It all happened so fast. The fire, the smoke, and the sounds of battle across the forest. Ida unfortunately fell to the poison gas, and so Kiri had to carry him.
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The safest place for him was the forest lodge, so that was the objective. The faster she got there, the faster she could help Momo and Izuku wherever they may be.
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But then the black rain fell, and the sight of Bakugo and Todoroki falling filled her vision. Quickly finding somewhere to set Ida down, she transformed after some effort and exploded into the action.
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However, she underestimated just how strong Azrael was. He caught her attack, and then Apotheosis froze her in some blue cage.
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If she were at full power, maybe she could force her way out. Maybe…
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Regardless, right now she can’t move or stop whatever the villain has in store.
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Apotheosis: “I’ve heard how tough you are to damage. You’ll be a good test of just how powerful this stone is and a great present for your family once I remove your head from your shoulders.”
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The villain lifted his gauntlet as the blue stone glowed bright. Suddenly, Kiri was forced to her knees as gravity turned against her. The ground beneath her cracked and broke apart from the strain.
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Apotheosis: “Gravity control works and seems easy to use.”
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The weight slowly increases, sending the girl deeper into the ground.
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Apotheosis: “Next test, let’s see if I can cut space itself. An arm should do nicely.”
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The man brings his arm back, ready to deliver a devastating blow. But before he could, a sudden dread covered the entire forest.
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Kiri: ‘Onii…’
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Apotheosis: “The fuck?!”
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The more surprising thing, however, is the fact that the space stone suddenly lost all power. As if something else overturned its authority over the concept.
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Before the villain could do anything else, Kiri vanished, as if she was never there.
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One moment she was being crushed by gravity; the next she was kneeling on a concrete road. To make things even more confusing, her strength was back; she was outside the effect of the psychic disruptor.
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But how? Wasn’t she immune to teleportation in her Valkyrie form? Only one person could have pulled off such a thing.
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Kiri: “Izu… ”
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Dark Shadow: “Kiri?”
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The girl whips around to see everyone else. Many were out or in some sort of casket. The ones looking at her were Tokoyami, Tsuyu, and barely standing Kendo.
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Tokoyami: “I see… ”
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Tsuyu: “What… happened?”
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Kendo: “Are we… safe?”
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Well, it seems like her secret is out for those three. But that’s not important right now. Kiri looks through those present on the road the classes first came here from.
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To her increasing worry, she found no sign of Udders or Izuku.
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Were they still down there? Were they hurt? Without another word, the girl turns to rush back into combat. That was until a scrambled voice entered her mind.
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Izuku: “Stay… back… protect… them…”
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Kiri: “Izu, what’s-”
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Izuku: “If speaking… can’t hear… just listen… I’m coming soon. Stay.”
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Compelled to obey and choosing to listen, Kiri balled her fists and sat down.
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Still shaken by the events, the other three did the same after making sure those unconscious were alright. All they can do now is wait.
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Blood falls to the ground from the mouth of one who braved the task of taking in the unfathomable. But it was worth it; those whom he could save are saved.
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Now, he can focus on retribution.
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Is what he would like to say, but the cost of channeling The Sixth was steep. Maybe he could go down and fight if the psychic disruptor was down.
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The person claiming to be his brother is also a problem. Add in Azrael, who nearly killed him before, and the chances of him winning and saving the compressed hostages were slim.
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Izuku: ‘They probably will find me if I stay here, but… I need to do something. They can’t just get away with this!’
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Yes, he has to retreat for today and save everyone when the chances aren’t so low. He won’t fail them.
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But then how does he make sure the monsters below understand the folly of their actions?
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Cecelyne: “You know what to do, prince. Unleash a sliver of the legion.”
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Images of the creatures he saw in his mind, the horrors and monstrosities, rumble and flash within his inner world.
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But can he really let such things loose on his world?
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Then he remembers what he saw over the battlefield, who was taken… and who was lost.
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Izuku: “Yes, I can do it.”
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Cecelyne: “Good.”
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Anger floods over as green fades to red. The legion that will have the least impact on the world was one that perfectly fit his building emotions.
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K: “Call my name.”
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Izuku: “KHORNE!!”
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Wind explodes and screams from the arrival of the embodiment of war. Trees nearly topple from the sheer killing intent being aimed at the villains below.
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Izuku’s face twists into an ugly scowl as his green eyes alight a new color, blood red. Beneath his feet, a screaming cacophony and black and red fire start to spread across the cliff. From within explode dozens of red demonic arms.
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Before long, a small army of Bloodletters emerges into real space. Their long tongues lick the clean air, profaning it with their presence, and promising an eternal and bloody crusade. Their hellblades sizzle with barely contained hatred, thirsty for the blood of worthy foes.
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If it wasn’t for the psychic disruptor, Izuku would have fallen victim to the bloodlust and joined their charge regardless of the costs.
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The idea sickens the boy.
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Izuku: ‘I-I’m not a villain; I will… keep this under control.’
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Khorne: “They will not listen to you as you are. Give me control; let me speak through you. Unless you want them to slaughter everyone down below.”
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The fact the idea sounded so appealing nearly made Izuku hurl. But he needed them under control, so… he nods.
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Instantly, Izuku’s eyes turn fully red, no pupils needed. Sensing their god descending, even a sliver of him, was enough to cause the demons to bow.
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Creating a blood-red sword of psychic energy, Izuku/Khorne plants it in the ground before delivering his orders.
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Khorne: “Slaughter all the so called ‘quirk-beasts’! Only maim the humans; their deaths are reserved for the prince! GO!”
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“BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD, SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!!”
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And like a living wave, they descend from the cliffside toward the victims. The sounds of war they leave in their wake will haunt the dreams of any who hear.
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Izuku: “What do you mean!? I don’t… want to kill them! I’m a-”
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Khorne: “Don’t lie to me or yourself! I can smell the desire for vengeance and blood from you.”
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Izuku: “It’s… not right. We’re… supposed to be better than that. Heroes save people, defeat the villains, and send them to jail where they belong.”
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Khorne: “Too merciful a fate! This is the truth, prince! The strong are the ones who decide what is right! The strong are the ones who decide what a ‘hero’ is and they are the ones who decide the fate of the ‘villains’!The sooner you understand this, the closer you will be to taking your rightful place.”
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Having said his piece, the entity returns control to Izuku. Unable to respond, the boy simply flies off toward where he sent Kiri.
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Theo: “Only one person could have done such… bull.”
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It didn’t take long for his stone to start working again, but the fact it was rendered useless for a moment was enough to send chills.
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Azrael quickly gathered up the separated villains and regrouped with Theo. The only ones missing were Mosquito and the seaweed monster. The latter wasn’t too unexpected, but Mosquito was a surprise.
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Azrael: “So Midoriya managed to kill her?”
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Theo: “I doubt it. Gyoro said her healing factor was among the best if she had enough blood stored. Short of complete evisceration, she should be fine after some time.”
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Azrael: “So we’ll wait for her and-”
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The common sense of world breaks, and the weight of their actions bears down on the villains.
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Toga: “W-What was that?!”
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Twice: “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Did you all feel that?”
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Azrael: “Midoriya… ”
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As their gazes turn to the now terrifying forest, Theo remembers the words of Gyoro.
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Gyoro: “Like you all, he is only a caterpillar. But when he becomes a butterfly, he’ll be the death of us all. The Prince of The Green Sun and his twelve apostles, making this world his footstool.”
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For the first time, he believes that his half-brother can do such a thing.
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Theo: “What I felt… that couldn’t have come from a hero.”
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Determination strengthen, Theo steps forward. Joining him, another who feels the same, was Azrael.
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Azrael: “Open a portal back to base. We must make sure we keep what we came for.”
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Theo turns around and opens a blue portal for Compass. It was then that the first demon exploded out of the forest line, blade ready to sever an arm.
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Azrael quickly punched the creature’s head off. But there were more coming, much more.
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Spinner: “What the fuck are those things!?”
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Azrael: “Only the strongest stay! The rest, hold them back!”
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It didn’t even cross their mind that they were quirk beasts. No, they were too demonic for that. Spinner swallowed his fear and charged with his giant sword made of swords. But it was paper in front of the hellblade.
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A single swing was all it took for his blade to be severed. Before the demon could bite his head off, he was dragged away by Magne’s quirk, magnetism.
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Magne: “You’re not one of the strongest, lets go.”
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Meanwhile, Azreal and Theo fought off most of them. Theo tried to freeze them all in place with his stone, but it would seem the limit is three. Otherwise, his gauntlet would start to overheat.
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So instead, he focused on blasting them with his normal gear and cutting with waves that rend space.
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Theo: “Of course, he can summon a fucking demon army! How many are there!?”
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Azrael: “Doesn’t matter, keep fighting!”
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Kota uses whips that emerge out of his transformed hands to tear several apart. But one caught it and cut it off.
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Kota: “AAAGH!”
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Azrael: “Kota!”
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Before three demons skewer the increasingly terrified child, Azrael intercepted and shot them with purple lasers. As if they were getting smarter, they reacted and blocked them with their blades. The force was still enough to send them flying.
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“NO!”
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Turning around, he saw the catfish monster being lifted up on a hellblade, blood being sucked out of him by the infernal weapon.
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The female monster fires multiple lightning bolts at the demon killing her husband, but it did little but draw attention. More demons emerge, drawn by the scent of fear and death.
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Theo: “Damn it!”
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Nearly all of them had gone into the portal. The only ones remaining were Kota, Theo, Azrael, and the female monster. They were vastly outnumbered, and the ferocity of the opponent gave no time to rest.
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Azrael: “No choice, Overclo-”
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Suddenly, a black swarm engulfs every demon in the vicinity. It’s supposed to drain their blood until nothing but husks remain; however, the demons simply ignore it and continue their charge.
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But there was a moment of confusion, a bracing for impact if it was a threat. That was enough for Mosquito to tear apart the demons near the female monster.
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Mosquito: “He’s dead, Plasma! Move!”
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Plamsa: “But-”
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She didn’t listen to her, dragging her through the portal.
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Azrael: “Our turn.”
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His eyes flash blue as thunderclouds come to life above and deliver their payload on the demons. As the land is hammered and scorched, Azrael grabs Kota and Theo before teleporting away.
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They didn’t emerge at the hideout; it’s not big enough to fit everyone. Instead, they escaped to one of the empty safe warehouses Theo owns.
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Azrael: “Is everyone alright?”
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Few were.
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Twice: “The hell was that right now! I didn’t sign up to fight demons!”
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Toga: “Yeah!”
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Mustard: “My poison didn’t even seem to work on them.”
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Dabi: “You’ve been hiding something.”
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Compress: “Indeed, I think you have some explaining to do.”
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Spinner: “This goes beyond simply wanting to change this rotten society.”
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Instead of Azrael, it was Mosquito who answered while comforting the one who just lost their husband.
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Mosquito: “Mother was right… I didn’t believe it… a human with such power… but she was right… ”
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Dabi: “What are you talking about?”
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Mosquito: “I was nearby when he… summoned those things. When he called out a name that made me wish I had died when he blew my head off. It was a miracle he didn’t notice me regenerating.”
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Twice: “He!? Who’s he!?”
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Theo: “Izuku Midoriya.”
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Dabi: “Are you telling me a kid can do that?”
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Toga: “Scary… ”
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Azrael: “Now you have a better appreciation of our position. What kind of just society would birth such a monster? They can accept that. But they won’t accept you. A talking lizard, a poor girl who didn’t choose her unique quirk, the quirkless, or… monsters that had more humanity than we thought.”
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He says while looking at Plasma and Mosquito. It would seem some of them weren’t so different from mutants.
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Dabi: “This won’t change my main objective. He’s just another obstacle. So what do we do?”
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Looking at the others, they also seemed ready to stay. Whether out of fear, ideology, or loyalty to a bond slowly forming, it didn’t matter. They were in this for the long haul.
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Azrael: “We build our forces. Compress, you have them?”
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Compress: “Don’t worry, I have our prize.”
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He shows a small bag filled with several green marbles, the most important being the one with Momo.
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Kiri watched Izuku fly over to her and the rest of the students. But he was different. His eyes were blood red, and his face was the definition of fury.
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She could barely see the boy she loved beneath it all. It got only weirder when he landed. At first, he just stood there, subtly shaking. No one dared disturb him, Tsuyu least of all.
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She wasn’t as scared as when The Body was present, but the feeling was similar enough to force her behind Tokoyami.
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Thankfully, after a few minutes, the red faded and the scowl left his face. But instead of the face she is used to, it was one colder than usual. A sculpted countenance that didn’t belong on someone so young.
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He walked past Kiri and the others toward the caskets. They didn’t notice how his shadow expanded and bubbled with demonic vestiges, ones that just got done with a glorious battle.
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With little effort, Izuku forced open the caskets and lifted all the unconscious students and remaining Pussy Cats with his quirk.
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Knowing he probably knows what happened, Kiri took a brave step forward.
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Kiri: “Onii… where’s… Momo… where’s everyone else?”
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Normally, the boy would be happy to hear Kiri call Momo by her name. But he is not in the mood.
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Izuku: “Gone, taken by one of the villains somehow. We’ll get them back.”
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Kiri: “Taken? No… ”
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Tokoyami: “They captured sensei as well?”
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Kendo: “Even our sensei… I can’t believe it.”
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Izuku: “… They took Vlad King, but Aizawa is dead.”
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Words louder than a nuke dropped in their ears and stilled their hearts.
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Kiri: “… What?”
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Izuku: “I said he’s dead.”
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He doesn’t look at them; he can’t break down now. He doesn’t see them look at him speechless, unable to grasp how he can say it so… coldly. Izuku of all people.
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Kiri: “… It can’t-”
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Izuku: “It is. And if you want to honor him, you all will help me save everyone who was taken. Understand?”
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After a moment, the four nod, still unable to truly process the fact one of their teachers died in the line of duty. Just like that, without them even being present.
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Izuku: “Come on, we have to report what happened.”
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Without another word, Izuku used his quirk to lift the four before taking off into the sky. The boy is not at 100%, so it would take some time to make it home.
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So it’s going to be a long and quiet trip. Enough time for the truth of reality to settle.
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That This Was Always A War
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Forest Training Arc END
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A/N: Yes, this is an arc to me. Don’t worry, the next one shouldn’t take long. It should be shorter than this one too, I think.
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Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this new batch of chapters and the twists within.
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As always, favorite, review, and give thoughts. They feed my motivation.
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To support me and all that I create, buy me a coffee.
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buy me a coffee /Blankmarks
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Thank you for anything gifted and for reading this so far.96Please respect copyright.PENANAsTyK7BJCwq


