Chapter 7: The Measure of a Hero
Miyu sat in front of her usual desk at the Saber Shine Agency office. She was working on her homework, trying to use her studies to distract her from her nervous energy. Still, her knee never stopped moving underneath the desk. Miyu clenched the mouse, this plastic box that manipulated the cursor on the screen. Computers were still so weird to her. Miyu shook her head, and took another sip from her water bottle, but even after she finished her mouth felt dry.
Miyu logically knew that her big brother wouldn't be back from the entrance exam for a few more hours. She knew, intellectually, that Arturia would be returning with Shirou. She was assured the agency office was perfectly safe by Gawain before he left on patrol. She had been here for several weeks before now, and knew it was true. She had no reason to distrust anything here.
Miyu glanced over to Gawain's secretary, Miyako Arima. She was a young woman a handful of years older than Lance, with long, brunette hair and a permanently serious expression on her face. Her bright green eyes were framed by a pair of stylish glasses, which were glaring at her computer screen. She was the reason that this office was safe.
Miss Arima noticed Miyu staring at her, and tilted her head. Miyu shook her head, then turned back to her homework. Miss Arima nodded, then returned to tapping away on her keyboard, taking a second to sip from a panda-shaped ceramic mug. Miss Arima returned to her work, still as tense and bored with paperwork as ever.
Miyu sighed, focusing back to finishing her trigonometry problem. It was the last one she had for the day, and she had already solved for all the angles in the equation "Sin(x) + Sin(3x) + Sin(5x) = 0". Once she submitted the answers, she'd be done for the day. So she double checked, eager to stretch out the assignment. Unfortunately, she had proven herself correct. No more homework left to work on.
"0, π/3, 2π/3, π, 4π/3, 5π/3, and 2π." Miyu muttered, punching in the answers, receiving confirmation that she was finished with the unit. She sighed again, then shut off the computer and leaned back. Now what should she do?
Miyu glanced at the TV in the break area, weighing the idea of watching a documentary or something "entertaining." She didn't really find any form of fiction appealing. There was no escapism to be found there. It would also probably take awhile for Miyu to find a documentary that would actually engage her. At least without setting off the Holy Grail cramming her head with the background context until her head blanked out from the pain.
The Holy Grail provided all of the knowledge that should be known by Miyu and her big brother. The second they saw something unfamiliar, the information would flash into their heads. It didn't reveal anything that they wouldn't or shouldn't know if they had grown up in this world rather than their old world. A neat trick, but one with a bad side effect that Miyu was trying to keep hidden from Shirou. She didn't need her big brother worrying about anything else right now.
Miyu's reading level was university level. She had a strong vocabulary and could process information far more advanced than her fourteen years of age would suggest. She had studied advanced mathematics, biology, astronomy, world history, philosophy, and more while remaining hidden at the Emiya estate. Most of this knowledge transferred over to this world, making it so that the Holy Grail recognized her as a prodigy.
But this world was different from her old one. There was over a hundred years of history to learn. A whole new culture influenced by the Pro Heroes and Villains that had turned comic books to reality. Hell, even Quirks have impacted human anatomy in a variety of ways. All of this was knowledge that she would have had, but only if she had been raised here.
So, the Holy Grail tried to compensate, giving Miyu and Shirou knowledge and trivia when needed so that the Emiya siblings could fit into this world as they should. For Shirou, it was a simple annoyance. For Miyu, a painful migraine. Another reminder of how she didn't fit into this current paradigm.
Miyu chose to stand up, smoothing out the sky blue dress that she wore. It came with a deeper blue belt and intricate flower patterns, which is why Arturia had picked it out for Miyu on one of their quieter shopping trips. Miyu liked it, as it felt like it helped her fit in with the Pendragon household. Once the dress was straightened out, Miyu turned to the agency secretary, "Do you mind if I practice my Quirk?" Miyu lied.
Technically, the statement was true... legally speaking.
Miss Arima grunted, looking up to the clock. It was just past 1pm, which was typically when Miss Arima took her lunch break. Saber Shine needed her to be on call through noon, as that's when he did his best hero work. Miss Arima turned back to Miyu, "Yeah, sure, just don't burn anything down. Do you want to do your stuff here or come with me to the gym?"
Miss Arima liked to workout before eating her lunch at her desk, and Miyu had joined her a few times before, mostly on the weekends since Arturia and Shirou would also join her. Arturia was bound and determined to get a sparring match, but Miss Arima had deflected each time. Instead, Miss Arima simply did cardio, stretches, and finished with some Bajiquan katas.
"I'm sorry, Miss Arima, but I didn't bring any workout clothes. Maybe another time." Miyu stated, bowing politely. Miss Arima shook her head, picking up a red duffel bag by her desk with another panda emblazoned to the front. In her other hand, she picked up her water jug, which was white with red kanji down one side. The kanji read "Fatty Tuna" but no one from the Pendragon family had an idea why. Some inside joke?
"I told you before, you can just call me Miyako," Miss Arima sighed, then headed towards the back of the agency where the gym was, "You know where to find me. Don't hesitate to come running and screaming."
Miyu nodded, then started to turn to sit on the couch, but stopped when Miss Arima suddenly stopped, "Hey, Miss Miyu?" The former Child of God stopped, turning back towards the secretary, who was looking back to her.
"Your brother is fine. He's coming back today," Miss Arima said, her tone trying to hide a somber note. Miyu couldn't identify the emotions that came from the older woman's voice, but it felt like a mix of regret and affection. Miss Arima turned back towards the gym, "So, when you see him today, make sure to give him a big hug. He took a big step today, towards his dreams. You should make sure he knows that. You should make sure he knows you're supporting him."
With those ominous words, Miss Arima was off, vanishing into the gym. Miyu blinked, wondering what was that about. Miss Arima didn't talk a lot about her past. Gawain knew something, but he made it a point that he didn't push people to reveal their secrets. Something the Emiya siblings were thankful for.
Miyu sat down on the couch, and prepared to begin. As far as the law was concerned, Memory Projection was her Quirk. This false label said that her Quirk allowed her to make objects based on anything she could remember. Only Doctor Aozaki and Miyu's big brother had any clue that she was actually using Magecraft. Well, and anyone who knew the difference between Quirks and Magecraft, but that was decently rare these days.
Still, while Miyu had a decent cover with her magecraft, she wasn't able to use or understand whatever her actual Quirk is or does. Even after weeks, and weeks, and weeks, of testing, Doctor Aozaki had no clue what Miyu's Quirk actually linked to. It was frustrating, not knowing what her abilities truly were in this world. She didn't want to use her magecraft, or her Sakatsuki bloodline, Miyu wanted to use her Quirk and find her own purpose in life. Instead, she was just left with the magecraft that Shirou had so far taught her.
Miyu sighed, letting go of the train of thought. Regardless of what her Quirk actually did, at least she had a decent cover. Her magecraft wasn't an actual Quirk, but it could serve the role until she figured it out. Taking a deep breath, Miyu conjured the mental trigger to activate her magic circuits, and flipped it on.
In her mind's eye, Miyu cupped her hands together, and it filled with a black sludge. She brought it to her mouth, and drank. It was a vicious mix of mud, bile, tar, and blood. She choked it down, and felt every one of her magic circuits turn on.
This didn't feel like that feeling she had when she had used her Child of God powers to turn into Shirou's literal blood sister. Nor did it feel like the time she was able to awaken within the Holy Grail, and strike the deal with Manaka Sajyou to change the course of fate. No, this is what magecraft had always felt like to her. Ever since she caught Shirou practicing magecraft years ago, and managed to convince him to teach her.
Now that her magic circuits were active, Miyu decided to do Projection in her own way, before she practiced Shirou's. Holding out her hand, Miyu conjured a very familiar ball. A ball with patterns made from black, purple, pink, and white. It appeared in her hands, and Miyu grasped the toy ball, feeling the rubbery texture underneath her fingers.
This toy ball, among others of its kind, were the first memories she had. Miyu faintly remembered playing games with these balls... with her mother. A mother who was always calm and monotone, a refined lady, but still made sure to incorporate play into their schedule.
Miyu didn't remember much about her mother, or why she had kept their house as still as possible. Everything was done exactly and orderly, in such a way that boggled Miyu's mind. She wasn't allowed to leave the house, even before Kiritsugu and Shirou had arrived. Why, what had her mother been trying...
Miyu wiped her eyes away. Whatever the reason was, it didn't matter. Miyu had no need to understand her Sakatsuki heritage. She was an Emiya now. Specifically, one of Shirou's family. Not Kiritsugu's.
Since Miyu distracted herself, the ball lost its mental image, and faded away. Miyu's projections all did that. She didn't have the factory of Unlimited Blade Works to rely on. No easy shortcut method like what her brother got. Miyu let out a sigh, trying not to let disappointment get to her. She needed to find her own path, not just try to copy her brother and make swords.
...Or maybe she did. Miyu closed her eyes, deciding to truly, fully emulate her older brother. She hadn't ever made swords, Miyu's training was currently supposed to be working on recreating the ball with the seven steps Shirou had taught her. Instead, Miyu was going to try and make something she knew Shirou could do, then work her way backwards.
Miyu started by picturing those two swords Shirou always used. Two falchions, black and white like yin and yang, with leather wrapped bronze grips. Shirou could use these swords in all sorts of ways, one handed, dual wielded, even thrown. Miyu had even seen Shirou once extend the sword to take down the Lancer Card Player. That time, it looked like a singular black wing. It was a haunting image, yet somehow still beautiful.
Kanshou... and Bakuya. That's right. Those were their names. What beautiful names. What beautiful swords. Even if she didn't feel the same appeal as her brother, Miyu could agree to that. Perhaps she would understand more if she pulled this off.
Miyu held up her hands. Judging the concept of creation. Hypothesizing the basic structure. Duplicating the composition material. Imitating the skill of its making. Sympathizing with the experience of its growth. Reproducing the accumulated years. Excelling every manufacturing process.
Each of these were the steps of Shirou's Projection magecraft. Shirou had been trying to teach her, but she knew that she had some sort of fundamental misunderstanding of these steps.
Yet... Miyu wanted to try anyway. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Perhaps she needed to not rely on textbooks and theory, but actually try to follow the steps of her brother. She forced her mind to focus on the details of the two swords. It was sloppy, it was inefficient, and Miyu knew that she wasn't using the seven step process correctly.
Yet, Miyu closed her hands around those leather grips. Her projections were close. The basic structure was here. The materials were in place. She got close enough with the skill of their making. But Miyu's copies were lacking something. They were in the image of Kanshou and Bakuya, but they weren't true Projections yet.
They were missing stability. They were missing presence.
Miyu tried to gather the experience and accumulated years needed to give her Kanshou and Bakuya true, proper form. They were such vague, immeasurable concepts. She could use structural analysis as Shirou taught her, but it was just data. History was something written down, not used as an actual material. Yet, Unlimited Blade Works, no, Shirou could do it. Miyu had wished to become Shirou's sister. So she should be able to do the same!
Miyu took a deep breath, ignoring the heat that came from her magic circuits firing on all cylinders. She didn't lack od, the internal magical energy, but having infinite magical energy and using it are two different things. Miyu turned her focus back to her task, seeing the back of her older brother in front of her, holding those two swords. Now, how could she take those accumulated years, and...
This hill is his whole world. His eternal reward for a lifetime of helping people. He seemed to embrace this world, dying with a satisfied smile across his lips. He worked ceaselessly, striving for greatness beyond his nature, finally buying this miracle with his blood.
This victory should have brought him happiness. If he brings happiness to many people, then surely his own happiness will equal what he brought to others. In fact, it might even surpass it. But alas, that was not the reward he received.
Instead he was given a cruel fate, one where he was exploited as a Guardian long after his death. Damning so many people to save so many more, always in an effort to balance the scales and save as many as possible. It was the life of a machine, and though that machine was in service to a beautiful ideal, an ideal tested again and again, that life still was still filled with so many betrayals.
But among all of the betrayals, the one that stood above them all... was the one done by himself...
Miyu gasped, the projections fading as she fell to the ground, panting heavily. Her stomach was churning, her throat felt constricted, and her eyes burned. Miyu struggled to bring her breathing under control, resorting to shutting off her magic circuits. The effort worked, as the history that flooded her mind was purged.
Miyu took a few minutes before she was able to sit back on the couch, gritting her teeth as she tried to comprehend what exactly happened. She had tried to read the history of Kanshou and Bakuya and apply it to her own copies, so why had Miyu received... that. That wasn't their history, that was...
...EMIYA. That was the history of the alternative future of her older brother. That was the cursed life and death that he lived, the version of her older brother that still followed that cursed philosophy of Kiritsugu Emiya. How stupid was he? Stupid, stupid, stupid...
Miyu stopped punching the couch, realizing her immature actions after a minute. She sighed, shaking her head. Her brother wasn't like that anymore. Yes, he had a chance to be a hero, something Shirou had always dreamed of. Miyu was more than willing to support him in that. But Shirou wouldn't be left alone to become some machine, a cog in the world's order. Miyu would ensure that.
There was still plenty of time to worry about that, though. Miyu wasn't alone in her worries either, as she knew Arturia was slightly worried about that too. Miyu had faith they would figure something out.
Miyu stood up to get a drink, before suddenly getting light headed. She swayed for a second, gripping the couch until her dizziness and blurred vision disappeared. Then she frowned, as she was careful to avoid anything that could trigger orthostatic hypotension. Had she become too dehydrated from the heat of her magic circuits?
Her answer came once she took a mental inventory of her body. Miyu could feel it, her body pumping od directly into her heart. This od was then being pulled out of her chest out, leaving for another destination. Her brother.
Shirou was using the infinite magical energy that Miyu gave him accidentally through their bond as siblings. This was not something that he took lightly. Shirou had promised to keep a restriction on how much he used. Miyu's older brother did not want to use her as a glorified mana resource, and Miyu was more than grateful for this attitude. So for Shirou to use it now, during the entrance exam...
Miyu looked out the window. She couldn't see U.A., but she knew it was out there. She knew she had no reason to distrust the academy. She had been assured of its state of the art security and healing practices. She knew, intellectually, that U.A. would never want to see their prospective students injured too far. She knew, logically, that Shirou and Arturia were more than enough for the trials at their exam.
But that knowledge did nothing to quell her worry. Not with her own fears. Certainly not with the flow of magical energy that was leaving Miyu's body. The former Child of God knew something was wrong, and Miyu could feel her brother was fighting against something that he felt he needed to use his true power for.
Please be safe, big brother...
At Testing Center B, Ochako slid low, between the legs of another Imperial, slapping the underside of the faux villain worth five points. It immediately started floating up, and the bot panicked as it tried to move back down to the ground. The pack of five Victories paid it no heed as they kept their pursuit of Ochako. The faux villains closed in on her position...
Right under the Imperial. Gotcha.
"Release." Ochako tapped her fingertips together, and the Imperial got its wish. It slammed back to the ground. Violently. On top of its brethren, creating a massive pileup of scrap metal. The loud crash caused her to wince, but it netted her ten more points.
Ochako wiped the sweat off her forehead, wincing at the heat from the midday sun. The adrenaline was fading, and her stomach began to churn. Ochako was confident in her progress so far, but she needed to rest soon. Else, she'd end up puking in front of her future classmates.
That would be awkward.
Ochako chose to lie against a building nearby, taking slow, deep breaths. She had been getting hot, so she pulled her jacket off and tied it around her waist. Then she reached up and pulled her hair back more, pulling a hair tie off her wrist and placing her hair into a bun. This was sadly not the time to look cute. She needed it out of her face and neck, so she could concentrate on the exam.
While she was fixing her hair, Ochako heard a slurred voice calling out. Worried that a fellow candidate had a concussion, she whipped her head to the source. Once she identified it, she blinked, then raised an eyebrow.
"Pretty... Girl... Yay... Pretty... Arms... Yay..." It was a boy with blond hair and a black lightning bolt as a highlight. His eyes were unfocused, his cheeks were puffy, and he was drooling. Ochako was about to help out, when she finally registered what he was saying.
"Pretty... Girl... Yay... Yay... Yay..." the blond boy kept repeating, as he swayed closer and closer to her. Both of his hands were held out, thumbs sticking straight up. Ochako slowly lowered her arms, wondering what this guy was trying to pull. Didn't he realize they were in the middle of an exam?
Apparently he didn't realize much, as he tripped over a piece of concrete wall with rebar sticking out of it. He immediately fell, still holding his hands in a thumbs up position, and smacked his face into the pavement. The resulting groan of pain snapped Ochako out of her wariness, and she rushed over and picked the guy up with her Quirk.
As Ochako released the boy back into the arms of gravity, she saw that the light was returning to his eyes. "Oww, what the... how did...?" the blond boy asked, his voice nasally as he held his busted nose. Blood streamed from it, but the young man pinched his nose and leaned forward, and it quickly stopped.
The young man wiped his hands on his pants, smearing the blood, before noticing that Ochako was still right next to him. His eyes widened in panic and embarrassment, "Ugh... you saw that?" Ochako nodded sympathetically, and the young man hung his head, "Ah, man, there goes my chance at being cool at this school."
Ochako let out a small giggle, "Oh, don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She frowned, before following her statement up with, "Though, are you alright now? You were approaching me while muttering and keeping your thumbs up. It was..." Ochako trailed off, trying to find a way of not hurting the boy's feelings.
The blond boy, however, got the message regardless, and released another sigh, "Yeah... sorry for the creep show. Bad side effect of my Quirk. If I use too much voltage, my brain cells turn crispy," the boy put his hands up in the universal what-can-you-do gesture, before continuing "I end up being a dumbass instead of a smartass." The young man flashed a cocky grin, "Thanks for the save, though. Name's Denki Kaminari."
Ochako gave a small, polite smile, "I'm Uraraka. I get what you mean though, with some Quirks having some bad side effects." Ochako had to take a small pause to hold her mouth, before taking a slow breath and continuing, "My Quirk gives me motion sickness if I overuse it. Excuse me, I need to take a breather."
Ochako headed back to the wall, then let loose a sigh as she leaned against it. She was so tired, Ochako assumed that the wall was also vibrating. Kaminari hesitated for a second, then headed over to her. He kept a respectful distance, which Ochako appreciated, but she figured her fellow candidate would want to get back into the fight.
Her confusion must have appeared on her face, as Kaminari immediately asked his inquiry, "Excuse me, do you happen to know what time it is?" He held up his wrist, which had a red mark where a wristwatch used to be, "I... errr... may have fried it at the start."
Ochako chuckled, but shook her head, "Sorry, I didn't want to risk breaking my watch," she didn't want to waste money buying another one, "But the test should be over soon. I think this part is only fifteen minutes?"
Kaminari nodded, "That's right, I'm just trying to confirm how long I was..." he used his hands as physical air quotes, "'under' for. I really don't want to overextend again. Not when that Executor could show up."
Ochako paused at that comment, her mind conjuring an image of herself puking rainbows. Only to be launched into the air when the Executor burst through the ground, "Yeah, that would be bad. We could get completely blindsided," Ochako laughed off, ignoring the trembling that she felt in the ground. It must just be her limbs, overexerted from the exam.
Kaminari scoffed, "Yeah no kidding, and by a bot worth zero points," he shook his head in disgust, "Why did U.A. make the biggest, baddest bot worth zero points? Why wouldn't the teachers just make it the instant 'Welcome to U.A.' card?'"
Ochako chewed on that for a second, thinking about it, "I think it's to make sure we know our limits. To see what happens if we come across something we couldn't beat." Ochako shrugged, trying to still her legs. The shaking hadn't stopped yet.
Kaminari shrugged, "I guess, but isn't the whole motto of U.A. to 'Go Beyond, Plus Ultra'? Turning around and telling us to watch out for our limits seems like a weird choice." The blond boy held up his hand, sparks arcing between his fingers, "Man, if only I could zap that Executor down. That would be so cool, don't you think?"
Or if I could send it to orbit, that would be nice. "Yeah, I guess," Ochako instead replied, rolling her neck. She felt all of the bones pop, then shifted back to her feet. Ochako was ready to move, especially since she knew for a fact that rumbling wasn't her. Which meant it was probably...
A large crack split the air. Ochako and Kaminari whipped their heads over to the source, half a block away. Concrete crumbled, steel screeched, and gears groaned as the large, green, villain bot emerged from underneath the testing center. One hand came to rest on a nearby building, then the other, causing the buildings to crumble like pieces of cake. The technological terror turned to stare down the two students nearby. The eight ruby sensors peered down dispassionately on Ochako, filling her heart with dread.
The Executor.
She understood that name now. This wasn't just some arena trap, meant to cause a spook in the students. The metallic groans bellowed out from the shifting limbs. The crumbling dust from the collapsing buildings filled the air around Ochako. She could smell the burning rubber and oil from the joints of this green giant. Ochako fought to control her breathing. This wasn't some fake villain. This was a malevolent machine. This was...
It's staring at me. Why is it staring at me?
Ochako blinked at the sudden realization, her breath stopping in her throat. Her instincts weren't wrong, that monster was staring right at her. All eight of those ruby eyes were pointed right at her. She had no idea why. She was just a student, why was it targeting her?
The Executor roared, as it took a step forward, shoving the building to its right down. The building collapsed like a sandcastle at tide, pushing more dust and debris into the air. Kaminari's panicked cry of "RUN!" snapped Ochako out of her panicked fugue, and she took off running with the electric Quirk User.
Ochako powered through the shaking of the ground, sprinting as fast as she could through the debris. She ignored the groaning gears, the dusty air, and the startled cries from the other candidates. No one sounded hurt, so Ochako felt like it was okay to focus on getting to safety.
Ochako's hopes were quickly dashed. A new squad of Victory villain bots emerged from three nearby alleyways, blocking Kaminari and Ochako off. Snarling, Ochako cried out, "Get them out of our way, now!" Kaminari gave an affirmative yell back, and they got to work.
Ochako ducked under the arms of one of the Victories, grabbing the torso. Using her Quirk to reduce the weight, Ochako swung the Victory around, wielding its mass to bash down two other Victories before throwing it behind her. They crunched harder than scrap metal at a salvage yard. She clapped her hands together, releasing her Quirk, then ducked her head under a volley of stun darts fired by a faux villain a few paces back. She needed to destroy that one so that she and Kaminari could escape the ever approaching Executor behind them.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ochako saw Kaminari at work. The blond boy weaved through the other batch of villain bots as in short, graceful bursts. He would palm strike each of them near a joint, overloading the faux villains with crackling bursts. Each bot crumpled to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Ochako had to admit, she was impressed with Kaminari's footwork and martial arts.
Ochako zig-zagged her way up to the Victory who was providing cover fire, trying to avoid the stun darts as much as possible. She rolled to the side, then leapt up to drop kick the faux villain. Ochako landed the kick, popping the head clean off. However, the faux villain's gatling guns kept firing, getting Ochako's legs and arms as she shielded her face. She shook off the darts, annoyed by the misstep, but thankfully they hadn't set in yet. She could still make it out of here.
Kaminari pulled her attention back towards him, cheering her on, "Holy crap, Miss Uraraka, that was badass!" Ochako turned to give Kaminari to tell him to keep moving, only to gasp. One of the Victories that Kaminari had taken down wasn't fully defeated, and it raised its body up to strike. Before Ochako could warn him, Kaminari continued, "Man, we need to go to Dairy Queen after this and..."
BONK!
Kaminari dropped like a ragdoll from the Victory's strike. Ochako was already running back, so the second the electric boy hit the ground, she had picked up the Victory and smashed it into a nearby building. The soft concrete, used for training environments like this, caved under the blunt force, and the Victory's eyes went dim, confirming the faux villain's destruction.
Ochako didn't stop moving. She immediately let go of the Victory, clapped her hands to release it, then bent down to check on Kaminari. His eyes were once again unfocused, his cheeks were puffy, and he was drooling. The Victory had knocked his brain cells loose again. Great.
Not one to leave a comrade behind, Ochako picked up Kaminari with her, and got ready to start sprinting. She only made a few steps, before her legs suddenly locked up, and a burst of dizziness hit her. Ochako fell forward, quickly throwing the weightless Kaminari forward as she landed on her wrists.
Ochako quickly realized what went wrong the second she hit the ground, and yet felt no pain. Those stun darts had kicked in, and now her legs and arms were completely out of commission. She watched, helplessly, as Kaminari floated along without a care in the world, falling into the crowd of escaping students. The electric boy ended up sticking to another candidate with lots of brown fur, who simply picked him off his side and carried him away. Good, at least Kaminari would be okay, so she released him.
Ochako felt the ground rumble even further, and glanced behind her. Oh... shit. The Executor was right behind her, snagging candidates left and right with stun darts and shock nets. After that, the Executor would cover the candidates with its palm. When the machine moved its hand, the eliminated candidates were sent flying out of the testing via Fulton-style balloons. Ochako got the sinking feeling that being knocked out wouldn't result in a good score in the practical exam.
Ochako scrambled to move. Most of her limbs were out of commission, but she still had her shoulders and hips. If she continued to wiggle, then maybe, just maybe, she could either get to a safe spot. Better yet, maybe this movement would help end the numbing sooner than later. She just had to keep moving, just keep moving, just keep moving!
Her plans were dashed with a loud, metallic groan that was cut off with a thunderous crack. The Executor had twisted its body, shaving off a chunk of the skyscraper next to her. Concrete debris fell around Ochako, and she quickly covered her head. A solid piece of concrete smashed onto her back, and she cried out in surprise more than pain.
Ochako chanced a glance behind her. Thankfully, that softer concrete meant she wouldn't be critically injured. Her dad was particularly enamored about the construction material that Cementoss had developed, so she knew how the stuff worked. Ochako knew that her spine and legs were merely scuffed up and scratched rather than crushed.
It didn't change the fact that she was still pinned under it.
It didn't change the fact that her legs were still numb.
It didn't change the fact that the Executor was right behind her.
Ochako desperately thrashed, trying to get free. Nothing she did was working, and all she could feel was the ground beneath her chest and stomach scratching her up. She felt her mouth go dryer and dryer, and her eyes started to sting. From the debris, she lied to herself. Ochako struggled and fought for any give, any way to move.
But under the metallic groans of the approaching mechanical monstrosity, as she felt every pore drip with sweat from the heat that thing emitted, she could only put her head to the ground, and let loose a simple, human sound.
"Help!"
At Testing Center C, Fumikage cursed his hubris as he fell from the fourth floor of the parking garage. As the Executor had risen, it crumpled the two buildings next to it, a nearby skyscraper... and the parking garage Fumikage and Dark Shadow had been hunting in.
We should have listened to the punk girl.
No use crying over spilled milk. Fumikage relaxed his body with controlled breathing as he fell through the loud roar of the collapsing building, keeping his breaths shallow to avoid the dust in the air. Dark Shadow rushed below him shoving debris aside with reckless abandon. She reached the ground first, then formed a cushion with her arms. Fumikage fell into Dark Shadow's embrace, rolled out of it, then took off running, trying to get clear of the collapsing parking garage.
Once he was clear and the building stopped collapsing, Fumikage slowed to a stop, brushing off the dust and concrete bits off of his black track suit. It was quiet, too quiet. Dark Shadow tried to quickly scope out the area, but the bright midday sun burned her incorporeal body. It made it hard for her to look around.
Dark Shadow's unease escalated into full on panic once she identified where the Executor was. The faux villain giant was right in front of them, half a block away. Dark Shadow gave a surprised squawk as she mentally informed Fumikage of the issue. The raven-like boy snapped his head to the green giant, eyes wide. The mechanical beast groaned as it slowly turned its own head to peer down at Fumikage and Dark Shadow. Dark Shadow could feel the infrared sensors targeting her and therefore Fumikage from those eight sensors. Those blood red sensors, emotionless yet malevolent.
Damn it. The Executor didn't only work under the banner of U.A. This modern marvel was designed by a highly curated committee at I-Island. Computer scientists and engineers that had crafted the ultimate mobile shelter. Made of Luna Titanium and operated by the most advanced AIs developed by Stark Industries, it was the perfect mobile base. A shelter that had become a stalker.
The Executor could operate in any environment: Hurricanes, earthquakes, wild fires, and terrorist attacks; anything that would require a base for heroes to operate out of and civilians to retreat to. Therefore, one such feature is that the Executor was very adept at picking out and singling out individual targets even in less than ideal circumstances. It could secure those targets with a Fulton extraction system. Whether those targets are for rescue... or neutralization.
This shelter-turned-predator was clearly debating if it wanted to go bird hunting. Fumikage wasn't about to let it make that choice. He turned and bolted out there, heading down the road that had been in front of the collapsed skyscraper. The Executor immediately opened up its shoulder mounted rotary guns, and rained a hellstorm of stun darts upon Fumikage.
The raven boy weaved through the streets, managing to keep ahead of the onslaught. Each step onto the hot asphalt hurt, and with the sun so high up and the amount of energy they had already spent, Dark Shadow was forced to rest. She retreated into his tracksuit to recover, hissing back fruitlessly at the Executor. Fumikage kept running, wishing he could fly at this point. Why oh why did he have to only have the head of a raven?
Fumikage's grievances were forced to come to a stop as well as his run. A pack of faux villains, with two Imperials and six Victories, were emerging from the collapsed structures to attack the panicking candidates. The raven boy slid to turn right, heading for cover in the collapsed skyscraper he had just escaped. The Executor had thankfully stopped to reload its rotary guns, so as long as he could make the next few yards...
Two pops ruined Fumikage's plans. One of the Imperials had turned to him and fired off two missiles containing stun nets at him. No matter what direction he took off in, he wouldn't escape the nets once they deployed. Fumikage tried to muster the energy Dark Shadow needed to counter. All they needed to do was to counter just one of these nets! But she was too lethargic, and wouldn't come out in time...
Fumikage needn't have worried. Two chained nails shot forward, embedding themselves into each missile. The stun nets jammed inside, and then were yanked around over Fumikage's head back towards the Imperial. The spiked nails were yanked back, and Fumikage kept his gaze following back to see who wielded such dangerous weapons with such precision.
The snake hair woman from Present Mic's instructional assembly. Of course, Fumikage had felt that her Quirk was far more than just shifting into snakes. It seemed to allow the violet-haired woman to shift her hair into all sorts of implements. Intriguing.
"Let's go!" the violet-haired woman called out, and she alongside Fumikage took off into the crumbled remains of the skyscraper. They landed into a crater within, and Fumikage immediately lifted up a larger piece of concrete for shelter. After a quick moment, the now violet-haired woman helped him form a small barricade to hide behind for now.
Fumikage took a second to soak in the shadows, while the violet-haired woman turned a strand of hair into a snake to peer over the barricade, "Welp, they apparently didn't give up on us. They're approaching, got any ideas?"
Fumikage sighed, trying to focus and figure something out. Between the whirling of the faux villains and the metallic groaning of the Executor, it was hard to organize his thoughts. Then something shiny caught his eye. He looked up to a nearby building, where a redhead candidate stood, perched over the roof, drawing back a bow with a twisted piece of metal. Fumikage blinked as he recognized the archer. It was the haunted redhead who had been staring at the violet-haired woman next to him. What were the odds?
The archer let loose his arrow, which flew over Fumikage and his feminine comrade, right past the Executor, who turned its head to follow the arrow. Then the arrow split apart, obliterating the faux villains that had been chasing them. The violet-haired woman blinked, "What the hell was that?" Fumikage pointed to the archer, and she turned to gape at the archer.
"Oh... what in the hell is this guy's deal?" The violet-haired woman complained. Fumikage shrugged, not willing to approach the topic right now. The redhead relaxed his left arm with the bow to his side, then held up his right hand. A sword manifested in the archer's grasp, and the blade started blinking. The snake-haired candidate frowned, "Why... is he flashing us?"
Fumikage, however, recognized the flashing message, "It's Morse Code, he's asking if we can read him." The raven boy turned to the snake-haired woman, whose eyebrows were raised in confusion. Fumikage ignored that to focus on the situation at hand, "I don't have anything that can transmit back. Is that something your hair can do?" The violet-haired woman paused, then shifted two strands of hair into snakes, the ruby eyes flashing.
"Good, now flash a dash, then a dot, then two dashes. That will confirm that we can read him." Fumikage informed the snake haired woman, who immediately did as he asked. The redhead stopped flashing his previous message, then started transmitting a new message.
Fumikage quickly deciphered it, grateful he decided to learn the ancient code on a whim, "He's telling us there's a second wave approaching our position," both Dark Shadow and one of the violet snakes peered over the barricade, confirming the second squad of villain bots approaching, "He wants to know if we want cover fire for... the Executor or the second group?"
The group turned to look at the Executor, who in turn was turning to look over where the archer was perched. The rotary guns spun up again, firing on the archer's position. The redhead countered by materializing a giant sword as cover, then ducking behind it. He was still visible from their position, repeating his message from before.
Dark Shadow raised an exaggerated eyebrow, "Why would he give up easy points by asking us if we want cover fire on either? This red archer could have just told us to sit tight, moved to a new location, then obliterated the second wave." The snake haired woman sighed, pushing her sunglasses back into place. Fumikage and his spectral companion turned to look back at her.
"It's probably meant as an apology to me. I caught him staring at me, so I chewed him out. He did seem sincere though..." the violet-haired woman trailed off, considering the situation, "If this guy wants to give us some cover fire, I'd say we should have him attack the Executor. Let him draw the attention of that... thing."
Fumikage stole a second to consider the situation. Every moment mattered, but he had wanted to not rush into another battle so soon. His limbs still burned from the exertion since the start of the exam, and Dark Shadow had not yet recovered from the energy she spent destroying the villain bots nor from the effects of sunlight upon her. Neither of them would be operating at full capacity.
Yet, the two were applying to enter U.A. together. When Fumikage reached out within his mind to commune with Dark Shadow, her intentions were clear. We're trying to become heroes. It's time to go Plus Ultra. Fumikage took a deep breath and nodded, looking back to the snake-haired woman.
"Let us go, then. Flash five dashes, then wait, then a dot, then two dashes, then another dot," Fumikage glanced over the barricade, seeing the pack of approaching villain bots whirl and whine through the rubble. His feminine companion began her transmission, turning more hair strands into snakes to gain a full panoramic view.
In response, the archer started to wave his flashing sword up, shifting the color to red, then down. When the archer lifted the sword up again, it changed to yellow, then went back down. Fumikage and Dark Shadow instantly understood the message, as did the snake-haired woman. She shifted two more strands into the spiked nails she favored, then crouched low, ready to spring out.
The flashing sword turned green, then was thrown into the earth by the archer. The second it hit the ground, all three of them moved. The snake-haired woman immediately took point, shooting forward right into the body of an Imperial. She swung off of the neck, snapping it, then threw it into two Victories nearby. The snake-haired woman stuck low to the ground, weaving her snakes and chains through the opposing force.
Fumikage hung back, picking off left over Victories and focusing on moving forward, away from that mechanical monstrosity behind him. Dark Shadow stuck underneath his shirt, poking her head out to watch his back as he darted through the carnage that the snake-haired woman was leaving behind.
It was because Dark Shadow was watching his back that Fumikage got the image of how the redhead archer dealt with the Executor. The archer had stepped two paces back, then sprinted off the building, right into the open air. Two swords formed in mid air, and the archer leapt off of each of them. The Executor had been preparing for another attack on Fumikage and his comrade, but had jerked its head to stare right at the redhead aiming a bow at its face.
The redhead released his bow, and once again the arrow split into multiple copies, each one embedding itself into one of those blood red sensors. The Executor's head rocked backwards like the slide of a firearm, while the redhead flung some sort of grappling hook to the side and swung away. Dark Shadow and Fumikage were flabbergasted. Who the hell was that?
That question would linger for now. A new villain bot, a 10-point Venator, arrived on the scene. It set itself a few meters back, then fired upon both Fumikage and the snake-haired woman. Fumikage darted behind the snake-haired woman, who started spinning her chains to deflect the stun darts. "It'll be out in fifteen seconds," the snake-haired woman called out, "We'll rush it then, it should only have those nets."
"Agreed," Fumikage rumbled, while mentally checking in with Dark Shadow. Dark Shadow revealed that the Executor's head had shifted back into place, with the front faceplate detaching and falling to the ground. More plates from each side detached, and high-pitched screech rang out, as four eyes on each side of the new face lit up. The Executor let loose a low metallic howl, the split jaw vibrating with malicious intent.
It's unmuzzled.
No, not unmuzzled, shedded. Like an insect's carapace, but the world had flipped to make the bird and snake the prey, not the bug. Fumikage wasn't the only one to notice. The snake-haired woman had turned her full attention back to the Executor at the sound, sparing only a few snakes to keep an eye on the Venator in front of them. Even with her eyes hidden behind her sunglasses, her eyes were wide and her face was pale. All of her snakes, even the ones that weren't looking, recoiled at the Executor's screech. Fumikage could feel the fear escape her mouth as she gave a loud cry of "RUN!"
Fumikage wasted no time running alongside her at the Venator. They needed to take out that last faux villain and get the hell out of here. The Venator was spooling down its gatling guns, so while it was early to run at it, they only risked a few of the stun darts. Better that than dealing with the Executor.
The snake-haired woman rushed to strike down the Venator, pulling back her arms to throw her chained spikes. The Venator responded by ending its suppressing fire and firing off two missles... Causing Fumikage to hesitate. The missiles... They shot out with a hiss, not a pop. They were shaped differently. Fumikage hadn't seen these more-tube-like missiles before.
The snake-haired woman changed her aim to the new missiles, casting her spikes right into them. The second they embedded, she growled and swung the nails around to launch them back at the Venator.
They never completed their arc. The missiles exploded right next to Fumikage and his companion, covering the area in dense, green smoke. Fumikage coughed out what little had gotten into him, while the snake-haired woman had inhaled the smoke from not only her own lungs, but that of her own snakes. They had been played.
Fumikage had barely recognized that thought when his instincts screamed for him to dodge to the side. He followed them, recognizing too late what he was evading. A grappling hook shot past him, wrapping around the still coughing snake-haired woman.
Fumikage didn't need Dark Shadow to know where the grappling hook came from. The Executor had shifted targets back to Fumikage and his companion. The Executor had cast out a line, and now was going to reel in its prey.
Fumikage recognized his two options. He could rush past the snake-haired woman, take down the Venator, and escape with a few more points. Under the circumstances, no one would blame him for prioritizing himself and Dark Shadow. This was simply a test of their abilities, a mere simulation of a real crisis. Leaving her behind doesn't matter.
It does to me. It does to us.
The second the Executor started to rip the snake-haired woman back, Fumikage leapt forward and caught her in his arms. Her momentum continued, and he was thrown back as well. Dark Shadow poured out of his shirt, immediately landing on the ground. His spectral companion laid her arms on the ground, serving as a sled as she snapped at the grappling wire with her teeth.
Fumikage gritted his beak, digging his heels into the ground, shredding his sneakers to pieces as he tried to gain purchase against the Executor's mechanical leverage. Once again, he found himself wishing for more bird parts, as talons would have been exceptionally helpful here.
The snake-haired woman continued to hack her lungs out, the smoke compounding with the whiplash having done incredible damage. Once some of her snakes had recovered, she shifted them into nails and tried embedding them into the ground, providing more leverage against the mechanical monstrosity.
Dark Shadow finally snapped the grappling hook free, causing Fumikage and their companion to go tumbling forward under the inertia. They finally came to a stop, glancing up only a few meters away from their terrifying titan of industry. The Executor roared, as it swept its arm over to the two candidates. It swiped across another building, blasting the roof apart and spraying debris everywhere.
Fumikage growled. His feet were raw and bloodied. His lungs burned, as did Dark Shadow did under this midday sun. The snake-haired woman beside him, who Fumikage belatedly realized he never got the name of, was not much better. Her limbs were shaky, and most of her hair had returned back to violet strands. She only held up two spikes, glaring from behind her cracked sunglasses.
Even in the face of this monster, Fumikage had no regrets standing by his ally. The groans of the Executor were matched by the pained hiss of the Snake and the defiant cry of the Raptor. If they were going to fail here, they would fail with valor!
At Testing Center B, Izuku dashed under some falling rubble, using the shield in his right hand to cover himself and the fellow candidate the debris was about to hit. The debris impacted the shield, then tumbled to the ground. Izuku glanced down to his fellow applicant, "You alright?"
"Yup, ribbit," replied the young woman with long green hair and a wide, friendly smile. She moved up to sit on her heels, "That was a close call. Thanks for the save, ribbit."
A Frog Quirk, so cool... wait, focus. Izuku shook his head, "No worries, but you should get out of here. That Executor thing is getting closer." The frog girl didn't need any more encouragement. She literally hopped to it, leaping forward with her powerful legs. She vanished into the crowd of retreating students.
Izuku turned back to the test. No, this was no longer a test, it was chaos. Even knowing this was a simulation, Izuku felt sick. Applicants were trying to run from the newly emerged Zero-Point Executor, only to come across new waves of faux-villains. These new villain bots were faster, tougher, and equipped with new weapons.
The earlier battles were akin to a squabble at a nursery, with candidates arguing like toddlers over points. Now, the tone was of desperate survival, and wondering when the real heroes would arrive. Real heroes who would fight against the tide of steel that was flattening the city around it.
But that was the point. Izuku, and the other candidates here, were here to prove that they were ready to start becoming Pro Heroes. Now wasn't the time to think, but to act.
Izuku scanned the battlefield, looking for more faux villains that he could fight. He was still at zero points, as even with the two shields Izuku had found himself working to bail out the applicants he was competing with more than fighting the villains he was tasked to. He needed to focus, else he really would fail this test.
The air was oppressively humid, generated by the giant machine at the center. The odor that washed over the simulated city was rank with battery acid and machine oil. Despite this, Izuku started running forward, noticing an alleyway that was ahead. Following his gut, Izuku was rewarded with a pack of Victories that were ready to start pouring out. There was even an Imperial backing them up. Finally, Izuku can focus on stopping these guys and...
"Help!" A voice cried out. A voice Izuku had just met. A voice he knew to be bubbly, cheerful, and warm. Now the voice was in pain, crying out in desperation. Izuku turned to the source, and saw Miss Uraraka covered in rubble and debris. The soft brunette girl was trying to move, but her movements were lethargic. The hot humid air had her coughing out her lungs... And the Executor was right behind her.
Izuku snapped his gaze up to the mechanical monstrosity, inhaling the odorous air containing exhaust and burning rubber. It was coming for Miss Uraraka, stopping only to send up other applicants via balloons. Those applicants had either tried to fight it or weren't fast enough to escape. The Executor was an impassive wall, shutting down everyone around it. Miss Uraraka would soon be next.
Before Izuku could run after to help her, he heard the whirl of the gatling guns, and turned his head back towards the pack of Victories. Right, these guys were still here. They were preparing to open fire on Izuku, so if he turned to run for Miss Uraraka, then he would be shot down. Izuku couldn't save her until these guys were taken down.
But he didn't have time to fight them either. No matter how much he raged internally, Izuku still couldn't tap into One for All's reservoir. He was still a Quirkless wannabe, with just his guts and his two shields. Against a pack of Villain Bots and a titanic terror that warranted a real hero to come and save the day. But it was just him. Just poor, worthless, Deku.
How could he save anyone, let alone himself?
You have earned this power, fair and square. Because of your effort, and because of your heart. Never abandon those.
Midoriya, you got Miyu away from a dangerous situation and got help.
Oh my gosh, you haven't even attended U.A. and you've already saved someone!
The words of All-Might, Emiya, and Uraraka snapped into place within Izuku's mind. He wanted to be a hero. They thought he could be one. It was time to prove them right.
Izuku threw his right shield at the pack of Victories just as the first shots were fired. The shield deflected the shots, its weight and momentum causing the stun darts to be batted away like bugs on a windshield. The shield slammed into the front Victory, knocking it over and distracting the Victories around it. Then the other Victories peeled off to chase Izuku, the stunned Victory getting up to join its brethren.
Izuku didn't stop to witness this interaction. He was racing as fast as he could, awkwardly carrying the shield behind him. He needed it as cover from the volley of stun darts that the Villain Bots were firing at him. The weight was nothing to the cars and debris that he cleaned from Takoba. He could do this. Izuku would do this.
A hiss struck at that confidence. Izuku instinctively turned to see what the Imperial had shot out. It was a strange missile, different from the stun nets from before. It came right for Izuku's chest, so he ducked behind the shield to parry it away.
It burst, pink smoke filling the immediate surroundings. The blast sent Izuku flying backwards, crashing down to his knees. At least he was closer to Miss Uraraka, who was still crying out. The bad news was that the Executor was almost upon her. It was dealing with two more applicants, then Miss Uraraka would be next. The Victories had formed a line behind him, ready to capture him. They were both trapped.
Izuku wasn't going to give up now. But he needed a plan to deal with these faux villains so Izuku could get to the angelic girl. He needed his Quirk to work. He needed power like what Emiya and All-Might had. Something like...
A mighty wind interrupted his thoughts. The Imperial's head popped clean off, as Miss Pendragon came flying in. She landed on the far side of the pack of Victories, then shot off. Her movements were like a dance, weaving through a chorus of shredded metal. By the time she stilled on the near side of the pack, the Victories crumbled to the ground with a metallic cry.
Izuku was stunned, then looked at Miss Pendragon's gaze. She gave a confident smirk, "Oh, hello Midoriya, what are you doing here?" Miss Pendragon gestured to the roaring Executor, who had finished its last batch of prey, and was looking for its next victim, "Don't tell me you're foolish enough to challenge that?" She sounded casual, as breezy as the wind she came in on.
"Uraraka!" Izuku called out, scrambling to his feet as he turned to start running for the round brunette. Miss Pendragon looked confused at the outburst, tilting her head amidst the chaos. Then Miss Uraraka gave one more cry for help, and Miss Pendragon immediately realized the situation.
As Izuku ran, he could feel the wind being sucked into Miss Pendragon's lungs. The pressure in the air shifted to draw attention to her presence, her power. She enforced calm into this storm.
He kept running, not willing to waste any time. Step after step, he kept pushing forward, against the oppressive pressure of the Executor. Pendragon shot forward and the second the ferocious lioness passed him...
It clicked.
Izuku clenched his butt cheeks as All-Might told him to, then straightened his back. Vertebra by vertebra, an electrical heat seared through Izuku's body. The heat solidified, as if he had forced a metal rod down his spine. Then the heat spread out to every nerve ending in his body. Izuku felt like he had just grabbed an electric fence, then started to tear it asunder. The power behind it... One for Allwas waiting for him.
It was his.
Izuku shot off after Pendragon. Step after step cracking into the concrete ground. Within a couple of breaths, he was side by side alongside Pendragon. This time he wasn't going to run. This time he wasn't going to hide. This time, he was going to fight.
At Testing Center C, Shirou bolted forward, racing after the two applicants that were being reeled in by the unleashed Executor. He flared his magic circuits, pushing his Reinforcement to his absolute limit.
Violet hair ripped backwards by chains.
It was stupid to care about this situation, about his fellow applicants. This wasn't his dying world. This wasn't Fuyuki. This wasn't the Holy Grail War. This wasn't even Sakura Matou. The other violet-haired woman had made that incredibly clear.
This was just another applicant. This was just a test to enter a hero school. This was Musutafu. This was a thriving world of heroes. There was no true danger here.
Still, Shirou couldn't stop his sprint, as he bolted for the green giant. The Executor hadn't noticed his return yet, as it took its right hand, and began to reach down to pick up the two teens it had reeled in. The mechanized menace gave a low rumble, as if it was chuckling at the pathetic sight before it.
As the shadow of the Executor fell over the two, the violet-haired woman crouched down, ready to leap to the side. Her grip tightened against her twin nails, trembling ever so slightly. Her bird-like companion also crouched down, his shoes devastated, his back torn up, and his shadowy companion looked less tangible than the shadows around them.
...The whole reason he was here was to try to become a hero again.
The opportunity that he had forsaken to save Miyu was given to him again. Now that he found himself in a simulacrum of that night... He had to know. He had to know if he could have saved Sakura if he had acted. Even if this wasn't Sakura, even if this wasn't the Holy Grail War, even if no one else will care about these applicants in this situation...
Somebody should.
Shirou threw his right arm out to the side, reaching into the hill of swords for a weapon to fight back with. This mechanical monstrosity needed to fall, here and now. Shirou lacked the right kind of weapon to slay this green giant here. But EMIYA had more than enough.
"Trace... ON!" Shirou immediately rushed through the seven steps of Projection. He forged the sword with brute force, for it would only be wielded by brute force. It was called a sword, but a club of steel would have been a better descriptor. It was fundamentally made to smash any and all targets. As Shirou raced forward, that was exactly what he was going to do.
CLASH!
Ayako recoiled back as a red and black blur rushed right in front of her, swinging a metallic gray hunk right at the Executor's hand. Two fingers came flying off with a shrieking groan, and the Executor pulled its hand back with a roar. A breeze ran over Ayako, surprising her with how cool it felt.
She stared at the figure before her, who was still holding that gray hunk. The metallic gray hunk was shaped like a club made from several swords. Red lines started to flow through the gray weapon like blood.
Ayako turned her attention to the wielder, who, of course, was that redhead archer from before. She had thought he had abandoned them, and she didn't blame him. Ayako and her bird-like companion were only here because they had no choice. Why was this guy putting this much effort to save his competition?
The redhead archer nonchalantly swung the huge weight around, standing more like a baseball player who just scored a home run. The redhead turned to look back at Ayako and the birdlike companion, his haunted face strangely softening as he saw them. It was as if... he was the one being saved.
The moment passed, and the redhead swung the metal club once again, clashing with the Executor's left hand this time. The sound was as if a church's bell was thrown off the tower. More fingers broke off, while the red lines in the metallic club grew even more ominously.
The Executor roared out, and the redhead snarled back. Nay Green? Ayako could barely register the words, but she could hear the tone. The growl, the grief, the groan behind the snarl. The redhead was putting everything that he could behind this strike, ready to meet the Executor head on.
Why was he here at all? What was this guy even trying to do, fighting a mechanical monstrosity like this thing? Ayako's thoughts were disturbed as she glanced at her hair from the corner of her eye.
My junior at my archery club. Her name was Sakura Matou. The shade of your hair matches hers.
Was. A simple word that communicated the past tense. The implication was made clear within the redhead's expression. Ayako hadn't realized the true reason she hated the archer's stare from earlier. It wasn't just because it was weird or creepy... It was because it was familiar. Ayako had seen that stare before, reflected back in her own mirror.
You failed Sakura, huh?
Just like I failed Minori.