Chapter 88: Chapter 87 - The Wendigo
Aizawa and Aizawa stared at each other for a full second, one surprised and the other angry.
Then the Aizawa surrounded by the students spat :
- Shit
The Aizawa who had just arrived like a tornado activated his Quirk, his red eyes glaring at the fake Aizawa.
The fake Aizawa's skin melted like wax, revealing a cat-eyed teenager.
She drew a knife and lunged at the first student within reach.
- Watch out !
Koda raised his arm at the last second to protect his exposed torso : Toga's knife sank like butter into his forearm.
To hear the quietest boy in their class utter such a cry of pain surprised the other three teenagers.
Mezo charged head first into the villain's back, knocking her off balance.
Her breath caught for a second as she stumbled forward, her knife flying through the air.
Monoma aimed for her falling face like a soccer ball, ready to send her straight KO-
Toga drew another knife hidden at her waist, sliced through the thigh of the leg ready to crush her head, then let herself roll to the ground to escape the fight.
Monoma swore, one hand on his bleeding thigh.
Toga didn't even have time to fully assess where everyone was before she had to roll to the side to avoid the sharp jaws of the shadowy beast.
- Tokoyami !
The shadow retreated and Toga had barely a split second to dart between the bands of the trap, jumping and twisting to avoid capture.
She swore when she saw that the hero was pulling her away from the window and that she would soon be pinned against a wall.
She pulled eight knives from her pockets, wedging each one between two fingers before hurling them at the students.
Aizawa proved her strategy right when he gave up his attempt to catch her and saved the students who were about to be skewered.
Especially Monoma, who had trouble walking and would have had trouble avoiding the projectiles had Aizawa not saved him.
- Thank you, he breathed once he was under cover.
Aizawa nodded.
There was the sound of breaking glass. Aizawa barely had time to turn his head to see the villain's blond hair disappear through the broken window.
- Is everyone okay?
Koda looked like he was in terrible pain, but Neito - if he was in pain - didn't show it.
- I've had worse
Aizawa tore off pieces of his scarf to bandage the wounds of his pupils, starting with Koda.
- Did the vilain had time to tell you anything before I arrived? Tokoyami shook his head.
- She barely had time to mention that we were under attack and had to leave...
- She didn't tell us where to go, but she didn't want us to stay in the school
Aizawa frowned: did they know about his colleague or did they just want to lure the students into a trap with other villains ?
- Monoma, how are you ?
The teen nodded: his wound prevented him from standing up straight, but he could walk.
- There's another teacher upstairs, Aizawa explained. I want you to go up and stay with him
- Sensei, we could-
- No, you won't
Even if it killed him, Aizawa wouldn't let any of his other students put themselves in danger tonight - no matter what Nezu said, the lives of his students were more precious than flushing out All Might's fucking nemesis.
Besides, the school was a safe place : unlike other buildings, it was almost impossible for it to be booby-trapped, given its special structure and the scanners hidden around the entrances.
- I'll go out and collect the students one by one.
I'll send them to you in groups, and your job will be to lead them to the second floor and tell them not to leave the building.
- But Sensei- Aizawa shot a warning glance at Mezo who remained silent.
- Monoma, how long can you copy a Quirk ?
The blond looked hesitantly at the other teenagers before he said to his teacher:
- I can do it for eight minutes after physical contact, but if you leave me some of your hair...
- Ah, that's right
He had been so preoccupied with what Nezu expected of him that he had forgotten about his other special student.
Aizawa plucked out some hair and placed it in the palm of Monoma's hand, then touched his hand.
- Will that be enough ?
Monoma's eyes turned red and his hair hovered over his face.
- It's perfect.
- Monoma, you're going to use your Quirk on everyone who comes through the doors to make sure they are who they say they are. Tokoyami, I want you to stay hidden and watch Monoma's back. The same goes for Mezo. Koda, you go upstairs and sit quietly. (Aizawa raised his hand to silence his protests) You're wounded, you'll be more of a burden to the others than anything else.
Aizawa ignored Koda's disappointed look.
- Does everyone understand ?
Good Aizawa put his googles on his nose, his eyes turning red.
- I'll be back soon
And he disappeared into the night.
*
- Did you hear that ?
The three boys turned their heads in the direction of the camp.
They waited a few more seconds, their hearts pounding and their ears alert.
- Maybe it was-
For a full second, the sky above the camp lit up as if in broad daylight.
Izuku's eyes widened as he saw the roof of the dormitories being blown into the air before disintegrating into a shower of burning planks.
A mushroom of ash and wood shavings rose from the crater; they saw more than they felt the dusty gust of wind that swept everything in its path like a tsunami.
The four boys felt the ground rumble as if it would split in two at any moment.
Then everything stopped.
- It was- do you think... ?
- Vilains, Séro muttered. Just like the USJ.
- We have to go and help them, Izuku said. Maybe someone was in the dormitories...
Kirshima pounded his fists together, his skin turning hard as stone.
- Deku is right, we've got to go !
The boys left their camp half set up and headed towards the camp.
It would take them about ten minutes to get there, but if they hurried...
Izuku, who was standing a little to the back, let go of the tent he was setting up to get two metal bars: they might have to defend themselves.
The boys ran down the rocky border, Sato in the lead.
Ash and burning wood rained down from the sky. By tacit agreement, they increased their efforts.
- We should have set up camp closer, Kirishima growled between steps
The others didn't answer, but they didn't think any better.
They'd foolishly believed that camping farther away would give them the illusion of being 'cut off' and thus make their survival training more fruitful.
- I hope no one is hurt, Séro murmured. It was he who had insisted on this last-minute training.
Originally, he'd wanted to do it with all the boys, but most of them were already busy or not in the dormitories when he'd suggested it.
Since they had to leave before dark, the boys had packed up and left in a hurry.
- Hey ! Sato called out to him.
- Don't feel guilty, Hanta. If you hadn't suggested that we make camp tonight, we would have been in our beds when the explosion happened.
Kirishima and Izuku nodded in agreement.
- That's right, buddy.
- Yes, if it wasn't for you, we would be the ones in need of help right now.
Sero's face relaxed, his mouth losing the stern line it had once had.
- I just hope nobody-
- Watch out !
Izuku jumped at Séro and pushed him aside.
At the same moment, some kind of human bug closed its jaws on Izuku's hand and bit off two of his fingers.
- Deku !
Sato pulled the boys back while Kirishima punched the creature in the face. The creature, too busy chewing on Deku's fingers, tumbled away.
- What the hell was this thing ?
The creature had abnormally long limbs, as if someone had put it in a steamroller to flatten it.
It was wrapped in a white camisole that covered every inch of its skin except for its bloody mouth.
The creature stood upright on its knees, a surprisingly long tongue dangling between its lips. Izuku's two fingers were on it.
The beast swallowed them with relish. Kirishima thought he was going to throw up.
- Deku, you okay ? Oh God, I'm so, so sorry...
Blood flowed from his fingers in a steady stream.
The monster had ripped them off like a savage, half-crushing one phalanx and leaving the other intact.
- It's okay, it's okay, I just have to...
The boy frowned and focused all his attention on his fingers.
Séro felt his panic turn to confusion when he saw smoke billowing from the teenager's skin.
Izuku gritted his teeth and forced his quirk to heal now.
A protuberance of flesh and skin protruded from the remains of his finger knuckles, swelling like foam.
A drop of sweat rolled down Izuku's temple.
- Come on, a little more, a little more...
The boy's index and middle fingers grew back down to the nail. The teenager's face lit up.
- I- I did it ? I did it !
It was the first time he'd managed to force the use of his Quirk. Usually he had to wait and sleep, but now...
Séro grabbed the teenager's fingers and squeezed them as if they were his own that had just grown back.
- I can't believe it !
Kirishima, who hadn't taken his eyes off the attacker for a second, glanced over his shoulder. A sigh of relief escaped his lips.
- Your Quirk's awesome, Midorya
The boy felt pride in his heart.
He had saved someone ! He had done it!
- Guys, Sato murmured. Don't forget the Wendigo
The humanoid creature had straightened up, obviously very interested in the fact that Izuku had just grown his two fingers back.
- Hmm ? Heal ? More meat ?
Izuku felt his triumphant smile freeze.
- Infinite meat !
Saliva dripped from the thing's mouth and mixed with the blood on his chin.
- Well, well, what do we have here ?
Another individual appeared to the left of the boys, startling them.
They closed in on each other, forming a compact core and covering each other's backs.
- Oh, no need to be so afraid! I promise I'll be gentle.
And then he laughed.
The villain wore a top hat, a white porcelain mask, and colorful clothes.
He looked more like an escaped circus mime than a man on the wrong side of the law.
- I've seen him before, Deku hissed
He was in the news a few years ago for breaking into a bank.
Instead of robbing the vault, he took the employees hostage and locked them in small objects that he scattered around the city.
The police had to solve riddles to find each of them, and if they couldn't...
Izuku didn't add anything else, but his tone spoke for itself.
- I'm flattered that even the younger generation knows me...
The villain took off his hat and bowed.
- Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Mr. Compress.
He straightened up.
- And if I'm here today, it's to kill you.
*
Shit shit shit shit shit.
Aizawa ran to a pile of wood.
He cleared away the burnt planks, skinning his hands in the process.
- Come on, come on, you're a tough guy, I'm sure...
A broken pair of glasses, wedged between two planks, fell between his shoes.
There was blood on it.
Aizawa's face suddenly turned pale. His movements became frantic, wild.
He didn't even notice that he had cut his palm.
He pushed aside the last plank and stood still for a moment to assess the extent of the damage.
Iida's left leg was bent in an unnatural direction and the back of his pajama shirt was completely burned, exposing his raw pink flesh: but he was still breathing.
Aizawa took this as all the more reason to hope.
He grabbed the teenager and lifted him onto his shoulders as gently as possible.
He started to walk away, his eyes still scanning the area of rubble, when he noticed someone else lying on the ground.
The body was far away from the trees and the impact zone of the building, which made Aizawa hesitate for a split second.
He decided to have a look, but remained cautious.
The professor was stunned by the mass of bloody flesh in front of his eyes.
The face was so disfigured that he wouldn't have believed it was a face if it wasn't attached to a body.
Aizawa hesitated to take it with him, thinking it might be a villain, but he saw the distinct black streak in the middle of the blond hair and realized it was Denki Kaminari.
Aizawa's heart sank.
He made sure that Iida was securely fastened to his back before he carried Denki in his arms and ran to the school. His face was grim, his lips tight.
He was mad at the villains, but he surprised himself when he realized that most of his anger was directed at Nezu.
*
Dabi turned his head towards the sea, a broad smile on his lips.
- Huh ? Where are you going?
Dabi glanced at Twice before walking away.
- ... I've seen some promising future heroes, and it's my duty to corrupt them...
Twice - and two more of his clones - grabbed his face with both hands before pulling at it as if to rip it off.
- No, you can't, the boss will kill us !
- Come on, Dabi, make some roast meaaaaat !
Dabi laughed. Twice was odd, but funny in his own way.
- Send the flood of clones in twenty minutes as planned.
Twice gave a thumbs up.
- Trust me !
- Who are you to give me orders ?
Dabi walked deeper into the forest, all his attention already focused on the three girls and the burnt corpse they must have been crying over.
He wondered how the one with the ponytail would react when he would melt her gun between her fingers.
Here and there he met his own clones, who set fire to the forest as required and looked bored out of their minds.
Luckily he was the original; he'd hate to be just a more or less dubious copy of a perfect being.
He passed under a tree, not seeing the person crouched on a branch, sizing him up with red eyes.
The wind picked up and Dabi was alone in the forest again.
Twice, for his part, had decided to create two more clones to entertain himself until the time came for his big appearance.
- I'm dying of boredom!
- Hey, where's the watch ? Has anyone seen the watch ?
One of the clones pointed at the other.
- He swallowed it earlier
Twice comically pulled at his face.
- What ? He swallowed it ? He swallowed it !?
The boss is going to kill us! One of the clones cupped his chin. - We could count the seconds until the appointed time.
- Yes, Dabi said he had twenty minutes before he left. - But how long ago did he leave?
- I think it was an hour ago
- You're stupid, it was two hours ago.
One of the Twice sat down on a log and put his hand to his forehead.
- Guys, isn't all this smoke giving you a headache?
- I said it was a bad idea, because burning trees makes us tree murderers !
- Murderers ! Murderers !
Twice shouted and gestured to the clone who had swallowed the clock :
- Everyone, open his mouth ! Five of the eight clones rushed to the sixth.
- We need that watch !
- Ouch, it bit me !
- Stop squirming, you idiot !
- Don't call him an idiot, he's us !
- Ain't you ?
- You can be an idiot if you want, but I'm not !
Two of the five clones started fighting.
One of the three clones assigned to retrieve the watch stuck his arm down the guilty clone's throat.
- Yeah, I think that's it, I got the watch, I got the watch ! A little more, just a little more...
He stuck out his tongue and thrust his arm shoulder deep into the clone. He turned purple.
A shadow settled on a branch overlooking the clearing, its red eyes scanning all the clones.
The clone sitting on the trunk stood up and pointed a shaking finger at the masked man.
- H-hey, who's that ?
The clones turned their heads in the direction of the intruder. Shoto's gaze rested on the only one radiating warmth.
- A-assassin !
The clones howled and scattered in all directions.
Shoto drew his blade from its sheath, his eyes the color of blood.
Chakra exploded in his body: he bent his legs and a blink later, he had crossed the entire clearing, leaving a black flash in his wake.
The clone who had been holding the watch swallower widened his eyes and turned to flee. He didn't even have time to take a step when a weight slammed into his back, sending him face first to the ground.
He spat out a clump of grass before rolling onto his back and crawling away from the blood-eyed monster as fast as he could.
Drool stuck to his lips, and he absentmindedly noticed that his mask had climbed over his face.
- It's not me, it's him !
He pointed at one of the clones, hoping the killer would leave him alone.
To tell the truth, he didn't even know who the original was.
The killer continued to walk toward him at a slow pace, the tip of his blade brushing the tops of the blades of grass in his path.
Twice's back slammed into the trunk of a tree, and he used the roots to pull himself upright before shaking his trembling hands in front of him.
- Hey, I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding, this is the first time-
Twice choked as the assassin plunged his sword into his open mouth. He twirled it slowly, hitting his teeth to force his mouth further open, using the edge to pull his lips away from his gums.
- That explosion in the dormitories. It was because of the cards distributed to the students, wasn't it ?
His voice was icy cold, but his eyes told a different story.
Twice nodded slowly, his eyes filling with tears.
- f'isten f'o f'e
The sword sank deeper into his throat, activating his gag reflex.
- If you puke on my sword, I'll cut out your tongue and make you eat it
Twice nodded - or at least he thought he was nodding - and tried to catch his breath without throwing up.
- Who made these ?
Twice froze at the question, defiant. He would never betray one of his friends.
- Kill me, I won't tell
The idea seemed to please the monster.
- Kill you ? No, I'll do worse
At these words, a pile of Twice's clones fell at the assassin's feet.
They were all gagged, and most importantly, none of them were wearing their masks.
Twice inhaled sharply.
Shoto grabbed the first clone by the hair and forced him to look at the original with his watery, frightened eyes.
- I will kill everything that makes up your soul before your very eyes until there is nothing left of it
Twice raised his fingers at the assassin.
- F'ait-
The sword retreated from his saliva-covered mouth and sliced through the clone's throat like butter.
A spurt of blood exploded, soaking the murder weapon and the murderer like a fountain.
Twice looked into his own eyes as he died: he saw the tears rolling down his cheeks, heard the whispered pleas he made to himself.
The assassin grabbed his face and forced him to look until the light left his own eyes. Twice sobbed silently.
- A sad fate, if you ask me... we have six more to go, I wonder who will be next?
The assassin turned to the clones, piled up like cattle in a slaughterhouse. One of the captives had managed to push the gag up to his chin.
- Jin, help us ! Help us !
Twice looked into his own eyes and saw nameless terror. He was afraid to die, but so were they.
He couldn't stand there and watch himself die over and over again, knowing it was his fault. He had to end his torment, their torment.
- No, no, please !
The assassin moved his blade away from his next victim. Twice's heart tightened at the thought of betraying them, but he had no choice.
- Mr. Compress
Shoto plunged his sword into the villain's mouth, piercing him through and through.
A fountain of blood spurted over the trunk as Twice's eyes widened and his mouth opened in a mute scream.
Behind Shoto, the clones disappeared in a puff of smoke.
He drew his sword from Twice's throat: the body crumpled like a lump at his feet.
Blood stained his shoes, but he saw no point in cleaning them or his sword: he'd soon be covered in it from head to toe.
He sniffed the air for a second, trying to pick out the different scents that marked the clearing.
There were two tracks to forget: he'd decided to let the first one go, and he'd killed the second.
His eyes turned to the east, to the area between the desert and the camp. Even if it took all night, Shoto would find the damned villain.
And once he did...
His hands began to shake.
*
Author's note :
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Power stones goal for the sunday bonus chapter : 250
See you in the next update !
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