Chapter Text
Level: 177
Strength: 491(+40)
Vitality: 467 (+80)
Agility: 503 (+60)
Intelligence: 390
Sense: 558 (+120)
Available Points: 0
[Mana: 86,659/86,659]
[HP: 53,760/53,760]
[Shadows: 3,092/5,198]
*******
[Souls Acquired: 5,568 Noble Lux - Elite-Knight Grade]
[Lux Souls: 5,000/5,000]
[Tenebris Souls: 5,000/5,000]
[Quest: As Above, So Below Part 1 has been completed!]
[Rewards have been granted:]
- Title: Of Heaven and Hell - Player gains 50% bonus damage to all attacks directed at Lux or Tenebris. This includes any species with their genetics, such as Tenebris Mutates.
- Purifying Fire
- Rune Mold
*******
[Kaisel has dropped items:]
- Mekanism
- Boundless Energy Core
- Rune Stone Part 1/7: Charity
- Rune Stone Part 2/7: Chastity
*******
[Item: Illuminant Bow]
- Item Class: A
- Item Type: Bow
- Attack: +200
- Gem Slots: 0
- The Standard Bow used by most of the Lux Army.
*******
[Item: Illuminant Sword]
- Item Class: A
- Item Type: Sword
- Attack: +200
- Gem Slots: 0
- The Standard Sword used by most of the Lux Army.
*******
[Item: Mekanism]
- Item Class: XS
- Item Type: ???
- Attack: +400
- Gem Slots: 0
- Salvaged from Kaisellin’s organs, this item holds the same transformative power, allowing it to transform based on the User’s will. It has five forms: Sword, Bow, Warhammer, Dual Daggers, and Whip. Each form has its own unique uses.
*******
[Alert! You have items that can be combined!]
- Empty Synthetic Rune Stone
- Chaotic Essence
- Purifying Flames
- Rune Mold
- Pure Synthesteel
- Boundless Energy Core
*******
“The Synthesteel!” Momo exclaimed, as the team regrouped after cleaning the Floor of all its Lux.
“And all the other items that had no description…” Izuku looked at the list hesitantly. “We have no idea what will happen.”
“It's the System,” Momo said, “it can be kinda devious but it’s not going to make an item that screws us over.”
“That’s… not what I meant.” Izuku rubbed the back of his neck, as he always did when he was nervous. “That Synthesteel. It’s… well it’s the only thing your parents ever gave you…”
“I’d rather it be of use than sit in the Inventory forever. My parents sucked. Sentimentality isn’t on my mind.” She laid her hand on Izuku’s arm. “They gave it to me for a reason. And I know they didn’t do so just so that I’d have something to remember them by.”
Izuku nodded in agreement. “Just wanted to make sure.”
[Would you like to combine the items?]
[Y/N?]
“Yes.”
The items exited the Inventory, popping into existence in front of the group.
The Rune Mold hung in the air by some magical force. The Synthesteel chunk rested awkwardly within the mold, as it wasn’t the right shape. Pure white flames erupted beneath the mold with a heat that could’ve made Endeavor sweat bullets.
As the metal began to melt away its bonds breaking under the heat, a red and black dust fell over the mold, mixing itself into the makeshift forge. Likely the Chaotic Essence
When the Synthesteel became nothing more than a liquid, the Purifying Flames vanished and a small bead of pure energy embedded itself into the surface of the metal. Without any heat, the metal hardened almost instantly, trapping the Boundless Energy Core on the surface of the chunk of metal.
Finally, the Empty Synthetic Runestone hovered by the mold, its center empty, perfectly shaped to fit the Synthesteel piece that had just been fabricated. Momo snatched the two pieces out of the air, pressing them together without a second thought.
[Rune Stone: Synthesize (Can only be used by the Shadow Empress)]
Momo looked over to Izuku in shock, not expecting that additional note. He just smiled and gestured for her to crush it.
She closed her eyes, her thoughts a mystery to Izuku. She mumbled something under her breath, and crushed it.
[Skill: Synthesize]
- !@#$%^
“What?” Momo exclaimed as the System began giving all sorts of error messages that made no sense.
[Error: Synthesize is not compatible.]
[Notification: Merging Skill: Synthesize and Quirk: Shadow Genesis]
*******
[Quirk: Cosmic Forge]
- Quirk Class: National-Rank
- Cost: Mana cost varies based on the things created or modified. Can create non-magical items with very little Mana or can create potent magical items with a high Mana cost.
- Description: The Shadow Empress now has her own army. Any technological entities can be extracted as Shadows. Entities such as the Lux, or Kaisellin will be under the Shadow Empresses direct control. She will be separated from the main Shadow Army and be given her own Soul List. The Shadow Empress can also convert Earthly Technology, such as tanks, jets, and so forth. All technological Shadows will be granted an additional Rank of power upon entering servitude to the Empress. The Shadow Empress’s powers of creation are now stronger than ever.
*******
“My lady…” A voice echoed throughout the city, feminine, angelic, perfect.
“Where’s that coming from?” Izuku asked, looking around in a daze, stunned by the implications of the new Quirk.
“It is my honor to serve you.”
“I think…” Momo turned to the dragon made of shadow, “I think Kaisel is speaking.”
“Death is not the end.” Kaisel bowed her head and pledged her fealty.
*******
“Where is your king?!” The voice in the darkness of the forest repeated his question, this time with more urgency.
“Right here!” Endeavor shouted, expelling the strongest flames he could muster in the direction of the glowing red eyes.
Anything in the vicinity of the flames that wasn’t on fire, suddenly was. The entire forest ignited into a blazing inferno of heat and smoke. Everything was burning, everything aside from the creature stalking them.
“King? You? Kiek kiek kiek…”
“This Mana…” Ryukyu muttered, trying to ignore the stinging wounds on her back from where her wings had been ripped off.
“It feels… almost like Thomas Andre,” Dabi spat. “We need to run.”
“It’s almost like a National-Rank,” Endeavor growled. “We can take it!”
“Kiek kiek kiek…”
“We need clear vision…” Ryukyu scowled, not wanting to ruin such a perfect forest, but having no other choice, she nodded to Dabi. “Scorched Earth.”
Endeavor and Dabi stood back-to-back, Ryukyu hiding between them as their bodies began to heat up. They may not have liked each other, but they knew how to work together, and they knew it was the only way they’d escape with their lives.
Blue and orange flames exploded from the two flame Heroes, mixing as they incinerated everything in every direction. Ryukyu was cold-blooded, so she could handle a bit more heat than the average Hero, but she still had to grit her teeth in the midst of all that fire.
When the flames burned out and the smoke settled, all that was left was the three of them, and a single dark shape standing amongst the ashes of the once beautiful forest.
“Kiek kiek kiek… Your flames… weak!”
The creature was an ant, there was no other way to put it. Standing on two long spindly legs, its exoskeleton was a bluish-black, and its eyes a beady red. Two freakishly elongated arms hung from his side, along with a few other pincer-like limbs held close to its body.
With the earth turned to ash, it looked like a nuclear wasteland, with only four occupants standing amongst the rubble. But in reality, there were two more observers.
Hidden by artifacts of stealth, one stronger than another, was Shoto Todoroki, and Kaina Tsutsumi. Neither knew of each other, and neither was known by the three facing down the evolved Nomu before them. But both were waiting for the ant to make its move.
Dabi and his father gritted their teeth. “That’s because…”
“We weren’t putting our backs into it!”
If the previous waves of fire were scorching, the next burst was a solar flare. Compressing the heat down to its smallest blast, both father and son output flames that were white hot. A beam of immense intensity that even the ant was forced to dodge. But dodging didn’t mean he was on the back foot.
Before the world of awakenings, the maximum reaction time of any human being was a little less than 200 milliseconds. A feat commonly attributed to professional gamers. At that speed, the last thing they’d be able to perceive would be the Nomu leaving their field of vision, and then they’d be dead. Awakened humans, specifically S-Ranks, could reach reaction times of 1 millisecond or less.
And even still, Endeavor just barely had the perception to watch the ant rush towards him at blistering speeds. Even if his reaction time could match the Nomu, his physical speed would never outpace it. With his flames output in a single direction, he couldn’t deflect the blow as he had earlier. All he could do was watch the dark claws reach for his throat.
Fortunately, for him, the two spectators decided to intervene.
If Endeavor’s reaction time was 1 millisecond, the lovely Lady Nagant had a perception ten times as fast. At the same time the ant moved to deliver the killing blow, Nagant fired a bullet at the place he would be in just a few nanoseconds.
On top of that, Shoto sent a blast of ice rushing forwards… but not at the ant. It was aimed at his father’s feet. Following Yogumunt’s instructions, he was prepared to trip his father up, giving the ant the easy kill.
Fate had other ideas, however. As the ice encased Endeavor’s feet, his body unconsciously reacted to the charging Villain, attempting to take a step back. It would’ve been too little, too late. But in attempting to step back, he tripped over the ice, falling just right to avoid a fatal blow. Instead, the claws grazed his cheek, cutting the skin to ribbons.
The bullet reached its mark just in time, slamming into the ant with the force of a magical artillery shell. Even Momo would’ve been put to shame by it.
The ant was thrown backwards by the impact, his arms raised in defense. The exo-skeleton on his right arm was cracked, but still intact. He didn’t have time to assess the damage, as a volley of blue flames engulfed his body.
In all his short life, the Nomu had never felt pain. On Jeju Island, it ruled supreme, as the top of the food chain. The Queen let him do whatever he wanted in order to grow and evolve. And that had given him an ego, a single pure thought that any living being would find comfort in… “Nothing can hurt me.”
That thought was interrupted by the purple blood flowing from the ant’s cracked exo-skeleton. In that moment, a being that had never felt pain… experienced the agony of his flesh and shell being torn apart by a foreign invader.
It. Pissed. Him. Off.
“KIIIIIEEEK!”
The perfect strikes, the immaculate precision of all his strength, it was all thrown away for sheer animal instincts. But it wasn’t thrown away for nothing.
The average reaction time of humanity was 200 milliseconds. That was their average when reacting purposefully to an event. When their instincts took over, however, and their bodies acted before their brains, their reaction time shrank from 200 milliseconds to 80 milliseconds. It was 2.5 times faster. For a being like this evolved Nomu? For a being that was bred and developed into a perfect hunting machine? Well… Even Lady Nagant’s bullets slowed to a crawl.
The one aimed right between his eyes glanced off his shoulder. He didn’t even notice the stinging pain as he charged forwards, weaving between the bullets, dashing closer and closer to the group of 3 Heroes. His claws reached out for Ryukyu, for her heart. She was the first to go. She was the strongest physical fighter. She was the greatest threat in this state of raw instint. Meters away, then inches, then centimeters… then, the claws tore into flesh, just as the ant felt his own flesh tear for the first time. But… the words uttered next would echo in the Villain’s mind for the rest of his life.
“Fuck… off…” Dabi spat blood all over the ant’s face, his internal organs shredded, blood leaking into his lungs and spilling from his throat.
His hands, already pale from the blood loss, were stretched out behind him, having shoved Ryukyu away in the blink of an eye. Had he consciously thought about what he was doing, he wouldn’t have been anywhere near fast enough to react.
But as it was, the ant’s claws were shredding his chest, wrapped around his heart. He didn’t have much time left, and he knew it. So he wrapped his hands around the ant’s throat, the creature stunned that it had missed its mark.
“Don’t… blame…” Dabi weakly coughed out to Ryukyu as his hands ignited… a pitiful flame that barely scorched the exoskeleton.
The ant made no sounds. He simply ripped the heart from Touya Todoroki’s chest, and let him fall down, dead. No healer to restore him, no chance at salvation. Just a cessation of all human function.
The ant’s mandibles clicked quietly as he dropped the still weakly beating organ. But not even the Nomu could hear itself, as a roar more monstrous than any Villain could echo filled his ears.
“I’LL…” Ryukyu stood from where she had been thrown by her partner. “FUCKING KILL YOU!” Her body exploded with energy as she met the ant head-on, determined to return the favor… and tear out his heart.