Hiya folks, back from my wisdom teeth removal and feeling a lot better now! This chapter is pretty short but only because I want to announce two major milestones.

For starters, My Hero Academia has finally concluded after ten long years! I am proud that Horikoshi managed to finish this series and it's a huge win for him after Oumagadoki Zoo and Barrage didn't get off the ground. And I'm honestly happy with the way it ended. No sudden twists, no surprise final enemy, just a simple ending to a fantastic story. Thank you, Horikoshi for everything you've given us and I hope to achieve the same someday. I may not be able to reach the same heights he did, but that won't stop me from giving it my all.

Secondly, as of this writing, Unchained Predator is now the most-reviewed MHA crossover on this site and has claimed the number-one spot, beating My Ideal Academia. I am...amazed and touched by this achievement. Never once, in my life when I joined this place back in 2016, did I think this would happen. It's it's all thanks to your love and support. And it's settled: I am going full-steam ahead with this story and fully committed to giving you all the best I can do. And it's not out of a professional sense, it's just for fun.

If Horikoshi is Ridley Scott, then I'm probably James Gunn.

Before I close this off, I have seen the teaser for a potential new Darksiders game and while I'm overjoyed that the series hasn't been abandoned, I am not using any story elements from it as I have already set my version of the lore and will not be going back to rewrite it all. Enjoy!

UPDATE NOTE 8-20-24: Fixed the time in the chapter so that it's still set during the night. Thanks to svetlanaoliveira for pointing this out.

DOOM, My Hero Academia, and Darksiders belong to their respective owners. I do not own either of them.

Beta read by Zeroth17.

Chapter 36

On the Hunt

Part 3

MUSUTAFU-SOUTH SIDE

12:14 AM

"~Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away...~" Hawks sang to himself as he soared through the skies above Musutafu. "~If you can use some exotic booze, there's a bar in far Bombay...~"

Having heard that song some time in passing during his career, it became his theme song. It helped him relax and it was sorely needed during these troubling times. Keigo had gone straight to work after leaving the hospital a few days ago and had spent most of his time cleaning up around the city or lending a hand to other Heroes. He noticed that every Hero he encountered during his patrols was heavily fatigued, indicating they were overworking themselves. Being exhausted during a patrol was one of the biggest mistakes you could make as a Hero: you needed to remain focused and alert if you ever wanted to survive in this profession. Hence, Keigo always took the time to rest up and sleep when he was done doing a series of patrols.

So far, things were going smoothly on his patrols. Catch a few looters, help a few civilians here and there, and offer assistance to any Heroes. Feeling his cell phone vibrate, he fished it out of his pocket and looked at the screen to see a text from Rumi.

M: Docs are doing last-minute check-ups before I head out. Once I get myself changed into my Hero costume, I'm hittin' the streets! Thanks for bringing me my clothes and hope to meet up with ya! :)

H: You too, glad to have you back.

Hawks smiled as he put his phone away. It was good to see Rumi go back to her usual self after I-Island and after almost getting her eye gouged out by an insane Ragdoll. He had returned to the hospital a day earlier to drop off her clothes as mentioned earlier; mostly ones she wore around her apartment. While there, he apologized to her for abruptly walking away when the subject of the Vigilante started to turn in a less-than-ideal direction with her. Thankfully, Rumi was always quick to accept an apology and the whole thing was water under a bridge.

However, it did not stop Hawks from worrying about her violent tendencies resurging.

The smell of something burning wafted past his nostrils made him glance to the right and see a plume of smoke nearby. With a flap of his red wings, he flew towards the source of the smoke. As he drew closer, he could see a firetruck, along with two police cars and and ambulance near a warehouse engulfed in flames. The firefighters were already spraying down the fire but Hawks decided to lend a helping hand by summoning a large swath of feathers from his wings. He guided the feathers over to the fire and they swirled around the conflagration, creating a gust of wind that blew away the flames. The firefighters stared in awe as Hawks touched down on the ground; his feathers floating back onto his wings.

"Didn't mean to steal your thunder, just wanted to help." Hawks said to the firefighters apologetically.

"Hey, we're always happy to have assistance from a Hero." One of them patted him on the shoulder.

Hawks smiled in response before looking at the now-smoldering remains of the warehouse. "Want to fill me in on what happened here?"

"We're still trying to piece it together." A police officer came forward. "Saw the smoke and headed over here with several other officers. Found a bunch of Heroes in training scared to death and their teacher unconscious on the ground." He pointed over to an ambulance where two paramedics were hauling Ms. Joke into the back via a stretcher.

Hawks was alarmed to see Fukukado in such a state. "Is she going to be alright?"

"Paramedics say she has a concussion. They're taking her to the hospital right now so there's hope that she'll recover." The officer remarked as the ambulance drove away. Hawks felt a little bit better but that's when he noticed four young teens in Hero costumes standing near one of the police cars. They looked like they had the living daylights scared out of them and there were even splotches of what appeared to be blood on their costumes.

"What about them?" Hawks motioned his head at the vacant-eyed teens.

"Not much to say about them. They've been quiet ever since the paramedics came." One of the firefighters said, shaking his head. "It's a shame. I know they're training to be Heroes, but some just can't handle it."

Hawks kept staring at the teens in sympathy. It was true: he had personally seen some good friends drop out of U.A. back when he was young. They couldn't take the life-threatening dangers of Hero work or the rigorous training they had to be put through. Keigo then spotted a red-stained trail leading away from the area. The markings appeared to belong to some kind of vehicle with treads. "Is that...blood?"

"Yep." The cop shrugged. "They were here when we arrived. I'd ask the kids but they're too freaked out to answer any of our questions. I'm thinking about taking them down to the station and getting them settled down before they can-"

"EVERYONE! GET OVER HERE!" One of the firefighters near the remains of the warehouse shouted. Hawks, the officers and some other firefighters ran over to the warehouse and gasped. The smoke had cleared away to reveal a mass of burned, dead bodies amongst the smoldering wreckage. Every one of the corpses was in states of horrific dismemberment, disembowelment and mutilation. There were weapons scattered around the ground along with severed limbs and even heads. Everyone stared in open-mouthed horror.

"Christ...there's gotta be at least a hundred stiffs in there!" An officer gagged, staggering backward.

Hawks was disgusted at the sight. Seeing all of these dead bodies reminded him of the Steel Sabers massacre on I-Island. A cold chill ran down his spine at the memory of that horrific event, something he or anyone else for that matter wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon. Keigo's communicator, an earpiece-like device that Heroes used to contact each other, buzzed and he brought a finger up to his ear to depress the button on the side of the device.

"Hawks here." He answered.

"Keigo!" Came the frantic voice of Fatgum. "I need backup on the highway! It's a freaking massacre over here!"

"What happened!?" Hawks quickly asked.

"I got over fifty dead bikers splattered across the road! I think they were a part of a Villain gang! I called for police assistance but they're tied up and I need help directing traffic!" Fatgum rattled off.

"I'll be there as soon as I can, hang tight." Hawks said as he ended the call. Before he could even take flight, more calls came in.

"This is Air Jet broadcasting to all available channels! I need immediate backup and medical personnel near the western side of Musutafu! I have the Burning Sidekickers incapacitated and multiple Villian casualties here! "

"To anyone who can hear this, this is Uwabami! I just stumbled on the hideout of the Insecticides! Oh God, there's bodies everywhere...!"

"Gang Orca here, my sidekicks and I are at a local casino. We put out the fires but we discovered what's left of Don Puru's gang! We need the police here on the double and someone tell the coroner he's going to be busy tonight!"

"Kesagiri Man, placing an urgent call for medical aid and firefighters. I have Master Driller unconscious and a burning store on the north side of Musutafu!"

The requests for aid kept coming in by the second and they were all the same: Hideouts on fire and multitudes of dead Villains. Hawks could barely keep track of how many panicked calls he was getting. It was steadily becoming overwhelming for the veteran Pro Hero, his mind attempting to process what the hell was going on as this didn't seem to be some kind of gang war at work. But that's when a wave of dreadful realization came upon him. The descriptions of how the Villains were massacred being babbled by frightened Heroes over the comms were chillingly reminiscent of how the Vigilante slaughtered the Steel Sabers. Too reminiscent. What if...HE was behind this sudden Villain culling? The mere thought of the Vigilante on the loose in Musutafu not just a few days after I-Island almost made Keigo's teeth chatter in fear. If this guy was already making the rounds, then it could mean bad news for any Heroes caught in his path, even though Keigo knew the Vigilante would not kill them.

He looked over to the students by one of the police cars and hurried over to them. They glanced up at him, the trauma still evident on their faces.

"I know you four are in a bad place but you need to tell me what happened here, right now." Hawks urgently asked them.

The Heroes in training appeared hesitant to answer, dismaying Keigo. That is until Yo Shindo slowly stood up and swallowed, his hands clenching and unclenching. "It was..."

BULLET TRAIN-EN ROUTE TO MUSUTAFU

12:17 AM

Kaina Tsutsumi silently gazed out the window, idly drumming her fingers on her lap impatiently as she sat in her seat. It was mostly vacant, save for a few other passengers dotted about the train car. In any other circumstance, most people would've been shocked to see the former Pro Hero Lady Nagant, now a Vigilante, sitting in full view of them. Luckily, Kaina wore a disguise that helped conceal her identity: a large blonde wig covering her two-tone hair and a long trench coat. It worked all the time.

While she was originally going to travel to the Shimane Prefecture to take down the slave trading ring, her plans had taken an unexpected yet welcome turn of events. Two days earlier, she was about to board the train to Gotsu when she heard a news report on a nearby monitor in the station that the Heroes in that region had already taken down the slave trading ring and arrested the ringleader as well as those who worked for him. As an added bonus, they also shut down the other illicit goods rings in Masuda, Hamada, and Izumo. This was a relief to Kaina, since it meant that those women were rescued and the Heroes were doing their jobs right for once.

She returned to her hideout shortly after the news and checked the dark web on her laptop for any other slave rings the Heroes might've missed. Thankfully, there were none but there was some chatter about a huge score from the League of Villains and Musutafu was the target. Nagant's stance on the League had varied over time. A couple of weeks ago, she did see some rumblings on the dark web about a group recruiting Villains but she just brushed it off as a bunch of diehards trying to make a name for themselves. It wasn't until after they managed to attack U.A. that she considered them a potential threat. But she was too focused on other matters, namely taking down other Villain groups that dealt in prostitution and human trafficking, to consider going after the LOV.

But now they were gearing up for something big and while there weren't any details, Kaina knew there would be a body count and she decided to head out immediately to Musutafu. She kept her wig, coat, and her concealed Boost Boots but left the duffel bag and spare handgun back at her hideout since time was of the essence. Nagant went to the nearest train station and booked a bullet train to Musutafu. Since bullet trains were now built with the most advanced technology available, they had become the fastest method of transportation in Japan. Kaina took periodic naps and ate very little during the ride there.

As she watched the buildings zip by the window, Nagant felt a twinge of anxiety. She had a lot of memories about Musutafu but all of the good ones had been buried under a mountain of bad ones when she left Heroism behind. The familiar voice once again echoed in her mind...

"Kaina, wait! Listen, I know you're hurting and I can help you but you can't just go off half-cocked like this! What are you doing? Oh God. No! Kaina, not like this! No, stop! If you go out there with that gun they are going to nail you to the-KAINA!"

She was taking a pretty big risk coming back to Musutafu...but she would be damned if she let any of her former friends die at the hands of Villains.

MSUTAFU-LOWER SOUTH SIDE

12:19 AM

The Doomslayer drove down the empty streets of Musutafu, focused on eliminating the last two gangs. As he passed an intersection, the sounds of a police siren approached him from behind. The squad car tailed behind the Rampart as the external speakers on the roof of the car blared at him.

"Pull your vehicle over to the right immediately!"

Taggart responded by slowing down and maneuvering his Rampart next to the car. The officers in the squad car gasped in horror when they recognized who he was and before they could react, the Slayer thrusted his fist right into the hood and tore out the entire engine! He chucked it over his shoulder and drove away from the cop car as it slowly ground to a halt. The officers stared bug-eyed at the armored motorcycle as it made a sharp left down the street and disappeared from view. One of the officers rolled down his window and glanced out of it to look at the wrecked engine sitting just a few feet away from the car.

"Good luck explaining this to the chief." He muttered.

The other cop slowly looked at his partner. "Which one? The engine or my soiled pants?"

THE BASILICA-OBSERVATION ROOM

"And the Emmy for luckiest cops in the Mortal Realm goes to those two." Strife drawled.

The Basilica was not only the headquarters of the Horsemen but also the home of the Eternal Balance itself. Residing in a pocket dimension separate from the Realms, the ancient temple-like fortification had existed long before the End War. The observation room was a circular arena lit by torches billowing greenish flames on the walls. The podium in the center of the room had a floating orb of liquid glass that showed the Doomslayer driving down the road in an armored vehicle. Death, War, Strife and Fury watched him intently.

"We should be doing something about him. While I am not against the Slayer eliminating All for One's thralls, a demigod is not meant to walk amongst mortals, let alone slaughter the malicious ones." War voiced his concerns.

"If the Eternal Balance does not see him as a threat, then he is not a threat." Death replied. This did little to ease War.

Fury rubbed her chin in amusement at Death's retort. "I'm fairly certain you'll find yourself eating those words when he does." Death showed no reaction or annoyance.

"Are you guys sure we can't just meet him and say hello? I mean, it can't be that hard!" Strife reasoned. "Let's just pop in for a spell when he's done with his rounds and have a chat with him so we can figure out what's what."

Death, War, and Fury stared at Strife with deadpanned expressions. "And just how do you think he'll react when he sees us? Or when he finds out we're half Angel and half Demon?" War pointed out to his brother.

"...Well, it probably couldn't be bad, right?" Strife innocently guessed. War sighed.

"We can't take that up to chance, we'll risk the Slayer seeing us as an enemy." Death affirmed. "And I would rather not trade blows with him."

Fury placed her hands and her hip smugly. "You doubt our abilities, Brother?"

"I do not doubt our strength, Fury. But at the same time, I do not doubt his." Death glanced at his sister warningly.

Fury's smirk vanished and glanced back at the glass orb showing the Doomslayer. "So, we still have no idea how arrived here, we're letting him do whatever he pleases, and the Ascendant Realm has no answers that could be of any use. I'd say our situation has not improved."

Death and War didn't say anything. Fury accurately summed up their plight pretty well. Strife couldn't find any kind of humorous retort that could alleviate their mood. But then, a thought came into his head that blossomed into a potentially good idea. The first good idea he had in centuries.

"Wait a sec. The Doomslayer is supposed to be the boogeyman of demonkind, right? Sooooooo maybe Hell might know something none of us don't?" Strife offered. His brothers and sister gave him curious looks. But then they started seriously contemplating their brother's suggestion.

"It's... possible. Surely some Demons know of the Doomslayer Prophecy." War surmised. "But whether or not they believe in it is unknown..."

"Then we interrogate any Demon we come across." Fury said, her hand inching towards Scorn in anticipation. "This excursion should be a delight."

"Hold up, I didn't say we were gonna kick the crap out of every single Demon for info, as much as I'd love to." Strife held up his hands. "We already know two that can help us."

Fury sighed in annoyance. "Surely you aren't referring to Vulgrim and Dis, are you?"

"Why not? They're the only Demons we know who are remotely friendly!" Strife pointed out.

"You are correct in that regard. They keep us up to date on any higher Demons who could ascend to the rank of a Hell God. If there is anyone in Hell that might know more of the Doomslayer, it's them." War agreed. The three riders looked to Death since he had the final say due to his status as leader. Death folded his arms in contemplation over Strife's suggestion.

His brother brought up a salient point: Vulgrim and Dis were literally the only two Demons in existence that were considered allies to the Horsemen and the Ascendant Realm. They kept both parties up to date on whatever was going on in Hell, mainly Demons that could become too strong in the future. Since the Dark Lord and all other ruling castes had been killed during the End War, the denizens of the Dark Realm had formed into tribal clans that constantly fought each other for dominance over the decimated Circles of Hell.

However, they would constantly be plunged into a near-endless cycle of petty infighting and backstabbing subterfuge by their subordinates, thus ruining any chance of a Demon ascending to power. However, there was the rare chance that a Demon could retain control and gain strength over time until they became a serious threat. Thus, Vulgrim and Dis would contact the Horsemen if a Demon became too big for their britches and the four Riders would travel to Hell to eliminate said Demon.

Those two had been to every corner of the Nine Circles and knew every tale, passage, and legend of the Dark Realm. Vulgrim and Dis had to know more about the Doomslayer if the Horsemen or anyone in the Ascendant Realm wanted to untangle the bloody mystery surrounding the Bane of Hell.

"Make the preparations. We travel to Hell, tonight." Death announced.

MUSUTAFU GENERAL HOSPITAL

12:25 AM

"What do you mean I have to take a radiation test?!" Miruko all but shouted at the doctor.

Dr. Ryu Yoshida sighed at Rumi's attitude. Ryu was a humanoid man with a distinct appearance that made him look like a character out of Club Penguin. " I apologize for this last-minute notification, Ms. Usagiyama, but this was at the request of our government. Even though there has been no radioactive contamination from the explosion on I-Island, they still want everyone who was evacuated from there to be tested for potential radiation poisoning as a safety precaution."

Miruko, sitting on her bed and still clad in her hospital gown, frowned despondently. "Why couldn't you guys have done it when I got here?"

"We were busy treating the Heroes after the I-Island Siege and the request just came an hour ago." Dr. Yoshida informed. "We're currently testing multiple Heroes admitted here and we're doing our best to get them back on duty as fast as we can. Now, if you'll hold out your arm for me, I can take a blood sample for the test."

Sighing, Miruko held out her arm and the doctor pulled out a small syringe from his coat pocket. "How long is this going to take?"

"As long as it has to, Ms. Usagiyama. This sort of thing can't be rushed." Dr. Yoshida answered as he injected the needle into her arm and withdrew a bit of her blood. "I can't give you an exact estimate on when it will be done so please just bear with us for a while." He continued as he dabbed the tiny wound with a cotton swab, placed an adhesive band-aid on it, and left the room.

Rumi had a pouting frown on her face as her ears drooped. She glanced to her right at the clothes that Hawks brought her, neatly folded on a chair. "Rrrrgh!" Miruko groaned in frustration as she laid back on her bed. She hated this. All she wanted to do was go back out there, bust some rowdy Villains, and maybe start searching for the Vigilante. But unless she wanted another earful from Recovery Girl, Rumi would have to bear with the wait.

"Someone seems to be in rather dour spirits this night." Came a voice from the door. Miruko sat up and a doctor with a familiar, wild orange haircut stood in the doorway.

"Oh, y-yeah." Miruko hastily replied, trying to appear professional. "Say, haven't I met you before?"

"If I remember correctly, I offered you help some days ago when you almost tripped." The doctor answered, holding out his hand. "Doctor Lokida, I'm the psychologist here. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasures all mine." Miruko responded shaking his hand. "So you're here to check if I'm nuts or not?"

Dr. Lokida chuckled humorously. "Goodness me, someone has a rather low opinion of my profession! Sometimes I like to have a friendly conversation with the patients here whenever they have a pall of depression." He elaborated as he pulled up a chair and sat down. "Tell me, is there something on your mind that's troubling you?"

At first, Rumi wanted to say that nothing was wrong but did not want to turn away someone who simply wanted to help. She decided that maybe it wouldn't hurt to open up a little. "I've... been dealing with a lot since I-Island." She admitted, idly scratching her ear.

"Ah, I see. Such a terrible incident. I can only imagine what went on over there." Dr. Lokida shook his head.

"You can't, doc. You really can't..." Miruko said, remembering all of the dead bodies and the sea of carnage.

"Apologies, I did not mean to make you relive any bad memories." He held up a hand. "How are you feeling now?"

"I wanna get back out there and do my damn job." Miruko huffed. "I'm not meant to be sitting here doing nothing. I'm the Rabbit Heroine for crying out loud! I should be out there busting some Villain ass and they still want me to take some stupid tests!"

"I understand your frustrations, miss. I'm well aware that you are the most 'action-oriented' Heroine in Japan." The doctor pointed out.

"And you know it!" Miruko beamed; delighted to hear someone didn't have a problem with how she did things."A gal like me loves being in the thick of it risking life and limb."

"Oh, I've seen many videos of you in action. You revel in the thrill of battle and the challenge of a strong opponent." Dr. Lokida continued, earning a pleased grin from Rumi. But then, his words took on a dark tone, accompanied by a sinister smirk. "But I-Island must've changed how you perceive combat and violence, didn't it? Did it make you shun your usual tactics? Did it make you relish in the brutality of it all? Did it make you want to embrace every form of ultraviolence imaginable and unleash it upon your foes?"

Miruko was honestly caught off guard by the sudden shift this conversation had taken. She felt a brief sting of panic, worried that she might let slip that she used to be Tiger Bunny. "Uh...n-n-nope, not at a-all." She hesitantly answered.

The unnerving smirk lingered on the doctor's face for a few seconds before he broke out into an ear-to-ear smile with a clap of his hands. "That's wonderful to hear! Even in the face of such overwhelming violence, you still adhere to your oath as a professional Hero! Great job!"

Miruko felt somewhat relieved that this was just a simple test of character but she was still on edge by this man.

"A Hero must always keep their integrity and morals in check. We wouldn't want you to end up like that horrible Vigilante, do we?" Dr. Lokida lectured.

She hesitated to answer for a moment, reminded of how he saved the hostages and patched her up after she was wounded in battle. "I wouldn't say he's completely horrible..." She trailed off in a rare moment of vulnerability.

"Hmmmm...developing Stockholm Syndrome perhaps?" He insinuated as he stroked his bright orange goatee.

"God, I hope not." She blurted out with a mirthless chuckle.

"In that case...I can see nothing wrong with your current state of mind!" He confirmed with stylish flair. "I have other patients I need to tend to so adieu, my dear!" He then left the room, closing the door behind him. Rumi was left staring at the closed door, still heavily perturbed by the odd encounter.

"Well, that was fucking weird." She muttered to herself.

Doctor Lokida walked through the halls before finding a storage closet and entering it. He shut off the lights and slipped into the shadows; emerging from them in an alleyway a few feet away from the hospital. He shifted back to his Nordic attire as he walked down the garbage-littered alley, a content grin on his face. Jourmungandr slithered out of nowhere around his shoulder and stared at him questioningly.

Loki noticed this and gently petted its head. "Just testing the waters, my pet. Usagiyama can deny her bloodlust all she wants, but I have a feeling she'll embrace her true destiny soon enough..."

To be continued...

Sorry this took so long, wisdom teeth removal and life took a lot out of me.

Honestly, not much for me to say other than thank you all again for the continued support. I will be working hard on the semifinal chapter of this arc but progress might be delayed due to Space Marine 2 next month. It's already shaping up to be better than Helldivers 2 whose appeal is starting to wane on me. Why fight for democracy when you could fight for the Holy God Emperor of Mankind himself? Also, I'm making all my co-op characters to be Black Templars. Best Chapter ever!

Thank you all for your patience, God bless you all.

Don't forget to review but please don't flame.