It had been no different than any other when they had met. He had just finished taking the high score at an arcade and was making his way back to the bar where his master had left him and Kurogiri. Of course, like any other, they had been a 'villain' attack on the way back. The area had gotten blocked out and he had to take a detour.
It was troublesome but in hindsight, it had become one of his favorite days looking back now. Why? On that day, he found himself by the old dump that was once Dagoba Beach. He didn't know why but he had felt curious. Maybe it was the idea to let out some steam by decaying whatever was around or maybe he just wanted to climb to the top and take a nice look at the ocean. Either way, he was there, and he found it…he had found her.
A dark orb lay by the ocean, with orange energy pulsating at its edges. Around the orb, Shigaraki had felt off. Like there was something else, something not of this world. It sounds like something out of a video game, after all…it was sitting ominously at the shore with the area around it cleared of any debris and a weird aura.
Well, he indulged in it, best case scenario, he got a super cool power-up. Worst case scenario…he didn't have any extra lives. You know what they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. So, he walked closer to the orb and then he touched it, then everything went black.
When he awoke, he found himself in another place entirely, a world one could argue that didn't look like his own. He was standing in a pool of water that extended as far as he could see.
"Where am I?" Shigaraki wondered as he walked around this strange space. As he did, a mirror emerged from the water, hovering just on its surface. Shigaraki approached it cautiously taking note of his reflection.
Suddenly…his reflection began to morph before his very eyes. The reflection's hair turned pure white extending to their knees, while their body transformed into that of a girl. Its outfit was no longer the same dark clothes he wore instead being a white dress with orange, black, and purple accents.
Finally, Shigaraki saw them open their eyes, a glowing pair of amber orbs with crosshairs over their pupils. Shigaraki froze as they stared at him. They were….completely devoid of feeling, blank and empty. Yet there was something else behind them, something he found familiar.
"Who are you?" He questioned as he raised his hand up, readying his quirk should the need arise. She merely tilted her head as she looked at him. She mirrored his movements placing her hand on the mirror's edge as she imitated him.
He felt…annoyed by her silence. Fine if she wasn't going to tell him, then he would force it out of her. He met their gaze, placing his own palm against the surface, mirroring her own. Now to….decay her?
She smiled at him as the mirror rippled under his touch. He felt…a wave of emotion hit him. He almost fell…but something stopped him…. something grabbed him. His eyes widened as he stared at the mirror noticing that the girl with white hair had grabbed his hand. Her fingers interlaced with his own as she held him, her fingers slipping through the mirror as his own sank within it.
He looked at her, confused, intrigued, and maybe even shocked that she was not crumbling under his touch. "Who are you?" He asked once more.
She looked at him with a smile…her eyes glowing eerily as she did. "I am Decay," She spoke for the first time her voice reverberating around him.
"Decay?" Shigaraki questioned. That was the name of his quirk, but he knew well enough that this girl wasn't it.
"Who are you?" She questioned.
"Tomura Shigaraki," He answered. He had long since discarded the name Tenko Shimura, taking his new moniker from his master.
The girl's smile grew as she watched him. "Do you wish to destroy this world?" She asked. This caught him by surprise. Destroy the world, he had never really thought it possible, maybe he'd have become its ruler if he continued to follow Master but destroying it. He found the idea entertaining, desirable even, more so than his master's plans.
"Yes," He answered. "I want to destroy the world."
"Good," The girl grinned as she pulled him into the mirror, she embraced him into a hug her hair wrapped around them. "Let's destroy this world together," She whispered into his ears.
Dagoba beach erupted in Honkai, the First Eruption had occurred, and the Herrscher of the Void had awakened once more.
A few days later…
"Best Jeanist…that's the stupidest name I've ever heard. What's next…T-shirt Man." The Herrscher commented as she looked at the skull in her hand. With her free hand, she lifted up the beheaded body bathed by blood. "Like seriously, his outfit is basically…his pants are reaching to his mouth."
"Hahaha…," Shigaraki in response. The Herrscher smiled at this as she placed the skull back on the body. Using her power, she then began to puppet the body. "Hello I'm best jeanist, the jeanest superhero…have no fear I'm definitely going to beat the Herrscher," She mocked. Shigaraki laughed more and soon the Herrscher joined. "These guys are so dumb."
"I know, but wait till you see Wash."
"Wash?"
"He's the washing machine hero," Shigaraki laughed. "I kid you not he or she, I honestly don't know, looks like a washing machine with eyes."
"Uh…so lame,"
It had been a few days and while initially they had been awkward, Shigaraki couldn't be more pleased with his new…companion. The Herrscher of the Void, a being from another world who now inhabited his body. She was a harbinger of destruction sent by the Honkai, a force of nature that shared a name with his quirk, to bring about the end of humanity.
Initially, he had been skeptical of her claims, but then they had their first outing. She had transformed his body, turning it into an exact copy of her own, including the clothes and then she warped them to where the hero and villains were fighting earlier. Summoning numerous lances from thin air she proceeded to impale many of them, heroes and villains alike, killing them and any fools dumb enough to watch.
Her actions drew the attention of many heroes and as such, they also killed many heroes. It was the most beautiful thing Shigaraki had ever seen. All the while his heart raced as he was filled with immense joy at the woman with him. He had never such power or such pleasure…it was intoxicating.
Of course, all good things had to come to an end and eventually, the Herrscher had to take a break, his body was not used to such activities with her, but make no mistake he understood well enough why. You don't get a body count near the hundreds in such a short time without some drawbacks.
"Master will be very pleased," Shigaraki had told her, excited to show All For One his new…friend. "You can be a great help to us,"
"I think we should wait…I'd rather not meet your master until after we've spent some time together and gotten to know each other." She explained. "You've proven yourself to be quite the catch but I know better than to rush," She smiled.
"Oh, you've done this before?" Shigaraki questioned.
"My last host was…the hero type. She was obsessed with being a hero and defending humanity instead of wasting them."
"She sounds like a fool," Shigaraki had responded. He wasn't even thinking about what he had said, he just gave his honest thought. Yet…the Herrscher laughed and Shigaraki…loved hearing it.
"She was quite the fool," The Herrscher agreed. It was the first time a human had said something that provoked such a genuine laugh of amusement from her. "I had thought it was over…that losing to her would be my end…but…it wasn't…and now."
"Now?"
"Now…I have you," The Herrscher told him. "My…perfect host." She whispered into his ears.
So he didn't tell Master about her at her behest. Instead, Tomura would go about his days as per usual, explaining and introducing the Herrscher to his world. Lord help him, this woman needed to know there were other foods beyond cup noodles and he could only eat so much.
Still, it was nice having someone around who he could freely talk to about all these things and share his interests. Kurogiri was less of a person and more of an experiment given his history as an experiment from the Doctor, as far as Tomura knew he was definitely more like an NPC, listening and doing what was told. His master likewise was still a busy man, being the symbol of evil and working in the shadows, but the Herrscher…he had her undivided attention and he loved it.
Once the sun went down though, and Shigaraki retired to his quarters. It was the Herrscher's turn to enjoy herself. She would pick a random city, sometimes asking for his advice whenever she didn't know which to go to, she would teleport to that city. They would see the sites, maybe try some local cuisine, and then proceed to remove whatever heroes were involved, sometimes leveling the whole city in the process and Shigaraki got to witness it all firsthand.
Sometimes the Herrscher would even give him reigns, letting him use her body to kill, either using her power or his own. It was weird, controlling the Herrscher's body, even weirder being a girl, but he quickly grew out of it when saw the life leave Captain Celebrity's eyes as they strangled him.
They never tackled All Might though or some others like Stars and Stripes. Master had plans for them, at least from what they heard, so Shigaraki didn't bother and HoV complied seeing as she got to waste everyone else.
Tomura honestly never felt happier…a feeling also shared by his partner. Of course that was all about to change soon enough.
A few weeks later…
"I must admit, you have quite the reputation," AFO spoke as he greeted the woman before him. The Herrscher eyed the strange man as stepped out of the portal. She had frequently seen him before on the screen but never in person. He looked uglier in real life.
"Hey…Master's just injured." Tomura defended.
"Still ugly," She thought. "What do you want" She asked AFO.
"I can't tell if I should be amused or disappointed by your lack of concern. Do you not know who I am?" He asked.
"Uh…Dark Vader?" The Herrscher asked.
"That's the first time in centuries I've heard that name….but no," AFO answered. "My mask has nothing to do with it."
"Lex Luthor," The Herrscher guessed again.
"Yeah I walked into that one," AFO sighed. "I am All For One, the symbol of Evil, the greatest villain of all time, the Demon King,"
"A Demon is nothing to a Goddess," The Herrscher scoffed. "I am the Herrscher of the Void, the Ruler of Nothingness, Herald of the Honkai and its Queen." She introduced.
"You are quite the overconfident child." All for One told her as he extended his hand out. Despite her arrogance, the Herrscher extended her own.
"It's not overconfidence if it's true." She smiled as she shook his hand. AFO smiled in turn as he activated his quirk.
"Huh," AFO said in confusion. He didn't feel any different. The Herrscher was also looking at him with the same expression as she continued to shake his hand. AFO tried to activate his quirk again. It was the same result.
"I don't have a quirk." The Herrscher smiled at AFO as she clasped his hand.
"You…don't have a quirk?" He asked his mind trying to make sense of this absurdity. "Pardon?"
"I am not from this world, neither is my power," She explained. "Ergo, I don't have a quirk of my own for you to steal," She told him.
"So…you're an alien?" AFO asked still in disbelief.
"Yes." She answered.
"Okay…I think I need to go and take a seat now," He responded. Maybe he was starting to lose his mind.
"Oh and I'm with your son," The Herrscher added. There was a good 13-second delay before it registered to the villain.
"WAIT WHAT?"
One awkward conversation later….
"So you see that's how it happened," Shigaraki explained.
"So you basically bonded to an interdimensional traveler with reality-warping powers given to her from some eldritch entity and can use that power by turning into a young woman," AFO repeated.
"I know it sounds weird when you say it like that," Shigaraki answered.
"I think it would sound weird regardless," AFO answered.
"Your world has a washing machine as a superhero," HoV briefly took over and spoke through Shigaraki's mouth.
"I can't argue there, most of the good names are already taken by this point," AFO admitted.
"Well regardless, she has been helping me and I've been helping her," Shigaraki explained.
"It's a relief," AFO admitted. "I thought for a second I'd have to deal with an entirely new individual vying for my place, but it seems all my fears for naught," AFO explained. "Welcome to the family, Herrscher of the Void. It's nice to know Tomura has found such a lovely young lady for himself,"
"The pleasure is all mine," HoV spoke as she transformed their body into her form and bowed before All for One. "I look forward to being a part of it."
"Don't worry you will," All for One told her. "Tomura, it seems you might be more ready than I thought," He told his apprentice. "If this continues, I might be able to retire soon," He mused.
"Wait…seriously?" Shigaraki questioned. "I thought you didn't plan to retire till All Might was dead."
"You and your friend have certainly gained quite a lot of power. I think it's safe to say you two might be able to kill without any trouble…. of course, if you would be willing…I'd be more than happy to pass my quirk to you so that I may be with you as you deliver the final blow," AFO explained.
"Really?" Shigaraki gasped. "That's awesome," He exclaimed. "When can we do it?"
"Soon Tomura…. soon," All for One said. He had gotten this wonderful opportunity; he wasn't going to waste it. If he played his cards right, he could get a new body and power.
A few months later….
"Look like it's time," The Herrscher said. "How are you feeling?"
"I should be asking you that." Tomura told the Herrscher. "To think you'd actually agreed to the surgery." He muttered. "I thought you hated doctors."
"I do…but I like you more." She teased. Tomura blushed at her response, clearly not used to her forwardness. The Herrscher seemed to ignore his flustered reaction or at least not embarrass him even more. "For so long, I've been on my own. It was always me against the world. Everyone I had known from a previous life had died or had been against me. I had been content with it, being alone in my campaign against humanity, but then I met you." The Herrscher confessed.
"You made me laugh, you shared in my pain and helped me to get revenge on the filth that was humanity. You…you made me realize…I don't want to be alone anymore." She smiled at him.
"Herrscher…I…I don't know what to say," Tomura responded.
"You don't need to," She told him.
"No, I do," Tomura answered. "You've been my first friend in as far as I can remember." He confessed. "You've…made me feel…warm inside. When I'm with you…I don't feel like anything else matters…. I feel…happy with you." He explained to her. "I like feeling happy, I like seeing you happy and being able to share that. It doesn't matter what whether it's eating noodles or crushing the skulls of a hero, so long as you're with me…I could care less about anything else."
"Tomura," She whispered. "We'll be together….always." She reassured him. "Now…let's go destroy this wretched Hero Society," She smiled.
"Yes…let's do it." Tomura agreed. He was ready to test his new power, thankful to his master for giving it to him and letting him show off in front of the Herrscher.
One irony later…..
"I'll kill you," Tomura screamed at his master.
They had gone to fight All Might. It was Tomura and the Herrscher working together against the Number One Hero. Despite whatever preparations the heroes had made, any anti-Honkai weapons or countermeasures against his quirks. It had been useless. The duo had steamrolled the heroes and now…now it was time to end it once and for all, by destroying the Symbol of Peace this world had treasured so much, except they didn't…or rather they couldn't.
"You bastard," The Herrscher growled as she felt herself being restrained by the mental attacks of All for One. The villain had betrayed them at the last second. He had interfered with their powers, exposing them to the heroes.
"Did you really think I'd allow you to kill All Might," He explained to them. "He has my brother's powers, and I will not allow it to die just yet." He told them.
"How are you here?" Shigaraki wondered.
"Quirks…every quirk has a fragment of its original wielder, and mine is no exception. I've had years to imprint myself on my quirk, so much so that now an entire copy of myself exists within All for One." The villain explained.
"Wait a second…and entire copy…YOU!" Shigaraki suddenly pieced it together as he felt memories and emotions, not his own start to invade his body. "You….you…."
"Yes…out with the new and in with the old," AFO said as his body started to melt and liquify, flowing to merge with Shigaraki's. Of course, the process was altered by the last remaining individual.
"Wretched worm," The Herrscher growled as she forcefully broke the bond between Master and Student. "You dare betray Tomura," She glared as she summoned her own will.
"I don't see why this is a problem. "You've practically done the same," AFO reasoned as he turned his attention to HoV. Leaving Shigaraki to contend with the fight outside and the roots of AFO, the villain turned to dispose of the final hindrance. "After all, didn't you want him to be your own host?" AFO questioned.
"Arrogant insect, you have no idea what I want," HoV said as she lunged at AFO. The villain managed to catch her; his will stronger as he repelled her back.
"Oh, but I think I do," AFO taunted. "You are not the person you claimed to be, rather you are a shell of her. That girl, Sirin, she's long gone and all that's left is you…a little ember of her rage still clutching to a life that is long overdue to expire."
"That's not true," HoV disagreed as she tried to stand up but her will wasn't strong enough. AFO's words…despite how much she hated them…had some weight.
"It isn't. The other girl, Kiana, had more life, more purpose, but you…not so much." He kicked the Herrscher down. "You're just nothing more than a raw power guide and formed by an ember of rage. A pity, you could have been something more." He told her. "In fact, you still can," He gripped the Herrscher by her throat and lifted her up. "I can give you a purpose…if you just surrender your power and body to me." He told the Herrscher.
"Let her go," Shigaraki roared as he attacked AFO from behind.
"Insolent brat," AFO said as he stood back up. "If I had known you'd be this troublesome then perhaps I'd have reconsidered using that Dabi kid," He spat.
"What?" Shigaraki gasped. That's when more memories began to invade his mind. Memories of his father but they weren't from Tomura's perspective…in fact, they were from AFO's. "Wait…a second…"
"Now you get it," AFO said. "You've never had a choice in this matter," He told Tomura. "You were always meant to be a tool. Everything that ever happened to you…good or bad, your family life, your quirk…even your status as a villain now. It was me, Tenko, I was the one responsible for it all. I was always there watching and waiting. Ready to destroy and build you back up…every single time."
"Haha…how cruel is fate," AFO boasted. "Your girlfriend is nothing more than a scrap piece of emotion rejected by her own power and you…are nothing but a pawn with no life beyond my machinations." He taunted.
"Tell me what is there left for you now, beyond just dying and surrendering your body to me," AFO jeered.
"Oh shut up already," The Herrscher said as she managed to stand back up. She glared at AFO feeling a rage build inside her like never before. It had been one thing for the villain to attack her but now. Now he signed his death. This man was the most despicable human she had ever met but worst of all…he had attacked her other half. "Begone," She told him as she launched another lance.
"Foolish…gah," AFO was hit from behind by Tomura. "What?"
"I said stay away from my queen," Tomura growled as he attacked AFO again. The Herrscher followed suit attacking in unison with Tomura. "You dared to hurt her."
"Now Tomura,"
"SILENCE!" Both said in unison. Their hearts and wills began to resonate with each other.
"What's happening?" AFO realized as he sensed their wills strengthing.
"You lied to us. You tricked us. You betrayed us." The duo said together as they walked towards AFO. "You will be punished." They said as their bodies started to merge by a force greater than any quirk or Honkai power.
Love…and the pure primal rage of seeing someone you loved get hurt.
"WE DECLARE JUDGEMENT!" The fusion said.
It was at this moment, AFO realized…he messed up.
Meanwhile in the real world…..
All Might felt a chill run up his spine. Tomura Shigaraki the apprentice of All for One had launched an attack not long ago, using the powers of the Herrscher. The heroes or what remained of them in Japan had banded together to fight and beat the villain.
Initially, they had been pushed back but by some stroke of luck, Shigaraki had frozen, his powers shut off and he was made vulnerable to their attacks. They had pushed everything into beating the villain. Now the villain had laid unconscious, their body unmoving. So why did All Might feel terrified as he cautiously walked to make sure the villain was defeated?
Then it happened…Shigaraki's eyes snapped open…but they weren't his eyes in particular. They were glowing golden eyes with familiar crosshairs over the pupils. The Herrscher had awakened in Shigaraki's body. All Might watched in horror as the villain before he transformed into the Herrscher of the Void.
The villainess stood up her entire outfit had changed, she was now bare feet, adorned with a white and brown tattered dress with a flower crown in her hair. Her wings were now dark and tattered. She craned her head as she looked at All Might. Her eyes locked on him.
All Might readied himself prepared to fight but there was no fight. She lifted her hand and All Might's body was immediately held in place by her telekinetic abilities. He couldn't move despite all his strength. He tried but it was to no avail. Then she pulled him closer and he was immediately brought before her. The Herrscher placed her hand on his face and All Might immediately felt his body erupt in pain as the skin on his face disintegrated under her touch, followed by the muscle and eventual skull.
He wished it was quick. That his death had been swift but it was slow enough for him to feel everything be destroyed. His quirk…One for All was forcefully pulled from his body as the last of life faded. The Symbol of Peace was dead.
His killer stood a maniac grin appearing on her face as she let out a maniac laugh. It was now over. The Herrscher had both of the powers, All for One and One for All, all at their fingertips.
One Apocalypse later…..
No matter which hero or villain game. None could suffice against the power of the now fully awakened Herrscher of the Void. She was unstoppable, a demon not a Goddess of Destruction that wreaked havoc on the land. Taking and absorbing just about any power she came across.
Many heroes and villains well before her might, their powers taken and only adding to her own. The underground hero, Eraserhead had his eyes practically plucked out of his head when he tried to erase any of the Herrscher's quirks. His ally Nezu had his head ripped off as the Herrscher took his high specs.
The yakuza leader, Overhaul, had made a quirk destroying bullets using a young girl's power Rewind, and had given the ammo to Lady Nagant but the bullets all failed and the trio was decayed by the Herrscher who stole both Overhaul and Rewind.
Sir Nighteye had tried his best to find a potential future where they could win but it was all for naught. There was only destruction in this world's future, only death. The Herrscher stole his power as well and laughed at the absolute victory she had seen.
Even the great Stars and Stripes had fallen under the world's new Goddess. She had attempted to use a trojan horse, by turning her quirk into a virus to destroy the other quirks within the Herrscher but she had learned far too late…that the Herrscher was not just powered by quirks alone.
"No…it can't be." Stars gasped as she felt the Herrscher squeeze her neck.
"Her king holds the quirks and his queen holds the power of the Honkai," The Herrscher spoke with two voices. "And his queen declares that New Order will not hurt her king and will be strengthened by them." The Herrscher spoke as the last hero died in their hands.
Now with all the power they needed, the Herrscher's boy grew bigger than the world itself. Floating in space, the Herrscher looked at the Earth, now nothing but a small ball before their being. Smiling wickedly they placed a hand on the planet and the world decayed in their hands, destroyed by their touch.
Satisfied the Herrscher returned to their normal size, finding themselves back at what remained of Dagoba Beach.
"We have done it," They spoke before their body began to glow and from it, Shigaraki's body was separated. The young man landed with a soft thud as the Herrscher floated beside him.
"Well, I'll be," Her king muttered. "We actually did it." He muttered. "It's finally over."
"Your will was a big part of this." His queen added. "My power alone would not have been enough."
"You still did a lot of the work," He countered.
"You knew what quirks we needed." She smiled at him as she reached out and touched his shoulder. "To both destroy the world and to make ourselves new bodies."
"Let's say it was just a team effort," Shigaraki said. "So…what now?" He wondered as he looked on into the sunset.
"I don't know," The Herrscher answered. "I never considered what to do after," she admitted.
"Well….we could always go to other worlds?" Shigaraki proposed. "Now that we've accomplished our goal, perhaps we can see other worlds that may be in need of our aid or we can just sightsee, we don't need to fight anymore. I mean we could also just stay here and settle down." He explained.
"Hmm…so long as you're with me…I think I can go for whatever you have in mind," HoV smiled as she leaned forward and placed a kiss on Shigaraki's lips. "My King,"
"Whatever you say…my Queen," Shigaraki smiled as the two embraced.
One happy ending after…..
"This idea is stupid," The Herrscher commented.
"Yet you still helped me with it," Shigaraki said.
"You know I can't say no to you," She smiled as she hugged her other half. "Besides you've had this game idea for a long time." She noted. "Still…. making an entirely new world from the ground up."
"It's not entirely new, I've used a lot of stuff from our previous world."
"Still…I don't think any world has actual experience points as a metric for growth."
"Well, this is not any world, it's our world," Shigaraki responded. "So if I want video game logic to run it, then so be it." He announced.
"Fair enough my love, but please should any civilizations dear to blaspheme against us, allow me to punish them without any mercy." The Herrscher spoke.
"Fair enough," Shigaraki answered. "That said I've made a special rule for this world." He confessed.
"Oh…what rule would that be?" The Herrscher wondered. He showed her the rule he had made. The Herrscher's face turned red. "You dunderhead." She scolded. The rule read….Sirin and Tenko will forever be soulmates in this world, bound by a cycle of love and reincarnation.
"What is it too cheesy?" Shigaraki questioned.
"No… it's fine." She admitted. "So have you come up with a name for this new world?" She questioned in an attempt to change the subject.
"Yes." He answered. "What do you think of the name…Teyvat?" Shigaraki told her.
"Sounds…fun." The Herrscher answered.
"Good now what do you think of this idea I had or its Divine Sustainer," Shigaraki added as he showed the Herrscher a sketch of her in a very divine-themed outfit. "I call her the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles." He explained.
"You dunderhead." The Herrscher blushed.