Azreal watched as the Hero Killer murdered another hero, one he helped lure into this trap.
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He feels little.
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This is not the blood he wishes to see, the body he wishes to drop. Despite what the man told Tomura, these missions have done nothing for him.
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Well, maybe he’s overworking himself. The heroes are destroying their creations faster than they can create them. But to be fair, they are just fodder.
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But add these frequent night calls, and he’s getting just a bit annoyed. Despite that, he follows on.
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They make their way to another rooftop in search of another victim. That’s where things started to change.
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An explosion in the distance, fire in the sky. He looks behind to see a portion of the city in flames.
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Azrael: “Tomura… ”
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He sighs and accepts that Tomura really wants to one-up Stain. Possibly kill him in the chaos. Whatever, this experiment was a failure.
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“EEEEEEEEEEK!? The villain is going to kill that boy!! Someone call the heroes!”
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The killing duo return their gaze to the streets below. Some villain with arms of exposed muscle was chasing some child with a horned hat.
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“Bwahahahaha! I got a job, and now this dumb brat of that hero couple came to me himself.”
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Stain: “Be they heroes or villains, there are too many who use their quirk foolishly. Hahhhh… we’ll come back once I’m done with the next hero. Now, let’s-”
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His body had already moved. Driven by instincts he thought discarded within that empty house.
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“What now, kid? You were the one who came to me at my hideout. Aren’t ya a hero’s offspring? Take responsibility and entertain me more!!”
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“Shut up!! Father, Mother, and you!! You all think you can do anything you please! That’s why this world is rotten!”
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“Oh? What’s with kids these days? You brats like to blame everything but yourselves. I just do what I want to. Take this as a souvenir for your next life. In this world, the ones who are at fault… are those who fail to impose their will!! Like your parents!!”
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The muscular man charges at the boy, fist raised to turn him into nothing but a smear on the ground. But like some hero, a black angel descends and blocks his blow with a simple kick.
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Azrael: “If you’re saying that, you should accept what’s about to happen.”
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“Huh? Who’s this scrawny kid!?”
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No need to respond; the lesson starts now. With a finger, Azrael picks up a nearby car and launches it at the villain. The force of the impact was enough to send him crashing into a building.
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But Azrael wasn’t done. He pointed that same finger and unleashed a purple beam of energy at the car, causing it to explode.
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Azrael: ‘Probably not out yet. That’s fine. I suppose Tomura’s outburst will prove beneficial after all. A distraction so I can deal with this.’
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Stain: “Heheh. Just as I thought. Hahhhh… you have sufficient ‘right’. Take the kid. I’ll handle the rest.”
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Stain walks past Azrael towards the villain screaming in rage from the humiliating thrashing he received.
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Azrael: “… Very well.”
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Dusting off those old protective instincts, the man picks the boy up and jumps back to the roof. Once at a safe distance, Azrael pondered his actions.
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Why did he move to protect someone he doesn’t know? He is not some hero.
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“Look!”
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The internal search abates as he looks below. While Stain and the villain were fighting, a hero clad in white armor appears and delivers a kick to Stain’s head. Rolling with the blow and countering, the hero killer shakes away the pain and glares at the newcomer.
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Stain: “A kid in a hero uniform?”
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The hero didn’t come out of the quick exchange unscathed. His helmet splits to reveal a young boy.
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Ida: “A blood-red scarf and blades carried across your whole body… you’re the Hero Killer Stain, right!? Right!? I came chasing after you! But to think I’d find you this soon! I…”
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Azrael bites his lip at the newcomer’s reason for being here. Instead of stopping the rampaging nomu, he chooses vengeance over heroism. But unlike him, he is allowed to be a hero.
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Azrael: “Nothing has changed…”
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The other villain only smiled at the new meat presented to him.
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“Oh ho? He’s your foe? Sorry, kid, this guy is mine to slaughter.”
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Ida: “Shut up! I’ll deal with you after I avenge my brother! Listen up, Hero Killer Stain! I am the brother of a hero you cut down! The brother of the finest hero!! And I have come to put a stop to you in his stead!! Don’t ever forget the name: Ingenium! That is the name of the hero who will end you!”
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Stain: “That so? Die.”
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And the battle resumed. Ida was the first to attack Stain but Muscular soon joined in, helping the hero deal with the main target. The boy wouldn’t have allowed such a thing usually, but he is too blinded by rage to care.
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As long as Stain was in the ground, who cares? He’ll deal with the other criminal afterwards.
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Azrael: “Disgusting.”
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“You’re right… everyone out is of their minds… what’s so important about heroes or villains…? ”
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He looks down at the trembling boy and feels… something…
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“They are all selfish people who never care about others!! Go to hell! ALL OF YOU!!!”
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… A heartbeat within. He must understand. So he places a hand on the boy’s head. Only for the boy to knock it away.
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“Don’t touch me! You too! You helped me just to act like a hero, didn’t you!? You don’t actually care!”
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Azrael: “Ah… ”
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Emotions flood a dead heart as foreign memories are transmitted into his mind. Small tears, not his own, spill from his face as he turns to look at the boy.
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Azrael: “Water Hose, right? I see… they died like true heroes. But that doesn’t change anything, does it, Kota?”
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Kota: “H-Huh!? Mind-reading quirk?”
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Azrael: “Similar, but not quite as strong as those you’re thinking of. It does, however, help me to feel and understand your pain.”
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Kota: “Nonsense!! How can you understand me!?”
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For the first time in a long time, the man felt the need to take off the mask. Unlatching the locks, he takes off the protective covering.
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Azrael: “But I do. Your… bitterness, confusion, hatred. You don’t know what to do with yourself. You don’t know what’s right or wrong anymore.”
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He points at the microcosm below that showcases wider and all-encompassing problems.
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Azrael: “Look down there. The world revolves around heroes, singing their praises in this age of heroism. But it is false, and none care for those left behind by it. Whether through chance, neglect, or… ”
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The ground shakes as he dwells on memories. Ripping himself from the pyre, he continues his condemnation.
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Azrael: “It’s all a show. Villains who put people in distress or lash out against a world that rejected them. Heroes who reap the rewards and praise while being nearly just as bad. Neither side cares for those lost and forgotten in their constant back and forth. Their… broken system.”
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He returns his gaze back to what matters.
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Azrael: “Everyone must be telling you to not cry or that your parent died honorably. To accept what the world has taken from you.”
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He bends down and places his right hand on his shoulder.
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Azrael: “Isn’t that ridiculous? Only you have to suffer the consequences of their deeds. They want you to smile and accept it, even if the burden kills you inside.”
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Kota’s eyes water as he grasps his chest.
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Kota: “It’s not right… why did they have to die? Why do they have to fight? Why is everything like this? I-I don’t know, but… my chest hurts so badly… enough to want to die. I don’t know what to do with this pain… tell me… tell me what I should do!!”
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Azrael: “Don’t worry, why? Because I am here. Let’s… change the world that takes such pain for granted or even… profits from it.”
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Some light returns to his eyes as he looks into Kota’s soul, offering him a smile usually reserved for the small family that accepted him.
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Azrael: “Yes… that’s what we will do. For a future all our own.”
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Kota: “You mean-”
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A grunt of pain and an explosion. It seems like Stain is getting overwhelmed.
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Kota: “I-Isn’t that bad!? Your friend is going to get killed!!”
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Azrael: “Don’t worry.”
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The angel places his mask back on and prepares for the first real battle of this war.
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Azrael: “Kota. Ingrain this lesson into your mind. Words without power mean nothing. I will show a part of the power that will destroy this age and bring about a new one.”
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Black lightning erupts from his eyes as he dashes into the battlefield. Seemingly teleporting between the villain/hero duo and Stain, the man glares at them both.
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Unsurprisingly, Ida seems exhausted from the heightened emotions and fight. But the muscle man was still ready to go.
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“Huh? You are pissed since your friend was crushed? Great timing!! Lemme pay you back for what you did earlier!”
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Simply sidestepping the reckless attack, Azrael activates one of his quirks: Ebony Shock.
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A simple touch is all it takes to elicit agonizing screams from the villain. Just a graze to knock the giant down.
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Azrael: “Your quirk made it so much easier to send electric shocks to your exposed and abundant muscle fibers. Enough to tear and burn them. Hurts, doesn’t it?”
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He doesn’t answer, only continues to unleash ungodly screams to the night sky. But… it isn’t enough. Not even close. Thunderclouds form overhead as Azrael’s eyes flash blue.
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Azrael: “No, you deserve more. Much more.”
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Channeling the remnants of Kota’s fierce emotions, Azrael looks at his work above and raises his left hand.
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Azrael: “Begone… ”
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And then drops it.
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Azrael: “With the thunderclap.”
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Lightning drops from the heavens and strikes the evildoer. His screams? What screams? Only the chirping of a million birds can be heard.
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When it was all said and done, the villain was burnt and unconscious. Not dead though, Kota hasn’t had his chance for vengeance yet.
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Ida nearly drops to his knees at the display of power.
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Ida: ‘He can… control the weather?’
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This was way beyond him; only All Might or Tatsumaki could deal with this man. He goes to run to find help… but then it happened.
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Boom!
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Time slows as the boy watches his right leg explode and fall away from his body. His legs… the thing that made him a hero, a symbol of his family, his brother, is-
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His screams, not from pain but from anguish, are washed away by the sudden downpour of rain.
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Azrael: “Only one, huh? I thought you would lose both, a shame. For your actions tonight, you deserve it.”
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Ida: “W-Why…. H-How!?”
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Azrael: “Your engine combusted due to the excess electrostatic in the air. Overuse prior also helped.”
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The man walked to the downed hero and smiled.
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Azrael: “I want to thank you. You helped me reach my conclusion. If the next generation of heroes is like you, then we are right to do what’s necessary. For you have reeducated me about how rotten this society is. Not just one man or an organization, but the whole thing. Funny, Tomura was closer to the truth than I was.”
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Ida: “What are you… saying?”
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He bends down and places his left hand on Ida’s shoulder.
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Azrael: “Joining forces with a murderous villain to avenge your brother. Honorable, correct? Smile! Because of you, the name 'Ingenium’ will forever be associated with a hero who is willing to cooperate with a villain for the sake of vengeance. Vengeance he failed to even accomplish.”
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Ida: “No… ”
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Azrael: “Because of you, I am assured. The society that praises people like you deserves to fall. And when it does, we can all thank the hero ‘Ingenium’.”
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Azrael starts to laugh like mad as Ida’s eyes shrink into pools of empty darkness. When Azrael notices this, he stops and reflects on how similar those eyes look.
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Azrael: “… Don’t worry, little hero, I will do you a mercy. You won’t have to live to see that moment, and neither will those who will miss you.”
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His eyes widen as Azrael raises his arms to finish it. However, a green glow enveloped his arm, preventing him from delivering the final blow.
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Izuku: “GET AWAY FROM HIM!!!”
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The angel of death turns to see an angel of green fire. A flash of azure meets an eruption of emerald. At last, they meet.
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Azrael: “Midoriya…”
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