บท 3: Chapter 3
"Am I interrupting? I came as soon as I heard you were awake." A voice called out. All Might and Recovery Girl glanced at the door. Before them stood a figure renowned for his cunning intellect, his tactical genius, and his… unassuming appearance.
"Not at all, Principal." Recovery Girl smiled.
"Principal Nezu, how's it been?" All Might nervously asked.
"Oh the same old, same old, you know how it is, dealing with students and such." Nezu mused. "I'm glad to see you're doing okay, All Might."
"Well you know me, I won't go down that easy." All Might smiled.
"Good to hear," Nezu told him. "I want you to know that I truly do appreciate you," Nezu informed.
All Might frowned upon hearing those words. "What's the bad news?" He questioned. "Chiyo already informed me about the destruction the Herrscher caused yesterday. I know I'm not ready yet, but once I get the all-clear, I'll be ready to track her down."
"While I admired your dedication to the job, Toshi, I'm afraid that's only part of the problem," Nezu admitted. There are times when being intelligent had its perks, and then there were times when ignorance truly was bliss. "I just got word from Detective Naomasa. They've managed to track the origin of the Herrscher's attack."
"Really? That's fantastic. Have they found any leads?" Toshi eagerly asked.
"Unfortunately that's where the good news end. You see the Herrscher's attacks originated at Dagoba beach…however, when the investigation team arrived we discovered just how devastating that first strike really was." Nezu said solemnly. "The area as far as we know is now a disaster zone. It's irradiated by a strange energy that we honestly don't have any information."
"Irradiated." All Might said in disbelief. "As in radioactive?"
"I wish it was, that honestly might have been better. Whatever it is, it's not normal radiation, none of the usual procedures whether through technology or quirks is working on it. It's causing machines to malfunction on entry and it's causing humans to become sick just by being close to the area. No one has died yet but many of the people have been hospitalized from exposure. Quite a few of them have developed peculiar glowing red lines on their body." Nezu explained.
"It's entirely dependant on the Herrscher's quirk." All Might realized. "Which means we need to catch her as soon as possible. In order to hopefully undo the damage, and possibly reverse it." The pro-hero tried to get out of bed but was quickly stopped by Recovery Girl.
"Oh no you don't, you need to stay and rest." She instructed.
"The longer I stay here, the more time she has to strike again." All Might rationalized.
"You should listen to her, All Might," Nezu instructed. "As it stands we have no idea of her whereabouts. At best you may find her, but you'll be exhausted and at worst you'll worsen your condition even more."
All Might might have considered ignoring them, but even he knew they were right. If he let himself get worked up then it wouldn't help anyone.
"Good…now we can discuss the other issue," Nezu told him once he was sure All Might wasn't going anywhere. "So far we have no data on her origin, but we've speculated."
"We?" All Might questioned.
"David Shield and Sir Nighteye." Nezu clarified. "That fight wasn't exactly private. It was already being broadcast nationwide and once you appeared on the scene it blew up…and not in a good way. Oh and I should inform you that Nighteye is expected to call soon to discuss your 'successor'. Recent events have made him more worried." Nezu added.
"I'll keep that in mind." All Might be noted. "So what did you find?"
"We have three scenarios, the first is that she's simply some aspiring villain with an extremely powerful quirk. In which case this makes me worry that there are other such villains just waiting for one bad day to snap." Nezu told him. "Even then, a single powerful quirk is no issue if we have Aizawa and a decent enough plan. This is the most optimistic scenario mind you."
"What's the others?" All Might asked. He had a sinking feeling he knew what one of them could be but he really hoped he was wrong.
"Scenario Two, Trigger, it's been a while since the drug was in circulation. If Trigger is involved then we may have a more severe problem. We'll have an organization that's who knows how big, circulating the drug around and causing potential outbreaks of villains with enhanced quirks. Depending on how things play out, the Herrscher could be a one-off situation, or sign off more to come, in which case we'll need to find a cure for it and a way to cut off the supply." Nezu noted.
"A larger task but still within our capabilities. We cut off the supply and we cut off most of the problem."
"Exactly. Trigger effects aren't permanent unless the user has undergone extensive surgery and even then, it creates a dependence on the drug to ensure they can maintain the power. Number three however is a different story."
"All For One." All Might answered darkly.
"I'm afraid so." Nezu sighed. "With how extensive her powers and skill set were, it is very likely that the Herrscher has multiple quirks. We aren't sure how many, but given she can teleport, turn intangible, fly, and create projectiles, it's suffice to say she has an array. A single powerful quirk is one thing, having two is not out of the realm of possibility, but more than four."
"Only All For One would be capable of pulling off that kind of madness." All Might growled. Only AFO had the power to move quirks around like that. It wouldn't be the first time All Might had to deal with his multi-quirked minions. Even if All For One loved to hoard quirks for himself, it wasn't unknown for him to give out extras in return for loyalty and servitude. It also could explain how the Herrscher knew where to strike.
"I'm afraid so," Nezu answered. "That's the worst-case scenario. I'm sincerely hoping it's the wrong one."
"Why do I feel that it might very well be the most likely." All Might dreaded.
Izuku thought he was familiar with feeling fear. He had always felt it now and then in his life. He was a kid with no quirk, no special power to aid him, and surrounded by many with abilities so vast and dangerous that it would be strange not to feel scared. Regularly he saw criminals, always rushing to the scene of a crime in hopes of seeing a hero in action.
After all, when in public if a villain showed up, so too would a hero. Even yesterday when Izuku had thought he was alone, a hero still showed up, All Might had come to save him. Now before him, stood another villain, one who had broken into his house without him being any wiser. One who was supposedly just as strong as All Might.
He had screamed as one might expect when he recognized her, throwing himself over the couch and backing away from her. She…enjoyed the sight of it. He saw her smile widen as he cowered, he realized too late, that he had put himself in a corner. He hadn't even fully recovered from the slime villain and now, he was facing another one.
"I don't have anything of value." Izuku tried to reason. "We're not a very wealthy family." He had hoped if he told the villainess the truth, maybe she'd realize it was pointless robbing them and she would leave. That's generally what some villains wanted right, money.
"Oh, I don't need wealth." She chuckled. as she floated over to him. Landing with making the slightest of sounds. "I just need…you." She smiled as she leaned closer to Izuku "Relinquish the remaining control of your body and I'll ensure that whatever happens next…is quick and painless." She whispered into his ear.
"Wait…what?" Izuku was confused. Give her his body? What did she mean by that? Oh no, don't tell him it was that kind of villain. He paled even more as more horrifying images came to his mind.
"I mean exactly what I said." The young woman clarified she lifted a finger and pressed it onto his chest... "Your body, your mind, your soul…ever since yesterday," She told him as she pressed her finger into him. Izuku's eyes could only stare in horror as her hand phased into his chest. "It all belongs to me, now" She stated. He could feel her clenching her fist despite not seeing it.
The Herrscher pulled her hand out soon after. It was unscathed with no blood and no indication of where it had been. Looking down he saw no hole in his chest, but that feeling was burnt into his mind. He tried to piece together how he even landed in this situation.
"What…how." Izuku gasped, his mind connecting the dots. "Wait a second…that orb." The orb he had been lured to by that strange creature. The one it said held its mistress.
"Ah, so you can think." The woman answered. "But you're correct. When you touched the core, you became a host to me." She explained as she gestured to herself. "The Herrscher of the Void." She proudly proclaimed.
"What but that's…. how…it doesn't make any sense…how is that even possible?" Izuku's mind was at a loss for words. He tried to process it using the only thing he knew that made sense. "Is this your quirk?"
"It's amusing how much your head is looking like it will explode." The Herrscher chuckled. "But no, it's not my quirk, I don't have such a thing as the rest of you insects." She explained. "I am a Herrscher, a being born to bring Humanity's destruction" She elaborated.
"Humanity's…destruction." Izuku gaped.
"Yes. You should rejoice Izuku. I sensed the despair and hatred in your heart, buried deep within. It connected you to me. Then all I needed to do was lead you to me." The Herrscher explained, letting the pieces click into place for Izuku.
"You lied to me."
"Not so, I wanted help and you offered. How could I say no?" She questioned.
"That's not…I didn't know. I would have never let you out if I knew." Izuku denied.
"Perhaps you wouldn't have, but that's irrelevant because you already did. I'm here, and I'm not going anyway." The Herrscher chuckled. "All you can do now is stop wasting our time and disappear, and let me take your body."
"I won't do it." Izuku denied. "I won't give you my body."
The Herrscher laughed before him. "Oh, you think you have a choice. You already gave me your body, the only control you still have is how long you can still coexist with me." She told him.
"You see….I already can take over. I already did." She then glanced at the television. Izuku's eyes followed as the implications became clearer and clearer to him. "Yesterday. When you touched the core, you went to sleep, and I woke up…and I had a lot of fun." She smirked. "A lot of fun…I'm sure you'd like it."
"What you're doing now? You're just…delaying it." She told him.
"Delay…you mean you don't have full control," Izuku noted. A flash of hope had come to him. It wasn't all lost then.
"I mean your body isn't adjusted to my power." She clarified. "If you relinquish control, I can speed up the process and take over completely, but as for now…I'll have certain…limits." The Herrscher explained.
"Make no mistake, I will gain full control, it's not a matter of if, it's only a matter of when." She told him. "And when I do…" Her voice trailed off.
"You'll destroy everything." Izuku finished.
"Not everything, just all the humans that plague the planet. However, if you agree to relinquish control to me, I may spare your mind, and perhaps spare some of your loved ones, like your mom. What do you say, do we have a deal?" The Herrscher questioned.
There was silence between the two. Izuku said nothing, his expression was blank as he kept his head lowered. He had done this. Not only had he let the slime villain go but he also seemingly released another villain, one far more dangerous. They were right. He wasn't a hero. He was a useless failure. Still….
"Well….?" The Herrscher questioned.
"No." The word came out far more firmly than he let it. The thought of her hurting people, killing people, because of him… was not something he would allow.
"I'm sorry. What was that?" She said sternly.
"I said no," Izuku said as he looked up at the Herrscher. "I won't let you use me. I'm not a killer, I'm not a villain. I'm a hero, I will save people." He said defiantly. If there was ever a chance to be a hero it was now. He had already screwed up so much before. He couldn't screw this up again. Not when there were people's lives on the line.
The villainess cocked her head to the side. Her face smile had disappeared and her face was now blank and void of emotion. She floated around him, circling him like a predator, toying with its prey. He could feel her stare drilling into his body. Then she stopped.
Izuku braced himself. He expected the villainess to threaten him. Maybe she'd do something to intimidate him and scare him into submission. He didn't think she'd take being denied so well, most never did.
"Alright then." The woman said as she turned to walk away. She headed to the door before turning back to face him. "We'll just do it the long way, then." She told him. "I can wait a few months. I hope you can entertain me for that time, or else…." She told him as she leaned beside the door.
"What?" Izuku was shocked. He didn't think she'd have left so easily. Wait, this was too easy, maybe it was a trick.
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." The Herrscher said. She didn't need to after all.
Izuku wanted to ask why, why didn't seem enraged, but he didn't get the chance. The front door had been opened and his eyes widened in horror once more. "Izuku, I'm home." Inko, his mother, greeted her as she walked inside, with several bags of groceries obscuring her view as she entered the apartment. She had walked straight past the Herrscher who was still hovering beside the door as it shut closed behind her.
Izuku's heart dropped as he saw the Herrscher standing right behind his mom, a sinister grin adorned across her face.
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