as the knight bathed in the fire. The death was as silent as it was agonizing, metal being burned into flesh as the wooden staff crumbled into ash. Five seconds later, all that was left of the knight was a charred corpse with metal mixed into flesh. A gory sight to behold, but one Izuku was already familiar with.

Leaving the corpse on the ground, Izuku stalked towards the discarded shield. He could feel the hum of power within the confines of its metal, even with its current state. Izuku smiled.

This would make a good addition to his armory… Right after Master Hewg fixes it for him.

()()()

Katsuki watched the final exchange from the side, and he had to wince as he saw the charred corpse of the knight. What a way to go…

He stood up and grabbed his staff, the gemstone tip dimming as he finished his meditative state. Walking towards the open courtyard, the ash blond called for the armored greenette.

"Oi! Izuku! Ya done?" He approached leisurely. Izuku nodded back as he took a swig from his flask, his wounds forcefully knitting itself back together. No matter how many times Katsuki had seen it, it still made him wince. Luckily for him, he hadn't experienced that kind of serious injury during the time he'd spent in the Lands Between, and hopefully, he wouldn't for the foreseeable future until he gets back to Japan.

He really didn't want to experience his wounds being knitted back together. Fuck, just imagining it made him a bit green, and that was coming from him who was used to being in pain because of constant training with his explosive quirk.

"Finally done with your meditation?" Izuku asked and Katsuki shrugged.

"Eh, done and done. I doubt you'd even know what it feels like, seeing as how your dragon ass is allergic to anything sorcery-based."

"Point. But anyway, I think I see the way to the top." Izuku pointed to the open doorway that led to an elevator room. "But first, I think we need to unlock the door back there so that we don't have to cross that stupid bridge again."

At those words, Katsuki nodded his head. He sure as hell didn't want to walk through that again. He'd had enough dodging giant boulders to last an entire lifetime.

()

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A/N: Welp, top 128 for MRC. Oh well, it was a good run. Time to get back to writing.

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