Here is the fifty-seventh chapter in this story released later than I would have liked but such is life sometimes. Anyway, all the players are finally in motion as the chaos in Hosu reaches it's climax, a climax in the back alleys that no one knows is about to happen as several people converge on a specific location either deliberately or accidentally and see what is going on there. What will happen when they arrive? Well let's see as that is all the administrative stuff that I have for y'all and whilere there are no questions to answer, there is a guest review to respond to which I will do now. Do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate.
To Guest (guest), yup, a quick look at the RWBY characters as well as how they work with the Quirk Knights in some aspects. The jokes will continue especially with who's about to appear so stay tuned for that. The White Rose ship is still being built but it's growing even if one's dense and the other's in denial but as with all romance in this story it will still be a while before any culmination of it. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.
That is it for this pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the fifty-seventh chapter in Black RWBY Academia.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these three great franchises.
Chapter 57: Stain on Society
"Get back here you bastard! You'll pay for what you've done to this city!"
Asta roared his words as he tried to chase the bandaged zealot through the maze of back alleys that this part of Hosu was known for, but he'd already lost sight of the villain. He'd chased after the zombie master the moment he could, he not even heard Noelle's shout at him or realize that she and Nero had arrived, he was solely focused on chasing after the villain behind the attack on Hosu, well the villain he believed was behind the attack at least, and making him pay for his crimes. However, within moments Asta was hopelessly lost in the warren of alleyways hence the shout to try and bait the man.
Unbeknownst to Asta, however, the villain he was chasing was already gone. The warp villain that was his accomplice, though Asta was yet to realize that it was a different man called Valtos from the misty warp villain known as Kurogiri who'd attacked them in the USJ, had created a portal for Rades the moment that he was a few turns ahead of Asta and he'd run through it while cursing Asta for the wound he inflicted and ruining his plans.
That didn't matter to Valtos though as Rades had already accomplished what he needed to accomplish so he'd been sent back to their base far away from Hosu thus ensuring that he wouldn't be captured. Valtos had followed shortly afterwards leaving the only traces of their existence in the forms of damage, a massive amount of rotting corpses that now littered Hosu, and the now one armed and possibly soon to be dead Fuegoleon Vermillion.
Naturally this would not be realized for a while, nor would more news regarding the nature of the attack and who was behind it as Rades hadn't exactly been quiet during his initially assault on the city and the Quirk Knight Headquarters, so for now all the heroes were under the impression that the zombie villain was still out there. That was why Asta was chasing him and what his focus was on even as he felt the air suddenly dipped several degrees and he turned into a wider alleyway and came upon three people standing in it and several spikes of ice.
Asta didn't register more than that before he shouted at the people to see if they could help him. He was lost after all so hopefully the people before him could point him in the right direction.
"Hey! Any of you seen a bandaged zealot raving like a lunatic and screaming deadly vengeance against heroes and wreaking havoc on Hosu?"
"He ingests people's blood to render them unable to move but out of the three of us I was the last to be affected by his Quirk." Izuku said as he coughed on the ground next to Todoroki as the pair look down the alleyway at the man known as the Hero Killer: Stain as the villain stood there amidst the ice with his ragged katana in his right hand. "That means it's not a time limit-based Quirk so the duration is likely determined by one of three things, at least that's what I can think of to explain why I'm the first to be free."
"And they are?" Todoroki asked trusting Midoriya's assessment given his constant study of Quirks though his eyes never left Stain. "We need to know just in case."
"It could lose its potency the more people he uses it on, the amount that he ingests could dictate the time that you're frozen as he only ingested a minute amount of my blood, or it could be based on blood type." Izuku said as he voiced his theory and as he mentioned the third potential explanation Todoroki had seen a look flash across Stain's face and realized that that had to be it based on blood type. "If it's the third case then my guess is the closer you are to his blood type the longer."
"If that the case then I'm type B." Native, the pro hero who'd been initially attacked prior to Ida getting here on his revenge mission, said from the ground but before then. "Depending on what Ingenium is we should be able to guess which is the best to have though he still can't move either."
"I'm type A." Ida said from where he was on the ground behind them. "So Midoriya has to be type O as AB should be between A and B and thus still paralyzed."
"So, you figured it out then, not bad." Stain said and Todoroki got a nagging sensation he'd heard the voice somewhere before, a sensation Midoriya had had since shortly after he got here though Ida hadn't noticed it due to his own rage. "Bravo, very impressive. I see the kid who's got potential is showing it again."
"It doesn't really help us to know that though." Izuku said as he shifted into a crouch on the ground thinking. "We may know how his Quirk works but that's it. We really need…"
"Hey! Any of you seen a bandaged zealot raving like a lunatic and screaming deadly vengeance against heroes and wreaking havoc on Hosu?"
The loud, familiar, unexpected, voice suddenly interrupted Izuku and he and Todoroki looked past Stain to see Asta of all people standing at the far entrance to the alleyway. He was unarmed and panting a little showing that he'd clearly run here from somewhere but that wasn't much for someone of his fitness, that and he was clearly focused on something.
Said something, based on his description, was likely Stain. Neither Izuku nor Todoroki knew why that was the case, or why Asta was even here, but given that Stain was operating in Hosu where the Quirk Knight headquarters were located and there was chaos abound tonight, it wasn't too far of a stretch to presume that Asta was here as part of his internship and had a run into Stain earlier.
Why Stain had let him live if they'd had a confrontation was another matter entirely, but they could deal with that later because right now Asta was probably the best person possible when it came to facing Stain, beside Mr. Aizawa that is. As such, Todoroki just pointed to Stain where he stood to show Asta that that was where the bandaged zealot was.
For his part, Stain had also paused and looked at the newly arrived brat and noticed that he wore a Black Bull robe indicating that he was a Quirk Knight, or at least one in training given his age. Additionally, his entrance had been flashy and direct as he assessed the situation and realized that none of them where who was looking for, so he'd called out rather than blindly charging in which was good as he wasn't in the best position to do so, so Stain gave him credit for that too.
On top of that he was with the one Quirk Knight Squad that Stain currently had no issues with so he could ignore the brat for now just as he did with the Quirk Knights in general. Of course, that wasn't to say that there were no problems with the oldest branch, there were many and once Stain was done with the normal heroes then he'd turn his attention to that corrupt and classist organization.
"Huh?" Asta asked confused both as to why Todoroki and Midoriya were there and who they were pointing at because one glance and the bandaged man dressed in black and covered in blades and carrying a battered katana with some kind of scarf wrapped around his eyes and nose as a mask and another around his neck was unfamiliar to him though he had a look in his eye that Asta recognized. "That's not the bandaged zealot raving like a lunatic screaming deadly vengeance against heroes and wreaking havoc on Hosu that I'm looking for."
"There's another one?" Todoroki asked confused. "That's, er, odd."
"Yeah, some dude commanding all the zombies has bandages on him and is ranting about how much he hates the Quirk Knights and society in general." Asta said. "Leo and I tracked him down to near here and I cut his face to stop his attack and end the zombies' rampage but then he ran off though not before his accomplice sent Captain Fuegoleon away. Now I've I lost him in this confusing city. Damned bastard! Where is he?"
Asta was about to turn and leave them to continue his search when Izuku suddenly called out to him. Asta may have been here dealing with the man behind the zombies, and he could have sworn he heard Stain mutter something about that child causing a huge scene, but right now there was a threat that Asta could possibly help with. He wasn't sure what Asta could do about Ida and Native, but he could help with Stain regardless seeing as he knew how to fight with a sword up close.
"Wait, Asta, that's the Hero Killer!" Izuku shouted as Asta was mid turn getting his attention. "Please, we need your help! Your Quirk and sword skills are just what we need right now."
"The Hero Killer?" Asta said fully turning back to them. "That's who he…"
Asta didn't get to finish when he sensed it, the bloodlust was palpable, and he looked up to see that the bandaged zealot here had used his turn to suddenly rush him and close the distance in the alleyway ensuring that he couldn't leave now. Asta didn't know much about the Hero Killer, only what the others had said as he wasn't one to read the papers all that much, but he knew danger when he saw it and already a rend appeared in the air next to him just as the Hero Killer reached him and slashed down with his katana.
"Don't let yourself get distracted kid." Stain shouted as he cut down ready to wound the kid and freeze him with Bloodcurdle before he returned to his task at hand as he didn't need another one interfering with his mission though more witnesses would help get his message out there. "You shouldn't…"
Stain didn't finish before there was a clang of metal on metal as his katana slammed into a long, thick, black great sword that had been pulled out of the rend and right into the path of his sword. Only then did Stain realize that the rend had been in the perfect place to pull this off and in fact was still open so that only part of the great sword was out, just enough to easily block the attack. The kid clearly had spatial awareness and a good head, that was interesting and added to Stain's assessment of him.
"Your bloodlust is great; it wasn't hard to realize that you were about to attack me." Asta said as he easily held the block and grinned. "And you strike me as very fixated just like the last guy only you at least fight your own battles and not use corpses as puppets to fight for you. Still not enough and now I have you right where I want you."
Stain didn't have time to do more than notice that the brat, Asta apparently though he didn't care for the kid's name, had his left hand next to his right abdomen and that a second rend had appeared there before the kid grabbed the handle of another sword and swiftly drew it with a roar. The blade was a standard one with an ornate guard that slammed into Stain's gut before he could do more than register the appearance of the second sword that suddenly blasted him back down the alley all while Asta roared.
At the same time, Todoroki slammed his right foot into the ground and sent out a line of ice at Stain. The moment that he'd seen Asta block with one of his swords he knew what was coming, he'd seen what Asta could do with his blades and knew that the block was just to set up the counter with the second sword, so he had to be ready to act.
That was why he'd sent out the ice the moment that Asta sent Stain flying towards them so that he could catch him. Alas Stain sensed the attack coming and showed his martial prowess by spinning in the air and cutting through the ice like before and then landing on his feet in a crouch in the alleyway.
"Should have used that fire of yours, kid, I couldn't have destroyed it if you had, and it would have done some serious damage." Stain said as he slid his tone the same as when he'd admonished the kid for his earlier mistakes. "It might even have stopped me, but the ice just gave me time to recover and land on my feet. The other kid, that's talent there, if that sword had been sharp, I'd be dead now, but a hero doesn't kill, and those swords aren't normal so there's clearly more too them which I can respect. Besides, only All Might has permission to kill me."
Asta knew that he had to deal with the zombie villain but that would have to wait as there was a major villain right here, one that was responsible for the murders of dozens of normal heroes. That alone was bad as the heroes protected people no matter their branch so Asta would have to make sure that the Hero Killer paid for his crimes. Well, that and as Asta began to slowly advance down the alleyway with both his swords in his hands something in the back of his head was nagging at him about the Hero Killer and for some reason it was pissing him off even more than usual.
"Hey guys, not sure why you are here but that's great because together we'll defeat this villain." Asta called out as he walked. "Though why are you here? I didn't think that you were doing internships in this area."
"My dad realized that the Hero Killer was operating here and came to stop him, he may be a bastard, but he did earn his place in the rankings, so his intuition is up there with All Might's." Todoroki said. "Then, shortly after I got here, Midoriya sent the class his location, so I came to help as I was nearby."
"I'm here because my internship came through here as the hero that I'm interning with was going to take me on a patrol tonight but something similar to Nomu tossed a hero into the train, so Gran Torino joined the action." Izuku said before he recalled something from a few moments ago. "Actually, I think I saw Silva and Nero earlier actually when I ran into the chaos to see if I could help, but I couldn't so I went to find Ida as he's supposed to be interning here. That's when I realized that the Hero Killer had to be in the back alleys because that's where his victims were found so I began searching them for Ida."
"Right, his internship was here, wasn't it." Asta said as he continued to advance and vaguely recalling that Ida had briefly mentioned it when they were discussing where they were interning while Stain stood between them assessing his options. "Is he here too? I can't see him."
"He's on the ground behind us, he's been affected by Stain's Quirk." Todoroki said. "Whatever you do, don't let him ingest you blood."
"Come again?" Asta asked confused though still not stopping his advance. "My blood?"
"He freezes people for a period of time by ingesting their blood, duration is based on blood type with O almost certainly being the shortest though we don't know more than that." Izuku said. "That means that his Quirk Factor is his tongue so that blow did nothing to him beyond whatever blunt force damage our swords can manage. However, you might be able to help with Ida and Native so get over here!"
That seemed to get to Stain though, and he turned from Asta and sprinted away from the approaching kid and towards the others. He wasn't sure what those swords did exactly, but they were part of a Quirk, one that could affect his own apparently, and right now he didn't want to find out what. As such he needed to end this quick and a sudden move towards the others would take them off guard and allow him to freeze the two that were standing and then kill the two who still needed to be killed.
At least that was his plan and he leapt into the air to clear the pair who were readying themselves for an attack and go for the two still frozen men behind them, but as he did there was a sudden explosion of white light. Instantly the enter alleyway between him and the quartet he was after was filled with overlapping white circles with snowflakes in the center.
Stain wasn't sure what they were, but they were clearly solid as the two teens backed up from them, so he twisted backwards and planted his feet on them to avoid crashing into the circles before he kicked off with a backflip. As he did, he twisted and tossed a few knives at the kid behind him to prevent him from running and intercepting him.
However, as the knives flew, and Asta was forced to dive out of the way of them to avoid being hit in the shoulder and bicep by the attack, a loud gunshot rang out from above them. Only Stain's extensive training and reflexes allowed him to roll forward upon landing and under the shot that hit the ground right where he'd been standing sending a puff of cement dust into the air along with sparks of electricity.
The lack of damage and sparks at the point of impact told him that the attack had been a stunning round, likely Lightning Dust if he had to guess given the nature. That only added to things as Huntsmen and Huntresses rarely operated in cities but clearly at least one had just arrived.
"Ruby, get Asta and take him over my glyphs, we'll get his help with the other issue once this is done but you heard Midoriya, he might be able to help Ida apparently." A female voice that all four students recognized called out from above them and behind Asta. "I'll hold off the maniac with a sword."
"Got it Weiss, be safe though, I don't want you to be hurt again." A second and equally familiar voice said. "Drop your swords Asta, I can't use my Quirk on them so they'll cause issues."
Asta was just getting to his feet but he did as instructed and dropped them. He already trusted everyone in his class so hearing Rose's voice telling him to drop his swords was all he needed to do so. A split second later he was doused in rose petals and as his swords vanished, Ruby burst out of her Quirk and landed behind him in the alleyway where she grabbed him under his arms having already holstered Crescent Rose after her missed shot and then burst up again taking Asta with her.
This time the two-tone swirl was red and a pitch black that was the color of Asta's swords as Ruby aimed for the top of Weiss's glyph wall while red and black rose petals rained down on Stain. At the same time, a line of glyphs shot down and Weiss rushed down them and at Stain coming down from the large glyph in midair that she'd used to hold her and Ruby, her sword crackling with Lightning Dust that she'd coated it with so as to make it less lethal as she didn't have time to protect it for facing non-Grimm opponents.
The sudden arrival of the two aspiring Huntresses had caught everyone off guard which was exactly what Ruby and Weiss had planned from the moment that Ruby had reformed on the streets of Hosu, and they'd rushed through them to where Midoriya's location was telling them he was. Along the way they saw the fires and numerous rotting corpses as well as heard the fighting where there were still a few villains that needed to be dealt with, but they ignored them as they headed to the alleyway where Midoriya was.
The plan they came up with was simple, they'd stop just short of it and look in to see what was going on and why Midoriya had sent out his location. Then, if they had to help, Weiss would use a glyph to get them into the air and above the action. From there Ruby would take a stunning shot having changed her magazine from Grimm killing to human neutralization while they ran over. If they had to do anything else, then they'd act as they saw fit, but this was the best move to surprise and neutralize a threat that might be present.
At least that was the plan until they arrived, coming in from the same end but opposite direction of Asta due to the maze of alleyways in the area which was why they missed Noelle, Nero, and Leo working on Fuegoleon, and saw the current situation. They had to act fast as no one was moving while Midoriya spoke but by the time Weiss had them in position in the alleyway above and behind Asta, the villain who based on his appearance matched the description that Weiss had read about the Hero Killer known as Stain, had begun his latest attack.
That had forced Weiss's hand and she'd erected her glyph wall to intercept him hoping that he'd crash into it. Alas his skills were clearly good, given his kill count and victims that should have been expected, and he didn't crash into it but used it to his advantage and even dodged Ruby's shot that she'd taken to try and stop him when he landed. That meant that it was now up to Weiss as she used the speed boost from her glyphs to leap at Stain and engage him with Myrtenaster, the Lightning Dust coating it giving her an edge.
Stain didn't have a choice but to dodge the girl in white as she leapt off what he'd deduced was her Quirk and spun in the air, arms close with her sword out in a skillful midair pirouette that left him no opening. That alone would have been enough to tell the Hero Killer that he was dealing with someone skilled in the ways of the sword but she also had electricity crackling over her blade and, well, she was carrying it in the first place and with a few exceptions only Huntsmen and Huntress heroes carried weapons and they all knew how to use them.
The situation was really getting out of hand now if all three branches were on him, albeit children from all three branches, and even with his zealotry and determination, Stain knew when to cut his losses so leapt back from the girl onto one of the ice chucks that was still in the alleyway before pushing off it and over her as the glyphs behind her vanished. He'd failed to kill the false hero that he'd selected for tonight, as well as the kid with vengeance in his heart who was no hero, and that was unacceptable but right now Stain needed to get clear so that he could be free to kill another day.
However, as he cleared the girl and made to run away, another wall of overlapping glyphs appeared between him and the exit to the alleyway preventing his escape that way. That was fine though, Stain was fast and maneuverable so he just leapt onto the wall and off it to the one across the alleyway to get to the roofs and flee that way. At least that was his plan until more glyphs appeared just below roof level thus boxing him fully in the alleyway.
"You're not going anywhere, Hero Killer." Weiss called out her voice slightly strained from keeping all the glyphs up but as Stain didn't have any enhanced abilities that might be able to break her glyphs so she only needed a single overlapping layer which cut down on the number of glyphs that she had to create though after all she'd been through it was still a lot and she wasn't exactly in the best shape at the moment. "We will bring you to justice tonight!"
"Not bad and I can tell you're quick and skilled." Stain said as he was forced to pivot in the air and used his free left hand to push off the overhead glyphs to avoid crashing into them, his momentum taking him to the side and back down to the alley below. "Very well, I do have my mission to complete tonight anyway so I'll take this as a sign that I'm meant to complete it."
Weiss ignored that, the man was nothing more than a serial killer who targeted heroes and so he had to be taken down and arrested. Of course, she had to avoid killing him, but she'd been trained to use her sword to avoid that and with the Lightning Dust active and coating it all she needed was a hit to stun him and then she could use some more Lightning Dust to knock him out. As such, she made a series of glyphs in the air and pushed off them and up towards Stain as he kicked off a wall and continued down to the alleyway intent on meeting him in midair.
Stain saw this and prepared accordingly. He knew that he couldn't avoid her when he was in the air, the girl had the advantage in the air with her Quirk as it gave her mobility that he couldn't match, and she had a clear mastery of it and its usage in combat. That something he'd expect from a Huntress though, even if she appeared to be in training as they tended to be good at using their Quirks in support of their combat, so instead he got ready as she neared him her crackling sword low and across her body as she held it in her left hand.
Then, just as she got within her rapier's range and knowing that he couldn't use his katana to intercept the blade lest the metal conduct the Lightning Dust charge into his hand, he used his left hand to draw on of the hunting knives on his chest in a reverse grip to intercept it. However, rather than hold the handle, Stain let got of it so that the blade at the last second so that it was freely in the air when it intercepted the sword with a clang and crackle.
It wasn't much but it was just what Stain needed as he used that brief resistance the knife gave the girl's rapier to lean back and under the slice that flowed through the clash with his knife and avoided the crackling blade. He finished the flip with a kick from his metal tipped boots trying to score a wound on the girl's torso that he could use to get her blood, but she saw this and created a glyph to intercept the kick with a boom.
That was still fine with Stain as he used that to kick off the glyph and flipped to the ground below, landing in a crouch a second later. As he did, he looked up at his opponent and noticed something that made him grin.
For her part Weiss didn't let the miss get to her and even as the hunting knife crashed into a wall and fell away, she dropped her glyph that she used as a block, she flipped in the air and created a glyph above her that she landed on upside down and pushed off and at Stain as he looked up at her from the ground. As she fell, Weiss moved Myrtenaster to over her right shoulder and slashed down with the last of the charge as she reached Stain only a second or two after he looked up at her.
However, Stain was still a skilled villain with dozens of confirmed hero kills to his name so he easily rolled forward under the blade and heard the charge end. That was all that he needed to hear to know that he could go on the offensive so he quickly spun on his back and flipped up and around as he finished his dodge so that he was facing the girl and brought his katana down on her in a powerful overhand slash as she landed where he'd been intent on slicing her and using that as a way to get her blood to freeze her though she'd shown potential so he'd let her live.
Well, that was the intent at least but Weiss had flipped with her slash and landed in a crouch herself and had spun on her heels as Stain flipped behind her. She then then got Myrtenaster up and intercepted Stain's katana with a clang of metal on metal just as Stain landed on the ground impressed with her block and combat awareness. That said, he was bigger and stronger than she was, and he had the elevation advantage, so he should be able to break the block, at least until he heard the cylinder in her sword's hilt clicked over to the next chamber.
"Got you." Weiss said as she hit the trigger in the handle and charged the Lightning Dust.
"Well played, you hid your hand and waited to ensnare me knowing that in this position I could break your block." Stain said as he raised his katana off the girl's rapier right before the crackling yellow artificial lightning shot up along the blade. "But I know how you Huntresses and Huntsmen like to have elaborate weapons, you can't fool me that easily. Your branch may be the least corrupt out of the three, but I've not forgotten you, I'll purge your false heroes as well when I'm done purging the other two."
"Not likely, your villainy ends tonight." Weiss said simply as she didn't let the failed counter get to her and swiped with Myrtenaster going for first Stain's blade and then his chest as he avoided letting their blades clash while leaping back and away from her. "We will see to it!"
Stain just laughed at that as he got clear but only by a few inches as the tip of the crackling rapier almost sliced though his vest. The girl was good, he'd give it to her, but he'd seen something earlier and now he had her as she pushed of the ground with a controlled lunge that he was able to leap back from the moment he landed back on the ground. He just needed a few seconds to enact his plan and the girl had inadvertently given him all that he needed to ensure she stopped being a threat for at least a few minutes.
Naturally, Weiss didn't know this as she pressed forward and unleashed a flurry of rapid stabs with Myrtenaster to keep Stain on the back foot and press him towards her wall of glyphs while simultaneously pushing her Quirk past its limit to make one-off glyphs above and on either side of Stain to keep him from leaping up or to the sides. All she needed was to reduce his mobility and score a single hit or block from his katana and she'd have him so she pursued him with relentless but controlled fury never once giving him an opening to move away as he backed up.
The Hero Killer's estimation of the girl increased again as she pressed him. Her tactic was good and against anyone else or in another circumstance she might have succeeded. Hell, she was even aware of her surroundings enough to use her glyphs to protect her from two knives he threw at her abdomen as he backed up while still making the one-off glyphs to keep him on her desired path and recharging her Lightning Dust when it ran out all of which showed her skill and training that powered her forward.
Alas for her, Stain only needed a drop and he'd known from the moment he saw it that he'd get it. As such, he bided his time until he knew he was in range and then, as the girl stabbed at him intent on pushing him back and into a position where he couldn't dodge her, he acted.
"You're talented but you should have asked for more clarity on what was going on, that was your greatest mistake." Stain said as he leapt up and flipped back from the stab so that his feet hit the wall of glyphs that the girl was trying to pin him against. "Otherwise you wouldn't have allowed me this opening."
Weiss was confused but Stain just laughed as he pushed himself off the wall and over her before she could make a glyph overhead that could stop him. Weiss still turned with his leap and swiped up with her rapier as he did, and Stain surprised her by letting go of his katana and allowing it to take the hit and be knocked to the side while he flipped his legs over his head to fully avoid the crackling rapier.
It was a completely unexpected move, but Weiss didn't let it get to her as she finished her spin to face the Hero Killer as he twisted in the air and landed in a crouch in the alleyway behind her, sliding over it for a few feet until he came to a stop right where he'd seen it. It was still there and fresh so he knew that it would work.
"If you have a freshly clotted wound and move around too much with it, it will reopen." Stain said grinning. "And I just need a drop for my Quirk to work on you."
With that and as Weiss blinked in confusion but rushed forward anyway. As she did, Stain's long tongue shot out and he dipped his head to the ground as fast as possible. Then, as Weiss neared him, he licked the ground right over a fresh drop of red blood that was there.
As Weiss engaged Stain, the swirl of Ruby and Asta had cleared the wall of glyphs that Weiss had erected and fallen down to the ground with Ruby reforming them a few feet above it so that they fell and landed in a crouch before a still standing Todoroki and a crouched Midoriya who rose to his full height at the same time they did. Only then did they see the full scope of the situation at hand.
Both Midoriya and Todoroki were able to move at least though the later had two deep cuts in his left forearm that were bleeding freely and a small cut on his left cheek while the former looked fine which given Midoriya's Quirk was strange. The same couldn't be said for the two behind them and that was what surprised the pair.
One of them was Ida who was lying on his chest missing his helmet with blood pooling around his left shoulder from a deep wound there while the other was a pro in what looked like a native American costume with a wound on his upper chest that neither Asta nor Ruby recognized and who was on his side. Both of them were not moving but for their eyes and based on their positions whatever was going on wasn't natural which fit what Midoriya had shouted about earlier.
"Asta, can you use your swords to nullify the effects of Stain's Quirk?" Izuku asked the moment that the pair had stood up. "If you can then hurry so they can get to safety."
"I'll try." Asta said as two rends appeared in the air and the handles of his swords emerged allowing him to grab and draw them in smooth motions for the second time in only a few minutes. "Might take a few moments though, I'm not sure what will work so this will be trial and error until it does."
"That's fine, I'm sure that Schnee can hold on that long." Izuku said. "So long as she doesn't get cut and let Stain ingest her blood she'll be good. Her sword is a Huntress weapon and from what I've gathered fitted with Dust so presumable she can use that to take down Stain."
"Of course Weiss can, she's amazing and with Lightning Dust coating her sword all she needs is a block or a scratch to jolt that villain." Rubys said with a smirk at her bestie's skills before she got serious. "But what the hell is going on here? We crashed through the seal and into the subterranean complex below the city, got rescued by the Quirk Knights, and seemed to trade one bad situation for another. Then, just as we were sorting things out and getting ready to find Asta, Midoriya messages a location nearby which is unusual and unexpected as he's not supposed to be here, so Weiss and I jump out a window and come over only to find what I presume is the Hero Killer fighting all of you lot. I'm so confused."
"As are we with why you, Schnee, and Asta are here but we can exchange the full story later." Todoroki said as ice formed under his right foot while Asta prodded Ida and the pro hero with the tips of his swords to no effect. "For now we need to focus on getting those two to safety and then what to do about Stain. If I get you up can you shoot him, Rose?"
"Sure can." Ruby said with a nod but as she did glyphs suddenly boxed Stain in. "Well so long as Weiss drops that, but I'll line up for when that happens. After that it's just a matter of clean line of sight but I know that Weiss will give me that."
"Alright and I presume you have non-lethal rounds in that thing?" Todoroki asked as the ice moved along the ground and under Ruby's feet, but he didn't move it up her body. "You did fire a shot earlier, so you have to."
"Of course, I do." Ruby said with a nod. "Made sure to sort that out on the way over."
"Alright then use this and try to stun him if you get the shot." Todoroki said before suddenly erupting the ice under Ruby's feet and sending her into the air on top of an ice pillar. "We've gotta hold out until the heroes come at least but with a team like this I'm sure that we can."
"Don't worry, I got this." Ruby shouted from atop the ice pillar as she pulled Crescent Rose off her lower back and spun it around as it morphed into its scythe form so that she could slam the crook into the top of the platform for stability and lined up her shot for when the glyphs fell. "As soon as Weiss gives the opening I'll take it, providing she doesn't stop him first which she just might do because she's amazing."
Izuku just stared at the ice while Todoroki nodded as he knew Schnee's skills well. When it came to precision and the use of weapons, the girls were the best around for that, so they trusted the two aspiring Huntresses while waiting for Asta to free the other two. That seemed to be taking longer than expected until Asta hit on a something a little out of the box and bent down to tap first Ida and then the pro in the heads with the cross guard of his great sword.
Asta wasn't sure what gave him the inspiration to do so but he found it and tried it out. The result was instantaneous as the paralysis on the pair broke and both could move again with Ida's fists clenching and Native rolling over onto his back and groaning as he was freed from Stain's Quirk.
"Alright I got it." Asta said with a grin as he stood up. "Seems like the effects of Quirks can be nullified if I tap someone's head with my cross guard, that's something I didn't know but will be really useful. They're free guys."
"Good now get clear." Izuku said not looking back at them as Asta turned to join the other two boys while Ruby continued to try and get a shot, but Weiss hadn't dropped her glyphs yet, so she didn't have it. "Native, if you can, please help Ida and get him to safety before contacting the pros and let them know what's going on here and what we've learned, we'll hold the Hero Killer as best we can."
"I'm the pro hero here but I've been useless and with this wound I can't help, so this is the least that I can do." Native said as he sat up with a wince but the wound in his upper chest wasn't too deep as all Stain had needed was his blood even if he was still going to kill Native in the end. "I'll get the kid free but don't do anything too rash, we can't lose good heroes like you lot."
"No, you all have to run and leave me." Ida spat as he grimaced, blood dripping from his wounded arm and trying to push himself up on them but with the wound his left arm wobbled as he tried. "I can't watch you lot do this for me. The Hero Killer is mine and no one else's! I will avenge my brother."
"What?" Asta asked looking over at Ida with a confused look. "You're brother? The pro you look up to?"
"Yes, his brother was crippled by the Hero Killer while he was patrolling Hosu during the Sports Festival." Todoroki said. "As such his hero career is over and he's passed his hero name onto Ida. That's why Ida chose an agency here for his internship, he wants revenge for that and came after Stain. That's how he ended up in this predicament in the first place."
"If I'd not arrived when I did Ida would be dead." Izuku said a note of sadness in his voice though he didn't glance back at Ida just in case Schnee was forced to drop her glyphs and he had to quickly engage Stain. "It was luck really; I'd tried to find him when I realized he wasn't with his pro hero and used what I'd read of the Hero Killer to do so as I figured out that he'd be looking for the villain who hurt his brother. I tried to protect him and sent this location out but got cut and paralyzed. Thankfully Todoroki arrived as well to help out and then you did, Asta, and the girls after you."
"Ah I see." Asta said understanding the situation better now.
"I am Ingenium, I will defeat Stain and avenge my brother!" Ida said as he got to his knees though he'd not looked over at them yet. "I must do this."
"Alright then get to your feet and make your brother proud." Todoroki said a forceful tone in his voice. "Be the hero he wanted you to be when he passed on his name!"
"I…" Ida began.
"Shut up!" Asta roared surprising all of them as he dropped his swords and turned to Ida grabbing him by his chest plate and hauling him around so that he could look his friend in the eye. "Right now your brother wouldn't want this! He wouldn't want you to avenge him with nothing but rage in your heart! That's not what a hero does! A hero protects, he doesn't act out of vengeance! If your brother is a true hero like you say he is, then he'll want you to do what a true hero would do in a situation like this!"
"But my brother…" Ida began.
"Shut up about your brother, you sound just like Shoto talking about his damned father!" Asta shouted as he cocked his head back and slammed his forehead into Ida's hard enough to leave a bruise though he made sure not to headbutt him the way he'd done to Shoto during the Sports Festival. "Do you think that he'd want you to throw your life away for him! Well do you!"
"I…" Ida began again meeting Asta's glare his eyes wide and filled with tears.
"No he wouldn't, would he?" Asta asked rhetorically. "So, show him that you still have the potential to be a true hero by leaving a fight you cannot win and getting help. You're wounded, get yourself to safety and live to fight another day so you can one day live up to his name! You're not doing that right now, Tenya but you can, I know you can! I have faith in the hero that you will be so prove me right now by leaving with Native!"
"I must beat Stain though." Ida said. "He crippled my brother, I will…"
"Oh shut up about that already, I don't give a shit!" Asta shouted and his left hand let go of Ida's chest plate to reach out to the side and grab his standard sword out of a new rend in the air as he'd dismissed his swords when he'd hit his head into Ida's. "As I told Shoto during the Sports Festival, you're my family now and I'll show you how family looks out for each other Tenya even if it's a bit harsh. I won't let you die here even if I have to prevent you from fighting myself!"
"Asta, wait I…" Ida began but Asta let go of Ida and moved behind him as he fell forward while Native watched confused and Todoroki and Izuku listened. "Don't…"
"No, you're done talking, you're in no physical or mental state to fight right now." Asta said as he tapped Ida's engines with his sword neutralizing them for a few minutes. "Get out of here and call for help. We'll hold Stain off while you do it and make sure that he is brought to justice for what he did to your brother and all the other heroes that he's hurt or killed. We can all talk about this later."
"No, I…" Ida began.
"One more word and I will knock you out and that will be even more annoying as Native clearly can't carry you right now." Asta said before turning to look at the pro who couldn't argue with Asta's assessment of his physical state though Ida's costume was also a factor in not being able to carry him. "Get him out of here and get help. I'm not sure what Quirk Knights are around but there should be two Captains at the very least, three if Fuegoleon has returned, and plenty of high-ranking members of top Squads dealing with the zombies plus Shoto's father who's a big shot apparently."
"Right, got it." Native said understanding as he groaned and got to his feet. "Man, I feel useless for letting you kids handle this when I'm the pro here."
"We all have fights we can and can't do." Asta said. "We might not win but that's ok, we just need to hold out long enough."
"I'll get help right away." Native said as he grabbed Ida's right arm and heaved him to his feet and put it over his shoulder. "Come on kid, let's move and get you to safety."
"Wait, Asta." Ida said and Asta glanced at him and saw the rage leave his eyes as he bowed his heads tears flowing down his cheeks. "Thank you."
Asta just nodded and turned back to the other two and the wall of glyphs just as Native began to haul Ida out of the alleyway in the direction that both Midoriya and Todoroki had come in from earlier. It wasn't a moment too soon because just as the wounded pair turned a corner the glyphs suddenly vanished and they saw an unnaturally rigid Weiss fall to the ground, Myrtenaster falling from her limp hand as Stain finished licking the ground in front of her.
"What the hell!" Todoroki exclaimed. "Did she get cut or something?"
"Clearly she…" Izuku began.
"Weiss!"
The shout was of course Ruby's and punctuated by a shot that almost hit Stain. Only his training, awareness, and expectation of an attack the moment he paralyzed the girl in white allowed him to move out of the way of the shot but as he did there was a flash of red and Ruby was on him swinging Crescent Rose down in a vicious arc right at him. Again, he leapt back and away from it but as he did Izuku glowed briefly as he activated 5% of his Quirk throughout his body and Asta began to rush forward.
"You've lost too much blood for close combat Todoroki." Izuku said as he tensed ready to follow Asta, but he was faster with his Quirk, so he waited a moment to let Todoroki know what they needed from him. "Stay here and support us from long range, you're the only one of who can right now, Asta, help Rose while I get Schnee clear and back here."
"Got it." Asta said as he ran while Todoroki just nodded. "Be quick Izuku!"
That was all that Izuku needed as he pushed off and quickly overtook Asta while Ruby continued to swing her scythe around her and at Stain forcing him to evade but he used that to back up go for his katana that he'd discarded to block Weiss's final attack. With one more annoyance down, Stain felt he could take the rest and used the attack from the other girl to his advantage so he could get his main weapon back and go on the offensive again.
To top it off he had one of them at his mercy and as he flipped over the girl in white and landed near his katana. He intended to use that to his advantage and cut the kid in green who he'd already recognized as a potentially true hero to get him out of the way.
At least that was what he wanted to do but as the green kid got to the girl on the ground and picked her up in his arms the girl in red and black shot at him again showing Stain that the scythe could fire in the form forcing him to roll to the side to get out of the way of the shot. That then allowed the loud Quirk Knight kid to get in close and swing his standard sword at him while putting himself between Stain and the others.
That was just what a hero should do and Stain grinned as he got his katana up to block the sword with a clang of metal on metal while drawing one of his few remaining hunting knives and slashing at Asta with it to try and draw blood. Asta managed to avoid it but barely and quickly brought his sword around to engage Stain once more.
While he was doing that, Izuku was running back to Todoroki with Weiss in his arms. Certainly, she wished that it was Ruby carrying her like this but right now she couldn't be picky as she needed to get clear of the battle raging in the alley. She'd let her guard down and whatever the Hero Killer's Quirk was, it allowed him to paralyze her, and she couldn't move so she was out of the fight. It was shameful really; she'd failed but at least her friends were there to back her up and she trusted them to finish this.
"Don't worry, it will pass soon though the time will depend on your blood type." Izuku said as he returned to Todoroki and gently laid Weiss on the ground a safe distance behind him. "That's how his Quirk works. You must have been cut and he got your blood."
"No, he didn't cut me, I have a head wound from earlier when I fought some White Fang villain on the way to Hosu." Weiss got out only able to move her mouth and eyes it seemed while Izuku finally noticed that she was missing one of the sleeves on her dress because it was currently tied around her head with the back of it stained red. "It's on the back of my head so I didn't notice that it reopened during the fight. Some of my blood must have either dripped down to the ground or been flung off. Careless, I should have asked."
"Not your fault, you did well Schnee." Todoroki said as he looked out and raised his left arm flames coalescing on it. "We can't get you clear now as it will take all of us to defeat him, but we will protect you just as you did us earlier."
"Thanks." Weiss said. "I'll rejoin once I can."
Todoroki just nodded as he sent out a gout of flames at Stain just as Stain dodged away from a sword strike that Asta launched at him which put Stain in the open. Izuku used that moment to follow suit and charge after and take the fight to the Hero Killer while Ruby burst out of her Quirk above where Stain had landed spinning in the air with her scythe in her hands and over her head coming in from above. As she did, an idea hit Todoroki and he began to think on it while watching the other three engage the villain before them.
"A big weapon like that isn't practical in a space like this, girl." Stain said as he rolled backwards over the ground and under Ruby's strike so that the crook of her scythe slammed into the ground point first and buried deeper than Ruby could pull out without using her Quirk. "You've got skills, but they're suited to face Grimm in the open, not an intelligent human in a back alley."
"Ignore him, Rose." Izuku shouted as he reached Stain and grabbed him by the chest just as Stain made a move for some of his knives to toss as the girl as she held the haft of her scythe and was still in the air from her strike. "Burst up! Now!"
Ruby didn't need to be told twice, she trusted her classmates the way Asta did and so she did as instructed bursting upwards at the call. To speed it up, she let go of Crescent Rose leaving it in the ground as she tore upwards in a swirl of red and spewing rose petals while two knives that Izuku hadn't stopped flew through the air she'd been seconds before. Ruby burst out a second later and fell to land on her scythe's haft near the base where the spike was, he arms wide as she balanced there while watching Izuku slam Stain into the ground as he landed from grabbing him.
"Rose, catch!" Asta shouted and she turned her head to the left to see that Asta had grabbed Myrtenaster off the ground where Weiss had dropped it and tossed it towards her so that the handle was in range. "That bastard's right, your scythe isn't conducive in these confines unless it's being used as a gun."
"Got, thanks." Ruby said as she grabbed Weiss's rapier in her left hand, noting absently that Asta was clearly aware that it was Weiss's dominant hand and had been made for it, as Asta passed her his normal sword ready for his next attack. "I'm not as good as Weiss is with it but I can make do."
Before Ruby could move though, Izuku had leapt up and spun still holding Stain to toss him back at them. Instantly Asta was on the move rushing towards the villain while Ruby took a second to glance at Myrtenaster's handle to find the switch and flick it to ignite what looked to be the final Lightning Dust charge in it. The artificial lightning burst up and along the blade as Stain flew towards Asta but as he did, he grinned and licked a hunting knife that was now in his left hand.
As soon as he did Izuku let out a cry and fell to the ground paralyzed by Stain's Quirk. He hadn't realized it but the moment that he'd grabbed Stain the villain had drawn the knife and slashed him across the abdomen though with Izuku's speed it was nothing more than a graze and easy to miss until now.
However, for Stain that was more than enough as it gave him a smear of blood to consume and while the green kid was type O this would still rule him out of the fight for a few minutes which should be long enough to deal with the other two starting with the Quirk Knight kid who he grinned at as he spun in the air and brought both blades to bear as he reached Asta.
Asta saw this and brought his sword up to intercept the katana with a clang and a roar as he came to a halt and swung into the intercept with all his strength. He had the footing and the raw strength on Stain, and he used that to push the bastard away and towards the nearest wall.
Unfortunately, as he did, Stain slashed out with his hunting knife and the tip cut into Asta's forearm just before Stain was tossed to the side. The villain had to give it kid, he was strong as hell and fought well but he'd not been fast enough to avoid getting cut so even as Stain twisted to slam back first into the wall, he had his tongue out just a drop of blood fell on it from the tip of his knife.
"Not bad, both of you." Stain said as he ingested the gray-haired kid's blood. "But you both failed to see my other blade, oh well, you're both worthy of letting live so it doesn't matter."
"Damn it." Asta grunted as he felt his body seize up and he couldn't move, his sword falling to the ground and disappearing as he followed it but as he did, he finally placed that nagging sensation he'd been having and why it annoyed him. "Gah, I got it! You sound like the Wizard King for some reason! That's not right coming from a villain!"
Stain didn't respond, he didn't know how to and even if he did, he didn't have time because the moment he'd hit the wall ice shot across the ground in a jagged line at him clearly aiming to freeze him to the wall. He'd felt the cold approaching though and quickly landed on the ground and leapt up into the aid before pushing off the wall and away from the ice to get clear of it despite the jarring impact with the wall he'd taken.
Only then did he realize that the ice was only partially meant to freeze him, it was also meant to push him into the air and towards the girl in red and black who suddenly burst out of her Quirk above him with her friend's sword in her left hand and over her right shoulder as it crackled there. There was no doubt in Stain's mind that that had been the secondary aspect of the ice, force him into the air and to the still fighting close combat-based hero who'd sensibly gotten a more manageable weapon for the situation.
Stain was right, all of this had been Todoroki's doing as he'd realized that Stain wasn't good against multiple enemies at one and this was especially bad situation for him as one had the shorted time for paralysis and the other could nullify his power and use a sword while the third was skilled with weapons in general. As such Stain would be at a serious disadvantage and Todoroki played into that by trying to freeze him all while knowing that Rose would be there as a backup should Stain avoid the ice like he did.
Naturally, Ruby wasn't focused on that, she was just focused on landing a blow on Stain that would shock him unconscious with the last of Weiss's current cylinder of Lightning Dust. Alas for her, Stain was ready and rather than engage her with his katana, he backflipped in the air and kicked out at her with the spikes on the ends of his boots. Either he'd land a blow to her abdomen with them and get the blood that he needed, or he'd at least force her to use her Quirk to evade him and thus avoid her attack.
In this case it was the latter as Ruby was wise to the blood thing now and burst in her Quirk the moment that she saw Stain flip. However, this time she flew around him in three spirals and reformed behind him in the air looking at his back Myrtenaster already moving. This allowed Ruby to slash up with Weiss's sword and aim for his back.
Stain laughed at the move, it was an impressive and bold one which was just what he wanted to see in a hero. Still, he was ready for it, and he twisted as Ruby slashed at him having deduced that the attack was coming from there based on how she'd just moved with her Quirk ready to intercept her attack.
The move was such that not even Stain could fully avoid the Lightning Dust so instead he intercepted it with his hunting knife in his left hand and parried the blow as best he could. As he did, and repressing a yell of pain as the jolt shot along the blade and into his hand, he slashed upwards with his katana in a savage move that would do serious damage if it landed.
Landing it, however, wasn't the intention, no that was to force the girl to burst into her Quirk yet again and fly away ending the jolt before it could knock him out. That was exactly what it accomplished, and Ruby growled as she was forced to burst away in a red spiral before rematerializing on the ground a few back from where she had been and in a couch with Myrtenaster out to her side in her left hand with the last sparks of the charge dying out as she did. As she did, Stain finish twisting so that he was opposite her, his left-hand smoking and burned but otherwise fine.
"Not bad girl, you've got skill and potential at least." Stain said. "But that won't beat me."
"I know it won't." Ruby said as she spun Myrtenaster in her hand to hold it in a reverse grip in a similar fashion to how she'd seen Weiss use it. "But all I have to do is keep you occupied and avoid getting cut, that I can do."
Stain just grinned at that, his long tongue lashing the air as Ruby pushed off the ground and closed in on him as fast as she could without her Quirk before bringing Myrtenaster to bear at the last moment in a slash that would wound if it landed but not kill. Course it had to land, and it didn't because Stain easily parried it with his katana and slashed at her with his hunting knife, but Ruby burst around it and Stain to rematerialize in the air behind him, slashing again the moment that she did and forcing him to turn and block the next slash before countering himself only for Ruby to repeat the process.
What followed was basically a game of hit and run as Ruby used her Quirk in really small, short, bursts to evade Stain's counters and slash him with counters of her own. Alas all this led to was Stain intercepting her attacks with his katana and countering with his knife thus forcing Ruby to repeat herself.
That was fine with Ruby though as it kept Stain at bay which was the overall goal and therefore she kept up her attacks. Her moves and style were a rough copy of Weiss's own fighting style with her glyphs to attack from all directions and angles only using Petal Burst instead. It wasn't as precise as Weiss's was but as Ruby only needed a few seconds to slash and burst she could attack from the air and then change position thus allowing her to fight all around Stain the way Weiss had done so to Todoroki as she tried to wear him down while occupying him and looking for an opening at the same time.
Todoroki himself noted the similarity to Schnee's fighting style as he watched the fight, but he didn't have an opening to act, not with Rose so close. Of course, he wasn't the only one and he grinned as the rend appeared over Asta's head and the handle of his great sword appeared there.
It had taken Asta a few moments to collect his thoughts after realizing that Stain sounded like a raspy, evil, version of the Wizard King, which was just wrong to him, and to assess the situation before he knew what to do. It was, of course, obvious but he needed a few additional seconds to do so, and Rose was buying him the time that he needed to do so.
Asta didn't waste that as he focused on is Quirk and imagined the rend appearing above his head. He'd never tried to place the rends before, he just summoned his swords and the rends appeared where he needed them for a quick draw but that wouldn't work this time, this time he needed a precise place for the rend to appear so that things worked out, so Asta imagined the rend for his great sword right above his head and thankfully it appeared showing the handle there as it did.
Asta grinned at that, but his grin fell away as the sword fell through the rend until it was taken over by gravity and slid out so that the pommel hit him square in the forehead. That caused Asta to cry out from the pain but as he did the rest of the handle fell and the cross guard hit his head, which instantly ended the effects of Stain's Quirk and allowed Asta to move, before it clattered to the ground next to him.
That was precisely what Asta had been going for and the moment that he could he rolled over and grabbed the handle of his great sword and got to his feet. As he did, he looked over at the fight and realized that it wasn't a moment to soon.
That was because as Asta had nullified Stain's Quirk, Stain himself had finally deduced Ruby's moves and figured out a better counter to them just as she appeared on his right-hand side with another slice, one which he instinctively moved to block with his katana. This time, however, as he blocked the attack, he threw his hunting knife hard and fast at Ruby, but he made sure not to throw it at her body.
No, Stain deliberately threw it under her arm and to her side in a clear miss thus ensuring that the girl didn't burst away from the danger the knife posed. However, the knife was still dangers as instead of hitting the get it went into her cloak, the sharp blade easily piercing the fabric and carrying on to the handle which caught in the fabric, the force and speed of the throw allowed the knife for keep going and pull the cloak taught around the girl's neck.
Ruby gasped as she was suddenly choaked and thrown back by the force of the unexpected attack. That was just what Stain needed as he grinned and flipped his katana around ready to stab the girl in the shoulder to wound her and get her blood so that he could paralyze her tough after that he wouldn't kill her as she'd shown enough potential to avoid that fate.
"Don't you dare another of my friends!" Asta roared as Stain made to stab Ruby while she staggered and coughed from the sudden choking she was dealing with, her focus broken and unable to quickly burst into her Quirk. "You're evil ends tonight!"
Stain barely had time to turn before Asta was on him, his great sword in both hands as he swung it around and at Stain with all his might. Ruby was still in the area, but Asta trusted her, and Ruby didn't disappoint by falling to the ground, dropping Myrtenaster in the process as her hands went to her cloak to loosen it before pulling the knife from it. As she did, Asta's great sword swung harmlessly over her and right onto Stain.
To his credit Stain did get his katana up in time but that did little against Asta's great sword and strength. All it did in fact was take the blow for a split second before the ragged blade shattered into several pieces from the force of the blow as Asta roared through it and drive the edge of his blade into Stain's chest with a boom that likely shattered a few ribs. Against most Quirk users this would be enough to nullify their Quirk for a bit but against Stain it wouldn't work given his localized Quirk Factor.
However, it was still a heavy, blunt, slab of metal and that was more than enough to cause Stain to gasp in pain and spew a few flecks of blood as he was tossed back and into the nearest wall before he could react. In fact, it was before anyone could react other than Asta who was already on it.
"Roast him Shoto!" Asta shouted. "Now!"
Todoroki didn't need to be told twice, Asta's words snapped him to attention, and he instantly raised his left arm and blasted a jet of flames out of it and at Stain right as he hit the wall. Unfortunately, even with the heavy blow and subsequent slam into an unyielding wall Stain wasn't down and he leapt into the air the moment that his feet hit the ground, coughing blood as he did, but he managed to avoid the attack.
That was good for him but as he got into the air, and before he could kick off the wall to get away from it a green figure sparking with what looked like green electricity suddenly appeared next to him. To add to it said figure was carrying something large in his hands.
"Don't forget about me!" Izuku yelled as he swung what he was holding in his arms. "I'm not done with you yet!"
Stain didn't have time to react before the back Crescent Rose's crook, something that was blunt though two blades hung down from it for catching onto things, slammed into his gut. Stain was instantly sent flying into the sky as what little oxygen he'd managed to recover was driven from his lungs and he tried to process what was going on.
What was going on was that Izuku had come to a few moments prior but had waited for the right moment to make his move and surprise Stain. That moment came when Asta had attacked, Izuku had used that distraction to leap up and rush to Rose's scythe as he activate One for All at 5% throughout his body before he grabbed the oversized weapon and ripped it out of the ground as soon as he reached it.
Then he'd waited for Stain to avoid Todoroki's fire attack and had followed the Hero Killer into the air with the scythe using the blunt end for what he needed and slamming it into Stain's gut. This was it, they all knew it and as Stain flew into the air winded and in pain, Izuku twisted in the air and threw the scythe back to its owner as he neared the wall.
"One more hit, that's all we need!" Izuku cried out as the scythe flew through the air toward Ruby. "Come on we can do it!"
"Yeah, we can!" Asta roared as he looked up and tensed his powerful leg muscles. "Boost me Shoto!"
"On it!" Todoroki said ice erupting from his right-hand side as Ruby leapt up and caught her sweetheart in her hands surprised that Izuku had used it. "Go!"
At that the ice tore across the ground before getting under Asta's feet and spiking upwards tossing him into the air, he made sure not to touch the ice with his sword, and at Stain faster and higher than Asta could have jumped naturally. As he did, Izuku reached the wall and leapt off it his right-hand balling into a fist as he did while Ruby burst off the ground with all the strength, she had left to give with her Quirk was at its limit. Well, limits were meant to be broken and Ruby did just that as she pushed past that limit and went Plus Ultra as she shot towards Stain while the boys did the same.
The trio reached Stain at the same time with Asta below him, Izuku to the villain's side, and Ruby bursting out of her Quirk above him. Almost as one, Asta spun in the air and swing his great sword up while Izuku unleashed a punch similar to one of All Might's and Ruby flipped forward and brough the back of Crescent Rose's crook down. All Stain could do was groan as the great sword slammed into his gut at the same moment that the scythe struck him in the back and the punch landed in his left cheek with three near simultaneous booms as he took the triple attack.
"That's it guys." Todoroki said grinning while a still paralyzed Weiss just stared in awe at the moment that three of their friends and classmates all landed blows at once. "You got him."
Unfortunately, Todoroki spoke too soon because as the trio began to fall away from the battered and bleeding Stain, he suddenly let out a primal roar and spun in the air. Only then did they realize that he was somehow still holding the broken half of his katana and the trio were all in range of it.
Not even Ruby had time to use her Quirk, all she could do was lean away as best she could, but she didn't get far enough before the broken tip slashed her across the left cheek cutting her with ease and sending a spray of blood into the air above her before Stain slashed Asta across the chest and Izuku in the arm. The shock of the blows combined with their fatigue caused both Ruby and Asta to drop their weapons which fell away from them and clattered to the ground below as they hissed in pain from the cuts that Stain had inflicted.
The villain laughed at that, but he wasn't in a position to do much or lap at the blood that suddenly filled the air. Meanwhile, the cut to Ruby's cheek and the pain she felt as her blood began to run down her face boosted her one more time to burst into her Quirk and around Stain.
It was only a short burst to get around the Hero Killer before bursting out of her Quirk as she neared Asta and grabbed his left arm in her left hand before she burst once more dragging Asta in with her as she arched under Stain in a candy cane or red and black. A second later she burst out again only now she was between Asta and Izuku and reached up and grabbed Izuku's left arm in her right hand before she burst once more.
Ruby had never tried to take more than one person with her when she used Petal Burst but now was as good a time as ever to try this out and so she did as she burst while gripping both boys. The result was a tricolored spiral of red, black, and green, the latter the color of Izuku's hair, that fell down a few feet.
The spiral didn't go any further though as it suddenly stopped and spun in place as Ruby again tried something new, this time spinning in place in the air using her limited flight capabilities with her Quirk. Ruby used this to compressing them as much as she could while simultaneously speeding up to as fast as she could manage resulting in a red, black, and green pinwheel in midair that was a blur to the eye before she suddenly burst out of it with a cry and released the boys while facing the falling villain above them.
"Get him guys!" Ruby cried as she fell back towards the ground. "This is it! Petal Burst Human Missiles!"
Asta and Izuku, neither of whom wanted to do this again and were very dizzy and disorientated from the spin, just cried out as they were hurled out of the vortex and up and at Stain faster than they'd ever traveled all while Stain fell towards them the pain clearly blinding him to everything. Even if Stain could react, he had no time before Asta's head slammed into his broken ribs while Izuku's slammed into his face in a pair of headbutts that were more like missiles than anything else hence Ruby's spur of the moment name for her move.
That was it for Stain and he let out a final gasp before he was blasted up and away from them clearly unconscious while the boys carried on upwards for a few more yards before they reached the apex of their ascents and began to fall down. Still, to ensure things, Todoroki blasted a jet of flames into Stain's face the moment that he too began to fall to the ground that burned him and singed away his mask thing and ensured that he was down for the count all while the Asta and Izuku fell back to the ground dazed but thankfully still conscious.
It was only then that they realized the problem but thankfully that had been sorted already when Ruby had fallen after releasing the pair because she didn't get far before the air suddenly exploded with white light right and a second later she'd slammed back first into a large glyph. Ruby gasped and looked over to see Weiss looking at her still unmoving, but her brow furrowed in concentration as she created and controlled a glyph to catch her before she hit the ground and really hurt herself.
Stain's Quirk immobilized people but it didn't immobilize their minds and as glyphs were mental creations, Weiss could still use her Quirk. It had taken a lot of concentration to do so, especially because she was used to using her arms as a conduit to create her glyphs, but seeing her friends fighting so hard together had given Weiss the strength to do so as well, well that and Ruby falling after throwing the boys at Stain, and so she'd pushed past her own limits to pull it off and catch Ruby just in time.
Weiss wasn't done though as she enlarged the glyph and raised it in the air as the boys fell down unable to do more than that but that would be enough to catch the boys in the same way that she'd caught Ruby. Well, it should be though as she moved the glyph, Ruby realized that Izuku was falling right on top of her. So, with a bit of effort, she rolled to the side as some of her blood dripped onto the glyph to allow Izuku to land where she'd been with Asta to his right before flopping onto her back on Izuku's left.
Naturally the boys didn't realize this, they'd had their brains scrambled by the impromptu attack and had barely noticed when they began to tilt back and fall to the ground, but they were starting to recover as they hit the glyph and it began to be lowered gently to the ground. As they were, a smoking and bloody Stain fell past them and crashed into the ground nearby unconscious and with several broken bones but he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon so they ignored him as Weiss finished lowering the glyph to the ground before finally canceling it as it reached the ground so that didn't fall onto it.
The trio remained on their backs panting as they stared up into the night's sky, the sounds of Hosu returning to them and as it did, they all realized that there were no more sounds of destructions or chaos coming from nearby, just the quiet of the night meaning that all the remaining issues, mainly the creatures that were like Nomu along with an additional villain that had shown up to back up Rades and Valtos, had been dealt with. With that done, along with the zombies taken care of albeit with the master of them escaping, and Stain defeated they knew that the issues above ground were finally over.
Together all 5 students in the alley breathed a sigh of relief at their victory though Weiss and Ruby knew there was still the Grimm threat to deal with before they forced their way up to the city drawn to the smorgasbord of negative emotions that the attack had caused, but with Asta here and conscious they were certain that that would soon be dealt with. As such, for now at least, they'd won. They were all unaware that there was still one last moment above ground to come, but for now peace began to slowly return to Hosu City.
There it is, the battle with Stain culminating in his defeat this time at the hands of Izuku, Asta, and Ruby. All the things before Asta arrived, so right up to Izuku's recovery and saving of Native when Stain went for him after injuring Todoroki, went as it did in canon but as you can see after that it deviated a lot from canon. This is because of the additional two franchises and their arrival in this battle causing things to really change in the first major change from a canon moment that the new series have caused, along with the first time that the main trio fought together against a villain, but such is the nature of the story and this battle. Others may or may not have as big a change as this battle, that's all to be seen when they come and I factor in characters from Black Clover and RWBY into the events of MHA. Anyway, Stain's been defeated but there is still a lot to do before Hosu is safe again and a few twists left for our heroes to deal with so stay tuned for that but for now this is all that I have for this chapter so I will leave it off here. If you like this story please follow, favorite (this story and me) to keep up with it and leave a review or PM; your support is what helps motivate me to keep up this work and any questions posed before the next chapter is uploaded I will try to answer. Until next time.
Stringdog