Shadow Sovereign, King of Heroes ( Remake)

[Dragon Fire]

Chapter 1
Izuku glared at the monster several feet away from him. Neither of them had been in mint condition since they started this bout. His clothes were torn and his dagger broken in pieces. Leaving the young Hero resorting to bare hands.

The monster, a goblin, smiled wickedly as it brandished the jagged blade it holding. In spite of it's inability to speak, he knew the ugly beast was mocking him. The bladed weapon waved about in an exaggerative gesture.

One of the weakest humanoid-type monsters known to men and he can even barely handle one of them.

The others had finished their part, waiting for him. None of them were the stereotypical assholes he'd dealt with in the past. A more tolerable raid in his opinion.

He merely smiled out of courtesy but on the inside he was fuming. This was an embarassing situation, no other words can describe it.

The goblin then rushed forward, knife held forward in a bid to stab him. He dodged it at the last second, slamming his elbow into its' face. Soft cartilage breaking under the weight of his attack, making the teen smirk. Undeterred by the blow, it tried to stab him under the arm to which Izuku grabbed.

Shifting his grip, he slammed the monster down to the ground. He winced slightly when it's blade grazed his arm. It tried to press on the opening but the green-haired man didn't relent. Izuku laid down a violent beating onto it. His foot struck squarely on it's throat. Three consecutive stomp rained down on it before he finish the combo with a strong soccer kick to it's forehead. The momentum of his strike send the monster skittering across the ground.

It managed to get up only to receive an elbow strike for a second time in the jugular. Choked sound the green midget made as it's throat was crushed. However, Izuku learned enough from first-hand experience that goblin does not go down easy.

Wrestling the blade from its' hand, he jammed the sharp instrument into it's forehead. The body went slack as steel pierced through bones and flesh, going limp in his grip. Twisting the blade deeper into it's skull, it's eyes rolled back as life begun leaving the body.

The others clapped and cheered for him to which Izuku remained quiet. One of them came over and begun healing him. Izuku muttered words of gratitude before harvesting the Essence Stone inside it's body. Pulling out the monster's blade and after a brief inspection, he went to work; carving the skin apart and pulling the skin away.

Lodged in-between it's purplish-black lungs was a white glowing rock roughly the size of a rock. There was an apple-sized organ Izuku assumed is the heart.

Hands inserted into the man-made cavity, he pulled out the stone with little difficulty. This part of the task is the easiest.

"E-rank Essence Stone." Izuku assessed, recalling the guidebook the Public Hero Safety Commission provided to Provisional Heroes like him. Depending on the monster's rank, the Essence Stone stored within would have a different
coloration. The total Essence Stones he gathered for this month would be more than enough to meet his needs.

I should pay a visit to mom after this, thought the greenette as he tucked the stone into the pockets.

The dungeon around them begun to shake, signifying it's end. It always happen whenever all the monsters inside the Dungeon is slain. They had already slain the boss and the final monster had been defeated by him.

"Right, let us all leave in an orderly fashion." The leader stated. As a unit, they begun to move. Taking the same route they entered, they eventually found their way out of the Dungeon. Izuku was the last to leave, leaping out and landing on the ground. He took a couple more steps forward before turning to watch the Gate disappear.

The blue portal hanging above the ground begun to collapse, folding on itself before disintegrating completely. The only traces of its' existence reduced to small blue particles that waft through the air before fading away.

"Alright, a job well done everyone. I hope we can work together again." Their leader cheered. Words were exchanged as the party members begun to talk aptly about their plans for tonight. Izuku smiled at the display, sporting some degree of jealousy for them.

They can go out and play with friends and family while he has to prepare for another raid.

"Hey, Izuku." An older man called out. The green-haired recognized the mutant quirk carrier, the Quirk's effect shown by the shape of his head. It had a resemblance to starfish.

"You want to...come out to drink with us?"

"No, thank you for offer but I have other Gates to raid," a polite but firm rejection given to them. The man took in it stride before leaving with his friends, giving him a small smile and an encouraging nod. However, the Awakening process blessed him with some enhanced senses, allowing him to pick up hushed words exchanged.

The offer was nice but the company isn't. He prefer loneliness over double-faced people near his presence. He held onto the stones tucked within. He didn't want to risk them falling out.

He soon finds himself out in the streets of Musutafu and mixed into the crowd of people. He walked quietly, occasionally looking up to catch the advertisement playing out in the digital billboards. He saw the new toys getting released, toys made in images of heroes like All Might and Endeavor. There were even figurines made in the foreign heroes' image.

The man walked past those, remembering about his child-self who would have been thrilled to buy them all. Now he is more focused on purchasing weapons and items to aid in his hunt. He thought about the cause of it all.

Gates were portals to the dimensions dubbed Dungeons like the ones he fought in earlier. The first appeared roughly twenty years ago and as if setting off a domino effect, more begun to appear across the world on a consistent pace. Inside these Gates were places called Dungeons and the inhabitants were dubbed Magic Beast, hostile monsters that resembled creatures in myths and legends.

Even with their heroes, humanity was initially on the backpedal as they were far superior than humans. Heroes with super-strength as their Quirk were nothing more than minor nuisances against them and put up a futile resitance. When stronger monster species appeared, all hope seems lost.

And then the Awakened came along; individuals blessed by the magical energies of the Gates. Soon, humanity begun to fought back and eventually they have a proper footing. Now, they are apart of everyday life.

Izuku moved forward, navigating through the streets and walking for almost an hour, he eventually reached the hospital. A triple-story tall building painted in white. The hospital lets family relatives visits but by 10 pm they would start closing off; wanting to let patients relax.

Entering the entrance door, he walked past the waiting room and headed for the third floor. Supposedly they kept all patients infected with magic-based ailments there to prevent further infection. He pointedly ignored the gloves and mask offered outside. The nurse in charge had almost said something but a quick flash of his card changed her mind.
Heroes and Awakened doesn't need to wear those.

He entered the room 304 and sitting in it was his mother. Instead of the beautiful woman with pale skin and green hair, lies an abomination of some kind. Black chitin spread sporadically across her arms and shoulder, a mandible appearing where the mouth should and her left eye replaced with eyes similar to a wasp.

"...Izuku?" His mother called, her voice having grown weaker due to the mutation.

"I'm here mom." He smiled, reaching out to hold her hand. It was cold, like a dead corpse. He know because he handled many in the Dungeon.

"How's my sweet baby doing? You must be working hard." His mom spoke. He leaned down, letting her caress his hand.

"No mother, I'm doing fine." He replied, trying to hold back the tears and emotions getting the better of him.

"Has your father returned from the dungeon?" It was her first and foremost inquiry. Whenever he came visit her, she'll ask that question. He gave the same answer.

"No, mom." He replied. "Not yet."

She looked downtrodden but recovered, giving a warm smile. That was the impression he got.

"Right, so, have you eaten yet?"

"I have, I ate good." He replied, forcing a smile. Truthfully he had not, wanting to see her first.

"That is good to hear." After her reply, the two fell to their standard conversation, discussing about their daily lives. He would listen to her words, her description of the events in her life. The doctors came and gave her reports about the ailment and etc. In turn, Izuku would do the same; telling her about Katsuki and the others well-being.

The hours went by and a nurse knocked on the door. One look from her and Izuku already had an understanding. The man nodded and got up.

"Sorry mom, I'll be leaving now. I'll visit tomorrow morning." He smiled, walking out of the room.

"Take care now." She waved goodbye.

Izuku walked down the staircase, wiping out his phone to check on the Hero App. The screen opened up, revealing the map of Musutafu. Several red blinks on the screen, showcasing the nearest gates in the vicinity. The app was designed to help Heroes to keep track of any Gates possibly appearing and helps Heroes to register for any Gates.

He picked one of them, the one closest to the hospital. Applying for the empty position was an easy task though he was surprised to see a familiar name in the participant list.

'Better hurry it up.' Izuku quickly settled into a quick jog once he left the hospital.

He knew the place, having went there as a child with his parents. A time when Gates and Dungeons and Magic Beast never came into their lives. In other words a better time.

Running through the streets, Izuku would find himself in the local park. In the plaza was a group of people loitering around, each one sporting a weapon of any kind. Hammers, swords, bows and other tools of war. All of them were local heroes of possibly E-C rank evident by the gear, he can tell as he worked with some of them. They offered greetings and polite smile, Izuku returned it in kind.

There was even a hot dog vending machine. Smiling at the thought of getting food, he quickly went over to meet the vendor, a young man roughly around his age dressed in a light blue uniform.

"Two hotdogs please." He ordered.

"Aah, I'm so sorry sir but we just sold out." The man offered apologetically.

He hid his disappointment, nodding at the man's words and retreated to one of the corners. Whipping out a phone to listen to some of the music he downloaded. One of the few activities Izuku finds relaxing. Over the years he gained a taste for smooth jazz and old music, the sort made prior to the emergence of Quirks. There was also Kyouka Jirou, a young musician famous for making songs.

An amazing musician with a wonderful Quirk to match.

"Excuse me, Izuku-kun but you can have mine." A familiar woman offered.

From the corner of his eyes he recognized the woman. The only one who wouldn't recognize her are people living under a rock. She looked like how a noblewoman would look; pale lavender hair draped over a shoulder and a monocle worn over the left eye. Her outfit was one of practicality and efficiency. Strapped to her back is a staff as long as she is tall, the head sporting a glowing blue orb.

"Nice to see you here, Intelli-san." Izuku smiled, taking the woman's offer.

"Yes, I see you've broke another knife yet again." The woman idly commented. A forced smile serve as a simple response.

"Will you consider taking my offer now?" Saiko asked.

"Thanks for the thought but I don't need it." The greenette replied, taking a bite out of the food.

The gesture and the intention behind them were appreciated but he doesn't want hand-outs. Especially if it was out of pity. He wouldn't tell her but he knew; the man could hazard a guess. Pity is something he received in spades since he was a boy.

"I assume the exercise I recommended to you didn't help." Saiko stated, chewing the food thoroughly after asking.

"What do you think?" He asked back.

"Well, there's nothing science can't do to fix that." Saiko spoke.

Izuku merely forced a smile out, a more forceful variant. They had met on a raid several weeks back. She was intrigued at a hero like him and desired to understand his unique condition. The two hit it off due to their preference for discussing hero-related history.

"Science will help fix my mom right." Izuku snarked, squeezing his free hand tightly.

"Scientist are uncovering new information about the different species of Magic Beast. It's only a matter of time," Saiko replied.

Time my mother doesn't have, Izuku sadly thought, finishing the food in hand.

"Hey, is that who I think it is?" One fellow exclaimed happily.

"It is." Another replied to his friend.

Whispers were exchanged heatedly as they saw a certain individual entering the premise. Izuku remained quiet when he realized who it was.

Tall, handsome and athletic were the words fitting the newcomer. Sandy blonde hair styled into spikes to mimic an explosion and intense red eyes scanned the area, the man shooting a scowl at everyone who gawked at him. His childhood friend wasn't wearing his hero uniform, appearing to dress semi-casually for the occasion.

A pair of dull orange armguard made of leather serves as his only equipment. With a single look the green-haired man knew what they were made of. The hide of a powerful fire-using Magic Beast, the few creatures that can withstand
Katsuki's Explosion Quirk.

"Stopped gawking, never seen a hero before?" Katsuki barked. The crowd eventually lost interest, getting a taste of the man's infamous sharp tongue. Izuku smirked at the sight.

"Hey Deku, you're here too?" The man scowled, approaching him with hands in the pockets. He shrink as the explosion-user begun approaching them. He really didn't want to see the man now.

"Hey." He replied quietly. The blond-haired hero looked annoyed, scowl growing deeper as he shot a dirty look at the Gate.

"...how's your mom doing?" He asked.

"She's doing fine." Izuku answered, giving a weak smile.

Katsuki grunted, turning to look at the woman accompanying him. The man's eyes widened in recognition upon realizing who she is.

"You're Saiko Intelli right?" Asked the explosion hero. "I've read some of your thesis. You got an interesting outlook."

"Thank you." Saiko returned, shooting a confused look at Izuku. A helpless shrug and a small smile was directed at the intellectual.

 

[Dragon Fire]

This chapter is only a preview. Had it sitting around, I might as well let it out. I'll post several more. Also, this story is basically a remake of my old one.

 

[Godfire]

I had read a fic like this before. A rewrite perhaps?

 

[Dragon Fire]

I had read a fic like this before. A rewrite perhaps?

Click to shrink...

Yes. That is what it is