The city was in complete chaos.
The sounds of large, massive explosions rocketed through the streets, and everyone, civilians, police, patrolling heroes, or otherwise suddenly decided that they all had somewhere to be.
Whether that be away from said explosions or heading towards them.
Iida Tenya was walking down the streets when the explosions began happening.
However, rather than following his current teacher as he called for him to follow towards the flames and explosions, Tenya instead stood, frozen to the spot as he looked down an alleyway, not even considering following Manuel, nor even hearing what he said at all.
The first thing that ran through his heart was utter shock.
Had Tenya been calmer and collected about it all, he would probably have marveled about the chances of him actually succeeding. That he actually came upon his quarry in an alley as he was walking down the streets.
But there he was, in a random alleyway Iida was passing by that he just happened to look down. Tall, muscular, with a bandanna-like mask over his face, and a mane of ragged black all around his head. Hero Killer Stain, the man who had crippled his brother, was currently holding a hero up against the wall of the alleyway with one hand and gripping a katana in the other.
It was one of the most unlikely coincidences imaginable, up there with the comedy of ludicrous coincidences that had led to an Austrian Archduke being assassinated so long ago, and kickstarting one of the most important wars of the human race.
Tenya did not dwell on any of that though.
Instead, he moved. As the hero Manuel made his way towards the centers of chaos and where screams for help were aplenty, Iida Tenya veered sharply to the right, and down the alley at full speed.
He felt every doubt and hesitation burn away, as his mind became focused on his target, Stain.
Hate, anger, wrath.
All of them danced through his mind, body, and soul, as he barreled down the alleyway with a speed that his family had cultivated for the better part of a century, through breeding, training, and surgery.
Of all the members of his class, Iida Tenya was one of the only ones that had had a true teacher to help him master all his naturally born gifts from the day he could walk.
He, Mina, and Shoto. The heirs of successful heroes, all 3 of whom had won the superpowered, genetic lottery.
Had Tenya been the same inexperienced boy that he had been during the entrance exam, who had never seen real battle for all his training, the blow would have hit him straight in the neck, and sent his 15-year-old head rolling along the alleyway as his body kept going for a little while longer, carried by momentum.
As it was, Iida was able to come to a screeching halt and force his head away from the blade.
Or so he thought.
In response to his evasive movements, his enemy changed the motion of the in-flight cut slightly, and the blade bit into his helmet instead.
The blow made him see stars, and he felt the cold ground come up to meet him as he slammed into it back first.
He blinked, then shot up in a sitting position, beginning to rise to his feet.
It took a moment before he realized his helmet and his glasses were both gone, both having fallen off him during the fall.
No matter. He grit his teeth, as he looked up at his enemy.
He was nearsighted. He would not need his glasses for this fight. Not here in this alley, where there was nowhere for his enemy to run.
As his sight cleared and the ringing in his ears evaporated, he saw his foe clearly for the first time.
Having sought him out for days, Iida had built up an image of his quarry in his mind, being built on the reports of what few details about the murderer had been picked up by witnesses, of whom his brother was one of only a few survivors.
He had imagined the man as a tall, monstrous figure draped in red scarlet, with monstrous, demonic features.
The reality of it all was that though there were a few similarities, the man in front of him, did not live up to what he had imagined.
He was tall, and like Iida had been told, he was dressed in red, with a massive red scarf around his neck that was in dire need of some repairs and maintenance.
As for his outfit, equipped with a dozen smaller blades on his person in various holsters, knee protectors on his legs, along with a set of combat boots modified with sharp points on the front where they would do the most with a kick, his outfit looked like something a man with little cash might put together.
As for his face, rather than some demonic grimace that Iida had expected, his jawline was instead long and narrow, and his eyes(that was covered by a red bandanna across his eyes) that looked down on him was filled with confused befuddlement, rather than monstrous wrath.
All in all, he didn't look particularly dangerous or out of place compared to the costumes that Iida had encountered.
Hell, Venom's larger form looked far more threatening than this villain.
Disappointment with the reality of his quarry's appearance did not deter Iida much at the moment.
The only thing that danced through his mind was anger.
"A kid in a costume…"
The monster said in a confused tone. As he continued, his voice shifted into something more serious.
"Get out of here. This is no place for children."
Then, the alleyway, the ground, the very buildings around them shook, accompanied by a massive, massive explosion in the distance.
Iida did not think about that, instead focusing his eyes only on the man in red.
"A scarf red as blood. Armed to the teeth with blades… You must be the hero killer Stain right?"
As he spoke he staggered to his feet, despite the buzzing pain in his head.
His quarry merely cocked his head, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly behind the bandanna over them.
"I've been pursuing you. though I didn't expect us to meet so soon. I am- "
The sword tip was right up in his face, just an inch from the spot between his eyes.
He froze in shock. When had his foe moved it up? He hadn't even noticed it move.
"You're out for revenge aren't you?"
The man's tone changed as he spoke, becoming more growly, and as he continued, a thick layer of disgust crept into it.
"Watch your damned mouth… Or your age won't be enough to save you."
Iida responded by backstepping and putting some distance between them before replying.
His foe did not move to pursue, instead just staring at him with a grimace on his face, and those accursed eyes narrowing at him.
Iida grit his teeth, the gal of his enemy's words gnawing at him.
"To save me?" He spat. Every word filled with anger.
"So you don't even consider me a threat do you?"
The idea that he would have come so far, to actually confront this man, only for him to completely dismiss him as a non-threat stung far, far worse than the head blow had.
"Listen up. Criminal! I am… The younger brother of a hero you attacked! The younger brother of a Hero amongst Heroes! And I've come here to stop you in my brother's stead! So remember this for the short time you have left! I'm Ingenium . The hero who is going to take you down."
As he spoke, he felt the anger, the rage, the hatred turn from seething anger, to something cold, yet also incredibly satisfying. It felt good to say what he'd wanted to say to this monster ever since he saw what had become of his brother in the hospital.
Stain's tone as he spoke was unimpressed.
"That so? Time to die."
...
If you want to read ahead of the public release, or just want to support me.
You can join my p atreon :
[email protected]/Huvnn