Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Gates. Bridges between dimensions. 

On one fateful day, these Gates popped into existence all around the world, monsters of all shapes and sizes pouring out of them like an infection. They held no weaknesses to modern conventions. Not even tanks or missiles could kill them. They came to be known only as… Villains.

From the start, it was humanity’s battle to lose. The Gates were metaphysical and could not simply be boarded up. The only way to close them permanently was to enter them and kill the “Boss” Villain. Some were powerful enough to tear entire squads of soldiers apart, others could wipe out armies. Or at least, that was the estimate. Bosses never left their Gates and the basic Villains were enough to decimate humankind on their own. 

Entire cities were lost, and Villains were running rampant. Entire Governments were in disarray, the public was on the verge of total anarchy, and it had only been three weeks. But then, everything changed.

The first of Humanity’s weapons emerged. Heroes as they would come to be known, exploded onto the scene. Each and every one of them wielding Quirks, powers that allowed them to fight the Villains head on and win. They could be as simple as increased strength, or as powerful as a scorching inferno.

While the massive influx of attacks by Villains was being steadily subdued, the amount of Hero deaths in those early days was astronomical, so a system was put in place. Heroes, Villains, and Gates were given a value, a Rank if you will, to ensure that a Hero never took on more than they could chew. 

Unfortunately, not all Heroes were created equal and I was a victim of that system. I am the World’s weakest E-Rank hunter, I had no unique Quirk, and I had come to find myself at the mercy of the World’s most powerful dungeon, “The Double Lair.”

I was at the edge of death, alone and beset on all sides by villains. But as my vision faded and I sunk into unconsciousness, I felt a gentle touch on my head and from there, everything changed.

Upon waking up, I found myself in a hospital, completely safe and blessed with my very own Quirk, “The System.” A quest window that only I could see. If I completed the quests given to me by this System, I could grow stronger, I could surpass the weakness that held me down. 

My name is Izuku Midoriya and this is the story of how I became the World’s most powerful Hero!

Chapter Text

"There's a Villain Gate by Tatooin Station! I hear some sort of giant broke through the Heroes lines!"

Those two sentences sent a shock of excitement through Izuku Midoriya's body as he watched the masses begin sprinting towards the site. Not because he liked watching Villains rampage, but because he loved watching Heroes take them down. It was a spectacle that anyone and everyone loved to watch, a spectacle that proved Humanity wasn't just some punching bag, that they were a force to be reckoned with.

Of course, while this was the excuse Midoriya gave out, it was not the truth. Every takedown, every display of Heroic power gave him the extremely satisfying catharsis he could not give himself.

Izuku Midoriya, like most of the world's current population, was considered an E-Rank Hero, but unlike the majority of the world, he did not have any unique Quirk to accompany him. He was completely special in that regard, which only made him mundane in the eyes of the rest of his peers. He didn't have the same increased strength that came standard with being a Hero, or the slightly increased regeneration. Midoriya was as weak as they came.

If he were to face off against even the lowest of E-Rank Villains, it would take all of his efforts and a healthy amount of luck to escape with his life. He wouldn't even be able to hope to defeat his enemy.

For all those reasons and more, he found himself inexorably drawn to every last Hero fight he could witness. And before he even knew it, Midoriya found his legs rapidly pumping as he followed closely behind the crowd.

As he neared the station, Izuku found his eyes tracking far above the railways to gaze upon the Shark-headed villain tearing apart the surrounding area. Just behind him, Izuku could see the telltale signs of a Gate. The swirling blue ethereal portal stood fifty feet in all directions.

Though Izuku himself was adept at sensing the intricate energies coming off the Gate, he had seen enough to recognize the pattern. It's rotary speed and the duration of the particles coming off of it told him it was a low B-Rank at best. Highly dangerous and yet, hundreds of people had crowded around to observe as if it was an everyday occurrence. Probably because it was.

It had been decades since the first emergence of Gates and in modern times, people had become desensitized to it all. Heroes were always stationed at Gate entrances, so even in the event that some Villains snuck out, they were typically dealt with in a matter of seconds. In this case, it was none other than Kamui Woods at the rear guard.

His body was completely unnatural, made entirely of wood that bent and flowed like water. With roots shooting from Kamui's body to entangle the Villain, Izuku made haste to pull out his latest notebook, nearly missing a second giant join the fight.

"EAT THIS!"

With a roar that would put a dragon to shame, Mount Lady, a Hero with Gigantification Quirk, brought a massive iron mace to the side of the Villain's head, deeply denting its skull.

Midoriya almost sympathetically winced, forgetting for a moment that it was a Villain, an interdimensional monster that only existed to kill.

Mount Lady was an A-Rank Hero. At the top of her game, it wasn't unfeasible for one strike to be all she needed to take down the threat. In fact, as the Villain collapsed to the ground, Izuku was able to make out his unmoving body.

The sudden beeping of an alarm shook Izuku out of his focus and he looked down at his watch, blanching as he did so, "I'M GONNA BE LATE!"

Izuku hated the feeling of his current clothing. His sweatshirt hung too loosely and was so baggy that he ended up spending a good two minutes trying to shove all of it into his too tight pants.

These were his "Hero" clothes so to speak. They were the only clothes he owned that he could also afford to lose. On multiple occasions, Izuku had considered his form-fitting school uniform, which was by far more comfortable. But school uniforms were expensive and Izuku didn't have the skill needed to knit the clothing back together well enough to hide the claw marks and bladed attacks.

Approaching a construction site, Izuku looked down at his phone making sure that this was, indeed, the site of the D-Rank Gate.

While Pros were officially licensed and run by the Government, thus giving them access to more power and more money, it wasn't necessary to become a Pro Hero to clear Gates. It was, however, necessary to be in possession of a Beginner's Badge, an ID of sorts that confirmed the person in possession was able to make their own informed decisions about entering Gates.

Izuku grimaced in response to the memory that thought brought up. It had taken months of convincing and conniving to get his own Beginner's Badge without a Quirk of his own. In reality, he shouldn't have been able to get a hold of it in the first place.

"Again?!" Izuku heard a familiar voice cry out in his direction and flinched in response.

"Uh… good afternoon Miss Yaoyorozu."

Turning on his heel, Izuku came face to face with Momo Yaoyorozu, an irrefutably beautiful girl who was a good 7 centimeters taller than him. Her obsidian hair was currently hanging low over her back as she attempted to work it up into a massive ponytail.

Izuku had a hard time not staring at her. Every bit of her body was as if it was hand-sculpted by the gods. No matter how much of a gentleman he was, her chest always demanded a quick glance from him, much to his shame.

Thankfully, Yaoyorozu was too caught up getting herself ready to focus on Izuku's emerald-green eyes.

"I keep telling you, it's just Yaoyorozu… or Yaomomo. It's what my friends call me. Besides, we're the same age."

Izuku bowed low, "I'm sorry Mis- um… I'm sorry Yaoyorozu."

Yaoyorozu fought to not roll her eyes. Her father always scolded her about how unladylike it was. "What happened this time?"

Izuku stood up straight once more and scratched the back of his head nervously, "Oh… it just happened while doing some Hero work."

"Sure… what actually happened?"

Izuku sighed, knowing full well where this was going.

As expected, he ended up sitting on a nearby piece of rebar with the girl as they waited for the entire Hero party to be assembled.

"You even went to a hospital?!"

"Yeah," Izuku mumbled, red hot embarrassment filling his body, "It was an E-Rank and I was the only one hurt."

"How could you have gotten hurt that badly in a party?"

Izuku found himself wishing that he didn't exist at that moment. Here he was, sitting with the drop-dead beauty of a girl and he was spilling his guts over why he was so weak. It was detestable, it was shameful, it was just straight-up horrifi-

"Midoriya?" Yaoyorozu's concerned tone dragged him back to the present and he shook his head.

"Sorry, it's been a long day and I haven't managed to snag any coffee yet." He chuckled lightly in an attempt to ease her mind, but her gaze only grew more concerned. "I swear, it's nothing… I'm fine."

Yaoyorozu finally nodded, giving up her immediate concern for him and instead choosing to ask, "Why do you even want to be a Hero?"

Of course, it was only Izuku's luck that a change of topic would draw him back into that pit of shame and disappointment.

Earlier That Day:

"Since you're all third-years, I think it's time for you to seriously take a look at your future and think about what you want to become." Izuku held his head low to his desk as his middle-school teacher spoke, "I'll be passing out the handouts now, but…" The man threw the papers into the air, "You're all pretty much planning to go into the Hero course aren't you?!"

The class screamed "Yes!" In affirmation and Izuku meekly raised his hand alongside them. He might've already been able to do Hero work with his permit, but Izuku didn't dream of merely staying at the bottom of the ladder. He wanted to climb as high as possible and reach his favorite Hero, All Might. To do that Izuku needed to go to the very best Hero school.

"UA High?!"

Izuku realized the rest of his class was staring at one Katsuki Bakugo. He didn't need to hear the rest of the conversation to know that the blond was bragging about how he was totally going to enroll at UA and get accepted for sure. He had been like this since childhood and showed no signs of changing anytime soon.

The teacher nodded as he looked at his papers, "Oh? It looks like Midoriya wants to go to UA as well."

Izuku attempted to bury his head further into his desk, but the attention of his peers drew it back up.

"You can't get into UA's Hero course just by studying!"

"Yeah! A Quirkless E-Rank like you stands no chance of getting admitted."

"H-Hang on!" Izuku tried to break through their wall of shouts, "They abolished that rule! T-There's just no precedent- AH!"

Izuku was flung back as Bakugo slammed his palm down on his desk, a mini-explosion sending him flying backwards into the wall.

"Listen here you Quirkless loser!" Bakugo shouted, "You'll never make anything of yourself! You're below even the rejects! So why don't you just take a nosedive off a building!"

"Bakugo," The teacher said calmly, "We don't accept that sort of talk here."

Izuku didn't bother to mention that the teacher had only spoken up after Bakugo had made his point.

Grinning arrogantly, Bakugo took his seat once more, a final, "Worthless," Thrown over his shoulder at Izuku.

Present Time:

"Worthless, huh?" Izuku murmured to himself as he looked up to the partially constructed building, wondering if he should just make the climb now and save everyone the trouble. But Yaoyorozu's calming hand on his shoulder dislodged the bleak thought from his mind. He had a responsibility to his mother, he couldn't leave just yet.

"Midoriya? You keep spacing out?" Yaoyorozu suddenly blanched and hopped off the beam before bowing, "Forgive me, I've caused you discomfort with my question!"

Izuku waved her concern away with a wide smile, "Nah! It's nothing! I just wanna become a Hero for the fun of it! I think I'd die of boredom if I didn't have this job to keep me company!"

Yaoyorozu looked like she wanted to say something else, but a nearby, "Alright! Let's get this show on the road!" Cut her off.

Looking over, Izuku saw their raid leader standing at the ready and pushed himself to his feet. Clenching his fist, he steeled his nerves, "Time to prove my worth."

Chapter Text

“You say you do this for fun, but if you keep having fun, you’re going to end up dead!” Yaoyorozu complained as she used her unique Quirk to create bandages that she wrapped around Izuku’s injuries after spilling some potion over them. 

Yaoyorozu technically wasn’t a healer Hero, but her ability to create medical supplies and healing potions that no one else could make from her mana made her a vital asset to any raid she was a part of.

Izuku shrugged, “Sorry.”

“Midoriya… the way you fight… it’s awful, you put yourself in danger so readily, without any concern for yourself.” Yaoyorozu looked directly into his green irises, “What is the real reason behind not quitting your job as a Hero?”

Izuku looked down at the small crystal in his hand. The Villain Core was likely the only money he would make off this raid. It was a tiny E-Rank piece, barely enough to keep him afloat.

“I just… wanna be a Hero I guess. Save people and all that,” Izuku said as he thought back to that one catchphrase, that one internet clip of a certain Hero rescuing hundreds from Cala island as the S-Rank Gate emerged. 

His reasoning wasn’t necessarily a lie. Izuku relished the thought of being able to save people from the rampant Villain Gates that appeared without abandon. But of course, that was just a dream, this was reality. And in reality, Izuku was a Hero because it was the fastest way for someone like him to make money, to both take care of himself and his mother’s medical bills. 

Obviously, Izuku hated handing out that factoid. He was already weak and struggling as it was, he didn’t want to bring any more shame upon himself by asking for handouts.

“Hey everyone!” Kaito Otachi, the Raid Leader, shouted out, “Listen up for a moment!” With a jet-black katana resting on his shoulder, he certainly fit the image of a warrior, even with his wrinkled appearance, “Since the Gate hasn’t closed yet, it looks like the Boss is down this tunnel. Since none of us are employed by any Hero Agencies, it’s up to us if we want to take this thing on.” He nodded solemnly at some of the cautious glances he was receiving, “It’s going to be dangerous, so we could always just wait for the more skilled Heroes to come in and kill this thing. On the other hand, our profit margin will go way down. So, I have a proposal. The seventeen of us will take a vote, and no matter what the result, no complaining when we’re done.”

Two of Kaito’s old buddies immediately agreed, then two other Heroes voted against continuing. Eventually, the final two votes came down to Izuku and Yaoyorozu.

“I-I don’t want to go.” Yaoyorozu stuttered out, one hand grasping her arm.

“Hmm,” Kaito acknowledged, “Eight to eight. Which just leaves one.” 

All eyes focused in on Izuku who fidgeted under their gaze for a moment as he looked down the Boss’s tunnel. It was claustrophobia-inducing, roughly made from stone, and likely had a deadly Villain at the end that was willing to kill them without hesitation. But, steeling his nerves, Izuku met Kaito’s eyes, “I’m going!” 

“Just one last time, for my mother, for us.”

Izuku wrung out his hands nervously as he stole a glance at Yaoyorozu, “Hey… I’m sorry about forcing you to come by voting yes.” 

“I’m fine, you don’t need to worry about me?” Her eyes were hidden by her bangs and her tone was anything but fine.

“Are you… really okay?”

Yaoyorozu exploded like Izuku had never seen before, “No! Of course not! Are you crazy?! If that stab had been just an inch higher, you would’ve had a hole in your heart! Not to mention all the other wounds I had to patch up! What even made you say yes?! Did you hit your head too?!”

“Sorry,” Izuku mumbled, “Once again, she’s right and once again, I’m in her debt.”

“ Are you sorry?”

“Yes.”

Yaoyorozu heaved out a sigh, sufficed with her rant, “Then if you’re really sorry, maybe you can pay me back by having some lunch with me.”

“....” Izuku was stunned silent for a moment, until Yaoyorozu spun around and locked eyes with him, thankfully missing his blush in the darkness of the cave.

“What? Do you not want to eat with me?!” Yaoyorozu asked with mock offense.

“N-No!” Izuku said a little too forcefully, “That’s not it at all! I-”

“Hey!” Kaito yelled out, “I think this is the Boss’s door.”

It was a tall, two-door entrance, blue with gold trims and detailing. Its handles were the old-fashion type of door knockers. Two simple massive rings to pull the thing open.

Quietly, so that no one else could hear, Kaito’s two friends whispered to each other.

“Hey… this feels dangerous.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah,” The second man agreed.

“Alright people!” Kaito announced, “This is it! Let’s make some money!” Resting his palm against the door, he lightly shoved, opening it with next to no resistance.

A chill settled against Izuku’s spine and for a moment he considered stopping, turning around and running away. But the surrounding Heroes convinced him otherwise. 

“Mr. Otachi is one of the most skilled C-Ranks out there.”

“If he weren’t about to turn 60, he could’ve chosen any Hero Agency he wanted.”

“We trusted him this far. It only makes sense to keep going.”

Just like that, opinion had shifted in Kaito’s favor and before he knew it, Izuku found himself stepping cautiously into the dark room.

About to throw a fireball into the room to light it, Kaito was nearly blinded by the torches that exploded into existence with blue fire.

“Oh… wow,” Izuku breathed out as he gazed upon the massive stone-walled room. It was a good two hundred feet in diameter. The edges of the room were covered with giant stone statues that stood only five feet apart. The real attraction, however, was at the very back of the room. A king’s throne occupied by a statue at least three times the size of the others. Its head was adorned by an odd crown and it seemed to be wearing some sort of robes, like the senator’s of ancient Greece.

“I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Are we sure this is still a dungeon?”

“Don’t be stupid.”

“You think the statues are the enemies? There’s nothing else here.”

“Do I really have to repeat myself? They’re statues, they don’t move. Don’t be stupid.”

Yaoyorozu found herself hugging closer and closer to Izuku, “It… feels like someone’s watching us.”

“Come on now Miss, don’t talk like that, it’s only gonna scare the others,” Kaito reprimanded.

Izuku could help but find himself agreeing with Yaoyorozu, even if he was the more inexperienced Hero.

“Mr. Otachi! I think I found something! You should come see this!”

What the Hero had found, was by far the most curious thing in the room. Another statue, tucked away besides the massive statue at the back. It was an angel of death, a slab of engraved text held in its bony hands.

“Hey… isn’t that Runic?”

“Anyone know it?”

Yaoyorozu quickly volunteered herself, always happy to show off the skills not related to her Quirk.

“Carthenon Temple’s Commandments. First, worship the Lord.” Izuku suddenly shuddered, the same chill he had felt earlier tracing its way down his back. Turning around, he was certain he caught the movement of one of the bigger statue’s eyes. “Second, praise the Lord.” Izuku squinted closely, attempting to discern anything he could from the behemoth carving. “Third, prove your faith. Those who do not follow these commandments, will never return alive.”

Izuku and many from the rest of the party, found themselves jumping in shock as a bang echoed through the apparent Temple. Looking over to the source of the sound, Izuku’s veins filled with ice, the door had slammed itself shut.

For a few crucial seconds, not a sound could be heard, not even the labored breathing of Yaoyorozu.

Finally, a muscle-bound Hero threw his hands in the air, “That’s it! I’m done with this shit! It was a mistake to even come here! Enjoy the Boss’s treasure!” Strutting towards the door, he reached out for the ring handles.

“No…” Kaito mumbled at first, his body completely tensing up, “DON’T TOUCH IT!”

The distinctive screeching of stone on stone filled everyone’s ears and then… a simple WHOOSHING of air. 

Just like that, their party member was dead and in his place, stood one of the stone statues, his mace extended out and covered in crimson blood.

“It… moves…?” Yaoyorozu squeaked out, her legs beginning to shake.

“Wait… if that one moves… then,” Izuku’s head swiftly whipped around to face the king. He hadn’t moved a muscle, but his eyes were glowing bright orange and staring down the helpless teen.

“Oh… god…”

Chapter Text

The second those glowing eyes swiveled around to stare down Izuku, he vowed to himself that he would throw away his Beginner's Badge if he ever made it home and wait until he could get one legitimately from school. Why did this urge suddenly come upon him? It was the realization that he experienced near-death far too many times for a 15-year-old.

Getting separated from his party once and getting slashed down the back, getting lost and nearly starving to death, and at least twenty other brushes with death. But it was those very same experiences that saved his life. He had known the reaper long enough to see its finishing blows coming from a mile away.

Izuku wrapped his arms around Yaoyorozu and tackled her to the ground as he screamed to the rest of the party, "GET DOWN!"

Izuku's entire world exploded with heat and light as pure beams of magical energy shot out of the king statue's eyes, digging a furrow into the chamber's floor.

The attack lasted mere seconds, if even that, but to the party, it felt like they were pinned against the floor for minutes.

When the beam finally shut off and some semblance of peace returned to the room, Izuku pulled himself off of Yaoyorozu, who had both hands clamped over her ears and tears streaming down her face.

"Yaoyorozu? Miss Yaoyorozu?! Are you o-"

A shrill scream cut him off and he turned back to see a charred hand laying on the floor, the only remains of whomever the king had struck.

"DON'T STAND UP!" Kaito shouted, "JUST REMAIN IN YOUR POSITIONS!" As soon as he saw that everyone had acknowledged him, he began crawling his way over to Izuku, many of the party noticing he was only using his right arm.

Izuku was too busy making sure Yaoyorozu was okay to notice the older man until he placed his hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Mr. Otachi!" Izuku began, but Kaito cut him off.

"Miss Yaoyorozu can't handle these sorts of situations too well, which is why she can only enter E or D-Rank dungeons, even as an A-Rank Hero. This… this certainly isn't an E or D-Rank. We only lived because of you."

"Oh… really?"

"Wait," Kaito gave Izuku an incredulous gaze, "I thought you called out cause you knew that would happen?"

Izuku shook his head sheepishly, "N-No… I just… knew it was dangerous…" He trailed off as his eyes traced their way to Kaito's left arm. "Sir! Your arm!" From just above where the elbow should've been, was a bleeding stump.

Kaito grinned in spite of the situation, "I'm fine, just help me stop the bleeding will ya?"

"There," Izuku said as he tightened the bandages around the Swordsman's remaining arm, "That's as good as it's gonna get."

"Hey Midoriya? What Rank do ya think that thing is?"

"I'm not sure… I've never been in a raid any more difficult than a D-Rank.

Kaito nodded, "I've been in a B-Rank maybe once or twice and even there, there was nothing like this thing. It's A… no… maybe even S-Rank."

Izuku briefly considered his surroundings, "Those Commandments, Worship the Lord, Praise the Lord, and Prove your faith. That's in reference to some sort of God, right?" He looked right back into those horrific glowing yellow eyes. "I think… that's the God."

Kaito scowled as he gripped his bleeding stump.

"Is that going to be okay? The bleeding won't stop."

"Well… there's not much we can do about it right now is there?" He scoffed, "I thought we'd only need three healers for this Raid since it was only D-Rank, but look at us now. One was killed so brutally nothing remains of his corpse, another's too shocked to even function," He said nodding at a young man huddled in a corning, crying silently to himself, "Even an A-Rank Hero like Yaoyorozu was unprepared for something like this, which is why none of us should be expecting healing any time soon. For now… let's just wait until things calm down and then try making a run for it. It won't be easy, but-"

"Screw that!" A voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention to a slim, runner-like, twenty-something male, crouched into a sprinter's position, "I finally signed on with a big Agency, so I ain't dying here!"

"What are you doing?! Don't move!" But the runner didn't listen and using his superhuman speed, launched off the ground hard enough to crack the brick foundations, heading for the door like a rocket.

He never made it. The red hot energy beam tore its way through his body, leaving only his smoking feet as the remains. The king's judgment had been passed swiftly and harshly, only reinforcing everyone's positions on the ground.

While everyone else only continued to panic, however, Izuku got to work thinking, running the only gift he had, his mind.

"These things could kill us at any time, so why don't they? They aren't acting like some sort of blindly raging villain. The ones at the door only move if anyone gets too close and the king only attacks if someone stands up. It's a pattern… a pattern." Izuku spun around, his eyes locking onto the angel of death holding the Commandments slab. "There are rules to this place."

"Huh?" Kaito mumbled, then blanched as Izuku made to stand, "Kid! What the f-"

"It's fine. It won't attack."

Kaito made to tackle him, but the look in Izuku's eyes made him take pause, "Those aren't the eyes of a man wishing for death," He realized and ever so reluctantly, he allowed Izuku to do whatever it was he was doing.

Izuku took a step forward as he rose to full height, attracting the gaze of the king, whose stone orbs lit up with power. But before that power could discharge, Izuku threw himself to the ground and the glow dimmed, confirming his theory.

"Everyone! Bow down to the statue!"

"What the hell?!" Was the first response.

"Have you lost your marbles, kid?!"

Kaito grimly looked around, "You figured something out?"

"He only attacks when you rise past a certain height. If we bow down low enough, we're safe. It's the first Commandment, 'Worship the Lord' literally means bow down to him."

"This… isn't just a gut feeling right?"

"For now… yeah," Izuku answered as he pressed his forehead against the cool stone bricks.

"Well, I guess there's not much else to do."

One by one, everyone followed Izuku's example, bowing down as low as they could as they faced the king statue. Even Yaoyorozu recovered enough to bow, tears still pouring off her in waves.

Eventually, mercifully, the yellow glow in the God's eyes dimmed to nothing, earning glares of relief from the surrounding Heroes, only for that relief to fall into sheer terror. The statue's previously unmoving lips parted to form the widest, most sinister smile anyone had ever seen. The only description for the supposed God's smile was demonic.

"Is it… is it over?" One man asked, standing tall.

"Wait!"

"No… look! It's not attacking! It's over!"

The air became ecstatic as people cheered, "We get to live!"

But Izuku knew better, "No… not yet… it's not done."

As if on cue, the statue began to move, its hands gripping the armrests hard enough to crack them and its feet digging into the floor hard enough to make it bend beneath its weight.

"Don't tell me! We have to fight that thing?!"

Kaito grabbed Izuku with one arm and shook him out of his stunned stupor, "Midoriya! Any other ideas would be nice!"

Stuttering for a moment, Izuku thought on the Commandments, "T-The next one is Praise the Lord!"

"Praise it? How on Earth can we praise that thing?!"

A man with slicked-back hair was the one to step forwards, "If it's praising you need, I suppose I could give it a try," He said, pulling out a cross from around his neck, "I was a member of the church choir." Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and clutched the pendant tightly, walking forwards as he began to recite a prayer.

"I-Is it working?"

"I think it's slowing!"

"Wait…" Izuku breathed out, "YOU'RE PRAYING TO THE WRONG GOD!"

Unfortunately, it was too late, and the man didn't even have his eyes open in time to see the massive stone foot crush him into a blood puddle.

"Scatter!"

Izuku latched onto Yaoyorozu and began pulling her along, dashing away from the statue as it crushed another victim underfoot. Out of the corner of his eye, he was just barely able to make out someone stopping at the edges of the chamber, a stone soldier at their backs.

"Here should be safe, right?!"

"Behind you!"

The man was cleaved in two before anyone could even blink.

"That's no God! That's a devil!" Izuku frantically thought as he sprinted along, his mind churning through all his knowledge. "Behind us walks a murderous Lord. In front of us, Guards keep the door from being accessed, and in every other direction, we've got even more warriors to keep us penned in with their weapons and instruments!" Izuku nearly stopped running, the thought sprung up so violently, "Instruments?! Hang on… if the ones with weapons attack when you get too close… then that means the ones with instruments…"

"Get to a statue with an instrument!" Izuku screamed out, hoping to anyone that would listen that he wasn't dooming the rest of the party.

Kaito was the first to reach one, which almost immediately began playing out a solemn methodical tune, "The ones with instruments don't attack!"

Several others died as they picked their way to one of the more musically inclined killer statues, but Izuku didn't have time to worry about anyone else as he and Yaoyorozu came to a stop next to one with drums. But even as Izuku urged it on, it wouldn't start playing.

"Why…" Looking around, he noticed that the only thing different about theirs was the number of people. Recognizing that only one person could sit safely at each statue, he tore himself away from Yaoyorozu and began sprinting as fast as his legs would carry him, "Stay there! You'll be fine!"

His theory was confirmed as a steady drumbeat started up behind him, signaling Yaoyorozu's safety while he made for the final instrument, the harp.

Suddenly, a shadow passed over him and Izuku's instincts took over, causing him to dive forwards, the God's foot crashing down just behind him, sending him flying through the air and skidding across the ground.

"No! Not that way!"

Izuku looked up just in time to see himself sliding towards a warrior armed with only a shield. The step of the giant had thrown him off and now, he was at the mercy of the mortar guardian.

Digging his feet in, Izuku slowed his slide just as the shield was brought down, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris and sending an intense pain rocketing up his leg.

His breathing was labored, and his body was bloodied, but his will was barely dented and the desire for life outweighed his pain as he crawled, bit by bloody bit to the final statue. Izuku grabbed on to that thin string of fate and hauled himself those last feet, his body collapsing just as the soft melodies of the harp and the womanly voice rang out.

All the instruments and melodies meshed together to form one of the most horrifically beautiful songs Izuku had ever heard. It was also apparently enough to calm the wrath of the God, who calmly retreated to his seat and sat down, the evil grin still spread across his face.

Izuku's vision grew dim as he attempted to focus on Yaoyorozu, who was desperately sprinting for him. "Huh? ...Where'd all this blood come from? Oh… my leg's gone."

It only took about a minute for Izuku to come back to consciousness, but in that time, a new development had taken place.

Yaoyorozu was clutching her stomach over Izuku's mangled stump, spitting up bits of blood. Her mana exhaustion was beginning to take a toll on her for certain.

"She'll be fine," One of the remaining six brushed off, "At least she's alive. That's something eleven of our party can't say."

"And now we've got two gravely injured," Kaito said, glancing down at his own arm.

Suddenly, Kaito's one remaining buddy from their glory days, Ryouji, turned venomous, spitting out, "Yeah, it's a shame you lost your arm, but none of this would've happened if you hadn't acted rashly and rushed in here!"

"...Yeah."

Behind them, the God statue raised its hands from its position on the chair, a stone piece rising from the ground as he did so. Circular in nature, it came up to just about Izuku's chest.

"The hell is that thing?"

"An… altar," Izuku answered weakly, his body trembling from the blood loss, "Ya know, the ones where they sacrificed living beings to their Lord as a show of their faith. Pigs, cows, sheep… virgins."

"And the last Commandment is…"

"Prove your faith."

"Then I think we all know who should be the offering," Ryouji said as he leveled his sword at Kaito, "Who brought us here? Eleven people are dead now because of you, take responsibility for your actions!"

Izuku weakly raised his hand, "Sir… that's too harsh-"

"You shut up and stay still!"

"He's right," Kaito admitted, all the light having gone from his eyes, "I'll do it." With that, the man turned on his heel and stumbled off to the altar as Izuku desperately attempted to get up.

"Midoriya, your wounds are still bad!"

"We all voted to come here! It's nothing but a coward's ploy to blame him now!"

But no matter how he struggled, Izuku could make it to his feet, and Kaito reached the altar. Magically, a yellow and orange flame burst into existence at the circumference of the altar.

"What now?!"

Kaito stared down Midoriya once more, "Hey! Is this not what we're supposed to do?"

Izuku, barely awake, did his best to think. "None of the statues are moving, even though something did happen. Do they not approve of the offering? Or maybe…"

"I-I need someone to help me to the altar."

Ryouji blanched, "Are you crazy?"

"It'll probably be fine," He didn't have the energy to create any convincing comforts any longer.

Upon reaching the altar with two people helping him, Izuku watched three more flames spring to life around the altar, "So that's how it is…" Getting Kaito's attention he asked, "Do you think the Heroes will come get us if we just wait here?"

Shaking his head, Kaito answered, "Today marks the seventh day this thing has been open, those guys will be moving before reinforcements show."

"They neglected this Gate because it's only D-Rank…"

"Nothing new for the agencies."

Izuku clenched his teeth, remembering Mount Lady's fight just the other day, these things getting out into the world would be total chaos. "Was that just yesterday? It feels like that was weeks ago." Looking over his shoulder, he met Yaoyorozu and Ryouji's eyes. "You two should come over here too. It looks like the trial only starts when all the flames are lit, so we need everyone up here."

With a little hesitation, all six remaining party members made it up to the altar and all six flames were lit, starting the final trial as Izuku had expected.

Lines of bright blue energy shot out from the altar's center, each line creating its only blue flame in a much wider circumference. But the energy didn't stop there, it raced past the flames and ran up the statues' legs, making them look more like futuristic robots than statues.

And then, the door opened.

"What?!"

"Does that mean we can leave?!"

"No!" Kaito shouted, "It's likely just a trap!"

All at once, every single armed statue sprung to life and began taking slow methodical steps towards the ground.

"No no no no no…"

Izuku, even from his brain-addled status, recognized something odd going on from his position leaning against the altar. Whenever he looked at one, it stopped. "Don't take your eyes off of them! They stop moving if we look at them!" Ever so gently, Izuku pulled Yaoyorozu's hands down from her eyes, "We need you too…"

Doing their best to make a circle, everyone put their backs to the altar and switched their gazes back and forth between the statues, slowing them. But not everyone was willing to abide by such a simple rule.

With a sudden and shrill shriek, the girl who had helped Izuku over suddenly started sprinting for the door, making it past the advancing line of soldiers and… making it through the door.

"What?!"

"How?!"

"She made it through! Midoriya?! How is this possible?!"

"The door closed a little bit when she made it through… and her flame disappeared, which confirms the red flames are linked to the number of people. But the blue flames keep disappearing, even though no one else has left." Izuku shook his head, "It's a trap, a false hope. The final Commandment is to prove your faith, to remain strong even against temptations. If we can just let this timer run out, we'll get to live."

"What timer?"

But before Izuku could answer Ryouji's question, the other man who had helped Izuku limp over to the center of the room went pale, "I'm sorry… I can't stay either."

"Wait- UGH!" The man pushed past Izuku as he went dashing for the door, knocking him down in the process and making it through.

"NO ONE ELSE MOVE!" Izuku screamed with all his might, "IF ANYONE ELSE LEAVES WE WON'T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO LOOK AT THE STATUES! WE WILL DIE!"

Kaito was starting to become more panicked as the warriors got closer and closer, "Midoriya! What is this?!"

"We just have to stay alive until the blue flames disappear! Those are the timers! When all the blue flames are gone, we win!"

"Are you sure?" Ryouji asked solemnly, "Do you know for certain that once the blue flames are gone that the door won't just close forever?"

Izuku wasn't, but the sudden realization stunned him into silence.

"I never expected someone like you to be so helpful to be honest. I always found myself looking down on someone weak like yourself. But… because of you, I'm still alive. Thank you…"

"Mr. Ryouji?" Izuku asked, ice creeping back into his veins.

"But I'm sorry…" Tears began streaming down his face, "I've got a family… and I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" The sound of a sword clattering to the ground was Izuku's only answer as he screamed his throat raw after the man.

"Thank you? Don't make me laugh. You running from here… you just killed us."

As Ryouji passed the threshold of the door, everything suddenly clicked into place, "You should both leave," He told Izuku and Yaoyorozu, "As long as there's one person on the altar, the door won't fully close… You two are young. Miss Yaoyorozu, will you please assist Midoriya to the door?"

"O-Of course!" Yaoyorozu moved to help up Izuku, but her legs almost instantly turned to jelly and she fell to the floor, trembling, "W-What? I can't… I can't move my legs!"

Kaito frowned even deeper than he had thought possible, "Mana exhaustion. You used far too much trying to heal Midoriya."

Izuku's fate dawned on him at that moment, "Sir. You should take Yaoyorozu and get out of here."

"I told you I would stay!"

"Then who's going to help Yaoyorozu to her feet? … Just go."

"No!" Yaoyorozu shrieked, "I'd rather stay here with you!"

Izuku chuckled, "We said we'd get something to eat after this right?" He asked, pulling his E-Rank Villain Core out of his pocket and placing it in Yaoyorozu's hands. "You eat without me. You can pay me back when I meet you again…"

The tears started freshly leaking from Yaoyorozu in waves, "This is no time for jokes! You-" Kaito delivered a swift chop to the back of her neck, knocking her out cold.

As Kaito heaved her up and over his shoulder, Izuku requested, "Take care of her… please."

The man sniffed back his own tears, "Yeah… I will." And with that, he stumbled his way out the door, slamming shut with a resounding thud just behind him.

"Well… at least it's just me dying." He scoffed, "Had I known this would happen, I would've gotten myself some insurance." Izuku put every last drop of energy he had in him into standing, scooping up Ryouji's dropped sword as he vowed to himself and the steadily approaching statues, "I might as well go out taking one of you with me."

Raising the sword, he murmured to the stone deaths, "Come get me."

They did just that and before Izuku could even draw another breath, he found a massive stone spear piercing his side, that heaved itself upwards, flinging him into the air and carving him open.

Collapsing down onto the top of the altar, Izuku found himself in the worst, most unbearable pain he had ever experienced like someone had poured acid into his veins.

"No… no, I don't wanna… I don't wanna die! I have family too! All of you… liars… cowards… you left the weakest one behind to die for you." A scimitar was raised high above his body, the sword tall enough to completely bisect Izuku with one swing. "If only I had… one more chance…"

The sword was brought down on him just as the final blue flame popped out of existence and the world froze.

[You have completed all necessary requirements of the secret quest 'Courage of the Weak']

"What's… this?" Izuku found himself looking up at some sort of holographic screen with those words printed onto it.

[You have earned the right to become a Player. Will you accept?]

"What's going on?"

[You do not have much time left. If you refuse, your heart will stop 0.02 seconds later. Will you accept?]

"If I accept… then I don't have to die? Yes… this chance… I'll take it."

[Welcome player.]

A bright light exploded over Izuku and just as he felt himself losing consciousness, a gently calming hand placed itself over his head and he felt a rush like he had never known. Then, the light eclipsed all, and Izuku slipped into a deep sleep.

Chapter Text

Well, I was planning on expanding upon this more in later chapters, without having to make one of these Q&A's but it seems that there is a fair number of questions, so I figured I should be doing this. There are some minor spoilers involved in these questions.

1. What's up with the rankings? Currently, the Rankings are not being determined just by base strength, but by Quirks. Someone like Yaoyorozu is considered an A-Rank, at least in my mind, because of the ability to make anything. When you think about her potential it is pretty crazy, but then again, I've always struggled with balancing characters, so there is the chance that I go back and tweak that.

2. What's up with the power system? So, this is something that I planned on mentioning later down the line, but a huge majority of the world is E-Rank, like in Solo Leveling, but unlike in the MHA universe, not everyone has some crazy unique Quirk. Most of the Quirks are simply increased strength or speed or durability. The ones who break through past C-Rank are the ones who either have insane physical ability or a very specialized Quirk, like Yaoyorozu.

3. Why would there need to be a school when everyone's already got their limits? For those who don't know, in the Solo Leveling universe, aside from Sung Jin-Woo, Hunters cannot improve their abilities from wherever they currently are. Now, I plan on keeping this sort of trait. Aside from Izuku, no one can further increase their stats or anything like that. But because this is a crossover and a Fanfic, I decided to take a bit of liberty with the source materials. Through extensive use of your Quirk and your skills, you can reduce the drain it has on both your body and your mana. And I mean hey, these people are insanely strong or durable or versatile so why not have a school that teaches young people how to use their powers to rescue people, they don't necessarily have to be fighters. Furthermore, as mentioned in a throwaway line, people like Izuku or Yaoyorozu technically aren't even supposed to have licenses. Izuku got his through various lies and convincing certain people, which may or may not be expanded upon later and Yaoyorozu got hers through her monetary methods. In my universe, unless you are 18 or in a Hero school, you are not allowed to obtain one of these licenses. Sort of similar to Quirk laws. In addition to the second question, most Hero schools only take the very specialized Quirks because they can be dangerous, which is why I plan on only having a few Hero schools around the world.

4. What's up with the romances? Okay so this is one that actually kinda stumped me for a bit since by the time Izuku reaches UA, he'd be about 16 for the sake of my story and Miruko would be 20 at least in canon. So how am I going to handle this without making Miruko a pedo? Uh, I think I'm just gonna age Miruko down a little, make her about two years older than Izuku. At 18 she'd be old enough to get her own license and as a prodigy S-Rank, no one would really question her. Once again, I know this messes with canon and what-not, but this is also a crossover Fanfic and you guys are really just gonna have to trust me with this.

5. Is Izuku going to be the same as he is in Canon? Well… yes and no. He still has that drive to save people, to be a Hero, but up until getting his powers it wasn't really a reality for him and as it was he was too busy dealing with his mother's medical bills. Overall, his personality will probably end up closer to Sung Jin-Woo's, but inside the MHA universe.

6. And finally, which canon storyline is this Fic actually based on? For now, I plan on having the first chunk of the story being based off the Solo Leveling arcs leading up to the entrance exam for UA and from there, the MHA canon will be the primary caretaker of the fic, with a few Solo Leveling story bits sprinkled here and there.

Once again, I'd like to thank everyone for their comments, concerns, questions, etc. I promise you, I will do my very best to make this a fun and enjoyable fic without convoluting  too  much stuff. As mentioned at the end of the last chapter, I do have to work on The Drift chapter 10 so the next chapter may take a while as I work hard to get this storyline pinned down. If anyone has any other questions, feel free to leave a comment or just DM me! See you next time!

Chapter Text

Izuku gasped as he sat bolt upright in bed, adrenaline pouring into his veins. His eyes dashed around the room, looking for the statues that killed him, but instead, all he found was that of a typical hospital room.

Hesitantly, he reached under the cusp of his blankets and with shaking hands, threw them off, expecting to see a stump in place of his leg, but instead, he found himself completely intact.

"Was… was it all a dream?"

Just as he went to look at the setting sun through the pane glass window, his door opened and two lanky men came strolling through one with dark hair and another with bleach-blond, "It's about time you woke up. I wasn't sure if I could wait another three days."

"I've… I've been asleep three days?!"

The blond man answered with a half-smile, "I'm sorry if we surprised you, but we've been needing some answers." Handing Izuku a card, the two men took a seat on the nearby couch.

"Japan Hero Agency Inspectors…" Izuku's blood ran cold for a moment as he realized these were government men. He was too young to have his beginner's license and he wasn't enrolled in any Hero schools, he doubted they would overlook this.

"Chill out, kid," The blond man said, "We've revoked your permit, but you're not gonna be charged with anything."

Izuku was stunned into silence. Wasn't illegally obtaining those sorts of IDs a huge deal?

"I think you've been through enough at your age," The man responded to the silence, "And I gotta say, I respect anyone who risks their life for their family." He gave the same tired smile, "You're not in trouble, kid. We just want to know what the hell happened."

Finally snapping out of his trance Izuku asked, "How are Miss Yaoyorozu and Mr. Otachi doing?"

"They'll live, but the old man's lack of a left arm will likely impede his work, he may end up retiring. As for Yaoyorozu, she's still being tended to for her mental trauma. The doctors are still unsure if she'll continue." The man scratched his cheek, "Other Heroes like Ryouji and-"

"No… that's enough. Thank you." Izuku couldn't help but imagine the bloodied scene as Ryouji sprinted out of the room, leaving the rest of them to die with no remorse.

The man nodded, his partner finally taking up the conversation, "Only six Heroes survived that Double Dungeon. And while Heroes put their lives on the line every time they enter a Gate, a massacre like this hasn't happened in some time thanks to the Ranking system and healers that are standard in most Raid parties. As such, it warranted a rather large investigation. However, upon entering the Dungeon, both the Inspector agency and the Hunter agency found nothing… nothing but you laying on that altar. Every statue was completely absent."

"T-That's impossible!"

"We thought so at first as well. Had any of the testimonies differed in the slightest, or had we not found some of the deceased's body parts, we would've come up with a different theory. However, as things stand, we believe you may have undergone a Double Awakening inside that Gate."

"A double awakening?"

A good 99 percent of the world's population could be considered Heroes, either during their birth or later on in life, they received their Awakening. A blessing of power that was typically accompanied by the standard physical enhancement Quirks, or ever so rarely, a Rank B or higher would Awaken with a specialized Quirk, something like Yaoyorozu's Creation. Even rarer, was the Double Awakening. There were stories of C-Ranks jumping all the way to A-Rank or B-Ranks going all the way to S.

"We just need you to place your hand on this reader. If your mana is higher than what is recorded on your revoked license, then we can assume you have undergone a secondary Awakening."

Izuku nodded and somewhat hesitantly placed his hand down on the purple crystal as the man held up a reader. The gem glowed faintly for a few seconds and the man glared disappointedly at the reader. "What's it say?" Izuku asked.

"It appears that we were wrong for suspecting you." The two men stood and gathered their things, "Our apologies for disturbing you, good luck on your recovery." Without another word, they left Izuku alone with his thoughts once more.

"Nothing huh? Then… does that mean they can't see this?" Izuku pondered as he stared up at the holographic screen.

[You have unread mail]

"How on earth do I use this thing?" Izuku had been trying to tap at it for about ten minutes now to no avail, "Not a touchscreen I guess."

"Hmm," He wondered out loud, "Maybe… read mail?" Nothing happened. "Open inbox?" The screen flashed suddenly and Izuku felt like cheering with his success. It had reacted to a very specific wording, meaning that it wasn't just some hallucination, whatever this was, it was real.

[The System will help the Player's growth.]

[If he fails to obey the System's orders, there may be a 'Penalty']

[Your Rewards have arrived.]

"This is weird," Izuku whispered to himself as he sat in bed, looking over the messages.

[Daily Quest: Preparing to Become Strong] has arrived (Unread)

"Uh… check?"

The screen disappeared and in its place, a long list of objectives popped into existence.

[Incomplete] Push-ups [0/100]

[Incomplete] Curl-ups [0/100]

[Incomplete] Curl-ups [0/100]

[Incomplete] Squats [0/100]

[Incomplete] Running [0/10km]

Warning - Failure to complete this Daily Quest will result in a punishment associated with this Quest.

Izuku smiled, "This is a joke right? Someone in the hospital doesn't have the energy for this! I'll take a look at it…" Izuku flopped back in bed, "After I get some sleep…."

Unbeknownst to the teen, as he slept, the clock displayed at the bottom of the Quest turned different colors, going from green, to yellow, to red as time passed. Eventually, the timer ran out and a slight ringing noise filled Izuku's ears, waking him from his slumber.

As his eyes cracked open, he was almost flung out of bed by an intense earthquake, "WHAT THE… hell?" Izuku whimpered out the last part as he found his hands digging not into the bed's mattress, but into a sandy dune. "A… desert?" Izuku's heart sank as he saw a huge shadow beginning to loom over him.

His head turned around at a snail's pace, his eyes meeting that of a six-eyed centipede. Just above the massive creature's head, Izuku could make out the words, Poison Fanged Giant Sand Centipede.'

Izuku's eyes went wide as another window popped up in front of him.

[Penalty Quest: Survive.]

[Goal: Survive until time runs out.]

[Time required: 4 hours.]

[Time Remaining: 3 hours, 59 minutes, and 57 seconds.]

"You're k-kidding… right?" The creature roared in response and he began running for his life.

Izuku didn't have the focus or mental fortitude to even guess at how much time was left, he had been too busy avoiding the Giant Centipedes that chased him throughout the open expanse of the sandy plains. It could've been three hours, it could've been fifteen minutes for all he knew. Time lost meaning when the only thing that was keeping you going was adrenaline.

His breathing heavy, Izuku began to wonder how much longer he could keep himself going, the three Centipedes practically nipping at his heels. Every muscle in his body was screaming for mercy, but he had none to give.

Taking one last look back, he noticed the closest of the Villains were literally inches away and he gave one last scream of defiance, before… he fell to the hospital floor, covered in sand.

On his hands and knees, shaking from exhaustion, he looked up.

[You have completed the 'Penalty' Quest.]

[Your Rewards for the 'Penalty' Quest have arrived, would you like to accept?]

Izuku had just enough time to read the screens and mumble, "Huh?" Before his body gave out and he passed into unconsciousness once more.

Four days later, nurses watched from the windows as Izuku Midoriya sprinted around the hospital circumference, his shirt soaked through with sweat. "How long has he been running? Shouldn't he be resting."

"Not sure… but the doctors say that active Heroes are quicker to recover, so I'm sure he'll be fine."

Just as he made it to the hospital courtyard, Izuku finally collapsed onto a nearby bench, his 10 km running goal reached.

He smiled as his System windows popped up. Rewards for his Daily Quest, inventory to store his Reward items, and his Status Screen to display his stats. "Just like a game," He murmured to himself, careful not to draw the attention of any nearby people.

As he learned immediately after waking up from his desert run, the Daily Quests provided him with three Rewards, Status Recovery, 3 Stat points, and 1 Random Gift Box. The Status Recovery was the first he accepted due to his exhaustion. It was like he had never been tired or injured in the first place. 

The Random Box had given out some sort of key at first, but from there on out only gave out little trinkets like pens, which he thought was pretty lame next to the Stat Points Reward or Status Recovery. Strength, Vitality, Agility, Intelligence, Sense. All of them could be upgraded with these Stat points and so far, Izuku had put all 12 of his that he had gotten from the Daily Quests into Strength. The difference wasn't hugely noticeable, but Izuku knew that it was having an effect on his stamina.

"Hmm," He raised his eyebrows as he looked over the description for the random key he had gotten, "Maybe I should give this thing a go."

[Item: Dungeon Key]

Item Class: E

Type: Key

[A key that allows you to create an Instance Dungeon. You may use this at the 3rd entrance of Tatooin Station.]

Taking a one day leave from the hospital was easier than Izuku expected it to be. He was completely ready to argue with a nurse that he was fine, but much to his surprise she simply smiled and gave him permission, wishing him luck with his business.

From there, it had only taken Izuku half an hour to end up at the Subway entrance, grass-green key in hand.

"Instance Dungeons, Inventory, Stat Points, all of this… is it part of a Double Awakening, or is it the lead up to my Double Awakening?" He smirked, "The weakest E-Rank Hero receiving a Double Awakening. I'm sure that would get a chuckle outta some people." Getting his serious face on, Izuku readied the key, "I'm confident in my ability to run, so if things get too dicey, I can just run away."

With that, Izuku stabbed the key into the air, blue lightning sparking around him as a Blue Gate appeared before him and he stepped through, determined to become stronger.

Chapter Text

Izuku took a moment to consider the crackling energy in front of him before stepping forwards, passing the threshold and beginning the descent into the dungeon. As soon as he did, he heard a sound that was akin to water freezing over.

Spinning around, he saw the Gate dispersing from its swirling portal form and instead hardening into that of a bright blue wall.

Izuku slammed his fist against it, finding that it was just as solid as it looked. “HEY!” He screamed, hoping to earn some attention, but no one seemed to hear him. 

The signature sound of heels on concrete made him spin around to see a girl walking up the stairs towards him, “Are you okay?” He asked, worried that he had just trapped some stranger inside a Gate. But she didn’t respond, instead choosing to ignore him as she walked straight through the wall, as if it wasn’t even there.

“Wha… Is this… some other dimension?”

[Warning: You cannot exit this Dungeon. Either kill the Boss or use a Hearthstone.]

Izuku paled, “Just a week ago, I was struggling with E-Rank dungeons, and now, this thing seriously expects me to clear a dungeon… without a party?!”

With every passing moment, Izuku’s nerves frayed further and further. He had been walking through the subway station for around 15 minutes now, not a living thing in sight.

The subway was no longer the same beautiful underground railway system that Izuku remembered from his previous trips to Tatooin Station. Instead, it looked abandoned and decayed, as if it was from a post-apocalyptic novel.

“Damn… coming here was a mistake,” He lamented as a heavy stench filled his nose, like wet dog times a hundred.

Suddenly, every nerve in Izuku’s body went into overdrive, shouting at him to move.

Unable to perceive the threat any further, Izuku simply dove forwards, narrowly dodging the loud metallic SNAP that echoed behind him.

Swiftly recovering, Izuku turned around, his eyes widening at the massive red wolf that had emerged from an alleyway. Steel surrounded the bottom of his mouth, silver fangs poking up to mix with the gleaming white teeth.

[Steel Fanged Raikan]

“It’s… got a name?”

Most Villains had obtained some nickname or title from Heroes, such as Giants, Goblins, or even Slimes depending on how severely mutated they were. But Izuku had never heard of a Villain with a specific name, much less one that looked perfectly like a wolf.

“Is this a real villain? Or is the System creating it for me? Maybe it has to do with the fact that this is a special Dungeon…” Sizing up the creature, Izuku noticed the name hovering just above its head was colored red. It held his interest for just a moment before he came back to reality, his name meant nothing if Izuku couldn’t kill it.

As the Wolf’s hackles began to stand on end, Izuku tried to move, but found that his legs were frozen in place, entangled by a veil of fear.

“I can’t move?”

The Wolf launched forwards, its metal maw ready to snap shut. The sudden movement seemed to shock Izuku into motion and he sidestepped the Wolf, his arm far too close to the vice grip that closed around where his head had been moments earlier.

Stumbling backwards, he noticed the Wolf wasn’t letting up and before Izuku could even fathom a response, it bit right next to his face, coming mere inches from killing him.

Instincts took over Izuku’s body in that instant and he planted his palms on the Wolf’s body, vaulting off of him like a gymnast. Flipping end over end, Izuku did a one-handed handstand as he landed, pushing off it once more to land on his feet. Unfortunately, he didn’t expect the heavy momentum that caused him to continue forwards until he had rolled onto his back and his feet slammed into the wire gate of a closed and ruined storefront. 

“My body… feels light!” He firmly planted both hands on the ground as he looked at the Wolf from his upside-down position and pushed off, launching into the air and landing just to the right of the Wolf’s face.

His fist clenched, Izuku felt power coursing through him like nothing he had ever experienced before, “I JUST BARELY GOT MY LIFE BACK! I REFUSE TO LOSE IT LIKE THIS!” The strike was so powerful, Izuku wasn’t even sure if he had seen it. All he knew was that his punch had sent the Wolf flying through the air, crashing into another storefront.

Izuku was stunned, absolutely and completely befuddled. The sudden power coursing through his veins was like a lightning bolt, it was liberating, it was freeing, and it was intoxicating. 

As the Wolf, mostly unharmed, extracted itself from the wall, Izuku wasted no time dashing forwards, delivering another swift uppercut. This time, however, the Wolf was ready for it and Izuku had to bring his left fist down on its head just to avoid the bite that followed. 

The high that he had just experienced with his new power almost completely disappeared as Izuku realized that while he was indeed stronger, his simple punches would do nothing to kill his enemy.

“No backup, no healers, but I do have this!” Izuku reached forwards as he shouted, “Inventory!” His hand plunged into the glowing screen and he could feel the cool leather grip of a steel sword as his fingers grasped for his salvation.

Withdrawing the magic sword Ryouji had wielded in the double Dungeon, Izuku swung forwards, cleaving the Wolf that was flying through the air in two, collapsing behind him in a bloody puddle.

[You have defeated Steel Fang Raikan.]

[You have Leveled Up!]

“I’m pretty sure I overheard Ryouji say he bought this sword for 260000 yen. I’m too poor to ever afford touching it… but for now,” Izuku looked over his shoulder as the telltale growls of the Steel Fangs filled his ears, “I think I’ll be using this sword.

Izuku was resting on the ground, his back against a pillar as he looked through his Status screen, three dead wolves keeping him company.

“So every time I level up, all my Stats increase by one, plus the three Stat Points I earn from the Daily Quest. Hmm, I guess hunting Villains and leveling up would be the most worthwhile way to earn points.” Looking over his strength, he realized that thanks to his leveling and Daily Quest Points, it had only gone up ten points, and yet, Izuku felt far stronger with twenty points than he had with 16. Which could only mean, “The growth is exponential?” He shrugged to himself and stood, “Well, at least I know now. I know that even someone like me can get stronger.”

A dozen or so pairs of glowing red eyes peeked out at him from shadows and Izuku smiled, “You don’t scare me. After all, I’ve already died once before.”

Chapter Text

Izuku refused to go down. Horde after horde of the Steel Fangs appeared before him. Slashed, hacked, and severed by Izuku’s steadily dulling blade, they fell before him.

[You have Leveled Up!]

He moved faster than he ever had before.

[You have Leveled Up!]

His strength was like nothing he had ever experienced before.

[You have Leveled Up!]

And this… was more blood than he’d ever seen in his whole life. 

[You have gained the title of Wolf Slayer. From now on you will gain 40% increased Stats when fighting Beast-Type Villains.]

The floor was littered with dozens of corpses, every single one decapitated or completely cleaved in two.

Upon picking through their bodies, Izuku finally realized why he hadn’t found any Villain Cores in the previous Wolves. Instead of cores, they dropped items, once again, akin to an RPG game. 

Izuku pulled open his inventory to tally up his haul so far. 34 Wolf Fangs, Traveler’s clothes, 2 Worn Daggers, and most importantly, a Hearthstone. 

Now with the option to escape the Dungeon, Izuku felt about ten billion times safer. But as he gripped the softly glowing stone in his hand, he weighed the pros and cons of running. On one hand, he was alone, and his blade was beginning to chip away from wear. On the other hand, he might never get the same easy chance to level up like this ever again.

Shoving his Hearthstone back into the inventory, Izuku managed to accidentally pull up a separate tab. “A store?” He smiled, “Man… this thing has everything.” 

[Would you like to sell all 34 Wolf Fangs for 680 gold?]

“Gold?” Izuku wasn’t sure if the fangs could be used for anything else, although considering the game elements, it was possible. However, his status as a poor teenager was a little more than overwhelming. If this gold was convertible to real life currency, he might be able to worry less about his own expenses, “Sell 17.”

340 gold poured into his account and he went to check the purchasing side of the store, only to receive a curious message.

[You are not high enough Level to access the shop. Please return when you are at a higher Level.]

“How polite,” Izuku joked to himself as he hefted his sword onto his shoulder and continued deeper into the special Dungeon.

Every kill, every attack, made the next just a little bit easier. Izuku once again felt himself referring to this Dungeon as a game. Unlike normal Dungeons, the Villains respawned and continued launching themselves at him. It was thanks to this, that Izuku had learned their pattern.

As he leaned on his sword like a cane in an attempt to catch his breath, he felt one presence above him and one to his right. “Monkey above, cat to the right.”

Reversing his current grip on his sword, his heaved it out of the ground and spun it around, practically letting the monkey-like Villain fall onto the blade as the green-haired teen, slashed diagonally downwards, decapitating the cat before it even knew that he was in motion.

[You have Leveled Up.]

“Looks like the progress has slowed,” Izuku noted as he looked over a bisected Wolf. The nametag had changed from a deep orange, to a white color. “Maybe it’s because they’re too weak for me now… they’re not giving me the experience needed to Level Up anymore.”

“But…” Izuku mumbled out loud, “Even with my current strength, I’m not sure I can take whatever’s sitting down there.” His skin erupted with goosebumps as he stared down the dark set of steps. “No question about it, that down there, is the Boss.”

He knew his sword couldn’t take much more and his growth had already slowed, so he decided that he would at least take a look at the Boss before deciding to take it on, or teleport.

“Is this really Tatooin Station?” Izuku asked himself as he continued down the all too long stairs. “If I go any further down, I might turn up on the other side of the world.”

Thankfully, his curiosity was answered as the passageway opened up to a spacious subway boarding platform. But like the rest of the Dungeon, it was destroyed and water filled the subway tracks, obscuring a dark form from Izuku's eyes.

He only had moments to raise his sword to defend against the shape that shot out of the water, slamming into him and sending him crashing into a nearby pillar, coppery blood leaking into his mouth from the strike.

Falling onto his rear, Izuku gasped for breath and his eyes widened at his broken blade. He had attempted to use it to block or slice through the strike, but it was apparently just too much for the worn blade. Now, only about a third of the actual blade remained, jagged at the ends.

“I thought I had gotten a bit stronger, but your name’s still orange. 

[Swamp’s Ruler, Blue Poison Fangs Rasaka]

The massive cobra snake hissed at him loud enough for it to be considered more of a roar. It’s body was about as tall as Izuku was.

Izuku reversed his grip on the sword, holding it more like a dagger as he stared down the beast, “I guess you’re the final Boss.”

“Just one more kill. And then I can finally get some rest,” Izuku said to himself as he put every last bit of energy he had into his legs and he shot forwards, dragging his stump of a blade along Rasaka’s middle section. He only earned a metallic scraping noise and sparks for his effort.

Growling right back at the Cobra, Izuku put his back into the effort and struck several more times, rushing along its length to avoid any attacks. Unfortunately, this tactic only lasted about five seconds.

Rasaka got bored with the pesky human scratching his sides and his body pivoted rapidly, slamming the Hero to the ground, then to the side, then back to the ground.

Izuku’s old wounds found themselves reopening as the scales slashed him back and forth, taking more and more of his life force with each passing second.

“How much more…? How much farther do I have to go to escape my past as the Weakest?!” Izuku parried away Rasaka’s fangs with his own blade, narrowly avoiding the huge drops of poison falling from it. 

“Strength,” Izuku cursed it, “No matter what you do, strength is all that matters. I could be the most intelligent man on the planet and still lose to this thing. I could be the richest man on earth and still be powerless. Even if you’re wise, or knowledgable, or if you receive thanks… in front of strength, it all means nothing.” Izuku stood once more, throwing his broken blade to the side, “I came here to become strong, to throw away the title of weakest!” As the Boss slithered towards him at a cautionary pace, Izuku’s fists opened, making it look like he was going to grapple with it bare-handed, “My classmates!” He screamed, Bakugo’s face appearing in his mind, “My friends!” Yaoyorozu came to the forefront of his thoughts, “Everyone! They all look down on me! Some give me pity! Some scorn me! Some are even embarrassed by me!” Red hot rage coursed through his veins, “Compared to that statue, you’re nothing! You don’t scare me at all! SO COME ON!”

Rasaka roared back, his neck snapping forwards to eat Izuku whole, but he found nothing. He was not in possession of the knowledge that Izuku’s only skill before Re-Awakening was his ability to dodge and run. 

From his position in the snake’s blindspot, Izuku wrapped his arms halfway around its neck, digging in his fingers as far as they would go. “I put all my Points into Strength! If it’s that much, then I know I can kill you with nothing but my bare hands!”

Rasaka began to flail as Izuku’s insane pressure crushed his windpipe. Dragging his body against the subway’s walls, he attempted to shake the young Hero loose, but the lack of oxygen was absolutely debilitating.

“Just… die already… die… die… DIE!” Izuku screeched out, the walls shaking as the roars of the two warriors mixed.

“Nurse?”

“Yes, doctor?”

“Has Izuku Midoriya returned yet? It’s getting quite late.” 

“I’m sure he’s fine, after all, we were going to discharge him tomorrow.”

“I’m not so sure.” The doctor scratched the back of his neck, “Have you seen some of the conditions those guys come in with? Completely drenched in blood, even more damaged than patients that get into severe motor accidents, it’s amazing they can stay alive in those conditions.”

“Even so, shouldn’t it be considered a miracle they return alive at all?”

“Not at all,” The doctor answered, “Even the weakest Heroes have superhuman abilities. Some are just as monstrous as the Villains they face down.”

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

“Ha… ha… ha,” Izuku’s heavy breathing slowly morphed into that of a relieved laugh as he sat against Rasaka’s still corpse, “Hahaha… I guess… I got a bit stronger?”

Chapter Text

[You have acquired a weapon.]

[Item: Rasaka’s Scales]

Item Class: C

Item Type: Gauntlet

Attack: +33

[Powerful gauntlets made from Rasaka’s impenetrable scales. Its incredible toughness

can inflict a stun debuff and it’s sharp edges are capable of inflicting the bleed debuff.]

- Effect ‘Stun’: Attacked foes have a chance to become stunned and unable to attack.

-Effect ‘Bleed’: Attacked foes lose 1% of their health every second.

Izuku swiftly equipped the gauntlets, reveling in their perfect form fitting beauty. Their attack power was far higher then even Ryouji’s now broken sword. 

Rasaka also dropped some sort of pouch containing his venom, but Izuku ignored it for the moment, his body too tired to deal with reading any longer.

With that, he stood, the ruined subway around him disintegrating away to revert to its cleaner, more modern form of Tatooin Station. Izuku couldn’t help but smile at the sight of his home world. But… something felt off. The station was completely empty.

“It’s late… but not that late. Where is everyone?”

Upon finally making it to the subway’s exit, emerging to darkness and rain, he was greeted by a member of the JDF.

“Hey! What are you still doing out here?! Did you not hear the broadcasts?!” 

The soldier fixed him with a concerned gaze as Izuku returned his questions with a question of his own, “What happened?”

“What?! I…” The man trailed off, before pointing to his shattered sword and armored gauntlets, “Are you a Hero?”

Izuku blanched for a moment, his licence had been revoked due to his age and illegal methods to obtain it. He swiftly calmed as he realized this simple ground soldier would have no reason to doubt his answer. His weapons and torn clothing would be pretty convincing evidence, so Izuku answered, “Uh, yeah.”

The man suddenly snapped to attention, “Ah, forgive me! I will guide you Sir!”

“Ah… okay,” Izuku responded with a raise of his eyebrows, still confused by the situation.

Continuing to strut through the city, Izuku was shocked by the amount of destruction. Cars and buildings were torn up and strewn all over the place, covered in Villain bodies and blood.

“A Gate opened?”

“Correct, Sir. The small fry have been taken care of. Only one larger Villain is left.”

But Izuku already knew that. Much to his surprise, the teen found himself tracing the Villain’s presence through the air, finding a much denser packet of Mana than any of the surrounding Villains. “Without a doubt, that’s the Boss.”

It only took another five minutes for Izuku to begin hearing the sounds of battle. Metal on rock, shouts for healing, strategy calls. The one that stuck out to him most however, was, “Hey! I thought you said you were an A-Rank! I don’t care if you’re a fighter or not! Do something!”

Izuku peeked over the crowd that was surrounding the fight against the Golem Villain, surprised to see Yaoyorozu standing at the rear of the party, her body shivering, but not from the cold. “I’m honestly surprised she even came back to Hero work. Wait… does that mean they didn’t revoke her license?” Before Izuku could think on it any further, he looked back to the fight, his eyes widening as the Golem grabbed a piece of rock from its body and hurled it at the support group. Two of the three healers were quick enough to dive away, but Yaoyorozu was stuck in place, her legs too weak to support her own body.

The rock filled her vision and she quickly collapsed, fainting into unconsciousness. But while her fellow party members simply watched in shock and horror, Izuku’s body was moving before he even knew it.

Like a flash of light, he scooped up the rich girl in his arms and raced past the fight, stopping once more just behind the crowd. Setting her down gently, he checked her pulse and breathing. She seemed okay, so Izuku picked up his broken sword once more and took a few steps back from the crowd, looking around to make sure no one was watching him.

When he was satisfied, Izuku hauled his arm back, the sword gripped like one might hold a spear or javelin. And then, planting his foot hard enough to crack the ground, Izuku threw the blade. It streaked through the sky, tearing through the Golem’s head like a .50 caliber bullet and practically causing it’s entire head to implode from the force.

“Hmm, even at a low Level like 18 I was able to kill it in one hit?” Izuku swiftly brushed away the thought and moved to leave, not wanting to be spotted, but Yaoyorozu’s prone form on the ground stopped him. “I’m sure the other Heroes will take care of her… right?” Remembering the other Heroes’ awful tones, ones that resonated with his own past, he decided against it, he didn’t trust anyone that looked down on others.

Scooping up the girl took practically no effort at all, and he walked off into the night, seeking out the hospital for refuge.

It had been another three days since the fight with Rasaka and Izuku was working out in his hospital room, sweat dripping off him as he continued his push-ups for the day. 

After reaching the hospital, the nurses assured him Yaoyorozu just needed some rest and would be fine. Izuku was pretty sure she wouldn’t even know that it was him who brought her back. That was fine with him, anything else would just require more explanation. 

As he went to finish his 100th pushup, a small knock came from the door. “I’m coming i-!” Izuku stood as fast as he could, going to put on his shirt, but it was too late, the young nurse was immediately smitten with his body. “Ah! I’m so sorry!”

Izuku gave her a warm smile, “It’s no problem. If anything it’s my fault.”

“So… you’re being discharged today?” 

“Yep! Can’t wait to finally get out of here… er… no offense!”

But the nurse was too busy handing over her phone to take offense, “If it’s okay with you… could I have your number?”

“Number?”

“Yes… I mean… only if you’re okay with it.” 

“Is there some test result they need to text me later?” But upon handing back the phone, Izuku finally noticed the heavy blush on the young woman’s face, “Oh… OH!” Izuku scratched the back of his head nervously, “Have I really changed that much?” He hadn’t spent much time looking in a mirror lately, but he knew that he looked different. From his perspective, he had just gotten a bit taller, but to any outsider, it looked like the 15-year-old had gone through the most extreme puberty on earth, just without the acne or mood swings. He looked less like a teenager now, and more like a young man who had just reached 20.

“I wonder if she knows how old I am?”

“T-Thank you!”

Izuku nodded and wished her goodbye as he began gathering up the few things he had with him. 

Suddenly, he was overcome with a feeling of dread and anxiety, “Oh shit! WHAT DO I DO IF SHE ACTUALLY CALLS ME?!”

“Jeez Izu! What did they do to you at that hospital?!” 

Izuku smiled down at his sister, Sakura, “I just worked out a bit while I was recovering.”

“A bit…?” Her eyes became concerned, like she was worried her brother had been replaced with this far more athletic man.

“Come on, sis! You’re gonna be late for your first day of summer school if you don’t hurry up!” Izuku lifted her backpack with one hand and underhanded it to her. Although, judging by how heavily she fell backwards in an attempt to catch it, he may have thrown it too far. “Sorry, sorry!”

Sakura was about the same height as Izuku had been before his Re-Awakening and her hair was a dark black color. Apparently, she got more of their dad’s genetics than their mother’s. At least, that’s what they had been told before their mother had fallen into an Eternal Sleep.

As he waved goodbye to his 12-year-old sister, he sighed, “I hope she gets along with the others well.”

Sakura by all means, was a perfect student, who had no need for Summer Cram school, especially not for middle school. But despite that, she was determined as anyone could possibly be about succeeding academically.

As he mused over her education, Izuku found himself looking down at his arms. “A few weeks of exercise wouldn’t do this to me, much less 8 days. Which means the System is doing it. Or maybe it’s my Stats? Did I put too much into strength?” Izuku shook his head as he imagined himself practically overcome with muscle, like one of those disgusting bodybuilders that went too far. “Hopefully that won’t happen…”

Plopping down onto the couch, Izuku began skimming through his phone, “The UA entrance exam starts in just two months… am I gonna be strong enough by then?”

At Level 18, Izuku’s Stats looked as such:

Strength: 48

Vitality: 27

Agility: 27

Intelligence: 27

Sense: 27

But he also had another 12 points to distribute, so in an attempt to evenly distribute it he threw 8 into agility, 2 into strength, and 2 into sense. 

Izuku was able to just kick back and relax for another seven seconds before his phone started ringing loudly, causing him to sigh once more, “I just want a small break.” He picked up the phone, “This is Izuku Midoriya?!”

“IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH TO PICK UP!” The voice on the other end screamed, forcing Izuku to pull away from the phone.

“Ah! I’m sorry Mister Landlord, I was hospitalized for a bit there, so I wasn’t able to pick up.”

“Well… I suppose there’s nothing to be done about that. Of course, this month’s rent is still due.”

“Oh… right…”

“If you can’t make the payment-”

“No no, it’s fine, I’ll make the transfer soon.”

“Thank you very much.”

Izuku hung up as he paced through his small apartment, “A Double Awakening… If I’m really a Re-Awakened person, then I should be able to make a lot more money… right? Ugh, but people have given me the reputation of the World’s Weakest, so I can’t just start clearing high Rank Dungeons, otherwise, more malicious eyes might spy down on me for my unique growth.” Izuku held a hand to his chin as he thought deeply about his troubles. “Maybe…”

The next day felt oddly nostalgic to Izuku. Walking up to a construction site, joining other Heroes to clear a Gate. Only this time, it was a C-Rank and Izuku was not the same weak boy he had been just over a week ago.

A big burly man in the front of the pack waved him over, “This way!”

Izuku smiled back at the warm expression, but his blood froze over as a warning from the System appeared before him.

[Beware of Lizards.]

Chapter Text

[Beware of Lizards.]

That was the warning Izuku had to brush aside as he stepped forwards to greet the Raid leader. Taking his hand to shake it, Izuku was surprised by the man’s grip, it was so gentle. He almost seemed afraid to hurt Izuku.

“I’m Natsuo Todoroki. Call me Natsuo.”

“Izuku Midoriya.” 

“You’re an E-Rank correct?”

Izuku hesitated for just a moment, wondering how it would feel to claim that he was not the weakest for once, but he refrained obviously, “Yes, that’s right.”

A few snickers and jeers of, “The Weakest Hunter,” Caught Izuku’s ears, but Natsuo quickly put a stop to it and put a reassuring hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “That’s enough, you two. The most important thing is numbers after all.” He handed Izuku a slip of paper, “Like I said over the phone it’s a C-Rank Dungeon, so you’ll have to be exempt from fighting. But, in exchange for carrying our equipment and filling our member requirement, I’ll pay you 200,000 Yen. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, no?”

Izuku smiled and agreed, signing the contract immediately. In reality, he was toeing a fine line right now. His Hunter’s license was revoked due to his age, so he was forced to find work that was not distributed through any agencies directly. It was a pain, but it was better than getting in more trouble for doing so. And really, with middle school over and done with and high school just a month or so away, Izuku had nothing better to do than look for this sort of work.

“Maybe I can apply for some sort of early license? After all, I am going to enroll in UA.”

Hero schools weren’t just for getting your license though, anyone 18 or older could do that. No, Hero schools coached the strongest of the upcoming Hero generations in using their Quirks and Awakened abilities to save people, whether it be inside or outside of Dungeons. Even nowadays, there were still, “Heroes,” Who used their abilities for criminal activities, these people were labeled Villains alongside the monstrous enemies that emerged from Gates.

Hero schools also served to introduce their students to higher Ranked Agencies through things like Sports Festivals and Villain Hunting Competitions between student Heroes. For this reason, places like UA were highly sought after, but only the best of the best could join.

“Hey don’t worry! Us small fries have to stick together!” Izuku turned his head just to nearly be blinded by the shiny armor of a teenager not too many years older than himself. “I’m a D-Rank myself, Akira, so I’ll make sure to protect you!” It seemed like Akira was another newcomer to this Raiding party, meaning only two of the ten were random additions.

Izuku smiled, partially from amusement, partially from disbelief, “What… are you some sort of millionaire? I’ve never seen a D-Rank with that much stuff.”

But Natsuo interrupted him before the young man could respond. “The equipment is mostly provisions and some first aid materials along with some mining equipment. Nothing too heavy.” Izuku tilted his head at “first aid.” 

“Do you guys not have a designated Healer?”

Natsuo shrugged, “You know how hard it can be sometimes to get a Healer on an attack force. Healing Quirks are far and few between.” He gave a gleaming smile, “Well, enough of that! Time to get started!”

Izuku found himself surprised to see that Natsuo was actually a Mage-Class despite his massive form. “Well, I suppose I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Mr. Otachi is a Mage, but he totally carries himself as a swordsman.”

Upon entering the Gate, Natsuo cupped one hand creating a floating ball of light that hovered just above their party and illuminated the entire cavern.

“Huh?” One of the Heroes mumbled, “Where are all the Villains?”

“There’s no lights either. Usually there are just enough luminous stones to see.”

“I ain’t heard of a Dungeon with no Villains.”

Izuku wanted to tell them to all be quiet as he set his sense Stat to work, “Villains typically need light to see as well, but even if they didn’t they’d have to be intelligent enough to remove all other lighting sources to make it to their advanta- This sound…”

“It’s a Nomu-Type Nest!” Izuku shouted as the pounding of dozens, if not hundreds of the monstrous Villains echoed in his ears. “They’re above us!”

The party, including Izuku, dove forwards further into the Dungeon in an attempt to avoid the falling black creatures.

“Mages! Bring ‘em down!” Natsuo shouted as his arms lit up with flaming energy. “Tanks! Get their agro!”

Izuku watched on with amazement, “Their teamwork is flawless… no wonder they don’t need a healer. If it had been like this in the Double Dungeon…” Izuku shook his head, dispelling the insane thought, “Nothing would’ve changed.”

Turning back to the fight, he watched as the Villains with exposed brains were cut down one by one with a ruthless brutality. 

“Everyone’s doing pretty well, even if they are a bit too rough with it, but…” Izuku sighed as one of the smaller black creatures rushed at him, its hands extended like claws. The D-Rank monster didn’t even see the kick coming and its head was blown off before it knew it. “They’re not really trying to protect their porter. I don’t need it, but they don’t know that.” He thought to himself as he dispatched another Nomu discreetly. “Maybe it has to do with that warning the System gave me earlier.”

Within the next ten minutes, the horde had been cleared and the group began working to pull all the Villain Cores from the corpses.

As the rest of the party did that, Natsuo turned to Izuku, “Man, you really saved us there! How’d you know they were coming?”

Izuku shrugged, “I guess I just felt it.”

“You’ve got some pretty sharp senses.” He turned away as one of the other Mages called for him, “It’s great that everyone was taken care of thanks to you… but don’t stress the small stuff too much.”

Izuku squinted his eyes and tilted his head as Natsuo strutted off, “‘Don’t stress the small stuff?’”

While Natsuo and a few of his party members crouched over one of the Nomu corpses, Izuku felt a chill go down his spine. He looked around, but there were no more Nomus, which meant… this feeling was coming off of his party members.

Whispering to the one with the expensive armor. “You should be wary.”

“What?”

“If that equipment is as expensive as I think it is, then just keep your eyes peeled.”

Izuku had never known his premonitions to be wrong. Even before his Re-Awakening, he was an expert at sensing danger. So, if he knew that these men were dangerous, why was he continuing onwards with them?

To be honest with himself, Izuku wasn’t sure in the slightest. “Is it my need for cash? Am I just addicted to danger? Or maybe… maybe some part of me is calling out, telling me there’s some sort of opportunity here.”

These were the thoughts that coursed through his mind after the group had stopped for a lunch break. It was infuriating to not know his own reasoning behind it, but Izuku continued on nonetheless, completely calm somehow.

“Wait!” Natsuo called out as he suddenly stopped, causing one of the smaller members to slam into his back, banging their head on his armor. 

“OW!”

“This might be it!” He exclaimed while conjuring another ball of light in his hand, revealing a truly arachnophobic scene.

Hundreds of Nomu hung in webbed cocoons, partially eaten and torn apart. The culprit thankfully nowhere to be seen. 

“It’s the Boss room, that’s for sure.”

Izuku couldn’t help but agree, the energy he was getting off the hallway was akin to what he felt from Rasaka, only stronger.

After only a few minutes of walking through the steely spindle, Izuku began to see the dull glow of bright blue Mana crystals.

Then, they made it to the cavern, almost blinded by the asinine amount of brilliant crystals lining the walls. 

“Just at a first glance, I can say these would be worth nearly 5 million yen.”

“Hey hey!” Another one of the party members called out to Natsuo, “If it’s that much, you might even be able to make your younger brothers jealous!”

This earned him a punch to the arm and a scolding, “You idiot, don’t speak of his brothers so lightly!”

Natsuo ignored the comments, “Alright, well before we get started on mining these things, there’s one thing we need to take care of!” He pointed off to the back of the cavern, where a massive spider was nestled into its webs. “Of course, since a Gate closes once the Boss is defeated, we’ll have to mine these all first before killing the Boss. Ren? Did you bring the mining equipment?”

“Sorry, but who’d have expected a C-Rank Dungeon to hold all this?!”

Natsuo smiled even as he said, “Well this is troublesome. Hey! Why don’t you two stay here and guard this area while we go back and grab the mining equipment?”

Akira nodded assuredly before Izuku could even speak up and mention that there were plenty of pickaxes stuck in his backpack. “It’s been sleeping even through all our shouts so I’m sure it’ll be fine!”

“Good.” Natsuo smiled eagerly, “We’ll be back soon.” All eight members of the party began making their way out, and Akira went to lean against a wall in preparation for the wait. But he didn’t have to wait long. In fact, it only took another twenty seconds for an explosion to ring out and for the exit to be blocked by an avalanche of rocks.

“Well… I guess I know who the Lizards are now.” Izuku threw his pack on the ground, “Although I guess I knew all along, I just couldn’t risk making any moves, otherwise they would be primed and ready to kill the both of us.”

Resting his hand against the cave-in, Izuku realized it wouldn’t be that much of a problem to clear for someone with his strength, but as always, it wasn’t that simple.

The clicking and hissing of a spider’s fangs caused the two to turn around, facing down the, now fully awake and likely pissed off, spider Boss.

“A C-Rank Villain Boss.”

“G-Get behind me… I’ll try to think of something.”

“Move aside little one. I’m only interested in the true warrior.”

Akira blanched as the spider growled at him with its clicky voice. “I-I-I-It s-speaks?”

Izuku had heard of plenty of Villains that were capable of speech, but seeing it come out of an arachnid in person was something else. “You’re addressing me,” Izuku said. It was not a question.

“Yesss! I’ll end your life here, for my master and for his master!”

“Who is your master?” Izuku asked calmly.

“A being you cannot comprehend. He is all powerful, all CONSUMING!”

“D-D-Don’t come any clos-” Akira fell to the ground, completely decapitated by a single swipe of the spider’s powerful clawed leg.

“I was growing tired of that fool’s pestering.”

Izuku’s eyes were wide, he was just barely able to make out the movement. “This thing… it’s fast.”

“If you give up now, I’ll make your death quick and painless! My venom will numb any pain. You will drift off calmer than most will ever experience.”

Izuku scowled and clenched his fists, Rasaka’s gauntlets appearing with a blue glow, “Sorry, but I’m not interested in my death… only yours.”

“Then come, little Hero. Let me see just why my Masters fear your growth.”

Izuku took a runner’s stance, the balls of his feet pushing against the ground hard enough to cause it to ground. “Like most Villain’s, it’s weak point is its head. In that case, I’ll just need one punch.”

Izuku pushed off, racing towards the Boss with abandon, but it didn’t flinch, sending two of its legs to slam him into the ground.

Sidestepping the first, Izuku reared his right fist back and punched at the second, a shockwave spreading from the epicenter as the spider’s exoskeleton cracked loudly in response.

“I put all my points into strength. As long as I don’t lose in a contest of speed, there’s no way I can be beaten!”

In spite of himself, Izuku found himself smirking as he punched away leg after leg. He wasn’t just holding his own against this Villain, he was winning. 

Izuku ran forwards, leaping into the air and driving his armored fist into one of the joints on the spider’s legs, bending it the wrong way and earning a spray of disgusting fluid as he did so. The Villain had been unprepared and its body crashed to the ground as it writhed in pain.

“Too easy,” Izuku thought to himself as he rushed the Boss’s face, prepared to drive his fist straight through its head. But at the last second, Izuku turned away and leapt through the air, just narrowly avoiding an acid spray that washed over the area and disintegrated Akria’s body, his armor remaining behind thanks to its quality.

“Tsk. That’s troublesome.” Izuku landed a dozen meters from the acid pool that melted into the ground, “I guess your head is too dangerous to get near. Then how about this?” Izuku flexed his forearms and long, blade-like scales ejected from the top of his wrist, giving him a sword of sorts. “I’ll just have to bleed you out.”

Beginning to kick it up a notch, Izuku activated his Sprint ability, increasing his movement ability by 30 percent. He moved around at a blur’s pace, using the scale blades to slash off the Villain’s legs at the halfway point, one by one.

He got through three before the spider finally wised up and predicted his next position, flicking its leg fast enough to catch Izuku in the abdomen and slam him into the wall, cracking the stones like eggs.

[Fatigue: 70]

[Your movement will be reduced by 50 percent.]

“Dammit!” Izuku had his arms crossed in front of his face, blocking blow after blow from the spider as they rained down on his body, pushing him further into the ground as wounds began appearing on his body. “One last chance,” He breathed out as the spider raised its leg back up to strike back down, “Accept Status Recovery.”

The spider drove its leg down onto the spot where Izuku had been mere milliseconds earlier, but it realized too late that the green-haired teen was now racing up the leg, his fist reared back and aimed for his head.

“Forgive-”

Izuku didn’t give the Villain the satisfaction of his last words as he drove both gauntlets in the spider’s eyes as far as they would go, the scales and blades shredding anything they came into contact to. And with that, the Boss fell to the ground, dead, leaving Izuku breathing heavily and covered in the arachnid’s gore, “Phew… that was pretty close. I guess it’s a good thing I saved that Status Recovery Reward from the Daily Quest.” Izuku immediately became distracted by the glow emanating from the creature, “Ooo! Ten Villain Cores!” He scooped them up before looking around, he had about an hour before the Gate closed and ejected him from it, there was not even close to enough time to mine all the Mana crystals, but he shrugged and grabbed a pick regardless.

But just before he could get to work, Izuku felt shrapnel bounce off him as the exit exploded behind him.

[An Emergency Quest has been issued!]

[There are nearby entities that intend to murder the player, eliminate them, or a penalty will be given.]

[If you do not complete this Quest, your heart will stop.]

[Enemies left to kill: 8 ]

Turning around, he saw Natsuo and his 7 other party members stalking inside with demented grins, “I have to kill… humans?”

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the little twist on this spider fight and his mysterious words! If you want to discuss the fic more with me, or just hang out, feel free to join my Discord! https://discord.gg/DeFqz5F

Chapter Text

[An Emergency Quest has been issued!]

[There are nearby entities that intend to murder the player, eliminate them, or a penalty will be given.]

[If you do not complete this Quest, your heart will stop.]

[Enemies left to kill: 8]

“What…?”

“There’s no way…” 

“No E-Rank could beat a C-Rank boss. The rich kid must’ve severely weakened it before dying.”

“And what luck, his armor’s still here, even though he was completely melted. That’s some strong acid resistance on his equipment.”

Natsuo smiled cruelly down at Izuku Midoriya as he finished reading through the System Quest, “I have to kill… humans?” He barely got a chance to spit out those words before a powerful flare impact sent him flying backwards, crashing into the same spot he had been smashed into mere minutes earlier by the Villain Boss. Almost half of his health was wrenched away in an instant.

Izuku lay in the crater, dull pain echoing throughout his body, “How? How could I forget? Not everyone is born equal… and the strong take advantage of the weak. I was not born equal to these men… no, these Villains. But the System is trying to even the playing field… maybe it’s just telling me to do what I’ve always wanted to do, beat down anyone in my path, become the strongest, even if it means…”

“I’ll kill you for that…” Izuku pushed himself to his feet, crawling out of the crater with clenched fists.

“Uh… hey Natsuo? Tell me you held back a little bit.”

Natsuo’s eyes narrowed, “No… I definitely put my all into that attack.”

“Playing around with someone’s life, only Villains do that. And to Heroes, Villains are nothing more than something to be… Hunted.” 

Izuku blurred forwards, disappearing from Natsuo’s view as he frantically scanned the area, searching for the supposed E-Rank. And then… SPLAT .

Natsuo felt something wet cover his face, and he turned to his right, eyes widening as he saw one of his Raid members fall to the floor, headless. In his place, stood Izuku, one of his gauntleted fists outstretched. 

“One down. No more running…” Izuku growled out, more of a declaration for himself than his enemies, but they didn’t see it that way.

Two immediately screeched in fear and began running, but Izuku was quicker, getting in front of them and impaling both at the same time on his gauntlet blades.

“YOU BASTARD!” Another raced forwards, his broadsword held high. 

“Says the bastard who tried to kill me,” Izuku didn’t even attempt to hide from the blow, instead choosing to punch the sword. 

The finely crafted steel instantly shattered upon making contact with Izuku and exploded backwards, punching through its wielder like swiss cheese.

The next three took even less time than the first four, leaving only a shocked and shaking Natsuo. “Y-You…” Izuku raised one eyebrow as his fear turned to rage at an astonishing rate. “I’ll show you that you shouldn’t mess with the Todoroki’s!”

“The Todoroki’s? Did he seriously name his party after himself? Or maybe he’s talking about-”

Natsuo roared as flames began pouring off his body in waves, “Let’s see someone like yo-!”

“For a C-Rank, you’re pretty strong.” Izuku said as he wrapped he planted his hand over Natsuo’s face, “But there’s something you don’t know about me.” Izuku plowed the Villain into the ground, smashing the rock like paper-mache. “I’m too stubborn to die to someone like you,” He said over Natsuo’s bruised and beaten body.

“W-W-Wait! I-I’ll give you money! You can have everything in this Dungeon! Just let me live!”

Izuku shook off the blood from his gauntlets. “Don’t worry. I already have my reward. I don’t need anything you have.”

“Y-You’re… reward?”

Izuku stalked towards the man as he attempted to scramble away, his irises sparking a magnificent glowing green. “A Hero’s job is to save people from Villains. To kill you, is to save lives. To know that I can still be a Hero… that’s quite the reward for a Quirkless nobody like me,” He spat out with venom.

“Y-You won’t get away with this!”

Izuku tilted his head for a moment, “You’re right. A massacre like this will have to be reported, and since I had my license revoked, I’ll be subject to a small fine, but… they’ll never expect an E-Rank to have killed 8 C and D-Ranks.”

“W-Wa-!”

Izuku wasted no more time and severed his head from his body using Rasaka’s scales. The thump of his skull rolling against the ground ignored as Izuku inspected his clothing. 

“Huh… it’s a mess again… Well, it is a size too small, so I suppose it was time to get new clothes anyways.”

[Emergency Quest: Kill the Enemies, has been completed, will you receive the Rewards?]

“Accept.”

[Reward #1: Status Recovery]

[Reward #2: Stat Points +10]

[Reward #3: Skill: Bloodlust]

“Let’s see… that’s three Levels that I got from the Villain Boss and ten points from the Quest, even a new Skill.” Izuku took a deep breath and took another look at the System, “What doesn’t kill me, only makes me stronger.”

A week later, Izuku found himself out with Sakura, jogging through the park outside their apartment.

“They didn’t even fine you?!”

Izuku shrugged, “The strongest agencies barely bother with C-Rank or lower Dungeons, so they’ve been short-handed lately, and they said as long as I assisted in a few other Raids, they would waive the fine.”

“That’s pretty convenient.”

Izuku smiled at his little sister and changed the subject, “How’s school going?”

“Same old same old,” She smiled back, “You’re not going to forget about the teacher-parent meeting in a couple of weeks right?”

“Not a chance,” Izuku assured her, “But the UA entrance exam is the same day, I’m gonna be rushing to it, so there’s no guarantees that I’ll be perfectly on time.”

Sakura sighed, “Well, I suppose that’s all I can ask for.” She said as her brother became lost in thought.

“I’ve got four and a half weeks to prepare for the entrance Exam. On top of the practical evaluation, I’ve got to handle the written portion.” While Izuku was a self-sufficient 15-year-old, he still had to go through high school and UA was like a condensed version of typical high schools for Heroes. “Speaking of being 15, I totally forgot that my birthday’s in just 12 days! Maybe I can treat myself to something special with the million Yen I made off the C-Rank Dungeon.” His thoughts quickly turned to those of Rankings. “If I was able to beat a C-Rank Boss on my own, does that make me a B-Rank or a high C-Rank?” He shook his head, “It doesn’t matter, I still need to become stronger. UA’s two Hero classes are typically filled with S, A, or the strongest of B Ranks.” 

Thanks to the lack of high Rankers overall, UA was able to typically fill their classes with a few S-Ranks and a majority of A Ranks, something that not many other Hero schools around the world could claim. All too often, countries were too busy fighting over the high Ranked Heroes to worry about training them properly, but UA was basically the only Hero school in Japan for high Rankers, so it received them all.

“If Kacchan really is applying to UA, then he’s almost certainly getting enrolled. As an S-Rank, he’s basically guaranteed a spot.”

A small ding brought Izuku back to the present where he glanced over at the System.

[Running: 11/10km]

Looking around, he realized he had left Sakura behind while he had been lost in thought. “Uh… how fast was I going?” Just about to start running back towards her, he realized the Daily Quest requirements had gone over their limits. “Well… I’m sure she’ll catch up eventually, maybe I should try maxing these out for a better reward.” Izuku lowered himself to the ground and began counting out push-ups.

“Hmmm, it won’t go above 200,” Izuku noted as Sakura rounded the corner, practically collapsing from exhaustion, “Since running 200 kilometers is a bit much, I’ll start with 20.” Without a word to his sister, he took off once more, running full speed, this time on purpose.

Sakura just gazed on with mute shock, “...That’s it… I’m going… home.”

As it turned out, doubling his Daily Quest did provide Izuku with a hidden reward. The choice between a Blessed Box and a Cursed Box. At first, he intended to choose the Blessed Box, after all, who would want to choose a Cursed Reward. But something stopped him. He wasn’t a huge Otaku or anything, but what he knew of anime told him that the demonic powers were always the strongest. At the very least, this was his flimsy excuse for grabbing the Cursed Box and opening another key.

[Item: The World Above Key]

Item Class: S

Type: Key

[A key that allows you to create an Instance Dungeon. You may use this just outside of the Endeavor Agency.]

Izuku was incredibly tempted to try out this new Dungeon Key he had received, but he refrained. He had a Hearthstone, so if he needed to leave, he’d have no problem, but he wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to reenter it. 

“If the Key is Ranked at S, the Dungeon is at the very least an A-Rank, I’d stand no chance. And in order to get the most out of it, I should wait until I’ve leveled up more.”

These were his musings as he walked through the downtown district of Jaku city, making his way to one of the Gates the Inspectors Agency had asked him to fill the slots for. Dressed in a pair of jeans that allowed him to move easily, a dark grey jacket with the hood pulled up, and a lighter grey undershirt, he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

“Mister… Midoriya?!”

Izuku looked to his right, removing his hood as a smile spread across his face, “Mister Otachi!”

The middle-aged Hero’s dark hair whipped in the breeze as he gave a sigh of relief at Midoriya’s appearance, “You’ve changed so much! I barely recognize you!” He rested a fatherly hand upon Midoriya’s shoulder, “It’s such a relief to see you once more! I had heard rumors of your survival, but I just couldn’t get my hopes up!”

Even as the man laughed with all the joy in the world, Izuku couldn’t help but frown at Kaito’s missing arm.

“Please… pay it no mind. I’m lucky to have kept both my life and my other arm, as well as my skill with a blade. I owe that to you, you know.”

Izuku nodded, happy to oblige the friendly old man, “Are you here on the Inspector Agency’s orders as well?”

“Hmm? No… I’m here on order of the Agency Association.”

“Ah, yeah that makes sense.” Izuku cursed inwardly as he realized admitting to be here thanks to the Inspector Agency sounded fishy, but thankfully, Kaito seemed to ignore it.

The Agency Association was the overseer of all Agencies, no matter how powerful they were, they all reported to the Agency Association. It was run by one man in particular, the strongest S-Rank in Japan, All Might.

“Looks like the others are already here,” Kaito said, “Heh… what a day this is. Everyone’s here.”

Izuku’s eyes widened as a certain girl caught his eye, “M-Midoriya?”

“Miss Yaoyorozu!” Izuku decided it would be best not to mention saving her during the Golem attack.

“I…” Tears began forming in the corners of her eyes, “I told you to just call me Yaoyorozu.”

“You’re right, Yaoyorozu,” Izuku nodded a calm grin on his face, “Sorry for being late.” 

Tears began flowing freely as another, less beautiful face drew his attention, “Ryouji,” Izuku said, not even bothering to be polite with this man. Unlike Yaoyorozu, who had to be knocked out to be dragged away from the altar, or Kaito, who offered to be the sacrifice before the option was taken out of his hands, Ryouji openly threatened Kaito, and ran away with cowardly excuses.

“Y-You got so much taller!” 

Izuku chuckled, “You’re gonna start sounding like my… mother…”

Yaoyorozu didn’t notice his stutter and was instead obsessing over his leg, “You’re leg! It’s… what happened?!”

“I’m not really sure about it either, but-”

“What a romantic atmosphere you’ve got here!” A guttural voice called out, “Is someone filming a drama? Or are the Heroes dating each other these days?”

Izuku scowled deeply as three men wearing orange jumpsuits exited a van, handcuffed. 

“Shut up trash,” A man in a suit growled, his soulless grey eyes glaring down at them, “This isn’t a picnic.”

Chapter Text

The three men strolled up to the group, creepily leering at Yaoyorozu as they neared the girl, “Take care of u-”

Izuku appeared in between the handcuffed criminals and Yaoyorozu, his eyes glowing with the same green killing intent that had stared down Natsuo. Using his new Bloodlust Skill, he was able to pump some fear into the target. 

Sweat trickled down the man’s neck, but he surprisingly held his ground, “Oho, looks like we’ve got ourselves a shining knight.”

Izuku briefly considered a show of his new strength, but Kaito’s shouting dragged him out of his red-tinted vision.

“You’re not really sending us to Raid with Crimi- no… Villains! Are you?”

The short woman with large round glasses flinched for a moment at Kaito’s abrasive tone, “W-Well, they’re rehabilitators, and you’ll have the Monitoring Divison’s Hitoshi Shinso watching over them. He’s a B-Rank and these men are C-Ranks, he should have no trouble handling them if the need should arise.”

Kaito growled and scratched at his stubble with his one remaining arm. These were the Association’s orders, he couldn’t really do anything about it, “... Fine.”

The woman nodded quickly and made her way back to the van as the purple-haired man walked up. Izuku noticed that he had extremely heavy bags under his eyes, as if he never slept.

“Well, you heard the little one. I’m Hitoshi Shinso and I’ll be keeping a close eye on those three today, so try not to worry about them too much.” He glanced in Yaoyorozu and Izuku’s direction for just a moment before redirecting his attention to Kaito, “Who will be the Raid leader for today?”

“I’ll do it. Just so long it’s okay with you,” He said, looking over his shoulder to Izuku.

Izuku was taken aback. To Kaito he was still a lowly E-Rank with no leading experience, he didn’t think he’d respect his opinion this much. “Of course…” He trailed off as Kaito bowed at a perfect ninety degree angle. 

“Thank you for giving me this second chance. Because of my actions, eleven people died, but because of you, six lived. I bow to you not just for my life, but in place of all the other Heroes.” Kaito was still, unmoving, “Thank you, Izuku Midoriya.”

“Please… Mister Otachi, raise your head.”

Kaito did so, “Ryouji! You have no complaints right? Even if I’m the one to be leading.”

The man turned away, his back heaving with a sigh, “Do as you please.”

As the men cleared out and went through the portal, Izuku stopped Yaoyorozu for just a moment, “Please, Yaoyorozu, I want you to drop out of this Raid.”

“What? Why?”

Izuku pursed his lips, “I’ve just got a bad feeling about it.”

“Will you still be going?”

“Yes.”

Izuku could’ve sworn that at that moment, Yaoyorozu’s smile was enough to outshine the sun, “Then I’m coming with you!” She declared.

Izuku felt slow. But not because of any debuff, he already knew that he couldn’t be afflicted with such things thanks to the System, or any stamina loss. Rather, he felt slow because he was. In order to not raise suspicion with Kaito or Yaoyorozu, he was holding back a considerable amount.

“I could’ve cleared this cave of Goblin-type Villains in a matter of seconds, and yet, here I am, waiting minutes for them to clear it. And on top of that, I’m barely earning any experience for the few I have killed.”

“It seems like you’ve really improved a lot, Midoriya.” Kaito waved his hand, flash baking another pack of Villains with his fiery attacks. “And I’ve got to ask where you got such good gauntlets. After all, it’s weird seeing the usually bare-handed Midoriya carrying a weapon.”

“Is it so?” Izuku asked with a laugh, attempting to avoid the question of where he had acquired his weapons.

Thankfully, though his answer was less than enough to satisfy Kaito, Yaoyorozu was too busy obsessing over Izuku’s new skill. “I didn’t even have to create anything to heal you once!”

Izuku brushed it off with a smile, “I just worked out a little.”

“And yet, you seem nothing like the Midoriya I knew.”

“Is… that a bad thing?” Izuku asked, wondering if his new deeds of murder had changed him more than he would’ve liked to admit.

“I think it’s great!” 

Shinso rolled his eyes and muttered, “Children…”

“I think it’s great,” Kaito whispered back to the Monitor, “To be in a Dungeon and still be able to find love.” The man simply scoffed at the word “love” and turned back to the task at hand.

“There’s three tunnels. Since it’s a low Ranked Dungeon, how about we split up?”

Kaito thought for a moment before nodding, “We’ll split up.”

“I’ll take these three down the right path, so if you find the Boss, come and grab us first.”

“Right.”

Izuku put his sense ability to work, scoping out the two remaining tunnels, getting the strongest signal from the left, “Mister Otachi, how about we take the left one?”

“Hmm? Sure.”

Upon suggesting it, Kaito and Yaoyorozu moved past him, giving Izuku a glimpse of Shinso’s half smile out of the corner of his eye. He went to scowl at the man, but he was already turned away by the time Izuku did so. With seemingly no other choice, he followed close behind Kaito, wondering if he had made the right choice to ignore the man, “No!”

Everyone in the tunnel froze at Izuku’s odd exclamation. 

The three criminals grinned strangely, “Looks like this one’s already losing i-” He suddenly grasped at his throat, blood pouring from it like a waterfall of crimson. His two friends fell the same way just moments later.

“W-What…?” Ryouji croaked out, “What is this?”

Shinso grinned evilly, now holding a dagger, “That was a dumb move to call me out like that kid. I’m not sure how you knew my plan, but I could see it in the way you looked at me.”

Izuku put himself in between Yaoyorozu and the killer, “Your eyes, I’ve seen them before.” He raised his fists, “Those criminals are scum. I can’t say I exactly disagree with their executions, but I also can’t risk a killer like yourself wandering around in here with people I care about.

Shinso chuckled, “People you care about? You mean this man?” He said, nonchalantly pointing his dagger at Kaito. “Or maybe her…” He drawled out pointing at Yaoyorozu, who was cowering behind Izuku. 

Being the only A-Rank in the room, Yaoyorozu was the only one able to witness the exchange as Shinso rushed towards her at superhuman speeds. Or rather, she thought she’d be the only one. Paralyzed with fear, she was unable to create anything to defend herself, but Izuku had already resolved to protect her no matter what it took.

Shinso’s dagger sparked off Izuku’s gauntlet and his eyes widened as he noticed the teen’s other arm reaching out for his throat, “Maybe a little too close for comfort.”

Just before Izuku could crush the government agent’s throat with his rock solid fingers, the man leapt back, smiling all the way with sadistic glee. “Then I suppose I will start with this one.” 

Izuku was just barely able to follow Shinso’s sprint over to Ryouji, pushing aside his blade at the last moment and taking a swipe with his own scale blade. “Hmm? I’m surprised you acted to defend a man that you obviously have problems with.”

“Mister Ryouji has acted cowardly, maybe even maliciously, before and I won’t deny that I despise him, but he is a Hero nonetheless and fights for those who cannot fight for themselves. Even if he has run from fights or abandoned teammates, that one small part of him that is a Hero, it’s redeemable, salvageable, but you… you’re just the same as the men you killed.”

Instead of some coy remark or maniacal laughter, Shinso merely tilted his head, “That’s weird…” Then looking over to Yaoyorozu, “Hey you. What’s your name?” 

“M-Momo Ya-” Her eyes suddenly glazed over and her shivering form stilled.

“That’s more like it. I guess you’re just immune.” He said to Izuku, whose eyes were flicking back and forth between the two.

“What did you do to her?!”

“As an Assassin-Type, I’ve built up plenty of skills, but none of them compare to my Quirk… Brainwash.”

Izuku’s eyes widened and he shouted, “Mister! Pin her down!”

But the shout was somehow overpowered by Shinso’s calm command, “Kill everyone but your ‘boyfriend.’”

Yaoyorozu leapt into action, showing off that she was indeed an A-Rank with her strength, speed, and incredible Quirk. Yanking two katanas from her arms, her large ponytail danced wildly as she attempted to decapitate Kaito entirely.

“Kaito!” Ryouji shouted over the commotion as he underhanded his new broadsword to the Swordmaster.

It was a dangerous action, capable of hurting rather than helping, but Kaito was not so easily foiled. His right arm nimbly launched through the air, feeling the all too familiar grip of a sword as he responded in kind to the young woman, parrying away her blades like they were nothing. “In a fight with blades, you stand no chance as a simple puppet! We’ve got this handled, Midoriya!”

“Yeah,” A voice whispered into Izuku’s ear, causing him to spin around and just barely block Shinso’s strike, “They’ve got that handled, Midoriya, so why don’t you focus on me!”

“Gladly,” Izuku replied as he beat aside the dagger and took a swing at the man’s face, narrowly grazing his cheek and opening a small cut. 

Shinso once again took some distance and finally asked, “Fine, I’ll bite… who really are you?”

Izuku bounced on the ball’s of his feet, fists held like a boxer, “Izuku Midoriya, E-Rank.”

Chapter Text

“E-Rank.” Shinso scoffed, “As if some E-Rank could match me in speed. A false Ranker? ...No it seems like you’ve known these others for some time… Which leaves only one answer. You’ve been Reawakened.” He smiled, “And judging by your friend’s reactions it looks like it was recent.”

Ryouji, Kaito, and Hamada, their last Raid member all had wide-eyed looks, even as they continued to fend off Yaoyorozu without hurting her.

“Oh well, I guess there’s no going back now. I guess all of you were simply killed by the prisoners while I was fighting the Boss. Such a shame too, you were so young!”

Izuku planted his foot into the ground and caught Shinso’s downwards swing in his open palm, Rasaka’s scales creaking under the pressure. “Why are you doing this?!” Izuku shouted back.

Shinso giggled maniacally, “I could tell you,” He took another swipe with a secondary dagger, once again parried away by Izuku’s armor, “About the father who wanted revenge for these creeps manhandling his daughter. I could tell you that I just can’t stand the sight of trash. I could tell you a million things, but it doesn’t matter what you believe! You’ll die alongside those pitiful insects all the same!”

Shinso blinked and Izuku was gone, “If that’s your reasoning, then you’re just as pitiful.” Izuku deadlegged the Assassin from behind and went to punch his head clean off, but his swing only grazed open air, Shinso now reappearing off to his right.

“Is that your fastest speed?” Izuku answered by exchanging a flurry of blows with Shinso, each swing or punch eliciting a hail of sparks from their contact. “I don’t know how many Ranks you raised yourself up through, but it doesn’t matter! It won’t be that easy!”

[An Emergency Quest has been issued!]

[There are nearby entities that intend to murder the player, elminate them, or a penalty will be given.]

[If you do not complete this Quest, your heart will stop.]

[Enemies left to kill: 1 ]

“Well, it looks like your fate has been sealed Mister. Now I have no choice but to kill you.”

[Skill: Sprint has been activated. Movement speed will be increased by 30% and will consume 1 Mana every minute.]

Izuku drove his fist into Shinso’s abdomen before he could react to the attack. The impact was enough to leave a shockwave in the air as Shinso went flying backwards, crashing into the wall, blood leaking profusely from his stomach wound.

[Effect: Stun has activated.]

[Effect: Bleed has activated.]

“I’ll admit kid… you’re pretty interesting. But even with your strength…”

[The enemy’s resistance was too high. The Effects were cancelled.]

“You can’t beat skill.” Shinso’s figure disappeared into a fine mist and his presence vanished completely.

Izuku’s body went into overdrive and he raised both arms in front of his face, just narrowly blocking an invisible strike.

“Hoh? You managed to block that too? Your senses are pretty damn sharp. Let’s see how long you can keep that up.” Shinso chuckled, “Only a few Assassin-type Heroes ever acquire the Camouflage Skill, but no one knows about mine, would you like to know why?” Izuku raised his fist into the air, “Because no one ever lives to tell about it!” Milliseconds before Shinso was about to make his critical strike, Izuku punched the ground with all his strength. 

Dust and rocky shrapnel were kicked up by the insane force and Shinso found himself stumbling forwards desperately stabbing at the area he was aiming for before his vision had been obscured. There was nothing there, but a darkness that passed over him and sent a chill through his body, weighing him down. 

“What… what is this?” Shinso put all his effort into just turning his head enough to glimpse Izuku’s shining green eyes, “Is this… his Shadow?!”

And then, Izuku shoved his gauntlet’s blade straight through his back, piercing his heart and ending the battle.

As Yaoyorozu was freed from the control of Shinso’s Quirk, she stumbled into Kaito’s arms, just barely able to make out a mumbling from the killer. 

“What are you… truly… what are you?”

Izuku gazed down at him with a sad expression, surprised that he felt some small part of him break as he watched the life drain from the man’s eyes, “Let’s say… I’m a Hero that can grow stronger from every fight. How strong do you think I can become?”

Shinso gave Izuku an honest smile for the first time, “If you can become… as strong as your Shadow is dense… you have no equal.” The man took his very last breath and passed onto the next life.

[Emergency Quest: Kill the Enemies, has been completed, will you receive the Rewards?]

“Accept.”

[Reward #1: Stat Points +5]

As Izuku removed his blade from the man’s chest, he noticed a small twinkle in his coat and he bent down to inspect it. Just as his finger touched the light, a small rock was teleported into his inventory. 

[Rune: Stealth]

Type: Rune

A Skill can be acquired by breaking this Rune.

Just as he was about to pull it out of his inventory, a dainty and slightly shaking hand rested on his shoulder, “Thank you… Midoriya.” Izuku stood and turned, surprised as Yaoyorozu practically barreled into him, wrapping her arms around him. 

Too shocked by the suddenness of it, he simply stood there, arms at his sides, staring blankly at Kaito Otachi who was grinning ear to ear. “I’m glad to see that your power hasn’t changed you that much. You’re still the same old kid that’s awkward around girls.” Taking on a more serious look, Kaito nodded, “I guess I owe you another thank you for saving our lives.”

Ryouji had his arms crossed, an uncomfortable frown on his face, “So… what do we do now?” 

“We should probably go report to the Association.” 

Izuku finally snapped out of his stupor enough to send one of his gauntlets to the inventory and rest a calming hand on Yaoyorozu’s back, “That’s a good idea. I’ll meet you out there.”

Hamada blanched, “You can’t seriously be thinking of handling the Dungeon Boss yourself!”

Kaito shook his head, “We’ve all seen his power, if he wants to do it, let him… He’s no longer the World’s Weakest after all.”

Yaoyorozu pulled away from Izuku, her face beet red from embarrassment, but even still she declared, “I’ll come with you!”

“Absolutely not,” Izuku replied, much to her annoyance.

“Hey! I’m an A-Rank!”

“And yet you were held back by three C-Ranks,” Ryouji chimed in.

Yaoyorozu hung her head in shame, “I’m stronger than that… really. I just… wasn’t really using my skills to their full potential.”

“But you were brainwashed and told to kill us.”

“He didn’t say how to kill you, so I chose the method that would give you the best chance of survival.”

Izuku chuckled lightly, “That’s pretty cool that you managed to find a way around his Quirk that quickly.” Yaoyorozu beamed with pride, but was quickly shot down as Izuku finished his thought, “And no one is calling you weak, but in a Boss room, I can’t guarantee your safety,” He said, remembering Akira’s brutal execution. 

Kaito nodded, “He’s probably right, Miss. For now, it might be best if we just leave this to him and do our best to explain the situation to the Association.” No one bothered to mention her remaining trauma. 

Yaoyorozu thought for a moment before finally acquiescing and pulling out something from her pocket. Izuku nearly gasped at the sight of the E-Rank Villain Core from the Double Dungeon Raid. She waggled it in front of his face like an owner enticing their dog with a treat. “This time, you better not be late for our dinner.” Without another word she turned on her heel and strutted off.

“W-What just happened?” Izuku asked.

Kaito threw his remaining arm around the teen’s shoulders, “I think that you just got yourself a date.”

Defeating this Dungeon Boss was nothing compared to the Spider Boss or Rasaka and Izuku found himself making his way back to the Gate before even ten minutes had passed. As it turned out, Kaito and Yaoyorozu had already informed the Association lady who had been waiting patiently outside, sending her scurrying away to call one of her superiors. 

Upon exiting the Dungeon, Izuku was surprised to see Ryouji bowing low, Hamada in the same position next to him.

“Thank you Midoriya… for saving our lives.”

“And please forgive us for being cowards.”

Ryouji sighed, “I’m sorry… I’m really sorry.”

“Well then,” Izuku replied, holding both his hands out to the men, “If that’s the case, let’s start over.” The two looked up in confusion, surprised to see Izuku smiling warmly, his emerald green eyes sparkling, not with killing intent, but with happiness. “When I saw Shinso dying, I think I realized something. Even if I have to kill, I refuse to let that vicious part of me take over. I want to forgive, I don’t want to hate.”

Ryouji stood and took his hand, breathing out a shaky sigh of relief, “Damn you kid… making an old man like me all teary eyed.”

Izuku took Hamada’s hand as well and shook both hands, “It’s nice to meet you both. I’m Izuku Midoriya.”

“Are you sure about that?” A voice asked, “Cause I’m almost certain I don’t recognize you.”

Izuku turned, staring at the blond man who had come to talk to him in the hospital, “Investigator.”

“Call me Tsukauchi. I’m actually from the Monitoring Division, but was there with the Investigator Division, so that’s the card you got.” He joked. Then, getting serious, “I understand one of our employees has caused you all some distress. We will give our official apologies after the investigation has been concluded, but for now, I’d like to ask you all some questions.” His eyes narrowed, “So… who killed Hitoshi Shinso?”

“Damn. I guess I have to reveal myself after all. There’s no way aroun-”

“It was me,” Kaito answered, stepping forwards.

“And what Rank might you be?”

“C-Rank.”

Tsukauchi scowled, “Shinso was a B-Rank Assassin with crazy Skill and an even more powerful Quirk. How did someone like you beat him.”

Kaito hitched a thumb over his shoulder at Yaoyorozu, “She’s an A-Rank with support and offensive abilities.”

Ryouji stepped forwards next, “And he used his Quirk on me after thinking that I was the biggest threat.”

Tsukauchi paused for a moment, “It does make sense. He’d look down on the smaller girl, the E-Rank, and the man missing an arm. That would leave only this one or the bigger guy. I suppose this man had more skill for Shinso to use.”

“Very well,” Tsukauchi said, “If you don’t mind coming with me, I need you to help fill out some paperwork regarding this incident.” 

Izuku stopped Kaito before he could go follow and he whispered, “Why’d you lie for me?”

“I assumed you had a good reason to hide it. Besides, this is the least I can do to repay you.”

“Midoriya,” Tsukauchi called out, “I’m not sure when you’ll have to fear for your life, but it will be sure, I can guarantee that.”

Izuku tilted his head, “What’s that mean?”

“You were the only Survivor of Natsuo Todoroki’s Raid Team. I personally have no reason to suspect you were involved in any foul play, but… Touya Todoroki won’t see it the same way.”

“Dabi? The S-Rank Hero?” Izuku asked, using the man’s nickname.

“Yes. If possible, I might recommend fleeing the country with your loved ones. Because not even laws could hold back someone like him, someone that even the monsters fear.”

Level: 27

Strength: 72

Vitality: 43

Agility: 82

Intelligence: 39

Sense: 69

Remaining Points: 5

[Item: Warden’s Necklace]

Item Class: A

Type: Necklace

Equipped

Agility +20, Sense +20

Chapter Text

"Mister Tsukauchi?"

"Hmm?" The detective looked over to his assistant, a short blond woman with round glasses who was driving his care, "What is it?"

"Why did you let those four get away with their lie?"

He gave her a curious gaze, "What do you mean?"

"Well… uh, whenever you detect a lie with your Quirk, your ring finger kinda… twitches? I guess that's the right word."

Tsukauchi chuckled, "Either you've been doing your research or we've been spending too much time together…" Tsukauchi looked down at his hands self-consciously, "Do I really twitch my finger?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Not even my wife noticed that… Oh! Um…" Tsukauchi cleared his throat, "Well, we know that they were lying, but we have no idea why. Shinso had been in the position for fifteen years and never once in that time could he be completely controlled. I don't doubt for a second that he tried to kill them. But what I do doubt is their ability to kill him." The man shook his head, "Shinso was rated as a high B-Rank, but in actuality, he should've been A at least. Unless an opposing Hero had a Quirk or Skill that resisted specifically Brainwashing, they were his puppet, which means it's technically possible for someone like him to beat an S-Rank."

"But he can only control one person at a time, which is why he was defeated. He took control of a C-Rank while there was still an A-Rank lying in wait."

"No. Shinso could switch his target by releasing his first victim. The girl could've been taken over once he realized her strength if he didn't sense it at first that is."

"So then… who do you suspect?"

"We tested his strength at the hospital and it would be weird to think that an E-Rank could kill someone as powerful as Shinso, but every bone in my body is telling me that Izuku Midoriya is responsible."

His assistant gave him a strange look, "If that's the case, why not interrogate him further? You seem to be pretty gracious with this Midoriya kid."

Tsukauchi stared out the window, his glasses reflecting the now setting sun, "I don't know… maybe… maybe I'm just interested to see what he'll do next."

By the time Izuku and Momo had left the cafe, night had completely fallen, their stroll through the lush greenery lit only by the stars, moon, and park lamps.

Izuku hadn't said much since leaving the cafe, after all, he had been slightly scared by Yaoyorozu's crazy insistence to pay for the meal. He had never seen her in a threatening light before, but he could swear that as he reached for the check, her eyes began to glow red with power. He wasn't crazy enough to risk his life over some basic chivalry.

"Midoriya…? Do you think I should give up being a Hero?"

"Huh?"

Yaoyorozu spun around, shame covering her face like a mask, "I was raised in a pretty wealthy household, to say the least. And in that household, I was groomed for use of my Quirk." She sighed as a small sparkle of pink light erupted on the palm of her hand and a round green matryoshka doll appeared, apparently modeled after Midoriya. "I can make literally anything, but my parents didn't want me using it for good, only for money."

Izuku shuddered at the thought. To be nothing else but a tool in your parent's minds, it was awful.

"I could've made myself any amount of gold or platinum and escaped them at any time. But that would've only turned me into a hypocrite, so I resolved to only use it once, in order to get my Beginner's License. This was before I knew that those sorts of licenses limited the Rank of Gates you could enter, but in the end, I guess it didn't matter. So even as I ran from home, determined to make it on my own, I was kinda in trouble." She wrung her hands out, "Even at A-Rank, I couldn't handle higher Ranked Dungeons that I managed to sneak my way into. I'm just… not capable of that same lust for life. I can't make those snap decisions to save my life or anyone else's for that matter."

"You're wrong." Izuku said, looking deep into her eyes as she turned bright red, "You knew how to circumvent Shinso's mind control in an instant, probably saving Kaito and the others in the process. Sure, you're nervous, who isn't. But you can't get better at something by giving up." Izuku smiled boldly as he repeated the words that he himself had always wanted to hear, "You can become as strong as you want to be, you just need help that was never offered to you." Holding out his hand to the girl, he felt like crying himself. It felt so cathartic, so beautiful to finally be able to say those words and mean them, to offer help to someone in need wholeheartedly, with the belief that you can help them.

"You've worked hard to get to this point on your own, so please, let me help you."

Yaoyorozu gasped out a sob of relief as she took his hand and looked up into his kind, warm eyes, "Thank you."

Chapter Text

“You… do this… every day?” Yaoyorozu panted out as Midoriya effortlessly jogged beside her.

“Everyday,” Izuku answered. 

“...Why?” 

Izuku stuttered for a moment. He had yet to tell her about the true nature of his Reawakening. The System seemed a dangerous tool and no matter how much he trusted Yaoyorozu, he wanted to keep its secret under wraps.

“Even after I went through my Reawakening, I was pretty weak. I mean… I had all the increased strength and stuff, but I became exhausted really easily.” He gestured at himself, “Heroes can’t increase their strength or speed after an Awakening, but we can lessen the strain those attributes have on us by training. And as someone who’s Quirkless, I can’t really speak on this subject, but apparently, those with Quirks can decrease the Mana drain said Quirks have by similarly training them.” Izuku looked back to his side, where Yaoyorozu should’ve been, only to find that she had been left behind. “...Oops.”

Turning back around, Izuku began to wonder how he had repeated his same mistake as a chime rang out, signifying his Running goal had been completed for the day. Though the two hadn’t run that far, he had done several “warm-up” laps before she had arrived to meet him. 

It only took him thirty seconds to backtrack far enough to find Yaoyorozu collapsed onto a bench, her chest heaving rapidly. In fact, the breathes were so violent, Izuku noticed her voluptuous ch- “Nononono.” Izuku nearly slapped himself in front of the girl and instead chose to lightly shake his head to clear the thought.

“Sorry, I space out a little during my runs. I guess it’s just kinda become second nature at this point.”

Yaoyorozu shook her head and waved him on, “Just… go on… without me.”

Izuku almost laughed at the dramatic declaration and instead decided to lower himself to the ground, beginning his push-ups goal. “Don’t worry,” He said, “I’ll keep you company.” With one hand keeping his body in rhythm, he reached behind his back and grabbed the water bottle tucked into his sweat pant’s pocket. He quickly tipped a bit of water into his mouth, allowing Yaoyorozu to marvel at his multitasking skills before he offered her the container.

She took it and self-consciously spun the bottle 180 degrees to avoid drinking from the same side as him. Of course, it was an action Izuku felt a great deal of amusement towards.

“So, enrolling in UA… do you really think that’s the best idea?”

“All the best Agencies were started thanks to UA. Might Towers, The Endeavor Agency, Genius Office, and Prime Heroes are all Agencies that exist solely because of UA High and the Heroes they trained.”

“And you think we could start an Agency as successful as theirs?”

Izuku’s mind faltered for a moment and he accidentally let slip his inward thought, “We?”

Yaoyorozu flinched upon realizing what she had said, “We… as in both of us starting Agencies!”

Izuku smiled, “You don’t have to defend it so vehemently. I wouldn’t exactly mind running a Hero Agency with you.”

Slowly, but surely, the girl’s mouth curved up into an embarrassed smile that matched Izuku’s in happiness, faltering only slightly as his head turned to gauge her reaction. She was so red, Izuku thought she might have some sort of Blaze Magic inside her.

Changing the subject, Izuku called her back to reality, “Well you seem a bit more rested, why don’t you join me for some push-ups!”

The request seemed so jubilant that Yaoyorozu couldn’t help but acquiesce, even as she groaned on the inside about the workout.

Two Weeks Later:

“Uh… w… what?” Yaoyorozu stammered out as she watched Izuku insert a key into mid-air spawning a Gate.

“I was wondering if you would be able to see this. After all, the last time I used a Key, only I could see the Gate,” Then murmuring to himself, “I wonder if the System sensed my intentions and adapted accordingly.”

“How… How can you do this? Where’d you get that Key?” Yaoyorozu was overcome with confusion as she observed the Gate just outside of Aldera Middle School.

“It’s… a long story, but for now, just know that it’s part of my Reawakening.” Izuku once again felt bad holding back the truth from Yaoyorozu and that feeling was only amplified tenfold when the onyx-eyed beauty gave him a nod of complete trust.

“So then where’s our Raid Team?”

“You’re looking at them.”

Yaoyorozu paled, “You want to take on a Dungeon by ourselves?!”

“It’s a C-Rank, nothing to worry about for us!” Izuku declared hopefully. “If we can’t take it, then I’ve got two Hearthstones to use.” He began walking through, only for Yaoyorozu to grab his arm.

“I trust you enough to not ask about that Key… but… to handle a Dungeon on our own?”

Izuku stopped and nodded solemnly, “You’re an A-Rank, someone that would be on the frontlines of plenty of Agency's Assault teams. That’s the sort of future you want right? To be a strong Hero?”

Yaoyorozu froze in place, was that what she really wanted? A-Ranks made plenty of money and lived more comfortably than most, but it was also a dangerous life. Every time she entered a Dungeon, there was the chance she wouldn’t come back. “Just go back home and live like the rich girl you are.” A voice whispered in her head. “Why risk your life with this guy? If you gave up and apologized to your parents, you know that they’d welcome you back?” Yaoyorozu shook her head, to go home meant to be a tool, nothing more than someone to create items for her parents.

“Yes! I want to be as strong as possible! So that I can be independent and live only as I want to!”

Izuku smiled and this time, when he let himself sink into the Gate, Yaoyorozu let herself be pulled along, entering with a deep breath.

Like the E-Rank Dungeon Key from before, this one turned the landscape into a ruined mess. The Junior High School was now more of a decrepit prison, shambling Villains filling its courtyard, their heads now turned in their direction. 

Izuku summoned his gauntlets as a floating pink mist began to spread itself around the courtyard. As it struck the zombies around them, he realized it made them slightly bigger, “Yaoyorozu make a gas mask for yourself.”

She quickly did so, fastening it securely around her face, “What about you?”

“I’ll be fine,” Izuku assured her, “Probably.”

Thankfully, as the pink mist hit him, he was greeted with a System message.

[Zombie Virus Poison Detected: Cleansing Body]

Yaoyorozu seemed to be fairing fine as well, so without further ado, Izuku gestured to the field of Zombies, “Those are your foes, kill them.”

“By… myself?”

“Like I said, you’re an A-Rank, those are D-Rank. It’s like squashing bugs for you.” Seeing the anxiety on her face, Izuku rested a calming hand on the small of her back, “I’ll be right here to make sure nothing happens, but if you’re going to be a Hero, then you need to get used to fighting. You’re not going to get past the temple incident if you don’t learn that you are your own force to be reckoned with.”

“I… I don’t know about this.”

“You told me you could take on Kaito, Ryouji, and Hamada if you were going all out, and I know you weren’t lying. Think about how quickly you were moving when you were fighting them,” Izuku began speaking faster as the Zombie horde grew closer and closer. “If you move like that in- AH!” 

One of the Zombies leapt at him, moving far quicker than Izuku had thought possible of the creatures. His right arm instinctively flew upwards, moving to decapitate the creature, but he stopped as he noticed a flash of silver and he instead sidestepped the Villain. 

Collapsing behind him, the Villain lay dead, cut in half by one clean cut.

Izuku grinned with pride as he laid his eyes back on Yaoyorozu, her body lunged outwards, both hands gripping a katana. Her face was pale and her breathing was shallow, but it was nothing if not progress.

Her eyes met his and she gave a weak smile, “I couldn’t let them hurt you.”

Izuku grinned even wider, “Thanks for the save!” He slammed his fists together, creating a resounding CLANG! “Now, only two hundred more to go!”

A bit of life seemed to re-enter Yaoyorozu’s eyes and she nodded back, pulling a second shorter blade from her arm, leaping into battle behind Izuku.

With every severed head, slashed torso, dented chest, and flying body, Yaoyorozu got into more of a rhythm, her body dancing on its own as she practically forgot why she had been afraid in the first place.

As Izuku dashed through his old middle school courtyard, blinking in and out of reality thanks to his new Camouflage Skill, courtesy of Shinso, he felt a rush of relief. He had never expected things to go this smoothly, for Yaoyorozu to recover like this. “Then again,” He thought to himself, “She’s never once killed a Villain, so that unknown was probably the only thing holding her back. It’s like the first time you ride a rollercoaster, you don’t know what to expect, so you’re terrified, but once you go on it you want to ride again.” It was that same sentiment Izuku felt right now. To kill a Villain was a scary experience at first, but the first time was always the worst, from there on, it was like a game. A cathartic experience of power over one’s life.

“Thirty-four!” Izuku shouted across the horde.

“Twenty-seven!” Yaoyorozu yelled back, quickly ascertaining the meaning of the number.

“Game on!”

All Yaoyorozu had ever wanted in life was the strength to be her own person, to not be defined by who she was born as, but until now, she had never felt that power. Always hanging back as a healer she had never known what she was truly capable of. Even when under the control of Shinso, everything felt like it had been fuzzy, in a haze. But now, everything was crystal clear.

“Could I always do this?” She didn’t for a second fool herself that these were some sort of crazy strong Villains, but they were Villains nonetheless. “I guess all that training with Midoriya was worth it.”

“Thirty-nine!” She shouted.

Izuku punched away another Zombie, “Fifty-one!” 

[Skill: Overwhelming Force Lv. 1 has been learned.]

70 Mana

Gauntlet Only

- You have Mastered the use of gauntlets, from now on, all attacks involving gauntlets will have a 33% increase in attack power. Additionally, upon activating this Skill, your Strength Stat will double for one strike.

“Fifty-two!”

“Huh?!” Izuku looked around, realizing that in his desire to look over his new Skill, he had activated Camouflage, allowing the rest of the Zombies to surge to Yaoyorozu and feed themselves into her blades.

“Hmph, fine!” Izuku said as he activated his new Skill and emerged from Camouflage. 

The nearest Zombies were turned into a fine paste as Izuku’s new Strength Stat of 150 tore through them with ease. The punches were so strong that they continued on with a piercing effect, killing row after row of Zombies.

Within no time at all, Yaoyorozu and Izuku each killed their last Zombie respectively.

Yaoyorozu, looking more alive than ever before, her eyes shining with intensity, threw her swords down with exhaustion and declared, “Alright you win. I know I got eighty-one, so you must’ve got a hundred and nineteen.”

Izuku smirked, “One hundred and sixty-nine!”

“What?!”

“It looks like there were more than two hundred!”

[Alert: Zombie Horde Training is complete, Gate will now be closed.]

Izuku tilted his head, “There’s no Boss?” Before he could get an answer or further look around, he found himself and Yaoyorozu once more standing outside Aldera Middle School, looking the same as ever.

[Secret Quest: Train a Partner, Completed! Would you like to accept your Rewards?]

“Accept,” Izuku muttered, somewhat stunned.

[Reward #1: Item: Weapon]

[Reward #2: Stat Points +15]

[Reward #3: Item: Armor]

“Wait… this was all a Quest?” He looked down at Yaoyorozu, smiling wider than he’d ever seen her smile, “Oh god… I didn’t cure her fear… the System did.”

Chapter Text

“So you got a girlfriend, right?” Sakura blurted out as she sat on the floor of the apartment, wolfing down pizza. 

Izuku began to cough violently on the couch, caught off guard by her question, “Where the hell did you get that idea?”

“Well you’ve been out practically every night for training, but since the Entrance Exam is tomorrow, I don’t feel like you’d risk pushing yourself too hard.” She stuck her finger into the air, as if coming to a brilliant conclusion, “Which means the only thing you could be doing is hanging out with your girlfriend!”

Izuku downed a glass of water, allowing the pizza to pass through his esophagus. Taking a deep breath Izuku fixed his sister with a look of amusement, “I have other things to do besides training.” This was a lie. Izuku had done nothing in the past couple of weeks besides work out with Yaoyorozu, take down System generated Dungeons with Yaoyorozu, and… have meals with Yaoyorozu.

“Wait… do I have a girlfriend?” The thought just briefly shook Izuku out of his anxiety. 

Ever since the Zombie Dungeon Quest, Izuku had been unsure if Yaoyorozu snapping into her Hero persona was some miracle, or an act of the System. Aside from her increased confidence, nothing else in her had really changed, which reassured Izuku. It had been nothing but a positive so far, but to alter someone’s personality without them knowing was a problem nonetheless.

“Fine fine… don’t give up your secrets!” Sakura pouted as Izuku continued to be lost in his own thoughts. Looking over at the clock she sighed, “I should probably get to bed… it’s late. Remember five o’clock tomorrow for the parent-teacher meeting.”

Izuku waved away her concerns, “I know! I’ll do my best to make it on time with the Entrance Exams.”

“Then that should be enough,” Sakura said, stumbling off to get ready for bed.

“‘Then that should be enough?’” Izuku held a hand to his chin, “She’s never that laid back about stuff like this… should I be worried?” He shook his head, “It’s just a parent-teacher meeting, what reason would she have to be so strict about it. I’m sure everything’s fine.”

Level: 39

Strength: 97

Vitality: 59

Agility: 97

Intelligence: 51

Sense: 81

“It should be enough,” Izuku thought to himself as he looked over his Stats, Yaoyorozu sitting next to him on the bus to UA, “It has to be enough.”

“Alright here’s your stop people! Proceed through the main entrance and personnel inside will guide you to the lecture hall!”

Izuku took a deep breath, closed his System window, and stood, following Yaoyorozu off the bus and back into the frigid April air. 

The hustle and bustle was almost overwhelming. There were at least a dozen buses, all piled high with hopeful examinees. While UA was the only Hero school equipped to handle B-Ranks and up, it also had an excellent General Studies division for those not looking to become Pro Heroes.

As he stared forwards at the massive blocky school building from the courtyard, he felt Yaoyorozu take his hand. Looking over, somewhat embarrassed, Izuku smiled back at her.

“Come on! Let’s do this!”

Their jovial mood was interrupted as someone roughhoused their way past them, wrenching their hands apart. “Outta my way you damn extras… I’ll kill you.”

Izuku looked at the back of the student’s head, able to recognize it at a glance. Even when angled towards the floor, Izuku knew. “It’s good to see you haven’t changed one bit Kacchan.”

The bully spun around, his eyes widening at the sight of his old childhood friend. A few months had passed since last seeing him and in that time, he had grown nearly half a foot taller, put on irregular amounts of muscle for a now sixteen year old, and his face was… different.

Bakugo had no idea how to explain it. It was still the annoyingly kind and gentle face he had always had, but now, there was some sort of calm aura around him. He scoffed, “You may have worked out, but you’re still a useless E-Rank, you and your bitch might as well get back on the bus.”

Suddenly, Izuku was in front of him, his hand resting on Bakugo’s shoulder. His face was lit up with a warm, friendly smile as he spoke, “It’s incredibly rude to speak to someone like that, Bakugo. I’d watch your tone, some people aren’t as forgiving as we are.”

Bakugo wanted to flinch away, to shove his hand off his shoulder and spit in his face, but something held him back. Izuku had no malice in his eyes, no killing intent, and yet, everything in Bakugo’s body was telling him to run, as fast and as far as his body could carry him, that this Quirkless loser was now something to be feared. 

Maybe it was the disbelief that Izuku could’ve actually gotten stronger, or maybe it was the shock at hearing “Bakugo” instead of “Kacchan” come out of his mouth. Whatever it was, the discomfort was enough to shake him out of this trance and he stumbled backwards, finally realizing that they had attracted a small audience.

“Is that Bakugo?”

“Wasn’t he the one to get grabbed by that escaped Gate Villain?”

“I heard he had to get rescued by All Might himself!”

“Who’s that person standing with him? He kinda looks familiar.”

“Oh my god, that’s the World’s Weakest E-Rank Hero, Izuku Midoriya!”

“Someone like him is taking the Entrance Exam?”

These comments and many more rolled off Izuku’s ears as he pushed past Bakugo, Yaoyorozu joining him at his side.

“I’ll still kill you.” Bakugo muttered under his breath, clenching his fists tightly and glaring at the surrounding spectators.

“He’s not worth it,” Midoriya whispered to Yaoyorozu in the dark hall as she stared pointedly at the blond who chose to sit next to Izuku for no good reason. “He’s been like this ever since he was Ranked as an S.”

Yaoyorozu’s eyes widened, “He’s an S?!”

Midoriya flinched at her exclamation and mouthed a silent apology to some of the surrounding testers, all of which were trying to listen to the man at the podium. He was a famous B-Rank by the name of Present Mic, someone with extreme sonokinetic abilities, both in terms of his Quirk and his Awakened skill.

“His Quirk is Ranked at A, but his technique and skill with it put him at an S-Rank. He’s also got pretty high physical strength and durability for someone focused mainly on Mana attacks.”

“The cards being handed out now will determine your practical exam location! Alpha through Delta! Four separate battlegrounds to split you silent testers up in!” 

As Izuku and Yaoyorozu received theirs, they exchanged a slightly disappointed look. Izuku had gotten battleground Alpha, while Yaoyorozu got Beta.

“Good,” Izuku heard as Bakugo leaned over to glance at his card, “Now I can crush you.”

Izuku glared back, “I’m looking forward to it.”

“You there!” Izuku looked down the rows in front of him nonchalantly, noticing someone had stood and was pointing at him.

“Hello.”

The young man wore perfectly cleaned glasses and a fine pressed school uniform, “You’ve been muttering to the two people next to you this entire time. It’s distracting! If you’re here for some sort of pleasure trip, I believe you should leave immediately, we’re here to learn, not mouth off.”

Bakugo gutturally spat out, “Killing Villains is a pleasure trip four-eyes! If you don’t get that same rush from Hero work can you really even call yourself a Hero?!”

“I-!”

“Alright alright!” Present Mic called out, his voice laid back, much like a surfer dude, “Thank you very much for your questions and comments 7111, but please, let’s not get too heated.”

The student bowed and excused his interruption before sitting robotically once more. 

“It’s as you said! There are indeed four Villain types! Points one through three are standard attack robots that anyone with halfway decent skill could take down. There is, however, one more type that can be taken down for bonus points.” A massive silhouette appeared on the screen behind him, a tank-like lower half, with a human-like torso and a seven-eyed head. “The twenty-pointer is a very special type of Villain, only one exists per field and while they are not impossible to take down, some would consider it a waste of time, even for it’s bonus points.”

“Robots,” Izuku muttered, “You think that’s gonna be a problem for your blades?”

Yaoyorozu shook her head, “I have other means of taking down opponents.”

Izuku raised one eyebrow and shrugged, “I trust you, but I’m gonna be pretty upset if I’m enrolling on my own,” He joked.

“Just make sure you get in, then you can worry about me.”

Present Mic was unconcerned with their conversation and finished his explanation with a hearty, “PLUS ULTRA!”

“You.” Izuku felt a hand grip his shoulder tightly, “Even after I kindly asked you to be quiet for the rest of us, you continued to mutter to that girl. Is your goal in taking this exam merely to mess everyone else up?”

Izuku turned on his bloodlust and spun around, fixing the teen with a glowing green gaze, “What’s your name?”

“I-Iida, Tenya Iida.” Iida answered as his grip loosened and he stepped back.

“His magical power seems around B-Rank.” Izuku let up on the pressure and attempted to give a more amicable smile, “Present Mic was quite loud, far louder than any whispering I could’ve been doing. If you can’t focus your hearing to that degree, then the Villains are going to sneak up on you first. Dungeons are nearly as accommodating as a lecture hall.”

“Dungeons?! How old are-!”

“START!!!”

[Skill: Sprint Lv. 2 activated. Movement Speed will increase by 50%]

[1 Mana will be consumed every minute.]

By the time Iida realized he should’ve started running straight away, Izuku was completely gone having disappeared into the false city within seconds. 

Calling out his gauntlets from his inventory, Izuku came across the first Villain. Crashing through a building, riding on one omnidirectional wheel, it brandished its gatling gun equipped arms menacingly.

Refusing to fire, it rushed him, it’s computational mind unable to comprehend the speed at which it was torn apart.

Izuku was disappointed by how easy it was to kill them. Since he couldn’t read their non-existent Magical power, he wasn’t sure what to expect, but this was far less than anything he had anticipated.

[1 Point Villain has been defeated.]

“So the System recognizes them as enemies?” Izuku smiled as another three Villains rolled towards him, “Well then, I guess I should take this opportunity… and Level up.”

Examinees weren’t allowed to take in anything other than their main weapon, but Izuku was a different story. Thanks to the System, any armor he equipped turned invisible and it acted like it wasn’t even there. With this, he could wear the Warden’s necklace and the Shadowsteel armor that he had gotten from the Secret Questline without being disqualified. 

Unfortunately, it seemed like the Villains were nothing but complete fodder. After tearing through twenty of the things, he had only gained one level.

[Level Up!]

[Player has reached the required Level!]

[A Job Change Quest has arrived!]

“A Job Change? Well, I guess it can wait until I’m done he-” Izuku’s eyes narrowed as the world in front of him froze completely.

Robots were turned into metal statues, Bakugo and his explosions were turned into a beautiful display, and even the birds had stopped flying.

[In order to give you adequate time to complete this Quest, time will be frozen just for this one Quest.]

“Stopping time? Why is it giving me a warning about this being the only time? Is it trying to make sure I don’t rely on this?” Izuku stopped for a moment, thinking out loud, “If time is frozen, why not just take out the rest of the Robots or just really take advantage of it?”

As it turned out, the System had other ideas. Purple lightning struck the ground just in front of him and a Gate burst into existence, sucking him inside without a chance to escape its pull.

Maybe it was just the strangeness of the event, or the insane magical energy Izuku was getting off the Gate, but in that instant, he felt like something was different, like the System had finally started to become… serious.

Chapter Text

“This is all the Job Change has to offer?” Izuku asked himself as he easily batted away an armored knight, nothing inside its shell. “To someone with a stabbing weapon, this might have actually been trouble, but with my Strength Stat they’re just as weak as the Villains from the Entrance Exam.” 

Izuku didn’t even have to utilize his Overwhelming Strength Skill to punch straight through their armor in one shot. Four approached him at once and he simply slipped into his stealth mode, dealing out four equal punches. 

They crumpled like tinfoil and fell like tungsten, exposing their corpses and their respective loot. Now Izuku had Shadowsteel Leg Armor to go with the Shadowsteel Chestplate.

[Item: Shadowsteel Chestplate]

Item Class: B

Item Type: Armor

+7% to physical damage reduction.

[Slows wearer’s Movement Speed if Strength is below 80.]

[Item: Shadowsteel Leggings]

Item Class: A

Item Type: Armor

+30 Strength when using kicks.

[Legs now have increased durability and hardness when kicking.]

[Set Bonus 1 achieved: ???? ]

“Huh? It gave me a set bonus, but won’t tell me what it is?”

Though the armor disappeared altogether when wearing it, it’s icon in the inventory made it look rather demonic. Pure black plates that overlapped and pressed firmly into each other made Izuku wonder if the secret bonus had something to do with his Stealth Skill. 

“Maybe-!” Izuku flinched and the scale blade popped out from his right arm, disappearing straight into an invisible foe. 

Suddenly, a skeletal form, its face covered by cloth, willed itself into existence, falling to his side dead. 

“I barely sensed him…” Izuku trailed off as a bright yellow light filled the drab stone brick hallway and grew closer to him at a rapid pace. He leapt back, a fireball passing inches from his face, “Magicians too?!”

“Magic like Mister Otachi’s and Stealth like Shinso’s. Is this Dungeon… replaying my last fight?”

Izuku received no answer and was instead beset on all sides by Magicians, Assassins, and Knights.

Knights were the easiest to kill. Without any other special abilities, they were simple fodder for Izuku’s punches. But not everything was so easily defeated. Magicians and eventually some joining Archers managed to keep their distance, firing off spells and arrows as the hard to spot Assassins and numerous Knights engaged him at a close range. 

But despite the unrelenting onslaught, Izuku smiled, “What is this? I trained my body every day by brushing up against death, you think a little skirmish like this will tire me out?!” 

[Overwhelming Strength Lv. 2 has activated.]

Assassins became splatters against the wall, Knights became large flying metal debris that tore through or knocked the Magicians and Archers back. Izuku wasted no time leaping on top of the discombobulated enemies and drove his scale blades into their necks, ending their lives.

[You have acquired Shadowsteel Boots.]

[You have acquired Shadowsteel Ring.]

[You have acquired Shadowsteel Necklace.]

“Wow, what’s up with this Shadowsteel stuff?”

[Item: Shadowsteel Boots]

Item Class: A

Item Type: Armor

+7% to magical damage reduction.

[Item: Shadowsteel Ring]

Item Class: A

Item Type: Accessory

+30 Intelligence, +15 Agility

[Item: Shadowsteel Necklace]

Item Class: B

Item Type: Accessory

+30 Sense, +15 Vitality

[Set Bonus 2 achieved: ???? ]

“Again?” Izuku shrugged, “Whatever. As long as it makes me stronger. Stronger for… whatever is behind this door.” Resting his hand against the ornate red and gold entrance, Izuku could practically smell the Magical Energy emanating from the next room. “Definitely the Boss room.” Casting aside his trepidation, Izuku shoved his hand against the door, Rasaka’s scales sparking against the metal.

Replacing Izuku’s view of the door, was an enormous throne room, seven rows of dark stone pillars leading up to an empty chair. Bright yellow torches illuminated the area and the metallic stomping of feet filled the air.

Izuku found himself tensing up as a reflective blood-red armor emerged from someplace yet unknown and took its place in front of the throne. The chill racing through his body, it was familiar, almost nostalgic in nature.

[ Blood-Red Commander Igris ]

“A dark red name?!” Izuku shuddered, even something like Rasaka had an orange name and that’s when Izuku had been at his weakest. “Even with my favorable matchup against armor-type Villains, can I handle him?”

The knight wasted no time taking advantage of Izuku’s momentary pause and charged him, moving much faster than anything with that much armor should’ve been able to. Swinging a blade just as long as Izuku was tall, Igris went to bisect him at the torso with a horizontal slash. 

Knowing that even his gauntlets weren’t strong enough to resist such a heavy blow, Izuku ducked low, feeling the intense wind from the strike pass over him and rustle his tracksuit. However, while the strike was powerful, it also carried extreme momentum, leaving Igris open for a few moments.

Izuku activated Overwhelming Strength and drove his fist straight into the knight’s side, significantly denting his armor and knocking him to the side. It was enough of a distraction for Izuku to wrap his hands around the sword-wielding arm and twist as hard as his Strength Stat allowed him.

The metal creaked and gave for just a moment, but by then, it was too late. Igris slammed his free fist into Izuku’s stomach, stealing all the breath from his lung and sending him flying back into a wall, crashing through a pillar as he did so. 

Igris wasn’t far behind him, attempting to stab his sword straight through Izuku’s head, just narrowly missing as the teen tilted his head to the side, unable to dodge the punch that was thrown into his stomach once again. 

“Just what… I was waiting for!” Izuku wrapped his gauntlets around the blade as he kicked out with all his strength at his enemy’s chest. The Shadowsteel Leggings’ effect kicked in and Igris had no choice but to leave his sword embedded in the wall and leap back.

Izuku fell down from the impact crater in the wall and found his footing, facing off once more with Igris. He expected him to immediately draw the two dagger blades holstered behind his back, but the Blood-Red Commander betrayed his expectations and instead chose simply to unclip his cape from his armor and hold up his fists. 

This might have seemed like a stroke of good luck to an outsider who believed Izuku to have an advantage with his insane Strength Stat and gauntlet weapons, but reality was not so simple.

Before Izuku even knew what was happening, Igris had wrapped his hand around his ankle, lifting him up into the air and slamming him face down into the brick floor. 

Growling, Izuku pushed himself up and wiped away some blood from the corner of his mouth before standing, surprised that Igris had allowed it. “Chivalry? Guess it’s not dead after all.”

Izuku’s eyes lit up with their signature green glow and he cocked his fist back, intent to wait for Igris’s approach. 

The knight tilted his head for just a moment, seeming to consider his options. Izuku could’ve sworn he had shrugged before crouching slightly. Then, he was gone, blurring forwards to take Izuku down once more. 

[Bloodlust activated: Target’s Stats will be lowered by 50% for one minute.]

Igris slowed almost to a halt as he attempted to slow himself in front of Izuku, his glowing white eyes widening as he realized his predicament.

[Overwhelming Strength activated.]

Igris’s hand reached out for the wall behind him, a blue energy of sorts wrapping around the hilt of his sword as Izuku brought his fist down.

Flying towards him at lightning speed, Igris’s sword reached his hand just in time for him to raise it in defense against Izuku’s devastating downwards punch. But it wasn’t enough.

A shockwave exploded outwards as Igris’s sword was shattered like glass and Izuku’s punch continued downwards, splitting his helmet in two. 

The red knight collapsed to the ground, his body unmoving… for just a moment that is. His clawed hand dug into the ground, attempting to push himself up, but Izuku was no longer entertaining this knight and he activated Overwhelming Strength with his opposite arm, punching straight through Igris’s chest, ending the Boss’s life then and there.

[You have slain Blood-Red Commander Igris. ]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

Izuku almost immediately collapsed beside him, falling onto his rear with heavy breathing. “I won… but I shredded my gauntlets in the process.” Looking down at his fists, Izuku noticed that he could see his own red, blistered skin, exposed. The scales around his fist had been completely broken by the force of his punches.

[Mana: 390/850]

[HP: 2392/10278]

Izuku sighed at the destruction of his prized weapon, feeling somewhat disheartened by the loss of something so precious to him. He was, however, brightened up as a small pile of glowing drops alerted themselves to Izuku’s presence. 

[Shadowsteel Helm, Shadowsteel Gauntlets, Leather Pouch, Dominator’s Touch, and Hearthstone, have been obtained.]

The Leather Pouch contained an insane amount of gold, 1.5 million to be exact, which effectively doubled Izuku’s current ledger. Dominator’s Touch seemed to be a rune that contained the same Telekinetic ability Igris had used to call his sword back to him, so he quickly broke it. The Hearthstone was nothing special, but the Helm and Gauntlets were the real prizes in Izuku’s mind.

[Item: Shadowsteel Helm]

Item Class: A

Item Type: Armor

+20 Agility

Exhaustion will stack up slower and Stamina will recover twice as fast.

[Item: Shadowsteel Gauntlets]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Gauntlets

Attack: +67

Active Skill: Mechanical Destruction. One Gauntlet of your choosing will be enhanced by an extremely powerful pneumatic burst and deal double damage. Costs 500 Mana and can only be used every 10 minutes.

[Final Set Bonus achieved: ???? ]

Izuku wasted no time equipping his new weapons and reveling in their beauty. Like the rest of the armor set, the gauntlets looked like they were forged from pure obsidian. Ending in the same claw-like protrusions Igris’s armor had, Izuku thought they almost looked evil.

Level: 47

Strength: 115

Vitality: 82

Agility: 130

Intelligence: 89

Sense: 109

[Mana: 580/1150]

[HP: 3472/11754]

The green-haired teen smiled as he felt himself begin to swiftly recover, “Looks like I’ve gotten pretty strong.” He put away any other items he had removed in order to equip his new stuff and in doing so, his eyes landed on the Hearthstone. “I’d only need one of these if there was no other way out of the Dungeon… but… don’t these Instance Dungeons disappear when I kill the Boss?” Izuku spun around rapidly, searching for enemies as a realization set in, “Which means… The Quest isn’t over just yet. Looks like things are only going to get harder.”

Chapter Text

Izuku was almost unsurprised as six portals opened around him simultaneously.

[The Job Change Quest will now begin.]

"'Begun?!'" Izuku downed a bunch of healing, mana, and stamina regen potions he had bought from the System Shop just after killing Igris, "Then what was the last two hours?!"

[The amount of enemies you can defeat will earn you points. Points will also be added depending on how long you are able to last. The higher your score, the more likely it is for you to be given a high-tier Job.]

Izuku scoffed as the words, 'Good Luck' appeared just above a timer and everything else kicked off.

All at once, seemingly base level knights began to pour from the portals, warhammers, swords, battle-axes, daggers, all adorning their bodies.

Izuku's pre-battle excitement began to take over and he began bouncing on the balls of his feet, holding out his demonic hands to either side. "My Mana is full at 1150. Stealth takes 200 initially and then one Mana every second. I could buy myself a little under 16 minutes with that strategy." Izuku smirked, "But the System told me to take out as many enemies as possible right?" The knights gave him no answer, "So if that's the case, I guess I'll just have to test out my new equipment!"

Izuku's body lowered to a crouch as the metal puppets began to fully surround him, their weapons raised to strike him. But… just before they could even swing with their full strength, Izuku acted.

[Skill: Sprint has activated.]

Izuku blurred through their lines, his claws tearing through armor like a knife through swiss cheese. Nothing could touch him and nothing could stop him. Of course, not everything was so easy.

[Magician is using Skill: Detection.]

Izuku could only guess that this marked his position and sped up the other knight's perception, because after slicing through another ten bodies, the eleventh had a hammer coming down to strike him. It was a precise attack, using quite a heavy amount of prediction to guess at where he was going to be, confirming Izuku's theory about the Magician's Skill.

Instead of trying to avoid and slice through him, Izuku went back to an old classic and clenched his right fist tightly, throwing it forwards with about half strength.

The hammer stood no chance. Like Igris's blade, it shattered into a million bits of metal shrapnel that pinged against the knight's armor harmlessly. But Izuku's next punch was not harmless in the slightest and the armor fell to the floor moments later, its head completely compressed.

By now, there were far too many knights to even weave between and Izuku took his chance to clear out as many as possible. Widening his stance, he formed two fists, holding them to his side as the knight's circle closed around him.

[Skill: Overwhelming Strength has activated.]

[Skill: Overwhelming Strength has activated.]

Punching out to either side, Izuku formed two immense shockwaves, shredding the nearest knights and throwing the farther ones back hard enough to flatten into sheet metal. By Izuku's count, he had dealt with maybe a full one hundred, but it had taken 400 of his Mana and in the grand scheme of things, he appeared to barely be making a dent in their numbers. They were emerging from the portals faster than he could kill them.

Izuku growled as he punched away another and another and another. "I don't even have time to even think!"

[Skill: Overwhelming Strength has activated.]

Slamming his fist into the ground, a wall of pressure emerged, spreading outwards in all directions and clearing the area around him.

Since it was a less focused blast, Izuku didn't think any significant amount of the knights had been killed, but he didn't mind, as long as he had some room to think.

"It told me to kill as many as possible and last as long as possible… but if that's the case there's no end to it and to use the Hearthstone would be to escape the Dungeon before I get a Job. Which means that there has to be a way to complete this quest…" Izuku frantically scrambled for an answer as the frontlines recovered.

"I'm not Leveling Up from these guys… even though Igris gave me plenty of experience. Which means they're special for one reason or another." At that moment, his eye traced over a Magician, "I've been wide open, and yet, they haven't once used any ranged attacks against me, only that Detection Skill."

Izuku finally found himself punching away the knights again as a sudden realization dawned on him, "They haven't been attacking me with magic… because they're too busy using Summoning Magic!"

Activating Sprint once more, Izuku jumped between the knights, using their shoulders or heads like stepping stones as he made his way to the nearest Magician he had seen. Thanks to the Shadowsteel Leggings, his steps were practically like cannons going off every time he pushed off a knight.

Leaving a trail of destruction behind him, Izuku finally reached the Magician, driving all ten of his gauntlet claws into its chest as his body plowed into it.

Using the floating Magician's body as a cushion, Izuku crashed back to the ground as the body dispersed into a cloud of black mist. Subsequently, one of the portals and a good chunk of the knights collapsed to the ground, disassembled.

"If there's one Magician for every portal, then that means there's only five left." Izuku looked up, shocked to see that a full thirty minutes had already elapsed.

This turned out to be a poor decision as the recognition that he had been fighting for that long creeped into his body and a small wave of exhaustion pushed through him. But still, he was undeterred.

"You may be many… but you're also weak." Then to the Magicians hovering in the air far behind their armies, he shouted, "Don't get too comfortable back there!"

From there, all hell broke loose. The knights that had remained still as they listened to Izuku's declaration rushed forwards and the fight was on.

For the next thirty minutes, all Izuku did was wade through an ocean of dead metal, making his way to the Magicians. The next two kills were simple, built on the same principles Izuku had used to kill the first. Hopping on top of the knights was easy at first, but they quickly learned and doing so for a fourth kill risked Izuku landing on one of their weapons instead of their shoulders or heads.

By the time the clock struck an hour and five minutes, the Magicians had found a pattern to easily avoid Izuku by floating through the room.

"Fine, we'll try it this way!"

[Skill: Dominator's Touch has activated. No Mana will be consumed.]

Imagining his hand wrapping around the Magician's throat, Izuku new telekinetic ability snatched up the target and yanked him towards Izuku. The Villain could only watch in fear as Izuku cocked his fist back and drove it into his face as he got within range.

Izuku then looked to inflict the same fate onto the two remaining Magicians, but by the time he raised his hand, they were gone, likely hiding behind a pillar or amongst their summons.

Although, a fair portion of those summon disappeared as their armor was pulled apart and put back together into one giant clump. A giant metal golem.

Izuku just smiled, "It would've been so much harder if you have kept them as they were."

The golem was insanely strong and had a large area of attack, but it was practically standing still next to Izuku's blurring motion.

With the area so freed up all of the sudden, it took Izuku only thirty seconds to find the three Magicians crouching over a small magic circle.

Before they could notice him, he yanked one away with Dominator's Touch, killing him with one blow, leaving only two targets. Two surprisingly unconcerned targets. In fact, Izuku almost felt bad as he dragged his claws against them, slicing their unresisting bodies to bits.

Then, all at once, the entire room of armor fell apart, leaving a panting Izuku Midoriya as the only living thing left. He fell to his knees, gauntlets hanging heavy against the ground, "It's over… right?" Thankfully, the System seemed to hear him.

[01:22:19]

[All the Villains in the room have been slain, the Quest will end now.]

[A Job will be granted after analyzing the Player's actions.]

"Granted? Do I not get to choose?" Izuku looked down at his arms and shrugged, "Based on my weapon of choice and Strength Stat, I bet I'll get Warrior, or maybe Tank." Mere moments later, Izuku was shown his fate.

[Wherever the Player goes, the Reaper follows.]

[The Player's path is littered with corpses and the smell of blood.]

Izuku raised his eyebrows, "What is this? It seems too dark to be something as simple as a Warrior."

[As the Player possesses strength, he does not leave anything to his teammates and overcomes everything with his own strength.]

[Your desire for strength burns strong enough to call those who wander the Valley of Death, and the Army of the Dead who follows your commands shall create a path where your voice will be the law and you would never need another's help again.]

"Wait… this can't be right… my Job is…?!"

[Your Job is Necromancer.]

"But… why?!" Izuku cried out, "I've barely touched my Intelligence Stat!"

[Will you refuse or accept?]

"I have a choice?" Izuku thought to himself for a moment, "To create an army… that's pretty alluring… but if they can't Level Up like I can, then they'll be worthless! I refuse!"

[Necromancer is a Hidden Class. Do you still wish to refuse?]

"Hidden class? Does that mean it's some super unique Skill?" Izuku felt like slapping himself, "Of course, it's unique, this entire situation is unique. And so far, the System hasn't led me astray so… I accept the Job!"

[Your Job has been chosen.]

[Based on the amount of points you obtained, you will be given a chance to promote to a superior Class.]

[You have reached the required play time.]

[Points will be added.]

[You did not use a Hearthstone.]

[Points will be added.]

[Final health is above 75%]

[Points will be added.]

[All enemies have been slain.]

[Points will be added.]

[The total points have exceeded the feat limit.]

Izuku flinched back as a wave of darkness and shadow rushed to envelop him in its embrace.

[You will be promoted from Necromance to Shadow Monarch.]

[You have learned a Job exclusive Skill.]

[You have obtained bonus Stats.]

[You have obtained the Title 'The One Who Overcame Adversity.']

Suddenly, Izuku felt rejuvenated. Like someone had poured adrenaline into his veins.

[Set Bonus 1: Amount of Shadows able to be extracted and saved increased by 30%]

"The Shadowsteel bonuses are revealing themselves?! Does this mean the System was trying to make me a Shadow Monarch this whole time?!"

[Set Bonus 2: Chance to succeed in extracting a Shadow increased by 50%]

"Shadows? That word keeps popping up. Is that what I call those I bring back from the dead?"

[Final Set Bonus: Active Skill: Appearance befitting a Ruler.]

Izuku's once invisible armor suddenly popped into existence, folding out from its original placements and covering all the empty space between the pieces. His Leggings folded down to create armored boots. His Chestplate expanded down his arms, connected to his gauntlets, and his Helm slunk downwards, forming an interlocking space of neck plating. Eventually, Izuku was completely covered, aside from his face, in the pure black armor.

Looking down, Izuku nodded to himself, "I definitely look evil!" He looked back at the System, "Active Skill? Does that mean I can turn it off?" After focusing for a moment, the armor became completely invisible once more and Izuku couldn't feel it. He sighed in relief. After all, once he finally returned to the Entrance Exam, he wouldn't be able to show off the armor since armor was not allowed. Like always his gauntlets remained visible.

Once his attention was finally turned back to the room at large, Izuku noticed a slew of the same messages.

[Shadow Extraction is available on this target.]

"Okay, there's no way Shadow Extraction is not for raising the dead."

[Please select your command phrase for Shadow Extraction.]

"Command phrase…" A hint of a smirk tugged at Izuku's lips and, relishing in the power he could bestow this word, he growled out, "ARISE."

The husks of armor erupted with movement as a dark, inky looking substance began pulling itself out of them. Within seconds, the blobs formed hands, and bodies, legs, and heads.

Before long, Izuku found himself looking at over 30 knight-shaped Shadow creatures, all with a nice blue glow to the eye gaps in their armor.

[Skill Shadow Extraction Lv. 1]

Job-Specific Skill

No Mana Required.

A Shadow Soldier is created from a body without life by taking out its Mana.

The chance of failure increases the higher the target's Stats are, and the more time passed since the target's death.

Shadows able to be extracted: 39/39

[Skill: Save Shadow Lv. 1]

Job-Specific Skill

No Mana Required

You absorb created Shadow Soldiers and save them.

Saved soldiers can be summoned and reabsorbed whenever and wherever the animator desires.

Saved Shadows: 0/26

[Shadow Infantry Lv. 1 Rank: Normal]

[Shadow Magician Lv. 1 Rank Elite]

"33 Infantry and 6 Magicians. Hmm… I can make 39 of these Shadows but only store 26 of them." Izuku was slightly disappointed by that limit, but another realization dispersed his lamenting. He spun around, laying eyes on the dead red armor of Igris. "If I can take him, then I'll basically have two A-Ranks in my party!"

[Shadow Extraction can be used on this target once one or more Shadow Soldiers have been sent to the World of Nothingness through Extraction Cancel.]

"Then I guess I'll have to remove the weakest fourteen in order to make room for Igris and Shadow Save the rest." Izuku bumped his fist against the nearest Infantry, "Sorry for calling you, but… Cancel Extraction on fourteen Infantry units."

As the Shadows melted away, falling into the ground and leaving no trace, the message gave him a warning.

[You cannot recall Shadows Soldiers that have been sent to Nothingness.]

Izuku nodded, "Kinda expected that one." Without wasting any more time, he stalked over to the red armor. "Arise."

For just a moment, Shadows peeked out of the gaps in the armor, as if trying to escape, but they quickly burst apart stumbling Izuku.

[You failed to extract the Shadow.]

[Attempts remaining: 2]

Izuku scowled, "This one's not gonna be as easy I guess. He's far stronger than the others and has been dead for well over an hour. But I'm not gonna let him go like that… Arise."

[You failed to extract the Shadow.]

[Attempts remaining: 1]

Izuku sighed heavily and looked around, noticing the empty throne once more. This time, instead of commanding the dead body, he held out his hand, "Stop protecting the seat of someone long forgotten, and instead… serve me, Igris. ARISE."

Bakugo was glad that he had met the waste of space again, not that he would ever admit it of course.

He had felt so much disgust, so much anger, that it started seeping over into the Exam and he put more effort into using his abilities than ever before.

"I'll be stronger than anyone else has the right to be! I'll surpass even All Might and show everyone that I'm not some wimp who needs to be rescued!"

It was that anger, that annoyance that now coursed through his veins and built up a powerful explosion for the robot in front of him. They were so weak they were barely even worth the effort.

But, before he could unleash his might, Bakugo watched in disbelief as a dark, Shadow creature raced past the robot, splitting it in half with a sword.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" He screamed out, landing on the robot's corpse and looking around, almost shocked to see that more than two dozen of these creatures were dancing around the battlefield, stealing kills left and right.

Using his explosions, Bakugo shot himself into the air, scanning the surrounding area, befuddled by the six Shadow Magicians and Igris standing next to him. "It's just some other extra protecting him… right? Someone who feels bad for his helplessness!"

Of course, Bakugo couldn't have been further from the truth.

Back on the ground, Izuku admired the efficiency of his army as he watched from a distance, his Magician's casting Blaze Magic at anything that came close to him.

Upon exiting the Dungeon, he had popped out right where he had entered the portal time resuming seconds later.

"Igris?" Izuku asked, "Aren't you bored watching your fellow knights fight?"

Igris was absolutely the most striking, visually, of all the Shadow minions. His cape hung over his back like a waterfall of darkness and his cool blue eyes were enough to unnerve even Izuku. And yet, all he did was hold a hand up to his chest.

He couldn't speak, but Izuku knew what he meant by it. Izuku had given orders to everyone but Igris, instead telling him to, "Do what you want." And it appeared his choice was to remain at Izuku's side. Although, he wouldn't be there long.

Like a bunker buster going off, one of the streets and its nearby buildings exploded into dust as the enormous 20 pointer rose from the ground, spraying rubble and debris every which way. In fact, one of these enormous pieces of concrete came roaring towards Izuku, and yet, he chose not to move.

He chose not to move because he had no need to. Without being asked, Igris appeared in front of him, his once shattered longsword, rebuilt into the Shadow blade that sliced the debris into four chunks that fell to the sides of Izuku. Izuku was impressed, he had barely felt any wind or anything.

Igris, now kneeling in front of Izuku, looked up to him for orders.

"Igris, I want you to rescue anyone who may be endangered by that 20-pointer Villain. I'm interested in a test of your real strength, but for now, I'm really itching to see just how strong I can be."

Igris dipped his head lower for just a moment, acknowledging his orders before standing and racing off towards the voice of a rather panicked girl. One trapped under rubble and mere moments away from being crushed by the robot's fist.

Izuku found himself racing close behind the Knight, his right fist warming itself up for the strongest attack he had ever manifested.

As Igris crouched down to pull the heavy rubble off the bob-cut brunette, Izuku heaved back his arm, taking a deep breath moments before the Villain's attack arrived.

[Skill: Overwhelming Strength has activated.]

[Skill: Mechanical Destruction has activated.]

Izuku heard a hiss of air escape his demonic gauntlet as his fist shot forwards, meeting the Villain's head-on.

For just a moment, Izuku could've sworn the world was quiet, perfectly quiet. And then, it exploded. Thankfully Igris had already gotten the girl free and raced away from his Liege, because otherwise, she might've been outright killed by the force of Izuku's punch.

It was so strong that the Villain's arm was completely torn off, launched back at its own head, decapitating itself. Fortunately, the robot was on tank treads, so it didn't completely collapse over the city, causing even more damage.

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

Letting out a heavy breath, Izuku looked down in awe at his gauntlets, "Oh yeah… I'm definitely keeping you guys." Upon turning around, he found Igris before him once more, this time, holding the girl in his arms, presenting her to him.

"I asked you to save her for me, not… nevermind." Izuku took the girl's hand and helped lower her to the ground just as the PA system came on.

"The time allotted for the Exam has now been expended! If you are in need of medical assistance, please see Recovery Girl, who is now making her way onto the battlegrounds! If you do not require medical assistance, you are free to make your way back to the buses, your results will be mailed to you within the coming week!"

Izuku wanted to laugh at Present Mic's overly excited announcement, it was a breath of fresh air compared to his middle school's announcements. But before he could do that, he asked the girl, "Are you hurt?"

The girl was too shell-shocked to respond, a light blush dusting her face. Although, much to his surprise, Izuku was certain she was blushing over the way Igris had saved and carried her.

"Good for… Igris?"

The girl finally returned to reality as Izuku asked again and she shook her head, "J-Just a little bruising, thank you."

"That's go-"

"DEKU!"

Sensing danger, Igris immediately put himself between Izuku, the girl and whatever was coming their way. It was so quick, even by Izuku's standards, that he only managed to catch the tail end of the explosion that blew off Igris's arms.

Using up Izuku's Mana, the arms quickly recovered, but it was too late to stem Izuku's fury at whoever had attacked them. And who else would be so daring as Katsuki Bakugo?

"Igris?" The knight turned to his master, "Show me what you can do." Igris nodded as the remaining 19 Infantry and 6 Magicians crowded back to him, prepared to defend Izuku at all costs.

Leveling his sword at the teen, Igris prepared to dash forwards, ready to kill if need be.

Bakugo himself wasted no time ignoring the Knight and instead chose to launch himself at Izuku, Igris moving to intercept, but no one ended up reaching their targets.

A bright form fell from the sky, crashing down in between all three fighters, stumbling them, "There is no fighting between examinees! Do you know why?" A boisterous voice asked before a hand cut through the dust obscuring his form, "Because it is against school rules!" All Might cried out.

"Hmm," Izuku muttered, nonplussed by the situation on the outside, but fanboying on the inside, "I guess I'll just have to wait to see what you can do for another time, Igris. Sorry." Igris bowed low as Izuku used Save Shadow to disperse the surrounding Shadow Soldiers, leaving only him, the girl, Bakugo, and All Might.

"Hold on there Young Midoriya!" All Might belted out, "We must sort this out! We cannot have bad blood between our two best scorers!"

But Izuku waved him off with a heavy heart, wishing nothing more than to stay and talk to one of his favorite Heroes, "Sorry, but we'll have to do this some other time. I have a parent-teacher conference to attend for my sister."

All Might seemed to recoil for a moment, "Ah! My apologies! That is very responsible of you Young Midoriya! I do hope we can talk at a later date of course!"

Izuku felt an honest smile creep back onto his face, "Of course!"

Chapter Text

Izuku expected the UA Entrance Exam to have an assembly. Thankfully, he was able to leave the school grounds. With the extra time, Izuku was able to board the bus with no issue, heading home. Focusing to change into something more suitable-comfortable clothing.  

Last week, Izuku's bank income-income increased. As such, he had no issue purchasing new clothes for this meeting. In fact, he was so caught up in getting ready, that he didn’t notice the simple note resting on the coffee table.

Only a few months had passed since Izuku’s graduation from Aldera Junior High, the Middle school that Sakura was attending for summer classes, and the school where she would resume her studies.  

Walking down the Jr. High halls with newfound confidence, waves of energy on his well-built body, he was no longer looking down in shame, avoiding eye contact at all costs. Instead, he stood tall, drawing a few infatuated looks from the female population.

He returned some good-natured smiles, surprised that even though he had only just graduated, people were whispering about him like he’d never been enrolled.

Fortunately, it only took another couple minutes to find the teacher’s more than spacious office and take a seat across from the neatly dressed woman, a teacher he had never met in his own time there.

“I had no idea Sakura had such a cool brother.” She said with a smile after pouring Izuku some tea.

“That’s very kind of you to say, Miss.”

The teacher set her cup down, “Well, I can’t say I have a better student than Sakura. Straight A’s, always focused, and a great personality.”

Izuku took his turn to smile with pride, “That’s wonderful to hear.” 

“I assume you are aware of her desire to enter the medical field correct?” Izuku nodded, “She has the brains and the Quirk for it, so she’ll do just fine… as long as there isn’t too much pressure on her.”

Izuku nodded, “She’s more than motivated enough. I don’t think I’ve ever had to pressure her into doing homework or studying.”

The woman sighed in relief, “You have no idea how many brilliant students we get that become burnt out by their parents before they can even reach high school, so I’m glad to hear that. There is, however, one true concern I have regarding her.” The teacher’s amicable smile disappeared, “Like most of the world, she has Awakened and been gifted a powerful healing Quirk, so… if she ever expressed a desire to become a Hero, would-”

Izuku’s smile was swept away by a frown, “Never.”

“Then I believe there may be a problem here.”

“...What?”

“Recently, I may have overheard a conversation between her and her friends about taking on a Dungeon with a Raid party. I dismissed this at first because thanks to her age, it’s unlikely she could get a Beginner’s License, but… well, you know how sneaky these kids can be.” 

Izuku was standing before the teacher even finished her sentence, “Is she still here? At school?”

“N-No… she left around an hour ago after finishing her studies early.” The woman let out a shriek as Igris rose from the ground.

“I want you and the rest of the Shadows searching the surrounding Gates for Sakura immediately.” Igris nodded and faded back into the ground, slinking away to obey his master’s orders. “You’ll have to forgive me for this, Miss, but I need to head home immediately to check on Sakura.”

The teacher’s eyes widened, “Oh… Oh!” Realization sparked inside her and she panicked, standing alongside him, “Please hurry… I don’t know what I’d do if a student got hurt because of me.”

Izuku shook his head, “You couldn’t have known that she would follow through with it. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”

Izuku had driven to the school on his motorcycle, but compared to his max running speed, it was slow. So, much to his chagrin, he left the bike behind, choosing instead to activate Sprint as he blurred through the campus and out onto the streets, weaving between and even jumping over cars if need be.

It only took him a few minutes to reach his apartment, sweat dripping from his forehead, his breathing just as labored as it had been in the Job Change Dungeon.

“SAKURA!” He shouted, rushing through the rooms and finding nothing. Just about to run back out the door to join his Shadows on the streets, his eye was caught by the slightly crumpled paper left on the coffee table.

Scooping it up, he began to read with increasing dread.

‘Sorry Izu, I didn’t want you to worry, so I decided to not tell you, but I’ve decided to take up Gate work. I know you don’t approve, but you’ve been spending less and less time at home and I didn’t want you shouldering the money troubles alone. It’s only a C-Rank Dungeon and I’ve got B-Rank Healing, so I’ll be fine. Please don’t try to find me, I can do this on my own.’

Izuku crumpled the piece of paper and bolted out the door, looking up the nearest C-Ranks in his area, finding only three. He quickly pulled up his short contacts list and pressed on Yaoyorozu’s.

The phone rang for a few seconds before it picked up, “Midoriya! How’d you Exam g-”

“Where are you?!”

Yaoyorozu was perturbed for a moment, Izuku usually had such wonderful manners, but she quickly understood that whatever the situation was, it was serious. “I’m downtown right now, at the cafe we ate at after our Raid.”

“My sister went to a C-Rank Gate, I’m really sorry, but I need you to check the location I sent you and make sure she isn’t there. If she is, please stop her, even if it requires force.”

“I’ll leave right now!” 

“Thanks, I owe you one!” Izuku shouted as he literally jumped through the open doors of his complex.

“By now, I think we’re about even,” She said before ending the call, allowing him to put his full focus into running.

Luckily, the first Gate Izuku checked was still unentered, the Raid party checking their equipment. He had been leaping from rooftop to rooftop and as such, falling down to the ground cracked it slightly, startling the Heroes. 

“Is there anyone in your party named Sakura?! A B-Rank Healer?!”

A few less shocked members shook their heads as Izuku double-checked with his own eyes. “Dammit! Sorry!” He excused himself as he jumped into the air once more, heading for the second site.

Upon touching down on the roof, one of his basic Infantry appeared at his side. “Did you find her?!” The knight shook his head, “Then what are you doing here?!”

The knight was unperturbed by his master’s outburst, however, and instead held up a map, several locations throughout the city crossed off.

“Oh… a progress report…” Izuku bowed his head, “Forgive me.”

The white slit on the knight’s helmet widened, mirroring his shock and he waved his hands in front of his face, as if saying, “No no! You have nothing to apologize for, My Liege!”

Izuku took the map and examined it quickly, noting a particular ‘X’ on the map. “I would’ve gone there next… you’ve been a great help.” He could’ve sworn the knight blushed and kneeled to him before disappearing into the ground once more.

‘She’s not at any of the locations you gave me!’ Yaoyorozu texted the teen.

“And she still won’t pick up her phone!” Izuku growled, knowing this could mean one of two things. She was either already inside the Gate, where electronics didn’t work, or she was simply ignoring him. He prayed it was the latter.

‘I have other’s looking at the other Gates, which just leaves this one. I’ll meet you there as fast as I can.’ Izuku pinged another location to Yaoyorozu before beginning his sprint. Both of them were a fairly equal distance away, but Yaoyorozu was slightly closer so he had no idea who would get there first. 

Some might’ve called Izuku’s actions hypocritical. To be so protective of his sister when not only was he much more of a risk taker than she was, but she was actually far stronger than he had been as an E-Rank. But that was exactly his purpose as an older brother. To be overly protective, even if it made him a hypocrite, or even if it made her hate him. With his mother on life support, his main goal in life was to ensure that no matter what, Sakura lived a long, healthy life, unhindered by the horrors of the Gates.

Within five minutes, Izuku could’ve sworn he could see the telltale blue glow of the Gate from the rooftops. Judging by its pulsing light, people were beginning to enter it. It took him another few seconds to reach the edge of the rooftop, but it felt like an eternity as he gazed down onto the scene.

Yaoyorozu was charging towards the Gate having arrived moments before Izuku, yelling up to the air, “Sakura just went in!”

He was surprised she had been able to sense his presence, but he wasted no time losing time over it and shot off the roof, diving headfirst through the vortex, Yaoyorozu following close behind him.

Izuku found himself crashing face-first into a hill of snow as he passed through the Gate, quickly gaining his footing and standing, eyes wide as he scanned the confused gazes of the other Heroes. Eventually, he finally landed on his target, a small girl with dark black hair. 

“Sakura!” He rushed over to her, grabbing her by the shoulders and spinning her around, revealing her face, bright red with embarrassment, “Are you an idiot?! Why the hell would you go into a Gate?!”

“Midoriya…?” Yaoyorozu asked, a tinge of fear in her voice.

“Do you know what could happen to you here?!”

“Midoriya?” Yaoyorozu said, slightly more forcefully.

“You’re aiming to be a doctor! You kinda need all your body parts for that!”

“Izuku!” Yaoyorozu finally shouted, getting his full attention. “It’s a Red Gate!”

“What?!” Izuku realized he had been too busy worrying about his sister, not focusing himself enough to detect the immense chance in magical energy.

“She’s right,” A man in bulky armor reinforced, “I’m not sure who the hell you two are or where you came from, but I can assure you that you’re going to regret having come in here.”

“Red…?” Sakura whispered out, slightly panicked by her older sibling’s ranting.

Izuku cursed under his breath, “It’s-!” With his hands still grasping his sister’s arms, Izuku spun both of them around, so that the ice arrow that would’ve hit Sakura, slammed into his back instead.

Grunting in pain, Izuku growled out, “Igris!” The Shadow wasted no time appearing, slashing through another dozen ice arrows that began to pelt the area, “Infantry! Protect the others! Magicians, give everyone a visual!”

[Skill: Detection has Activated.]

As the basic knights jumped into action, swinging their swords, the Magicians all cast their perfect spotting Skill, marking around a dozen figures in the trees.

The man in armor shook himself out of his shock and took to action, determined not to get outshined, “We’ve got Ice-Type Villains people! Heat Magic and Quirks, make some fire barriers!”

The remaining Heroes thankfully managed to keep their eyes on the prize and tear their eyes away from the Shadowy Summons, firing off spells or shooting their Quirks towards the trees with the help of the Magicians.

Noticing that the remainder of the Raiding Team had changed from sitting ducks to warriors, Izuku changed his orders, “Igris! No matter what happens, keep Sakura safe, even if it means endangering me! Infantry, engage the enemy! Magicians, light them up!” 

Izuku stepped away from Sakura, not wanting to get blood on her as he yanked the ice arrow from his abdomen with a grunt of pain. Yaoyorozu was there mere moments later, pouring her special potion over it and proceeding to wrap it with bandages.

Izuku wasn’t sure how yet, but somehow, Yaoyorozu’s specially crafted potions were stronger and more efficient than even the System’s. 

“Hey you!” The man in armor shouted at Izuku, “Pull your Summons back! We can’t risk overextending ourselves!” 

Taking stock of the situation once more, Izuku realized that his orders may have been too strong. The arrows that had rained down were from only a small “welcoming” group, rather than an army.

All but Igris kneeled and slunk back to the ground. “I meant that.” Izuku said to Igris, having mostly recovered, “As long as we are in this Red Gate, her importance far outweighs my own.”

Igris bowed, but Izuku could tell that he was reluctant to accept such orders.

Sakura’s eyes were wide as she looked around, still unable to comprehend what had happened.

“Two dead,” The leader declared, crouching over two young men, ice spread over and through their face. “I’m not sure how many of you understand our current situation, but we’re not in any normal Dungeon. This is a Red Gate, which means we cannot return to our own world until we either kill the Boss, the Gate opens on its own… or all of us are dead.” He stood after making sure to take the dead’s packs.

“A Red Gate?! Are you sure?!” Someone shouted in a panic.

The leader ignored them and removed his helmet, revealing a face in its twenties with a small scar on its upper lip. “I’ll introduce myself once more now that we are more organized. I am Shinji Nakami, an A-Rank Hero. The Agency that sent us has been training me for quite some time now, so I am not lacking in experience.”

“In order for us to stay alive and make it out of here, I’m going to need everyone’s support! So, who are you two and why are you here?”

Izuku bowed, most of the pain from the arrow having faded, “Izuku Midoriya, I was here to take my sister,” He gestured to Sakura, “And leave the Gate, but that is apparently no longer an option, so for now, I’m simply here to guard her.”

Yaoyorozu followed his lead and introduced herself, “I was assisting him in finding the Gate his sister had entered.”

“Well, judging by your Summons, and her creation abilities, I can’t say I’m upset to have you two in here with me.”

“Speaking of Summons,” Yaoyorozu began, giving Izuku a narrowed gaze, “Since when could you do that?”

Izuku smiled awkwardly, “Listen, when we’re not in a deadly inescapable Dungeon, I’ll tell you everything.”

“Regardless,” Shinji interrupted, “We should put together a hunting team to chase down and kill the Boss.”

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Izuku asked.

“W-What?” Shinji asked, surprised anyone would question the leader of a Raid.

Yaoyorozu answered for him, “The Dungeon was Ranked C, but since it’s a Red Gate, we have no idea what its true power is now.”

“So then what do you suggest? Red Gates can take months before deciding to open up on their own.”

“But a day in here is only an hour out there. At most, we get stuck in here for a week.”

“You’re not truly willing to spend seven months in here are you?”

“Are you truly willing to fight a Boss that could be S-Rank?”

Shinji blanched but held his ground, “I will go even if no one else joins me. Now… who is with me?”

The surrounding twenty or so Heroes exchanged only glances, but Izuku knew what they were thinking, “Do we accompany the A-Rank Hero with experience, or listen to the tag along teenager who’s an unknown Rank?”

In the end, fifteen joined Shinji and the weaker five, decided to join Izuku, Yaoyorozu, and Sakura.

Shinji gave Izuku one last look, “You seriously won’t accompany us? Even with those Summons of yours?”

Izuku nodded, “I choose to walk the path that risks my sister the least. I refuse to bring her to a Boss fight and I refuse to leave her alone to fight the Boss, therefore, the simplest choice is to hunker down and wait for the Gate to open.”

Shinji sighed, “Then… I wish you luck.”

“Same to you.”

And so, as Izuku walked into the forest, a group of low-Rank Heroes behind him, he was completely unaware of the S-Rank that had arrived just outside the Red Gate, patiently waiting for his prey.

Chapter Text

As Izuku led the others deeper into the woods, the tree line became thicker and thicker, blocking out more and more light.

“U-Um, excuse me?” One of the B-Ranks asked Izuku.

“Hmm?”

“We… really shouldn’t go any farther. We’re already in Ice Bear territory!” 

Izuku looked over to Yaoyorozu and she looked at him, both asking at the same time, “That was your plan, right?”

They both took a moment to chuckle, feeling the icy dread warming for just a moment. Then to the B-Rank, “Those Ice Elves are far more dangerous than any Ice Bear. Only one of them will sneak up on you while you sleep, the other’s just gonna charge in.”

“So, while we’re in the forest, the only thing we have to worry about is the Ice Bears.”

“I… should’ve thought of that.”

Yaoyorozu’s subsequent smile was warm, but not warm enough to keep Sakura and the others from shivering.

“Here,” Izuku said as he pulled ‘Warm Fur Coats’ from the System Store.

“S-Spatial Magic?!” Yaoyorozu cried out as she stomped over to Izuku and gave him a look full of betrayal, “Where are all these Skills suddenly coming from?!”

Looking around, Izuku could tell by the amazed faces that they were shocked he could carry this much with “Spatial Magic.”

“I’ve only heard of up to three things being able to be stored in-!”

Izuku cut her off, “Yaoyorozu, I promise you… as soon as we’re out of here… I’ll tell you everything. I promise.” The seriousness that framed his face must’ve been enough to convince Yaoyorozu because she fell silent as he turned to the rest of the group, “Don’t bother asking questions. You won’t get any answers.” As they began their trek once more, now that everyone was warmly dressed, Izuku called upon Igris to walk with them. 

While Izuku’s Shadows had already done a fair bit to endear themselves to the Raid members, it seemed like some were still pretty uncomfortable with the Knight. Sakura on the other hand, was smart enough to know that Izuku had the Summons under his control.

“For as long as we’re here,” Izuku said, “You stick by my side,” He pointed to Yaoyorozu, “Her side,” Then to Igris, “Or his side.”

Sakura, having had time to recover from the shock of the Elven attack, pouted at Izuku, “I’m a B-Rank you know, I’m not helpless!”

“You’re a good Healer, but you have no offensive abilities.” Izuku didn’t want to scare her, so he held back the part about the smart Villains always going for the healers first.

“Yaoyorozu, I’ll take these five, just protect the others.”

“Right!”

“Take five?! Five what?!” The Party asked as the sound of stomping feet grew louder and closer.

[Skill: Appearance Befitting A Ruler has activated. Strength will be doubled. Intelligence increased by 50%. Agility Reduced by 30%]

Izuku smiled as the onyx black armor spread over his body, covering him like a beautiful infection. He rolled his shoulders, causing the warm coat to fall off of him as five enormous white bears came into view, charging through the forest. His claw-like fingers extended as the trees cracked and snapped under the weight of the Ice Bears.

“Woah…” Sakura breathed out, infatuated with the craftsmanship of the Shadowsteel armor.

But while the armor may have been intimidating to human opponents, or maybe human-like Villains, the Ice Bears didn’t even slow. In response, Izuku chose to simply hold out his hand to the nearest one. Now, Ice Bears weren’t exactly the smartest creatures, so it was no surprise that the leader decided to plow headfirst into Izuku’s palm.

Several tons of Ice Bear was stopped instantly. All of the weight carrying the Bear forwards was enough to crush its own head, effectively doing Izuku’s job for him and killing itself.

[You have Leveled Up!]

Izuku shook off the blood and gore that dripped from his hand and turned his attention to the remaining four Bears, all slightly more on edge now that Izuku had made an example of their friend. Unfortunately for them, their judge, jury, and executioner was not in a merciful mood.

Wanting to blow off a little steam after the insanely hectic events of the day, Izuku rushed over to the nearest Ice Bear, grabbing it by the paw, heaving its entire body into the air, and slamming it down moments later.

[You have Leveled Up!]

Using the trees as springboards, Izuku jumped between the remaining three Bears, making precision slashes as he went.

[You have Leveled Up!]

To Izuku it had taken a couple minutes to tear apart the Beast-Type Villains, but in reality, the fight only lasted thirty seconds.

Level: 54

Strength: (x2) 244

Vitality: 89

Agility: (-30%) 96

Intelligence: (+50%) 159

Sense: 116

[Mana: 2385/2385]

[HP: 17424/17424]

A/N: Just for clarification, the Strength, Intelligence, and Agility Stat numbers shown are the numbers after having the buffs and debuffs applied, ie. Izuku’s real Strength Stat is 122.

“Even with the reduction to my Agility this armor boost is insane!” With one final push off the trees, Izuku crashed down in front of his makeshift Party with a heavy thump. A clunking noise filled the air as his armor folded off and disappeared into nothingness. “Well… this is as good a place as any to set up camp!” Izuku declared with a bright smile, having successfully secured a food source with the five bear corpses.

“So, seriously, what were you thinking?” Izuku asked with a, “I’m not mad, just disappointed,” tone. It was enough to earn an embarrassed look from Sakura and a slightly amused gaze from Yaoyorozu.

“You… You’ve been out so late these past few weeks, and I was just… really worried that you were pushing yourself too hard. I’m a B-Rank with my healing powers, so I thought I could earn some more money.”

Izuku sighed heavily and placed his hand on Sakura’s head, separated from her hair by the fuzzy coat, “It’s probably obvious by now, but I’ve Reawakened. For the past week, I’ve been clearing B or A-Ranks Dungeons with her.” He pointed to Yaoyorozu, eliciting an excited gasp from Sakura.

“So she’s your girlfriend!”

Izuku’s mind froze for a moment, mirroring the snowy conditions around them, “W-What?”

Yaoyorozu was busy hiding her bright red face in the hood of her parka. Her confidence may have increased when it came to fighting in Dungeons, but when it came to such loud and blatant declarations from her crush’s sister, she was as helpless as a baby deer.

Izuku finally came back to his senses and mercilessly pulled at his sister’s cheek, “I’m the one doing the interrogating here!”

“Ow! Ow! Sorry!”

“You can’t just go saying those types of things in front of her!”

“I’ll stop if you stop!” She cried out.

Izuku groaned and let up on his sibling, standing as he did so. Then to Yaoyorozu, who had slightly recovered from the shock, he said, “I’m going to go hunting for now, keep an eye on the troublemaker.”

She nodded, a smile on her still blushing face, forcing Izuku to realize something, “Hmm, maybe Sakura’s on to something. If I had to have a girlfriend, I can’t imagine someone better than Yaoyorozu.”

The B-Rank girl ignored Izuku’s remark about his sister, “Hunting? But we’ve got plenty of Ice Bear meat!”

“What did I say about asking pointless questions?”

She grumbled something about strange men, but kept to herself shortly after, leaving Izuku free to strut into the forest, hands in pockets.

“I wonder if there’s some way to turn off the Daily Quest requirements,” Izuku pondered as he hung from a thick branch by his knees, “It’s not exactly convenient to need to work out inside a Red Gate, even if the Daily Rewards are worth it.”

“Hup!” His legs let go of their hold on the tree and Izuku went plummeting to the ground, flipping around at the last moment to land on his feet. “Well, now that I’m warmed up, let’s see about recruiting some Ice Bears to my ranks.”

Turning his Sense Stat up to eleven Izuku sought out the nearest concentration of Magical Energy, finding a deep dark cave.

Approaching without the caution, Izuku sized up the packs of Ice Bears, eyes glowing red and fur bristling at their intruder.

“ Go forth. ” 

A mass of shadows exploded from Izuku’s back, painting the forest an ink black. Within seconds, the shadows had taken shape, forming Izuku’s indomitable Shadow Army.

With Igris standing next to him as his General, Izuku held out a hand, loosely gesturing to the Bear horde, “Kill them.”

Izuku’s forces charged with a silent battle-cry, their stoicness a complete parallel to the Ice Bear’s magnificent roars.

Flesh and Shadow metal met in a clash unlike anything Izuku had ever seen. There were only about 55 total combatants, but the intensity of the battle was nearly overwhelming.

From the get-go, it was clear who had an advantage. The Ice Bears had huge frames and powerful attacks, but they made for big targets. On top of that, when they fell from their wounds, they stayed down, whereas the Shadow Warriors refused to lose.

“I had no idea they could regenerate at such a speed!” Izuku marveled at his troops, grateful he had received the Job of Shadow Monarch. “If they didn’t consume so much Mana, they might as well be immortal!” Downing a Mana potion, Izuku activated his Armor Skill, increasing his Intelligence Stat.

[1720/2385]

Magicians lobbed huge fireballs one after the other, searing the Bears with a heat they had never felt before. Soldiers slashed at their tendons, bringing their bodies down to the ground for killing blows. And Igris remained where he was, his head tracking the enormous shape that began to emerge from the cave.

“I wonder if Igris is providing his own instructions? I mean… he is my second in command after all. But how much autonomy does he really have?”

[800/2385]

Izuku’s severe Mana loss brought him back to the present and he immediately recognized what had caused it. An Ice Bear, at least four times the size of the others, had brought its paw down across a line of Shadows, smashing seven at once. 

“Well you’re certainly a big one,” Izuku said, staring down the Ice Bear leader. 

His left eye was crisscrossed with scars, likely from another Ice Bear’s claws, and two more scars stretched down from his shoulders to his torso, forming an impromptu ‘X.’

Of course, these scars inhibited him in no way and he continued to swipe away the lower Shadow Knights with ease, bringing Izuku’s Mana down to zero.

[0/2385]

[Shadow Soldiers can no longer be regenerated due to lack of Mana.]

Pulling back the Infantry, using the Magicians to cover their retreat, Izuku called to his strongest ally, “Igris, I think it’s finally time to see what you can do.”

Igris acquiesced, drawing his sword soundlessly and holding the immense blade out to his right side with ease. Then, blurring forwards, he struck with all his might.

The Ice Bear roared in pain as Igris raced up his front left leg, carving it up enough to form a spiral of blood that splattered over the ground, hissing as it hit the cold snow.

Izuku was surprised to notice that Igris had not remained on the Bear’s back, instead choosing to leap past him and land on the side of a tree. “Heh,” Izuku smiled, “Glad to see I’m making an impression.” The Shadow Knight imitated his Liege’s attack from earlier in the day, launching off the tree and digging his sword into the Bear’s other leg. His momentum from the tree helped push his blade through muscle, tendon, and anything else that threatened to get in his way. 

By the time Igris landed with a roll, standing in front of the Bear with no fear, he had left two massive, bleeding wounds on his arms, effectively crippling him. But that didn’t stop the enraged Villain. Using his back legs to waddle forwards, he threw his head at Igris, intending to swallow him whole. He never even saw Igris’s blade moving.

Izuku stared on in awe, “Was… was he holding back when he fought me?”

The Ice Bear’s head was spinning through the air, just feet from hitting the ground when Igris’s hand whipped out, snatching it by its hair. 

“Without my armor, he’s certainly stronger than me… no… even with the armor, could he be my equal?” Izuku asked himself as Igris knelt in front of him, presenting the head as a trophy. “You did excellently,” He complimented as the remainder of the Ice Bears were slaughtered.

[Shadows able to be extracted: 75]

[Shadows able to be saved: 51]

Still with his hands in his pockets, Izuku strutted over to the lead Bear, “ Arise. ”

25 Bear corpses rumbled with evil energy as their Mana was sucked out and transformed into a duplicate Shadow soldier

[Shadow Monster Lv. 1 Normal Grade]

[Shadow Monster Lv. 1 Elite Grade]

“24 Normal and 1 Elite. Ranks that are Knight or higher get to be named,” Izuku thought to himself, reciting the message he had received upon reviving Igris, “Neither the Magicians or this Ice Bear gave me the option to name them, which means that so far the Rankings are Normal, Elite, and Knight.”

While lost in his thoughts, Izuku hadn't noticed the lead Bear sneak up to him, nuzzling it’s snout against him with affection. Caught off guard by the action, Izuku laughed warmly and petted the Shadow, surprised to find that his thick fur had been replicated onto the Shadow, making it feel like Izuku really was petting a bear.

Igris stood off to the side, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed, obviously jealous with the attention the Bear Shadow was receiving. A few of the Knights walked over to their boss, patting him on the shoulder consolingly. 

Within the week, Izuku had obliterated the Ice Bear population, Leveling Up half a dozen times in the process and acquiring another ten of their Shadows. Realizing that by now, his Intelligence Stat was the most important, he had poured all of his Daily Points into it.

Aside from his own successes, their motley Raiding Team had established a base camp of sorts. Food storage, fire pit, seating, places to sleep. The Bears provided a bountiful source of food and the trees provided an excellent source of raw material. They weren’t just surviving anymore, they were thriving. 

Ice Bears no longer came around, likely due to the fact that most of them were dead, so there was no need to fear the beasts. In the end, it began to feel almost like a camping trip. Or at least, it did, until one particular A-Rank came running back to them.

Izuku was perched high in a tree, doing his workout for the day as he felt a sudden Magical Energy. It was just barely within his Sense range, and if that was to be trusted, then the signal had just arrived at base camp. He was on the ground and sprinting away in no time, shots ringing out in the distance.

Yaoyorozu parried Shinji’s blade with little effort, slashing at his forearm in the same motion. A thin red line appeared in the gaps of his ruined armor.

“You hid this from all of us!” Shinji screamed about their food supply as he swung madly with all of his strength, “It’s your fault! Not mine.”

Yaoyorozu calmly stepped back, avoiding his wild and predictable strikes, “We offered you a chance with us! It’s nobody’s fault but your own!” In her free left hand, she conjured up a handgun, already loaded and aimed it at Shinji.

Normal armaments, such as swords or guns, were practically worthless against higher Ranked Heroes or Villains. In order for them to work, they had to be imbued with Magical Energy, something Yaoyorozu had not yet been able to do with guns. However, while it wasn’t deadly or even a danger to Shinji, it was loud and it drew out certain instinctual responses.

The A-Rank Raid Leader couldn’t help but flinch and hold his hands up in front of his face, obscuring his view as Yaoyorozu fired several times, the rounds pinging off him harmlessly. But what didn’t ricochet off his armor, was Yaoyorozu’s katana. 

Unlike her gun, which had too many parts to effectively strengthen with Mana, her sword was given a full treatment. And as such, it had no trouble finding a gap in his armor, breaking the skin and going all the way through, exiting out his back.

Shinji gasped, dropping his own chipped and damaged sword as he fell to the ground, spitting up blood.

But Yaoyorozu wasn’t done. After sliding her blade out of him, she shoved him to the ground, tying up his legs and hands with strengthened carbon steel wires. After checking to make sure he wouldn’t be able to slip out of them, Yaoyorozu pulled out two bottles of healing potion, pouring the entire contents over her attacker.

The wound almost immediately healed, closing up without any fuss, just as Izuku arrived, sprinting full speed at Yaoyorozu, who was crouched on the snowy ground.

“Everyone’s okay!” She called out, but Izuku didn’t stop, causing her eyes to widen. His gauntlet was held out to his side, looking as if he was going to take a swipe at her. Out of nowhere, he accelerated, passing her fast enough to knock her off balance. The only thing registering in her mind at that instant was the ring of metal on metal.

Looking up, she saw Izuku’s right hand crushing a small dagger, his other hand buried in the Ice Elf’s sternum. “Stealth?” She looked around frantically, attempting to make out any other would-be assassins.

“There’s no use!” Izuku called out, “With your Mana Levels, I can see you as clear as day.”

Immediately, twenty or so Ice Elves revealed themselves, their camouflage vanishing with an icy flourish. The lead Elf rode atop a silvery white horse, his long white hair whipping around in the cold air.

“So it seems like there truly was one useful one mixed in with the garbage.”

Izuku’s eyes narrowed, “Did you just call us trash?”

“And you can converse with us?! How splendid!” The Elf reached down to his supposed underling next to him, laying a hand on his shoulder, “There’s someone I’d like to introduce to you. This is the one who spotted your strength after you survived his arrow. He wanted to face you in one-on-one com-”

Izuku wasted no time using his claws to rend the archer’s head from his body, startling the Leader, “Sorry… but he aimed to kill my sister… that’s simply unforgivable. So… anything else you wanna say? Or should we get this thing started?”

The Elf paused a moment before a maniacal smile spread across his face, “Oho, you’re an interesting guy.”

Level: 60

Strength: 128

Vitality: 95

Agility: 143

Intelligence: 133

Sense: 122

[Mana: 2080/2080]

[HP: 18434/18434]

Meanwhile, outside the gate, two S-Rank Heroes were busy staring each other down. The Draconic Menace: Ryukyu, and the Fires of Hell: Dabi.

Ryukyu didn’t look all that imposing, clothed in a chinese dress, some might’ve mistaken her for a damsel, but the gleam in her eyes and the large talons extending from her hands put more than enough fear into the nearby Investigator and Monitoring Division employees.

“What business do you have with this Red Gate, Dabi?”

Dabi threw back his head and laughed, “I thought that was clear already? I have no business with this Gate, only the bastard inside it. Izuku Midoriya, the only survivor of my brother’s Raiding Party. My dad doesn’t give a shit about his kids, even if he is an S, my sister is busy bawling her eye’s out because of his death, and my younger bro is too disconnected to care, so it’s up to the big bro to avenge him.”

“Izuku Midoriya? What Rank is he?”

“He’s an E-Rank according to the Agency documents.”

Ryukyu shook her head, “Then there’s no way a weak E-Rank like him could kill one of your powerful siblings, correct?”

Dabi grumbled, “False Rankers exist to kill others you know?”

“Mister Todoroki,” A slightly calmer voice, belonging to Tsukauchi, interjected, “As a member of the Monitoring Division, it’s my responsibility to take care of any S-Ranks from out of the country, but I cannot condone the murder of anyone you deem fit. I don’t care what Rank you are.”

“Look at you,” Dabi scoffed, “So brave for a little man.” He got in Tsukauchi’s personal space, “Face it little man, that Gate closed, its Boss was killed and only that shrimp survived, meaning he’s the only possible suspect for who killed my brother. He wasn’t someone who was stupid enough to risk his life on a Boss, he knew when to run.”

Tsukauchi sighed, “I myself suspected Izuku Midoriya of a Reawakening as of late, but when we went to measure his Magical signature, it was still that of an E-Rank. And government papers indicate that he’s not in possession of a Quirk.” Thankfully, the UA Entrance Exams were not a broadcasted event, meaning Izuku’s Shadowy Servants still remained a secret to everyone outside of the Red Gate.

Dabi grumbled, “Well, I’m slowly starting to lose any excitement I had about this situation… So how about it, Kyu? You want to spice things up tonight?” His hands lit up with blue flames, “Just like old times?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, instead choosing to punch out with his fiery fist. Ryukyu however, was not caught off guard and her claws drilled through the air, aiming to cut straight through the Villainous Hero.

The remaining members of the Association dove for cover, because when S-Ranks clashed, they clashed hard.

An explosion of blue flames and invisible shockwaves radiated out, ripping up the surrounding area.

“Hehehehe!” Dabi chuckled, “Not too shabby little man.” 

Tsukauchi stood between the two, one hand holding back Dabi’s burning first, the other gripping Ryukyu’s wrist. His suit’s sleeves were shredded like paper, exposing only his muscles forearms, now slightly bruised from the insane impacts of two S-Ranks.

“To be able to stop both of us.”

Tsukauchi let out a sigh of relief, “If you hadn’t dulled your blows in time, both of my arms would’ve been broken.” He then fixed Dabi with a serious glare, “I won’t repeat myself Mister Todoroki, I cannot condone this type of behavior whilst you’re here in Japan.”

Dabi brushed off his hands, ash falling from them, “Whatever… if you won’t let me have my fun with Ryukyu at least, then just drive me to my hotel.”

Tsukauchi bowed even as Dabi turned away. “Izuku Midoriya… just what are you? To attract this sort of attention, you must be one special person.” He thought to himself as he calmly walked back to his car, determined to glean more of the boy’s secrets as soon as possible.

This was a very fun chapter! I finally got to do a bit more with Stats and the Shadows and such. The next chapter will finally wrap up the Solo Leveling elements of this Fic and we’ll finally move onto the MHA storyline, or at least my version of it! There was a comment I got about the Warden’s Necklace from a couple chapters ago. Apparently that was meant to be a drop from Cerberus from the Demon’s castle. Unfortunately, I assumed it was a drop from the Spider Boss for some reason, so my apologies for that slip-up! See you next time!  discord . gg/DeFqz5F (Sorry about the spaces, Fanfiction doesn't really like links!)

Chapter Text

“Tch,” Izuku scowled as the Elf raised his hands up, one holding a dagger loosely, “This one’s definitely the Boss.” His gauntlet strike against him had been easily deflected.

“Hey now! Let’s not get too heated just yet,” The Elf’s disturbing smile refused to vanish, “Now that the one you had a grudge with is dead, we can just chat right?”

“What do you want?” 

“Well hold on!” He bowed slightly, “You can call me Geten, what should I call you?”

“My name doesn’t matter to dead men.”

Geten’s shoulders shook with a sudden mirth, “I swear, you’re just the funniest guy!” He stepped off his horse with practiced efficiency, “Here’s the thing, I’ve got a deal for you… But first, I wanna know something. Why protect humans when you yourself are not human?”

Izuku shook his head, realizing that the Villain was just attempting to throw him off, “Just spit out the deal so I can refuse it and we can get down to business.”

Geten’s smile dropped and he looked genuinely disappointed, “Are you serious? In our heads, there’s a constant command, a voice, telling us to kill humans. But you… I can’t hear that voice looking at you, like you aren’t human.” Noticing that Izuku’s expression had not softened he sighed, “Fine, since I have no desire or orders to kill someone like you, then simply hand over those humans behind you! I’ll spare your life and it’s no skin off yo-!” Geten paused, his eyes widening as Shadows poured off his back.

“You made the same mistake as him,” Izuku said, gesturing callously at the Elf he decapitated, “You’ve attacked my friend and you threatened my sister!”

[Skill: Appearance Befitting A Ruler has activated.]

Igris and the Lead Bear flanked Izuku, the latter emitting a low growl as their Liege’s armor folded over him. “Magicians!”

The robed Shadows didn’t even need to be given orders, their Master’s rage and disgust had a clear target. Before the Elves could respond in kind, half of the battlefield was alight with burning flames, trapping the 20 or so Villains in a vortex of fire.

Izuku had no doubt that the lesser Elves were struggling to fight through the fire, but he also held no hope that it had killed Geten. His beliefs were confirmed as the snowy surroundings erupted with ice, smothering the flames instantly and subsequently shattering. 

His hand raised high, Geten tilted his head, “And here I thought it was just some cheap trick.”

“Get used to disappointment,” Izuku said, lowering into a crouch.

“As you wish!” 

“Wait… did he just get my referen-!” Igris shoved Izuku behind him before he could finish his thought.

Geten’s right dagger met Igris’s longsword as his left hand shot forwards, going to wrap itself around his wrist. The Ice Bear was not keen on that happening and went to slam his claws down on the Elf, ready to squash him like a bug.

It didn’t matter how strong Geten thought he was, it would be dangerous to get trapped under the paw of such a huge beast. 

His slight hesitation was enough for Igris to leverage his sword against Geten’s dagger, locking then in one of the Elven blade’s unique curves. In forcing the Dagger in place, Geten was forced to drop the blade, still somehow unperturbed by the loss of his weapon as he jumped back, avoiding the paw strike. 

“Did you really think that was my weapon?! I have far more power than a simple blade could hold!”

Izuku’s eyebrows shot into the sky as the entire forest was lifted. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. Geten lifted all the snow off the ground with one hand, creating the illusion of the forest hovering for just a moment. 

Condensing into hundreds of separate points, the light fluffy snow changed, forming clear, hard as steel, pointed icicles. All of them were aimed straight for Izuku. He had no choice but to disable his armor and increase his Agility back to its normal state.

[Skill: Sprint Lv. 2 has activated, Movement Speed increased by 50%]

Izuku wasn’t sure if Igris and the Bear were just moving to kill the threat for his sake, or if they understood his plan, “They seem to be working together in perfect unison… there has to be some form of mental communication going on!” Just as Izuku completed his thought, Geten’s arm acted out the motion of throwing something, directing the hundred icy spears at him.

Izuku barely had a moment of time to raise his gauntlet, blocking the nearest icicle, “Fast!” He dove, rolling forwards and feeling the attacks scrape against his back. Propping up on one knee, green grass beneath him, he reared his fist back.

[Overwhelming Strength has activated.]

[Mechanical Destruction has activated.]

Geten stumbled backwards as the shockwave of Izuku’s punch rocked the air, smashing the ice like it was built from wet sand. But that wasn’t a problem for him. There was still moisture in the air, and he had plenty of Mana left to reconstruct them, it would be Izuku’s loss. Or at least it would've been, if he hadn’t stumbled back into the jaws of the Ice Bear and the Sword of Igris.

Unfortunately, Izuku’s own Shadows were similarly battered by the wind, and were thrown off their mark. Igris’s blade only sliced up his side, instead of piercing his chest and the Shadow Bear only managed to take off a hand, leaving Geten free to conjure up another hail of projectiles with his remaining arm. 

Igris and his new monstrous compatriot dove to the side, giving Geten a burst of relief. Had they chosen to attack, they might have been able to do fatal damage, not before he took them out himself. But his relief was reduced to atoms in mere moments as he realized he was looking down the barrel of a Barrett M99. He had no idea what the name meant, but he knew that the weapon Yaoyorozu was holding was dangerous.

“FIRE!” Izuku shouted from his spot behind Geten.

Yaoyorozu chambered her Mana Enhanced Bullet, breathed out, and pulled the trigger on the anti-material rifle.

The kickback was enough to break collarbones and dislocate shoulders, but Yaoyorozu’s enhanced physical abilities handled it like a pro. Barely budging from her spot, she watched in awe as Geten’s arm went spinning through the air, severed at the shoulder by the high caliber round.

“AHHHHHH!” Geten’s unfazed attitude was finally shattered and just like his ice, it didn’t have the chance to reform. The moment between Yaoyorozu chambering the round and firing had given him just enough time to avoid a shot directly to the chest, but it was too late.

This Ice Elf had magical abilities that were unparalleled when it came to Cryokinetics. He could pull moisture out of the very air to create deadly barrages of weapons, but he also had one major flaw. He was intelligent.

Geten didn’t need his hands or even arms to make his Magic work, and yet, in this moment, he found that he was as helpless as a baby Ice Bear. He knew he was screwed beyond belief and that panic had set in, keeping him from forming even the most basic shapes.

Turning around, he gasped as Izuku’s claws dug into his chest, grasping his heart and mercilessly crushing it. “I… why… can’t I… sense you…?” The Hero’s Stealth faded, revealing the bloody and gruesome scene.

“Like I said… you made a mistake.”

The literal light began fading from his glowing ice-blue eyes, “Mas… ter?”

[The Dungeon Boss has been slain!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

Looking around, Izuku could see that his Infantry, Magicians, and other Bears had already torn through the remaining Ice Elves. Thanks to their combined teamwork only himself, Igris, the Bear, and Yaoyorozu had been necessary to kill Geten.

[Shadow Monster Lv. 30 is now capable of Ranking up!]

“Hmm?” Izuku looked over to the Lead Shadow Bear, panting like a dog, Geten’s arm in its mouth, and what Izuku could’ve sworn was a smile on its face. “Rank up.”

[Shadow Monster Lv. 1 Knight Grade.]

[Knight Grade Shadows and higher can be named.]

“Oh thank god,” Izuku exclaimed, “I was getting tired of just calling you Bear! Hmm… but… what do I call you? It was so much easier with Igris.” He mused out loud, attracting his sister’s attention.

“Let’s call him Smokey!”

“Huh?!” Izuku gave her the old, annoyed sibling look, “He’s not going to be putting out fires!”

“No! Look at his back!” 

Izuku followed her instructions, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, “Okay? And?”

She sighed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and pointed to Igris, “Now look at him and back to Smokey! You see the difference?!” She grabbed his chin and jerked his head back and forth, forcing him to glance between the two.

“Now that she mentions it, I do see it.” Whereas Igris’s Shadow was clean, defined, and only “smoked” around his cape, the Bear was practically spurting out the dark inky Shadow mist. It made him look like he was on fire and, well, smoking.

“Okay, it’s creative, I’ll give you that, but there’s no way I’m naming an awesome Shadow Summon like him Smokey!”

[Shadow Monster Lv. 1 Knight Grade now designated as ‘Smokey.’]

“Oh, are you serious?!” Izuku shouted into the air, greatly confusing Sakura, who could in no way see the System messages. “Just… ugh… whatever, let’s get everyone out of here.” He nodded to Yaoyorozu, who was standing in wait by the newly generated, spinning Gate, “Could you take her through? I’ve got one more thing to do.”

“Alright… but remember, you owe me some answers after this.”

Izuku smiled, “And maybe a dinner?”

Yaoyorozu blushed furiously, realizing that this was the first time he had asked her on a date and not the other way around. She said nothing else, resting one hand on the small of Sakura’s back, her other hand on the restraints securing Shinji, dragging both of them back to the real world.

“Wipe that shit-eating grin off your face, Sakura! I can see it from a mile away!”

“I called it!”

Izuku shook his head with a chuckle before getting back to business. As soon as he was the only one left inside the Gate he stalked over the Geten’s cold corpse and held out his hand, “ Arise. ”

[Shadow Elf Lv. 12 Knight Grade.]

[Knight Grade Shadows and higher can be named.]

“Should I just name him Geten?” Izuku scowled, the name had left a bad taste in his mouth after the horrible things Geten had attempted to do. Looking over the slim and robust Wizard Elf, no particular attribute stood out over another. “Let’s see… freeze translates to Hyoketsu… but that’s too wordy… how about Hyo?” Izuku tasted the name in his mind a few times before speaking out loud, “You’re now Hyo.”

[Shadow Elf Lv. 12 Knight Grade now designated as Hyo.’]

Hyo knelt to his new master, the same creepy smile on his face that Geten once had, causing Izuku to give him a look of disdain, “Cut that out.” Hyo instantly became stone-faced and Izuku finally felt himself relax. “The rest of the Elves were weaker than the Bears and Knights, so it’s not really worth Extracting their Shadows… oh well… it’s time to go home.”

Izuku scooped up Geten’s old dagger as he sent the Shadows back into his own shadow. He wasn’t a user of daggers, but this weapon was at least A-Rank in rarity. “That should sell for a pretty penny… right?”

“It’s been a week by now,” One of the Investigator Division members said, “You should go home Ryukyu, we can keep watch for now.”

But Ryukyu didn’t move from her spot. She had already been angered enough by Dabi’s appearance, and this Red Gate was not helping. Even if she went home, she’d never sleep. “Honestly… that jerk. He doesn’t get to call me Kyu anymore!” The Association employees tilted their heads at the slight blush that was forming on Ryukyu’s face. “I refuse to leave while some of my people are stuck inside a Gate!”

Then, almost as if the universe was listening to her, the Red Gate conveniently split open, like an oyster revealing its pearl. 

Ryukyu’s eyes shot wide open, any other distractions cast aside as the faces of relieved, and some crying, low-Rank Heroes emerged. Her real shock came as Yaoyorozu emerged, dragging along Shinji, still unconscious and tied up.

“What on earth are you doing with my employee like that?!”

One of the survivors, the B-Rank girl, held up calming hands, “Please Miss Tatsuma! She helped save us! It was Shinji who attacked us!”

“What?!” Her skin began to lose its perfect complexion as it shifted to a scaly covering. “I demand answers!” She shouted at Yaoyorozu, unable to comprehend one of her up and coming A-Ranks being capable of snapping under the pressure.

“Then get your answers from your Heroes,” Izuku said, stepping out of the Gate with his fur coat flapping in the wind behind him. “We’re going home,” He took Sakura by the shoulder, and Yaoyorozu by the hand, guiding them out of the wide alleyway.

Ryukyu was not happy with the answer and wrapped her claws around his own shoulder, nearly piercing through his clothes, “I am Ryukyu, the S-Rank Hero and the Head of the Dragon Guild!”

“And none of us are members of your Agency. But… we are the reason the remaining Heroes even survived.” Izuku felt awful to talk to one of his Heroes like this. Ryukyu was one of his favorite top ten, but he could feel Sakura and Yaoyoroz’s exhaustion next to him, he didn’t want to put them through anymore.

“I…” Ryukyu heaved out a heavy breath, doing her best to relieve all the toxic emotions she had been subjected to in the past few hours, “I apologize… I’ve been under a lot of stress as of late.”

Izuku’s expression softened, “I understand. I’m sorry as well, but these two need rest.”

Ryukyu nodded, “Very well.” As soon as they disappeared into the night, she felt her body relax, “What was that? Was I… nervous? No… I felt it… if I wanted to, I could kill him… but I would have to be prepared to lose an arm in that fight, maybe more.” Ryukyu snapped her fingers at her nearest employee, someone not actually from the Association, “You. I want that man, whoever he was, recruited within the week. You have my full support.”

“Alright,” Izuku said, sitting down on the couch next to Yaoyorozu. Sakura had just fallen asleep and he was ready to fulfill his promise to Yaoyorozu, “Here it is… the story of how I became strong.”

Chapter Text

Yaoyorozu’s expression was one of wonder as she looked around, staring at the System displays. As expected, the System had sensed the Player’s intention to reveal itself to this girl and gave in, allowing her to see it the same way Izuku did.

“And the rest is history,” He finished, doing his best to gauge her response. 

“I-I mean… this is just… incredible.” Yaoyorozu traced the words across the screen with her finger, “I’ve never heard of anything like this existing anywhere in the world before. Is there… a limit? A Level cap or something?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Then… is it possible that you could keep getting stronger and stronger? Forever?” Izuku nodded. “Wow,” She breathed out, a genuine sparkle of intrigue and excitement caught in her eyes, “With this… you could become the strongest Hero in the world.”

“So… you’re not… freaked out by it? The fact that I’m bringing back the dead, or the fact that it forced me to kill?”

Yaoyorozu gave him a slightly exasperated glance, “You’re you!” She said as if that answered everything, “I knew you before the System happened and I know you now.” She took his hand in hers, doing her best not to blush too brightly, “You’ve changed. You’re taller, stronger, maybe… a bit more handsome… and more confident, but you’re still Izuku Midoriya. You’re still the person I… l-l-l…” Yaoyorozu huffed, steeling her nerves, “You’re still the person I like!”

For just a moment, the loud declaration echoed as Izuku sat there, eyes wide, and mind scrambled. He was no fool. He had seen the way Yaoyorozu acted and had concluded she had some sort of feelings for him, but it was still too much for him. 

Izuku had never been ugly per say, but he had been scrawny, short, owned a baby face, and had acne like any other teenager. That, in addition to his overly shy attitude and lack of strength made him a less than suitable candidate in the ladies’ eyes. And Bakugo’s constant attempt to put Izuku down had only continued to decrease his self-esteem. 

It was for those reasons that Izuku remained in stunned silence for a good twenty seconds. He simply could not believe that Momo Yaoyorozu, a beautiful, smart, and dangerous girl had confessed her feelings to him, Izuku Midoriya , of all people.

This silence left Yaoyorozu squirming in her seat, terrified of his response, “I-I’m sorry, that was too sudden. I understand if you-”

“No!” Izuku exclaimed, perhaps a bit too forcefully. “I mean… no.” He squeezed her quickly retreating hand back, “It’s not too sudden… I like you too.”

“You like me? A-As a friend or…” 

Izuku did his best to stifle the rising laugh that bubbled in his throat, he couldn’t risk waking Sakura, the two of them had already been quite loud after all, “As more than a friend. Absolutely more than a friend!”

Yaoyorozu’s entire body relaxed at once and she fell back to the couch’s soft leather with a massive exhale, “Oh thank god…” And with that, she passed into unconsciousness, her grip on Izuku’s hand going limp.

Izuku raised an eyebrow, “Seriously? I can’t tell if I should be impressed…” He chuckled and stood, moving her body so that she wasn’t at risk of sliding off the couch in the middle of the night. 

Taking a blanket from his own bed, he gently laid the plush fabric over her. He knew from experience that it was like being cuddled by the fluffiest dog all over your body, she’d sleep just fine with it.

“Speaking of sleep,” Izuku thought to himself, tiredly rubbing his eyes as he glanced at the clock, “I should get some, it’s already past five in the morning.” Wasting no time, Izuku crawled onto his mattress and closed his eyes, drifting off to dreamland easier than he ever had before.

Ryukyu leaned back in her creaky office chair, desperately attempting to relax after such a stressful day. Unfortunately, the incessant ringing of her phone gave her no relief.

“What?!” She growled into the receiver after picking up. She may have been a calm and collected figure in the public eye, but after having to deal with reporters for two hours in regards to the Red Gate incident, her patience had vanished.

“Well jeez, Ryukyu!” A smooth voice echoed in her ear, “Who pulled your chain today?”

The dragon lady gave a tentative smile as she recognized the voice, “...Sorry Hawks. Just… trying to wait out the reporters.”

“You looked perfect on screen, as always.”

“Not in the mood for jokes, if you have something to say, spit it out.”

She could just barely hear him chuckling over the other line, “Serious as always. Well, I just thought I’d let the Ten know about my recent findings in Korea.”

“Korea?” Ryukyu felt a bit of energy re-enter her body and she leaned forwards, as if her proximity to the phone would grant her more of Hawk’s ever-more elusive secrets, “What the hell are you doing in Korea?” 

“As it turns out, Japan called South Korea’s Agency Association about a week ago with a pretty heavy request.”

“Our Association called theirs?” Ryukyu asked, shocked by the sudden development. “Why? We’ve been on bad terms ever since Endeavor and Cha Hae-In took down the Song Pa Gu tower in their scuffle.”

“Well get this, Japan requested nothing but a simple consultation.”

Ryukyu was beginning to become bored, “With who?”

“Any and all Heroes who experienced the Shie Hassaikai Raid.”

Ryukyu’s immediate instinct was to pick up the phone and slam it down, silencing the call, but she held herself back, “Tell me everything!”

Four years ago, the fifth S-Rank Gate opened on Jeju Island, nicknamed the Shie Hassaikai incident. It took three attempts before the South Korean government gave up and declared the island a total loss. From a satellite’s view the only thing that could be seen was stone spikes that stretched out as far as the eye could see. 

The Villains that poured from that Gate were not numerous or specialized in any combat style. They were, however, some of the most powerful demons they had ever fought. Their only known rival was that of the first S-Rank Gate’s Boss, a Dragon that burned the entirety of America’s west coast.

Ryukyu and Hawks had both given the Koreans their assistance during the third and supposedly final Raid. It was an utterly unique experience for two reasons. For one, it was the first S-Rank Raid either had ever participated in, and for another, it was the first time either of them had ever had a near-death experience.

“Japan isn’t seriously planning a Raid, right?!” Ryukyu exclaimed, “Just leave that hell hole alone, they can’t get off the island anyways!”

“Weeeell…” Hawks drawled out, nothing in his voice betraying even a hint of apprehension, “About that… Two days ago, a Nomu-Type Villain washed up on Japan’s coast. It was dead, but it’s body had been… twisted, modified.”

“What do you mean modified?! ”

“When the autopsy was performed, it was concluded that gills and insectoid wings had been grafted onto its body through intelligent means.”

Ryukyu’s blood had run cold by this point, “H-How is that possible? Any technology left on that island is long dead by now! Even if they were smart enough to use it, it’s impossible!”

“That’s why Japan called Korea. They want to take out whatever is causing these augmentations before they become too advanced. If we wait any longer, those bastards aren’t just going to trickle into the world… they’ll overrun it.”

Izuku despised the passage of the next four days. Even though he knew that his acceptance letter was going to arrive, thanks to All Might’s remark about him being one of the top scorers, he couldn’t help but grow anxious with its arrival. 

But while that was making him nervous, there was another little something that was churning his insides like butter. Waking up the morning after the Red Gate incident, he found that the couch Yaoyorozu had been sleeping on was empty and that the apartment itself was completely absent of her presence. 

Was she embarrassed by her own confession? Or by Izuku’s reciprocation? He couldn’t be sure what the reason was and although he had her number, he lacked the guts to press send on any of the dozen or so texts he had compiled for her. And while Sakura’s constant nagging for him to “man-up” was reason enough to get it over with, he still refused.

Snapping back to reality as he sat on the couch where Yaoyorozu had slept, he noticed Sakura creeping to the front door, her backpack hung over her shoulder. “Remember! Be home by five or your Shadow is going to kidnap you!” He said with a teasing smile.

Sakura just shook her head, giving him her perfectly practiced death glare, “You’re worse than mom!”

“Hey! You’re the one who decided it would be a good idea to sneak into a C-Rank Raid!”

She huffed, “Will you at least tell me what you did to my friend?”

“Your frie- Oh you mean the one that was selling people those fake Beginner’s Licenses?” He stood, his eyes sparkling with a threatening emerald light, “I just gave her a bit of a scare, nothing a little therapy won’t fix.”

In reality, all Izuku had done was report her to the principal. Who was apparently talented enough in her duty of scaring children out of stupidity, that she also scarred them in the process. But what Izuku wasn’t lying about, was Sakura’s Shadow.

After a bit of practice and plenty of experimentation Izuku found that he could force his own Soldiers into another’s Shadow, tracking them and keeping them safe if he so desired. 

Hyo, Igris, and Smokey were all extremely important members of his army, so instead of giving her one extremely powerful Shadow he gave her five Infantry and five Ice Bears. Combined, they were more than enough to handle any B-Ranks that dared to threaten the Shadow Monarch’s little sister. C-Ranks were less than nothing compared to the newly Leveled-Up Knights and Bears.

“What should I do for the day?” Izuku opened his inventory, looking around for anything interesting. He hadn’t been able to sleep last night so as the clock struck midnight and his Daily Quest reset, he set out on a cold and dark run, meaning that he had no purpose for today.

“I could go sell Geten’s old dagger, see what it’s worth at an auction,” He thought to himself as he traced his fingers past the inventory icons, stopping suddenly as he came across a gleaming white key, engraved with golden strand-like patterns.

[Item: The World Above Key]

Item Class: S

Type: Key

[A key that allows you to create an Instance Dungeon. You may use this just outside of the Endeavor Agency.]

“I held back from using this back then because my Level was too low, but maybe I should give it a try. I’ve still got a Hearthstone, so there’s no real danger… right?”

Even from fifty feet away Izuku was absolutely certain he could feel the heat emanating from the Endeavor Agency. “Is that my Sense Stat, or is it really generating this intense heat?” If it was the latter, Izuku could only imagine the torture of sitting in a swelteringly hot office all day, “I hope they have A/C in there.”

Activating Stealth, Izuku crossed the street nonchalantly, taking the beautifully crafted marble key from his pocket. Moving to stab it into the air just in front of the Agency doors, he was overcome with an incredible pressure that stopped him in his tracks.

The doors slammed open, revealing a literally burning Endeavor. It was then that Izuku realized the metal of the door was covered in scorch marks, likely from the Hero’s previous aggressive exits.

Still covered in his Stealth ability, Izuku was invisible to the naked eye, but that did not stop Endeavor from pausing in his tracks, looking around in confusion. He could swear that he felt another strong presence in front of him.

“What is it, boss?” A lady with literal fiery hair asked him, “We going or not?”

Endeavor opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly felt the presence vanish. “Fine, let’s go.”

Izuku heaved a sigh of relief as he passed through the Gate that was only visible to him. While he had grown far stronger thanks to the Red Gate, he was still nowhere near the level of an S-Rank and he didn’t want to know what would happen if someone tried sneaking up on the Number 2 Hero.

His body relaxed even further upon seeing the pearly white gates before him, laid out like a literal vision of Heaven. Looking down, his feet appeared to be standing atop a solid layer of clouds. 

[Warning: Don’t Blink!]

“Don’t blink? What the hell does that-?” Izuku didn’t get to finish his thought as he defied the System orders and closed his eyes briefly against the blinding light. His back was wracked with pain as he went flying forwards, impacting against one of the gate’s immovable bars. 

He fell onto his now extremely sore back. Groaning as he rolled over, his eyes scanned through the room in an attempt to glean his attacker’s location, but finding nothing more than five angel statues scattered throughout the room. They made no attempt to move, but Izuku knew from experience that statues were nothing to be underestimated.

[Skill: Appearance Befitting a Ruler has activated.]

Wasting no time, he launched himself at the closest statue, cocking his fist back as he got right up in its face. 

[Skill: Overwhelming Strength has activated.]

A blast of wind and pressure obscured Izuku’s view, but he knew something was wrong from the way that his knuckles ached. There was no give, no momentary lack of resistance, only a rock-hard, perfectly still being.

“This isn’t right…” Izuku thought to himself, quickly spinning around to see that not only had the statues moved, but they were crowding around him in a perfect circle, their posture the same as before they had surrounded him.

“Wha-” Izuku went flying once more, unable to even comprehend where the blows had come from. It felt like he had been punched in four places simultaneously.

Now certain that he could not handle whatever these beings were on his own, he called to his army, “ Come Forth. ”

Igris, Hyo, and Smokey were the first to emerge, putting themselves between the statues and their Liege. Izuku hacked, feeling like he needed to cough up a lung, involuntarily looking to the ground as he did so. In that brief moment of his averted gaze, his ears were filled with a cacophony of battle sounds. 

Quickly looking back, he saw that Igris had his sword embedded in one of the statues. At first, it seemed like fortune had smiled down on him once more, but quickly he realized that Igris hadn’t stabbed the statue, rather he had gotten his sword trapped in its innards. 

With an almost comedic amount of effort put into it, Igris heaved and heaved at his sword, doing his damndest to pull it out, but to no avail. 

As Izuku got closer, examining the statue’s body to the best of his ability, the other four angels left his field of vision and sound once again exploded onto the battlefield. Izuku couldn’t help but look away from Igris’s plight and noticed that now the other angels were frozen mid-battle locked in combat with his Shadows. And finally, as he looked back to Igris, who now had his blade back in hand, the statue a few feet away, it clicked.

“‘Don’t Blink.’ They only move when I don’t see them… which means…” Izuku retreated into the thicket of his Shadows, allowing himself to trust in their abilities.

Once he was sufficiently hidden by his Army, Izuku closed his eyes, CLANGS and CLASHES screaming out once more.

If Izuku was being honest, it was an absolutely terrifying experience. To be unable to see how the battle was faring, to be ignorant to his Mana Level, and to not know when the next strike to his own body may come. 

For a grueling ten minus, Izuku stood still, his own idea of his surroundings being his Sense Stat. He could feel Igris’s presence as he cut down… a statue? It was a being unlike anything he had ever felt before, something completely abstract and incomprehensible and yet, his Shadows still cut them down like any other Villain they had faced before. 

And then, everything was still. Izuku’s eyes cracked open, seeing his Army kneeled before him, the statue and their remnants nowhere to be found. The only sign that they had ever existed to begin with, were two small items clutched in Igris’s hands as he presented the gifts to his Liege, signifying the end of the battle and cementing Izuku’s trust in his comrades.

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[Item: Angel’s Demonic Wing]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Broadsword

Attack: +120

[Made from the impenetrable feathers of the Heavenly Guardians, this sword will never break.]

[Active Skill: Paralyzing Storm. The user’s sword will shed its outer layer of perfectly sharpened feathers. Up to five dozen can be sent at once to seek out and paralyze enemies for a short period of time.]

[Item: The World Above Key]

Item Class: A

Type: Key

[A key that opens the Gates of The Heavenly Palace.]

Level: 65

Strength: 133

Vitality: 100

Agility: 148

Intelligence: 150

Sense: 127

[Mana: 3259/3259]

[HP: 20134/20134]

Chapter Text

[Item: Heavenly Gates’ Key]

Item Class: A

Type: Key

[A key that opens the Gates of The Heavenly Palace.]

Izuku clutched the key in his hand, contemplating his options. “Had I come here before the Job Change Quest, I would’ve been dead. I need to get even stronger.” He nodded and he called his Shadows back to himself, his decision made.

Depositing the Key into his inventory, he made for the double doors that framed the exit, which were practically nothing next to their big brother, those perfectly sculpted Gates.

With the angels dead and their drops collected, there was nothing left for him here, so he took his leave and emerged back onto the busy street in front of Endeavor’s Agency. 

Thankfully, the Number 2’s burning presence was nowhere to be felt and Izuku was free to make his way back over to the nearby cafe where he had parked his motorcycle.

It’s winding halls and massive structures were akin to a labyrinth, confusing, indistinguishable, and students crowding the halls. This was UA High, the best and only Hero school in the country qualified enough to take in A and S-Rank students.

Izuku was glad he had rectified his application in time, otherwise the school uniform he was wearing right now would’ve been far too short on his newly grown frame.

Scouring the halls, he desperately attempted to find 1-A in time. He hadn’t woken up late, or taken too long getting ready. No, he had gotten to school a little under thirty minutes early and yet, he was still unable to locate that damn door. 

In fact, he was so lost in his fifth examination of the campus map, that he almost didn’t notice himself about to bump into one of his fellow classmates. Stopping short, he allowed himself to give in and finally ask, “I’m sorry, but I’m lost, do you have any idea where Class 1-A is…?” The girl spun around, causing him to trail off.

“Oh! It’s you!” She exclaimed loudly, drawing a tad bit of ire from the upperclassmen and women. 

It took a moment for Izuku to recognize her. After all, for her it had only been four days, but for him it had been eleven days since the Entrance Exam thanks to the time dilation of the Red Gate. 

“I’m Ochako Uraraka,” She introduced, bowing low, and earning a mirrored response from Izuku. Once she had finally straightened her posture, she asked, with somewhat red cheeks, “Hey, um… do you know if that knight guy made it through the exam?”

“Knight guy?” Izuku tilted his head for a moment before recalling Igris presenting Uraraka to him during the Exam, “Oh! You mean Igris?”

Without another word, Igris rose from Izuku’s shadow, causing Uraraka to eek out a surprised yelp. “W-Wait… what?”

Izuku smirked, having a bit of fun teasing this new girl, “He’s one of my summons.”

Uraraka turned bright red at the realization that what she had become infatuated with over the past few days was nothing more than a chunk of Mana given physical form. “Huh? ...Huh?! Oh… nononononononononono.”

“What’s wrong?” Izuku asked, still amused, “He doesn’t bite! And hey, he’s single!” This sent the girl sprinting away through the halls, her hands covering her face. Izuku looked over his shoulder to Igris, “Was that too much?” 

The Shadow simply shrugged and slunk back into the darkness, leaving Izuku alone to realize that he still had no idea where Class 1-A was. He could send out his fifty-two Shadows to scour the place, but he also wasn’t in the mood to start a panic on his first day of class.

Just as he was about to give in, he felt a tap on his shoulder, spinning him around in surprise. This place was so crowded with high level Mana sources that Izuku was having trouble picking anyone out of the crowd. He was even more shocked when his eyes met Yaoyorozu’s.

“H-Hi!” Izuku practically shouted, now realizing that he was replicating Uraraka’s embarrassment. 

“H-Hey,” She responded, her hands clasped in front of her with a nervous energy, “About the other night, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. I was being too forward with you.” Her eyes averted his confused gaze.

“Huh?”

“I-I thought you were upset with me… that’s why you weren’t calling me.” 

Realization dawned on Izuku as he sighed, “I’m sorry, but I thought you were ignoring me .”

Yaoyorozu looked back up, her expression of shame morphing to one of confusion. “Why would you think that?”

“When I woke up that morning, you had already left.” 

Yaoyorozu nodded vigorously, “Yeah, I had a doctor’s appointment.”

“Oh…” Izuku felt like slapping himself, “This is why Occam's Razor exists, you idiot!”

“I’m… inexperienced with relationships, but from what I’ve seen on television, it’s always the guy who makes the first move.”

Izuku barked out a sudden laugh, realizing just how silly the situation was. Here they were, two people who had obvious feelings for each other and yet, neither could get their message across without acting like total fools. Their eyes glimmered with humor and relief now that the situation had been somewhat settled.

Opening her mouth to say something, Yaoyorozu was cut off as the bell began to toll, sending her and Izuku sprinting away, searching for the ever-elusive, Class 1-A.

Thankfully, for whatever reason, Izuku and Yaoyorozu found their classroom entirely devoid of any form of teacher, even though the bell had rung over three minutes ago. Instead, they found one very loud, very blond teenager with his feet propped up on the desk.

“What’re gonna do, four eyes?! Take that stick outta your ass and shove it up mine?”

“Excuse me?!” 

“You heard me!” Bakugo yelled, his bored eyes shifting for a moment and catching sight of Izuku, widening to the size of dinner plates.

Iida noticed his sudden interest in whoever was behind him, and blanched, realizing that it was the same examinee he had berated before the Exam had begun. With overly exaggerated and robotic movements, Iida stomped over to Izuku, “I am from Somei Private Academy! My name is-”

“Iida Tenya,” Izuku answered for him, “I know, you told me right before the Exam started.” Feeling more calm than when he had last met the rigid and unyielding teen, Izuku gave him a smile and slightly bowed his head, introducing himself. 

“I apologize for my earlier rudeness. I had no idea there was so much more to the Exam, I truly ended up misjudging you.”

“Oh…” Izuku was honestly taken aback. Nowadays, not many people were humble or well meaning enough to admit their mistakes. It was such a breath of fresh air that he didn’t even notice the dark Mana creeping up behind him. 

“Hey…” A tired voice said, “If you’re here to make friends, get out.” The class’s attention shifted from Iida and Izuku to the man dressed in drab grey and black clothing, “Otherwise, put those on and meet me out by battleground Beta.” At the opposite wall of the classroom, the wall pulled itself open, revealing a total of twenty numbered cases.

“I guess those are our official Hero outfits.” Izuku’s head tilted, not only had he never seen or heard of a Hero matching this man’s description, he had also never seen any man that looked this tired. “And I guess he’s our teacher?”

It was the first day of class, so Izuku whole-heartedly expected the locker rooms to be filled with an awkward silence, but instead, the red-head Kirishima was boisterously shouting and bantering with his classmates. A few still managed to keep to themselves, but the notable ones were Bakugo, and Izuku, who were exuding so much Mana that Kirishima was having trouble focusing on his jovial personality. 

“Hey,” A small student with hair dyed purple whispered to one of the tallest students, “What’s up with those two? They look like they want to kill each other.”

The tall, multi-armed student nodded, “Can you not sense it? They are trying to kill each other. Or… at the very least, see who backs down first from their extreme presence.”

“Are you kidding?!” A high-pitched voice asked belonging to a student with electric-yellow hair, “They’re our classmates? They seem more like Villains with that power.”

“Well, we may seem like Villains, but we also have incredible hearing.” A hand rested on the blond’s shoulder gently, causing him to yelp and jump about a foot in the air. 

He went to bow and apologize, but Izuku stopped him with a chuckle, “Sorry about that. Kaminari, right? But the two of us have some… bad blood.”

Kaminari looked back to the two lockers, surprised to see that both were now absent of their owners, “I can imagine Izuku sneaking away, he’s kinda quiet, but Bakugo’s too obnoxious to be stealthy! Just what’s going on with my classmates!” He was just as surprised when he laid eyes on Izuku’s “Hero Costume.” It was nothing more than a simple loose, fluttering, and black trench coat that was open at the front over a grey t-shirt and black jeans that looked tailor made so he could move around easier. If nobody knew any better, they would assume he was dressed in his casual attire.

Izuku was beginning to really get the hang of this power measuring thing. The blond boy in front of him had such enormous amounts of Mana that he couldn’t help but be confused by his paranoia. The really short one, he was pretty sure his name was Mineta, had barely any Mana, same with the tall one behind him, Shoji. But since UA only accepted the ones who could become the strongest, Izuku knew they had a reason for being here. From now on, he’d have to be wary of every single classmate, no matter what amount of power he got from them.

“Usually Battle Training is All Might’s deal, but he’s too busy with the camera’s to be here,” The teacher practically spat out the word camera’s. “You’re going to be fighting in a simple one on one so I can see where you’re at. You’ve already been put into groups of two, so don’t bother complaining when you see your opponents.”

“Um? Excuse me? Sir?” Uraraka raised her hand.

“Sir?” He said, realizing he had never introduced himself, “Oh… I’m Mister Aizawa.”

“Mister Aizawa, what about the orientation for today?”

“What about it?” Aizawa asked, “There’s nothing that you’re going to learn there that you need. Now unless anyone else has any more questions, I’ll read the matches out. First up, we have Izuku Midoriya versus Katsuki Bakugo.”

“Phew, fate really has a weird way of working,” Kaminari joked, earning himself a tired glare from Aizawa.

“No interrupting!” Aizawa read out the remaining battles, but Izuku wasn’t listening, he was too busy celebrating on the inside. “Alright… we’re already out here, so you two go to opposite ends of the battleground and I’ll call start from the control room. Everyone else, follow me there.”

As the street was left alone to Bakugo and Izuku, who turned their backs to each other, strutting away, Bakugo yelled over his shoulder, “I’ll kill you! You worthless nerd!”

A few quiet laughs escaped Izuku’s throat as bloodlust poured from his body and his eyes erupted with emerald light, neither of which Bakugo noticed. “I’d expect nothing less.”

“Begin!”

“Magician.” Izuku called out one of his sorcerers, “Spot him for me.”

[Magician is using Skill: Detection.]

Suddenly, Izuku was able to see Bakugo’s glowing outline through even the buildings. Much to his disappointment, however, it was not needed. Bakugo was taking the forwards approach, intending to take Izuku head on.

The Magician prepared a giant fire attack, but Izuku waved him back into his shadow, “I want to beat him on my own. It doesn’t mean anything if I have to rely on you guys.”

“DEKU!” The scream echoed throughout the fake city’s streets alongside the sound of rapid fire explosions. 

“His Quirk is an A-Rank, his Mana is S, and his skill is a low S. His ranking outweighs mine, but his attacks should be at a similar level to my own.” 

Suddenly, the explosions were right there with him, revealing Bakugo’s approach from the sky, “THERE YOU ARE! HIDING WON’T DO YOU ANY GOOD!”

“Hmm,” Was all Izuku said as Bakugo crashed down, his Quirk triggering a massive explosion that completely covered the area where Izuku had been standing.

“HAHA! THAT WAS TOO EASY! I KNEW YOU CHEATED YOUR WAY INTO UA!”

“Easy?” Izuku asked, a few feet down the street, brushing some of the soot off of his trenchcoat, “We’ve only just begun.” He rolled his shoulders, causing Bakugo to notice the demonic gauntlets covering his hands. “Don’t go blaming me if you can’t keep up.”

Chapter Text

Bakugo was stunned, no one had ever been fast enough to avoid one of his blasts close-range. It was basically unthinkable for him. But to Izuku, it was a fairly simple task to step out of the way.

Izuku had known Bakugo his whole life, he knew how he fought, he had seen it up close and personal. Because of this, he also knew everything he needed to know about his Quirk. In the moment before the attack, the area around his hand would combust and kick up a smoke that obscured his view for just a second. This allowed Izuku to activate Stealth and move before the explosion even happened. 

Of course, this was a fancy trick, but it wasn’t enough to completely beat the rage filled teen. 

“Don’t go blaming me if you can’t keep up,” Izuku bluffed, knowing that he was not the only one who had gotten stronger. Bakugo’s explosion wasn’t the biggest it could be, but Izuku recognized the new strength and focus behind it.

Unlike a Heroes Awakened strength, which mostly relied on physical attributes, the more unique, Quirks, the ones that didn’t focus on simple physical enhancement, could grow with the user. 

Over time and with enough practice, Quirks could push someone up an entire Rank just from their training. For example, Yaoyorozu’s Quirk could reduce the Mana cost it has on her body or her Quirk just might work faster. In Bakugo’s case, however, it seemed like his Quirk was simply destined to grow more destructive.

In fact, Izuku’s snarky jab only seemed to incense Bakugo more. He took no brief moment to pause in shock or exclaim his disbelief, he simply launched another barrage of fiery explosions. 

“He’s gotten too strong for me like this. His Quirk’s now at a higher A or maybe even a low S.” Izuku crossed the gauntlets in front of his face, which took the brunt of the attacks, but still managed to rock his body to the core. 

As the smoke cleared and the fires settled, Izuku emerged, his Shadowsteel armor covering his body.

“OI DEKU! IS THAT HOW YOU CHEATED YOUR WAY IN?! DID YOUR MOM BUY YOU THOSE-!”

An enormous BOOM could be heard for miles around as Izuku wrapped his hand around the back of Bakugo’s head and slammed him into the ground. The road cracked under the weight of his blow and a mushroom cloud of dust was kicked up. “Mention my mother again… and I will kill you.”

Bakugo was undeterred though and placed his palm against the ground, wasting no time using his Quirk to launch himself out of the crater and into the sky. Izuku could’ve sworn he almost felt his fingers break as Bakugo’s incredible velocity escaped his grasp. 

As he stumbled back, nursing his sore left hand, Bakugo shot forwards, getting in his face and detonating a point blank attack. 

Izuku felt himself crashing through building after building as he attempted to right himself and gain his bearings. 

It wasn’t long before Bakugo was on him again slamming his palm against his back, this time directing Izuku into the air with its explosive force. Bakugo knew that the air was his territory and that while there, he would hold the advantage over the less maneuverable Izuku.

“I was too confident in my abilities,” Izuku realized as he was thrown about like a ragdoll, the only thing keeping him conscious and in the fight was his armor. 

“THIS IS IT, DEKU!” Bakugo reared back his left arm, preparing to launch the final attack. But it was at that moment, that Izuku righted himself in the air.

[Skill: Overwhelming Strength has activated.]

[Skill: Mechanical Destruction has activated.]

Their attacks collided like a beam clash, the explosive force of Bakugo’s attack completely nullified by Izuku’s powerful pressure blast. With the armor buffs, in addition to the Skill buffs, his Strength Stat far outweighed anything Bakugo could throw his way.

The bully fell back to the earth with asinine speed, his body falling through the very same gaps in the buildings that Izuku had been sent crashing through moments earlier. But just because Bakugo was dealt a massive blow it didn’t mean that Izuku was suddenly okay. His armor disappeared from his body as it’s limit was revealed.

[After taking a certain amount of damage, Skill: Appearance Befitting A Ruler’s effect will end and cannot be activated for until health is recovered back to full.]

Izuku landed on his knees, right next to the crater where his rival lay. He couldn’t see his body, but he knew he had won. After all, his Strength Stat was basically boosted to 1000, there was no way he could stand after that attack… right?

But Bakugo continued to defy Izuku’s wishes and his bruised and bloodied hand gripped the edge of what would’ve been the gravesite of a normal human. “Looks… like… you’re all out… of tricks.”

Izuku should’ve been proud. Even as he lay exhausted on the ground, his body sore and wounded, he should’ve known that he had accomplished much as an A-Rank to take on an S-Rank and still see a fighting chance. And yet, he couldn’t help but feel the shame of defeat, he knew that his goal had not been fulfilled. 

“I wanted… to beat you… on my own,” Izuku breathlessly stated, “You were the one person that, more than anything, I wanted to be stronger than.”

Bakugo’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets with rage, “YOU WORTHLESS NERD!” He took Izuku by the collar of his shirt and lifted him to eye level, “I DON’T CARE IF YOU REAWAKENED OR NOT! YOU STILL DON’T HAVE A QUIRK! YOU CAN’T BEAT ME!”

“I know I can’t…” Izuku gave a weak smile, “But he can.”

Bakugo gasped as a cold hand gripped the back of his neck and before he knew it, his entire body was encased in solid ice, forcing Izuku to tear away part of his shirt in order to let him drop to the ground. 

His eyes met Hyo’s, who stood at the ready behind Bakugo, but also appeared to admire his handiwork for a moment.

“It’s okay,” Izuku reassured, “He won’t be able to escape.”

While Bakugo’s inherent explosion power and Awakened strength made him almost impossible to cage, there were a few solutions. The most prominent was to cut off his Quirk, a nitroglycerin-like sweat that he secreted from his palms. But if that sweat was frozen and he was too cold to produce any more, he was effectively trapped in an inescapable prison. 

“Izuku Midoriya wins,” Aizawa’s tired and bored voice announced, “Now unfreeze him if you can and get back inside, I want to get the rest of the battles over with.” 

Izuku nodded to Hyo, who’s Shadow seemed to sizzle for a moment in reluctance to his orders, but made no move to disobey them. 

All at once, the ice fell away to nothing, showing just how proficient Hyo was with his control over moisture. He didn’t even need to turn it into water to turn it into air.

Bakugo clutched at his throat as he gasped for air, watching out of the corner of his eye, Izuku walk away, disappointment in his body language. “What the… hell was that… Deku? You lost…” He said, almost like he was trying to argue away the battle’s results. 

“I have about four ways to take you down, Hyo being the most efficient,” The Elf gave his creepy smile to Bakugo, “But none of them are of my own strength, so I tried to hold out… but I still almost lost… and in the end, I still had to rely on my Shadow. I may have beat you, but I still lost.”

Yaoyorozu wasn’t sure what to do. On one hand, she wanted to congratulate Izuku, but on the other hand, she could tell that he wasn’t in a good place as he desperately attempted to ignore Bakugo’s presence. 

Both boys had vehemently defied treatment from Recovery Girl, so they looked a little out of place in the room, bodies worn and outfits torn.

“Midoriya,” Aizawa started, a threatening gaze in his eyes, “You won the battle, but you held back a lot of your potential strength. That gets people killed. Do that again and I’ll expel you, Catastrophe Child.”

Izuku nodded solemnly, his brain working overtime to try and place this Hero, but he couldn’t manage it with so little information.

“Expel him?!” A girl with pink skin asked, “You can’t do that on the first day can you?!”

“I can and will if I need to.” Aizawa sighed and rolled his neck, eliciting a few popping sounds, “Now, if we could get this over with so I can get back to sleep, I’d be grateful.”

After the explosive start of Izuku and Bakugo’s battle, it seemed difficult to measure up to them. While some match-ups, like Kirishima versus Hagakure, the girl who could turn herself invisible, and Kaminari versus Tokoyami were interesting, none really matched the same power as the first fight. At least, until the final match.

“Yaoyorozu and Todoroki.”

The name snapped Izuku out of his depression and he snuck a glance at the heterochromatic boy. “He’s Natsuo’s brother?!”

Almost as if he was responding to Izuku’s unheard question, Shoto’s body exploded with a seemingly impossible amount of Mana. The entire room could feel it. Even Aizawa, their stern and soic teacher seemed to flinch for a moment.

“Has he been suppressing that force this entire time?”

“I’d expect nothing less from Endeavor’s son,” Yaoyorozu said, bowing to Shoto as he gestured for her to go first.

“Endeavor’s… son? Just what kind of family have I put on my bad side?” Izuku asked himself as wall after wall of ice chased after Yaoyorozu down on the battlefield, her rifle the only thing holding back the waves. 

Izuku knew that Yaoyorozu was putting everything she had and more into each and every bullet she created. There was no doubt in his mind that a single one of those bullets could tear through two whole buildings, but they were just barely enough to put explosive dents in Shoto’s ice. Her skill, her Quirk, her Mana… everything, it was all insignificant next to the S-Rank’s insurmountable force.

Within no time, Yaoyorozu had surrendered, her Mana running dry, while Shoto had barely used up ten percent of his own stores.

And now, with the battles over, Izuku had found just one more person to be wary of, another monster among men. “There’s no doubt about it… I still need to become stronger.” He glanced over at the Heavenly Gate’s Key, nodding to himself with resolve, “I will become stronger, for both Bakugo and Todoroki.”

Chapter Text

Three days had passed since Izuku’s perceived defeat. Since then, class had continued like any normal high school would as the teachers worked out some sort of outline for their students' Hero training. It had been boring and mostly trivial busy work. The stuff that Izuku did not miss from middle school. In fact, the only real interesting event that had taken place was the election for class president. 

Izuku, unlike most of the class, chose not to vote for himself, instead choosing to vote for Yaoyorozu. It was something that she became extremely embarrassed over once she figured out who had been responsible for her position as vice-president. 

Iida had gotten the role of president after he had displayed a decent chunk of leadership qualities during a sudden campus alarm caused by the media.

By lunch of the fourth day, Izuku was itching for action. “Maybe I should try taking on the Heavenly Gates again when I get home.”

“I still refuse to believe this little squirt could take down Shoji,” Mina Ashido said, leering at Mineta.

Kyouka Jiro nodded, her backpack jostling as she set it down next to the lunch table, “Who knew an E-Rank could take down a B-Rank.”

Mineta gave a smug grin as he crossed his arms, “Oh ye of little faith. I may not have much Mana like you two ladies,” He said, his eyebrows waggling, “But my Quirk isn’t something to scoff at. In fact, Principal Nezu himself told me that I had one of the best combat support Quirks he’d ever seen.”

“Principal Nezu?” Izuku asked, interjecting, “You met him?”

“Of course!”

“So then… is it true?”

Mineta’s eyes nearly crossed for a moment, “What?”

Mina caught on quickly and got in Mineta’s face, “Is he really an animal?”

“Well…” Mineta trailed off, a smile on his face, “I might tell you, in exchange for something- OW!” A hand smacked the back of his head. Turning around, tears forming in his eyes, Mineta glanced up to Bakugo who had just walked up to their table, “What was-”

“Oi. Midget, don’t waste our time.” His voice was quiet, but his eyes were murderous.

Jiro sighed at the violence, but her curiosity outweighed her distaste for the two, “Who’d have thought someone like you would be interested in something like this.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Bakugo shouted, his typical behavior resuming.

Izuku shook his head as Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, Iida, and Kirishima slid into their seats at the table. 

“H-He’s like a Bear, Mouse, Dog hybrid!” Mineta answered after Bakugo continued to shake him around.

Izuku wanted to belt out a laugh at the visual, but also didn’t want to do so in front of Bakugo, so he held his tongue. 

“How’s your lunch, Midoriya?” Yaoyorozu asked, a smile on her face. 

He responded with a simple, “Good.” Taking note of Uraraka’s continued shyness in front of him. “Was she really that embarrassed by Igris? Or is it something else?”

A sudden, “Woah! Woah!” Shook him out of his thoughts and he looked up, surprised to see two upperclassmen attempting to hold back the crazed Bakugo, now just raving at Mineta for no good reason. 

It took just a moment for the blond and light-blue haired classmates to separate Bakugo from his victim, their smiles barely wavering, even in the face of his incessant screaming.

Most of the table regarded it with humor or novelty, after all, even though it had only been a week or so at school, Bakugo’s raging was now nothing more than a background noise to them.

Iida however, took it extremely seriously, and bowed to the two third years, apologizing profusely. 

The blond boy just laughed heartily and held back the struggling Bakugo with one arm like it was nothing. “It’s no trouble! Just wanted to help a classmate in need!”

“I don’t think he needed help. Isn’t that right, Mineta? Ye of little faith.”

But the short Hero-in-training was too busy shaking in his seat to answer.

“Oh! Are you the new Class 1-A?!” The girl with light-blue hair asked, “I’ve wanted to meet you all so much!” The boy rested his hand on her shoulder, “But we’ve gotta go take care of some internship work! If you wanna learn more about your Quirks, maybe you can join my club!” She shouted after them as her friend dragged her away.

“Come on, we’re gonna be late, Nejire.”

As they watched the odd exchange between classmates, Mina stood with vigour, “I forgot! Today’s Club Rush!”

“Huh?” Even Iida looked shocked, “How long have you known about this?!”

“I heard about the date from a friend who went here before me, but I kinda spaced until now.” Mina appeared abashed for a moment before Kirishima changed the topic.

“Well then why don’t we go check them out?! There’s still a good forty minutes for lunch right?”

Izuku shrugged and followed suit, depositing the remainder of his lunch by a nearby trash can, “I wasn’t very hungry to begin with.”

Yaoyorozu and Uraraka took no further convincing to abandon what was remaining of their lunch. Jiro only had to see that Yaoyorozu was going in order to join, but Iida stood steadfast, “I haven’t even started eating! It’s important to get proper nutrit-”

Bakugo snatched him by the collar and began dragging him through the halls behind the rest of the group, giving him no chance to retaliate.

There were the standard clubs, like chess, some sports, and a few language clubs. Or at least, they assumed they were language clubs, because the only response they got upon entering the classroom was, "Zouden jullie ook graag meer willen weten over de Nederlandse taal en cultuur en de bijzondere relatie die Nederland met Japan heeft?!"

Bakugo immediately slammed the doors on the loud students and stomped off, muttering under his breath, “I hate the Dutch.”

Izuku had no idea what that was all about, but by the time they had reached the final club classroom, he and his classmates had found themselves uninterested by any of the proposed clubs.

“It’s all normie shit!” Bakugo shouted, as he threw open the final door to a dark room and a small “Meow.”

“Eh… if it’s a napping class, I might be able to get behind that,” Mineta said, hopping up to flick on the classroom lights. 

But instead of twenty desks taken up by napping students, they found an empty room, save for one small black cat, a white patch of hair surrounding its left eye. The cat purred at them, appearing to look directly at Bakugo as the sound escalated.

Before long, the cat was on its hind legs, its teeth bared and its hackles raised. 

Izuku chuckled, “Looks like it really doesn’t like you.”

Bakugo growled back at the cat, like a lion meeting a cheetah in a dark field at night. What nobody expected next was for the cat to launch across the room, from the teacher’s podium, towards Bakugo’s face.

Instinctively, the bully raised his hand, sparks crackling off of it as the room screamed at him, “NO!”

But it was too late, and smoke obscured the room as the cat was undoubtedly killed by the explosive attack. 

The girls in the room squealed in horror as Iida raised his hand, presumably to chop Bakugo in half with. Meanwhile, Izuku just watched on with curiosity, because while his first thought had been that he’d resurrect the cat when no one was looking for Yaoyorozu’s sake, he knew that would no longer be possible. Not because the body was too mangled or because Izuku had yet to tell the rest of the world about his power to bring back the dead, but because it wasn’t dead just yet.

“Meow.”

The room froze, their panicked actions ceasing with that one tiny sound. 

“There’s no way… right?”

Yaoyorozu directed a mildly distressed glance at Izuku, as if to check to make sure he hadn’t used his power on it. He only answered with a slight shake of his head.

At first, they assumed it was a weak meow, a cry of pain, moments before death. But once again, they were disproven as the black cat strutted out from the smoke, its body completely clean and free of harm.

Surprisingly, Jiro jumped up to one of the tables in shock, a bit of her superstitious personality taking over. “M-M-M-Maybe Bakugo just missed!”

“No way!” He shouted back, offended that anyone would accuse him of such a thing. “It’s a cat! Not All Might! I’m not gonna miss him!” 

Izuku crouched down to the cat that everyone was beginning to fear. Maybe it was because he had seen too many unbelievable things before, or maybe because he simply knew the reality that life after death was possible that he didn’t freak like the others.

He held out a hand to the cat, who sniffed him a moment before nuzzling up against his palm. Her purrs returned to a calm and gentle noise gracing his ears.

“Th-That’s not right,” Jiro muttered, “It’s bad luck for a black cat to like you so much.”

Mina and Yaoyorozu appeared to be the only other two that snapped out of their shock and bent down to pet the cat, who purred even louder in satisfaction.

“I never knew pussies were this hairy,” Mina said, enjoying the soft fur of the cat as Yaoyorozu self-consciously brought her legs closer together.

“Ah! I was wondering what was going on here!” A quiet, yet oddly commanding voice echoed from the door. Izuku’s eyes widened as he realized there was a small, upright, white animal standing in the doorway, about Mineta’s height.

“Principal Nezu!”

“I told you!” Mineta screamed at Bakugo, the rest of his courage thrown into the shout.

“It appears you’ve met my old friend, Aho the cat. She tends to get herself killed quite often,” He said it as if that explained everything and he picked her up, “Well, have a good rest of your day students! And stay out of trouble!”

“Okay?”

“So we’re in agreement?” Jiro asked.

“Yep,” Bakugo said, growling his way out of the room, “Let’s just pretend like this day never happened.”

Chapter Text

Three days had passed since Izuku’s perceived defeat. Since then, class had continued like any normal high school would as the teachers worked out some sort of outline for their students' Hero training. It had been boring and mostly trivial busywork. The stuff that Izuku did not miss from middle school. In fact, the only real interesting event that had taken place was the election for class president.

Izuku, unlike most of the class, chose not to vote for himself, instead choosing to vote for Yaoyorozu. It was something that she became extremely embarrassed over once she figured out who had been responsible for her position as vice-president. 

Iida had gotten the role of president after he had displayed a decent amount of leadership qualities during a sudden campus alarm caused by the media.

Relations with his class hadn’t really changed much since then. Bakugo and him were still on bad terms and they avoided each other every chance they got. Uraraka still appeared embarrassed everytime she was around him, likely thanks to her encounter with Igris. And Iida still appeared stiff and unmoving around him.

If there was one saving grace in the lack of development, it was that Todoroki had yet to change his icy disposition, or focus it at Izuku. He hoped this meant that the S-Rank student had yet to learn the identity of his brother’s killer. But to him, that seemed like a false hope.

Izuku couldn’t imagine the torture that Todoroki was going through. If he was ever to lose Sakura, he wouldn’t rest until he found the bastard who took her life. It was this conviction in his own mind that made him so wary of his classmate. Of course, unbeknownst to him, Shoto was too disconnected to care about revenge.

Natsuo had seemed to be an evil, vindictive killer that held no real value for human life and because of that his death had left Izuku guilt free, right up until he knew of the man’s family. 

Endeavor was a top-ranking Hero, one of the best, and Shoto was a student striving to become a Hero himself. Had it not been for their familial ties to Natsuo, or the supposedly murderous Dabi, the Todorokis might’ve seemed to be a normal family with a quiet kid.

Izuku had done his best to avoid Todoroki the past few days and Yaoyorozu, who sat next to the heterochromatic teen, noticed. It had only taken her a moment of recollection to find the names of Raiders that Izuku had killed in self-defense. 

“So, what are you going to do about it?” She asked him during lunch, before anyone else could join them.

Izuku made no attempts to hide what had been bothering him, he knew that Yaoyorozu was smart enough to know by now. “What can I do? I killed his brother.” Izuku sighed, “On the off chance that he doesn’t care for some reason, then I’m good, but if I tell him and he’s pissed, he’s an S-Rank. He could kill me, maybe even with my whole army going after him.”

Yaoyorozu pursed her lips, unsure of the right answer, if there even was one.

“Midoriya!” A bubbly voice called out, “Are you excited for today?!”

Izuku dispelled the anxiety pressing down on his shoulders and smiled back at Uraraka, who did her best to avoid direct eye contact, “Yep! After the combat training, I feel like getting to see some rescue action is gonna be fun.”

While Heroes in this world were far more often warriors than saviors, there were those select few that decided to use their immense power for far more tame activities. Ice magic and water manipulation turned away from icicle barrages and pressure jets that could cut people in half and instead became tools for fire fighting. Healers became doctors, much like Sakura was planning to do. And even those with only strength-type Quirks gave up their life of excitement and Villain hunting to lift rubble. It was inspiring and what many considered the true essence of a Hero. Izuku would tend to agree with that, but to him, it just wasn’t lucrative enough to pay for his mother’s medical bills.

“I hear All Might is supposed to be there,” Iida said from behind Uraraka, a gleam in his eyes reflected into his glasses.

This sentence alone was enough to cast off any of the stress Izuku had been feeling today. He had met All Might once before, during the Entrance Exam, but he ran off to get ready for the parent-teacher meeting and had to give up any time to talk to his favorite Hero.

In fact, All Might was most everyone’s Hero. He cleared the most Gates, did the most rescue work out of any of the Top Ten Heroes, and always did it with a beaming smile. He alone dissuaded most of the human Villain crime just by existing. He had been 99 percent of the inspiration for Izuku’s E-Rank Hero life.

“I finally get to meet him… like for real this time! I wonder if I can get him to autograph my notebook.”

“So Midoriya, I have to ask, are those Summons your Quirk, or your Awakening?”

Izuku looked at the girl opposite him on the bus’s seating rows. She had long, dark-green hair, big eyes, a slender build and was wearing a bright green bodysuit. Izuku was pretty good with names, so he remembered her as Tsuyu Asui, a B-Rank who apparently was here to specialize in rescue work.

He hadn’t talked to her much, or really at all to be honest, but her question certainly made him pause for a moment. Awakened abilities were pretty standard and only came in a certain mixture of powers. Mages had only certain types of magic, Warriors only had certain types of melee abilities, and Summoners were no different. Even amongst the S-Ranks of the Summoner class, not many could manifest more than a few Summons at a time. Because of this, if Izuku were to claim to be a Summoner, it would look especially suspicious.

“It’s my Quirk,” He answered after a moment of thought, satiating the girl’s question, but causing Bakugo to squint his eyes in disgust who sat just off to the back of the bus, leaning on one of the rails.

“Man!” Kirishima shouted, “You got lucky with a Quirk as flashy as that. All I’ve got is this.” He raised one of his arms, hardening it into a rock-solid, jagged limb, “I’d love to have something like yours, or Bakugo’s, or even Todoroki’s! Then there’s no way I could be ignored as a Hero!”

Asui scoffed teasingly, “I don’t think anyone like Bakugo is going to be admired with that sort of attitude.” 

“WHAT WAS THAT?!” 

Kaminari chimed in, “There’s no doubt that people would assume you to be a Villain, especially with that ugly look on your face.”

“WHAT LOOK?!”

“Yeah! That’s it!” Kaminari shouted enthusiastically at Bakugo’s gnashing teeth and nearly glowing red eyes.

“Wow…” Izuku marveled as he watched the exchange, “Things really have changed since middle school.”

The bus continued to bump and roll along the road as its occupants bantered back and forth. Yaoyorozu chose to remain silent, instead simply choosing to enjoy Izuku’s presence next to her.

“Enough,” Aizawa grumbled, standing and latching onto one of the nearby poles, “We’re here.”

Izuku imagined he could fill his Daily Quests quota simply by climbing the stairs at the USJ. The training facility was so massive that the stairs resembled mountains more than anything else.

Thanks to his Level, Izuku had almost no trouble scaling the hill, but not everyone was so lucky. Mineta, Kaminari, and Aoyama were all breathing heavily, their talents resting more with ranged abilities than physical enhancements.

Upon reaching the top and entering the USJ, the trio groaned once more. A long platform stretched out past the doors, leading to yet another staircase, this time angled to the ground.

“Why make two of ‘em?!” Mineta shouted, “Just make the entrance on ground level!”

Kaminari sighed in agreement, slumping down to rest his already weary body to rest. “And they want me to do Hero work like this?!”

“Absolutely!” A robotic voice boomed towards them, “A Hero should always be ready to work, no matter their condition!”

Izuku pulled his amusement away from his tired classmates and focused his intrigue on the new voice, surprised to see someone in a puffy, spacesuit-like coat. More surprising, was that he recognized her as Thirteen, a Hero specializing in rescue, even with her surprisingly destructive Quirk.

As she recited a heartfelt speech about the teenagers with attitude and their immense power and responsibility, Izuku went back to his old ways. Reciting every little tidbit of info he had on the Hero, Izuku barely let the words tickle his ears.

What did manage to reach him was a different, entirely overwhelming force, something he’d never felt before. It was a darkness, but unlike his own Shadows, it held none of the same comfort they gave him.

Looking around, Izuku spotted nothing by the Rescue Zones, each of which was specifically created to emulate a certain environment. And then, he turned his attention forwards once more noticing the sporadic spouts of water pumping out of the fountain in the courtyard until it ceased altogether.

And then, a shockwave sent the class tumbling backwards onto their rears. Even Aizawa and Thirteen struggled in their attempt to remain upright. Bakugo, Todoroki, and Izuku appeared to be the only ones not struggling too much against the intense force.

In reality, while Bakugo and Todoroki simply faced the force head on, Izuku was forced to use Dominator’s Touch and his immense Strength Stat in order to stand beside them.

“This chill, it’s the same as the Double Lair… no… maybe even more.”

The area around the fountain warped and partially vanished as a deep purple Gate burst into existence. While its inherent existence was commonplace in today’s world, its qualities kept the students and their teachers on their toes. A purple portal had yet to be reported and one of this size was in no way commonplace. It stretched out in unnatural patterns, fanning the area with its intense force. And then, it broke all of the common sense of a Gate.

A humanoid hand reached through the misty Gate, pulling itself through and dragging a pale body covered in hands severed at the wrist.

Pausing just at the threshold of the Gate, it looked up to the platform, gazing at the students and teachers from behind the hand that covered its face .

[WARNING!]

[There are 1 nearby human(s) that intend to murder the player! Survive at all costs!]

“Humans?” Izuku muttered out loud, his blood running cold, “That thing… it’s human?”

He found himself more stunned by that revelation than the System’s dire warning, or even the figure’s immense power. It defied all logic, all reasoning. He was not just an S-Rank threat, he might’ve even been considered SS-Rank.

Izuku wasn’t even sure if he had gotten this same measure of energy off of All Might when he had first met him… “Wait… All Might… where is he?!” He spun around, realizing that the top Hero was indeed not present, “Wasn’t he supposed to be here? Without him, do we even-”

Izuku’s uncharacteristically panicked thoughts were cut out and massive bursts of energy echoed from the class. Somehow in unison, Yaoyorozu fired off her anti-material rifle, Bakugo shot off a concentrated explosion, and Todoroki sent waves of ice chasing after his classmates’ attacks.

The man simply raised his hand, allowing the bullet and explosions to crash into it. But nothing happened. There was no explosion, or even any apparent force exerted, the two attacks just vanished. The same happened upon the ice reaching him. For just a moment, it appeared to encapsulate him, however, like the other projectiles, it similarly crumbled into nothingness. This decay even forced its way up back through the ice, destroying every last bit of it, all the way back to Todoroki’s foot where the decay thankfully stopped.

With the attacks from their strongest classmates being annihilated like nothing, the group went silent. After all, what could they do against a monster like that?

Bakugo, of course, was nowhere near discouraged. “COME ON! HE’S JUST ONE VILLAIN! LET’S KILL HIM!”

As if to answer his question, the man, who was still a Gate Villain in the classes’ eyes, tilted his head and waves of enemies began pouring from the still open Gate behind him.

Izuku’s eyes widened as he realized that among the Villains, there were even more humans.

[WARNING!]

[There are 5 nearby human(s) that intend to murder the player! Survive at all costs!]

[WARNING!]

[There are 20 nearby human(s) that intend to murder the player! Survive at all costs!]

[WARNING!]

[There are 33 nearby human(s) that intend to murder the player! Survive at all costs!]

The number’s increase slowed as the mixture of Gate Villains and Human Villains finally stopped spilling from the portal between worlds. The last to exit being a massive black monster with a beak-like mouth and exposed brain.

“A Nomu-type,” Aizawa spat out as he pulled the goggles that rested around his neck up to his eyes, “I recommend everyone evacuates back to the bus now that communications have been cut off.”

Izuku turned to his left, realizing Kaminari had been tapping at the headset on his head. For some reason, this spurred Izuku into chiding himself, “Idiot! You’ve faced worse than this before, stop getting distracted!”

“We’re not going to let you hog all the fun for yourself!” Bakugo shouted, a demonic grin on his face.

Aizawa sighed and nodded to Thirteen, “It wasn’t actually a recommendation you fool. Run while you still can.”

“You aren’t seriously going to fight them all on your own are you?!” Kirishima asked in shock.

“The majority of them are measured at a low B-Rank, that’s enough for me.”

Izuku found himself once more examining his teacher, doing his best to work out who this Hero was. He detected no Mana from him, as if he was hiding it, and he had yet to see his Quirk in action. He must’ve been at least high A-Rank or maybe even S-Rank to be so confident in such a lopsided fight.

Then Thirteen attempted to wave the students back to the entrance, “Come on! Let’s leave this to Eraserhead!”

Everything clicked into place as Aizawa leapt off the stairs into battle and Izuku cried after him, “Wait!” But the pro didn’t hesitate for a moment.

“What’s wrong?!” Yaoyorozu asked him as she attempted to drag him back with the others.

Izuku gave her a grim look, “There’s no way he can win… a C-Rank against all of those stands no chance.”

“C-C-Rank?”

Thirteen grabbed the two of them with slightly inhuman strength and began pulling them away, “Leave this to him!” She shouted once more, “As that man is fond of saying, ‘You can’t be a Hero with just one trick.’”

But Izuku couldn’t help but feel that dark pit of dread in his stomach and he shook off Thirteen’s grasp, “Sorry, but you also can’t be a Hero if you run away from everything. Come Forth.” Nearly six dozen Shadows pulled themselves from Izuku, forming the Heroes’ very own army, “Everyone else can run… but since they’re here, I might as well get some experience,” Izuku said with a sly smile.

Chapter Text

A voice in the back of Izuku’s head told him he was treating the situation too lightly, but after dispelling the poisonous thoughts that wracked his brain, making him feel weak once more, he couldn’t help but become invigorated to fight. His recklessness also wasn’t helped by the boisterous roaring of his Ice Bears. With his army charging down the steps, their leader riding atop Smokey, Izuku felt like he could take on the world.

Moments prior to his undoubtedly cool charge Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, Kirishima, and Bakugo began moving back towards the battle after seeing Izuku, while the rest had continued on with Thirteen. But before they could get far, the purple, misty Gate vanished and reappeared as a dark dome over the entire group.

Yellow eyes peeked out, narrowing as they glared at Thirteen. “I was instructed to merely scatter you,” His voice reverberated in each of their skulls, like it was heavily modified by a computer, “But… seeing as Thirteen rests in your midst, I’ll have myself some fun.”

“What the hell doe-” Bakugo’s shout was cut off as the dome restricted, filling with even more shadowy mist.

By the time it cleared, only two figures remained standing on the platform. Thirteen and the Shadowy Gate man.

“What have you done with my students?!”

“Hmm… they’re still inside this facility, but they’ll be kept busy by the rest of our companions.”

`”You son of a-”

The solid Shadow cut her off with a laugh, “If UA really lives up to its expectations, your students are the least of your worries.”

“Then… if you’re not here for my students… what are you here for?”

“Well, we were here for the Largest Fragment… but All Might apparently decided to become a no show. I suppose that schedule we nabbed from your teacher lounge was just partially inaccurate.”

Thirteen cursed inwardly. The presses’ invasion of school grounds had merely been a diversion for the Villains to sneak in an snatch the schedule. “Wait… there hasn’t been any reports of major Gate breaches in at least six months. Are you… human?” Her mind churned rapidly as she realized the implications of this development. Gate Villains possessed the seemingly simple desire to kill humans, nothing more, nothing less. There had been no reports of Villains targeting certain Heroes, at least, until now.

“Hehe,” The Shadow chuckled, “I am human and I am more.” His eyes turned their attention over Thirteen’s shoulder as he gazed at the Shadow Army running down to join the battle, “We may have missed the Largest Fragment, but we can still take the Greatest.”

“Wait! Aren’t you-”

The Shadow cut off Thirteen as a dozen thin, spindly arms pierced her body, cutting off her last words, “Our plans have already gone somewhat off the rails. I won’t allow any more interference.”

Aizawa was not necessarily a prideful man. He stayed outside the influence of the media and instead of taking a flashy job like Gate clearing, he joined the Anti-Awakened task force, which handled human opponents who chose to use their powers as a Villain would. Even still, he knew that he had come far as a C-Rank and while humble on the outside, he felt accomplished with what he managed to do.

He was weak in comparison to someone of a higher Rank, but like most others of a low Rank, his Quirk helped him surpass his Awakened strength. Just by looking at someone with his Quirk active, he could restrict their Mana flow, cutting off access to both their own Quirk, Skills, and even some of their Awakened strength.

Unlike most other Quirks, Aizawa’s had no drawbacks, only a singular limitation. It ran on Mana like other Quirks, so once he ran out of energy, he was essentially just a C-Rank with average strength. And yet, once again, Aizawa showed off his prowess as a Hero. 

As the capture device around his neck, a carbon fiber band of sorts, flew at a nearby Villain, he triggered his Quirk, timing it perfectly in order to mitigate the Mana loss. He wasn’t adept with long, drawn out battles with hordes of enemies, but these were Villains and human or not, he couldn’t let them go free, for both his students and for the civilians that lived nearby the USJ. If a single one of these B to A-Ranks got free, they could wreak an unbelievable amount of havoc on the surrounding area until efforts could be scrambled to deal with them.

Dashing through the battlefield, he was akin to a one-man army. With each opening of his eyes another fell victim to his onslaught. With the mix of Awakened and Gate Villains, Aizawa found himself in a precarious situation. They were so numerous and so varied in their powers that there was a clear disadvantage. No priority could be made for any one Villain as they remained in a loose circle surrounding him, their various Quirks and magics aimed at him.

Taking a spare moment to catch his breath, Aizawa prepared to leap back into the fray, determined to at least put a dent in their numbers. But before he could, a wave of darkness rushed over the crowd, parting just before it hit Aizawa. Upon second glance, Aizawa realized that the Shadows were not a literal wave, but Shadow Knights and Shadow Bears, creatures of Izuku’s creation. 

[You have Leveled-Up!]

The green-haired teen leapt off his mount and landed next to his teacher, giving him a slightly apologetic smile. The Shadow Army was efficiently and swiftly dealing with the lower Rank Villains, allowing Aizawa a moment to sigh at Izuku, fixing him with a pointed glare. Of course, he couldn’t deny that he was grateful for an army of his own to help fend off the Villains, but he was still upset that a student disobeyed his orders and that Thirteen let them.

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[Mana 18203/24987]

Izuku nearly gasped at his sudden Mana loss. Six thousand taken away in an instant meant that not only was something destroying them with asinine strength, but it was doing so at an incredible rate.

Not wanting to waste any time or Mana, Izuku immediately withdrew his forces, them parting like a red sea and revealing their truly dangerous opponents.

“Hmm… Kurogiri, shouldn’t those masses have been stronger?”

The Shadowy man responded, “They were the very best and biggest forces we could acquire on short notice.”

“Tch. It’s a shame we have to rely on humans to occupy our true prey.”

Kurogiri nodded, “Fret not Shigaraki, for it appears we still have an opportunity here.”

“Huh?” Shigaraki muttered, “What’s that mean? All Might isn’t here. The only point in killing these brats is for the fun of it.”

“Can you not see it? In front of our very eyes, we have found the Grea-” Izuku was suddenly within punching distance of Kurogiri, his Shadowsteel armor and gauntlets covering up his body.

[Overwhelming Strength has activated.]

[Mechanical Destruction has activated.]

“I can’t beat the other two, but I can kill their teleporter! With Aizawa cutting off their Mana flow and Igris distracting the other two, there’s no way they can stop me!”

“None of that little Hero.” Shigaraki’s bare hand reached out and wrapped around Izuku’s fist, “Kurogiri is an important asset to me, I refuse to lose him.” Then, Izuku’s gauntlets began to crack.

“How…?” Izuku leapt back, out of range of the three Villains, surprised to see that Igris had been flung like a ragdoll and the Nomu-Type creature was blocking Aizawa’s line of sight.

“Midoriya!” Aizawa shouted, noticing that the cracking of Izuku’s gauntlets was tracing its way up the armor.

Izuku desperately attempted to shake off the growing decay, but to no avail. He knew that it wasn’t decaying his own flesh, but he couldn’t help but feel like he lost something as his Shadowsteel armor was completely overtaken. Within seconds, the entire set of armor, in addition to his prized gauntlets, had turned to dust and been scattered by the wind.

He was so disturbed by the loss of his entire armor set that he only looked up in time to see the Nomu’s fist bearing down on him.

“HYO!”

The Nomu was frozen instantly, his momentum completely stopped. However, mere seconds later, the ice began to tremble and shatter. Hyo’s attack was rather ineffective, but it gave Izuku the chance to hop back and avoid the devastating punch.

Of course, this didn’t keep the Nomu from pursuing its prey and Shigaraki and Kurogiri relaxed as the Villain batted aside Smokey like it was nothing. 

Izuku wanted to be angry about how the other two Villains were doing nothing more than sitting back and watching, but he had more pressing matters.

[Overwhelming Strength can only be activated whilst wearing gauntlets.]

“Dammit!” Izuku continued to backpedal as Hyo did his best to halt the beast, using ice spears, walls, hammers, and just straight up freezing it. At best, the Nomu was only slowed.

Looking back to Aizawa, he could see that his teacher was staring straight at their opponent, his Quirk fully active, “What is this thing? Even with it’s Mana cut off, it refuses to stop!”

Hyo’s eyes narrowed as he focused heavily on the target in front of him. With his hands splayed out to either side of him, he looked almost divine as Mana began pooling around him, causing his Shadow hair to flutter around from the force.

Whether it was some sixth sense, or simply the Nomu realizing that Hyo was condensing an immense force, it turned around, facing what it deemed a true threat.

[Dominator’s Touch has activated.]

Izuku tripped up the Villain as it made for his loyal servant, instead faceplanting thanks to the telekinetic intervention. Of course, this didn’t hold the beast for long and it once again reached its clawed hand out for Hyo. This time, Izuku did nothing, choosing to wait. But not because he wanted to see Hyo smashed, or because he was afraid to fight, but because he could see the Ice Elf’s face. His lips were curled up into that same demented smile that Izuku detested so much. 

Just as the Nomu went to squash the Elf like a bug, Hyo’s hands clenched into fists and the air was filled with an immense crackling. Half of the black creature’s skin was overcome with cool-blue ice and it fell to the ground, its right side scrabbling for help.

For a moment, Izuku contemplated why this attack was suddenly so much more effective, but it was only when its hand shattered off did he realize. Instead of creating a solid and tough layer on the outside, Hyo froze all the way through to the bone, making it look like the Nomu’s insides were made of ice instead of flesh.

It continued to thrash around, chunks of its body cracking and falling off, but it didn’t seem concerned in the slightest. Finally, it split itself down the middle, all of the ice crashing to the ground as dead matter. And then, its red insides began to move and writhe. Mass exploded outwards, regenerating the pieces it had lost mere moments earlier. 

Aizawa’s eyes lit up red and the regen slowed to a near stop as Izuku reached into his inventory, pulling a jagged marble sword.

[Item: Angel’s Demonic Wing]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Broadsword

Attack: +120

[Made from the impenetrable feathers of the Heavenly Guardians, this sword will never break.]

[Active Skill: Paralyzing Storm. The user’s sword will shed its outer layer of perfectly sharpened feathers. Up to five dozen can be sent at once to seek out and paralyze enemies for a short period of time.]

“Igris!” Izuku heaved the sword into the air, sending it spinning for the Knight that was falling through the air, aiming for the Nomu. After recovering, Igris laid in wait, perfectly positioned for the moment when he’d have to make a move. Seeing that his enemy had been dealt a fatal blow and was still getting up, he jumped, soaring through the sky in an arc.

Izuku used Dominator’s Touch once more to hold the Villain in place for his Shadow Soldier.

Igris’s left hand reached out, snatching the spiraling sword like it was nothing. Crossing both his Shadow Sword and the Angel’s Demonic Wing in front of him, he made contact with the Nomu. Glowing lines appeared in his black skin as Igris swung and slashed faster than the normal eye could track. Once he was certain that he had cut small enough, Igris kicked outwards, blowing the Nomu into hundreds of small cube-shaped pieces. And in order to ensure it could no longer regenerate, it impaled the still intact head on his sword, preparing his trophy for his Liege.

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

Now, with only Shigaraki and Kurogiri remaining, a Shadow Bear leapt at them from behind.

Shigaraki sighed, “This is boring.” Without turning around, his hand stopped a creature five times his size. “Now disappear.” The Bear instantly dissolved into ash, falling to the ground in a heap. 

Izuku took a step back, “The regeneration! It’s slower!” The dust pulled and pushed at itself, a dark glob of Shadow desperately attempting to form a solid shape once more.

“Hmm,” Shigaraki mused, “It looks like I’ve still got some ways to go before I can reach His level. It’s a real shame we didn’t get to take out All Might.”

“Indeed. But remember, there is always the boy in front of you.”

“What about him?” Shigaraki asked, still seeming bored with the whole encounter.

“Can you not sense it? He is no normal Hero. He is like All Might, but something else.”

Shigaraki almost glared at his Gate maker, “Stop speaking in riddles.”

“That boy, he has a fragment inside of him.”

Shigaraki froze, then turned his attention back to Aizawa and Izuku who stood at the ready. They refused to attack as they knew they would only die. “You… what’s your name?”

“Izuku Midoriya.” 

Shigaraki appeared behind him, “It’s a shame… you’ll die before you truly come into the power you’ve inherited.” 

“NO ONE ELSE DIES TODAY!” A hurricane of winds struck the courtyard and Izuku had to latch onto Smokey in order to prevent himself from going flying. “WHY?! BECAUSE I AM HERE!”

Izuku’s eyes were still closed to protect them from the massive shockwave, but he smiled all the same, knowing exactly who had come to their assistance. By the time he managed to finally peel them open, he saw Shigaraki slumped, looking tired and sad.

“It’s unfortunate… but we can’t win this without our tank. Kurogiri.”

“Right.”A Gate popped into existence as All Might ran forwards, his image less than a blur. 

“SMAAAASSSHUUU!” 

“Save it for another day, Number One.” Shigaraki growled out as the Gate collapsed in on itself, sucking inside both Villains just as All Might’s massive wind blast struck. It hit the Flood Zone just behind them, and practically emptied the entire manmade lake of its contents.

Naturally, this would’ve blasted away both Mineta and Tsuyu, who had been hiding just by the water’s edge, but thankfully, Izuku had noticed them at the last moment and used Dominator’s Touch to lift them high above the attack.

“NO!”

Izuku was so caught off-guard by All Might’s uncharacteristic shout of anger that he nearly allowed his two classmates to freefall the last twenty feet to the ground. Once the two did make it safely down however, Izuku paid the four, All Might, Aizawa, Tsuyu, and Mineta no mind and instead instructed his Shadows to crowd around the body of the Nomu. 

Slipping in between the cracks of his army, he approached Igris, who kneeled next to the chopped up body, with the decapitated head still resting next to him. In one of his hands, he held the Angel’s sword, but he had sheathed his other sword in order to hold up a Runestone. Izuku quickly took it and thanked his most trusted ally, shoving the Rune in his inventory. He’d look at it later. After all, he didn’t have much time to invite his newest soldier before the others noticed his absence.

“Arise.”

Izuku was nearly shoved back by the amount of darkness that spewed from the Nomu’s eviscerated body. It was far more overwhelming than what Igris had put out back when he’d been Extracted.

[Shadow Nomu Lv. 15 Elite Knight Grade.]

Izuku’s eyebrows shot up as he realized he found a Grade higher than even Igris’s, “I hope he’s not jealous about that one.”

[Shadows higher than Knight Grade can be named.]

“Nomu by itself is no good.”

Attempting to glean any hints for a name from its abilities, Izuku opened its System menu.

[Passive Skill: Shock Absorption. Shadow Nomu will take 99% reduced damage from blunt attacks and 50% reduced damage from any magic type attacks.]

“Jeez! I guess that Villain was right… this is a Tank.”

Izuku sighed, “Alright fine… Tank it is.”

The Nomu with a bird-like beak let out a piercing inhuman shriek, but Izuku called him back into the Shadows before anyone could get too suspicious. While some may have figured out he was a Reawakened with what they thought was a powerful summoning Quirk, there were still aspects of his power that he wanted to keep under the radar. There was no doubt in his mind that if Tank walked out from the bundle of Shadow Warriors, at the very least, Aizawa would pick up on his powers.

“Alright, well now that that’s done,” Izuku smiled, “Go help the others out.” The Army bowed their heads before taking off in four separate directions, “Hmm, I guess they’re avoiding Bakugo and Shoto.”

Now that he was no longer hidden within the circle of darkness, Izuku looked over to All Might, hoping he’d get to see more of his favorite Hero in action, but all he saw was Aizawa patting the massive muscle man on the back. “I… yeah I think I’ve seen everything.”

Within the next ten minutes, Izuku received another three notifications about his Level going up. The faculty and police arrived moments later, having realized that they couldn’t contact the USJ and that its sensors had been taken offline.  

Ascending the steps up to the platform with his classmates, several of them immediately realized something was wrong. Many of the teachers wore masks of sorrow, some even had tears forming in their eyes. They expected anger, annoyance, anything but this depressing atmosphere of sadness.

“Mister Tsukauchi,” Izuku breathed out as he realized the head of the monitoring division was bearing down on him and the rest of his class.

“Midoriya,” He replied, giving a cursory nod.

“What’s going on?!” A high-pitched voice from the back of the pack shouted, “Where’s Thirteen?!”

Izuku balked, realizing that with the overwhelming events going on, he hadn’t even recognized the absence of their rescue instructor.

Tsukauchi took off his glasses solemnly and addressed the class, “I’m sorry… Thirteen… she didn’t make it.”

Chapter Text

“You’re pretty good at getting yourself into trouble,” Tsukauchi was leaning against a police car as Thirteen’s covered body was lifted gingerly into the ambulance. “And yet, even as an E-Rank, you’re pretty good at getting out of those same situations.” He gave Izuku a small smile. The two stood off to the side of the rest of the class. Everyone was getting questioned, but only Izuku was getting special attention.

But Izuku wasn’t paying much attention to the detective. Instead, his eyes were pulled to Thirteen’s corpse, “A Quirk like hers. If I could Extract that…” Izuku nearly slapped himself right in front of Tsukauchi as he realized what he had been thinking. “There’s no way I could do that… I’d be no better than a gravedigger.”

Tsukauchi noticed his clenched jaw and narrowed eyes, “Don’t worry. You’re not in trouble.”

“Huh?”

“As much as it annoys me that you didn’t tell me, you’re not a false Ranker. So far, you’ve only used your Reawakening to save people.” He took off his sunglasses and wiped them on his suit, “I don’t think I need to tell you that isn’t a bad thing.” He sighed, “But we’re still left with too many questions. They said they were here to kill All Might… but of all people, why was Thirteen singled out? How’d they get that many Gate and Human Villains to band together?” Tsukauchi paused for a moment, realizing that the boy he was talking to was just sixteen. “Sorry, I shoul-”

“Maybe… she knew something about them that we didn’t. If that information was important enough to them… then…” Izuku trailed off, his point made.

“Then if that’s the case, it brings up the question… what did she know?”

Shigaraki grumbled as he stepped out of Kurogiri’s Gate, coming to a rest at their hideout, an old renovated bar hidden from the masses. Taking a seat, he growled out, “Get me a drink Kurogiri.” The Shadow man bowed and slipped behind the bar, his form now more humanoid than before.

Left of Shigaraki, an old Tv crackled to life and a dark shape with no features appeared on the screen. “Tomura.”

“Master… The Largest Fragment didn’t show until it was too late. A boy… killed the Nomu and we were forced to retreat.”

“Mmm… I heard you killed Thirteen as well, was there a reason for this?” the raspy voice mused.

Kurogiri poured the clear liquid into a small glass for Shigaraki, “She began to sense that ‘something’ inside of me, the Mana screaming to escape. I couldn’t allow any information to leak.”

“I suppose there’s no helping it then. Now… does this boy you mentioned have a name?”

“Izuku Midoriya,” Shigaraki responded.

“Antares,” Kurogiri interjected, “I believe you may know him by another title.”

“Oh?” The voice asked, “What might that be?”

“The Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light: Ashborn.”

The next day, class was… animated, to say the least.

Izuku almost stumbled back as he opened the door, greeted by a hail of shouts and raucous conversations.

“Did you guys see the news!” Hagakure, a brunette with lively blue eyes, shouted, “We were all on screen! I got so nervous that I forgot to turn myself visible again!”

“At least you didn’t get caught making a weird face,” Kaminari bemoaned. Upon walking out of the USJ yesterday, he was caught with a drooling, limp face, apparently a result of his Quirk.”

“For real,” Kirishima agreed, “How did Mineta even know they were filming us? He had that perfect smile for the entire time on the news.”

“What can I say? I’m quite photogenic.” Mineta smirked, finally noticing as Izuku walked in, “Well well well, it looks like the Demon Lord finally shows himself.”

“D-Demon Lord?” He glanced back to Yaoyorozu, who gave him a small wave and a shrug.

Asui was the one to answer to his ridiculous title, “We saw those Summons of yours all bowing to you.”

“It made you look like some sort of King… or at least an evil one.”

“Speaking of you Summons Izuku,” Ojiro began, flashing a thumbs up, “Thanks for the backup!”

“Yeah, I suppose I should thank you too. After all, me and Yaomomo were so busy protecting this dummy that we barely had time to fight,” She teased, pointing at Kaminari.

“Hey!”

“It really was nothing!” Izuku stammered out, overcome by all the attention. “I wasn’t even sure if anyone would need my hel...p?” He trailed off as a dark, shadowy, bird-like creature got up in his face. 

He flinched back and Tokoyami apologized, his feather head lowering, “He didn’t get to see your Summons yesterday and he’s quite interested.”

“Please?” The bird croaked out, wringing his hands together in a comical pattern. Unlike Izuku’s Shadow Soldiers, Dark Shadow had a rougher, less solid body.

“O-Oh. Sure!” Izuku’s palm aimed itself at the ground and dragged upwards, as if pulling out his Shadow, “Igris.”

The knight appeared beside him with a swirl of darkness, still clutching both the Angel Wing sword and his own Shadow sword. Izuku’s neck craned up as he realized something, “Did… Did you get taller?”

Igris looked down at his Liege, noticing the change in his height and bowed his head, as if attempting to make himself shorter.

“Does the System make them grow as well? I mean, his level is higher.”

[Igris Lv. 29 Knight Grade.]

“I think Smokey’s Grade increased after hitting Level 30, so Igris is pretty close to Elite Knight Grade then.”

“Woah, I wish my Summons were that strong,” Kota whispered to himself from the back of the classroom as he lamented his weaker abilities. In truth, Kota’s powers were pretty unique. He could call upon any earthly animal whose power was slightly enhanced. Of course, not even all of Kota’s Summons combined could so much as scratch Igris, their power differentials were simply far too vast.

“Take your seats,” A voice growled out from the door, causing Izuku to jump and even Igris faltered for a moment, having not sensed Aizawa’s approach. Izuku sent Igris away and practically jumped into his seat.

“Yesterday was shit, but there’s no time to dwell on it. There’s something far more important in the coming days.”

Izuku could feel himself leaning forwards with the rest of the class.

“Something more important than a Villain attack?”

“Do you think they attacked somewhere else?!”

“Is this about Thirteen?”

The last comment caught Aizawa off-guard and his impenetrably bored expression flinched for just a moment. “It’s regrettable that we lost her, but it’s also not the job of you students to worry about her death. Her family and friends are taking care of her funeral, and Tsukauchi is investigating any reasons the attackers would have to target her.” He shook his head, “What I’m talking about could possibly define the rest of your Hero careers. The Sports Festival.”

The students slumped back slightly in their seats. The Sports Festival was indeed an exciting time for them. As an event that was broadcasted to the nation and even other parts of the world, it was a great opportunity to get some of the spotlight. 

“Scouts from all sorts of Agencies around the country will be watching you. If you do well enough, you might just start the very beginning of your Pro Hero career.”

In a somewhat anticlimactic turn of events nothing came after that announcement and the class was forced to go back to their normal homeroom activities. Izuku, meanwhile, was scrolling through his System status.

Level: 74

Strength: 142

Vitality: 94

Agility: 125

Intelligence: 144

Sense: 106

[Mana: 3043/3043]

[HP: 19734/19734]

“I Leveled Up quite a bit, but my Stats still went down. I guess I forgot just how much I relied on the Shadowsteel armor. Should be thankful that I didn’t have to dismiss any of my Shadows though.”

His mind began to wander as he thought back to his encounter with Shigaraki and Kurogiri, “The one that could create the Gates… he acted like he knew me… like he could sense that my power wasn’t normal. He couldn’t be part of the System too… could he?” Izuku shook his head, “No, the System has created problems for me to solve, not massive roadblocks like those two.” He continued through the memories, coming to a moment where he had been asked a simple question.

“You… what’s your name?”

“And I answered them truthfully.” Had he not been in class, Izuku might’ve smacked himself, “There’s almost never any Villains that escape from Gates and Human Villains are so uncommon, I didn’t even think about what I was doing.” For the rest of the day, Izuku was out of it, drifting into semi-consciousness as he began to become overwhelmed with guilt. “I should visit mom today and maybe even up the Shadows on Sakura.”

“Midoriya?” Izuku jumped as a hand laid on his shoulder. He spun around, Yaoyorozu was there, her lips pursed and her eyes wide. “Are you okay? You’ve barely said one word all day.”

“Yeah… I was just… um… thinking I would go visit my mom in the hospital today.”

“Then as long as it doesn’t bother you, I’m coming with,” She declared forcefully.

Izuku stared for a moment, “Huh?”

“The last time you looked this upset, you got separated from our Raid Party and nearly got killed by some E-Rank Villains.”

“Oh… yeah.” Izuku smiled wistfully. It wasn’t necessarily a good memory, but to be honest, the best memories of his time as an E-Rank was when he got hurt and Yaoyorozu insisted on fawning over him until he was fine. “Alright.”

This time it was Yaoyorozu’s turn to freeze up, “Huh?”

“I’d be grateful for the company and… well you’re gonna need to meet my mother sooner or later, right?” He joked without a smile.

“Hi mom,” Izuku said as he entered the room, pulling up a chair for Yaoyorozu, who was standing in the doorway, unmoving, “I brought a visitor today. Sorry it’s not Sakura, she’s been a little busy lately. I’ve done my best to keep her out of trouble, but she’s… well she’s Sakura.” He turned back to Yaoyorozu, his eyes calm, but the inner turmoil showing through easily, “Momo Yaoyorozu, I’d like for you to meet my mother, Inko Midoriya.”

Snapping back to reality, she remembered her manners and bowed, introducing herself to the frail woman. “Is it… it’s not…”

“The Eternal Slumber. Her body couldn’t handle the strain of Mana flowing freely through the world, so she simply fell asleep.” He scoffed, “Out of all the people I knew, she seemed like the least likely to succumb to it. She was always so lively. Then, she started getting more and more tired. We knew what it was of course, but it took us weeks before we finally woke up from our denial. I barely got to say goodbye.”

“So that’s why…”

“Yep. The only way to keep her alive was Villain Cores and money. Two things I didn’t have much of.”

Yaoyorozu fidgeted in place for a moment, suddenly feeling remorseful. She had decided to never use her Quirk for monetary gain. Not just to save the balance of the economy, but to show her parents that she wasn’t simply a tool to produce whatever they wanted. Now though, she felt like she had been selfish. She could’ve saved Izuku so much trouble had she just been selfish for this one person. 

“I don’t have to worry about that now. The System has given me the means to keep her well taken care of. It’s not all bad news.”

“Can she… hear us?”

Izuku shook his head, “The doctors told me that Slumber victims are like coma patients, they can hear some of what goes on around them, but… I did my own research. It’s just to comfort the families.”

“Thank you, Miss Midoriya,” Yaoyorozu began, her head bowed low, “It’s regrettable to say, but your son is much like your daughter, he’s far too attracted to danger. But… without him, I would’ve died several times over, and I never would’ve found my true resolve. We may have met under some pretty imperfect conditions, but I wanted to assure you that even if he doesn’t look after himself, I will.”

Izuku wiped away a small tear, “Thank you. It’s been so long since… since anyone else really talked to her. I felt like I was going crazy.” He hiccuped out a small sob as Yaoyorozu suddenly hugged him from behind, her warm body enveloping the sorrow he had held back for Sakura and for himself.

“It’s okay. You’re not alone anymore.”

Chapter Text

“Izu! You can’t give me crap about waking up late for school if you do the same ya hypocrite!” Sakura rubbed her eyes blearily as she knocked once on his door before entering, her face turning bright red.

“I-I-I-I-IZUKU?!”

A head of long, messy, straight black hair pulled itself up from the pillow, “Wha-What’s going on?”

“M-M-M-Miss Yaoyorozu? What are you doing in bed with my brother?!”

“Bed?” Yaoyorozu slurred as she turned to her other side, Izuku tangled in the covers and working his way out. “Eh… Eh… EH?! Nononono wait! It’s not what you think!” She looked down at her body, relieved to see that she was still fully clothed. “W-We were just… c-c-cuddling…” She muttered, too embarrassed to say it loud and proud. Pulling off the covers, she went to step out of bed, realizing with a shock that she was only wearing panties, her school uniform bottom must’ve slipped off in the night, she always was a wild sleeper after all. Of course, this did nothing to help the misunderstanding and Sakura’s face became a deeper shade of red right alongside Yaoyorozu’s.

She had always been bugging her brother to get a girlfriend, or at least someone to confide in, like a best friend, and everyone knew that Bakugo didn’t count, but she hadn’t expected things to progress this fast. “I’ll just… leave you two alone,” Sakura blurted out, slamming the door shut behind her.

“Ugh… sorry,” Izuku said, finally coming to and recognizing the situation, “I’ll make sure she doesn’t get the wrong idea.”

“S-So… we didn’t actually… ya know… right?”

“WHAT?! N-N-N-NO! I’d never… I mean… not without… um… We should get going! Don’t wanna be late!” 

Yaoyorozu wanted to shove her cherry-red face into a dark hole and never bring it out, but she also couldn’t deny the comfort she had felt resting in Izuku’s arms the previous night. “I want to do that again…” She admitted to herself as Izuku hopped out of bed, doing his best not to look at Yaoyorozu’s bottom half.

Izuku smiled as he walked out of his bedroom, moving to track down his sister, “Maybe Sakura was right all along. I needed someone to comfort me. I don’t want to be selfish but… I want last night to happen again.”

By the time Izuku and Yaoyorozu reached school, a good amount of the awkwardness between them had faded. It probably helped that Sakura was surprisingly understanding and apologized for the rude awakening after the situation was explained. But this didn’t mean that their morning was going to be calm from there on out. 

Izuku’s eyebrows shot up as he realized there were at least two dozen students he had never met before crowding around 1-A’s door. “What the…?”

“I think those are classes 1-B and 1-C. What are they doing here?”

A voice appeared just to the right of Izuku, “They’re scouting the competition of course.” Todoroki answered, “Our class was the one to handle a Villain attack after all. Or at least what the news stations are calling a Gate break.”

Yaoyorozu nodded, “I kinda forgot in all the chaos, but I’m curious as to why the Monitoring Division is keeping it so hush-hush.”

“It’s because of that Kurogiri Villain. He could create Gates out of nothing. Imagine if that knowledge got out to the public. No warning, no week long grace period before it opened, just a Gate the could pour Villains into your living room.”

“Hey you!” A steely voice sounded, causing Izuku’s focus to track back to the crowd, “You’re the one that beat the Zero-pointer aren’t you!”

As much as he didn’t want to, Izuku couldn’t help but make comparisons between this guy and Kirishima. His hair was a silvery-white and his face held no real similarities to Kirishima’s, but the way he carried himself and the Mana coming off of him seemed way too familiar. “That’s right.”

“We’re here with a declaration of war!” 

“Eh?”

“My classmate Monoma is relaying the same info to the rest of your class so I needed to do the same over here!”

Izuku held his hands up in a peaceful gesture, “Okay? Could you be a bit quieter though? The other classes are starting to get annoyed.”

Looking around, this new kid was indeed seeing quite a few glares from the senior students as they attempted to chat with their friends in the hall. “Oh… well I’m still here to declare war!”

“He was only quieter for one word,” Izuku bemoaned.

“Just because you survived a Villain attack doesn’t mean you’re special 1-A! Mark my words, 1-B is gonna be at the top of this Sports Festival! Hey! Where are you going?!”

“This is a worthless conversation,” Todoroki said, his monotone way of speaking having a greater effect than most would’ve anticipated.

“Well… I’m Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!” He shouted, turning back to where Izuku and Yaoyorozu had been standing, surprised to see that they were gone as well.

Even after the bell had rung, it took Aizawa’s deep red gaze and the threat of expulsion to clear the crowd.

“The Festival is only a few days away, so I’m going to be going over most of the rules right now.” Aizawa tapped on his mobile device, bringing up a display on the board behind him, “First, no armor and no weapons are allowed unless given for the event. Skills and Quirks that can summon weapons, like Yaoyorozu’s Creation Quirk, or Midoriya’s ability to summon that armor are allowed.”

Izuku sighed quietly, “It’s not like I can do that anymore though. Maybe I should try going back into the Heavenly Palace to get some items…” He narrowed his eyes, “No. Bakugo and Todoroki won’t be using anything either, I’ll just have to make do with my current Stats and my Army.”

“There are three events that will take place, each decided at random by a spinning wheel. These games will slowly weed out the contestants, so do your best to not lose in the first or second event, otherwise, the scouts might not deem you important enough. Most contestants that make it to the third event get at least one scout watching them. Your costumes won’t be allowed since y…”

Aizawa seemed to trail off as Izuku got lost in his own world once more. He felt like he was daydreaming more and more often, but despite that, he never missed any information from the teachers, “Maybe the System is compensating?” But what was really on Izuku’s mind was far more mysterious. Yaoyorozu’s mention of Kurogiri had reinvigorated Izuku’s curiosity, “What did Thirteen know?”

“Yep… six-eight-two, this is the apartment,” Tsukauchi told himself, tucking away the piece of paper into his suit pocket. He was here as the head of the Monitoring Division, but despite his official power, he was here illegally. He had not gotten permission to investigate Thirteen’s home, as his higher ups in the Association decided that it was not necessary and told him to forget about the incident. But something in the back of his mind refused to let him forget. Maybe it was Izuku’s concern over what Thirteen knew, maybe it was All Might’s severe reaction to the two Villains, or maybe, “Maybe I just need to know for myself.”

Taking a quick look around him, Tsukauchi wrapped his hand around the doorknob and twisted, using his A-Rank strength to easily break in.

Moving inside, he noted that the place was nothing special. One floor, one bedroom, one bathroom, one kitchen. “Even today, teachers and rescue-type Heroes get paid too little.”

A picture of Thirteen, without her suit on caught his eyes and he looked over, surprised to see her crouching down to take a picture with a student, “She almost never took that thing off in the presence of others… that student must’ve been pretty special.” She had bob-cut black hair, deep dark eyes, and a blinding smile. All things considered, she was quite beautiful and Tsukauchi felt a pang of remorse that more people didn’t get to see her like that. “Sorry for invading your home Thirteen… but I just have to know.”

It took only fifteen minutes… fifteen minutes to realize that there was nothing special in any of her small rooms. There weren't any hidden boxes in her closet, no hidden voice recordings under her bed, nothing besides clothes in her drawers. He tore through the bedroom three times before finally giving up and stumbling back out to the kitchen. He sighed and grabbed a cup from the cupboard, filling it with water from the fridge's dispenser. “I guess it kinda makes sense. If it was a secret dangerous enough to get killed over, you wouldn’t keep any trace of it in your home of all places. Maybe I should just-” His thought was cut off as a rattling sound came from the fridge he was leaning against. “Those vibrations came from the top half… she doesn’t… have someone stuffed in her freezer does she?”

He thought it an impossibility, but despite that, Tsukauchi readied himself, charging Mana up through his body before tearing off the freezer door completely with his strength. What he saw was… absolutely nothing. It was a completely normal freezer, frozen food, ice cream, nothing out of the ordinary. “But what I felt was not ordinary. It wasn’t just the fridge making noise.”

His eyes settled down on the ice cream, remembering a time when his sister would store her emergency stash of cash in an empty and washed out ice cream container. He picked it up, feeling something much heavier than ice cream rattling around inside. Tsukauchi tore off the top, and pulled out the object, a golden orb about the size of a baseball. It was carved intricately with patterns of ants. Around the equator of the orb was a smooth bit, with words filling the gaps. He traced his finger over them, reading aloud, “The Weakest Fragment of Brilliant Light: Pulra.”

“Tsukauchi…”

“What?! Who was that?!”

“Calm down Tsukauchi, Pulra will never accept someone in your state.”

“Th-Thirteen? Are you…?”

“Alive? In a sense. But no, I am dead.” Her voice was ethereally and hard to make out, “This is just a small part of my soul, trapped here to make sure Pulra received her Host.”

“Pulra? Host? What the hell are you talking about?!” Tsukauchi tried to drop the orb, but it was like his hand was frozen in place, “Am I going crazy?”

“You are just as sane as you were when you woke up this morning. Pulra and I are assessing your memories. If you are acceptable…”

“If I’m acceptable then what?!”

“Then you will be one of the grateful humans to inherit a Fragment of His Brilliant Light.” This new voice made Tsukauchi’s knees buckle and he fell to the floor.

“What… are you?”

The voice ignored him, “You are strong, yet weak in a world of gods. You know your place in the food chain, yet you still attempt to interfere and keep the peace. You follow orders, but are also willing to refuse them when they break your morals. Your Quirk is weak, yet effective outside of battle. Your Mana is calm and compressed… You are… acceptable.”

“I don’t understand!”

“Sorry Tsukauchi,” Thirteen interrupted, “But you will soon.”

Before he could say anything else, a white light began escaping from the carvings in the sphere, eclipsing his vision, and filling his mind with a presence unlike anything he had ever felt before.

“Now… we become one.”

Chapter Text

It was the first day of the Sports Festival and all of the UA classes were proceeding to the waiting rooms dressed in their PE uniforms. Sneaking through the crowd, Yaoyorozu snatched Midoriya’s hand, allowing the rest of the classes to move past them and leaving the two alone in the hallway.

“What’s wrong?” Izuku looked at her downcast eyes concerned.

“We’ve… gotten closer these past few weeks but… for now, we need to forget about that.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“If we want to win this, or at the very least make sure we’re noticed, then we need to make sure that we don’t hold anything back against each other. I don’t think we should try to help one another, or even teaming up if the events allow it.”

Izuku nodded slowly, “I understand not helping each other in solo events, but why not team up?”

“Well… it’s just that I feel like I’ve depended on you too many times already. I just want to see what I can do with… a different team.”

Izuku smiled and gave her hand a squeeze, “Okay!”

“R-Really?”

Izuku tilted his head, “Of course. It’s good practice in a safe environment after all. Gates certainly don’t let you test out team compositions.” He tried not to chuckle when he saw her gratefulness, “I feel like I’m… better when you’re with me,” He said, allowing himself to be vague in order to avoid an overly cheesy line, “But that doesn’t mean I get to be selfish and keep you by my side twenty-four-seven.”

Part of Yaoyorozu screamed at her to say, “No! I want you to do that! I want you to be that selfish!” But of course, she stuck with a simple nod of her head and said, “Then let’s do our best to win!”

Though Izuku was wearing his perfectly tailored PE uniform, he felt naked without his gauntlets as he walked out into the center of the UA Sports Festival arena. The grassy fields may have looked like a place to partake in friendly sports, but everyone there knew it was nothing less than a battlefield.

“Whaddya think the first event’s gonna be?” Hanta Sero whispered over to Shoji as they walked across the field, hundreds, if not thousands of eyes trained down on them.

“From what Mister Aizawa told us, the first events are always designed to eliminate bigger chunks of the student base. Two years ago it was a race with a certain number of available positions. Everyone who placed after number one-hundred was eliminated.”

“You all know Class 1-A from their daring escapades with Villains at the USJ, but don’t let their shining airtime blind you to their competitors! Classes B, C, and D all have some excellent talent this year! For all of you fans waiting for E, F, and G in the General Studies, well make sure you stick around till tomorrow, as those super studious students compete then!”

Izuku’s eyes traced over Classes C and D. He already knew that B had some decent amounts of competition, but he sensed barely anything comparable from the other classes. “Are they here just to increase the number of participants? Shoji said that two years ago was a race with a hundred spots, which means that over a hundred people participated, were the classes more numerous then, or did the other classes just have more power than this year?”

From the outside he seemed calm and anyone who would’ve read his thoughts would only detect these observations, but in reality, it was just to distract him from the insane amount of people watching him.

Upon reaching the wooden stage by one of the walls of the field, the eighty or so students lined up in nice neat rows, forming a nice symmetrical pattern. Of course, the boys in the arrangement felt like breaking formation when they saw the referee for the coming events. The R-Rated Hero: Midnight. Her erotic costume was enough to enthrall the entire stadium, giving her their perfect attention as she called out, “Now that everyone is here, representing the students is Bakugo, from 1-A!”

Izuku almost instantly felt a chill run down his spine, knowing how things were about to go down. 

“Bakugo?”

“Him? Of all people?”

“Can’t we have Yaoyorozu or Iida do it? Hell, I’d even take Mineta saying it over him. At least then we’d get some pity laughs instead of insults.”

“Pity laughs?! What’s that mean lightning dolt?!”

The classes’ banter faded away as Bakugo reached the microphone, feedback echoing for just a moment, “I pledge… that I’m going to win, no matter what.”

Izuku simply sighed and shook his head as the boos and jeers began flying in the direction of Bakugo and 1-A. Chaos was erupting as with anything that involved Bakugo. Iida was doing his best to reprimand the explosive teen, but he only seemed to make matters worse by drawing even more declarations out of Bakugo.

“I love this liveliness!” Midnight cried, “But instead of words, let’s throw that hate and indignity into the first event!” Her whipped cracked as she pointed it at the board behind her that began spinning a wheel of possibilities, “The first event is… battle royale! All students will participate in a no holds barred fight against one another! If you are knocked unconscious or thrown out of the bounds Cementoss is currently creating, then you are out!” The Hero was already in the process of sending waves of liquid-like cement to create a perfectly circular diameter of concrete, leaving the grassy field uncovered so that they may fall on soft terrain. “Cementoss will also be responsible for collecting any downed students so that you don’t have to worry about avoiding the bodies!”

“Could she please word that differently?” A couple dozen students thought simultaneously.

“Now, take your place on the platform and get ready to fight like your life depends on it, as there are only forty spots!”

The area was more like the entire circumference of the arena, with small gaps on the ends to get thrown off of. It was enough to house the eighty students without any of them being even remotely near each other. Izuku was stationed closer to the center of the diameter, so he wasn’t at a huge risk of being thrown out right off the bat.

“Ready!” Midnight called out, “Fight!”

The declaration was sudden, but apparently not unexpected. It took only a few moments before Izuku’s Sense Stat went off and he leaned backwards, just narrowly avoiding Iida, whose kick passed straight over him.

“Igris!”

The Knight wasted no time coming to his Liege’s aid and he snatched Iida’s leg by the calf, flinging him towards the edge of the circle. It wasn’t enough to eliminate him however, as it seemed that Igris had sensed Izuku’s intent to hold back. After all, Igris probably could’ve killed a majority of the people currently fighting without even breaking a sweat.

Righting himself, Izuku attempted to take stock of the situation, but it seemed like 1-B was not ready to give him that.

“1-A has a Summoner huh?” A blonde boy with a demented smile asked as he rushed Izuku alongside Tetsutetsu, a boy with blades coming out of his arms, and another boy with an almost werewolf-like appearance, “Well it doesn’t matter how strong that Summon is, it can’t hold all of us back before we knock you out!”

Igris drew his Shadow blade and rushed Kamakiri, the one with the blades. Meanwhile, the other three were left to Izuku himself. The blonde, Monoma, slapped the back of his beastly friend, Jurota and his body became just as hairy and monstrous. 

“COME HERE YOU EXTRA!” A shout sounded as an explosion eclipsed Monoma. It was, obviously, Bakugo. And as he faced off with Monoma, he looked back to Izuku, “You better make it to the finals, Deku! I want to show the world who’s really the strongest between us!”

Izuku basically ignored him, as Jurota and Tetsutetsu, whose skin was now a gleaming silver, were bearing down on him. Each reared back their fist, ready to hit Izuku from both sides. He could have thrown them off balance with Dominator’s Touch, or even used his Stealth to vanish, but instead, he chose to simply meet their attacks head-on. His hands were held out, open-palmed and ready to catch their punches. Of course, even at Izuku’s strength, these attacks would be pretty heavy, so he activated his new Skill, something he had acquired specifically from the Nomu at the USJ.

[Skill: Shock Absorption has activated. All physical attacks will be reduced by 99% for five seconds. Cost: 500 Mana. Can only be used every 60 seconds.]

It was an overpowered Skill by most definitions of the word, but with its time limit, Mana cost, and cooldown, it was a very particular tool. 

This was Izuku’s first time trying it out, and he was not even slightly disappointed. As the heavy attacks from his two opponents crashed into his palms, he felt virtually nothing. “Smokey, keep the beast busy.”

Jurota’s eyes widened for just a moment before being smacked aside by a massive paw, leaving Tetsutetsu as the only threat. By that point, the buff Skill had worn off, so before he could throw another metallic punch, Izuku’s hand clenched around his fist and using Dominator’s Touch as leverage, he heaved Tetsutetsu into the air, intending to throw him out of boundaries in much the same way Igris had done to Iida. Unfortunately, he had not expected his classmate to have such intense weight behind him and while he went soaring a decent distance for what was essentially a metal man, he crashed down many many meters short of the goal.

Another five or so students had apparently gotten the same idea as 1-B and decided to take out the stronger students as a team, but unlike 1-B, they didn’t even stand a chance. “These must be the ones from C and D. They seem too slow.” Deciding that it wasn’t worth the exhaustive effort, Izuku sighed and raised a clawed hand, “ Come Forth. ”

The students didn’t even know what hit them as the army of darkness washed over them, carrying the five to the edge of the arena and unceremoniously throwing them out. “Alright,” Izuku said, grinning, “Let’s get to the main event.”

Ryukyu’s eyes narrowed as she watched Izuku Midoriya bat aside enemy after enemy with ease, he’d gotten stronger, not to mention his Shadow Summons, “So he was Reawakened. Was Tsukauchi wrong? Or just covering for him?”

“Hey, Kyu,” Dabi growled out from behind her, causing her to jump and spin around. “Lots of talent this year, huh?”

She scowled at him for a moment before noticing the woman beside him. She appeared to be in her early twenties and her hair was pure white, with a few specks of crimson throughout, “Oh excuse me,” She bowed to the woman, introducing herself. She may have been a total rage monster whenever facing Dabi, but she was not averse to composing herself for others.

The woman chuckled, “There’s no need to apologize, knowing Touya, he’s probably done something to annoy you. Oh! I’m Fuyumi Todoroki by the way!”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“Aw come on sis, why do you have to follow me around like some sort of supervisor? I just wanted to have some fun.”

“I followed you because I knew you’d try to bug someone.”

Dabi rolled his eyes sarcastically, “This isn’t just someone, this is Kyu,” He declared, as if that cleared up everything.

“I told you to stop calling me that!” Ryukyu nearly shouted, a slight blush forming on her face.

“Wait… Kyu?” Fuyumi asked, “Are you… Ryukyu?! Oh my god! I didn’t even realize! Touya always calls you by your Hero name, so I had no idea of your full name!”

“I-It’s quite alright… he didn’t refer to me as Kyu for the whole time we were dating did he?”

“It was almost exclusively that. Does it have any meaning? Or is it just a shortening of your Hero name?”

Ryukyu nodded furiously, “It is definitely just a shorter version-”

Dabi cut her off, “Oh, it has a meaning alright.”

“Dabi I swear to god I will eviscerate you right here and now.”

Fuyumi took a step back as her brother laughed, she could feel the real bloodlust between them, “What the hell Touya? You told me you guys broke up under good circumstances.”

“Ryukyu here is a noisy one.”

“Dabi…”

“I call her Kyu because the only noise she could make in bed was,” Dabi’s voice went up a note as he went, “ Kyu .”

Ryukyu wanted to feel indescribable rage. She wanted to tear him limb from limb, but the only thing she could do was look down, her face completely red with shame as she remembered their few nights of passion.

In fact, she was so distraught that she didn’t even notice Fuyumi smacking her brother over and over on the shoulder as she berated him. Of course, she could only do it for so long before her hands began to hurt, as the S-Rank was closer to a brick wall than a human.

“Kyu…” Dabi began, shrugging off his sister, “Today I’m just here for Shoto. I don’t want to ruin his big day on Tv by killing that pest.”

Ryukyu recovered for just a moment as Izuku was brought up, “So you’re going to leave him alone?”

“Pfft,” He scoffed, “As if. He’s obviously been Reawakened, which only reinforces my belief that he is responsible for Natsuo’s death.”

Fuyumi now tugged somewhat childishly on Dabi’s sleeve, “Touya, we talked about this.”

“I don’t care if the kid killed him in self-defense, he was our brother.”

Fuyumi stomped her foot, “Obviously I know that! But he didn’t try to become a Hero like you, or like what Shoto is doing! He took after dad! I don’t need to tell you why that’s a bad thing!”

“He might not need to know, but I’d like to hear this Fuyumi,” Endeavor growled as he emerged from a nearby stairwell, his body flaring with fire.

Gently, Dabi moved Fuyumi behind him, “Don’t act coy Enji, you know what we mean.”

Endeavor growled, “It looks like the time you spent in America was wasted. You still have no respect for your elders.”

“I could never respect someone like you.”

“If you held more respect for me, you might not have received those burns.”

Dabi’s face contorted into a visage that resembled his father’s expression to a horrible degree, “I’m proud of these burns, they’re a reminder. I did what you refused to do, even as Number Two.” He scoffed, “Of course, you don’t even deserve that position, much less Number One.”

“Why you…” Endeavor’s arms began to glow, lighting up with a powerful blaze.

Dabi mirrored him, his burned and scarred arms bursting into blue flames. “I’d run Fuyumi.”

“What?!”

Endeavor appeared in Dabi’s face, faster than Fuyumi could even register her brother’s threat. Their father obviously had no care for his daughter’s safety as he was clearly willing to unleash a fiery blast with her just a few feet away.

“ENOUGH!”

Endeavor and Dabi were shoved back by impacts to their chest and were shocked to see sharp appendages at their throats. 

Ryukyu had intervened just in time, pushing them apart and threatening them with her claws and her trident-tipped tail that she manifested.

Dabi smiled as her tail wiggled at his throat, the tip centimeters away from piercing his skin, “I’d forgotten how cute your tail was, Kyu.”

This time, Ryukyu was able to ignore his remarks with her typical calm and collected personality, “Endeavor, as a fellow member of the Top Ten, I won’t report this, I know you do try to do good. But make no mistake, if you threaten your son, or put your daughter in harm’s way ever again, I will not hesitate to bring you down.”

Endeavor scowled, but hmph’d and turned his back to the group, “I did what I did so that Shoto could be the best Hero in the world, that’s what respect gets you, boy.”

“No friends? No family? No life outside of your sick desire?” Dabi spit back.

Endeavor simply squared his shoulders and stormed back from the way he came, only sparing a detestable glance at the battlefield when he noticed Shoto was only using his ice powers.

Once he was finally gone, Ryukyu relaxed, her tail disappearing back under her dress and merging back into her body. 

“Aw…” Dabi deadpanned, “You do care.”

Ryukyu sighed, “I always cared. You were the one to break it off after all.” She turned around and rested a hand on his shoulder, “If you really want to fix what you broke, then give up this weird persona you’ve adopted. The old Touya would never hunt down a kid like this.” It was the first sincere thing she’d said to him since he had left her, likely because this was the first time she’d seen the old Dabi in ages. She couldn’t stand to talk to him as he was, but when he had put himself between Endeavor and Fuyumi, pulling all the attention to himself, it felt like she was looking into the past, a time when he was more Heroic than she could ever be. “Now, forget about this whole thing and just go cheer your brother on.” Ryukyu wasn’t sure if she had gotten through to him as she strutted away, but his lack of sass seemed to be a good enough indication. It wasn’t perfect. In fact, it had nearly ended up pretty terrible, but it was a start and that was enough to put a smile on the dragon girl’s face.

“Fifty students remain!” Midnight shouted, signifying to Izuku that he just needed to survive the “deaths” of ten more students.

Igris had already tossed out Kamikiri, but Smokey was having a surprising amount of trouble with Jurota. Meanwhile, Hyo was simply doing his best to make sure Izuku was protected from any of Todoroki’s wide-scale ice attacks. 

Originally, Izuku had perceived Todoroki as a near unbeatable threat, and that was true, at least, on his own it was, but the heterochromatic boy appeared to only be using his right side. Hyo could easily circumvent these attacks with his own cryokinesis, but Izuku feared for the moment Todoroki decided to let his fire powers out. By that point, his only defense would be to use Tank, a Shadow he wanted to keep secret for as long as possible considering its origins.

Izuku wasn’t sure how much recovery time was given between events, so instead of going all out to disqualify as many participants as possible, he retained his strength by letting his Shadows take over. Standing the middle of the field, his honor guard encircled him in a near-impenetrable formation. Only someone like Bakugo or Shoto using his fire powers would likely be able to reach him. Occasionally, Igris would have to cut away some sort of vines that burrowed under the field to reach Izuku, but all things considered, it served as a great opportunity to observe everyone.

He knew a good deal about his class, but seeing the way they fought against larger groups was paramount to his own strategies. Especially that of Bakugo and Shoto.

Izuku was pretty stubborn when it came to doing things his way, but he knew that as he was, he couldn’t take on his S-Rank classmates alone. It was time to cast aside any delusions that he could. Now… they would no longer fight Izuku Midoriya, they would fight the Shadow Monarch.

Chapter Text

“Round two you 1-A bastard!” 

The sound of explosions instantly made Izuku believe that Bakugo had changed his mind and was coming for him, but the shout dispelled this thought. Looking up he saw Monoma flying through the air, explosions coming out of his palms.

“Huh… it’s like I thought, he copies the powers of those he touches.” Izuku smiled, “Magicians.”

Monoma’s cocky smile vanished as dozens of massive fireballs filled his view. He held out his hand, using the Explosion Quirk to vault over them, right into Igris’s path. Without the proper time or speed, Monoma was virtually helpless in front of the Shadow who slammed his fists down onto the student’s back. As Monoma rocketed towards the ground, he saw that the Smokey had used his massive size and strength to launch Igris into the air.

“I’ve been watching that Quirk for years!” Monoma felt an invisible force punch his gut, stopping him midair for just a moment before he accelerated once more, “A newbie like you isn’t gonna beat me with it!” He braced for a devastating uppercut as he fell towards Izuku, disorientated and bruised, but the moment never came.

A loud air horn filled sounded and Izuku allowed Monoma to crash to the ground on his own, making a Monoma-sized crater.

Igris landed next to his Liege moments later, disappearing into his Shadow alongside the rest of the army.

“And that’s all for round one folks!” Midnight shouted, “Forty contestants have been eliminated! The other forty will move on!” Cracking her whip at the screen with the spinning wheel, “For our next bout, we will have the team battles!”

Izuku didn’t even have to look around to notice people rushing to either him, Shoto, or Bakugo. Students like Shoji, Mina, Kamakiri, and another girl from 1-B, Setsuna, gathered around him.

“Hold your horses, everyone! Let’s wait until the game is revealed before you start-” Midnight froze, in fact, just about everyone in the arena froze. It was a familiar feeling, maybe too familiar.

Izuku was the first to realize what it was, “It’s Kurogir-” The air around him warped and the surrounding students were sucked inside a rapidly expanding Gate alongside him. 

Midnight was knocked off her pedestal by the intense forces and the nearby students were sent soaring back, their backs slamming into the arena walls. Thankfully, Cementoss and Shoto were there to catch anyone who was tumbling just a little too fast.

“What is this?!” Kaminari screamed out.

“It’s that Gate Villain!” Yaoyorozu shouted back as the wind pressure began dying down. She rushed forwards, intending to dive into the Gate after Izuku and the others, but she crashed into a rock solid wall of red energy.

“Again?” Dabi growled as he strutted onto the field, “I swear, that kid just can’t escape these Red Gates.” He shook his head, “Kyu! Old Man! All Might! Get down here! We’re busting this thing open!”

“I don’t take orders from you boy!” Endeavor shouted as the flames on his back cut off, dropping him to the ground, right alongside Ryukyu, who glided down on her wings, and All Might, who simply appeared next to them all without any warning.

“You brats better clear out!” Dabi warned, “Otherwise you might get squashed by the pressure.”

As Midnight herded all the students away and Cementoss physically dragged Bakugo back, the four S-Ranks got ready. “We’re not seriously going to hit this with all our strength are we?” Ryukyu asked, concerned for the wellbeing of the crowd.

“Unless you wanna be charged for the murder of… what… a couple hundred people, then yeah, hold back, but we still gotta try something.”

“Oh? Now you’re so concerned over this Midoriya. It wouldn’t be bec-”

“I don’t care about that kid, but I saw at least seven others get sucked in, none of them were above B-Rank.”

“Who is this Izuku Midoriya?” All Might asked as he began putting off significantly less Mana than usual. “I saw him at the Entrance Exam and during the USJ, but I was… too distracted to get a full image of his Mana.”

“He’s just a stronger brat.” Dabi spat, “Now can we actually coordinate this?”

While the four S-Ranks positioned themselves around the Red Gate, Cementoss was busy throwing barriers up around the stadium, shielding those who still decided to remain and witness the force of some of the world’s strongest Heroes.

“Ready?!” All Might shouted, “NOW!”

Izuku groaned as he rubbed a sore spot on his head and sat up. “What the hell? I’ve never felt a Gate as turbulent as that before. It was like I was being slammed around in a small tunnel.”

“Everyone okay?” He asked groggily, to which he received no response. He sat bolt upright and looked around, “Hello?” Izuku leapt to his feet as footsteps began to echo in the dark and dank caverns. The footsteps were not human and he knew that at the very least that Mina and Shoji were in here with him.

“Igris?” Izuku called upon his knight, “Wanna go meet our hosts?”

Igris nodded and dashed forwards, disappearing in the cavernous tunnel, Izuku strolling leisurely behind him. But knowing Red Gates, Izuku shouldn’t have acted so calm. Moments later, Igris came flying back down the tunnel at head height, forcing Izuku to duck under his ravaged body.

“Huh…” Izuku straightened up, seeing that the enemy stomping down the tunnel were none other than High Orcs. They were highly intelligent Villains, equipped with bodies that could flatten buildings. 

The lead Orc looked like it was about to open its mouth, so Izuku reacted accordingly.

[Skill: Sprint Lv. 3 has Activated.]

The Villain’s eyes caught up just in time to see Izuku slash through his neck with the Angel’s Demonic Wing.

[You have Leveled Up!]

“Looks like you guys will provide plenty of experience,” Izuku said, letting the sword rest against his shoulder as he retreated back to Igris and gave him a hand up. “I’m not a huge fan of these types of swords, but since I’m missing my good old gauntlets, it’ll have to do.”

The Orcs growled as Igris stood, the energy radiating from him now on an entirely different level. Izuku smiled, “Looks like you’ve finally reached Level 30, Igris. Rank-up, Elite Knight Grade.” A silent roar escaped Igris as his body spasmed for a few moments and his Mana grew exponentially. 

“Well, now that we’re ready, how about we call the others?” The Orcs’ eyes grew even wider as Hyo, Smokey, Tank, and at least fifty other Shadows appeared behind the sword wielding Izuku, “I don’t see any Gate around here, so I guess I’ll just have to fight my way through this place.”

[Skill: Bloodlust has Activated. All of the enemies Stats will decrease by 50%]

The beasts took a momentary step back, but like the monsters they were, they only had one desire, to kill all humans. With a fervent and anxious roar they charged forwards, intending to fulfill their purpose. Too bad for them… they’d never meet their life’s goal.

Uraraka, Shoji, Setsuna, Mineta, Mina, Kamakiri, and Tooru were the unlucky seven to be pulled into the Red Gate with Izuku. They were even unluckier to be separated from him upon being spit out from the portal. 

Mineta was the first up, pounding on the solid energy like a mime trapped inside an invisible box. “Help us!”

“Hey squirt!” Kamakiri shouted, “It’s a Red Gate!”

“I know!” 

“So then stop freaking out!”

“How can I not freak out!”

Shoji rested a hand on Mineta’s shoulder, “We only survive this by calming down and focusing on the path ahead of us.”

Mineta trembled a few moments longer, but the severe glare in Kamakiri and Shoji’s eyes somehow managed to calm him down.

“Speaking about the path ahead of us,” Setsuna pointed forwards, the dark tunnel in front of them alight with the red glow of several pairs of eyes.

“Dungeon Jackals!” Uraraka exclaimed. 

Shoji, Kamakiri, and Mina were the first to leap into battle. In reality, only Mina and Kamakiri could be classified as combat types among their group, but Shoji had the strength to back up his insane senses.

“Come on!” Tooru called out, turning herself invisible and running to help her classmates, “Dungeon Jackals are only C-Rank!”

It sounded like an absolute blessing. It would be a struggle for seven B-Ranks to beat what was presumably a B-Rank Dungeon, but with Mineta’s super strong support Quirk and the rest of them working together, they could handle it no problem.

Their spirits continued to lift as the Villain numbers were steadily thinned. The dog-like Villains were fast, but predictable and within no time, they were all dead.

“Phew, I was worried this Dungeon might have been harder, but if it’s just C-Rank… then…” Setsuna trailed off, her eyes unable to comprehend the sight. 

Before anyone even had the chance to notice, four dozen High Orcs had appeared in the tunnel’s path. They stood with an ugly menace, their guttural language being passed back and forth as they stared down the humans.

“N-No way…”

“This many Orcs… those Jackals… they weren’t the real threat… they were just pets.”

Shoji held back Kamakiri, who looked like he was about to break and charge them, “We’ll only die! They’re A-Ranks!”

“Hu…mans…” One of the Orcs growled, his mouth twisted into an unnatural shape as he forced out the unfamiliar syllables. “I am… Kargalgan… I wish to… meet with you… humans.”

“What?” Shoji had heard of plenty of talking Villains before, but he’d never heard of ones that wanted to parlay. “Are you the one who created the Red Gate, Kargalgan?”

“...No. Those you speak of… they are the others… the true Monarchs of our realms.”

“Monarchs?”

“Enough… come with my men… or die.”

“Shoji… you can’t seriously be considering this!” Suddenly, it seemed that Shoji had become their leader. “If we fight them here and win then we can wait out the Red Gate’s timer!”

“You are… seven… you are… weak… my men… fifty… strong… die by my men’s hands… or follow them.”

Shoji sighed heavily, knowing that there was nothing else he could do, “We’ll follow.”

As they began trailing behind the massive and imposing Orc forces, another clash was happening far deeper in the Dungeon, and at the center of its clash was a single teenager, whose Level was climbing at a rapid pace.

Chapter Text

"W-What is this?" Kamakiri asked in shock as the tunnel opened to what could only be described as a throne room. Thousands of High Orcs filled the room wall to wall, leaving only a single strip of walkable space in the center of the room wide enough to fit the length of a semi-truck.

"This… this amount of Orcs… they'd destroy all of UA and the surrounding area before even the S-Ranks could stop them.

"Welcome humans," The Orc at the head of the chamber, presumably Kargalgan growled. Noticing their tense forms and anticipating an attack, he gave a toothy grin, his tusks and bony armor accenting his evil aura like a fine wine alongside a steak. "Tell me something. Do you fear me?"

A massive burst of magical energy escaped him, slamming against the teens like a shockwave. All of them fell to their knees, unable to even comprehend such power. They had felt the stores of Mana in S-Ranks before, but that was controlled, simmering beneath the surface like a still pond. This force… it was just evil.

"Why… Why'd you bring us here? Your warriors could've killed us easily."

"Entertainment." The Orc leaned on his arm lazily, "I cannot remember how long we've been stuck here, but I do know that we will be free soon. Regardless, a leader must provide for his men. We will kill you one by one… until the portal releases its hold on us."

Shoji peeled his gaze off the floor to see that one of Kargalgan's guards, who all wore intricately designed bone or pelt armor, had stomped up to him.

"He'll be the first to claim one of your lives."

"Okay…" Shoji muttered under his breath, just loud enough for his classmates to hear, "If we hit him all at once, with Mineta restraining him, we can win." His breathing sped up as he leapt to his feet and launched himself at the bodyguard, "NOW!"

"Gravitation Magic."

Shoji expected himself to either fly into the air or get slammed into the ground, but neither happened and he continued forwards only to get slapped aside by the Orc like he was a fly. It felt too heavy, like someone had smacked him in the face with a 20-ton sledgehammer. Groaning and pushing himself back onto his hands and knees, Shoji saw the true target of the Gravity Magic. The other six classmates were on the ground, trembling as the Orc's magic forced them further down.

"I said we'd do it one by one. I will not allow you humans to try and survive through ignoble trickery."

The bodyguard raised his two massive cutlasses, aiming to cut Shoji in two, or at least, that's what it looked like. Instead, the swords cut straight down just as Shoji stood, severing his two arms at the same time.

"AAAAAAH!" Shoji collapsed to his knees for a third time as the pain overwhelmed his senses.

"It's a shame you humans aren't stronger, your screams are so much more enjoyable when you actually put up a challenge for my men." Kargalgan sighed and raised a downturned thumb, "Looks like one's already down. Don't worry, we'll make your comrades last longer."

The Orc placed one of his swords against Shoji's neck, earning a deafening cry of applause from the crowd, overshadowing the student's cries of despair.

"Damn…" Ryukyu shook her sore fist. A dozen punches to roughly the same area from the four S-Ranks had done virtually nothing.

"Hmm," All Might held a hand to his chin before pulling out his phone, "Looks like I have no choice but to rely on him."

Dabi's and Endavor's arms were still ablaze with the most powerful flames on earth. Abusive relationship or not, Dabi was still his father's son and his father would never give up on a task as simple as this.

"Are you giving up, Number One?" Endeavor jeered.

All Might nodded, "Yes… There is only one person I know who can break the seal on a Red Gate. And judging by our progress, or lack thereof, they aren't among us."

"It's quite alright," A smooth voice said emerging from one of the arena's nearby hallways, "Now there are two people you know who can do it, Toshi."

Turning around, Dabi scoffed, "Get out of our way, little man. An A-Rank like you can't handle out impacts at this range." Tsukauchi ignored Dabi and continued strolling up to the Red Gate, hands in his pockets and face as calm as could be.

Taking a second look at him, All Might began to notice something. His aura was calmer than before, and he seemed bigger than before, like he had grown overnight.

"Step aside," He said to the three still slamming their fists into the Gate, creating a crater of rubble around them.

"Like I'd listen to some Monitoring Division bastard," Endeavor spat, his desire to open the Gate only fueling his flames further.

Ryukyu, on the other hand, did listen and laid a hand on Dabi's shoulder, "Come on… we're not doing anything."

"And he's going to?"

All Might was the one to answer, "Yes… he will."

The sheer awe in his voice was enough to catch even Endeavor by surprise and all of them looked up to the Number One Hero. The supposed strongest Hero in the world was looking over at Tsukauchi like he was a deity. He had finally realized what the others could not.

Dabi and Endeavor reluctantly stepped back, allowing Tsukauchi full line of sight of the Red Gate. One hand lazily extracted itself from its pocket, raising into the air and pointing its digits at the Gate. His eyes squinted and strings of white light shot out from his hand, latching onto the invisible grid that barred dimensions. Within seconds, the energy cracked and shattered, removing the red color from the Gate.

Ryukyu hesitantly thrust her hand at the portal, finding that it passed through without incident, "How…?"

The four turned around, intending to grill Tsukauchi for answers, but he was already gone.

"What… just happened?"

All Might sighed in relief, "The second Ruler has been born."

Shoji knew that it would happen any second now, the blade was perfectly positioned to slit his throat. He was faint, blood loss and fear dragging him further towards unconsciousness, but he was determined to not fall asleep. It could be considered an odd sentiment, but he wanted to be awake and look his death in the eyes.

But the sword never moved, even as Shoji trembled and fell over, the last of his strength gone, the sword remained in place. In fact, the entire Orc was frozen and Kargalgan called out to him in confusion, "Kill him!"

"Sorry your highness," A voice deadpanned as the back of the room was thrown into chaos, bodies thrown every which way, revealing Izuku and his army, "But my Shadows will have to be your entertainment for now."

"Kill the others," Kargalgan commanded, pointing at Shoji and the other six.

Izuku was at the back of the room, he shouldn't have been able to come to their aid in time and yet, as another six Orcs appeared to stab their weapons through the students, they froze just like the bodyguard. The means were revealed as Izuku raised his sword into the air, another three dozen feathers shedding off of it and racing to stab into the nearest Orc.

[Skill: Paralyzing Storm has activated. Up to five dozen feathers can be shed from the sword's outer layer and be sent to paralyze enemies for a short time.]

"Tank!" Izuku shouted, pointing at his classmates, "Go get them!"

The Nomu's beak-like mouth bobbed in acknowledgment as it used its asinine strength to leap over the entire army of Orcs and land next to Shoji just as the Orc broke out of the paralysis. Of course, he didn't have any chance to react and was delivered an powerful uppercut, sending him flying up into the ceiling, lodging into it like a chandelier. It only took Tank a few more moments to tear the other nearby Orcs into pieces. He attempted to peel the students off the floor, but other than Shoji, Kargalgan's magic kept them pinned in place.

Izuku quickly took note of this and heaved up a spear that was twice as long as he was tall. Before entering this Gate, it might've been hard to accurately throw, but Izuku had just waded through an army of Orcs to get to this chamber, his Level had risen dramatically. He had forgotten that his Stat growth was just linear when it came to his Level. Unlike the Stats given by his armor, the Stats given by his Level increased his power exponentially. "That explains why I feel stronger than I did with my armor."

Taking solace in this knowledge, Izuku felt confident that he wouldn't miss and he hauled his arm forwards, launching the spear like a ballistic missile at Kargalgan.

"Hymn of Protection."

At the same time a massive blue Mana shield appeared in front of the Orc, his Gravity magic wore off, finally allowing Tank to scoop up all seven students, some with squeals of fright, into his massive arms and leap back to the horde of Shadow Soldiers.

"It doesn't matter how strong you or your Shadows are, we outnumber you two hundred to one."

"Maybe! But then again!" Izuku shouted back, "Arise." Kargalgan and the few remaining students that were still conscious, despite their fear, looked on in shock as bright red and black Shadows began pulling themselves from the corpses of the High Orcs. "You shouldn't look down on us. It could end up being your downfall. After all, we've all Leveled up quite a bit." Izuku crouched down, his sword hanging just behind him ready to slash, "Kill them all."

It was disgustingly easy. While some of his lesser Shadow Infantry struggled even fighting one High Orc, Igris, Hyo, Tank, Smokey, the rest of the bears, and the Magicians tore through droves of the Villains with ease. And as the battle continued, things would only grow easier as Izuku and his army continued to Level Up and claim more Orc Shadows for themselves.

Izuku was slower to catch up to his Shadow's kill rate since he was still getting acquainted with his new sword, but his higher Level and more powerful Stats also meant that he was no slouch.

Izuku had always shied away from blades, he'd been too afraid of the skill they required as an E-Rank. He didn't have the strength to swing them fast enough to outpace the fancier sword skills others had built up, the speed to dodge and maneuver around his enemies, or the perception to anticipate his opponent's next move, but now, he had more than enough power to see why others wielded them. He still preferred his gauntlets, but Izuku couldn't deny the satisfaction he felt as the sword carved an Orc in half.

"Hymn of Blazing Fire."

"Tank!"

[Skill: Defender has activated, all ranged attacks will be drawn to the user for 10 seconds.]

The massive AOE fire blast that Kargalgan spat out compressed into a single beat of heat that slammed into Tank, practically destroying his entire body.

"You act so arrogant with such useless puppets!"

"Useless?" Izuku shook his head, acting as if he was disappointed in the High Orc's observational skills, "My "puppet" is just fine." Izuku's Mana slowly ticked down as Tank reformed from essentially nothing and gave a high pitched growl aimed at Kargalgan. "As long as I have Mana, you cannot win."

"You'll run out of Mana before you can kill all of my men!"

"Is that so?" Izuku asked, reaching his hand into his inventory and pulling out a Mana potion from the store, "Well, I suppose we'll see about that. Until then, I'll have my men play with yours." With a smirk still plastered on his face, Izuku activated Stealth and disappeared from the world.

As Izuku went to take on the boss, Hyo, Igris, and Tank were facing off with the three remaining bodyguards of Kargalgan. Hyo froze two of them as Tank and Igris bore down on the third, pummeling him into the earth. They repeated the process with the other two by unfreezing one and killing it. It wasn't an honorable way to fight, but who cared about honor when Villains were trying to murder you.

"Don't ignore me!" Izuku shouted, slamming his fist into Kargalgan's knee, shattering it as he bounced around, using his Agility and Strength to his advantage, "You have no time to worry for your guards! They'll be dead soon anyways!"

"RAAARGH! SO WILL YOU! Hymn of Petrification!"

"Sorry, but it looks like we're a bad matchup," Izuku's massive sword slashed straight through the Orc's elbow like it wasn't even there.

"Why?! Why didn't my magic work?!"

[Skill: Longevity has activated. All diseases, poisons and status effects are healed, and sleeping will explosively increase regeneration ability.]

Izuku offered no solace and only continued his assault, causing Kargalgan to roar in rage, "Hymn of Giants, Hymn of Strengthening, Hymn of Rage, Hymn of Combustion!" The Villain grew to at least four times his size as the rest of his buffs took effect and his fire attack engulfed the entire area he and Izuku were fighting in. "Are you still taking me lightly?!"

"I wouldn't consider you any more threatening than those I've faced before," Izuku said, exiting Stealth right on the giant's shoulder. "After all, bigger targets are much easier for me to hit."

Kargalgan's eyes widened as Izuku jumped from his shoulder to his face, driving the massive Angel sword into his eye. It was too close of a range for the Orc to activate his shield and he cried out in pain and rage as he went to claw at his eye, but Izuku was already moving on.

"You've lost… do you know why?" Izuku slashed at the back of his enemy's knees, dropping him to the ground, where he looked up to quite the awful sight. A teen with an obscured face, the only distinguishable trait being his glowing green eyes, and his three loyal bodyguards standing behind him as guards, "Because as a Magician, you've lost your guards, which means… you've lost your life."

"Could it be… the Mon-" Izuku cut off his rambling by stabbing through his skull and releasing the sword's feathers inside to shred his brain.

[The Dungeon's Boss has been slain.]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

Level: 86

Strength: 154

Vitality: 106

Agility: 137

Intelligence: 156

Sense: 118

[Mana: 230/7912]

[HP: 27164/27164]

[Shadows able to be extracted: 156]

[Shadows able to be saved: 121]

"It's a shame there's a limit on how many Shadows I can have, otherwise I could have an army a thousand strong. Oh well, at least I got some strong Shadows out of this and now… to take his." Izuku lorded over Kargalgan and muttered, "Arise."

[Shadow High Orc Lv. 10 Elite-Knight Grade]

"Hmm, I've been seeing a lot of Elite-Knight Grade recently."

[Choose a name for the Shadow Soldier.]

"Kargalgan is too wordy. In battle I'll need something much easier to call out to." He scanned the Orc's body up and down, looking for any type of distinguishable feature, but the only thing he could focus on were the Shadows enormous tusks. Izuku sighed, "Fine. It's pretty lame, but for now, you're Tusk."

By now, Izuku's Army was reaching some pretty insane levels and the lineup looked as such: 63 Shadow High Orcs, 25 Shadow Bears, 19 Shadow Infantry, 6 Magicians, 3 Shadow High Orc Bodyguards, Smokey, Tank, Igris, Hyo, and Tusk.

[Item: Orb of Avarice]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Artifact

The strength of all Magic is doubled when held.

[Item: Juggled Blades]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Dagger

+150 Attack

This Dagger can duplicate up to eight times and its trajectory when thrown can be controlled mentally.

It was some pretty amazing loot, but Izuku still found himself disappointed, "Am I ever gonna get my gauntlets back? My best Skills rely on using them."

Izuku's back exploded with heat as blue flames licked the area. Of course, with his Sense Stat, he had felt it coming a mile away. Tusk's Hymn of Protection had kicked in before Dabi's attack could reach him and now the S-Rank had about 120 Shadows aiming their respective weapons at him.

"DABI!" Ryukyu screeched, moving to hold him back, but Izuku stopped her with a shake of his head.

"You're Touya Todoroki?" Izuku asked.

"You're damn right you little shit! I was gonna give you today as a grace period, but since no one can really prove what happens in Dungeons, I thought this would be the most opportune time!" He looked about to launch forwards into battle with the teen, but Izuku interrupted him.

"Your brother tried to kill me and got another innocent person killed for no good reason other than money. He was evil and I acted in self-defense. I should have nothing more to say than that. But… he was your family," Izuku bowed low, "And I am sorry for your loss."

"W-What?" Dabi had expected a multitude of responses, such a sincere apology was not one of them. It wouldn't have been weird for Dabi to see Izuku grovel and beg for his life, but it was weird when he saw the teen offer his condolences.

Ryukyu watched with rapt attention as All Might scooped up Shoji and rushed him out to the healers while Endeavor herded the rest of the still shell-shocked students out.

Dabi let out a low growl and the flames on his arms died down, "F-Fine… you win kid…" The ring of Shadows broke open as he walked away, back the way he had come from, "There Kyu, you happy?"

Ryukyu gave him a sarcastic roll of her eyes, but smiled all the same and said, "Yes. I very much am." Following after him, Dabi noticed she walked closer to him that she had been in years.

Izuku let out a sigh as he finally found himself alone in the cavern and he collapsed to his butt. He figured that with his own power and the power of the Shadows, an S-Rank like Dabi should've been easily overpowered, but he certainly didn't want to fight him any longer, probably thanks to the fact that his Mana was still regenerating. "Everyone saw me Extract Tusk's Shadow, so they know how I get my Summons now, but the real problem is my aura. There's no way All Might or Ryukyu didn't notice my rapid growth in strength… so are they simply waiting to talk to me in private, or do they really not realize what they sensed?"

Igris laid a hand on Izuku's shoulder as if attempting to comfort his Liege after a long day of battle. And while Izuku was tired, he also felt satisfied, he had gained plenty of Levels, some loot, expanded his army, and he now knew something that put a smile on his face. On an individual level, his power had just barely surpassed that of Bakugo's. He had reached his goal.

Chapter Text

Izuku took a deep breath before stepping past the threshold and back into the real world, expecting a horde of faculty berating him with questions, but instead, upon exiting the Red Gate and emerging back onto the somewhat destroyed grassy field of the arena, he was met by an empty stadium. Well, empty except for…

"Midoriya!" Yaoyorozu hug-tackled him, "I was worried when you didn't exit after the others!"

Izuku paused for a moment as his brain caught up with the situation and his arms lingered in midair before finally relaxing to hug her back. "I… uh, yeah, sorry. Where is everyone?"

"They finally managed to force all the spectators out and the teachers ran off to escort everyone else to Recovery Girl."

That did plenty to set Izuku's mind at ease. While Recovery Girl wasn't an S-Rank in healing, she was an A-Rank and as long as her patient was still alive, she could heal them and regrow their limbs. In addition, the lack of people and the chaos gave Izuku the slightest hope that the four S-Ranks who had entered the Gate after him wouldn't have noticed his substantial increase in power. Unfortunately however, his Shadow Extraction skill was out in the open. There was no way all seven of the students, plus the S-Ranks, missed him pulling Summons out of the corpses' of a couple dozen High Orcs.

"So… What should we-" Izuku cut off as he felt an S-Rank aura quickly falling towards them from the sky. Slightly on edge and not sure what to expect, Tusk, Hyo, Igris, Smokey, and Tank emerged around him.

The figure, whatever it was, landed as a blur, cracking the earth and kicking up an explosion of dust.

"Are you joking?" A deep, yet feminine voice asked, "I hear something about a special Gate opening at the UA Sport's Festival, and arrive just in time to see it close."

Izuku's fist clenched, activating Dominator's Touch and sweeping aside the cloud of dust, revealing a short teenage girl around eighteen. She had long white hair, perfectly tanned skin, and the feature that stood out most, two fluffy rabbit ears. Izuku knew without a doubt who this was.

"The current Number 8 Hero, Miruko. The youngest S-Rank Hero to ascend the Hero Rankings, just barely beating out Hawks."

She fixed him with something in between a smirk and a scowl, "And who're you?" Miruko strutted up to him, standing at least a full foot shorter than him.

"I'm-" His body tensed up as Miruko's eyes narrowed and she leaned her head closer to his chest, "H-Hey!"

Her nose twitched and a slight smile of delight spread across her face, "Huh… you smell good."

"Thank… you?"

Yaoyorozu, much to Izuku's surprise, got in between the two, pushing Miruko away, "What do you think you're doing?" Izuku tilted his head and looked back to his Shadows, Igris and Hyo were shaking their heads, as if they knew exactly what was going on.

Miruko still had the same smirk on as she practically allowed herself to be moved backwards. After all, she was an S-Rank and Yaoyorozu was an A-Rank. Miruko's smugness was palpable despite being six inches shorter than Yaoyorozu. It was almost a comical exchange, "I smell Mana, kid. Aside from him, every Hero I walk by smells like trash, including you."

Yaoyorozu somehow ignored the comment about her smell altogether and stuttered out, "K-Kid?! How old are you?"

Crossing her arms, Miruko's ears twitched as she responded, "Eighteen. I may be short, but I can still kick your ass seven ways from sunday."

Flustered by the sudden "competition" Yaoyorozu blurted out, "What does that even mean?"

Miruko rolled her eyes and leaned to the side, looking past her and towards Izuku and his Shadows, "So you wanna go a few rounds?!"

"Excuse me?"

"What? Are you scared?" She asked with a glint in her eyes, "With those Summons of yours and your Mana, I'd say you're around an S-Rank, there's no way you're scared of a little girl like me." She continued goading him, but Izuku simply mirrored her crossed arms and called his Shadows back into himself.

"It's already been a long day, maybe another time." He took Yaoyorozu by the hand and pulled her away from the crazy rabbit Hero. Though it was just out of the corner of her eyes, Miruko could see Yaoyorozu smiling in success.

But Miruko wasn't about to shy away so easily and as Izuku turned to leave for one of the arena tunnels she appeared in front of him once more, "Sorry, but I'm not letting you leave without at least giving me a name."

Izuku heaved a tired sigh, "Izuku Midoriya."

Miruko's bunny ears flopped forwards, pressing against her head as she cheered inwardly. "Wait… Why do I care so much about just getting his name?" Izuku gave her an odd look, as if he was waiting for permission to leave. She hmphed, "I'll wait for next time to get your number."

Yaoyorozu fixed her with a glare as Izuku's eyes seemed to glaze over, as if he couldn't fully comprehend her declaration. In truth, something in her bright red iris had caught his eyes and for just a moment, he felt like he was staring right into her soul. Noticing this, Yaoyorozu gave his hand a squeeze and he snapped back into reality.

"We'll see about that," He finally said, walking away, hand in hand with Yaoyorozu.

Of course, even as they reached the tunnel's to exit the arena, Miruko's enhanced hearing could catch the sound waves of their conversation.

"What was that about?"

"I-I don't know. Something about her eyes… they seemed… familiar."

To the shock of no one, the Sport's Festival was canceled and school was even put on hold for a week as the staff consulted each other about the new threat of inexplicably appearing portals.

"Endeavor, Ryukyu, and Dabi all agreed to do their best to locate this Kurogiri and imprison him, or kill him if the former is impossible," All Might said, leaning forwards onto the horseshoe-shaped table, his body notably less bulky.

"I can't believe those two agreed to take on the same task."

"Well they both care about Shoto, Midnight… in their own ways, of course, but they still were upset by the interruption of what was supposed to be his day."

Aizawa sighed and rubbed at his temples. "All of this on top of the Jeju Island activity… is there any chance it's correlated?"

"The problem with this situation lies within your question," Nezu said, smiling despite the incidents, "We don't know enough about either situation to make any conclusions."

"What about Tsukauchi?" Snipe asked, looking towards All Might, who was not only a part-time teacher, but the head of the Agency Association, meaning Tsukauchi was one of his employees.

Unfortunately, All Might shook his head, "I haven't been able to contact him since the other day. It's like he dropped off the map."

"He was investigating Thirteen's death before all of this. Do you think he found something while looking?"

"It's possible," Midnight said, "After all, there's no one I know in all of Hero history who's ever managed to force open a Red Gate. All Might, you know him best, any ideas?"

All Might paused for a moment, as if he was considering something, but quickly shook his head, "No… there's nothing." He neglected to comment on his announcement on the birth of the second ruler, they hadn't heard it. "And for now, there's no reason for them to know."

"Then the next solution is Izuku Midoriya."

All Might shook himself out of his thoughts, "What? How?"

"You told us yourself," Vlad growled, "He pulled some sort of living Shadow out of the Villain's corpses. What if he can do that with Thirteen? We could know everything she knew."

"That is the next logical step," Nezu admitted, "Aizawa, you and Toshinori should go talk to him, if he can do such a thing, then request it of him, even if you have to beg."

The faculty blanched at such a proposal, Nezu never acted so seriously. Whatever this situation was, it was fiercely important.

"So… should we just knock?"

Aizawa gave All Might a tired glare, "What else would we do? Break the door down?"

All Might said nothing and simply rapped his massive knuckles against the door, which was opened almost immediately to a girl with straight black hair and a beautiful face.

"Oh! Miss Yaoyorozu! I apologize! Principal Nezu must've given us the wrong address."

But Yaoyorozu simply smiled and bowed to them, "I assume you're looking for Midoriya?"

"Huh? Oh, well yes."

"Then you have the right address." She opened the door wider, inviting them inside. As they took a seat on the ratty couch, Yaoyorozu asked, "Would you like some tea?"

All Might raised his hand like a school boy and Aizawa nodded gratefully. The kitchen was just next to the living room, so they could hear each other perfectly, "Do you two live together?" Aizawa asked bluntly, causing Yaoyorozu to blush slightly.

"Not yet! I mean… no!"

"I keep telling her she should just move in and stop denying it," A younger voice said as Sakura creeped around the corner, "It's funny, they haven't even kissed yet and she already wants to move in with him."

"Sakura!" Yaoyorozu scolded, "Don't be rude."

Seemingly remembering her manners, Sakura bowed to the teachers and introduced herself. "She's just here because Izuku asked her to look after me while he was away, which is totally unnecessary by the way, Yaomomo!"

"Your brother asked me to stay with you and I'm going to stay with you!"

Sakura smirked, "Admit it, you just like sleeping in his bed!"

Yaoyorozu froze, realizing that her teachers were watching the back and forth, "Um… please forgive her. You know how kids are these days."

"I'm not that much younger than-"

Aizawa interrupted as he was handed his tea, "You said Izuku was away. Where is that?"

"I… wouldn't know. But it's likely that he's out tackling Dungeons to pay for his living expenses."

"And out mother's medical bills." Sakura chimed in, as if it was a necessary tidbit.

"Well, if he trusts you with his sister and his bed," Aizawa said with a hint of teasing in his voice, "Then I assume you're aware of his ability to call upon the dead and use them as his warriors?"

"He can do what?!" Sakura blurted out. She had been escorted from the snowy Red Gate before she could see Izuku resurrect Hyo.

Yaoyorozu nodded, "Yes, I've been aware of his ability since before we started our first day of school."

"Do you know if it's possible for him to do it to humans?"

"Hu- You want him to bring back Thirteen, don't you?"

"Yes, so it is imperative that we learn of his current location! We must unravel the secrets of Thirteen! Whatever they are!"

Yaoyorozu had to stifle a small giggle at All Might's dramatics, but Sakura let rip a full laugh and Yaoyorozu finally managed to push her out of the room, back to her bedroom.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I wasn't lying to cover for him earlier. He really didn't tell me where he planned on going. He asked for my help and I trusted him enough not to push further for answers."

"Then… we're gonna need a bigger search party," Aizawa said to All Might, "After all, he could be in any of the dozens of Dungeons throughout Tokyo."

Izuku looked up at the perfectly sculpted barred gates in front of him. "The gates guarding a Heavenly Palace, huh?" He retrieved the key dropped by the Angel guardians from the last time he had been there and inspected it, "I waited to come back here until I was slightly stronger, but I've grown so much that I wonder if this place will even be a challenge for me… probably shouldn't have said that. I'll end up jinxing myself." He shrugged to himself and inserted the key, turning it and for some reason, completely shattering the gates in front of him like glass. "Well, I've still got a Hearthstone… so if things get dicey, I can always run."

The environment past the gates seemed to suddenly build themselves, like a video game level rendering. It was a simple white hall, with marble pillars and a red carpet. If anything it reminded Izuku of his encounter with Igris, just brighter.

"Well, without further ado. Come Forth."

Chapter Text

[Quest]

[Normal Quest: Collect Heavenly Souls! (Part 1)]

The Heavenly Palace is filled with Angelic beings. Hunt them down and collect their souls for special rewards.

Quest Completion Requirement:

- 10,000 Heavenly Souls.

Rewards:

- 1. Item of your choosing from the Store

- 2. +20 Bonus Stats

- 3. Hidden Reward

"Ten thousand?!" Izuku scratched at his head, "School's off for the next seven days, but will that even be enough? I've expanded my army pretty substantially, but still… ten thousand." He looked behind him, a smile crossing his face as he saw all 121 Shadow Warriors kneeled, ready for his command. "Well, I guess we're only wasting time here, let's get going."

Strolling down the hallway, an army at his back, Izuku felt like he could take on the world, which wasn't all that dissimilar from the number he had to match. And when he shoved open the doors at the end of that hallway, he began wondering if he really was here to take on the world.

The entirety of Tokyo was stretched out before him, its gray and bland architecture replaced by the most blinding white marble structures he had ever seen. Ethereal figures floated around these buildings, high in the sky, peacefully going about their business. Or at least, they were until Izuku stepped one foot out of the hallway.

All at once, a cacophony of screams that sounded closer to musical instruments erupted across the city and the beating of hundreds of wings filled the air.

[Item: Juggled Blades]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Dagger

+150 Attack

This Dagger can duplicate up to eight times and its trajectory when thrown can be controlled mentally.

[Skill: Sprint Lv. 3 has activated.]

With the explosive leap in movement speed, Izuku blurred forwards, leaping into the air, onyx daggers in hand to take the first kill. His body collided with the first angel, the ornate daggers plunging into its pure white and featureless form.

[You defeated a low-grade angel.]

[Collected Heavenly Souls: 1/10000]

Izuku flicked his wrists, duplicating the dagger so that four rested in each hand. As the other faceless angels swiftly approached, he launched all eight, finding that the telekinetic control was closer to Dominator's Touch than he had expected.

[Collected Heavenly Souls: 9/10000]

[Collected Heavenly Souls: 39/10000]

[Collected Heavenly Souls: 52/10000]

Izuku looked around, surprised to see that even his basic infantry was slashing through the angels with abandon, a stark contrast to the battle with the High Orcs. "Which means these things are really weak… it's not even worth Extracting their Shadows."

Scratching at his head, all the while directing around the daggers, Izuku found himself wondering why the key had even been ranked at S-Rank. "I figured it meant the Dungeon itself was S-Rank, but these guys are barely even D-Rank. It's gotta get harder the longer the fight goes on… right? Or maybe I just got too strong before challenging this place." Izuku shook his head, "There's no way that's the case. I'm sure I'll find my fill of danger by the end of the day."

[Collected Heavenly Souls: 111/10000]

"And at this rate, I can just sit back and watch them get torn to shreds!" Izuku shouted out loud, happy to see the fruits of his labor. "But I think that'd get boring before long… so!" Jumping back into the fray, he became the angel's boogeyman.

Ryukyu growled into her pillow as her phone buzzed on her dresser. It was less of a draconic roar and more of a cute grumble. Slamming her palm down on the dresser nearly hard enough to break it in two, her fingers felt around for the device, eventually finding it and raising it to her face. Its light felt like it was enough to blind her permanently, but she bravely pressed answer and pulled it close, "Hrm… Hello?"

"What's up Ryukyu?!" Hawks cried out from the end of the other line, "Sorry to disturb your rest, but the ten have been called to action."

"W-What?" Hawks' no-nonsense tone and answer pulled Ryukyu out of her exhaustion.

"Turns out our timetable's been moved up. Jeju Island's first Nomu made landfall about thirty minutes ago."

"Has it been dealt with?"

"It killed twelve men and women before snatching up a child and flying back to the island with her in tow."

"WHAT?!" Ryukyu shouted, "And you didn't stop it?!"

"Hey hey! I was nowhere near the incident, and none of the other Heroes nearby had the flight capabilities to stop it. That's why we're pushing forwards for the raid to happen now."

"R-Right… okay."

"One more thing before you head over," Hawks began, "All Might and Miruko keep asking around about some kid, Izuku Midoriya. Know anything about him?"

"Why are they looking for him?" Ryukyu asked, pushing aside Hawks' question.

"All Might said something about needing him for… Thirteen? Whatever that means. And Miruko just said that he smelled normal."

To anyone else, that sentence might've sounded crazy, but Ryukyu had known Miruko for quite some time. In her entire life, Miruko had never once encountered someone that smelled even remotely good. Her acute Mana sense had severely affected her olfactory sense and forced everyone to smell, as Miruko put it, "Like a wet dog dipped in sewage." If she smelled someone good for once, it made sense that she'd be at the very least curious about why.

"Haven't seen him since the UA Sports Festival. But I'll keep my eyes open."

"Alright," Hawks chirped, his normal cheery self back, "Then get down here as fast as you can."

"We'll be right down."

Hawks paused, "We?"

Ryukyu cursed under her breath.

"Ryukyu, who's w-" Ryukyu hung up, unable to think up an answer on the spot.

"Sounds like the chicken is jealous," Dabi drawled out, running a finger down Ryukyu's cold back. She shivered in response. Being cold-blooded, someone with flames like Dabi's could make her feel completely relaxed with just a single touch. But she managed to push him off and pull herself out of bed.

"Well the chicken also needs me, and any other S-Ranks would be welcome."

Dabi scoffed, "At Jeju Island? No thank you."

"Don't start acting all selfish again with that weird persona of yours."

"Hey, I love you and all that, but I also love life, I'd rather not lose it to that damned island."

Ryukyu rolled her eyes at his less than genuine declaration of affection, "You've never even been there."

"Seen enough footage to know that it's someplace I'd rather not go."

"So you're scared of a simple Raid?"

Dabi raised one arm from behind his head and pointed his index at her, "You're not getting me with that kindergarten baiting tactic. It's an S-Rank, no one could blame me for not going."

"Hmm… stooping low enough to try and kill a kid and then too chicken to even join me for a Raid." Ryukyu shrugged on her Hero uniform, as Dabi's expression remained unchanged and she sighed, "Come with me and I'll find an excuse for you to punch Endeavor."

Before she could even finish her sentence, he was up and throwing on a shirt, "Jeez, no need to twist my arm like that, Kyu!"

Izuku threw a right hook, taking off the head of an intermediate angel like it was nothing.

[Collected Heavenly Souls: 2479/10000]

"They've gotten to about high C-Rank, which means I was right about their power increasing as the floors went on." After defeating a certain number of angels, Izuku was given a dropped item.

[Item: Entry Permit]

Item Class: ?

Type: ?

A Permit to enter the 2nd floor of the Heavenly Palace. Usable in floor movement magic circle on 1st floor.

By now, Izuku had received the 49th floor's permit to move onto the 50th floor. At first he figured every ten or so floors would show him some sort of crazy Boss monster, but then he passed the first ten floors with no problem, then the next twenty-five, then the thirtieth.

Apprehension became replaced with boredom as Izuku's army tore through floor after floor at a frightening pace.

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[Dominator's Touch Skill Level has Risen.]

Izuku had only seen those two messages as he continued to make his way to the massive pillar of light that signified the floor movement magic. It was only the second time he had Leveled-up since entering the Gate.

A full two days had passed and he was seeming to make some decent progress, but if there were truly one-hundred floors to this Dungeon and if he didn't increase his pace of soul collection, he wouldn't be able to finish the Quest within the next five days.

"If the 50th floor doesn't have something special, then I know this Dungeon is just kinda a joke… maybe the Quest rewards are the real goal here, not the completion of the tower."

Izuku's belief was cast away, however, as he entered the 49th floor's magic circle and was introduced to the 50th floor.

[The Ruler of Lower Floors, Charitous Cherub Cray]

"That's a mouthful," Izuku said as he looked to the massive creature a couple of hundred meters away.

Sitting lazily on a throne was a humanoid figure with a body like a lions. Thick fur covered its body and its hands and feet ended in talons and claws as long as Izuku was tall. Unlike the previous angels Izuku had encountered, this one had a face of some sort, a golden ring of light hovering above it. He described it as a face of "some sort" because for whatever reason, Izuku couldn't pin down any features. He knew it had the distinguishing qualities of a face, but everytime the memory attempted to enter his mind, the Cherub's face morphed and whatever he had seen was lost. Standing up, two sets of eagle-like wings spread from its back and flicking its wrist, a whip of fiery light appeared in his hand.

[Cray's Guards have discovered an intruder.]

High-Leveled Angels rushed Izuku and his army, gleaming white armor adorning their body.

"These ones are probably closer to B-Rank, but it still doesn't matter. Even if my Level hasn't been rising all that much, the Level of my Shadows has been increasing at a decent rate. They'll take care of these guys like they're nothing and then we can focus the big bad."

Igris, Hyo, and Tank did just that, slashing through seven of "elite" guards before the rest of the Shadow Soldiers even had a chance to attack.

Activating Stealth, Izuku prepared himself to face the Cherub head on and buy time for his soldiers to join him. But oddly enough, the hybrid angel seemingly refused to move, completely emotionless to the slaughtering of his forces.

"Then maybe I'll just wait until the rest of the guards are-"

Cray's idly beating wings suddenly flapped with enough force to topple a building, expelling a mass of white flames.

"Tank!"

[The attack's power is too high. Skill: Defender has failed.]

"TUSK!"

The High Orc Sorcerer's Hymn of Protection appeared just in front of Izuku, shielding him and Igris from the enormous waves of heat. Unfortunately, the rest of his forces were wiped out with that singular blow. Obviously, they could regenerate, but such a huge blow was not ideal.

[Mana: 5342/8485]

[Charitous Cherub Cray's Skill: Periodic Cleansing is on cooldown.]

"It looks like his Skill avoided all of the other Angels, which means I can't wait for him to wipe out his own forces…" Izuku turned around to face Tusk, who was still holding up the barrier, waiting for his Liege's next command. "And I don't know how long the cooldown is for that Skill, so I've gotta finish this now. Inventory."

[Item: Orb of Avarice]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Artifact

The strength of all Magic is doubled when held.

As Izuku handed the blood-red orb to Tusk, he called back all of his Shadows, thankful that they didn't need to run to him to fade back into his Shadow. Instead, they simply disappeared in whatever position they were in, leaving the other angels to stumble forward, wondering where their opponents had gone.

With Tusk behind Izuku, and Igris the only other Shadow remaining, Izuku smirked, "You know what to do Tusk."

[Hymn of Frenzy, Hymn of Strengthening, Hymn of Giants, and Hymn of Combustion have activated.]

With all those buffs, Tusk increased his damage with Frenzy, Combustion, and Strengthening. And by increasing his size, he was effectively upping the area-of-effect for when he used…

[Hymn of Blazing Fire has activated.]

Tusk mirrored Cray's explosive blast of fire, scorching the earth and swallowing every single angel in an orange inferno, leaving just the Boss. However, he would not go down without a fight. The fiery attack had obscured Izuku's view, so he was unable to see the light whip fly through the air and slice off Tusk's head in one motion.

"Hey!" Izuku yelled to the Boss as the fire faded, "He's new!"

[Sprint Lv. 3 has activated.]

Appearing just in front of the Cherub's impossible face, Izuku clenched his fist and threw a punch, "Give him a break!"

As Tusk regenerated, Cray went flying backwards, crashing through at least three buildings as he did so. Standing back up, he emitted a high-pitched warbling noise and thrashed its arm, causing its whip to move like a snake and launch its head for Izuku.

"Tank." Izuku said calmly, calling back his army from his Shadow. The white whip collided with the Nomu, but instead of cutting through him like it did with Tusk, it stopped short, gripped in his arms.

[Passive Skill: Shock Absorption. Shadow Nomu will take 99% reduced damage from blunt attacks and 50% reduced damage from any magic type attacks.]

"Thanks! Now just hold onto that for me!" Izuku shot past Tank, Igris and Hyo running alongside him. Tank did one better and used his massive strength to rip the whip out of Cray's hands altogether.

Flicking forwards the eight knives, Izuku pinned the Cherub's wings against the building behind him, hoping that it would prevent his flame ability from activating. Hyo formed two massive ice blades in his hand, and Igris wielded his Shadow sword, throwing the Angel's Demonic Wing sword to Izuku, rearming him. Feeling himself grow bigger and stronger, he knew that Tusk was buffing the trio.

Cray tugged against the daggers still pinning him. Normally, they'd break off from the building behind him from such extreme force, but Izuku was using Dominator's Touch and the telekinetic control of the daggers to keep him pinned. As he noticed the three approaching, his warble became more of a roar and reaching behind himself, he tore away his own wings, a spray of white life force spurting from his back. Izuku's eyes widened in amazement at Cray's pain tolerance, but just because he respected the angel didn't mean he'd stop.

The Cherub's palm flew forwards, intending to squish Izuku under it, but Igris jumped in front of his Liege, using his Shadow sword to bisect the limb completely, racing up it like he would a mild slope. Hyo followed closely behind, throwing both ice swords into the place on Cray's face where you would find eyes, drawing another roar of pain from the angel. Its free hand went to slap at where it saw Hyo last, but Igris vaulted off his right arm, slashing through the left at the tricep and effectively crippling it for Izuku to make the perfect stab, piercing its heart.

[The 50th Floor's Boss has been slain.]

[Collected Heavenly Souls: 3021/10000]

"I guess Cray counted as more than one soul."

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[You have Leveled-Up!]

Cray's body slumped back into the building he had been pinned against, white light leaking from his body as blood.

Izuku pulled his sword from the angel's heart and lobbed the weapon back to Igris, who accepted it gratefully. At the same time, he noticed a few pillars of light behind him, "Oh! Some new items!"

[You obtained Item: Olympian Chestplate.]

"Finally! Some armor! I've been missing these things since I lost my Shadowsteel set."

[You obtained Item: Cray's Tail.]

Izuku held out the whip in his right hand with an apprehensive gaze, "Uh… I'm not even sure I know how to use one of these." Shrugging his shoulders, Izuku did his best to mimic Cray's arm movement and accidentally sent the whip flying through a building, cutting it completely in half. "...Maybe I'll just leave that in my inventory for now."

[You obtained Cray's Wings.]

"Just a simple material drop."

[You obtained Ingredient Item: World Tree's Fragment.]

[Item: World Tree's Fragment]

Item Class: ?

Item Type: Ingredient

A piece of wood extracted from the wooden grip of Cray's Whip, which was created from the World Tree's Branch. Woods from the World Tree contain powerful magic and thus are used as ingredients for magic items of the highest quality.

"Highest quality huh? Guess I'll save it until I can find something to do with it." Izuku turned to look at Tusk, who was still gazing at the Orb of Avarice like it was solid gold. "Speaking of highest quality, that thing sure does work… Magic-Type Hunters would lose it over something like that… I could probably buy a mansion selling that thing." He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, deciding instead to focus on his other new item.

[Item: Olympian Chestplate]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Armor

+50 Strength

+35 Vitality

Set Effect will activate if this item is equipped along with:

Olympian Armor pieces.

Set Effect 1: (Locked)

Set Effect 2: (Locked)

Set Effect 3: (Locked)

"Well well… It looks like the Shadowsteel armor has met its match. Fifty Strength is crazy."

Level: 91

Strength: 209

Vitality: 146

Agility: 142

Intelligence: 161

Sense: 123

[Mana: 9065/9065]

[HP: 34982/34982]

[Shadows able to be extracted: 184]

[Shadows able to be saved: 143]

"Nine Levels away from 100… I wonder if I'll stop growing at that point. Oh well… only one more thing to do now." He walked back to the corpse of Cray, pausing just in front of it, "Arise."

[Extraction has failed. You have 2 attempts remaining.]

"Arise."

[Extraction has failed. You have 1 attempt remaining.]

"Tch. Is it because he was stronger than me? I did need Igris, Hyo, and the doubled buff from Tusk to beat him after all…" Izuku sighed, "Okay… one more time, with feeling!" He held his hand out to Cray, "Arise!"

[Extraction has failed. The soul will no longer be able to be Extracted.]

"Seriously?!" He shook his head, "I guess it is the first time an Extraction has failed, so I should be grateful it took me this long to encounter it."

The rest of the angel guards were still pretty weak in comparison to his other Shadows, so Izuku decided to take only ten of them instead of filling up his remaining slots. Instead of the normal blue and black of most of his Shadows, the angel Shadows, like the High Orcs, had a different color scheme. Theirs was one of black and white. By now, Izuku had a total of 131 Shadows, with 12 spare save slots.

Yawning and stretching his arms high into the air, Izuku realized he had basically been fighting for two days straight. Opening his inventory he pulled out a small sleeping bag. "Guard me while I sleep. If there's anything you can't handle, wake me." The army kneeled to him, their heads bowed as he passed into unconsciousness, certain that he'd be completely fine.

Upon waking, Izuku had found that his Soul count had risen from three-thousand to nearly four-thousand. "You guys must've been busy! Sorry for troubling you!"

Igris shook his head, saying nothing out loud, but by this point, Izuku could practically hear his thoughts, "No my Liege! It is our honor to be trusted with your safety!"

Izuku clapped Igris on the shoulder and hopped onto Smokey's back, "Alright team! We've got the Floor permit! Let's move out!" The Shadow Bear shot forwards, far surpassing the speed of any commercial vehicle as he rushed towards the pillar of light that signified the next Floor.

Another day and a half had passed by the point Izuku reached Floor 75. His Soul count had surpassed nine-thousand as the difficulty and number of angels steadily increased. The growth had been exponential, which explained why he gained so much progress with so few floors compared to the first 50. The only growth that hadn't been exponential was his Level count, which had stopped just after ticking over to Level 92 on Floor 64.

After Floor 57, Izuku had actually decided to experiment with Igris's weapons and took the Angel's Demonic Wing off of him in exchange for Cray's Tail. The effect was immediately noticeable. Now he had a bit of range to him with the whip, but still had his Shadow sword for close combat.

[Item: Cray's Tail]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Whip

+200 Attack

Forged from concentrated light and the branch of the World Tree, this whip is capable of slicing through nearly anything. +50 Attack when dealing with undead creatures.

Emerging from the light of the 74th Floor's Magic circle, Izuku had a sense of deja vu as he looked over a massive Boss Villain. However, unlike Cray, this one was not humanoid.

[Seiryu, The Divine Dragon of the Upper Floors.]

The "dragon" was actually a brilliant white wyrm. Unlike typical dragons or wyverns, a wyrm had no wings and instead undulated through the air like a serpent. It was nearly as long as an office building was tall and had four legs, each with their own set of razor sharp talons that could cut through solid steel.

"Nice big target," Izuku remarked as a few hundred angels materialized around it and started rushing the Shadow army. "Tusk. Clear a path."

[Hymn of the Fire Dragon]

A burning red draconic head appeared just above Tusk's head, opening its mouth to spit out a long stream of heat. It tore through the sky, searing dozens of the angels every second before they caught on and split up into every conceivable direction to avoid the blast.

Just like the fight with Cray, Izuku, Igris, and Hyo were rushing the Boss, allowing the rest of the army to handle the minions. Although, this time, they had Tank running with them.

Seiryu seemingly had no problem facing the four of them alone however and the angels overhead continued to ignore them. The reason for this was revealed moments later when its mouth pulled open, revealing several dozen rows of teeth and an unending void of light at the back of its throat.

"Hyo!"

An ice mountain, stretching towards the heavens, appeared out of nowhere, far surpassing the height and width of the surrounding buildings. Hyo's cryokinetic abilities seemed to grow in strength alongside his Level. Unfortunately, it still was nothing next to the Boss's attack.

As if it was some sort of solid structure, the light flowing from Seriyu's mouth shattered the ice wall instead of melting through it.

"SCATTER!" Izuku yelled, turning on his Stealth and disappearing into the alleyways of one of the buildings, Seiryu's blast tracing towards him. As he continued to stampede through the all too clean gap in buildings, Izuku began to feel a bit of heat licking at his back. Knowing that the attack was gaining on him, despite him being hidden, he started vaulting off the walls, getting higher and higher. Eventually, instead of touching the wall, his feet made contact with the gravel on one of the roofs. From there he could see the whole situation.

Seiryu's beam attack had stopped after receiving a lash to the cheek from Igris's new whip. Though its description said it could cut through almost anything, Izuku was still shocked by the fact that it had gouged such a deep crevice into the wyrm's face.

In a rage, its tail swung around, slapping at the area Igris was in. Not only did it completely ravage his body with its scales, but it continued onwards, carrying him into a building that crumbled like sand under Seiryu's weight.

[Hymn of the Fire Dragon]

Seiryu flinched back as a long-range fire beam struck the center of its body. Tusk had noticed the battle going poorly and did his best to aim for the head, but the distance was too far and the angels attacking him were simply too numerous to get a good shot. Of course, for the wyrm, the distance was no problem and light began to escape its maw as it aimed for the High Orc.

Thankfully, Tank and Izuku were in perfect sync. While Igris and Tusk had kept their opponent occupied, Tank and Izuku had run along the rooftops, getting as close as possible before vaulting off the roof, each with a fist aimed straight for its jaw.

The immense force shut its jaw like a pneumatic press, the light exploding inside the enclosed space, nearly shaking off Izuku, who had kept himself latched on by jamming the Angel's Demonic Wing into the flesh of its chin.

Smoke rose from its burnt mouth and it was too busy trying to clear the annoyance from its eyes to notice Izuku scaling his way up the mouth. Using the Juggled Blades, he created foot and handholds along its face.

Once on its neck (?) back (?) He stored the Juggled Blades in the Inventory and pulled back out the longsword, raising it high and stabbing into the space just above the eyes, presumably into the brain.

Seiryu obviously didn't like that and Izuku could tell its serpent-like body was about to start bucking all over the place. Hyo wasn't about to let that happen and for the second time, he sent a wall of ice racing to smother most of the wyrm's body, freezing it in place for Izuku.

Silently thanking the autonomous nature of his Shadows, Izuku heaved as hard as he could against the longsword, dragging it across Seiryu's back, cutting open a street-wide gash that spilled light-blood like a river. As it grew weak from "blood" loss, it raised its head for one last blast of light, but Igris was in a bit of a bad mood after being slammed into a building.

Leaping from the wreckage, he flicked the light whip, splitting the scaly face down the middle, killing it instantly.

[The Floor Boss has been slain!]

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[Heavenly Souls stored in the belly of Seiryu have been discovered.]

[You received x220 Heavenly Souls.]

[You obtained Item: Olympian Leggings.]

[You obtained Ingredient Item: Spring Water of the Echoing Forest.]

[Item: Olympian Leggings]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Armor

+35 Agility

Set Effect will activate if this item is equipped along with:

Olympian Armor pieces.

Set Effect 1: +5 All Stats

Set Effect 2: (Locked)

Set Effect 3: (Locked)

[Collected Heavenly Souls: 10001/10000]

[Normal Quest: Collect Heavenly Souls (Part 1) has been completed!]

Izuku nodded to himself, "I'll look you over in one second, I've got something important to do." Placing both of his palms on the cold dead scales of Seriyu he whispered, "Arise."

The ice lining its body shuddered and cracked as dark energies leaked from its body and a Shadow began to form in the sky above the corpse.

"Well how about that?" Izuku said with a smile, "It looks like I've got my very own Dragon."

Chapter Text

[Normal Quest: Collect Heavenly Souls (Part 1) has been completed!]

As Izuku's new Shadow Soldier, a black and white wyrm, a serpent-like dragon he had named Karkinos, circled overhead, he looked over his Quest Rewards.

[You can receive the following Rewards:]

- 1. Item of your choosing from the Store

- 2. +20 Bonus Stats

- 3. Hidden Reward

"Accept Reward one."

[Please choose an item.]

The store page opened in front of Izuku, giving him a list of items that listed their costs in gold. Some of the middle tier items seemed to be in the hundreds of millions, but the true treasures cost upwards of hundreds of billions.

"What should I choose?" Izuku plopped down to take a seat as he scrolled through the list, considering each and every possible option. He wanted something that he wouldn't end up selling back to the store or to a real world vendor. "I've been earning some pretty good weapons from just clearing Dungeons, so is this even worth it?" Izuku paused for a moment, beginning to consider something and scrolled all the way to the bottom of the list seeing a Blessed Random Box. It had been sitting in the store ever since Izuku had picked the Cursed Random Box after doubling his Daily Quest requirements. No matter what he did, Izuku couldn't find a way to purchase it, but now…

"Blessed Random Box." Izuku disliked the idea of choosing something that could essentially be anything, but the Cursed Random Box had provided him with access to the Heavenly Palace, so this must be as good, right?

[Item: ?]

Item Class: ?

Item Type: ?

"Huh? No name? No Class? Not even a Type?!" Izuku stared down at a black, ornate and oddly shaped key. It held no description or hints as to its use. Sighing, he shoved it into his Inventory, "I'm sure I'll find a use for it one day. Accept Reward two."

[+20 Bonus Stats]

"Hmm. I keep approaching my Shadow Save limit, so I guess I'll put it all into intelligence.

Level: 93

Strength: 217

Vitality: 154

Agility: 185

Intelligence: 169

Sense: 131

[Mana: 11740/11740]

[HP: 37942/37942]

[Shadows able to be extracted: 225]

[Shadows able to be saved: 183]

"I guess that's all that exponential growth starting to kick in again. Accept Reward three."

[Hidden Reward: Recipe: Holy Water of Life.]

"A recipe? When did this RPG turn into a crafting game?" Squeezing the rough parchment paper in his hands, he caused it to disintegrate and prompt him with another item display.

[Item: Holy Water of Life]

Item Class: S

Type: Consumable

A mysterious potion that can cure any disease with powerful magic. The effect will only take place when the entire bottle has been consumed.

Required Items:

World Tree's Fragment

Spring Water of the Echoing Forest

Purified Blood of the Seraph

Izuku took a moment to simply stare at the System screen, rereading its words to ensure he understood it properly, "Any… disease?" His eyes narrowed and he closed the prompt, gesturing to the rest of his Shadow forces, "Forget slowing down for rest! We're marching onwards! Double time!" Above him in the sky, Karkinos roared in approval, swooping low to collect his Liege. "It's no longer about getting as many kills as we can. It's about tearing this place down as fast as possible!" Izuku stepped up onto the head of Karkinos, "You don't have to worry any more, mom… I'll be your Hero!"

"Why the hell are we meeting here?" Dabi asked as he strolled into the Agency Association's training hall, trailing just behind Ryukyu.

"Because patches!" Someone yelled out as the hallway opened up into a massive room, "The Koreans want to check us out!"

Dabi shot the source of the shout, Miruko, a confused glance. "The Koreans?"

"Yeah," A grizzled voice said as Dabi bumped into the chest of an all too sturdy man, "The Koreans." Looking up, Dabi met the orange eyes of a slightly beastly Korean man, who, despite his threatening tone and appearance, was attempting to hold out a hand to greet the two new arrivals, "Baek Yoon-Ho."

Ryukyu stepped in front of her… boyfriend (?) to take his hand and introduce herself, "And this is Dabi, another S-Rank friend of mine."

"You brought that fool?!" Endeavor shouted from the second floor, which overlooked the sparring center. Leaping down the entire distance like it was a step, he got in Ryukyu's face, "This… man, is only going to be a liability in the field."

Baek pushed himself between the two, "Hold on now," He said with a strong accent, thankfully, his Japanese was sufficient, "We estimate that the number of Nomu has increased exponentially since the last Raid, we'll need every able man we can get, especially any other AOE types."

A beautiful woman with short blonde hair similarly made sure that Dabi wouldn't do anything rash, "Besides, this Raid is no longer just about recovering the Island or preventing the Nomu from reaching the mainland, it's now brought an innocent girl with untapped potential into the mix." The woman then proceeded to whisper to Dabi, "And any enemy of Endeavor is a friend of mine."

Dabi smiled, "Cha Hae-In I'm guessing?" She took a few steps back and bowed low. "I gotta give you credit for kicking my old man's ass."

"It ended in a draw." Endeavor emphasized doing his best to act professionally amongst his colleagues.

"Hey so I noticed you brought most of the Ten here, but where the hell is All Might? If we're going all out for this thing, you'd think he'd be important."

"Oh! Hehe! Sorry about that!" A blonde boy with a UA school uniform ran over, "All Might said he couldn't participate, so he sent me as his stand in, Mirio Togata."

"A schoolboy?"

"I didn't get a chance to get my Hero costume from the school in my rush over, so I look a little unimpressive, but I promise you, I can fill his shoes!"

"Kid… I don't think you understand how big those shoes are."

Miruko finally hopped away from the bench she had been using to stretch and walked over, "It's true. He gave blondie here a run for her money."

"B-Blondie?" Hae-In asked.

Dabi sized up Mirio once more. He had felt an insane amount of Mana pouring off Hae-In, but he barely felt any from Mirio, which meant he was likely a physical-type. "Alright then, kid. Let's go a few rounds."

"Do you really think now is a proper time to be messing around?" Choi Jong-In, Korea's ultimate soldier, said through a translator.

"When else are the strongest from Korea and the strongest from Japan gonna have a chance to go at each other?" Hawks responded, "Besides, it's not like the Raid is gonna happen today or tomorrow. We still have to wait a full two days for all the navy and other preparations. I say let 'em go at each other!"

Floor 80 was a cakewalk, but Izuku still found himself prompted with two windows.

[You have been Rewarded with a Runestone for clearing Floor 80: Domain of the Monarch.]

Izuku immediately crushed the stone.

[Domain of the Shadow Monarch: The Stats of all Shadow Soldiers will be increased by 50% while fighting above their caster's Shadow.]

"Fifty percent is pretty damn good."

[Quest]

[Normal Quest: Collect Heavenly Souls! (Part 2)]

God's finest servant, the Seraph Lucifer, resides at the highest Floor of the Heavenly Palace. Kill him and collect his perfected Soul.

Quest Completion Requirement:

- Defeat the Strongest Angel, Lucifer

Rewards:

- 1. Highest Quality Runestone

- 2. +30 Bonus Stats

- 3. Hidden Reward

"The top Floor huh? I bet I'll find him at one hundred." He looked over his Shadow army, "Alright, it's becoming inefficient to move as one army, so I think I'll split you up into teams. We need to find those Entry Permits as fast as possible."

Smokey, Tusk, Tank, Igris, Hyo, and Karkinos each led their own teams, immediately dispersing from Izuku to kill as many Angels as possible and recover the Permit. Initially, he had been afraid that Karkinos would be far too beastly to lead a team or take proper orders, but like Smokey, he performed just as well as his peers.

[Karkinos Lv 1 Captain Grade]

"I guess that just goes to show how much more effective a Shadow is if it's a Grade higher. It's gonna be a bloodbath when Igris hits that Grade, he's only a few Levels away after all."

A/N: Real quick, Captain Grade is a Grade I made up to put some distance between Elite-Knight and Commander Grade.

Although, unlike the past few Floors, where it only took him an hour at most to recover the Floor Permit, he had been stuck on Floor 85 for nearly two hours now. "Could there be some sort of Boss Villain that's hiding from me?"

[Mana: 10247/12240]

"Two thousand Mana in an instant?!" Izuku turned his attention to where he sensed Smokey's team, "Whatever is attacking them, it's tearing them apart like it's nothing! I guess I've got no choice." Izuku made the snap decision to recall all of Smokey's team as his Mana dropped to eight thousand.

Another two hours later, Izuku was becoming more and more frustrated. After recalling Smokey's team, Igris had been attacked, then Hyo.

Doing his best to visualize the formation his Shadows were in, Izuku realized that in order to attack Igris's team and then Hyo's, they would've had to skip over Tusk and Tank. "Does that mean the enemy isn't strong enough to take them down? Karkinos hasn't been attacked yet either, though it wouldn't be wrong to say that in terms of raw power he outpaces every other Shadow Soldier, myself included." Izuku clapped his hands together, "Alright then, it looks like I've got some bait for 'em."

Hiding in one of the "divine" office buildings with his Stealth, Izuku watched over the street that Smokey and his team stomped down. All of his other Shadows had been recalled, meaning the only possible option for attack would be Smokey's team. He was arguably the weakest of all the Shadow leaders, so it made sense for him to be the bait.

"Oh! They're here!"

A flock of Angel Knights dropped out of the sky, their two sets of feathery wings working in perfect harmony to lower them safely to the ground. Unlike most of the other Angels, which simply attacked him without armor and rarely with weapons, these Angels were decked out to the nines. Their armor was beautifully crafted and perfectly interlocked to form an impenetrable guard. They carried similarly crafted long spears, ornately formed with specially designed shapes that would make any spear wielding Hero back on earth drool over them.

The first Angel dashed forwards, their wings giving them a burst of speed. Using his spear more like a sword, he cut all the way through Smokey's torso, bisecting him at his thickest area. It was a pretty insane display of strength, especially considering that Smokey should be around an A-Rank by now.

"Well, there's no reason to wait any longer," Izuku leapt through the window, shattering the crystal clear glass and disabling his Stealth as he crashed down on top of one of the Angel Knights, killing them instantly.

Another four rushed him as Tusk, Igris, Karkinos and the rest of the Shadows emerged from Izuku to handle the others. He killed those four with barely a wasted motion.

[You have Leveled-Up!]

"Looks like they were just enough to get me to Level 95."

Within twenty seconds, only the lead Angel Knight was remaining, their four wings and the rest of its body trembling as Izuku stalked towards them.

"I've been curious for a while now, so thanks for answering my question. It looks like Angels can feel emotions." Izuku pulled out his longsword, "I'm really not a fan of killing someone who doesn't want to fight, so if you have over the Floor Permit, I'll leave this place without harming you." Izuku realized the proposition sounded somewhat hollow, as he had just mercilessly murdered the rest of the Angel's team, but he had yet to see a Villain that truly displayed fear, so he figured he'd give them an out. Noticing that the Angel was still considering whether or not to try attacking him, and that they seemed a higher Rank than the other Knights he had just killed, he cranked up his bloodlust.

The beautiful spear dropped from the Knight's hands and they fell to their knees, "Please forgive me! I was in the wrong! I'll give you the Permit!"

"That voice…" Izuku relaxed his stance, "Take off your helmet."

The Angel acquiesced, a long and thick braid of golden hair spilling out to hang next to her perfectly sculpted face.

Izuku's eyebrows raised, "She has a face? So far, the only Angel I've encountered that had anything close to a real face was Cray and that barely counts."

"Please forgive me!" She repeated, her blue eyes, accentuated by a blue eyeshadow on her eyelids, dancing between the dark and powerful forces surrounding her. "It is the duty of my clan to defend this Floor at all costs and not allow any intruders to exist."

"Clans? Just how detailed and immersive is this Dungeon?!" Izuku nodded, realizing that this girl was likely at the mercy of whatever voice compelled other Villains to kill all humans, "I won't kill you as long as you don't give me a reason."

"I understand," She said, still on her knees, "You seek the Entry Permit? If you deliver me safely back to my home, I can procure it."

"Tusk." The High Orc held one hand over his chest and bowed his head slightly before aiming a finger at the Angel girl, using Gravitation magic to lift her into the air and bring her right up into Izuku's face. As she got closer and closer, Izuku could tell a slight blush was forming on her face, but he ignored it and turned his bloodlust from a five, all the way up to eleven.

"How do I know," The color drained from her already pale features and her eyes became pinpricks as she went into a flight or fight response, but she couldn't move anywhere with Tusk holding her perfectly still. "That I can trust you." Izuku's eyes leaked glowing emerald light, and his figure became enshrouded in Shadows from the girl's point of view.

"I-I-I-I wasn't lying. A-Angels are not allowed to d-d-deceive."

Tusk allowed her to fall back to the ground as Izuku let up on the pressure and gave her a smile, "Fine. Help me get the Permit and I'll leave here peacefully."

"T-Thank you." She wiped at her eyes, a few tears had leaked out.

"So, what should I call you?"

She stood on shaky legs, scooping up her spear and helmet, gripping them tightly to try and stop the trembling. "I am Lady Esil, eldest daughter of the Radir Clan."

"So… do you have a voice in your head? Telling you to kill all humans?"

"Hmm?" Esil tilted her head as he looked up, contemplating the question, "Well no, but we do have another type of voice that tells us to "Protect the area we reside in.""

"How long have you heard the voice for?"

"The moment we opened our eyes?"

"Opened their eyes? Does that mean they were somewhere else before being put here?" Taking his time to formulate his next question he asked, "Then… where were you before you opened your eyes here?"

"The Angel World." She said matter of factly, "There was no warning, we simply appeared here."

"What were you doing in that realm?"

Esil's face became blank, her eyes unfocused suddenly, "War… we were preparing for… war."

"War? Against what."

"It was… it was…" Esil's voice became almost full of static, "You have surpassed the allowed amount of information. The conversation will be interrupted."

"Damn. I guess the System really doesn't want me learning too much. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't try to push it too far." Izuku called back his Shadows, "So… where's this home of yours?"

"Ugh!" Dabi was thrown to the ground hard enough to dent the concrete floor and knock the wind from his lungs. Miruko and Hawks belted out a laugh as he waved off Mirio's hand up. "Al… Alright… You can be All Might for now."

"Great!" Min Byung-Gyu, an S-Rank healer said, clapping his hands together, "Now that that's settled, may we be graced with the whereabouts of All Might?"

Baek Yo-Hoon smiled and slapped his friend on the back, "What's with the Shakespearean, Min?"

"Shakesp…?" Byung-Gyu shook his head, "This is why I'm becoming an english teacher and you aren't."

"That suits me just fine."

Mirio thought for a moment, "Well… All Might didn't tell me exactly what was going on, but he did say that he was searching for two people."

"Tsukauchi and Izuku Midoriya," Ryukyu said, quite confident in her guess.

The student shrugged, "That's what I would assume."

"Tsukauchi? I don't think I recognize that name. Izuku Midoriya sounds familiar though… oh!" Hae-In cried out, "Was he one of the students participating at the UA Sports Festival? He got stuck in that Red Gate right? Whatever happened to him? And why is All Might out looking for him?"

Mirio shrugged a second time, "All Might will be All Might. He's always had some strange interests in certain people. And Tsukauchi is a friend of his that went completely missing… totally off the grid, so I'm sure you can guess the reason for that particular search."

Hae-In noticed that her question about Izuku was not answered, but she let it go as Endeavor scanned over their group of Heroes and proposed a sparring match between all of the S-Ranks there; just to test everyone out.

"Yeah, I think I'll sit that out!" Dabi replied, going over to rest on the bench Miruko had been using to stretch. "Everyone here is an S-Rank, myself included, but that doesn't mean we're all at the same level. That Mirio boy… he seems too strong… could he actually be a match for All Might?"

Though Izuku now had Esil guiding him towards her home, they were still beset by waves of Angelic enemies. Apparently, those base Angels, the ones with no face, attacked anyone indiscriminately, even other Angels or Angel Knights like Esil.

Of course, it was barely a hindrance to Izuku and Esil, who rode Karkinos through the sky, heading for a gleaming white palace.

"How about that? A Heavenly Palace inside a Heavenly Palace."

Since Karkinos was a massive target and an easily perceived threat, Izuku and Esil decided to enter on foot, greeted by another guard, who responded to Esil's question about the location of her father.

"Lady Esil, he's currently in the throne room… but, I must ask, who is that man behind you?"

Esil didn't back down in the face of the massive and imposing guard, "He's someone of utmost importance, so treat him as you would treat any guest."

As they strolled into the throne room, Izuku found himself looking around, noticing all the qualities of a Boss fight. "Had I fought my way here, there's no way this wouldn't be the final bout. I feel like I got given a dialogue prompt and chose the pacifist run… is that a good thing or a bad thing though?"

Izuku was so caught up in his own thoughts he barely noticed Esil's father, another Angel with divinely handsome features, recoil at his presence.

"ESIL! How could you bring someone like him here?! No guest brings an army hidden in his Shadow!"

"Hmm, so he can see Igris and the others? That's interesting." His thoughts remained calm as the throne room guards leveled their blades at his neck. "There's no need for any fighting. I promised Esil I would leave her peacefully if you handed over the Floor Permit to me."

Esil's father paused, realizing that Izuku was the one who had been climbing the Floors recently, killing Cray and Seiryu in the process, "He's not someone we can fight, is he?"

"The Entry Permit… is that all you truly want from us?"

Izuku paused for a moment, "Well… actually I do need a guide, so I'd like to borrow Esil for a while longer." Izuku once again ignored the blush appearing on the Angel girl's face.

Esil's father asked Izuku to partake in a meal while they talked over everything. It had gone quite well, though Izuku was surprised when the elder Angel requested that above all, Esil remained safe.

Izuku assured the father that he would not allow her to partake in any battles and that he would protect her. Esil's face again grew hot at such a declaration, but Izuku didn't notice it this time.

Emerging from the magic circle on the 86th Floor and being greeted by the massive castle of the next Angel clan, Izuku was confused as Esil knelt down, taking off her backpack and removing some special bottle of alcohol, "My father prepared gifts for each of the clans so that negotiations would go more smoothly."

"Negotiations?" Izuku stopped in his march towards the castle, he had spared Esil because she had surrendered, but the truth was, he didn't have time to enact the same discussion with each and every clan, "Sorry, but there won't be any time for talking… I'll be back."

"You're going to kill them all?"

"I hope you aren't acquainted with them."

"N-No," Esil answered, "In fact, we're on bad terms with every single clan in the tower, but… I'm just wondering why you bothered to talk with my clan but not the others?"

Izuku shrugged, "I'm not sure… maybe you're just special.

"Eh…?!"

"For now, just wait here, I'll be done soon."

Level: 99

Strength: 223

Vitality: 160

Agility: 191

Intelligence: 175

Sense: 137

[Mana: 15736/15736]

[HP: 45195/45195]

[Shadows able to be extracted: 260]

[Shadows able to be saved: 201]

"How apt. I've reached Level 99 just as I completed Floor 99. Igris and Smokey both increased their Grade. Igris is now at Captain Grade and Smokey is at Elite-Knight Grade. School starts back up in only a couple of hours… I'll have to be quick with the 100th floor… then again… I haven't slept in quite some time… I'll need rest once I get back. I can always miss just one day right? After all, I've been training pretty hard during my days off."

Izuku turned to Esil, "It looks like it's time for you to go back to your Floor. Floor 100 is apparently home to an insanely strong enemy. I've noticed sharper and sharper increases in difficulty since climbing up these last five Floors. I'm not sure even I can guarantee your safety for Floor 100."

"So then… I'm no longer useful to you?" Izuku frowned at her depressed tone and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"You've helped me a ton… but what comes next… you don't need to put yourself in that sort of danger." He sighed, "Your father asked me to keep you safe, and the safest place for you now would be your own Floor."

Esil shook her head, "No. I want to come with you! I want to see the final outcome of your battle!"

Izuku scratched the back of his head, "What if something happens to you? Think about your father." Izuku normally wasn't prone to worrying about promises he made with Villains, but these "Villains" were closer to humans than some "Heroes" he had met.

"I'm… happy to know you care that much about me," Esil began.

"Okay, you're making it sound way too serious."

"But you can't control what I do and if I get hurt because of my own choices, then my father can't blame you! Besides… I… trust you to protect me."

Izuku sighed once more, but nodded, "Alright then… it's up to you." And with that, the two of them entered the magic circle and moved onto the 100th Floor.

Two hours after Izuku entered the 100th Floor of the Heavenly Palace, Korea and Japan boarded their respective team's helicopters, all of which were headed for one place. Jeju Island, the fourth Shie Hassaikai Raid. With nearly twenty S-Rank Heroes heading for the Raid, no one could've predicted just how wrong it would go.

Chapter Text

Two KDX-111 Destroyers, two KDX-IV Destroyers, four DDH-975 Destroyers, one DDH-971, and 12 Frigates were all deployed near the north side of Jeju Island, all of them carried Heroes of some type, and all were meant to handle any of the Nomu that tried to escape the island.

Inside one of the helicopters that was deploying the S-Rank Heroes, Cha Hae-In, Baek Yo-Hoon, Ma Dong-Wook, a massive man with matching strength, Choi Jong-In, Korea's "ultimate soldier," Lim Tae-Gyu, an archer, and Min Byung-Gyu, their healer, were joined by Mirio Togata and Miruko, both of which had insisted on joining the main assault team.

"I never understood the whole Hero name thing," Hae-In said to Miruko, who smiled wide at the girl five years her senior.

"Well from what I hear, even you Koreans have some names."

"I-I don't underst-"

Miruko lightly punched Hae-In's arm, "Come on Dancer, don't hide it."

Hae-In's face went bright red and she had to resist the urge to hide herself away. She had earned the title of Blade Dancer or just Dancer from those who had seen her fight, but because she was greatly embarrassed by the title, the head of her Agency had banned the usage of it amongst their employees. Unfortunately for Hae-In, the name appeared to have leaked out.

"I appreciate you joining us, Miruko, but I'd prefer if you didn't distract one of our most powerful fighters."

"Heh, sorry. That's what my Guild does with each member before a dangerous Raid. It typically distracts them from the fact that they could lose their lives to otherworldly Villains."

Mirio rested a hand on Miruko's shoulder, giving her a somewhat stern look and interrupting the "conversation," "You can call me Lemillion while we're on mission. Since we're about to drop, I figured we should go over the battle plan. The main reason the past Raids on Jeju failed was because of the Boss Villain, a human-type nicknamed Overhaul. His magic involved breaking down anything he touched to a molecular level, instantly killing them. It was for that reason that physical-types were at such a disadvantage in his presence, which is why I'll engage him up-front while the rest of you make sure I can divert my full power to him."

Baek shifted uncomfortably in his seat across from the cameraman, "I'm not sure… I'm not sure I can allow someone your age to handle that burden alone."

Mirio flashed him a blinding smile, "It's okay, with my Quirk, there's no way he can touch me, I'm the best choice! And besides, All Might is entrusting me with everyone's safety while he's gone, if that means I have to fight him, then I'll gladly do it!"

"Jeez kid… You better not die on us. The world needs more people like you."

"Oh! Looks like the Japanese teams are in position!" One of the helicopter pilots called out.

"This is Endeavor, all points check in," Endeavor held a hand up to his ear as Gang Orca came to a stop next to him, signaling this was their spot.

"Hawks and Musha are in position."

"Jeanist, Crust, and Fat Gum all set."

"Ryukyu, Dabi, and Edgeshot are raring to go."

"I still have no idea how you talked me into helping, Kyu."

Ryukyu chuckled, "I promised you the opportunity to punch Endeavor in the face, remember?"

"All points begin operation. Unleash it all."

From the helicopter, a massive burst of magical energy could be felt from all four points.

"Alright people! That's the signal!" Baek called out, "Japan's Heroes will be able to hold that agro for about an hour, so let's get this done!"

"Hey camera guy!" Miruko yelled out as they were about to leap out of the helicopter into the hollowed out mountain that had become filled with Nomu tunnels, "Just so you know, we're here to eliminate the Boss and kill the Nomu-type that's producing all of their offspring. Protecting you isn't included in that mission!"

He nodded, gripping his sword, "I may not look like much, but I am an A-Rank."

As they leaped out, Choi clearing a path with his insane fiery powers, the navy activated their own special equipment, an electric jamming satellite that blanketed the island in a signal that cut off any communications between the Nomu, as most of them had some sort of way to talk to one another or their "Queen."

"Well, let's get started." Choi placed his hand on the ground, spawning a couple dozen balls of fire that danced around the hundred different tunnelways. It took him only a few moments to stand once more and start down a pathway.

They encountered the odd Nomu creature here and there, dispatching it without much difficulty, but upon reaching a massive hollowed out cave, they were greeted with a real sight to behold.

Rows and rows of hundreds, if not thousands of pure black, slime looking embryos. Unlike most other creatures, Nomu's were not born from eggs or from a womb, instead, their goopy, yet to develop bodies were simply plopped out anywhere the Queen desired and they grew from that. It was rather disgusting.

"Well well well, after taking the girl, I was wondering when the next attack would be. Frankly, I'm disappointed." A guttural and raspy voice said, directing everyone's attention up to an outcropping of rock, where a man with two normal human arms and two dark unnatural arms rested, "I suppose I should introduce myself… I am Overhaul… and you're all my prey."

Six hours earlier, Izuku emerged onto the 100th Floor of the Heavenly Palace. It was quite beautiful. A peaceful garden with blooming flowers and a bright blue sky. Esil and Izuku remained in place for a moment before realizing nothing was going to attack them right out of the gate and they cautiously began strolling through the greenery, eventually coming to a plaza of sorts, a quiet and calm fountain spewing out water.

It was so relaxing, that had Izuku not known this was Floor 100 of a dangerous Dungeon, he would've laid down in the grass and taken a nap. Thankfully, he knew better and as he exited from the slight thicket of trees that obscured a bit of the sky, he was grateful that he had not gotten pulled in.

Hovering just above the fountain was a purely white being. His armor was completely unlike anything Izuku had seen so far. It was as detailed and as finely crafted as Esil's, but it didn't have the same sense of uniqueness he had seen in the other sets of armor.

Three sets of wings hung behind him motionless, seemingly having no impact on his levitation. He only had an upper half, the area below his torso fading into a milky white fog of sorts that was attached to him. His hands were pressed palm to palm in front of his face in prayer, eternally silent as he beseeched his creator.

[Skill: Army of Heaven as activated.]

"What?!" Doors made from fine white marble burst out of the ground, opening to release hundreds of Angels. "He wasn't praying, he was activating a Skill!"

The Angel turned to face Izuku, confirming what he already suspected.

[The Strongest Angel, Seraph Lucifer.]

Izuku scoffed, "Why does everyone have the most wordy names?"

Lucifer's aura far surpassed anything else Izuku had felt inside the Dungeon, but while there was a bit of apprehension in the air Izuku wasn't necessarily worried. After all, on his climb to Floor 100, he had obtained a few more pieces of the Olympian Armor from the Angel Clan's armories.

[Item: Olympian Helm]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Armor

+40 Intelligence

Set Effect will activate if this item is equipped along with:

Olympian Armor pieces.

Set Effect 1: +5 All Stats

Set Effect 2: (Locked)

Set Effect 3: (Locked)

[Item: Olympian Necklace]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Accessory

+20 Intelligence

+20 Sense

Set Effect will activate if this item is equipped along with:

Olympian Armor pieces.

Set Effect 1: +5 All Stats

Set Effect 2: (Locked)

Set Effect 3: (Locked)

[Item: Olympian Ring]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Accessory

+20 Strength

+20 Vitality

Set Effect will activate if this item is equipped along with:

Olympian Armor pieces.

Set Effect 1: +5 All Stats

Set Effect 2: +10 All Stats

Set Effect 3: (Locked)

Level: 99

Strength: 253

Vitality: 190

Agility: 201

Intelligence: 245

Sense: 167

[Mana: 25238/25238]

[HP: 47395/47395]

[Shadows able to be extracted: 367]

[Shadows able to be saved: 221]

In his rampage through the last dozen or so Floor, Izuku had greatly expanded his army to include 49 Angel Archers, 20 Angel Knights, 30 Angel Mages, bringing his total Soldier count to its maximum of 221 Shadows. The Angel Knights were really the only ones with any true power to them, but Izuku decided that having some flying ranged attackers would be useful as he could always Level them up later. As it turned out, Esil herself was not an Angel Knight, but an Angel Noble, and incredibly rare and powerful species, which made sense considering she was the leader of the group that had attacked Smokey, but he simply hadn't expected someone like her to hold so much power.

As Izuku looked around at the Angelic army that appeared out of nowhere, the Seraph's arms spread out to either side, conjuring two massive maces from seemingly nowhere. Though Lucifer made no immediate moves, his face hidden by a helmet, his forces drew closer and closer, to the point where Esil began to become nervous.

"Um… Sir Midoriya?"

"Not yet."

Some of the Angels hit the ground running, trampling the perfectly manicured grass as they charged towards Izuku.

"Not yet…"

Esil began to regret having pushed so hard to come with him, but then a Shadow spread out from under Izuku, spreading wide over the entire garden.

[Skill: Domain of the Monarch has activated. All Shadows within the Monarch's range will have their Stats increased by 50%]

"Come Forth!"

The ground the Angels were running over erupted with Shadowy spears and other blades, skewering the white beings from below as the Shadows pulled themselves up to the real world. The cool blue of their bodies replaced by a dark and menacing purple. Although, it did nothing to modify the red of the Orcs or the white of the Angels and Karkinos.

[Tusk is using Skill: Hymn of Giants on Karkinos.]

[Karkinos is using Skill: Divine Retribution.]

As Karkinos grew to a size that was only comparable to a skyscraper his maw opened wide, letting forth a beam of white energy that scorched the earth and seared the Angels to a crisp. The ones that were too close to Izuku for Karkinos to hit, well, Igris had something to say about them hurting his Liege.

Instantly, a battle between two hundred and several thousand had shifted to a battle between two hundred each.

Lucifer crossed his maces in front of his chest, signaling to Izuku that he was about to use some sort of Skill. He was too far away for a melee attack, so Izuku wrapped Esil in his arms and turned his back to Lucifer preparing to leap away as Tusk created a barrier between the two to buy time.

[Lucifer is using Skill: God's Will.]

Slashing with both maces, Lucifer created an x-shaped artifact of solid light that carved a path through everything it touched.

Izuku's Mana dropped by about two-thousand as it tore through his army and slammed into Tusk's shield. The High Orc's eyes widened as he realized that for the first time since being summoned as a Shadow, his shield was being broken. Roaring, Tusk poured as much of his energy into the Hymn of Protect as he could, succeeding in holding it back just long enough for Izuku to exit the blast radius and then, it exploded.

The blinding fire enclosed at least a dozen Shadows within its radius, stealing another thousand Mana from Izuku, "Igris! Smokey! Hyo! Tank! Get those maces out of his hands! Karkinos! Clip his wings!"

Hyo sent two separate waves of ice to freeze each arm as Tank dove at the right while Igris and Smokey headed for the left using the bear's weight to pull down Lucifer.

The Seraph's three sets of wings went to flap, likely to unleash some sort of attack or attempt to escape, but Karkinos was already on it. The massive serpent-like body swooped down from the sky, his talons flashing as they slashed across Lucifer's back, completely cutting away two of the sets.

Izuku finally set Esil down behind what seemed a safe spot, "Stay as far away from the battle as possible! I've got to go help them!"

[Skill: Sprint Lv. 3 has activated.]

Even as he was weighed down by two Elite-Knight Shadows, a Captain Shadow, and restricted by the ice magic of another Elite-Knight, Lucifer was managing to make progress, his arms pushing back against the enemies holding him down. The ice began cracking and Igris and the others began losing any grip they had on the maces. Karkinos circled back around, his jaws primed to snap down on the Seraph's head, but before he could, Lucifer's remaining wings got off one beat.

Four feathers fell from his back and became eclipsed by a glowing light as they shapeshifted to four white and gold longswords, all of which rocketed through the air, dicing up Karkinos like a blender and forcing him to pull back as his body was decimated. It all seemed to be going wrong, but Izuku finally joined the battle, charging forwards as nothing more than a blur and slamming into Lucifer's chest, denting the armor heavily and allowing his Shadows to wrest away his weapons.

Pulling out the Juggled Blades, Izuku sent them spinning through the air, cutting down Lucifer's two remaining wings and ending his assault on Karkinos.

Somewhat freed from the weight of the Shadows, Lucifer stumbled backwards, finally breaking the ice as the milky white mist on his bottom half coalesced to form a solid shape. Without his wings it seemed like he needed his legs to stay upright.

"Monarch…" The Angel muttered, "You intend to kill me. Take a good look before you do so. I am you and am I what you will become." His blinding armor creaked and cracked, twisting into a demonic form as it was overcome with a black color that spread up it like a virus. "I, Lucifer, am the most powerful vessel of God… but I am also that of a Fallen Angel." Two new bat-like wings shot out of his back, "I am your past, Monarch," He spat, "And I am your future!" His gauntlets curled into hooked talons, looking sharp enough to tear through just about anything.

"Yeah?" Izuku asked, "Well the future looks pretty ugly," Leveling his longsword at him, he smirked, "So I think I'll just kill it."

"RAAARGH!" His claws slashed through the air, creating dark blades of energy that flew by Izuku, who had to jump and dive over them to avoid getting cut.

Rolling to his feet, Izuku's arm hauled forwards, cutting at the ankle of the twenty foot tall Angel turned Demon. It growled unnaturally at him as his fist clenched, ready to crush him into a paste, but Tank covered Izuku's body with his own, the blow crashing harmlessly into his back.

Igris jumped from Lucifer's arms aiming for his head as he flicked his whip. Lucifer ducked at the last moment, the whip continuing onwards to slice through his wings like they weren't even there.

Landing behind the Boss of the Heavenly Palace, Igris was buffed by Tusk, growing nearly as tall as Lucifer himself. Swinging his sword with the same power that would be given to a club, Igris cleaved into the side of Lucifer's armor, biting his skin and letting flow a spray of gray blood.

Lucifer's free hand batted aside Smokey as he rose to his full height to claw at the Demon. At the same time, he gathered more of that dark energy into his foot, stomping on the ground and sending a shockwave strong enough to throw all the Shadows and Izuku off balance, knocking them to the ground.

He picked up Tank by the neck with his massive hands and flung him away, apparently deciding that he was more trouble than he was worth Spinning around, he slashed at Igris, cutting his body into five separate pieces.

[Mana: 8730/25238]

"How did it get so low so quickly?!" Looking back to the rest of the Angels clashing with his army as he activated Stealth, Izuku realized that on average, the Angels outpaced his Soldiers. So far, the only reason they had been keeping up at all was because of Tusk's AOE attacks, his shields and his buffs. In fact, Tusk had been working overtime to help both teams and it was quickly wearing him down. "We have to finish this now!"

"Hit him with everything!"

[Tusk is using Skills: Hymn of Frenzy, Hymn of Strengthening, Hymn of Giants, and Hymn of Combustion, and Hymn of the Fire Dragon]

[Karkinos is using Skill: Divine Retribution.]

The two beams of heat hit Lucifer from both the front and back at the same time turning his dark armor into a white hot mess of melted metal. He roared in pain, but wasted no time tearing off his armor like it was paper and manifesting a shield of dark energy that held back Tusk's blast for just a moment. That one moment where his hand was held out was just one moment long enough for Igris's whip to sneak through, severing the arm at the elbow. At the same time, both blasts cut off, Tusk and Karkinos's energies exhausted just as Izuku leapt forwards, driving his fist into Lucifer's chest, creating an unnatural crater in his skin and causing him to skid backwards.

Lucifer fell to his knees, his withered and gray chest scorched with burns that would cause anyone to beg for mercy. But to the credit of the Fallen Angel, he simply reached up to his head with his remaining hand and pulled off the helmet that was quickly turning to slag. His head was full of once golden hairs, now turned pure white and a face that had once seemed eternally youthful was old and decaying.

"I have served as the guardian of this garden since my Lord put me here. I did my best to protect its purity, even taking on the powers of the Devil to make certain I would be strong enough when someone like you arrived… but it appears my efforts were in vain." Lucifer looked out over the scorched garden and the Angels fighting Shadows, "You have corrupted this place and I believe you will corrupt many more, so I have no choice but to- ugh?"

Izuku had stabbed Lucifer in the chest, piercing his heart, "Sorry, I would've let you have your last words, but it sounded like you were going to do something dangerous."

Lucifer croaked out a wheeze and his fist opened, releasing a blinding light attached to a golden sword. "Mo… narch… what… side… will you… be on?" Izuku withdrew his sword, allowing Lucifer to collapse onto his back.

[You defeat The Strongest Angel, Seraph Lucifer.]

Izuku collapsed onto his butt, breathing hard as he watched the body of the Fallen Angel turn into golden dust and float into the air, sprinkling itself over the melted armor, repairing a few pieces and turning them into the white and gold pattern Izuku recognized as the Olympian armor.

[You have obtained Lucifer's Soul.]

[Normal Quest: Collect Heavenly Souls (Part 2) has been completed!]

Turning around, Izuku saw that most of the Angels had been dealt with, but he also saw one of his Shadows sprinting towards him, a body in their arms and Izuku went cold. He stood and dashed over, meeting them halfway, recognizing Esil's golden locks and perfect face. Where her stomach should've been, there was a long dark wound and Izuku realized what had happened. Lucifer's energy slashes hadn't stopped at him, they had raced past, one of them heading for the area Esil was watching from.

Izuku felt around clumsily for a pulse. If she was still alive, the strongest potions from the store could maybe save her. But… he felt nothing. She was as cold as ice.

"Dammit…" Izuku's hand went limp, falling to his side as he clenched his jaw, "I… Should I give her a burial? I could use… no… no! I wasn't given power over death just so I could bury someone!" Izuku gave his Shadow a solemn look, "Set her down."

As if he was handling a newborn, the Shadow gently laid her on the grassy ground.

"I'm sorry for this, Esil… but it's my only option, so please, Arise."

The Shadow that had carried her to him was shot backwards as a mass of darkness erupted from Esil's stomach, encapsulating Izuku in a bubble of ink-like night. From inside that bubble he was shocked to see bits of that golden dust from Lucifer sprinkling the Shadow. Moments later, two bright eyes gazed back at Izuku, blinking in surprise. The bubble began to shrink, condensing into a form, taking a humanoid shape with three sets of wings.

[Shadow Seraph Lv. 9 Captain Grade.]

[What would you like to zzzt.]

[Shadow Seraph has been renamed, Esil Radir.]

"What?"

"Sir Midoriya?" The Shadow asked, white accents tracing their way up her body, coming to a stop on her face as it mimicked the features of a specific Angel girl.

"Esil? You can… talk?"

[The Monarch's desires, the Shadow's will, and the Seraph's blessing have granted Esil Radir the ability of speech.]

Esil smiled at him, "I don't think my father's going to be very happy with me… after all, now I have to spend all of eternity with you." Her voice was filled with pure joy. It was so much of a relief that Izuku nearly passed into unconsciousness, after all, he had been awake and fighting for the past three days straight, but he resisted, instead choosing to open his Daily Quest Reward, "Accept Status Recovery." For some strange reason, unlike the other Gates Izuku had been inside, this Dungeon did not reset his Daily Quests everyday, so he had saved the Status Recovery for an occasion just like this.

As all of his exhaustion was washed away, he was left with nothing but a smile and a pile of loot. One item in particular catching his eye.

[You have obtained Ingredient Item: Purified Blood of the Seraph.]

"Hold on just a little longer mom, I'll be there soon."

Back in present time, the four Japanese teams were busy handling all of the Nomu pouring out of the mountain. "Come on, Musha!" Hawks joked as he lazily hung back, leaning against a tree, his feathers swinging through the air, cutting the Nomu like they were paper, "You're falling behind in kills!"

"Not all of us care so much about simply looking good, Hawks," The old man inside the armor replied as he cut another Nomu out of the sky, "It seems like far more Nomu have flight capabilities than we originally anticipated. If they have this many then why did they only send the one Nomu to the mainland? Were they waiting for something? Or simply protecting their Queen?" Silence was the only thing that followed, surprising Musha, Hawks never remained this quiet during Raids, even during the stickiest of situations, his mouth never stopped.

Musha wasn't sure why, but it sent a chill through his spine and as he dealt with the final Nomu nearby, he spun around, the only trace of Hawks left being his decapitated body. "Wh-What?!" Musha reached up to his ear to signal the other points, but his arm never made it, it was torn off before he could even blink. The last thing he saw as before a fist punched through his skull was a dark black exoskeleton.

Chapter Text

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have obtained Item: Olympian Boots.]

[You have obtained Item: Olympian Gauntlets.]

[You have obtained Item: Genesis Blade.]

[You have obtained Weapon Pair: Daybringer and Nightbringer]

[You have obtained Item: Seraph's Blessed Ashes.]

[You have obtained Ingredient Item: Purified Blood of the Seraph.]

[Item: Olympian Boots]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Armor

+40 Agility

Set Effect will activate if this item is equipped along with:

Olympian Armor pieces.

Set Effect 1: +5 All Stats

Set Effect 2: +10 All Stats

Set Effect 3: (Locked)

[Item: Olympian Gauntlets]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Armor/Weapons

+200 Attack

When wielding weapons in both hands with the Olympian Gauntlets equipped, those weapons will gain a 25% Bonus to their Attack.

Set Effect will activate if this item is equipped along with:

Olympian Armor pieces.

Set Effect 1: +5 All Stats

Set Effect 2: +10 All Stats

Set Effect 3: Skill: Guardian Angel

"There's so much loot, I can barely keep up with all of it!"

[Normal Quest: Collect Heavenly Souls (Part 2) has been completed!]

Rewards:

- 1. Highest Quality Runestone

- 2. +30 Bonus Stats

- 3. Hidden Reward

[Received Runestone: Shadow Exchange.]

[Received 30 Stat Points.]

[Received Title: Angel Hunter.]

[Title: Angel Hunter requirements have not been met.]

"I think I'll put all the Points into Intelligence."

Level: 102

Strength: 256

Vitality: 193

Agility: 244

Intelligence: 278

Sense: 170

[Mana: 25738/25738]

[HP: 47395/47395]

[Shadows able to be extracted: 372]

[Shadows able to be saved: 252]

Izuku had no idea what the issue was with the Angel Hunter Title, but upon crushing the Runestone in his hand, he forgot all about it.

[Skill: Shadow Exchange Lv. 1]

Job-Specific Skill

No Mana Required

Exchange locations with any selected Shadow Soldier. This Skill has a cooldown of 3 hours. The cooldown will change depending on the Skill Level.

"Holy crap! It's like teleportation!" Shaking his head, Izuku realized that by now, he was only wasting time. "I'll look at everything else later!"

[World Tree's Fragment.]

[Spring Water of the Echoing Forest.]

[Purified Blood of the Seraph.]

[Would you like to craft consumable: Holy Water of Life?]

"Yes."

"Sir Midoriya?" Esil asked, her Shadowy body moving around behind him as she tried to fruitlessly peek over his shoulder and look at whatever he was looking at.

[Crafting Holy Water of Life.]

[The success rate and number of items crafted will be dependent on the crafter's Intelligence Stat.]

"I guess it's a good thing I plugged all my Stat Points into Intelligence."

[5]

[4]

[3]

[2]

[1]

[Crafting successful!]

[Crafted Item: Holy Water of Life x6]

Izuku felt like jumping into the air, but he refrained. He didn't want to jinx himself and risk the fact that this water might not cure his mother at all. He still had some of the Purified Blood and a chunk of the World Tree Fragment left, but the Spring Water of the Echoing Forest was entirely gone.

"Oh well, I've got six of the things and I supposedly only need one… hopefully."

[Due to the death of the Dungeon Boss and the clearing of all 100 Floors, you will now be booted from the Dungeon.]

"Wait what?!" Izuku looked over to Esil, "But-!"

Before he could finish his sentence, his vision went dark and when it reappeared, he found himself standing just outside the Endeavor Agency, all of his Shadows surrounding him. 63 Shadow High Orcs, 49 Angel Archers, 20 Angel Knights, 30 Angel Mages, 25 Shadow Bears, 19 Shadow Infantry, 6 Magicians, 3 Shadow High Orc Bodyguards, Smokey, Tank, Igris, Hyo, Tusk, Karkinos, and Esil all standing in front of what should've been a busy Agency and street.

But Izuku ignored the fact that there seemed to be no one around and he turned to Esil, "I-I'm sorry that you didn't get to say goodbye to your father."

Esil shook her head, "It's not… exactly what I would have wanted, but from here on out, as long as I'm with you, I'm at peace with whatever happens." A calm smile was stretched across her face, surprising Izuku as he called back in all of his Shadows except for Esil and Karkinos.

"Well then," He said, climbing up to Karkinos's head, "As long as you're certain." He paused, looking in the direction of the hospital his mother was slumbering in, "So… you wanna meet my mother?"

"Ryukyu team, have you been able to make contact with Hawks' or Jeanist's team?" Endeavor said over the Japanese comms.

"Negative. We've cleaned up some of the Nomu around here, but most of them rushed back to the mound. We're heading to Hawks' team now."

"Good, I'll be heading for Jeanist. Once you rendezvous, begin your evacuation of the island."

"What? But what about Miruko, Lemillion, or the Koreans?"

"They've got their own orders, now follow mine."

Ryukyu grumbled to herself, but since Endeavor was Number 2 and All Might wasn't here, the Japanese Government had given him the reins of the operation.

As Dabi ran alongside the dragon girl, he gave her an odd look, "Something doesn't feel right here. You sense it too don't you?"

Ryukyu sighed, "Yes… but just because we get a chill down our spine doesn't mean we get to abandon the mission. We figure out what happened to our teams and then we leave."

"Where's the girl?!" Mirio shouted, pushing off the floor with such force that he stumbled the other S-Ranks inside the tunnel. He shot upwards, heading for Overhaul, who stood calmly on a ledge.

Ducking at the last second, Overhaul avoided a strike that would've taken his head off, "For now… she's safe. Maybe not comfortable, but she's safe." Mirio's fist decimated the wall behind him as he leapt backwards, "After all, an Enhancement-type like herself is too valuable to lose."

Mirio almost froze in place, "You're… using her?"

Overhaul tilted his head, "What? Did you expect us to treat her with love and affection?"

"No… I mean… you didn't try to kill her." Mirio's eyes narrowed, "The Nomu that kidnapped her was under orders and Gate Villains never take prisoners… their only goal is to kill. You're not a human-type Gate Villain, you're just a human Villain. That explains your power to break things down and rebuild them; it's not magic, it's your Quirk. But then… how'd you manage to ally yourself with the Nomu?"

Overhaul chuckled, "The League of Villains are quite helpful when it comes to Human-Gate relations. After all, they have some special connection to the Gates, just like you, Aeic." Mirio scowled and launched himself right back into the fray, doing his best to kill Overhaul, but the human Villain was too nimble and everytime Mirio got too close, he would place one of his four hands on the ground, destroying it and reforming it as a massive wall, obscuring Mirio's vision for just a second as he used his Permeation Quirk to pass right through it.

Cha Hae-In and Baek Yo-Hoon looked around in shock, "There's no Nomu, anywhere…"

"Isn't this their nest? Do they not care about it?" Choi asked.

"It doesn't matter, just so long as Lemillion is able to kill Overhaul, then we can move on to the Queen herself. I bet that's where we'll find all of her guards," Miruko said, itching to jump into the battle, but holding herself back for the sake of Mirio who had requested the one-on-one to make sure he didn't have to worry about anyone else getting hurt. She didn't normally hold herself back from a fight, but the way Mirio was moving and the power he was suddenly putting off made her reconsider her desire to fight Overhaul. There was something about the both of them that just didn't sit well with her.

Overhaul slapped his hand on the ground, creating a forest of spikes that hindered Mirio for just a moment, allowing him to avoid another devastating strike from the blonde boy. "I know I can't beat you. You have the full power of a Ruler on your side and I only have the power I was born with inside of me. But…" Overhaul created a perfect box around himself and Mirio, thinking it was a poor attempt to hide, dove right through it, "But I have the support of all the Monarchs."

Mirio's eyes widened as Overhaul's lower right arm shot out, a glowing stone held in it. He turned his torso intangible, but it changed nothing. Overhaul's arm passed into his chest, dropping the stone there and pulling out his hand.

Mirio collapsed to the ground, his body burning with pain suddenly. He tried to activate his Quirk, but for some reason, all the strength had left his body.

As Overhaul took down the box shape that had obscured them from the rest, he laughed, "How'd you like that? Yogumunt made that for this specific occasion. Unfortunately, it's the only of its kind, so we can only seal away one of you Ruler pieces of shit, but I think sealing away Aeic, The Largest Fragment of Brilliant Light is a good choice, what do you think?"

Miruko and the Koreans rushed forwards, intending to kill the Villain, but Overhaul made another forest of spikes, slowing them down, "No… The Ruler was my only prey… you eight can be the prey of my newest experiment."

"Lemillion!" Baek called out, his body becoming completely covered in a white fur as his body shapeshifted to mirror the aspects of a tiger. His power increased dramatically and he began crashing through the spikes with no concern for his own health.

But the young Hero weakly waved them away, "R… un…" Then, he was overcome by a massive amount of orange light, blinking out of existence just like that."

"YOU BASTARD!" Baek shouted, his fears suddenly a reality, "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THAT!"

"I reckon you could," Overhaul said lackadaisical, "I was prepared for Aeic after all, not you." Baek jumped into the air, his body heading straight for Overhauls. Within moments, they would collide, but a blur interrupted Baek's attack. "But I believe this one will be more than enough to kill you all. He's already had some fun with your Japanese comrades."

The half-tiger man was slammed into a wall of the cavern, a deep gash appearing from his shoulder down to his pecks. The culprit of the attack? A humanoid ant with the most powerful aura any of the Heroes there had ever felt.

Baek fell forwards out of his crater, the one attack nearly enough to push him into unconsciousness, but Min Byung-Gyu was there to pick him up with his healing magic. As an S-Rank Healer, his friend's wound was closed within an instant.

As the tiger got back to his feet, Miruko and Hae-In rushed the ant, one kicking with enough power to decimate a building, the other slashing with enough force to cut a mountain in half. The ant only needed one hand for each.

He caught their attacks in each hand, crushing Hae-In's sword and Miruko's foot like they were made out of paper-mache. Then, with both of them put off balance, he drove a fist into the side of both, crushing multiple organs at the same time. The two fell to the ground, unconscious as Choi Jong-In and Lim Tae-Gyu launched their respective projectiles at the ant. It brushed off the fire and caught the magical arrow with little effort, throwing it to Baek, injuring him yet again.

By that point Ma Dong-Wook was the last physical Hero left, but as soon as the ant noticed a glowing green aura of healing surrounding the two female Heroes, it punched him in the gut, breaking several bones and sending him flying to the side. It dashed behind him, stabbing his clawed hand through a space that appeared to be occupied by nothing and yet, blood spurted from that empty air as Byung-Gyu's Camouflage Skill was broken.

"BYUNG-GYU!" Baek shouted, unable to comprehend what was even happening as the ant lurched forwards, his mouth tearing off the head of the healer and swallowing it whole. He tore the magic arrow out of his chest and leapt at the ant, his claws ready to tear him to shreds, but the ant caught him by the throat, squeezing hard enough to interrupt and cancel Baek's transformation.

"Youuu arrre weeeaak," The ant said as it seemed to adjust to the new language it was speaking, "Where… is your kiiing?"

"K-King?"

Choi and Lim tried to launch another barrage, but the ant dropped Baek and slashed each of them across the chest, forcing them to the ground in pain, blood spurting out.

The ant seemed to sniff the air, "Outside. He's there… the strong one." Blurring away, the ant disappeared, racing for outside of the caverns.

"The… strong one? Is it heading for Endeavor? Does that mean that some of the Japanese Heroes are still alive?"

"Did you like him?" Overhaul asked, "He tends to do his own thing, but he weakened you all enough for me. He may look like an ant of some sort, but he's actually a Nomu believe it or not." Overhaul lorded over Baek's shaking body, growing weary from the injuries and from blood loss. "Took me a couple of years, taking apart and reconstructing those things before I landed on him. He's this nest's ultimate warrior. Even that Endeavor you have waiting outside is no match for him. So… which one of you should I kill first?"

Two hours earlier, Izuku stood by the side of his mother's hospital bed, Esil standing behind him with her hands clasped. The doctors somehow hadn't noticed the two ride in on a massive dragon, their attention perfectly glued to the news channel. Izuku thought it weird, but once again, decided to ignore it, he had more important matters.

Holding the Holy Water of Life in his shaking hands, Izuku took a deep breath, "The System has created at least a dozen miracles so far… there's no way it can't do this."

Forcing down the butterflies in his stomach, Izuku uncorked the fancy bottle and held it to his mother's lips, forcing the liquid down her throat.

Almost instantly, the color began returning to her face, but even as Izuku urged for her to wake, she did not and he sighed tiredly, "Well… it was worth a shot… I've done what I could. At the very least, with my new power, I have more than enough to keep her comfortable now."

Esil rested her hand on Izuku's shoulder, surprising him with its warmth. "I'm sorry, Izuku," She said, using that name for the first time, "I'm su… re…"

Izuku's brow furrowed as she trailed off and he looked up, surprised to see his mother sitting up in bed, her long dark hair flowing down her back, "Izuku? Is… that you?"

"I…" Izuku's voice caught in his throat.

"You've grown so much! How long have I been asleep?"

"It…" Izuku cleared his throat, "It's been four years."

"And how's little Sakura doing?"

"She's," Izuku's voice warbled, "good, mom."

Inko Midoriya took her son's hand, completely ignoring the Shadowy figure of Esil behind him, "It must've been hard, doing it all on your own…" She smiled with enough pride to block out the sun, "But you did do it. You kept your promise and took care of her for me. I couldn't have asked for a better son."

At that, Izuku lost whatever nerve had been holding back his tears and he began bawling as his arms wrapped around his mother, squeezing her in a tight hug, something he had not been able to do since he was twelve.

For several minutes, they remained like that, Mother and Son, sobbing into each other. Esil even wiped away a tear… somehow and Igris manifested next to her, resting a hand on her shoulder, as if to say, "We are his knights, he is strong for us when we need him, so it is now our time to be strong for him."

Esil nodded and a small giggle escaped her, "Ya know, for such a quiet knight, you know how to say a lot with one look."

It was just then that Inko and Midoriya separated, each getting another good look at each other, "So," His mother laughed, "Who are your friends?"

"Oh… uh…" Izuku contemplated how to tell her for a moment, but before he could even begin to explain, the door to his mother's room burst open.

"Young Midoriya!"

"All…" Izuku spun around, "Might?"

Instead of the massive muscular man he was used to, all Izuku saw was a skeletal figure, no fat, no muscle, basically just skin and bones. Izuku almost apologized and said he sounded like All Might, but then Izuku took a closer look. His hair was the same blonde and his eyes were the same deep and sunken craters. This couldn't actually be All Might, could it?

"Young Midoriya!" He called again, running into the room, only to realize the fragility of the situation. Izuku's eyes were red and puffy, as were his mothers, not to mention Esil and Igris had drawn actual weapons to prevent the intruder from ruining the reunion. "Oh! My deepest apologies for ruining… this!" He bowed quickly, so quickly that it barely looked like he had done so. "Young Midoriya… I've been looking for you for several days now! Where have you been?"

"Uh… was school not off for the week? I could've sworn-"

"No no! It's not about that!" All Might paused to take a breath, "At first I was looking for you for your specific ability, but things have changed now!"

"What's going on here?!" A male nurse said, rounding the corner to see two Shadow Soldiers with sharp weapons and they ran off screaming.

"Uh…" Izuku muttered, "What is going on?"

"I… can't say everything here, but you need to get to Jeju Island right now!"

"Je-"

"The island is about to be Raided by most of the Top Ten and Korea's top S-Ranks!"

"I don't see why that requires-"

"ARE YOU OR ARE YOU NOT ASHBORN?!" All Might's suddenly desperate tone only forced the two Shadows to get their blades closer to his throat. "A Monarch!" He squeaked out.

"Monarch? Does he know about the System? My Job?"

"If you are, then the Jeju Island Raid team will desperately be needing your help!"

Izuku scratched his head, "And… how do you know that?"

"I… listen I'll explain as much as I can on the way! Please! We have to get on a helicopter now!"

"Izuku," Inko said calmly, doing her best to defuse the situation, "It sounds like you're needed."

"Mom, I can't just-"

Inko interrupted him with a shake of her head, "Heroes don't get to choose when they are needed. And I know that my boy has become a strong Hero. So please, allow the doctors to watch over me while you go save whoever needs saving."

Izuku was frozen for a moment, his body ready to move, but his mind telling him that he needed to stay. However, his mother ruffled his hair like she used to and snapped him out of his dilemma, her eyes telling him everything.

He sighed, "Alright, fine." Izuku walked over to his mother's window, opening it wide, "But just so you know… we're not taking a helicopter." A smile crossed his face as he watched All Might's eyes widen at the sight of Karkinos. Hopping onto the dragon, pulling All Might along with him, Izuku gave his mom one last wave as doctors and nurses rushed in. "Let's go Karkinos! To Jeju Island!"

Chapter Text

50 Minutes before Mirio is Defeated:

"Alright," Izuku said over the rushing wind, "Spill it. What's does being a Monarch mean? Who's Ashborn? And why do you look like… that? We've got about an hour before we reach Jeju, so tell me everything you know."

All Might sighed as he prepared for a long winded exposition. "At the beginning of time-"

"Wait… is this just gonna be some fairytale or a real thing?"

All Might pouted for a moment, "It's real! Considering what you've seen, does anything really seem that far-fetched?" Izuku shrugged. "Anyways, at the beginning of time, there was a being, an Absolute Being. Nowadays, people would call him God. But he was not the benevolent creator that most religions depict him as. He created all of the Universe and their many realms. The Earth, which houses humans, Heaven and Hell, which hold Angels and Demons respectively, the dark caverns from which all Nomu come from and many more. But he swiftly became bored, so he took the forces of Light and Dark and broke them up into eight pieces each, creating the Rulers of Light, whose goal was to safeguard existence no matter the cost and the Monarchs of Darkness, who were tasked with destroying all of the Universe however they could."

Izuku shifted uncomfortably from atop Karkinos's head, "So, I'm one of those Monarchs? I'm meant to destroy all of reality?"

All Might shook his head, "As the war between the Rulers and Monarchs waged on, the Rulers begged the Absolute Being for help in destroying the Monarchs. The Absolute Being refused and soon after, the Rulers learned that their gruesome and unending battle was just for the amusement of their "God." Seven of the eight Rulers banded together and rebelled against the Absolute Being with Ashborn being the only one to remain loyal."

"Okay, you've officially lost me. I'm a Monarch and some sort of reincarnation of Ashborn, who was a Ruler?"

"Ashborn, The Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light was betrayed and "killed" by the other Rulers when he attempted to save his creator. But what no one, not even he, knew, was that the Absolute Being had implanted a failsafe in him, he had granted him the power of Death itself. Upon waking, his army destroyed by his once thought to be allies, Ashbron tore off his wings and forged an armor of pure Shadows. As he brought up a new armor of Shadow Soldiers, Ashborn joined the Monarchs, wishing for revenge against the Rulers." All Might looked sad for a moment, as if he had experienced it personally, "Of course, he wasn't safe with the Monarchs either and two of them betrayed him out of fear, the Rulers joining the fight against him. He nearly died, but once the two Monarchs were pushed away, four of the Rulers kneeled to him, asking for his forgiveness. Instead of accepting it, or denying it, Ashborn made a simple request. He asked for the Rulers to kill him. He had fought for both sides and been betrayed multiple times." Izuku felt a pang of sympathy for… well apparently himself. "Ashborn was not granted his request and instead decided to disappear, remaining neutral as the war waged on, now targeted at the subjugation of one particular planet."

"Earth." Izuku answered, "They want to kill us all."

"And they have. Seven times now."

"S-Seven?"

"Each time the Earth was destroyed by the Monarchs, the Rulers brought it back to life. This is the eighth war and the Rulers, in an attempt to save the Earth, gave us the Gates, imbuing humans with Mana and powers that we never would've had before. Sometime after those wars began, Ashborn rejoined with the Monarchs and Antares, The Monarch of Destruction, welcomed him back. Since then, the Rulers and the Monarchs realized that in order to win over Earth and end the war between them, they would need hosts. The Monarchs, being the pure evil they were, decided that instead of granting their hosts power or assimilating with them, they would be taken over fully, prisoners inside their own bodies. Meanwhile, the Rulers went around, testing humans that could handle their power and were worthy of it."

"Does that mean… Ashborn will take me over one day?"

All Might was silent for a moment, "I'm… sorry. I have no idea. This was all the information that Aeic, the Ruler who granted me power, gave me."

Izuku nodded, doing his best not to panic with that information, "So if you're the host of Aeic, then how come you suddenly are all skinny?"

"I passed the power of Aeic onto someone I thought worthy, Mirio Togata, a classmate of yours. Since the beginning of the school year I've only been relying on the power that was leftover. It's for that reason that I couldn't sense your status as a Monarch until late. It takes a great deal of practice and skill to sense that specific type of power and I've been… distracted."

"Why'd you pass it on?"

All Might lifted his baggy shirt, showing off a gruesome scar over his stomach. "I got in a fight with Antares myself and… well. I could no longer handle Aeic's power like I used to be able to."

"How many Rulers and Monarchs have hosts then?"

"For the Rulers. Well, they take longer to choose more suitable hosts, so right now, if we count you as a Ruler, then we have three. You, Mirio, and Tsukauchi."

"Tsukauchi?!"

"Ah right… you were inside the Gate when he acted. It appears that he's become the host to the Weakest Fragment of Brilliant Light: Pulra."

"And the Monarchs?"

"There's no way to be certain. I did some pretty substantial damage to Antares as he did to me, which leads me to believe that Tomura Shigaraki, the one who invaded the USJ, is to be his future host. Kurogiri, their teleporter, appears to be the Monarch of Frost: Iruit. Other than that… the other six could either already have their forms and are in hiding, or any number of them have yet to find hosts." All Might shook his head, "There's too much that is unknown."

Izuku let out a heavy sigh, digesting all the information. "Oh!" He said, remembering a much more normal topic, "How'd you know that I would be needed at Jeju Island? You told me Mirio was already part of the Raid team, right? If that's the case and he's as strong, or stronger than me, then why are we running over there?"

All Might's eyes narrowed, "I… had a vision of sorts. I cannot be sure what caused it, or what I saw in it, but… I'm certain that whatever is happening there now… it's nothing good."

"Damn," Endeavor muttered, gazing down at the torn apart bodies of Crust, Best Jeanist, and Fat Gum. All of them were powerful fighters, no normal Nomu could kill them.

"Endeavor." A voice buzzed in his ear, not one of the people on the island

"Matsumoto," Endeavor responded to the official who was overseeing the Japanese's involvement with Jeju Island. "It appears we've suffered some casualties."

"Hmm, that's a shame. Oh well, are the Koreans engaging the Queen?"

Endeavor nodded, "I believe so, sir. A little while back, the jamming signal seemed to fail and all the Nomu went rushing back towards their Queen."

"Well, what are the chances the Koreans, Miruko, and that boy will survive the coming storm?"

Endeavor thought for a moment, "I've seen all of the Koreans in practice matches and I know Miruko's strength from experience. If it was just them, I'd say they'd have a zero-percent chance to survive, but that Mirio boy, he has insane potential. With him there, I can't be certain."

"That's no issue at all, as the live broadcast from inside the Nomu nest just showed off the boy getting killed."

"Then all is going according to plan," Endeavor said.

"Correct. As soon as we are certain of the Koreans' deaths, then we will send in the rest of our forces and eliminate the threat, declaring you a National-Rank Hero and ridding ourselves of Korea's strongest. It's a shame we have to waste Miruko though. She seemed so promising."

"Perfect," Endeavor replied, ending the call abruptly and turning to Gang Orca, "For now, we just have to wait until the live feeds catch-" He spun around as a massive pressure assailed his body. Creating a wall of flames, he deflected whatever blow had been sent his way, sending it crashing into Gang Orca instead and destroying his entire upper body.

"Are you… the king?" The attacker asked as the flames cleared, revealing an ant-like Nomu.

Endeavor, clad in the strongest armor money could buy, smirked as the ant asked this question, "Am I the king?" He chuckled, flames exploding from his body as his aura expanded, "Why yes… I am the king."

"Keekeekeek," The ant chirped, releasing everything he had been holding back, freezing Endeavor in place with his power.

It was at that moment, that Endeavor realized just how utterly screwed he was. He was one of the strongest in Japan, but only All Might had ever come close to this. Of course, that was only the power All Might had let him feel. Just this aura from the ant felt like it was enough to shatter his armor.

It moved fast enough to be a blur even to Endeavor and he knew that his life was about to end, but before it could make contact, a shape dropped down from the sky.

Crashing heavily into the ground in front of Endeavor, Izuku allowed his Olympian Armor to appear on his body, making him decidedly more intimidating with its white brilliance and gold accents. Unfortunately, manifesting it did not give him any buff like the Shadowsteel Armor did, but he decided that he didn't need them.

In each of his gauntleted hands he held a mace. One dark, one light.

[Item: Daybringer]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Mace

+200 Attack

When equipped alongside Nightbringer, Daybringer will have a chance to inflict bonus Burn damage.

[Item: Nightbringer]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Mace

+200 Attack

When equipped alongside Daybringer, Nightbringer will have a chance to inflict bonus Frost damage.

On top of these top tier maces, his gauntlets boosted their attack by a full 25%, making their actual attack 250, a higher number than anything he'd ever wielded before.

"Esil, Igris. Make sure the Heroes inside the tunnels survive at all costs. Take all the Angel units with you."

Endeavor looked around in shock as one-hundred Shadow Soldiers manifested around him. He shouldn't have been in shock because he'd already seen this power at the Sport's Festival, right? In reality, Endeavor was shocked by the fact that the knight in front of him, Igris, had grown to such heights in just a week. It shouldn't have been able to grow at all and yet, here was a being that could likely solo several S-Ranks like they were newborn fawns, stumbling around his feet. If Izuku Midoriya controlled someone like him with ease, then just who the hell was this kid?

"Endeavor… you should run," Izuku said without turning his back, "But know that if you try to hide, I will find you and hold you accountable for what you have tried to achieve today."

"W-What?"

"I heard you, every last word. It seems that my Sense Stat has given my ears quite the upgrade."

"No… No one will believe you."

"Hmm, maybe not, but they might believe him," Izuku said, nodding his head backwards, causing Endeavor to realize not only that All Might was behind him, skeletal and all, but he was also riding atop a massive dragon made of shadows.

"This… this power… it's not natural!"

"Karkinos, do me a favor and keep All Might safe while you provide some air support."

Karkinos roared in understanding, swirling back into the sky as it prepared to eliminate any Nomu that left the cave.

"You… you are the king!" The ant screeched out, running up to and getting in Izuku's face, his mere presence enough to crack the very ground they stood on.

Izuku smirked, "That's right, I'm your king. So be a good peasant," He activated Dominator's Touch, forcing the ant to its hands and knees with the blue telekinetic energy, "And kneel before your Monarch."

"So… which one of you should I kill first?" Overhaul asked. He stepped over the bodies of the girls, "They're basically dead already, so that's no fun." Looking over to Choi and Lim, the ranged fighters he smiled, "You two look like you still have some fight left in you, unlike your physical fighters. I was hoping my perfect Nomu would leave you just alive enough to fight, but it appears he's stronger than I anticipated."

Choi flung a few weak bolts of fire and Lim attempted to draw his bow, but one arm was too weak, so he lifted the one he could, manifesting a few Mana missiles. Overhaul batted it aside with his upper arms, which looked to be completely black, like it was nothing. "Hmm, maybe he wasn't too strong… maybe you were all just too weak. Oh well, I'll just finish it. No point in playing with something too weak to play along."

"You… bastard… you killed Byung-Gyu," Baek weakly muttered from his position on the floor.

"I suppose I did," Overhaul crouched down to the shapeshifter, "But don't worry, you'll be joining him." His palm reached forwards, ready to touch Baek and turn him into nothing more than a blood splatter.

Igris couldn't let that slide, as allowing any of the Heroes to die would disappoint his Liege, so racing into the room, he chopped off Overhaul's arm at the shoulder. Before he could even realize what was happening and reach out another of his four arms to kill his target, Esil's spear shot through the air like a bullet, stabbing him through the chest and pinning him to the floor.

Just then, as Overhaul began screaming in rage and pain, the rest of the nest came to his aid. Hundreds of Nomu began appearing from every possible tunnel, surrounding the Heroes and two Shadows within moments.

"Shit…" Baek muttered, he realized that even if these two were powerful beyond belief, they couldn't protect all of the Heroes at once.

"Don't worry!" Esil said to the ones that were still conscious, "You're safe now!"

[Esil is using Skill: Heavenly Barrage.]

From her three sets of wings, dozens of feathers fell away, beginning to hover in the air as they shifted to dark blades. Most of them raced to kill the Nomu, but a few of them diverted, doing the best they could to gently gather up the Heroes and place them against a rounded alcove, allowing Esil and Igris to more easily defend all of them.

"They're going to get overwhelmed eventually," Ma Dong-Wook realized. He figured they'd survive and continue on killing, but it boded poorly for their ravaged group.

"Oh, we're not the only ones here to protect you," Esil said, smiling back at the group, "The others were just a bit slower."

As that last word left her mouth, a hundred separate Angel Shadows poured through the same tunnel Esil and Igris had come from. Baek's eyes widened as arrows and magic assailed the Nomu by the hundreds. The twenty or so actual sword-wielders somehow managed to do even more damage. All of them zipped around on wings that made them an equal match for any Nomu, flying or otherwise.

"Are any of you healers?" Esil asked, crouching down next to Miruko and Cha Hae-In, "These two won't last much longer and it's too hectic to move them now, the trauma will kill them."

"We… We did…" Baek muttered, his eyes inexorably drawn to his friend's headless corpse.

Esil nodded, "Then for now, all we can do is hope they hold out while we clear the nest."

"You! You! YOU! YOU!" Overhaul finally got a good grip on the spear piercing his chest and destroyed it with his Quirk, freeing himself from the ground and allowing him to wrap his fingers around his severed arm, destroying the remainder of it and building it back up to what it once was. "You're ruining-!"

Igris cut Overhaul in half with a flick of his wrist, Cray's whip doing the rest.

"He… dealt with him just like that… what the hell are these things?"

Izuku made a show of holding down the ant with Dominator's Touch, but in reality, it was taking a hell of a lot of effort. Of course, from the ant's perspective, it didn't know this. All it knew was that Izuku's strength was equal to itself.

With a bout of strength, the ant shoved off the ground, breaking Izuku's hold on it as he kicked at his armor. It was such a small blow that Izuku was surprised to find himself skidding backwards as the ant's wings snapped out, carrying it quickly back into the caves it had come from.

"You're not getting away that easily!"

[Skill: Sprint Lv. 3 has activated.]

The tunnel was winding and sometimes it curved so sharply that Izuku had to run on the walls to take a turn and keep up with the ant. But what confused him the most was when he took the final turn, the pathway opening to the massive cavern that currently held the war between Shadows and Nomu. In that last turn, the ant had completely disappeared from view.

"Above you!" Baek weakly shouted, sending Izuku into a roll forwards, narrowly avoiding the ant as it dropped from the ceiling, crashing into the ground and sending shockwaves throughout the chamber.

Pulling himself to his feet, Izuku saw that the ant was simply staring at him as the world around them continued to devolve into chaos. More Nomu poured from the tunnels and more Shadows began emerging from Izuku.

"How about this," Izuku said over the din of battle, "Just you and me. No more tricks, no more running."

The ant seemed to tilt his head, as if considering the proposal before walking right up to Izuku, this time, calmly and when both stood chest to chest, neither made a move.

The A-Rank who was simply there as a cameraman was trying not to freak out, he'd never felt anything like this before, "W-Who is that? And what is he doing?"

"I… I think he wants to fight it head on, a fair one-on-one."

"Is he crazy?"

Choi shook his head, "No… I think he's just strong."

For a moment, the world seemed to go quiet as the two sized each other up fully. The ant stood a full head and a half taller and possessed considerably more mass, but Izuku was undaunted as it threw the first punch, slamming into the side of his head with the force of a bunker buster.

The wind forces it generated were enough to even buffet the Heroes being protected by Esil and they had to shield the two girls in order to keep them from becoming any more damaged.

By the standards of humanity, Izuku should've been a stain on a wall. Instead, when the dust cleared, Izuku stood tall, his head only turned slightly to accommodate the blow's power.

"So… is that all you can do?"

"Wha-"

"My turn."

[Skill: Overwhelming Strength Lv. 3 has activated.]

Swinging with all his might and then some, Izuku sent Daybringer crashing into the ant, a concussive blast hurtling out of his left side as it passed through the right. Like Izuku, the ant did not move from him spot, but unlike Izuku, his right side was cracked, bleeding, and steaming from his opponent's blow. It looked like Daybringer's Burn damage had kicked in.

But Izuku didn't stop there. As the ant stumbled from such a heavy blow, Izuku swept its legs, knocking it onto its side and while it was still in the air, perfectly horizontal, Izuku brought down Nightbringer on its chest.

[Skill: Overwhelming Strength Lv. 3 has activated.]

"This is… impossible. I was supposed to be the strongest," The ant thought to himself as the exoskeleton on his chest cracked loudly and he smashed into the rocky floor.

[Skill: Overwhelming Strength Lv. 3 has activated.]

[Skill: Overwhelming Strength Lv. 3 has activated.]

[Skill: Overwhelming Strength Lv. 3 has activated.]

Again and again Izuku slammed his maces down on the Nomu, continuing to damage his exoskeleton, but it seemed like it was never enough to fully break it off.

"Gotta finish this up, Miruko and that Korean girl won't last much longer in their condition and my potions can't heal someone that damaged." Izuku raised Daybringer for one last attack, aimed right for the head.

[Skill: Overwhelming Strength Lv. 3 has activated.]

The ant rolled to the side at the last second, a purple tongue-like protrusion jutting out from his mouth and scraping against Izuku's exposed cheek.

"Poison?" Izuku asked.

The ant took that to mean that he was scared, "How unfortunate human. It looks like I win!" He raised a fist to punch at the supposedly paralyzed Izuku.

"Why?" Izuku turned to the side, showing off that the poison that had tried creeping through his veins was already gone. And before the ant could change course, Izuku swung Daybringer, still charged up with the Skill, smacking him across the face and launching him away as Izuku remembered just why he had missed his gauntlets so much. The Overwhelming Strength Skill required that gauntlets were equipped to be used, but it never said anything about using weapons alongside the gauntlets.

Sprinting over to the space where the ant had crashed, Izuku was surprised to see it shoot out of the rubble, faster than it had been before.

"Hey!" Baek shouted suddenly, "Overhaul's running to the Queen's chambers! The girl's gotta be in there!"

Apparently, in all the commotion, Overhaul had reconstructed himself and escaped from his Shadows.

"Shit! Igris! Go get h-!" Izuku froze, there were razor sharp claws inches from his face, they would certainly hit him and they would certainly do too much damage.

[Reactive Skill: Guardian Angel has activated. Cooldown: 5 minutes.]

Transparent yellow wings appeared just in front of Izuku's face, the claws glancing off of it and the ant rushing past Izuku.

"Where did this sudden burst of speed come from?" He asked himself as his eyes did his best to track the flying Villain. When he finally caught a glimpse of it, he realized what had happened. Knowing that a battle of strength was impossible and that his poison didn't work, the ant decided to push everything he had into speed. His body mass shrunk, arms, legs, and torso thinning out to become insanely quick. Even his hands thinned out, making his claws longer with a smaller point, they were far sharper now.

Izuku threw his maces back into the Inventory as he leaned backwards, narrowly dodging another slash. "It's surprising, you're as strong as the Seraph, or maybe even stronger… but… you're still not stronger than me!"

[Sprint Lv. 3 has activated.]

Without the weight of his weapons, Izuku was beginning to catch up to the ant's speed. Trading blows with just his fists, Izuku found that the ant had made a grave mistake. It thought itself to be the fastest, an insurmountable force of speed, so it sacrificed its raw power, but without that strength, it could now stand up to Izuku's attacks even less than it could before.

[Skill: Overwhelming Strength Lv. 3 has activated.]

Izuku punched at the ant's head, but he sacrificed his arm to block it, the limb practically snapping off.

[Skill: Overwhelming Strength has been upgraded to its final form: Infinite Strength.]

"I… I must flee," The ant thought to itself, "I must survive. If I continue to eat… and grow… then maybe one day I can surpass him…"

"Did you think I'd let you leave?" Izuku asked, appearing just in front of the ant, his fist cocked back.

[Skill: Infinite Strength Lv. Max has activated.]

Overhaul sprinted through the tunnel with heavy shaking breaths. "Those things… they aren't normal… no Summon should ever be that strong." The tunnel once again opened up to a massive cavern, where the Nomu Queen, essentially just a giant mass of black matter, rested. Her royal guards remained vigilant, but they let Overhaul past. He didn't stop running though. The guards were strong, A to S-Ranks were needed to kill them, but they couldn't hold back what was coming.

Towards the back of the room, there was a small room Overhaul had formed with his quirk, blocked off by a rather large boulder. He lifted it like it was nothing, revealing the shivering form of a small girl with white hair curled up on a bed of greenery. Overhaul wasn't sure why, but the Nomu insisted on attempting to furnish the girls room. They gave her whatever they could to make her comfortable.

In truth, the Nomu did it because anyone that was allowed inside their nest freely was one of them and they took care of their own. Unfortunately, the girl was still there against her will and the Nomu certainly weren't going to do anything to save her after they themselves had kidnapped her.

Overhaul roughly took her in his arms and began making for the wall the Queen rested against. It was the closest to the outside and he needed to escape now. With the girl, he could continue his work, improving his creations and making Villains strong enough to even take down the Shadows that chased after him, or so he thought.

Upon opening the wall, creating a massive hole to the outside, Overhaul was beset by two disturbingly close sounds. One was the distinctive SHING of a blade tearing through flesh. The other… was a roar that could only be described as Godzilla-like and it was right outside the cave.

Chapter Text

[You have defeated your foe.]

Izuku's fist was piercing the ant's stomach, gross purple fluid spilling from the wound as its body went limp, its short reign of terror finished.

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[You have Leveled-Up!]

The ant's body fell to the ground as Izuku removed his gauntlet from its guts.

"H-Hey!" Baek shouted in Korean, confusing Izuku for a moment as he looked back just in time for him to switch to Japanese, "Cha Hae-In… Miruko…"

Izuku handed healing potions to everyone but the two girls, "Drink these." He crouched down next to S-Ranks. Both of their faces had gone completely white and sweat ran down their faces as they desperately clung to life. "We can't move them and they're too damaged for my current skills to heal them," He said, referring to his potions, and the Holy Water of Life was reserved for disease only, it couldn't cure wounds from what Izuku understood, "Where's your healer?"

"H-He's dead."

"Shadows! Find and bring me the body of their healer!"

Baek looked up in shock, completely recovered by the potions, "Why… What are you doing?"

"The only thing we can do. I don't have any healers amongst my Shadows, so I need to borrow yours." Izuku raised a finger to point at the A-Rank cameraman, "You, turn off the camera." He obliged almost immediately when he saw the gleam of light in Izuku's eyes.

Within fifteen seconds, a High-Orc had Byung-Gyu's headless body in his arms and he set him gingerly on the ground.

"Izuku," Esil said, "Igris is struggling with Overhaul, he's using the girl as a shield. Neither Karkinos or Igris can do anything."

"Then go help them. I'll follow you soon! At the very least make sure Overhaul remains trapped inside the cave!"

Esil nodded, "Karkinos is making sure of that, good luck here."

"His head is missing… but since I managed to revive Tank from a pile of flesh, it should still work."

[Shadow Extraction is possible on this target.]

"Thank god for that."

"Arise."

For just a moment, darkness oozed from Byung-Gyu's body, but it quickly faded back into him.

[Shadow Extraction had failed. 2 Attempts remaining.]

"Arise."

[Shadow Extraction had failed. 1 Attempts remaining.]

"Why? With my Intelligence Stat, this shouldn't be a problem! It's almost like… he doesn't want to come back… like it's reinforcing my belief that Extracting the Shadows of humans is wrong…" Izuku shook his head as his eyes landed on the pale broken forms of the two girls, "Well… too bad. The living take precedence."

"Arise!"

Shadows exploded from the body as Baek finally grabbed Izuku by the shoulder and screamed at him, "What are you doing to my friend's body?!" Izuku ignored him as a hand shot out of the Shadows, pulling together a mimicked form of the healer.

"You…" Choi breathed out, "Is this the source of your power? All of those Shadows, they are enemies you have killed and brought back as your allies…"

The Shadow of Byung-Gyu didn't even wait for orders from his Liege, instead choosing to brush past him and lay one hand on each of the girls for direct and powerful healing. Izuku smiled, "My Shadows are not the same as what they are mimicking, but they do take on qualities of those they are Extracted from. Which tells me just how kind he was. He acted before I could even ask him to."

Almost immediately, the color returned to the faces of both Heroes, their bones returned to their proper posture, and their wounds closed completely. With the job done, the Shadow Healer stood looking over the rest of the room and ensuring no one else was harmed.

Baek's hand was still holding onto Izuku's shoulder, but the grip was looser, and Izuku could see hints of pleading in his eyes. It didn't take him long to understand what that pleading meant. "Cancel Extraction."

As Byung-Gyu faded away into nothingness, leaving only his physical body as a reminder, he and Baek gave each other a warm smile.

"Thank you."

Izuku nodded and began walking to the same tunnel Esil had gone down, "Tusk, Tank, Hyo, escort them outside, protect them at all costs."

Using his gigantification, Tusk easily scooped up both of the still unconscious Heroes in his hands, allowing them to rest comfortably with him.

"What about you?" Ma Dong-Wook asked.

"The immediate threat is gone, but the girl, Eri, is still trapped by Overhaul. I'll finish it." Izuku said with confidence, sprinting away into the darkness of the tunnels.

At the end of Overhaul's tunnel, a giant Shadowy dragon head peeked into it, white light flowing from its mouth as it prepared to unleash the breath attack. Of course, for now, neither Karkinos, nor Igris could do anything as Overhaul held his hand over Eri, threatening to turn her into nothingness if they came any closer.

Igris understood that Overhaul had taken her for a reason, and because of that reason, he was unlikely to kill her, but at the same time, it was his mission to ensure her safety, he nor Karkinos could take any chances. The same was true for Esil and for a time, the three simply stood there, a Mexican stand-off of otherworldly proportions.

But then, just like that, Eri disappeared from Overhaul's hands.

[Skill: Sprint has been upgraded to its final form: Quicksilver.]

Izuku hugged the shivering Eri tight to his chest, having removed the visual effects of his armor so that she could comfortably feel his warmth. Tears had been leaking from her eyes, but her fear had kept her from fully releasing those sobs, but when Izuku's hand went to pat her head, all the tension in her body was released and she bawled loudly into his shirt.

"Wh-What?!" Overhaul shouted, earning a threatening glare from Izuku.

"You… shut up." Now with the Shadows holding him at blade point, and with Eri safe, Overhaul could do nothing to stop the monsters that were surrounding him. Eventually, Eri's cries faded to tired breaths as she passed into unconsciousness in Izuku's arms. "Now… I want to ask you some questions. How many Monarchs have hosts?"

"What… What do you know of the Monarchs?"

"Here's a hint," Izuku said, "I am a Monarch."

Overhaul stumbled backwards in fear, suddenly realizing why this boy had been so dangerous, so powerful. "T-T-T-There are four of them that I know of, b-b-b-but they spoke of another like he had already found a host."

"Would that be in reference to me or another Monarch? That Kurogiri seemed to recognize me in some way at the USJ…"

"What are their plans?"

"What?"

"Their plans, their next move, what is it?"

"I-I don't…"

Izuku sighed, the Villain Overhaul, who had confidently taken down a Ruler-enhanced being and boasted in front of seven different S-Rank, was now shaking in his boots. "They probably gave him the task to eliminate Mirio and that's it… which means he's useless." Izuku thought for a moment about having Igris kill him right then and there so he could be converted into a Shadow Soldier, but he changed his mind quickly.

He didn't want someone like this in his army. He didn't want to leave a single trace of his disgusting corpse remaining. So as he turned around, beginning to walk the way he came, he gave the only appropriate order, "Karkinos. Once me and the girl are at a safe distance, turn this bastard into ash."

"No… N-" Igris and Esil jabbed their blades through his multiple arms, pinning him in place, making him helpless.

They too could kill him without any trouble, but their Liege had asked for this vile man to be utterly eradicated, reduced to atoms and they were going to do everything in their power to make sure his request was granted.

It only took Izuku a few minutes of walking, re-entering the cavern where the ant-Nomu corpse laid, to hear the massive thrum of energy that undoubtedly came from Karkinos.

[You have defeated your foe.]

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[You have reached the necessary Level for your Job-Specific Skills to increase!]

[Shadow Extraction Lv. 2]

[Shadow Storage Lv. 2]

[Monarch's Domain Lv. 2]

[Shadow Exchange Lv. 2]

"It took me reaching Level 105 to get here, does that mean I have to get to 210 just to get them to the next Level?!" Izuku hoped that wasn't the case.

Igris and Esil appeared next to him moments later, standing at the ready behind their Monarch as he looked over the corpse of the ant.

[Shadow Extraction is possible on this unit.]

Izuku nodded to himself and turned around, gently passing Eri off to Esil, "Make sure she gets out of here and if possible, try to hand her off to one of the Japanese destroyers. All Might already spread the word that my Shadows were an ally."

"Why do we need to hand her off?" Esil asked, honest curiosity in her voice, to which Igris responded by directing her attention to the massive pile of Nomu embryos behind him and the other Nomu that still attempted to escape from the Shadow Army.

"Igris is right. We still have a job to do and this one doesn't deserve to be put into any more danger." He handed Eri to Esil, who took her gently, enveloping the girl with her arms and one pair of wings, as if they were a blanket. "You go, Karkinos will be blanketing the island soon with his attacks, so it'll be safer for her." Esil nodded and shot off into the sky, her feathers creating blades of darkness that eviscerated anything even remotely close to her.

"Well, I suppose we should get started. Arise."

Like all of his previous Extraction events, the ant's Shadow rose from his body, pooling into a sphere in front of Izuku. Izuku couldn't be certain, but it felt far denser than any other Shadow he had obtained before.

[Would you like to use Seraph's Blessed Ashes to enhance the Extraction?]

"Seraph's Blessed Ashes… those were the particles that surrounded Esil's Extract, evolving her from an Angel Noble to a full on Seraph… does that mean I can make this guy even stronger?" Izuku nodded, "Yes."

[Shadow Nomu Commander Grade has evolved to High-End Shadow Nomu General Grade.]

"Two new Grades! So now the list in order would be Normal, Elite, Knight, Elite-Knight, Captain, Commander, and then General."

A/N: I am aware that Commander and General are the same Grades just from different sources. Commander is in the Novel and General Grade is used in the Webcomic, but like I did with Captain Grade, I simply wanted to add more Grades for more possible progression.

The ant manifested suddenly, its body looking far larger than before, with an additional set of arms slightly lower than its other pair. "It looks like the Ashes evolve the creature, so I can't expect the same thing if I just upgrade my Shadows Grade only. It's too bad that I've only got two more uses out of the Ashes."

The ant's aura was far stronger than before, causing Izuku to worry for a moment that he had created something even stronger than himself. But then the ant kneeled to him, "My Liege… kiek kiek," It's mandibles clicked, "It is my honor to serve you."

"He can speak… just like Esil. Does that mean Commander or General Grades give Shadows the ability to speak? If it's Commander then Igris only needs to Rank-Up once more to be able to talk."

[Shadows able to be Extracted: 222/734]

[Shadows able to be Saved: 222/504]

Izuku's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he read over the numbers. It appeared that Leveling up his Job-Specific Skills had doubled both of the maximum Shadow values.

[What would you like to name this Shadow.]

The System message slightly distracted him from the insane jump in power he had received and he began thinking as quickly as possible, not wanting to waste any time. "Well… he looks like an ant so something around that, right? Oh… what was the name of that author who wrote that novel, The Ants? Bernard Werber… that's kinda a lame name. So how about…?"

"You are Beru."

"Kieeek." A shrill shriek of happiness escaped Beru's… lips?

"There's still a lot of Nomu remaining out there. My sense tells me there's at least a couple thousand."

"Four-thousand and thirty-six to be exact my Liege," Beru stated, still kneeling.

"Hmm, that's a lot for the rest of the Heroes to deal with, especially since they can fly. Karkinos can catch a decent chunk with his wide range attacks but…" Looking over to Beru, Izuku asked a simple question, "If it's you, can you kill the rest?"

Beru stood, a clawed hand held over his chest, "If you give the order, it shall be done."

Izuku smiled, "Good, now exterminate every last Nomu that once lived here."

He disappeared from Izuku's sight the second the demand left his mouth, rushing off at full tilt to fulfill his Liege's wishes. Izuku gave Igris a worried look, "Don't you think he's just a little too strong?" If Igris could sweat, Izuku was sure he would be doing so, Beru possessed an asinine level of raw power and speed now that he had evolved. "Oh well, it was my decision to enhance him. As long as he remains loyal, the only thing I should fear is underusing someone like him."

"Then the only things left," Izuku turned to the pile of Nomu embryos, "Are to finish this off, and to bolster the army." Using Shadow Extraction, he pulled out as many Nomu corpses as he could fit into his Shadow Save, ending up with 282 new humanoid Nomu, all with wings. "Jeez, even if these things weren't at Knight Grade, they'd be great as just basic manpower," Izuku realized as the Nomu got to work, recovering magic cores from the bodies of the Villains. "We're not taking any of those cores," Izuku ordered, "We should leave them so that Korea can use them to rebuild Jeju Island." The Nomu dropped the crystal-like objects immediately, "Besides, this magic core I got from Beru should be more than enough for my financial needs." He looked down at the onyx-black core he had recovered, its color, for some reason, suddenly reminding him of Yaoyorozu, "Ah jeez, I haven't talked to her in over a week and then I'm going to show up on the news having cleared an S-Rank Gate… I hope she isn't too upset about anything… I'll worry about it later." Izuku reached into his inventory, pulling out a white and gold sword.

[Item: Genesis Blade]

Item Class: SS

Item Type: Longsword

+350 Attack

A longsword imbued with the greatest power of the Seraph. A Cleansing Fire effect will activate with each swing.

Effect Cleansing Fire: Summons blazes of white fire that will burn anything in its wide path.

"An SS-Rank?! I've never seen an item with that Class! Well, I suppose now is a good time to test it." Making sure his Shadows were behind him, Izuku stepped up to the massive pile of black flesh and swung his sword, a ginormous blast of powerful exiting it just as it had said. Within mere moments, the entire birthing pile had been turned to ash. Reveling in the insane power stored within the sword, Izuku smiled, walking off deeper into the caverns to eliminate any other nests he could find.

Kiara Taihou was starting to become bored. Stationed onboard one of the Japanese Destroyers she was meant to be a stopgap alongside the dozens of other Heroes against any escaping Nomu. But she thought her talents were being wasted here.

She was Ranked at a low A, but thanks to her Quirk, she was able to break through the S-Rank ceiling. In her opinion, she should've been amongst the Japanese Heroes drawing the attention of the Nomu for the Koreans, or even hunting down the Queen with the Koreans. But no matter what her opinion was, she was still stuck on that damn boat.

It was for those reasons, her boredom the main one, that when she saw a dark shape flying in the sky, heading for them, that she became excited. Charging to the front of her Agency team, she readied her katana, practically shaking with anticipation, but then a call came out from the captain of the Destroyer, "Hold your fire! That's one of ours!"

Kiara began to wonder how such a dark shape could be mistaken for one of them, it was clearly a Nomu, right? But as the figure grew closer, she changed her mind. White patches of light ran throughout their vaguely feminine shape, and two sets of feathery wings sprouted from her back.

"All Might says it's one of the Heroes Summons."

"So is that what people saw when people reported a giant Shadow dragon?" She wondered to herself. She had been below deck when Karkinos had flown overhead.

The Angel, no, the Seraph landed on their deck without making a sound and looked directly to the captain, "Is there a quiet place I may stay?" She asked, unfurling her third set of wings just barely enough to show off the silver hair of Eri.

The entire deck's eyes widened as they recognized the identity of the girl.

"A-Absolutely," The captain waved over one of his underlings and ordered them to escort the Shadow to safe quarters, "Alright people, we've got the girl! We're retreating to Japan, the other Destroyers can handle it from here!"

"What?" Kiara complained to herself, the cheers of the other Heroes overshadowing her disappointment. She was happy that the girl was safe, but she also wanted to fight some Nomu.

"Th-There it is!" A voice suddenly shouted, pointing to a huge wyrm that was circling around the mountain, discharging beams of energy seemingly at random.

"Looks like we might have some action after all!" The captain reported, "The closer Destroyers have already engaged some of the Nomu! Ready yourself!"

Kiara once again got ready, ecstatic when she saw a legitimate Nomu heading their way, "First one is-" A blur shot by all of the Destroyers with such speed it appeared to be in multiple places at once, "Mine!" Kiara finished just as her eyes caught up with the phenomena, watching as the Nomu dropped into the ocean, sliced in half. "OH COME ON!"

But Beru felt no remorse for taking the girl's kill. He only felt joy as he continued fulfilling his Liege's request, carving through thousands of enemies within just twenty minutes.

And so, just like that, with the help of Izuku Midoriya and his Shadows, the Jeju incident came to an end.

Eventually, the flood of Nomu was massacred and all the surviving Heroes were safely on the decks of their countries' respective Destroyers. Ryukyu and Edgeshot in particular were deep in mourning when it came to the Japanese team. While the Koreans had only lost one of theirs, Japan had lost over half of their Top Ten. Hawks, Best Jeanist, Fat Gum, Crust, Gang Orca, and Musha were dead, along with Mirio whose true fate remained unknown. Miruko was still unconscious, recovering below deck after the Koreans had dropped her off. She would make a full recovery. Dabi stood awkwardly behind Ryukyu, his presence being the only comfort he was giving out. Finally, Endeavor sat on deck with his back against one of the massive cannons, his expression slack and unfocused.

With six body bags laid out across the deck, it was impossible to ignore how much of a loss this had been for the Japanese and the shock showed on most of the faces there. These were S-Rank Heroes, the top of the world… right? But instead of triumphing and standing atop their enemy's body, they had been turned into nothing more than a statistic.

After the twenty or so minutes of Nomu killing, it took only another five minutes for Izuku to begin retreating to his country's navy. As Karkinos brought him close, allowing him to hop off the dragon, onto the deck of the destroyer, he noticed Ryukyu's slackened expression. Unbeknownst to him, this was because of her obsession with dragons in relation to her Quirk. She rarely got to see any up close as they were always trying to kill her, so one that was peaceful and under human control made her practically drool over it.

"Should I be jealous?" Dabi asked teasingly. It was perhaps the wrong time for humor, but it was also the only way he knew how to handle tragedy, so believe it or not, it was his best attempt at consoling Ryukyu.

Upon helping All Might down to the deck alongside him and calling back Karkinos into his Shadow, Izuku realized that Ryukyu was stomping towards him. "Should I be nervous? Her expression looks pretty serious. She's not going to blame me for coming in at the last second, is she?"

But instead of words of indignation and anger, Ryukyu stopped one meter from Izuku and with the most perfect posture he had ever seen, bowed at a ninety-degree angle, "Please! Use your power and bring my friends back!"

Chapter Text

Izuku's eyes widened in shock and surprise as Ryukyu made such a loud and pleading declaration, essentially revealing the source of his powers to everyone on the boat. For a moment he panicked, unsure as to how to react, but thankfully, All Might covered for him.

"Tatsuma… Young Midoriya's powers do not extend that far, he is only capable of healing, not resurrection."

Ryukyu was about to shout back a retort, she had seen Izuku extract Tusk's Shadow after all, but then she looked into All Might's eyes and saw a stern request buried within them. Almost immediately she understood her mistake, whatever this boy's power was, he was doing his best to hide it and by exposing it, she decreased the chances that he would actually help her.

"Why don't we go get you some coffee, you've been on your feet for some time now." Attention shifted from Ryukyu's odd outburst and Izuku's appearance, to All Might's less than muscular form.

"Is that really All Might?"

"What happened?"

"Is this the reason he didn't show up for this Raid?"

All of these questions and more assailed the minds of the lesser Ranks, distracting them from the fact that Izuku had disappeared from sight, following close behind All Might with Stealth. Dabi apparently had a similar idea and followed suit.

After the captain of the Destroyer had given them a private soundproof room reserved for top government officials, Izuku sighed and let go of his Stealth, eliciting a small squeak from Ryukyu and no reaction from Dabi or All Might.

"Do the others just have a really good poker face or is she just really jumpy right now?"

"Sorry," He apologized, "But I don't really want the nature of my army to become public knowledge at this time."

"N-No it would be my place to apologize now… but…"

"But you still want me to bring back the six that died," Izuku finished as he shook his head, "Are you aware that most of my Summons are not capable of speech and that all of them are merely copies of the original, not the original?"

Ryukyu nodded slowly, "I figured as much."

"Then… why bring them back?" Izuku, while still very much interested in bringing those six S-Rank Heroes into his army, was not about to disgrace their bodies and take what was essentially their soul for himself. He had been unsure of his decision to not take human Shadows before, but after seeing Byung-Gyu's reaction to his Extraction being canceled, that being one of bliss, Izuku was certain. Taking the Shadow of a human was like denying them peaceful rest and forcing them to be his slaves.

Ryukyu's answer was shockingly simple, "Because the world needs them. The world needs as many powerful Heroes as it can get its hands on." She sighed wringing her hands out, "Before we left for Jeju, all the Heroes wrote up their wills just in case. On all of the Top Ten's, except for Endeavor, there was a simple request. "Find a proper heir to replace me, so that the world does not know fear."" Ryukyu nodded as Izuku began to understand her heartfelt request, "I still intend to find replacements for the Top Ten, but… those six, nothing would make them happier than the ability to continue serving as protectors."

Remembering just what the second Ranked Top Ten member had planned to do, Izuku asked Ryukyu if she had been aware of Endeavor's scheming. By the way her eyes widened and her heart began speeding up, Izuku could tell she was filled with rage, "Is that my Sense Stat? I'm not just able to sense people, but their emotions too?"

"That bastard!" Ryukyu's fist clenched and a part of the table they were sitting at broke under her pressure. "It appears… that I owe you an even bigger debt for saving Miruko from his schemes."

One of Izuku's eyebrows raised, "Oh? Are her and Miruko close?"

Dabi scoffed, "Tch, I'm still not a fan of you kid… but if you messed up my old man's plans… then I guess we're a little closer to being even."

"So… this is your honest request?" Izuku asked. Had Ryukyu been knowledgeable about Endeavor's plans, he would've refused to Extract the six Shadows on principle alone. But if she was innocent and truly wished for it… then.

"Yes, please." She bowed her head a little lower and Izuku nodded.

"Very well."

The upper deck of the battleship had been completely cleared, only Ryukyu, Dabi, All Might, Izuku, and the six dead Heroes remained. Actually, there was one more, Edgeshot, who Ryukyu had told of Izuku's powers before he had agreed to Extract their Shadows.

Before anything could get started, however, a figure appeared next to Izuku as if he was moving around via teleportation. Instead, it was just the fastest Nomu alive.

Beru kneeled, "My Liege, the small human has been delivered by Esil and the other humans are currently taking care of her."

Izuku rested a hand on Beru's shoulder, "You've done excellently, but I have one more task for you before you can rest."

"Anything my Liege!"

"Please inform Esil that I wish for her to reside in the girl's Shadow until further notice. Eri has some sort of enhancement power, we can't be too careful when it comes to her protection."

"It is as you say my Liege. I will depart at once." Beru left much in the same way he had appeared, shocking the surrounding Heroes.

"That… thing… is your Summon?"

"Yes. I'm sorry if he disturbed you." Beru's aura may have grown quite a bit, but it was still unmistakable as the abomination that had torn apart Ryukyu's team members.

"I-It's alright."

Izuku stepped forwards, the body bags of all the Heroes opened up. Some resided without much of their body, none had their heads intact.

Ryukyu wanted to tear her eyes away, but she could not ignore even a second of the process.

"I will begin… Arise."

Without fail, all six Shadows emerged from their respective hosts on the first try, as if they were attempting to prove Ryukyu right. These six weren't done yet, they weren't ready to give up the fight that easily.

[Shadow Human Lv. 12 Elite-Knight Grade.]

[Shadow Human Lv. 12 Elite-Knight Grade.]

[Shadow Human Lv. 12 Elite-Knight Grade.]

[Shadow Human Lv. 12 Elite-Knight Grade.]

[Shadow Human Lv. 12 Elite-Knight Grade.]

[Shadow Human Lv. 12 Elite-Knight Grade.]

"They came out as Elite-Knights even though they were weaker than one of my Elite-Knights. I wasn't even given the option of using the Seraph's Ashes on them, so does that mean this is a reaction of my Shadow Extraction Skill reaching Lv. 2?"

[What would you like to name your new Soldiers?]

Izuku went by, one-by-one, assigning them the same names they had in life. Hawks, Best Jeanist, Yoroi Musha, Gang Orca, Crust, and Fat Gum.

"Stand," He commanded, calling them to their feet, "Can any of you speak?" It was a far fetched question, it seemed that so far only Commander or General Grades could speak by default, but Esil existence proved that it wasn't an impossibility for another Grade to speak.

But, just as Izuku expected, all six shook their heads in unison and he turned back to Ryukyu.

"Have you changed your mind? I can dispel them at any time."

Her face was frozen in an expression of shock, but that quickly morphed back to relief at the carefree smiles she saw on her comrades' faces, she had indeed made the right choice. Hawks even offered her a small wave, and at that moment a single tear leaked down her face, "No… thank you… you have done more for me and for them then anyone would've ever thought possible."

Just like that, Izuku had obtained six more beings of great power to stand among his other generals.

At the same time Korea was holding a funeral to commemorate the passing of their fallen Heroes, that of Min Byung-Gyu and a dozen or so who had perished onboard the Destroyers from the Nomu, Japan was doing the same.

Hundreds if not thousands had gathered to see off the six Top Ten who perished on the island, living on in Izuku's Shadow. One of the main people missing, however, was Endeavor. Izuku wasn't sure what had happened to him, but All Might assured him that both the Agency Association and the government would come down hard on Endeavor and the government official he had been working with. The news of such a betrayal to both the Koreans and two of his own people had yet to reach the public.

In total, fifty-two of Japan's Heroes had perished, and twenty civilians had lost their lives from the Nomu that Beru did his best to catch up to.

Mirio Togata was among those counted, though truthfully, no one had been completely certain as to what happened to him.

All Might, after watching back the video recorded from the cameraman, similarly concluded that he wasn't sure. While it was apparently possible for Rulers to perish, just as Monarchs could, it seemed unlikely that Aeic, The Largest Fragment of Brilliant Light could be killed with a simple artifact, even if it was a result of the Monarch's work.

Of course, perhaps most interesting of all, Izuku was suddenly receiving attention that was reserved only for celebrities of the highest status.

Dozens of news networks contacted him at once, asking for interviews, he turned them all down, but that didn't stop them from reporting on him.

'Izuku Midoriya, Japan's newest Heroic calamity…'

'Upon further research, it appears that he is barely sixteen years old…'

'Still pursuing his studies at UA, the school continues to reinforce the belief that if you want to be a Hero, go there…'

There were hundreds of reports like that on the news, on the internet and there were even more forums discussing him.

'I'm glad he saved everyone he could, but that amount of Summons isn't natural, doesn't matter what Quirk or what Skills he has, it just defies all reason.'

'If he had this much power, why wasn't he involved in the Raid, wasn't his upperclassman part of it?'

'Do you think he's single?'

Izuku shook his head as he realized just how many comments there were about his love life.

The service had ended quite some time ago and Izuku was retreating to his motorcycle after conversing with All Might for a moment. He could've easily run home, Quicksilver carrying him far faster than any motor vehicle, but he didn't want to ruin this nice suit he had bought with his sweat.

The day Izuku returned, he had deposited Beru's core at one of the many high-end auction houses. Within the hour, it had sold for an exorbitant price, nearly 100 million yen.

A/N: Around 900k in USD.

Adding on to his quickly growing monetary value, Izuku began to realize he could be considered far more than wealthy. He hadn't just sold Beru's core, but a few of his old weapons and leftover materials from the Heavenly Palace. He could buy anything he wanted now. With his mother awake, his monetary troubles thrown into the wind, and his power far surpassing that of most S-Ranks in the country, Izuku felt like he had reached the pinnacle of his desires. By now, going back to school sounded like a ridiculous thing to do.

"What should I do? Mom will probably want me to go back to UA, and I can't exactly disagree with that sentiment, dropping out of high school sounds too disgraceful to me… even if the goal of that school is to turn me into what I am now." Izuku smiled, "These are some pretty lame concerns compared to what my week has been like. Oh well…" Looking down at the time on his phone Izuku realized that his mother was scheduled to be discharged about an hour from now and Sakura would be there visiting with her, "Guess that's my next destination."

He climbed onto his motorcycle, no helmet secured on his head, after all, even if a car slammed into him head on, it'd be more prudent to worry about the car, not Izuku. But before he could start up the machine and head off, a voice stopped him.

"Excuse me? Izuku Midoriya?!"

Izuku had half a mind to ride away regardless, the pleas of the approaching man sounded all too much like the reporters that continued to hound him. But then, the man's appearance stopped him. He was dressed in rather formal clothing, befitting of a governmental agent.

"I'm Ensign Matsuo, with the Japanese Navy."

"The Navy? What do they want with me?"

Izuku dutifully shook the man's hand.

"This is in regards to the girl you rescued from Jeju, Eri… Sir," He added on, likely feeling weird about calling a sixteen-year-old "Sir."

"Is she okay?" Izuku had heard nothing from Esil, so it was unlikely that something had happened, but he had to be sure.

"She's… physically well. Due to her immense potential and… well… to be frank, lack of family to, she's being watched over on one of our Naval bases." The man combed his hand through his hair, "Well, the true issue is her psyche. She's being treated by our best doctors, but even then, the girl refuses to sleep and she barely eats. It's starting to wear on her quite a lot. The doctor's are fearing that… we're worried about her to say the least."

Izuku scratched at his cheek awkwardly, "Well… um… excuse me for saying this but… what can I do about it?"

"Every now and again, some of the hallways can get a bit rowdy and it scares the girl. One of those times, a shadowy angel left her room and slammed one of the guys against a wall, threatening him if he didn't quiet down."

Izuku couldn't help but let out a chuckle at Esil's natural motherly instincts. He had instructed her to keep her safe from any physical threats, so her actions were almost certainly her own, "She um… she didn't hurt anyone did she?"

"A few bruises, but nothing serious. That thing is one of your Summons, correct, Sir?"

Izuku nodded, "I put her there to protect Eri."

"That's a relief to hear, because she's been the only thing comforting the girl. Whenever your Summon shows up, Eri actually manages to get an hour or so of sleep and sometimes, she'll even eat. We asked her why she only does it with the angel around and she told us because she knows the monsters won't get her while your Shadow is around."

Izuku's heart beat out of rhythm for just one moment as the depressing reality of that belief sunk in. She was so terrified that it took the aura of a Shadow that surpassed S-Rank to comfort her.

"Well then, I can instruct my Summon to stay out with her as much as possible."

Matsuo nodded, "That… is one solution, Sir."

Izuku tilted his head, "What's the other?"

"We would like to ask you and your family to take in this girl." Izuku's eyes widened as the man bowed low to him, "Please Sir! It is no good for the moral of our men to know they can do nothing as they watch this girl waste away, so please save her!"

The next day, Izuku went back to school. He was still mulling over the request Matsuo had given him, so in the meantime, he had instructed Esil to remain out at all times and act as motherly as she could. Just the fact that Esil refused to disappear was enough to allow Eri to get a full night's sleep for the first time.

In the meantime, he had his hands full with his return to education. Yaoyorozu treated him about the same as always, although after explaining the situation he'd gone through, she seemed even more bold and insisted on holding hands as they walked through the hallways.

The rest of the school, on the other hand, was not nearly as inviting. Some of his classmates still treated him the same, having known him before for a bit of time, although there was always some sort of tension when talking to them. While before he had been a powerhouse even among his peers, now he was basically a god with an army at his disposal. Of course, not everyone was as disturbed as some.

Bakugo went on to treat him as he normally did, shouting about how he would kill him and all that. Most would probably be annoyed by this lack of change in the bully, but Izuku found it almost reassuring. Just because he had changed didn't mean everyone else would.

Mina, Kaminari, Mineta, Todoroki, Jiro and a few others, much to his shock, only seemed to grow friendlier towards him. He didn't think much of Jiro, Kaminari or Mina's reaction as they were generally all really nice to begin with. Mineta at first, like others, appeared to be frightened by him, but as Izuku quickly learned, his remarks about his strength were merely banter between peers.

Todoroki surprised him the most, forcing him to come up with a few theories. The most likely of which was that Dabi had informed his younger brother of what Izuku had done to mess with his father's plans and if Todoroki was anything like his older brother, he hated his father. So the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Of course, there was also the possibility that Todoroki held no ill will towards his father and was merely relieved that Izuku had saved him.

Regardless of why they were comfortable around him, Izuku welcomed it. This was exactly what he'd been looking for, something a bit more normal that reminded him he was still human.

"You're gonna be a dad?!" Mina asked just a tad too loudly as the rest of the lunch room stared at Izuku like he was some sort of alien.

"What?! No! I mean… I'm not sure… not right now." Izuku shook his head, "Besides my current apartment is way too small to accommodate a little girl."

"So just get a bigger apartment," Kaminari suggested like it was the simplest explanation in the world, which is because it was. "I mean, with your strength, getting that much money shouldn't be that hard right?" He was right, Izuku already had more than enough money to buy a mansion.

"Great idea dofus," Jiro said, punching his arm, "It completely ignores the fact that he's sixteen and still in high school. Who in his position would want a kid?"

Mina hesitantly raised her hand and when greeted with a few surprised looks from Iida and Todoroki she explained, "Oh come on! Who doesn't want a kid?! A little bundle of joy running around your house!"

"I concur that a child is indeed a blessing," Iida said, "But one must not underestimate the effort and care that is needed to raise one. It would be irresponsible of Midoriya to accept responsibility for this child when he is away at school for most of the day and taking care of Gates or homework in his spare time."

Izuku tilted his head awkwardly, "Actually, that wouldn't be a huge problem. Eri's already become really attached to one of my Summons, Esil. She takes care of most of Eri's needs already at the base and since she's one of two of my Summons who are able to talk, it makes her a perfect stand in for a mother." When he noticed some of the odd glances he was getting in response to suggesting that a Summon raise a child, he changed the subject, "Anyways, it'd be weird for me to move into a place just me and her. My mom won't ever leave that apartment," He refused to explain why, "And my sister's school is right there, so unless I moved into a smaller place, myself and a little girl would be too few people for a home."

"Then have Yaoyorozu move in with you," Kaminari once again suggested out of the blue, receiving another punch from Jiro, "Ow! Will you quit that?! They're already dating, it kinda makes sense! OW!"

"And did you ever consider the fact that they didn't want to move that fast in their relationship? Don't try to pressure someone into that."

"Sorry mom," Kaminari responded, receiving another punch, "Alright that's it! Stop punching me!" Jiro went to throw one last punch for good measure, but Kaminari had actually been goading her into it and just as her fist made contact, he turned his electric powers up to minimal charge, shocking her in return.

As those two continued to bicker, Izuku and Yaoyorozu were exchanging curious glances, as if gauging what the other thought about Kaminari's idea. Their silent exchange went something like this.

"What do you think?"

"I've been wanting to get a new place for a while now."

"Kaminari didn't pressure you did he?"

"I'm fine with moving in together, but a child…"

"Esil is doing a good job as a mother… nanny."

"Do you really want to put the growth of a child in the hands of a Summon? Granted it's your Summon, but still."

"My mother could visit every now and again. Or… I could drop out of school?"

"What?!" Yaoyorozu accidentally blurted out loud, startling the table and herself with just how in depth their silent conversation had become.

"I'm serious," Izuku said to Yaoyorozu as they began walking home from school, "It hadn't even been a possibility in my mind the other day, but now with Eri in need, I feel like dropping out is the right choice."

Yaoyorozu bit her lip, "With the strength you've reached, I don't doubt you're making more than enough to support three people, but I just wanted to make sure this is what you want to do, not something you feel like you have to do."

Izuku smiled, "I get to live a luxurious life at home with an adopted daughter and my girlfriend and don't have to worry about school. What's not to love about that?" Yaoyorozu couldn't help but smile at that. "Before now, I didn't think I'd have any reason to drop out and my mom wanted me to stay, so I figured I'd just go along with it, but now I've got a real purpose behind it."

"Then I'm going to do the same!" Yaoyorozu declared, giving Izuku's hand a squeeze as his eyes bulged out.

"What?! Why?!"

"Well, as a Hero of your current status, school has kinda become irrelevant. It's designed to help people handle their Quirks and get them scouted into high ranking Agencies, but if you've got a direct line to All Might himself, then forget joining an Agency, let's create our own!"

"About that…" Izuku said, nervously looking down, "We can't… not yet. I talked to All Might at the funeral about this. He said he could waive something simple like the necessary amount of Heroes needed for a Raid since my Shadows were so strong, but he simply couldn't allow a minor to undertake the running of an Agency. He said it had to be someone eighteen or up, it was something the rest of the people in charge wouldn't budge on."

"So then… let's just hire someone."

Izuku shook his head, "It's not that simple. We need someone who is an S-Rank or someone has an Agency License. Basically everyone who meets those requirements already have an Agency of their own, or they're part of a substantial Agency and they're not likely to give that sort of thing up for two kids."

"Then I guess we just have to wait until we're eighteen."

"Yeah," Izuku said sighing, "Well… we've got all these plans, but it's probably to sleep on them for a few days before we decide for certain. Esil is certain she can handle Eri for a few more days.

Yaoyorozu agreed as they came to the point where they had to head opposite directions, she planted a small kiss on his lips as her goodbye and headed off, her long hair waving behind her as Izuku sighed once more. Although this time, he sighed as his heart melted. For some reason though, he could've sworn he felt some sort of emanation of jealousy from his Shadow.

"W-Was that Beru… or Igris… or all of them?"

Izuku shrugged and shook his head with a smile, completely unaware that at his school, someone with the face of Ochako Uraraka was placing plastic explosives all over the school's structures.

"I'm home!" Izuku called out as he walked through the door, setting down his bag on the couch and strolling into the kitchen for a snack, his jaw slightly slackening when he saw who was there waiting for him.

His mother was holding a cup of coffee, Sakura was sipping on lemonade, and Miruko lifted her tea in greeting, "Hey!"

Chapter Text

"Hey!" Miruko called out in the small apartment, raising her small cup of tea to him. She was dressed in a relatively simple outfit, a white t-shirt, shin-length jeans, and boots. It seemed like she dressed more for practicality than to impress.

"M-Miruko?" Izuku asked, surprised by the presence of the teenager, "What are you doing here?"

"Or rather… how'd you find out where I lived?"

"What? Am I not allowed to thank my savior?!" She asked with a massive smirk as she lightly punched him on the shoulder.

Well, maybe lightly was the wrong word for it. It looked light, but the "attack" was enough to stumble the unprepared Izuku a tiny bit. "Is she bad at holding back? No, she would've broken a normal person's arm with strength like that, she's testing me… isn't she?" That thought ran through his head as an unexpected event occurred.

Beru leapt from Izuku's Shadow, grabbing at the Hero's wrist with more than enough force to break it. Izuku's eyes widened, "He must've thought she meant to harm me in some way."

Izuku's gauntlets wrapped around his hands and he stopped Beru's fingers moments before they were about to crush Miruko's wrist. Then he grabbed the bug by the head and dragged him back away from Miruko, "You ever try to hurt someone I know ever again, and I will cancel your Extraction… I don't care how strong you are." The threat was quiet, but it held considerable weight for Beru.

Within the blink of an eye, Beru was kowtowing on the floor, his head pressed up against the hardwood. "Forgive me my Liege! It will never happen again!"

Izuku sighed heavily and called the bug back to his Shadow, storing away his gauntlets at the same time, "Sorry about him… he's… hasty…"

But Miruko only smiled in response, while his mother and sister seemed surprisingly relaxed.

"W-Why aren't you guys freaking out?"

Inko smiled warmly, "Honey, your father was an S-Rank before… well… Anyways, I saw plenty of exchanges like that when I went to his Agency, back when we were younger."

"I just think he's cool," Sakura responded.

"And I'll never turn down a good fight!" Miruko looked at Mrs. Midoriya sheepishly for a second, "Ah… but, I'd also hate to ruin your home."

Inko chuckled as she began dragging away Sakura, "Well, we'll let you two have your chat."

"What? No!" Sakura cried out, "We just started talking with her… it's Miruko for crying out loud!" But Izuku's mom was having none of that, and easily dragged away her daughter.

Izuku did feel a slight pang of guilt for his younger sister. After all, S-Ranks, especially the Top Ten, held more fame than any other celebrity. Getting pulled away from the Miruko, who had entered your house for a chat, well, it was simply unimaginable.

As soon as the two were out of the way, Miruko set down her cup and got within a few centimeters of Izuku, mirroring the first time they had met at the UA Sports Festival, or rather during its incident. Her nose twitched imperceptibly as she got uncomfortably close.

Silence enveloped the two of them for a few moments before Izuku asked, "Why are you really here? Something tells me you wouldn't track down my family home just to thank me."

Miruko's serious gaze disappeared, replaced by her trademark smirk, "I want two things!"

"Quite demanding towards her savior," Izuku thought with amusement in his eyes.

"Number one I wanna go on a date with you!"

The first declaration was made with such seriousness that Izuku couldn't help but bark out a laugh, it didn't dissuade her in the slightest.

"Second, I wanna fight your strongest Summon!"

"Hmm, now that's an interesting request!" He thought to himself, prepared to respond as Miruko opened her mouth a third time.

"Finally-"

"Hold on, didn't you say tw-"

"I want to start an Agency with you!"

Once again, Izuku felt like belting out a laugh, but he restrained it, only because this conversation now served to go his way.

"Well, I can't say I'm against your last two requests, but I am already seeing someone."

Miruko shook her head, "What, is she the jealous type?"

"Um… I don't think so, but when a guy in a relationship goes out on a date with another girl, the-"

"Then if she's not the jealous type, I see no problem in sharing you. I'm not necessarily opposed to it."

"Sharing me? What's up with this girl?"

"You don't even know me and yet you're already willing to share me with another girl?"

Miruko gave him a teasing glare, "Hey, if there's one thing that turns me on, it's strength, and you're just about the strongest person I've met that doesn't stink like a rabbit's turds."

"I'm beginning to regret the entirety of this conversation."

Izuku shook his head, "Sorry, but I'm not about to risk something good I've got going just cause you've got compatibility issues."

"Alright… then how about this. I fight your strongest Summon. If I win, I get a date. If you win, you get to form an Agency with me."

"Hold on. Wasn't that one of your requests? Why do I have to suddenly fight for it?"

Miruko's lips curled up into something close to evil, "These bunny ears aren't just for looks you know. I know that you want an Agency with your girlfriend, so I might as well turn it into a leveraging tool if I can't get my first request."

"Well then regardless of what happens, it sounds like you win."

Miruko shrugged, "You've also got a chance to earn something you want, don't you? It just so happens to be something I also want."

"...I suppose it's not like I have anything to lose in this situation. Even if she manages to win, then what's the harm with one date? Doesn't mean it'll become some sort of regular thing." Izuku smiled, "Deal… but uh… where are we gonna fight? If we clashed anywhere around here, it would just turn everything to ash."

"The Agency Association has a gym that can withstand most attacks. We can head there."

"Hmm," Izuku murmured to himself as he sent out his perception, searching for the Soldiers he had stored within a few particular Heroes. "Ah!" He exclaimed as he found just the dragon lady he was looking for and she was right where he wanted to be.

Miruko gave him a few odd glances, but a cute squeak escaped her lips as Izuku grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her close, "Mom, I'll be going out for a bit!"

"Okay! You and Miruko have fun on your date!"

"I… It's not a date!" Before Miruko could wonder any further about why Izuku had pulled her close, he spoke one word. "Exchange."

[Skill: Shadow Exchange has activated.]

Inky black Shadows crept up Miruko's and Izuku's legs as their world went dark and they appeared just behind Ryukyu, storing away some practice weapons that had been used by some of her trainees.

As appropriate of her S-Rank status, she quickly felt the presence of someone behind her, someone with immense power that hadn't been standing there moments earlier. She spun around rapidly, one hand outstretched to attack the presence with her growing claws.

Izuku caught her wrist like he was lightly snatching a leaf out of the wind as he wore an embarrassed smile. "Sorry to startle you… we were just here to use the gym."

Ryukyu's eyes widened as she realized who she had just attacked. "When did you…" Her lips curled upwards into a small smile, "Actually, nevermind… I should know by now that you don't follow any sort of normal… logic?" She trailed off as she saw Miruko was blushing bright red pressed up against Izuku's chest. "Like I said… not logical."

Miruko pushed herself away from Izuku as he asked, "Do you think the Association President would be fine with us borrowing the gym for a while, even though we're not part of any Agencies?"

Ryukyu chuckled at his request for permission, "His power makes me forget he's still young." As she walked past the two, resting a hand on Izuku's shoulder, "You're Japan and Korea's golden boy now, you can basically do whatever you want."

"Korea's?"

"Wait… did you seriously not know?"

Izuku tilted his head curiously.

"Jeju island was one of the biggest disasters in Korea's history and without you, it could've been considered one of the worst Raids in history, with Kamish being the only possible exception. In one fell swoop, Korea would've lost all of their S-Rank Heroes and it's likely those Nomu would've continued on to devastate the rest of their country." Ryukyu shook her head, "By that point, it didn't matter that you were a foreigner to them, it just mattered that you won. And now that you have, you've got more pull in Korea and Japan than most countries do."

It was a dizzying revelation to Izuku. He knew that he had become a celebrity of sorts, and that people were talking about him, but this… it sounded like he had gotten far more than he had wished for. For just a moment, a brief moment, he considered what he could do with this. He could start a bidding war between nations and become so rich he'd never have to work another day in his life. If the Americans, Russians, or Canadians became interested in him, he might have even been able to leverage his power enough to get ahold of some of their most powerful magical artifacts.

But of course, this sudden rush of greed wore off pretty quickly. Izuku could make all the money he needed off of Gates, the store and the Gates provided him with all the magical equipment he wanted, and he didn't like the idea of a country essentially owning him. Although Izuku once heard of Special Authority-Rank Heroes in America, or National-Rank as most people called them. People like Thomas Andre or Christopher Reed who were so powerful that they were considered as entire nations on their own and completely free of the influence of any government in the world.

"What an existence," Izuku thought to himself as he thanked Ryukyu for her information and for her understanding with their sudden intrusion.

"The pleasure's all mine. A final warning though. With your power, you're going to be approached soon about joining the Top Ten. Sometimes the process is painless, but since we're filling so many spots right now, there's bound to be fierce competition between veterans. Some of those vets aren't going to like a teenager like yourself stepping in."

"It's true," Miruko said, the blush on her face having faded substantially, "I wasn't even that close to his spot, but Endeavor and a few other people who hadn't made it onto the Top Ten that year tried to harass me about it."

"So… what'd you do?"

"I kicked everyone except Endeavor into the side of a building," She answered like it was the most nonchalant thing in the world.

"Huh…"

Ryukyu made her farewells after that, having some Agency business to attend to.

Izuku and Miruko stepped up to the sparring space. Basically, a giant rectangular platform made of magically reinforced materials. "So… how do you wanna do this?"

"Like I said, you bring out your strongest Summon and I fight it."

Izuku smiled, "Are you trying to lose? After witnessing him while he was alive, you don't think you can handle Beru now that he's stronger do you?"

"Beru? Is that what you named that Nomu bastard?" Miruko showed no anxiety however, and before Izuku could say anything, she went to take off her shirt. Thanks to his powerful reflexes, he looked away before he saw anything.

"What are-"

"I'm wearing a sports bra, doofus. It's much easier to fight like this." She then removed her boots and then her jeans. Thankfully, she had spandex shorts on under that as well. It seemed that she wore this sort of getup at all times, just so that if she was off-duty, she could strip down to the bare necessities and fight.

As she began bouncing on the balls of her feet, Izuku realized something that he hadn't noticed during the Jeju Island Raid, "That's right! I meant to ask you. Do you just not use a weapon?"

"Nope. My legs are my biggest asset, so I like to only focus on them."

Izuku nodded, "If she was a swordsman I'd probably lead with Igris, at the very least as a warm-up, but since it's a hand to… feet… brawl, Beru is definitely the right choice. I just hope she's not frightened by him." He raised his hand to about chest level, as if he was lifting something up, "Come forth."

Beru emerged from his Liege's Shadow, still with his head on the ground after feeling remorseful about the earlier incident with Miruko, "Forgive me my Liege, I did not intend to harm the weakling."

Izuku raised an eyebrow, "Mind your manners, that "weakling" is standing right behind you."

"That is correct my Liege."

"Oh so he knew she was there… he just didn't care."

Miruko sneered at the ant, "Come on! Stop groveling and fight me!"

"My Liege?" Beru asked, looking up at Izuku, as if asking for permission.

Izuku tilted his head forwards in acknowledgment, "Fight to win, but don't do anything that'll cause permanent damage."

Miruko felt a slight chill permeate her body as Izuku gave Beru that sincere order. And at that moment, a faint memory from when she had first woken up on the helicopter from Jeju Island. Her Korean wasn't perfect, so she hadn't caught the full meaning of the conversation then, but now part of her mind was piecing it together as Beru rose to his full height and looked down on her.

As Baek trembled in his seat, adrenaline and fear beginning to leave his body, "That power… was I hallucinating?"

Choi shook his head, cleaning his glasses with a disturbing amount of focus, "No… I saw it as clear as you did…"

"Just who is he," Ma Dong-Wook began, "To control the force of life and death?"

"KIIIEEEK!"

Miruko snapped back to reality just in time to see Beru's arm heading for her side. It was the same place he had struck her back on Jeju. This time though, Miruko knew its strength and speed. Leaning back far enough that her back was perfectly parallel with the ground, she braced one palm on the concrete-like surface, lifting her right leg off the ground as Beru's hand swept over her torso. She kicked at the opposite side of the spot he was aiming for on her. But her leg only grazed open air. "That speed… that's not right." Her face was now starting to show a bit of concern, not for her life of course, but for her pride. Miruko the Hero was supposed to be undaunted by everything, right? So why was an ant suddenly filling her with such an instinctual response?

Growling, she lifted her other leg off the ground mere milliseconds after her first kick, now supporting her body with only one arm. To any normal observer, it might look like she was trying to perform a handstand of sorts, but to Izuku, it looked like a death blow.

Using the momentum from her first kick, Miruko's leg, now supercharged with Mana, headed straight for the ground, "LUNA FALL!"

The platform exploded, a shockwave effect rapidly approaching the somewhat stunned Beru, not expecting to be confronted with such a technique after the human had shown no such signs of strength on the island.

The shock wave was enough to off-balance both Izuku and Beru for just a moment. It was such a brief moment that only twenty-two other people on earth could've taken advantage of it before Beru's wings snapped open. Miruko was one of those people.

"LUNA ARC!"

It was a kick so powerful that she rarely got to use it during normal Raids, for fear that she hurt the other Raid members with its backlash. Unfortunately, to Beru, it was barely more than a passing breeze.

"Forgive me, weakling. I wasn't taking you seriously at first… kiek kiek kiek… it seems I gave you too much of an opening." Beru's arm was held up leisurely, Miruko's leg desperately attempting to break through it.

Beru's free arm shot forwards, his fingers, and their retracted claws, wrapping around Miruko's torso and slamming her into the ground, just hard enough to not knock the wind from her lungs.

Undaunted, Miruko's legs whipped up with an impressive amount of flexibility, wrapping around Beru's next as she pulled to the side with all her might, attempting to slam him into the ground beside her, but he didn't budge. It was like she was trying to move a marble pillar with her legs… no, it would actually be easier to move a real marble pillar with just her legs, this was like trying to move a mountain.

"Then… if I have to move a mountain… so be it!"

Izuku's gaze went wide, "She's not seriously thinking she can still win, right?"

Perhaps it was a leftover instinct from his time as a Nomu, but Beru knew in that moment, that this woman was his enemy and that he had to kill her to protect his Liege.

With one arm holding her down, two of his other arms reached up, prying her legs off his neck like it was barely an inconvenience. She only made things worse by continuing to pour Mana into her legs to strengthen them. Raising his fourth arm, razor sharp claws emerged from his fingertips. "KIIIEEEEK!"

"That's enough," Izuku said calmly, grabbing Beru's fourth arm by the wrist, "I think we both know who lost that."

Beru realized what he was doing and relaxed his grip on everything he was holding to, allowing Miruko to weakly fall to the ground, panting heavily, sweat running down her forehead. "Please forgive me, my Liege!"

Izuku shrugged it off and recalled Beru into his Shadow, after all, this likely wouldn't have happened if Miruko hadn't pushed herself so far. "I still don't get it. Even if you somehow thought I was the love of your life from the moment you met me, it doesn't make sense to go this far for it."

"Because…" She spat out, "You… saved me."

Izuku shook his head, "It's what anyone would've done in my position. If you really feel like you owe me then just say thanks. You don't need to devote your life to me for something like this."

"No… you don't get… it." Miruko shifted her brilliant red irises from the ceiling to Izuku, "I'm a… solo Hero. I don't have any Agency… or team. I just run around the… country… helping in any Raid I can. I've always been the one to save others. I never had the liberty… of having someone save me." Miruko pushed herself into a sitting position, "I know that… well, it's shallow, but that part of me just can't help it… being attracted to that strength. It… it makes me feel like I'm safe. And even though that's the only part of you that I know right now… I want to know more. I want to get to know you, so I can…" Miruko looked down, her face turning bright red, "So I can know the deeper reasons why I feel like I love you."

"Ah jeez," Izuku brushed a hand through his hair, a warm smile on his face as he gazed right back into Miruko's embarrassed eyes, "You're a handful, you know that?" He offered her a hand up, "But I don't dislike you either." Miruko's heart skipped a beat, "So… if you truly feel this way," He scratched the back of his head awkwardly for a moment, "And uh… if Yaoyorozu's okay with it… then I think I'd like to get to know you more as well."

Miruko's smile returned in full force. But this time, it was not teasing, or arrogant, it was one full of joy. She took his hand, "Then I guess we should get started on that Agency of ours."

Chapter Text

"Midoriya? What's bothering you?" Yaoyorozu asked as the two walked down the halls, "We've gotten our wish of being able to run an Agency of our own, alongside the…" Yaoyorozu took a moment to calculate which place Miruko was at now, "Number Two Hero!"

"Wait… wouldn't she be Three?"

"I'm not counting Endeavor."

"Ah."

News of Endeavor's betrayal, of both his own team and the Koreans, had broken just the other day and rather understandably, the public was up in arms about it. Some of the more, "patriotic" Japanese citizens understood what he was trying to do and barely blamed him, or even defended him, but for the most part, the country basically wanted him dead for shaming them so incredibly. Korea much to the surprise of all, handled it much better. Perhaps it was because Japan lost more Heroes, or because they had made up for their mistake with the appearance of Izuku. Regardless, this understanding completely melted into fury when Japan announced they'd be keeping him on the Top Ten.

"Endeavor has made a grievous mistake and we are working on a suitable punishment as I make this announcement… but! Gates continue to appear and we continue to rely on the strength of Heroes. As such, we have no choice but to let him remain as a Hero."

Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad had they simply removed him from the Top Ten and left the announcement at that. Unfortunately, someone thought the correct decision was to keep him up there, as a "symbol."

"I'm serious," Yaoyorozu declared with conviction, "You've been acting strange these past five days, did something with the System happen?" She made sure to whisper her question.

Until Miruko could guarantee the setup of their Agency, they were essentially on standby and continued school as if nothing was changing.

Izuku paused, he'd been wondering for the last couple of days how he should tell her about Miruko's attraction to him and how their conversation had ended. "I think I'd like to get to know you more as well. God that was so stupid, why would I say something like that when I'm already dating Yaoyorozu?!"

Yaoyorozu sighed and pulled him off to the side, hiding in a corner partially obscured by lockers, "I swear Izuku, this is how relationships end. If you can't act normally around me because you have this on your mind, then you should just let it out."

Izuku fidgeted for a moment under her gaze before he felt Beru's presence at the edge of his mind.

"My Liege, I believe it would be best to tell her. Nothing will be resolved if you continue to remain silent."

"Wow, that's actually some really mature advice for once Beru… thanks."

"Your gratitude pleases me to no end, my Liege. And if the girl is not happy with your new relation with the prey, then your valuable army is always here to execute whoever deserves it."

"And you've officially lost any brownie points you just earned. Also, stop calling Miruko "Prey." It's creepy."

The conversation between the two, which happened at the speed of thought, was over before there was even time for an awkward pause between Yaoyorozu and Izuku.

Izuku sighed, "Alright… you're right, I'm sorry. So um… Miruko… likes me."

Yaoyorozu tilted her head, "Wasn't that obvious?"

For some reason, Yaoyorozu's calm demeanor scared him, "She said she wanted to get to know me better a-and I said I'd like to get to know her better as well, o-on a more personal level."

The onyx-haired beauty let out a small giggle that made Izuku's heart flutter, "I've known she was going to be a rival since she showed her face," Yaoyorozu leaned close to whisper into his ear, "But that doesn't mean I'm going to lose in this battle for your love. That bunny can try as hard as she wants, but you're mine."

A shiver ran through Izuku's body, but not from fear, rather from excitement. The excitement that someone cared that deeply about him to make a declaration like that.

"Now," Yaoyorozu said, pulling away, "Is tha-"

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Izuku shouted suddenly, diving forwards to cover Yaoyorozu with his body and Tank emerging to cover Izuku with his body just as explosions began rocking the school. Through his Sense Stat, he felt as all the gyms were blown up, then the faculty center, then they reached the main building. Tank and Izuku were buffeted by the multiple detonations that blew out the windows and filled classrooms with pressure waves.

"COME FORTH!" As the structural integrity of the bottom floor they were on continued to fail, Izuku's Shadows poured from his back, each taking positions along the area to support what the explosions had destroyed.

"My Liege!" Beru cried, preparing to throw the brutish Tank off of his master. He didn't trust the Shadow as much as he trusted his own ability to safely secure their Liege.

Tank stood, revealing that both Izuku and Yaoyorozu were perfectly unharmed. Though the explosions were violent and surprising, they weren't dangerous, at least, not to Heroes of their caliber.

"I'm fine, worry about everyone else!" Izuku stood amongst the dusty hallways as many screaming students ran past him, "All Shadows not holding up the school, evacuate the upper floors as quickly as possible!" He turned to Beru, "I want you making sure that each and every injured student is properly healed!"

"Y-Yes my Liege!" Beru, it appeared, had not just gained mastery over the Korean language when he ate Byung-Gyu's head, but also his healing ability, making him an insanely versatile Shadow.

Hundreds of Shadows poured off his back and into the stairwells, making for anyone who was trapped above.

Izuku picked up Yaoyorozu and began running, "Come on! We've got to get to the cafeteria!"

"Wh-What? Why?"

As soon as Izuku sprinted out the school's front doors, Karkinos's Shadow leaked from him, swirling into the sky as he prepared for air evacuations. "Because, that's the only place that wasn't bombed! And because… I feel something strong in there."

2 Minutes Earlier:

Bakugo had woken up late today and was forced to miss out on his breakfast as a result. Growling to himself, he stalked through the cafeteria, heading for the counter where all students were served. Entering the line, he was disappointed to see that icy-hot bastard standing in front of him. Even more unfortunately for him, Todoroki's senses were probably the most attuned to Mana, meaning that as soon as Bakugo appeared, he felt it.

"Good morning Bakugo," He greeted with the same dead expression he held every day, "Did you have a nightmare last night?"

Bakugo was taken aback for just a moment before shouting back, "What are you on about you half and half bastard!"

"You look tired. I've been feeling tired recently as well. A nightmare coincided with each exhausting morning."

"Tch, what a load of bullcrap," Bakugo scolded outwardly, but on the inside, he felt just a little relief that he wasn't the only one who had been losing sleep over creations of his mind. "Honestly, what idiot part of my subconscious comes up with a name like Baran, The Monarch of White Flames and boasts about it in a dream?" Indeed, these past few nights, Bakugo had been kept tossing and turning in his bed as a demonic being with red eyes, gray skin, and two massive horns accosted him in his sleep. "What a load of bullcrap," He repeated to himself, as if he was trying to convince himself.

In front of him, Todoroki tilted his head, "Did you feel that?"

"Feel-" Bakugo cut off as a feeling all too similar to intense nauseousness assailed his body and he dropped to his knees. He was about to worry about looking stupid, but then he noticed Todoroki collapsing in front of him, and all the students around them either stumbling forwards, or passing out altogether.

"This Mana… it's like a grizzly bear sitting on my back."

Just then, as explosions began taking place all over the school a figure at least three times the size of a normal human came crashing through the skylight of the cafeteria, landing with a force capable of killing the dozen or so students unlucky enough to be near the figure.

"Heh, just like stepping on ants," An aged and husky voice spoke out, "Now… which one of you ants is my prey."

The dust cleared and Bakugo managed to tilt his head up enough to see a blonde man with muscles the size of a hydraulic press staring right at him. As the man's lips curled up to form a demented smile, Bakugo realized this man had a massive scar tracing its way down the left side of his face and where his left eye should've been, was an orb of pure steel. "Looks like you're my prey."

Suddenly, the pressure wore off and Bakugo shot back to his feet, his hands crackling with explosions. But it seemed that Todoroki was quicker and a mound of ice shot out from his foot, expanding outwards to cover the Villain's entire body. "Hey icy-hot! That one was… mine…" He trailed off as all the color drained from Todoroki's face.

"Y-You have to run…" Todoroki said, his knees quaking, "He's after you, I'll slow him down."

"What are you-" Bakugo's Mana sense finally caught up to his classmate's and he felt like puking once more.

"Hey prey," A voice said from right behind Bakugo, "Are you gonna fight? Or are you gonna roll over and play dead?" Without even making a noise, the Villain had somehow escaped from the icy prison.

Bakugo answered with a roar, spinning around and detonating his Quirk in the man's face.

"That wasn't an attack… was it?" The man asked, his inhumanly large hand reaching out to grasp Bakugo's forearm and with barely any force, snapped it in two.

"AAAAAGGGH!" Bakugo collapsed, his shattered arm still in the man's grip.

"Whoops… I guess I used a bit too much force, but then again, I'm sure Baran won't mind repairing such a simple wound."

Even in his pain-addled state, Bakugo was still able to make out that name, "Ba… ran… What are you?"

The man's still human eye lit up with happiness, "Well this body belonged to one of your human criminals. I believe your police called him… Muscular. But that man is gone now. My name is Stellian, The Monarch of the Iron Body."

"You guys… have dumb names."

Stellian gave a hearty laugh, "Oh you and Baran will bind just fine, you're both insufferable whelps."

Bakugo suppressed the urge to scream once more as Stellian's grip on his arm only grew tighter. By now, his bones were nothing more than powder.

Stellian reached behind him, Mana pooling in his hand as a small hole in space, a Gate, began appearing. As it reached about the size of a basketball, he felt a small warmth tickle his back, "Heh, even this one could generate stronger heat than that."

"Damn… I even gave in and tried using my flames. Who is this guy? Who can withstand attacks from two S-Ranks like this?"

"You bore me," Stellian said from mere inches away from Todoroki.

"When did he get that close?!"

The back of the giant's fist slammed into Todoroki, sending him spinning through the air, crashing through the walls of the cafeteria and ending up outside, vomiting up blood as pain eclipsed his entire being.

"Try picking on someone your own size!" Two voices cried out as thick tentacles and swirling energy waves slammed into his back.

It was Nejire Hado and Tamaki Amajiki. Two Seniors whose talent and skill showed boundless potential. They were the only other two S-Ranks at the school aside from Izuku and the only other present forces capable of standing up to this beast. They were swept aside like flies.

The Monarch's arm expanded, forming a steel-like substance over it before he punched at the teens, both still at least fifty feet away. The metal exploded off his arm, forming magical shrapnel that pierced the two. And although Stellian was aiming for Tamaki and Nejire, the shrapnel spread far and wide, tearing through the flesh of every other student in the room.

Stellian frowned, as if he was disappointed by the absolute lack of power and simply sighed, going back to form his Gate only to get interrupted by a loud bang followed by a sharp pain on the back of his head. "Impressive, prey. You're the first one to actually make me feel something." Looking over his shoulder, Yaoyorozu stood by the entrance of the cafeteria, holding her anti-material rifle, charged with Mana enhanced bullets.

She chambered another round, aiming for his head once more, but he simply smiled and leaned into the bullet as it slammed into his forehead. At the same time, he raised his forearm to the sky, as if preparing to block something, surprising the invisible Izuku, who was in Stealth mode.

Both of Izuku's maces slammed down onto Stellian's arm, which had turned to steel. The ground beneath the Monarch cracked heavily under the pressure and he appeared to be exerting some amount of force to shrug off the attack.

Using his leverage on the arm, Izuku vaulted over Stellian, dropping both of his maces into the Inventory and pulling out the Genesis Blade, swinging it with all of his might into the mountainous man's side.

[Skill: Infinite Strength has activated.]

The gold sword dug into his flesh, managing to sneak past his steel exterior. But unfortunately, it stopped only a few centimeters in, as if his flesh was just as durable as his metallic skin.

Stellian grinned, "More prey!" The arm that hadn't been hit by the maces swung down, the fist slamming into Izuku's gut, forcing him to let go of the Genesis Blade as he was pushed backwards, his feet digging into the ground.

Collapsing to one knee, Izuku desperately heaved, trying to get any air to enter his lungs as Stellian stalked over to him, "Ashborn? What the hell are you doing here?" He paused, "Ah, you've yet to take over your human. Well if that's the case, I'm sure none of the other Monarchs would mind if I just killed you right here." His fist enlarged, "I know we're supposed to be allies, but I really just can't stand your presence. It reminds me too much of the Rulers."

He raised his fist to cave in Izuku's skull, but before he could, Izuku's figure blurred, his Quicksilver Skill allowing him to move out of the range of the enlarged punch, a Shadow spreading out from below him.

[Skill: Domain of the Monarch Lv. 2 has activated. All Shadows will have their Stats increased by 75%]

"What did you just do?"

Izuku was too busy recovering the air in his lungs to respond, but there was one warrior willing to say something to Stellian.

"KIIIIEEEEK!"

Chapter Text

Stellian disappeared from Izuku's view, Beru crashing into him with the force of a MOAB and shaking loose the Genesis Blade that was biting into the Monarch's side.

"KIEEEK!"

Izuku shakily stumbled over and recovered the sword, storing it in his Inventory as Beru continued to slash apart Stellian's skin with his four sets of claws, managing to scrape through even the metallic cover. The Monarch and the King of the Nomu danced through the sky, their impacts like thunderclaps. If anyone in the room had still been conscious aside from Izuku and Yaoyorozu, they might've appropriately thought it to be the end of the world. Each time their attacks connected, they sheared away another part of the ground and the buildings around them.

Izuku was grateful that he had spent part of the Seraph Ashes on resurrecting Beru as he watched the two clash. With that and the Domain of the Monarch, the ant-like Nomu had far surpassed the strength that even S-Ranks would consider godlike. In fact, even as a Monarch, Stellian found himself getting pushed back, Beru's attacks strong enough to lift him into the air and knock him around like he was flying of his own volition.

Looking back to the rest of the cafeteria, Izuku was stunned by just the sheer amount of bloodied bodies on the floor. Each one had at least a few nickel-sized or larger holes somewhere on their person. Stellian's magical shrapnel was now responsible for the fifty-plus still bodies on the floor, most dead, but some still alive, if just barely as they bled out on the ruined floor.

Izuku was frozen in shock by the number and almost didn't notice Yaoyorozu shouting at him as she did her best to take care of Nejire and Tamaki.

"Izuku! Your potions!"

Reason returned to banish the fog from his mind and he jumped into action, pulling dozens of potions from the store and pouring them into the student's mouths, closing up most of their wounds. Unfortunately, before he could get to Bakugo, the ceiling broke open in a different spot, Beru and Stellian crashing to the ground, Stellian using his massive weight to slam the bug-like Nomu into the concrete.

"I grow tired of this prey," Stellian said, wrapping his hands around Beru's throat and pouring massive amounts of Mana into his frame.

Izuku's eyes widened in disbelief as he felt Beru's essence being erased. His Shadows could infinitely regenerate as long as he had Mana, but it appeared that Monarch's didn't play by the same rules. He no longer even seemed to mind as Beru tore his flesh with his claws.

Stellian grinned as the Nomu's legs began to fizzle away, the Shadow breaking off in chunks. In fact, he was so caught up in the action he didn't notice Izuku swinging Daybringer with all of his might into the side of Stellian's head.

[Skill: Infinite Strength has activated.]

Daybringer made a CLANG against Stellian's head as it flung him off of Beru and through the cafeteria walls, trampling the grass of the courtyard as rubble settled around him.

Growling, the Monarch pulled itself to its feet as Izuku helped Beru do the same.

"My Liege… he seems to have become stronger. I can no longer handle him by-"

A cracking noise filled their air as Izuku pulled away from Beru, ice encompassing his body entirely.

"Come now, Stellian, leave alone the boy. Ashborn and the architect will not be happy if it takes them another 10 years to find a host." Izuku spun around, seeing a collection of dark purple mist hovering around Bakugo's prone form.

"Kurogiri."

The misty figure bowed, "Ah, my apologies human, but Kurogiri is the name of my host. I am The Monarch of Frost, Iruit. It appears that Stellian has started a rather unnecessary fight with you." He waved his hand and one of his purple Gates swallowed the Steel Monarch whole. "We are just here to collect Baran's host. In the meantime, we look forward to your rebirth oh, Shadow Monarch."

Izuku began sprinting towards Iruit as he laid a hand on Bakugo's back, "Until next time human."

[Skill: Infinite Strength has activated.]

But it was too late. By the time Izuku's fist reached the place where Iruit had been standing, he was gone. The strength from his Skill diffused into the air, creating a blast of wind that tore apart the back of the cafeteria, breaking the massive building into two.

It was such a strong blast that Yaoyorozu, who had been busy healing everyone behind him, was nearly thrown into the air. It even smashed open the ice prison of Beru, letting him free.

"My Liege! Are you-"

"Heal the others," Izuku said, his voice low and despondent. "The goal of the Monarchs was achieved. They're not coming back, so you can focus all of your effort on healing all of the students here."

Beru bowed his head and went to assist Yaoyorozu, knowing that there was nothing more he could say to his Liege to aid him.

Izuku took a moment to suck in a heavy breath and curse himself for failing to stop the Monarchs before turning around, pulling out his potions once more. He could worry about his failures later, for right now, he needed to save as many as possible.

It wouldn't be wrong for someone to claim that Izuku disliked, or even hated Bakugo. However, as much as he hated him and would like nothing more to beat him to a pulp for all the years of bullying he suffered at his hands, the prospect of another Monarch being given a host was a terrifying one. Being that host sounded far worse. It was hard enough to even stand next to Stellian or Iruit, what would happen when another one was given form.

"If All Might is right and Antares is still in this world, that means that they at least have three Monarchs, with Baran on the way."

Izuku dropped to one knee next to Nejire Hado and Tamaki Amajiki, "Damn…" Holes covered their entire body. It was a miracle none of the shrapnel had hit them in the head. They were somehow still alive, but Izuku wouldn't be able to save them with his potions, "Beru, focus on these two for now."

Perhaps it was immoral of him to assign treatment based on the victim's Ranking, but Izuku knew that with the threats that were beginning to appear, keeping the strongest alive was their best chance at handling it.

"Mmmm," Nejire groaned as her eyes opened, surprising Izuku as he poured more potion down another student's throat.

"Not many would regain consciousness that quickly, she must be stronger than I thought."

Unfortunately, as Nejire forced open her eyes, the first thing she was greeted with, was Beru's insectoid face.

A shrill scream escaped her throat like rising steam as she scrambled weakly away from the Shadow bumping into Izuku.

"Woah woah. It's okay… it's okay." Izuku grabbed her shoulders and obscured the view of Beru, waving him off to tend to the next batch of students, "He's with me."

"B-B-But it's a bug!"

"Is that what she was worried about?" Izuku shook his head, "Sorry, but he's the only healer we have right now. Please try to remain as calm as you can for the sake of the others."

Nejire's eyes widened a bit as she looked around, noticing the number of bodies, "...Oh my god…"

"I need to go help the others, so just stay here and rest for now."

But Nejire shrugged him off and did her best to stand, "N-No… the other buildings were hit, I need to go make sure everyone's okay."

Izuku cursed inwardly, knowing he couldn't waste anymore time arguing with her and nodded reluctantly, jumping back into his efforts.

It took thirty minutes to evacuate all of the main building. During that time, several of the upper floors collapsed altogether. The only reason it didn't result in the death of three dozen people was that Karkinos and the Nomu cleared out those floors first.

It was thankful that his Shadows didn't tire because it took another thirty minutes before the rescue teams came to Izuku once more. As he sent more Shadows into the building to make sure it didn't collapse one of the rescue workers walked up to him, "How long can those guys of yours hold that thing?"

"They don't tire, so indefinitely, why? Have you not found Cementoss yet?"

"We… have."

He didn't need to say more for Izuku to get the idea and his expression hardened, "Well, we can't just let this thing collapse."

The worker shook his head, "To fix the damage… The only ones who could do that would be Cementoss or an army of construction workers. And no construction team is gonna step inside a building like that, it doesn't matter how many Summons you've got supporting the thing."

"Then where's the body?"

"The… body?" The man shook his head, "Kid… you don't wanna see something like that. It's…" He trailed off, unable to say more.

"I've seen men with most of their bodies gone, people missing their heads, and much more. I can handle it."

The man huffed, "Well… why?"

Izuku grimaced, "How good are you at keeping secrets?"

"Uh… what?"

"My Liege asked you a question, human. Can you keep your mouth shut?"

"I… yes," The man replied with a pale face.

Izuku nodded, "We need Cementoss, so that's who we're going to get."

Maybe it was the undeniable essence of death pouring off Beru, who was standing directly behind the worker, or the glow in Izuku's eyes, but some way, somehow, the man seemed to grasp the deeper meaning of what Izuku was saying.

"I-It's this way."

Izuku had already experimented with the Shadows of the six Heroes he had taken, he knew that their Quirks still worked as Shadows, so it was no surprise to him that the Shadow of Cementoss was no different.

It only took the Shadow fifteen minutes to stabilize the entirety of the building with his Quirk. Sure, the upper floors were still pretty wrecked, but now, the building itself was in no danger of falling.

The worker who had assisted Izuku in finding the crushed body of Cementoss looked on with something akin to a mix of fear and awe. Izuku had utilized Cementoss's Shadow inside the building itself, so now one had actually seen the resurrected Hero and teacher working hard to save his school. In the same way no one saw that, no one would see Izuku rest a hand on the teacher's shoulder and nod, "Cancel Extraction."

Unlike the situation with the six Heroes, Cementoss had not been spoken for about his preference for remaining alive as a Shadow and as such, Izuku chose to release him back to his peaceful rest. With that, all 504 Soldiers slunk back into Izuku's Shadow, resting as their Liege walked back outside, not another word said to the worker.

Emerging into the sunlight, he noticed a wave of reporters swarming towards the building, but police and agents from the Association stood in their way.

"All Might. Principal Nezu, it's a relief to see that you two are okay."

Principal Nezu nodded, a small black cat in his arms, "It was only thanks to my friend, Aho here. She seemed to sense the danger before it reached us, managing to convince me to get under my desk in the nick of time."

Izuku ignored the odd explanation and turned to All Might, "It was another…"

"Monarch," All Might finished, "I entrusted Principal Nezu with that information long ago."

"Right. It was that Kurogiri guy, who said he was the Monarch of Frost, Iruit and another Villain, who said his host's name was Muscular and that he was the Monarch of the Steel Body."

All Might scowled, "Stellian. Him and Aeic fought many battles against each other. Even with both sides despising the other, Stellian and Aeic held a special amount of hatred for their rival."

"Iruit said they were taking Bakugo to become a host for Baran."

"The Monarch of the White Flame. He's possibly the weakest of the eight Monarchs, but he still is a Monarch and we cannot allow young Bakugo to be taken over. Did they give any possible clues as to where they may have been taking him?"

Izuku shook his head, allowing All Might to give a heavy sigh, "As I expected. But… there still is hope. A Monarch cannot merely emerge from the gap between dimensions and take hold of a host. We have seven days to find where they'll be building the Gate for Baran to emerge from."

"Seven days, just like the amount of time it takes for a Gate to break open and release Villains onto the world."

"I'll send out every last Shadow I have, they'll find him."

All Might gave him a concerned glance, but nodded, knowing that his unrelenting force would be one of their biggest assets towards locating Bakugo. "Well, until then, I think it would be best if you tried to relax for the next few days. You've had a rough day and you can leave the searching to us and your Soldiers. Needless to say, school won't be resuming anytime soon."

Izuku reluctantly agreed, but decided to ask one more question as his Shadow army leaked out from under him and began their meticulous search through the city. "How many…?"

All Might lowered his head forlornly, "Cementoss was the only teacher we lost, but… ten other faculty members and twenty-six students died from the initial explosions, another thirty died from Stellian's attack. The number would've been higher had you and Yaoyorozu not assisted in the treatment of your classmates."

Speaking of Yaoyorozu, the girl was currently in an ambulance, receiving nutrients and recovering from using her Quirk so much to create healing potions and medical supplies.

Izuku took a moment to let out a breath before nodding, "Alright, I suppose I'll rest for now… after all, tomorrow's a big day… I suppose," He said, his voice melancholic. In reality, tomorrow was a huge day, but now, it was harder to feel excited about it. "If you learn anything, make sure to call me."

Esil floated through the halls of the Naval base, four of her wings hanging out behind her, the other two cocooned gently around Eri. She smiled down warmly at the little girl who was shouting for her to go faster.

Just a few days ago, this sight had raised the eyebrows of more than a few of the personnel, but by now, the men and women simply enjoyed the blinding smile of Eri. They enjoyed it… even if they felt a little jealous about the fact that it took a Shadow creature to draw out that smile when they could not.

Esil saw how much happiness the smile of a child could bring to her surroundings and with every fiber in her being she hoped that it would raise her Liege's spirits after the previous day's incident.

Currently, Izuku and Yaoyorozu were waiting outside, having ridden over on Izuku's motorcycle and while they waited for Esil to be granted permission to leave the base with Eri, Izuku looked over his Stats.

Level: 105

Strength: 259

Vitality: 196

Agility: 247

Intelligence: 281

Sense: 173

[Mana: 26938/26938]

[HP: 48145/47395]

[Shadows able to be extracted: 782]

[Shadows able to be saved: 557]

Remaining Stat Points: 30

"I've been saving up some of the Stat points from my Daily Quests because I was unsure of what to put them into… if I hadn't saved them up, would I have been able to stop the Monarch's?" Izuku tried to shake off those thoughts though, the beings were on another level, it was entirely unlikely that those Stat Points would've saved Bakugo. "Well, since Intelligence increases the strength of my Shadows, I suppose I should put all my points into that. It'll be the first Stat to surpass three-hundred too."

Level: 105

Strength: 259

Vitality: 196

Agility: 247

Intelligence: 311

Sense: 173

[Mana: 29473/29473]

[HP: 48145/47395]

[Shadows able to be extracted: 851]

[Shadows able to be saved: 672]

Remaining Stat Points: 0

"Izuku," Yaoyorozu said cheerfully, bringing her boyfriend out of his thoughts, "She's here."

Looking up, Izuku's expression immediately brightened.

Matsuo, the Ensign in charge of Eri's care, was holding the girl's hand as he walked out of the gates that bordered the Naval base, Esil floating along behind him. Eri, instead of the ragged clothing Izuku had last seen her wearing, was now dressed in a white dress shirt, with a filly red pinafore over it. Under that she wore white jeans with brown boots covering her feet.

Izuku crouched down as she got closer, her eyes twinkling brightly as she recognized the face of her savior. "Hi Eri… Do you remember me?"

She nodded furiously, "Aunty Esil told me lots of stories about you!"

"Aunty… Esil? Well… I guess she has been taking care of her for the past two weeks or so." He looked up to see pure joy on the Shadow's face, "Hang on… Esil's only been around me to see a bunch of battles… she didn't tell Eri about that did she? A child shouldn't hear about their adoptive parent slaughtering entire castles of Angels."

Just before Izuku could ask what stories she had heard, Eri asked a question of her own, pointing up at Yaoyorozu, "Is she another Aunty?"

Izuku chuckled and looked up to Yaoyorozu, who gave him a look of amusement before crouching down as well. "Well, you're coming to live with me and Izuku, right?" Eri nodded, "So what would you call him?"

Eri thought for a moment before her entire face lit up with hope, "He's my daddy!"

Izuku turned bright red, wanting to hide his face from the smirking Ensign, but at the same time, his heart beat in response to the little girl's declaration and he couldn't help but feel like he was making the right choice in taking her in.

Yaoyorozu continued with her reasoning, "Then if Izuku is your dad, I'd be your mother."

Realization filled Eri's eyes and she shouted out, "Yay!" As she leapt forwards, her small arms wrapping around Yaoyorozu's neck to hug her. It was enough to catch her by surprise, sudden tears forming in the teen's eyes, surprised by how much she already cared for this little girl.

Wrapping her own arms around Eri, Yaoyorozu stood, holding her against her chest as she wiped away the small tears, "So… are you ready to go see your new home?"

"Yeah!"

Ensign Matsuo grew nervous as he noticed the motorcycle behind them, "Um… sir? I hope you don't plan on taking her home on that. If it's necessary, we have other vehicles that you could borrow-"

Izuku waved away his concerns, "Don't worry, that was just for getting me and Yaoyorozu here. Igris." The Shadow Knight emerged, one of the three Shadows that was not currently out looking for Bakugo, "Could you take that back to the penthouse garage and meet us there?"

Igris held a hand over his chest and climbed onto the motorcycle, its exterior becoming larger and smoky as Igris adapted it to his own size and appearance. "Huh… I had no idea he could do that."

"Oh! I'll ride with him!" Esil volunteered suddenly, running over to board the bike behind Igris, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Huh?" Izuku asked, "Don't you wanna come home with us? It'll be quicker?"

"Um… well if someone pulls Igris over, he can't talk, so I should be there to make sure nothing goes wrong."

Izuku held a hand up to his chin, "I didn't even think about that, thanks Esil, we'll see you at home."

"So then… is your home close to here or…" Matsuo trailed off, entirely confused by the unfolding events.

Izuku shook his head with a smile, "Stop stressing, we've got our own way of moving around." He wrapped Yaoyorozu in a hug, Eri sandwiched between them, "Thank you for your help!" He said, saying goodbye to the man, "Exchange."

"Hold on… what-" Matsuo was cut off as Shadows obscured the three's view and when it faded, they were standing just in front of a penthouse building complex. It stretched pretty high up, to the point where it looked similar to an office building in terms of size.

Izuku had stationed one of his Shadows outside the entrance just so he could instantly take Eri home.

"This… is your home?" Eri asked with disbelief, an expression that was mirrored by Yaoyorozu, who had yet to see the penthouse apartment Izuku had picked out for them.

"Our home now," Izuku corrected, "We've got the top two floors all to ourselves. So why don't we take a ride up there?"

"Izuku… this is… insane…" Yaoyorozu was at a loss for words. Even as someone who had spent her early years in luxury, the past few years had been less the same rich life she could've had, so something like this… it was insane.

"The apartment stretches out for the entirety of both floors. We've got five guest rooms, one I've already decked out for Eri, a master bedroom for us, like half a dozen bathrooms, a gym, a huge kitchen, our own personal theatre and game rooms, and… an indoor pool and jacuzzi."

"A-Are you sure this is something we can afford?" Yaoyorozu asked, stunned as she walked over to the clear glass that stretched around the entirety of the floor, giving them a view of the city.

Izuku chuckled, "Beru's magic core sold for a hefty amount, but believe it or not, some of the drops I got from the Heavenly Palace sold for far more. This place could be considered far below our price range to be honest. Just one of the perks of being an S-Rank." He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist as Eri clambered over the sofas and went running through the hallways. "Feels pretty surreal doesn't it?"

"What? You mean the fact that two sixteen-year-olds are living like kings with an adoptive daughter at their age?"

"Heh, yeah."

Yaoyorozu turned around and planted a light kiss on his lips, "It does feel pretty surreal, but I hope this dream never ends, because it seems pretty close to paradise. Now, we've got a daughter to take care of and it looks like she's got way too much energy, so why don't we teach her to swim?"

"Uhhh…" Izuku froze for a moment, like a computer buffering, "We?"

"Well yeah. Why?" She smirked, "Do you not wanna see me in a bikini?"

Izuku blushed, "N-No… it's not that… I um… I don't know how to swim either."

Yaoyorozu chuckled, "Alright, then I guess I'll just have to teach you both. I'll go help Eri get a swimsuit on, so you do the same and I'll meet you by the pool… if I can find it in this huge place."

Izuku acquiesced with an embarrassed nod, watching Yaoyorozu strut away to scoop up their new child. He was about to run to his own room, which was also Yaoyorozu's now that he thought about it, but before he could, a ringing interrupted him. It was his phone, ringing with a special alert from the Association. He answered it, "Hello?"

"Young Midoriya, I'm sorry to say this call has nothing to do with Bakugo, but an A-Rank Gate opened just by your phone's location," All Might explained, "It's… well it's halted traffic to a standstill, do you think there's any way you could take care of it by yourself?"

Izuku sighed, looking back to the hallways, where he heard the giggles of his adopted daughter and girlfriend. This was his first day with her, he couldn't just abandon her, could he? Somehow, All Might seemed to sense his apprehension. "Young Midoriya, I understand your concern, but as your mother once explained so brilliantly, Heroes don't get to choose when they are needed."

Izuku shook his head, "It's just a traffic jam, right? It's not like the Gate's gonna break open any moment."

"The nearest Raid team that can handle it is at least two hours away from being able to reach it. By that time, the city's traffic will come to a standstill, it'll be a far bigger problem than just a traffic jam. Besides, with your strength, it should only take you an hour or so."

Izuku sighed once more and gave in, "Alright, but you owe me for this. I'm gonna have to go tell the girls why I have to disappoint them."

All Might sounded a little guilty by then, "I understand. I apologize."

Izuku ended the call, getting the distinct feeling like this wasn't going to be the last time he'd have to apologize to Eri or Yaoyorozu for leaving on short notice.

Chapter Text

Izuku told the girls he'd be an hour at most, and Yaoyorozu's expression had instantly brightened. To her, that meant opportunity. In her head, she had this perfect vision of teaching Eri to swim and then having her help her "daddy," learn the same thing when he got back. And so, as quickly as he could, Izuku sprinted through the apartment, leaping off the balcony and onto the head of Karkinos, who had halted his search of the city to assist his Liege in a speedy Gate job.

Esil and Igris had gotten home moments earlier, but Esil was the designated body guard of Eri, so for now, Izuku had only his trusty dragon and knight. They were only two out of his five-hundred strong army, but they were also two of the strongest, so he'd finish it quickly, right?

"This feels like a Red Gate," Izuku muttered forlornly to himself and his two Shadows as they stood/floated on the rocky terrain of what appeared to be a volcano. He sighed bitterly, "I thought I was making the correct decision. I thought if it was only an hour or so that I had to spend clearing an A-Rank Dungeon, then Eri and Yaoyorozu could handle it. Well… it looks like the Universe is slapping me in the face for choosing Hero work over family, but I suppose there's nothing left for me to do now. I just have to throw my all into this and clear the Dungeon as quickly as possible."

As he finished his thought, the ground erupted, spewing forth dozens of lava golems, their glowing red eyes locking onto Izuku.

"The rest of my army is stuck outside the Gate looking for Bakugo, but I did upgrade my Intelligence to the point where I can Save 672 Shadows and Extract 851, which means…" Izuku smiled, reaching out and crushing one of the Golems with Dominator's Touch, "Which means, I'll just have to start a new army with you guys."

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[You have Leveled-Up!]

Time wore on too quickly. With each passing, "Arise," Izuku was increasing his forces and speeding up the completion of the Dungeon, but he also drew ever closer to the two hour mark, in turn, only making him more frantic.

68 Lava Golems: Elite Grade, 40 Obsidian Beetles: Elite Grade, 34 Greater Fire Spirits: Knight Grade, and 20 Lava Titans: Elite-Knight Grade had joined Izuku's fight against their own kin and they slaughtered them with brutal efficiency.

All things considered, it was a pretty easy Dungeon. Though it was an A-Rank that had been boosted by the effects of a Red Gate and was likely at a low S-Ranking, Izuku's only trouble with it was time. After slaying the twenty-first Lava Titan he received a message.

[You have obtained Ingredient Item: Lava Heart.]

"Another crafting item… am I going to receive a new recipe soon?"

[Item: Lava Heart]

Item Class: S

Item Type: Ingredient

A living beating heart extracted from one of the Illian Volcano's Titans. It contains unbearable heat and unfathomable strength within itself.

"It's way too powerful to be part of something as simple as a consumable potion or something. Is it going to be part of a weapon… armor? Or will it serve me no purpose other than selling it off for a huge chunk of change?" He shrugged, wondering what he should do for the girls to make it up to them as he shoved the item back into his Inventory.

[You have entered the Boss room.]

Izuku was struck with an intense wave of hot steam as the lava spewed up from inside the volcano. He was lucky that the Olympian armor seemed to resist the heat well, otherwise he would've been burnt to a crisp by now.

[The Hottest Existence, Fire Spirit Ifrit.]

Like the Lava Golems and Titans, Ifrit appeared to be a being made out of molten rock and obsidian. But unlike them, it had not taken on a humanoid appearance. Instead, it emerged from the lava as nothing more than a blob, eight limbs and mandibles taking form as it began exerting its shapeshifting powers.

"Ugh, I hate spiders."

"KRAAAA!"

[Skill: Infinite Strength has activated.]

Ifrit didn't even have the time to recognize that Izuku was in its face before he blew it off with one punch. Unfortunately, while this stumbled the fiery arachnid, it didn't seem to do anything more than superficial damage and its face was reformed within a few seconds.

"Hmm, so I guess this is what it feels like to fight my Shadows."

Of course, Ifrit wasn't the same perfect soldier that Izuku's were. It had a weakness, like all monsters.

"Karkinos, aim for the abdomen."

[Skill: Divine Retribution has activated.]

Karkinos's beam of pure energy tore through the spider's backside and slammed into the mountain under it, decimating everything in his path and melting it more than it was already melted. The real target had been the Villain's magic core, which controlled its entire being. If it was destroyed, there was no way it could survive.

[You have slain the Dungeon's Boss.]

[You have Leveled-Up!]

[You have obtained Enhancement Item: Ifrit's Blood.]

[You have obtained Ingredient Item: Malleable Obsidian.]

"Another ingredient and even a new type of Item!"

[Secret Crafting recipe discovered!]

[Item: Evolution Core.]

Item Class: SSS

Item Type: Magic Item

Triples the strength of all magic abilities. If this item is held while the Shadow Monarch uses Shadow Extraction there is a 100% chance that the target will evolve into its next species Rank.

Ingredients:

1x portion of Seraph's Blessed Ashes

1x portion of Ifrit's Blood

Malleable Obsidian

Lava Heart

World Tree's Fragment

Orb of Avarice

Shadowsteel Fragments

"SSS?! A guaranteed evolution? Like what happened with Esil evolving from an Angel Noble to a Seraph and Beru to a High-End Nomu? There's no way I can miss out on this." Izuku quickly scanned over the ingredient list before realizing he was only wasting more time in here. "Shit… I've gotta get going." He ran over to Ifrit's body, "Arise."

[Would you like to use Seraph's Blessed Ashes to enhance the Extraction?]

[Would you like to use Ifrit's Blood to enhance the Extraction?]

"Hmm, two different enhancements at the same time? How strong would this guy become? It says I only need one portion of each to make the Evolution Core, and I've still got two portions of the Seraph Ashes and three of Ifrit's Blood."

Izuku hesitated for just a moment before answering yes to both.

[Greater Shadow Spirit, Fire Type Elite-Knight Grade has evolved into Shadow God of Fire Commander Grade.]

"Just one Grade below Beru!"

"My Liege," The fiery-red Shadow took on the appearance of a human and knelt before Izuku, "It is my honor to join your ranks. Please, give me a name."

"He speaks too! I was right! Commander Grade and up allow Shadows to speak!"

"Hmm, I don't see anything wrong with Ifrit, do you?"

"If it is your will, my Liege, then I will gladly accept any name you assign." His voice was surprisingly heavenly.

"I don't want a yes man for this part! I wanna know if you like the name or not!" Izuku sighed inwardly, "Ifrit it is."

[Ifrit Lv. 10 Commander Grade.]

"I look forward to serving you."

Izuku nodded, "And I'm excited to see what you can do, but for now, I'm afraid we've got no time for experiments," He called Ifrit and the other 163 new Shadows back as himself and Igris boarded Karkinos, who shot forwards, heading straight for the exit.

If there was one thing Izuku was grateful for in this situation aside from the items, Shadows, and such that he had obtained from the Gate, it was that the Villains from that Gate didn't have blood. Or rather, they didn't have blood that stained clothes. Their blood was closer to lava, so thankfully, Izuku only had a few burn holes in his clothes instead of a hoodie stained red or green or purple from blood. It wouldn't do good to apologize to his new family with blood-stained clothes.

As he got closer to his penthouse door, he began hearing a lot of commotion from the inside and for a moment, he panicked, but the loud voices were not distraught or angry. If anything it sounded like a bevy of laughs.

"But it sounds like there's more than-" Izuku chuckled lightly as his Sense Stat picked up the other presences, telling him exactly who was inside. He opened the door, hearing his mother's high-pitched voice of excitement coming from the kitchen.

"Looks like he's back," Miruko said, her ears picking up the door.

Right on cue, Izuku strutted into the dining room, Sakura, his mother, Miruko, Eri, Momo, and Nejire sitting at the table, a wonderful smell emanating from the plates. "Uh, sorry I'm late everyone."

"Daddy!" Eri hopped out of her seat and into Izuku's arms, allowing him a sigh of relief, she didn't hate him for what he had done. "Mommy taught me how to swim today!"

"Did she? That's awesome! You'll have to show me tomorrow!" Izuku looked back to the table, absolutely shocked to see his upperclassman and Agency partner there. His mother and sister weren't that much of a surprise, after all, Yaoyorozu did say she wanted to invite them over for dinner one night.

"Miruko. Senp-" Nejire waved him off before he could finish the honorific.

"UA is shut down, so for now, I'm just Nejire, not your senior!"

"Ah… okay. So… what brought you guys here today?" Izuku fumbled his words for a minute, worried that the question would come off as offensive, but neither seemed to mind.

"Your girlfriend did," Miruko answered, "She invited us and your family."

"She… did?"

Yaoyorozu nodded, "Miruko's going to be our partner for the foreseeable future and Hado called the Agency number earlier asking if she could apply, so I invited them both and said we could talk about it over dinner."

Izuku's eyes widened, "So the Agency is ready then?"

Miruko nodded, "Everything's worked out. Until you're eighteen, I'm the Agency President, you're the Vice-President, and Yaoyorozu is our necessary third member. I've also gone to the trouble of hiring a secretary to handle the business side of things. Although, even I didn't expect anyone to try and join the Agency so soon. Aside from bubbly here, we've got about thirty other applicants, most of them from UA, but we've also got some Pros looking to join."

"T-Thirty?! Pros?!"

"The names of Miruko and Izuku Midoriya attract a lot of attention, especially when that involves an Agency," Yaoyorozu answered. "I invited Hado because she was the first to seek out an application."

"It's just Nejire, Yaomomo!" Nejire exclaimed cheerfully, already choosing her own friendly nickname for Yaoyorozu.

Izuku sat down, Eri taking her place on his lap. "It seems like a lot happened while I was gone."

"A lot can happen in two hours, sweetie," Inko said with a smile.

Sakura finally burst out, having held it in long enough for the "adults" to get through their business, "Izu! This place is humongous! You can get me a place like this right?!"

"Uh…"

Inko saved him, "Nope! You're staying with your mother until you graduate!"

"Awwww."

Yaoyorozu handed Izuku a plate piled high with food, "Here, I figured you must be hungry."

"Thank you." Izuku couldn't find a trace of disappointment in her eyes at his failure to return in time, but he still felt a pang of guilt and vowed to talk to her later about it.

"You're welcome!" Miruko barked out as he began digging in, slightly confusing him.

As he swallowed his mouthful, he asked, "You made all of this?"

She nodded proudly and Yaoyorozu backed it up, "As much as I hate to admit it, she's a much better cook than I expected her to be."

"What do you mean you "hate to admit it?"" Yaoyorozu only offered a small smile in return.

"So I heard that All Might is finally going to officially announce you as an S-Rank!" Inko excitedly clapped her hands together.

Izuku nodded, "People have been basically just assuming up until this point since I was able to beat something the other S-Ranks couldn't, but it was never official. Making it so will definitely help with the reputation of our Agency."

"Speaking of which," Miruko raised two fingers, "There are two issues still regarding said Agency. And since we've got the first applicant right here, it'll be best to establish a standard for the first issue right now. What are our terms for accepting a Hero into our Agency?"

"We could base it off of their amount of Gates cleared… or maybe what school they came from."

Miruko shook her head, "Gates cleared is stupid, since people get carried through Gates all the time just to fill the necessary ten-man requirement and with UA closed, the only other Hero schools are for Rank Bs and below. We need something practical to test them."

"Why doesn't daddy just fight them! Then he knows for sure if they're strong!"

Miruko once again turned down the idea, "Sorry kid, but your dad is way too strong to test anyone other than the top Heroes of this world."

"Actually," Yaoyorozu said, beaming at Eri, "It's perfect!"

"Did you not just hear me? He can't fight them because they'll be like flies next to him, it wouldn't be an accurate assessment of their power."

"He can't fight them, but he's got an army of Summons all at different Rankings. If we can estimate their strength compared to the person applying, then we can give them a fair enemy."

"Hmm… Since they regenerate we'd have to say that any strike that would be fatal would count as a win."

"Makes sense, the only real trouble would be making sure the Summon and the applicant are fairly matched," Izuku added.

"After dinner, we should all head down to our Agency's gym and test out what would be a good opponent for someone of her caliber."

"We have a gym?"

Miruko smirked, "I had the feeling you'd need a lot of space to test out your new Summons, so I made sure to request it. It did take up quite a pretty penny though, so I hope you don't mind."

Izuku shook his head, "Not at all, in fact, I'm glad that you made that decision."

"Well then," Inko began, "I suppose we should get started on the dishes so you can all get to work." But before she could stand, a Shadow snatched the plate from in front of her.

"In this house, I refuse to let you do any labor," Izuku declared jokingly, "Besides, it's not that late, we can stay and chat for a while longer before leaving. Is that okay with you, Nejire?"

And so, as Nomu that once attempted to kill as many humans as possible did the dishes, Izuku caught up with his mother and sister, while Nejire and Eri laughed back and forth with each other.

It took another two hours before Inko genuinely excused herself and her daughter as it was getting late and the latter had school the next day.

"Alright little one," Izuku said, picking up Eri from his lap, "It's long past your bedtime."

"What?! No! I wanna see Nejire-chan fight!"

"She's already taken up that Nejire-chan nickname, huh."

"Eri, it's la-"

Miruko interrupted Yaoyorozu, "You should probably let her come along. After all, if you put her to bed, she's just gonna lay there, thinking about the exciting thing we're about to go do."

"Yeah! Aunty Miruko is right!" Miruko's bunny ears folded down happily as she heard the title of endearment.

Izuku sighed, but decided that Miruko was right, besides, once they left, what was going to keep her in bed? "Well, I could always just have Esil watching her to make sure she didn't try to go and play, but still, I suppose it's better this way." He changed direction from Eri's bedroom to the balcony, "You're lucky that you both are hard to resist," He said to the rabbit girl and his daughter. "Hmm, Karkinos works pretty well for transport, but… I do have someone new amongst my ranks that might have some potential."

"Come Forth."

Ifrit rose from the Shadows, his red accents standing out in the darkness of the night. "My Liege."

"Another one that talks!" Yaoyorozu said with surprise, "I guess taking that Gate was worth it!"

Izuku shook his head, "I shouldn't have left you two for it though. I am sorry about that."

"I understand why you did it and as long as it's not hurting Eri, then never I'll hate you for something like that. It is our job after all."

He nodded, tears nearly rushing up alongside his emotions, "I really did get so lucky didn't I?" Turning his attention back to Ifrit, he asked, "You shapeshifted back inside the Gate, do you think you could do that again, but as something that flew and could carry all of us?"

"It would be my honor." His nondescript humanoid shape disappeared as he stood and backed away from the five on the massive balcony. His arms stretched wider and wider, a thin membrane beginning to emerge from the top of it and spread down. He got down to all fours, his head and neck extending out to form a more draconic and defined head as a tail sprouted from his backside. Within no time, they had their very own wyvern, one with far more room for passengers than even Karkinos.

"Alright, pile on everyone! Esil, you're on Eri duty."

The Seraph emerged from the darkness and scooped up the girl, wrapping her in two of her wings. Any one of the people here could survive a fall from terminal velocity, but only Nejire could fly, so even if Eri fell off Ifrit and they dove after her it would be a rough landing for the girl. Esil on the other hand was perfectly suited for safely carrying the VIP onboard the wyvern.

"Wait… Your species name was the God of Fire. Aren't you going to burn us if we sit on you?"

Ifrit's dragon head shook and a voice escaped his throat, "As the God of Fire, I can exhibit perfect control over my own body heat, you do not need to fear for yourself or anyone else, my Liege."

"Well in that case, let's get going!"

Their Agency's gym was much like the one at the Association, weapons locker and all, though it was currently empty.

"Oh I nearly forgot," Izuku said, turning to Miruko, "You said there were two issues to still take care of. One was the entrance exam, what was the other?"

It appeared Miruko was in the same boat, as it took her a moment to recall the issue, "Ah, the second issue is what we're going to name the Agency. People are already applying despite it not having a name, but a name is definitely important. Ryukyu's name for hers is the Dragon Agency, which is pretty simple, but it's effective, we could always do something similar."

"Like the Shadow Agency."

"Could be, but I think people might enjoy something a bit more complex."

"My Liege," Beru spoke out, suddenly appearing from Izuku's Shadow.

"What? Did you find Bakugo?"

"We have a few leads, but I actually arrived to give an idea for a name."

Izuku tilted his head, kind of weirded out by the situation, but also curious, "What might that be?"

"The Thanatos Agency!"

"The Greek God of Death?" Yaoyorozu raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that a bit too on the nose?"

Izuku smiled, "I kinda like it."

Beru bowed, "I am honored that you enjoy the name. I will depart once more to continue the search if you allow it."

"Actually, would you mind sticking around for a minute? As the highest Ranking Shadow in the army, you are acquainted with the strength of all of my Soldiers, right?"

"Oh yes my Liege."

"Then do you think you could assign an equal opponent for her," He said, pointing at Nejire.

Beru stroked his chin with one of his hands as he examined her aura, "She is on the lower end of what humans consider S-Rank. That would mean a high-Level Knight Shadow or low-Level Elite-Knight would match up to her quite well."

"Wow, I think I've been greatly underestimating just how strong my Elite-Knight and up Shadows are."

"If the six Heroes you took were any lower of a Level I would recommend them, but they hold a substantial edge at their strength. Smokey, Tank, Hyo, and Tusk, as well as your three High Orc bodyguards, are also too high of a Level to be considered an equal opponent for her. In fact, Tusk and Hyo are on the verge of Captain Grade. All of the Shadow Nomu from my nest are Knight Grades, but are too low Level to handle her one-on-one. Which leaves your options at one of the normal High Orcs, a Lava Titan, an Angel Knight, or one of your Magicians."

"Nejire is a magic type, so High Orcs, Lava Titans, and Angel Knights are out." In Izuku's mind, the High Orcs and Lava Titans would become easy targets for Nejire's airborne energy attacks and the Angel Knights were too good at getting up close and personal, with their wings they would shred her too easily. "My Magicians finally reached Elite-Knight Grade, so I suppose this would be the opportune time to test them out."

"Come Forth."

A robed figure emerged, floating just above the ground, fire magic dancing around in its palm. Its robe seemed longer than when it had been Knight Grade and as Izuku knew personally, it had acquired some new Skills.

Nejire was thankfully dressed in some pretty casual clothes, so they wouldn't impede her movement too much. As she stepped onto the wide reinforced platform, the Magician followed suit on the opposite side.

"Nejire. If you can knock my Summon out of bounds, or destroy a part of his body that would be considered a fatal blow, then you will be accepted into the Thanatos Agency."

"Oh, so it's decided already?" Miruko asked, somewhat peeved he hadn't checked with her on the outside, but on the inside, she had to admit that she liked the name.

"If my Summon appears to be about to land a fatal blow on you, I will interrupt it and it will be declared your loss. Just like your rules for him, if he knocks you out of bounds, you lose. Flight is allowed, just so long as you don't fly over the boundaries of the platform." The others retreated to a railing on the "second floor" that overlooked the battle area as Izuku asked one final question, "Are the rules clear to both parties?"

"Yep!" Nejire exclaimed, clearly excited to get this started.

The Magician nodded to his Liege.

"Then on my marks… Begin!"

Simultaneously, the two parties conjured their most basic attack. Nejire calling up her spiral yellow energy and the Magician creating a condensed ball of fire in both hands. Their magics discharged simultaneously, the Magician's traveling significantly faster as the two projectiles collided on Nejire's side of the field. The winds from the explosion lightly brushed Izuku's hair as the first exchange concluded.

"Woah!" Eri exclaimed, "So cool!"

Miruko chuckled, "You ain't seen nothing kid."

"I might lose out in firepower, but just floating around like that makes you an easy target!" Nejire's body charged through the smoke and dust kicked up by the explosion.

As the spiral energy of her Quirk propelled her forwards, originating from her feet, she charged up another attack with both her hands.

The Magician threw another fireball, which she easily dodged by lurching to the right. He continued to lob his attacks, but within no time, she was too close for him to hit without hurting himself.

"All done!" Nejire's building energy blasted outwards, slamming into the wall behind the Magician as he disappeared. "What?!"

[Shadow Magician is using Skill: Shift.]

The Skill Shift allowed the user to teleport a short distance instantaneously. It couldn't take people with it, but it was a great tool to prevent the Magician from being struck while conjuring up a spell. Ranking up to Elite-Knight had granted him this unique Skill.

[Shadow Magician is using Skill: Detection.]

Izuku had originally thought the Detection Skill was for nothing more than detecting enemies cloaked with Camouflage or Stealth, but as it turned out, it served a much deadlier purpose. In targeting someone with the Skill, the Magician became perfectly locked onto their three-dimensional position in space and had no trouble predicting their movements or throwing attacks.

"Hmm, Beru said one of these Magicians was an even match, but… I'm starting to think this thing is way too strong for something I got as one of my first Summons."

Of course, Nejire was no pushover and had quickly ascertained that her opponent teleported away. Using her propulsion, she shot straight up into the air, just barely avoiding a fireball. As she spun around to locate the Magician, she was greeted by the sight of him creating some sort of fire lance.

[Shadow Magician is using Fire Magic: Sun Javelin.]

"Coil!" Nejire shouted, the spiral energy emerging from her hands turning into a spring of sorts that wrapped around the javelin as it rocketed towards her.

The Magician tilted its head, seemingly impressed by the use of her powers to rob the kinetic energy from his attack. Those weren't the only tricks up his sleeve, however. He had used both of his Skills already, but his proficiency in Fire Magic allowed him to conjure up plenty of varied attacks and thanks to Tusk who had trained all of the magic-type Shadows personally, this Magician had a whole host of attacks prepared.

[Shadow Magician is using Fire Magic: Sun Spots.]

Half a dozen yellow circles appeared behind the Magician and they began rapidly spitting out low-intensity fireballs. Nejire was just barely able to keep up with dodging and countering them by spreading her attacks wider than before.

"Stick to the attacks you've used so far. You're getting too varied for her to keep up," Izuku directed to the Shadow telepathically. He knew that restricting his Shadow meant that if Nejire won, then technically, she could still be weaker than the Shadow itself. Unfortunately, his Shadows were simply on another level with their variety and ability to adapt.

Beru, who had been sticking around so far, felt a pang of pride as he watched one of his Liege's Shadows fend off the woman, who this world considered strong, with relative ease.

"Fine! I'll go all out too!"

Izuku cringed inwardly at that statement, "You're going to be the only one going all out."

Up on the second floor overlook, a cheery voice interrupted the group's focus on the fight, "Hiya boss! I didn't expect you guys this late!" A woman, maybe twenty years in age with a business suit and shoulder-length fawn-colored hair walked up to them.

"I didn't expect you this late, Camie," Miruko said, addressing the Thanatos Agency's secretary and business manager.

"Well, I've been busy sorting through all the applicants and putting them into piles according to their Ranks and potential." She giggled, "You know me, I can't rest until everything's perfectly organized."

"Well… that is why I hired you."

"I… Oh. My. Gosh." Camie rushed over to Esil, who was holding up Eri to see the fight, "Aren't you just the cutest thing ever!"

Both Esil and Eri were slightly taken back by the woman's excitable and hyper personality.

"This is Camie Utsushimi. She's a C-Rank, but she's got no interest in the fighting part of a Hero life, so she got a business degree. She seems kinda ditsy, but she's surprisingly capable."

"Hey! That's not that nice boss! Calling me ditsy." Camie pouted, but no one could tell if it was a teasing pout or not. Changing the topic like a flip of the switch, Camie directed her attention to the fight, "So is that like, the other boss's strongest Summon or something? I didn't watch much of the Jeju Island broadcast."

Yaoyorozu shook her head, "Compared to some of his other Summons, that Shadow is weak."

"Seriously?! But it's like… fighting the Nejire Hado like it's no big deal." Camie leaned on the railing, "She's considered one of the most promising up and coming Heroes in the entirety of Japan. She was expected to become a Top Ten Hero almost immediately out of High School."

"Yeah. Well, Izuku's Summons aren't exactly normal."

One of the Sun Spot shots grazed Nejire's side, scorching straight through her clothing and burning her flesh. Her midair balance faltered and seeing the opening, the Magician conjured another Sun Javelin, throwing it with all of his force. Unfortunately for him, that was exactly what she had been waiting for.

The last time the Magician threw his Javelin, Nejire noticed a small break between his next attack. She assumed correctly that condensing that much fire magic into one spear forced even this illogically strong Summon to take a breath.

Instead of stopping the Javelin with her own power, Nejire used the power built up in her hands, the power that the Magician had assumed was for an attack, and propelled herself forwards. Her intense velocity just barely scraped by the Javelin, it's yellow flaming body cutting a small nick on her cheek.

Landing just behind the Magician she spun around, "Full Output!"

She had landed too quickly for the Magician to even consider his Shift Skill and before he knew it, the yellow energy was slamming him into a wall on the opposite side of the gym.

Knowing that she had won, Nejire collapsed to her knees, sweat pouring down her face like a river. She would've fallen onto her face, but Izuku was there to catch her, pouring a stamina recovery potion into her mouth, "Drink this, you'll feel better."

Nejire gratefully downed the liquid, expecting it to be some sort of energy drink, but instead of taking a moment to pick her up, she felt like all the exertion of her previous fight was gone. It was magical to say the least. Nejire smiled as she collapsed back onto her butt. She was no longer fatigued in any way, but it just felt good to sit. Well, she was sitting until Beru walked up to heal her burn mark and scratch on her cheek.

"EEEEK!"

Beru responded to the shriek the only way he knew how, "KIEEEEK!"

Izuku just facepalmed as he pulled a potion from the store and sent Beru to search for Bakugo once more.

Then, in a more dignified manner, he offered her the potion and said, "You did good… Welcome to the Thanatos Agency."

Chapter Text

The seven-day mark had finally been reached and Bakugo was still nowhere to be found. By now, it was likely that Baran had broken through the gap between dimensions and entered the realm of Earth. Izuku wasn't sure what the process was for a Monarch taking over their host, but he doubted that it would be something that a human could resist.

The hunt spanned across most of the country, with Heroes across Japan searching for the perpetrators. It included hundreds of law enforcement agents, every Hero that wasn't occupied with a Gate and most of Izuku's 668 Shadow Soldiers. And yet, despite being one of the most exhaustive rescue missions in Japan's history, they turned up exactly nothing. Every lead they had disappeared like a puff of smoke into the night sky.

And then, as the seventh day passed, two Gates appeared in the world.

In Japan, what was estimated to be a low S-Rank portal appeared in a popular public park. The S-Ranks currently searching for Bakugo were recalled in order to handle the potential disaster. Meanwhile, in Korea, despair echoed throughout the hearts of their citizens. A Gate the size of a skyscraper popped into existence, covering half of Seoul with its Shadow. When measured, it was estimated to be one of the highest Ranking Gates ever seen.

It felt like a slap in the face to Korea. They had finally defeated the S-Rank Raid of Jeju Island, a Raid that came at a heavy cost and once again, they were beset by something they could not face alone.

Unfortunately, while Japan still owed them for Endeavor's betrayal, Korea couldn't just ask for help, as they were facing their own S-Rank Gate troubles. The other countries of the world would begin looking down on them if they tried to relocate Japan's S-Ranks away from their own S-Rank problems. They had beef with their Heroes, not their citizens and no matter how much they disliked each other, they'd never wish for a repeat of Jeju Island anywhere.

To the shock of no one, Izuku was requested at this S-Rank Gate.

Located at a green and luscious park, the Gate appeared surprisingly small. In fact, it looked just barely wide enough to accommodate someone above six foot, like Endeavor.

As the S-Ranks gathered, most, if not all of them, shot Endeavor glares of disdain. Miruko, Ryukyu, Dabi, and Edgeshot disapprovingly gazed at their fellow S-Rank, who despite his normally composed demeanor was beginning to grow uncomfortable in the environment. Izuku was the only one too distracted to be busy glaring at him.

[Item: Evolution Core.]

Item Class: SSS

Item Type: Magic Item

Triples the strength of all magic abilities. If this item is held while the Shadow Monarch uses Shadow Extraction there is a 100% chance that the target will evolve into its next species Rank.

Ingredients:

1x portion of Seraph's Blessed Ashes

1x portion of Ifrit's Blood

Malleable Obsidian

Lava Heart

World Tree's Fragment

Orb of Avarice

Shadowsteel Fragments

"Shadowsteel Fragments…" Izuku shook his head, "The only items I had that were made out of Shadowsteel crumbled to dust months ago. And I haven't seen anything of the same material since then."

"Midoriya," Ryukyu said, strutting over to him, "Thank you for agreeing to come along."

He waved away her concern, "No problem. This is my job after all," He joked lightly, trying to distract himself from the overwhelming anxiety that another Monarch had been birthed into the world.

"We'll be starting now," Endeavor declared to the group. He may have been publicly outed, but he was still the highest Ranking Hero there, so by default, he was considered "in charge." Of course, that didn't mean that everyone would so easily go along with his commands though.

Dabi bumped into his father as he proceeded past him, purposely making sure to put an extra amount of force behind it, "Like I'll listen to anything you have to say, old man."

Ryukyu and Edgeshot nodded, "You may be appointed by the Association by default, but while we're in there, we'll take orders from anyone but you."

"Eh, I'm just not taking orders," Miruko joked with her trademark smirk.

Izuku couldn't help but smile at that and looked to the crowds behind them. The first line of which was waves of A-Ranks, basically anyone they could scrounge together in the event that the S-Ranks failed, even Yaoyorozu and Nejire were there. Behind them stood hundreds of reporters and even civilians.

"You better be careful in there," Yaoyorozu said, herself and Esil walking up to him, Eri walking beside them, "I'm gonna be hard-pressed to find another father for this one."

He chuckled, "It's got a lower Mana measurement than what Jeju had, so I'm sure there'll be no problems."

"Don't jinx it!"

"Let's do this already!" Miruko shouted, wrapping her arm around Ryukyu's shoulders and dragging her through the portal with her.

"One last thing," Izuku said as Yaoyorozu prepared to escort Eri back to safety, "Why'd you invite Miruko to that dinner? I thought you said you wouldn't let her win?"

A twinkle of mischief hid itself in her dark irises, "I didn't say I was going to win with underhanded tactics. If she wants to try for your love, then I'll face her head on and win."

Izuku was speechless for a moment, a grin stretching across his face, "Love you."

"See? I'm already winning," She jested.

"Come on, kid! Stop being lovey-dovey and help us get this shit over with!" Dabi called out.

Izuku nodded, "Yeah, let's finish this." Behind him, an army waited in his Shadows, desperate to be let loose.

The first thing Izuku noticed was that it was cold as hell. Snowcovered the ground of the mountainous terrain, reminding him quite a bit of his first experience with a Red Gate. Almost immediately, a bevy of roars assaulted their ears.

Miruko sniffed the air and stuck out her tongue, "Smells like Yeti."

Izuku triggered his armor, covering him in its warm embrace. Dabi and Endeavor turned up their heat, Miruko began hopping in place, getting her blood flowing, Ryukyu was cold-blooded so she was forced to lean closer to Dabi, and Edgeshot just stood there, his ninja stoicism showing no concern for the elements.

"Come Forth."

All 668 Shadows emerged onto the snowy mountaintop, each broken into their respective squads. They kneeled in unison, creating a clank as their knees hit the rocky terrain.

"My Liege," Beru and Ifrit said in unison next to the other generals, Igris, Hyo, and Tusk, who were all silent.

"It's a simple Raid. Take your five squads and kill everything in sight. Preserve the corpses and if you find any particularly strong ones… bring them to me."

"Yes, my Liege."

"All Shadows with fire potential, you're gonna be the heavy hitters here, so feel free to turn up the heat."

Ifrit nodded, "It would be my pleasure." The army rose to its feet as the God of Fire shapeshifted to what looked like a massive tiger mixed with elements of a shark and dragonic wings.

They moved out with scary efficiency, brushing past the other five S-Ranks, who stared in wonder. This was the very first time they had seen his full army working at full tilt.

"Well, we could wait here until they've cleared out everything but the Boss room, but something tells me-"

Dabi cut off Izuku, "Tch. As if we'd let some Summons show us up."

Izuku smirked, he knew that they would absolutely show them up. After all, he'd gotten another 24 Stat Points over the past few days for his Daily Quest and he plugged it all into Intelligence.

Level: 108

Strength: 262

Vitality: 199

Agility: 250

Intelligence: 338

Sense: 176

[Mana: 32773/32773]

[HP: 48145/47395]

[Shadows able to be extracted: 1338]

[Shadows able to be saved: 669/836]

Though Izuku typically used the number 668 to define his number of troops, he also had Esil, but she was on family guard duty, so he rarely counted her in his estimates. "That exponential growth is really starting to kick in now. I can have 836 saved Shadows in total! Hmm, maybe I should spend some more time Leveling Up my other Stats from here on out. Everything else has begun falling behind."

Like Miruko expected, the mountain was filled with Yetis and other Ice-type Villains, such as Golems, White Foxes, the occasional Ice Elf, and so on.

While the five S-Ranks did their best to keep up with the Shadows, they barely had anything to prey on, as the army was far too perfect in its execution of… well everything. There were barely any Villains to worry about.

"Why were we worried about an S-Rank Gate again?" Ryukyu asked herself, in awe of Karkinos flying through the sky and blasting the mountain with AOE beams.

"I asked it on that Destroyer as a joke, but seriously, do I need to worry about that dragon becoming my romantic rival," Dabi said, tracking her enraptured gaze to the dragon. She elbowed him in the side.

[You have Leveled-Up!]

"It seems like my generals are all reporting the same thing, they've cleared out most of the mountain."

"Already?! We've been here like an hour max!"

Izuku nodded as he noticed Ifrit walking back, bigger than before, with dozens of corpses slung over his back and carried under his wings. The Lava Golems and Titans were behind him as well, carrying just as many. It seemed that the Fire Squad had volunteered for corpse retrieval.

"Arise."

Aside from Endeavor, everyone already knew of Izuku's power to bring back the dead and both Endeavor and Izuku knew he could make the fiery Hero's life far worse than it already was, so Izuku didn't feel any apprehension in revealing the power to him.

"33 Knight Grade Yetis, 15 Knight Grade Ice Golems, and 6 Elite-Knight Grade Ice Foxes." Though Ice Foxes sounded considerably less intimidating than the other two species, they had considerable talent when it came to magic.

With those Extractions, Izuku's ranks had risen to 723. Not only that, but several of his Shadows were ready for Rank-ups.

Tusk, Tank, and Hyo stood before him.

[These Shadows have reached the required Level for a Promotion. The Shadows will be Promoted to Captain Grade if the Monarch's permission is given.]

"Permission granted."

And just like that, Shadows blanketed the area for a moment as Tusk, Tank, and Hyo's aura expanded rapidly, making them far stronger than any S-Rank in all of Asia, save for Izuku himself… and maybe one other.

"What… was th-"

Izuku interrupted the question from Edgeshot, whose unflappable expression was broken, "The only place my Shadows haven't cleared yet is a door to the inside of the mountain, it's almost certainly the Boss room. It's at the base of the mountain." They were near the peak of the mountain.

"Would you care for a ride, my Liege?" Ifrit lowered its tiger-like body to the ground, allowing Izuku to climb on its back. Dabi looked at him expectantly. "What? Didn't you say you weren't going to let my Shadows show you up? Let's go!" Ifrit leapt off the nearest cliff, his wings spreading wide.

Miruko leapt off after him, "Not so fast!" Her legs were capable of withstanding insane pressure, so jumping off a mountain was actually an acceptable strategy for her. Edgeshot and Endeavor were next. With Edgeshot's Quirk, which allowed him to make his body into incredibly thin and sharp string with elastic properties, he was able to leap from cliff to cliff. Endeavor just used his flames to slow himself down midair. That left only Dabi and Ryukyu at the top of the mountain.

"Okay I can't do that hover thing he does, so I'm gonna need a ride."

Ryukyu feigned a sigh, "Fine, but if you make any jokes about riding me, I'm gonna throw you off." Her body grew scaly and began enlarging to a ridiculous degree. Eventually, she was a fifteen-foot tall western style dragon that Dabi happily clambered onto. "Hold tight," Her voice had become deeper and gravely as she followed her "co-workers" off the cliff.

Dabi nearly lost his grip from the get go, as Ryukyu put them into a nearly straight down dive, quickly diving past Edgeshot and Endeavor. Within seconds, they were gaining on Miruko and Izuku.

Neither failed to notice this, causing Miruko to increase the distance between her jumps and Izuku to yell to Ifrit, "Let's show them a real dragon!"

"Yes, my Liege!"

Ifrit began morphing, mirroring Ryukyu's shape, it's wings large enough to blow away a sailboat. Diving more fiercely than before, Ifrit and his Liege accelerated nearly to terminal velocity, the base of the mountain coming up quickly. At the last moment, his wings snapped out, catching the wind just in time to slow their descent into a rather rough landing.

Miruko and Ryukyu landed in the same way, essentially at the exact same time and as soon as the dragon woman shrunk down, Miruko began arguing with her, attempting to claim the title of second place. As the two girls smiled and bantered back and forth, Ryukyu realized something shocking.

"Am I… having fun? Inside an S-Rank Gate?!" She glanced over to Izuku who was dutifully waiting by the Boss room door for the others. "Is it because of him? Is it because I feel… safe now?" Unbeknownst to anyone, Ryukyu suffered from the same type of anxiety as Miruko. Thanks to her status as one of Japan's strongest, she felt the need to constantly be a calming force that her team could always rely on, she never felt like she had the luxury to relax. Even when she was with other S-Ranks, she couldn't loosen up the slightest amount. Yet, in Izuku's presence, it was like she felt that nothing could hurt her.

"Sorry for keeping you all waiting," Edgeshot said as himself and Endeavor lowered onto the ground.

"Does anyone need to take a break?" Ryukyu asked goodnaturedly, but she only received a couple of smirks. "Right…"

Izuku dismounted Ifrit and called out Igris, handing him the Genesis Blade. Igris then "holstered" his whip and Shadow Sword. Izuku decided that it was better for him to have them both in case he needed them, besides, it wasn't like Izuku had learned to use the whip yet.

Izuku then pulled out Day and Nightbringer as he approached the twenty-five-foot tall Boss room door. "Come F-"

"Actually," Ryukyu interrupted, "We've felt pretty useless since entering this Gate, if you don't mind… could we kill it?" Izuku tilted his head and Ryukyu immediately added on, "We'll still leave you the corpse for you to do your thing."

He relaxed noticeably and gestured towards the door, "It's all yours."

Ryukyu nodded gratefully and the five S-Ranks lined up in front of the door, pushing it open as Izuku hung back.

The circular room lit up as torches lining the side ignited with a blue flame one-by-one. Ryukyu gasped as the back was finally covered with light. Curled up on the floor was a bright blue dragon, its scales shimmering in the fire's radiance.

"The measurement of this Gate was relatively low for an S-Rank," Endeavor said, "So there's no way this thing is a proper dragon Boss."

No one had to ask what he meant by that. After the first S-Rank Gate had opened in America, releasing Kamish, an Ancient Dragon that was considered the worst of humanity's disasters, dragons became known for being exceptionally strong. After all, Kamish had destroyed the western half of America all by himself.

"My Liege," Beru said, his mandibles clicking as he emerged from Izuku's Shadow, "Do you sense that?"

"I've been trying to pin down exactly what it was since we entered this Gate. It… feels familiar… but I can't place that aura."

Beru sent a chill down his spine as he said, "It reminds me of that Monarch's presence… but far weaker… and more human."

"Oh shit…" At the same time, the dragon gave a massive roar, waking up as the five S-Ranks got closer.

Looking around the room, Izuku spotted a small tunnel, leading away from the Boss room. Activating Quicksilver, he rushed forwards, past the Heroes and dragon.

"W-Where are you going?!"

"To check something out! Be on your guard! That dragon might not be the real Boss after all!"

Diving into the darkness of the tunnel, Beru, Igris, and Ifrit behind him, he saw clear as day that there was some sort of light coming from the next turn. He picked up the pace, coming to the turn and gazing upon another, smaller chamber. However, in this one, instead of a dragon at the center, there was Bakugo's prone body. His eyes were glazed over and drool fell out of his mouth. He was comatose for certain.

Behind him, stood a misty figure. "Greetings Shadow Monarch."

"Iruit." Izuku raised his maces and his Shadows went to flank the Monarch.

He bowed, "It shall be my pleasure to keep you entertained until Baran can find a proper host in one of your friends." The wall behind Izuku slammed shut, rock harder than diamond cutting him off from the S-Ranks. "Don't worry… it won't take more than ten minutes."

Chapter Text

Outside Japan's S-Rank Gate, Association Agents got a sudden chill down their spines. They had no idea why. The portal did not change color from blue to red. It did not grow bigger or glow brighter. What it did do was start putting off an intensely higher aura than before.

"G-Get the measurement device…"

"What?"

The Agent grabbed his underling by the scruff of his neck, "I said… Grab. The. Measurement. Device!"

The younger man nodded and went sprinting off, returning moments later with the machine, a purple crystal resting on top. His boss snatched away the device and held it up to the Gate, his face paling considerably.

"What? What did it say?!"

The Agent swallowed dryly, "It says… that this Gate is at least five times stronger than the Jeju Island Gate."

"Where'd that boy go?!" Endeavor shouted, launching pillars of flames at the dragon who had suddenly grown stronger. "This bastard must've been hiding its Mana to trick us!"

Compared to Kamish, this dragon was pretty small, about the same size as Ryukyu when she transformed, but like Kamish, its power was almost unfathomable. Dabi and Endeavor's flames together did next to nothing to hurt it and the dragon's own frost breath was enough to utterly obliterate their flames. Thankfully, Ryukyu was holding its attention for now with her equal size. Unfortunately, just because they were in the same weight class didn't mean they were in the same class.

Ryukyu slashed at the Villains neck as she saw an opening, her metal claws scraping against its scales, but doing nothing more than pushing its head to the side. When the dragon turned back to look at her, its eyes spoke volumes about the situation. It was like he was saying, "Really? That's all you have?"

A blur was Ryukyu's indication of an attack, followed by intense pain in her side. Looking over, she saw the frost dragon's claws buried into the space just under her wings.

"Hey! Asshole!" The dragon stumbled noticeably as Miruko's foot slammed into its head, delivering a far stronger impact over a smaller area than anything Ryukyu could do.

Edgeshot was busy doing his best to find a chink in the Villain's armor, but even when he found a gap in the scales on its back, his razor sharp Quirk couldn't penetrate it. "Turn up the heat you two! If we don't take this thing down, it'll kill Ryukyu!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Despite his shout of defiance, Dabi raised both hands to one of the legs, narrowing his eyes as more condensed flames began spewing from his palms. Endeavor did the same, aiming for relatively the same area. But before they could reach their target, the flames simply dispersed into nothing.

"What?!"

The frost dragon roared, its wings snapping out rapidly, catching Miruko and Edgeshot on the chin and sending them flying. Then, it suddenly charged forwards, slamming its chest into Ryukyu's. Her feet dug into the icy rock floor as her left side crashed into the wall and the dragon crashed into her right side, painfully pressing down on the claw wound. However, it didn't seem like he was going for a killing blow, instead intending on keeping her pinned there.

"Thank you, Frieg." An echoing voice said, emerging from seemingly nowhere.

Miruko pushed herself to her feet and spun around, looking for the source of a voice. Before she could find it, a massive hand wrapped around her skull, lifting her into the air, "Hmm, not you." The hand flung her to the edge of the room, right next to Ryukyu, strong enough to imbed her in the wall.

Edgeshot, Dabi, and Endeavor turned to face off with this new threat, their bodies practically quaking as they laid eyes on a demon with grey skin, glowing red eyes, two long ram-like horns, and an aura to surpass that of anything they had ever felt before. If Bakugo had been there to see it, he would say that it looked exactly like the demon in his dreams. The same demon that had called himself The Monarch of White Flames, Baran.

"What did you do to him?" Izuku asked cautiously, not taking his eyes off of Iruit.

The Frost Monarch looked down at Bakugo's comatose body, a hint of disgust entering his eyes, "He resisted." Shaking his head, practically in disbelief, "In all my millennia of taking hosts and mangling worlds, I've never seen someone deny a Monarch. We're pure energy, so it should be impossible, but this one… he fought so hard that he broke. He broke his own mind so that we could not take him over."

Izuku scowled, "Can they not take over a body that is comatose?" Then to Iruit, "I can't feel my Shadows hiding inside Miruko or any of the other S-Ranks. I assume that's your doing."

Iruit shook his head, "Baran has manifested his Spiritual Body. It'll drain him until he is forced to return to the gap between dimension, but for the next ten minutes, he is as strong as ever and he's decided to cut off that room from the rest of this world."

Izuku caught the hidden implication in that sentence, if he didn't find a host in those five S-Ranks, he'd likely kill them all out of spite before returning to the gap between dimensions, otherwise, he'd remain permanently, as the fourth Monarch to earn a host. "Then… I guess I have no choice but to kill you to get to them."

Ifrit, Igris, and Beru began spreading out, flanking the Monarch from all sides within the wide room. Iruit scowled, unbeknownst to Izuku, he was actually helping Baran maintain his form and as such, was expending far too much energy to freeze and bind Izuku's Shadows like before.

"Fine… I'll hold your interest until this is all over." Dozens of razor sharp, magically reinforced icicles formed in the air, aiming straight for Izuku.

Hyo jumped from Izuku's Shadow, turning about a fourth of them into nothing, Ifrit sprayed them with his flames, getting another half of them, and Izuku bashed aside the remaining ones with ease.

"If that Stellian friend of yours isn't here, hiding in wait to strike, then you've underestimated me. Without any physical-type guards, a Mage is helpless."

Iruit growled, "You dare?! You DARE?!" His body began glowing with magical energy, "SO LONG AS I AM A MONARCH, I WILL NEVER BE HELPLESS IN FRONT OF A LESSER SPECIES LIKE YOU!" Triggering his own Spiritual Body Manifestation, Iruit cut down both his and Baran's time to five minutes, but without it, he knew this human would be able to kill him, "DAMN YOU ASHBORN! IF I HAVE TO KILL THIS HUMAN HOST OF YOURS, THEN I WILL!" Grasping tendrils of mist spread out and hundreds of icicles formed above his head.

Endeavor and Dabi shot another stream of flames at the Monarch, but like before, they dissipated into thin air.

Baran laughed maniacally, "I'm the Monarch of White Flames. Your puny candle flames can't harm me."

Edgeshot launched forwards, his body separating into a dozen sharp points. All of them glanced off of Baran's demonic and silver armor. His hand snapped out, grabbing multiple of Edgeshot's strings and somehow suddenly holding him by the head, the same way he had thrown Miruko aside. "Hmm, not you either."

Edgeshot went flying, but unlike Miruko, he was able to slow himself using his Quirk, stopping completely unharmed. He continued launching his string points at Baran, desperately praying for some sort of breakthrough. Baran simply smiled and turned around to face him once more. "Disappear."

Baran's jaw unhinged and a purely concentrated blast of white flames blasted outwards, making Endeavor and Dabi's indeed look like candles.

Edgeshot tried to pull away before it was too late, but the attack was too wide and moving too fast. The bottom half of his body was obliterated in seconds and he fell to the ground, bleeding profusely.

Baran turned back to the remaining three possibilities, surprised to see one of them soaring through the air, intending to completely crush him with her massive body.

Seeing that her comrades were helpless against the new threat, Ryukyu had stopped struggling against the frost dragon and shrunk down to her human form, escaping under the Villain's legs as she ran for the Monarch, leaping high, transforming to her dragon form as she came crashing down on him. Or at least, she thought she would crash down on him. Instead, the Monarch caught her with one hand, causing the wind to rush out of her lungs as she lost focus and shrunk back down to human.

Baran snatched her up and sneered, "A being tainted by the mark of the Rulers. I'll make sure to kill you slowly." He threw her next to Miruko and, realizing that he was expending energy far quicker than before, exerted his full strength, darting forwards to Endeavor, sneering once more, "You as well?!" His fist was driven into the gut of the fiery Hero, a blast of fire digging a hole into his stomach.

Then, he finally turned his attention to Dabi, smiling, "I detest your physical appearance… but your mind… very impure. Perfect for discouraging a Ruler."

To the credit of Dabi, he stopped trying to throw flames at the Monarch and rushed forwards, his fist cocked back. Baran obviously caught the punch and pulled the Hero closer to him, this time, convinced that he was a compatible host. Grabbing him by the shoulder, he gently pressed his wrinkled and awful forehead to Dabi's. The S-Rank's eyes went blank and he felt himself drawn to a dark place, the world around him disappearing.

Before long, the only thing Dabi could see was darkness. Nothing, not even Baran stood in that darkness with him. "Where… Where is this?"

Square boxes began appearing, each showing a memory of Dabi's like a television broadcasting the news. Private moments, like when he cried for the first time in years after learning that his brother had been killed, or his gentler moments with Ryukyu like their nights of passion.

Baran's voice suddenly emerged from all directions in the darkness, "You are a softer being than I thought." Another square appeared. This one was bigger than the others. It showed an urban house on fire.

"One of Antares dragonewts broke free of a Gate… this was… Skeld?"

A Dabi, unmarked by scars stood next to his father, Endeavor who stared at the burning building with a complete lack of empathy.

Dabi tugged at his arm, "Come on! We've gotta help them!"

Endeavor scowled down at his son and showed him his singed palm. "This was from merely touching that beast. Those flames will cook us alive. We'll need to wait for the water Mages to clear this."

"They'll all be dead by then!"

"As a Hero, it is important to know when you are beaten."

Dabi looked up at his father in disbelief. He knew he was a cruel man, only taking his son on patrol with him to see if he was worthy of joining his Agency, but he also thought him to be a real Hero. He always did his best to save people… didn't he?

Endeavor turned away from the building and the screams coming from it. At that motion, resolve hardened in the younger, more naive Dabi's eyes and he sprinted away from his father, charging into the fire before he could second guess himself.

The Dabi in the present looked away as his younger self screamed out in pain, his flesh being seared by the flames as he pulled that young boy out of the house, using all of his magical energy to shield the boy instead of himself.

"Ah… so that is why you are so repulsive to look at." Baran muttered.

"Look who's talking!" Dabi shot back, "You look like a-"

Baran manifested himself in front of Dabi, who had already gathered that this was some sort of mental mindscape, "Scars are the most disgusting attribute of any living creature, they show off their weakness, their inability to recover from a simple wound."

Dabi smirked, "Ryukyu says they're beautiful, and my girlfriend outranks anything you say in my mind."

"What a wonderful sentiment," Baran said sarcastically, "They are still a concern of yours… are they not?"

"I don't think they're beautiful. They're ugly marks on my skin," Baran nodded, satisfied, but Dabi didn't stop, "But I don't regret them at all." Dabi's hands burst into flames, "They're my mark of pride, thanks to them, I'll never forget the face of that boy I saved and how grateful his parents looked when I carried him out of that house. After that act, I didn't do much good with my life… up until Ryukyu convinced me to be me again. I don't think they're beautiful, but I love them."

Baran frowned deeply, his own hands catching alight with flames. "Then I'll take those marks of pride away from you!" His hands wrapped around Dabi's throat and threw him to the ground. Even in his own mind, it seemed that he was weaker.

"You can try… but they'll always be here. Scars don't heal. They'll remain right here, until the day I die," Dabi pointed at his head.

"You can't win this fight!" Baran shouted, as if he was trying to reinforce his own belief.

"I know, but Ryukyu says I'm a stubborn pain in the ass. You'll never erase me from my own mind. I'll stay here, bugging the crap outta you until someone comes along and kills us."

Baran's white light began eclipsing the world of darkness as he succeeded in taking over Dabi's body. "The Monarchs are destruction incarnate! Nothing will stop us!"

Dabi shrugged, "I don't know about that… after all… that one kid seems pretty strong."

"He'll die just like the rest of your pitiful race!"

"We'll see…" As the white light finally filled up the entire space, Dabi shook his head, "Ah jeez… I'm sorry… for leaving you so soon, Kyu."

Iruit felt his energy wane and knew that if he tried to keep up his Spiritual Body Manifestation any longer, he would be caught helpless in front of this human. Of course, while he now felt the urge to kill this human, he knew he would not be disheartened retreating at this point, after all, they had succeeded.

His glowing body wrapped mist around all the Shadows and slammed them into the ground, a Gate forming behind him, "Know this, Ashborn. The next time you or your host oppose us, we will not hesitate to strike it down!"

"You can try," Izuku knew that Iruit was not speaking directly to him, but he couldn't help but respond to such a brazen threat.

Iruit said nothing more and slipped into the depths of his Gate, disappearing from this icy world. Once Izuku was certain he was gone, he turned around, seeing that the tunnel was now open. "Grab him!" Izuku shouted to Igris, pointing at Bakugo's limp body as he went sprinting off, Beru and Ifrit close behind.

As he neared the dragon's chamber, his Sense Stat picked up on one word uttered weakly by Ryukyu, "no…"

Emerging into the huge circular room, Izuku was beset by two rather horrific sights. Four of the five S-Ranks were on the ground, either unconscious and bleeding out, or heavily wounded and barely awake. The fifth of those S-Ranks, Dabi, was the only one standing, but as everyone deduced almost immediately, it was no longer Dabi.

The large and grotesque burn marks on his body faded to nothing and were replaced by perfectly smooth skin. His hair grew longer, turning from its deep black to a literally glowing white. And finally, he was overtaken by a silver and demonic armor, completing his transformation into The Monarch of White Flames, Baran.

"Ahhhh…" Baran sighed, "It's good to be back in a physical body." The frost dragon walked away from the other Heroes, going to stand behind the Monarch. "I suppose I owe Iruit quite a debt for this. He even loaned me the Marshal of his army."

Mustering the last of her strength, Ryukyu pushed herself up to her knees, "You… bastard… I'll kill you… No matter what it takes… to tear you out of that body… I'll do it… and I'll kill you."

Baran chuckled happily, "A human defeating a Monarch? That's a rich concept."

[Skill: Infinite Strength has activated.]

Izuku swung Nightbringer with both hands, aiming to knock Baran's head right off his shoulder.

"NO!" Ryukyu shouted.

[Monarch of White Flames, Baran is activating Skill: White Flames of Hell.]

Nightbringer and the immense amount of Mana pouring from Baran's mouth clashed, spreading out the impact so that it didn't hit Izuku, only push him backwards, far out of melee range.

Then, as if he could read Izuku's mind, the Monarch smiled, "I may be the weakest Monarch… but I still am a Monarch!" Energies began swirling behind him, the signature sign of a Gate being formed, "For today, however, I am weary of this encounter and your friends fare far worse, so I'll take my leave and allow Frieg to keep you company."

Izuku wanted to leap forwards and take advantage of his apparent weakness, but he knew that if he tried it, there was a high chance that Baran's wide range flame attack would kill everyone else there. So, Izuku waited, glaring at the back of Baran's head as he strode under the legs of the Frost Dragon, disappearing just as Iruit had.

"Beru, Igris, get everyone on Karkinos and get them out of here. Heal who you can." Then facing off with the Frost Dragon, who Izuku could've sworn was wearing a smile, he called upon the rest of his army, causing Freig to balk. He hadn't expected the Shadow Monarch to already have so many forces after such a short time on Earth. Especially not a General and Commander Grade.

Perched on the head of Karkinos, his hands over the dying Heroes, Beru shouted, "I will return as soon as possible, my Liege." Igris hauled Bakugo onto the wyrm before joining Ifrit at Izuku's side.

"I wouldn't worry about it Beru… after all," He addressed the dragon, "How long do you think you can last against an army?"

Frieg shoved down his fear, he was a dragon dammit! The humans were supposed to fear him, not the other way around. He opened his maw, intending to roar what could possibly be his very last battle cry, but the Shadow Soldiers wouldn't even give him that.

Fire from Tusk's magic, Ifrit's dragon breath, and Igris's Genesis Blade poured down his throat, scorching the flesh meant for handling extreme cold. He stumbled back, coughing and choking as Izuku leapt for his head, swinging both of his maces like wrecking balls, denting the dragon's skull.

Frieg desperately tried conjuring up that same devastating frost breath that had turned him into the Marshal of Iruit's army, but nothing would escape his burning lungs. He had no chance to formulate a physical response either, as mere moments after Izuku's attacks, the Lava Titans, at least twice as tall as him, dog-piled him, tearing off his wings and pinning him down as the Knights, Angels, Nomu, and dozens of other Shadow Soldiers stabbed into him and tore away at his flesh.

[You have slain the Dungeon Boss.]

Chapter Text

[You have slain the Dungeon Boss!]

[The Dungeon Boss was the Marshal of The Monarch of Frost, Iruit's Army.]

[Calculating the total amount of experience earned.]

[Due to the enormous amount of experience, the process will take some time.]

Izuku looked over at the corpse of the dragon, torn to bits by his hundreds of Shadows. "Was he really that strong? He didn't seem like it." Of course, Izuku was proven wrong as messages filled his view.

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have Leveled Up!]

"Six times?!"

Level: 114

Strength: 268

Vitality: 205

Agility: 256

Intelligence: 344

Sense: 182

[Mana: 35649/35649]

[HP: 49734/49734]

[Shadows able to be extracted: 1538]

[Shadows able to be saved: 723/913]

The insane boost was almost enough to make him forget the loss of today. Another Monarch entering the world, and more of the Heroes being lost and injured was nothing good. On top of that, he had to worry about whatever to do with Bakugo's comatose state. When Igris had been carrying him, Izuku had picked up on a faint heartbeat, so he wasn't dead, but who knew how long his stability would last.

[You have obtained Frieg's Stash.]

It seemed like the dragon had a hidden treasure trove in his abode.

[You have obtained a mountain of gold: 50 Billion Gold.]

It was a hell of a lot of Gold to use in the Store, but it still wasn't enough to buy the top items, which were listed at hundreds of billions. Next, Izuku looked over the loot of Frieg's corpse.

[You have obtained Ingredient Item: Frost Dragon Scales.]

[You have obtained Ingredient Item: Frost Dragon Blood.]

[You have obtained Ingredient Items: Frost Dragon Bones.]

[You have obtained Instance Dungeon Key: Dragon's Domain.]

"That's a lot of Ingredient items, it's a shame I didn't get the Shadowsteel Fragments that I needed for the Evolution Core, but at least I got a new Key! I haven't seen a Key in some time… in fact, now that I think about it, the last key I got was that one with no description." Pulling that pure black key from his inventory, Izuku was disappointed to see that he still didn't meet its requirements. "Well, maybe if I take on the Dragon's Domain Dungeon, then I'll meet its requirements."

Looking back to the corpse of the dragon, Izuku raised his hand, "Arise."

[Extraction has failed. 2 Attempts remaining.]

"Your master is gone, he abandoned you to die here. Arise."

[Extraction has failed. 1 Attempts remaining.]

"Is it because he was stronger than me? The Shadow Army killed him easily, but that was only because they were all working together to kill him."

Izuku shook his head, gathering the last of his desire, knowing that it impacted the Summoning to some degree, "Arise." Time seemed to freeze for a moment as the Shadows rose up, gathering above Frieg's head… and then vanishing.

[Extraction has failed. The Shadow will no longer be extractable.]

"Dammit!" Izuku cursed, stomping his foot on the ground, cracking it in his anger.

"My Liege!" Beru said, flying back, "I have returned for… battle?"

Izuku called back his army, leaving only Beru and Ifrit, who formed a dragon, preparing to lift him back to the Gate's exit, "Sorry Beru… you missed the massacre. How are the Heroes doing?"

"Three are recovering well, but the fourth, the one you call Edgeshot appears to be close to oblivion. And the annoying blonde one, he has yet to wake up, but the other healers decided he was… stable." Beur faltered for a moment, attempting to recall the word. "All of them were flown to a hospital in a helicopter."

Izuku sighed, "Well… good job saving the others."

"Thank you, my Liege."

Beru bowed and placed a hand over his chest as Izuku climbed aboard Ifrit, "Now, let's get out of here."

Getting back to the Gate took only a few minutes on the back of Ifrit, Beru flying beside him, but since the Gate's exit was too small, Izuku couldn't emerge on a flaming Shadow Dragon like he had planned, so Ifrit and Beru followed close behind him as he stepped through, a roar greeting him.

It was so loud Izuku could've sworn that it was another dragon greeting him. In fact, he nearly readied himself into a defensive stance he was so taken back by it. But it was not a dragon. It was a crowd of thousands. Reporters, civilians, other Heroes. Everyone was cheering with all of their might, some throwing their fists into the air.

Izuku looked to his right, at one of the Association men named Hajime, "What's going on?"

"Twenty minutes after you entered the Gate, the measurements changed drastically. It was so powerful that we could only measure it as an SSS-Rank." Hajime adjusted his tie somewhat awkwardly, "The Mana coming off of it was so intense that none of us were strong enough to pass through the Gate to come warn you. When the news broke of Japan's first SSS-Rank, people dropped everything and came running. It… seems that nobody had any doubt about you clearing it… although when that dragon and ant came out with those five, people started getting a little worried." Hajime suddenly squinted, counting in his head quickly, "Wait… is Dabi not with you?"

Izuku shook his head.

"Then… he's dead?"

Izuku paused, completely unsure of how to answer. He wasn't sure how much of the host's consciousness remained when they were taken over by a Monarch, but he was sure of the fact that Dabi's body was completely lost to Baran. "It's… Yes… I'm afraid to say that he's dead."

"Damn… we just keep losing these guys." Hajime turned to report to one of his superiors as Beru and Ifrit both spoke to Izuku.

"Oh my Liege! What a joyous moment! The peasants of this world are finally acknowledging you in full!"

"Yes, my Liege! Give them a wave, it'll send them into hysterics!"

Izuku gave Beru a cautious gaze at his use of the word peasant, "There's not much left to do here. Let's go check on the others in the hospital."

Ifrit nodded and stepped forwards, awing the crowd, which cheered even louder as he shifted to a more aerodynamic shape than any other he had taken before. It still had his draconic head at the front, and four scaly legs holding him up, but his body was wider and his wings looked rigid, with little flaps at the back, much like an airplane's wings. In fact, as Izuku continued to stare at the new shape, he realized that it was meant to mimic a jet fighter of sorts, with two circular ports at the back of his body, red flames escaping from them.

Izuku chuckled, instantly understanding where this had come from. One night, after an exhausting day of searching, he had come home to Yaoyorozu with a bowl of popcorn, waiting for him on the couch. Eri was already asleep and she wanted to watch a movie. Somehow, they had settled on a subbed version of Top Gun. Apparently, Ifrit found the fighter jets deeply intriguing.

Taking his place on the draconic jet plane that was Ifrit, Izuku followed his advice and raised his hand up to head height. As the port on Ifrit's stomach began spewing fire, lifting them into the air, similar to how a VTOL would work, the crowd went wild, screams of gratitude, a few expletives levied against the Villains, and Izuku swore he could pick out a few guys and girls begging him to marry them.

Once Ifrit was high enough to avoid roasting any of the nearby Association Agents, the thrusters on his back kicked in, sending them flying forwards.

Any normal human would've been thrown off instantly, but Izuku stuck to the back of the massive fighter jet with ease, looking calm as winds tore at his clothes. At this rate, it would only take a few minutes to reach the hospital. He could already hear Miruko complaining about the doctors letting her out of bed.

"You dumbasses! I'm fine! Let me up!"

The female doctor in charge of her care balked as the Rabbit Hero shoved away her covers, "Miss Usagiyama! You broke twenty bones and ruptured a few organs!"

"I know, I was there." Miruko swung her legs over the bed and stood, "Come get me when it's something serious." She walked out of the room, completely stunning her doctors and completely unconcerned with the fact that her butt was hanging out of the hospital gown.

"Hey you!" Miruko shouted at one of the nurses at the nurses' station. They froze, a little scared of the loud bunny girl, "Where's the flaming asshole and Ryukyu?"

"F-Four-fifty-one."

Miruko wasted no time making her way there, not in the least bit worried about her clothing. Shoving open the door with a severe lack of concern for the rest of those inside, she burst into the room, surprised to already see Izuku there, standing over Ryukyu's bed, "He… said that?" It seemed that he was too engrossed in his conversation to even notice Miruko.

Ryukyu's eyes darted over to the unconscious Endeavor, then Miruko, then back to Izuku, "Something about being "tainted by the mark of a Ruler." And he said something like, "You as well?" When he grabbed Endeavor."

Izuku glanced at Endeavor skeptically, "Him? You choose him of all people?"

"Yo!" Miruko announced her presence with a shout, "What's going on here?!"

Izuku's eyes snapped up to Miruko, finally noticing her presence, "Oh… um… sorry, I was just kinda rambling to myself." He nodded dismissively, "I'm glad to see you both are alright. You'll have to excuse me though, I need to go take care of something else." He squeezed past Miruko, who made sure the back of her gown was fully pulled open, but Izuku didn't even glance on his way out.

Ryukyu laughed loudly as she noticed her friend's expression droop.

"What?!"

"Oh, it's nothing! I just never thought I'd see you of all people fall this hard!"

Izuku could've sworn he heard Ryukyu give a shrill scream as Miruko jumped onto her bed, threatening her vugarly.

"My Liege," Beru said, standing next to Izuku, who sat on one of the chairs next to Bakugo's bed, "Forgive me, but you realized something while in the room with the weaklings… didn't you?"

Izuku turned a glass bottle in his hand over and over, gazing into the crystal clear liquid inside. "I could be wrong, but what Baran said… it makes me think that we've got not one, but two potential Ruler hosts in this hospital."

Beru nodded, "Perhaps my Liege should talk with the one they call All Might. He might have some ideas as to how to convert them."

Izuku nodded, he had been thinking the same thing, "Then there's only one thing left to decide." He raised the bottle of the Holy Water of Life up to eye level, its glass distorting Bakugo's limp form on the bed. "Do I waste one of these things to save him?"

In the background, the news played clips of the skyscraper-sized Gate in Korea and the newscaster made one very important thing clear, "No one is coming to help Korea, they are on their own."

Chapter Text

"Earlier today, it was confirmed that Korea reached out for help to several countries, such as America, Germany, Russia, China, Japan, and many more. All refused to aid the Koreans, who finally succeeded in their Raid of Jeju Island just a month ago with the help of Japan's newest S-Rank, Izuku Midoriya. Thankfully, evacuations are already underway and all of Korea's strongest Heroes are at the scene, willing and able to fight to the bitter end."

Izuku looked up from the Holy Water of Life, seeing footage of a smartphone sweeping across the area under the Gate with shaking hands. He recognized Cha Hae-In, Choi Jong-In, Baek Yo-Hoon, Ma Dong-Wook, and Lim Tae-Gyu and A-Ranks as far as the eye could see.

"It's not gonna be enough."

Izuku looked up to see Miruko, dressed in more fashionable clothing than her hospital gown. "It depends, a Gate's size doesn't always match up to its strength. So it could be weaker than expected."

Miruko smirked, "You're still gonna go." It wasn't a question.

Izuku nodded, "I've got nothing else planned."

"Then give the brat his medicine and let's get to work."

"Huh?"

"That thing's gonna heal him, ain't it? It's either that or your personal stash, but I don't take you to be a drinker."

Izuku scoffed and shook his head with a grin, "It's not alcohol."

"Then why are you waiting to give it to him?"

Izuku lifted the bottle up, displaying its ornate design, "There are five of these left and once they're gone, they're gone forever."

"So?"

"So?" Izuku's eyes narrowed and he decided to let slip a little more than he usually did, "They're the only things that can cure the Eternal Slumber. If my mother, or Sakura started slipping into an Eternal Slumber, or anyone else I knew that developed the sickness, then I need to be ready and have as many of these saved up as possible."

"So if they're the only things that can cure Eternal Slumber, I bet they're also the only things that can cure this guy's coma, or the only thing that can cure cancer, or the only thing that can cure a million different untreatable diseases around the world." Miruko sighed, "There's never going to be enough of those, regardless of how many you save up, so you might as well use them where it matters." She gestured roughly to Bakugo, "Yaoyorozu told me a bit about him and your relationship with him." She smiled, "He sounds like a dick." Izuku couldn't argue with that, "But you've also known him since you were kids. Regardless of how much of an asshole he is, you care about him, because you're a good person."

Miruko turned around to leave, prepared to leave the decision in his hands. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she said, "If you don't give it to him, you're probably going to regret it for a long time… I'll be at the Agency when you're done here, we've got a bunch of applicants arriving in a couple of hours."

Izuku nodded, his eyes still trained on the bottle, "I'll see you there."

Miruko gave him a concerned glance, but shrugged and walked out of the room, leaving Izuku with only the company of his Shadows and a comatose bully.

"Shouldn't we reschedule this for the Boss?" Camie asked, walking through the Agency hallways as they headed for the main office. "Isn't he heading to Korea after all?"

Miruko handed the secretary a thick folder, filled with the resumes, "The Gate doesn't open for another like six days. Before he leaves we need to get this Agency up and running with some actual Raids. Since he's the test, we need to do it now." Three new platforms had been added to the sparring building so that four people could be tested at once, speeding up the process.

It was still a few hours until everyone was scheduled to arrive, but Miruko and Camie had a few other bits of paperwork to take care of, so they switched on the TV, intending to get to work, but an urgent broadcast from the Agency Association interrupted them. All Might, who was barely skin and bones, stood at a podium, in front of several dozen reporters. They all whispered amongst themselves as the public was finally shown skinny All Might, confirming their suspicions that something had happened to him before Jeju Island, preventing him from participating. He had shown himself a few times in public, but no one truly recognized him as All Might, supposedly Japan's strongest Hero.

"I understand that these are confusing times, so, before I can address the issue of Korea, I would like to address the issue of All Might." Camera clicks and flashes accompanied each word. "My name is Toshinori Yagi, most of you know me as All Might. Years ago, I was grievously wounded in an intense battle with a Villain. That wound has been draining my power since that day and just over a month ago, that power disappeared completely." Of course, that wasn't the whole truth, but All Might doubted the world would believe him if he spoke of Rulers and Monarchs. "For that reason, I was absent at the Jeju Island Raid and for that reason, I will not be able to lend my own strength to Korea… nor will the Association."

Cries of despair echoed throughout Korea, all of the countries had turned them down, so their sole hope had rested in Japan, the country that arguably owed them the most but even they still turned them down.

"We've already lost too many Heroes to recent S-Rank Raids," Nobody had trouble guessing about the Raid he was talking about. Jeju Island had taken too much from both sides. "That is the official Association position, but…" The reporters from Korea perked up, "We will not stop any individual who wishes to help. And… one Hero is indeed willing. Just as he took my place at the Shie Hassaikai incident, he will take my place in Korea." The crowd held their breath, "Three days from now, he will board a plane and be flown to Korea, where he will stand alongside the other Heroes of Korea… his name is Izuku Midoriya."

"I think it's a bit dramatic, but I guess subtlety isn't one of All Might's more prominent characteristics."

Camie looked away from the TV, "Hey Boss!"

Izuku looked like he had showered off before coming here from the hospital. Dressed in a brand new hoodie, and his disheveled hair cleaned up, he looked like a new man. But it wasn't just his clothes that made Miruko think that, it was that gleam of relief in his eyes.

"So, did you stick around for the brat to wake up?"

Izuku shook his head, "He'd probably end up mad if he realized that I was responsible for saving him. But Kirishima was on his way to visit him, so he gets to deal with Bakugo for now."

"Kirishima? Eijiro Kirishima?" Camie asked.

"Hmm? Yeah, why?"

Her glossy lips upturned into a smile as she lifted one of the resume sheets, the picture on the front showing off the redhead's smiling face.

"He's applying huh?"

"It looks like half of your entire school is applying. In fact, we've gotten at least fifty more applications since this morning's Raid. We're fast tracking all the strongest applicants and your classmates to arrive today."

Izuku nodded, "Speaking of this morning's Raid… are you okay?"

Miruko rolled her eyes, "Your time would be better spent worrying about Ryukyu."

"She that bad?"

"She's great at hiding stuff on the outside, but on the inside, I can tell she's trying not to break down."

"I didn't think they were that serious."

Miruko shrugged, "They had a lotta history."

"Can you think of anything that we could do to help her?"

"Short of tracking down Dabi and saving him from whatever that Baran thing was, then I think the best thing we can do for her is leave her alone and let her do a few low-level Raids to get everything outta her system." Miruko frowned, her bunny ears drooping a bit, "But it'll take her a while to be back to any semblance of normal."

Izuku had no idea what to say to that, so instead he sat down at his desk and pulled out his phone, scrolling through forums about All Might's recent announcement.

'It's about time the Japanese helped out! Especially after that stunt Endeavor pulled!'

'I'll never forgive the Japanese!'

'Is he even going to be any help with a Gate that big? I feel like everyone's overhyping this guy. If we really wanted to close it, then get the Americans involved!'

'Nah he's OP, people just don't really recognize it yet. I mean, he cleared an SSS-Rank Gate basically by himself.'

'Midoriya for Smash!'

'I'd still body him with Link.'

'Mipha best girl!'