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| Outside the forest… |
…
"Darn you, fake heroes!"
A man with a reptilian appearance, a bandana, and armor similar to that of Stain, bellowed as he swung a massive sword made out of countless smaller swords, kept together by a few belts, straight at Mandalay.
He was the villain Spinner, a devoted fan of Stain and a new member of the League of Villains who had joined to carry on with his legacy.
"Ugh!"
"Damn it, stop dodging you bitch!"
Mandalay evaded swiftly, wincing as a burst of air created by the sword's swing hit her, but otherwise avoiding the hit completely. Fortunately, her opponent was inexperienced, so that made it easier to dodge the slashes.
The only real danger the man in front of her represented lay in his brute strength and the wild swings that his inexperienced mind controlled, making it hard to predict him and, hence, to get a hit in.
As she retreated momentarily, she glanced toward Tiger, locked in combat with another villain at the moment. A woman of robust appearance, wearing normal clothes and a pair of sunglasses, while carrying a large metal beam and brandishing it as a weapon.
She was the villain, Magne.
Both of them could be seen interlocked in a fierce fight, moving at roughly the same speed and striking with the same force.
Mandalay gritted her teeth, her eyes quickly returning to the already chasing Spinner.
She wanted this fight finished. Every second she spent here was a second the students—those who'd gone into the forest for the test of courage—were left vulnerable. If she didn't wrap this up quickly, someone could be gravely injured… or worse.
Not only them, but her partner, Ragdoll, had ceased connection some moments after the villain's attack began. She had tried reaching her with her telepathy, but she was nowhere to be found.
What could have possibly happened to her? Was she driven away from the area she could scan and was trapped in a battle of her own, or…
Clenching her teeth, she scanned the reptilian man for an opening. Anything. One mistake, and she could end it.
But for all his lack of technique, the sheer size and reach of that sword kept her at bay. Getting close without risking receiving a direct hit was nearly impossible.
Tiger couldn't help either; his own fight had him fully occupied.
Pixie-Bob was no better—she was the one who took the full brunt of the surprise attack when the villains arrived, having taken a nasty hit to the head, and now was rendered unconscious.
That left only her and Tiger to protect the kids.
'Even then… I'm still stuck here with this guy!'
Scowling and letting her worry cloud her judgment, she made a rash move.
"Die, you harlot!"
—Swoosh!—
As the man's sword carved through the air, Mandalay dodged again.
Then, seeing an opening, she kicked off the ground and dove under his guard.
The man's eyes widened seeing the mistake he had made.
Without letting him time to recover, Mandalay lashed out a kick against the man's waist, hoping to get him to drop the sword in the process.
But before she could hit...
—Clang!—
The man managed to pull the sword just in time to use it as a shield. Blocking her kick completely.
Thus, leaving her open in turn.
Her eyes went wide.
'Crap!'
Spinner laughed, "Hah, time to die, fake!"
In one swift movement and dashing after Mandalay, who was trying to escape, Spinner swung the sword down, ready to slash her in two.
But just as the sword was about to make contact….
—Whip!—
Cloth shot forward, wrapping around the massive blade and yanking it to a halt. The metal of the sword groaned as the cloth battled with Spinner's strength.
The reptilian man froze, shocked, but before he could even turn to see who'd intervened, more cloths lashed out, binding his body tight.
"Wha—what's this?!"
He thrashed, but the fabric held strong. He couldn't move.
And then—
—Whack!—
"Ack—!"
A knee smashed straight into his snout. His head snapped back, blood spurting from his nostrils as he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
-Thud!-
Mandalay's eyes widened.
"Eraser Head!"
Aizawa, as blunt as ever, gave her a curt nod as he landed back on his feet after his knee strike, scanning the battlefield. "I'm already aware of the situation. A villain tried to ambush us near the building, and some students have already updated me on some details about what happened in the forest. Has anyone returned?"
She shook her head. "They're still in the forest. We have to go help—"
"No need," Aizawa cut her off, his monotone carrying a trace of amusement. "They're already here."
"What?"
Mandalay blinked, then turned her head. Sure enough, students were emerging from the labyrinth of trees—some carrying the unconscious, others moving in groups.
"They made it out safe!" Relief flooded her voice.
Aizawa also looked relieved through that usual poker face of his. Albeit, his expression visibly soured once he heard someone approaching from the opposite direction.
He turned around, deadpanning as he saw who it was.
"You're really fast, sensei," Tetsutetsu panted, looking exhausted. Beside him, Itsuka looked just as winded.
Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "You two—I believe I told you to stay with Vlad at the building."
Tetsutetsu raised his fist. "Don't worry. Vlad-sensei said we'd be more useful here, helping the injured get back to camp."
"That irrational guy." Aizawa clicked his tongue. "Fine. But no fighting. That's the job of us pros."
Itsuka nodded quickly. "Yes, sensei."
Without wasting another second, the two of them dashed toward the students emerging from the forest.
Meanwhile, Aizawa turned to Tiger and the villain he was fighting.
"Mandalay, I'll leave this one to you."
"Hm!" She nodded and quickly moved to immobilize Spinner in a lock, while Aizawa unwrapped his capturing weapon and dashed straight for the other villain.
Tiger and his opponent were still locked in a close fight, trading blows and dodging with equal intensity. Although Tiger held a slight edge, it wasn't enough to finish things quickly.
Fortunately, help had arrived.
Just as the villain was about to launch an attack—
-Tack!-
Aizawa's capture weapon shot out, wrapping around her arm and freezing her mid-motion.
"Nice one, Eraser Head!" Tiger shouted. Without hesitation, he lowered his guard and threw his full weight into a punch. "Ora!"
—BAM!—
The strike landed square on her jaw, snapping her head violently to the side.
Only for Tiger to follow it right away with a blow to the ribs.
"Ora!"
—THUD!—
"Ugh!"
Magne bent in half at the blow, eyes bulging behind her sunglasses.
"Damn you—!" she spat, gritting her teeth and pushing through the pain to throw a kick, forcing Tiger to back off momentarily.
Her eyes swept over the approaching Aizawa, realizing that this was gonna be more than what she could handle.
Thus, she settled for her last card under her sleeve.
"Let's see how you like this!"
She activated her Quirk—Magnetism. By assigning opposite polarities to people of different sexes, she could make them attract each other like magnets, forcing violent collisions.
She tagged Mandalay, who was pinning Spinner, and the two heroes were closing in on her, intending to use the chaos to escape.
But just as she did—her Quirk vanished.
"What?!"
"Foolish." Tiger's voice came from the side, making her eyes widen as she saw him winding up a punch at full power. "Your Quirk was gone the moment that man stepped in."
Aizawa's steps echoed behind her, nearing with evident hostility in their pace.
'Damnit.'
-BAM!-
-SLAM!-
Two strikes landed almost simultaneously, one to the face, another to the back. A second later, she collapsed, unconscious.
"That's the end of you, villain!" Tiger snorted.
Aizawa wasted no time, binding her tightly with his capture weapon.
Then, Mandalay brought Spinner over, unconscious as well. The same cloth restrained them both with ease.
With the threat neutralized, Mandalay and Aizawa didn't waste time and walked toward the students while Tiger kept watch over the two villains.
"How's everyone, Kendo?" Aizawa asked her as they both walked up to her tending to some of her classmates' injuries with a medicine kit she'd brought from the main building.
Itsuka nodded, looking faintly relieved. "No serious injuries. Just a few knocked out by the sleeping gas that spread earlier."
Aizawa gave a curt nod. "Good. Is everyone accounted for?"
Itsuka hesitated, glancing at the group with worry.
"Some students are still missing. Maybe we should—"
"Help!"
Her words were cut off by shadows stumbling out of the forest.
Everyone tensed—until the figures came into the light.
It was Awase, struggling to support Yaoyorozu, who could barely walk, while also carrying an unconscious Midoriya over his shoulder.
"Yaoyorozu! Midoriya!" Aizawa exclaimed, alarmed.
Itsuka rushed over, quickly taking Yaoyorozu from Awase to ease the burden. Tetsutetsu hurried up as well, lifting Midoriya off his shoulder.
"Awase, what happened?!"
Groaning as the weight finally left his shoulders, the boy swept his arm over his forehead, sweeping the blood away, "We were attacked by some kind of monster with its brain exposed. We didn't react fast enough, and Yaoyorozu got hit badly. After that, it chased us nonstop. I got banged up during the escape."
At the mention of such a creature, Aizawa's brow twitched.
'A monster with an exposed brain… That sounds familiar.' His eyes narrowed, concern flashing across his face.
Itsuka scanned the barely conscious Yaoyorozu for a few seconds before turning back to Awase. "What happened to it? How did you get away?"
Awase's face turned serious, looking almost hesitant to speak as if he himself didn't believe it. "A man showed up—someone we didn't know. He saved us from the monster, and then handed Midoriya to me…"
Aizawa glanced at Midoriya, his eyes squinting as he saw the grave injuries of the green-haired kid.
"What happened to him?"
Awase shook his head. "I don't know, he was already like that before that man would pass him to me."
"That kid!" Mandalay's eyes widened in horror. "He ran after Kota when the villains attacked, if he's like that—"
Right away, she used her telepathy scan to search for the little kid, cold sweat rolling down her forehead as she imagined the worst.
But just a few moments later, her face calmed down.
She looked like she was in a conversation, her worry diminishing with each second.
Finally, after what was a few minutes, she finally turned back to Aizawa and the students, now sporting a faint smile.
"Kota is fine... he's currently hidden in the forest." She sighed in relief, although her expression soured as she turned to the beaten-down broccoli-kid. "He explained to me that the kid protected him from the attack of a villain, before an unknown man appeared and saved the two of them."
"The same man, I assume." Aizawa squinted.
"Sensei, do you know who he is?" Awase chimed in.
Aizawa shook his head. "Besides the hero team here and us teachers, no one else should be present." Then, he turned to Mandalay. "Did you call for backup when the villains attacked?"
"We couldn't. We were busy fighting the two villains," Mandalay said, shaking her head as well.
"Another villain then?" Aizawa muttered under his breath, though loud enough for some to hear.
Awase spoke up. "I don't think so, sensei. He said something about clearing the forest… from the villains."
Both heroes frowned, their confusion deepening. Who exactly was this man?
"What did he look like?" Aizawa pressed.
"Black hair, he was wearing a suit… and he… uh, he grew a pistol from his wrist. With it, he killed the monster in one shot, even though it shouldn't have gone down that easily."
The details clicked in Aizawa's mind.
'Nezu mentioned someone like that showing up at his office and telling him about the dead villains and the bombs during the sports festival… and the autopsy performed later also revealed that those villains had died unnaturally fast from wounds that shouldn't have been fatal… Just like the monster Awase described.'
It was becoming clear. The same organization was behind both incidents, considering that in both, humanoid creatures with the brain exposed were found.
And the mysterious man interfering—killing the villains—was the same as well. Both in appearance and killing methods.
But who were they, and how were they related?
'I already have an idea about the organization.' Aizawa's eyes narrowed. 'The League of Villains.'
Not only was Spinner clearly attempting to imitate Stain, but they were the only ones who had clearly announced their aim to attack one of their students weeks ago.
And on that thought—
"Kendo, where's Suzuki?"
"Eh? He said he was going to help others…" She glanced back toward the injured, a bead of sweat rolling down her temple. "But he still isn't here."
'Damn it. He's their target!' Aizawa clicked his tongue, recalling Stain's words on the transmission a few weeks ago, bracing himself to sprint into the forest to search for him.
But just before he could—
"Sensei!"
Two more figures stumbled out. Shoji and Tokoyami emerged from the foliage, one of them holding a torch.
After a quick barrage of questions, they too reported a man stepping in to help them, having calmed Tokoyami amidst his rampage, and gone off to supposedly deal with the rest of the villains.
Aizawa got worried for a second upon seeing Shoji's cut-off arm, but after a quick explanation, he realized the damage wasn't that bad.
He was preparing to dash into the forest again when, at last, Todoroki and Bakugo also appeared. They looked worse, holding some cuts over their body, and with Todoroki evidently lacking a chunk of his ear, bleeding heavily from there.
Fortunately, it didn't seem like a vital part, so it wouldn't impair his hearing heavily, but it still was a dreary sight.
Upon questioning, their story was the same. A man had arrived, dealt with the villain who had them cornered in just a matter of seconds, and then shooed them.
By now, it was clear the stranger wasn't an enemy—but he wasn't necessarily an ally either.
Aizawa scanned the crowd. With the students who had just arrived and were now receiving treatment for their injuries, the two classes were finally fully reunited—except for one.
The one student who always drew the most attention. The one supposedly in the greatest danger right now.
Suzaku had yet to appear.
Aizawa didn't say anything, but it was clear many students had already noticed. The absence of the redhead's usual bragging—something that normally helped ease tense situations—hung heavy in the air.
His eyes narrowed. If Suzaku was the only one missing, then the answer was obvious. The remaining villains had gotten to him.
The kid could handle himself, sure, but for how long?
He needed to go fetch him.
Even though some unknown man with a high capability for murder was still at play and would probably protect him like he had done with his other students, he didn't want to leave the safety of one of the students to some unknown variable.
"Kendo, lead everyone to the main building. I'll go get Suzuki."
She nodded, walking to everyone so they could get on the move.
Aizawa looked ready to get moving as well.
But just as everyone was beginning to move, it happened.
-Rumble…-
It all began with a low rumble, barely perceptible. Some noticed it, some didn't.
But then, more came, increasingly more intense one after the other.
At some point, there was no one left who hadn't felt it. Everyone was looking around in confusion.
-Rumble!-
The ground shook beneath their feet. A low, distant growl of the earth itself as something big was moving.
Like steps, slow and calm, but powerful enough to make the world shake.
At first, Aizawa was only cautious, scanning his surroundings to make sure nothing was attacking them. But then, he noticed the others—students and pros alike—staring off into a distant point above the trees with horrified expressions.
Confused, he followed their gaze—and froze.
"...!"
His pupils shrank in disbelief.
-Rumble!-
Towering above the forest loomed a titanic humanoid mass of writhing crimson ooze, its form heaving and twitching in grotesque chaos, as though it had never truly settled into shape. Several tendrils lashed violently behind it, each tipped with vicious, spike-like barbs. At its front yawned a nightmare of a maw—stretching from chest to lower body—lined with jagged teeth and a grotesque, lashing tongue.
Atop its shifting bulk, where a head might be, a single pale blue eye lay without pupil, unblinking and unmoving, yet... even at a distance of over a kilometer, it seemed to take in everything around it… including them.
Aizawa quickly recognized the being. How could he not? It was a huge topic a few weeks ago, a giant monster that dealt with Mirko as if she'd been a child, and caused nightmares to the onlookers who had been present at that moment, including heroes.
At that time, he had scoffed when reading about the incident. What kind of heroes could just freeze in terror while one of them fought fervently against a monster?
Sure, it looked like something came straight out of a horror movie, but heroes were people who fought constantly with their lives on the line. How could a hero freeze? That was just incompetence.
Now, he understood it.
Its appearance, while horrific, was not the true horror of the creature. It was its presence.
The very air around it screamed end, like standing in front of imminent death personified. Every single instinct dormant in the body built for survival was sent on alert with just the mere sight of the being.
Even Aizawa, hardened and armed with his Quirk, felt powerless just looking at it.
He could maybe move if it meant the safety of his students, but for the moment, he found himself immobilized. Even though it was so far away, he found himself unable to look away from the being standing like a behemoth in the distance.
He wanted to tell his students to move already to the main building, but he couldn't.
'Damnit… move!'
He screamed in his mind, trying to snap out of it.
But he couldn't. The same went for all the heroes around; Tiger and Mandalay looked like they also wanted to move, but simply couldn't.
They could only watch as the being stood there, for what felt like hours.
Only, it had been merely a few seconds.
Then, the creature moved.
It did nothing elaborate. It didn't rush at them, it did not scream like it had done in the videos online, it didn't even go berserk.
No.
It simply swatted at the air—like brushing aside a fly.
—BOOOOOOM!!!—
And with that one motion, the raging blue inferno that had been consuming the forest in the distance… vanished. Snuffed out beneath the crushing pressure of its strike.
Along with the fire, countless trees, rocks, and clouds of dust were blown away. The shockwave tore through everything in its path, shaking the earth beneath their feet.
Everyone could only gape at the sheer devastation of that single motion, leaving them frozen in disbelief.
And then, something even stranger happened.
As the flames vanished, the towering figure slouched forward—then began to shrink. Visibly.
From titanic, to towering, to giant… smaller and smaller it became, collapsing in on itself until the treeline swallowed it. At last, it disappeared completely into the forest canopy, its presence vanishing along with it.
All that remained was the cold sweat trickling down their necks and the hammering of their hearts in their chests.
And not even five seconds later—
"What the hell was that thing?"
Suzaku's voice cut through the silence. The redhead burst from the foliage, glancing nervously over his shoulder as he ran toward them.
"Suzuki!" Aizawa barked, his body snapping back into motion as he glanced between Suzaku and the spot where the monster had been in the distance. "What happened? Where were you?"
Suzaku looked at him, then at the group, before letting out a long sigh—relieved, exhausted, it was hard to tell. "A pack of villains jumped me while I was looking for everyone. I fought them off for a while until some weird guy in a suit showed up to help."
Aizawa's eyes narrowed, but he held his tongue and let him continue.
"I ditched him so he could finish the fight while I came back here. Then that… thing appeared in the distance and scared the hell out of me."
"Any injuries?" Aizawa asked.
Suzaku scoffed. "They weren't skilled enough to land a hit. Just a few scratches from running through branches and bushes."
Aizawa gave a curt nod. "Good. Go join your classmates. We're moving to the main building now."
"Got it." Suzaku turned and began walking calmly back to the group, going to Itsuka and Tetsutetsu.
"Yo, what happened?" Tetsutetsu asked,
"I had some run-ins with the villains." The redhead answered as he patted his clothes. "I was about to beat them when some weirdo butted in and told me to leave. It wasn't being that fun, so I just left it to him."
"The same unknown guy, huh?" Awase commented from afar, leaning against a tree.
"You know him or something?" Suzaku asked, tilting his head.
"Yeah, he saved me and Yaoyorozu. Somehow, he killed the monster that had been chasing us in one shot. It was a bit scary."
"Yeah, well, I didn't stay to see how he dealt with the villains. So maybe he did the same with them."
Itsuka chimed in this time, grabbing his arm and lifting it, scanning him from head to toe. "You fought villains? You didn't get injured, right? I've got a kit with me, so don't keep your injuries hidden like an idiot."
Suzaku sneered. "They didn't even get to graze me, so chill."
"Somehow, I can picture it," Tetsutetsu muttered, smirking faintly.
Just like that, the air around the group had lifted slightly.
But one person's mood remained the same.
Aizawa.
His sharp gaze followed Suzaku, scrutinizing with what seemed like suspicion.
'Something's not clicking here...'
For starters, Suzaku's clothes, though a little scuffed, were far too clean for someone who claimed he'd been fighting against multiple villains. What was more, despite the recent appearance of the giant being, he seemed relatively unaffected by it. Sure, he said he had gotten one heck of a scare, but despite it, he wasn't sweating, nor were there any signs of shock like some of the students still showed right now.
It was as if the monstrous sight hadn't fazed him in the slightest.
Maybe he was good at keeping that straight face of his... but it seemed unlikely.
-Sigh...-
'Well, it can wait for later.'
Right now wasn't the time to pry. First, the students had to be secured. Then, the questioning could begin.
"Alright, all of you," Aizawa commanded, "let's move—"
-Shiiiiin!-
His words were cut short when he suddenly heard a sharp sound coming from behind him, as some kind of fabric was being torn apart.
No, not a fabric. Space.
"...!"
He snapped around, ready to strike, just in time to see a swirling dark portal open. From it, a wrinkled hand reached out toward him.
"Kgh—!" He kicked off the ground, narrowly evading the hand's touch by mere centimeters.
But before he could breathe in relief, another portal spun open behind him.
This time, he wasn't fast enough.
"The vital part of any magic trick… is the distraction."
"Cra—!"
The voice came from behind him, and a hand emerged, pressing against his back.
In an instant, Aizawa vanished—replaced by a small marble that clattered to the ground.
Then, a figure stepped out of the portal and casually picked it up. A man in what seemed like a magician outfit.
"Well, wasn't that anticlimactic?" He said mockingly, while eyeing the marble with amusement.
"Damn you!" Tiger roared, charging the villain with his fist pulled back.
But before his strike could land, yet another portal swirled open, and a hand shot out, this time much bigger, seizing his forearm.
"What—?" Tiger exclaimed, turning towards the portal.
Only for his face to freeze upon seeing what emerged from it.
The gateway expanded, and a monster stepped through—its brain exposed, its gaze empty.
"...!"
Tiger didn't even have time to brace.
—BAM!—
The creature's fist slammed into him, sending him hurtling through trees until he finally crashed to a stop.
As the hero lay defeated while embedded in a nearby tree, the monster emerged fully, eerie and mindless, but terrifying all the same. A cannon fused with one hand, a glowing blue orb pulsing in its chest—it looked like a grotesque, engineered war machine.
Mandalay panicked, rushing to shield the students despite knowing she had little chance.
Luckily, or not, the two villains didn't attack right away. They simply stood, waiting, as another, larger portal began to twist open.
From it, several figures stepped out.
"Finally, one of the biggest threats here is dealt with," a familiar voice drawled. Suzaku narrowed his eyes. "Now, let's hurry up. We're pressed for time."
Shigaraki had arrived, followed by a blonde girl, another Nomu, a man covered in burns, and another dressed in a full black-and-white spandex suit.
And finally—
"I told you we'd be reunited soon, Suzaku Suzuki."
Stain. His hair was gone, replaced by a massive scar running from his forehead down the back of his neck, a grotesque seam of stitched flesh.
"Now is the time you die, fake hero."
…
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-To be Continued…-
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(A/N: Another cliffhanger, I apologize for that, it'll never happen again.
Nah, not really, I'm very evil, you see.
Also, you may or may not have noticed, but Suzaku didn't know Toga, as he didn't meet her in the new version of the 95th chapter that I still haven't edited. In summary, Suzaku passed by, didn't see her, but she saw him and contacted Shigaraki either way because she had a bad feeling.
So yeah, there you go.
Anyway, the next chapter is the end of the forest arc, so look forward to it.)
Found this image some days ago
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