A foreboding omen is creeping up on society. Dominoes are starting to fall.

And when everything falls into place, will society be ready?

Probably not.

*Sigh* "Why did I agree to this?"

Keigo Takami hated being busy.

Which was a weird thing to think about, since he chose a career that has the least amount of free time given possible. He was a hero, and not just any hero, the No: 3 Pro Hero, Codenamed: Hawks.

Keigo is a man of average height with a slim and narrow build. He has ash blonde hair that's swept backward onto his head with a few strands sticking upwards on the front, notably thick eyelashes, and some faint stubble on his chin. His eyes are gold-brown and rather triangular in shape, with two little black triangles just below his tear ducts, making his eyes somewhat resemble those of a bird. Finally, he has a set of bright red wings that come from his Quirk: Fierce Wings.

Very inventive name.

His Quirk not only gives him the power of flight, but also hundreds upon hundreds of controllable feathers, each one telepathically connected to him. The feathers also have a variety of sizes, but each one being stiff, flexible, and sharp enough to cut through flesh if he so wishes. This Quirk's uses and potential were brought to their fullest in his time training to be a hero.

And now, those skills are being put to the test.

3 days ago, there was a murder in Hosu City, a hero was killed inside a warehouse. The cause of death? A single bullet through the head, and the bullet being Quirk made from hardened hair. The culprit was obvious, and the HPSC was not happy about who it was.

They were already on the verge of panic when they found out she was freed from Tartarus, but now they were just in hysterics trying to find her. Letting her live now would be too dangerous, so they had declared her as an A-rank villain with the heroes ordered to not hold back against her. They needed her dead, but not before finding out exactly who she was working with/for now.

But before that, he has to find her first.

And right now, he's not having any luck.

With no clues on why she targeted that specific hero, or if it was just a random kill, he followed the only lead that they had, the city itself.

So he started patrolling around Hosu City, looking for anything that could indicate her presence, or perhaps find the reason she was here in the first place. Though if he was being honest with himself, he's not sure how an encounter between the both of them would actually go.

Hawks is very confident in his abilities, he's lived almost his entire life with the HPSC, he's had the most grueling training of almost every hero out there. He didn't become the No. 3 Pro Hero because of luck after all.

All Might is known for his unwavering smile, charisma, and overwhelming power.

Endeavor is best known to be connected with heat and his explosive temper.

And Hawks was synonymous with speed. Possibly second only to All Might. Plus with his sharp feathers being used as makeshift swords, he could slice almost any opponent in two faster than they could even react.

His special training had turned him into a very dangerous opponent for anyone to face. But right now, he's not very sure how confident he is in his chances of winning.

Lady Nagant was his predecessor as the HPSC's top operative and was his senior colleague, hence having gone through very similar training as he had. Not only that but she also has the edge in experience, as she had spent more years doing fieldwork for the HPSC than he had. His only comforting thought is that hopefully her years spent in prison had atrophied her skills. To the point that he could beat her in single combat.

But his hopes weren't too high.

It was nighttime at Hosu City, most of its residents were asleep at this time, and those that weren't were the other heroes that patrol at night.

While flying low above the darkened streets but well below the rooftops (Because flying around above the buildings would be suicide against Lady Nagant, he'd might as well attach a glowing neon sign on him with the words "SHOOT ME" written on it.), he saw one of the heroes waving at him from below.

'Well, I'd hate to be rude. So what the hell?' Hawks thought as he went towards his fellow hero. The hero stood about 7 feet tall, had giant muscles, and a costume that's modeled as a truck, if Hawks had to guess what his Quirk was, it most likely gives him some kind of momentum enhancement based on his size and costume.

The hero waved at him as he landed nearby, "Hey Hawks! Didn't expect to see you around these parts."

Hawks lazily waved his hand at him, his stance relaxed and open. "Sup?"

"Nothing much, I should be asking you that. What are you doing here in Hosu?"

It was a legitimate question, no one knew why he was sent here, though some did speculate that he was here to catch the culprit for the murder. He obviously couldn't tell him everything but he could at least be partially honest and answer some of the rumors.

"I was actually investigating the murder a few days ago. Decided to stick around just in case, you know?"

"Ahh, yeah I can see that. Poor bastard, he didn't deserve to die like that, I knew him you know? He was a good guy." He put his head down mournfully and shook it before looking up at him again. "Have you found anything yet?"

Hawks shook his head and answered truthfully, "Nothing, what about you? Is there anything you can throw my way?"

The hero shook his head. "Got nothing either, but when I catch the culprit, I'm gonna run them over, I can promise you that!"

Somehow, Hawks doubted that's what would happen.

"Good luck with that. Hey, listen I gotta go."

Hawks unfurled his wings to leave and continue on his patrol, but before he takes off he sends a last word of warning to the hero.

"Oh, by the way, keep your head down for the rest of the night, the guy was killed with a sniper bullet. So if I were you, I'd stay away from open areas."

The hero saluted him, "Will do!"

And with that Hawks flew away, and continued onward.

A few hours later

Hawks just wanted to go home now. While still keeping an eye out, he's found nothing pertaining to her all night.

He was starting to think that tonight was a waste of time. He's now sitting at the edge of a building in the industrial side of the city after having spent all night patrolling. And what he found was-

"Nothing, absolutely nothing." He said to himself.

'At least the murder also scared the criminals from going out tonight too.' As he flew around the city, he noticed a distinct lack of muggings or thievery that usually happens somewhere around the city when night falls. He was glad that one good thing came out of the hero's death at least.

He took out his phone to contact the HPSC President to tell her that tonight was a bust.

'Guess this is what I get for taking the nightshi-!'

The phone in his hand shattered into pieces as a bullet flew past his hand.

'Shit!'

He immediately dropped down from the ledge he was sitting on and flew down to ground level.

'That was definitely a bullet that flew past me. I didn't see what kind of bullet it was, but I can bet it was hers.'

The moment his feet touched the ground, he immediately dashed full speed towards the direction the bullet came from. He's now on constant vigilance in all directions in case she fires again, prepared to dodge if necessary. He knew that her range was at most 3 kilometers, and since she knew who he was and knew his speed, she'd maximize the distance between them so she could control the flow of the fight.

It's what he would've done.

'But how come I didn't hear the shot? Lady Nagant's Quirk doesn't let her silence her shots, not unless she somehow got her hands on some support items.'

That would be bad because that would mean that she was now in the major villain business, and her joining any criminal faction could be potentially disastrous for the HPSC.

When he reached halfway from her approximate distance, he momentarily stopped and took cover behind one of the alleyways in the direction he was going towards. He momentarily thought of a strange detail while he was flying towards her.

'Why hasn't she fired again? She's a lot better than this.'

Taking caution, he took off his visor and used its reflection to peek behind him by holding it out of the alley.

'There!' He saw a brief flash of light from a window at the abandoned building at the end of the road as if a light had hit a scope, reflecting it. He controlled some of his feathers to go around the alleyway and exit the other side. He dashed upwards towards the roofs and waited for her to fire a shot and keep her eyes on him as his feathers rushed towards her position. But…

'... Huh?'

Nothing.

There wasn't another bullet, in fact, there hasn't been a single shot since after the first one.

Taking precaution as he slowly flies towards where he saw the light, taking care to use his feathers on his back to track any changes around his vicinity for any traps or shots. The feathers he sent out back at the alleyway slipped into the room and he used the vibrations so he could mentally map out the room. There were only a couple of things inside, something with a handle hanging on a string, something pointed at it, a radio that's turned off, and what seemed to be a tripod with something attached to it.

But no one was inside.

His feathers then spread all across the building, looking for bombs or hiding places, trying to see if the building was a trap. But it was all empty as well, there was nobody else in the building.

As he got closer to the window, he saw a gun barrel with a suppressor poking out of the open window with no one behind it. Instead, the gun was attached to a machine on a tripod. He goes through the window to investigate.

On the back of the machine is a screen, on the screen is the ledge of the building where he was sitting before. It looks like some kind of targeting system that was programmed to fire at him. Right where the trigger for the gun is, was a simple automatic latch that pulled the trigger when activated.

'So that's why she wasn't firing again, because she wasn't here at all. It was all automatic. But why? And how?'

He knew that Lady Nagant was smart, smart enough to use her bullets in very inventive ways, and was a tactical genius. She was taught to be resourceful, cunning, and quick to think on her feet.

But one thing she wasn't was tech-savvy. She wasn't an inventor, and this was something invented from the ground up. It's also something that she couldn't have bought, she's been in prison for years with no funds or resources left to her name, and this thing looked very expensive. That only leaves one conclusion, it was given to her.

'Well, I guess this proves that she's working with someone. I don't know if that's a good thing though.'

A skilled ex-hero working with someone with enough resources and intelligence to build inventions from the ground up? That's a recipe for disaster.

He looked at the other items in the room and saw what led him here.

A small handheld mirror strung up with a string attached to the ceiling, and a flashlight propped up pointing directly at it. It's what emulated the reflection that he thought came from a scope.

'So I was led here, she wanted me to be here, but why? She could've killed me with the machine without me knowing since it was so quiet I couldn't even hear a shot go off, or she could've just shot me herself. What's the purpose of leading me here if this wasn't a trap?' Hawks was left baffled and scratching his head, trying to make sense of all these clues that mean something, he just doesn't know what.

"Took you long enough to get here."

He instantly turned towards the source of the voice and the last item left in the room, the radio. The voice was clearly female.

"Honestly, I was a little disappointed it took you this long. I thought you were supposed to be fast or did you get slow while I was gone Hawks?"

It was her, no doubt about it, he's heard that voice plenty of times before in the past. The radio seemed to be remote controlled since it just opened up by itself.

Keeping his body relaxed to anyone seeing him just in case he was being watched, but preparing to fight when anything comes his way, he asked her; "Or maybe your expectations are still ridiculously high as ever?"

"Heh, well you know me."

Hawks raised an eyebrow at that.

"Do I? The Lady Nagant that I knew would've never killed an innocent man like you did."

"And the Hawks I knew was never this bad at lying, if the Hero Commission was every bit as slimy as I remembered it then they would've known about his shady dealings. We both know that man wasn't clean, and if the Commission really promoted you to be my replacement, you would've been ordered to kill him. Hell, Hosu City's been pretty fucking safe too after the scum around here found out that their mole was killed."

"And that gives you a reason to kill him?" Hawks asked, not bothering to deny her claims.

"One reason, yeah. But honestly, you should be thankful Hawks. That's one less person's blood on your hands. Look around, the people barely mourned his death, and I'm sure you didn't lose a second of sleep after finding out I killed him."

Hawks glared slightly at the radio. She was acting different, talking different, both of them weren't very close with each other back when he was still her junior but he knew that this was not how she usually acted.

"That doesn't give you the right to kill whoever you want."

"I'm not killing whoever I want, I'm killing only those that I need to."

Need to? So she's being ordered to kill heroes? Hawks knew that if he got her to talk more he could potentially gain more information about her mystery ally.

"How'd you get out of Tartarus? You couldn't have done it alone."

"At least your head didn't get any duller, you're right, I had help, but I didn't ask for it."

"So he came to you?"

"Trying to fish for information are you?" She was only met with silence. "Hehe, yes HE came to me."

He narrowed his eyes at the tone she used to refer to this person. It sounded… odd.

"I don't suppose you could tell me why he's asking you to kill heroes?" Hawks asked despite knowing it was a lost cause.

"Sorry kid, I like you, but not enough for that. But I can tell you this, you'll hear about him very soon."

Hawks frowned, 'Well wasn't that ominous?'

"Well if you're not gonna tell me, then why bring me here with such an elaborate setup? You just wanted to have a chat?"

"I wanted to tell you to give up on this investigation kid, get the Commission to send someone else, because I'm not gonna stop, and you can't stop me. I don't want to kill you, but I can't let you win either."

"We both know I can't do that."

She sighed almost pityingly, "You're setting yourself up for a fall kid. The commission taught you everything you know, but they didn't teach you everything I know. You can't beat me."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes. You couldn't even save that truck-looking ass hero fuck boy."

He paused at that, a bad feeling creeping up his chest.

"What?"

"Wanna know how I knew you were patrolling tonight? It's because I saw you talking with my target a few hours back. You know, big, dumb, and muscley hero that looked like he just covered himself in super glue and ran straight through a demolition derby? Yeah, he's dead now."

Hawks just stared wide-eyed at the radio as he heard that. She was scouting the hero? Why?

"Judging by the silence, I'm assuming you don't know why he was my target? It's simple really, it's because he knew about the last guy's shady business and said nothing. Not only that but he's had multiple sexual assault charges that never saw the light of day because his victims went "Missing" or some shit."

Hawks rarely ever gets surprised, but right now, he was truly speechless on what to say.

"... H-how do you know this?"

"Ah ah ah, trade secret kid, listen I'm just telling you now. You can't stop what's coming, no matter how much you try, no matter how fast you move, and no matter how many heroes you bring. It won't matter, because He has plans for this world kid, and no one can stop him."

Hawks glared hard at the radio, feeling anger bloom in his chest at her clear disregard at the hero's capabilities, but at the same time, anxiety from what she said. How could she know that much information about the heroes? Who is she working for that seems to be so powerful? And what plans is she talking about?

"Tsutsumi, I don't know what you think your doing, but if you don't turn yourself in, I'll be forced to-"

"Kill me? Yeah, good luck with that."

Then she cut off, the only sound now inside the room was the static of the radio. That was until the machine with the rifle started beeping. He instantly turned around, his instincts telling him that something bad was coming. He was proven right when the screen on the back of the tripod started flashing red and counting down. It was about to self-destruct.

'Shit!'

He moved instantly, the feathers on his back flying towards the machine, carrying it outside through the window and high up into the air. Not even ten seconds later it exploded, taking all the feathers that he used to carry it with it.

Distant car alarms blared and people woke up from their sleep at the distant explosion.

He looked up to the brief flash of fire in the sky, knowing that this was just the beginning of something else. Something big was coming, he could feel it in his bones, and his chase with Lady Nagant is going to drag him into the epicenter of whatever's coming.

As the adrenaline faded from his body, he could only slump forward and sigh, asking himself yet again for the second time this night.

'Why did I agree to this again?'

+/+

This just in, another body of a hero has been found dead! But this time in Esuha City! This is the fourth death of a hero in the span of over a month with the same cause, a bullet to the head. The culprit, the ex Pro Hero now A-rank Villain Lady Nagant who's responsible for these murders is still at large. People are now wondering about why she's targeting heroes and if she has any connections to the Hero Killer. The public are now also questioning as to why she has not been caught yet, the HPSC are not taking questions at this time, nor have they informed the public on what they plan to do with her. We now turn to-

This was the news that millions of people woke up to, from the office workers living out their mundane lives, to the heroes preparing for another day of saving the day, to villains both ecstatic and scared at the prospect of another skilled serial killer on the rise, and even the young kids waking up early to take their scheduled entrance exams into UA High School.

Naturally, the news spawns a lot of emotions from the watchers, The citizens are becoming scared and worried as to why she's doing this, and when she could be stopped, some villains are glad that there are fewer heroes roaming the streets and decided to become bolder in their crimes, though others are worried that they might get targeted next if they ever find themselves in her crosshairs, and heroes are now feeling a sense of dread everywhere they go, they hide it as best they can, but it's clear that every time they patrol now, there is a sense of caution and paranoia in them. Never knowing if they're going to die next.

The children wanting to go to hero schools are also feeling the effects of Lady Nagant's killings. Parents are becoming worried for their children and trying to persuade them into choosing other career paths, and the kids themselves are now becoming a little frightened about what might await them if they graduate. But they push through their fears, they tell themselves and their parents that as long as there are other heroes, especially All Might, then she will be caught, and the streets will become safe for heroes once again.

Though there are some that deviate from the norm. Some actually look at the victims instead of the killer herself, and they've noticed a pattern.

One of these deviations comes from an intimidating, muscular man that's almost covered head to toe in blades. He wore a dark combat suit with multiple holsters that carry his weapons, all of which are bladed. From swords, daggers, throwing knives, and even shurikens. Unlike Lady Nagant, who's been killing heroes with a shot to the head, this man decides to kill them up close and personal. He was currently sharpening his main sword with a whetstone.

This man has seen the shortlist of victims and he has found a pattern. A pattern that he himself had been following as the Hero Killer.

"So, another crusader against this broken hero society comes out to play?" He narrowed his eyes, almost as if he was asking the question straight to her face, "Or are you just a pretender hiding your mindless killings underneath a façade of retribution?"

He stops sharpening his blade and looks at its edges, satisfied, he looks at his reflection on his newly sharpened sword, he sees his red eyes and mask made from tattered cloths.

"Perhaps I could ask you face to face when we inevitably cross paths." He said in the darkness of his hideout, before sheathing his sword to his back and walking away, ready for another day of hunting.

Another different reaction comes from a small bipedal… creature thing, inside a small monitoring room, waiting for a new batch of students to try out for his Prestigious academy; UA High School, for which he is the Principal for. The creature wears a white dress shirt, a dark red tie around their neck, a black double-breasted waistcoat, and matching dress pants. He also wears orange lace-up sneakers with incredibly thick soles.

This creature's name is Nezu, and his reaction towards the Ex-Pro Hero's actions was with curiosity and interest.

'Lady Nagant… A once proud hero, now no better than the criminals she once put behind bars. I wonder, what are your motivations for these recent strings of murder?' Principal Nezu ponders as he sips a warm cup of tea. 'What are you working towards?'

Inside a dark laboratory, hidden from the public eye there was another man with a differing thought from everyone else. The man wasn't facing the television for the news, instead, his back was turned at it and he was only listening to it. This was because the man had no eyes, instead, there was only a large scar tissue covering the entire top of his head. He wears a simple black suit atop a white shirt, and he has on multiple life support equipment surrounding his body. This man is widely known in the criminal underworld, a living legend, with his real name lost to time, so everyone called him by his Quirk's name. This man is known as the Symbol of Evil, and he was called All for One.

'Ever since her escape, all she's done on the surface was kill heroes. But her targets were all corrupt. I wonder, why does she work for a man that commands her to kill these heroes? It's not because of gratitude, that much is certain, and she isn't the type of person to work for money either.'

All for One has been alive for many, many years, and as such he has obtained a lot of things in his life. Not just power, but connections and knowledge as well. He knew that the heroes she was targeting were dirty, he knew that she must've had help to escape from Tartarus and to help her move around hidden. But who was it? Who could have slipped under not only the police's radar, but his as well?

All for One has been at the center of almost every major event that has happened ever since Quirks came to be. The laws, wars, prejudices, near collapse, and restabilization of society, he was there to see it all happen. As such, he had developed an instinct for these things, an instinct that tells him whenever a major event is coming, and whenever a seismic shift in society is about to take place.

And right now, that instinct is screaming at him. He feels that something bigger than anything he's seen so far is coming.

'Something is coming. But I wonder, who will be swept away by the waves?'

A small grin crept up to his face.

'Are they a possible ally or enemy? Are they planning to clean up the Hero world? Or are these assassinations just the tip of the iceberg? Perhaps both, and if their plans come to fruition, what comes afterward?'

All for One has never feared death or defeat. He wasn't afraid when All Might had caved in his skull, because he knew that even if he died, he's prepared contingencies, someone like him will always take his place. So when something unexpected comes along, he stays calm and plans out everything that comes after.

As long as there is good in the world, evil will always rise against it.

'I just hope that Tomura would be prepared for what's coming.'

Those were just some of the thoughts that came about after the news was spoken on television. There are hundreds of thousands more people in Japan with differing feelings about Lady Nagant's work. But most of them were asking themselves the same things, questions that stay within their minds, with the answer seemingly out of reach.

Who is her next target? Where would she strike next?

And what is she planning now?

+/+

'You guys ever think about having boobs?' Lady Nagant mentally asked.

Both Midoriyas stopped everything that they were doing.

"What?"

Midoriya, the world's smartest idiot.