Chapter 12

Katsuki Bakugou roared with elation as he swerved across the sky, pelting the sides of Garuda with explosives. Each destructive blast makes contact, blowing up the sides of the monster, earning a pained cry. However, the man's vision was filled with an opened maw decorated with multiple rows of sharp teeth closing in.

At such sight he tried to fly out of the way only to halt when it cried in pain, crashing back into the ocean. On the left side, he caught a telltale of blood leaking out of a gash. Annoyed, he turned to the perpetrator of that wound; a winged warrior who remained impassive as ever. Although that particular expression seems to be bordering on one of frustration.

"Why the fuck aren't you helping Deku? Thought you guys need your summoner to stay alive?" Having a hint to the summon's annoyance source, he would love to have this thing to get away. Even hovering far away from the island, he could see a fight of some sort unfolding. He can't see much but he was certain there was a weird-looking fellow and judging by how those summonses are struggling, it must be a strong one.

Bellion shook his head, pointing his blade at the two monsters before gesturing at his weapon. Katsuki rolled his eyes, not knowing how to argue with someone who was mute. Instinct flaring up again, he fired off multiple explosions, narrowly missing the shark monster who had flown out. Growling in annoyance the foul creature managed to get him in between its teeth.

Pain flared up in his abdomen but despite that, he powered through. Giants and Ifrits hit far harder than this. If he lost to a measly fish monster, he doesn't deserve to be the strongest there is.

"Get the fuck off me!" Closing his hands around the teeth, smoke and sulfur blew up in his hands, engulfing and shaking the teeth. A black blur darted forth and cut deep into the teeth, breaking into pieces as blood flowed out. Opening its maw wide as the megalodon roared in pain, Katsuki took the chance to get out. In the midst of such, he kicked the damaged tooth out of spite, scowling at his own mistake.

That massive aquatic beast glared at him, teeth bleeding nom-withstanding. In return for that hate-filled glare, Katsuki returned it with a sneer. Using the torrent of water blasting out of the side, it changed its course to head in the blonde's direction but a flock of Garuda summons belonging to Izuku flew to its eyes and tore it out with their claws, earning a pained cry.

"Argh, whatever. Let's fucking kill them all!" Katsuki roared, igniting explosions at the last second. Bellion watched the man's back as he flew forward. Briefly, he glanced at the island where his master is fighting before turning to the blonde brawler. Every fiber of his being is demanding him to save Izuku but he knew he can't do that. If he were to do that, then Izuku would not be able to grow further.

Besides, he highly doubt that the Monarchs would attempt another betrayal. Hence with a heavy heart, Bellion took off after the explosion maker post-haste.

(Linebreak)

"Is that all?"

Vidar's tauntingly asked a smug look on his face as his neck stretches to the side, a long neck waving hypnotically in the air. Gritting his teeth in anger at how he had missed. Quickly recovering, he attempted to unleash another fireball before getting headbutted. Head snapping back as his mouth was ridden in pain.

Other Myrmidon whizzed past the green-haired man, all wanting to avenge their master's failure. One attempted to grab him only for a leg to swing by and had the wind pressure generated by it cleave it into two. Others were fortunate and used its regenerating companion as a springboard, kicking the Perfect Construct. This failed miserably as the leg-fighter merely raised its other leg to block the incoming blow, stifling a yawn at the same time.

"Fall already!" Izuku's proclamation was followed shortly by a large ball of flames, descending upon Vidar. As if sensing the incoming projectile, the others quickly moved out of the way using each other as a springboard, kicking at each other's feet, darting away in the separate direction. The perfect construct merely raised an eyebrow before getting engulfed by the incoming flaming ball of gas, consuming him whole.

For a moment, elation and joy crossed his features only for them to disappear immediately. Vidar, who only grinned as the flames dispersed, flew towards Izuku with his feet turning like a helicopter's propeller. Thinking fast, he raised both hands to guard against the incoming blow. Upon collision, Terror's Claw broke into pieces upon tanking the powerful blow much to the greenette's shock.

'It broke?!' Before he can do anything else, Izuku found himself wrapped in a tight bear hug. Upon seeing that, the Myrmidons tried to break their master free; hands pulling away at the monster's arm only to no avail. It shocked the greenette how his recent and strongest shock troopers aren't doing anything. Vidar doesn't even pay them any heed; further showcasing how strong he is.

Soon enough, a great deal of pain exploded in the young man's back. A metallic taste flooded the young man's taste bud along with sharp pain in the chest. Although he was heavily disoriented, Izuku was certain multiple pieces of his bones are now broken.

[Warning, every user's ribs are now broken!]

[Warning, the user has lost three-fourths of the health bar!]

[Warning users' combat abilities will suffer a massive penalty!]

'No! I can't lose now!' Acting instantly, Izuku began pumping more Mana of Darkness into himself. As he began to feel its dark power coursing through his veins, that sensation has begun to disappear, baffling the young man. The opposite went for Vidar who had an ecstatic look on his face, further confusing the young man. Only for realization to dawn on him just as quick as he vaguely recalled Saiko's explanation.

Empowered by the energy, a blow far greater and faster than the previous one pummelled Izuku's face. Any attempt to defend himself proved futile. One moment ago, there was nothing, and the next, he can feel his nose getting broken. Blood was leaking out of the broken appendage. A barrage of pain flooded the young man's senses, every blow more painful than the last.

A small part of him knew there's no chance of winning. He can't even perceive the monster's fast blow nor even stall for others.

"Ahaha, foolish. Your predecessor was a fool for choosing you. Ashborn may never surpass Lord Yogumunt's intellect but that fake king wouldn't be as weak as you!"

Seeing their master in danger, the Salamanders and Myrmidons tried to come to their master's defense only to get wiped out. A mere stretched-out leg managed to cleave them in two. An array of fireballs courtesy of the Salamander were simply blown away by the insane wind pressure. At the display of such strength, they still chose to attack but were promptly wiped out nonetheless.

Regenerating their lost limbs in an instant, they still attacked the monster. Despite the hordes of monsters ganging up on the Construct, he ignored them. Powerful shockwaves emitted from every punch and yet Vidar took no heed opting to focus on the green-haired human. However, something seems to have caught Vidar's attention as he wound up leaping back, the tip of a spear blade entering Izuku's vision.

Glancing towards the user, Saiko, who had a furious expression on her face as she held the spear. One hand of hers went towards Izuku, gesturing him to take it. Ashamed by how poorly he'd performed, the greenette muttered a meek 'thankyou'.

"You're injured. Badly as well." A statement. One that Izuku dislike as it had only reminded them of the lacking power.

"Yeah, so, do we just try to stall for Kacchan or what" Izuku stated, heaving as he glared at the monster.

"I'm sorry to say but I have no idea. From what we've seen, he appears to have a Quirk that lets him stretch and possibly a mutant or transformation quirk. Those leg muscles aren't something you can earn by training hard."

"Don't forget good-looking too," Vidar chimed, winking flirtatiously at her. Naturally repulsed, she felt the urge to take a shot but refrained from doing so. A waste of time and energy and no doubt an attempt to rile her up. Izuku, much to his confusion, seems to have got hooked, lined, and sunken. Instead of commenting on it, she decides to focus on the important part.

"He's trying to rile us up. Don't fall for it." To her words, Izuku nodded begrudgingly. Inhaling and exhaling several times and yet Izuku couldn't help but feel furious.

"Got any plans? I don't think he knows any spells." Izuku spoke, sparing a glance at the monster who waved cheerfully at them.

"He might but choose not to because of how weak we are." Saiko iterated, drumming the spear's shaft deep in thought.

"How about this, distract him. I'll try something I'm been meaning to do. I just hope it will work." Saiko stated, patting her spear as a hint. Izuku glanced at the item and user before begrudgingly nodding at her words, hoping whatever she had in store would work. No, it must work or they will suffer.

"Hey, hey, you guys know I can hear you right? But it's fine; no sweat. Keep talking." Vidar waved, smiling unnaturally wide as he kicked at the air several times. Watching how this monster acts made Izuku's blood boil. Before he can run toward the monster again, Saiko grabbed the young man by the shoulder.

"What are you doing? This isn't like you." Hissed the young woman, baffled by his sudden aggression.

"I'm sorry, it's just...he's so annoying," Izuku growled, hands tightened into fists. Though deep down he knew that wasn't the actual reason.

Knowing just how weak he is compared to him infuriates him. Izuku had assumed the strength he'd owned was truly impressive but now it doesn't. His true strength doesn't lie in his own but in the vast amount of soldiers he can make. Briefly glancing at Midnight, Izuku wondered if he can get to it. Even now it is still stuck in the tree. Fear crept into the young man as Vidar realized where his eyes went.

"Oh my, need your spear?" Vidar smiled mischievously, eyes twinkling with pure arrogance. "Guess what Jeeves, I'll let you. Maybe you'll put up a fight if you're armed."

Vidar's words sent Izuku's blood boil. Anyone can tell what this meant.

Enraged, he charged forward and the others went along as well, having sensed their master's anger. The Construct looked elated beyond words, laughing as he dodged every swing. Strikes were blocked, kicks were countered, and more. Every deflection, parry, and block caused by the Construct makes Izuku angrier.

Activating every skill he has earned, Izuku went on the offensive; delivering blows at the speed he'd never done before.

With Frostwolf, he moved faster than ever. Every knife-hand strike was delivered utilizing Bladefist. Doomhammer was occasionally mixed in hopes he can deliver some serious damage. Reinforcement was activated and maintained from start to finish. Throughout the entire fight, notifications after notifications were pouring in but he ignored them all, knowing simple steps aren't good enough.

After all, none of his strikes are landing.

"Maybe Ashborn chose right. He seems stupid enough to me." Vidar yawned while kicking away a Bladefist. Despite the pain vibrating in his hand, Izuku ignores it in favor of throwing an uppercut. A simple sway back by Vidar had him missed by an inch. Following the uppercut, Izuku delivered a cross that gets eluded once more.

Pangs of pain flashed at the stomach, causing the young man to keel over. Hands clutching the injured area whilst trying to get up with great difficulty. By the time he'd got up, Vidar was busy inspecting his hands while whistling a jaunty tone; ignoring Izuku's very appearance.

A smirk accompanied by a 'come hither' gesture had the young man yelling in frustration and rage as he sprayed a breath of powerful orange flames all over the place. Despite the chaotic attack, Vidar managed to evade every last one to the point, not even a speck was on him. By the time he had landed, multiple Myrmidon burst out of the ground; arms stretched out.

"Nice!" Snapped the Construct, leaping upwards while spinning simultaneously. A sharp and cutting blow that whittled down the familiar into a black little whisp. Instantly they quickly began regenerating as usual. Much to the two Awakened's confusion, he began grabbing some of the shadowy remnants, and much to Izuku's horror, he can feel them getting sapped away.

It was a very difficult sensation to describe. To put it lightly, it felt like knowingly holding onto something that is actively getting pulled away. Like someone pulling the back of your hair or spitting saliva into your face. Not wishing to lose any of his comrades, Izuku shot another fireball which the monster dodged.

Landing gracefully on the feet, Vidar struck another dramatic pose one that resembles Bruce Lee. Vidar even got the nose flicking gesture correctly.

"What's wrong, can't touch me?" The Construct asked. "I suggest you-"

A bright bluish light tore through the Constructs limb, the dismembered appendage dropping uselessly to the ground. The sudden attack unwittingly jerked the artificial monster who had a genuinely baffled look on their face; their mouth opened agape in shock with his own eyes doing the same thing. Turning to the source who happens to be a particular intellectual looking smug.

Rage. An emotion Vidar knew quite well. In anger, he tilted up to the sky and howled like a frenzied animal, stomping the ground in absolute fury at what had occurred to himself. Unable to bear the maddening howl of the Construct, both Izuku and Saiko closed their ears to drown out the noise. From the corner of his eyes, the greenette noticed how the summons was suffering as well; their very body fizzling out as they bear the brunt.

Upon completing it, Vidar disappeared in a blur, leaving behind a strong gust of wind and shaking the very earth. Only to appear in front of Izuku in the blink of an eye, one leg raised back.

Saiko wanted to scream at him to run; evade the monster but secretly knew it was futile. Their exchange had already proved who is stronger than the other. But color her surprise when Izuku chose to defend himself; bringing up both hands overhead to block the attack. Although the woman had fought her fair share of battles, the sound of breaking bones is still unsettling, to say the least.

Most would've keeled over and cried as they cradle their broken limbs but not her friend. If anything, he seems to stand straighter, trying to match the monster's ferocity for reasons unbeknownst to her. Anyone who has a working brain can tell whos' stronger.

For a moment, she considered telling him to give up only to realize it was a futile gesture. This isn't a man but a monster, one that would kill humans simply to sate its bloodlust. Although she swore her friend looked more like a wild beast; fury in his eyes as the man struggled to block every attack.

"Ashborn was a fool and you are a bigger fool! My speed, my strength, and my stamina rivals-nay- dwarves yours." Howled the fierce Construct, ending the dangerous combo with a kick to the chest. The powerful kick serves as the final one as the green-haired Provisional Hero dropped them to the side. Like a feral beast, Vidar seized the opportunity via a palm strike to the chest.

Despite the warnings from the System, Izuku kept pushing forward with Darkness Transfer serving as an adrenaline booster. Whether Vidar is sapping the energy or not doesn't matter any longer because this is the only thing he can do and so he'll use it to the fullest. So long as the monster is focused only on him, he doesn't care.

No, Izuku thought, I can't fall here.

Growling in anger as he pumped more of the energy into the entire body, trying to stay up under the rain of blows. Much to the greenette's surprise, everything seems to have slowed down. Saikos' words had turned into something unrecognizable and much to the young Awakened's confusion, memories of his life flashed before him.

He saw the day Katsuki pummeled him. He saw the times when he wept upon finding out how he'll be Quirkless for the rest of his life. But what made them stick out was how his father tried to counsel him once after the big reveal.

'Remember, true strength comes from the soul.'

A distant memory, one of the few he has of his father. Made more impactful given the fact that it was a day before his disappearance. Remembering his late father's words of wisdom strengthens Izuku's resolve. Pouring more of the dark energy into his body as the pain grew.

Upon sensing the familiar dark energy growing within the human, Vidar attempted to drain it out but grew confused when he realized more just seems to come out and in far greater quantity. Soon enough, the boy's entire body was engulfed in dark energy.

Vidar grew confused at the sight of them taking shape into claws. That single moment of pause allowed Izuku to end the seemingly endless barrage of punches, breaking the monster's chest. Taken surprised by the powerful blow instead of getting injured, Vidar stumbled briefly, glancing and feeling the injured area before turning towards the green-haired Awakened.

"What is this?" Gasped the young man, admiring the new form he'd made. Izuku wondered if it was due to his father because the armor resembles the man's transformed body. Instead of organic red scales, abyssal darkness stood in their place. The very air surrounding them was positively humming with energy. Curiously, he flexed the gauntlets, modeled after sharp claws, and surprisingly they obeyed!

[Congratulations, you have successfully infused Mana of Darkness into Reinforcement.]

[As a result, a new skill has been produced. What would you name it?]

A fitting name for this particular skill is hard to come up with. Remembering it was his father's words that inspired him, he should name it after one of the late hero's moves. A perfect way to honor the late man's memories.

"Sargas Might." He stated. A notification followed suit and for a moment, Izuku felt joy at gaining another skill as this is his skill; one made by himself, not others. However that joy came to an end when someone unsavory entered his vision, one hand reared back for a punch.

Feeling encouraged with his newfound powers, Izuku raised both shadow-engulfed arms in an X-shape in front of him. Upon contact, the blow shook him to the bones but despite that, the pain had lessened considerably. Seeing how the monster himself looked positively taken aback; no doubt unable to believe that someone like himself is withstanding his blows, brought joy to the young Awakened.

Euphoric sensation courses through the greenette when he grabbed the monster's head and pulled it in for a headbutt. Before Vidar could even react, Izukus' forehead crashed into the Constructs' skull, causing it to stumble back as Izuku let go. However, Izuku quickly grabbed the monster by the hand and pulled in closer for powerful hooks to the face.

"Why! Don't! You! Just! Die! Already!?" Every word uttered was punctuated by a powerful punch, drawing more blood and worsening the Constructs' face. Bruises-or at least Izuku assumed- were becoming much clearer upon every strike. At the sixth punch, Vidar managed to grab the right hook by the wrist.

Vidar's murderous glare met Izuku's owner before Izuku let go of the held arm. Moving quickly, Izuku stomped down on Vidar's left foot. Before he can attack, something hard and strong slammed into his shin. A window of opportunity, one that Vidar fully exploits via a series of powerful strikes.

Momentarily he took note of how the attacks had grown faster and much stronger before causing the greenette to become angry. Before he can retaliate, multiple kicks are connected against him. Despite that, the pain had lessened considerably. The others tried to help, throwing themselves into the metaphorical grinder in hopes of protecting their master using their own body. Only to get decimated by a flying kick.

From the outside, Saiko swallowed down some incoming bile, feeling nausea at the unfolding carnage. Vidar's kicks were flying all over the place at impossible angle. Both limbs stretched and cut through the air and summons alike as if they were papers. Despite their tremendous power, those strikes was blocked by Izuku. Saiko could tell her friend's action infuriated the hideous monster.

She would love to jump in to help but she just can't do anything. None of Uncle Reid's teachings are applicable in such a difficult situation. Ignoring the fact she's a measly B-ranked Awakened, the only thing that she can do to help would render her useless should that particular tactic fail

On the other hand, Izuku felt frustrated at the entire scenario. At first, he had assumed the claws would grant him some advantage but all it did was leveled the playing field. He doesn't have a clue how strong a Seneschal-grade summons are but from what he'd seen, they are definitely above Knight-grade easy. If this continues, they will all die in here. He can't let that happen to Katsuki and Saiko!

Recalling how he created Sargas Might, Izuku wondered whether the same could go for any of his skills. Perhaps the fireball skill he has can fuse with the dark energy. Turning on Fireball, he tried to coax the Mana of Darkness into the belly. Instead of the familiar scorching heat, a sense of coolness washed in.

Reaching its climax, Izuku unleashed it. Gone were the usual bright orange flames and in its place was a black ball of fire, leaving behind a purplish trail in its wake as it flew towards Vidar.

[Congratulations, you have successfully infused Mana of Darkness into Fireball]

[As a result, a new skill has been produced. What would you name it?]

"Ddraig," Izuku waved off, ignoring the pop-up about the skill in favor of the monster. Rushing forward using Frostwolf, he commanded several Myrmidons to flank the monster. Vidar took note of them burrowing into the ground, scoffing as he leveled one leg to strike. With Izuku, he sent a kick, the leg stretching as it covered the distance.

Leaping high into the air, Vidar reared both legs before unleashing them down unto the ground at blinding speeds. Every strike delivered was akin to lightning hitting the earth, sending chunks of glasses flying everywhere with every blow, blinding the two Awakened. The summons underground was naturally destroyed with several surviving, trying their darndest to get out of the way.

However, their attempts were rewarded with a painful death courtesy of a boulder sent their way. Vidar's joy ended courtesy of a sudden sensation of pain in the side. Coughing up a wad of blood, the monster glanced down to find an open wound with a very futuristic-looking spear embedded deep inside. Turning to the source who smiled sweetly at him. In her hand is a small object.

"Enjoy." After her declaration, she pressed it. Ticking sounds began to emit from the spear, and an eyebrow perked up in intrigue and confusion at the very weapon. Unbeknownst to him, Saiko is running as fast as she can albeit finding some difficulty. Willing his summon to carry her, Izuku followed suit with ease.

"I-is that what I think it is? Is that a literal-"

Moments before Izuku could finish the sentence, a cacophony of sounds exploded to life. The powerful blast released a shockwave strong enough that sent the two flyings. Willing the various Myrmidons and Salamanders to engulf Saiko and Izuku, the two soon finds themselves wrapped up in a large volume of shadow; courtesy of the Myrmidons becoming pseudo shield.

He could feel the Mana within drained at an incredible pace as they attempted to regenerate. Even under all of this summons, he could feel the intense heat and the very impact absorbed by the insect summons. By the time the heat died out, he willed all Summons barring the ones who aren't helping Katsuki into his shadow, no longer able to support them.

In addition to that, Vidar proved to be far too difficult for B-rank monsters to fight.

The after-effects were brutal, to say the least. A large portion of the land evaporated, destroyed by the explosion caused by Saiko's spear. Sands that were caught in the blast radius turned to glass as a result of the powerful heat, leaving the transparent crystalline structure in the explosions wake.

But what made them disheartened was seeing their target still doing fine. Aside from some minor burns, the monster is looking positively furious.

"A-are you for real?" Saiko gasped, looking positively flummoxed. "That spear cost me tens of millions to make. I had it custom-made for myself. That damn bomb had one-third of my mana!"

Hearing Saiko's statement had the boys' eyes bulged wide.

"Enough of this," growled Vidar as his feet began glowing. At will, chunks of rocks began levitating upwards, gravitating to the monster or specifically his feet. Clumping together to form a pair of boots made from stones, both larger than a car.

"I know what you guys think, what can a pair of giant shoes of dirt do? Well, I-well-it's my king that helped me. See, let me give you a demonstration."

At first, Izuku had assumed the increase in weight would slow down the mobster, giving himself a bigger window to strike. However much to the man's disappointment, Vidar doesn't seem to slow down. Just as Izuku was about to leap up to pursue him, the foot came crashing down, destroying the very ground they stood on. Everything underneath crumbled as it could not handle the heavy blow.

Quickly looking around, he leaped onto the nearest platform and made his way to the others, hoping to get onto land. Upon landing on solid ground, Izuku turned to look for the girl. In the distance, he caught sight of Saiko trying to traverse the falling area.

"Watch out!" She cried out in mid-air. The greenette quickly took several steps back, giving the woman space to land. Upon landing, the greenest couldn't help but comment about the obvious.

"You don't have your spear," Izuku commented, causing Saiko to give him a stink-eye.

"Was that obvious?" Saiko snarked, shaking her head as she began another Cantrips Spells. Izuku noted the words weren't one he's familiar with but given that her cusped hands were glowing brighter with each phrase uttered, it should be something. She never does something without a proper reason.

"Oh, would you stop with that stupid spell already? Fireballs, telekinesis, or even meteorite, you can't beat me," Vidar snapped in annoyance, watching the ball of light growing in size and intensity. Though the monster paused when he heard a familiar clapping sound.

"Hey, asshole!" A familiar voice snapped. Moments before Vidar could turn, Saiko unleashed the spell; sending a ball of light hurling forward. Seeing how Saiko closed her eyes, he did the same whilst willing Bellion to cover Katsuki's eyes. As a precaution, he pulled her down alongside him, commanding the summons to retreat into his shadow.

"Argh, my eyes." Vidar snapped, fumbling in the air as he did so. Resulting in the two massive monsters flying straight toward the blinded monster. The sheer combined weight of the two sent them flying over them, destroying the unfortunate trees as they flew. Digging deep into the ground using the black claws, Izuku held onto Saiko as he struggled to prevent the powerful wind from sending them flying away.

"Woah! Now that's what I'm talking about man! Take the pain train you freaking bird and shark fucks!" Katsuki hollered, a grin reaching both ends of the ear. Bellion, stoic as ever, gently carried the blonde down, followed by a flock of Garuda.

"See, now that's how an A-rank should do things! Whoa!"

"Well, how about you deal with an S-rank monster by yourself." Saiko snapped. The blonde merely huffed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Please, I can beat one of those any day."

"I take it you handle that monster just fine, Kacchan." Izuku's question received a derisive snort.

"Relatively speaking." Katsuki seem to want to say more but decided against it. "Anyway, you survived against something like that? Pretty impressive. For a Quirkless loser like yourself. Nice trick, where you'd learned it?"

"Well, I do what I can," Izuku laughed, dispelling the black armor at will.

"Right, Bellion can you go and take my spear? Pretty please?"

At his words, Bellion gave a small bow before flying towards it. Surprisingly enough, the item wasn't even harmed during the entire scuffle. Producing the aforementioned spear, Bellion knelt as he offered the item.

Surprised at the gesture, the greenette picked up the spear while ignoring the other two's judgmental stares. As he nervously rubbed the shaft, his mind wandered to the dead man's words. Stain had believed the spear would help their would-be savior. Whoever he may be and against what he has no clue still.

But it wasn't the threat that concerns him. Certainly, it occupies his mind but it's what he had done. What if he had ruined that chance to meet the savior? In addition, this implies that Gates is much more than simply dropping monsters into their world.

'Ashborn, Construct. Besides these two, I got nothing else. Was Ashborn the first owner of this power of mine? Could he have been the supposed savior of humanity,' Izuku wondered. Suddenly he doesn't feel confident knowing this power might've belonged to someone else.

"ENOUGH!" Vidar's sudden roar drew their attention, causing all of them to settle into a stance. Far above, Vidar had levitated high into the air. Crimson red life-giving fluid drenched the monster head-to-toe whilst the monster himself looked positively murderous. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what he had done to the earlier monster. His blood-shot eyes fell onto the trio as he literally snarled.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Every sentence was punctuated by a stomp in the air. Where the legs seem to extend even longer than the previous one.

"I don't deserve this. You don't even deserve to be killed by my master. I am your better and you will fall!" He yelled, rushing forward.

Katsuki and Izuku were the first to rush forward whilst Saiko fall back. Only Bellion came out as he deemed the Construct too strong for the nameless Summon to handle. Familiar cool darkness engulfs the green-haired man while Katsuki's palms crackled.

Moments before they clash, Izuku and Katsuki separated and headed into separate direction, confounding the monster for a brief moment. Quickly leaping upward, Vidar lifted both legs up in a split-kick motion, sending both legs barreling towards the intended target.

Ducking down, Izuku got up jabbed using the spear. A debris came up and knocked the weapon aside. Vidar attempted to reach out only to get struck across the face by Bellion. Furious, Vidar's attention shifted towards the winged summon only to get blasted by a bombardment courtesy of Katsuki.

Vidar's left leg darted forth in rapid succession, each strike cracking the very air like a whip. Getting struck in the chest hurt tremendously but Izuku preserved, ensuring the monster's attention never went to others. Igniting the black flames, he lunged yet again only to get hit in the crotch. Unable to withstand such a painful blow, Izuku fell to the ground whilst whimpering in pain.

At the back, a shadow loomed over the two instantly. Vidar looked up and found the fist of a man landing on top of the cranium. Upon contact, a cracking sound came forth, causing Vidar to lose grip for a brief moment. Seizing the opportunity, Izuku grabbed the head and pulled Vidar's close, releasing Ddraig at close range.

Wordlessly, Vidar struck Izuku in the throat before any of them could hit him, causing the man to keel over as he whimpered in pain. Hands clutching the injured area as he attempted to heal it. Vidar raised an elbow, wishing to strike only to be momentarily distracted when something hard struck his eyes. A sharp pain popped up as the organ were crushed, letting blood pouring out, blinding the Construct

Turning around ,the Perfect Construnct 's blinded vision stumbled on the young intellectual. Hefting another rock before hurling it yet again.

In mid-air, the rock halted in its flight and flew back at equal speed. Saiko never really had any time to react. Although the woman was surprised when Bellion made himself known cutting the projectile with one swift motion. As it soar through the air, the whip blade extended and wrapped firmly around the humanoid monster's knees. Pulling as hard as he can, Vidar was dragged through the air towards the winged warrior.

Using this to his advantage, Vidar tucked in both legs close to the chest. When the two were pretty close to one another, the stone-encrusted legs shot forth like speeding bullets. This powerful attack wounds up blowing off Bellion's head off.

Still enraged by the humiliation, he kicked the headless monster's chest, reducing it to a black wisp. Seeing it slowly receding into the green-haired man's shadow brought a wonderful smile onto the Constructs' beaten and bloodied face. Although he recalled there was one fellow left.

"Eat this, sucker!" Katsuki's vulgar words were accompanied by a grab of Vidar's face. Before Vidar could react, the blonde detonated his explosion at close range. The expression of glee turned to pain as a powerful blow was struck into his chest, causing the blonde to gasp for air. Despite the painful blow, he didn't relent, opting to fire off an explosion strong enough to have them fly.

"Get out here now!" Katsuki commanded, firing off a series of explosions. The blonde couldn't make out anything either person said but judging by their movement as little dots, they must have listened. Though after the third blast, he noted his hand felt odd. Glancing down, the blonde was surprised to find it broken.

The culprit was smirking and looked somewhat bored. Seeing such sights caused the blonde to roar in frustration as he attempted to kick him. Although color the blonde was surprised to find a black shadow following after them. Even more so when he finds who it was.

"Deku?!" He yelled in shock. Black flames danced along the mighty spear as he jabbed at Vidar, burying it deep into the stomach. Only to fail miserably as the Construct managed to deflect it only to end up screaming in pain as the fires began crawling over his body.

"Wh-what is this? No, it's impossible. You shouldn't have accessed it so soon!" Vidar glared at Izuku, hate in the eyes. "You don't deserve it. You don't deserve its blessing!!!!"

Both Awakened took note of the way Vidar reacted but decided to focus on other pressing matters. The two were shocked when they saw Vidar ripping off its burning limb, throwing it weakly at Izuku. Despite the added weight, Bellion managed to evade it.

"Bellion now!" At the master's words, the shadow warrior kicked at the monster but was met with one of his own. Vidar's stone legs managed to destroy Bellion's in one swift blow. Despite the destroyed limb, Bellion didn't even look perturbed, attempting to strike for the second time only to suffer the same results.

"No! No! I will not be denied my glory! I'm a Perfect Construct! The mighty god of vengeance!" Following the monster's declaration, his body began to glow brightly. Sensing the danger, Katsuki blasted away and Bellion quickly covered the distance between the two of them. Both Awakened and familiar tried their darndest to get away. They never looked back and didn't dare to out of fear of what they were about to see.

A powerful shockwave far greater than Saiko's detonated spear rock the two, sending them hurtling towards the island even faster. All twelve airborne Garuda summons poured out and quickly converge on their falling master and his friend. Katsuki, unable to properly fly, eventually relented all the while glancing at his childhood friend who sports a weak grin, flashing a thumbs up as well.

The blonde's reaction was a snort followed by head shaking. Soon enough, they landed on the ground. On the ground, Saiko felt a heavy weight lifted off of her as the two got down. The Summons parting ways to give Saiko to fuss over.

"That was foolish," Saiko muttered, casting a Healing Cantrip on Izuku. Only to be stopped when Izuku pointed at Katsuki who mouthed something. Perhaps because of his injuries, Izuku wasn't able to speak properly but the signs were already clear. Both Awakened and the various familiars looked positively shocked by the gesture.

"Are you for real? You want me to get healed first?!" To say Katsuki was shocked is an understatement. "Are you fucking nuts, man?"

"Yes, for once I heartily agree with the blonde," Saiko spoke, ignoring an indignant protest out of said blonde.

"Ju-just," Izuku stifled a cough, noting a small amount of blood staining his palm. Before he can dwell on it for long, he spits out the word.

"Do it!" A sudden declaration that had the trio startled upon finding a literal old man in their midst. Hunched over while wearing an attire fitting of a warlock.

"Hello there." The elderly man waved, smiling humorously. Hand held out and mana begun gathering around it, purplish lights coming to life.

"Die please."

At will, the Garuda summons lunged forward, Myrmidons and Salamanders by the dozen poured out of Izuku's shadow like a dark tidal wave. All of those summonses save Bellion charged forth, baring their fangs, fist, and claws at the sudden interloper. Only for them to crash against an invisible wall, the air before Yogumunt vibrating under the impact.

"My, my, I can already tell they're about to evolve soon." The man spoke, amazement in his voice. Reaching out to one of them, he began rubbing one of the familiar, a Myrmidon, on the head affectionately. The entire sight was rather baffling for the trio of Awakened.

'H-how is he doing that?' Izuku wondered. Despite the constant attack, none of them are landing. Noticing him, the elderly man laughed cordially.

"Aah, forgive me, where are my manners? My name is Yogumunt, Monarch of Magical Knowledge and King of Magical Constructs. I hoped my subjects had served you well."

"You're their leader?" Izuku asked, remembering Mars, Vulcan, and the recently fought monsters. Is this what a Monarch truly looked like? A normal-looking human who could pass for a helpless old man. From what he had seen, Izuku had expected to find a abomination of some kind. If this is how Yogumunt looked like, he wondered if Keras resembled one.

Setting down Izuku, who looked conflicted by the gesture, attempted to stand up using Midnight as a crutch. Before the young man could get far, Bellion gently held onto the spear, negatively shaking his head. Understanding dawning on the greenette, he relented and quietly observed the familiar who protectively stood in front of him. Unlike the others, he only assumed a minimal but protective stance.

"Oh, that's good really. Good." Yogumunt coed, eyeing the injured trio with scrutinizing eyes. Upon landing on Izuku, a perverse smile crept onto the elderly male's face. Never in the greenette 's entire life had he felt so vulnerable. It almost feels as if he was looking into his very soul.

Katsuki Bakugou who had charged forward, kicked the Construct King in the head. Despite the blonde's best efforts, the kick didn't land resulting in Katsuki landing on his feet. Turning on the ball of his right leg, another one came up just as quickly only to get evaded yet again by the so-called Monarch.

Growing annoyed, Yogumunt flicked his wrist causing multiple energy chains to jump out of the ground, wrapping themselves around Katsuki. Aggravated, Katsuki attempted to move only for the chain to suddenly yank on the injured limb, causing the blonde to fall on one knee while yelling in pain.

Quickly, he willed the summons to stand down and they begrudgingly did so. With the current development, it is too dangerous and pointless for any of them to fight. Even Izuku doubt Bellion could deal any damage to Yogumunt.

"Huh, I am surprised," Yogumunt spoke. Izuku fell back when the man suddenly appeared, covering the distance between the two of them. Bellion, who only managed to look shocked, tried to raise his blade only to have the world turned around him. Helplessly, Izuku watched as the familiars head fell uselessly to the ground.

[Warning, the user is now under Monarch of Magical Knowledge's Domain]

[Warning, all summon's regenerative powers are reduced by 90 percent.]

[Warning, all spells potency are reduced by 60 percent.]

"I had expected Ashborn's chosen successor to be someone.... stronger. But no matter." He snorted, kicking away the headless body to the side. Unlike earlier, the head isn't regrowing as fast as it did in the past.

"I never really understood Ashborn. Just because he had a change in wardrobe and gain new powerset doesn't mean he's a Monarch. You can take the holiness out of a Ruler but you can't take a Ruler out of his holiness." Yogumunt spoke, pinching Izuku's skin.

"And a Quirkless fellow like yourself is his choice. Must be that Ruler mentality of his. Wouldn't you agree

"What does that have to do with anything?" Izuku snapped, weakly swatting the hand away. Momentarily shock were written all over the Monarch's face before anger took over. The earlier appendage came back in full force, grabbing him by the throat.

"Why, everything of course. Something about you smell off and I don't mean your Quirk nor that unique power of his. You remind me of someone but I highly doubt that battle-lover take interest in meagre humans."

Ignoring the man's rambling, Izuku tried to focus on what is happening now. All three are injured, and tired, and stating they're not in tip-top shape is putting it lightly. Whatever spell Yogumunt had casted, it's an incredibly potent one. Cantrip spells that barely worked on him wouldn't do anything at all in a scenario like this.

In addition to that, Yogumunt is the king of these weird creatures which meant he must be far stronger than anything they had fought. There's only one thing that they can do now, an idea that would hopefully minimize their loss. Placing new commands on every Summon, Izuku put Midnight Teardrop into the inventory and activated Sargas Might. Immediately he struck Yogumunt. Only to yield the same result as the summons had.

A meagre bruise on the face but Izuku continued his weak onslaught.

"Get outta here now. The Gate should have opened by now!" Izuku yelled, commanding every Summon within to help the two escape. Dozens of summons poured out and attempted to move but ends up pausing in mid-air. Katsuki and Saiko couldn't help but feel surprised at it as they didn't suffered the same.

"Oh, what an interesting application. It's almost similar to the Spiritual Body Manifestation of us Monarchs. The choice of shape is also quite intriguing as well. If it weren't for the Power over Death, I had assumed it's Antares." Yogumunt chuckled, evading another hook. By merely snapping his fingers, chains similar to Katsuki restrained the young green-haired man. Pushing as hard as he can only for the dark coatings to disappear.

"Tsk, tsk, maybe restraining your little pets is too much for you. So please perform to my expectations." Yogumunt sighed, snapping his fingers after that. The summons, noticing the disappeared restrain, immediately obeyed their master's command. Myrmidons and Garudas swarmed the Monarch whilst the Salamanders attempted to carry the two Awakened away.

Despite their rains of powerful blows and sharp claws, Yogumunt continued his nonchalant and jovial attitude. Humming a soft tune as he aimed his hand at the running away duo before shooting off a magically made three magenta-colored spear. Katsuki roundhouse-kicked one of the spears only to get impaled by the remaining two; one in the shoulder and another in his knees. This causes him to fall down onto the ground, groaning in pain. Several Myrmidons and Salamanders tried to carried him but were promptly executed when multiple purple spear embedded deep into their body.

The young lavender-haired girl took notice, turning around and heading towards Katsuki. Her escort tried to help only to get slaughtered just as quick. Raising one fist, Saiko struck the chains but realized it yield no results. Whatever running through her mind is unknown to the greenette but colour the young Awakened surprise when Saiko had fallen down onto the ground in a kneeling position.

"Please don't hurt my friends. We'll do anything you ask." Saiko pleaded.

Curiosity taking over, Saiko looked up briefly only to froze up when Yogumunt was standing in front of her. Kneeling on one knee as to ensure both are on eye level. Purplish glow emitted from the scarlet red eyes as he smiled. For a moment, Saiko saw visions of people getting tortured; screaming in pain for mercy accompanied by a devil-like laughter as a shadowy figure danced atop their corpse.

"Heavens no," Yogumunt spoke, reaching for Saiko's hand, clasping them in a comforting manner. "My goal is not hurting any of you. It's something much better, one that you would understand."

"...and what would that be, Lord Yogumunt?" Saiko asked, pausing briefly.

"Why, the secrets behind Quirks." Yogumunt smiled wickedly.

The poor woman stiffened in fear as she felt the old man gently caress her jugular. An old and gnarly finger tracing along the neck. Silently Saiko wished she is anywhere but here.

"Your species as a whole intrigues me. Your kind has something that every Monarch's subject lacks. Sure, Ice elf have their Stealth and Orcs have their Spirit Beast but you humans are diverse. I can't say I know much since I had only just begun my research but I've been making some progress."

"I can help with that. I'm incredibly -"

"Yes, yes, Saiko Intelli. Japan's most smartest girl and the prodigy of the century. Keras couldn't stop talking about wanting to extract your Quirk." Hearing that last part had the girl frozen in fear. Noticing it, Yogumunt snorted as he shook his head.

"Personally, I think your Quirk is rather...lame. Oh, I understand you can become smarter by drinking tea. Truthfully its' a little odd but I study them not make them. I'm more interested in battle-oriented Quirks. Something like precognition, spatial manipulation and that sort of thing. Can you do any of that?"

"No." Saiko replied fearfully.

"Good, so please be quiet lest I fed you to Jormungandr." Yogumunt snapped. Satisfied in getting the desired result, he turned to the other person.

"There, much better. Now, I'll have you-" Yogumunt paused when he found an odd-looking fellow popping out of the ground. A blond-haired man standing by the greenette side. Dressed in a white and yellow suit with pauldrons made out of naga's scales.

"L-lemillion?" Izuku spoke, baffled by what he just saw. If this man had arrived then that would mean...

Often he had seen the blonde sporting a smiling face but a fierce scowl replaced them.

Before any words could be exchanged, Lemillion sprung into action, assaulting Yogumunt with a combination of punches and kicks. A cross to the face that got evaded had the blonde turned the body around and ducking down, extending the leg into what is essentially a leg sweep.

Unable to help himself, Izuku cast Soul Observe on the young S-ranker.

[Mirio Togata, To Wish upon the Fist]

[Level 90, Rank as a Summon: Elite Knight]

Purple barrier erected only for the leg to phase through and connected against his shin. Despite that, the action earned an annoyed look from the elderly man. The ground beneath Yogumunt glowed a bright magenta. Sensing as if something was wrong, Lemillion went down into the ground. No holes were opened only that the blonde literally went under like a hard object sinking into the ocean. Having seen some of his interview, Izuku could tell it was the Permeation Quirk at work.

A surprised yelp escaped Izuku's lips as he was swooped up in a man's arm, finding them belonging to Lemillion. Everything around them turned into a blur as the blonde hero ran as fast as he could. Squatting down onto the ground before he launched himself backward through the air by at least 40 feet, dodging massive sharp spikes jutting out at incredible speed. By the time they landed, the spikes had retracted.

"Oh, wait, what about Kacchan and Intelli-san?" Izuku asked, remembering the two were close by. Just as he said that, the wind around them blew brusquely, revealing the perpetrator to be another blonde dressed in a modernized ninja get-up whose hair is literally glowing. Yellow electrical currents were dancing along the hair. Holding onto the blonde were Katsuki Bakugou and Saiko Intelli, both looking uncomfortable.

"Thanks." Katsuki growled. Denki merely nodded, letting the two get off on their own accord.

"Where do you think you're going!?" Yogumunt's roared in outrage, purplish orbs of energy fired off in rapid succession. Each and every ball were roughly the size of a car.

"Hey, hey, captain, make sure this goes on my resume." Denki smirked. Denki's hair light up before running off at high-speed, leaving behind a cloud of dust. Upon leaping high into the sky, Denki drew out the twin blades and moved faster than his eyes can see. Yellow and black blur sped through the open area, slicing up every shots fired by Yogumunt.

"My oh my, I didn't expect someone like you amongst them." Guffawed the elderly king, impressed by the sight. Excitement bubbled as the newest blonde fighter covered the distance, swinging the second blade from an upward motion. Moments before the chained blade connected, Denki pulled away, evading a sharp stone that had jutted out of the ground.

"Very nice." Yogumunt applauded as the stone sinked back into the ground. Multiple orbs of energy materialized at the Monarchs' back.

"Now, show me more." Those energy orbs shot towards at the dual-wielder at blinding speed and yet the lightning-user complied, dancing across the open field with unmatched speed.

Secretly Izuku wondered how does Denki, someone who is around Katsuki's level, able to perform just as good as Lemillion. Watching the man perform looked like something straight out of a kung fu movie. The way he wielded those blades is the sort one used with a nunchucks. Unable to help himself, he cast Soul Observe on the two of them.

[Denki Kaminari, Light Blade, Lighter Feet]

[Level: 80 Rank as a Summon: Knight]

[Yogumunt, Monarch of Magical Knowledge, King of Magical Constructs]

[Level: 100, Rank as a Summon: Not Possible]

"Now!" Mirio yelled. At his words, a vast array of projectiles shot out of the woodworks like a firework on New Year's Eve. Spears of flame, chunks of rocks, torrent of water and many more made their way to the self-proclaimed Monarch.

Instead of panicking, Yogumunt merely raised a hand, all to become distorted as they were sucked into his palm, turning all of those attacks into a single orb roughly as large as a basketball. By a single nudge, the orb flew high into the sky, growing into a massive orb that's constantly churning. Even from here, he can feel the massive amount of energy throbbing within that object.

[Warning, Yogumunt is casting Spiral of Destruction]

Spiral of Destruction as the System calls it flew towards the heroes at a simple flick of Yogumunt's wrist. For a moment, Izuku thought this would be the end of them until a figure leapt out of the woods. At the forefront was a large, hulking man wearing a blue and red costume. Someone whose most striking feature was the two tufts of blonde hair styled upward akin to horns.

"Delaware Smash!"

Even people who knew little about Pro Heroes should know there's only one Pro Hero who used such proclamation. The only Hero who includes the names of America's states in his special moves. One of the Pillars of the Hero World as a whole.

"All Might?!" Izuku gasped in awe. He couldn't believe that he gets to see the legend himself in action. Videos doesn't do the mans' strength justice as a powerful wind pressure, far greater than any Izuku'd experienced, blasted forth as the man delivered the superhuman punch. The twist is that All Might didn't punch the object but simply the air as his ridiculous strength can generate powerful wind blast.

Mirio and Denki along with the others tried to hold on, trying their best to ensure they didn't get blown away. The wind was strong enough to sent the projectile flying towards Yogumunt who then disappeared into tiny sparkling lights. In the distance, Garuda's bifrucated body disappeared in a bright array of light and another bright light appeared in the distant ocean.

<Mark my words, I'll be back!> An elderly voice spoke in Izuku's minds. It doesn't take a genius tof irgure out who was the speaker. All Might landed on the ground, huffing as he glanced at the shaking hand. Taking a deep breath, the man got up and flashed the confident smile to the fiev young boys and girls.

"Alright, now the threat's gone, let's get you three to safety." All Might spoke in a gentle voice, a far cry from the one he'd used on Yogumunt.

Multiple pro heroes rushed out of the woodwork, all of them armed to the teeth looking for any hostiles. Sir Nighteye was at the forefront, decked out in a suit of armor plating designed with mobility in mind. Two bandoliers were wrapped around the chest in an X-shape, containing small pellets of some kind.

"Secure the area and exterminate any remaining hostiles!" Ordered Sir Nighteye before glancing at Mirio and Denki. The two nodded before leaving with the three injured Awakened in tow. Briefly, Izuku turned to catch All Might and Sir Nighteye talking to one another in hushed tones. However he wasn't able to hear much as he had already left for the woods.