Chapter Text
Momo had a difficult time not falling asleep as she rested in Izuku’s arms. Not only was she exhausted from the mental fatigue, but in his arms was where she felt the safest.
“From now on, can we actually not run in half-cocked?” Izuku asked, directing the question at Quorra and Merix.
“We had to…” Merix said, still recovering like Momo. “If I had told you what was coming, the fear would’ve been even worse.”
“You knew?!” Izuku shouted. “You can’t just-”
“Would you have gone in if I told you that you’d re-experience every truly fearful moment in your life?”
Momo averted her eyes. She didn’t say it, but she wasn’t sure if she could’ve forced herself forwards knowing that.
Izuku, on the other hand, couldn’t say. Had he been told upfront he would’ve assumed he would be frozen in fear like the others. If he had expected that, he might have actually been frozen, and Vexor might’ve gotten a lucky shot in.
“I’m sorry, but Vexor was the biggest mental threat to any invader. Two-hundred years ago, an attack was launched on the Tenebris home by the Lux. Only Vexor needed to involve himself to stop the invasion. From here on out, it will truly be a game of strength and strategy, nothing more.” Merix stood from his wife’s arms, stumbling slightly. “I did what I had to do to ensure we find what we need to save my daughter.”
Quorra bowed her head in apology as her husband brusquely continued down the path and towards the Demons’ home. She had been far less affected by the mental strain, as compared to Merix or Momo, but she looked far more disturbed by the knowledge that she and her husband had willingly brought two helpful strangers into such a situation.
“I understand…” Momo whispered under her breath, distraught, but unable to hold a grudge against them. Her own parents had exploited her for their own gain. These two were putting themselves and others at risk, but all for the sake of their daughter.
Izuku was ready to flip out on them, but Momo, better than anyone, understood the importance of true parental instincts. And seeing that she was on their side, Izuku too had to let it go.
“You ready?” He asked, to which she nodded.
Izuku helped her to her feet and they began walking once more behind the duo, looking through the System notification at the same time.
*******
[You have obtained items!]
- Rune Stone Part 1/7: Sloth
- The Eye That Sees All (Artifact)
- Essence of Despair (Material)
- Bone Scythe
*******
[Item: The Eye That Sees All]
- Item Class: S
- Item Type: Artifact
- Sense +100
- Description: Establishes a Heads-Up-Display for the Player. Enemies and Allies are identified for the ease of the Player. Effects are shared with the Shadow Empress as well.
*******
[Item: Bone Scythe]
- Item Class: S
- Item Type: Scythe
- Attack: +550
- Gem Slots: 0
- Description: Can cause shockwaves to ripple through whatever solid material is hit.
*******
Izuku equipped the Artifact in place of his old Hero’s Amulet, which was just a C-Rank. And the difference 100 Sense Stat points made was immense. Even though equipment stats didn’t double or triple because of the Stat Enhancement Quirks, they still made quite the impact.
The dark tunnel suddenly became perfectly bright, as if there were fluorescent lights lining it. Not only that, but Izuku felt like he could see for miles, sensing things far down the tunnel that his eyes couldn’t perceive. Almost like echolocation to an extent, allowing him to locate things that didn’t have Mana.
And the most video game-like aspect was, of course, the HUD. If Izuku directed his eyes to his top right, without moving his head, he saw a small display of his Mana and Health in an easy to read bar. He could always pull up the numbers with the System, but they didn’t have easy “glance value” making it hard to accurately identify the state his Mana was in if he was in the midst of battle.
On top of that, Merix, Quorra, and Momo all had a blue dot above their heads, listing their full names above that. Izuku assumed the enemy one would be a red dot as was standard for games.
“I wonder if Shadows look the same?” Momo said, seeing the same things as Izuku, who shrugged and directed his attention to Vexor’s body.
“Arise.”
*******
[Vexor Lvl. 3 - Captain Grade]
- Species: Tenebris Mutate
- Skills: Scythe Shockwave
*******
The dot above Vexor was purple, giving the Shadow Monarchs their answer, but they were more concerned with the Skill.
“He doesn’t have his other two…”
“Maybe they’re not compatible? Baruka’s Skills weren’t compatible at first either.”
Thankfully, the Shadow looked plenty different from his previous disgusting appearance. His legs were now more like inky tendrils than human legs, his head was almost featureless, removing the terrifying eyes and deformed smile, and thanks to the removal of his fleshy skin for Shadow skin, he looked a lot more palatable to the eyes.
“Well whatever the case, we’ve got three Captain Grades now. And if Captain Grades are equivalent to S or XS-Ranks, then we have about as much strength as the smallest country in the world,” Momo remarked, to which Izuku chuckled.
“We can officially beat the Pope.”
The smallest country in the world was the Vatican City, home to the Pope. Because the true source of Mana and Awakenings was still poorly understood, it was easy for religions to claim it as God’s blessing. As such, somewhere like the Vatican City was able to claim several S-Ranks and hundreds upon hundreds of other Awakened humans at high Ranks.
Of course, these religions were criticized heavily. For example, the Vatican city had the densest population of A and S-Ranks per square footage. They had few Gates to attend to and more than enough strength to handle the ones that did pop up. Meanwhile, someplace like Russia had terrible coverage because of how large its lands were. Put simply, the A and S-Ranks could’ve been put to much better use.
Even Christianity and Scientology pulled similar stunts, hoarding strength for themselves in their religious bastions. It was no doubt infuriating for people like Takashi Arata, who spent their lives trying to allocate enough strength for the whole world to go around. Religion was literally bringing the End Times closer and closer, which they happened to blame on the rest of humanity for not embracing the same religions. So basically… it was standard religious stuff.
Ironically, the only religion that had attempted to be an actual net positive for the world was the cult that Momo’s parents started. However, that religion had its own issues, obviously.
Regardless, the state of the Shadow Army indicated just how strong Izuku and Momo were becoming. They outpaced entire nations, not just the Vatican. Only superpowers like America, Japan, Germany, etc, had more S-Ranks than they did. And the duo weren’t even close to being done.
“Okay, this is the entrance to the next floor.” Merix said, coming upon another bastion-like door, similar to the one that had led to Vexor, but more than a hundred times larger. It was clearly meant for a large number of Tenebris to march out from. “It’s the true start of the Tenebris civilization. We’ll be needing your summons to not get instantly overwhelmed by sheer numbers.”
“Then let’s organize the troops.” Izuku said, calling forth everything he had, including an additional 1,277 Tenebris Souls to max out his Shadow Army at 2,782 infantry total.
The front line was composed of the Greater Tenebris and the Tenebris themselves, alongside other massive units like Behemoth, Rasaka, and Vexor. The second row of troops was mostly made up of the Orcs, including Tusk. Meanwhile the backline was the Ice Bears with their artillery. And Baruka, Igris, and Arcka personally accompanied Izuku and Momo. The other random units like Draken the Drake, and Alvina the Mimicat, were simply spread out through the midline forces.
If Merix was telling the truth about the Tenebris numbers, then their 2,782 soldiers were paltry in comparison, but that was what made the Shadow army so special. The longer they fought, the more potent the army would become.
“Do they know we’re coming?” Momo asked, referring to Vexor’s death.
Merix sighed. “I promise to be honest with you from here on out… and the truth is, I don’t know. So much of the Tenebris hierarchy is consumed by chaos due to the nobility hoarding the intelligence of their forces. Ground forces like myself were told nothing.”
“So we could be walking into an unprepared fortress or an army ready for war?”
Merix grimaced at Momo’s question, but nodded.
“Are there any unique troops we should know about? I don’t want another Vexor.”
“These are essentially the real bastion walls, so there will be artillery similar to your Ice Bears. And the lowest of the nobility will be here. They won’t use Particle Storm, but they do have various kinds of magic and weapons.”
“Alright,” Izuku said, pulling out the Bone Scythe and giving it a few test swings, “Then we’ll handle the artillery, you stick with the front lines.”
“How’s it feel?” Momo asked.
“I’m not really used to anything more than punching. So a scythe is kind of a new experience. But I assume it’s the same as everything else, swing until it's dead.”
“About right, but you’re holding it too close to the end of the handle if you’re gonna swing it with one hand,” Momo put her hands over Izuku’s, adjusting his grip. “That should be better.”
He smiled and shook his head in amazement. “What don’t you know?”
“I can’t cook,” She said bluntly, which was something Izuku had already figured out. Neither him, nor Kei, were all that good at cooking. And between the three of them, they mostly just ordered food.
“For mortals, you bounce back fast,” Merix said, scowling at the happy couple. It wasn’t an angry remark though, it was mere jealousy. “I suppose you don’t have hundreds of years of pain to crowd your minds.”
“No, but I’d wager that if you measured our memories, we have the same percentage of good memories versus bad as compared to you.” Izuku couldn’t help but give the demon a bit of a rebuke. Merix was scared, hurting, and desperate, but he couldn’t just disregard the suffering of others. “Shorter lives, more condensed negative emotions.”
“Hmmm…” Merix said nothing else as Igris gave Izuku the thumbs-up, indicating the army was ready to march.
“Baruka, use your Stealth to hide Igris as well, we’re gonna cause some chaos, just the four of us.” Izuku commanded.
Momo, Izuku, Igris, and Baruka all simultaneously vanished into thin air. Quorra had her species Skill, so she could still see them, as well as the allied Shadows of course, but Merix completely lost them, which was a good sign. Arcka was a Tenebris and he had managed to see through the Stealth, but it seemed like that was more a consequence of his modifications from his “liege,” whomever that may be.
“Behemoth, smash it open!” Momo commanded, taking a place besides the door, ready to slip inside and get to work.
The titan pounded its fists together, crouched down and launched forwards, sprinting faster than anything of its size should’ve been able to. It crashed into the infernal door with a thunderous roar, snapping it from its hinges and sending it flying deeper into the cavern.
But really, it was hard to call it a “cavern.” It was larger than some cities, the rocky ceiling trapping it underground. A red haze hung in the air like bloody clouds. It was a far cry from the demonic Tokyo, but it was a city.
Rising from the sea of molten lava and obsidian plains, the structures sprawled across a shattered terrain like a grotesque creature of myth, thriving amidst desolation. Hyper-advanced towers, wrought from blackened steel, spiraled high into the infernal sky, twisted and distorted into horrible, yet strangely beautiful shapes.
It reminded the duo of how the Spear of Longinus, from Neon-Genesis Evangelion, spiraled into its own strange shape.
In a way, it was almost like a hellish version of Venice, with many fantastical looking crafts traversing the molten… waterways? Lavaways?
Of course, those craft all had Tenebris on them… and they were staring right at the intruding Shadows.
Behemoth roared once more at them as Izuku, Momo, Igris, and Baruka slipped out into the city. The door they came from was little more than a small exit from the city and it appeared as if there were dozens lining the cavern walls, sealing the city inside its rocky bunker… or perhaps tomb.
CLICK
A single sound echoed throughout the city, bouncing off the walls and filling every corner of the space. No creature could’ve avoided hearing it.
“It’s a warning signal!” Momo shouted, Stealth covering her voice as she realized its purpose.
“Then let’s not waste time!”
Izuku and the other three began hopping from craft to craft, obsidian patch to obsidian patch, swinging, or shooting, their weapons with abandon.
Izuku’s scythe decapitated at least five of the demons with each swing. Momo, dual wielding P30Ls, the same gun she used against the Mimicat and Arcka, blasted with abandon, using her enhanced Quirk to create bullets inside of the magazines as she fired, essentially using an infinite ammo cheat code.
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
Everywhere the Tenebris looked, their forces were being torn apart. They hadn’t even managed to construct an offensive against the Shadows pouring in from the wall. All of their ranged units, on their lavacraft, were dropping like flies without explanation. They didn’t have the same Skill the Lux did to sense imperfections. And even if they had an opposing Skill to sense that which was perfect… Well, Izuku and Momo were human, they were far from perfection. But they were destruction in human form at least.
THUMP THUMP THUMP
The tips of the spiraling towers began making loud thunking noises, dark condensed energy flying out from them and heading towards the pack of Shadows.
“Spread out, limit the effectiveness of the artillery!” Izuku mentally commanded his forces, rushing over to one of the towers and slicing through several of the foundational pillars. The extra effect of the scythe kicked in, sending cracks rocketing up the tower, destabilizing it so that, upon the next artillery blast, it practically shattered into a million pieces.
The artillery blasts began landing in waves, splashing against the Shadows, causing them to ripple and expand like waves, coming back together only for the next artillery blast to hit and repeat the process.
[Mana: 28,547/48,276]
“Tank start firing!”
The Ice Bears, whenever they were corporeal enough to fire, did so, getting off a few blasts and wrecking the towers.
At the same time, Momo holstered her guns, whipping out several chunks of a putty looking substance. She threw a few bits onto the Tenebris and their craft, slapping the rest onto the buildings. Pulling out the detonator, she slid to a stop, Igris shielding her with his body as she pushed the button. She was still a little less durable than Izuku after all.
Explosions went off all over the place, bringing down three buildings and killing a few hundred Tenebris. It was Mana infused C4, or as she called it, CM4
[You have gained 3 Levels!]
“Tusk!”
The Orc Shaman didn’t need to question his master, their minds were synced.
[Orc Shaman, Kargalgan is using Skill: Hymn of Giants.]
[Orc Shaman, Kargalgan is using Skill: Hymn of Strengthening.]
[Orc Shaman, Kargalgan is using Skill: Hymn of Rage.]
Izuku grew to twice his height and his Strength Stat doubled, becoming nearly 700. His scythe grew with him, making it possible for the weapon to completely bisect some of the smaller buildings with ease.
[Keeper of the Bastion Proper: Kerris]
“PATHETIC INTRUDERS! I WILL TEAR YOU-”
“So you’re the Boss of this floor, huh?” Izuku asked, appearingly directly behind him and swinging his weapon, cleanly slicing through the demon. “You’re not even close to Vexor.”
[You have gained 3 Levels!]
[Floor 16 has been cleared!]
[Without the Bastion or the Floor Boss, Demons will be unable to sustain their physical form and die.]
[Most Noble Tenebris Souls cannot be taken due to their strong connection to their home dimension. Only Floor Boss Souls can be claimed.]
As Izuku took Kerris’s Soul, he looked around, seeing the Tenebris dissolve into nothingness. And like the System said, only some Souls appeared in the Soul Collection list. But strangely, instead of the buildings remaining broken or dissolving like the Tenebris did, they actually reformed into solid structures. They didn’t fire or anything, they simply rebuilt themselves, with seemingly no reason to do so.
“Well… one floor down, like two-hundred more to go,” Momo remarked, looking towards the Shadow Army, which hadn’t even been given the chance to do anything really. Nor had Merix or Quorra gotten involved.
By human standards, Izuku and Momo were already too strong.