Author: Vincent Rodger & Alex Williams | Banner: Vincent Rodger

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: The Day Heroes Fall
Chapter 2: Together We Stand
Chapter 3: Death From All Angles
Chapter 4: The Osaka Onslaught
Chapter 5: History Repeats
Chapter 6: The Day Tyranny Reigns
Chapter 7: Home Sweet Home in The Apocalypse
Chapter 8: The Last of Our Families
Epilogue: He Who Remains

[Precedes Match 420]

Chapter 1: The Day Heroes Fall

28 Months Ago, Tokyo, Japan
Hour One of Infection

Every clue led to this moment. 

Weeks of investigation to fulfill what could be the most important mission for peace within Japan, maybe the world if the worst outcome was true. The never ending fight to bring an end to tyranny forced them to act whenever they could, a newer threat through the ongoing years rivaling the fear created by Shocker or Gedon. 

The League of Villains had perpetrated a series of terrorist attacks, even going on to attacking a school and injuring several pro heroes. Threatening the students on campus grounds… it was unforgivable. If one of the members caught him as is, it would be hard to see him as a “hero”.

The man sat close to the ground on top of a nearby hill, standing over the very end of a trail in the woods on the edge of Tokyo. Even if they were only here temporarily, a remote outpost would be a great opportunity for him to inflict pain on monsters that would hunt down children.

“Hongo,” a voice whispered, earning the vigilante’s attention quickly. The Rider, however, knew the voice of his rival, meeting the look of the second and third of their numbers. The second cyborg’s form was similar to his own, an olive green insect-like helmet with bright red eyes stared at him. Antennae pointed towards the sky, the mouth looking like the mandibles of a Mantis, black armor laid underneath dark green armor pads. Red boots matched his gloves, a belt that wrapped around his waist glowing bright red.

Kamen Rider Nigo had come to aid his fellow Rider in the fight against the horrors of mankind.

Behind him stood the third, though their forms resembled each other, this was more apparent than that of Nigo’s cyborg body. The helmet had red surrounding the bright green insect-like eyes, twin antennae ending with red tips. Patches of silver armor covered the green underneath, a silver belt that wrapped around his waist had red glowing segments. The engine which allowed their transformations glowed the same red as his boots. White gloves tightened their grip as the vigilante stood ready.

Kamen Rider V3, the creation of Rider 01 and Rider 02, had come to aid his teachers against the League to end them once and for all. Just as they had to defeat the dreaded Destron all those years ago.

“Ichimonji, Kazami, you got here just in time,” Ichigo spoke as he pointed towards the warehouse, the others paying close attention as a few members got out of a car quickly, allowing them to identify the primary target even as his form was covered to the face. It was no mistake, that was him.

“Tomura Shigaraki.”

Their numbers had dropped incredibly low recently, after All For One and All Might’s final battle had the incarnation of evil condemned to prison, members were quickly captured within the following weeks. But the primary group, the King of Evil’s Vanguard, had remained at large.

“We move as soon as they enter the building,” the first Rider spoke as he motioned towards the roof of the building, seeming to be a decent opening even if it was rundown. If the roof were to cave in and crush members of the League would be the best case scenario, but that was highly unlikely due to how far they would go to survive. At the very least, it would allow them to get the element of surprise. “Even with their heavy hitters on the field, together we can end this.”

The two other riders nodded, watching as the trio walked towards the entrance to their hideout. The one in front opened the door, allowing the leader of their group to enter first before allowing the other two passengers to follow. 

“On my mar-”

Before Ichigo could finish his sentence, a scream echoed throughout the area before a bright blue flash illuminated the building, flames being unleashed across the structure almost as soon as they had entered. 

Without second thought, they took action.

Quickly all three of them leapt into the air, hovering high in the sky before descending towards the middle of the building.

What were they about to get into? 

They crashed into the ceiling, breaking it apart and sending large chunks of concrete flying on impact. This created a shockwave which sent several people flying into the walls, or each other, as they landed. The smoke covered the group’s line of sight, but the glowing eyes of the Riders could be seen through the thick smog.

Through the smoke, shadows began to get back up from the ground, the dust settling to reveal the forms of several members of the League.

“You will face justice in the name of peace, terrorists!” Ichigo screamed with a commanding presence as the trio got into a defensive stance, waiting for the downed villains to strike back, when movement on their right caught Nigo’s eye. The youngest of the villainous group quickly backed away towards the rock wall as soon as she could, raising her knife and breathing heavily as the dust cleared. This revealed the identity of the being that could make even the vampiric Himiko Toga recoil in fear…

***

Moments ago…

A man in a black and silver jumpsuit, face obscured by a mask of the same color and wrists decorated with red bands, shut the door behind his leader. The terrorist known as Twice had been stationed here already and let them in.

“Glad we all got back in one piece!” A moment of silence passed as their leader slowly walked over to a chair within the warehouse, sitting the small bag of rations they could obtain on a table nearby before putting his black hoodie back on.

“Wait, One Piece!?” The damaged mind repeated out loud, the others looking at Twice for a moment out of sheer annoyance at the sudden outburst. His sudden thoughts blaring out loud for all to hear, admittedly, had him a bit embarrassed. “My bad…”

“I know you’re enjoying that manga, but could you bring down the energy a little,” a fellow leaguer stated as he followed in their leader’s example, sitting on the hard concrete ground and taking a moment to breathe in. “We have got to find some way to entertain ourselves.” The man had burned flesh across his form, damaged tissue covering his arms up to the wrists and engulfing his neck and bottom jaw. Metal stitches surrounded the ends of the burns, seemingly keeping the pyromaniac together as his green eyes stared soullessly at the group. The burns that marked the rest of his form surrounded those eyes as well. Dabi had seen plenty of action, but that itch to get back out there and burn away at his old man’s sanity kept creeping back into his mind.

“Oh, you’re back,” a new voice stated as they walked into the room, the man bowing to Shigaraki before he continued to approach. “I am thankful for your safe return my friends, were you able to gain anything?” 

The man wore a black vest over his orange buttoned up shirt, red gloves upon his hands, and finally a white mask covered in black markings laid on the magician’s face. A brown hat with a feather pointing upwards sat on his head, a red stripe wrapped around the large headwear. Black pants that matched his overshirt wrinkled a bit as he stepped forward, his white boots making a loud tap.

“Not much,” Tomura spoke as he opened the bag slightly, allowing the other league members to inspect what was inside. “Just the basics we could find, trying to stay out of trouble is always so annoying when it comes to food.” The face of the league flinched a bit as pain flared throughout his arm, recoiling from the bag and holding the limb with his free arm as he gritted his teeth.

“Are you alright, Shigaraki?” Mr. Compress asked as he got closer, wishing to see what was the matter.

“Some random homeless guy grabbed me while we were on our way to the closest gas station,” the supervillain explained as he rolled down his sleeve, revealing a gigantic gash on the forearm. Teeth marks revealed the nature of the attack, surrounded by ripped flesh. “Damn lunatic bit into me, so I took care of him. We had to leave shortly after to not get caught.”

“That looks really bad,” the magician stated as he looked in the bag for anything to help stop the wound from getting any worse. “You guys didn’t manage to grab anything for medical supplies, did you?”

“I would have wrapped it on the way back if we had. However, I was left with very little choice but to retreat before someone got a glimpse at us.”

“Dammit. Hey, Toga!” the terrorist shouted into the other room as he walked over, hoping to get an answer to his question sooner rather than later. “Do you know where any medic-” Mr. Compress stepped back for a moment, seeing the young woman shaking and struggling to breath.

“Toga?” Compress murmured as he got closer to the panicking shapeshifter, her body being covered in blood was normal, but to have her react in such a way was irregular, a grave concern even. “What happened here?”

“We went into the woods while you were reading… Me and Spinner were just taking a walk to clear our heads when…” Tears started to form as the memory quickly washed over her, the horror of the event that transpired only a little bit ago being quite fresh on her mind. “You wouldn’t believe it even if you saw it, from the shadows in the woods, something just jumped at us.”

“What did?” Compress asked with morbid curiosity and fear, that she was shaken up was clear, but what the hell could have scared Toga like this? “Go on, tell me.” The conversation drew the others from the main room in the warehouse to where their friends were, hovering near the entrance way as they continued to speak.

“They grabbed Spinner, he kept just screaming to run. It wasn’t like the movies, it wasn’t like my perfect dreams either. They weren’t human, Compress,” the vampire relayed as she continued to shake, the youngest member of the group being so rattled about what she saw beginning to spook the other members.

“Where is Spinner?” Twice asked, nearly stammering, as he stepped forward, concern entering his tone as he continued to stare at her.

“Gone. Dragged by those thi-AHHHHHHHH!” The young woman screamed with all of the air in her lungs when suddenly Shigaraki dropped to the ground, collapsing onto the concrete before shaking violently. Blood erupted from his mouth across the ground, the crimson fluid following suit from his eyes as he silently shook violently on the concrete floor. 

“Jesus Christ!” Twice screamed out as he rushed back to Shigraki’s side, Dabi stepping backward as he looked at the situation with little attention. That was until a rotten smell filled the air.

The pyromancer quickly turned to see in the main room a familiar sight, while his back was turned, it was clear who it was. The form sat still in the middle of the room, tears across his uniform signaling the attack that Toga spoke of before Shigraki suddenly dropped. Blood covered the opened wounds across the terrorist’s flesh, the damaged form of the Heteromorph stood mostly still, however it continued to twitch as his hand began to move.

The infected turned, roaring with fury as ichor sprayed across the ground, and with that signaled a surprise from the shadows. Glass broke instantly, shattering on impact as others from deep within the woods made themselves known. White milky eyes stared directly at the supervillain, the pyrokinetic instantly making a move before his once ally could get the jump on him. Azure flames surrounded his hands, Dabi giving a slight grin as he pointed his limbs at the monster once known as Spinner before unleashing a stream of blue fire.

The meta infected quickly dodged out of the way, still quick on his feet despite his state, only for something else to quickly show as a problem…

Suddenly, the roof caved in. Large chunks of concrete were sent flying, breaking on impact. One of the large pieces of rubble broke down the wall in between Dabi and the others, sending the other members of their group flying to the nearest stone wall. Dust covered all visibility in the area, now making it incredibly dangerous for the group as the numbers of their attackers were unknown to them, an instant disadvantage with new foes spilling in.

As the smoke began to clear, so did their forms. Three vigilantes stood in the middle of the room, each having an insect-like appearance upon the face with glowing eyes through the mist, but the one in the middle was the one that earned the most attention from Dabi. The supervillain realized that his luck had gone from horrible to almost unwinnable. The endgame of their plan had involved facing them, but right now was the worst time for them to show up.

He shared an extremely similar appearance and build to the other two that stood by him, but it was no mistake who was leading the charge. Red eyes glowed through the dust with dangerous intent, a helmet in the shape of a grasshopper’s head staring directly past the downed Dabi to the other members of the group. He spotted Shigaraki on the ground, unconscious. A red scarf flowed in the wind, as he gripped his fists, the most famous vigilante of Japan giving them all of his attention.

“You will face justice in the name of peace, terrorists!” screamed Kamen Rider Ichigo with fury, the hero of the late Showa Era instantly raising his aggression as he got a look at the group.

The three got into a fighting stance and waited for the others to make a move, as Toga quickly gained control of herself and backed into the wall. Holding her knife for dear life as the intruders quickly recovered, Compress and Twice followed in her example and prepared to defend themselves against the new threats in front of them. The dust finally dissipated as one of the horde leapt at the third Kamen Rider, earning his attention rather quickly.

“What in the hell!?” V3 stated as something charged forward, the blood-covered rotting corpse leaping at him, snapping its jaws while clawing at him.

“Another League Experimentation!?” Ichigo roared with fury as he charged straight towards the motionless Shigaraki, only for a fellow psychopath to intervene in the matter. He only saw for a second, but knew what was coming next, a wave of blue flame and the accompanying rushing of wind hurling him away. The first Kamen Rider broke through a wall and crushed members of the overwhelming group before coming to a halt. The vigilante quickly recovered and charged straight back into the room, only to see something unthinkable as everything was set ablaze.

Dabi’s eyes were filled with confusion, azure flames surrounding his fists as they burned everything around them. It looked as if it was something out of a horror movie, their forms continuing to charge at the pyro metahuman as they burned into ash. 

The roars of the horde sent a chill down their spines, the force quickly becoming something not to be trifled with. Himiko Toga screamed as she swiped at one of the approaching undead, rotting flesh opening its maw to sink its fangs deep into her arm, only for the blade to kill it in an instant. The knife cut deep into the infected’s skull, digging into the brain before making it drop to the ground. The serial killer quickly reached back for her blade as another attempted to grab her, only for another member of the group to quickly take action and kick the undead away.

“Oh god!” Twice yelled as he saw the result of his attack, his boot kicking the infected’s head in with a single strike and sending it to the floor with a lucky kill.

“Look out!” A voice screamed as Twice was pushed out of the way, his life quickly being saved by V3 as one of their own attempted to strike while his guard was low. The Kamen Rider landed a direct blow to the reptilian skull, sending the infected flying into the rock wall, but that only seemed to piss him off. The Heteromorph roared with rage and charged at him while aiming to end his life. Spinner raised his makeshift weapon at the cyborg, making V3 retreat momentarily as he leapt back to get distance. The horde continued to surround the others, it was making it hard to keep track of what was going on but it was clear at the very least what kind of situation was happening.

Through whatever means they had reached, the League had managed to raise the dead. Though they had done this with the wretched Nomu, this was an entirely different breed. Something out of a horror film from the States, rotten abominations that sought to devour the flesh of the living. Whatever happened on this day, they would put down every one of these victims.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Compress shouted as one of the horde leapt at him, bile and ichor dripping from its putrid maw as it aimed to sink its fangs deep into his flesh. The supervillain acted quickly, jumping to the side before touching the infected arm. A bright blue glow surrounded the entity for a moment, before turning into a marble and falling onto the ground. 

The magician reached into his pocket, grabbing a handful of marbles before scattering them across the room and with a snap of his fingers, releasing debris from them. Large rocks emerged and crushed many of the infected with a single motion, allowing a moment for the group to breathe as one front was covered. “Kamen Rider!” Compress shouted, earning Nigo’s attention as he kicked one of the undead away. “We’re surrounded and lacking in options, we must work together to escape with our lives!”

The second Rider quickly grabbed another infected before throwing them at the oncoming horde. While the series of boulders blocked a direct path to all of them, they still poured in from the other side of the warehouse. For a moment, he pondered just leaving with Ichigo and V3, but the moment any of them were to get infected, the result would be disastrous. “Agreed, but when we are safe, there will be questions for you and your group!”

“We have to grab Shigraki!” Twice stated as he punched another infected away, the jaw being sent across the room before the supervillain kicked the undead monstrosity to the ground. He raised his foot into the air before slamming it down on the moving carcasses’ skull, ending its existence with one swift attack.

“I got him!” Ichigo roared as he charged towards the fallen body of the leading terrorist, when suddenly he came to a halt. Fear rose quickly in the room as something horrific occurred.

The body twitched as it stood up, the supervillain standing idly amongst the chaos. The infected moved around him as milky white eyes stared at them, clueing the group in on his fate. A wretched smile lay upon his face as drool dripped to the ground…

Tomura Shigaraki was one with the Scourge.

The entity of Decay let out a hellish scream as he charged straight at the original Rider, his hands aiming for a direct attack on the vigilante’s skull, only for Spinner to slam into him as V3 threw him across the room. The two crashed into the rock wall near the others, alarming the remaining League members to take action.

“No! No!” Twice screamed as he attempted to gain distance, jumping back to not get bitten from the horde. There wasn’t a moment to breathe, a moment to make doubles of the others or himself even if he wanted to. The hell they found themselves in raised a question within the lunatic’s mind, his eyes widening as he realized what would happen next should they not survive.

Without reason or humanity, they would continue to devour the living. Alliances would fall as the dead gained more powerful numbers… they had consumed Decay and the Heteromorph, if they were to infect the others or himself, Japan wouldn’t have any hope…

“We have to leave NOW!” Ordered Twice with surprising confidence, the traumatized villain pushed another pair of undead towards Kamen Rider Nigo, the vigilante instantly ending their existence with a swipe of his arm. “If we don’t leave, Japan may be doomed!”

“Why the hell do you care what happens to Japan now!” screamed Ichigo as he grabbed another infected and ripped it in half, blood pouring all over him and the ground before swinging the two halves at the approaching undead. “You only wish to save yourselve-” His thought was cut off as Toga grabbed him by the arm, tears swelling in her eyes as she brought all of her courage into what she was about to say.

“I don’t care if we get arrested after this! Please just take us with you, I don’t want to be like them! They already took my friends, please, while we still have a chance!”

The words reached Ichigo’s mind, and in that moment he realized that he was wrong. They were not responsible for what was occurring, but an even greater discovery had reached him… the terrorists that he sought to end today were still human, more so than the countless armies he and his fellow Riders had faced.

“Oh dear god…”

“TOGA, LOOK OUT!” Twice screamed as Spinner leapt at her, the duplicating villain attempting to run towards her to save his friend, only for Shigraki to step in and attempt to sink his fangs into him. His life flashed before his eyes for a moment as pure instinct acted, swinging and knocking Shigaraki backward before a stream of flames lit the Decay villain’s back. Dabi had forced a scream of hellish rage and agony from the infected as he was thrown across the ground.

The shapeshifter turned, swiping her knife directly behind her in order to protect herself, time seeming to slow down as the worst outcome was about to occur. Ichigo couldn’t stop what was about to happen, and though you couldn’t see it upon his cyborg face, horror laid deep within his bones.

She screamed with agony as Spinner sunk his teeth into her arm, ripping away a massive chunk of meat away from her body with one swift motion, crimson ichor spraying into the air like a fountain as he pulled away. The shapeshifter collapsed onto her knees as her free hand held the wound, tears coming down as a massive wave of emotions rushed through her. Terrified beyond belief at what was about to occur, she shut her eyes and attempted to remember what was dear within her heart.

Her friends, their mission, that boy Izuku within the school… she would never get to tell him how she felt.

“Please… Please kill me,” she pleaded as she turned around, teary-eyed and with trembling lips. A stutter entered her voice as she asked the vigilante to end her very existence before it was too late.

The world around them was in chaos, and the only thing that Ichigo could hear were her words as he stared downward at the young murderer. Nigo came into the picture with a strong kick to Spinner’s side, earning a grunt of annoyance when the infected caught it before throwing the cyborg across the room before instinctively following the downed target. V3 reached over to Twice, pulling him away as Shigraki got up from Dabi’s assault, the infected leaping out of the flames straight towards the pyromancer. Compress desperately attempted to get away from the infected, punching and kicking to the best of his ability to get breathing room, but the roars of the hungry and rageful continued to put him on edge.

She was only sixteen… yet killing her would be a kindness in this situation. Perhaps there was a way to spare her while denying the horde another general. Ichigo raised his arm, grabbing Toga’s wounded limb with his free hand. His eyes glowed a violent red as he went to swing, but it seemed that the Rider had miscalculated.

Toga screamed with hellish rage as she opened her maw, attempting to sink her fangs through the cybernetics to end his life with one swift action, only for Ichigo to simply kick her away into the concrete wall. Breathing heavily, blood soaking his form, adrenaline rushing through him as the only thing he could think to do was considered cowardly, but what choice did he have? This was an endurance test, and if the other remaining members were to get infected, they would all die here.

“Nigo! V3! Get the others out of here now! If we do not leave this place, we will ALL DIE!” 

The two riders quickly took action, V3 rushed over to Dabi without a second thought, wrapping his hand around Shigraki’s hair and pulling him away before he began to swing. Throwing the infected Metahuman directly at the nearest wall, he managed to break the structure entirely and send him flying into the woods. Flames surrounded them, the dead continuing to roar with fury as more seemed to emerge from the woods, but hope still remained within his heart as he picked Dabi up. The third Rider took action and led the surviving members of the League of Villains out of this hell.

Nigo followed in his creation’s example, attempting to gain distance from Spinner as he swung his makeshift weapon rapidly at him. He caught the blade before punching the metahuman so hard that blood erupted from his decayed maw as he flew backward. This let the second Rider to leap back and follow the group, slamming his fist into another infected on his way out.

“Ichigo!” Ichimonji cried out as he saw the first Rider hold the horde back for a moment, Toga swinging her blade gave him little distance but it was enough to make a difference. The first raised his fist into the air before swinging downward with all of his strength, concrete flying in all directions as dust covered their view, allowing Ichigo to leave unharmed.

They ran like hell, the small group of survivors not paying attention as the smoke rose into the air and flames coated the “home” the League had made during their small time of hiding. To the horror of the Kamen Riders… smoke seemed to cover most of the sky ahead. 

Screams of all sorts were heard, racing over to the ears of the six survivors. Some belonged to the ghoulish assailants that assaulted them just minutes ago, while most belonged to terrified citizens. 

The Riders felt themselves at an impasse. 

The nearby flames from all the death and destruction lit up their eyes as the screaming did not cease. Their orders to bring in any members of the League were imperative, but they weren’t sure if they could achieve that goal now. 

They could handle a lot thrown at them, however playing babysitter to supervillains while fighting off the legions of the undead would be problematic. Despite their willingness to escape the building with the Riders, they collectively knew it’d only be temporary. 

Ichigo turned over to the remaining members of the League, the three of them prepping themselves for what was about to come. Dabi scorched the entirety of his hands, intending to unleash a torrent of flames while Twice made a duplicate of his two remaining friends. Compress, on the other hand, inspected the teal marbles in his possession. He rolled his eyes, knowing whatever they did with the villains would only be detrimental.

“I’ll accept the chew out.” The original Kamen Rider thought to himself, lightly kicking the dirt in mild frustration. 

Ichigo snapped his head back at the League, intending to make himself clear as fast as possible. “Assist with the evacuation or flee, we don’t have time to babysit you.”

Dabi chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. “Letting us go? How generous.” 

Ichimonji and Kazami were stunned by their friend’s leniency towards the criminals they were suppose to arrest. The second Rider went to protest, placing himself between Takeshi and the villains. “We can’t risk letting them go, much less get infected.”

“He has a point,” V3 pointed out, turning around to spot the city being further engulfed by the rising Scourge. “Think what will happen if someone like them were infected? We’d lose the whole country in less than a week.”

“I know the risks!” Hongo barked out, turning back towards the League. He stomped on the ground, causing Twice to yelp out, bouncing backwards as Dabi and Compress aimed their respective weapons towards him. He threw an arm out and pointed at Compress directly. “You seem like the most rational one here. If you flee, either get the hell out of this country or hide in the darkest corner where the infected will never find you.”

Compress nodded. “Your fight here is futile, gents, but I admire your bravery. We will take our leave.”

“Oh thank god!” Twice exclaimed, letting relief wash over him. “I can’t take anymore monsters! Not after Toga!”

Dabi hummed, feeling the sweet release of freedom just beyond the horizon. He extinguished the flames on his hands and planted them in his pockets. The burnt villain whistled softly, walking away as this crisis was no longer a problem for him. 

Twice quickly followed his close friend, almost huddling up to him in an effort for maximum security for this new world. Compress stalled for a moment before revealing two of his marbles. 

“I was saving these for a heist, but now’s as good a time as any.” Compress snapped his fingers, launching the marble onto the ground as it transformed into a jeep between them. “If things get too dicey here, then take this as my thanks.”

“The kindest villain we’ll ever get in our careers,” V3 remarked, watching the well dressed villain turn around to join the remnant. Compress snapped the remaining marble out of his hand and morphed it into a jeep, allowing themselves a safer exit than most. 

The Rider trio bolted off into the screaming streets to meet the infected head on and to save anyone they could find. Ichigo ripped the hood off a blue sedan, taking note of several infected galloping towards him. Their mouths poured out saliva, eagerly awaiting to sink their teeth into his flesh. Ichigo gripped the piece of metal, absolutely disgusted by the mangled remains of what were once innocent people. 

SWOOSH!

Takeshi swung the severed hood across the necks of all of the infected charging toward him, decapitating them instantly. Blood erupted out of their necks as they collapsed on the ground, turning the street red with blood. Ichigo jumped around before swinging the large piece of metal yet again, severing another group of zombies just behind him. Their bodily remains splattering the nearby vehicles, covering them with their guts. 

V3 flashed his green eyes before punching straight through a zombie’s face, breaking it apart. The infected body ceased as the Rider then kicked its stomach, exploding it to pieces as its remains flew out and hit several of its infected comrades. The third of the Riders bolted forward, ramming his hands forward and grabbing two of the zombies’ heads. He slammed them down on the ground, splattering into pieces.

Ichimonji elbowed a zombie in the mouth, peeling it off before he tore his head off with his bare hands. The second Rider snapped over to the evergrowing crowd of infected piling in the streets. Citizens witnessed the Riders putting up a resistance and ran towards them for salvation. 

The three Riders dispatched the already present zombies, but prepared themselves for the next wave. They waved their hands forward, ushering for the fleeing civilians to get behind them. One woman cried out, tears falling out of her eyes while her arm reached out for them. 

SNAP!

She fell face first, breaking her face apart as she screamed from her teeth falling out while her leg was torn off by the jaws of a rhinoceros-like heteromorph. The bulkier zombie pulled on her other leg and with one mighty tug, it was ripped clean off. He then shoved the leg down his throat before ramming his gigantic horn through the chest of another civilian.

The Riders sped forward, dispatching several more infected through gruesome means. They attempted to reach any remaining survivors, but their efforts were fruitless. One by one, they were either ripped to shreds or newly recruited members of the Scourge.

Ichigo punched the upper portion of an infected head off before turning around and stomping down on another one. He heard a scream that was not a part of the undead horde, finding one last survivor within the growing chaos. The Rider struck his hand out, intending for her to reach it, so the four of them could escape. 

CHOMP!

She let out a bloody cry as ichor shot out of her shoulder. The infected gulped down the torn chunk and went for seconds when Kamen Rider chopped the zombie’s head in two, squirting out more plasma. Ichigo stared at the crying woman briefly, taking note of the bite mark before staring back at her. 

Realizing what he was about to do, she cried out. The unwilling member of the Scourge begged for the hero’s mercy. Kamen Rider kept his composure, never letting her leave his sight as he reared his arm back. 

“I’m sorry,” Takeshi murmured, feeling absolutely horrified and guilty over the complete failure of the mission. 

The original Rider punched the woman’s head off, something that was quick and painless. It wasn’t kind, but he rationalized it. He knew becoming a member of the undead horde was a worse fate than death.

The three heroes knew there was no one left in this area anymore. 

Only the undead. 

Without saying a single word, they turned around and bolted. Killing the infected here would only be a tiring effort that eventually got them consumed. They needed to retreat so they could discuss a far more efficient plan to end this nightmare.

They raced over to the jeep, only to find several propellers going off in the sky. They looked up to see several searchlights peering through the smoke. The lights shined on them as the infected gathered closer and closer to them. 

The helicopters aimed their guns at the infected, mowing them down as the Riders were motioned by the crew to climb aboard. The three heroes jumped aboard the craft, with the vehicles ascending to the thick sky, leaving the remaining undead to wander about. 

Takeshi yanked his helmet off, breathing out. He rubbed his hands across his skin, feeling the sweat overtake it. “Tell them it was my fault I let the rest of the League go.”

He didn’t care for the ramifications. Hongo tried to do what he thought was right, but he failed. Several more innocents died because he was too slow and the villains were allowed to leave due to him being overconfident. 

“The League is no longer an issue,” spoke a soldier, eliciting the attention of the heroes. “We were told to grab you no matter where you were.”

“Wait, wait,” Ichimonji spoke, gripping his helmet. “What do you mean no matter where you were?”

“The Prime Minister ordered every service member and hero we can find for an operation,” the soldier relayed.

“Any chance it’ll go better?” V3 spoke through his helmet, electing to keep it securely on top of his head. “Because, I hate to break it to all of you, but zombies were not a part of the dossier.”

“Hold on, hold,” Ichigo repeated, putting his hand just above Kazam’s chest. He became nervous over learning an operation calling for everyone. One meaning potential devastation or even death of the entire nation if they failed. “What do you mean by operation?”

Chapter 2: Together We Stand

The wind picked up, blowing tents across the cement and slightly shaking the vehicles parked around. The trio of Riders felt it, their belts spinning nonstop. The soldiers that rode with them led them into a white building, taking note of several other people funneling in. What caught their eye was an assortment of unique individuals. Several attack teams, the Scout Regiment, Pro Heroes, Monster Hunters, and even an Ultra, all of them coming together in this growing crisis. 

“Guess we’re going all out with this one,” Ichimonji said, glancing back at his brothers.

V3 bashed his hands together, smiling at every hero entering the building. “We got this! We’re throwing out the heavy hitters! And us of course, the strongest there is.”

“Let’s not get carried away,” Takeshi chuckled, moving towards the building with his comrades following closely behind. “I appreciate the enthusiasm, though.”

Everyone invited to the meeting was gathered in a large auditorium, all of them either taking their seats or leaning up against a wall. Chatter filled the entire area, attempting to figure out what the plan was for in this dire crisis. Fight? Flee? 

Footsteps were heard at the stage as the figures about to address them stood at the center. Formalities like tables and chairs alongside the leaders being well dressed was a thing of the past now. They needed the outbreak to be contained quickly and orders needed to be dealt out. 

Tapping a cigarette before taking another huff, the Captain of the SSSP spoke up. “The plan currently is to retake both Tokyo and Osaka.”

Chatter erupted before the Captain of MAC, Ryu Ibuki stepped forward and screamed. “Silence!”

A pause soon followed before Muramatsu continued on. “We also plan to recover Kiryu in the middle of the city to help quell this infestation. However, this is where we ask all of you to come in.”

The Captain of the SSSP hung his head down, taking a moment to reflect. He looked into each and every one of their eyes for a second, seeing a vast array of emotions. Fear, anger, and sadness. There was no way he could lie to any of them, as he knew several of them would die today. Even his demise was a huge possibility. 

He sympathized with every single one of them, and felt guilty for even asking them to be a part of this high risk operation. Yet, the world, and whoever the culprit behind this plague was, were not kind. 

“We understand you’re angry, or even afraid, for your service to be requested when you’d rather escape this infection or be with your loved ones,” Muramatsu continued, briefly glancing over at the other leaders standing beside him. “But we request your assistance in making sure everyone has a chance to live.”

Members in the audience chattered to themselves until the gruff voice of Endeavor spoke up. “I can tell you all, I already got the best of the best with me guarding the Tokyo Tower.”

The audience silenced themselves upon witnessing the flames on his body illuminate the room as he continued addressing them, ushering out the utmost respect for everyone present. “Captain Levi Ackerman, Jet Jaguar Yung, Yun Arikawa, Douglas Gordon, Shinichi Ozaki, Zone Fighter, Sazer Tarious, Greenman, and Snipe have all agreed beforehand to help me hold the line. I ask you all to join us in pushing back the undead menace.”

Murmurs were heard once again, but not a single soul left the room. Their silence and their eyes entirely focused silently confirmed, despite the fears present, they were all willing to do it. Whether they had already lost everything, wanted a glorious battle, or even simply for their duty, they’d never know. The only thing they knew is they were united. 

“The Scout Regiment and I will be holding rear to make sure the other fronts succeed in the mission today,” Erwin Smith, commander of the regiment, relayed. “For our plan to succeed, however, we’ll need the assistance of several Pro Heroes to help us hold that barrier.”

“Several other Pro Heroes and some of our very own Devil Hunters will assist Super Mechagodzilla, the Super-X, Thundatross, and Gigaman in retaking Osaka, as that is an infection stronghold,” Makima sweetly spoke, smiling at the entire crowd with her orange spiral-like eyes. 

“Lastly, students of UA and support heroes will be in charge of evacuating the civilians,” Detective Tsukauchi dry voice spoke out, almost as if he was about to give in to exhaustion. He removed his hands out of his pockets while he yawned. “You will all find your orders with the servicemen in the next room.”

“We wish all of your brave men and women good luck in your mission,” Zoe Hange relayed, following it up with a salute.

***

“We’re not gonna be on the same front!?” V3 cried out, throwing his hands down. “I was hoping for another triple teamup!”

“They just need us to balance each of the fields out, nothing to worry about, my friend.” Nigo smirked, patting his friend on the back.

“One rider is just as amazing as three of them,” Ichigo relayed, looking at his friends, happy to see them still standing strong despite everything thrown at them. He may have been the original Kamen Rider, but he was infinitely glad there were more like him, willing to bring out the best of humanity. “All of us can do this.”

“If only the rest of our comrades could be here with us,” Ichimonji lamented, hearing absolutely no word on any of their whereabouts since the infection had started. “Hope they’re still fighting the good fight.”

“They are,” Ichigo said, reassuring not only his brothers, but himself. A small part of him could only assume the worst, that they had been overtaken, but he had to have hope. He had to showcase to everyone around him, because if Kamen Rider felt helpless, then everyone would falter. “They’re fighting to make sure we have a chance to end this.”

“And we can never repay that debt,” the voice of Hikaru Sakimori snuck up behind the three, eliciting a turnaround from the trio. 

“Mr. Sakimori, always a pleasure,” Hongo relayed, bowing as the others followed suit. 

Hikaru chuckled at the display, but bowed, nonetheless. “No need for formalities even if I just broke that rule.”

“What brings you to our little corner?” Ichimonji inquired, tapping his own shoulder.

The alter ego of Zone Fighter shrugged his shoulders. “Just wanted to do some rounds with people before we get shipped out.”

“He’s got the right idea!” Kazami pointed out, feeling the need to say some words to his fellow heroes.

Hongo felt a particular subject come to mind as he studied Hikaru and his demeanor. Unlike others, Sakimori was more upbeat. Something told him, he wasn’t hit too hard by the crisis. He decided to spring forth a question, hoping to have a dialogue.

“Have you heard from your family?” 

Hikaru smiled, nodded up and down. “They’re all accounted for on Smokey and headed for an island to hold out at.”

“Phew!” Takeshi breathed out, patting the Peacelander on the arm. “That’s one of the few bits of good news I’ve heard all day.”

“Same. I’m just glad my family is safe,” Hikaru spoke, keeping a smile on his face despite the next subject brewing in his mind. A more pessimistic thought regarding the nation’s situation. “Which is more than I can say for others, as a lot of our fellow heroes are unaccounted for.”

Nigo shook his head as Ichigo kept silent, but Kazami filled the silence, stuttering along the way in shock at that very same thought. “Who… are we missing?”

“Half of the Devil Hunters, the Lurkers, the Special Defense Force, and every Ultra aside from 80,” Hikaru listed off, each one making him choke up further and further. He fought to keep himself optimistic, for the sake of others, but despair was kicking in. 

“Was I wrong to not go with my family?”

“Hikaru,” Hongo said, snapping the Peacelander out of his thoughts. Sakimori looked up at the three Riders all smiling at him, his negative thoughts about the whole situation seeping away. “Let’s take victories where we can find them. Your family is safe and know you’re staying behind to make sure several more survive.”

Zone Fighter smiled at the trio, feeling enamoured by legendary heroes like themselves who were not only supportive of him but having a conversation with him. It was a dream come true. “You guys are truly amazing and just what we need.”

“We’re always receptive to positive feedback,” V3 chimed out, feeling flattered by the fellow hero’s praise. 

Takeshi stuck his hand out to the Peacelander as Hikaru stammered, witnessing what the Rider was offering. Hikaru took his hand as Takeshi spoke, “Everyone here is amazing and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Let’s finish this so we can see if that rumor about the virus originating in Shibuya is true,” Ichimonji vocalized, intending to find the person responsible for this entire mess and bring them to justice. 

“Was that actually confirmed, or…..” V3 trailed, getting Ichimonji to slightly glare at him for his skepticism. “Just all of the unusually high mangled bodies lying around.”

Ichimonji rolled his eyes as Hikaru cocked his head in his confusion. He heard there was some huge fight occurring in Shibuya the night before, but nothing to do with the zombie horde they were about to deal with. “Bodies?”

Takeshi murmured, not knowing the full story as well. Despite the brief summary witnesses had given, it always struck him in a frightening way. Several people spontaneously dropped dead while people from all corners were fighting each other, some of them not even where the bodies collapsed. It didn’t sit right with him.

“No one knows the full story. Just a huge fight between martial artists and people dropping like flies.”

Hikaru hummed, trying to dig deeper into this whole event, but an alarm blared. It snapped the four heroes out of their thoughts as they knew it was their cue to head to their respective front. The trio of Riders planted their helmets on their heads while Hikaru inspected his entire body, ensuring everything was in order.

The four turned back up to face each other as Hikaru offered up a salute. “It was an honor meeting the three of you. I hope we will be able to talk once again.”

“Likewise, Sakimori,” Takeshi uttered, smiling behind his helmet as he wished Zone Fighter all the luck in the world as his figure disappeared in the crowd. He turned over to his fellow Riders preparing to make their respective getaways. “Same to the both of you. You are two of the finest friends a man like myself could ask for you.”

“Aw! You do love us!” Kazami cheerfully called out, before whispering under his breath. “Love you both, too.”

“We heard that,” Ichimonji shot back, giving his younger companion a smile. “And same to you, Takeshi. We’ll see you on the other side.”

“Before we all know it, we’ll be back at Coffee House!” Takeshi happily exclaimed, following it up with raising his fist up to his two friends. The latter two Riders smirked behind their helmets and slammed their fists into his. They pulled them back simultaneously as their hands flattened, mimicking an explosion. 

The three of them took their separate paths, pilling out of the exits alongside their fellow volunteers. The halls and the auditorium itself were empty after the last bits of life left them. 

It would be the last time life ever set foot in this building. 

***

“Can you guys hurry up,” a loud voice rang from the speaker of the mechanical goliath as it kneeled down, a hand gently coming to the group of professionals. “The sooner we get to Osaka, the more people we can help AND I can see Mechagodzilla in person,” The boy stated as they each quickly stepped onto his machine’s hand.

The pilot within Thundatross looked down at the company he was escorting for a moment before stepping forward, quickly striding towards the coordinates given to him by their superiors. The sound of marching was followed by familiar footsteps to his side, his trusted partner quickly joining him. “Kid, slow down,” the elder stated as he quickly caught up, being thrown off from the sudden departure. “You didn’t give any warning.” Gigaman said with a stern expression as he shook his head.

“Not my fault you’re old and it took you longer to process,” the young voice replied back with a slight chuckle, laughing at his friend’s slight misfortune. While it was just a minor joke, it was good to keep optimistic about things even as they were plummeting into Hell.

Gigaman smirked as he scoffed at his younger ally’s comment, simply turning towards the others that sat or stood on Thundatross’ palm. The veteran instantly recognized the Kamen Rider that was accompanying them, remembering when they had first risen decades prior as a young man who was later inspired by V3 and his fellow Riders. “I didn’t get the chance to greet any of you, but before we charge into this battlefield together, I would like to get to know just a little about you guys,” he relayed with a wide grin on his face. The duo of Pro-Heroes that was amongst the group were reminded of the previous Symbol of Peace’s own grin, causing the younger of the two to roll his eyes.

There were those from all corners of this countries’ defenders, ranging from those deep within the system to the few that were not deemed “true heroes” in the eyes of the government. An obscene notion that rubbed a decent portion of the population the wrong way. “I remember seeing your work years ago,” The cyborg spoke to the much larger superhuman. “Its quite the surprise that we never managed to run into each other, or for you to not encounter any other Rider, but I’m glad that we can have a trustworthy ally in the upcoming battle.”

“Thank you, Kamen Rider,” The superhero spoke with genuine glee, a smile quickly forming on his face from the compliment. “While the undead outnumber us greatly, with three giants and the Super-X aiding you all on the ground, I have a feeling that we will see this through to the end.” While he did believe those words, the mutated man did feel as though they might be misinterpreted and cause a drift between the team and himself. But, it felt good to, even if experience taught him that he shouldn’t one hundred percent believe in notions like that.

The third Rider nodded in agreement, turning towards the rest of his squad. First was the Ace Hunter who was looking over his weapon of choice, the Heavy Bow-Gun, from across the metallic palm. “I’m not quite used to the idea of fighting armies of people,” The experienced hunter stated, continuing his inspection as he did so. He wore a thick coat made from the leather of Gypceros, fur covering the meeting points of the Master Ranked armor, as red hair formed a mohawk in the middle of his head. “The closest I’ve been was collaborating with the M-Organization or the Special Defense Force, but not any actual combat against them. I’ve only fought wild Kaiju destroying the local ecosystem or attempting to enter cities,” he stated honestly. A sigh rolled out, drawing attention towards the most experienced hunters in this war.

“Never thought there’d come the day I’d be fighting against the people I swore to protect, even if they aren’t human anymore.”

An older man took a swig from his flask before approaching the younger hunter. His hair was blonde, too short to flow in the wind like his trench coat, underneath which the Devil Hunter wore the signature white shirt and black tie to finish his uniform. A scar lined his jaw, cutting from the webbing in between the lips to the ear. The old soldier finished the swig before placing it back into his pocket, staring down at Aiden before speaking. “It never gets easier,” he stated with the horror of experience, not wanting to be dishonest about the matter. “You will have to cut yourself off from that feeling. Might make you feel a bit more dead inside, but we’re going to have to do some pretty horrific things to win this.”

The others didn’t want to speak, letting the man continue his thoughts while they waited for their turn, only for one of the Pro Heroes to step in. Scruffy, dirty blonde hair pointed in all directions on the young man’s head, the Number Two hero of Japan bearing massive crimson wings which covered his back. He wore a tribute to Air Force fighters’ uniforms with a brown jacket that had wool within the thick coat, alongside yellow goggles. “Pretty cold to say that old man, but I can’t say I disagree,” he spoke while one of his gloved hands was put up to his beard. “We are going to need ruthlessness to overcome the odds here, this is a different kind of war from what humanity has ever faced.”

“Do you really believe that to be true, Hawks?” A woman with bright red hair stated as her arms were crossed behind her back, her golden gaze hitting him like a blade through flesh. Her voice was soft, but it was accompanied by venom in every word. He couldn’t exactly tell why, but something was off with her. Deciding to play coy for now, the Pro Hero went along with what she was going to say. 

“We Devil Hunters, alongside Jujutsu Sorcerers, have fought against the undead for centuries, be it in the form of Devils and Curses.” The Devil Hunter thought about the report of the prior night for a moment, pondering on the possibility that the incident in Shibuya had dramatically reduced their numbers. Basing the thesis on the fact that Gojo Satoru had not been present amongst the ranks of the operation, and that Jujutsu High in both Kyoto and Tokyo had not answered any calls. “It only seems unprecedented because the rest of Japan, and the world, is seeing it now. Even if evil has changed its shape, it is fundamentally the same. We’ve always been fighting it for humanity’s sake, out of sight.”

“I think you’re full of shit,” another feminine voice cried out, a cocky grin forming on the Number Five Pro Hero’ face as she chimed into the conversation. Her arms were crossed as her muscular form flexed, adrenaline pumping as she spoke out against the Devil Hunter. Her outfit resembled the animal her Quirk took attributes from, twin white rabbit ears pointed upwards as tan skin reflected the dimmed light of the Sun. A yellow crescent laid on her chest, rabbit-like boots covered her feet, and soft looking winter gloves did the same to her hands. White hair covered her entire back, which was leaned against the fingers of Thundatross.

“I don’t buy that you’re some secret saint, suffering for humanity’s sake in the dark or whatever.”

The challenge to her character earned Miriko a sinister smile from the Devil Hunter, Makima revealing her true colors for only just a moment. But that minute moment was enough to catch the attention of the Scout. He was standing across from the group, eyes to the ground below as they discussed morality in war. But he had turned his attention fully just as she made that beautiful smile. He couldn’t help but stare for a moment. From the sound of her voice, to how her presence demanded respect, to her tone of authority, everything was hitting just right in his mind standing before true beauty.

It helped that the two shared more interests than the others had realized, their planning slowly coming into motion…

“Enough,” an older voice cut into the conversation, the Captain sharpening his sword with a stone as he sat. His legs crisscrossed, the older man bore grey hairs throughout his beard and pony tail. His hair and uniform were unusual for both his ranking and his brand in the military, the ordinary man wearing the cloth of a nobleman’s soldier during the feudal era of Japan with little equipment. His weapons were decades behind, but he had the necessary experience to aid the others in the operation. “What lies ahead at Osaka will not leave room for conflict amongst ourselves, nor hesitation against them. You kill or you die, or you die and you kill.” The strong words left an interesting feeling within the group, fully absorbing the situation that they were in.

While it was never an easy thought for them to commit such horrific violence in the name of saving their country and people, really speaking about it in this manner was… haunting.

V3 continued to look outward, the rest of the group discussing various different angles to approach the situation from. He hoped down to his core that they would overcome the hordes and properly evacuate the population as best as they could, having faith that his fellow Riders would also survive this war on multiple fronts.

The several MIA Kamen Riders would spring into action as soon as the plague would make itself known to them, having no doubt that the others were continuing through their various paths to survival. “Nigo, Ichigo, good luck my friends. See you on the other side of this.”

***

It wouldn’t take the other group all that long to reach their destination, but tension with every step forward was at an all time high, even with the forces at their disposal.

Beside them was a warrior from the planet Rosetta, the last in a lineage of royalty that had escaped his planet’s demise from an invading army from the stars. Silver and red covered the hero’s form, while long fluffy hair flowed down his back. While normally he would have transformed into his goliath stature to help aid the others, the mission called for them to secretly wrap around the ruins of the city without drawing any attention. The last Megaloman, guardian of the royal family of Rosetta, had arrived to aid his fellow heroes in the evacuation of civilians. 

To the Rider’s left, another extraterrestrial size-changing hero walked beside him. Silver covered most of the alien’s form, small patterns of emerald green across his knees, elbows, collar and belt. A golden star sat in the middle of the belt, one that matched the colorization of the heroes’ glowing eyes. Mirrorman had luckily been in the area when the crisis began, opting to jump into action and help cleanse as many souls as he could.

The Number Ten hero of Japan traveled alongside the group, wearing a dark red dress with a pattern of gold across the neck and flowing bottom of the cloth. Black boots stepped through rubble as she wrapped her hands around debris, pulling herself over the destruction around her. Her left eye was covered by metal which was held on by a green bandana underneath her short blonde hair, twin bat wing-like pieces covering the back of her skull. Ryuko had been one of the few Pro Heroes able to properly respond to the crisis, attempting to save as many people as she could. 

The avatar of the Planet Fire God looked all around him, searching for the best path forward to their destination while avoiding hellish destruction and the fangs of the infected. When the crisis had been announced to the world with blood soaked maws of the undead, people all around them prayed even as their homes were being torn into. Godman quickly arrived at the scene, finding his ally Greenman and starting their holy work as they began to purge the infected around them. The alien defender could only hope that the emissary of God was doing all that he could to survive to the next day.

A trio of heroes walked in the furthest back, protecting the rear from any lingering infected that would jump from the shadows while also protecting the students that were gathered in the middle of the group. The former sidekick of All Might had brought along two of his apprentices, those that he trusted to aid him and the rest of the evacuation team. The man wore a grey business suit with a red tie covered in yellow polka dots, glasses with a golden rim looking all around him as his green-yellow hair flowed in the air.

Sir Nighteye couldn’t shake the feeling that his visions of All Might’s demise were ever so near, especially with the fact that he had ventured off alone to rescue as many lives as he could. Not even being a part of the meeting, simply managing to get in contact with the proper authorities in order to reach a checkpoint. The experienced hero looked forward, spotting the next Symbol of Peace traveling alongside his friends as they began walking into hell. While he was still unsure of his mentor’s decision… Yagi was sure of his decision, and he would defend the boy to the horrific end.

A lingering thought however was within him, that while he was absolutely certain that in this situation the young man would be fine, Nighteye still was worried about the possibility of him falling to the Scourge. “Mirio, you and the others be safe.”

The last Pro Hero present was the only found Lurker, having been separated from the rest of his team as the world around them was thrown into chaos. His body had been transformed into wood from his Quirk, an armored shell protecting his face and head from a devastating attack, but his heart and mind were not so easily protected. He could only think that he had somehow sentenced them to their demise, even if he didn’t truly know everyone’s condition, the guilt still pulled. He begged within his mind to whatever force above could hear him, that his partners were safe. 

Ahead of the group, Kamen Rider suddenly felt a tap on his side, turning to see the young Izuku Midoriya walking beside him. “I’m sorry to bother you sir,” the student spoke while marching forward, the young man attempting not to stutter as he spoke to the legendary vigilante. “I had been following your career since I was little, wouldn’t feel right not saying something while I had the chance.”

The Rider continued forth, pushing aside a destroyed car and allowing the others to pass by before replying to the younger hero. “Well I am glad that you had, Deku. For I have also been following your career, ever since the news covered the League attacking your school.” Ichigo thought back to the encounter earlier in the day, his grip slightly tightening as frustration rose to the surface that another loose end wouldn’t be wrapped up due to the plague which ravaged the country. Pushing those feelings down, he let the young man speak.

“Kamen Rider… knows who I am?” He stated in disbelief, a smile forming on his face as he and the Rider continued walking forward. “I am flattered really, crazy to think about.” 

“You know that children have been looking up to you UA students, the same way that you used to me or All Might?” Izuku halted in his tracks for a moment, turning towards his superior as he continued. “The internet is a great place to gather information, and through your few encounters in broad daylight, you kids seem to have a following. That’s quite the achievement for someone so young.” 

The weight of the situation was placed further on his shoulders with those words, but it also filled Izuku with a sense of pride knowing that the original Kamen Rider was the one telling him this. “I really do have a lot to live up to, don’t I?”

Ichigo’s voice quickly turned into a stern tone but not out of frustration, the next words out of his mouth uttered from a place of belief. “I have complete faith in your success, the hero you have become will survive this. Have trust within yourself that you and your friends will see this to the end.” 

Deku nodded, thanking him for the kind words as they continued to observe the world around them. Every step forward was a possible gateway to their demise, but with their numbers and overall power, hope was accompanying the dread. 

He looked towards the rest of his fellow students, feeling at ease that his closest friends were with him on this mission. Especially as his mentor and mother were soon to reach them, the stress that even a single one of them would be lost would be too much if that came to pass. 

Together with his rivals, his friends, and the veterans across Japan’s history, they would emerge victorious against the undead. That dream of success would become a reality as one last member of their squad would be added, a man from the stars.

Chapter 3: Death From All Angles

Tokyo, Japan
Hour 12 of Infection

Takeshi Yamato tapped his finger against the railing, synchronizing with the occasional raindrop that made landfall. It all happened so fast, he was out enjoying his day when news hit him about an apocalypse crashing down on everyone. 

He chuckled at first, figuring a Rider, metahuman, Gamera, Godzilla, or even an Ultra like himself could stop it by dinnertime. Takeshi was so wrong. Every passing minute, several people succumbed to this infection, to the point where anyone could drop next.

One could consider the teacher lucky. Lucky enough to simply enjoy the rain in solitude, but in reality, it was only the calm before the storm. 

He was there, he understood the orders. 

When given the signal, he’d swoop in and come from behind the impending horde, cutting them off to where they could be boxed in. He didn’t like it, this whole operation. Takeshi was proud of the heroes stepping up to the plate to save all they could, but his mind drifted elsewhere.

Sakuragaoka Middle School.

His left hand trembled, feeling powerless to go and investigate. He wanted to go, desperately transform into his real body and fly to the school, blasting apart every undead he could. However, he realized it would only doom the others by abandoning his duty just on the slim hope any of them could still be alive.

Yet, he chuckled. 

He recalled a few students talking about zombie media a few weeks ago, discussing the ins and outs of how the genre worked. Takeshi found those types of movies goofy, but now more than ever he was glad his students were preparing, even if it was unintentional. 

“Just survive long enough for me to find you, I’ll handle the rest,” murmured Takeshi, continuing to tap the iron bar.

A ring was heard, snapping him out of his thoughts. He glanced down at the radio on his belt and picked it up. “Here.”

“Takeshi,” Endeavor’s voice came through.

“Sir,” Takeshi spoke aloud, becoming more alert, realizing the operation could start at any second. 

There was a small pause before the Number One’s hero’s voice came through again. “You ready to carry out your orders?”

The teacher sighed, hating having to abandon the life he created for himself as he gulped afterwards. “Ready on the dot.”

“Don’t follow it,” Endeavor spoke, eliciting shock in Takeshi.

“What?” the teacher nearly exclaimed, almost baffled at the last minute change in the plan. “I don’t understand, you’ll need me!”

“The south is already falling, they just don’t know it,” Endeavor elaborated before taking another pause. “I have another ord- a favor to ask.”

Takeshi was tempted to inquire about the sudden change of orders. However, considering the way the number one hero was acting and the world ending at any minute, he decided to listen. 

“How can I help?”

“My son, Shoto, and his friends are nearby… waiting to give their lives just to help… save the day,” Endeavor relayed, huffing, becoming overwhelmed with emotion. “Stop them.”

“Stop them?” Takeshi asked, feeling at a loss. He almost felt overjoyed at the thought of taking them out of battle, but figured something was off at the whole thing. “I don’t understand, that’ll just weaken our position as a whole.”

“I already said the south is falling and this whole operation won’t last as long as we like,” Endeavor clarified once more. “We’ll do everything we can to save everyone, but this favor is selfish… just help them rescue whoever, grab their families and get them the fuck out.”

“I…” Takeshi attempted to speak, but was abruptly cut off by a more furious sounding Endeavor. 

“Our orders are bullshit! I know it and you know it! Grab them and be a goddamn survivor,” Endeavor ordered, pausing once more. “The world needs an Ultraman to survive.”

80 slightly nodded, knowing there was no way his words could pierce his tough exterior. He followed it up with a small chuckle, knowing his old orders could no longer get through him as well. A part of him might have felt sick abandoning his duty, but the favor from not a hero, but a dad, was far more important.

“I’ll get them to safety, no matter the cost,” 80 acknowledged. “Light ‘em up for me.”

“And I’ll see you in Okinawa, pal,” Endeavor relayed, optimism oozing through his voice as he felt a small sense of relief at the Ultra agreeing to his request.

Communications between the two ended as 80 gave his tap on the metal before turning away as the rain started pouring harder. He may not still get to check on his students, but he at least got to do something that mattered to him more than anything. 

He was making sure the children of today will survive in this festering, infected world. Thankfully, their position wasn’t that far from his and it only took him a few minutes of running to reach them. 

The rain hit against his face as he saw several shuttles ascending to the skies, searching through the crowds of people being escorted by several heroes. For each helicopter ascending into the blackened sky, he felt himself feeling slightly more relieved at several more lives surviving this terrible night. 

He gently brushed past several more people until he saw the six students he was told to protect. Froppy, Deku, Bakugo, Ingenium, Shoto, and Uravity. Wasting zero time, he rushed over to them, providing the assistance they required by ushering the civilians into the aircraft. 

“Mr. Yamato, what are you doing here, ribbit?” Froppy, or Tsu, as she would want everyone to refer to her by, inquired, placing her finger up to her lip.

Takeshi gave a small smile to the frog-like girl, before ushering the rest of the group together. There was literally no time to waste as he couldn’t sugarcoat any of it whatsoever. “Evacuate everyone here double time, because after this I’m getting you all the hell out of here.” 

“Woah! Woah!” Bakugo stormed up to the disguised Ultra. “What makes you think we want to get out of here when there’s still infected for us to put down?”

Patience really was a virtue. 

“I don’t have the time to explain, we just need to get out of here now,” Takeshi relayed, gently pushing a wheelchaired bound evacuee onto the helicopter. “Please.”

“But… we can do more beyond this area, we can rally with the other groups to save everyone,” Izuku replied, feeling determination fill his body to not let another person die today. He saw it in Takeshi’s eyes. Izuku knew he wanted the same, but yet, saw he didn’t believe it to be possible. In fact, it was the only method he perceived as salvation.

“My dad will need me when the time comes,” Shoto added, stepping forward. “I don’t intend to miss out.”

“Your dad told me to get you all out of here!” Takeshi blurted out, stunning the six students. 

A moment passed. 

“Did my dad really say that?” the son of Endeavor asked, taking another step forward. 

“Yes,” the teacher answered, taking another breath. “It was his ord- request, and one I intend to fulfill.” 

“What about our families?” Tsu’s voice quivered, feeling anxious at having to abandon her own family just for her own guaranteed safety. “We can’t abandon them.”

Takeshi smiled softly at the girl, placing his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll pick up your families and get out of here.”

Shoto simply nodded. “Let us finish our job like we agreed upon and we’ll get out of here.”

“What!?” Bakugo snapped, raising his fists up. “We’re leaving just like that!?”

Tenya rolled his eyes at Bakugo’s complaining while Izuku rubbed the back of his head. He attempted to figure out something to say to calm him down. 

“Think of it this way, we might be able to kill a few zombies along the way,” Izuku rationalised, feeling sweat roll down his neck, knowing full well it could be the explosive hero that murders him instead of the infected. 

“We better,” Bakugo muttered before moving to push several people in a nearby shuttle out of frustration. 

Boom!

A distant sound was heard as the Ultra and students turned around to see green smoke arise from the center of the city. Then, thunder roared within the sky, following it up with a bolt of lightning lighting up the battlefield.

It was then that the shrieking hordes of the Scourge cried out into the night, sending shivers down the spine of every living soul.

“Shit,” 80 said, fearing what was about to transpire. 

***

Only minutes had passed since they joined the rest of the ground forces for evacuating who they could. 

The smoke began to cloak the sky even further, mixing with the rain. Smog slowly blanketed the dying Tokyo, making every corner of it invisible to the eye. The ash falling from above the evacuating civilians as heroes led them to the city’s limits. In the front was the man with the most experience leading the group of terrified people of this hell. Inko Midoriya, mother of the hero Deku, surveyed the area as the retired “number one hero” of Japan held onto her hand. All Might had managed to bring Inko to the evacuation just in the nick of time. It was the least he could do to help in this crisis, he might be retired, but he would be damned if he let Izuku’s mother be lost in the horde of horror and screams.

“All Might,” one of the children evacuating spoke with a soft sniffle, the little boy’s eyes red from the amount of crying he had done. “Will we get out of this?”

For the first time in his entire career, he paused for just a moment before answering with a forceful smile. “Stay close to me and Mrs. Midoriya, and I promise we will escape this, young one.” 

The elementary school student looked down as to keep himself from being too afraid in this horrific situation, he didn’t know where his parents and fellow classmates were, his teachers had all been consumed protecting them. He had only hoped that Mr.Kotaro had managed to get away from them when the opportunity presented itself, so many people dying that he looked up too was breaking the boy’s heart and he wouldn’t be able to bare the weight of their loss…

A slight shake was felt as Inko still held firm to his free hand, the feeling of fear and metal reaching her as they continued forward. The frail pro hero held a sleek black glock in his hand, feeling uncomfortable holding the weapon. Countless times he had seen illegal firearms holding a hostage or being fired at his comrades during a crisis, but now he was powerless to defend himself otherwise without One For All. But with this, and the gift Melissa had given him, he stood a chance of aiding against the Hollowed forces.

And if he were to fall saving the lives of innocent children, his students, or the mother of his successor, then he would do so without hesitation. All that mattered was that they survived, that Izuku survived to give hope to the future clouded in shadow and blood. The infected were widespread, the worst epidemic that the world had ever seen was occurring and only the devil would know what loomed in the darkness of the unknown future. If All For One were to act during this crisis… He couldn’t think about that now, even if the prison had been ravaged by escaping convicts and the infected, he needed to focus on the task at hand.

Many worlds had seen the end of their existence within his lifetime, but he still held hope that with so many heroes and Kaiju on the planet, this small world could be saved. It had seen countless terrors from beyond the stars, natural disasters made flesh with the form of Kaiju, countless forms of demonic presences, as well as humanity’s own hubris, but they had always managed to survive the odds.

This plague that raised the dead offered so many questions, but the one that kept playing within his head was; could humanity survive this epidemic? Unlike any virus they had seen, this was something out of a horror film that his students would talk about during class. The living across Japan, and possibly even the entire planet, now faced a war unlike any other.

Destroy the dead or become one with the Scourge. 

The sound of footsteps alerted the group, the children quickly becoming quieter and staring towards the source of the sound as All Might lifted his arm, aiming the firearm. Inko held on tight to her son’s mentor, their hearts beating at a rapid rate as adrenaline spiked in a mere moment.

Steady.

The footsteps grew closer and, not wanting to alert the nearby horde in case they would simply walk by, he didn’t move a muscle. Holding onto the weapon with a firm grip, sweat ran down his brow with every second that passed.

“All Might, it’s just me,” a familiar voice reached out, their voice not being broken unlike the infected which struggled to form sentences. He lowered the gun, trusting that everything was fine and to his relief, he was right.

Slowly walking into view was an old friend, the man who was once his sidekick during his younger years as the symbol of peace. “Nighteye, am I glad to see you,” he stated as he approached the group, letting go of Inko’s hand before giving the young man a hug. For a moment they shared a smile of relief before pulling back, the retired superhero getting a look at the newly arrived group of heroes. 

“Likewise, old friend, I am glad that we managed to run into you as fast as we could.” One by one, the heroes came into view, one in particular instantly reacting as they managed to meet.  

“Mom!” a familiar voice cheerfully cried, one Inko could never forget. She perked her head up to see her one and only son, Izuku. 

“Izuku!” Inko tearfully cried out, as water erupted from eyes. She bolted over to her boy and wrapped him up in a hug, depriving him of air. “I’m so happy you’re safe!” 

She planted several smooches on his forehead as his body stiffened up. “Mom… I can’t breathe.”

“Oh my god!” Inko screamed out, dropping Izuku to the ground, his body almost crumbling while he became dazed. Her eyes widened even more at the shock of the condition of her son. “Oh, baby! I’m so sorry!”

She lifted him off the wet concrete and placed him back on his feet, awkwardly laughing at her son’s condition. “I thought you were stronger to handle that…”

Izuku continued to remain dazed as his fellow classmates watched on. Tsu rubbed her finger against the side of his face, “It’s nice of Midoriya’s mom to show her love even in a crisis like this.”

“It is,” Ochaco snickered, watching her crush struggling to take in every word his mother was saying to him. She couldn’t help but feel even more enamored with him. 

“Pfft. What an idiot,” Bakugo snorted. 

The other four students snapped their hands at him as he glanced at them, shrugging. “I’m not taking it back, morons.”

“I am glad to see that you are all alright,” All Might stated as he approached his students, patting the next symbol of peace on the shoulder with an earnest smile. “It gives me hope that we can win this battle and take back the city, also gives me less concern with escorting these young ones all alone.”

“Mr. Yagi,” a man stepped forward, wearing civilian clothing in the middle of the hell that they had found themselves in. His appearance was unorthodox without knowing of his true identity, but the confidence he carried himself with made his casual outfit seem natural. “We were worried sick that something would happen on our way here.” 

“Mr. Yamato!? I wasn’t expecting to see you here, but I’m glad that we have more able hands. I trust that my students weren’t too much trouble during the evacuation.”

“Not at all! I have been watching them carefully, they have been doing their best work.” A sense of pride washed over the two teachers as these fine young men and women were doing their part during the operation; they would need to be at their best if they were to survive till dawn. After all that they had seen, they couldn’t lose another person that was close to them.

“All Might,” another familiar voice called out, looking up to the wooden man standing upon a destroyed car which was flipped on its side. He peered over the horizon, attempting to see any more of their forces, but there was nothing as far as the eye could see. Including the undead. “I believe we should get a move on before something lurks from the fires nearby, I can’t see a damn thing but that just raises more concern.”

“Understood Kamui Woods, lead the way,” Toshinori stated, quickly following behind the others. The elemental hero stepped in front of the group, standing alongside Ryuko who was waiting alongside the others, a conversation slightly brewing as they continued forth.

“I wish that we had met again under different circumstances, All Might, but I am glad that we have someone like you here during this operation,” the dragon hero stated, her eyes looking across the environment to make sure that nothing was surprising them with sharp fangs and a brewing appetite. “When all of this is over, let’s all get something to eat.”

“That sounds lovely, Ms. Tatsuma.”

“By the way,” she stated as she slightly turned away from the chaos towards Toshinori and Inko. “Are you two?”

There was a pause as they continued forward, a blush appearing on All Might’s face for a moment as he quickly attempted to dismiss the question, only for Inko to grasp tighter with a smile. “Its not what you think-”

“I wasn’t expecting anyone to ask that question,” the mother of Izuku Midoriya spoke, just as her son quickly stepped towards the back of the evacuating party to watch the rear while avoiding the conversation. “Mr.Yagi has been so helpful with my boy and ever since his father-” there was a sudden cut in the sentence before Inko resumed, wishing to not speak on the matter. “I guess he has been the closest friend I’ve had in a long time.”

“That’s lovely dear,” Ryuko spoke once more with an upbeat attitude, hope once again rising within their group as the conversation continued. The rest of UA’s students chuckled a bit as they heard the adults speak, given new ammo to poke fun at their friend when they escaped from the ruins that were once Tokyo. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt but,” A new voice stated as they entered the conversation, a surprising figure appearing before Yagi. While it was not surprising that the original Kamen Rider, or any Rider for that matter, was helping during the operation, it was a shock that the two legendary defenders of Japan would meet this way. Across the decades of work against the forces of evil, they had never encountered each other during their work. “It is an honor to finally meet you, All Might.”

“I should be the one saying that, Kamen Rider, your work has been incredible across the decades. It is actually infuriating how the government does not see you and your fellow Riders as heroes to this country, deemed outlaws for taking out Nazi scum and similar organizations.” A sense of pride washed over Hongo as those words reached him. Walking alongside the All Might was somewhat of a dream come true, but to actually hear praise from the man was something he never would have expected before his augmentation.

“Thank you sir, that truly means a lot to me. It is a shame that we are needed the way we are in the first place, but it is nice knowing that despite everything that has happened, we have people like us to depend on for aid.”

“I agree whole heartedly, Kamen Rider, when this is over we will have to pass stories to each other.”

As the group ahead of him continued to speak quietly amongst themselves, Yamato couldn’t help but feel unease with every step that they took. 

He had led countless evacuating missions across multiple worlds, but none were as disturbing as this one, being at his weakest state in order to truly lead the population away from the hellish deceased metropolis. His faith in the others would have to do for now, the rest of his squadron watching over the traveling civilians. They were experienced heroes, even if some were on the younger side, not even pros yet. But he had seen how the younger members of humanity inspired the hope to survive such ordeals. Even in the apocalypse, hope brewed within their hearts to see the light at the end of this hellish journey. 

He hoped that he wouldn’t have to transform into his original body, but with how the situation was, that was doubtful. At the very least, he was capable of defending himself should the Scourge arrive at their location. The Riser Gun was held firmly within his grasp, should the occasion rise that he would need to aid the others in defending the party, he was well armed to do so.

Just as thoughts clouded the minds of their teachers, between the moments of peaceful conversation between the various party members, a lingering question hung over the students’ heads as they marched forward with their seniors. Should they abandon their post and look for the rest of their families, or would they stay and escort strangers towards a point of safety?

While Izuku had his mother among the small crowd of children and superheroes, everyone else had people waiting for them at home. Scared and alone, waiting for their children to return to them to make sure that they were safe.

A sense of shame lingered in their minds at the thought of leaving mere children alone to defend for themselves, a selfish wish to save those they loved the most from the undead horde approaching with every step. Their minds screamed for them to do so, to leave as fast as they could and kill as many of the infected as possible, but no matter what, their bodies wouldn’t turn away from the mission.

If their families were devoured, they would have to live with the guilt for the rest of their lives… but the shame of leaving small children to their deaths would be a much heavier burden upon their souls.

“It’s understandable the thoughts that venture through your minds,” Mirrorman spoke, earning the attention of the students of UA as they marched forward. They did not halt for even a moment as they listened. “You don’t even have to say a thing, but it’s written within your movements, your body language is screaming to abandon the fight and look for your loved ones. And yet you cannot.”

“I would shut your mouth before you say something you’ll regret, geezer,” Bakugo stated with hate in his voice, still marching forward. “What the hell do you know about us?”

“That you are children scared of what is to come next, just as they are.”

That was it.

The explosive hero turned quickly, energy for just a quick flash built up within his palm as Uravity stepped in the way. Standing her ground as she stared into his eyes, she did not flinch as the tension skyrocketed. 

The silver hero continued. “Being a child is not a crime, Dynamight. It’s completely normal for you to feel like this… I know I’m scared for those in my life right now. That I’m not there when they need me, screaming for my name that falls on hungry ears.”

The energy ceased building, the rain continuing to pour onto the group as they moved forward, the only ones lagging behind being a few of the escorting heroes. Godman turned towards the conversation, listening to the words that the fellow hero of the Showa Era spoke. The words reminded him of his ally Greenman, hoping that during this hell that they were being consumed in, he was holding his own in the fight. “But all we can do is march forward, and have hope that they will have made it through the tunnel just as we will, just as these children will as we guide them through this. If the roles were switched around, if you were these young souls being guided by heroes… what would you be thinking right now?”

A hand fell onto Bakugo’s shoulder, making him turn around to see Godman standing behind him. “He’s right. We have to focus on the task at hand, or else none of us will be able to reunite with those in our lives. The worst possible outcome would be that you all lose what makes you so special,” the experienced hero of the Showa period then pointed towards the young man’s heart with his other hand, his gaze not leaving Bakugo’s own for even a second. “Your humanity.” 

The student of UA simply brushed Godman’s hand away before marching forward, quickly catching up with the others. While his anger had certainly risen during the conversation, it also gave him a sense of urgency. The faster that they escorted the civilians away from the warzone, the sooner that he could rush to his parents and take them out of the city. 

Ochako took in a deep breath as she too began marching forward. While she wasn’t too worried that Bakugo would actively cause the infected to be lured towards their area, adrenaline was still through the roof. They were all on high alert and with Mirrorman’s words echoing within their minds, it was ringing truer with each step.

They needed to help these people and then get their parents the fuck out of here.

Izuku looked forward, staring at Uravity as they continued along the path. He and Mirrorman were given the task of making sure the back was covered during the operation, while others were certainly close to them, they were the first line of defense from the rear. Something else clicked within his mind as he hung onto his senior’s words, and it was something that the latter quickly noticed.

“Once this is over, you should talk to her.”

Izuku for a second froze up a bit, his shy side quickly taking over at the statement. He just tried to focus on the mission and pretend that nothing was bothering him. “I-I don’t know what you mean by that,” he stated with a slight stutter on every word, not taking his eyes off of her even as he tried to hide his feelings.

“Even the undead could see it kid,” Mirrorman stated with a slight chuckle, patting him on the shoulder as they continued forward. Every moment counted and even with the conversation at a minimum, they couldn’t lag behind the others. “You might not have another chance, so just do it the first thing you can, okay?”

The hybrid hero ceased the subject of conversation with that statement, opting to focus on the task at hand. While Izuku was trying to think of something to say, he had a horrific realization that didn’t quite make sense with the chaos that they were all in right now.

There was an eerie silence that hung over the entire area. Through the ruins of death and brimstone, the explosions were so far away that they were hard to even consider part of the same conflict. While there was a sense of luck that they weren’t being hunted at this moment, it still was giving him dread. His head was screaming that this wasn’t right, that something was lurking in the darkness to reach out and eat them.

And to his horror, he was the only one who noticed what was about to happen. 

Ms. Tatsuma was in her human form at the moment to not lure the enemy nearby. Besides Bakugo’s slight outburst, talking was at a minimum given the situation. And yet, they laid still in the destroyed cars which surrounded them, as if they had prepared an ambush knowing they would travel this way. 

Their eyes glowed with white irises’ staring with hunger. An eerie smile made its way onto a member of the horde before they leapt out of the window ever so silently, the glass not even shattering as it slipped through. Izuku’s eyes widened as he realized the infected’s target was not one of the fleeing civilians, but instead one of the supporting heroes.

He attempted to reach out to Mirrorman, but it was too late. The infected sunk its fangs into the hybrid’s skull with swift action. Its eyes looked in opposite directions as fluid poured from the wound, drenching the deceased hero in blood and killing him in an instant. The body fell onto the ground with a loud thud, the corpse twitching as the undead ZQN paid no attention to the rest of the fleeing civilians, even as they screamed seeing the horror of Mirrorman’s murder.

With a single action, the undead had gained an advantage over the evacuation team, killing one of their stronger members without even making a sound. This gave the signal to the rest of the undead hiding within the destroyed transportation that surrounded them. The screams of those attempting to flee filled their ears like a dinner bell.

“EVERYONE RUN!” Izuku screamed with fury and fear, the student of UA swinging and avenging Mirrorman before turning his attention to the overwhelming horde that began to engulf his sight. “DON’T WORRY ABOUT US! JUST GO! TAKE THE CHILDREN AND RUN!”

Everyone was immediately surrounded as hell was let loose, screams of the damned rung in their ears as Quirks and weaponry opened fire upon the enemy. All Might’s grip upon both his firearm and Inko’s hand grew stronger as he turned towards an infected, opening fire and landing a direct hit towards the sky. “Follow us children!” He yelled with genuine fear, his eyes painting a picture of pure horror within the minds of the young as they saw the symbol of peace afraid. A smile was no longer present during this crisis, the gates of Hell had opened to swallow them whole and the superheroes were the last defense.

An explosion rang in their ears as even some heroes were pushed back a bit by the sheer force of Bakugo’s blasts, a large portion of the horde being instantly disintegrated. While a sense of pride rushed through him for a moment, it was quickly ruined by the sheer size of the undead wave. Once he stepped onto a flipped over car, he saw just how many of them were hiding in the ruins that they were traveling through.

Uravity quickly ran alongside the environment, placing her hands against the burning metal, singeing her fingertips slightly. Gritting her teeth through the pain, she activated her Quirk. Cars began to float into the air, some even still having the undead present within their frames. Froppy wrapped her tongue around a rusty pipe, and while the taste was disgusting, it was a necessary action to commit as she forced the object into the skull of an infected. Swiftly, she leapt away from the danger that approached from the rear, landing on a car and slipping as she attempted to retreat.

One of the horde attempted to reach for Kamen Rider, only for Ida to rush by and slam his leg at full force into the undead’s skull. In an instant, the entire head was reduced to pulp, earning a nod of appreciation from the vigilante as they continued to carve their way through the horde. 

“Fuck this!” Ryuko yelled as her body quickly shifted into a more appropriate form for combatant, scales covering her as her entire frame morphed into a beast of myth. Each digit turned into talons which punctured the concrete beneath their feet, her head taking on the shape of an avian as her maw filled with razor sharp fangs. Gigantic wings erupted from her back, a long tail slamming into the undead behind her with ease. She turned and sent more of the approaching horde flying, the moving corpses slamming into the environment below and being reduced to nothing but blood and chunks of meat. 

***

Far away, an entity watched as the battle began, a sinister smile forming as the infected continued to hunt down a larger target. Sniffing the air as she tracked them, she’d finally found where the man had attempted to hide. She was close enough towards her end goal that she could grab a little snack.

Listening closely to the evacuation orders on the comms shortly after they had gone missing in action, she had known that they would come through this area. The group had always been in her sight as she chased down a fleeing individual. Watching the chaos below with milky, hunger-filled eyes, she noticed an extremely familiar frame amongst the heroes that were defending the civilians. He made her speak with both sorrow and hate, what remained of a heart breaking at what had to be done in order to win the battle and take the city. Along with a more baseline anger that she couldn’t eat the flesh of her former comrade.

“S-S-Shin-ji…”

A few more would have to die before she made her move, arriving with a leap of faith off of this building just as she had so many times in the past. At least she could enjoy a meal as she watched the show, slightly growing in size to swiftly kill her prey without the survivors spotting her before her proper reveal. The strength to crush the disgusting salvation from her gigantification would be needed here, a slight chuckle exiting her blood-filled mouth. This alerted the poor soul hidden in the dumpster that his doom was only seconds away.

She couldn’t quite hear what the man was saying as she lifted the object into the air above her head, but it sounded like a prayer. Empty words that would not be answered, cries to whatever he sought to save him falling on deaf ears. Pressure quickly turned the object into a crushed can of trash and gore, trash bags popping as metal punctured their exterior, spilling onto the ground with a mix of blood. Her golden hair was stained with all sorts of putrid colors, as was her white and purple jumpsuit.

She lifted the dumpster above her maw and began to drink the mix of sewage and ichor, a vile display of hunger occurring as she enjoyed the rotted smoothie. Eventually she no longer tasted liquid iron, only the raw trash that civilians of this apartment complex had thrown out. Tossing the broken dumpster away, it skipped like a rock on water for a moment before coming to a halt to find the mass display of gore across the concrete.  

Her maw drooled with saliva and blood onto the corpse as she approached, watching her plan unfold while enjoying a small meal. The steam from the intestines still gave a great sense of cooked meat, even as it was raw. 

She dug in, ripping into meat with sharp fangs with delight while watching the fight continue. After she finished devouring the man, she would climb up this building and drop onto them like an anchor. 

***

The Scourge continued piling in, reaching forward intending to grab whoever they could. Centipeder extended his arms forward, intending to restrain the charging crowd so the others could vanquish them. The infected, on the other hand, saw this as a free invitation to feast. They grabbed the elongated centipede man, tearing into his flesh as he screamed out, attempting to fight them off. It didn’t last long as his limbs were being torn apart while his skin was bitten into. 

His cries sent shivers down everyone’s bodies as he begged for mercy when Bakugo looked him straight in the eye. The centipede’s eyes were filled with sadness and pain as the hero in training nodded his head. Death awaited him and Kacchan would grant it to him without him ever knowing the infection.

Bakugo fired away, completely vaporizing Centipeder and his assailants. The student of 1-A couldn’t afford to scoff as he turned around and fired on another group of infected, freeing up space in the already crowded building. He then started backing away, keeping his distance from the growing Scourge. 

“Froppy, look out!” Bubble Girl hollered out, spraying out bubbles, temporarily stunning the members of the Scourge. The zombies waved their arms around, stinging their eyes as bubbles blinded them. 

“Thank you, Miss Awata,” Tsu called out, hopping out of the way from the infected’s reach. The frog-like student hopped her way back to the rest of her friends while Bubble Girl moved back slowly, continuously spraying her bubbles. 

It didn’t last. 

The undead assailants’ eyes grew used to the stinging sensation and grabbed a hold of her.  The light blue hero screamed at the top of her lungs when one infected tore a huge chunk of flesh from her right arm. The resulting bite even tore through the bone, forcing her hand to plummet to the ground. The three infected dug their nails in her stomach, ripping out her entrails and devouring them like noodles.

Her screams filled the entire area, begging for someone to help her in any way, however, one ghoul was seemingly annoyed by her cries. The infected lunged forward and tore into her throat with her bare teeth. Pieces of Awata’s neck made their way down the infected body’s as her face was drenched with blood from the newly deceased hero. 

Bubble Girl’s head slumped backwards, her eyes becoming milky white. The infected relinquished their hold on her, changing their attention towards the remaining survivors. All while the newly infected hero stared at them from her backwards hanging head. Her breaths were raspy as bubbles slowly popped out of her mouth, slowly moving backwards to them, never bothering to turn her body around.

Flames surrounded the Rosettitan’s hair as he charged forward, burning infected as the extraterrestrial charged through the horde. The Megalon Blades made their way through the skulls of various undead as they attempted to reach out, the flames protecting him from an assault from the rear as he continued to just swipe through the horde. Any blood that splashed onto Megaloman as he tore through the enemy forces was burned to a crisp from the heat radiating from the alien’s body. 

“Megalon Fire!” The superhero shouted as the flames were sent out to the surrounding horde, screams of agony rolling across the vast battlefield as flames consumed their bodies. Some even still pressed onward, which prompted the others to step in.

“Rider Punch!” Ichigo roared as he swung, a shockwave thundering as he slammed his fist into an infected’s skull. The burning corpse slumped over as the original Rider continued to aid the assault, swiping through burning infected with no resistance from the moving corpses. A few bullets ripped through the skulls of approaching undead as All Might continued to try to keep track of the students and Ms. Midoriya, fear being written across his face with each bullet that exited when he heard a click.

A child’s scream alerted him towards the back, an undead charging directly at the small group of children. He quickly equipped the gear that Meliessa had gifted him, the enhancement wrapping around his wrist before he swung, blowing away the corpse into nothing but a puddle. She had worked on similar equipment before, granting Izuku the same technology when her island home had been raided by terrorists, and thankfully she had done the same for her uncle in case things had gone south on the mainland. “Are you all right?” All Might called out, pulling the children closer as they continued to run.

The boy shook his head with a sniffle, showing that he was okay even if he was frightened beyond belief. “Continue onward, All Might,” Megaloman cried out as he and Kamen Rider Ichigo carved through the horde, his hair no longer illuminating in flames. “Take the children and leave! It isn’t much further to the evacuation cen-”

A horrific scream exited his mouth as hair was grasped and quickly torn away, blood erupting from the extraterrestrial’s skull as his scalp was completely revealed by a duo of hungry Scourge. Kamen Rider turned in horror to see his ally be slain in such a manner, the children screaming once again as the death of another hero hit their eyes. That sound cut through the Rider’s mind as they began to dig into the alien.

BOOM!

The remaining heroes all turned in unison to see another hero pinned, the draconic form of Ryuko struggling to free herself from her former friend. Her eyes widened to see the goliath holding her down with only one arm. The undead’s gaze turned towards the group of survivors with a mouth-watering appetite before unleashing a hellish cry towards a single person within their group.

“SHINJI!” she screamed out to Kamui Woods, who was frozen by the sight of his fallen friend. Tears swelled up as he continued to stare at her form, wounds across her body showing that when they had gotten separated, she was quickly overtaken by the undead. He had failed her as a friend, as a partner, as a team member, and as her other half outside of their careers. As well, he had allowed for the armies of ghouls to earn a powerful general amongst their ranks.

“Oh Yu,” Ryuko stated with pure fear, looking upward to the hideous fiend that had stolen her friend’s body, attempting with all of her might to escape the grasp of the fallen Lurker with no success. Mount Lady looked back down at the dragon, opening her maw as she went to feast upon fresh meat, when she was stopped by a series of explosives hitting her back. The undead stumbled forwards as Bakugo unleashed a series of projectiles directly at her, burning away pieces of the ruined costume and flesh alike.

She simply swiped backwards, knocking the student away and sending him flying into the ruins, far away from the initial conflict. “Kacchan!” Izuku screamed as he charged at the former Pro Hero, energy surrounding his fist as he aimed for the demon’s cheek.

“DETROIT SMAS-” At the last moment, the infected Mount Lady had thrown Ryuko in front of the blow, ceasing the attempt at striking her down while also swatting Izuku back down to the ground. He slammed into the earth, carving through hot concrete before halting his momentum as infected once again attempted to reach out for him.

“No no no no!” The chosen hero shouted as he quickly gained distance, shooting out waves of air as he flicked towards the infected. Blowing them apart with no resistance, it gained him some more precious minutes to live, at the very least to help the others properly escape. Stress levels were skyrocketing, the situation turning from bad to the worst case scenario.

His friends would die, these children would die, his own mother and mentor would be lost as the infected sank their fangs into fresh meat. His heart rate elevated as adrenaline pumped through his veins, his eyes darting to the various heroes that remained, only to catch sight of the giant feasting upon Ryuko’s body. Even as Kamen Rider struck so hard that it would send a car flying, while Kamui Woods attempted to hold her back with vines deep into the earth itself, and Godman continued to rapidly fire energy at the infected giant… Mount Lady continued to take chunks out of the dragon.

His heart skipped a beat as all that pressure built up into a tidal wave of emotion. Suddenly, black vines shot out of his hands as the chaos continued to get worse, his new power lashing out at anything it could carve through. Izuku let loose a scream as pain rushed through his arm, holding it tight with his free hand as he attempted to hold back the power breaking through. “Izuku!” Ochako stated as she instantly charged towards his floating body, needing to reach out to him during what could be the turning point of the battle. While everyone was suffering, and it horrified her that all of her friends were in mortal danger, seeing the young man in such anguish caused an alarm to go off within her head that she needed to silence.

Within the center of the battlefield, the teacher could only stare as the corpses of the various children they couldn’t save were laying across the ground. The horde not hesitating for even a moment to feast upon the forms of children caused something to snap. Energy burst through each of their heads as Takashi took aim, quickly dispatching of the wicked before reaching into his pocket and pointing the item towards the sky. The substitute teacher stared at Mount Lady’s form with a spiral of vengeance, it was now or never.

“80!”

Light surrounded the man’s entire body, shining like a miniature star within the battlefield. The infected giantess turned her attention away from devouring her former friend to bear witness to the legendary defender of mankind. He was the newest of the Land of Light to emerge upon Earth, having only been active for the last couple of weeks and finding whatever teaching jobs he could when not helping defend humanity. The light ceased and a giant stood before them, red and silver covering his form with a blue light illuminating the center of his chest. Golden eyes stared forward directly at the colossi that was rampaging. 

“Retreat! The operation is lost!” Ultraman 80 stated as he charged the infected Pro Hero, slamming a powerful strike across the demon’s cheek and sending the ZQN infected metahuman flying into a skyscraper. “You must all survive, I will hold the line.”

“We cannot abandon you,” screamed Kamen Rider as he slammed his fist through the torso of another zombie before ripping them in half, a display of gore splashing across his body and the ground before the vigilante. “I will not allow this world to lose an Ultraman!”

He charged forward, acting quickly to aid the newly arrived giant of light as Mount Lady recovered from the blow. Leaping into the air before descending at a violent speed, he stretched out his leg as he aimed for the head. “RIDER KICK!” The infected lashed out, matching his blow with a palm strike. “Wh-WHAT!?” Ichigo cried out as she flung him backwards, the cyborg crashing against the ground before skipping like a rock to water from the blow. Blood erupted from his mask as he quickly returned to his feet, staring at the recovering infected Lurker.

Had the virus increased her strength? He had aimed to strike with enough power to rip through a tank, and yet he was swatted away like a fly. Even at her peak, that shouldn’t have been possible. Whatever the case was, they were in for the brawl of their lives.

Nearby the ensuing battle against Mount Lady, two teenagers hung in the air. Pitch black energy whips, surrounded by an emerald green tint, sliced through entire bodies with ease. Fire and concrete shot up into the sky with each tendril carving through the land. “Izuku! You have to calm down just a little! Our friends are down there!”

“I can’t! Whatever I do, I can’t stop it! It’s like a valve was holding back all the pressure built up in a dam, only for the thing to shatter completely!” She held on tight, her head placing itself next to his ear as she lifted them away from the conflict for a moment.

“I’m so scared, Izuku,” she stated with tears shedding onto her helmet, looking at the ensuing battle before them. Their friends were fighting for their lives against a force which never ceased to keep overwhelming them, an onslaught of the Undead with their only purpose being to devour the living. “We can’t lose anyone else! Please, you have to stop it! Your mom is down there!”

His heart ached hearing her weep.

Gritting his teeth while closing his eyes to concentrate, the flow of power began to calm down, even as the stress was throwing them around like a pinball machine. He stared down, looking to see his mom and All Might against a wall, the tired hero swinging against the oncoming horde the best that he could while Inko could only look at the hero.

“Mom!” Izuku screamed out as he and Ochako descended like a rocket, slamming into the earth as the new Quirk continued to slice through the surrounding undead before coming to a complete halt. He turned to see his friend wounded, a few bruises and cuts form from just being near him. “Oh my god… I hurt you, are you okay?”

“We’ll worry about this later Deku, we have to do something.” They both nodded in agreement before running straight towards the alone pair, hoping that the rest of their friends were doing fine enough to survive the onslaught.

The warrior of the Fire God delivered a kick in the infected’s body, exploding it to pieces. Godman turned around, firing acid from his hand at another charging zombie, dissolving the dead flesh off her head, leaving nothing but a skull in its place. The red and white hero punched the skeletal head, shattering it into pieces before repeating the process with several more infected. 

The acid immediately dissolved that group of the Scourge, melting them to pieces. Things were going sideways for the entire group right away and their options were becoming limited. Sparks erupted from the knuckles of his right hand, striking the oncoming horde, keeping them at bay.

CRASH!

The roof was torn open, revealing the monstrous Mt. Lady, licking her lips at bite sized pieces of flesh to consume. She had gone to grab a projectile to throw at the Ultraman, but had surprisingly found herself a snack, unable to hold herself back as her free hand reached out. Godman fired his acid ray at the gigantic zombie, melting away her ruined left purple glove. The attack did little to deter the goliath, snatching the alien hero up as he tore into her hand. 

Godman felt himself being moved from the building and towards her maw extremely fast. He didn’t want it to be true, but knew the end was near for him. The emissary of the Fire God could at least hinder the gigantic zombie for his remaining allies. He folded his arms together and fired an orange supersonic wave at Mt. Lady, vaporising the flesh on her forearm, reducing it to bone. 

She howled in agony, placing the hero on her ruined lips. Godman breathed out, and staring into her maw, let out a cry of defiance. He slammed his hands together, firing another round, devastating her left jowl. Flesh erupted out of her cheek, splattering a nearby building with dead meat. 

The gigantic zombie slammed her teeth down, ripping Godman in half. His upper half was swallowed by Mt. Lady before she used her right hand to shove the bottom half in her mouth. Her teeth shredded what remained of Godman, rendering him into pieces of grounded up flesh in her stomach. 

It was becoming clear to him. Sir Nighteye saw it, throwing his Hyper-Density Seals at the charging infected. The little black stamp-shaped weapons held a good number of the infected back, trapping them on the walls. He glanced over to see Izuku protecting not only his mother and classmate, but his weakened mentor, All Might. 

The future he saw in both of them wasn’t going to end well, and his foresight was never wrong. He didn’t want it to come true as he finally got what All Might saw in the young boy. Izuku was not only a reflection of Toshinori, but one step beyond.

The face of a hero.

The one to save this world.

Deku was amazing in so many ways, but that strength could only get him so far. The Pro Hero witnessed zombies closing in on the three, almost completely at their mercy. He knew Izuku could escape just fine, but the other two were civilians with no real means of defending themselves. 

Nighteye huffed out, knowing he already lost two of his most trusted allies. He couldn’t let his friend die, nor be responsible for a civilian losing her life, especially the mother of the next hero. Sasaki wouldn’t be able to see it, but he could at least make sure they saw it through. 

He threw the last of his seals at a couple of charging infected and lunged forward, tackling the infected away from the three. Toshinori and Izuku’s eyes widened as Nighteye started laying into one of the zombies, bludgeoning it until his shoulder was bitten into by another one. 

“Mirai…” Toshinori wept out, letting his hands drop at seeing his former friend being consumed. 

Izuku screamed out, striking several more undead as he saw an opening to lead the remainder of his group away from the Scourge.

Chapter 4: The Osaka Onslaught 

Osaka Castle

BOOM! 

A series of explosions coated the outskirts of the area, the warzone only echoing with detonations into the city with each passing second. While the bridge to the castle had been well guarded by the combination of military forces and their two superweapons on the scene, they still proceeded to fire into the direct line of the infected. 

Civilians ran for their lives as soldiers guided them across the bridge, besides the castle being a mechanical goliath which resembled the king of the monsters. Created to defend mankind against Kaiju threats, the mechanical doppelganger had been called onto the battlefield the moment the situation was deemed an epidemic. Twin gigantic limbs allowed the G-Force’s trump card to march forward, four digits at the end of the massive feet. Four-fingered hands were kept upfront, prepared to strike down any sudden Infected Metahumans or a building on top of the horde within a moment’s notice. A stumpy tail stood firm behind them, short dorsal spines that ran down the back to the tail’s endpoint were partially covered by the repurposed Garuda warship.

Its twin cannons pointed forward as they laid resting upon the mecha’s shoulders, ready to obliterate the space in front of them if necessary. Golden glowing eyes looked ahead, allowing the pilots within to see the situation at hand. A single horn covered the top of the copy’s “skull”, metal fangs along with the rest of the silver coated body shone within the reflection of the flames.

Super Mechagodzilla of G-Force had been covering the evacuation of Osaka with almost no resistance. While the horde had at first been troublesome to properly clear for the population to escape, it was soon dispatched of within a moment’s notice. The pilots inside watched carefully for any possible hostile movement from beyond the retreating civilians, their armed transportation keeping a close eye near them as they marched forward past the bridge. One could never be too careful within the depths of Hell.

He sat in position, waiting for another horde to emerge from the ruins that surrounded them. The highest ranking officer within the Mecha held strong as the flames continued to climb into the sky. The operation, for all intents and purposes, had been going smoothly. They had run into little issue compared to other evacuations running into waves of the average and meta infected. While he wouldn’t ever ignore the possibility of horrific failure within the operation, it was highly unlikely for them to fail with the weapons on the site along with the mass number of soldiers. 

There were three others wearing the uniform that he wore within the Mecha, the super weapon’s pilots being carefully picked for the operation.

The first was the creator of the Garuda, the scientist having the proper knowledge of both war machines to be a correct choice. While he had certainly never been on a battlefield, he had been training for a situation like this for a while now. While it did not take a lot of time to actually dispose of the horde that was located here, he still arrived to see death in the form of an epidemic of cannibalism. Hundreds of people, possibly even thousands, were slaughtered either through their own loved ones sinking fangs into flesh or the chaos of Super Mechagodzilla’s arsenal to block off paths around the evacuation center. 

Kazuma Aoki, a lead scientist within the JSDF, couldn’t help but feel that he was underprepared for the worst possible scenario. While their odds of survival were staggeringly high, he knew better than to leave a variable out of the equation. 

The second was an older man, around the age of their captain. He had been the assigned gunner to the Mecha after years of successful missions piloting both Gunheds and military Patlabors, becoming the perfect fit for the organization’s strongest weapon. If motion was detected, he was more than prepared to once again open fire upon the surrounding area as long as it wasn’t near the evacuating civilians. 

Atsushi Sonezaki had seen many warzones during his career, but none were as chaotic as this. It didn’t matter the amount of training they had or the weapons they unleashed, the part of him that felt fear saw the possible end of the world. The epidemic was a story left best for the world of fiction, within the confines of a horror movie night or video game to pass the time after a long shift, but here they were in the dead center of a spreading virus that raised the dead. Though he didn’t show it, he elicited a calm demeanor despite the feeling of dread washing over his mind. 

The third was artificial in nature, their body resembling that of a healthy young woman with bright blonde hair. Bright blue eyes observed the data before her, the android taking in the information as she planned their next course of action. While she would be mistaken for human, even down to the feeling of her hand meeting your own, in truth Catherine Berger was the first of many artificial humans working within the JSDF’s ranks.

The data was sound that at the end of the battle, her mission would be successful.

The three were under the command of Captain Takuya Sasaki, by far the most experienced of the group when it came to conflicts. A war hero who had commanded military forces against the threat of Kaiju and invading forces from the stars. 

High above them, simply floating in the air awaiting command to move from its pilots, was a flying vessel of war. Used against the third generation of Godzilla when he rampaged across the country’s metropolis known as Tokyo, the silver metal glistened a little in the sun’s rays as its smaller frame sat amongst the clouds. The Super-X, piloted by some of the best meta humans the JSDF could offer, was prepared for another wave of the Scourge.

The four members of the team wore coordinated armor, resembling a team of superheroes. Their commanding officer wore the armor that was covered in pitch black, while the rest was a metallic silver. An identical helmet to the rest of the team, besides having a silver visor, stared at the battlefield before them. While they had done their part in aiding the operation, a part of him wished that he could do more on the ground level should the infected break the lines, but they all had a role in the operation to play.

Colonel Pete Richards was prepared to lay down his life on this day if it meant they could manage to have more civilians evacuate. He was thankful that if they were to somehow go down and be forced to join the ground forces that he had his trusted anti Kaiju rifle to aid him.

Beside him was a man donned in red and silver armor, a black visor staring at the ground below awaiting this commanding officer’s orders. Beneath the helmet sat a pair of goggles on the man’s face, allowing him to see properly. 

David Easton closed his eyes as he attempted to reach out with his mind, perhaps his psychic abilities would allow the squad to be alerted to an approaching horde or whatever lurked within the dark corners of the ruins. Though, a part of him did fear what he was going to find if he did reach even a single mind amongst the horde, let alone the entire enemy force. 

Behind the pair of pilots sat the last two members of their squadron. The first, in silver and blue armor, held a shield as his rifle leaned against the super weapon’s wall. At the very least, they each had means to defend themselves if the ongoing chaos below brought them down from the heavens, a fight that he hoped would not come to pass. While the others had some extraordinary gift to aid them and their allies in the conflict, Michael Van Horn, like many of the other soldiers protecting the evacuating civilians, was mainly an ordinary man. Only he was given different tools to aid against the spread of the virus, at the very least he had the rest of his team to rely on and vice versa.

The last member’s armor was a bleach white, the special forces member being slightly annoyed at her armor as its only noticeable difference was to identify her gender… Something that, if they made it out of this, she would scold the higher ups for. Her rifle sat at her side, just as the others had theirs on stand by, though her abilities might make the weapon borderline useless as her barrier could do a lot more than just protecting. Her gift, or Quirk as the world mostly knew them as, would become their saving grace if somehow an infected metahuman managed to knock them out of the sky or attempted to force themselves into the vessel.

Margret O’Brien would assist her team in any way she could to ensure victory, even if it meant her own life would be put in jeopardy. 

“Captain,” Kazuma stated as he continued to watch the outskirts of the evacuation, spotting two gigantic frames slowly approaching the evacuation. “I believe that our reinforcements have arrived on the scene.”

The very ground beneath their feet shook as the sun’s rays only showed twin silhouettes of gigantic figures making their way towards them, the pair picking up a little speed as they finally made it towards the evacuation team. “We finally made it!” Yelled Yuuki, the young pilot of Thundatross, smiling knowing that he had safely transported the reinforcements for the ground level in his hand. There hadn’t been much resistance on their journey, the horde simply being crushed underneath the mecha or giant’s weights as they marched forward.

“Yes, but don’t forget Yuuki,” Gigaman stated as he continued to march forward, a look of sorrow on his face as he continued to watch some infected emerge from the ruins in an attempt to attack them. “Our top priority is to save as many lives as we can.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” the young eager pilot groaned, his glasses glistening a little in the light as the shine of the other war machines’ hit his sight just right. “I just can’t believe I am fighting along the JSDF Mechagodzilla! It’s a dream come true!” 

Gigaman gave the young pilot a slight glare as they continued to march forward, worrying about the overall state of the operation while reflecting on his statement. It didn’t truly matter at the moment why he was saving all of these people in the grand scheme of things, all that mattered was that he was doing his job to save as many lives as he possibly could. But it still didn’t sit right with the veteran hero of Japan. He had always been happy to be of service to the people of his homeland, and yet he stood side to side with someone filled with ego at such a young age. Hopefully after a firsthand encounter with the legion of the dead, it would shake him enough to take this job seriously.

The group of metahumans which sat within Thundatross’ palm all stood up in unison to look down upon the operation at hand. Most staring in fear, anticipation for the inevitable conflict, and concern for the well being for civilian and soldier alike. They had the numbers, the resources, and the sheer power to guarantee success… and yet that lingering sense of damnation still entered their minds.

There was an eerie silence amongst the group of fighters as the wind continued to brush past them, those with cloaks having the material flow in the passing air. Their weapons were primed, held within the respective users’ hands as they looked towards the earth below. Fists were clenched as determination rose within their numbers, to see this until the very end, to save as many lives as they could, to give their life if necessary for the greater good.

All but two.

While the others hadn’t noticed, Shikishima gazed off towards the side of the ruins. Attempting to spot an incredibly important asset towards the plan at hand, a wicked smile hid underneath the calm mask that laid upon his face when he managed to spot strange movement. A shimmer in his eye, small and almost completely invisible to the naked eye. Luck seemed to be on his side as the massive form brushed past the side of the evacuation center.

It had seemed that the pieces were in play to rid this world of its foolish heroics and adopt a new world order, at least the first major play by those above him. He turned his attention back towards the group, noticing for a moment the attention of the most beautiful sight in hell. Her eyes golden with rings, her bright blood-red hair flowing a bit as her ponytail struggled to hang on from the passing winds. Her gaze was intoxicating. In all of his life, he had never looked into an abyss so… stunning.

Perhaps in the hell, which their new world would be born, he would have the opportunity to explore more than just her breathtaking gaze. After all, why shouldn’t he seek a queen within his utopia?

She gave a smile hiding malice, before winking and returning to the sight below of the undead. Just as Shikishima had spotted the approaching invisible calamity, she had seen a future filled with death and rebirth in their image.

“All hail the Red Bamboo.” They thought in unison, not speaking a word as they shared a moment of impending doom to the hope of the world with pure hatred adorned with a wicked smile.

“This day we march into the depths of hell itself to save our country,” Kamen Rider V3 spoke as he stepped forward, looking up at his squad with glowing green eyes of determination. “No matter the cost, we must succeed in saving as many lives as possible. If we are to fail, if we are to be devoured by the horde, then allow our deaths to not be in vain. If necessary, we must put our fellow comrades down to save them from damnation of the highest order. If necessary, we will die for the greater good, no matter the cost we MUST prevail.”

For a moment, the creation of Ichigo and Nigo turned his gaze unknowingly to his feet, his confidence lowering as the worst possible outcome rushed through his mind. But just as that horrific thought had rushed through his mind, a sense of hope washed over it as it always had. “Today we will exterminate, no, put down as many infected as we can. To save them with a final act of kindness, avenging their deaths and putting them to rest. No matter the cost.”

They all nodded in unison before leaping towards the group below. ODM Gear launched cables forward to carry Shikishima to safety, landing upon the rooftop with ease. With the ferocity of an animal, Miriko and Aiden leapt from the Mecha’s palm into the ground below with a thunderous boom as rubble flew in all directions. “I’ve got a rush!” The third strongest hero stated as she gave a sinister smile filled with excitement for the oncoming conflict. While she was a hero through and through, she couldn’t deny the rush that combat gave her in a dire situation. Aiden chuckled a little as the youngest member of the Ace Hunters reached for the Heavy Bowgun strapped onto his back, holding the heavy weapon with ease as he began to march forward. 

The two were quickly followed by the best Devil Hunters of Japan, landing with elegance as they carefully landed amongst the rubble. Kishibe quickly reached into his pocket, carefully wrapping his hand around a cigarette and lighter before putting the nicotine into his mouth and lighting it. He took a soft, quick drag of it before puffing out a bit of smoke.

“Another day at the office, aye Makima?”

The head of the organization stood tall with her arms behind her back, swaying her head side to side for a moment as she tapped her foot onto the rubble below. “A busy day at that,” she stated with a soft voice followed by a smile, one that Kishibe didn’t see but still felt from behind her skull. He had always felt something deep within her was wrong… Perhaps the others would see it during this operation.

Hawks for a moment took to the air, hovering above the few left upon Thundatross’ palm and reached out with a hand to Takeo. The soldiers of Japan quickly took the pro hero’s offer, the two taking a moment as they looked upon Kamen Rider V3’s form. The second strongest hero of Japan gave a confident smile before stating, “I still don’t understand how the government doesn’t deem you as heroes, you truly are an inspiration, Rider.”

Takeo gave a salute as they flew towards the street below, joining the others on the ground for the fight of their lives. A sign of respect to the Rider as he felt honored to join them in the battle against the Scourge’s forces.

The last two standing upon the metallic hand gave each other a nod before leaping towards the earth below, their combined weight causing a resounding thud. Sazer Mithras of the Fire Tribe of Gransazers and the third Kamen Rider had made their presence clear with a booming declaration of war. They would lead the group to salvation or die amongst their soldiers in a battle of glory. 

Mika reached to her sides, wrapping her hands around twin metallic fans to remove limbs from the walking carcasses screaming for flesh. The Rider squeezed his fists as he stood ready for war, his eyes glowing brightly as he waited.

“I’m glad you all finally made it,” Captain Takuya stated on the intercom, earning everyone’s attention through their earpieces. “We haven’t had much trouble, but be wary as we push the civilians closer to safety. We can’t have any surprises looming in the dark.”

“Roger that,” Gigaman replied as he stood over the fleeing crowd, they walked in a single file line filled with hope from the protection around them. A few even gave a wave towards the giant, earning a smile from him in these dire times as he waved back. “We’ll hold the line, no matter the cost.” 

***

“This way!” Reiner breathed, smashing the head of an infected against the wall, splattering it to pieces. He threw the body down, ushering for the people to keep moving and to not let up. “Come on!”

The blonde bulky man yanked the door open, revealing a battlefield to the scared group of survivors. Reiner’s eyes widened at the sight of how much worse the crisis was becoming, watching as several Pro Heroes were dropping from the zombies. He scanned the area, snapping his head left and right, attempting to find the best route for his friends and family to make it to an escape zone.

“Reiner,” Bertholdt, the tallest member of the group, spoke out as he ran his fingers through his brown hair. “We need to move!”

“I know!” he shot back, gripping the frame of the door, desperately trying to find the safest route for him. He gritted his teeth until he heard a scream erupting behind him. 

Reiner turned around to see his little cousin, Gabi, screaming in pure terror. Her tiny body shook while her mouth quivered at the sight of an infected charging towards her. His blood boiled in his body, his cousin completely in the crosshairs of the lone infected sneaking up at them.  

“Son of a bitch!” Reiner roared out, pushing Gabi out of the way as he tackled the zombie. The lone infected launched her head forward, snapping her jaws at him. Reiner kept his body distant from the bite’s radius before sending his fist downwards on the infected’s forehead, slightly denting it. 

The infected was unfettered by the assault as it kept pushing against his aggressor. Reiner threw his fists down on the zombie, further creating a deeper and deeper crater in the ghoul’s head. The monster stalled for a second before attempting to lunge at him once more until Reiner saw a blade go right through the side of his head. 

The zombie let out a small gasp with its eyes rolling in the back of his skull. He ceased his moments dropping to the ground as Reiner collapsed on his rear, turning to his left to see his nearly emotionless friend, Annie, standing by him. 

“You were taking too long,” she muttered, offering him a hand as he gave her a small smile. 

“Thanks for that,” Reiner breathed out, taking the hand as he stared at her vibrant blue eyes and her golden hair. If he was sure he wouldn’t get his ass kicked by her, he’d call her an angel right then and there. Reiner grabbed a nearby towel and wiped his hands of the blood, throwing it off in the distance. 

So many had been lost as an older woman wrapped her arms around Reiner and sobbed. She sobbed on his shoulder as he lightly brushed his hand on her greying hair. “I’m so sorry you and Gabi are stuck in this mess.”

“It’s okay, mom,” Reiner softly said, keeping a hold of his mom as he felt a light tug from a soft hand. He glanced down to see Gabi and smiled, pulling her in as they stayed huddled for a moment. “The five of us will make it and it will be nothing more than a bad memory.”

“Fairly optimistic, don’t yah think? Annie questioned, folding her arms together, lifting up an eyebrow.

Reiner turned back to her and glared at her. He would have barked back, to save the pessimism around Gabi. She already lost her parents, she didn’t need to hear anymore alongside the possibility none of them would make it. If he could just get them all out of here, he could let his mind be at peace.

“Annie…” Bertholdt breathed, placing his hand on her shoulder. She slightly hissed at him, but kept her composure. Reiner knew if anyone could bring her down to earth, it’d be his best friend. How he was able to do it was beyond him and didn’t care. “It’s fine, we can get through this.”

Annie sighed, dropping the subject before mentally preparing herself to make another break for it. Reiner mosied over to the door and opened it once more to see the streets becoming more manageable. He felt relief at seeing several heroes charging and dispatching the undead that walked the street. 

Three in particular stood out to him. The first was a man walking calmly in a suit and a trenchcoat. His lips held a cigarette as he calmly threw several knives out, dispatching several of the infected. Reiner took note of his blonde hair, chuckling to himself. “Me in three decades, probably.”

The second was a masked man with an orange helmet and two glowing green eyes. Blood splattered against his orange and silver chest while he kicked a zombie’s head off. He jumped around, slicing another’s head in half with just a hand chop. Then, he rammed his fist into a zombie facing him and ripped her brain out. The masked hero threw brain on the asphalt and stomped on it. “If only I had armor like that to get my family out of this hell.”

Lastly, a woman dressed in red, white and golden armor. She moved like she was dancing across the battlefield, slicing several infected into pieces with twin identical fans. With every step she took, she moved gracefully. “If she was a dancer before this, I’d have loved to have seen her and tried my luck.”

She turned her head over to the peeking Reiner, immediately waving her hand over. “We have survivors in that building!” 

***

Shikishima stood on a building, letting himself be coated with the rain. He eyed Thundatross towering above him, the pilot keeping his eyes on the battlefield. The Scout Captain admired the unique design of the mech that transported him. More earnest and inspiring compared to the other mechs he had seen. 

“The sword especially,” Shikishima hummed, glancing up at the gigantic golden blade laying above its shoulder. He patted his body, watching the battlefield howl with groans of the undead, the screams of the living and cackle of bullets all being ushered out. He couldn’t but wonder how morbid this whole conflict would be up close, to stroll along the streets witnessing the devastation. 

He sighed, slamming his hands on pants. ”Sadly, duty calls.”

The sky flashed with lightning cascading across the grey clouds, slightly illuminating the landscape with a whitish light. Shikishima smirked, watching the bolt strike Mechagodzilla. It let out a dying-like noise, with every system in its body shutting down. The once mighty mech, some considering it to be the strongest weapon in the JSDF, was now nothing more than a statue. 

“Good riddance,” Shikishima chuckled before turning his attention back to the blue mech standing above him. He shot twin cables out of his ODM gear and onto the nearby mech, fulfilling his part of the deal with his hidden allies. Shikishima launched himself upwards, allowing him to land on the mech’s shoulders. “This one I’m gonna regret.”

He grabbed a hold of the handle and opened the hatch. The Scout Captain descended down the ladder, making his way towards the cockpit. The mech, despite its bulky size, was surprisingly cramped, making Shikishima wince as he felt like he was suffocating. 

Shikishima pushed through until he reached the door leading to his destination. He pulled out his twin blades before elbowing the button to the door. Blue and gold lights flickered all around the room while darkness covered everything else. Yuuki was far too entranced with holding the line, especially since a hidden ally gave him the invitation. 

“They all think it’s lightning, but in just a minute, those who remain will see the good friend we brought along the way,” Shikishima whispered under his breath, inching his way towards the pilot. He raised his two blades, pointing them towards the back of the seat. The traitorous Titan Shifter shook his head slightly, disgusted his target was a kid. Yuuki had heart and spirit, but others would not see it that way. He tried to pitch him to the others, believing he would be a great asset to their cause, but they were firm in their decision. 

“I’m sorry kid,” Shikishima solemnly said, looking away as he rammed the blades through the seat and into his stomach. The child’s movements ceased, his hands relinquishing their grip on the controls as his head slumped down while Shikishima yanked the blades out of the kid’s stomach. “If only they saw your potential.”

He stood in complete darkness, awaiting for the rest of the plan to commence.

Like Mechagodzilla, Thundatross slumped over, becoming the second of Osaka’s reclaimers to turn inanimate. 

“Colonel!” Margaret yelled out through her white helmet. “We just lost Thundatross as well!”

“Shit!” Pete Richard screamed out, slamming a button to the open up comms with the last giant still standing. “Gigaman! We just lost Super Mechagodzilla and Thundatross! We’re on our own!”

Gigaman felt his heart stop upon hearing the loss of Thundatross. “Yuuki….” 

The superhero turned to face the inactive mech, immediately fearing the worst for his longtime friend. He took a step forward to thoroughly check his friend when he heard a growl. His body seized up, moving only his head around to the source. 

The being materialized as it pounced on him, shredding his arm with its sharp teeth. Neronga screamed at the stunned Gigaman, slamming his horn against his face. The hero breathed out, attempting to fight back, slamming his hands on the electric kaiju. 

The crew of the Super-X sped forward to assist their last remaining comrade, firing several missiles at the creature. Neronga cried out as he was launched off the gigantic hero. The electric beast charged up his horn and fired at the Super-X, barely dodging the bolt. 

Off in the distance Shikishima climbed on the outside of the mech, watching his ally getting tagteamed by the weaker two of their enemies. He shook his head and rolled his eyes at the display unfolding before him. 

“And they say my choices of recruits are bad.”

Shikishima jumped off the towering mech and bit into his thumb, a bolt of lightning crashing down on him. His body coating itself with charcoal grey and purple colored armor as he himself became a towering figure.

The distraction caused both Gigaman and the crew of the flying fortress to witness the new arrival. Shikishim smirked from the inside of his golem, bashing his avatar’s hands together, tiny pieces of armor chipping off its hands. 

“Let’s have some fun.”

Chapter 5: History Repeats

Sazer Mithras swung her fans down, completely bisecting a nearby infected. The entirety of his organs poured out of his separate halves, blood flowing through the gutter. The Gransazer turned around and decapitated another. She turned over to the survivors her and squad had just rescued. They were far behind the others in the evacuation route, but no matter their perceived stupidity for leaving so late, it was her duty to keep them safe. 

“Keep moving!” she screamed, waving her fans around, keeping the infected at bay. 

“Sorry you’re seeing this, kid,” V3 spoke, shielding Gabi from an infected by shoving his entire elbow through the head of a zombie. He yanked out his arm and let the body collapse, smiling behind his helmet. “

“Cool…” Gabi murmured even though she was still terrified more than ever. However, seeing a man as joyful as the Rider was, he was willing to face the enemy head on. She admired that about the hero, something she wished she could be. Not only a warrior, but fearless as well. 

Maybe then, she’d be able to avenge her parents. 

Reiner pressed his hand against his little cousin’s back, pushing her along as the heroes kept themselves huddled around them. Their numbers for this operation were thinning, but the five that remained in this area were still going as strong as ever. 

BOOM!

Lasers shot over them, striking a building just above them. Its blue lasers cut through its hull like butter. Their eyes collectively widened as it began to crumble. Its upper half collapsed, tilting over as it was making landfall. 

“Run!” Kishibe screamed out, slitting a zombie’s throat before kicking its head off. He turned around to the crowd, startled by the building making its descent. His eyes burned with a fury, angered they were not listening to his orders. He needed to make himself clear. “RUN!”

The group finally listened to him, bolting away from the structure while Mithras, Takeo, and Aiden followed closely behind him. Kishibe lit another cigarette, striking another infected in the chest with his knife keeping her at bay. There was no way he would make it with the group in time, he was still on the other side, keeping the infected off their six. 

He’d be alone, potentially even considering this would be his death. Kishibe considered this a good one, if they could even get to them. The Devil Hunter chuckled, thinking they weren’t even trying as he killed them with ease.

Or so he thought.

SPLAT!

Kishibe turned around to see V3 still standing alongside him, slamming his foot onto another ghoul’s face, flattening it. The sound of the skull breaking apart would be an afterthought after hearing the building finally collapsing. 

“You’re not riding this one solo,” V3 joked, throwing his arms up at the infected still present in the area.

The older man smirked, feeling almost impressed by the young hero’s resilience. He respected him far more than Denji and Power. With another puff of his cigarette, he held up his knives once more, readying to continue his duty.

Those who were fortunate to make it to the other side, continued pushing forward. They only had a few more miles left to the evacuation center. Reiner gripped the hands of both Gabi and his mother, feeling himself matching up to the speed of the Gransazer. His heart raced not only out of fear, but from the warrioress before him. 

I’d love a woman who can kick my ass. 

He shook his head. 

No. Think, Reiner. Now is not the time.

Reiner snapped himself out of it as the Gransazer spoke, “Sazer Mithras at your service, by the way.”

“Reiner,” he breathed, humored by her giving him her persona as opposed to her real name. “Got an actual name?”

“If we escape this, I’ll tell you,” the hero spoke.

Reiner chuckled. “Deal.”

Through the shadows of the alleys the group ran past, a monstrous growl was heard. Its figure crawled around, watching the group run as fast as they could. He licked his torn lips while his sharp nails scratched against the cement. Flesh would be torn into and funneled down his gullet. 

With a monstrous shriek, he leapt out, revealing his blue sweat and dark brown pants in the streetlights. The leaping zombie lunged onto Aiden, instantly tearing through his skull and ripping out his brain matter. The man couldn’t even react as blood erupted from his mouth, violently thrashing about as the ghoul continued devouring the cranium. While the armor would have protected the Monster Hunter, it was a shame that he didn’t bother wearing a helmet forged from the Kaiju that he had slain. 

“Oh my god!” Bertholdt screamed out as Mithras bolted past the group. She let out a scream to unleash her fans, but the cries of the undead were stronger. The undead assailants rushed through the many alleys, stretching their arms forward to grab the living. 

As cold as it was, Mika backed away from her comrade being torn into, realizing there was nothing she could do for him now. Mika started swinging to keep the infected at bay, but it was all for naught as Takeo felt the cold grips of the undead, tearing into his body. 

He screamed out, attempting to reach for Mika, but felt the skin of his limbs being ripped apart. The ghouls tore into his chest, every bit filling their stomachs. The Gransazer breathed heavily, scared beyond almost any rational thought. Two of her remaining comrades ripped apart in seconds as she had only one thought left.

“Keep running!”

She slammed her fans into the arms of the infected closest to the group, preventing them from reaching out. Blood splattered all around, carefully avoiding their bodily fluids. Mithras ran alongside the group, keeping the infected at bay as much as she could. However, despite her enhancements, she was running out of breath. There was only so much one hero could do in a crisis. 

Her swings were getting slower and her field of vision was becoming blurry. She needed them to survive, she needed to do better. A second wind is what she expected, but it never came. Instead, another scream was heard. 

Bertholdt screamed out, the back of his neck getting torn into by an infected’s teeth. Reiner and Annie turned over with pure shock in their eyes. Their best friend slumped over dead as several more ghouls ripped into his stomach, desecrating it by ripping out every body part imaginable. 

Rage brewed inside them, wanting to rip apart the infected with their bare hands, but they were powerless. More and more members of the undead legion chased them down the entirety of the path they were on now.

“Just one more mile!” Mithras breathed, barely swinging her weapons at the infected. She felt her entire body could give out at any second, surmising stubbornness was the only thing keeping her going. The hero felt sick at already losing half of the group under her watch, it made her feel like a failure. 

If she could save those that remained, she can maybe see herself as a hero. Mithras just needed to push herself. 

“No! No! No!” Annie cried out, feeling her body being pulled into the darkness of one of the many alleys surrounding them. Her arms reached out for the group, begging for them to pull her back. “Don’t let them get me! Reiner, you promised to get us out of here!”

Reiner’s mouth quivered while his eyes grew wide. His other friend was gone, taken by a muscular shaped infected hiding out in the shadows. From the brief glance he got of it, its head appeared almost shrunken down while its arms looked as if they could rip a car in half. 

A large crunch was heard and Reiner didn’t even want to think how gruesome Annie’s fate was. 

His life was becoming a far cry from what it used to be. He may be able to keep his mind sane for now solely to save what remained of his family, but once it was done with, Reiner would be no more.

“Reiner…” Mithras breathed, sounding almost as if she were to collapse. 

“Save your breath, we’re almost there,” Reiner nearly snapped, grief looming over him as he kept his family closer and closer to him. 

“I’m done for….” the Gransazer weakly rasped out, slowing her movements. “But I can at least give the three of you a guarantee of survival.”

“Are you stupid!? No!” Reiner cried out, not taking his eyes off the nearby zone. They were so close and to leave anyone now would be an insult to those who already lost their lives. “The four of us can stick to it!”

“Guess you’ll never know my name, then,” Mithras murmured as Reiner briefly turned his head around to see her standing in place. 

“Mithras, don’t!” Reiner shrieked out. Despite only knowing her for a few minutes, he felt connected to her in a way he couldn’t describe. He found her attractive, but it felt like it went beyond that. Like, the two shared a bond he couldn’t quite place. 

He just couldn’t let anyone else die.

“Just pay it forward.”

Those were the last words spoken by the Gransazer before she plunged herself deeper into the undead assailants, giving it everything she got until she disappeared. 

“Fuck!” Reiner shouted, pushing himself to the limit, keeping Gabi and Karina out of danger. 

So many good people dropped like flies and he was spared in this reality thus far. He could have done so much more to save them, to ensure they’d live far away from all of this. Only now there was so little he had left. 

If he could make a deal with the devil to keep his family alive, he’d do it in a heartbeat. His soul would be devoured in the process, but his body would still be functional, doing whatever was commanded of him. 

A person was slipping away and only a body of flesh and bone would be in its presence. 

***

CRASH!

Gigaman rolled across the destroyed earth, the roar of the invisible tyrant following the assault as the veteran hero found himself on the back end of the conflict. He quickly leapt back to his feet, even managing to jump over the invader before wrapping his hands around the fiend’s tail. Neronga let out a cry of surprise as he attempted to keep his footing, claws digging into the concrete in an attempt to latch onto the environment, but it was no use. The superhero managed to throw the Kaiju across the ruined city, landing with a gigantic thud as his much larger enemy let loose a howl.

The superhero for a brief moment looked back towards the two stationary mechas, hoping that they would come back online at any moment. Only for his fear to leave him wide open as the Armored Titan forced the giant of light to act, only barely managing to dodge the attempt to slam his fist deep into Gigaman’s core. The traitor Titan Shifter was quick to act, swinging once again and this time landing true. His elbow struck the back of the superhero’s neck and forced him to his knees before the returning Neronga slammed his tail into the veteran’s stomach, sending him flying into a nearby building which collapsed from the impact.

Shikishima turned towards the Red Bamboo spawn, reaching out and placing his hand onto the creature’s skull as he pet the abomination. “The most loyal dog deserves to be shown appreciation, don’t you think so?” the man spoke within his safe haven, an earnest smile of pride forming upon his face before an assault from the sky broke the moment. The Super-X was unloading various missiles upon the duo, explosions covering their body and earning groans of pain from them.

While the attack was successful and managed to break apart some of Shikishima’s armor, it served as the perfect distraction within the moment. The Armored Titan’s vessel watched wide eyed as Gigaman returned to the fray, leaping through the thick dust with a powerful kick to his chest. The attack managed to push Shikishima backwards, his feet carving through the earth before coming to a halt. The superhero quickly then wrapped his arms around Neronga’s neck, attempting to suffocate the artificial behemoth with his sheer strength. The invisible invader let out roars of pain as he felt the pressure rising around his throat, entering a frenzy to free himself of Gigaman’s grasp by running into the nearby ruins. He thrashed violently, but the reforged meta-human held on tight.

The Armored Titan began to charge directly at the humanoid before him in order to aid his hunting dog, only to once again be interrupted by the Super-X passing by with a full artillery. Missiles detonated against his armored form and the earth around them, the explosions completely engulfing his body as howls of rage exited the demon’s maw. “Whatever you do, do not stop! We must buy time for Thundatross and Super Mechagodzilla to reactivate at any cost!” The commander ordered, his hands gripping around the controls so tightly that beneath the armor, his knuckles were whitening. Rage was erupting through his voice, the operation to protect the civilians was going to hell and the only logical explanation was treason.

Sabotage within their ranks to turn the tides of the operation in favor of the Undead, but why? Why the hell would anyone alive do such a horrific thing? Whatever the reason was, the giants before them needed to be slain. While lost in his train of thought, suddenly, debris struck the side of the flying war machine, earning their attention as the Armored Titan had escaped from the onslaught of military might. His armor was cracked across the entire body, the left arm completely vaporized and half of the demon’s face completely torn away. And yet, it still unleashed a hellish howl of might as Shikishima charged forward, leaping into the sky and slamming his limb directly into the superweapon. The pilots shook within the cockpit as they were thrown off balance for just a moment before managing to catch themselves, each of them looking to see the shield of the Red Bamboo circle them.

“Easton!” Pete roared out with authority. “Concentrate the laser upon the target’s form!” Without further adieu, the man listened to his superior without hesitation. A large blue laser was tracking across the earth in an attempt to strike the Armored Titan down, only for the trail of energy to miss by a few meters. Steam rose from the various wounds as his regeneration quickly went to work. It wouldn’t be much longer until he was at his full strength once more, but he needed to buy time to assault the war machine once again. 

His eyes slightly drifted towards the battle between his ally and Gigaman. The artificial invader finally managed to rid himself of the hero’s grasp, throwing him to the ground before electricity began to build up around his trio of horns. Gigaman could only brace himself for the surge of energy, putting his arms up to defend his core only moments away from the beam of pure elemental fury striking him. The superhero let loose a cry of agony as he was pushed back, completely losing his footing as he was thrown across the landscape before landing with a thud. Neronga continued the onslaught of energy for a moment before charging forward like a bear. The Armored Titan’s gaze returned back towards his opponent, a sinister smile forming upon the goliath’s form as the injuries to his head were completely healed. 

“That thing has to be human… Easton, look into the target’s mind. We will discover who this traitor is.”

“Yes sir,” the soldier stated before ceasing the laser’s activation, placing one hand upon his helmet while the other reached out to the screen before him. Staring directly into the Titan host’s mind to discover… oh dear god. “Colonel… the traitor is Captain Shikishima of the Scout Regiment.” A moment of shock washed over the crew of the Super-X to the haunting truth, a commander in the very operation to save Japan had conspired against them for one reason or another.

“Colonel, your orders?” Margot asked as the armored goliath stared upward at the flying war machine, the two almost daring the other to make another move. As time was quickly passing by, the Armored Titan’s arm was almost completely healed from the assault, forcing the team to act quickly.

“If we can manage to somehow bring the traitor back alive, do so, but shoot to kill. I  don’t care about the damn consequences that happen after this. For the safety of this country, we have to do what is necessary.”

Without further delay, the battle resumed once more, but before a single trigger could be pulled, Shikishima leapt forward. His hands wrapped around the ship, but there was a sudden cessation of all motion in his body. Collapsing onto the ground with a loud thud, dust kicked up in the air as the Super-X quickly returned to the sky, hovering above the corpse of the colossi. 

O’Brien concentrated on the task at hand, one hand firm on the ship’s controls as the other was held out towards the screen before her. She had formed a barrier surrounding a specific part of the Titan Shifter’s brain, ceasing motor function with a simple twist.

While it was a gigantic gamble, it was one that she was willing to take. Seeing that limbs could be completely reconstructed from stumps, perhaps his organs would be capable of the same feat. If it did not put Shikishima down completely, then she could at least buy them a moment to capture the traitor. 

Shikishima’s mind could only drift as there was a sudden black within his vision, it was a strange feeling… He couldn’t feel or truly think and yet, he was present while also not existing all the same. It was a sight that he couldn’t even truly describe, almost like a dream that one would forget as they woke up. He sat upon an endless stretch of sand, his gaze towards the bright, star-filled horizon. At the center of his view was a gigantic shape, its blinding luminance making it impossible to fully tell what it was before the vision ceased.

But he could have sworn that it looked like a tree.

The memory was erased as his eyes snapped open within the nape of the Armored Titan, the damage to his brain reversed far quicker than the Quirk User had anticipated. The shield of the Red Bamboo reached outward with a scream of horror as he grabbed the Super-X in the palm of his hands again. Before death could wrap its jaws around the small crew, the white armored metahuman acted quick enough to project a barrier around the super weapon, protecting them before Shikishima could crush them.

The barrier was still very thin, barely showing any difference in pressure as she put her entire power into protecting her crew. Sparks flew within the cockpit as metal creased, armored fingers starting to sink through the hull. 

The attack was a gamble, one that left him completely in the open, but it was worth attempting. His superiors wished to take the weapon for themselves, but if it could not be retrieved then he had permission to completely destroy it. The second option was one he would rather avoid, and thus he hoped that his assault would kill everyone inside. The Armored Titan lifted the Super-X above his head before swinging downward, repeating the action over and over again, forming dents across the super weapon’s form with each slam into the ground.

The laser once again began to power up, blue light illuminating across his body as he rapidly swung the weapon around.

Only for Shikishima to not notice in the most crucial moment that the lights within both of the downed Mechas lit up with fury.

The laser misfired as a metallic hand wrapped around Shikishima’s shoulder, pulling him away completely from the JSDF weapon. Instead, the laser shot forward and managed to strike Neronga far away from the current battle. This allowed Gigaman to breathe for a moment, before closing the distance and pummeling the invisible tyrant with various blows. Within the Armored Titan’s nape, the host’s eyes widened with both awe and fear as Thundatross returned to the battle at hand. The grip itself broke the armor surrounding the shoulder blade with pure fury as the Mecha threw the armored goliath away from the damaged Super-X. The war machine fell to the ground with sparks shooting out of various damaged ports.

“Well I’ll be damned,” Shikishima stated with respect, a smile once again forming upon his face as he stared at the duo of Mechas before him. “I should have aimed for the head, but I am glad you survived, boy. For doing your duty to protect this country, you should be granted a warrior’s death.”

“Super Mechagodzilla,” A young voice stated as it came over the comms, taking in heavy breaths as blood continued to pour from his mouth. “Assist Gigaman with the Neronga… Shikishima is MINE.” He stated with authority and fury, slowly stepping forward. The mecha’s blade was placed upon his shoulders, before he entered a sprint and closed the distance in a mere moment.

Chapter 6: The Day Tyranny Reigns

“Why hadn’t he been devoured completely?” Was the first thought that appeared within the ghoul’s mind as he stood up, his body jumping back to its feet as an unending hunger filled what remained of his mind. The corpse of the Monster Hunter reached down to his weapon, the Bow Gun feeling heavier than when he was alive as the very little mush that remained in his cranium began to fall out of the skull. Brain matter scattered across the blood soaked concrete as he continued to step forward. Even for an undead, Aiden didn’t have much time left in this world.

He quickly aimed the weapon towards a pair of heroes in the distance. The duo stood on a mountain of corpses as they continued to rip into the seemingly endless horde with their bare hands, blood coating their forms with a rich red. Aiden smirked with what little of a face was still clinging onto the muscle and bone, pulling the trigger and unleashing powerful bullets towards the duo. In just a moment’s time, all Kamen Rider V3 could do was push Kishibe out of the way, the stream of bullets knocking him down as sparks and blood shot from the various wounds. The Devil Hunter’s eyes widened as he quickly dodged out of the way, leaping on top of the heads of the moving horde with precision.

“Are you alright, Rider!?” he yelled out as he continued to move, keeping on his toes while turning his gaze towards their fallen comrade. While the young man hadn’t deserved such a fate, it didn’t exactly get under his skin. He had trained so many young men and women that were sent off to the frontlines of fighting off Devils, that he began seeing his students more like dogs than anything else. Dogs were loyal, dogs would die for the mission without a second thought, just as everyone he had gotten to know over the years. It seemed unfair, that an old broken man like himself would live longer than any under his tutelage, but as he thought about the young Monster Hunter’s fate, the opposite reaction occurred with the Rider.

If there was no divine figure to save us from our own sins, or a perfect harmony to achieve beyond our own understanding, there would always be a Kamen Rider. And if the old man had any power in his life, he was going to make sure that V3 would survive the battle, for he couldn’t bear the thought of such a beacon being devoured by the Scourge. If hope were to die, then humanity would truly be finished.

With a great announcement of gore, V3 had answered the Devil Hunter’s call. Bodies imploded as he swung as hard as he could at the oncoming waves, ichor covering him with only his bright emerald eyes piercing through the horror as gore flew through the air. He quickly leapt into the air, blood flying away from his form as he quickly turned his attention towards their former comrade. Aiden’s gaze caught the Rider within his sight, the sensitive bloodshot orb staring as a fresh meal descended towards him at rapid speeds. He attempted to strike the vigilante down from the sky, lighting up the sky with bullets which tracked his path, but the infected’s fate was sealed the moment he turned his eye towards the heroes.

“RIDER KICK!”

The blow not only knocked the head off from the body, but crushed it under the weight of the attack, the decapitated corpse instantly falling onto the ground with a thud. His grip was tight on the Bow Gun as it continued to rip through the horde, his body having muscle spasms which forced the weapon to change aim. Blood continued to fly into the air behind the Rider as he took a moment to just stare at what mush covered his foot, kicking it off as he turned away from the crushed skull. “I’m truly sorry…” The Kamen Rider returned to the task at land, spotting Kishibe continuing to take out more of the horde as he leapt from their heads, unloading bullets and knives into the heads of every target.

Electricity surged around his body as the V3 Barrier surrounded his form, taking a running position before running so fast through the horde, a clap of thunder echoed across the battlefield. Those that had reached out to his passing form, or were simply destroyed in his wake, had electricity surge through their form until they combusted. Kishibe turned towards the arrival of his comrade as he squeezed an infected’s head like a grape, crushing it and coating his hand in gore as he went to speak. “We have to finish this fast, Kamen Rider, with how things are going, the operation will fail soon.”

“I hate to agree, but it’s hard to deny what is in front of me…” A bullet ricocheted off the Rider’s helmet, earning both heroes’ attention as another of their infected comrades approached with a snarl. Skin was completely removed from the soldier’s arm on the right, meanwhile his throat had been ripped out, allowing blood to flow like a massive river down the moving carcass’ form. Milky eyes stared at the fresh meal in the Kamen Rider and Devil Hunter like any man would at food after a long day’s worth of work. The skin which surrounded the entity’s teeth had been removed for the most part, but there was enough to recognize a twisted smile appearing on the ghoul’s face.

Takeo Masaki might have fallen into the clutches of the undead, but the soldier had found a new calling. An incredibly loud buzzing filled his ears as he stepped forward, his other decayed hand wrapping around the blade to his side. Revealing the sword to his prey, he pointed it at the duo, seemingly alerting the rest of the horde that they were off limits. They began to back away, searching for a new source of a meal as the once proud soldier of Japan opened his hideous maw and stated.

“G-Good… Soldiers, foLLow… orders.”

The two heroes stood speechless as the ghoul uttered those words, launching himself at the two with surprising speed and aiming his blade at Kishibe first. However, the Devil Hunter was faster, managing to wrap his hands around the wrist of the Scourge. Before he could disarm the withered corpse, the gun in the monster’s other hand fired, nearly taking the weary warrior’s head off. Kishibe only barely managed to dodge the attempt on his life as he moved his head out of the way, but he lost the opportunity to remove the corpse’s weapons.

The soldier attempted to swing towards Kishibe’s stomach, only for the blade to be caught by the Rider and snapped like a toothpick. Takeo’s attention was stolen as bright green eyes announced his demise. Quickly taking action to dodge the blow, he jumped out of the way as concrete flew into the air. The infected soldier stood firm, one hand firmly on the trigger while the other held tight upon the hilt of the broken blade, flipping it backwards before charging once again.

“For a normal human, he sure is giving us trouble,” Kishibe uttered as the undead fiend charged once again, pulling the trigger as he aimed directly at the experienced Devil Hunter. He dodged the passing bullets in quick succession before charging directly at the infected with his own firearm in his left hand and a knife in the right. For a moment, the two were in a standstill as bullets flew through the air and blades clashed.

The experienced hunter was lost in deep thought even as he moved effectively to make sure that he wasn’t killed for a misstep. The Scourge before him was an ordinary human, and yet he was giving him such trouble. No Quirk, no Jujutsu technique that he was aware of, was it a deal with a Devil that was made before the operation? It just made little sense, but perhaps he was just that skilled, it wasn’t like he hadn’t performed similar achievements before gaining a contract.

Kishibe’s blade was suddenly knocked out of his hand as V3 attempted to assault the infected from behind, only for Takeo to quickly turn around. Skidding the ruined blade across his arm and shoulder, he attempted to force what little remained of steel into the augmented human’s neck. A bullet ripped through his hand, forcing him to drop the broken sword to the ground before quickly dodging the attack as the Devil Hunter pulled the trigger again, accidently hitting the helmet of V3. The two turned to see Takeo hunched over, his gaze turning towards the new wound on his hand before staring at the bullets that remained within the clip of his handgun. With the two being much stronger than he was, the infected made an unexpected move.

“This… I-isN’t… OVER!” the Ghoul spoke with a howl as he began to retreat, wanting to feast for another day.

“We can’t let him escape!” V3 declared as he began to charge at the infected captain, only for a familiar voice to come onto the comms.

“This is Hawks to any surviving heroes left on the battlefield,” he spoke with certainty as the sound of him lifting something was heard, heavy breathing and the sounds of chaos echoing through the microphone. “The operation is beginning to look lost. Miriko and I have retrieved Gigaman and are retreating for now. Seems we at least managed to allow some time to let civilians escape but… there was a lion amongst us.”

“What the hell does that mean?” V3 quickly asked, the duo of saviors waiting for what the pro hero had to say.

“Captain Shikishima has committed treason. Transformed into some giant and is currently aiding a Neronga against our forces, something reeks in the air that he wasn’t working alone, so be on your guard, Kamen Rider.”

The words sank into their mind as they received the information, the thought that now of all times there would be a snake amongst their ranks fueled the cyborg with pure rage as he clenched his fist. “Understood, moving to your position. Over and out.” He turned to Kishibe, who took the moment to resume an unfinished cigarette. The smell of tobacco left a very thin layer over the scent of iron and fire, taking a drag as he looked at the carnage before him.

“Dammit…” he stated with regret, looking towards the chaos which spanned the entire city. “To think that I would worry about dogs after so long.”

“Himeno, you and Aki better be fine. Lost too many hunting animals to lose anymore.”

“What was that?” V3 asked as he began to survey the area, looking for the best direction to meet the others at.

“I was cursing myself for not being able to put down Takeo,” he quickly lied, taking another drag from the cigarette as he kept his eyes forward so that they wouldn’t be jumped by the undead. “Just a few more moments and we would have managed to put the poor bastard out of his misery.”

“He is just one in the grand scheme of things, I feel what you speak of too but we have to get the hell out of here.” He pointed towards the clash of Thundatross and the duo which surrounded him. Super Mechagodzilla was standing hauntingly still as their ally was being beaten down by the traitor and his dog. Gigaman was retrieved by the Number Two and Three Pro Heroes, but the Rider couldn’t seem to spot the Super-X, which was an alarming notion. “There, we have to move towards the battle,” he stated before marching forward through the ruins, Kishibe quickly following behind as they both entered a sprint.

As heroes began to fall, as traitors amongst their ranks were revealed, a lingering question entered Kishibe’s mind…

Where the hell was Makima?

***

Minutes ago…

Shikishima could barely recognize what was about to happen, eyes widening as Thundatross closed the distance within a moment. The massive blade in the mecha’s grip swung directly at him. He narrowly dodged the attempt on his life, luck and skill combining as he rolled away and retaliated with a counter punch. This only managed to crack his own armor against the superior metal of the superweapon, twin golden eyes turning to see the futile attempt before simply swatting the Armored Titan away with a back hand.

The traitor was sent soaring, the armored goliath’s form crashing into the ruins which covered the battlefield, structures collapsing on top of his body. The armor which covered his skull was completely eradicated with such a simple attack, only leaving a little surrounding the left eye which stared with horror as he witnessed energy surrounding the gigantic blade. Both his own eyes and those of his Titan widened before he rolled out of the way, Thundatross barreling through where he had just laid in a crackling charge.

Dust billowed in all directions as the mechanical marvel turned towards the Armored Titan, who once again returned to his feet. Standing in a defensive position with his arms prepared for a blow as the dwarfing Mecha swung downwards, Shikishima reached out, managing to halt the blade from slicing him in two. As his hands caught both sides, a sonic boom roared out as one knee buckled. It was taking all of his strength to keep the gigantic weapon from cleaving him in two, he could feel his artificial arms shaking from the sheer pressure as Thundatross applied more.

He let out a ghoulish howl directly at Thundatross’ face, while in the moment seeming like the defiant roar of a warrior, it was in truth an order.

Neronga’s eyes darted towards the source of the sound, seeing his current master struggle against the mecha. Then the anomaly spotted the flying machine again before his attention was once again stolen by the superhero. Gigaman attempted to hold his opponent in an iron grip, causing the invisible invader to begin to shake once more.

“You were sneaky last time,” Captain Sasaki stated as the JSDF’s Mechagodzilla marched forward, the mechanical maw opening to reveal fake fangs. “But you will surely regret your actions, Kaiju.” A rainbow beam of energy crashed into the side of Neronga, earning a cry of pain as Gigaman continued to hold him down.

The trio of horns came together as energy surged around them, electricity flying as the eye darted towards the little flying machine once again…

The Super-X returned to the conflict with a powerful blue laser shooting through the Armored Titan’s stomach, the armor breaking in an instant and leaving a hole filled with steam as the regeneration process began to repair the damage. “What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” Yuuki roared as he simply let Shikishima fall to the ground, allowing the regeneration to continue forward.

“This is a direct order from a superior, your pride does not matter right now!” The Colonel barked back, frustrated with the general situation on top of the attitude of the child in a war machine. “Contain or kill Captain Shikishima this instant-”

“I don’t have much time, I can feel it,” The boy stated as blood continued to fall from his mouth onto his lap. “While the life support systems are keeping me alive for now, I’ve lost a lot of blood thanks to this bastard.” The pilot of Thundatross took heavy breaths as he turned his attention towards the recovering Titan, standing over him with complete control as he just stared and waited. “Assist Gigaman and Super Mechagodzilla with the Neronga, but until the last drop of blood leaves my body, until I draw my last breath,” He pointed directly at Shikishima, slightly turning his gaze towards the flying war machine beside him.

“The traitor is MINE.”

There was a burning iron will in the boy’s voice, that of a seasoned warrior which wouldn’t dare to be tampered with. He had seen battle against Kaiju of the Earth and invaders from the stars, he was certainly experienced enough to know that any wrong mistake could cost the lives of millions. But with the surrounding company… ”Fine,” the commanding officer stated as the Super-X began to turn around. “Don’t play with your food too much but make sure he regr-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

The team within Super Mechagodzilla had expected for the beam to strike them and only be reduced to a conversion of energy, as they were bombarding the artificial Kaiju, it made the most logical sense for the creature to retaliate.

But the beam wasn’t meant for them.

Thundatross turned around completely as the Super-X was shot out of the sky, a fire erupting from the side of the war machine as all systems were switched off. The JSDF’s first proper superweapon in the age of Kaiju crashed into the ruins of Osaka with a deafening boom.

Yuuki stared in horror before turning towards Neronga, who had made the shot from halfway across the battlefield, staring with shame and rage at both his mentor and the Mecha he had looked up too.

“No!” Gigaman screamed as his grip slightly faltered, giving the Kaiju an opportunity to free himself. Fangs punctured flesh and bone, a loud SNAP echoing as Neronga bit into the superhero’s arm, which was quickly followed by a scream of pure agony. Another beam of rainbow energy left the mechanical doopleganger’s maw, this time aiming at the creature’s skull, only for a horrific outcome to occur as the beast flung the veteran hero into the way of the blast. Each pilots’ eyes widened in horror as Neronga’s grasp relinquished, blood flying from the wound as Gigaman’s form was thrown miles away.

His body slammed into a cluster of buildings like a ragdoll, smoke rising from the wound across the superhero’s back. His form was motionless as he shrunk down to the size of a person. The crew of the Super Mechagodzilla couldn’t even process what had happened, until turning towards where the Neronga stood, only to find nothing there.

“Fuck!” screamed the Captain, slamming his control panel as they began to search for the anomaly, this time forcing the war machine into the air. Jet thrusters lifted it off of the ground and hovering in a circle to spot any strange movements, forcing the Neronga to come to them in a different manner.

It only took a few seconds to detect the anomaly, or at least the direction it was going, the creature beelining towards the Thundatross as fast as it could move. Various weapons shot out across the landscape in an attempt to strike the invisible behemoth before it could reach their comrade. The light reflecting off of the missed explosions exposed the anomaly’s form, even just slightly, as it unleashed a roar at the towering Mecha.

Yuuki prepared for impact from the front as Shikishima had returned to his feet behind him, the wound within his torso sealed. The Armored Titan attempted to subdue the child, only for the attempt to instantly fail as Thundatross elbowed his nose. Backing away with a stumble, blood poured from each nostril as the Mecha’s superior strength was made clear before charging at Neronga.

The two clashed, with the invader being sent flying by a powerful charge. “Super Mechagodzilla,” Yuuki stated, pain rising through his body at an alarming rate. His throat felt like it was burning, every word stole another moment of precious air from his lungs. But a combination of pride, duty, and a deep hatred kept the young warrior going. “We have to finish this quickly! I think we can all agree with that, any more stupid moves and we are totally screwed!”

“Who the hell does this brat think he is?” Sonezaki yelled out as he gritted his teeth, the Mecha turning towards the recovering Neronga as the creature attempted to flee once more into the ruins.

“Not this time!” Kazuma yelled out as twin cables shot out of the Mecha’s wrists, launching directly into Neronga’s flesh which earned a scream of pain as blood flew from the wound. If they pumped the Kaiju with tons of electricity, it could destroy it like a battery receiving too much energy. The Super Mechagodzilla would survive the blast radius, and possibly so would Thundatross if they were caught up in the explosion, but just to be safe-

“Deal with Shikishima away from here,” the Captain ordered, fearing for the young man’s life. “Get away before the Neronga is completely overloaded with energy!”

Thundatross nodded his head before turning towards the traitor, who had been swinging his fists constantly the entire time that Yuuki’s attention was not on him. A smile formed across his face as the voice within the Mecha reached his ears.

“Giga Energy Acquired.”

Loud speakers activated for the outside world, the sound of Yuuki’s voice as he spoke quickly reaching Shikishima as he continued to strike repeatedly against the Mecha’s body. “Captain Shikishima of the Scout Regiment,” energy surrounded Thundatross’ entire body, sparks of gold and bright indigo light which coated the metal. It was like a beacon in the middle of the hellish battlefield, while not blinding to the naked eye, it was a signal for the arrival of a death sentence served with an iron blade. “For your crime of treason against the citizens of Japan, you are sentenced to damnation.”

Time seemed to slow down as fear quickly erupted through Shikishima’s mind, staring as each portion of Thundatross’ body grew an additional fifty meters. The transformation was quick, but still felt like an eternity as he bore witness to the mecha’s ascension, awe and horror dancing through his mind. A bright glow coated the metal across its form, the gold which lined each joint now illuminated.

Giga Thundatross towered over the Armored Titan like a mountain would an ant, and without a moment’s notice, the blade began to glow with radiant light. Metal parted to reveal a bright beam of electrical energy surrounding the shell. Flesh was punctured without resistance, the entire blade shoving its way through the armor and burning meat like a hot knife through butter before speed increased dramatically. The mecha’s ultimate move zipped across the battlefield at lightning speeds, the two staring each other in the eyes as an agonizing scream erupted from the giant’s maw, crying out to Neronga.

Shikishima felt like he was boiling alive as electricity surged through his body, every nerve feeling like it was burning as he let loose a scream of pure anguish. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he still attempted to reach out, his hand weakly reaching towards Thundatross’ cockpit, but it felt like he could feel Yuuki staring into his very soul. So full of hate, one which burned even the fallen Scout’s thoughts as pain continued to engulf his mind and body.

He had to get the hell out of here.

In a desperate gamble, the Titan Shifter opted to quickly emerge from the nape. While there was a risk of being slain as the Mecha continued to blitz through the surrounding battlefield, at the very least it would be faster than the fate he was sentenced to. With a final swing of his blade, Giga Thundatross slammed the husk into the earth as energy surged outward. No final scream of agony, no final move of resistance. It was over.

The rest of the body was charred beyond belief, skin was completely darkened as the armor was evaporating into ash. “Serves you right… for what… you did… “ Yuuki spoke with a raspy breath. While his time was surely coming to a close, at the very least he had managed to kill the traitor and buy the civilians enough time to escape onto the evacuation vehicles.

He had protected his country to the very end, he had avenged those that were lost on this harsh battlefield with a final push of vengeance, for someone who had only lived for eleven years on this Earth, he had accomplished a lot in his short life.

“You little FUCK!” Shikishima’s voice roared onto the comms, alerting the Mecha’s pilot in a moment’s notice. Adrenaline spiked as he looked down at the corpse beneath his feet, not understanding how that wasn’t the final blow. “Looks like we both made the same mistake, you always aim for the head!”

A thunderbolt above the Mecha echoed across the ruins of Osaka, the sky flashing green as bright golden light engulfed their vision. While Shikishima was hurting like all hell, the regeneration process, as well as having enough energy to transform at least one more time, allowed for him to enter the fray once more.

An elbow drop from the reformed armor struck Thundatross’ head, forcing it to look downward for a moment as sparks flew. Muscle, skin, and finally armor completely returned to form the Armored Titan. A ghoulish howl left the shield of the Red Bamboo’s wretched maw before wrapping his hand around nearby debris. A cellphone tower served as a bludgeon to slam into the goliath’s form, sending the Mecha flying. Shikishima stared at the object for a moment in sheer confusion as to how that was more successful than his own blows, before simply shrugging, turning his gaze towards the Super Mechagodzilla.

Neronga’s screams echoed into the valley of death as energy continued to pump into it, as hard as it tried to escape the cables’ grasp, fear ran rampant through its mind at the inevitable.

But what the creature didn’t know was that the final push for victory was about to be complete…

***

Within the Super Mechagodzilla’s cockpit, each pilot was sure of their victory. Neronga only needed to be pushed a little further and it would be dealt with. Then, they could assist in completely obliterating Shikishima in an overwhelming showcase of superior firepower.

But what they didn’t know was that one amongst them was waiting for this opportunity, a hand wrapped around a firearm aimed directly at the nearest co-pilot’s head. As they were focused on the destruction of the enemy, they had calculated that this was the right time to strike.

BANG!

An echo rang as a bullet ripped through Sonezaki’s skull, his body slumping over as brain matter scattered across the dash board and Mechagodzilla quickly descended towards the ground. The machine shook violently for a moment as balance was almost lost, the Mecha managing to keep their footing at the very least. Kazuma looked in horror to see his comrade had been slain by the android on board, quickly unbuckling his seat belt and dodging out of the way of fire as Catherine opened fire. The Captain quickly got out of his seat, aiming his weapon at the android and pulling the trigger.

Only to find himself flung onto his back as she had landed the blow first, metal puncturing his chest in an instant. Blood erupted from the wound and his mouth as he slumped over, while the android simply stood with a minor injury to the arm. She turned, attempting to spot the last member of the crew, only to find nothing.

It didn’t matter if he would escape from the vessel, he would be either devoured by the undead or crushed under the weight of the clashing colossi. There was no reason to follow him.

The Android reached into her pockets before approaching each side of the cockpit, placing explosives against the hull. It didn’t take long to plant the few that she had, and without the JSDF’s super weapon, Osaka would be lost. She didn’t question why her superior officers wished to destroy Mechagodzilla but salvage the Super-X. The various calculations had determined that it would be easier to sabotage the larger of the two war machines during the operation while still gaining the spoils of war.

All that mattered was her directive, to cripple the JSDF during this crisis was the perfect opportunity. Katherine held out the trigger, pressing her thumb against the detonator, but before she relinquished her grip, a noise had caught her attention. Turning her head to spot the Captain still clinging to life, his weapon aimed at her with a fruitless gesture of a threat. He took in deep, heavy breaths as he looked around the room, spotting the scattered C4.

“Who the hell do you work for?”

And without hesitation, the android spoke. “All hail the Red Bamboo.”

***

Super Mechagodzilla’s head detonated, fires spiraling out into the open air as the war machine ceased all movement. It hunched over as the flames roared across its steel form. Neronga ceased its screaming, the energy which was being pumped into it silently ending as its attacker was slain.

The artificial beast swatted at the cables, ripping them out of its leg with no resistance. Thundatross stared in pure horror for a moment, strands of hair turning grey from the stress now reaching its apex.

He was now alone in the middle of Hell. The only solo mission the child had done was when he stole the Thundatross to defend Otomatic HQ from Rohanna. For an entire year after he trained to be ready for oncoming threats with the proper discipline, and realistically, the experience to take on any worse threats. He was lucky the first time he had gotten into Thundatross, and with Kaiju like Godzilla roaming this Earth, luck wasn’t enough.

And now he was stuck between the Armored Titan and Neronga, both circling around him with a limited supply of energy. He had to make every moment count.

The Giga-evolved Mecha swung his blade at Neronga, instantly landing a strike with the extended reach, earning a cry of pain from the invader. He followed the attack with another powerful strike, and then one more to finish the string of blows, launching the invisible fiend away. Shikishima charged in, the armor around his fist crystallizing into a construct like brass knuckles before slamming into the mecha’s form. Giga Thundatross was pushed back slightly, causing the pilot to turn his attention towards the humanoid.

Yuuki violently swung the blade as he stood still, carving through the concrete which surrounded them, forcing the Armored Titan to leap backward. But his arm was still sliced in two, the blade carving through flesh and bone before dicing the rest of the limb as the young warrior continued to swing. “Son of a…” Shikishima whispered to himself as he quickly attempted to gain more distance, running towards what appeared to be a sharp piece of rubble. Giga Thundertross wrapped its free hand around rubble before tossing it at the fleeing traitor, slamming into his back and sending him crashing into the ruined concrete below.

The pilot laughed a little bit at his fall before electricity slammed into his back, the energy beam pushing the young man forward as the surge of energy continued to gain in voltage. Yuuki gritted his teeth before turning the mecha around, blocking the stream of energy with the massive blade as he continued to march forth. The looming shadow fell over Neronga completely, showering the artificial life form with a sense of dread as his much larger foe continued forward. To the beast, Giga Thundatross was the very element he controlled taunting him, the yellow across his form seeming to glow like that of a God to Neronga’s primitive mind.

The mecha reached out with its free hand, wrapping the limb around Neronga’s skull and applying pressure. The surge of energy ceased completely as the artificial beast screamed, its life was going to end on this day…

Metal punched through the creation of Dr.Kazuo, sparks shooting outwards as the super fortress stumbled, releasing Neronga from the hero’s grip. He turned to see Shikishima charging straight at him, the traitor having used the wreckage like a javelin to aid his hunting dog. The shield of rebellion unleashed another cry of war with every step that he took, aiming his now regenerated limb directly at the “skull” of the Mecha.

Before the war machine began to act, Neronga had slashed across its form, casting sparks with each swipe. The invisible invader unleashed a roar directly at the cockpit as Giga Thundatross went to reach down and grab Neronga by the skull to throw at the approaching traitor, only for the moment of hesitation to leave him open. Armored brass knuckles struck the cockpit, cracking it as a shockwave was sent out from the blow, the attack followed by another strike to the dome.

The duo of invaders continued to pummel the larger Mecha, sparks flying with every strike. Lights flashed within the cockpit as Yuuki attempted to concentrate at all, when an idea brewed in his head. His hand reached out to the sky, clouds quickly forming above them at his command. “Can you let me breathe!” The child shouted at the top of his lungs as lightning struck the two, descending from the sky with a simple wave and striking the trio of combatants, sending the pair away from the Mecha’s form. Giga Thundatross stood back to his full height, attempting to get the jump on them once again, only for the Kaiju to retreat into the earth. Using his mole-like claws, it submerged into the ground and began to burrow. While Yuuki doubted that Neronga had retreated from the conflict altogether, it would at least give him a moment to finish off Shikishima before returning to beating the Kaiju to death.

The metallic hand wrapped around the Armored Titan’s ankle before lifting the goliath into the air, slamming him into the ground so hard that the left arm went flying off, crashing into a nearby building. Another slam into the earth separated the right arm, and with a final slam, the head was sent upwards into the air. Being caught in Giga Thundatross’ palm with a wet plop, Shikishima stared with both amazement and acceptance that the boy he had attempted to murder was his undoing. “Checkmate…”

Before he could squeeze, Neronga emerged from the earth, launching himself at the super fortress like a cannon. The severed head of the Armored Titan rolled across the earth before coming to a halt. Shikishima let loose a hideous laughter as fate seemed to have saved him for another day in the form of his partner.

“No, not now!” Yuuki yelled as his form quickly shrunk to their sizes. Giga Energy shot out to multiple points across the battlefield, the bright pinkish purple orbs floating above the ruins like a lure. Neronga instantly charged towards one of the orbs which granted Thundatross such tremendous energy, like a rabid animal. He had to reach the rest of the energy first to regain the transformation before-

A third lightning strike hammered the battlefield, Shikishima forming another vessel before Yuuki’s eyes as he reached out with a powerful strike to the side of the head. “It’s like I said boy, checkmate!” The head of Thundatross was sent flying from the body, the fortress falling over, now completely limp, as the cockpit rolled across the damaged earth. As Neronga devoured one of the energy orbs before seeking another off in the distance, Yuuki could only sit with pain flaring across his entire body, his ears ringing as vision instantly became hazy.

His life began to flash before his eyes. A person so young wouldn’t have that long of a flashback, but it still was piercing what little remained of his soul. Blood continued to pour from various wounds, his broken glasses were laying on their side, coughs spraying ichor across the broken screen. “We… we did our best Thundatross, I’m sorry… I really wanted to have more adventures with you and Gigaman…” The young man thought back to the very harsh words he had spoken earlier, and was filled with such regret as the light was drawing closer and closer with each passing second.

Tears swelled within his eyes as he reached out, struggling to lift his arm towards the broken screen in front of him and with a sorrowful tone spoke. “I’m so sorry, Dad…”

The grief was silenced with a powerful stomp, crushing the head of the Mecha completely, finally killing the boy. Shikishima stood for a moment over the remains before kicking them to the side and walking towards the last ball of energy that had emerged from Thundatross. Wrapping his hand around the strange orb, he absorbed it. A quick rush of energy pulsed through his veins as a howl of victory escaped the jaws of the Armored Titan, beating on his chest with a booming declaration. He let out another smaller roar as he waved his hand at Neronga, beckoning the invader towards him.

The artificial goliath quickly approached Shikishima’s form like that of a loyal dog to its master, its earnest aid in the success of their operation earning it at least a few pats on the head. “You were a good… whatever you are, Neronga,” he said within the nape, looking towards the chaos spanning the city before turning his attention towards the downed Super-X…

***

Their vision was blurry as they regained consciousness, ears ringing as sparks flew all around the cockpit of the Super-X. Blood poured from the various wounds across their body, they attempted to regain their composure as they looked towards the rest of their comrades.

He was the only survivor. The barrier that O’Brien would have put up never came as electricity surged through her body, the poor woman being cooked alive even before they crashed into the ruined city. The Colonel laid upon the dash of the cockpit, his carcass ripped into by steel as the impact completely crushed the front of the war machine. Easton wasn’t even in sight, all that remained was a splash of gore across the hull as the crash ripped into the poor bastard like a blender.

Michael had somehow, against all odds, survived the crash. The soldier took in heavy breaths as he quickly unbuckled himself, falling to the ground while coughing up a bit of blood as his hand held onto his helmet. The concussion was coursing through his head like rushing water, making it hard to even stand as his equilibrium was thrown off, finding himself needing to guide himself against the wall. He looked over to the floor, finding his rifle amongst the ruins, somehow still intact. The JSDF member reached down, wrapping his hand around the cold iron which would protect his life from the infected, when a shadow suddenly cast itself over him.

“Bang.”

Michael’s form was blown apart, another coat of blood covering the interior as his legs dropped to the ground with a thud. She stood over the corpses, her bright orange and yellow ringed eyes illuminating the darkness as she stepped into the ruins of the Super-X. She looked down at her uniform, seeing that blood had finally stained the white shirt after the entire battle had been won. She reached down to her walkie talkie, quickly changing it to a different frequency to make sure that no one would overhear what she had to say, calmly speaking to the other side.

“Osaka has been overrun by the undead, confirmed deceased targets. Yuuki Kazuo, Atsushi Sonezaki, Captain Takuya Sasaki, Ace Hunter Aiden, Captain Takeo Misaki, Colonel Pete Richards, Margot O’Brien, David Easton, Michael Van Horn, Kazuma Aoki, and Katherine Berger. Destruction of Super Mechagodzilla is a success, Super-X has been reclaimed. Over.” The walkie went silent for a few moments before picking back up, another voice speaking from it. One far older than her current body. 

“Well done, Agent. Continue with the plan, assist Captain Shikishima. Over and out.”

A wicked smile formed as she stepped out of the ruined superweapon, returning to the hellish landscape as the infected stood still surrounding her. The red haired woman looked in all directions to ponder her next move, placing her hand against her chin as she thought. “I suppose I shouldn’t let you all stand around, after all you are all so hungry,” She pointed towards the horizon, the ruined city with fires spreading and the smog of death choking the sky around them. “Go and feast upon anything you can find.” The Devil Hunter commanded the horde, creating a mass migration through them all as they continued forth, the echoing footsteps overcoming the rest of the sound in the warzone for her.

She walked directly into the horde, not a single one lashing out at her as they continued forward, all perfectly avoiding the single “living” thing throughout the entire valley of death. That was all except for the giants which were ahead of them, still carving through the undead and ruined city alike as the duo marched.

“Where were you during all of this, Denji?” She asked outloud, looking towards the sky as embers continued to climb to the smoke covered sky. Time had lost meaning, although only an hour had gone by, it had felt like eternity. “I had told you, I had no use for dogs who wouldn’t listen to a command. Though something doesn’t exactly add up.”

Her thoughts dwelled on the pawns that had been unaccounted for during this crisis, contact with several trusted agents going dark as the terrorists hidden within the shadows made their move. While her deception was all just a step towards her grander plan, she still wished to have complete control over all of the pieces in the game. She smirked for just a second, knowing that it would only be a matter of time to find him again and make him follow her to the end of the Earth.

“We’ll meet again, country mouse,” she spoke into the wind…

***

Shikishima surveyed the area, standing on top of a building once more, watching the flames wash over Osaka. Outside of a few heroes escaping, his mission had been a rousing success. Perhaps he could scour the streets for a couple bottles of wine, feeling he completely deserved it.

He tugged on his white button up shirt, tracing his fingers over it only to meet his bare skin. Shikishima groaned, glancing down to find a hole in it. “Son of a bitch. This was my favorite.”

The Red Bamboo captain shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps a department store has what I fancy.”

He went to activate his ODM gear to start his shopping spree when he heard screams down below. Shikishima ceased his jump and walked to the edge of the building to see three people running down the sidewalk. One was a woman in her forties, another was a small girl, and the last was a young man issuing out orders. 

Shikishima kept his eyes focused on the three, watching them be chased by half a dozen infected. A part of him felt sympathy for the family in peril, completely at the mercy of the infected’s insatiable hunger, yet his superiors would view them as expendable. 

He pulled out one of his blades, inspecting his reflection in it. The Titan Shifter snapped his fingers repeatedly, trying to conjure up a solution for his predicament. In the back of his mind, Shikishima felt a small sense of guilt being part of the reason why Yuuki was dead. He really did try to save him, but they didn’t see him as worthy enough. 

“Neither would the three of them,” Shikishima surmised, glancing down at the three running for their lives. He shook his head, feeling sickened by a poor family about to be ripped apart. The Titan Shifter continued to inspect their behavior, taking note of the young bulky man shielding the older woman and the little girl behind. His interest was piqued when he realized just how much he could not only manipulate his leaders in taking them in but doing so to the three below. 

“It seems I’ll be redeemed after all,” Shikishima chuckled, drawing out his other blade.

The Titan Shifter leapt off the roof, descending downwards to the street as he shot out his ODM cables. They shot out into the skull of an infected, splattering pieces of her brain while he kicked her into a brick wall. Shikishima relinquished his cable before decapitating two more.

Reiner felt himself starting to be able to breathe when he witnessed his rescuer effortlessly dispatching their remaining pursuers. His form and his handling of weapons was awe inspiring. It made him want to pick up the blade and be at least half as good as the man was standing in front of him.

Shikishima flicked the blood off his blades before turning back to the family of three. He approached them slowly, smiling at them. The Red Bamboo captain put his swords away and offered a hand out to Reiner, something the young man immediately grabbed onto.

“Thank you so much for rescuing our asses!” Reiner expressed, shaking the soldier’s hand up and down, eliciting a laugh from Shikishima.

“The pleasure is all mine, mister….” Shikishima trailed off, curious to know their names.

“Apologies,” Reiner spoke, pointing to himself. “Reiner Braun, and this is my mom, Karina, and my little cousin, Gabi.”

“Thank you so much!” Karina spoke up, feeling overjoyed to be rescued by one of the many heroes of Japan. She brushed her hand against Shikishima’s shoulder, causing him to smile at the older woman. 

“Just doing my duty, ma’am.”

Gabi waltzed up to Shikishima, giving him a small salute as he did the same, humouring the little girl. The former Scout placed his hands on his hips, looking around the ruins they were standing in. 

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m getting tired of looking at all of this. Who wants to get out of here?” Shikishima questioned, coming off as slightly playful. 

“Me!” Gabi called out, raising her arm out.

“Yes, please!” Reiner exclaimed, tightening his hand as the nightmare was nearly over. 

“Of course. Let me just arrange for transport,” Shikishima relayed, taking a few steps away and putting his fingers on his earpiece, readying to rendezvous with the other Red Bamboo operatives. 

“The three of you got very lucky today….” Shikishima mumbled to himself, slightly glancing back at the family. “You best remember that when I come to collect.”

 

Chapter 7: Home Sweet Home in The Apocalypse 

Trees snapped as the infected goliath pulled away from Kamui’s ensnarement, her strength rising tenfold after becoming one with the overwhelming horde. She let loose a howl at the approaching Ultraman, ripping away completely and charging on all fours like an animal. The experienced alien quickly went to the defensive, bracing himself for impact just a moment before her rabid form came crashing into him, using all of his strength to hold her back from completely mauling him.

He held her wrists back, only to find himself quickly being overpowered as the former Lurker attempted to devour him, jaws snapping only inches away from his body. He quickly placed his leg under her before throwing her away from his form, a strong kick sending her against the concrete in a matter of a second. The infected snarled as she returned back to her feet, only for a powerful strike to the knee to slightly send cracks across the bone. The fracture made her stumble as she witnessed Ingenium running around her at top speeds. Blue fire surrounded each of the thrusters in his leg, burning nearby infected as he trailed around the giantess.

She wrapped her hand around debris before throwing it at the charging 80, forcing him to stumble as she once again leapt forward, this time slashing at his arm with her talons. A groan of pain left the substitute teacher as sparks flew from impact, alarming him to counter the next blow, simply pushing the arm aside before sending out a powerful kick to the fiend’s core. Mount Lady looked around her, quickly realizing that the rest of the survivors were focusing on her, almost ignoring the undead horde which was surrounding their every path.

The temperature quickly rose as explosions trailed in a circular motion in the sky as Bakugo returned to the battle with a vengeful battle cry, spinning before shooting out like a rocket towards the back of Mount Lady’s skull. Light surrounded the palm of his hand before a Howitzer Impact struck. The ZQN host stumbled over slightly as her once bright blonde hair was soaked with ash and blood, the attack doing minor damage to her body. The fallen hero let loose another scream as she swiped at the student of UA, this time bracing himself for impact as he was thrown across the battlefield.

“Delaware!” a young voice shouted as he attempted to aid in overwhelming Mount Lady, earning her attention, her head snapping forward with her jaws widening open. Izuku’s eyes stretched as he realized that he was going to be devoured here, his actions a mistake as he was tossed into the wicked maw of the colossus.  The strange energy whips released once again, however, his moment of stress bringing forth the new ability as it forced her jaws to stay open. Blood flew as he was launched away from the infected, carving through the concrete like a rocket. Yet far away, the same whips held the monster in place as she attempted to free herself from its hold, leaving her open.

Cars suddenly slammed into her form as Ochako continued to place her Quirk on the vast amount of debris, chunks of rock and metal slamming into her body as Froppy sat on top of the last vehicle. Her tongue wrapped around a sharp metal pipe, even as it was hurting herself in the moment, the end result would warrant the pain. Raising the object above her head, she forced it through the revenant’s cheek, dark red ichor pumping out of the wound as she let loose a pain-filled scream. As the amphibian-themed hero leapt away, Ultraman 80 came back into the equation.

The Ultra’s elbow slammed into the side of her jaw, dislocating it as she was finally freed from the hold of Izuku’s new Quirk. She slammed into the ground with a loud thud, letting loose a roar as her back crushed debris. The former superhero quickly launched herself back to her feet, seeing Ida once again attempt to charge at her with a powerful kick. The shadow of Kamen Rider Ichigo appeared next to the young student of UA. “RIDDAAAAAAA!” Both of them shouted, the class representative calling out the cyborg’s signature attack in a moment of elation.

“KICK!” they shouted in unison as Mount Lady quickly protected her skull from the double Rider Kick, putting all of her strength into not losing this contest. Speed increased as they attempted to force their way through the limb. The fires from Ingenium’s boosters roared as they almost engulfed Ichigo’s form, but they needed to keep going. All three violently yelled as the struggle finally came to an end, Mount Lady managing to win as her hand simply wrapped around them. Raising the duo above her head, she slammed them into the ground with enough force that the concrete cracked like an egg.

“NO!” All Might cried out, helpless to do anything but watch as his students continued to fight for their lives. His gun was out of ammo and his equipment gifted from Melissa would only go so far. While a strike might badly hurt the former defender of Japan, it would only earn him a swift death. While death would have been preferable to watching powerlessly in horror as children fought, he had other lives than his own to consider.

“Izuku!” Inko cried out, quickly entering a sprint towards her son as his Quirk started going into an overdrive once again. She knew the danger, but would much rather reach out to her son than ever risk him feeling so much pain alone. So, she charged towards the whips with no hesitation.

“Mom, stay back!” His eyes widened, fear climbing through his mind as he attempted to calm down the overloading power. His grip tightened so much that he considered breaking his wrist just to cease the flow of energy. If his own mother had gotten injured during this operation, especially by him, he would never forgive himself.

“ALL MIGHT!” The boy called out to him, quickly thinking of a solution as he stared at the duo, the plea halting Inko in her tracks due to the fury in her son’s voice. “Get her the hell out of here! We’ll meet you back at our house, I promise!” He gritted his teeth, closing his eyes as he attempted to concentrate. “You two can’t help here! You have to survive! Go! We won’t take too long!”

While fear was erupting in his own voice, the plea for the safety of his student’s mom made the retired superhero jump into action. Reaching his hand around her wrist, he gained her attention once again. As the sound of stone being sliced through by the strange whips and the breeze filled with embers and smog surrounded them, they stood still in the moment of chaos. Every emotion told them that they shouldn’t run, but they both knew that the boy was right. Tears flowed from Inko’s eyes as she turned back to her own son, her pride and joy, before stating, “You get home by tonight or you are so grounded, young man!” Humor in an attempt to bring hope, before the two ran in the opposite direction.

“Thank you…” Izuku stated with his stress calming down, the flow of energy becoming controlled as he descended towards the ground safely. He could properly focus on the battle at hand without the risk of hurting those dear to him, the others would quickly adjust to his fighting style. Energy surrounded Izuku’s form as he activated Full Cowling, marks appearing on his skin as Black Whip wrapped around a car like a web before throwing it at Mount Lady’s head.

The assault was halted at the last second, however, her teeth sinking into the car and tossing it away. As the ruined vehicle combusted, her attention fell upon the young hero. “You will not lay a hand on any of them!” 80 screamed as he swung a karate chop at her skull, only for the giantess to catch the blow without even turning her gaze, a shockwave rippling outward. The Ultraman stood horrified as she applied pressure, pain rushing through his forearm as he was forced onto one knee. She twisted the limb backwards, the sound emitting from the former hero’s grasp like the great snapping of a tree that had not fully landed.

From the ruins of the street, Kamen Rider rose back to his feet, taking in heavy breaths as he stared at the brawl before him. They were throwing everything at her and the Quirk user was still not only standing, but overpowering the trained group of heroes. Ichigo slammed his fist into the ground with great frustration. An unending will to see this operation to the bitter end, to save the children entrusted to him and the other pros during said operation, to finally turn the tides of this battle.

He stood up, making his signature pose before pointing his right arm towards the sky with his hand in a fist. The cyborg looked towards the giantess as he shouted. “HENSHIN!” He had never used this ability on command, somehow only managing to manifest the power during a friendly spar with the original Ultraman, a great sign of respect to his opponent.

His form glowed with bright light as his body grew to massive proportions, the light like the quick flash of a beacon as he now stood beside Mount Lady. The group watched in awe at the original Rider’s might manifested in this way, the infected woman for a moment being caught off guard. That was enough of an opening to free 80 from her grasp. Flames surrounded her back completely as Shoto poured everything into burning her body to nothing but embers, and while it did unleash a horrific howl from the former Lurker’s maw, it only caused her to throw 80 at Ichigo before swinging at Shoto.

‘Not so fast!’ The Rider thought as he quickly wrapped his hands around her hair, stopping her only feet away from her palm slamming into the boy and flattening him completely. Halting her movement with the sound of hair strands tearing away, blood flew from the wound as pus quickly followed. She quickly swatted at the pyromancer-cryomancer fusion, causing the young man to jump backwards to avoid being turned into paste.

Before the infection, Mount Lady had been 23rd on the Pro Hero ranking in Japan. While it was an impressive feat, accomplished due to the sheer power of her Quirk alongside her other businesses, it made no sense for her to be holding back both a Rider and Ultra at the same time. If she was not dealt with here and now, she would prove to be one of the strongest undead in this long war.

She launched backwards with a powerful kick to the ground, her skull slamming into Ichigo’s helmet and pushing him back with a stumble before 80 managed to catch his ally. The two nodded before they began circling the infected, forcing her to choose which her next target was. She wasn’t paying attention to the others, her hunger reaching an all time high and clouding her judgement. But, her enhanced senses would alert her to any form of assault from the group of Meta Humans before her.

“YU!” Kamui yelled out to his former partner, earning her attention with a snap of her neck. The quick motion cracked the joints as she looked directly at the elemental. “I’m so sorry! I couldn’t protect you! I can’t even find Edgeshot, but if anything that resembles the woman I knew is still in there, you have to stop this!”

A look of sorrow made its way to her face, the group swearing that they saw a tear of blood running down her cheek as she went to speak. “I c-c-can’t control it, Shinji… Oh god what am I doing?” she said with a crack in her voice, looking all around her to see herself fighting children broke her soul, she had even eaten her friends alive without a second thought. “You have to kill me Shinji!” His eyes widened, heart breaking at hearing her plea for her own death. It was a future he never would have expected, even in his worst nightmares.

She stood up with shocking ferocity, managing to catch the swinging arms of Ichigo and 80 at the same time before throwing them backwards. Her hunger ripped her away from the conversation she was having. “I’m just s-s-s-sooO hun-GRY!” She leapt forward at the Kamen Rider, her fangs attempting to wrap around his neck, only for his arm to block the attempt on his life. The cyborg let out a painful grunt as his other hand attempted to free his limb, the infected sinking her fangs into his arm and shaking the limb like a rabid dog. Sparks and blood flew as the thick layer of skin coating the metal underneath was damaged from the assault.

She swung her neck downwards, bringing the Kamen Rider to the ground while dodging an attack from the Ultraman behind her. The concrete beneath their feet launched into the sky as the impact landed, the infected once known as Yu Takeyama letting go of the cyborg’s limb before launching forward at 80.

“Dammit!” She left little time to come up with a proper strategy. Even between the two most experienced fighters and the group of Quirk Users assaulting her from every angle, it wasn’t enough to stop her advancements in the battle at all. The undead had an almost infinite pain tolerance, they would twist and break their body just to get closer to the next meal without a second thought. Adding that to the fact that the virus had enhanced her capabilities greatly, it was leaving them very little opportunity to land a finishing blow.

Normally, he would have worn down the opponent physically before attempting to do any energy attacks. But here, she wasn’t even allowing him to prepare the weaker beams, overwhelming them with physical prowess.

Just as the thought had appeared within his mind, an opening was finally made as the bottom half of Mount Lady was frozen solid with a single swipe of Todoroki’s hand. A glacier of ice had appeared from thin air, encasing her. The infected continued to reach out with her free hand as roars of hatred left her maw, the ice already beginning to break as cracks formed from her strength.

He had to finish this fast.

Ultraman 80 jumped back a bit, quickly gathering energy into his arms as light glowed between the meeting point of the two limbs. The extraterrestrial went to fire the finishing move towards a stationary target, only for fate to twist as the ice coffin shattered completely, freeing herself. The beam continued past where she had just been and only made contact with burning ruins in the distance, a tremendous detonation rocking the city. Everyone stared in horror as 80’s color timer began to rapidly flash, his energy already at its limits. Time seemed to slow down as the infected superhero launched herself towards him with a gigantic piece of ice in her hand.

The infected swung, aiming the shard of element at the color timer to pierce it, only for Kamen Rider to slam into her form. Pushing her back, he crashed his knuckles against her face before turning to his ally. “Take the children and run, 80,” The Rider demanded as he stood in front of the giant of light, staring down at the recovering infected.

Kamui Woods sprang into action, standing upon her skull as vines quickly went to wrap around the former Lurker’s eyes. She was quickly blinded as the plant life covered her forehead, the undead unleashing a scream of rage which sent a shiver down the spines of the surviving students. Her talons reached for the vines, ripping through her own skin with swipes as she attempted to remove the bark. Slamming her head into the ground to shake her former partner off of her head, eventually she reached upwards and wrapped her hands around the wooden man. She squeezed, forcing a scream from her former friend who she couldn’t devour, cracking bones before simply tossing him into the fires behind her.

The students all watched in horror as another Pro was seemingly slain, the body slamming into the flames. Only silence followed. She broke free from the vines as a powerful fist crashed into her nose, throwing her backwards before slamming into a series of apartment buildings with a gigantic crash. Kamen Rider Ichigo stood before her.

“We cannot leave yet, Number One,” 80 stated as he quickly recovered, tensing his muscles as he prepared to finish the infected goliath before them. “We’re so close to finishing the job, we have to now or else-”

“If you do not leave now, then this world will lose its future,” Ichigo spoke firmly, watching as the infected Mount Lady rose to her feet. “I can feel it down to my soul, they must survive at any cost. And you will be the light to guide them through the horrors of this war. For if there is no God or Buddha, there will always be an Ultraman.”

The words stuck with 80 as he weighed his options, his power draining with every moment that passed. And the students were certainly reaching their limits, mentally and physically. If they didn’t leave soon, they would all die. But the feeling of guilt from leaving Kamen Rider behind would surely stain his very soul. It wasn’t right to trade him for his survival over the Rider’s. 

The lingering thoughts were cut off as the students all unleashed their most powerful moves at the infected goliath, explosions running down her body as flames and ice assaulted her from the side. Black Whip held her left side down with great resistance as Izuku felt pulled. Ochako charged in from behind, leaping forward before slamming her hand into the infected’s suit, causing her to lift into the air. Mount Lady looked down in horror as gravity continued to disobey her will, floating into the sky as the others continued their assault.

Deku let go of his grip of Black Whip, instead opting to send her further up into the air. “New Hampshire,” he screamed as he jumped with incredible speed at her stomach, swinging his first directly into her core. “SMASH!” She was thrown upwards at an alarming rate, a sonic boom echoing as a shockwave was sent out from the blow.

Ichigo stood over where she would fall, taking in heavy breaths before turning towards the surviving students. “Take Ingenium and get out of here, children, this will be my fight to finish. Follow Mr.Yamato, you all have to survive.”

“But we can’t leave you here!” Tsu spoke before being cut off.

“There is no time! You must all leave NOW! That is an order!” He turned towards Ochako, speaking with authority in his voice. “Deactivate your Quirk as soon as I am above her. You’ll see the signal, then run like hell.”

She nodded, showing that she understood what was being said as he launched into the sky, a sonic boom once again echoing as the surrounding area cracked. “Rider Jump!” He flipped through the air, now descending high above the floating infected goliath with his leg stretched out. Ochako did as she was instructed, placing her fingers together to release Mount Lady from her grasp, allowing the fallen hero to sit still in the air for a moment.

“RIDER KICK!”

He yelled with fury, his foot slamming into Mount Lady’s back with a loud SNAP as the two quickly descended towards the ground. The students of UA quickly scattered as they both approached the ground, running for cover in all directions, Tsuyu quickly grabbing the near unconscious Ida as they retreated. Their forms slammed into the hot earth below, an explosion upon contact engulfing the pair in concrete and fire.

The finishing blow had seemingly been made, only for the worst possibility to occur as through the thick black smoke, Ichigo was thrown away. The vigilante bounced off of the ground as he rolled, the infected Mount Lady unleashing a hellish scream over the battlefield as she approached the downed Rider. Ichigo acted quickly, rising to his feet and preparing for her mass to slam into him at full speed. He managed to catch her, but failed to stop her momentum. His feet caved into the ground as he was pushed back, his elbow continuing to slam into her back to subdue her, but he was reaching no proper results.

“I said go!” Ichigo cried out to the rest of the group, the small batch of survivors staring in horror as another one of their comrades sacrificed themselves for them. 80 began to rapidly shrink, a look of shame on his human form’s face as he began to run in the opposite direction, the group quickly following behind.

“So where the hell do we even go!?” Bakugo asked with much frustration, continuing to watch Ichigo battle the infected from a distance as they all retreated. He growled under his breath that he had to swallow his pride and leave the dispatching of Mount Lady to the Rider alone.

“We’re going to my place,” Izuku declared as he quickly got in front of the group, leading them with every step. “Just stay close and cover each other’s backs, All Might and my Mom went ahead during the worst of the battle to recover our apartment,” A bit of fear entered his mind that they had been jumped on the way there and hadn’t made it, but he had to hold onto hope that they were safe.

As the sky choked with a thick smog and embers, as flames continued to devour the city all around them, the battle had been lost. Not a single person they were meant to evacuate had made it, the children lost in the battle were quickly as the other heroes within their squad.

Survivors’ guilt rang within each of their hearts, but they continued to press onward, marching towards what would be their salvation.

***

28 Hours Later…
The Midoriya Residence

The group nearly broke down after managing to make their way to the Midoriya home, a wave of emotions crashing against them as everything had finally managed to calm down. Sounds of battle continued further in the city, but only as a dull din. The children stayed in the same room as Inko quickly made food for the survivors. A meal shared in the dark, in the quiet, but they were at least together.

That was something that at the very least they could take in stride, that they had all managed to survive this day, hoping the same for the rest of their families and classmates. 

They couldn’t wrap their heads around everything that had happened, the group only managing to fall asleep from sheer exhaustion. But Izuku couldn’t do the same. He sat in the living room, watching over everyone as a candle was the only source of light. Anything else could alarm the infected. 

He debated turning on the television, to see what the world was reporting on the situation. Between the noise, the light, and the dread that would surely pierce his heart, he decided against the idea. Sitting amongst the group of friends in a moment of calm amongst the horror, his gaze shifted to Ochako, who was resting on his shoulder. He brushed some of her hair out of her face as she slept. If this had been an ordinary moment between friends becoming more, he would have had the biggest smile across his face.

But the circumstances were killing any romantic thoughts in his head, only filled with regret that he couldn’t do more to save those they worked with. Kamen Rider had given his life to save them, his last words stirring feelings of hope, but in the end it just left such a hole within the young man’s heart even as they weren’t directed towards him. He turned towards the balcony, seeing Mr. Yamato simply look out towards the continuing chaos. Screams still echoed into the night, crying out for anyone to rescue them from their cruel fate as they just sat there and did nothing.

Izuku turned back to the door, seeing that plenty of furniture had blocked the doorway. If any of the few groans he heard in the dead of night attempted to barge their way in, it wouldn’t take long for them to notice and deal with the issue accordingly. He slowly rose to his feet, making sure to not step on those that slept on the floor while gently placing Ochako’s head onto the couch, before walking towards the balcony. “Mr. Yamato,” the boy whispered, gaining the substitute teacher’s attention and snapping him back to reality. “Something on your mind?”

Takashi pondered for a moment about speaking on the matter, several things lingering on his mind. Those last words that Ichigo had spoken as he held Mount Lady back, “For if there is no God or Buddha, there will always be an Ultraman”, made him feel an incredible amount of weight on his shoulders. His kind had been venturing to this world for years now, with himself being the latest to arrive on this small but wonderful world. Yet, none of them had faced a crisis like this during their careers. Even as they had unfortunately witnessed the end of a world, it was not quite like this horrific event transpiring here.

He had lost so many students during the evacuation, never even having a moment to calm them or speak to them during this madness. That mistake would always linger within his heart and memory. They said that once one arrives on Earth, it changes something within you… He looked towards the sky, shooting out a beam of light almost invisible to the naked eye towards the stars above, creating the Ultra Sign above the small world. Even if he didn’t get an answer to if any were on Earth, 80 had to make sure that the others were safe. “This is what we would call an Ultra Sign,” The teacher spoke softly as Izuku joined him on the balcony, the two staring at the stars above the hellish landscape below them. “It allows me to contact others of my kind across vast star systems, and vice versa with their own. After everything that has happened today, I should at least make sure that backup is coming.”

He looked towards the stars with so many questions.

Would the Land of Light send more warriors to Earth to aid them against the ZQN plague? Without seeing a body, had Kamen Rider survived his encounter with Mount Lady? Was… was Kyoko Aihara okay?

That last one tore through his heart like a razor, with his short amount of time being on the Earth, Takashi had grown quite fond of his coworker. She had a good heart to accompany her bright smile, always attempting to bring down any tension within the work place or showing a better path for her students. Every conversation the two shared had him hanging on every word. He looked slightly down with a bit of shame, looking back to when he was deployed here to this world. He had recalled hearing of Seven’s experience with the people of Earth, that he had grown attached to a young human woman by the name of Anne Yuri. While he didn’t think it was too out of the realm of possibility for that to occur to any of them, he didn’t expect those feelings to appear within his own heart during his time here.

His eyes lit back up as one by one, Ultra Signs began to appear in the star filled sky.

Lipiah.

Jack.

Leo.

Ace.

Taro.

Where was Seven’s? The signs began to fade away, disappearing just as fast as they had arrived, at least giving him answers on how a few of them were. But not seeing Ultraseven’s sign made 80 fear the worst. “Seems that a few of us are still around,” Takashi stated with a slight sadness in his voice, attempting to hide his concern for a friend as he turned back to Izuku. “I suppose that Kamen Rider was right with what he said.”

Izuku stared forward, feeling the cold breeze brush past him as he simply stared with silence. He didn’t really know what to say, what to make of the situation. What Ichigo had stated to 80 reminded him of that fateful day that All Might had beaten All For One, staring at the gigantic television screen the same as the rest of the world. His finger pointed towards the camera with him declaring that it was his time, that he was truly the next symbol of peace. “Do you think that we’ll really be able to survive this?” The young man asked his elder, he had seen more than most his age, but he was still a child just as he was a warrior.

“I would say faith, but that would sound like a backhanded comment,” The alien visitor stated before continuing. “So I will say, trust that we will. That you and your friends will make it out of this.”

“Thanks,” Izuku stated, appreciating the honesty. “I’m going to check on my Mom, if you need anything, just come get me.”

“Wait,” the Ultra spoke, halting the young man as he stepped back inside of the apartment. He had been feeling regret for not doing that much with Kyoko before the world was devoured by this horrific plague, the least he could do was attempt to have another avoid that same regret. “When she wakes up… you need to talk to her, Izuku.”

Izuku knew exactly what Mr. Yamato meant when he uttered those words in that tone.

Normally, the young man would deflect the subject matter or avoid it entirely, but after what they had all been through, and seeing as he might not get another chance… Mr. Yamato was right. “I… I’ve never had to tell someone how I feel like that before. It might sound so stupid, but I’m afraid of saying the wrong thing or stuttering and looking like an idiot, or even worse that I could make things awkward between us. She’s a really good friend and I don’t want to ruin that…”

Kids these days were so blind. That’s what Takashi thought as he looked at the student of UA High, chuckling a little as he heard Izuku say that, but he quickly showed that he wasn’t trying to offend the boy. “Listen to me, young Midoriya. You could say the dumbest thing, stutter every word and even make the conversation awkward; and that girl would say yes in a heartbeat. Just keep that in mind.”

Was it really that simple? Izuku thought as he turned to the couch, the dark room only being illuminated by a single light on the table in the center. He wouldn’t wake her up just to start the conversation, she needed the rest just as everyone else did. But when the time was right… When was the time ever going to be right with what was happening around the world? He looked back at his teacher, giving a warm smirk as a response. “I’ll have to keep that in mind. Thank you.”

The two nodded as he went back into the apartment, slowly walking past the group to go to his mother’s room as quietly as he could when he heard her and All Might speaking, halting him turning the knob. “What are we going to do about the kids?” Inko stated as she sat at the end of the bed, attempting not to succumb to all the pressure that was being placed upon her shoulders.

“We’ll figure it out, all of us together,” Toshinori stated with certainty as his hand slightly inched closer to her own. With the amount of time they had been spending together lately, and since connecting with Izuku, he couldn’t help but feel drawn to the struggling single parent. While that wasn’t the task at hand he should focus on, it was in human nature to put what was so selfish at the front of the mind, and he was no different in the grand scheme of things. “The children are strong, and evacuation to Okinawa is still taking place. Even if the virus did manage to arrive there, a simple song would awaken King Caesar. We’ll be safe there.”

One hand pressed against Inko’s face as tears quietly flowed down her face, altering All Might during the serious conversation. “They shouldn’t be seeing what we saw today. They should be studying for tests, not becoming soldiers. I have already seen my Izuku hurt too many times and this could…”

“Ms. Midoriya,” Yagi stated as he reached out, his hand gently placed on her own. The middle aged woman turned to her friend, attempting to look at him clearly as tears were streaming down her face. “Inko, I promise you and your boy will get out of this. We are going to go find the rest of their families and leave on the fastest evacuation transport out of here, I swear it.”

The two simply stared at each other for a moment, the moment of silence feeling like an eternity within just a few minutes of the conversation. It wasn’t the appropriate time to reach out the way that she wanted to, at least within her mind. After Izuku’s father had left for the states shortly after he was born it had left her feeling incredibly lonely. All Might was not only her son’s idol, but in their wildest dreams the two of house Midoriya would have never believed that he would be such a huge part of their personal lives. He had become Izuku’s mentor and father figure, as well as a dear friend to her.

She felt so stupid, not at least asking such a simple question at least once. “When we get to Okinawa, and things are much safer, would you like to grab a coffee?”

Yagi was stunned by the question for a moment, before an earnest smile formed on his face. “I would like that very much.” A slight laugh left the two of them, trying to be quiet enough to allow the children to continue sleeping. Her head pressed against his shoulder, the two sitting in silence as exhaustion quickly took over. Their hands fully embraced, even as the pair finally managed to fall asleep, managing to do so while not falling backward into the soft bed they sat on.

Izuku relinquished his grip from the door knob, quietly stepping back with a smile on his face. He wouldn’t mention the conversation that he didn’t mean to overhear, he did not want to intrude on or embarrass them in any manner. He was just happy that maybe in this horrific circumstance, good things could occur on smaller levels. Besides, his Mom deserved all the love in the world and he wouldn’t have to worry about anything with his mentor.

He turned around, seeing Ochako standing across the room, wiping her eyes as she looked at him.

Between the conversation with Mr.Yamato and what he had just overheard, there wasn’t much of a better time than now to speak what was on his mind. “Uraraka,” he said gently, silently stepping over their friends that were laying in the living room. “Just woke up, huh?”

“Can… can we talk?” she stated, cutting right to the point, taking Izuku aback. Was what was on his mind also on her mind? He shouldn’t jump to conclusions, the last thing he needed to do was start off on an incredibly wrong note.

“Yeah we can talk, what’s up?” He asked as he got closer, watching her body language as the conversation began. Her hand was slightly rubbing her other arm, her head pointed downward with a look of mixed anxiety on her face.

“Let’s go into your room if that is okay, we shouldn’t wake the others by accident.”

“O-Oh yeah that makes sense,” he stated while rubbing the back of his head with a fake laugh. “I’ll lead the way.” Quietly walking down the hall to his bedroom before twisting the door knob, the pair entered the separated space. He gently reached over to his desk which was lined against the wall, turning on the night lamp at the lowest setting as they each took a seat. “So what did you want to talk about?”

It took her a moment to answer the question, going through all the possible routes to state what was on her mind while looking directly at him. They had been friends since the moment they had entered this school and had been through so much together, just in their first year of UA. While everything was so overwhelming with the start of a different kind of war, them being on the front lines and already losing so much with the first day, this was crystal clear. She only wished that she could have said something before all of this had happened, but that didn’t matter anymore, it was the time to act while she still could.

“I wish that we could have said something sooner, under less pressuring circumstances… but I can’t hold it in anymore. If something were to happen, if I couldn’t” A single tear crossed her cheek as she continued to look Izuku in the eye, not breaking away for a single word. “If I couldn’t tell you, I would never forgive myself.”

The two teenagers sat with only each other to keep company, the light barely illuminating the room but being enough for them to see each other.

“I love you,” she uttered out loud for the first time, not looking away from him for a single syllable with those three powerful words. His eyes widened as she finally let weight off of her shoulders. “I have for a while now, and I can’t figure out the exact moment that I felt this way towards you, from our first interaction you were already so amazing. Taking on that training robot at the exam to enter the school, risking everything just so that I couldn’t get hurt,” More tears began to pour down her face, being followed by a bright smile as she quickly stood up and walked over to him.

He couldn’t move a muscle, he wanted to listen to anything more she had to say before acting. His heart was beating so fast, he swore that it would come out of his chest. He could only focus on her, on this moment. “I wanted to wait until after everything with the league stopped. I wanted to tell you properly after we were all safe. We wouldn’t be able to focus on that, being constantly in danger even on campus. But… I couldn’t stand the thought of turning into one of those things and never telling you.”

Izuku stood up slowly, standing over her as they looked into each other’s eyes. One hand wrapped around her own, quickly interlocking as he got closer. The other placed itself on her cheek, a bright smile on his own face as he quivered, joy rushing through his entire body at her words. “I didn’t know how to tell you,” he stated honestly, knowing that it was obvious that he would look at her from time to time or that he would grow flustered with her appearance. “I have never done this before. It was always hard for me to connect with people as a kid because,” He halted for a second, not wanting to open another can of worms in the middle of the emotional conversation, but he decided to press on anyway. “Because I was born Quirkless.”

Ochako’s eyes widened a bit at how vulnerable Izuku was, opting to listen just as he had with her. “Everyone treated me differently for it, but when I got into UA and I had met all of you, I slowly got to learn how to deal with those difficulties. All except not knowing how to tell you how I felt.” Tears continued to pour down the teenager’s face, shivering a bit when uttering the words that had held him like chains for so long. “I love you too, Ochako Ururaka.”

A moment wasn’t spared as she pulled him in, their lips locking as eyes quickly closed. Their embraced hands held tight as they simply let the moment sink in, pulling away from each other as an excited chuckle exited the both of them. In this moment in Hell, they felt like the luckiest people on the planet, and that nothing could ruin finally letting this out.

“Freaking finally, ribbit,” Was heard by the pair from the other side of the door, their heads turning in unison when they realized that their friends were listening the entire time. The door quietly, but quickly, opened to see Tsu wide eyed on the ceiling while Bakugo was against the nearby wall.

Neither of them could utter a word as they stared at the pair waiting outside of Izuku’s room, stuck to properly react to them eavesdropping when Kacchan spoke first. “Relax you two,” he stated with a surprisingly respectful tone. “You two idiots belong together, it has literally been the talk of the entire class for months. Just glad you finally said something.”

“I didn’t mean to intrude,” Tsu spoke honestly, looking down with a bit of shame for ruining the tender moment. “But after all this time, I wanted to give my support somehow, ribbit.” Froppy explained, fearing that her friends would be upset that they were being listened to.

Only to be given a hug by Ochako instead, a genuine surprise as a smile was kept on her face. “I am truly blessed to have a friend as good as you, Tsu,” she happily spoke while letting the hug last a bit longer before pulling away, looking her in the eyes as she sarcastically stated. “But couldn’t you have at least made a joke, like, in the morning?”

Bakugo smiled at the ordinary moment, the angst and anger washing away for even just a time as the world around them felt so… normal. Right. That nothing could taint this moment of innocent youth that was before him, that he couldn’t even say a rude comment towards Izuku. “Hey,” he said towards the two of them, earning their attention. “I’m happy for you two.”

They both stood slightly embarrassed, but happy that their friends approved this much, the pair going to speak when a loud BANG slammed the door to the apartment. Everyone’s attention quickly darted towards the entrance of the small living space as something was listening outside, every voice instantly going silent as fear skyrocketed amongst the group. Mr.Yamato quietly walked back into the apartment, looking straight ahead at the entrance.

Ida, who had been sleeping on the floor in the living room, quickly sprang into action. The door to Inko’s room slowly opened as the pair of adults walked into the shared space, checking in on the noise that had woken them up.

Everyone stared with high tension as growls and snarls were heard from the hallway, the rest of the apartment complex hearing just enough to grow curious to the noise from their safe haven.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The door was being broken down by a series of blows, the infected unleashing a hideous roar as various pieces of furniture that stood in the path bounced with each hit. They were being held back, barely, every moment growing more desperate to sink their teeth into their meals.

Ida quickly ran towards the door, pressing the furniture back in place. “Hurry! Grab what you can and then get run! I can only hold this back for so long!” The silence that once covered the halls of the apartment complex was now deafened by the howls of the undead, all congregating towards the entrance to the Midoriya residence. Food was thrown into a small backpack, Izuku working as fast as he could to find what was necessary while realistically being possible to carry. 

The others quickly prepared to evacuate the small living space, when All Might suddenly placed his hand on Inko’s shoulder. A look of sorrow was upon his face as he forced a smile before speaking. “I would have enjoyed that coffee, Ms. Midoriya,” The retired Pro Hero stated as he kissed her hand, standing up and walking over to Ida who was covering everyone else’s escape.

“You were the right choice for Class Rep, even now allowing your fellow students time to escape the clutches of death. Your brother would be proud of you.” The student looked confused before All Might quickly transformed into his muscular form, the same state he had carried out his heroics in before his final battle. Coughing blood as smoke rolled off of his body, he still had the strength to lift Ida away from the makeshift barricade and gently toss him aside.

“Wait, All Might, what are you doing!?” Ida cried out, earning the others’ attention with a quick snap of their heads. Their teacher’s body pressed against the furniture, making it so that the barrier was more secure.

“Ururaka,” he spoke with clarity, looking directly at her as he spoke. “Do not let these horrific times change that wonderful heart of yours. The world will continue to need kindness.” His attention then turned to Froppy, the undead still trying to claw their way through the hardwood before the veteran hero, breaking away skin just to get to them.

“Tsuyu, never allow your friends to stray away from the people they are. You will all face trials in this new world, some that will seem to break you in the moment, but you must all stay strong and I believe that you will be their proper support-” BANG!

The door shifted slightly as a fist made its way through, blood flying as the screams of the horde echoed through their ears. A milky white eye staring above blood soaked teeth pierced their souls as All Might quickly threw a couch backwards. His back put in more effort to halt the assault of the undead, sweat running down his body as his muscular form began to give. Strands of hair lulled downward, half of his face in its normal state, smoke continuing to roll upward from his body.

“Bakugo, you have a fire like that of a forge. The heat and pressure will create something new like a blacksmith would with iron, but your rage must never overshadow your heart, especially in times of war. Protect them all with your life and whoever would dare attempt to hurt them, unleash hell.”

Tears began to stream from the group’s eyes as they realized what was happening, the group of children witnessing one last valiant act of heroism from their mentor, their idol, their friend…

“Shoto, out of everyone here, you have carried the most burden in your life. And I unfortunately must ask that you carry another, in helping guide this group of young people. If hate should ever begin to consume them, you will have to keep them from slipping even further.”

“Mr. Yamato!” All Might called out with a slight turn towards the extraterrestrial teacher, his soul being pierced by the legendary hero of Japan’s words, the tension in the air rising just as fast as the heartbreak. The upper half of the door snapped completely, chips of wood flying across the furniture. Yagi’s left arm completely shrank back to its normal state, blood once again flying from his mouth as he was defying destiny just as his former sidekick had done to save Izuku. He would do the same for these children. “Protect them! These children are our future! If they are consumed, all hope will be lost for this world!”

The weight of the furniture and situation came crashing down on Yagi, his knees buckling slightly as his strength continued to leave him, turning his gaze completely towards Izuku. Tears streamed down his face as he stared at his student, quivering as he looked towards the boy that had changed his heart. “Before meeting you, I was in a really dark place. You showed me that it was possible to end this cycle of hate, you were determined to save people even with no Quirk. No hesitation in your footsteps. I am so sorry, young Midoriya, that I can’t teach you more. That I can’t watch you grow, but you are a fine young man, and I fully trust that you will succeed where I have failed.” He pointed towards Izuku with his free hand, holding up the furniture with the stronger limb as it shook violently. “It’s your turn now.”

And with those final words, he no longer could hold up the barrier. The undead quickly came rolling in. Yagi turned, swinging with what little strength remained to completely decimate the oncoming horde and the nearby apartment all the way through. A powerful gust of wind erupted from the swing, knocking everyone further away from All Might as he stood the best he could. Taking in deep heavy breaths, he turned to see Izuku and Bakugo being dragged away from the battle with screams of horror.

“We have to go!” shouted Takashi as he, alongside the other students, pulled the duo as hard as they could.

“I can’t let you die! Please! It doesn’t have to be this way!” Izuku screamed with passion. While he certainly had the strength to throw everyone off of him, he couldn’t bring himself to accidentally hurt them to save the man he looked up to.

Yagi closed his eyes for a second, thinking about his life. The moment he had inherited One For All, a quirkless young man who wanted to do the right thing finally gaining the opportunity to do so. The days in college with David as learning superheroes in the States, granting him the names of his attacks which would inspire an entire generation to stand up against the forces of evil in whatever shape it would take. 

Then he remembered that beautiful smile of his mentor, and her last act as his teacher, protecting him as Gran Torino flew him away from the battle against All For One. “I’ll be right behind you Nana…” he stated under his breath before charging into the hallway, looking side to side to see more of the infected surrounding him.

“Detroit Smash!” he screamed at the top of his lungs while swinging once again towards the left, all the students witnessing his final stand as they slowly managed to drop down to the street from the balcony. Ochako’s quirk guided them safely to the ground one by one for those that required it, Inko landing safely on the streets below with Tenya and Shoto standing right beside her, waiting for Tsuyu to quickly climb down the wall. Bakugo stopped resisting the grip, simply shaking them off before leaping off of the building to the streets below, tears flowing from his eyes as he landed.

All Might’s form went deeper into the apartment complex, the hero having his final stand as the children escaped. Izuku continued to weep as Takashi finally let go, watching the boy fall to his knees and slamming the floor for a moment before finally moving. The pair jumping down to the street below, the group quickly moving further with two goals on their minds.

They had to honor All Might’s sacrifice and continue forward in the oncoming war, and they had to find the rest of their families.

Inko held onto Izuku’s hand tightly as they marched forward, the tears from the group having to be forced back as the sound could alert more of them towards their direction. 

Chapter 8: The Last of Our Families 

Shoto’s house was the closest from their destroyed haven. Todoroki’s quirk activated, ice covering up the entirety of his right side while flames did the same on his left. Whatever remained of his family had to be in here. A part of him didn’t want an answer, or to find anyone in the house, on the off chance his fears would be confirmed. 

He breathed out, bolting straight towards the door. The half-cold half-hot hero in training stared at the door, tempted to kick it down, but resisted on the off chance it’d attract the horde. Shoto lightly gripped the handle and opened it slowly, being careful not to attract any attention. 

His flames illuminated the living room, scanning the area to find nothing in sight. The appliances and even the TV were silent as he motioned for the others to come inside. He motioned for them to stay in the living room while he continued searching the house, carefully keeping his silence. 

The first floor had been secured as Shoto walked back to the hallway connecting to the living room, shaking his head at its temporary occupants. No luck to be found on the first floor. 

Glass was then heard shattering upstairs, snapping Shoto’s attention to the stairs leading to it. He snapped his head away and bolted up the steps to find the source of the commotion, desperately hoping it was one of his siblings making a clumsy mistake. 

Shoto reached just outside the door where the source of the noise was when he heard another scream inside it. Instincts taking over, he kicked open the door to see his older sister, Fuyumi backing up to a wall, terrified beyond belief as her white and red hair brushed up against it. 

He was relieved to see at least one member of his family alive and well, but out of the shadows in the room, his heart sank. His older brother, Natsuo, was no longer amongst the living, but a member of the Scourge. He growled at his cornered sister, the left side of his face covered in scratch marks and blisters oozing with pus. The infected Natsuo stretched his arms forward to devour his captive prey as Shoto raised his arms up, intending to eradicate the monster his brother had become. 

Yet, he couldn’t. Shoto felt himself stalling, something he rarely ever did. He tried to move forward, but found himself frozen in fear, knowing he couldn’t kill his own brother. The pro hero in training tried to fire off either of his two abilities, but couldn’t do it no matter how many times he commanded himself. 

He was lost, befuddled at his lack of initiative. 

BOOM!

Like a blink of an eye, Bakugo walked past him and detonated his explosive power onto his infected brother, completely scorching his head. Natsuo shrieked out from his skin burning away until he collapsed on his stomach, no longer on this ruined Earth. 

Shoto felt his body beginning to relax even at the grief he was now facing from his brother now being deceased. He slightly turned his head to Bakugo, who simply nodded at him. His loud mouthed friend didn’t have anything to say, remaining uncharacteristically silent. 

“Shoto…” Fuyumi’s voice trembled, wobbling over to her little brother, wrecked with a plethora of emotions overloading her mind and body. She wrapped herself around him, crying into his shoulder after he deactivated his quirks. 

The youngest member of the Todorki clan lightly rubbed her back, mentally kicking himself for not being stronger. For not doing what was necessary to protect his family, letting that burden fall to a friend of his. It may have not affected Bakugo, but he worried it might make his sister resent him for it.

“Fuyumi… I’m sorry… for stalling… I promise…” Shoto breathed out, feeling wrecked with guilt, pulling his sister in tighter. 

“It’s okay, Shoto,” Fuyumi hushed, rubbing his red and white hair. “I’m just glad you’re here.” 

“How did Natsuo…” Shoto inquired, pulling back slightly and looking up at his sister. 

Fuyumi lifted up her glasses, wiping away a tear. “We had to double back to the house after we missed the evacuation, and he pushed me out of the way. I tried bringing him back home, but that’s when he turned…”

She couldn’t finish as she cried, allowing Shoto to wrap her up tightly once again. Bakugo watched the siblings embrace as he glanced back at the corpse he created. Inside himself, he felt guilty for doing what had to be done, knowing Shoto’s sister probably hated him for it. He felt compelled to give them his condolences, however, he knew they likely didn’t want to hear it. Besides, an apology coming from him would sound fake. 

Instead, he stood there in silence, allowing himself to be their guardian for just a few minutes so they may grieve. It wasn’t perfect, but this was the best he could do for them. 

***

Next step was Ochaco’s residence. They climbed up the flight of stairs, all keeping their eyes peeled for any infected along the way. The group made it to find her front door cracked open as Uravity feared the worst. Instincts took over as she nearly ripped the door off to find two corpses on the ground, both with holes in their heads as the group’s eyes collectively looked over to a pistol in the man’s hand.

“Mom!” Ochaco cried out, tears flowing out of her eyes. “Dad…”

She collapsed to her knees, landing just between their bodies, looking at their faces. Ochaco was mortified at what her parents did, taking note of their faces as she always remembered them. Pure.

No signs of infection amongst them. 

“Why didn’t I get here sooner?” Ochaco wept, inching her hands towards their bodies, attempting to feel them one last time. “Why did I have to assist in this useless evacuation attempt?”

Izuku was heartbroken at his girlfriend’s grief. He was fortunate, more so than almost everyone else that his mother was amongst the living while she lost her family today. Deku kneeled down next to her, wrapping his hands around her. He allowed her head to rest on his chest. Her tears soaked his suit while he held her tight, keeping his eyes focused on their bodies. 

Deku felt himself at a loss, knowing he couldn’t say something along the lines of her parents being proud of her for being a hero or how they’d want her to live without them. He felt like shit, not knowing what to do or even say as just recently they professed their love for each other. Now, he was met with his first real challenge in their relationship. 

“Life really is unfair.”

“Ochaco, I’m so sorry,” Izuku wept, turning his head from their bodies and towards her. He was all she had left now, and he couldn’t rush off to be the self-sacrificing hero. Izuku couldn’t destroy her world even further, yet he’d hate himself for not doing everything he could just for a chance to save the Earth. His mind was no longer clear. 

Only Ochaco’s sobs were heard while everyone remained silent at their friend’s grief. 

They were all slowly realizing they were going to be at their lowest. 

***

Bakugo stared up at his residency, hearing the growls inside. He tightened his hands, gritting his teeth while a low growl oozed from his mouth. “Fuck.”

The rage filled hero kicked down the door, pointing his grenade shaped cannons inside the hall, searching for his parents. Katsuki already knew the worst was about to happen to him. Like Ochaco, he was already too late, letting anger and grief wash over, he decided to scream out.

“Mom! Dad! I’m home!”

His shrieks of anger might attract other zombies to their position, but he didn’t care. It just meant more he’d get to eradicate in anger for what the world took from him. 

As if on cue, two shambling corpses descended down the stairs and eyed their son standing in the doorframe. His father’s spiky brown hair was falling apart, revealing brain matter while his right arm had forcibly been torn off. Lastly, his glasses collapsed on the wooden stairs, shattering them. 

His mother’s fate affected him even more. Her beautiful face was torn off, revealing flesh underneath while her nose atrophied prior to his arrival. Her pink shirt was covered in blood as it was ripped apart, revealing her torn insides. 

They both shrieked out, shooting their damaged arms out to rip into their son when Bakugo’s hands sparkled. Explosives detonated from his gauntlets, eviscerating them from existence, granting them peace from this undead curse. 

“Fuck!” Bakugo cried out, tears dropping from his eyes as he turned around to face the rest of his group. They all looked at him with concern, understanding what he was going through, but before any of them could relay their sympathies he cut them off. “Don’t give me any fucking apologies. Just watch your ass!”

He marched past them, surveying the area around them to find more infected to eradicate. To him, his whole world was taken from him as he had to gun down his parents. Bakugo armed his weapons forward, keeping watch as he waited for the rest of his group to make their way back to them.

Izuku, on the other hand, spotted a framed photo of Kacchan and his family. He mosied over to see all three of them smiling together in front of an amusement park on a bright sunny day. A far cry from their reality now. 

He may not want to see it now or ever, but Izuku couldn’t help but take the photo and place it inside his bag. Maybe one day, his former best friend would like to see it once again, but at the very least, he could hold onto it as a reminder for better days.

***

The group moved slower through the city, grief striking each member one at a time. Despair made them question whether it was saving lives or saving themselves, but they all silently agreed to let the others find their families. 

Takeshi even saw it in the kids’ eyes. He hated himself for not being there for them, for feeling like he was already failing Endeavor’s request. 80 declared himself to be the most useless out of every Ultra, fleeing from a battle while so many good people gave up their lives. 

“If any other Ultra were present, this would go down a lot better.”

He lightly grunted, knowing these kids and what remained of their families were his purpose now. Takeshi declared to himself he was the last line of defense for all of them. When the time came for him to face the horde, he would not run, but fight to the very end. 

The Ultra in disguise inched closer to Tsu, realizing they were at her house. It wasn’t much of a gesture, but he breathed out, telling himself he needed to be more present with the students. It may not help in the long run, but it’d be appreciated from them in due time.

Tsu jiggled the doorhandle, realizing it was locked. She breathed a small sigh of relief, knowing her house hadn’t been attacked yet as she reached in her pocket, pulling out the key. Froppy inserted the key inside and unlocked it, opening the door.

She was about to walk inside when 80 placed his hand in front of her and shook his head. “Let me go in first to make sure it’s alright.”

Froppy nodded her head, as she followed closely behind him. Takeshi scanned the living room to find heads slowly rising up behind the furniture as he prepared himself to fight the infected present. Tsu turned over to see the figure rising up when she heard a cheerful voice. 

“Tsu!” the figure plunged out of the darkness to reveal Tsu’s mother, looking completely healthy, rushing over to her. 

“Mom!” Tsu cried out with relief, allowing herself to be wrapped up in a hug as she tearfully did the same. Her father and her younger siblings bolted over to her, reuniting themselves with her. 

The Asui family collectively sobbed in relief, knowing their family was going to be okay. Takeshi and the rest of the group watched over the family in relief. Despite the grief they faced in the past few hours, they were happy to know Tsu’s family was intact as she smiled.

Tsu felt herself on cloud nine, but knew they couldn’t waste time as the infected horde could be on them at any minute. She pulled herself away from the family’s embrace and looked them straight in the eyes.

“As much as I’d like to continue this, we need to get out of here. We wouldn’t be safe here for long,” Tsu explained, rubbing her hands together, glancing at the home she grew up in. Neither she nor her family wanted to leave it behind, as they held a lot of meaningful memories there, but it wasn’t feasible to hide in the long term. 

“We understand, Tsu. We’ll leave immediately,” her mother, Bell, said, giving her a sense of relief.

“Just let us grab a few things before we get going,” Ganma, her father, explained, rushing over to grab a few family trinkets and heirlooms. 

Tsu’s little siblings still huddled next to her as she brought them closer to her. The two of them looked up at 80, giving him small smiles as the Ultra couldn’t help but smile back at them. He was gonna do what was necessary to keep the family intact, knowing it would be one of the few to survive this infection. The world already saw too much death, he could at least spare the Asuis from it.

He was just happy to know there might be some light at the end of that tunnel they were digging through.

***

Last was Ida’s as they rushed through the streets, narrowly avoiding the infected wherever they ran to. His residence was farther than everyone else’s as they came across a bridge connecting the two neighborhoods together. The white bridge seemingly shined in this dark storm they were trapped in. 

An answer was about to be discovered, one Tenya was terrified to uncover. The fastest hero in 1-A prepared to step forward onto the bridge, when the group collectively heard an explosion on the other side. 

The group looked up to see a series of explosions engulfing the entirety of that neighborhood, incinerating it. “No…” Ida’s voice trembled as the fire raged on through his eyes. He dropped to his knees and sobbed, knowing if his family were present, then they’d be nothing but ash.

“Ida…” Takeshi murmured, placing his hand on the class rep’s shoulder. The Ultra’s faith was briefly restored with Tsu’s family being okay, but now, it was as if he had been given false hope. To see another child’s family to be possibly incinerated was cruel, and to not even be given an answer was the worst insult that’d be thrown at someone. “I’m so sorry.”

Ida didn’t answer as he cried out, taking a moment to stare at the raging inferno just across from him. The bridge soon crumbled before his soaking eyes, cutting them off permanently. 

Tenya picked himself up, still feeling the light hand of the teacher on his shoulder before brushing it off. He glanced at 80 and gave him a small nod, seemingly thanking him. Ida was still distraught, but couldn’t let himself be consumed by grief, not when his friends’ lives were still at a stake. He continued moving forward to their next destination, wherever that may be. 

Takeshi sighed out, feeling himself still at his lowest. Being a teacher meant the world to him, to help everyone no matter what, but he felt himself at a loss. He breathed out, following the rest of the group, contemplating what everyone was seeing in him.

“There has to be a reason for my place in all of this.” 

The Ultra stared up at the dark grey clouds looming over him, letting the rain drop on his body. 

“If there is one, please tell me and I’ll do it.”

The world responded with silence, forcing his head to hang low, shuffling behind everyone, feeling defeated. 

“Figures.”

Time sped up for the remnants of the defense force. Rain poured heavily against the raging flames of Tokyo. Reports were relayed by what remained of leadership to acquire the scattered civilians and heroes. 

It was risky. 

To ask yet another favor of those who survived the first several hours of this crisis only to risk it to save those left behind. Only this time, a few answered that call.

A group of helicopters flew through the raging infernal, drops pelting their windshields. The noise of their propellers attracted the survivors to their landing zone. A brief sensation of relief washed over them, but deep down knew it was about to get a lot worse.

The howls of the undead echoed through the dying city, startling everyone to their core. Bones shook while hearts raced nonstop. Izuku turned around to see infected piling into the streets, bolting around the block while others dropped straight from the buildings. None of them cared if they broke their bodies, all of them attracted to the source of the noise, and soon, the few uninfected on the streets. 

“We have to move!” Izuku roared out, his eyes widening at the neverending horror. Acting upon instinct, he grabbed a hold of his mother’s arm and raced off with her in tow. The others soon followed, avoiding the infected at every step. 

Bakugo screamed out at the top of his lungs, blasting apart the zombies that dared to strike at them. Limbs exploded all across the street while the bulk of their bodies were incinerated. To him, killing zombies was almost what he had left in this world. He wanted to stay behind and kill as many as he could, to enact sweet revenge for taking his parents away from him. However, Bakugo knew any attempt would only lead the others in risking their lives for him. 

No. As much as he hated it, he had to live. 

At least for today.

Tsuyu and her family sprinted ahead to reach the aircraft in view. She sympathized with her friends, but escape was within their reach. Once they made it to the craft, she would turn back and assist them, but she couldn’t bear the thought of losing them.

Froppy and her family reached the craft where there were a few dozen other survivors boarding the craft. The military kept guard as they fired in all directions, mowing down all that ran towards them. It wouldn’t be long until they were forced to flee.

Tsu snatched up her younger sister and nearly threw her in the craft, as the rest of her family boarded it. Froppy turned around to face her friends still speeding through the streets to salvation as she heard her mother scream.

“Tsu! Get on!” 

Froppy glanced back at her family and smiled solemnly, placing her finger on her lip. “Go ahead without me, mama. I can’t live with myself if I don’t help them.”

“Tsu, no!” her father barked out, furious at his daughter’s willingness to stay behind for such a fruitless endeavor. He had no doubt they were great people, but his family’s wellbeing was what mattered more. He attempted to grab her, but a hollering voice beat him to it.

“Chopper three, loaded up!” 

A nearby soldier blocked the group, lightly pushing the bigger man back as the door sealed up. The cries of her family could be heard through the reinforced hull as Tsu shed a tear, watching her family ascend to safety.

She turned around, racing back towards her friends. A zombie with half of his head exposed took note of her charging forward and growled. He stretched his arms outwards and attempted to grab her, only for the hero in training to hop over him. Tsu noticed his exposed spine and ripped it off without any hesitation. The act made her want to vomit, but she had no time. She slammed the bones down and continued forward.

Inspired by her heroism, a couple of the nearby personnel aimed their weapons at the closing infected. The walking corpses were riddled by the bullets, allowing the others a more secure passage. Tsuyu bolted up next to Izuku and smiled, offering him a hand with his mother. 

Izuku wouldn’t have blamed her if she left then and there, but felt appreciative of her insistence to help their friends. He admired that hulking sense of loyalty that brewed inside her. The two moved forward while Shoto kept the infected from pouring in behind.

The flames incinerated several infected, leaving them charred, but it wasn’t enough. They still kept moving, their hunger insatiable and will not stop until they sink their teeth in them. Shoto gritted his teeth, angered by his attacks seemingly doing nothing but slow the infected. 

His hands grew cold as she swung them upwards, erecting several walls of ice. Yet, barriers began to crack, with some even able to stick their hands through it. Shoto tightened his grip, knowing they were living off borrowed time.

He glanced over to Ida, running at normal speed alongside the rest of his friends. If only he didn’t overheat his mufflers, they could have gotten through this quickly. Yet, he couldn’t blame him as he did what he had to throughout the day.

CRACK!

The infected poured through, amping up their speed and pushing to the brink. The group soon made it to the choppers where several of them started to slam their doors. Realizing what it meant, Izuku ignored everything around him, pushing his mom up the steps and towards the remaining opened helicopter. 

The howls of the undead grew stronger as the horde closed in on the landing zone. Propellers rotated around as they started to lift off from the ground. Just as the final doors were about to close, Izuku shoved his mom onto the last helicopter, as the door closed behind her. 

Realizing what her son did, Inko saw Izuku standing on the other side while the helicopter took off. “Izuku!”

She immediately began throwing her hands against the glass, attempting to break through it to reach him as he shed tears. It happened all so fast, he hated the JSDF for not giving them an extra few seconds to board, but knew the horde was right on them. 

“At least you’ll make it out, mom,” Izuku murmured, watching the helicopter disappearing in the grey clouds while Takeshi and the rest of his classmates gathered around him. “I love you.”

Deku turned up, intending to make a final stand against the infection all clawing their way towards them. Hope was not on their side as they prepared themselves for the end. They were tired and knew they couldn’t last long, but they at least saved a couple of lives as opposed to saving none.

It was terrible, but they at least accomplished part of their goal.

The infected charged towards them, reaching at them as everyone gave it their all, to blast as many as they could. 

Until everything went black.

***

GASP!

Izuku shot up from the ground, breathing heavily. He struck his arms out, intending to break apart any undead that tried to grab him. After a few more breaths, did he realize rain was no longer hitting him on the face, but was met by the warmth of the sun. 

Deku glanced over to see his fellow classmates all performing their respective duties around the campfire. Shoto and Tenya were hauling wood for them to burn while Ochaco, Fuyumi, and Bakugo were gathering ingredients for their next meal. Finally, he saw Takeshi and Tsuyu discussing amongst themselves.

He realized, as he watched the morning sun ascend higher and higher, that that night had been over two years ago. Despite reality telling him otherwise, it felt like only seconds had blazed by, leaving him to wonder if anyone besides the eight of them made it out alive.

It plagued his mind, filling him with dread. Izuku sat himself upright, keeping his lower half secured inside the teal sleeping bag. He asked himself the same questions over and over again. 

Is my mom okay?

Are their families okay?

Will we ever escape this nightmare?

Izuku still kept himself contemplating those thoughts, feeling himself unable to snap out of it. He knew he survived that fateful night, but a part of his personality that made him upbeat and optimistic made him dour. 

He breathed out once more, moving himself out of the confines of the bag, he stood up to meet the dawn of a new day. Izuku’s personality had changed since that day, but he couldn’t let it be a detriment to the rest of his friends. 

They were the only things keeping him alive. 

Epilogue: He Who Remains

Hate.

It was the only thing that remained within his decayed heart, each step forward in the burning metropolis showed that it was the only thing that remained within his undead brothers and sisters as well. Everything else had been ripped away, taken from them in a moment’s notice.

Love. Compassion. Empathy. Sympathy. Humanity. All of it was nothing more than a distant memory now. Even if his transformation had only been hours prior, it had felt like an entire lifetime.

He no longer needed to breathe, and yet he still commanded his lungs to attempt to, blood oozing from the gaping wound in his neck as he stumbled forward, his milky white eyes looking for the very thing that robbed him of his life. A guttural, hate fueled growl exited his jaws as he continued to march forward, not paying attention to the chaos around him. The howls of the damned and hungry were muted within his mind, the only sound echoing throughout his head as he stepped forward were the screams of the last person to ever show him compassion. A dear friend who died too young, attempting to be the only person to rush out to save him in his last moments as the horde surrounded him, all the while his so-called “best friend” ran away like a coward just as everyone else did.

Bile began to slowly ooze from between fangs as he reached down into the debris, wrapping his cold hand around the flowing, damaged cape of a torn apart corpse. Pulling the emerald colored cloth from the deceased mush of meat and metal with ease, he tightened his grip around the article of clothing before continuing his march forward.

Hate.

All he could feel was a scornful rage surrounding him, the other members of the undead horde wishing nothing but to devour whatever flesh remained within the deceased city. It was chaotic, undefined. It served no purpose. It needed a guiding hand.

Hate.

The entity looked onward, spotting one of the many machines that humanity used to fend off the Scourge’s onslaught, a lonely Gunhed flipped on its back surrounded by flames and smog. Embers rose to the sky as he felt the anger deep within his… soul was the wrong word for it, he no longer possessed a soul. He was hollow inside, a specter of vengeance that would guide this new world to a purpose. A vile smile formed as he got closer to the destroyed military weapon, the smell of iron and elemental fury surrounding him as he reached out. Wrapping his decayed hand around the molten hot iron, he lifted himself up with one hand as he held on tighter to the cloth from the deceased soldier before throwing it onto his back. Holding it in place, he reached the top of the destroyed war machine, standing amongst the horde in the middle of a hellish landscape.

With one hand he wrapped the cloth around him, the symbol of the Scout Regiment flying in the wind as he stood tall. The vile smile returned to him as he clenched his fist before raising it above his head, his pose mocking that of the strongest hero Japan had ever seen, before unleashing a hideous howl into the burning night.

“HATE!”

His undead brothers and sisters turned towards the noise, spotting another of the Hollowed. Infected civilians, soldiers, heroes, and villains, all waited for him to continue.

“Our hate has no purpose. Trapped within a decaying, deceased body, craving the flesh of those that we had once called friends and family! We are deemed monsters by the living, we are deemed ‘inhuman’, yet it is us who have claimed this city!”

A few of the infected began to walk closer towards the one speaking, those that had died protecting the civilians evacuating Tokyo Tower being the first to step forward. Their curiosity for the one able to speak so fluently rose with each passing word. “Were you discarded? Forgotten as they ran for their lives!?” The entity’s rage began to build, the emotions that remained like small embers in his heart becoming a wildfire. “You have no souls, and yet you demand to scream!”

For a moment, the undead once known as Endeavor had thought he saw this entity cry blood from the sheer emotion pouring out of him, only to realize that what he imagined was true. Throughout the brimstone and death, this being still retained the ability to cry. The black liquid ran down the entity’s cheek as a sinister laugher exited his maw for a moment before resuming speaking. “I will give you a glorious purpose! One that will allow you to live as you see fit, a guiding hand for our shared rage and hunger to devour the world!”

The chaos grew silent as one by one, the meta humans grew closer. “For we are many, we are a legion of the damned and forgotten! I will be your arbiter of vengeance within this new world! Our deaths will have meaning as we rob them of everything that is rightfully ours!”

If they had hearts, they would be beating fast with adrenaline and excitement. The warped, disgusting broken mirrors of the people they once were, for the first time in their undead existence, felt purpose.

From the flames, others began to join, the undead tank once known as Muscular tossed a few infected away from him as he approached, staring directly at the one speaking. The captain of the Gotengo, his sword on his shoulder, and his most trusted ally stood before him. The shapeshifting vampire began to chuckle with glee as the words reached her, a hideous smile forcing itself onto her face. The fallen leader of the League of Villains stood next to the number one hero, scratching his neck as anticipation rose in the air. The being before him reminded him of the malice that was born from his master. The foolish Gransazer that had charged into hell continued to devour the meat from their biggest meal thus far, the taste of extraterrestrial giant satisfying him as he listened closely. 

The earth shook as a giantess made her presence known, the rotting giant looked downward with white hollowed eyes at the one speaking. The sound of beating wings was heard overhead as a draconic figure swooped down to the ground, landing onto the horde, crushing some of the weaker ones. The future-seeing teacher stood behind most of the group, the creature attempting to find the next best course of action with his Quirk. The heteromorph chuckled as he grew excited from the speech, all the flesh he could consume would be given to him, it mattered very little how to the Hollowed. 

“We will turn them into cattle as we reclaim this world for our own. Follow me, and together we will take our rightful place at the top of the food chain, the new humanity, the true humanity!”

The air once again grew silent before one by one, those with heightened intelligence began to kneel before him. A man with no Quirk, a man with no contract to a Devil, a man powerless to a well timed bullet, now stood above the horde. A sinister smile formed on his maw as he stepped down from the Gunhed, the cape still flowing in the wind as he approached Endeavor, reaching down with his hand. The fallen pro hero took it, rising to his feet as the entity began to do the same to the others that surrounded him, each of them standing around him.

“Take whatever you can from the Gotengo, reclaim anything of value.”

“W-Wait,” Shigaraki spoke, earning the entity’s attention with a side glare. “Wh-What… do we… c-c-call you?…”

For a moment the entity had to ponder on his answer, the question forcing himself to remember his own name. Turning fully towards the deceased supervillain with a warm smile, one hiding his true rage at even attempting to remember who he was before his transformation. “My name is Armin Arlet, and I demand justice.”

With a wave of his hand, the group one by one all began to march towards the fallen war machine in the distance, its form coated in flames and ash. All but two. He turned towards those that remained by his side, the fallen Douglus Gordon and Shinichi Ozaki, still standing with a salute towards their new leader. “A-Allow us… to travel w-w-with you.” The mutant spoke, his destroyed form struggling to even muster the simplest of words.

“As you wish,” Armin replied before spotting something amongst the ruins, keeping his gaze upon the object of his interest before beginning to march towards it. “But first you must do something. Begin a wide search within the city, find any others that might have interest such as yourself. We require numbers, power, and coordination. Do you believe you are up for the task?”

“At your… c-command,” Gordon spoke.

“Good.”

As the two JSDF soldiers took their leave, Armin continued marching towards what he had spotted, finding amongst the hellish landscape that surrounded him the corpse of a mechanical man. Oil spilled across the pavement just as blood had done the same for any human or animal caught within the chaos. Its humanoid form lay colorless on the ground as nothing but a corpse, one that could be devoured like the others. He crouched down, placing his hand on the torn apart head of the robotic entity with a soft touch.

“Were you forgotten too?” He spoke with an odd softness towards the fallen emissary of God, a plan forming in his mind to gain his revenge towards the one who had cursed him and Mikasa into oblivion.

“Our hate has united us, and it will rebuild you as it rebuilt me…” He looked into the ash filled sky, the air blowing past him as he took the moment in, his thoughts rushing towards the one responsible for his hate.

“Eren… I will kill you and everything you love in this world.”

***

GASP!

A series of weak breaths bounced underneath the pile of rubble, as the culprit placed his bloodied hand on the ground, wincing at the pain. He glanced down at his hand, noticing his index finger completely removed while his middle hung on by a thread. 

“Fuck.”

Observing his surroundings, he realized how limited it was as he was practically in a concrete dome. The soldier slowly shifted himself upward, allowing his back to rest on the makeshift wall, grunting from the injuries he received within the past few hours. He glanced down at his bloodstained shirt, ichor still pouring out while he groaned slightly in response. 

However, it was only then, with his conscience fully coming back, did he notice the worst of the damage on his body. His vision was partially gone, as he couldn’t see anything from the right side. The Captain lifted up his uninjured hand and tapped it ever slightly, finding nothing but a gaping hole. 

“Just my luck….” he mouthed out, closing his remaining eye, allowing himself to contemplate his next move. “Bastards.”

“Levi!” an excited voice echoed through his mind, as she continued on. “I love the new look!”

The Scout Regiment Captain chuckled at the voice, inspiring him to lift his head back up. “You better still be alive, four-eyes.”

He took his time getting himself back to his feet, rolling his eye at how the gap in the rubble was the perfect height for him. “Somewhere out there, I bet they’re laughing their asses off at this.”

Levi placed his wounded hand on his stomach, keeping whatever blood remained from spilling out as he glanced through the hole. “And same to you, Erwin.”

He limped over to the opening, intending to squeeze out of it, but a bloodcurdling cry was unleashed, followed up by a hand grabbing the collar of his shirt. Levi pulled back, as the infected stuck his head through the hole, screaming at him. The Captain’s strength was sapped as he struggled to escape, allowing the infected to pull him closer and closer.

“Captain Levi has the best chance out of any of us to stop this. He’s the only one I trust to see it through.”

“Goddammit, Erwin,” Levi hissed, planting his feet to the ground, allowing himself to hold his position for a few seconds, facing the zombie trying to bite down on his skin. “Why did you put that much faith in me?”

He scanned his entire body to search for anything he could use against the member of the Scourge. It could have been easy to miss something had he been a nervous wreck or had his injuries been even worse, but he was revered for a reason. The Scout Captain had been seen as a symbol of hope for humanity, and he couldn’t let that falter. Even if he didn’t care for the titles everyone threw at him.

Levi noticed a couple of blades still attached to his belt. He breathed, feeling a tad relieved he could still pull through this situation. The high ranking member of the Survey Corp snatched a blade off his belt, wincing at the steel cutting into his hand. He eyed the hole and gritted his teeth, knowing that attacking his assailant wouldn’t do much good.

Even if he could stab the monster in the head, there was no guarantee he’d die. The most the injured man could do was to ensure a stalemate. Levi huffed, preparing himself for the pain he was about to endure as he glanced down at his dangling finger. He moved his damaged hand just in front of the infected and slashed the finger with the swipe of his blade. 

Blood splattered across the zombie’s face, coating his eyes with red and blinding him briefly. The zombie panicked at the sight of his prey disappearing, forcing him to let go in a moment of confusion.  

Levi backed away with newfound freedom, grabbing a hold of his now severed finger. Despite the pain he induced upon himself, he kept himself composed, holding on to the digit. The Scout Captain squinted his eyes, aiming for the hole just past the zombie. Like throwing a treat to a dog, he tossed his severed finger. The impact was tiny, but it was enough to divert the infected’s attention. 

The trapped scout cut off a piece of his cape and wrapped his bloodied hand up in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Levi watched from a distance, noticing his assailant was taking the bait just as planned, devouring the finger to the bone. 

“Enjoy every little bit of it, you bastard,” Levi hissed between breaths, feeling the pain coarse through his whole body. 

The distraction didn’t last long as the zombie screamed right back at Levi, attempting to claw his way through the sanctuary. The Scout Captain breathed out, feeling himself collapse back down, watching the infected struggling to reach for him.

He closed his eyes, exhaling once more. “I guess I won’t be able to tell you after all, Hange.”

Levi chuckled. 

He wasn’t fond of this outcome, but at the very least, he chose how he would go out. It was a privilege to go out as a member of the living as opposed to being a part of the Scourge. 

“If you’re still out there, Hange. Take as many of those bastards out as you can and-” Levi paused, smiling at the thought of her, with her huge smile and those big, stupid glasses. “Live.”

He readied himself for death while the scream of the infected rattled on and on. Little did he know, death had no interest in claiming him that day. 

SPLAT!

The infected’s head exploded like a watermelon, immediately jolting Levi up. He witnessed the now headless zombie collapse from the tiny hole. The Scout captain kept his distance, properly equipping his blades, readying himself for a fight. He saw a brief glimpse of a figure clad in black just outside, having a bad feeling in his stomach that it was a far bigger threat.

The rubble exploded instantly as pieces landed just in front of him. Levi stood his ground, placing his blades just in front of him. The figure slowly entered the haven, revealing himself to have black armor with cracks all over it, while a red scarf draped around his neck was ripped.

Levi’s grip on his blades tightened, fully expecting the Kamen Rider to be infected. He’d be surprised, and even thankful, for the rescue. But with the helmet still intact, he had no idea what the new arrival wanted. 

The masked individual took note of Levi’s stance, identifying him as human, taking note of his fear towards him. The rider stood still and lifted his hands onto his helmet and removed it slowly, revealing the still human form of Takeshi Hongo. 

The unmasked rider smiled at his fellow compatriot before offering his hand. Levi breathed out in relief, immediately taking it as Ichigo led him further out. The two stepped free of the rubble, Levi realizing he was in the ruins of a convenience store. Ruined aisles full of scattered bags of chips and candy caught his eye. 

“Anyone else?” inquired Levi. 

Hongo shook his head, wasting no time in putting his helmet back on. He scanned Levi’s body, acknowledging the wounds plastered all over. The man was stubborn enough to go down fighting no matter the situation, but they needed to escape this hell and fast.

“We need to get out of here,” Hongo relayed, skimming through the aisles for supplies and bandages for his ally. 

Levi scoffed at the idea, allowing himself to lean back against a shelf. “I thought you’d want to look for more survivors.”

“How long do you think you’ve been out for?” Hongo asked, throwing a pack of bandages over towards him as he then reached for a backpack. 

“A couple of hours at most,” Levi coughed, picking up the bandages while the pain in his body continued. 

“It’s been twenty-eight hours since the operation ended,” Hongo clarified, ramming his hand across a shelf, pushing several bags of food into the pack. 

Levi huffed while he closed his eyes and wrapped his body up in bandages. “Shit. We really did lose, huh?”

“We didn’t just lose the battle,” Hongo announced, walking up to his fellow soldier, stuffing a few bottles of water in the pack before setting it down. “We lost the planet.”

Levi paused for a moment, taking in the information that was delivered to him. He was frozen at the revelation, questioning how they could have botched the operation so badly. The captain took note of Hongo taking over for applying his bandages, but continued traversing in his thoughts. He tried to take account of all divisions involved, his eyes widening. 

“Do you know if anyone made it out!? Do you know if Section Commander Hange made it out?” Levi almost barked out, before Hongo shushed him.

Ichigo shook his head, applying the last of the needed bandages onto the captain. “I don’t, I’m sorry. All I saw were corpses littered across the streets and a few choppers escaping the city.”

Levi hung his head down, muttering “Dammit.”

“I wish I knew, I really do,” Hongo spoke, noticing the distress in his friend before picking up the pack. “I have a lot of people I’m worried about as well, but right now we need to get out of here before either the infected find us or the flames devour us.”

“Yeah,” Levi simply whispered while he stood back up, gripping his blades. “I really was the only person you found, huh?”

“Sadly, yes,” Hongo answered, taking a peek outside the ruined store. 

“I can’t take offence in that,” Levi stated, moving closer to possibly the only friend he had left in this world. “If only there were more.”

“Agreed,” Hongo affirmed, turning his head slightly back at him. “You can run, right?”

“It’ll hurt like hell, but yeah, I can manage,” answered Levi.

“Good,” Hongo said, opening the door slowly, spotting zero infected congregating in the street they were in. Kamen Rider motioned for Levi to follow him outside as kept just outside of the business.

“What’s the plan?”

“First destination is to check up on a military base a few miles up north and see if anyone else made it,” clarified the Rider as the two began making their way down the street towards their target. 

“And if nothing is there?” Asked Levi, taking it easy with his aching body screaming at him. 

“Then, we keep searching, no matter what,” answered Hongo, marching down the street, finding his resolve in this newfound world. The world was lost and it crushed Takeshi’s spirit, but a glimmer of light was still in his heart. Even if there was only one person left out there, he’d fight tooth and nail to make sure they’d still live.

Levi’s survival was proof of that.

Levi, on the other hand, would follow Kamen Rider’s lead, but more important was making sure the Survey Corps’ sacrifice would not be in vain. When the time came, he would continue to dedicate his heart to them until the end. 

Despite their failures and regrets, the two marched out of Tokyo and into the wilderness with a newfound resolve. They were embers that’d help spark the fire of humanity to rise back up against the ever growing scourge.

Winner: Armored Titan, Neronga (Universal), Mt. Lady