A/N: Well I'm finally done with college, that last semester was a nightmare! Hopefully I'll get to write more frequently! I am also splitting my attention between this and my NSFW writing on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/project_legion if you wanna check it out! The next chapter will be from Izuku's perspective! Enjoy!

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[Skill: Strea, Lord of Dragons]

Apex Skill

Cost: The more intensively the Dragon God's Eyes and Dragon God's Gun is used, the more Mana they require. However, they are extremely efficient. Even the weakest Magical Beings could fully charge at least one shot.

The User gains a Dragon God's Gun in their dominant arm, this can be folded away or expanded at any time for ease of use. The User's arm with the Draconic Barrel folded away will look no different than usual. The Gun will adapt to fit any ammo type and will enhance all shots with Draconic Magic, which ignores most resistances and can strike the Soul directly, alongside physical and magical damage.

The User gains Dragon God Eyes, granting them incredible vision and the ability to see Souls. The Eyes are capable of interplanetary vision depending on how much Mana is pumped through them. They also calculate trajectories, wind patterns, and many other variables to give the User a visible line of the path their bullet will take for maximum accuracy.

Contains the following Skills: Speed Loader, Omni-Movement, Sheer Force, Dragon God's Disciple.

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[Speed Loader: The User can directly teleport ammo into their chosen gun (works with the Dragon God's Gun)]

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[Omni-Movement: The User can position themselves in 3-Dimensional space however they want]

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[Sheer Force: The User is granted an extra 50% damage to all attacks]

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[Dragon God's Disciple: Kaina Tsutsumi, you have been chosen to succeed me]

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Kaina was confused by all the holographic boxes popping up in front of her, she had yet to see or hear about the System, but she didn't have the time to question it, there were still two Nomu left, and Miruko was just an S-Rank. Even if she had strong gear, there was no way for her to-

Miruko fell from the sky, landing softly in a crouched position, betraying her immense strength. "You took down yours too? Nice. Bit of redemption for both of us huh?" Her body was covered in disgusting bug guts, parts of the ant's arm hanging off her armor.

Moments later, Beru rose from the water, his brother literally torn in half in his hands.

"Kiek kiek kiek... My Liege and my Lady have quite the interesting harem..."

"Harem?!" Miruko practically jumped on top of Beru. "Is it open for applicants?"

Kaina winced. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Beru."

"Wait... so you and Izuku?!" Miruko was now jumping at Kaina.

"How do you...? Do you have memories of a past life too?"

"Huh?" Miruko's ears flopped to the side, caught off-guard by the strange question. "No, I just know what he smells like."

Now it was Kaina's turn to be taken aback, her face turning red. "What?! Have you two been going out?!"

"No! Are you going out with him or not?!"

"Kiek kiek... I have stirred some chaos it seems." Beru was wringing his hands like some mustache-twirling supervillain.

"That's enough, Beru." Momo said, having arrived in her VTOL just in time to witness the conclusion of the fights. She took one look at Miruko and realized what was going on, after all, she heard about Izuku's first meeting with the bunny girl. Being saved by the Shadow Monarch probably only increased her interest in him. "And I'm not starting a harem, Monarch is," She clarified with a smirk. Momo could appreciate the good looks of someone like Kaina or Miruko, but she didn't see herself climbing into a bed with them.

"I haven't really had much time with Izuku," Kaina chimed in to quell Miruko's pestering. "It's complicated, and we don't have much time for girl talk right now," She said, gesturing around at the mayhem.

"Well for now, we've sunk their ships, stopped their Nomu hatching plans, and halted the advance on the city of Sapporo. My F-54s are cleaning up the skies and the Shadow Organization has confirmed that, so far, no other attacks are on-going due to our initial response."

"I doubt they expected such fierce opposition. Japan and Korea together couldn't handle Jeju, so they probably assumed three of those ants and a military invasion would end the resistance from Japan in a day or so." Kaina saw a good deal of combat with Russians in her past lives, so she knew what she was talking about.

Beru's antenna twitched for a moment, and he looked off to the East. "My Lady, something is approaching."

"Another ant?" Miruko asked arrogantly.

"No... stronger..."

"It's just one of those days, huh?" Momo strolled back to her fighter jet, the other two Wyverns arriving just in time to pick up the other two girls. Quasar was still patrolling the skies and the Tenebris held the ground. So for now, Japan was safe from a large-scale invasion.

In unison, Kaisel, the three Wyvern jets, and Beru, all took off, headed for the incoming attack.

"It's coming from really far east," Kaina commented, as they flew farther out to sea. It was better to fight as far away from civilization as possible, especially when dealing with strength like Miruko and Beru's, or serious Magical firepower like Momo or Kaina. "There's no reason Russia would take this much of a detour."

Kaina's jet came to a stop, hovering in mid-air. The canopy slid open for her to get out, perching herself on one of the wings. With Omni-Movement, she could essentially go prone with nothing beneath her, as if planking on thin air. But she still preferred to stand on something solid.

Kaina bent her right arm, the area around the elbow folding open like some sort of machine to reveal the powerful rifle. It didn't have a scope, but it wasn't necessary. With Dragon God Eyes, she could literally see into space, a few kilometers was no problem.

"Is it coming from America?" Momo asked. She could've dialed the Shadow Organization and gotten satellite data based on Mana output, but it would've taken too long based on how fast the incoming target was.

Kaina's pupils narrowed into slits as she pumped Mana through them. "It's-"

Kaina was cut off as a shockwave hit them all. The blast was so strong that even the Wyverns and Beru lost their balance mid-air for a moment. The source of that blast? A single blonde woman hovering in the air.

"Cathleen Bate..." Kaina glowered at the woman floating in front of her.

The other Wyverns and Beru swung around to surround the woman. Her outfit was almost too patriotic to look at, just an American Flag stretched across her body.

"Star and Stripe," She said, her upbeat feminine tone not quite matching the absolute muscle mass she was carrying. Her Japanese was stiff and broken. It was likely that someone in her ear was guiding her through the conversation. "Have we met?"

Kaina grumbled something under her breath before saying, "No."

"What's your business here?" Momo asked, stepping out onto the fuselage of her own Wyvern, her Empress mask covering her face.

"I'm here to help, of course!"

"Well that's great!" Momo was beginning to think that National-Ranks had gotten a bad rap as greedy and arrogant fools. "We have approximately-"

""What's the price?"" Kaina and Miruko asked in unison. They had both seen too much of humanity at its worst to trust someone so implicitly, especially America's number one.

"So you're not here to help?" Momo asked, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She could feel where Cathleen was about to take the conversation.

"Oh I'm absolutely here to help, but only if you accept my terms," Cathleen crossed her arms and smirked at the three. "I can end this war in a day, and have fleets of American cruisers and jets patrolling your coastlines. But in exchange, you and your hubby gotta sign on to the USA," Cathleen pointed at Momo.

"What? Not us too?" Miruko said, gesturing at Kaina and herself.

"Well, after getting a sense for your new power, you'll be next on America's list. We'd love to have all of you. But for the sake of this encounter, I'm here for the Shadows."

"Pass," Momo instantly responded. "I'm nobody's lap dog, especially not America's."

"Oh but you wouldn't be. You'd live like kings and queens! You point at something you want, and the government will fetch it for you. They'll be your lap dogs, not the other way around." She smirked. "Not to mention, America has the greatest healthcare in the world, which I think you might find attractive given your current state."

"And what do you know about that?" Momo asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Kaina and Miruko exchanged confused glances, both of them lost.

"Oh that wasn't a threat, not at all! I just have good senses. I can tell when someone's... ya know. We'd take real good care of you and-"

"Japan is more than enough for me, I don't need your blood money."

"Not even to end this war right here and now?"

Kaina scowled, "America probably convinced Russia to start this war. How do we know you're not just exploiting us?"

Star rolled her eyes. "Riiiight, America and Russia, best of friends," She deadpanned.

Momo scoffed. "Does it look like we need help?" Her fists were clenched, she was ready to fight Star and Stripe all of the sudden, so of course, so were Kaina, Miruko, and the Shadows.

Cathleen shrugged. "The writing's on the walls, guys. Countries like Japan, like Korea or Russia, they're all slowly falling. Rome didn't fall in a day, but it took a lot of people with it. You sure you wanna be on a sinking ship? America's the safest place in the world right now." She sighed. "Look, you're strong, clearly. But here's the thing, can you be strong enough to shoulder an entire country? Even with your little toys," She gestured to Beru, "You won't be able to maintain that delicate balance."

"Watch me," Momo spat.

"Alright then, final card. America has been hiding this for a while to prevent a panic, but this data is courtesy of David Shield, right before he fell into the Eternal Slumber." Cathleen pulled several pieces of paper from her outfit and passed them to Momo. "If you can't follow the data I can interpret-"

"Don't talk down to us blondie!" Miruko bit back. She had a bit of a temper when it came to intelligence. Most people assumed she was a brute, a muscle head. But even whilst escaping her abusive mother and raising her siblings on her own, she managed to give herself an acceptable education by reading textbooks and using the internet to its fullest. She wasn't a Momo Yaoyorozu, but she could give some college kids a run for their money when it came to test scores.

Momo scanned the pages wildly. "How was this verified?"

Cathleen seemed taken aback by the question. "Uh what?" She held a hand up to her ear, confirming that someone was translating for her. "Uh, it's based on satellite data, population and death statistics, and Awakening rates. There's more data on page five." Ironically she seemed to be the one who didn't understand the data.

"What is it?" Kaina asked.

"Bottom line, the world ends in 5 years give or take," Cathleen said. "But America will last for another 40 or so with the force we've built up. There's no winning against the Villains anymore, there's only enjoying the time we have left. So you can die amongst the rabble, or live in luxury as Gods. We'll even let you go out to help other countries here and there. But really, this is for you, for your sake and your future."

"How do we know this data is real?" Kaina asked Star, but it was Momo who answered.

"The equations and numbers are all real, they're similar to Takashi's work, but far more refined. No government agent could cobble this together for a fake. This report is... it would take some serious brain power to put together."

"So what?" Miruko asked. "Shield went into a coma before the Shadow Monarchs came to be."

"It doesn't matter," Cathleen countered.

"Even special National-Ranks wouldn't be able to stem the tide," Momo realized. "The Awakening rates would have to skyrocket, and even then... we'd lose 80 percent of the planet's population, and the environment would be so wartorn and dangerous that the other 20 percent would just..." She didn't need to finish her sentence. The data was conclusive, even a stopgap like the Monarchs wasn't enough to fully save humanity based on the available data.

"Whatever you decide, I'd appreciate it if you kept that data out of the public eye," Cathleen cautioned, her eyes softening for a moment. "No one should have to know how dire a situation is when they can't do anything about it. Let them enjoy their few remaining years. Ignorance is bliss."

"So why even join up with America at all?" Momo asked, still looking blankly down at the papers. "If it's all crashing down then why...?"

"Because estimates show that if you and your Monarch start building up defenses in America, we might actually be able to save civilization over a long period of time. All of the firepower we can manage, crammed into one country, gives humanity the best chance of survival," She gestured to Japan, "But if you spend your time here, squandering your strength, then humanity will almost surely go extinct. And for what? Because you think America is evil?"

Momo clutched the papers tightly in her hands, crinkling the paper, thinking of the one person she wished was there with her. "You should know two things about me. I don't belong to anyone." She flung the papers into the air, igniting them with her gauntlets Omni-Elemental Gem. "And I don't believe in fate. If we're meant to fall, I'll do it bloodied and fighting, not squared away in some Beverly Hills mansion. I don't fight for only Japan, I fight for the people who don't have the strength to do it themselves."

Miruko grinned in appreciation. She only knew Izuku, but she could already approve of his partner. And, much to their shock, Star smiled alongside her.

"Well, it looks like Thomas Andre and Adam White will have no easier of a time convincing you." She sighed. "I want you to fight for America, to preserve my home and humanity as a whole... but... I can't deny that I feel the same way as you. But, unfortunately, life isn't so cut and dry. We will fall, but some of us will fall with our dignity intact." She gave Momo one last sad smile. "It's too bad no one will be around to tell stories of us... unlike the myths of Heroes long past, we will fade from the history of the universe. If you change your mind, give me a call." She flicked a business card at Momo, who let it fly by her.

"The Shadow Monarch would never accept such a fate, nor will I."

"That's just naive. But it's your call... Don't wait too long. You might get to spend some good years in America if you come to your senses." Her shoulders slumped, defeated. "I'm pretty sure you'll die just like the rest of us, but... in case I'm wrong, good luck." Without another word, she vanished at speeds that even Beru or the Wyverns would have difficulty keeping up with.

"Five years... even for Japan?" Kaina looked to Momo, who was staring off in the direction Star had gone.

"That's what Shield's calculations said." Momo turned around to get back in her fighter jet. "But I won't let it happen." Darkness gathered around her, as if sensing her emotions. She looked down at the System and thought about all the work and research her and Deep Blue had already completed. "Even if Shield was right, he doesn't know everything." There was purpose in her voice as she declared to the world:

"After all, the Shadow Monarchs have only just gotten started."