Izuku The Fusion Hero

CHAPTER 55

Hosu was frighteningly quiet. Miyuki hates how quiet it was. She can hear every crackle of Endeavor’s flames, every squeaking rat, every distant vehicle on some trip late at night. She resists the urge to grit her teeth. Coming here to fight a serial killer. It all just seems like a bad plan. Not to mention how worried her classmates have been about Iida lately. Another reminder of just how dangerous the bastard’s quarry was. Besides, they’ve come out here every night this week and haven’t seen so much of a glimpse of the Hero Killer.

“Stain, you coward,” Endeavor murmurs under his breath. Miyuki refrains from commenting. Still, they carry on their patrol for an hour before anything interesting happens.

Something clinks in a nearby alley. Endeavor puts a hand in front of Miyuki. She spares a glance up at the Pro. Endeavor has his narrowed gaze aimed down that alley into the darkness. A cruel smile stretches across his face.

“Finally,” he says. “Come, Miyuki”

Miyuki sticks to Endeavor’s heel as the man rushes down the alley. Miyuki wasn’t worried. It was probably a rat or someone dumpster diving, or maybe some kids goofing off—

Endeavor halts, and Miyuki slows to a stop behind him. Her breath hitches in her throat.

A dark figure stands off to the side. He’s holding someone by the face, pressing them against the wall of a building. His clothing is dark, but he has bandages instead of sleeves. A blood-red scarf sits loose around his shoulders. A white bandana wraps around his face. Even from this distance, Miyuki could see that his clothing was reinforced. He’s covered in sheathed blades.

“Stain!” bellows Endeavor. “Your reign of terror ends here!”

Stain seems to pause. He releases the other man—a Pro Hero from the look of his weird tan bodysuit and feathery cape—and turns to sneer at the bastard.

“The Number Two Hero, Endeavor…” says Stain. “And unless I’m mistaken, you brought your daughter. My, my. How dangerous of you.”

“Stand back, Miyuki, and watch closely.” Endeavor shifts into a combat stance, the flames on his costume flaring up. Stain flourishes the long blade in his hand, adjusting his grip.

“I won’t be killed by the likes of you, Endeavor,” Stain says, more like a statement of fact than a threat. “And if we clash, the weaker of us will be culled. Such is the way of the world.”

“Perhaps you should have considered that before you became a Villain,” says Endeavor. Their standoff continues for a few seconds. Miyuki hastily backs up a few steps.

It’s Stain who moves first. He darts in with inhuman speed, nearly a blur. His blade arcs in the moonlight like a crescent, straight at Endeavor’s chest. Endeavor erupts into flame, and the Hero Killer leaps backwards, away from the heat.

Stain shifts his footing as Endeavor reaches back, a large flame bursting into life in his hand. Endeavor hurls the blast towards Stain. The fire explodes, setting the alley ablaze for a few moments before the lack of kindling slowly kills the scattered flames. But Stain is not there.

Something glints in the darkness. Endeavor’s flames spike again, but it’s not Stain. A knife shoots like a bullet towards Endeavor’s head. He steps to the side, the knife barely licking his cheek.