Chapter Text
Level: 170
Strength: 470 (+40)
Vitality: 453 (+80)
Agility: 482 (+60)
Intelligence: 376
Sense: 544 (+120)
Available Points: 0
[Mana: 76,801/76,801]
[HP: 45,129/45,129]
*******
[You have acquired Items:]
- Rune Stone Part 4/7: Lust
- Rune Stone Part 5/7: Envy
- Rune Stone Part 6/7: Pride
- Rune Stone Part 7/7: Greed
- Hellscale Gauntlets (Dark)
- Hellscale Helm (Dark)
- Hellscale Boots (Dark)
*******
[You have completed an Optional Quest!]
[Rewards:]
- Empty Synthetic Rune Stone
- Chaotic Essence
- The Key to Hell’s Gates
*******
[The Seven Sins have been assembled]
[You have obtained Rune Stone: Chaos]
*******
[Item: Hellscale Gauntlets (Dark)]
- Item Class: XS
- Item Type: Gauntlets
- Gem Slots: 1 (Dark)
- +500 Attack
- Description: Forged with a Dark Elemental Gem that can be removed and replaced unlike the rest of the Hellscale Armor. Every attack landed successfully with the Hellscale Gauntlets reduces the enemy’s Vitality by 2 Stat points for a full hour.
*******
[Item: Hellscale Helm (Dark)]
- Item Class: S
- Item Type: Helmet
- Gem Slots: 1 (Dark)
- +50 Sense
- +25 Vitality
- Description: Forged with a Dark Elemental Gem that cannot be removed. Passively reduces the Sense of all enemies by 15%
*******
[Item: Hellscale Boots (Dark)]
- Item Class: S
- Item Type: Boots
- Gem Slots: 1 (Dark)
- +50 Agility
- +25 Vitality
- Description: Forged with a Dark Elemental Gem that cannot be removed. Passively reduces the Agility of all enemies by 15%
*******
Set Bonuses (Hellscale Armor):
- [Set Bonus 1 (2 pieces): All Enemy Regeneration and Healing Magic effectiveness is reduced by 40%]
- [Set Bonus 2 (3 Pieces): Constantly applies a dispel to enemies, removing some lesser buffs]
- [Set Bonus 3 (5 Pieces): More likely for enemies to drop items and more likely that those items will be of greater quality]
*******
“Well, this should be enough to handle the Lux, but why do half of these things have no description?” Izuku asked out loud, looking through the items he received. The Hellscale armor was the obvious big ticket, but literally everything else had a question mark where an explanation of what it was should have been.
The Chaos Rune Stone, the Key to the Gates of Hell, the Empty Rune Stone, and the Chaotic Essence were all left blank, as if some programmer forgot to remove the sample text from their code.
“Guess the System doesn’t want us knowing yet,” Momo responded, taking the Crystal Armor and equipping it onto herself within the System. She wouldn’t get the Stat bonuses, but it would give her the armor bonuses that Izuku was now missing. It fit her a lot better anyways, considering she was more of a Mage than Izuku.
“I’m gonna need those gauntlets back when we go to school,” Izuku said, “People are gonna ask questions if I suddenly don’t have my Elemental ‘Quirk.’”
“If they’re smart enough they’re gonna realize we’re both a lot stronger.”
“Not everyone’s Sense Stat is high enough to tell there’s a difference.”
Momo shrugged. “Bakugo and Shoto could probably feel it.”
Izuku winced. “Bakugo is Bakugo, he’s not really a concern.”
“But Shoto?”
Now it was Izuku’s turn to shrug. “Something’s not entirely right with that guy. A problem for later.”
“FOUND THEM!” A voice yelled across the forge. It was Quorra, who, along with Merix, were digging through piles of technology that Bael had left behind. She emerged from the corner of the forge holding two bracelets.
“Looking for some jewelry?” Momo responded in jest.
“They’re artifacts,” Quorra said, ignorant to the joke. “One is of Tenebrian make and the other is Luxian.”
“They were created by our Gods,” Merix added, dragging armor and weapons over to his wife. “The Monarch Yogumunt apparently made one for the Tenebris and the Ruler Correnic made one for the Lux. They steal the power of any enemies around them and give it to their wearers.”
“So the Hellscale was Bael’s attempt to recreate them?”
“Seems like it,” Merix agreed. “But the bracelets can only be worn by their respective race. The Tenebris must’ve stolen the Lux one forever ago. I never heard about the theft, after all.”
“Wish we had more time here,” Momo mused, looking around. “This place is pretty incredible. All these rare metals and new tech to study…”
“We can return later,” Merix comforted. “Now that the Tenebris homeland is undefended I can teleport us here whenever. Now help me with this, it’ll get us straight to Floor 50 on the Lux side.” Merix was fiddling with some sort of box, which seemed like it would boost his Spatial Magic.
Momo went to help, but remained quiet, not informing him that once the Gate closed they wouldn’t be able to return. And as soon as they took down the Lux and saved Esil, they’d have to leave to make sure the real world wasn’t in a state of panic with Jeju Island. Then again, there was the chance that the Raid was going exactly as planned. There could’ve been absolutely nothing wrong.
*******
There wasn’t a single thing going right.
That thought occurred to Takashi as his comms were connected to Admiral Mori on the aircraft carrier.
“Get those jets to land now!”
“They won’t respond,” The Admiral said. “And they’re in holding patterns, nothing’s gone wro-”
“Endeavor paid them off to drop bombs filled with his fire magic on the Korean team inside the cave,” Takashi said with not an ounce of hesitation.
“Mister Arata, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make such remarks about my men, they wouldn’t risk a mission this important for money.”
“Two of them have family members with Eternal Slumber, Endeavor’s given them the money to take care of them. The third plans on deserting and is gonna use the money to start a new life. We have the transmissions to prove it. We’re sending them over.” Takashi scowled at the camera feeds inside the command center, showing the teams getting into position. One of them was focused on Endeavor.
“I can’t… this can’t be right, it’s faked or-”
“Is there any other way to signal them to land?!” Takashi shouted, ignoring the denial phase.
“We’ll try…”
“If they don’t land you need to shoot them down.”
“Shoot them down?!”
“Admiral, the S-Ranks on Jeju are worth more than any attachment you have to those men!”
“That’s not what I mean!” The Admiral yelled back. “Those F-54s might be the most advanced pieces of technology on the planet! None of the ships can just shoot them down ! We aren’t equipped for that!”
“You need to at least try! Send your helicopter teams back to the island as soon as they land on the decks! The teams will realize something’s wrong!”
“Will do.”
“What is the meaning of this?!” A voice shouted as it was dragged into the command center.
Takashi’s scowl deepened. “Gotta go.” He hung up on the Admiral, turning to face the president of the Hero Safety Commission. The pale lanky man was being held by two of Takashi’s personal guards, Awakened men who had likely fought off the president’s own guards to take him.
“Yokumiru Mera! You’re under arrest for interfering in an S-Rank Raid and endangering the participants!” Takashi declared loudly.
But the president just smiled. “Arrest?” He scoffed. “I’m just following your lead aren’t I?”
“What are you-”
“That little shadow organization you’re running.” Mera smirked as Takashi’s brow scrunched up. “Yeah I know all about it. I’ve even got some documents detailing your crimes. Arrest me and I’ll hold you accountable for- urgh!”
The president’s voice caught in his throat as Takashi strolled forwards and grabbed him by the neck. “What I did was for the sake of the world! And I will continue to act on that belief until I am six feet in the ground! If the public demands my head for my crimes I will happily die knowing that I bought humanity just a few more months!” Takashi’s shouts echoed through the command center, drawing the staffs’ attention. “Yes, I’ve done some very bad things. Made people abandon their homes, move them into more dangerous areas for Awakenings. I’ve killed people both directly and indirectly, but I did it to save the future!” He held nothing back as he broadcasted his secrets. “And if I have to go down to take you with me, I’ll do that with a smile too!”
“I did it for our people!” Mera choked out, his face growing white with fear. “If Japan takes over Korea’s Hero work in the absence of their S-Ranks, we’ll get more than enough Villain Cores and materials to compete with America! I’m saving our land!”
“Everyone’s our people you idiot!” Takashi’s grip tightened, using just a little bit of his E-Rank power in spite of Diablo’s poison still in his veins. “Do you think the Villains care about race?! Ethnicity?! Country of origin?! None of that matters if we all fall! There is no Japan versus America! No Japan versus Korea! It’s us and them! And your actions strengthen them!” Takashi let go of the man and nodded at his guards. “Get him out of here.”
Mera said nothing as he was dragged away, the consequences of Takashi’s resolve setting in.
Takashi, meanwhile, turned back to the room, still staring in shock. “I’ll abdicate my position when this Raid is finished, and take responsibility for what I’ve done. But until then, let’s try to get them off that island… alive .” And just like that, everyone went back to work.
*******
“Y’all are boring!” Miruko shouted inside the helicopter. “Do none of ya banter? Or talk? …Or blink?!”
Sung Jin-Woo smiled at the feisty bunny girl. “Different cultures,” He said in Japanese. Out of his team members he and Min Byung-Gyu, their team’s healer, were the only ones who spoke both Korean and Japanese fluently. Cha Hae-In knew some, but not enough to hold a full conversation. “We get calm during our Raids, you get your blood pumping.”
“That sounds like a lame way to Raid!”
Jin-Woo shrugged. “It makes sure we stay focused and aware of our surroundings.”
“Fine…” Miruko said, already bored with the Koreans. “So what’s your deal?” She asked, turning to Mirio in the seat next to her. “No one just goes to Jeju Island, especially not some kid!”
Mirio smiled in spite of her brashness. “You’re twenty-one years old, right? That means we’re about the same age…”
“Hmph… well my point still stands.”
“I’ll answer if you answer the same question,” Mirio said.
“I’m just an adrenaline junkie,” Miruko answered. “And I have way more Raiding experience than you do.”
“How?” Jin-Woo asked. “Isn’t the legal Raiding age in Japan 18?”
Miruko shrugged. “Yeah, but that’s just the legal age.”
“How long have you been raiding for?” Mirio asked, concern dashing across his face.
“Oh come on! I answered my own question! Time for you to answer it!” Miruko deflected back at the young man.
Mirio pursed his lips for a moment, but decided to let her have her secrets. “All Might’s been training me ever since I entered UA. He’s spent more time with me than any other student he’s taught. He wants me to be his successor. I can’t hide from a Raid like this, not when people need me to fight. All Might dedicated his life to the safety of others at his own detriment. I won’t betray that legacy.”
“That’s noble,” Jin-Woo commented. “But stupid.”
“You think it’s wrong to protect others?” Mirio asked with an accusatory tone.
“Obviously not,” Jin-Woo responded. “But you can’t sacrifice your own body for the sake of others. If you die, who will protect the weak? Your actions are noble, but your thought process will get you killed or permanently crippled.”
“You’d run from a fight?” Miruko chimed in.
Jin-Woo nodded. “If I feel him creeping up behind me… I’ll run like hell.”
“Him who?” Mirio asked
Jin-Woo smiled, “Who else? Death.” He leaned forwards on his knees. “I was an E-Rank before I Reawakened. I know the chill of the reaper pretty damn well. Where do you think my Hero name comes from?”
“I thought you were just an arrogant bastard,” Miruko bantered.
“I know I’m not The Reaper. I just named myself that out of respect for the actual entity. He’s saved me plenty of times.”
“You believe in Gods like that?”
Jin-Woo went silent for a moment, eyes down in heavy concentration. “I don’t know what to believe.”
“The Reaper is not religious,” Min Byung-Gyu chimed in. “None of the S-Ranking Koreans are. But we’ve been confronted many times with death. Amending our religious beliefs with this supernatural world has not been easy for any of us.”
“What I do believe in, for certain, is that your teacher is an idiot for sending you here with such conviction in heroism,” Jin-Woo said to Mirio, standing as they approached their drop zone. “Heroes and Villains. They’re bad names. We’re not Heroes, we’re soldiers. And the same can be said about Villains. We’re all soldiers. We’re all fighting a war. And there’s no glory in war. Don’t be a Hero… be a soldier. Forget about all that noble crap.”
Min Byung-Gyu shrugged at the glances he got from the Japanese Heroes. “He’s nicer than he seems. This is just how he is on a mission. Cha Hae-In never would’ve gone out with him if he was always this brooding and cynical.”
Miruko nodded. “Yeah… the headspace is wack.”
The “wack” that Miruko was referring to was a psychological study performed in over 12 countries. Just before entering a Raid and during a Raid, a Hero's standard brain waves change. They almost became a different person altogether. It was the “Raid Headspace,” and was acknowledged as the cause of many breakdowns within Heroes, causing them to freak and kill their comrades. It was similar to the effect that the arctic had on researchers staying at the South Pole, making them more aggressive and emotionally fragile.
Mirio nodded in agreement. The man he had known whilst sparring was calm, cool, collected, and smiled like there was nothing in the world that could faze him. But this Jin-Woo was nothing even close to that.
Their depressing conversation was interrupted as the helicopter’s ramp lowered, letting in a rush of wind. Jin-Woo reached to his ear, signaling the other’s on the island. “The Korean team is in position, draw the hive’s aggro.”
“““Roger!””” The Japanese teams responded in unison, letting out their considerable auras. Dabi and Endeavor even let their flames flare up as a beacon for the Nomu and their evolving brethren.
From Jin-Woo’s position looking down on the hollowed out mountain, it really did look like an ant-hill, with countless black dots flowing out from all angles. Most of the Nomu were little more than blobs of darkened skin and muscle, but some of them were armored with chitinous plates, growing over them to make them look insectoid in nature.
“Let’s go,” Jin-Woo said, stepping off the ramp, falling hundreds of feet straight into the center of the mountain.
“I thought he was the team leader?” Miruko bantered, gesturing to Baek Yoonho.
Min shrugged. “We’re a complicated group.”
The others followed suit, with the helicopter dropping lower to let the cameraman out before the pilots went back to the aircraft carrier to refuel for pickup.
The center of the hive was a cylindrical hole, like a silo in the rocky walls. It was apparently one of the main hubs for Nomu activity, because it was peppered with dozens if not hundreds of different circular passage ways.
As soon as the cameraman’s feet hit the ground and the helicopter was away, Baek Yoonho gestured to Choi Jong-In, The Soldier. The Korean man pushed up his glasses and brushed aside his crimson hair. With a snap of his fingers, the entrance to the caverns was sealed with a net of fire, burning lashes intersecting each other to burn whatever tried to re-enter the hive from that point.
“Give us a map.”
“Kiek kiek kiek…”
“You hear that?” Mirio asked, his head whipping back and forth as the clicking sound bounced off the inner walls of the mountain.
“Yeah…” Jin-Woo responded, pulling two short swords from underneath his trenchcoat, they were made of crimson metal, gold accents, and black hilts. They burned with an energy that surpassed even an S-Rank. They weren’t even close to something a normal S-Rank would carry.
“Don’t get jumpy on us, kid,” Mirko said with a smirk, her nose flaring in response to the smell of Mana. Cha Hae-In was doing the same, trying to ignore the pungent stench.
“Doesn’t feel right…” Mirio mumbled.
“He’s right,” Jin-Woo scanned the area. “This isn’t normal…”
“It’s part of the plan,” Baek scolded in Korean. “Soldier, give us a map.” He repeated.
Choi snapped his fingers once more, conjuring dozens of fiery spheres. They hovered above his head like the Phoenix Lights in Arizona before zipping away.
“Must’ve been a rock,” Choi responded. “The surroundings are clear. There’s only a few sparse Nomu on the route we need to take.”
“I’ll take lead,” Baek said, beginning the trek deeper into the caverns.
Mirio and Jin-Woo headed up the rear of the team. Neither of them could shake the sound from their minds. Choi Jong-In’s magical scouting said nothing strange was nearby, but that just meant there was nothing nearby when they passed through the tunnels. There was a chance, however slim, that there was something in these caves… something that moved at a speed far beyond an S-Ranks magic.
Jin-Woo nodded to Mirio, the two in perfect sync. The Korean Hero also murmured something to his wife, to which she nodded, drawing her rapier from its sheath. It was incredibly thin, but it could’ve held up the Empire State Building with its durability.
“Where’d you guys get such premium gear?” Miruko asked, noticing the same thing as Mirio.
“I can’t tell you that.” Jin-Woo said with a strained smirk.
“Why not?” Miruko’s response was indignant, like a child who had been told they couldn’t have any more cookies for breakfast. “You get some kick from withholding information?”
“I signed an NDA. I legally can’t tell you where they came from.”
“Well sure, but legal doesn’t mean squat to an S-Rank, or an XS-Rank for that matter.”
Jin-Woo shook his head. “But it does apply when the legalities are between an XS-Rank and National-Rank. I’m not risking my head to tell you how I got these, or how she got hers.”
Miruko sighed. “Fiiine… but I get next kill!!!”
The Rabbit Hero’s sense of smell flared as the tunnel before them, perfectly cylindrical as if carved by a tunnel bore, filled with a few sparse Nomu. But just as quickly as they appeared, they vanished into spatterings of black meat and bone.
Miruko landed in a crouch amidst the gore, not a single speck on her. “Phew! I was starting to get all pent up, and you know how us Rabbits get when that happens!”
Baek looked to his friend Min Byung-Gyu for a translation, but the healer, clad in a divine-looking cloak, just shook his head. “I’ll explain it to you when you’re older.”
“You’re pretty fast… You sure you’re just an S-Rank?” Baek asked through his comrades.
“Tight spaces are my speciality,” She said in a teasing tone.
Mirio chuckled nervously. “Please don’t try to overload them with innuendos.”
She shrugged, finally giving a serious answer. “I can build up momentum better than any of you chumps in places like this.”
In the time it took Baek to blink, Miruko had jumped off the walls seven times, gaining more velocity with each jump before clotheslining the Nomu with her armored legs. Even an S-Rank would’ve struggled to dodge her, much less block it without breaking a few bones.
“Kiek!”
“Again…” Mirio reached down to his belt, where Midnight’s gas grenades rested.
“It’s not coming from inside the cave,” Jin-Woo realized, “It’s coming from outside…” He turned to Baek. “Up the pace! We gotta get to the Queen ASAP!”
The S-Rank nodded, hair beginning to grow along his face and arms as wolfish features took shape, his transformation Quirk similar to that of Ryukyu. “Let’s tear through it all!”
*******
“Alpha’s good,” Endeavor and Gang Orca reported
“Bravo too,” Crust and Edgeshot chimed in.
“Charlie got a couple of the evolved Nomu, but we took them out pretty quickly.” Hawks, Best Jeanist, and Yoroi Musha were definitely one of the strongest teams, so the evolved Nomu barely deserved a mention.
“Delta’s fine,” Dabi spat out to his father as Ryukyu tore a Nomu in half with her gigantic draconic claws. “Kyu just split one of those ant-looking fuckers down the middle. They’re not that strong… yet…”
“We managed to test Midnight’s gas nades on one!” Hawks added lackadaisically. He was probably floating in midair, his legs crossed as his feathers did the work for him. “They worked pretty damn well! Someone get that woman an honorary medal for this Raid.”
“We don’t need the gas, why should she get anything?” Endeavor asked as he blanketed the surrounding areas in flames.
“Aww, didn’t anyone ever tell you Endeavor? Sharing is caring, and caring… thump…”
Dabi and Ryukyu exchanged a glance. “Charlie…?”
Static was the only answer.
*******
“Infarction in the right leg, schedule an O.R., cut the stuff out, and get him some demerol before the pain sends him into cardiac arrest,” A Korean doctor made notes on a chart as the Emergency Room bustled with nurses and panicked mothers who brought in their five-year-old with a tummy ache.
The doctor handed the clipboard to a nurse before painfully limping over to the nurses station to check the next chart. The nurse at the station, whilst furiously typing away at the computer, glanced over at him. It was just a moment, but the doctor was an A-Rank, so the moment stretched out into several seconds, long enough for him to recognize the concern.
“What is it?”
“The Jeju Raid is starting…” She muttered.
“And? We’re ready if we need to receive the injured.”
“I just thought… you were there… you might wanna watch.”
The doctor pursed his lips. “I’m older, but my memory isn’t that bad. I remember more than enough to know what a Raid on that cursed place looks like.” He absentmindedly rubbed his leg, where a Nomu had once attacked him. It was permanently scarred, poisoned by the malignant flesh of the Nomu. Even after surgeons pulled the contaminants from his body and healers worked on his leg, it remained crippled and in pain. But, at the very least, he had survived, something he couldn’t say of his best friends who had joined the Raid alongside him.
He never wanted to see that island ever again. Whether it be in person or on a video feed, he just couldn’t stand to look without his leg giving him a jolt of agony. But even still, his eyes were pulled to one of the Tvs in the E.R., where a shaky camera pounded through the darkness, capturing the image of Baek Yoonho tearing a Nomu to pieces.
The doctor let out a shaky breath as pain radiated through his body. “Please… for those who have fallen…” He grumbled under his breath, scooping up the chart and limping off to help the next patient.
*******
“Fuuuuuck…” Dabi groaned as he gazed down at the bodies of Hawks, Yoroi Musha, and Best Jeanist. Each and every one of them were missing their heads, and several limbs were absent, as if they had been chewed off.
“All points, we have a problem!” Ryukyu said, looking around in a panic. “Team charlie is dead, make for the North section of Jeju, by the International Airport, as planned for evac!”
“Negative,” Endeavor responded. “We can’t just abandon the Raid because a few chumps lost their lives.”
“Chumps?!” Ryukyu roared. “They were part of the Top Ten you piece of s-”
“I’d watch your tone, Number Six. The president doesn’t take kindly to such uncooperative-”
“Screw you!” Dabi shouted, taking Ryukyu’s hand in his own and making a break for it. “We’ll pass you on our way to the evac point. You can come with us or you can stay to die!”
“Return to your post or I’ll make sure the president holds you legally responsible for abandoning a Raid.”
“And I’ll make sure Thomas Andre tells you to shove it up your ass!” Dabi screamed, his vocal chords practically vibrating out of his throat. He reached up and tore the earpiece from his canal.
“Forget evac!” Ryukyu shouted, letting go of Dabi’s hand and letting her Quirk run rampant. Instead of just draconic qualities, like fangs, claws, and a tail, her entire body began to grow and morph. Her bones elongated and expanded, her torso ballooned in size, and her neck and head stretched an inhuman length.
Neither Baek nor Ryukyu would ever let it slip, but the transformations weren’t pleasant. Growing pains were hard to deal with for children, but magnify that by a hundred and put that pain in every corner of the body and it's not pleasant. It was why the two used their full transformations so infrequently. The situation had to call for it, otherwise they were suffering for no reason. This situation absolutely called for it.
Running along the ground on all fours, Ryukyu’s bony wings snapped out to catch the air, billowing like the sails on a boat. And as soon as her feet lifted from the ground, she used one of her hands to scoop up Dabi, as well as the cameraman with them, heading North. The evac point was in that direction, but so were all the ships. So regardless of the method of transport, they were heading the same way.
“Should I just grab them?!” Ryukyu roared as they approached point Alpha, where Endeavor and Gang Orca were stationed. She could even see a few flashes of light as Endeavor incinerated the Nomu.
“They made it clear that they wanted to stay! Just make a break for the boats!” Dabi yelled over the rushing wind, his head frantically scanning the surrounding forest for any Villains. But without warning, his sense of balance began to tumble head over heels, because he was literally being spun around.
“What the hell, Kyu?!” Dabi shouted as his draconic companion rolled through the air.
“Something’s up here with us!” She responded, jerking the hand holding Dabi closer to her body. And as if on cue, the scarred Hero felt something whiz by his face. It didn’t make contact, but it moved through the air so fast that the resulting air pressure change managed to carve a shallow cut in Dabi’s cheek.
“I can’t keep thi- RARH!”
Like a penny dropped from the Tokyo Skytree, Dabi felt himself go weightless, not because Ryukyu had dropped him, but because Ryukyu herself was also falling.
As they tumbled through the air, Dabi caught a glimpse of his partner’s back, her wings, once strong and proud, were now just bloodied stumps. They had been sliced clean off.
The dragon pulled her limbs close, tucking Dabi and the cameraman safely into her stomach as she angled her back towards the ground, which was approaching rapidly.
Thankfully, even though the ground had absorbed a good amount of Mana over the years, it was still just dirt, and the two falling Heroes were S-Ranks. So even though Ryukyu’s mutilated back tore through the earth with abandon on impact, her horizontal momentum carving a divot in the soil, she only let out a few grunts of discomfort. The cameraman survived, but the same couldn’t be said for his camera.
“Ryukyu!” Gang Orca shouted, running up to them. They had landed shockingly close to the other S-Ranks.
Her dragon form shrunk away as she pulled herself to her feet alongside Dabi. Her wounds were proportional to her body, so even though her injuries were massive in dragon form, her back wasn’t in critical shape. She was bleeding quite heavily, but she would remain in fighting shape, at least for now.
“I told you not to abandon your post!” Endeavor scolded, stomping over like the dictatorial father he was.
“It’s… too fast…” Ryukyu panted as the two rose from the furrow in the earth. They were surrounded on all sides by trees, unable to see more than a couple dozen meters through the dense thicket.
The cameraman accompanying Endeavor and Orca went pale as he spun around, trying to find whatever had taken down the S-Ranks. His cohort joined him, standing back to back.
“Don’t be stupid, there’s nothing on this forsaken island that could even remotely threaten…” Endeavor’s eyes narrowed, his spine tingling as a sensation filled his body.
DEATH.
Endeavor threw up a wall of flames, narrowly deflecting the incoming blow away from himself. He saved himself from certain death, but the attacker was unperturbed, changing targets from Endeavor, to Gang Orca, one of the weakest S-Ranks Japan had to offer. The Hero’s head was removed from his body so quickly that it looked like it had been teleported.
As Gang Orca’s body fell to the ground, his neck spraying blood, so too did the cameramen. The two were turned to ash by Endeavor’s reckless flames.
“Kiek kiek kiek…” The clicking noise filled the forest, as if it was coming from all directions. It sounded like… it was laughing.
Dabi, Ryukyu, and Endeavor, the only three left standing, spun in circles, trying to find the hidden monster that had taken the lives of their comrades. Eventually, the three settled on a pair of bulbous glowing red eyes, hidden in the dark foliage.
“Where is your king?”