The outraged howls of the ice-user followed Tokoyami in his wake. He'd already slipped into the shadows of the destroyed city, however, so even as ice crackled through the air he didn't feel like they were an endangerment to him.

Tokoyami hopped down a short cliff that had been created by the fractured roads and leaned back briefly against the cold, crumbling asphalt as he regained his breath. Above him, serpents of ice bridged the gaps between buildings, hovering precariously over his head. The last shreds of those inky claws faded from his hands, converging to the form of Dark Shadow, who waited patiently beside him. As his heartbeat steadied and he steeled himself to continue pushing forward, he turned to his quirk.

"I didn't push you too hard, did I?" Tokoyami asked between labored breaths.

The quirk hovered uncertainly, claws curling and uncurling like they could still feel the ice breaking beneath them. "No. I was just surprised, is all," he crowed. "We didn't have to do that. But I'm glad we did."

A shuttered smile broke across Tokoyami's face. He had to agree. All too often, it felt like he had to act or else face serious repercussions. The difference between attacking and running felt like failure. But lashing out against that Liberation soldier had been something of a thrill, and Dabi's reaction to it had been a reward in itself. In the long-run, something as trivial as knocking someone down a notch probably wasn't enough to tilt the scales of battle, but it still left him with a shred of warm comfort, even as the very air was choked with cold.

That wasn't to say he took these Liberation Army soldiers lightly. Far from it. But they were still people, and people had weaknesses. They were ambitious, but narrow-minded. Strong but easily angered. He was dealing with legions of followers that were devoted to a single ideology. But Tokoyami saw them from all sides. He wouldn't fall into that trap. He had no loyalty to the League. Instead, it was a bond to certain individuals that drove him forward. That alone set him apart from everyone else fighting in this chaotic city turned battlefield.

Hopefully that'd be enough to push him through the rest of this day, wherever it ended.

"We still wanna find Spinner, right?"

Tokoyami gripped the hilt of his sword and nodded his head solemnly. Recalling what Mr. Compress had said before, the last two members of the League had gone ahead in the direction of the tower. Tokoyami wasn't worried about Shigaraki. The League's leader was brutally determined in his ways and would probably get through the ranks of army members just fine. Spinner, on the other hand…

The skyscraper sitting in the center of the city demanded his attention, a beacon to run towards. "Let's hurry."

Dark Shadow followed his line of sight towards the CEO's tower, only to become distracted and swivel around. Someone's coming!

Tokoyami crouched down low, using the rock wall as cover, and slowly unsheathed his sword with the quiet sound of metal sliding cross sheath. A shadow fell over him from the path above – where he'd just come from – and signaled the arrival of someone.

In a single swift, practiced movement, Tokoyami rose from the ground with his sword pointed directly at the oncoming enemy.

"There you are – whoa, watch it!"

The Twice clone backed up quickly from the jagged edge, relief turning to alarm as soon as the weapon was pointed at his midriff.

Tokoyami pulled back with a sigh, letting the tension of having to face another opponent leave him. "There you are. I was wondering if I'd left you behind entirely amidst the labyrinth of ice and destruction."

"You didn't make it easy for us, that's for sure!" the clone complained, waving a balled fist in contempt. "I'm just glad you're safe!"

Tokoyami looked around, keeping his sword in hand just in case, and listened for anyone else approaching. "Where's the other one? There should still be two of you, correct?"

The Twice copy jumped down the ledge to join him on the path. "Ahhh, we split up to find you. You know, ask the other us in town for directions and all that. He'll join up shortly, though! Probably got lost."

Tokoyami nodded stiffly. Maybe we should've asked for more clones from Twice…

There'll be plenty more wherever we go, right? They can help us anywhere!

…That's true. It's probably better if we can move in a smaller group anyway. Keep ourselves from attracting too much attention.

Let's try and keep it that way!

Tokoyami gestured for the clone to follow and proceeded down their route, staying at a brisk pace with his sword at the ready and senses trained. Not where we're going. But it's a nice thought.

Around every corner there were hints of battle and destruction. A constant when traversing the heavily impacted area was that he could always hear the one person army of Twices swarming through the streets and scuffling with the ranks of Liberation soldiers. It took a great amount of focus to filter out the filler fighting and zero in on more important engagements. As the sounds from Dabi's solo fight against the ice user began to fade, a new one began to swell, getting louder the closer he got to the city's center. It was strange, too. A very distinct voice was projecting itself above the sound of crumbling buildings and bitter fighting, almost as a stroke of encouragement that bounced off broken walls and reverberated through cracked alleyways.

"We call for the dissolution of your League! Now, my people, liberate them! Combine your powers and open a path to the coming era! Show the world that, yes, everyone is a hero! And that at the same time… NO ONE IS!"

Tokoyami slowed down briefly. Even amplified, it didn't sound like he was too far away from whatever was going down in the part of the city in front of him. He recognized the voice, too. It had to be that nicely dressed man that had welcomed them all into this so-called liberated district. He'd first appeared with the Curious lady at his side. And given his introduction to this place… whatever chaos was being sowed ahead had to be bad. If he was one of the leaders, then it would only make the next stretch of this grueling day harder to fight through, especially if it meant combating more brainwashed civilians.

"Let's stay on our guard," Tokoyami said ominously. "I don't want to hurt anyone, I just want to make sure the others haven't found themselves too deep into trouble."

The clone stood to attention. "Understood!" When Tokoyami picked up the pace again, the clone muttered something negative under his breath. At least he was keeping it to himself. Tokoyami didn't need to be deterred any more than he already was by the promise of yet another battle.

Focused as he was on the path set ahead, Tokoyami could swear that the skyscraper was starting to get closer. But the more he ran forward, the more voices could be heard, responding to that singular one being projected for all to hear. Echoes of elation and cries for blood in the fight against the Twice army was all-encompassing, until it reached the point where it felt like the fighting was already right on top of them.

And then it was literally on top of them.

A building wall exploded to Tokoyami's left, catching him off guard. The clone that had been trailing him the whole way tugged his arm in the other direction, and together they narrowly avoided a large chunk of brick wall crashing across the splintered pavement. The source of this timely obstacle became readily apparent when a stray Twice struggled to a stand, holding his head and brushing off the dust from the building that he'd just come bursting through.

"Ow, ow, ow! Man, that hurt – oh, hey!" The Twice came to his senses when he caught sight of Tokoyami and his remaining escort. "There you are! See, I told you I'd catch up eventually! It just, uh, sucks that I can't stick around much longer…"

Tokoyami shook off the shock of the sudden appearance just enough to comprehend what was happening. Before he could even bite back with a comment, though, the unannounced arrival was seconded by another person bursting onto the scene. He backpedaled as the man that had, up until that moment been beating down whatever Twice's crossed his path, turned his sights to Tokoyami.

"You," the man growled with fervorous contempt that felt out of place given Tokoyami's stance in all this. Dust and stone was still shifting precariously from where he'd burst from the building. Tokoyami's attention kept switching nervously between the crumbling building and the approaching man, wondering which would come hurtling at him first. If he had the guess, the guy probably had a straight-forward strength enhancing quirk. And, wagering another guess, he figured that the wall was set to collapse on top of them if they didn't move fast.

Tokoyami brandished his sword defensively, hoping it'd be enough to make the unexpected opponent hesitate. "Sir, I beseech you to flee this city. This cause will do you no good, and you risk your life needlessly. Please leave while you still can." To say these things now felt unnecessarily hopeless and desperate after seeing for himself the lengths the cultish followers would go for their leaders, but if Tokoyami didn't try every step of the way he didn't know if he'd ever be able to rest easy. Not to say he was ever allowed anything similar to rest in general, but he didn't need more than what he already had weighing on his guilty conscious.

Of course, his pleas fell on deaf ears. "You, you, you! You're the one who killed Ms. Curious!" he said, every step a heavy crash on brittle stone.

Tokoyami froze. Blood pounded in his ears, and the grip on his sword tightened. "But I didn't!" he all but screeched, frustration getting the better of him. "That wasn't me!"

"It's too late for excuses!" As he closed in on Tokoyami, the Twice clone that had been floored moments earlier moved fast. He braced against a precarious chunk of infrastructure, shoving hard against it. It crashed against the big guy's back, bringing him to his knees with a surprised grunt. At the same time, other parts of the building began to domino, falling into the empty space left behind and toppling in on itself. The narrow street became clogged with falling debris, and Tokoyami quickly realized that they all risked getting crushed.

The man began to struggle, panic blooming on his face as he realized that his leg was trapped awkwardly under the heavy chunk of wall. Maybe his quirk didn't work too well when put under pressure. But that meant his life was in danger, and Tokoyami felt his gut lurch painfully. "Don't move! I can help!"

I can…!

Bricks fell down around him, and he raised one battered arm to protect his head. The man was pushing against the ground to lift himself up, and Tokoyami came to his side. He wedged the hilt of his sword under the stone slab, putting all his force into leveraging the weight. Beside him, Dark Shadow dug his claws in and gave it his all and the loyal clone companion begrudgingly joined him.

"Hey, hey, don't you think this is a bit dangerous?" the clone helping him grumbled, eying the falling rubble nervously.

"Watch it! You were supposed to run!" the other clone yelled, annoyed that he had to spell out for them that this was his clever attempt at a distraction.

A column of concrete bashed into the ground behind Tokoyami, with the rest of the building quickly following suit. The weight they were trying to lift off the trapped civilian only ever built up, getting heavier until no matter how much Tokoyami exerted it wasn't getting raised any farther.

A hand grasped his ankle, clenching so hard he could feel his bones creak. Tokoyami gasped, feeling his focus lapse, and looked down at the man in confusion.

"You can't save me!" he frothed, dragging him towards the mounding debris. "I won't be indebted to a villain like you!"

Tokoyami felt despair coil around him, debilitating in its every move. But before his strength could waver, the world spoke for him instead.

A resounding crack filled the air. To Tokoyami, it was louder than the walls crashing down around him. He felt small shards of metal fleck his exposed flesh like a passing good-bye. And he was left there, standing in numb incredulousness, at the broken edge of his sword. Without the leverage, Dark Shadow and Twice lost their slim victory over the rock wall. It slipped from their grasp, landing back on the man indefinitely. He let go of Tokoyami, fingers twitching and eyes wide in alarm as realization must've dawned upon him in some way. But it was too late for any of that.

Fumikage, I get that you don't wanna leave him but…

Tokoyami locked eyes with him sadly, stepping away all the while. The only thing he could hold right now was his freshly broken sword. I know.

Dark Shadow vanished from his side to recharge. Tokoyami dodged the onslaught of rubble, skirting the area and all but leaving the scene behind. Within seconds he'd lost sight of that trapped person. A wall of dust swept over him, and stray bits of concrete tumbled after his feet, but after an all too brief lapse of time the damage had settled.

Tokoyami breathed heavily, feeling the clogged air choke his lungs. The road he'd traveled down unchallenged up to this point was rendered impassible by the partially destroyed building. For starters, it meant that he'd need to find a different route, so it might take longer to reach the last to be seen members of the League. But looking upon the wreckage now, he thought of how hard it was to just move on from something like this.

A reassuring pat on the shoulder caused him to wince. "Don't worry about that guy! I'm sure his buddies will come free him. I bet he's already gone." The Twice was acting awfully confident. Tokoyami might've preferred he had said nothing at all, given the circumstances. But there was no helping these things now. It felt hopeless for the same reason that his efforts had rang hollow in his encounter with Curious. He wouldn't soon forget the way these people sacrificed themselves to an ailing cause. As much as he hated to admit it, the clone was probably right. Regardless of the outcome, far too many of these people were already gone.

That being said, the Twice Parade wasn't helping with the ever-increasing number of casualties.

The clone that had finally "caught up" with them stumbled sluggishly to his side. There was a chunk taken out of his head from where he'd been caught in the turmoil, and already his makeshift flesh was reverting into globs of discolored mud. "Ahhhh, drat. I was really hoping I'd last a bit longer. Hey! Don't get caught in stuff like this, ya hear?! Or else Twice is gonna be upset! I leave it to you now, Twice number three!" And then the half-formed Twice converged into a pile of gunk, sinking to its knees and dissolving into the cracked earth.

Tokoyami watched the clone recede. He didn't like the idea that he might get used to seeing these Twice look-alikes fall apart. It felt too much like watching someone die for real, and that was something he never wanted to grow numb to. He couldn't detach himself from the world like that. It felt too cold. And so maybe that's why he stood there, as if in vigil over the fallen. As if it made any sort of difference.

Hey hey… shouldn't we keep going? That's what you wanted, right? So that way we can maybe keep others from getting hurt?

Tokoyami admired the broken edge of his sword with a shiver of dread. His gift from Spinner had been rendered nigh useless. He didn't think he'd be able to defend anyone with a broken weapon like this, let alone himself. More than that, it bothered him in a way that he couldn't quite describe. His feelings regarding the loss of this item that he'd admittedly treasured for the past couple months were muddled at best. He couldn't let go of it, either. There was only a small part of the blade left, its remaining edge brittle and covered in hairline fractures. In the dull gloss, it reflected back an image of him.

Tokoyami sheathed it. It didn't exactly fit in its sheath anymore, but the edge snagged on the material and stayed in place well enough that he could probably get away with running without having it slip from his grasp. Even if its utility had been severely reduced, he couldn't just cast it aside. He had to make sure Spinner knew how much the damn thing meant to him while it had lasted.

Though seeing it broken now… I feel as though this comes as a heavy omen for what's to come, Tokoyami contemplated, his concerns deepening.

You think something might've happened to Spinner?

Tokoyami gave one last look at the mound of rubble before tearing himself away from it all. Perhaps it's just my lack in faith regarding Shigaraki. I struggle to see how Spinner could be doing "well" in all this turmoil.

Even if Shigaraki doesn't back him up, isn't that what all these Twices are for?

…Maybe. Although this whole thing feels like more unnecessary destruction than it could ever be worth. Dark Shadow didn't respond to that, but Tokoyami could feel that he was ready to be at his side at a moment's notice. Trailed by the last clone that had been assigned to him, Tokoyami took a deep breath and continued down the path of disarray spread out before him.

Still the same goals. Still the same landmark growing ever closer.

But he felt bare. There wasn't a good way to define himself. To these people, would he just be forever known as responsible for the death of one of their leaders? And where he was going, could he be certain that such a happenstance wouldn't fall into his hands again? There are many fates I can't forgive, mine being one of them. But I don't want Spinner's to be one of them. Or Dabi's or Twice's or Toga's. This is a putrid place to have as a grave.

His quirk stirred in his mind. If need be, I'll make sure that this city doesn't become our grave, either.

…Thank you.

The rubble choked path they'd taken opened up into an open street – a four-way intersection located near the center of Deika City. It wasn't in shambles the same way the area being desecrated by Dabi's fight, but it was alive with action in a way that he hadn't seen anywhere else. Tokoyami had arrived on the scene of an all-out brawl taking place in the streets. Granted, this whole thing was nothing short of a war, but this was the most densely packed he'd seen the battalions of Twices taking on the soldiers of the Liberation Army.

"Everyone! Deliver well-deserved punishment to those who threaten us!" Another rally to action, so loud that Tokoyami could feel it ringing in his head. It was an invasive presence, coercive and demanding, and everyone that heard it heeded the call. And because Tokoyami had arrived at the next focal point of brutality, he could see exactly where the voice was coming from.

It was the man from before, without a doubt. His suit looked impeccably clean despite the sea of blood and bodies swarming beneath his feet. His arms were stretched out to his underlings, like a parental figure expressing his pride. The only true difference was the strange mask he now bore – another one of their company-made battle items. It didn't take much to realize that this must be the source of his increased volume. He stood atop a large white campaign van, next to a header that proudly displayed the name "Hearts and Mind Party." Judging by how densely packed the people around him were, he was definitely a model leader to these manipulated civilians.

That wasn't who he was looking for, though. Only an obstacle. The person he was trying to find proved more difficult to pick out amongst the masses. But once Tokoyami caught sight of the green-scaled man that was situated spread-eagle along the side of a building, he stood out like a sore thumb. A knife was clenched in his teeth, and he was crawling his way towards the figurehead for all he was worth. All the while, there was no sight of Shigaraki. Unfortunately for Spinner, that made him a prime target for the masses.

"Your Gecko Meta Ability allows you to cling to walls, but that's about it…" If this was supposed to be another interview-style debacle, then it was missing any sort of canned enthusiasm or amazement. Ms. Curious had been enthralled by the subjects of her interest. The more Tokoyami heard this man speak of Spinner, though, the more obvious his intents become. "I understand you were once a recluse. Mocked and pilloried. And now you do what you do to exact revenge on the world. I'm sorry to say… I can't see you ever having any value!"

This was ridicule.

Tokoyami ran towards him. He opened his beak for a cry of his own to reach over the heads of the masses. "Spinner!"

Barely had the name left his tongue before it was promptly drowned out. A rumble reverberated through the earth, causing him and everyone else in the vicinity to stumble and look up at the sky in awe. The skyscraper that was the home to these pivotal figureheads was falling apart. This grand building that had stood as the beacon that had brought him so close to the heart of this city was actively breaking down on itself, brick by crumbling brick, at an unprecedented rate. It was different than merely watching a structure cave in on itself. It was being turned to dust.

That's why Shigaraki wasn't here. He'd already reached the checkpoint.

That's… so much destruction.

Isn't it just a drop in the bucket for a guy like him?

Tokoyami clenched his teeth. I don't think it's ever been capable of doing so much at once, though.

…Do we… need to check it out? Dark Shadow sounded far too nervous about the idea, despite being the one to voice it.

Tokoyami had taken advantage of the distraction spreading through the ranks to start shouldering through the crowds. Since he wasn't a Twice clone, he hadn't been challenged yet, but that was certain to change within the next few moments. Not until we do something about the situation here. So let's be ready.

Black Ankh!

Tokoyami reached the street directly beneath Spinner. By now, he was dimly aware that outraged screeches were being aimed at him. The only think keeping them from swarming him was the residual clones that were combating them. The ground was clogged with piles of bizarre mud that were once fully formed Twices, making the terrain that little bit harder to navigate. It was strange to think that he was running through puddles of Twice, but he couldn't spare that anymore thought. Not when a real, living person was struggling in front of him and being targeted on all sides.

Again, Tokoyami was filled with the urge to call out to him. And again he was interrupted.

Spinner saw him. As the tremors from the falling building and the sting of the leader's words faded into background noise, they locked sight for the first time since this war had broken out.

Tokoyami watched in alarm as the wall that Spinner was clinging to vanished in a perfect circle. A woman like any other that he might see on the streets retracted her hand from the inside of the building, smirking at her precise quirk usage, and stepped back in the split second that had Spinner grasping at nothing. A man hurtled through the hole, tackling Spinner in the air, and they went soaring to the earth in front of him.

"You're not getting… the point!" the man declared as spikes erupted from his body and pierced Spinner in several places.

A strangled cry escaped Spinner, a reflection of the pain tearing through him. Tokoyami's breath hitched in his throat, and Dark Shadow flared up around him.

"Get off of him!" Tokoyami roared, throwing dense, shadowy claws towards the grappling offender. A haze of anger and frustration settled over Tokoyami as he raced towards them. He felt through his connection with his quirk the way the claws gripped into the spiny attacker, and with an aggressive flick of his hand he pried the man off of Spinner. Then the claws were back to him, overlapping his fingers, and he was standing poised over Spinner's battered body. The scaled man looked up at him, wide-eyed as he struggled to push himself onto his hands and knees. Clean holes were punctured through his arms, and wounds dotted his body not unlike the blue polka-dots of his shirt. Blood was seeping through the bandages wrapped strategically around his arms, and the knife in his quivered as his teeth dug into the hilt.

Tokoyami extended a taloned hand to him. "Can you move? We gotta get to cover!"

He didn't quite understand why Spinner had this look of amazement across his face. He reached out his own clawed hand, accepting the bird-headed boy's invitation. Evidentially he could stand just fine despite the injuries, albeit with a bit of a wobble as he grew accustomed to the pain. With Tokoyami's not-quite-gentle hold of his hand, he pressed through the swarming masses. Spinner stumbled in his wake.

"Wh-when did you…?!" Spinner struggled to say around the knife in his mouth, but with everything happening his words weren't coming out properly. That was alright, though. The clones were covering their escape.

"Don't worry, kiddo! We got your back! They're overtaking us on all sides!" a clone cheerily proclaimed before delivering a well-placed punch into the gut of a screeching fanatic that had been sprinting towards them. Tokoyami had no clue at this point if this was the same clone that had been with him the whole time. At this point, he wasn't sure if it mattered, either, since all the clones fighting around him were on his side anyway. Anything to keep the masses at bay.

To that end, Tokoyami did his part as well. These people weren't playing around, that much was certain. They fought with such frenzied vigor that he had to wonder if these really were ordinary people. Unable to take them lightly, he used Dark Shadows claws wherever possible. The quirk flew around him with renewed strength, extending his arms out and around to push back anyone who drew near.

Given their predicament, true cover was hard to come by. But they were able to push through the crowds and find some protection behind a tipped-over car that was wedged next to a neglected dollar store. The two of them weren't exactly the biggest people, so Tokoyami dragged his newest companion into the shadows and crouched between the tires that were resting against the concrete wall. A chord of shadow trailed behind him, and he was keenly aware that was quirk was out there fighting the rabid civilians off.

Oi, I can't do this forever! Ahhh, but you had me going there. I didn't think we'd get so angry seeing Spinner get hurt, Dark Shadow lamented through their shared connection.

Tokoyami watched the shadow of peoples' legs moving on the other side of the car, their shouts for justice grating. I don't know anymore. Come back for now – I think we can focus on fending off anyone who tries to follow after us. It'd be better if we saved our strength, though.

Roger that!

The quirk turned small, slipping through the grasps of the soldiers, and slithered in through the opening before dispersing.

Even though he was far from relaxing, he still allowed himself a moment to curl into a sitting position and breathe a heavy exhale. It occurred to him that he hadn't sat down in a long time.

Next to him, Spinner had tentatively removed the knife from his mouth, though he still held it at the ready, eyes darting over to where people were passing by the car. A glimpse of black and white spandex gave him the reassurance he needed that they were still being guarded by the clones. Despite – or maybe because of – their temporary protection, Spinner looked rattled by the chain of events.

"…Spinner? Are you alright?" The question felt lame on his tongue the moment it came out, but it was the only thing he could think to say in the moment.

It was enough to make him jolt, though. He turned to face him. Some of that panic from earlier had left his face, but he still looked undeniably nervous underneath his mask. "Huh? Er, yeah! Yeah, no, I'm fine!"

Tokoyami grimaced. Putting on a brave face wouldn't do the guy any good. Not in the situation they were in now. "I saw you get hurt, though. Getting pierced like that isn't good. Think you can bandage yourself real quick?" He'd dumped a lot of medical supplies onto Twice for Toga's sake, but he'd be foolish to charge into a fight without anything for himself. And now he'd be willing to lend a bit more to ensure that Spinner got patched up. Not all of it, mind you, but I'm still willing to share.

Spinner didn't look ready to accept that level of help, though. He placed a hand over one of the holes in his arm ruefully. "I should be able to fight better than this. Shigaraki… he left me in charge of this fight! He was only able to go ahead and rescue Giran because I'm giving my all against Hanabata…! A-at least, I thought I was." He fixated on the freely bleeding wounds, and he deflated in disappointment. "But the reality is that I don't have any…"

Remembering what that man – Hanabata, apparently – had said about Spinner, Tokoyami spoke up before he could echo those solemn accusations. "He's wrong!" Tokoyami practically shouted. Wincing at his own volume, he toned it down, but still spoke with the same level of earnestly. "You do have value! You have morals and ideals and a reason for being who you are!"

Sighing with exasperation, Tokoyami started digging through his pockets. He pulled out a new roll of bandages and a small container of saline solution. He must've bumped his sheath in the process, because as he was handing the products to Spinner, the broken sword came loose and clattered onto the ground between them.

Spinner took hold of the medical supplies at the same time that recognition dawned over him. "That's my–! I mean, the sword I gave you. It… it broke?" He started unraveling the bandages and applying the solution, but he looked bothered every step of the way. "When did that happen?"

Tokoyami hung his head. "Just recently. It had served me well for so long. Had saved my life, even, when I had nothing else to fight with. But I put too much on it, and the blade just…" Tokoyami picked it up by the hilt, staring listlessly at the broken edge. "I'm sorry! I took your gift for granted and lost something that had become important to me because of me. If you hadn't bestowed this katana to me, then you probably would've been more prepared for this fight we wage now…"

Spinner quietly continued wrapping his wounds. When he didn't immediately respond, Tokoyami thought that he'd done something to upset him. But when he looked up, Spinner had a thoughtful expression. None of those traces of panic or disappointment. "You… you think too much of me. That was just a cheapo sword from a flea market. I doubt it was ever meant to last in a place like this. But… but you were able to get that much mileage out of it, huh? That's pretty incredible."

Tokoyami tilted his head back against the wall, pressing his feathers awkwardly against the cool surface. "I didn't exactly enter the League with very much at my disposal, if you remember. But that sword came to me when I needed it most. You must've realized that, too, seeing as how you willingly handed over something that had to have meant something to you. Value and significance are two vastly different things, after all…" He looked over at Spinner again. Regardless of whatever thoughts were racing through his mind, he seemed to have calmed down a lot. He'd already bandaged many of the wounds with practiced ease. As it turned out, covering your arms in bandages every day really prepared you for the real deal. "Spinner? Are you gonna be alright to make it out of here with me?"

Spinner bit his lip nervously. "I… I can keep going! I don't wanna "make it out of here," I wanna fight for a cause! That politician is still out there energizing those people. If even somebody like me can act at a time like this, then shouldn't I?"

Tokoyami recognized that ambition. It wasn't so different from the drive that kept him moving in dangerous situations. Far be it him to deny this man his determination. "I understand," Tokoyami said agreeably.

"Huh? For real?"

Don't act so surprised!

He's not exactly the most confident…

"If that's your decision, then I'll respect it. You said he was energizing them. It's because of his voice, right? I can't see why else he'd need to amplify it so much. If we move fast, I can cover you and we can reach the car he's using as his stage. We might not be able to attack him directly, but if we can get within range then I can at least use Dark Shadow's claws to knock that device from his face."

"…You mean you're gonna help me?"

"Why wouldn't I? I'm not going to deny a friend in need."

Spinner nodded slowly. "Uh…huh."

Already, it felt like too much time had been spent behind the capsized car. The longer they waited this out, the more their barrier of defensive Twices would be beaten down. The two of them were as ready as they'd ever be.

Spinner stood up as much as he could in the cramped space. He looked up the façade of the wall. "I'm making the choice to put my trust in you. I don't know if that sounds weird, considering what brought you here, but I can tell what kind of person you are. You care about people, Tokoyami. You might've been trained in the image of fake heroes, but you're the real deal. I think Stain would approve of you."

Tokoyami furrowed his brow, confused at best. "Uh, thanks?" I guess. That's probably the most complimentary thing he can say to someone. I accept these sorts of things where they matter.

The reptilian man gestured above them. "There's a balcony up there. It doesn't look like anybody's reached that level of this specific building, so we can use it to cover some ground at reach him better. Think you can do it?"

"Of course," Tokoyami confirmed, rising to the challenge.

"Then, uh, you better hang on!"

Tokoyami hooked his arms around Spinner's shoulders. He thought the man would struggle fore with such a feat of strength after sustaining those injuries, but he pushed on without complaint. They climbed out of the cover of the car, quickly scaling the wall under full view of the people. Sure enough, a line of clones had held them at bay up till now, but they were falling one after another, thinning their forces considerably. People hollered at them from the street and started trying to climb the car to reach them with renewed vigor, only to be pulled back down by Twices that were struggling to retain their form. They reached the balcony unopposed, whereupon Tokoyami let go of Spinner. By now they'd garnered enough unwanted attention that quirk users with projectiles were starting to target them, and Tokoyami moved out of the way of some flying quills and rocketing fingers.

"Let's move!" Spinner announced, brimming with excitement.

They raced along the building's perimeter. Tokoyami could hear people racing up the stairs from inside, but they'd already managed to cover more ground than they would've had they tried taking any other route. The high ground took them as far as it could until they were parallel with the political party's vehicle. There were less Twice clones the closer they got to the center-point of this rally. Tokoyami did a quick scope of his immediate area to figure out the next course of action. There was still a distance that needed to be bridged. He could rely on Spinner to get back down, but the people waiting hungrily below would make it nigh impossible to get through.

Beside him, an unexpected crack made him flinch. He wheeled around, expecting a new adversary, but was instead met with a rather proud-looking Spinner. In one hand was his trusty knife while the other held the broken-off end of a gutter's downspout. "Grab hold!"

I have only myself to blame for landing in this position.

I think you're missing the point – you haven't landed yet. That's what this is for, Dark Shadow corrected helpfully.

Tokoyami took hold of the spout, eyeing the way it trailed down the side of the building. I suppose that's true.

And then he leapt from the balcony.

The screws holding the gutter to the building's side buckled one after another under his weight, sending him careening over the heads of the Liberation soldiers. He was vaguely aware of Spinner climbing down the wall after him, willfully sending himself into their outstretched arms. For Tokoyami, however, everything after that was a blur. His trajectory had him vaulting across the gap until the gutter's last screw snapped off at the bottom, sending him into a brief period of freefall.

"Piercing Twilight Claws!" Tokoyami roared, summoning the inky talons to his side. This was as close to the van as he was going to get. Right before the hit the ground, the looked sight with Hanabata's weird head device. Setting that as the target, he commanded his quirk with dangerous speed.

A well-placed slash.

The politician's now broken mask.

Tokoyami felt a thrill rush through him as the leader bent double. Dark Shadow's claws came back to him, brimming with victorious energy. And then he landed into the crowd. A Twice dissolved underneath the impact, and for a moment he was stunned. The Liberation soldiers probably would've acted quickly to pounce upon him in this state, had it not been for the leader that had guided them thus far breaking down before them.

"How dare you!" Hanabata shrieked, holding his bloodied face. His crowd of faithfuls stuttered where they stood, listening to his frazzled words. "How dare you defile me with that filthy meta ability?! What right do you have!" His façade of professionalism lapsed into cries of torment. Without direction, his people collided with each other or stopped altogether, at a loss of what could be done.

Amidst the uncertainty, Tokoyami felt a scaly hand grab his arm. He leaned into it, letting Spinner hoist him back onto his feet. "You did good! That oughtta put him at a disadvantage, at least for now."

Tokoyami was ready to agree. He just didn't anticipate that celebration would be so brief.

The ground began to tremble again, sowing more confusion through the amassed people. He wouldn't be surprised if Shigaraki had found another skyscraper to eradicate. Tokoyami would've hoped that merely feeling these sorts of tremors wouldn't alarm him the same way previous ones had. That wasn't to be the case though, and his heart practically leaped into his throat. He couldn't be sure if the reflex was irrational at this point, seeing as how he was already in the heat of battle, or if his body was urgently telling him that there was somehow an entity worse than anything he'd combatted thus far quickly closing in. Either way, he could feel the vibrations wracking his body. But it was different than what he'd felt when the tower had fallen. No, this wasn't just a single occurrence. It was consistent. It was a repeated thud that shook the foundation of every building that was still standing, like a mountain-sized force was closing in on the city at a rapid pace, growing ever closer.

A storm was coming for them all.