Chapter Text
Izuku didn’t bother pointing out to the ant that he would die. He had already resolved to put the creature down after all. He instead condensed Dark Magic above the ant, creating a sphere of pure darkness before shooting it upwards at an asinine rate, disappearing from sight so quickly that it may have vanished into space.
Within the six classic elements of Magic: Fire, Earth, Water, Air, Light, and Dark, they all had special off-shoots. For humans it was rare that anyone would have true control over a single element. Most of the time, Awakened humans were given basic Elemental Magic, which boiled down to throwing a few attacks consisting of that element. Or they were given something specialized, like Spatial Magic, with a set limit on how they could use it. But for those who could actually control an element, there was practically no limit on how far down that elemental branch you could reach. Within such potent Dark Magic, Izuku had access to so much he hadn’t even been able to utilize it all. Each element could combine with another to form something special. Light and Dark created Spatial Magic, Air and Fire created Lightning Magic, and so on and so forth.
But if you followed a single element down to the purest it could be, you found something that turned basic elements into Godlike powers. For example, Fire Magic became Nuclear Magic.
For Izuku, when he was inside the caverns, so completely blended with the Darkness that nothing could find him, he found the true power that his armor gave to him. At the very depths of Dark Magic, past what anyone could observe, there was a fundamental aspect of the universe itself, Gravity Magic.
Izuku was no longer standing on a platform of Dark Magic. He was merely floating in the air, defying gravity… literally.
[Notice: Dominator’s Touch is compatible with Dark Magic.]
[Notice: Monarch’s Presence is compatible with Dark Magic.]
[Reintegrating Skill…]
[Dominator’s Touch has been merged with the Player’s Dark Magic abilities.]
[Monarch’s Presence has been merged with the Player’s Dark Magic abilities.]
[Apex Magic Skill: Shruikan, Lord of Darkness has been acquired.]
*******
[Skill: Shruikan, Lord of Darkness]
- Apex Magic Skill
- Mana Cost: Determined by the strength of the Magic cast. For example, using Gravity Magic to lift a cup costs next to nothing, but trying to lift a mountain takes excessive amounts of Mana and concentration.
- The Player gains control of all Ranks of Dark Magic, no matter what Elemental Gems are equipped (although equipping Dark Elemental Gems do boost the power of any Dark Magic). These Magics include, but are not limited to: Curse Magic, Shadow Magic, Soul Magic, Disease Magic, Torture Magic, Void Magic, Gravity Magic. The Player can use Dark Magic to combine with other Magics if they are capable of using other Magics through various equipped Elemental Gems.
- Dark Magic cast with this Skill removes its inherent weakness to Light Magic of any kind that is not cast with an Apex Skill.
- This Skill works in relation with the Intelligence Stat, growing stronger as the Stat rises.
*******
When it came to Magic, the biggest downside was both the Mana cost and the focus required to operate said Magic. And while the so-called Apex Skill didn’t remove, or even really lessen the Mana cost, it did clear the other hurdle.
Izuku had managed to cast Magic mid-battle several times, but it had caused lapses in his concentration and his reaction times with Magic were much slower compared to his physical reflexes. Now, it was like Dark Magic and his body were one and the same. Everything suddenly got easier, like adding extra processing power to a computer.
With Gravity Magic, Dominator’s Touch became the strongest telekinetic force on the planet. And with Shadow Magic, Izuku surpassed the need for a Stealth Skill like Monarch’s Presence. He disappeared so thoroughly from the world that not even this monstrous ant had managed to sense him.
It was just one element that opened up a pathway for Izuku, but it was more power than he even knew what to do with. There were so many options, so many ways to use it that it almost overwhelmed him. So, in order to remain focused, he’d rely on the one that felt the most natural, the Gravity Magic, not much different than his Dominator’s Touch, but leagues more powerful.
Between the 3 Levels he had gained from Momo slaughtering the Nomu with her own Synthetic Army, and the 50 Stat points he got from the Dungeon Quest, which he put into Intelligence, his Stats looked like this.
*******
Level: 180
Strength: 500(+40) *3
Vitality: 473 (+80) *2
Agility: 512 (+60) *3
Intelligence: 496 *2
Sense: 564 (+120) *2
Available Points: 0
[Mana: 90,659/90,659]
[HP: 55,760/55,760]
[Shadow Save Limit: 3,092/5,891]
[Synthetic Shadow Save Limit: 34/36]
A/N: the asterisks(*) are in reference to the growth of the Stat, so Strength and Agility triple every point put into them, and the rest double every point put into them, etc.
*******
“Times 100,” Izuku muttered, holding his hand out to the ant, still marching towards him, unburdened by any limits of his Mana output.
The ground indented, as if under the impact of an invisible meteor. But it was really just Izuku increasing the gravity that acted on the ant itself. Half of the city of Jeju practically imploded under the force, causing Izuku to cringe inwardly. He’d have to offer his Shadow forces in the rebuilding of the island.
Even stranger, the ant was walking unimpeded in mid-air, his wings keeping him in place. It looked as if he was also in control of gravity, walking on nothing.
Of course, he wasn’t really, it was just that the energy that he was outputting was so intense that it fought against gravity itself.
“Times 1,000, Burst Impact.”
[Mana: 70,167/90,659]
Izuku’s Mana dropped precipitously as he exerted 1,000 Times the normal gravity on the ant in a single attack. This was different from the Times 100, which was maintained. Izuku couldn’t keep up that much force for long.
This time, the ant went crashing into the ground, buried so deeply into the Earth that he burrowed a cartoonish shape into the earth that matched with his body.
Any other S-Rank would have been turned to paste by the Magically Enhanced Gravity Attack. But even in spite of the momentary silence, Izuku felt the Mana rising from the hole in the ground.
“Grav Field.”
Pelting the ant with long range wasn’t cost efficient, Izuku had to be careful for his own Shadows’ sake, and consequently for the Heroes still inside the Jeju caverns. Merrix was working fast to pull everyone out, but he was also redirecting the Nomu that were flying towards the mainland and fleet in order to keep more lives out of harm’s way. He was working his ass off, and because his focus was stretched so thin, Izuku couldn’t rely on him entirely for the safety of others.
So instead, he’d gather Gravity Magic around his body, enhancing his already asinine strength, and kill the ant one-on-one.
“KIIIIIIEEEEK!!!!” The ant flew from the crack in the earth like a ballistic missile, locked firmly onto Izuku.
“Density Times 100, Inverse.”
Izuku’s density ballooned, the very particles that made up his body growing tighter, forming a shape analogous to that of diamonds. Despite this, he wasn’t slowed down in the slightest, because no matter how dense he became, his Grav Field kept him light as a feather.
Izuku pushed himself towards the ant, becoming his own missile, rearing his fist back and colliding with the monstrous being at disgusting speeds.
The ant’s entire body was cracking and spilling blood, even more so after Izuku’s punch radiated up his arm, the Gravitational Shockwaves scattering even more of the ant’s blood onto the ground below them.
They remained matched for just a moment, knuckle to knuckle, wings against Gravity Magic. But Izuku didn’t let it last long, his other arm snapping out and smashing the ant across the face. It spiraled through the air, trying to reorient itself as darkness began to blanket the skies.
Izuku was doing a repeat performance from his fight with Kaisel. A thin layer of Dark Magic hid the sun from sight, turning the entire battleground into a teleportation zone and stealth zone for Izuku.
“I’m sorry you were born to this fate,” Izuku’s voice echoed around the ant, coming from every direction. “I really am.” Izuku’s immediate response to the ant had been rage and condemnation, but as the battle shifted, and as lives were recovered, he managed to calm himself for the coming battle.
He wasn’t about to forgive the ant for its crimes, much less let it go free, but he managed to recognize the futility of the hive’s life. They could’ve tried to take a path to peace, but they were born to a biological imperative to consume. Ants on Earth were scarcely different, they didn’t attempt peace talks, they either killed or enslaved their enemies, and that was the end of it.
It was nature versus nurture. Perhaps the ant could have overcome his baser instincts, perhaps not. Regardless, its fate was not a kind one, and that, at the very least, was something Izuku could empathize with. Fate was rarely kind to the masses.
Izuku darted out from the darkness, striking the ant in the same place Miruko had kicked, compromising its flight.
Each shockwave was like a high-intensity bomb going off right behind the ant. Even if its wings remained attached, they would eventually be torn up by the pressure alone.
“I was born to win!!!” He shrieked. “To consume!!!”
“Is that all you wanted?” Izuku asked, genuinely curious. “All you wanted to be was the top of the food chain?”
“I was born for the nest!”
“I see. Then I truly am sorry for you. You never had a chance to live beyond your base instincts.” Izuku continued to dash around, striking the ant over and over, in the head, in the arms and legs, the chest, everything. He was moving so quickly that even the ant, who’s speed was unmatched, was starting to lose track of him.
“Is there nothing… nothing I surpass this human in? Not numbers… not speed… not strength… No, there is one… I do not care for the prey as he does!”
With a burst of speed, consuming whatever lifeforce and Mana he could muster, the ant narrowly avoided one of Izuku’s attacks, rushing from the darkness at near hypersonic speeds. He escaped so quickly that not even teleportation via the darkness could catch him. It worked mostly because Izuku had not expected him to run in the first place.
It was somewhat lame that Izuku had allowed it to happen at all, but he wasn’t concerned. Using his own powers of flight, he gave chase.
“That woman… kill… kill… KILL!!!” The ant no longer had any concept of reality. It had quite literally blocked out everything else, focusing its entire being on one singular shape, Lady Nagant.
Lying unconscious on the deck of the aircraft carrier, she was hidden behind Merrix, furiously being tended to by Esil and other healers. Despite their power, her condition was still extremely dire. And Esil, as strong as she was, wouldn’t be able to put up a barrier to block the ant, nor would Merrix be able to respond in time to teleport him away.
The ant wouldn’t just tear Nagant in half, he would tear through the entire carrier and sink it in an instant, endangering even more lives. It enticed him, because he craved blood and death, and he knew that the man chasing him wouldn’t be able to resist saving those in need. It was that disgusting morality that-
“Urk…” The ant coughed up blood, looking down.
Izuku had appeared in front of the ant, his claws outstretched, piercing his stomach like a javelin. The impact of two hypersonic forces colliding rocked the oceans, or at least, it would have, had Izuku not surrounded the shockwaves with gravitational forces, sending them up into the atmosphere instead of down onto the people below.
Izuku stared the ant in the eyes as he forced him away, pushing him into the middle of the sky, completely exposed and bleeding out desperately.
“I won’t…” He was barely fluttering along. “I refuse… to die…”
Izuku wasn’t listening, he was using his Gravity Magic to move something falling through the clouds.
“Goodbye.”
Like a thunderbolt from God, a dark sphere, weighing 100 tons, slammed into the ant’s head. It was a kinetic orbital strike that Izuku put into space before the fight even started. He had been manipulating its trajectory the entire fight, to ensure that it obliterated the ant, no matter the outcome.
The kinetic energy immediately turned into a ball of pure energy, forcing Izuku to contain the strike within a sphere of gravity.
Conventional orbital bombardments of the past, developed by the military, contained more power than a nuclear bomb. They weighed maybe 10 tons, and fell at a fraction of the speed of Izuku’s Gravity Strike. The amount of energy it contained could’ve wiped some countries off the map and turned them into little more than craters.
[Mana: 50,127/90,659]
It was the most Mana that Izuku had used in anything other than the Shadow Regeneration, and its effects were apparent.
After several minutes of rampaging energy, the sphere collapsed in on itself and there was nothing left but a puff of smoke, a Villain Core, and a single Soul. Both of which Izuku snatched from the air.
[You have gained 10 Levels!]
“Arise.”
In the coming days, almost every Asian country would report seeing a darkness that blotted out the sun for just a moment. They experienced such a chill that they narrowly stayed conscious.
Even Izuku himself was overwhelmed by the purity of the ant’s dark soul. So black that even Apex Dark Magic could not control it.
But then, after just only a second, which dragged on for what felt like minutes, condensed into a singular shape.
[??? - Commander Grade]
The ant’s inky shape made direct eye contact with Izuku, sending a chill down his spine. It was like all the evil in the world condensed into a single point.
“Did I screw up?” He wondered, unsure if he could even control the monster before him now. It was truly a godly entity.
“I serve the Shadow Monarchy.”
Like a wire snapping, the tension from the entire Raid fell by the wayside, and the ant knelt in mid-air, using its wings to remain upright as it pledged its fealty. But the day wasn’t over yet.
Izuku let out a shallow breath. The ant didn’t know it, but Izuku had been putting immense strain on his body and mind by balancing all the Dark Magic aspects he had been using. The Apex Skill did make things easier, but that didn’t mean they were free. He had expended a lot just to put the ant down.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen question marks in place of a name.” He scrambled for insect names, like Xenomorph, Archies, and even flirted with some Kaiju names. But in the end he decided they were all too typical for a creature like this, or simply didn’t match the appearance.
This thing was the emperor of the ants, and there was a novel that fit that description by a certain author.
“Let’s make it a bit more interesting than Bernard,” Izuku said. “You are… Beru.”
“Thank you, my Liege. I am forever grateful.”
Izuku nodded. “Then if it’s not too much trouble, kill the rest of the Nomu and get me their Souls.”
“Consider it done.”
Beru vanished from sight, ready to exterminate the rest of his kind and put Jeju back into human hands. In a way, it was an even crueler fate than his old life. But he owed quite a lot to humanity at the end of the day.
“My Liege,” Igris telepathically contacted Izuku, his voice so deep that Izuku actually had a bit of trouble understanding him. “All humans that were still alive upon our arrival are accounted for on human ships. They all live.”
“Perfect, knew I could count on you, Igris.”
“I am not worthy of such magnificent praise.”
Izuku smiled wryly. “Aside from Momo, there’s no one I trust more. You’re no servant Igris, you’re a companion.”
“I… Thank you, my Liege. Do you have any orders for us Shadows still on Jeju?”
Izuku nodded to the air, knowing that Igris could feel his movements even miles away, that was how strong the Shadow connection was. “Have the Shadows extract and gather as many Magic Crystals and Cores as possible. Pile them up somewhere safe for the Koreans to collect. We don’t need ‘em, and it’ll help them rebuild. And it will… also compensate them for the damage I did in my fight with Beru.” Izuku cringed, imagining the amount of work needed to repair the damage he had done.
“A gracious decision, my Liege. We shall set to work.”
At the end of the day, however, only about eight lives were lost. They were S-Ranks, and critical to their countries defensive power. But compared to the damage the hive could have done if left unchecked, it was the best outcome for a crappy scenario. Collateral damage could be repaired, lives could not. It was something even Izuku could not fix.
With the Souls being collected, the resources being gathered, and the nest being completely exterminated, both Izuku and Momo returned to the deck of the aircraft carrier, with Momo riding atop one of the F-54s, which had VTOL capabilities apparently, landing much like Kaisel had.
By that point, most Heroes, on any ship in the fleet, had lowered their weapons. It was clear that there was nothing for them to do. But when Momo and Izuku landed, their faces still held by intimidating outfits, some dropped their weapons altogether and fell to their knees, as if in supplication.
Momo took Izuku’s hand as a reporter, who had been stationed on deck, came sprinting towards them with a camera crew behind them.
“We’ve gotten a lot stronger,” She remarked.
“Yeah…” Izuku agreed, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the body bags containing the six Japanese S-Ranks. Korea had the other body, belonging to Eunseok.
Hawks, Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, Crust, Yoroi Musha, and Gang Orca were all dead. Even with Momo and Izuku joining the ranks of Japan’s Pros, it was a devastating loss. Add it to Mirio’s disappearance and All Might’s absence and the situation looked grim. Even though two new National Ranks showed up, it was a tough pill to swallow.
The reporter approached them, mic in hand as he asked the all important question.
“Who are you?!”
“We are the Shadow Monarchs.”
*******
“Do you think you could win against them?” President Katya Orlov asked her National-Rank advisor.
“They’re newborns in a world of power,” The man responded, his mask with glowing purple lines making his voice sound raspy and intimidating. “They’re strong, but they will fall to me.”
Officially, Russia had no National-Ranks. Yuri Orlov, the president’s little brother, was the closest Russia had to a public National-Rank, but he was a support Hero, capable of powerful Barrier Magic and little else.
Russia had always been the underdog in the Awakened Wars. With so much land in such a large country, it was virtually impossible for them to handle every single Gate that popped up in their territory. But ever the prideful country, they refused help from outside Agencies. As such many bordering countries had to keep Heroes on patrol in order to ensure no Gate Breaks in Russia spilled over to their country. It was a stressful situation that created heavy tensions between Russia and their neighbors.
Many had attempted to propose a law to the U.N. which disallowed countries to blatantly threaten others with Gates that they could not handle whilst also refusing help. After all, Gate Breaks were far more dangerous to the world than simple Raiding Parties going into the Gate beforehand. Jeju was a clear example of this.
However, despite the past 30 years being a constantly evolving landscape, one thing hadn’t changed. The U.N. was still incredibly slow to make decisions, and even slower to do anything about them. It was essentially up to the neighboring nations to do something about it.
So, partly out of spite, and partly because there was no other recourse, all of the countries that bordered Russia pooled their magical resources to create a country wide wall. Mongolia, China, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Finland, Belarus, and more all joined forces against Russia for this purpose.
Normally, using magical resources like Villain cores for construction projects was reserved for research and development, because building defensible structures with it was kind of stupid. After all, a Gate could appear anywhere, even inside a building, so it wasn’t like many structures that could resist a Villain existed. The Wall was the biggest magical construct to ever be undertaken.
It wasn’t meant to keep the bordering countries safer, it was actually designed to make Russia more dangerous.
Most Villains, when they saw the Wall, had one of a few reactions. Either they were too dumb to see it as anything other than an obstacle and would choose to walk back deeper into Russian territory to avoid the hassle; they were too smart to attack the wall that was patrolled by Heroes and saw it as a death trap and walked deeper into Russian territory; or they were arrogant enough to think they could surpass the Wall and died.
It was estimated that the Wall turned back 80% of Gate Break Villains. The other 20% that attacked the Wall were taken down swiftly. Because the surrounding nations had banded together in such a fashion, their alliance went from strictly business, to that of genuine friendship. Any Heroes patrolling the Walls had heard of entire families, perhaps people they knew, being killed off by Villains from Russia before the Wall was built. They had a camaraderie that surpassed most alliances in the world. And usually these countries had force to spare.
If a country like Japan asked for help from America, America would give them a price tag and only help if they paid up front. But the Alliance along the Wall sent help to any country with a Wall break within the same hour that there was trouble, without ever asking for compensation. And trouble did happen. Again the Wall was primarily to make Russia more dangerous. It helped reduce trouble in those neighboring countries but that really wasn’t even the point.
Somewhat ironically, Russia had managed to unite more people under a common banner than the actual Villains had.
There were plenty of movies where an alien threat emerged and humanity banded together, but in reality, it mostly ended up being every country for themselves. The early years of the Awakening Wars had a bit more cooperation, sure, but that didn’t last long and was only for big threats like Kamish.
So, now Russia was the most Villain-infested country in the world. People were beginning to worry that nests were growing in the country, similar to that of Jeju, but because they couldn’t actually survey the country without permission, no one knew aside from the Russians. It was practically the Cold War all over again. Not the threat of nuclear annihilation, but the secrecy and plotting.
Somewhat surprisingly, the populace wasn’t in dissent, mostly because Villains wiped out anyone who saw them, so no one really knew what was happening. And Russia was so big that it was pretty easy to cover stuff up.
Which just left one question… why?
Why endanger the stability of your country for pride?
There was a simple reason, Russia was saving its strength for this very moment, the moment a country like Japan lost a good chunk of its force. They were waiting to pull an Endeavor, but on a much grander and intelligent scale.
“So how about it, Nine?” Katya asked her advisor. “Are you ready to start a war?”
“I’ve been waiting for that very question.”
*******
“The Shadow Monarch and Shadow Empress refused to comment on their names, instead retreating from our reporter once it was ascertained that Jeju Island was well and truly safe. They only said that:”
“All you need to know about us is that we’re here to help.”
America President Andrew Levits switched off the TV and addressed his National-Ranks, or at least two of them. Christopher Reed refused any interaction with the president. They didn’t get along so well.
Thomas Andre would listen, but not necessarily act, and Stars and Stripes would do whatever she could to fulfill the President’s request.
“Those two, they’re wasted in a country like Japan. With that mess going on, Japan won’t want to lose their new shining stars, but they also will be in an economic recession due to the deaths of their Top Ten. And money is something we’ve got in spades.”
“You want us to recruit ‘em?” Thomas asked. “That’s your big ask? The Scavenger Guild already has a liaison flying out to barter with ‘em right now. The only trouble will be finding ‘em.”
“I expected nothing less,” Said the President, smiling ear to ear.
“You sure you wanna trust him with this, Mister President?” Stars asked, looking cross at Andre’s lackadaisical attitude in front of such an important man.
“I don’t care who gets them, so long as they’re working for America,” Andrew clarified. “I’ve also sent Adam White from the United States Federal Bureau of Heroes to recruit them.”
“They might not be gullible enough to be won over by money,” Andre said, “You realize that right?”
The President nodded. “They do seem to be quite the boy scouts. Money may not sway them. So you have the full backing of America to provide them with practically whatever they want.”
Andre nodded. “Sounds like this’ll be interesting…”