-72-

The Female Furies

As the battle raged below, another Boom Tube erupted open high up into the Earth's stratosphere. From the center of the tube, a giant warship sauntered out of the tube and across the sky. The warship was larger than a thousand aircraft carriers, armed to the teeth with strange weaponry that would be unfamiliar to even the most experienced Earth weapons expert. Inside the warship stood the imposing and tyrannical Darkseid, surrounded by dozens Hunger Dog workers (which occupied among the lowest citizens on Apokolips, little more than slave labor), Parademons, and a small group of his most trusted Elite Lieutenants.

"The humans continue to resist," said Dasaad. "But they will soon yield to your power, Darkseid."

"It is a miracle they have lasted this long," said a tall man, with fiery red hair, wearing a white tunic and read cape. He was known as Glorious Godfrey, one of Darkseid's Elite. Godfrey was less of a combatant, contrasting many of his cohorts greatly. But he rose through the ranks of Darskeid's most feared warriors for his superior intelligence. He was a master manipulator and was able to bend even the strongest minds to his master's will with enough motivation.

"Have we word from our Generals on the surface?" Asked Darkseid.

"Steppenwolf has engaged one of their warriors," Desaad answered. "The continent he occupies has a large concentration of high-level warriors. The foe he quarrels with is currently known as the best warrior they have to offer."

"Then this pitiful planet will surely fall this day," said Kalibak, Darksied's son and Scourge of Apokolips. While not as powerful as Darksied, Kalibak was every bit as heartless and cruel. He was fiercely loyal to his father, often acting as his second-in-command and would carry out any order given by Darkseid to the fullest extent of his wrath. A monstrosity in both form and function, he was a force to be reckoned with.

"But there are so many talented young children on this planet," said an old, portly woman with sheet-white hair, speaking in a deep voice that did not fit her face. Though she looked kind and spoke with a gentle tone, Grannie Goodness was one of the most ruthless and cruel inhabitants of Apokolips. She oversaw the preparation of young children who showed great potential to serve Darkseid in the future. She would raise them in her "Orphanages", which were little more than dungeons where children would be tortured and brainwashed into becoming servants for their Despot God. "Should Grannie find some of the little poppets to bring home to you, Lord Darkseid?"

"The computer is detecting a very high concentration of power near a large schoolhouse," said Desaad, bringing up a building with four towers, connecting to each other with small walkways, where a giant battle commenced in the courtyard. "The inhabitants there, many of them children, have been able to resist the first wave of Parademons."

"Very well," said Darksied, turning to Grannie Goodness. "Find strong warriors to fill your orphanages."

"Oh, goodie!" Said Grannie Goodness, elated. She quickly excused herself before placing a call from her communicator attached to her wrist. "Bernadeth," she said, once the call was answered. "Prepare your sisters, we will be heading to the Earth, there are many wonderful children who would love to play with you!"

Back at the UA courtyard, things were looking very grim. The endless swarm of Parademons continued to barrage the school defenses, while the students, teachers, and local heroes continued to hold the line. Izuku had never been more frightened in his life. He was used to fighting against impossible odds, but this was on another level entirely. Compared to facing the Hero Killer, All For One, the Joker, this was, by far, the most terrifying situation he has ever been in. But he continued despite his fear, and for every Parademon destroyed, the world was that much safer. He would stop at nothing to protect his friends, his family, and the people of the world, even from Darksied himself.

"Deku, look out!" Came a voice from behind him.

Izuku turned to see a Parademon had broken the ranks and was right on top of him, ready to strike. Before he could react, a large boulder came out of nowhere and crashed atop the Paradomon, sending it cratering into the ground. Izuku looked to see Uraraka had used her quirk to levitate the boulder over the Parademon before releasing it, saving him. She quickly ran to him and stood by his side.

"Thanks," said Izuku, blasting more demons.

"They just keep coming!" Said Uraraka. She turned to see Asui using her tongue to wrap several Parademons before tossing them hard into a building several yards away.

"We need to think of a plan," she said, landing next to Uraraka. "We need to—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the Parademons suddenly pulled back and stopped their attack. Both the students and the teachers looked at their enemies in stunned silence at this sudden ceasefire.

"What's going on?" Said Snipe, looking towards Thirteen.

"I don't know," She replied.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion as a swirling portal opened near the gate of the courtyard. "It's a boom-tube!" Shouted Izuku. "Someone's coming, be ready!"

The heroes, teachers and students all braced themselves as six figures walked out of the mouth of the Boom Tube. They were all female, wearing strange costumes and armor. There was a tall one, clad in gold and red armor, and was built like a steam engine, looking almost like All Might in his prime. Beside her were two more, slender women, wearing very little armor. One was clad in white carrying a sword and a dagger, while the other carried a strange whip-like weapon. Crouching in front of them like a wild animal was another woman wearing silver plate armor and a tunic that barely covered her extremities. She growled and snarled like a beast, with a horrible smile etched on her face that exposed her sharp fang-like teeth. Finally, standing before all of them was an elderly-looking woman with white hair, but she stood tall and strong, with an imposing aura that dwarfed her cohorts significantly.

"My, my, my," said the woman in a deep voice. "Granny has never seen such beautiful and naughty children." Though she smiled warmly at them, there was an evil glint in her eyes that sent shivers down Izuku's spine. "What a wonderful place this is. It will make for the perfect location of Granny's new orphanage, and all of you lucky children will be Granny's newest children. Oh, we're going to have so much fun!"

"Fat chance, lady!" Shouted Present Mike. "You'll have to go through us first!"

"Granny was hoping you'd say that!" Said the woman, smiling mercilessly. She turned to her soldiers behind her. "Furies! These horrible adults have come to spoil your fun and prevent your loving granny from adopting these precious children! They defy our master's will! We can't have that now, can we?!"

The Furies all roared in anger, a bloodlust filling their eyes that intimidated even the pro heroes. Granny turned back to the heroes and students. "Kill all the interlopers! Spare as many children as you can but punish the naughty who dare disobey Granny Goodness!"

The Furies leapt into action. The feral fury roared and lunged towards one of the pro heroes helping them, taking him by surprise. She bit hard into his neck and ripped out his jugular, causing the hero to scream in pain and fall to the ground, bleeding out in seconds.

The students and heroes sprung into action. The Parademons had resumed their attack, backing up the Furies as they lay siege against the heroes. Quickly, Vlad King, Power Loader, and a few pro heroes engaged the tall, muscular Fury, who was easily fending off their various attacks. Cementoss, Kirishima, Tetsutetsu, had engaged the Fury wielding the swords, using their quirks to block her attacks. They were shocked to see how sharp the blades were, causing damage to the kids even in their hardened form, and slicing through Cementoss' cement attacks with ease. Asui, Uraraka, Izuku, Sato, Shishida, and Ojiro were fighting off the feral Fury, being careful to avoid her claws and teeth. The whip-wielding Fury began to attack the other staff and students, taking down several pro heroes in the process, but was quickly held back when Ibara used her vines to fight off her attacks, leaving her vulnerable to the other students to advance on her. As the Parademons continued their assault, Ectoplasm used his quirk to clone himself, using his expert fighting prowess to take down many of the hellspawn at a time, but the sheer amount of Parademons made the fight seem almost impossible.

Granny Goodness stood back, smiling evilly at the ensuing chaos. But her gloating was soon interrupted when a large gust of wind blew her back, throwing her several yards before slamming into the outer wall of the courtyard. She stood to see three students standing defiantly before her: Togata, Amajiki, and Hado of the Big Three.

"You naughty children!" Said Granny Goodness angrily. "How dare you attack your loving granny!"

"You're crazy, lady," said Amajiki.

"You children must be Punished!" Shouted Granny, lunging towards the three. Amajiki and Hado braced themselves, but were shocked to see Togata lunge forward to engage her.

"Mirio, what are you doing?!" Shouted Hado, frightened for her friend's safety. Mirio ignored her before he moved at incredible speed, faster than either of them could blink, and delivering a powerful punch to Granny Goodness' cheek, sending her through the wall she just crashed into and landing several hundred yards away from them.

Amajiki and Hado's jaws dropped. "Mirio….? Amajiki said weakly. "How….how…?"

"Never mind that!" Shouted Togata. "I'll handle her. Just keep the Parademons from entering the courtyard!" In another blink, he was gone, leaving his two friends dumbstruck. However, they soon got over it as they began to fight back against the seemly endless invading horde.

Izuku continued his battle against the feral Fury. Despite the fact they outnumbered her, it was abundantly clear how much this creature outmatched them in terms of sheer strength and ability. Ever since he had carried One For All, he noticed that his blasts increased significantly in power, though they did not have the same level of power as they did during his battle with Chisaki. Even still, the feral Fury was able to withstand these blasts, taking little damage and rallying almost immediately. She was quick, strong, and ferocious. She lunged at Sato, who managed to grab her before she sunk her teeth into his neck. She was chomping and biting before Shishida grabbed her and threw her off him. She did a flip in midair and landed gracefully in a crouching position. Shishida stood hunched over, roaring defiantly at her.

"I like you," said the mad woman. "I'll have fun with you."

"Come and try it, witch," snarled Shishida. The two lunged at each other, locking hands and attempting to overpower one another. Shishida had immense strength, but it was clear this Fury woman was stronger. Before the others could react, she deftly leaned backwards while still holding Shishida's hands, catching him off guard, before she landed on her back and kicked him hard in the chest, sending him careening behind her as she flipped back up. Shishida crashed hard into one of the windows of the UA building.

"SHISHIDA!" Shouted Tetsutetsu, becoming distracted from his fight. His hesitation cost him, as the sword-wielding fury stabbed him in the back, her sword penetrating through and protruding out the other side from his right shoulder. Tetsutetsu gasped in surprise before the sword was violently pulled out, and he fell to the ground in a heap.

"NO!" Shouted Kirishima. "You'll pay for that, you bitch!"

"Uraraka, quick!" Shouted Izuku, grabbing her hand and dragging her over to Tetsutetsu's fallen body. The feral Fury attempted to stop them, but was met by a strong punch from Sato, sending her flying. Asui then seized her chance to wrap the Fury in her tongue and throw her to the ground, where she crashed hard into the ground below.

Izuku and Uraraka stood beside Tetsutetsu, who was bleeding profusely from his open wound. Izuku reacted quickly, reaching into one of the pouches on his utility belt and pulling out a large syringe, sticking it into the open wound. In an instant, a foam-like substance filled the wound, stopping the bleeding.

"Uraraka, get him inside, find Recovery Girl," said Izuku. Uraraka nodded, using her quirk to levitate herself and Tetsutetsu. Izuku watched as they made it inside the building before more Parademons began to attack, forcing Izuku to engage them again. He blasted two away with quirk before one took him by surprise and wrapped its hand around his throat. Izuku tried to break free, but the creature was very strong. Suddenly, two gigantic hands came together and smashed the Parademon like a fly with a flyswatter, causing it to let go of Izuku. He took a gasping breath to see Itsuka Kendo, the class president from 1-B, standing over him. Her hands shrank and she extended them to Izuku, helping him up.

"Looks like you could use a hand," said Kendo. Izuku cracked up as he stood, and Kendo's eyes widened as she realized what she said. "Oh, man, that was terrible."

"I won't tell anyone," said Izuku. "But, yes, I definitely could use one." They stood back-to-back before launching into more attacks against the Parademons.

Togata quickly caught up to Granny Goodness, who had recovered from his initial blow. She looked to the side and casually spit out a stream of blood before focusing again on Togata. "I have to admit, you took Granny by surprise," she said. "You're quite strong, sonny. A few years with Granny, and you'll make a fine soldier for Darksied."

"So, you're one of Darksied's lapdogs?" Said Togata. "Sending in the hired help, how cliché. Why are the final bosses always so afraid to get their hands dirty?"

"Afraid?" Said Granny Goodness, her smiling face twisting into a look of rage. "AFRAID?! Granny will cut out that blasphemous tongue of yours, whelp!" She quickly pulled a small rod from beneath her cloak, which extended into a large staff. A yellow, pulsating energy began emitting from the end of the staff, causing Togata to tilt his head in confusion. Before he could react, she slammed the base of the staff on the ground, and a deafening percussion followed by a large blast of energy caused Togata to go flying backwards away from his quarry, taking him by surprise.

Togata quickly rallied, and bolted back towards Granny Goodness, but this time, she was ready for him. She raised her staff as Togata tried to land a punch, only for it to be stymied as it collided with the shaft, surprising Togata even further. Wasting no time, Goodness twisted the staff before hitting Togata in the face, knocking him backwards and dazing him slightly. Inside, his mind was running calculations. This woman was strong, and she was fast. Batman warned him and Izuku that Apokolyptians were among the most powerful creatures in the universe, rivaling even Superman and Wonder Woman. He had to be cautious.

As Togata began to rally, he suddenly felt something latch onto his foot. He looked down to see Goodness had grabbed him. Smiling evilly, she slammed him hard into the ground, knocking the wind out of him. While still on the ground, she twirled her staff and slammed the top into his chest, and he felt a strong blast of electricity coursing through his body, causing him to yell out in agony.

He knew that he was in a tight spot, and he had to turn the tide. So far, he was only using One For All at 10% capacity. All Might had warned him that attempting to use too much of it too soon could be disastrous, but against this old hag, it appeared he had no choice. Concentrating as hard as he could, he summoned the will to increase the power to 50%. He only hoped that his body could withstand the power.

With his power increased, Togata reached up and grabbed the staff, surprising goodness. He capitalized on her stunned state and kicked her hard in the chest, causing her to fly off him and let go of the staff. She crashed into several trees and a few buildings before coming to a stop, and Togata used the respite to catch his breath, using the staff to help him get to his feet.

Granny Goodness emerged from the wreckage, and Togata knew he had to act quickly. Summoning immense strength, he cracked the staff in two, causing a large blast of energy to erupt from the device as he and Goodness were both thrown backwards off their feet from the force.

"You destroyed Granny's Mega-Rod!" Shouted Goodness, leaping to her feet. "You naughty, insolent pup! You destroyed Granny's Mega-Rod!"

"Oh, sorry," said Togata, smiling cheekily. "Did I break your walking stick? Don't worry, we can stop by the drug store later and I'll buy you a nice, shiny cane to replace it."

Togata could almost see the steam coming out of the old woman's ears. He knew he was pushing his luck by invoking her ire, but if he could anger her enough, he might be able to get her to slip up.

Or she could end up killing him.

Either way, things were about to get tougher.

Izuku didn't know how much longer he could hold out. He could feel his body getting weaker, his hands were bloody from the overuse of his quirk. The piles of Parademon corpses seemed to only grow as more of the monsters fell from their attacks, but their numbers were starting to diminish. Several of his classmates, pro heroes, and even a few of the teachers were wounded and had to be carried back into the school's infirmary. Granny Goodness' Furies did not seem to grow any weaker as the fight continued. The defenses that were set up by Batman to protect the school were starting to fail from overuse as the Parademons threatened to overwhelm them. Things were looking grim, but they had to keep fighting.

The few remaining students from Class 1-A and 1-B stood together as they were cornered by the Parademons and the Furies. Beside them were Present Mike, Vlad King, and Cementoss, as the other teachers had been wounded in the battle. A few other Pro heroes that had survived the attack joined them, along with Amajiki, Hado, and several other upperclassmen from the other hero classes.

The Furies smiled viciously as they began to close in on their prey. Uraraka held onto Izuku in fear as he attempted to shield her from the enemy. They were all battered and beaten badly but still stood defiantly against their foes.

"Surrender to Darkseid," said the largest of the Furies. "Your pitiful lives are forfeit, and your only use will be to serve our master."

"Go to hell, bitch," said Vlad King, spitting at her feet.

"Very well, then," the Fury wielding the sword. "I shall enjoy carving your entrails."

Togata was in deep trouble. Granny Goodness was a lot tougher than she looked. He was forced to increase his use of One For All with each passing minute of the battle just to keep up with her, and it had devastating effects on his body. His arm was broken, along with several of his fingers. He could feel that several ribs were either fractured or broken as well, and he could barely see out of his left eye as it had almost swollen shut. Goodness had taken her fair share of the beating as well but was in no way near as bad a shape as he was.

"You're trembling, young pup," said Goodness, her sweet tone returning. "Wounded and battle-weary. Granny doesn't want to punish you. Why don't you let Granny take care of you?"

"Yeah, I don't know what you have in mind by that, but I'm sure I wouldn't like it," said Togata.

"Oh, you'll love Apokolips!" Said Goodness emphatically. "And a few years with Granny will shape you into a fine young man for Darksied."

"I'd rather die."

"Oh, you poor, misguided soul," said Goodness, shaking her head. "I suppose Granny has no choice. Granny is nothing if not merciful, so she will grant you your wish." An evil smile appeared on her face as she slowly began to approach Togata. He felt the fear enter his heart but stood his ground. If he was going to die, it would be on his feet, in defiance of monsters like her.

Granny's advance was suddenly stymied when a large blast of blue energy came out of nowhere and collided with her, sending her flying backwards and landing hard on the ground. Togata's senses briefly left him as he stared at Granny's crumpled form in stunned silence.

Goodness rallied from the attack and stood in anger. "Who dares stand between the Justice of Darksied?!" She roared.

"What you call 'justice' is a lie," came a deep, powerful voice from behind Togata. He gasped in surprise as a tall man landed in front of him, shielding him from his attacker. He wore a solid blue jumpsuit with matching golden gloves, boots and a cape, with a large golden helm covering his face. He drew his arms upwards, and a large Egyptian Ankh symbol appeared behind him.

"You will hurt no more this day, for Fate has intervened."

Izuku took a breath and prepared to attack but was stopped when a large figure landed between them and the Furies. The woman was tall, wearing a gold, red and blue plated armored suit, with a large golden helmet with two large horns protruding from each side of the helmet. Showing slightly beneath the helmet was the woman's raven-black hair. She carried a large spear in one hand and a strange baton in another. The Furies balked at her surprise before their faces turned to that of anger.

"Barda," said the sword-wielding fury. "How fitting you'd be here. I was hoping I'd get the chance to slice your throat myself."

"You are welcome to try at your convenience, Gilotina," said Barda.

"Earth's forces have fallen and you have already lost," said the giant Fury. "Surrender, and maybe Darksied will make you his pet."

"You know nothing of the strength of these people, Stompa," said Barda defiantly. "The humans will never surrender, and neither will I."

"Then you will perish," said Gilotina, thrusting her sword at Barda, who deftly avoided it, thrusting the small scepter into the Fury's back, causing a massive amount of electricity to course throughout her body. Gilotina shrieked in pain before collapsing to the ground in a heap.

"Defenders of the Earth!" Shouted Barda, raising her spear. "Fight!"

Another boom tube opened above her, causing a swarm of superheroes to leap out of the opening. Izuku didn't know them all, but he could pick out a few of thema as reserve members of the Justice League: Red Tornado, the Blue Devil, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, Elongated man, Firestorm, Vixen, and many more. The Furies gasped in surprise as all the heroes began attacking them and the Parademons. Vlad King, Present Mike, and the others cheered as they rallied for another attack.

Izuku felt his confidence soaring. The tide had turned.

A/N: I know its been a while since I last updated, especially my other stories, but I would like to thank Bat Dragon for giving me the motivation to get this chapter out. They have been having a difficult time lately, so I wanted to give them a shoutout and a great thank you for being a loyal reader. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I can't wait for you to read more.