Midoriya POV
The paralysis was suffocating.
Izuku could feel everything and move nothing, his body locked in place as if it no longer belonged to him. His lungs burned with shallow breaths, his heart hammered against his ribs, and his eyes refused to look away from Stain's blade as it hovered near Iida's back. Helpless to save his friend, Midoriya stared with tears of frustration in his eyes.
Then an icy burst exploded into the alley.
Stain leapt back as a wall surged between him and Iida, frost crawling over brick and asphalt. Izuku's vision blurred with relief as Todoroki stepped forward, breath uneven but posture firm.
"Todoroki!" Izuku shouted, his voice cracking. "Don't let him touch your blood!"
Stain moved anyway, bloodlust radiating from him. Midoriya could see that even the ever-stoic Shoto-kun had a flicker of panic cross his face.
He crossed the distance in a blink, faster than Izuku could track, skimming across the ice as if it were solid ground. Steel flashed. Todoroki twisted too late, the blade slicing across his cheek, blood spraying against the frozen wall.
Izuku's heart dropped. "Your blood—!"
Fire erupted.
Todoroki's flames roared to life, blasting Stain back and forcing him to shield his face as heat warped the air. Stain laughed through it, the sound sharp and reverent.
"Ah… Endeavor's son," Stain said. "Another false hero who deserves to be purged."
Todoroki didn't answer. He attacked again, fire surging forward in controlled bursts, while Stain used the alley walls to his advantage, bouncing aside and dodging with ease. Izuku felt something loosen in his limbs, the paralysis fading in waves. His fingers twitched, and his knee buckled as he tried desperately to rise and help his friend.
Move. Please move.
Stain glanced at him, eyes narrowing. "Your blood type must be O," he said calmly. "The effect is weakening."
Izuku forced himself onto one knee, pain screaming through his leg as he dragged air into his lungs. Black tendrils spilled from his arm without warning, snapping toward a nearby dumpster.
"Get away from them!" Izuku yelled as he hurled it.
Stain dodged with ease, the metal crashing uselessly into the wall. Todoroki seized the opening, unleashing another burst of fire that forced Stain upward. He rebounded off the alley wall, spinning midair as a knife left his hand.
It struck Todoroki's thigh.
Todoroki grunted and staggered, flames flickering as blood soaked through his uniform. Stain landed behind Izuku, blade already rising as Iida struggled helplessly nearby.
Izuku crawled.
Every inch felt like tearing himself apart. His palms scraped against the concrete, his vision swam, and his thoughts collapsed into a single desperate command.
Don't let him die.
Stain raised his weapon.
Then the sky exploded.
A boom and a crash sent tremors through the ground, shattering windowpanes above the alley. The pavement cracked beneath a thunderous impact, a gust of wind ripping through the alley hard enough to throw Stain off balance. Izuku flinched, shielding his face as debris skidded past him.
When he looked up, relief flooded him so hard it almost hurt.
"Takeru-kun…"
Takeru stood at the center of the shattered street, posture relaxed, eyes fixed on Stain behind his visor. For a moment, Izuku barely recognized him. The easy smile was gone. Izuku's breath hitched as he felt the murderous aura emanating from Takeru—the same sensation he had felt from Stain.
Stain straightened slowly, staring at Takeru with open interest. "So the rumors were false…" he said. "You are not All Might's heir."
Takeru didn't respond.
Stain tilted his head, lips curling. "I can sense it in you. The bloodlust. The will to kill. That presence does not belong to a true hero."
Takeru…?
Stain stepped forward, bracing for the fight to come.
Takeru spoke with eerie calm. "Shoto, can you still move?"
Shoto limped forward. "Yes."
"Tend to Native and Iida."
CRASH!
Stain blitzed past Izuku faster than he could comprehend, but Takeru swatted him aside with a backhand that sent him crashing through the wall of a nearby building.
Izuku's eyes widened at the speed Stain moved. He must have been holding back against us, he realized.
Takeru glanced at both Midoriya and Iida before speaking again. "When the police and the pro heroes arrive, say that Iida and Native were attacked by Stain. Nothing else. I will handle the rest. Don't make the situation worse. Do as I tell you."
His tone was iron, brooking no argument.
Stain rose, his right shoulder visibly dislocated, his movements uneven—but still fast. He lunged, blade aiming for Takeru's neck. Takeru turned aside, caught Stain's head in his palm, and the blade struck his face.
Takeru bit down.
The metal shattered.
With a violent whoosh, Takeru shot skyward.
Izuku let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
At least they were alive.
Takeru POV
"You know you were on the HPSC kill list for a while. They would have sent me after you, but they could never find you. Well, I think it was all for the good. Now you're much more famous, and I'll get a lot more credit for bringing you in."
Stain thrashed in vain against his grip. Takeru's massive hand held his head like a basketball.
"I hate people like you the most—self-righteous, idealistic morons. At least be honest with yourself, but no. You're not some crusader serving the greater good. All that talk about purging the corrupt? Bullshit! You just like feeling superior. You like killing, and you like believing you're better than everyone else."
Stain couldn't speak as Takeru's little finger and thumb exerted pressure on his jaw, slowly crushing it.
"You're right, Stain. I'm not All Might's son. But this world is full of idiots, you see. People believe what they want to believe, and I never disabused them of the notion because it served my interests. It made me more famous. I am everything wrong with hero society—everything you hate about it."
Stain ripped a knife from his sleeve and stabbed at Takeru's neck, but the blade shattered on impact. Takeru paid it no mind. He looked into the night sky, Hosu below reduced to scattered lights and smoke.
"But I'm not a hypocrite. I like what I like, and I'm going to take it all. I used to lie to myself, but now… why justify anything under the guise of justice and all that? I'm going to take what I want because might makes right. It always has, and it always will."
He exhaled slowly.
"It's lonely, you know—bearing so many secrets. Pretending to be the HPSC's golden boy, their favorite killing machine. Keeping things from the women I love. But what's the point? I'm going to live forever, getting stronger every year. Why shouldn't I have it all?"
Takeru tilted his head slightly.
"Did you know I'm not from this world? I know it sounds insane, but I was reincarnated. I lived a whole other life. Those memories are fading now. Maybe I'm here for a purpose… or maybe I just make one for myself."
Stain kicked wildly with his spiked boots, slamming into Takeru's chest until his own legs were broken and bloody. Takeru didn't react. He was lost in thought.
He shook his head sharply, to clear it. "Well, enough about me."
A cruel smile spread across his face. "Look at you—utterly helpless. Isn't this how your victims felt when you crippled them? When you killed them? No doubt you went on some self-righteous tirade. Allow me to do the same. "
"I'm going to be the number one hero after All Might retires. Then I'll take over this country—democratically, of course, in the beginning. After that… well. I've always thought democracy was overrated. People need a firm but gentle hand to guide them toward the correct decisions."
"In a hundred years? I think I'll take the rest of the world too. One step at a time. After all, what's a century to someone who will live forever?"
He tightened his grip.
"You made this possible. Endeavor will officially get the credit for bringing you in, but photos will leak—covertly, by me of course. The people will go insane. They'll praise me as the next Symbol of Peace."
"I'll lie. I'll smile. I'll play my role. And I'll be one step closer to becoming the next All Might."
"But you, my friend, will know the truth. You'll watch as I take over this country. You'll watch while the people adore me, while the news writes endless articles about my heroism."
"I'm going to make sure you watch while I piss on everything you love."
Takeru switched his grip, his left hand wrapping around the back of Stain's head as his right wrapped under Stain's chin with torturous slowness he began to twist.
"I am not doing this for justice...I am doing this because i like it !" Takeru manic grin widened
"Squirm while you still can, insect…"
CRACK.