Momo's scream pierced the forest, raw and desperate, her back pressed against a gnarled tree, tears cutting tracks down her face. The masked villain loomed, his blade Quirk—a gleaming, extendable arm blade—poised to slit her throat, his sneer cold. Haruto's body lay nearby, blood soaking the dirt from a chest wound, his wind Quirk silenced forever. Iida clutched a slashed leg, groaning, and Jiro slumped against a rock, her earjacks limp. The misty woods, thick with shadows and roots, felt like a grave. Zion blurred in, Lightspeed kicking his veins, tackling the villain just as the blade grazed Momo's neck, a thin red line welling up. She gasped, collapsing, as Zion pinned the fucker to the ground, Ironclad fist cocked.
"Touch her again, and you're dead," Zion snarled, his voice a guttural promise, crude rage boiling over. Momo was his—her Quirk, her body, her doubt about his cause—and no one fucked with what was his. The villain twisted free, blades snapping out, slicing Zion's arm, blood dripping. Zion grinned, pain fueling him, his All for One humming, hungry for more.
Tsuyu, Kaminari, and Shoji burst through the mist, eyes wide at Haruto's corpse. "Zion, what the hell?" Kaminari yelped, sparks crackling. "He's no pro, kero," Tsuyu said, voice tight. Zion waved them off, eyes locked on the villain, who stood, blades glinting, mask hiding all but a smirk.
"You're quick, kid," the villain rasped, voice like broken glass. "All for One said you'd be. That note—woods aren't safe? His words. He's watching, wants you in his crew." He lunged, blades aiming for Zion's chest, fast as a viper.
Zion dodged with Lightspeed, the air hissing, and countered with an Ironclad punch, cracking the villain's mask, revealing a scarred jaw. All for One? His gut twisted—admiration for the bastard's power, his defiance of hero lies, clashed with fury. "I respect the man," Zion growled, ducking a blade swipe, "his balls to break the world. But you hurt Momo, so you're fucked." He grabbed the villain's arm, Ironclad grip crushing bone, and slammed him into a tree, bark splintering.
The villain laughed, blood on his teeth. "You're like him—All for One in your veins. Join us, kid. We'll gut this fake hero system." He slashed, catching Zion's thigh, a shallow cut stinging like hell. Zion roared, Lightspeed blurring him behind, Ironclad fist smashing the villain's shoulder, popping it. "My fight's different," Zion spat, voice raw. "I'll kill the liars, the ones propping up this rotten world—pros, politicians, whoever. Not innocents, not her." He nodded at Momo, her eyes wide, clutching Tsuyu, blood trickling down her neck.
Momo staggered to her feet, crafting a steel staff, her hands shaking but fierce. "Zion, I can fight," she said, voice cracking, tears drying. She swung, missing, the villain dodging, his blade slicing her staff in half. Zion shoved her back, taking a blade to his ribs, grunting as blood soaked his shirt. Not letting you die, he thought, her appeal (95) a fire in his chest, her Quirk too vital for his cause—smashing hypocrisy, no mercy for the guilty.
The villain pressed, blades extending, carving gashes in trees. Zion used the terrain—roots to trip, mist to hide—feinting with Lightspeed, landing Ironclad jabs, each hit crunching bone. "All for One sees you," the villain taunted, slashing Zion's cheek. Zion's anger snapped, his hand clamping the villain's wrist, All for One roaring awake. A black-red pulse flared, ripping the blade Quirk from the man's core, his scream guttural as he collapsed, blades vanishing, eyes blank.
Zion stumbled, the new Quirk—sharp, metallic—coiling in him, his body trembling with power. Momo stared, her staff clattering, eyes locked on the pulse, the theft. "Zion… you're…" she whispered, horror and awe mixing, her mind clicking: All for One. She didn't finish, but her face said it—she knew his secret, his truth.
A system ping cut through:
<
System Update –
True Threat Defeated
Reward: +30 Stat Points
>
Past rewards had forged him, and this sharpened his edge, no need to linger on old wins. He knelt by Momo, checking her neck—shallow cut, no artery. "You good?" he asked, voice rough, his lust for her body, her Quirk, buried under urgency.
She nodded, trembling, eyes darting to Haruto's body, then the villain, then Zion. "You saved me," she said, voice small, but her gaze held questions—his power, his cause. Iida groaned, sitting up, his leg bandaged by Tsuyu. Jiro stirred, rubbing her head. "Haruto…" she muttered, voice breaking. Kaminari gagged, turning away from the blood. Shoji scouted, arms spread. "No one else, but we need to move," he said, voice low.
Zion helped Momo stand, her arm warm, her appeal a pulse he ignored. She knows, he thought, her silence a ticking bomb. As they regrouped, a distant explosion shook the forest, trees trembling, dirt raining. Aizawa's voice crackled over comms, sharp with panic: "All teams, fall back! Multiple hostiles in the zone, not part of the sim!" Zion's All-Seeing Eye scanned the mist—flashes, shadows, too many to count. Momo clutched his arm, her breath fast, as a low laugh echoed, chilling the air, promising more blood.
<
Name: Zion
Age: 16
Quirk: All for One
Special Ability: All-Seeing eye, (locked)
Energy: 45
Endurance: 50
Strength: 40
Appeal: ∞
>
*****