Chapter 96: FF dropped (Villains Attack 3)
(A/N: I read all your comments last Chapter, and I agree.
I am a worthless piece of shit, and I shouldn’t be writing anymore.
That’s it, this fanfic is dropped.
.
.
.
.
Hohoho, you fell for it. You obviously didn’t call it out from the beginning.
The title didn’t make it obvious in the least.
It was all a ruse, a mischievous prank, a little tomfoolery from my part.
Like some people say near where I live, DEAAA ANASHE.
I ain’t giving up that easily, baby. (In this, at least. This ff has 100 Chapters already, it’s too late for me to dip.)
In all seriousness, while I gave Toga plot armor last Chapter, I didn’t think it was all that big or impactful. I remembered her fighting with somewhat strong heroes (maybe...), somehow with a Quirk that only lets her copy appearances, and thought maybe she had some psyche-boosting side-effect in her Quirk, or she was just that freaky.
But perhaps, maybe, mayhaps, perchance, and unbelievably... I was wrong.
I do think what I wrote had at least a little believability, since I mostly made it so she used Uraraka and Tsuyu as hostages, while other things in the background prevented Suzaku from fully getting to her, but you’re right, Suzaku could have caught up to her pretty easily regardless.
So, I’m gonna rewrite that part of the Chapter.
Some day.
If I remember.
Anyway, that’s all, sorry for being so awesome that you guys can’t comprehend the machinations of my mind. I’ll try to do better.
Please don’t hate me so hard, though. I can take a few hate comments, but that many does demotivate me a little. Thanks to Samot Senpai for his cheering last Chapter; it helped dampen it a little.
I know it’s like webnovel culture, but I’m quite fragile, despite being super muscular, being 7 feet, and having testosterone flowing from me at all times.
Anyway, here’s the next Chapter.
Enjoy.
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-Swoosh-
Suzaku’s figure flickered swiftly through the forest, ignoring the smoke growing thicker around him—a product of the dangerous blue fire consuming the trees one by one, spreading unchecked not too far from where he was.
He squinted at the slowly advancing azure inferno.
Normally, that would have been his first stop. There was no way that fire was natural, some villain had to be behind it. But the explosions he’d heard earlier were still going off, and those took priority. A student might be in confrontation with a villain, after all.
He could deal with the fire after that. Putting it out wouldn’t be too difficult.
And killing the villain behind it wouldn’t be either
"Alright."
Plan set, he fixed his eyes on the source of the explosions and dashed forward.
-BOOM!-
-BOOM!-
-Rumble...-
’Whoever it is, they’re going wild.’ Suzaku sneered at the distant destruction.
At first, he considered it to be Bakugo. He was Mr. Explosion himself after all—but the wreckage didn’t match. Bakugo’s blasts were the hot charring type, but the devastation ahead was different.
It was the result of pure, unrelenting, and raw strength. Either something way big, or someone enormously strong.
Dust rose into clouds, trees were hurled aside or ripped apart, the ground trembled and cracked. Whatever was causing it, it sure was going wild.
"Am I gonna have to kill some kind of giant?" Suzaku muttered, his knife glinting faintly beneath his wrist as he ran at full speed.
That’d be nice. The bigger the target, the harder it would be for them to dodge, making his job easier.
Unless they were All Might-level kind of fast—but clearly this thing wasn’t. The forest was still standing, after all. If it had All Might’s speed and power, this whole place would already be a wasteland.
Which it wasn’t.
’I’ll get rid of it quickly then,’ Suzaku thought, his gaze flicking briefly to the blue flames in the distance.
He didn’t want those spreading too much. Anyone too deep in the forest risked being trapped between fire and destruction. So he had to deal with this fast.
"...?"
But as he neared the source of the chaos, Suzaku slowed. His plans of murder had to pause.
Because now he could see what was rampaging through the forest.
A massive shadow, bird-shaped with clawed hands, thrashed about, striking at everything in sight—moving or not.
’Bird guy’s Quirk?’ Suzaku noted.
The creature resembled Dark Shadow, Tokoyami’s Quirk—but larger, fiercer, and quite a lot angrier.
He remembered what he had seen from the bird-headed student at the festival, recalling in specific detail a certain point about his Quirk that had stood out the most.
Tokoyami’s Quirk weakened in bright light.
So he was quick to conclude that the opposite also applied. The darker it was, the stronger it became.
This explained its current state. Tonight was especially dark. The only light came from a thin moon, nowhere near full.
Apparently, though, it came at the cost of rationality.
The only confusion that remained, though, was why it was going berserk now, and not any other day that was too dark?
But he quickly disregarded it. The answer didn’t seem like it was gonna come to him, no matter how much he thought about it.
So he put his mind to focus on something else.
’Should I intervene?’ Suzaku wondered.
So far, it was just tearing up the forest, not fighting anyone.
-BOOOM!-
A violent tantrum, yes. But at worst, it would only ruin the scenery. Nobody was in real danger yet.
And once it got closer to populated areas, the brightness would weaken it.
And if not, Aizawa could handle it. Or maybe even the flames pushing this way. Depending on which direction it moved.
’But the question is whether Bird Guy, wherever he is, will be able to escape the fire once his Quirk weakens.’
Suzaku’s eyes narrowed, thoughtful as they flicked back toward the growing blaze.
Tokoyami wasn’t weak, but Suzaku preferred not to leave things to fate. What if the guy had been drained of his stamina by his Quirk and was too exhausted to run once he was back in control? What if burning trees collapsed and blocked his path?
Anything could happen. Fate was a bitch like that.
’I guess I’ll have to step in.’
Without another thought, Suzaku dashed forward. Seconds later, he landed just a few meters from the rampaging Dark Shadow, standing with a relaxed posture in front of the monstrosity.
"DIE, BUG!"
The sentient Quirk immediately noticed his presence and swung a massive claw to crush him.
Before it landed, Suzaku’s figure blurred, vanishing from the impact zone.
’For being so big, it sure is damn fast.’ A bead of sweat rolled down Suzaku’s forehead as his eyes narrowed.
He touched down on a branch—only to leap away again when another claw swipe demolished the tree beneath him.
-BOOOM!-
Still, as he soared through the air, descending slowly, he didn’t look fazed. Alert, yes, but calm.
When he landed, a strained voice reached him.
"You... who are you?!"
Suzaku’s eyes flicked toward the monster’s mouth—and his brow furrowed.
Tokoyami was trapped there, pinned by his own Quirk like a prisoner, bound and writhing in pain as Dark Shadow raged freely.
"A-Are you another villain?!" Tokoyami groaned, struggling helplessly against the creature suffocating him.
Another claw came crashing down toward Suzaku. He backflipped easily, letting the strike crater the ground in a massive palm-shaped hole.
-Shrkkk...-
"I’m something like reinforcements," Suzaku replied evenly as he landed back on the earth, skidding across the dirt. "Think of me as plague control."
The bird boy didn’t look convinced—not that it mattered. Even if he wanted to stop, it didn’t look like he was gonna be able to. The Quirk was in control now.
This time, Dark Shadow swung with both arms, trying to smash him between its palms.
—Bang!—
Suzaku leapt onto them the instant they clapped together, before then sprinting along the massive forearm at high speed until he reached the shoulder.
He looked ready to deliver a punch straight to its face when—
"GET OFF ME, BUG!"
The sentient Quirk thrashed violently, and the sheer force sent Suzaku flying.
Despite it, though, he landed calmly on another branch from one of the trees that hadn’t been toppled yet, only slightly shaken. While Dark Shadow looked for him, his eyes swept the surroundings, searching—
-Creeaak!-
-BOOM!-
—yet even distracted, he evaded another claw that tore the tree apart.
Landing on the ground again, his gaze locked onto the distant blue flames. A decision was set in his mind.
"Alright. Since I can’t kill this one, that’ll have to do."
Before the next swipe came, Suzaku spun on his heel and began sprinting toward the distant fire.
"WRAAAH!"
Dark Shadow roared, charging after him like a beast, using its two arms to claw at the earth, tearing through the forest and leaving devastation in its devastating crawl after its prey.
-Rumble...-
Trees were uprooted, the earth split, dust plumed. The shadow monster barreled forward with overwhelming speed—enough to catch anyone.
Anyone but Suzaku.
He kept ahead without much trouble, though his expression showed a flicker of surprise.
’It could’ve caught me if I hadn’t morphed my legs... It sure is scary when it gets dark.’
But surprise alone wasn’t enough to bring him down.
With his body altered for maximum speed, he was on a whole other level compared to months ago. Right now, he could easily leave the thing behind in just a few seconds.
But he didn’t.
As the fire drew closer, bright shards of light leaking through the trees ahead, Suzaku slowed just enough to bait the monster, making it believe he was within reach while leading it straight into the glow of the blazing inferno.
"GET BACK HERE, WEAKLING!"
It worked. The Quirk screamed in rage and surged faster, its momentum making the earth tremble. It slapped one hand out to grab Suzaku, only for him to dodge by a hair’s breadth, and for the Quirk to try again a few seconds later.
Each miss slowed it briefly before it tried to make up the lost distance by accelerating again, crawling more violently, and creating more destruction in its path.
The increase in speed allowed it to eventually catch up. Dark Shadow was almost on him—only a few meters away, just within arm’s reach, but still at a distance where the Quirk hesitated whether to go for it or not, fearing it might miss again.
That’s when Suzaku skidded to a stop, making the monstrosity’s eyes gleam with savage delight.
"YOU’RE DEAD!"
With catastrophic force, it lunged, both hands thrusting forward to squash him between its palms. But as Dark Shadow closed in—hands only a meter from Suzaku—
"Huh?"
The line of trees ended, and a huge burst of light washed over them. In an instant, Dark Shadow shrank back to its normal size.
What had been giant crushing hands now looked almost like an awkward hug.
The Quirk tilted its head, confused, then recoiled as it saw the inferno a short distance ahead, raging and consuming the trees. It retreated into Tokoyami, who lay a few meters away, panting hard, shaken after the whole ordeal, but otherwise relieved that it was over.
Sadly, his relief didn’t last.
"You!" After the initial moment of respite, he recalled who was close by and whipped his head in the unknown man’s direction, looking at him unsurely.
Friend, enemy? Who exactly was standing in front of him?
The newcomer stood calmly near the fire, his back lit so brightly by the blaze that he was nearly a silhouette.
’Am I going to die here?’ Tokoyami thought.
The man had referred to himself as reinforcements, but Tokoyami doubted it. He’d arrived at the same time the villains had, and it seemed unlikely the heroes on the trip could have gotten external help that fast.
His relief of finally being back in control clashed with a new unease. Now, standing in front of the giant fire, his only method of self-defense, Dark Shadow, was completely weakened, leaving him utterly powerless if the man decided to attack.
If he really was not an ally, then was this it? He didn’t have the strength to run away, and judging from the man’s earlier speed, it seemed unlikely he’d be able to get away even if he was able to run.
"...!"
His worry only increased when the man took a step closer and picked up a sharp branch on the ground.
Tokoyami’s pupils constricted. ’Is he going to stab me?!’ he panicked, scrambling to his feet to be ready against anything the man did.
But instead of charging him, the man walked toward the approaching flames and pressed the branch’s tip into them. It caught quickly.
Then, he returned, holding the makeshift torch out to Tokoyami.
"Take it."
"...?"
The raven-headed student stared at the offering, stunned, before accepting it slowly as if in a daze.
"I don’t know if that thing will come out again if you walk in too much darkness," the man said. "So carry that until you get somewhere more lit. If it burns out, swap it for another branch. I don’t have time to carry you back, so I hope you understand."
Tokoyami blinked and nodded faintly. Though his mind was set on something else.
’So he knows that Dark Shadow becomes stronger at night...? No, that’s not all, he also knew to bring it to a bright spot for it to calm down...’
Was the man in front of him affiliated with the school? Maybe an underground hero like Aizawa?
Tokoyami eyed him with suspicion.
Meanwhile, after receiving his approval, Suzaku huffed in satisfaction and began to walk away. Ready to continue with his work.
"Stop, please!" Tokoyami called, and the redhead—or rather, now a black-haired man—turned back with a raised eyebrow.
"What?"
Tokoyami hurried after him, one hand extended, paired with a helpless look from the otherwise stoic student. "If you’re really here to help us... Then please wait. My classmate Shoji was nearby when I went berserk. Because of my lack of attention, he lost his hand to a villain, which caused me to lose control of my Quirk and lose sight of him after that... I’m worried Dark Shadow might have injured him while I was trying to rein it in. So, please help me find him. He might be gravely injured!"
’This sure is a mess.’ Suzaku frowned, then sighed and scratched the back of his head, annoyed. "Alright."
He turned to go look for the said kid—then froze.
"Hmm?"
A figure was running toward them through the path of destruction Dark Shadow had left behind. It didn’t take long to recognize him. He stood out from the rest of their classmates, after all
’Extra-limbs guy... Shoji.’ Suzaku huffed, then turned back to Tokoyami, signaling towards the approaching student with a brief nod. "That’s your guy. If that’s all, I’m leaving."
Before Tokoyami could answer, Suzaku’s form blurred, and he vanished into the trees.
Not long after, Shoji arrived, breathing hard from whatever distance he’d sprinted.
"Oi, Tokoyami, you okay?!" he called.
"Shoji, you’re safe..." Tokoyami nodded, glancing at his friend as he heaved in relief, before then turning to look in the direction the stranger had gone, his expression turning solemn. "Yeah, I managed to calm Dark Shadow thanks to that man."
Shoji nodded before glancing in the same direction, sweatdropping slightly. "Who was that?"
"I don’t know. He said he was reinforcements... but I don’t think the teachers called him," Tokoyami said hesitantly, worry creeping into his voice. "He called himself ’plague control.’"
"Plague control?" Shoji asked, voice slightly shaken from both exhaustion and a tint of worry. "Then... who’s the plague?"
Tokoyami swallowed, closing his eyes as he spoke with a grave tone. "Since he called himself our reinforcements... that would make the villains the plague."
Then he remembered something, eyes widening and head snapping at his friend. "Your arm?!"
Shoji looked startled for a moment before giving a half-humorous sigh mixed with laughter. "Don’t worry. You couldn’t hear me once Dark Shadow started overtaking you, but the arm that got cut off was a copy—not the original. So besides some blood loss, it isn’t that big of a deal."
"Oh." Tokoyami exhaled, relieved, then flinched as the torch in his hand flickered. "We should hurry and go back... By the way, what happened to the villain?"
Shoji shook his head, looking worried. "I don’t know. I think it escaped once Dark Shadow started rampaging."
Tokoyami closed his eyes and clicked his tongue. "Hopefully it hasn’t attacked anyone else."
...
°
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| Somewhere else... |
...
"What are you doing, half-and-half bastard?! Immobilize him so I can get to him!"
"Are you crazy?! If I stop blocking for even a moment, he’ll skewer us in an instant!"
"Tsk, if only I could blast him...!"
"Forget it. This guy’s on another level. The best we can do is distract him long enough to find a chance to escape."
"Damnit...!"
—Crack!—
"Huh?"
"Crap!"
—Shiiin!!!—
Todoroki lurched as a sharp metal blade punched through the huge wall of ice in front of him and shot in his direction. He dodged the lethal part, allowing the blade to simply strike the ground harmlessly, but because he was carrying someone from Class 1-B on his shoulder, he was a tad too slow, and the blade still grazed him, leaving a nasty cut across his waist.
Nothing too serious, but still a crude reminder of the chilling danger of the situation.
Before another blade could come from the same spot, ice sprouted from his foot, reinforcing the wall and sealing the hole.
Still, neither he nor Bakugo looked any more at ease.
—Clang!—
—Shiin!—
—Crack!—
The metallic ring of blades slashing and piercing on ice kept ringing, and the rain of shards didn’t help their dread. No wall, however sturdy, would hold up forever under that sustained onslaught.
"Shit!" Bakugo spat, staring at Todoroki’s wound. He turned, feral, toward the wall—toward their enemy.
The villain was not physically strong, but Bakugo couldn’t just dash in. If he did, it’d be over for both of them. The enemy outclassed them in speed and agility and could control multiple teeth as living swords, which made their numbers meaningless. If he lunged now, that’d leave him open, and probably Todoroki too if he followed to help.
What was worse, even if he was capable of dealing great damage to him with his explosions, the problem was even getting close enough in the first place.
If only he had his hero equipment with him, his bracers, shooting a powerful enough blast from this distance wouldn’t be a problem.
"Fuck...!" Bakugo slammed his fist into a nearby tree.
As he grew more and more frustrated, Todoroki suddenly hurried up and gestured to the kid on his shoulder with a nod. "Bakugo, you carry him and escape. I’ll fire a blast of ice wide enough to block his entire vision so you can slip out and go back to the camp."
Bakugo’s annoyed glare swung to Todoroki.
"Don’t screw with me! If I leave, you’ll get overwhelmed by that guy! I’m the only thing keeping him from getting close."
Todoroki stepped closer, frustration clear in his voice. "That’s exactly why! If he doesn’t notice you slipping away, I’ll at least buy us a few minutes. Right now we’re cornered. But if you go, you can get a teacher to come!"
"Shut up..." Bakugo grabbed him by the collar. "I ain’t running away from this basta—"
—Crack!—
"Watch out!" Todoroki’s eyes widened. He tackled Bakugo out of the way just as—
Shiiiing—
Another blade shot through the ice wall.
Todoroki twisted at the last second, avoiding a fatal strike, but the edge still sliced close.
"Argh...!" He groaned, a hand flying to his ear as blood streamed down.
Bakugo recovered and saw what happened, his veins bulging in fury. "Fuck, just let me at him! If we could distract him for even a second, I’d blow his damn face off!"
Todoroki gritted his teeth, his gaze dropping to the blood. A chunk of his ear was gone. Probably not much, but it was proof they couldn’t hold out forever.
At this rate, they’d both be finished.
Bakugo had to leave and go get help. That was the only way both of them had of escaping this situation.
But as he thought that, Todoroki’s face darkened.
’I said I’d distract him... but I doubt it’ll be that easy,’ Todoroki thought grimly.
The villain wasn’t just a lunatic—his combat instincts were sharp. He manipulated dozens of steel teeth like living blades at the same time, maneuvering midair using some as stilts to keep himself high, and using others to hammer them with unrelenting strikes against the ice wall. Worse, he was hyper-aware of everything around him, which was why escape seemed difficult.
If Bakugo wanted to get away fast, he’d need to use his explosions to propel himself, but if he did, that lunatic would notice him right away, even if Todoroki tried distracting him.
Still, it was their only chance. Right now, they were on a losing battle with no way out.
If they wanted to win, they needed external help.
"Bakugo...!" Todoroki called, ready to argue again—
But a firm hand landed on his shoulder.
"No need."
’Who?!’
His pupils shrank. Flame burst from his body as he spun, trying to blast the intruder back.
And he did, the mysterious figure leapt back from the flames, though not looking too bothered by the fact that they had nearly reached him.
’A man in a suit?’ Todoroki’s eyebrows furrowed.
Bakugo snapped into alert, realizing someone unknown had appeared. "Who the hell are you, another villain?!" Explosions popped in his palms, ready to launch.
Todoroki’s stance stiffened too, sweat running down his temple.
’We can’t handle two at once...!’
But the man only sneered.
Then, before either of them could react, his figure blurred and shot high above the ice wall.
"FLESH!"
The villain’s shriek echoed instantly. Blades erupted toward the airborne figure.
"Watch out!" Todoroki shouted, eyes wide.
The man twisted midair, dodging most of them with fluid precision. Though one blade came straight for him—
But as it was about to reach him, a bone knife suddenly sprouted from his wrist.
CLANG!—
Steel and bone clashed. The man had parried the huge blade with careful precision using his knife.
Still, the recoil from the impact didn’t vanish. After the clash, he was forced back through the air.
"GIVE ME YOUR FLEEEESH!"
As he landed gracefully on a tree’s branch, more blades shot toward him, accompanied by the villain’s shriek.
But the man remained calm, he tapped the branch twice with his foot—then launched into the sky again.
—Shrieeeek!—
The blades screeched, twisting midair as they bent to chase him, this time coming from below.
-Clang!-
-Kashiiin!-
The man easily evaded most of them, and those that he wasn’t able to, he deflected with his bone knife, using the recoil coming from below to push himself even higher.
Then, as the blades finally seemed to reach their limit in length, finally giving him a moment of respite, the man performed a sharp twist of his body and aimed a hand down at the distant villain.
The two at the bottom stared dumbfoundedly. What was he about to—?
-Click-
Their thoughts were cut short as, abruptly, a bone gun sprouted from his wrist.
—BANG!—
Without warning, a bullet burst forward, flying straight at the villain.
He barely managed to evade, pushing off the ground with his steel teeth to fling himself aside at the last moment, escaping the bullet’s graze.
But just as the villain steadied himself to resume his rampage, eyes moving from the now-gone bullet back to the unknown man—
-Clang!-
A sharp impact rang out against the row of blade-teeth that he’d sent earlier to attack the man, making him sway slightly in the air.
He turned in a hurry, alert... only to see the man already closing in at terrifying speed.
The fucker, had used his teeth to propel himself against him!
The villain’s eyes squinted dangerously behind his mask. "That won’t do. You want to take away my precious flesh... stop me from seeing those boys’ innards? I CAN’T ALLOW THAT! YOU WILL NOT DENY ME WHAT IS MINE!"
-Snap!-
His teeth instantly snapped back to his side like measuring tape, faster even than the approaching figure of the unknown man.
The villain’s eyes widened madly, watching as his opponent readied himself too, the same knife from earlier sprouting from the man’s wrist in preparation to deliver a killing blow.
He could have attacked at that moment, but the man was too close for him to risk it.
He had to dodge first.
—Swoosh—
Before the strike could land, he launched himself aside, the teeth on the ground propelling him out of reach just like earlier.
His control over his Quirk was frightening.
Soon after, the man zipped past him, knife too far away to land cleanly, and the villain’s teeth twisted again, aligning themselves to strike.
Having missed, the man was now trapped in freefall. No footing, no support, no way to dodge. Twisting his body might let him avoid a few, but not all.
He was wide open!
"LET ME SEEEEEE YOUR FLESH!" the villain screamed in delight, seeing victory become imminent.
The blades blurred forward, a dozen streaks of death, each one ramifying into even more chilling blades that shrieked in contact with the air.
Yet, as the storm of metal rushed after him as he fell, the man only smiled faintly.
In the background, both Todoroki and Bakugo tensed, ready to jump in. This was too good an opening to waste—if the man died here, then they wouldn’t have another chance to strike again.
Sadly, before any of them could make the first move, the man finally made contact with the ground, and following right after, the rain of sharp steel began falling upon him.
—Shck!—
—Shck!—
—Shck!—
—Shck!—
—Shck!—
The next second, the ground where the man had stood was completely skewered, torn apart by the teeth that pierced the earth with ease, and interlocked with each other, creating something akin to a prison of blades that connected directly with the villain in the sky.
Bakugo and Todoroki’s eyes widened.
Was that it? Had he really died in such an anticlimactic way?
Just because he had missed once, he was already dead?
They couldn’t believe it.
The villain assumed the same, a grin wide tugging beneath his mask that only left his mouth for show.
"Yes... yes... LET ME SEE IT! I WANNA SEE IT!"
His gaze fixed on the dust cloud, eager for the carnage to reveal itself, mouth already salivating after imagining the beautiful scenery of blood and organs sliced apart in a dozen parts.
But as the dust settled, finally allowing him to get a clearer view of the prison of blades... his eyes widened in shock.
There was no one. The blades had struck the empty ground and nothing else.
The villain immediately panicked, falling into disarray as he grabbed his head like he was in pain. "Where... where did my flesh go?! WHERE—"
—Tshck!—
But before he was even able to continue with his tamthrum, the wet sound of piercing flesh silenced him. Blood spurted from his throat as, suddenly, the man began materializing behind him from thin air, revealing him as the one who had stabbed him right on the throat.
"Right behind you." The man muttered with comical calmness.
Then, a wet sound echoed as he retrieved the blade from the villain’s body.
The villain didn’t even get to respond or groan. He was already dead.
With his life already gone, so was the control he had over his own Quirk, and thus on his balance right now in the sky. Soon, his body tumbled from midair, crashing hard onto the ground.
The man leapt from his back as he fell, landing smoothly a short distance away.
And as if it were nothing, once the villain’s body hit the ground, kicking up a small dust cloud, the man simply brushed the dirt off his clothes with disregard.
"That makes it what... four, five?" he muttered, eyes on the corpse.
From how skilled the villain had been with his Quirk, he’d probably been a big shot in his troupe—a notorious one even. He didn’t look sane, either, which only added to the feeling that this one had probably been a problematic villain, maybe one feared by the masses.
But it didn’t matter now. He was dead.
Infamous or not, he’d been killed in one blow.
And as such, he didn’t deserve for Suzaku to bother knowing his name, who he was, and what he had done.
His life and all his memories were ending here, at Suzaku’s hand.
Suzaku sneered and closed his eyes for a beat, letting himself relax. He was glad to have finished what was likely the last villain threatening the students.
He’d only come across a few while sweeping the forest, so he didn’t think there were many left. Considering he’d already dealt with most of them—save for one girl—it seemed unlikely more remained.
Even if there were, enough time had passed that most students should’ve made it back to camp—except Todoroki, Bakugo, and Kosei who lay unconscious on Todoroki’s shoulder.
And once those three headed back, he’d finally have a clear path to put out the fire and deal with whoever was behind it.
But first—
He turned to the two teens who stared at him in shock and waved them off.
"Shoo."
They blinked, thrown by his casualness after killing someone right in front of them. After a few seconds, they recovered, with Bakugo being the first one to speak
"Nothing of shooing us away—who the hell are you?!" he barked, stomping forward as small explosions sparked in his palms.
Todoroki watched with furrowed brows, clearly puzzled too, but more hesitant than Bakugo to pick a fight.
Not that it mattered.
The man gave them a friendly wave. They looked confused for a second—then startled as he vanished in an instant.
"Where—?!" Bakugo yelled, head snapping around looking for him like crazy. He even seemed ready to storm off to where he had dissapeared to search for him, but Todoroki grabbed his shoulder and held him back.
"Let’s go back, Bakugo. We have to reunite with the others and the teachers."
"Tsk." Bakugo scowled, but even he knew when it was time to retreat.
As much as he wasn’t willing to let the matter go just yet, he also knew that at a time like this, wasting time on something like that wasn’t what they should do. Not when villains might be attacking everyone.
So, while looking reluctant, he ended up relenting.
With the decision done, the two glanced uneasily once more in the direction the man had vanished before then starting to walk back toward camp, leaving the clearing empty and silent.
Silent... at least until the two were finally gone for good. With them away, the air suddenly began rippling and bending. Then, from the place he’d disappeared, the man reappeared, smirking faintly.
"So stubborn," he scoffed, then turned his gaze, his eyes squinting as the blue light of the raging inferno not too far away reached him.
It had grown more devastating than before, and at the rate it was going, it’d only grow more uncontrolled if allowed to continue.
He couldn’t put it off any longer.
’I guess I was gonna have to do this one day or another...’ Suzaku sighed and began walking toward the distant fire. ’I should get this done fast. The last thing I want is for them to link this identity to my real one because I was gone too long.’
A heavier note crept into his voice this time—less relief, more dread.
"Let’s hope this won’t escalate too badly."
Then, his body began to grow.
...
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-To be Continued...-
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(A/N: 5000 words, how’s that?
It went a bit beyond the usual length of Chapters since I didn’t want to overextend on these two events or make them into two different Chapters. That would have been a bit too shameless.
But eitherway, it’s done. Time to begin wrapping this part of the arc, so we can move on to the good stuff. (Hopefully it will be for you)
Having said that, I hope you liked the Chapter.
Here’s another meme)
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