A Tarnished Hero

Izuku looked at All Might, a tired smile hidden underneath his helmet. The figure before him cut an intimidating sight: His white shirt barely hid the muscles rippling underneath, while the frown marred on his face was able to bring any villain down on their knees.

"VILLAIN! SURRENDER NOW AND I PROMISE YOU'LL BE SPARED FURTHER INJURY!" All Might snarled, clearly not in his best mind right now. Looking to the side, Izuku spotted the frog girl opening her mouth to speak, only for him to focus back on All Might, his large fist hurtling towards him at rapid speeds.

Izuku dodged this as well by tilting his body sidewards, the tip of his helmet's nose barely scraping against All Might's skin. Izuku's eyes trailed downward and saw a knee heading for his gut, to which he responded with a knee of his own.

Metal met flesh and the resounding boom from the clash caused the nearby rubble to shake. Izuku managed to hear a grunt coming from All Might, but other than that, the frown on his face didn't change much.

His welcome quite outstayed, Izuku kicked off of All Might and launched himself away from the tall, muscular blond. While in mid-air, he saw All Might tense his legs as he propelled himself towards him like a speeding comet, fist cocked back ready to knock him into the next life.

With a grunt, Izuku hefted All Strike to block the incoming punch. Flesh met metal once more and a loud boom echoed throughout the dome.

Normally, when the flat of a blade was subjected to the force of All Might's punch, it would've snapped right in half. All Strike was not most weapons.

The blade that felled a demi-god didn't buckle under the strain, its shape holding firm against the impact of All Might's punch. The force behind it threw Izuku backward far enough he slammed into the gigantic set of stairs that led to the exit.

A groan left Izuku's lips, his armored body deeply embedded into the concrete. Grunting, he pried himself off of the Izuku-shaped hole and stood back on his two feet. He was about to glare at All Might's direction for the hostility, only for him to blink when All Might was already right in front of him with another fist ready to pummel him.

Already fed up with the misunderstanding, Izuku backhanded All Might's arm away and delivered a half-hearted uppercut right into where it hurts. His weakness.

From the way All Might's knees buckled, Izuku assumed it to be super-effective. If he wanted even more proof, look no further than the blood leaking down his lips.

Credit where it was due, though. All Might didn't utter a single groan or yelp when Izuku gave the wound on All Might's flank the fist. But it wasn't enough. All Might was still going strong, and Izuku decided that he wanted a little payback for what happened to him.

After all, when he ran to save Katsuki, he glimpsed a familiar set of blond hair peeking from the crowd, watching… Staring… Unmoving… He was just standing there with the power to help... Even with his time limit, with the power he held, just a few seconds was enough to get rid of the Slime villain and dash off into the sunset.

So yes, Izuku somewhat blamed All Might for his death, but the man before him didn't hold the entire blame. That anger went directly into the Slime villain for obvious reasons, and himself for being a weak person.

Katsuki was right. All Might even more so. All it took were a few deaths in the Lands Between to get it through his thick skull that trying to be a hero without power was just plain impossible.

Izuku kicked All Might away and the muscular blond was pushed back a few meters, his feet skidding across the ground as debris went flying.

"All Might, it's been months since we last met." Izuku's muffled voice gave pause to the conflict between the two. "You changed… Haven't you…?"

Just looking at his face was enough to tell Izuku that All Might was confused. Not that he blamed him. Ten months was a long time for a short-lived man. Much more so for the figure in front of him who nod doubt experienced a hectic life ever since he was propped up on a pedestal.

All Might remained silent as Izuku stared at him from underneath his helmet. Silence overtook the area as the two did nothing but glare at each other, the air thick with strife.

"Wait! All Might! He's a-" Izuku momentarily heard frog girl's voice, only for another familiar sound to grasp his full attention.

"DIEEEE!!!" An ear-piercing followed by booming explosions caused Izuku to turn and behold another familiar figure flying towards him with a ruthless smile on his face, hands outstretched ready to deliver his payload.

Izuku didn't move and took the brunt of the explosion.

A giant cloud of dust billowed from the point of impact; vision obscured as the earth rattled from the huge explosion. Izuku's knees buckled as he crashed onto the concrete, his armor not even dented from the attack.

He lied there for a moment, his mind dredging up memories he thought he'd never recall again. The self-important smirk, the mocking laughter, the heart-clenching jeers…

It made Izuku remember his roots. His reason for wanting to be a hero in the first place. Long gone were the dreams and aspiration to be like All Might. To be a hero everybody could rely on.

What a joke.

Izuku couldn't help but laugh. Based on what he saw during his short time in this place, Izuku deduced that the children here were hero students. He didn't know where they were, but he what he knew was that they were invaded, and for some reason, All Might was supposed to be here judging by what handy man said before he killed the Nomu.

It was frustrating. Here he was, his tormentor from his childhood… Living the dream. If he was here, it meant this was a U.A. field trip… And All Might was probably one of their special guests…

It was unfair… Unfair… UNFAIR!!! Why did he have to die and get sent to that miserable place? Why did he have to go through so many deaths just because of a vague quest to become Elden Lord? Why? Why!?

Why did it have to be him…? He just wanted to be a hero…

Maybe the universe just took affront to a whelp trying to fit into the big stage. Maybe it was just because he was unlucky. Maybe it was because life just hated him?

He didn't know… and right now? Izuku didn't care.

He just wants to go visit his mom, tell her he's okay, and continue his quest. Japan can survive without a quirkless teen trying to become a hero.

Rising from the Izuku-shaped crater, Izuku hefted All Strike onto his shoulder and prepared to rush out of the dome. He didn't need to fight Katsuki, nor All Might.

He just needed to run. Like with his first time encountering Agheel. Like with his first time encountering a Rune Bear.

Like the first time he turned tail from Morgott guarding the entrance to Stormveil Castle.

It left a bitter taste in his mouth. Here he thought that he was strong enough to overcome most odds with enough trial and error. Izuku figured mental scars were a different beast entirely.

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Tsuyu was losing it. The knight, the person who had saved her and her classmates from the sinking yacht, being relentlessly pursued by All Might. When she was about to tell him that it was all a misunderstanding, Katsuki fucking Bakugo just had to ruin it with one of his explosions!

It made her want to slap the shit out of the ash blond! Still, it was slightly jarring, seeing the knight managing to land a punch and kicking away the Symbol of Peace, but that just meant that what was happening right now needed to stop.

She moved to stand, only for her legs to tremble before she came crashing down. A wince left her lips as she felt her legs pulse in pain for a moment before it receded. Looking back at the billowing dust cloud, Tsuyu couldn't help but think that something was wrong.

Ever since All Might arrived, the knight's demeanor… changed. Sure, she spent a grand total of a few minutes talking with her savior, but she hazard a guess that the knight wasn't that hostile when he mentioned about the villains, he dropped like sacks just near them.

It was also made worse when she heard the knight chuckling within the dust cloud after Katsuki blasted him. It sounded wrong… demented… Like a man right at the end of his rope.

She heard rock crumbling and the shifting of metal within the billowing cloud. Eyes glued on toe expanding dust, Tsuyu's eyes narrowed when she saw the figure of the knight standing with his zweihander on his shoulder.

He looked back at All Might for a second, before fully focusing on Katsuki. She didn't know what went under that helmet and neither did the other two.

All was quiet for a second, the three in their stalemate, with none of them moving a muscle. Perhaps this was her chance? To tell them that the knight wasn't a villain.

Tsuyu tried to open her mouth, but then everything went to shit. Faster than even her eyes could follow, the knight drew out something before blowing into it and what appeared out of thin air was a being so majestic, she couldn't help but gaze at the creature.

Even Katsuki and All Might weren't exempt from the view. Not that they let it slide when they spotted the knight climbing up his mount.

Faster than she could even voice out her words, All Might rushed towards the knight while holding his side. A strange sight to be sure, and picturing it made a pit form in her gut. Meanwhile, Katsuki was growling as he prepared another one of his strong blasts, like the one he used back in the battle trials.

Tsuyu shivered. Never in her life had she feared a classmate such as Katsuki. Thankfully, he was passive most of the time, and a bit anti-social.

The knight blocked a blow from All Might with the flat of his sword. It was a wonder that his blade didn't crumple under the force of All Might's punch. There was also the issue of his armor getting blasted by a strong explosion with it coming out unscathed.

His steed neighed and galloped while the knight held onto the reins like a seasoned veteran. Katsuki propelled himself with his explosions to try and dismount the knight, only for said knight to slap Katsuki out of the way with the flat of his sword.

If anything, it was just more evidence that the knight was not a villain.

Katsuki crashed right next to her, startling Tsuyu out her thoughts. She turned her head and was about to tell Katsuki to calm down, only for the blond pomeranian to go rushing back like a hot-blooded dog.

Even All Might wasn't exempt from trying to apprehend the knight. But even the combined might of one relentless pursuer and the literal Symbol of Peace, they weren't able to even touch the knight while he was on his steed.

This continued until he was right at the foot of the giant set of stairs leading to the entrance of the USJ. At this point, Tsuyu was considering just tossing something, anything really, at one of them to get their attention.

And then the situation just went even worse when a giant glacier encased half of the knight and his steed's body.

"Surrender, villain." Shoto Todoroki monotone voice echoed through the dome like the ultimatum of a God. Tsuyu sighed, at least the knight wouldn't be able to move anymore, and she'd be able to defend him verbally.

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