A Tarnished Hero

Chapter 44: A Long Wait

Izuku growled, his zweihander ready for battle. He lunged forward, narrowly dodging a sword made of blue light careening straight towards him. He skidded across the ground, his iron boots creating marks on the concrete floor. Looking up, he saw the red giant wolf pounce towards him, maw wide open with its teeth glistening underneath the bright candle lights.

He sidestepped the attack, the red wolf's maw shutting tight with a loud snap. As it flew past him, Izuku raised his zweihander and slashed sidewards, his blade carving through flesh and fur. Blood seeped from the gnarly wound as the wolf whimpered from the pain, but it didn't look like it had lost the will to fight just yet.

Snarling, the wolf landed on the ground and turned, more glintstone swords appearing out of thin air, ready to skewer him a new asshole. Izuku hefted his zweihander on his shoulder, his other arm down on the ground mimicking the posture of that knight he fought with Blaidd.

The glintstone swords flew, and Izuku's body moved. He dodged one by rolling to the left, his head still near to the ground. Jumping up, he dodged another one, the glintstone sword piercing through the bricks underneath him, leaving a hole through the floor. He slammed the last sword against his zweihander, shattering it into motes of light.

Izuku whirled, only to find the wolf's maw looming inches from his face. Eyes wide, he brought his zweihander down in a desperate slash, carving deep into its snout. A pained whimper left its throat, but it didn't stop its attack.

Izuku braced himself for the pain, and when the wolf bit down, its giant teeth pierced through his armor, and then his flesh. He swallowed down a scream as a grunt left his lips, his blood seeping out the grievous wounds marred on his flesh. His grip against his zweihander tightened, the seal on his left hand glowing its ominous red as he let the power of the dragons course through him.

Above his head, the head of a spectral dragon formed, a roar echoing throughout the room as it displayed its glorious self. Looking down, its glowing eyes spelled murder as its maw gaped open. Soon after, a gout of flame washed down upon the giant wolf. This was enough to cause it to recoil and let go of Izuku, his battered and wounded body thrown to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

The spectral dragon head vanished, and Izuku didn't waste time to moan about his agony. His hands rummaged through his pack and withdrew a flask of crimson tears and gulped down two sips. His wounds flared, pain momentarily searing through him as he gritted his teeth. Then, it was gone. Looking down, he saw his wounds closed, but his blood still marred his armor. He also grimaced a bit when he saw the state his armor was in.

This was going to be a pain to repair. Hopefully, Hewg wouldn't price this at a premium.

Looking up, he saw the wolf rampaging across the room as it howled, a part of its red fur singed black from the dragon fire. However, he also managed to cauterize the wound he gave it on the snout, so it wasn't bleeding anymore.

Hefting his sword up, he charged the wolf. He didn't want to give it time to recover, and the faster it dies, the less likely it would mean that Izuku would die and leave Katsuki alone for who knows how long. Izuku raised his sword the moment he got close and swung down. His blade sunk into flesh and the wolf howled even more as blood gushed out of the new wound.

Twisting it around, he withdrew his sword from the body of the wolf, creating a gaping wound across its side. Calling upon the power of the dragons, a spectral dragon arm appeared over his left and raked its claws against its flesh. It bled even more as the wolf tried to backpedal.

Pushing his advantage, Izuku readied his sword once more, only for it to be the last mistake of his life. For in the corner of his eyes, he saw the wolf holding a glintstone sword within its charred maw, eyes glowing with the fury of a thousand suns.