Set Me Free

Chapter 18. The Battle of Guilds

A/N: The other guild will consist of class 1B and a bunch of random thots with no names or personalities.

---I-AM-A-LINE---

"My fighting spirit is red... Why? Because blood is red."

---I-AM-A-LINE---

Kirishima felt her chest burn as she fought herself to remain still, the sheer excitement only heightened by the approaching forces that materialized one after another in the distance. Unlike their own group, the 'enemy' was arranged in an almost uniform line as they approached in sync. They looked like toy soldiers, and Kirishima bit her lip as the urge to laugh built up in her chest. She couldn't help herself; they were as ragtag and varied in appearance as their own group, and it seemed so unfitting.

Kirishima glanced up to see Bakugou smirking alongside her and felt a sh*t-eating grin make its way onto her face. Finally, the second group had all arrived, and Kirishima noticed that their numbers more than doubled their own. Was that really one guild?

"Scared?" The blonde continued to smirk, this time at her. At first, the redhead didn't answer, and Bakugou's smirk fell slightly. He had been joking, but the blonde frowned as she shook beside him, eyes cast to the dirt.

His momentary worries were blown away when he finally caught sight of her face and the barely contained excitement that it held; the shaking translated to anticipation, and the blonde bared his teeth as he grinned alongside her.

The rest of their party, feeding off their leader's aura, followed him closely as he ventured forwards onto the soon-to-be battlefield with matched vigour.

"Hey Riot, stick back with us for now." Kaminari grinned, using her new name: "This part is between the big shots." Sero nodded alongside his companion, motioning towards the blonde as he made his way to the middle along with another man from the opposing side.

Bakugou stood face to face, or well, face to chin, with the towering leader of the 'B' guild. It had an actual name, but he couldn't be half-assed to remember it; all he knew was that they were always second best to his own, and so he would refer to them as such. Sekijiro Kan stood at a shocking 6 feet 4 with white hair and protruding fangs, a muscled brute of a man that had a reputation of his own.

Neither party said a word as the larger of the two extended his hand, a glowing red symbol etched into the palm. Bakugou stared down the beast with disdain as he extended his hand to meet Kan's and gripped it with unnecessary force, which was returned with matching strength.

"We are in agreement that the price will be the land upon which the battle is fought, with the victorious party claiming all rights of trade."

"If you think you can handle the loss," Bakugou grinned as the matching symbol on his palm faded to nothing, the contract binding. It was a precaution to make sure that the losing side didn't chicken out of the deal.

"I have always believed your arrogance will award you a suffering defeat one of these days, perhaps sooner than I had thought." By some invisible cue, both leapt backwards a few feet, and the battle began. Both guilds crossed the field to meet with a clashing force in the middle, with small fights breaking out across the expanse.

Kirishima had initially missed the cue but was quick to jump into the fray, ducking and weaving under the advances of unfamiliar faces, punishing a few along the way as she was finally able to put Bakugou's training into practice.

It was rather easy to locate the blonde, with his explosions radiating across the field and acting as a fiery beacon. However, while she had found him, it seemed it would be a difficult task to approach him as he had become the very centre of the battle. Bakugou himself was a prise; defeating him would award an unimaginable reputation, and everyone seemed to want a piece of him.