Chapter 90
Though Melissa's room was on the 72nd Floor of the Central Research Center's Residential Tower, Izuku and the rest of the attack squad would need to climb an additional 128 Floors if they wanted to reach the central security terminal. There was no way they could accomplish such a feat in less time than it took the rescue team to descend to the ground floor and free the Heroes, so, at Melissa's behest, they began busting down doors on the 80th Floor to draw the enemy to a park-like zone where research on plant-based and other naturalistic Quirks was conducted.
As she was the most familiar with the building's layout, having literally memorized everything from the floor plan to the location of ventilation shafts and maintenance ladders, Melissa served as the team's tactical advisor, explaining, "With most of the building on lockdown, they'll most likely come to us from the central elevator shaft. We should expect small and medium arms fire as well as several combat-oriented Quirk users."
Having gotten a glimpse of the number of people occupying the reception hall, Kyouka pointed out, "I don't think their numbers are that great. There were only seven gunmen at the venue, and they couldn't have too many people monitoring security, or else they would have noticed us moving up and down the emergency stairwell..."
Nodding his head in affirmation, Izuku stated, "I believe Earphone Jack may be on to something. Few things are more high-profile than invading I-Island, yet our enemy has been fairly well-behaved. Odds are, this is a simple 'smash and grab,' so they likely only have enough people to fit into a single chopper, maybe on Osprey."
Cupping her chin, Melissa paused for a moment before supplying a curt nod and postulating, "If that's the case, they can't have more than twenty, maybe twenty-four people. If we exclude the flight crew, the gunmen at the reception, the people necessary to monitor the security system, and those staging the heist itself...that leaves around four to eight people? Not as many as I expected..."
"But we shouldn't underestimate them," said Tokoyami. "They were daring enough to stage a heist when famous Heroes from all over the world were present, including All Might himself. They may have some powerful Quirks on their side."
"I'm inclined to agree, but they can't be 'that' powerful," responded Izuku. "If they were truly confident in their abilities, they wouldn't have left the reception to a bunch of hired gunmen. They also didn't attempt the usual intimidation tactics, so, more likely than not, they're fearful of what might happen if they do."
"Either way, I can hear the elevator coming..." informed Kyouka, pulling her earphone jacks from the ground before seeking cover behind a large rock. She was far from bulletproof, so her duty within the attack squad was to scout and disable any cameras they happened to pass along the way.
"Then let's see what these pansies are made of," said Kirishima, punching his fist into his palm as his body rapidly hardened, becoming angular and rock-like. His actions prompted Tokoyami to wear his Dark Shadow like a veil while Izuku, taking point, manifested Blackwhip across his body like a suit of armor, complete with a flickering cape and an angular helmet with ghostly teal eyes. With teal lightning crackling around his body, he looked more like a Villain than a true Hero.
"Badass..." muttered Kirishima, his eyes wide and an expression of awe on his face.
Smiling wryly beneath his helmet, Izuku responded with a curt "Thanks" before shifting his gaze to Ochaco, Mina, and Melissa, suggesting, "The three of you should hide with Kyouka and wait for an opportunity to catch the enemy by surprise. No sense in standing out in the open if the enemy arrives with machine guns..."
"Yeah, yeah..." replied Mina, making a show of rolling her eyes before dragging Ochaco and Mina to the bushes near Kyouka's hiding spot. She was tempted to point out that Todoroki wasn't bulletproof, but even with her powerup and Acid Control, she couldn't imagine defeating her icy-hot classmate. He could wave his hand and produce an ice wall the size of a ship-sinking glacier, so she wouldn't argue he wasn't 'qualified' to stand in the line of fire...
Less than ten seconds after the girls had hidden, the doors to the central elevator hissed open, revealing an exceptionally skinny man with green hair and features similar to a billygoat alongside a short, remarkably stout man with a tiny face and a head that seemed to flow seamlessly into his neck and body. Both wore shock-absorbant bulletproof vests and black coveralls, but, more notably, neither carried a firearm.
Raising his brows, Kirishima asked, "Seriously?" in an incredulous tone. "They sent just two people to stop us...?"
As Kirishima hadn't exactly kept his voice down, the skinny, goat-like man glowered as he said, "Impudent brat. Our orders were to capture you, but now I feel like teaching you a lesson..."
Growing his hands into large, webbed claws, the goat-like man appeared to grab the air, condensing it into a pressurized sphere before flinging it at Kirishima at tremendous speeds...
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Name: [Nobuyagi Ide]
Title: Party Invitation Required
Quirk: Balling
Bond Level: 37
Current Level: 32
Effective Level: 43
[Attributes]
Strength: 62
Agility: 83
Vitality: 118
Intelligence: 59
Dexterity: 63
Luck: 40
Free Attributes: 165
[Perks]
Party Invitation Required
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("Not terrible for a villain...") thought Izuku. The goat-like man was about as strong as the average teacher from UA, so it wasn't strange for him to be confident against a bunch of 'kids.' Unfortunately, the students of UA High's Hero Program were anything but ordinary schoolchildren...
"Eat this...!" shouted Kirishima, punching at the ball of compressed air instead of attempting to evade it. Izuku had been tempted to intercept it for him, but as he knew the effect of his enemy's Quirk and what Kirishima was capable of, he didn't see any reason to steal the fiery-haired youth's thunder...
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Name: [Eijiro Kirishima]
Title: Party Invitation Required
Quirk: Hardening
Bond Level: 81
Current Level: 23
Effective Level: 65
[Attributes]
Strength: 72(108)
Agility: 31(25)
Vitality: 141(423)
Intelligence: 30
Dexterity: 38(32)
Luck: 40
Free Attributes: 115
[Perks]
Party Invitation Required
------------------------
Though he was pushed back a bit due to the wind pressure, Kirishima was able to tear through the sphere of compressed air without sustaining even a negligible injury. This caused the goat-like villain to grimace, but before he could scoop up the metal floor and lob it like an oversized cannonball, Todoroki sent a massive wave of ice at both him and his stout companion, seemingly freezing them in place...
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Name: [Daigo Ishioka]
Title: Party Invitation Required
Quirk: Ogre
Bond Level: 30
Current Level: 37
Effective Level: 157
[Attributes]
Strength: 104(538)
Agility: 31(165)
Vitality: 220(1008)
Intelligence: 52(20)
Dexterity: 44(67)
Luck: 62
Free Attributes: 185
[Perks]
Party Invitation Required
------------------------
("That one might be a little troublesome...") thought Izuku, unflinching even as Todoroki's ice was abruptly smashed apart, followed by the emergence of the goat-like man and his now purple, ogre-like companion. The former was able to compact inorganic matter like an ordinary person would pack snowballs, while the latter was able to transform into a literal Ogre, drastically increasing his physical attributes and granting him near-instantaneous regeneration for a 'very' brief period.
"Leave the ogre to me," said Izuku, charging forward at near supersonic speeds without waiting for anyone to respond. Even his enemy barely had time to react, raising his massive fists over his head but failing to get off an attack before Izuku buried his fist deep into the man's rotund, leathery gut. It felt like he was punching a sandbag several centimeters thick, but the result was far beyond anything he had imagined.
Though he limited his Strength to a 'meager' 500, Izuku's attack sent the purple-skinned man flying backward due to the properties of One-for-All and the force of the blow being 'entirely' directed back at his opponent. In essence, thanks to Melissa's bracer, his attack had effectively done twice the intended damage without him feeling any strain, just a slight pressure. The man must have weighed more than 850kgs, but Izuku felt like he had punched a soccer ball, not a 300cm tall behemoth...
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Recovering marginally faster than everyone else, the goat-like man swiped his webbed claws at Izuku, screaming, "You monster...!" as he simultaneously leaped away.
Since the man would displace his bracer and costume if his attack landed, Izuku's body appeared to 'flicker' as he evaded. By leaving Blackwhip at his original location, he was able to make it look like he had left behind an afterimage, both terrifying and confusing his enemies as he attacked from their blind spot.
Fortunately for the goat-like man and his classmates, Izuku didn't attempt to give chase as the former flipped backward several times before darting away fast enough that his legs became a blur. Instead, he left the man for Todoroki, Tokoyami, and Kirishima to deal with as he focused his attention on the purple-skinned ogre, the latter rising to his feet with steam coming from a fist-shaped indentation in his stomach.
Releasing a Hulk-like bellow, complete with massive veins bulging on his arms, neck, and shoulders, the purple-skinned ogre smashed the ground with enough force to create a large, shrapnel-filled explosion and produce a sizeable crater.
Shielding himself with Blackwhip, Izuku intended to wait for the dust to clear but ended up evading when his Intuition abruptly triggered. At that exact moment, a meat-cleaver-like blade sliced through the area where his neck had been, causing goosebumps to break across his body even though he was fairly certain he could have tanked it.
("This fucker is actually trying to kill me...") thought Izuku, lamenting the fact he couldn't do the same. He likely wouldn't be held accountable even if he 'did' kill the ogre-like man, but he would rather not be seen as a killer by his classmates and girlfriends. Not when he was more than capable of settling things without the need for 'excess' bloodshed...
With his opponent lurching toward him and attempting a follow-up swipe, Izuku's expression hardened as he raised his right arm, empowering his body with One-for-All just in case Melissa's bracer fractured. Instead, the man's blade splintered like sugar glass, Izuku barely feeling a thing as the kinetic energy from the blow was reflected with more than 99% efficacy.
("This shit is totally Vibranium...") thought Izuku, taking advantage of his opponent's stupefaction to hammer him with literally hundreds of blows from Blackwhip. They were nowhere near as powerful as his initial attack, but their volume caused the purple-skinned ogre's Vitality to drain rapidly, steam exuding from his pores as he shrank visibly.
Continuing his onslaught until the man had returned to normal, falling to his knees, Izuku stopped right in front of him, his expression cold as he said, "You're lucky I'm a Hero..." before slamming his fist into the man's mouth and nose. He held back to avoid killing the man, but his nose was undoubtedly broken, and most of his front-facing teeth were knocked out as he flew backward several meters, crashing into the ground and sliding to a stop, unable to rise.
Understanding from the man's status that he wasn't getting up any time soon, Izuku turned his attention to the fight between his classmates and the goat-like man. Todoroki, alone, would have been more than enough to clench a victory, so with Tokoyami and Kirishima providing backup, it was a very, very one-sided fight...
("If they're this weak, we might actually be able to settle things without Toshinori...") thought Izuku. However, as entrusting the matter to Toshi was inarguably the safest option, he had no intention of ascending the remaining 130 Floors to observe from the sidelines. The Experience was pretty fucking awesome, especially with his 500 Luck, but he imagined he would get a lot more once he began diving into breaches...
...
..
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(A/N: Melissa just needs to make a Black Panther-style suit and call it the Aegis Mk 1...)