"Talk?! Are you crazy?!"
After falling onto the roof of the building closest to the alley, I found myself dodging two knives the moment we landed. Stain raised his sword above his head before attacking me with a downward slash. My tendril intercepted it, forcing him to jump back as I regained my stance.
"Damn psychopath, listen to me!"
"A hero doesn't waste time talking! You're just another fake!"
The problem is mine for wanting to associate with lunatics. Midoriya is supposed to be stronger than his original counterpart by now, and yet this guy is still on his feet, with more energy than I imagined.
And that's not my only problem—I have Endeavor heading this way and Shigaraki watching every move Stain makes. Let's hope this goes well, because if it doesn't, I'm screwed.
I launch directly at Stain, my threads dig into the ground and, arching beneath it, reach the assassin's legs, holding him in place. He doesn't hesitate to strike me with his sword. Throwing my body completely downward, I barely dodge by a hair, but he's already broken free of my hold.
The threads still underground obey my command, rising as massive spikes, creating enough distance between us to shift the rhythm of the fight.
"Seems then, Stain, that I'll have to speak your language!"
I say as a katana's hilt forms on my neck. I pull it out, and slowly the blade takes shape. Once finished, the sword points toward the ground while I wait for his next move.
We don't exchange another word as we both charge at the same time. Our swords clash—his is shorter, so he's forced to retreat first. I chase him as he leaps, and to improve his position he throws three knives in my direction. My tendril intercepts them, knocking them down without much effort or damage.
However, if there's one thing you should never underestimate about Stain, it's… his speed.
A knife strikes my forehead as his sword moves toward me once again. In just a blink, he covered eight meters without effort, appearing at my right side—so close it's impossible for me to dodge. I cover myself with my left forearm, and he slices it instead.
"Do you think you'll win going in so confidently?!"
The next instant, his weapon breaks—threads I left on the blade when it cut me tear it apart. I step forward, gathering the broken pieces and attaching them to my arm, opening and closing my hand to calibrate.
"Of course I'm confident. A hero never doubts, right?!"
Stain grins as he drops the broken hilt, switching to two knives strapped to his legs. He holds them in a reverse grip before raising them in front of himself.
At the same time…
A few alleys away from the train tracks, a group of heroes received a report from a family about a Nomu. They mentioned a hero saved them, but with no record of anyone matching the description, they decided to investigate.
The three heroes expected many things—none of which was the Nomu standing up. Its body was in a pitiful state, so much that it shouldn't even be alive. Its limbs were stitched together with hanging threads, and its movements were erratic.
"Wait!! We'll attack when—"
To their shock, the Nomu leaped onto the building at the end of the alley, completely ignoring them as it disappeared among the apartments.
Meanwhile, Shigaraki Tomura watched the fight between Stain and the boy who had interrupted his attack at the U.S.J. The villain scratched his neck furiously, never taking his eyes off the two.
"Why? Why?! First that green brat, and now this one! Why are they always where I go?!"
The same boy who defeated a Nomu on his own and faced the one built for All Might—clearly, something about him was different, and that irritated him.
However, while he wondered this atop a water tank, one of the Nomus that was released in the city suddenly leaped at him, claws aimed directly at his master and its tongue lashing out like a rabid beast, arms hanging unnaturally.
"What the hell?!"
He shouted as he dropped his binoculars and jumped out of the beast's range. The Nomu lunged again, but this time Shigaraki countered, leaping toward it and managing to touch its arm without being harmed. Activating "Decay," the arm turned to dust in seconds. The Nomu collapsed without resistance, like its strings had been cut, slowly falling apart in grotesque movements.
"What the hell was that?... Do you know anything?"
Kurogiri shook his head as Shigaraki picked up his binoculars. But when he aimed them back toward Stain's location, the scene was gone.
"Damn it!"
Akuma and Stain crashed into the adjacent alley to the building where their fight began. With a kick, Stain hurled Akuma against the wall. A knife flew after the student, who managed to grab it mid-air. Leaving his sword behind, Akuma tossed the thrown blade aside and spoke:
"Can you please listen to me?!"
"You're nothing but a parasite! Why should I listen to a fake hero?! Tell me! What drives you to pretend to be one?!"
"IF I DON'T FIGHT, THEN WHO WILL?!"
"Oh!"
In response to his declaration, Stain lunged at his prey. Akuma tried to stop him with threads, but they were cut through, and with a single slash he severed three fingers. Appearing behind him after dodging his attacks, Akuma now found himself more stressed than usual.
Precisely because—even after fighting Todoroki, Iida, and Deku—Stain was still matching Akuma evenly. He couldn't help but wonder: How weak am I?!
"Fine, damn it!! I was looking for a place to test this anyway!"
Inside Akuma, the ring surrounding his core began to increase the pressure upon it. The next second, a small crack appeared on the white surface of the sphere. Stain watched as Akuma writhed in pain, hundreds of threads shooting from his neck toward his face. Akuma's hands crossed over his shoulders in an X as he lowered his head, raising it again once every trace of expression vanished.
The next second, everything around him seemed to explode. The walls twisted as they were overtaken by countless threads inside them, soon bursting apart. Stain could only leap away as his body was riddled with wounds from the friction of the threads. Facing this sudden change and armed with only one knife, the hero killer knew he had to escape.
Perhaps that's precisely why Akuma used his newly formed tail to launch Stain into a nearby apartment—empty thanks to the evacuation. Leaping through the same window Stain crashed through, Akuma was greeted by a knife to the head.
His hand turned into a claw that finally struck Stain's cheek, catching him off guard.
Moving at incredible speed, the two tore through the apartment, exchanging blows as Akuma destroyed everything around him. When they reached the kitchen, Stain wasted no time grabbing the knives at his disposal. In the blink of an eye, he appeared on one knee behind Akuma, who now bore multiple gashes across his body.
One of his tendrils lashed out, sweeping the entire area behind him in a second—but Stain was already farther away. For several minutes, their fight raged throughout the whole apartment complex, through rooms and staircases. Akuma hurled Stain near a window, his features slowly returning as his body dropped to one knee.
Using the hollow form was an immeasurable burden on the user. Still, his reserves were vast and his body showed no fatigue—unlike Stain, who sweated and gasped heavily, clutching a butcher knife.
"You did well. Now it's my turn to talk."
Akuma whispered to himself, realizing the knives stuck in his body. He stood heavily, looking at Stain, who bled from multiple wounds but still seemed determined to continue. Stain asked:
"What do you seek from me, boy? I, Stain, recognize you as a possible hero. I have no reason to fight you, yet you keep insisting."
"Let me tell you a little secret… a secret about All Might."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Izuku Midoriya ran tirelessly after Stain and his classmate Akuma. Keeping up with them while so exhausted was hard, but he was worried.
Many questions swirled in his head. Chief among them was why Akuma had found them if he was supposed to be training with Kamui Woods. Still, he couldn't let his suspicions interfere with the task at hand.
Behind him ran Gran Torino and several other heroes. Along with Todoroki, they raced through a street that would normally be bustling but was now empty due to the Nomus. Speaking of them, the situation was under control to a reasonable degree. Endeavor was still subduing the few remaining loose ones, but it wouldn't be long before they were finished.
"Are you worried about your friend?"
The boy's master asked, quickly catching up on his left side. Deku looked forward as he answered:
"Akuma tends to be really strange, always thinking and almost never telling us anything. In dangerous situations he's always calm. So… I want to believe he's okay right now."
Almost as if in immediate response, a window exploded in front of them, revealing two bodies falling as they fought each other.
"Who the hell keeps a katana hidden these days?!"
The unmistakable voice of Akuma Matsumo rang in Izuku's ears. He activated Full Cowl as he ran toward them, watching Stain pierce Akuma's chest with a macabre grin. Right after hitting the ground, Stain was struck by the boy, forcing him back as Akuma lay on the floor.
"Akuma! Are you okay?!"
"AGH, yeah, wait,no, help me."
He said, extending a hand. Izuku pulled him up, watching as Akuma's chest slowly regenerated.
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND?!"
Stain roared, his voice pressing down on everyone present. He stepped forward as the sound of a helicopter echoed in the distance.
"THE WORD 'HERO' HAS LOST ALL VALUE! FAKES, ALL OF YOU ARE NOTHING BUT DISGUISED FAKES! COME, COME TO ME IF YOU DARE!"
Another step.
"ALL THIS IS FOR THE GOOD OF THE WORLD! THE WORD 'HERO' MUST BE RESTORED! SOMEONE MUST BATHE IN BLOOD!"
One final step before his inevitable fate.
"ONLY… ONLY ALL MIGHT CAN KILL ME!!!"
And with that declaration, the hero killer collapsed, his brain shutting down as his body froze, standing in front of a group of speechless heroes. The first to act was Akuma, who fired a net of threads from his arm, restraining Stain while secretly slipping a strand into his hair.
Leaning on Midoriya's shoulder at last, he spoke:
"That guy's completely insane. What the hell was Iida thinking facing him alone?"
Izuku helped him up, laughing as he wondered how to ask. In the end, he chose the most direct way.
"Erm… Akuma… how did you know we'd be here?"
To Deku's surprise, Akuma ruffled his hair again while laughing.
"What are you talking about? Maybe I don't look like it, but I know exactly how you all act or think. I knew Iida would try something. Honestly, it was obvious. Though, I have to admit, I was surprised to see you and Todoroki here."
Deku smiled as any doubts dissolved. It was the first time Akuma expressed himself like that about the group, and he was glad to understand him a little better.
It didn't take long for the ambulance to arrive. Though Akuma technically didn't need treatment, he accepted the transfer to the hospital. With that, the hero killer was arrested.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
On a little-known road, a highly dangerous prisoner was being transported. A convoy of three patrol cars and a specially designed truck moved through the silent night, heading toward a maximum-security prison. Even the press didn't know the route.
The tension was clear. Though they doubted anyone would be foolish enough to attempt freeing such an unstable prisoner, the officers were on high alert.
And as if a bad omen had manifested, suddenly, a tire from each of the four vehicles exploded. The two officers leading the convoy had no time to react before the windshield shattered, revealing a man inside the car with them.
With no chance to control the vehicle, they tried to face the intruder, but they didn't last long. A kick to the jaw knocked out the driver while the passenger barely managed to point his gun before crashing into the roadside barrier.
Their comrades braked much earlier and managed to get out before their vehicles stopped completely. Calling reinforcements through the radio, they pointed their weapons at the darkness. From that very darkness, two white daggers emerged, preventing the officers in front of the transport from firing. They only had time to see the man in black descend from above before being taken out.
Inside the main transport, beside the capsule containing the hero killer, were four specialized officers, armed with shotguns and bulletproof armor. No matter what happened outside, they would remain with the prisoner, weapons raised and ready to act.
Outside, meanwhile, only two officers remained, clutching their pistols as they braced themselves. Hiding behind their vehicle, they watched as the masked villain in black thinned their numbers.
The next second, the patrol car was struck from behind, pushing the officers forward with force. Before they could react, the shadow struck one officer's pistol, sending it to the ground, then pointed a finger at the second's, destroying it instantly.
"KARMA!"
And indeed, it was him. Karma had been instructed by Akuma to intercept Stain's transport. Even though it was a secret transfer, Akuma had managed to place a thread as a tracker. With that, it was easy for Karma to find the route.
Whatever the case, Akuma had been clear: no casualties, only moderate force, and a change of outfit. Though, given Karma's highly recognizable Quirk, that last part seemed pointless. In any case, the mission was underway, and Karma had to continue. With ease, he knocked out the remaining guard, careful not to hurt him more than necessary.
Turning toward the vehicle holding his target, Karma pointed his finger at the center of the double doors. The four officers guarding them were instantly hurled back, slamming against the vehicle's walls. The one in the left corner took the first blow—a boosted kick to the chest—before being slammed into the wall and knocked out. The one in the opposite corner tried to aim, but was overwhelmed by a phantom shot that put him to sleep.
With a kick, the guard nearest Karma was thrown out of the unit, while the other took a hit to the throat before being knocked unconscious by a point-blank blast.
Karma helped him sit while closing his eyes, turning toward the last officer who was desperately reaching for a weapon. Suddenly, a shadow struck him down, knocking him out instantly.
Out of nowhere, the Chameleon Akuma had previously spared during the bank heist appeared, scratching his skin as he spoke:
"I'm here, just like you said. But what the hell is all this? And who are you? I don't know what connection you have with that student, but this doesn't look very heroic, if you ask me."
At that moment, Karma tapped the beeper Akuma had given him. The next second, a consciousness switch took place. Holding his head in pain, it took Akuma some time to recover, but finally he spoke:
"That's something you'll understand later. For now, you'll help me hide this guy for a good while."
Akuma said as he opened the capsule containing Stain.
"Now, hero killer, let me put a leash on you."