Shigaraki moved in the same breath Nomu fell.
Orion actually saw the sneaky hand coming, although only barely. He could argue that if he wished, there was a possibility that he could have dodged that bastard Shigaraki.
But that was only an if. Compared to his certain win against Nomu, he just didn't feel like dodging away.
A pale hand reached through like a spider striking from its web exactly when Orion delivered his final Unsheathe on Nomu, decapitating him in one go. Before anyone could shout a warning, Shigaraki's fingers slammed into Orion's chest.
"Got you."
Decay bloomed.
It almost reminded Orion of the Scarlet Rot from the game.
Orion stiffened when he felt the pain of his skin decaying in real time. It wasn't just simple pain either; it felt like ants were crawling under his skin before releasing hot lava, melting his skin, bones, and flesh alike.
He looked down as cracks raced across his chest, skin graying, crumbling, holy light flickering and dying along his blade. His Uchigatana slipped from his fingers and clattered to the ground.
"FUCK…"
He staggered once, then dropped to one knee, breath tearing from his lungs.
"No—!" Aizawa shouted.
The headless body of Nomu collapsed behind him, regeneration utterly gone, flesh blackened and dead where holy magic had burned through it. The monster did not rise again. It was over.
Unfortunately, it was the same for Orion as well.
His chest was disintegrating, flesh turning to ash faster than any wound could close. He tried to move, tried to breathe, tried to use the last option he had—the healing incantation—to heal himself, since he was running out of flasks by now, but his body was already failing him.
Aizawa ran. Faster than he ever had. Izuku was right behind him, followed by both Todoroki and Bakugo.
Aizawa slid beside Orion, hands shaking as he ripped the cap from the healing potion and poured it over the boy's chest. The red liquid hissed as it met decaying flesh, light flaring weakly—then fading.
Perhaps it might have been enough to heal himself if it wasn't diluted by Naaza, but right now, it wasn't enough.
"I'm so fucking getting a refund from Naaza for this…" Orion rasped, a crooked smile tugging at his lips even as his voice broke. "The Nomu… is he dead…?" he asked Aizawa, since the man was hindering his vision.
"Don't talk, that's not important right now," Aizawa growled, furious, desperate. "Stay with me. Stay—"
'Fuck, it's not important! I died for nothing if that monster isn't down.' Orion wished to shout. However, by now the decay had caught up to his respiratory system, making him gasp for air.
Slowly, the decay reached Orion's shoulders, his arms, his neck. His body began to lose shape, edges crumbling away like burnt paper.
"No, no… listen, you brat, don't die on me." Aizawa gritted his teeth, activating his quirk in weak hope that the spreading decay would stop.
The students behind him—even Bakugo, Izuku, and Todoroki, who helped fight Nomu—stood frozen, horror carved into their faces.
"Orion-san…" Izuku's eyes watered.
And as if on cue, exactly then the doors of the USJ exploded inward.
"I AM HERE!"
All Might burst into the USJ in a storm of wind and power.
However, he saw almost all the fighting had quieted down by now. All the students and even Aizawa were in one place, a headless body of a monster nearby, and two villains off to the side.
"Hahaha… finally, that's what you get for interrupting my plan, brat," Shigaraki shouted, elated at the death.
Silence fell.
Aizawa stared at the empty space where the boy had been till now, his body turned into ash. Usually he would have questioned how that was even possible, but at the rate Orion's body was decaying, he just thought it was because of Shigaraki's quirk. His fist clenched so tightly it trembled.
"NO…!" All Might's eyes trembled. He didn't know who died, but he knew that look on everyone's faces. He knew what death looked like.
And since both Aizawa and Thirteen were present, meaning it was a student… at least in his mind.
Sorrow filled him for a second, and then rage came over.
"You're late, All Might. You couldn't save that brat. Just like how you will not save anyone when the next time the League of Villains strikes. Hahahahahaha…" Shigaraki laughed maniacally.
He anger of his lost arm and killed Nomu didn't even put a dent on his mood upon seeing Orion's die.
All Might, in anger, launched himself towards them. However, Kurogiri acted faster; he quickly teleported both himself and Shigaraki away.
All Might gritted his teeth, his eyes pained.
"Aizawa… who was that boy?"
Thirteen, who finally arrived, looked at the ashes on the ground with a sad look. She knew he wasn't a student; however, he helped them.
"Orion… Orion Star Storm."
-x-
[Danmachi World – Dungeon]
Orion woke with a sharp gasp, lungs dragging air as though he had been drowning.
He took it in like a man starving for ages.
Stone pressed cold against his back while the golden, soft warmth of the grace gave him a sort of comfort which was otherwise hard to explain.
The familiar ceiling of the dungeon loomed overhead, making him narrow his eyes and slowly take in the reality of his situation. His mind took its sweet time to register whatever had happened until now, and finally he cursed.
For half a second, there was only silence—then the memory hit him like a hammer.
Decay.
His chest collapsing inward. Skin cracking. The sensation of his body coming apart grain by grain, pain so absolute it drowned thought itself.
"Son of a—" Orion shot upright, clutching his chest. "That bastard—that sneaky, handsy, decaying man-child—!"
"If by any chance I'm going back to MHA, I'm cutting off that other hand of that bastard too," he growled.
His breathing was ragged, fingers digging into unblemished flesh that should not have existed. He looked down, then laughed once, sharp and humorless.
Recalling that maddening pain of his body decaying kind of broke him for a second.
"Seriously? A sneak attack? After all that?" He leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "I kill his pet monster, save his whole playground full of kids, and that's how I go out?"
Only then did he notice her.
Marika stood a short distance away, hands folded before her, expression calm as ever—yet there was something tight beneath it, something restrained. She had waited, letting him rage, letting the memory burn itself out.
Because Marika had seen Tarnished going mad by this process—repeated deaths and repeated resurrection. There was only so much a soul could take before reason lost its meaning.
And for the first time, after losing her own connection to the higher order, she felt that it was cruel.
She, for once, did wish that end for her Tarnished when she saw him writhing in pain, body decaying.
[…That was unpleasant]
She said at last.
Orion glanced at her. "Not as unpleasant as hanging inside a tree for centuries…" He waved his hand upon seeing her concerned look.
[Your body did not merely perish.]
Marika continued.
[It was reduced to nothing. No flesh. No bone. No soul-anchor left behind. Had the dungeon not claimed you instantly…] She paused.
[You would not have returned.]
Orion swallowed, some of the humor draining away. "Can you please not say that when I just came back to life? I understand you wish to warn me, but just not immediately after reviving. Please."
Marika didn't respond. She just looked at him with narrowed eyes and then shrugged it away with a shake of her head.
[Just keep in mind, dying might be an option, but it's not a luxury. Every death comes with its weight.]
A brief silence followed. Then the dungeon shifted. Light gathered, forming familiar glyphs—reward sigils.
[You fulfilled nearly all conditions,]
Marika said. [Those children survived. The abomination was slain.]
"And Kurogiri and Shigaraki escaped." He nodded. He knew. He sighed; he was pretty close to getting a 100% in that Legacy Dungeon.
Orion clicked his tongue. "Figures. I need more training. And to level up."
He lay back against the cold stone, breathing slowing as the last phantom traces of pain finally faded, though it was mostly his imagination. He was completely healed the moment he revived.
Before he became too comfortable, however, something appeared in front of him.
-x-
[ LEGACY DUNGEON COMPLETION ]
[ INSTANCE: U.S.J. INCIDENT — MHA WORLD ]
Status: COMPLETED (PARTIAL)
Primary Objectives:
• Ensure survival of Class 1-A students — COMPLETE
• Defeat hostile bio-weapon (Nomu) — COMPLETE
• Capture hostile entities (Shigaraki Tomura, Kurogiri) — FAILED
Overall Evaluation: A-RANK (Conditional)
-x-
Orion squinted at the floating text. "...Okay… I mostly expected this. Tell me the rewards first."
The screen flickered, unfazed.
-x-
[ REWARD DISTRIBUTION INITIATED ]
Due to partial objective failure, total rewards reduced.
Processing…
-x-
A heavy pressure settled over the dungeon floor. Black smoke coiled upward, thick and oppressive, forming the outline of something massive and hunched.
-x-
[ REWARD 1 ACQUIRED ]
Spirit Ash: Nomu (Experimental Type)
Description:
A bound remnant of a defeated artificial being.
Retains extreme physical strength and regenerative traits.
Obedience enforced. Will removed.
Warning: High mana consumption.
-x-
Orion stared as the presence faded into a sealed ash mark.
"…Woh…" he muttered. "Did I just get a boss-level enemy as a follower…? That thing almost killed me, and now it's my summon."
A big grin appeared on his face, suddenly feeling like being turned to ash by decay was worth it.
The system chimed again, lighter this time.
-x-
[ REWARD 2 ACQUIRED ]
Quirk Assimilation Complete: ANIVOICE
Origin: Koji Koda
Effect:
Allows communication and partial commanding of animals and animal-type entities.
Effect scales with affinity and intent.
-x-
Orion blinked. A strange clarity settled into his senses, like a new channel quietly opening in his mind.
"…Huh," he said slowly. "That actually could be useful." He was about to complain about not getting one of the flashy quirks, but something suddenly came to his mind.
If this Anivoice worked the way he wished it to work, then perhaps this was the best quirk he could have gotten.
"Okay… I'm curious now. Come on… I wanna test out these new baddies." He launched himself up like a child on a sugar rush, ready to storm the dungeon with his new summon and later negotiate with the monsters using his new quirk.
xXx
A/N : Ah, tell me how was the end of this fight. I mean there was always a possibility that Orion could win against Nomu just as how much there was the possiblity of him losing.
But, him handling all of the enemies at once was a no go. Perhaps I could have written it differently however, I just wished to drill this one part that death in this game like system was always a possibility no matter how good you're.
As for the rewards, what you think. I gave it a lot of thought. If you had any other idea then tell me in comments.
And of course, this fic could definately use both Stones and review so please consider giving some.
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