Hosu Attacked:

Multiple Heroes Dead!

League of Villains Allied with Stain?

Ingenium In Critical Condition According to Agency Statement!

Izuku stared at his phone screen, his still awakening mind not comprehending the words his bleary eyes were seeing. It took a moment for the words to register, but when they did, Izuku's eyes widened, all traces of sleep gone. Rushing online, the greenette desperately searched for more information. It was easy to find: videos, news articles, pictures, all showcasing the chaos that had occurred just the day before. One news site even had a blurry photo of three figures helpfully identified as Tomura Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and the Hero Killer: Stain atop a Hosu water tower right before chaos broke out. Sitting, staring at the photo on his phone contemplatively, Izuku was forcibly shaken from his thoughts when he was pounced on from behind.

"Izu-kun," Himiko purred as she rubbed her head against his cheek.

"Himiko," Izuku smiled.

"Is everything okay?" The blonde asked, pulling back. By now, even without him saying anything, Himiko knew when something was wrong.

"Tomura's acted." Izuku answered simply, holding up his phone to show her the image on screen. "He attacked Hosu last night through some Nomu, and if news reports are to be believed, he's either recruited or allied himself with the Hero Killer."

The blonde took the information in with a blink, "So… what are we going to do?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" Izuku muttered as his thoughts turned to their discussion with Candi the night before and the information they'd gotten from it. "We came here to find the Villain Factory, only to find out the organization's been defunct for years. Candi claimed her supplier, the plasma villain behind the Naruhata Blackout, is dead. She didn't know his name, or anyone else that was part of the Factory, meaning all that all we have left is Candi herself, a dealer whose only job was to inject Trigger into people and decide whether or not they were worth transforming into Next-Level villains. Where is she anyway?" Izuku asked, looking around the warehouse.

"Still sleeping." Himiko answered, gesturing towards the corner she'd taken for herself, squirreled away behind some boxes. Izuku had claimed the break room, sleeping on a pull out couch he'd found inside. "I wanted to have a sleepover, so I made her stay with me while you went off to brood."

"I don't brood," Izuku frowned.

"Well you did," Himiko responded with a shake of her head. "Once you found out the Villain Factory was long gone and this plasma guy along with it, you went to 'plan'," the villainess made quotation marks as she said the word. "So then, what is the plan? What are we going to do now?"

"I… don't know," Izuku admitted, lowering his head, his voice low and vulnerable. "I-I just wanted to find a way to get Chisaki out of my head." The greenette held up his hands, examining them, "For so long I've wanted a Quirk. When I finally got one, it was everything I could dream of." His voice was wistful, awed, but it quickly turned dour as he continued, "Then the Sports Festival happened and I lost control. I told you it was like I was in a dream, watching events play out but unable to control them. I never want to experience that again." Izuku's body was wracked with shudders and Himiko lay a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"To know Chisaki was there, inside me the whole time, it felt like- words can't even describe. I feel tainted, unclean, impure. I want him gone, but I refuse to give up Overhaul and Sensei said he's not going to help me. I hoped the Villain Factory would give me answers but they're a dead end. Meanwhile, Tomura's out there wreaking havoc. Now that he's got the Hero Killer on his side, others are going to take him seriously. He's no longer a brat on stage throwing a tantrum in front of the world, he's a threat and if he can leverage that fact, others are going to follow him. Things are getting out of control and there's nothing I can do about it."

Silence fell between the two as Izuku recovered from his rant. "Okay," Himiko said finally, "What can you control?"

"Huh?" He frowned.

"You heard me. If things are getting out of hand, what do you control? What resources do you have and what can you accomplish with them? You have me, what else?"

"I have the Nomu," Izuku's furrowed brows rose as his eyes widened. "The Nomu. That's it! Himiko, you're a genius."

"I know," the blonde smiled, "but what about the Nomu?"

"Remember what I said when I told you we were coming here?"

"Not really, no."

"Sensei's been a fixture of the Underworld for decades, no part of it has escaped his touch. The Villain Factory was experimenting with drugs, turning individuals into Next-Level villains, strengthening their Quirks and bodies. Why?"

"...To make them stronger?" Himiko guessed after a moment of thought.

"But for what purpose?" Izuku gestured towards the side of the warehouse where the three Nomu he'd been given were standing unmovingly, drones waiting for their orders. "They were called the Villain Factory, but the Villain Factory didn't strengthen villains, they targeted normal everyday people. What benefit did they get from making someone like that stronger?"

"They'd rampage, right?" Himiko's eyebrows furrowed as she contemplated Izuku's question. "When Candi-Kuin, or whatever her name is, injected them? Did they want people to be labeled as villains?"

"But that's just the thing: they weren't," Izuku explained excitedly. "Well, they might have been initially when they were rampaging but once they were arrested the police cleared the majority of them quickly and they were let go. No, I think the Villain Factory was nothing more than a front for Sensei. A way to gather information on the way drugs and body modifications affect people. The Next-Level villains, they were the prototype Nomu!"

"Oh. Ohhhh!" Himiko's eyes widened as the realization hit her, "Then this entire time we've been investigating nothing more-"

"Than one of Sensei's criminal fronts." Izuku groaned as he leaned back, hands clutching disheveled hair. "This whole venture was pointless from the beginning. Sensei would have covered his tracks to make sure there was nothing here that could connect back to him. Naruhata doesn't have the information we're looking for, we'll need to try somewhere else."

"...But-" Himiko led, knowing Izuku had more to say.

"But I have to do something," Izuku frowned, looking down at the various news titles still displayed on his phone. "This trip, I have to make it worthwhile. Tomura knows about me, he wants to be Sensei's successor. After this attack, if Stain is really on his side, Tomur'sforces will soon outnumber us. You, me, Momo, it's not enough."

"Numbers don't always win the day."

"No, but they help. Tomura's a beacon, people are going to flock to him, so we need to grow too." For a moment Izuku was silent, contemplative before he looked up, emerald eyes meeting Himiko's own golden orbs. "Himiko, please go fetch Candi. I want to talk to her."

Lying in her makeshift bed, lost in her thoughts, Candi couldn't help but replay the previous evening's… discussion? Interrogation? Talk? Over in her head. She could faintly make out the voices of Izuku and Toga talking on the other end of the warehouse, but there was no impulse to eavesdrop with one of her drones. In fact, even the thought sent a cold shiver up her spine. Last night when Izuku had saved her from Knuckleduster, she'd been instinctively fearful of the boy. There hadn't been any particular reason for her to be, and she'd chalked it up to the brief, but extreme pain she'd felt under his Quirk. Now though, she knew she had reason to be afraid.

"You're a parasite!" Toga's shouted accusation sent Candi to her feet, eye blazing.

"I am not a parasite! I'm an insect with a Quirk! I live in symbiosis with my host body, see their memories, experience their life. My identity, my personality, it's a combination of the both of us."

"You just called your body, 'your host'! You eat their eye and take its place. What would you call that?"

"It's necessary for us to bond!"

"Parasite!"

"Don't call me that!"

"Toga! Enough!" The command came from the formerly silent Izuku. The boy hadn't said a word as Candi answered Toga's questions. From the people she'd associated with in the Villain Factory - the only one she knew was her supplier, the scarred man, or Rokuro Nomura as her former host Kazuho had known him - to what her responsibilities with them had been. This had led into what her Quirk actually was and the back-and-forth between her and Toga.

Candi gulped under Izuku's cold jade gaze, "You said you are a separate being. That you inhibit bodies, but can leave them whenever you desire?"

"Yes."

Izuku's eyes furrowed, "Show me." He commanded.

"Huh?" It wasn't just Candi who questioned the order, Toga did too.

"Do it. Try to leave your body."

Candi opened her mouth to argue, but the pressure of Izuku's gaze forced it close. "Okay," she agreed meekly. Closing her eye, Candi mentally focused on her empty socket. Normally, she'd be able to feel herself nestled within and, like flipping a switch, inhabit her insectoid body. Now however, Candi found herself unable to do so. The switch wasn't there, and as she mentally searched, her panic began to grow. She couldn't feel her insectoid body either, no matter how hard she focused, she was unable to find either of them. Her breaths became more rapid as panic rose within her. "I can't," she admitted fearfully, turning to look at Izuku.

"I figured as much."

"What?!"

"When I healed you, I didn't know you were two separate entities coexisting in the same body. I tore your body apart and rebuilt it as a singular entity. Host, bee, there's no longer a difference between either of you. Congratulations, Candi. It seems you now have yourself a permanent body."

For a moment, Candi knelt there listlessly before she clambered to her feet. "Undo it! Change me back!"

"I can't."

"You have to."

"I can't." Izuku repeated firmly. "If you remember, after I healed you, I used my Quirk to give you some decent clothes so you wouldn't get arrested for public indecency. My Quirk only saves the most recent thing it's affected. Even if I tried to undo my work, I'd more likely kill both of you as I tried to separate you."

"Why you-" Fueled by anger, eye locked onto Izuku, Candi's drones responded to their Queen's feelings. The sound of buzzing began to fill the room and a single bee emerged from under Candi's hair, but before it could even take flight, Candi felt something dig into her throat.

"I think that's far enough, don't you?" Toga asked condescendingly, the knife in her hand pressing into Candi's neck. Candi's lips drew back as she sneered, but the blade only dug in farther, "Please," Toga begged, flashing her fangs as she smiled, "Try it. Give me a reason." For a moment, the two women faced off before Candi relaxed her posture. The drone on her face stopped fluttering its wings and disappeared back under her hair. "Good," the pressure of the knife fell away as Toga withdrew it, "Now since that's over with, let's have a sleepover."

"Huh?"

And that was what they did: sleeping on futons in a corner of the warehouse. Candi had considered attempting to escape or trying to ambush the two teens while they slept, but her fears had restrained her. Fear that, regardless of what Izuku claimed, she'd never be restored to her proper state without him. He was the one who'd done this to her; he could undo it too, eventually. Probably.

Candi shook her head; no, he would find a way to fix this. He had to. She just needed to stay close to him until he did. Her expression turned dour, which unfortunately meant having to deal with his blonde bodyguard. As if summoned by her thoughts Toga's head appeared above her, peeking over the boxes surrounding their bedspace. "Hey! Oh, you're awake. Izuku wants to talk to you."

Evening

It was amazing how adaptable people were. Going about their lives and business as if chaos didn't shake their streets on a daily basis. Izuku knew he was being a hypocrite, how much time had he spent wandering the streets of Musutafu searching for villain and hero fights to watch? There was a reason Japan had thousands of heroes: it was necessary to combat the sheer quantity of criminal and villainous incidents that occurred each year though with a population approaching 175 million such numbers might be expected. Heroism and villainy were a part of everyday life, which went a ways towards explaining how life in Naruhata was carrying on like normal while Hosu, another Tokyo Ward, was all but closed as heroes and emergency services worked to fix the damage done by Tomura's attack.

"So are we going to get this show on the road or what?" Candi's voice interrupted Izuku's thoughts and the greenette cast the bee-woman an annoyed glance, one she matched with a raised eyebrow.

Izuku sighed, "Fine, just remember our deal."

"Don't worry," Candi smirked, her easygoing tone a sharp contrast to the fury blazing within her eye, "You help me get my revenge on Knuckleduster, I'll join your little posse."

"I'll hold you to that. I assume he's on his way?"

"Following some of my bees right now. He seems pretty confident that they don't know he's there."

"He probably thinks you're still injured and somehow managed to slink away."

"Well, jokes on him then." A bee landed atop her head and quickly disappeared under her hair. "He just turned onto the road. He's hobbling pretty fast for someone of his age." Izuku didn't respond, stepping back his black clothes helped him blend into the shadows. Candi didn't join him, standing tall and proud in the middle of the alley she was soon joined by the man of the hour.

A few bees flew around the corner, followed closely by Knuckleduster, who paused as he took in his target standing before him, clearly waiting for him to arrive. Stopping where he stood, the vigilante leaned on his crutch as he looked around the alley, his eyes passing over Izuku, seemingly missing him in the darkness. "You're looking rather well." The man grunted finally.

"I think so too," Candi agreed, examining a hand, "Much better than the burnt husk you left me as last night, don't you think?"

"I prefer you charred." Knuckleduster's eyes narrowed, "But please, by all means, tell me how you aren't a smoking corpse. At the very least, I expected to find you in a new body."

"Oh," Candi smiled sadistically, "I just made myself some new friends. Turns out they don't like it when young innocent girls like me are picked on by creepy old men in masks."

"And where are these 'friends' of yours right now?" Knuckleduster asked.

Candi opened her mouth as Izuku whispered his orders to the figure concealed in the shadows with him. "Kill the man in the mask."

"Around." As a roar erupted from the darkness behind her, Candi's wings blurred before the woman took flight, flying upwards and out of the way of the hulking figure charging out of the shadows towards the vigilante. Knuckleduster had only a moment to widen his eyes before the Upper-Tier Nomu slammed into him.

Carrying the man aloft, the Nomu charged down the alley and into the brick wall at the end. A pained shout filled the air, though it was soon drowned out by a pained screech. Electricity crackled across the Nomu's body courtesy of Knuckleduster's taser cane. Forced to release the man Knuckleduster wasted no time pulling out his Flamesprayer, unleashing a burst of fire on the creature as he retreated, disappearing around the corner. The spray of fire briefly halted the creature, but even as flames continued to burn across its body, the Nomu didn't hesitate to pursue.

As Nomu vanished from sight, Izuku emerged from the shadows, while Candi descended from the air to join him. "So, all we do now is wait?" The villainess asked.

"Yes," Izuku confirmed. "The Nomu doesn't tire, and it heals quickly. It'll pursue Knuckleduster until it kills him. That was the order I gave it."

Candi visibly gulped, though she tried to conceal it. "I have some of my bees following them. They'll keep me updated if anything happens. Though there is one thing-"

"Hm?"

"How do you plan on handling the police and the heroes that are bound to show up?"

"That's what the other Nomu are for." Izuku smiled, "And speaking of, we should probably get back to Toga. She was kind enough to keep an eye on the Nomu, but she bores easily. I wouldn't want her to take her boredom out on them to amuse herself."

"So it turns out that the kid had stolen his brother's ID to try and get a drink. Only problem was, his brother had tattled to their Mom-"

"Boo!"

"Sellout!"

"Oh, come on. You have siblings, you'd do the same thing."

"No, I'd kick their butt if they stole something from me and they know it."

"Brother of the year right here, ladies and gentlemen."

"Says the bartender probably polishing his shot glasses while a woman murdered her kid in front of him."

"I was serving drinks, thank you very much."

"Uh huh," *cough* "coward" *cough* "Sorry, something in my throat there."

"Shut up." Good natured chuckles filled Tamao's dorm room as she and her friends lounged about. Tamao's roommate was out, either with friends or her latest fling of the week, and Tamao's friends had come rushing over the moment she texted them that she was out. As the TV droned on about the economic ramifications from the attack on Hosu, Soga cast a glance at Tamao, replaying her father's late night phone call over in his mind.

"Soga, I don't have much time. I need you to watch Tamao for me."

"Huh? What's going on?"

"We were right. Kuin's back. She ambushed me tonight."

"Are you okay?"

"Bruised and battered, but nothing major. She's much worse off, heavily injured but the issue is she managed to slip away."

"You think she's going to go after Tamao?"

"Maybe? Probably not but I can't rule it out. At the very least, she's definitely going to be in the market for a new body, and with her targeting me, I wouldn't put it past her to try and take over Tamao again just to hurt me."

"I'll head over right now."

"Thanks, don't let her know you're there. She doesn't know Kuin's back and hopefully she never will. Like I said, Kuin's badly injured. If I can just manage to find her then all this will be over."

That had been the last Soga'd heard from the man. He'd spent the night watching Tamao's apartment alert for bees of any kind, then hung out with her once day broke. The few text messages he'd shot Knuckleduster had gone unanswered, but Soga knew how the vigilante could get when he was focused on a task.

The blaring theme of a news station special report caught the room's attention and they turned to the screen just as the news anchor faded into frame. "Good evening," He began without preamble. "We interrupt your regular program with breaking news. We have unconfirmed reports of a Nomu attack in Naruhata. Police and heroes are on scene as is our reporter in the field."

The scene changed from the newsroom desk to a city street, one all four young adults recognized as being just off campus. The reporter on screen was speaking but her voice was hard to make out over the wailing of sirens, animalistic screeches, and a pained scream. The camera shifted from the reporter to the chaos in question, and Tamao gasped before she took off sprinting, shoving the door open as she rushed out. Soga swore as he scrambled after her, Rapt and Moyuru close behind. On screen, the Nomu roared victoriously, a struggling Knuckleduster clenched tightly in its fist.

Observing the chaos below, Candi and Himiko standing at his side, Izuku turned his attention from the rampaging Nomu to his potential recruit as she spoke. "We have incoming. Some guys riding on top of drones are heading our way."

"Buster Union," Izuku hummed thoughtfully. Watching the Upper-Tier Nomu, Bruiser, Toga had named it, rampage had been mesmerizing in the same way a car crash or natural disaster was. The creature had followed after Knuckleduster with terrifying singular focus, hunting the man down even as he tried his best to stay away from its grasping hands.

The few heroes that had been close enough to respond quickly had been inconsequential, either taken out easily by Bruiser when they got in its way or ignored entirely as Super Regeneration negated any damage they inflicted. Buster Union though, "They're a problem." Izuku hummed thoughtfully. "None of the Nomu have Quirks that can reach them in the air, and with their power they could potentially overwhelm Bruiser given enough time."

"So what's the plan?" Himiko asked.

Izuku didn't respond, turning towards Candi, "What?" The bee woman growled.

"It's time for you to uphold your end of the bargain." The greenette gestured to the street below, "There's Knuckleduster as promised, now are you going to help us or not?"

For a moment, the question hung there as Izuku and Candi stared each other down while Himiko shuffled awkwardly nearby, eyes darting back and forth between the two. "What do you want me to do?" Candi finally asked. Izuku smiled.

"Do you have any more of those explosive bees?"

Knuckleduster gasped for air, his lungs burning as darkness began to close in from the edge of his vision. He tried to thrash about, futilely striking at the wrist of his captor, but the creature, this… Nomu, didn't react in the slightest. His attacks weakened. The weight of his own body dragged him down into the dark abyss as his arms fell to hang limply by his side, refusing to rise. But just as darkness finished swallowing up his vision, his ears faintly picked up a shout over the pounding of blood in his ears. The Nomu screeched before a fresh wave of pain rushed through his body as it impacted against the ground.

He gasped for breath, color and light flooding his vision as air rushed into his lungs. The Nomu screeched once more, and Knuckleduster looked upwards in time to see a fresh wave of attacks slam into the creature; lasers, rockets, blasts of compressed force that together managed to force it to the ground. "Knuckleduster!" A hovering Hero screamed from atop their drone, "Get away from it!"

Before Knuckleduster could respond or obey an explosion erupted from the Hero's drone, destroying it and consuming him in a wave of fire. As his teammates screamed his name, gravity did its work, dragging the Hero's body downwards until it impacted against the street with a meaty splat. Knuckleduster opened his mouth, but at that moment similar explosions occurred across the other drones. Some were destroyed instantly, sending their occupants tumbling through the air. Others were merely damaged, though the smoke now leaking out of them erratically and the obvious effort the drivers needed to control their mounts made it clear they wouldn't remain airborne for long.

Knuckleduster's body burned as he forced himself to move, hobbling towards the closest Hero falling. He was gonna make it. He was gonna make it. But just before he reached where she would land, his arms already stretching out to catch her, the ground exploded as a being erupted from it. Giant pincers pierced through the woman's costume, nearly bisecting her before they opened, allowing her to plummet into an awaiting, gaping maw. Knuckleduster stood frozen, only able to look on as the creature fell to the ground, its violet carapace nearly gleaming as its newly exposed brain revealed it to be another Nomu.

The centipede Nomu screeched as Knuckleduster began to backpedal, but before he could even turn around, a weight impacted him, sending him tumbling. It was his original attacker, the first Nomu, the one with the familiar oily black hair surrounding its brain. The Nomu roared as its arm began to grow, red lightning-like veins encompassing the limb in an all too familiar way. Knuckleduster's eyes widened; he knew that Quirk, knew that hair, and his voice trembled as he spoke, "Yakumaru?" The former instant villain he'd defeated, now turned Nomu, screamed once more, lashing out with its powered up limb. Leaping to the side, Knuckleduster managed to dodge the blow, but Yakumaru was already following up with another attack, one interrupted by numerous blasts impacting his head.

"Knuckleduster, didn't you hear us telling you to run? Move your ass!" Mister Blaster ordered as he stepped forward, firing blast after blast into the Nomu's head.

"I'm trying, but this old meat bag of a body I'm haulin' doesn't want to move, and that Nomu seems pretty interested in getting to know me."

"Majokko, get him out of here!"

"Roger!" A woman dressed in singed magical girl garb spoke as she swooped down next to the vigilante atop a staff of all things that she hauled him onto. "Got him!"

"Then get flying-" Mister Blaster made the mistake of looking away, and in the moment of distraction, the Nomu's hand reached out and grabbed his head, immediately slamming it down into the pavement where he lay, unmoving.

"Blaster!" Majokko screamed.

"Fly!" Knuckleduster yelled as the Nomu turned its attention towards them, tensing for a moment before it launched itself forward. Whether due to his panicked scream or the incoming wall of muscle, Majokko obeyed, performing an abrupt 180, the end of her staff actually smacking the Nomu across its face before they began to accelerate away.

For a brief moment, before the staff suddenly stopped in place, the momentum of its occupants enough to launch the two forward in a sudden dismount. Groaning, Knuckleduster and Majokko looked up to see the Nomu grasp the staff with both hands and break it into pieces before it started towards them once more.

"Tamao! Tamao!" Soga screamed his crush's name as he searched for her, desperately shoving his way past fleeing civilians. A police officer tried to stop him from ducking under the caution tape cordoning off the area, but before the officer could get a word in, a roar distracted them both. A green multi-limbed Nomu rushed their way, the power tools jutting from its limbs whirring dangerously.

The sharp bark of gunshots rang out as the police opened fire, but the beast charged through the bullets unflinchingly, bleeding slightly where it'd been struck but otherwise continuing on undettered. Officers dived to the side as the Nomu brought its chainsaw arm down, the ugly screech of metal-on-metal echoing up and down the street as it cut through an open police cruiser door.

"Soga!" The punk turned at the sound of his name to see Rapt and Moyuru rushing towards him, ducking underneath the police tape just as he had.

"Tamao's further in." Soga explained quickly when they reached him. "I lost her in the crowd, but I caught glimpses of her ahead of me."

"She's in there?" Rapt asked disbelievingly, looking down the burning ruins of the road.

"She's trying to find Master."

"The old man can take care of himself. We need to worry about our own asses."

"We need to find Tamao," Moyuru said firmly.

"But-"

"She needs us."

"...Ugh. Fine. But if we die, I'm killing her and haunting you two." Rapt exclaimed with an angry finger to drive the point home.

"Fair." Moyuru shrugged.

"Less talking, more finding her!" Soga shouted as he led the two down the burning street. Behind them, the chainsaw Nomu continued its one creature rampage, the police too busy trying to contain the monster to stop three idiot boys from running towards the chaos rather than away from it.

Things didn't get better for Soga, Rapt, and Moyuru as they went. Unmoving bodies lay scattered across the road; some moaned in pain but others lay frighteningly still in ominous pools of red. "Tamao! Tamao!"

"What are you doing?" Rapt hissed, grasping Soga's shoulder and spinning him around.

"I'm trying to find her."

"But what if there are more of those creatures in here?"

"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Before Rapt could respond, a scream rang out. "Tamao!" Soga shouted as he took off sprinting.

"Idiot!" Rapt screamed chasing after his friend, Moyuru in close pursuit. The shout rang out again as the three rounded a corner, only to see a large centipede-like Nomu towering over a frozen Tamao. Soga didn't hesitate, rushing forward he tackled Tamao out of the way, the Nomu's monstrous head smashing down moments later. The creature hissed with mindless wrath as it turned towards the new arrival crouching in front of the girl protectively, spikes jutting from his knuckles.

"Hey ugly! Over here!" Rapt shouted, attracting the creature's attention. "Yeah, that's right. I'm talking to– OH FUCK!" Now it was Rapt's turn to leap away as the Nomu rushed towards him.

"Are you alright?" Soga asked Tamao, not looking away from the monster for a moment.

"Yeah, it just startled me. But my Dad–"

"He'll be fine, he knows how to take care of himself. We need to worry about ourselves right now. Moyuru!"

"I'm here." The friendly giant rushed up, "Get her out of here. Me and Rapt will distract it and run once you guys are far enough away."

"Got it." Grabbing Tamao's arm Moyuru pulled the girl to her feet and began to lead her away despite her protests.

"Okay, she's safe. Now, how the hell do I distract a giant centipede monster?" Not knowing what else to do, Soga loosed a wordless battle cry as he charged forward. Rapt was doing a good job staying out of the Nomu's reach yet remaining close enough it remained fixed solely on catching him.

Rapt Tokage

Quirk: Lizard

He's a lizard and can therefore do everything a lizard can do.

Reaching the Nomu, Soga screamed as he lashed out, driving his spiked fist into its side, his spikes piercing through its protective carapace. The monster let loose a pained shriek but Soga didn't stop, lashing out again and again even as warm black fluid coated his spikes and splattered across his face. Enraged, or at least as much as it could be, the Nomu turned away from Rapt and charged at Soga, who dug his spikes into its side. Additional spikes jutted from his feet, piercing through his shoes as Soga clambered up the monster's side and onto its back.

With every additional injury the Nomu shrieks multiplied, but digging his claws into its shell, Soga held on as it buckled underneath him. "Soga!" Rapt yelled, jumping off the wall he'd been clinging onto.

"I'm fine!" Soga managed to irk out as the Nomu futilely tried to shake him off. "It's gonna need to do better than–" the Nomu froze. "What's it doing?" Soga frowned as its body began to rumble.

"Soga?" Rapt called out, seeing his friend's confusion. "Is something wrong?" Before Soga could respond, the Nomu's shell exploded. Bits of hardened carapace shot out in every direction, shattering windows, burrowing into cement, and absolutely shredding Soga's body.

"Soga!" Rapt screamed as the bloody remnants of his friend slid off the Nomu's body to land on the ground with a meaty thump. "Soga!" The Nomu roared as Rapt began to run towards it, anger clouding his mind. His fears, his common sense, all fell away as Soga's unmoving bloody corpse filled his mind's eye. He screamed, matching the Nomu as it turned to face him, two beasts eager to tear each other limb from limb, a bloody, gruesome fight to the death.

However, before he could reach the Nomu which was beginning its own charge, a figure appeared in the air above the Nomu's back. "Howitzer," explosions cackled around his hands, their sheer power sending the figure into a twisting spin that picked up momentum as he descended, "Impact!" The street was illuminated and the Nomu screeched in agony as a massive explosion engulfed it.

"HAHAHA! That's right!" The figure laughed in mad delight as he landed atop the Nomu's blackened back. "You Nomu. People think you're something scary, but we know the truth, don't we? For all your Quirks, all your muscle, you're nothing more than tools. Tools that I'm getting pretty damn good at breaking."

Katsuki Bakugo

Best Jeanist Internee

The Explosive Hero: Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight

Quirk: Explosion

He secretes nitroglycerine-like sweat from his hands that he can ignite it at will. Gross!

"Izuku." Himiko called, turning to look at her friend with concern.

"I see him," Izuku said, emotionlessly looking down at where Bakugo was standing triumphantly over the Centipede Nomu. Himiko opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"What?" Candi asked, looking between the two of them and then down at the street below. "Do you know him? Is he somebody important?"

For a moment, Izuku didn't answer. "He's nobody," he finally responded, turning away. "Come on, we're done here."

"Wait," Candi called out, chasing after Izuku as he began to walk away, Himiko skipping after him. "We don't know if Knuckleduster's dead or not. We lost sight of him when he and Buster Union took off running."

"With the Nomu in pursuit."

"That's not good enough!"

"Then use your bees!" Izuku screamed, turning on her.

"What?!"

"Do you need me to spell it out for you?" Izuku growled as he stalked towards her. "Use. Your. Bees. And find him."

"I- I can't," Candi admitted, stumbling back. Tripping over her feet, she fell backwards, her fall only cushioned by her ample rear, "Between him burning my swarm and the ones I used as explosions, I'm spread thin as it is."

"Then either stay here and find him yourself, or trust Bruiser will get him and come on." Sneering, Izuku turned away and walked off. Himiko cast Candi one last look before following. Candi watched them leave, her mind racing before she scrambled to her feet. Casting one last glance at the chaos below, she turned away and raced after them. Moments later, a searchlight passed over the empty roof, illuminating a simple three word message carved into the ground.

Ragnarök Was Here

Author's Note:

Two chapters in two days you all must be really thankful. Now with the mandatory November Thanksgiving pun out of the way AN time. Izuku's little group has a name now and Izuku's acted. The fallout of this chapter and the last one will play out over the next chapter and the interlude before we move on to I-Island. It too has another scene I've been waiting to write and after rewatching the movie I'll be all ready. Most of the things I want to say were in yesterday's AN so check that out if you haven't already.

Otherwise make sure to comment since they inspire me to keep writing. Check out P_atreon if you want early access to stuff and till December this is the demon writing a Campione/MHA crossover signing off

- D'yavol Lucifer 3:)

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*IMPORTANT NOTICE*

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