The Emperor's Dragon II

Self Sacrifice

Izuku shot through the air. He needed distance but he still enjoyed the feeling of the sun on his wings. It was one of the reasons he'd shown them. The extra surface area of skin collected a lot more energy. And he was a bit thankful that Inasa was trailing. When he'd attacked Inasa earlier, he hadn't really been thinking. He had, but he didn't consider his actions. Izuku had seen the opportunity to capture Inasa and One For All but he hadn't considered how violent he'd have to be.

It disturbed him slightly.

Inasa was, no, had been his friend. But Izuku shook his head. He was being naive. Anything less than full strength against One For All would result in his capture. And Inasa wasn't helpless either. He'd had those black things defend him! They had been painful. If Izuku didn't have the quirks he did, the black things would have killed him.

So, this was, as Gigantomachia would tell him, indeed, had told him, a real fight. No holds barred.

Winner takes all.

Inasa was following him. Izuku didn't need to look back to know that. If it was anyone else, Izuku would just keep flying to escape. While he was in the sun, Izuku was sure he'd have more stamina. Or at least that he could fly fast enough to get away.

Against One For All, he was going to have to do more.

Flaring his wings, Izuku spun and flipped over, angling down to meet Inasa in midair. The other teen was ready for him, and before Izuku could get close, the black things, which were kind of like black versions of his chain, lashed out. They were targeting the membranes of his wings. That was a bit odd, since Inasa knew he didn't need wings to fly. Maybe Inasa was just trying to do damage or, Izuku supposed there was a chance they knew about Solar Force.

It didn't matter.

He had to block them and summoned his own chain. With Caeli Imperium's help, Izuku had gotten good at manoeuvring his chain, but the black things could move with impossible flexibility and Izuku hissed as they got through his defences. The first cut to his cheek reminded him that Snipe was probably still in range. Izuku brought up a barrier of wind and ironically thought that the quirk he'd given the little girl would be useful now. Izuku reminded himself to check if Yakuni had a copy.

In the meantime, he had to focus on making his chains absolutely dance but it was a failing effort. Regeneration took care of the wounds, but Izuku could feel them all. They stung and Inasa was seemingly gaining confidence with his new abilities, as his expression shifted from confused to concerned to relaxed.

Izuku gritted his teeth as a third, then a fourth black whip appeared. They got through his defences more and more often. Each time they hit, it wasn't a bad injury, but regeneration did sap energy. Izuku was trying to pull energy from Inasa, but he couldn't. It had to be the effects of One For All. Izuku was okay for now, since he was recharging with Solar Flare but regeneration took more energy than Solar Flare could provide. He had endurance, and support, and power, and reinforcement and they were also helping but this made it clear how powerful One For All was.

"Fuck!"

Inasa sacrificed two of his black whips, wrapping them around his chain and up his arms to throw and then hold them out of position. Izuku braced, doing his best to fold his wings over his chest protectively but with his arms being held out, it was awkward.

Inasa drove several of his black whips straight at Izuku. Given that they had cut through his chain, Izuku figured they'd cut through him! He applied hardening and scales and... Izuku knew he'd heal but the time required, and the energy needed would put him at a disadvantage.

He gritted his teeth as the black whips formed a point and got closer.

The expected pain never came.

-ted-