Society's Ghosts

by secretagentman1

In a hero-saturated society...why are there those that are left behind? The ones that cannot be saved, and are thus forgotten by the world and the so-called heroes sworn to protect. And what happens when those of us that have lived...decide to fight back, and show how dirty your heroes, your world, your society really is.

4. Chapter 4

Society's Ghosts

AN: I got a review, always nice to, with the observation that this is like My hero in the DCAU. That's isn't technically what I'm going for but with this chapter there are definite parallels to the Kamino Incident (which was awesome btw). Yeah, it seems really fast to get to this point, but if I want Tomura, Enid, and the rest of the growing group to start planning different and (hopefully) bigger things, taking out the Master is a necessity. I dunno if he'll return, haven't decided yet, but I have a few things planned.

Still having fun tho!

Chapter 3: All for One

(Metropolis-Night)

The stunning city came to life at night in a completely different way than Gotham did. Where Gotham became darker and more dangerous as the dregs came out to do their nefarious deeds, Metropolis lit up the night and seemed just as bright as it would during the day with citizens comfortable enough to spend time outside without worry. Of course, their hero Superman helped the atmosphere of safety knowing that he could appear in a second once someone so much as screamed. Criminals knew better than to attack…or rather 'normal' criminals knew better…those of the powered variety seemed to lack that common sense most times and would cause havoc no matter the time of day.

Across the great city, in a derelict part of it, hidden away by the many great, towering skyscrapers, there was a serious gathering of powerful individuals. Earlier that day, in Gotham, two certain villains had run amuck within Batman's home turf and had the gall to cause trouble in public before slinking away after killing three people. Such a thing, while tragic, had given an opportunity as well.

The illusive Tomura Shigaraki, Enid Mettle, and their mysterious leader had been tracked to Metropolis.

Their reign of terror would be stopped tonight, and as an extra precaution, Batman had called in the world's greatest heroes to aid in their capture.

The Justice League.

On a building overlooking the hideout stood 5 figures standing vigilant as they watched for anything suspicious after being summoned by Batman. The air was tense as they all knew that it had to be serious if Batman, the notorious loner, had asked for them all to appear. The man wouldn't have called if he wasn't 100% sure that the group of evildoers were found and could only be defeated if all of them were present.

Green Lantern stood next to the Dark Knight, taking notice of the absence of two of their members, knowing that they'd gotten the same message and wondered where they were.

"Where's Flash and Superman?" the black man with a close-shaved haircut, denoting his military background, asked seriously.

"Superman moving through Metropolis would tip them off…he'll show up when we begin. Flash…can't say…he's just late," Batman answered bluntly.

"Heh, the fastest man alive and he still can't show up on time?" Hawkgirl crossed her arms with disbelieving mirth.

"They've been hiding here the entire time?" Wonder Woman pondered aloud, finding it inconceivable that none of the League could find them despite all their searching.

"It's an old Lexcorp building. One that Lex gave up for a better location and for underperforming, saved him money in the long run," Batman explained.

"And that means…" Green Lantern started, putting two and two together.

"…it's lead-lined. Lex wouldn't want Superman peeking on whatever he was working on in there, it explains why Superman couldn't find them, and it is a perfect hiding place. No one would expect squatters in an abandoned Lexcorp facility…no one sane," Hawkgirl deduced.

"Precisely. They've most likely been stealing resources, the bare minimum, to survive and stay under the radar. Just enough electricity to get by and probably running internet to stay in contact with the outside," Batman's eyes narrowed at how thorough they were.

"What will be our next move?" J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, looked to his teammate with his ever-present stare.

"What else?" Green Lantern lifted his fist, letting his ring glow green with power to show his readiness.

"We strike hard and fast before they get the chance to react."

"Is that wise?" Wonder Woman asked, "Perhaps we should wait for Flash to arrive just to help our chances. We know of Shigaraki's abilities, having Flash here to outpace him would be helpful; and as for Enid, I've fought her she can match my strength and her abilities can cause a lot of collateral damage."

"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet, princess," Hawkgirl put a hand on her hip, "You're an Amazon, I thought you lived for battle."

"In a sense…but this group…I have the feeling that we shouldn't leave anything to chance with them," Wonder Woman explained.

"Diana is right," Batman turned to them all, cape flowing in the wind.

"Those two have an uncanny ability to escape from situations that most wouldn't. They're dangerous and have no regard for human life outside of their own. If we let them go free, they'll wreak who knows how much chaos as they attempt to get back at us 'heroes' as they put it," Batman turned back to look at the building before he continued, "Plus, there's their leader to worry about. He is a complete unknown and that kind of enemy is the most frightening."

"Come on, how bad can the leader of a couple of anarchist kids be? They're just acting out because the world doesn't work the way they want it to. We take 'em down now and nip this in the bud and all that talk of theirs goes up in smoke," Green Lantern was skeptical.

"No. we're doing this carefully and quickly. If we don't give them the chance to react, then power won't matter," Batman turned to the Martian.

"J'onn, can you induce a deep sleep?"

"I can," he answered simply.

"Good, that will be our first move. J'onn will induce them that way the capture will be easier. If all goes well, we can have them all in cuffs before they wake and no fighting will be necessary," Batman laid out the plan of action.

"I should warn you, sufficient strength of will, mental barriers, or a powerful enough blow could awaken or stop the inducement entirely," J'onn gave a fair warning.

The ability was akin to hypnotic suggestion, he would enter the mind and give the command to sleep but if something were to override that command either physically or mentally, then it would cancel the suggestion.

"Understood, we'll be ready for any surprises."

"Very well. Shall we begin?" he asked, getting ready nods from the heroes before he flew toward the abandoned building.

As the Martian approached, he changed his density, allowing his body to phase through the lead-lined wall of the Lexcorp building silently. His head being the first thing to emerge on the other side, J'onn surveyed the darkened space and saw three individuals.

Tomura Shigaraki sat in an armchair, arms crossed over his chest while leaning back in the seat. His breathing was steady, meaning that he was definitely sleeping and hadn't reacted to the alien's presence within their hideout.

From there, he saw Enid Mettle laying on a couch with her arms behind her head as it rested against the couch's armrest. She, too, was sleeping and did not indicate that she knew that J'onn had entered, continuing to snore lightly as she turned over to get more comfortable.

Finally, J'onn's gaze fell on the last person within the hideout…the leader, no doubt. The darkness made it hard to make out any distinguishing characteristics on the man, the glow from a monitor giving the faintest inklings of a suit being worn by the man. The Martian took notice of the multiple medical devices attached to him as well, meaning the man wasn't in the best of health.

Deciding not to dwell on the thought, J'onn moved to the nearest villain to him…the Master. J'onn's eyes glowed as he started to enter the man's mind.

This choice would prove to be his undoing.

(Mindscape)

J'onn awoke within a desolate wasteland where nothing could be seen but a thick veil of black that surrounded the area. Nothing else was there, no plants, animals, or people.

"Welcome, Martian Manhunter," a smooth voice said, shocking the Martian.

Stood before the hero was what he could only guess was the Master seeing as all J'onn could see of him was his body clad in the same suit and the lower half of his face. The upper half was shrouded in wisps of black that would occasionally flake off him.

"How are you able to be here?" J'onn asked, confused as no normal human had been able to detect him without having mental abilities of their own.

"With abilities such as mine…I became aware of this mindspace…it was rather difficult to ignore it," the man answered with a humorless chuckle.

"I can presume that the rest of the Justice League is here to capture me, Tomura, and Enid?"

"Yes…you will be taken into custody," J'onn answered.

"Ha, ha, well, I hope you weren't thinking we'd go down without a fight."

"I saw your body…a battle would put unnecessary strain on you, you should give up quietly."

"Oh, your concern is touching, but don't worry about me…perhaps you should be more worried…about them," the Master pointed behind the Martian as a hand gripped onto J'onn's arms.

"Please! Help!" a man screamed with tears in his eyes.

"Who are-" the surprised hero was then grabbed by more people out of nowhere, all of them begging for help.

"He did this!" one said pointing to the smiling man.

"He won't let us go!"

"He trapped us!"

"Who are these people!" J'onn was overwhelmed by the many thoughts that assaulted him, all either afraid of or vengeful toward the mastermind.

"Ah, they are merely vestiges of my unfortunate victims…I never expected that after all I'd done, they would persist. Their harsh words often give me nightmares and make it difficult for me to sleep," the man sighed though he didn't sound very sad about it.

"I often use drugs to put me to sleep as it staves of REM sleep, allowing me to get a good night's rest," he explained, watching J'onn be assaulted by the many people wanting to escape from within the man's mind. "I refrained from doing that tonight since I knew I would be entertaining guests."

"No, stop," J'onn held his head, unable to handle all the raw emotion these people were giving off, clamoring for release from this purgatory they found themselves in.

"I must say though…it feels nice to share in the nightmare. Someone else that can understand the pain that I go through whenever I have to rest…it is quite discouraging to see them," the mastermind frowned for only a second before his grin returned.

"Ah!" J'onn's eyes glowed as he escaped from the man's mind, leaving the people that could not be saved to wail in anguish.

"I'll see you on the outside then."

(Real World)

"Ah!" J'onn broke out of his trance, gripping his head in pain as he was forced out of the man's mind. Never had the Martian seen a mindscape like that and he had no wish to return to this twisted man's brain if he could help it.

His distress left him unable to react when he looked back up to see the man had awoken from his sleep, no doubt from J'onn's tampering within his mind, leaning forward in his chair and his smile absolutely giddy as he looked in the Martian's direction.

"WELCOME!" the man yelled and lifted his hand from the armrest of his seat. His arm bulged and shook, storing power in a second before an intense blast of air came out of it and blew J'onn out of the building.

The force of the attack ripped through Metropolis, destroying many buildings that lay in its path, including the one the heroes were standing on, making them jump to avoid the compressed air. J'onn tore through many buildings himself as he was sent sailing by the attack, his teammates shocked that one of their most powerful members had been dealt with in an instant.

Screams could be heard from the people that were caught up in the attack, flying and hitting the ground hard once the wind had passed them, debris falling from the destroyed buildings to land on anyone unfortunate enough to be caught up in it.

It was pure destruction, and the trench that was made by the split-second attack led to one man.

"What the hell?!" Enid was instantly up once the rumbling started followed by Tomura.

"Master?! What's happening?!" Tomura ran up to stand next to his Master who was kneeling on the ground wheezing and coughing as his attack had caused his medical equipment to be broken beyond reuse.

The heroes all landed in front of the trio, the subtle approach had failed, and know they would be forced to fight the villains.

"The Justice League?!" Tomura shook in anger.

How did they find them so quickly?

"What are we going to do?!" Enid was concerned.

The entire group of heroes was here for them…how would they get out of this?

Her mind raced…despite how cocky she liked to be, even she wasn't sure they could fight them all at once! Not to mention the Boss wouldn't be much help in his state, so she and Tomura would have to fight them and defend the Boss.

It was hopeless! It was-

"Enid…"

Her leader's words calmed her as she turned to him.

"If you could…hand me the helmet within that chest…" he wheezed, a finger pointing to a chest that was behind a table.

"Yeah, Boss," Enid moved to retrieve the item for him.

"Unh, what happened?" Green Lantern asked with a bubble around the members of the League to keep the debris and dust away from them.

"It seems their leader is more powerful than anticipated," Batman's eyes narrowed, seeing three figures within the dust cloud.

"What about J'onn?" Diana asked worriedly.

"He'll be fine. We have to focus on them," Hawkgirl gripped her mace in preparation.

"Well, well, the Justice League…should I say that it is nice to meet you?" the dust let up and allowed the group of heroes to see the group of villains.

Tomura stood in his normal outfit, his lone red eye narrowed in anger as he stared the heroes down, shaking in rage and anticipation.

Enid looked up from a crouched position after assisting her boss with the mask he'd asked her to retrieve with a bead of sweat going down the side of her head.

And the mastermind, he was finally revealed to the heroes.

His outfit was simple, a black suit and a white undershirt with the top button undone and black dress shoes. The most distinguishing feature of this man was the mask adorning his face and head which had a skull design on it that utilized the negative space of the black to form it.

"In person, that is, I've seen you quite a few times on television," he chuckled, seeming to have no fear of the mightiest heroes the world had to offer.

"How did you find us?" Tomura glared.

"A tracker. I put it on you when you fled," Batman frowned at them.

"Master…"

"It's fine, Tomura, you couldn't have known…think of this as an opportunity for us. The Justice League stands before us, begging to be defeated…this is a test of our resolve and ability."

"Can we win?" Enid stood back up, standing next to the man made her feel more confident.

"There is a great chance, take a look…what is missing from this picture," he pointed to the small group of heroes.

Small…

"The Flash, Superman, and the Martian are missing…the most troublesome ones," Tomura noticed, scratching at his neck.

"Then we have a chance," Enid smirked, getting into a fighting stance.

"Precisely, or perhaps more accurately…you two will have a chance," he looked up, hearing a distant boom.

"Tomura, Enid…I will have to leave this group to you…" the Master rose from the ground, floating in the air in preparation for what was to come, "I will be holding him back," he smiled as a red and blue blur crashed on the scene and barreled into him.

The Master raised his arms and caught Superman's hands in his, causing a shockwave to reverberate outward, blasting away the remaining dust and kicking up new dust from the impact.

"Ah, Superman…had to make a grand entrance, didn't you?" the Master laughed, "I wonder if all this could have been prevented if you hadn't," the man looked behind Superman to see his trail of destruction.

"I'm taking you all in!" Superman glared at the man.

"I think not, my students are having a learning experience at present, so I will ask you to leave them be!" his arm bulged once more and blasted the Man of Steel away from him.

"That is why I am here."

The League was shocked to see the mysterious man's power as he sent the powerful Kryptonian flying back and through some buildings on the horizon. The man simply shook his wrist as if to work any kinks out of it after unleashing such an attack.

"Superman!" Diana called.

"Eyes on the prize, princess," Green Lantern watched the remaining two villains stand ready to do battle with them. "If that guy can go toe to toe with Superman, then they'll be busy with each other for a while. We take care of these guys first, and we can help him."

"How to handle this?" Tomura stayed focused even as his Master did battle with their hated enemy. A tilt of his head and a scratch at his neck as he started to think about how to fight against the obstacle before them.

"We just jump in and tear ass!" Enid glowed with heat as she got revved up from seeing the Boss fight. "I call dibs on Wonder Tits!" she smirked at the chance of a rematch.

"No…that's stupid," Tomura shook his head and crossed his arms as he stared at his partner. "They won't take turns, and neither should we…all we have to do is make sure we kill them before they catch us!" Tomura grinned sadistically, showing the edges of his mouth, and taking a stance with his palms out.

"Sounds good to me," Enid got ready as well.

"Enough standing around!" Hawkgirl rushed with her mace at the ready, charging it with energy.

"Stay away from his hands!" Batman warned her as the rest of the League jumped into action behind her.

Tomura's eyebrow raised as he saw the bird-woman shooting at him like a bullet. The heroine swung her mace at the villain, making him take a step backward to avoid a painful meeting with the weapon. He then jumped back once she slammed the mace to the ground intent to smash his head.

"You may be stronger than me, but close combat is my forte, pigeon," Tomura thrust his hand to touch the girl's abdomen. "One touch is all it takes!" he cackled.

A batarang whistled through the air and struck the villain's wrist making him recoil in pain. The sting of the weapon caused Tomura to be left open for its owner to punch the man in the face, leading to another and making Tomura backpedal.

"Nice to finally get the chance to beat on you Bats!" Enid spun her foot into the Dark Knight and got him off her partner. A lasso that she'd come to despise wrapped around her arm when she'd gone to punch Batman, yanking her away from the man. Enid dug her heels into the ground making a stalemate between her and Wonder Woman.

"Stop this! Is this truly what you want?!" Wonder Woman asked the girl.

"Killing you and putting your little band in its place?" she mockingly pretended to mull the thought over.

"Yeah, I think I do. Ugh!" Enid shouted in pain when Hawkgirl whirled her mace into the side of her head. When she attempted to retaliate against the bird-woman she would be pulled by the tether she had with Wonder Woman, causing the villainess to be off-balance and need to correct herself and dodge the attack by both heroines.

While his associate was busy fending off the female Leaguers, Tomura had his hands full with the Batman. Their fight was going much differently than it had originally since there was little in the current environment that could be exploited by the hero to incapacitate the lethal man instantly. Because of this, Tomura had more of a chance to engage with the Bat, weaving around the strikes the hero aimed at him and blocking those he could not, subconsciously remembering the moves that his Master had shown him.

On the flip side, Batman was the aggressor in this second bout more so than the first to keep the villain from thinking. By keeping Tomura moving and avoiding his strikes, Batman would slowly wear the killer down and hopefully, make him desperate for an opening or cause him to slip up.

An opening did present itself just not for the Dark Knight as Tomura took a punch intentionally in his stomach, leaning back at the same time to lessen the impact and thus causing Batman to stagger the slightest bit. Of course, the unhinged man took advantage of this minute chance to get within the Bat's guard in an instant, hand jutting out to grab hold of the hero's face.

"Say goodbye, Batman!" Tomura cackled madly his grin threatening to split his face, watching as the hero held his arms up in a futile attempt to stave off the impending doom.

"Not today, freakshow!" Green Lantern swooped in and blasted the handsy villain away from his ally. He continued to fire salvos of green beams at the agile criminal, keeping him on the defensive and away from Batman so he couldn't go for a second attempt.

"Thanks," Batman admitted that he could have died or at the very least be seriously injured. He deduced that, given the way the decay worked, destroying all it touched, amputating the affected area would be a surefire way to save the victim…of course that would mean willing mutilation.

And most people wouldn't consider that option or have the strength of will to go through with it.

"Don't mention it," Lantern said focusing on shooting at the dodging menace, and pressing the attack was Batman who added an extra obstacle for Tomura to pay attention to lest he gets defeated.

Enid was having her share of problems as well while dealing with the two heroines. Whenever the girl would try and free herself from the lasso the Thanagarian would already be upon her, slamming her mace against the toughened skin of Enid and chipping away at her endurance. And on the opposite side, as before, when Enid would attempt to damage Hawkgirl, her attacks would be nudged off course by Wonder Woman's hold on her and leaving her vulnerable for more punishment by the mace.

This back-and-forth culminated with the metal weapon being driven into Enid's chin, knocking her off her feet. Wonder Woman continued by pulling Enid through the air and toward the unprotected back of Tomura.

The blue-haired villain was preoccupied with his battle with the two Leaguers, blocking a fist to his solar plexus that was covered by a green laser so he'd have no chance to grip the offending limb. Tomura growled in frustration, gaining no ground in the bout, resounding cracks heard above the group of battling people as the Master continued to clash with Superman.

Tomura jumped backward when he felt something collide with him and send him onto the ground. Hearing a grunt from the object in question, he soon saw that it was Enid that landed on him and left the two of them a bumbling mess on the ground.

"Get off me!" Tomura pushed her off him.

"You think I wanted to land on you? I was thrown!" Enid rubbed her jaw from the blow she received.

"So much for handling Wonder Woman," he jabbed.

"Chicken Wing is helping her!"

During their short squabble, Lantern took it upon himself to create a dome and trap the arguing villains within it. "See? Just a bunch of kids at the end of the day," Green Lantern looked to Batman who only stared intently at the trapped villains as they tried to escape.

"I've had enough of this!" Enid started to use her powers, igniting her leg.

"Stop! You'll use up our oxygen with that stunt. You want us to suffocate?" Tomura shouted.

"Then what do you want us to do?" Enid growled.

Above them, the Master gave a glance downward from his fight and saw his students in legitimate danger of being captured. Wanting to stop such an event, he prepped his arm to fire another blast of compressed air toward the four heroes to blow them away from Tomura and Enid, weakened as not to harm the two as well.

Unfortunately, Superman reared his head and grabbed said arm, anticipating what the mastermind was up to once he'd seen his teammates capture the others.

"Didn't you say something about not interfering with your students?" Superman let a cocky smirk grace his features from the upper hand the heroes had.

"Heh, while I did say that, it was meant only for you," the Master pulled his hand from the Man of Steel's and fired the blast toward him. The power was not enough to do anything to Superman outside of making it harder for him to keep his eyes open which let the Master smack him aside.

"I'm sure that wherever you've studied, Superman, has allowed you to spread your proverbial wings to fly. Of course, the teacher wouldn't not be seen too far away to be a safety net in case that attempt ends in failure. As their Master I want them to grow, but I can't help but worry either," the man explained in his ever-calm tone.

"Touching, but they're caught!" Superman swiftly punched the Master, sending him flying further away from his students so he could not try to free them again.

"I believe in them. I'm sure they are smart enough to find a solution," he groaned slightly from the punch, preparing to continue defending himself as Superman proceeded to beat him further back.

"Master's too busy with Superman…we're on our own," Tomura's eye narrowed, wracking his brain.

"They complement each other too well…we go after one and another shows up to stop us!" Enid frowned, standing back-to-back with Tomura.

They could overhear the heroes discussing how to best transport them, the current plan being to keep them within a bubble, so Enid could not attempt to use her abilities lest she overheats the both of them or suffocates them by using up all their air.

"…Then we need to work together," Tomura offered, watching his Master fight. "We're too busy trying to be…our own people…we're supposed to be a team, a group, to stand against these idiots. Master, that's why he wanted us to recruit more but I was stubborn."

"If it means we all get out of here, then I've got no problems…what do we do first?" Enid nodded to him just as guilty of being disjointed as him.

"I have an idea," Tomura raised his hands and placed them on the green barrier and watched with Enid as the construct started to disappear before their eyes.

"What the?!" Green Lantern put more power into the barrier to keep it up, but holes continued to form on it.

"The hell? You can decay energy?" Enid was just as surprised by this as the heroes that watched.

"When Master and I would study clips of the Justice League's fights…we noticed that the Lantern's ring would glow less and less throughout them," Tomura kept his attention on the distraught hero who tried and failed to keep his containment up.

"We had a theory that it acted as a battery and if that were true, the energy would be finite. And if it runs out, it isn't pure energy, and if it isn't pure energy, then it can decay! As long as I can touch it…it all decays!"

The barrier fell as he said this, lacking the power to stand against the continued assault by the villain's powers, and Lantern needing to conserve energy if the fight was going to continue.

"Let's start with the Lantern, he's the most troublesome," Tomura reasoned.

"Sounds good," Enid smirked.

"Hah!" Wonder Woman was upon the freed enemies in a second and in return Tomura turned and reached his hand out at her, defending Enid's back. The villain's hand was close to grabbing her midsection only for a small green pane to appear between the limb and the heroine.

Lantern was visibly sweating from using more power that was rapidly diminishing thanks to the pane being decayed the same as the barrier. Batman attempted to cover for his teammates by letting a batarang loose to hit the man covered in hands. The gadget struck true but against the hardened skin of Enid as she returned the favor that her partner had given her by covering his back.

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman had recovered from her shock and reeled back to punch the hand-masked threat. Tomura reacted by ducking low to the ground which allowed Enid to give a kick to the heroine, making Wonder Woman fly backward all while Tomura traded places with the girl so he could face Batman as the Dark Knight got in closer.

"I think we're getting the hang of this," Enid grinned happily.

Tomura swiped at Batman, causing the man to backpedal to avoid the deadly grasp of the villain. Despite Batman's presence, Shigaraki had his attention on Green Lantern, his desire to rid the heroes of their long-range support still present. He noticed that both Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl were in the process of reentering the fray, devising a plan now that the two fliers were low to the ground.

"Throw me," Tomura whispered to Enid, his eye looking at Lantern to indicate without unnecessary words.

"Gotcha!" Enid grabbed her teammate by his collar and whirled around quickly before hucking him with all her might toward the airborne hero then turned to defend herself from the attack by the two heroines.

Barreling through the air, Tomura stretched his hands out to grab Green Lantern, starting with the black man's arm that had his power ring on it. Shigaraki positioned the arm away from him so the hero couldn't blast him away, planting his feet on the flying man with his other hand ominously hovering before Lantern's face.

"You've made a real nuisance of yourself, Green Lantern," Tomura grinned at the angry man. "But now that that fancy ring of yours is out of juice, what good are you?" Tomura's hand thrust forward and met a thin green barrier that formed around the hero's entire body.

"Hiding, hero? Take away that ring and you're nothing!" the barrier, like all the others, began to get eaten away by his abilities, drawing closer to killing the Lantern. "Without that toy, you'd do worse than Batman, wouldn't you?" Tomura mocked the man, ticking away at his remaining life.

Batman's eyes narrowed and he went to throw another batarang but a flaming foot-shaped fireball hit his back and knocked him to the ground courtesy of Enid. The villainess took time away from blocking and dodging to attack the Dark Knight while he was distracted.

"Don't get upset cuz we're getting the hang of this team-up thing!" Enid cackled giddily.

"Ah!"

"Lantern!" Hawkgirl disengaged from her fight to assist the man after hearing his cry.

"Hawkgirl-uh!" Wonder Woman was then knocked away with a super-heated leg from Enid who capitalized on the brief distraction, then bent her legs and jumped toward the winged woman to meet her in midair.

"Got the hots for him, Chickadee!?" Enid's heel met the surprised woman's face, forcing the woman to become grounded.

"That's too bad! But if you have a broom handy, you can take back what's left of him!" Enid landed, the ground glowing from the heat she started to give off.

The green barrier finally gave way to Shigaraki's death grip, a gnarled grin stretched on his face at the Lantern's helpless look. His hand shadowed Green Lantern's face about to kill the man and have his ring need to find a new worthy bearer for the power of will.

Only for the two of them to be shocked when a pair of nearly invisible hands reached through John's chest and grabbed Tomura's head. Following behind the appendages was the Martian Manhunter who finally returned to the fight, eyes glowing orange as he invaded Shigaraki's mind, freezing the both of them.

Within Tomura's mind, all J'onn could see were flashes of events before his eyes. A family, a child…and suddenly so much destruction…and death…and a hand reaching out to the boy.

"Get out of my head!" Tomura roared, breaking away from the Martian who released him, and letting the villain fall to the ground with his purple-haired ally catching him.

"What happened? Did he tear your mind up or something?" Enid asked seeing Shigaraki hold his head.

"No…I can't make any of that out myself, so he has no chance of doing it," Tomura shook off the mental strain and continued to fight with Enid once they were set upon by Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl again.

"I am sorry," J'onn floated with Lantern's arm over his shoulder as the man regained his bearings.

"Better late than never, thanks for the save," Lantern waved off the Martian's concern.

"What happened?" Batman asked the alien.

"Their leader's mind was more powerful than anticipated, he was able to detect my presence and force me out. I ruined the plan and was knocked unconscious by his attack," J'onn said with his trademark deadpan but the two heroes could tell he was upset.

"Shake it off, we still need to stop them," Batman got them back on track.

"Yes, it is a good thing that I did not come alone," the Martian gave a slight smile.

"What do you-" Lantern started to ask when a beep was heard in his and all the League's communicators with a familiar voice being heard coming from the other end.

"Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late to the party, I had some bank robberies to stop, a ribbon-cutting to attend, and Captain Cold decided to make it snow!" a cocky, light-hearted voice called from the other end.

Smiles formed on the League's faces hearing the man, except for Batman though on the inside he was relieved.

Above them all, the Master's ears perked up when he heard a strong wind coming their way, meaning only one person could be heading here at such a fast speed.

"The Flash…it appears the game is coming to an end," the man sighed in annoyance, his gaze went back to the Man of Steel who slowly gained the upper hand in their battle as the infirm Master grew more exhausted.

"You're finished now!" Hawkgirl's mace missed Shigaraki, grinning in triumph knowing what she knew.

"Not from where I'm-*whak*" out of the corner of his eye, Tomura could only make out a red blur before he was hit in the jaw, dazing him.

'The Flash!? I couldn't see him at all…too fast!' Tomura thought and felt something wrap around his torso, keeping his arm at his sides so he couldn't reach the restraints.

The culprit was a smirking Green Lantern who had another construct coming from his power ring, catching the dread Tomura Shigaraki.

"No!" Tomura tried vainly to reach the energy but could not, the hero having been told by Batman that the villain would have no problem hurting himself to get free, so the guardian of will made sure to keep the construct tight.

Enid, hearing the cry from her teammate was distracted for a fraction of a second which was more than enough time for the Fastest Man Alive as he delivered two punches to Enid's head. While caught off guard, her durability allowed her to stay cognizant, skidding backward and otherwise fine.

"It's gonna take more than that! I'm made of tougher stuff," the ground started to glow red from the heat she was giving off in preparation to continue fighting.

"Whew, you may be tougher than me, but I don't think you're tougher than them," Flash nonchalantly pointed behind Enid before her face met Hawkgirl's mace and the Lasso of Truth wrapped tightly around her body.

"I'm getting sick of this thing!" Enid growled, heating up even more and making the extreme temperature travel down the close to indestructible lasso.

Wonder Woman winced but kept her grip firm, knowing the girl's powerful drive to win firsthand and would not allow her to escape.

The atmosphere began to become distorted as the temperature rose around the girl, her eyes glowing purple as she exerted her power. The red-hot rock started to melt beneath her feet.

"I'll make this whole city a volcanic wasteland before I let you catch us!" Enid's hands clenched and her teeth grit as she made to make good on her promise, the rising heat a good indicator of how serious she was.

"That's enough," the Martian Manhunter came from the ground and invaded the teenager's mind, and luckily hers was more fragile than her companions. As he traveled through her mind, J'onn unearthed her still present feelings of weakness, shame, and regret from her previous life and as a coup de grace he showed an image of her parents.

The emotional assault drained the girl of her anger and fight, bringing Enid to her knees with her eyes sizzling from her unsheddable tears, and slight anger at the Martian for making her re-experience those moments.

"Very heroic…" Enid sneered with a frown.

"I apologize, but you had to be stopped," J'onn told the girl.

"You think this is over?" Tomura sneered, still struggling against his bonds, and eye narrowed at the confident heroes.

He hated it.

"It doesn't matter that we got caught!" Tomura looked up, hearing the constant booms that came from his Master's battle with Superman. "Master will kill all of you. After he kills that Big Blue Oaf, he'll come for you! Master's stronger than all of you combined! He'll come and-!"

*Boom*

"Eh?" both Tomura and Enid were shocked when their leader landed in front of them, rubble dug up behind him from hitting the ground so hard.

"*Cough* Mmm, this brute force approach really isn't to my liking," the man whispered to himself, slightly winded.

"Master/Boss?" Tomura and Enid were incredulous as they watched their Master have trouble getting up and felt the slightest pang of dread reach them when the Man of Steel floated before them with the full might of the Justice League with him.

"This is over, you're caught," Superman's arms were crossed, his cape fluttering behind him in the wind.

Dusting himself off, the Master simply stood to his full height again seemingly ready to continue his fight with the hero. The man's resolve riled his followers up again too as both Enid and Tomura tensed their bodies to fight back even if they were restrained.

"It isn't over…this is what you all do…keep the ones that speak against you down," Tomura's eye shook in anger and resolve to continue fighting.

"Because there's so little of us…you step all over us…makes us keep our mouths shut…because if we let out our frustrations…you're there to shut us up…" Enid got up from her knees with her eyes aglow with power and anger and…something else.

"And if it isn't you…"

"It's the society you've made!" the two students of the man said this with such disdain toward the heroes that it was palpable.

Beneath his mask, the Master grinned at his students' resolve even in the face of these overwhelming odds. He taught them well, and it put his mind at ease with his next actions knowing that they held such indomitable wills.

"We won't stop fighting…never…not until we end you…or you end us! That's the only way that this will end!" Tomura shouted.

The heroes all readied themselves for the three villains to attack with renewed vigor.

"Tomura, Enid…" the Master's soft voice reached his students' ears.

"Yes!" they were both ready.

"This game is over…it is time to withdraw."

The color seemed to drain from their faces hearing those words from their leader.

"Master! What are you saying?!"

"We can still take them, Boss!"

The two were worried that their boss had finally come undone despite being the one to start this movement of theirs. If he was giving up, the strongest of them, then that would mean all they were working towards had been for nothing.

"Wow, I wish catching villains was always this easy," Flash joked.

"Heh, heh, heh, you misunderstand my words, Flash," the man shrugged his shoulders, "Did you ever hear me say the words, 'give up'? I simply said that the game is over…but perhaps that is too harsh a way to put it…I mean to say that my turn playing has come to an end, and it is time for me to pass the controller along."

"Master, you can't mean…" Tomura felt a pit form in his stomach.

"My students, you have done well for yourselves so far, and while this moment has come far sooner than any of us would have liked, it is necessary for you. You have arrived at this stage much too early and now know what is expected of it, so it is time for you to withdraw yourselves and continue in my stead."

"We aren't leaving you behind, Boss!" Enid refused to leave her savior behind the same as Tomura.

"I am not long for this world, Enid, I would only be a burden on the both of you. So, I will remove you and unleash my true power on these heroes as you make your escape," the man's words had the heroes ready to stop them all when the mysterious leader raised a finger.

"I have to apologize. I've kept many of my abilities a secret from the two of you…such as this one…Tensō (Warping)!"

With that sudden announcement, an odd sensation came from the two captured villains. Starting with Enid, her cheeks bulged as if her mouth was filling with something before it could no longer be contained within it, causing an odd black liquid to spring forth from her body that confused her and all those present but her leader.

"The hell is this stuff?" Enid gurgled out as the gross-smelling liquid continued to shoot from her mouth and soon Tomura's as well.

Rather than falling to the ground from gravity, the mysterious slime swirled around the two's bodies, engulfing their legs and slowly making its way up the rest of their forms.

'Warping?!' Batman's mind raced when he quickly translated the words in his mind and realized what the man was trying to do.

"Flash! Stop them!" Batman shouted to the red-dressed hero who did not hesitate to speed into action, running to Enid first with his hand out to grab her.

"Trying to cut and run? That's my job!" Flash's hand touched Enid for the slightest second before the liquid simply sloshed through his fingers as if he hadn't grabbed the body beneath it. His momentum still up, Flash had to skid to a stop as his quick sprint lasted longer than he thought it would.

"Please, Batman. Do you believe I would just announce my intentions if there was any way for you to stop it?" the Master chided. "This isn't something as crude as teleporting. My warping ability is specific to the person of my choosing, therefore no one that I do not allow to travel will be moved…perfect for getaways, isn't it? Even if you were to knock me unconscious it would not be halted now that it has been invoked," a chuckle came from him.

"Master!" Tomura shouted at his leader, warping still active as most of his body had disappeared behind the liquid and felt his form being pulled elsewhere, the same could be said of his partner.

"Do not fret, Tomura, Enid. This will hurt, but you must move past it and grow. Continue our movement without me…I have given all I can…but I have one last favor as your Master to give. And when you've found your footing, if you decide to retrieve me, I will be waiting."

*Sploosh*

The black liquid finally hit the ground, the Lasso of Truth and Green Lantern's construct held nothing within them.

The two villains had vanished to parts unknown.

Once again the heroes had failed to stop Tomura Shigaraki and Enid Mettle.

The derisive laughter of the villain leader rung through the silent battlefield.

"Well, isn't that a shame? The almighty Justice League has once again allowed such high-profile villains to slip from their grasp and when they were so close to winning," he put his hand to where his chin would be if not for his mask, "I wonder what the masses will be saying? Incident after incident, failure after failure…I'm sure their patience will be wearing thin by now, their trust in you being eaten away as they watch you fumble around like chickens…" though it could not be seen, his smile could be felt.

"To think…if you had been there when they needed you, none of this would have happened. A young girl shunned and bullied, only to be laid low by the hero she so admired; A boy, frightened and alone, left to fend for himself with only empty promises of a hero swooping in to save him to give comfort. Your failures have brought these two to my doorstep and let them realize what they could become!"

"Is that why you picked them up?" Batman's eyes narrowed, "Because they were malleable…"

"You offend me, Batman. Do you truly think so little of me?" the question was rhetorical and sarcastic. "I care for my students quite deeply and only wish the best for them. I'm sure that both you and Superman can understand given your apprentices," he gestured to the two heroes.

"We strive to teach them to handle themselves better than we could in any situation. That's why we're hard on them, push them beyond their limits, and encourage them when they fail…it's all to make them the better versions of us!"

In a strange, twisted way, the villain and two heroes that had apprentices could relate. Robin and Batgirl were often pushed by Batman, and he gave little praise, not out of malice, but out of keeping them grounded and level-headed lest they get a big ego. Superman on the other hand had a softer approach with Kara, letting her handle her own problems but often would appear when she couldn't handle a threat.

"That is why this little game was crucial. All of this was to help them learn and grow from the experience, to see the level that they would have to reach to continue and highlight their weaknesses. You've seen for yourself, in the heat of this battle, they adapted. The final push Tomura and Enid needed was my removal. I am the last hurdle that stifled their progress, the safety blanket that would always be there to catch them…a crutch to rely on…I would have naturally geared them towards becoming independent, but I found my opportunity when I sensed that tracker that you had placed onto Tomura, Batman."

That revelation made all the heroes' eyes widen, that this man had the chance to avoid this confrontation altogether but chose to challenge the Justice League all for a game. It went against all common sense that they'd come to find in their line of work, most villains choosing to avoid them unless their meeting was unavoidable.

But this man relished the challenge.

"Yes, that's right. I knew of your little toy and chose to have your plan carried out. A trial by fire that, while much sooner than wanted, was not unwelcome. Seeing our hated enemies burst in and instigate a fight, and to be forcefully removed from it, leaving their Master behind…it will fuel their hatred of you all! They will feel regret and pain before it gives way to their anger, pushing them!" the man's arms spread out as he explained with glee his carefully laid plan for his students.

"I am their paragon, the perfect pillar to support them, the one that can do no wrong! Their Master…perfect and infallible…but it is good that they are gone now…" the air seemed to grow colder.

The real battle would soon begin.

"I would not want them to see me…when my anger gets the better of me."

"Who are you?" Superman asked the burning question on each of the Leaguers' minds.

"How rude of me. All this time spent, and I haven't so much as introduced myself," he gave a condescending bow, one hand to his chest and the other outstretched to his side in a welcoming manner, goading his enemies with his bravado.

"I am All for One."

Above them all, a news chopper could be seen no doubt filming the goings-on of this latest incident. It wanted to capture the moment that the World's Mightiest Heroes brought this new powerful villain to his knees.

"Now with this glorious stage and the world watching…I have a story to tell."

"Enough talk!" Hawkgirl got tired of allowing this…All for One the chance to blab and decided to shut him up, swinging her mace to crush him.

"Oh, but Hawkgirl…" he simply reached a hand out and caught the weapon without breaking a sweat, "…this is a story that must be told."

His arm bulged, preparing another concussive blast of air, and let it loose on the bird-woman causing her to fly back to her friends. Lantern caught her with the rest, sans Batman rushing into action against the powerful man.

"Let me tell you the story of a man…or rather to begin with…a boy," he started his tale, matching blows with the Amazon Princess, his strength matching hers. He leaned backward mere seconds before J'onn's fist would have met his face, firing a small blast at the Martian to give himself space.

"This boy…he had a reputation in his hometown. He found himself getting into all kinds of trouble, fighting with other children was the norm for him…Ugh!" he grunted in the middle of his tale, feeling a crack against his mask from the Flash striking him.

'I can't have that. My senses will not be able to keep up with his speed…but…' he thought and rose from the ground, effectively cutting Flash from the fight entirely.

'He has the disadvantage of being grounded.'

"But do not think that he was some delinquent. No, he had a penchant for fighting those that would pick on others!" All for One clenched his fist and gave a backhand to Superman as he flew full speed toward him making the Man of Steel careen through the air.

"He realized that he felt fulfilled, happy to be helping those that could not defend themselves, a trait that his parents would encourage!"

"Hah!" Diana slammed her bracers together in front of the man, freezing him in place from the intense noise and stilling his body.

This momentary pause gave Wonder Woman the chance to bombard him with blows, pushing the dazed man back in midair as he took time to regain his bearings. Hawkgirl was back in the fray by that time as well, the beat of her wings sounding through the air along with the flapping of Martian Manhunter's and Superman's capes.

Being pincered, All for One prepped both of his arms for a dual blast of air and released it, making a giant orb of compressed air project outward and push the attacking heroes away from him for breathing room.

"With this in mind, the boy grew into a man that wanted to chase this feeling he had. The ultimate form of protection, the military became his route to pursue this goal!" All for One revealed to the continued shock of his enemies.

"He would go on to fight for his country, giving his all to protect it, and gaining many awards throughout his service. The man would even find love during deployment in Japan and gain a daughter, a family," the man's voice gained a dangerous tinge to it when he came to this part of the story. The heroes were all gathering themselves after the blast, their foe relishing their weakened forms.

"During his time, he grew and gained a better understanding of the world he lived in. There were flecks of gray within the blacks and whites, no true evil and no true good, yet he wanted so badly for such absolutes to be reached. He was outspoken in helping when the government would be caught up in the red tape that bound them…which is why he came to advocate for the heroic presence in the world."

"What?" Superman was in disbelief along with his fellow members.

"Yes, quite tragic, he saw them as the central pieces for justice. Able to save those that needed to be saved without borders blocking them…doing what he wished to do above all…his wife was not keen on this…she was of the mind that such beings should be held accountable for their actions, but her husband was naïve and brushed off these statements. Heroes were there to protect them, after all, they could do no wrong…and then their home in Japan collapsed."

The deadly serious voice the normally condescending and playful man brought out gave the heroes pause. A morbid topic reached their ears as the man continued the tale.

"He awoke to darkness…" he started a hand on his chest, "…his body crushed by debris and pierced by rebar. Breathing was a laborious task…and the only sensation he had within the black…was a rapidly cooling hand grasping his…" the man's hands fell to his sides and his head hung down, staring at the heroes through his skull mask.

"His wife and child were killed in the destruction…anguish filled him…and he couldn't even watch the light fade from their eyes…death would have been the favored outcome for the man."

"Hera…" Wonder Woman whispered to herself, finding herself sympathizing to a degree.

"He could not tell how long he had spent in the rubble…days…weeks…it all blended together. All he wanted was the release he craved, to see his wife and child in the afterlife, but such a blessing never came," he clenched his fist. "Until…he awoke to the feeling of a mattress beneath him and the sound of a television. Unfortunately, he had lived through his ordeal, scarred and kept alive by machinery," All for One rubbed his neck. "The first thing he needed was information, so he tuned in to the news, wanting to find out what had happened."

He turned his gaze to Superman, his voice turning ice cold.

"Imagine his surprise when he learned that Superman was the one that had run through the apartment complex…burying the man beneath that pile of rubble and corpses of friends and neighbors."

"I would never!" Superman flew and met the man in midair.

This time All for One switched his strategy, to the outside observer nothing seemed to be different as his arm bulged again. Superman expected another blast of air to come, so made sure to cut off the preparation time the villain would have for the attack, punching forward. This was what the villain wanted though as an odd sensation ran up Superman's arm but nothing visibly wrong was detected by the Kryptonian who continued his attack.

Once the punch reached All for One, a shockwave went out from their positions, somehow the force of the punch was cushioned since the villain hadn't so much as budged from the attack.

"Oh, but you did, Superman. Do you not remember…was the experience too traumatic? Or have you simply forgotten now that it is behind you?" suddenly, the Man of Steel felt a shock up his arm that pushed him back…it was akin to the punch that he had just delivered to the man.

"You see, Superman, you had run through the apartment complex…but that was not where the destruction ended…you continued to terrorize different parts of the world at the time…for it was during your stint brainwashed by Darkseid," All for One revealed.

The suited villain's words dredged up the painful memories the hero had of that time. Rampaging in Metropolis and the rest of the world in the name of Apokolips' ruler, and waking to the devastation he'd left in his wake…he would still have nightmares occasionally.

"That's why you're doing this?!" Superman pushed a piece of rubble off his body, eyes narrowed at yet another person that blamed him for something out of his control. "You blame me for something I had no control over!? That's why you're fighting us and hurting all these innocent people!?"

A moment of silence occurred between the two only for it to be broken by the boisterous laughter of the man. He threw his head back and held a hand to his stomach bringing his mirth under control with a few coughs.

"Oh…you equate me to the rest of your rogues. You would be wrong to do that," he calmed himself, "It would be unfair of me to blame you for actions outside of your control, Superman," he said as if it was an obvious answer to the confused alien.

"If I did that, it would be the same as blaming a drunk person for words they'd said or someone under the influence of drugs…they aren't in control of their actions, so holding them accountable for such deeds would be base and cowardly," he chuckled.

"No, no, my hatred of you and your ilk came from your handling of the incident."

Behind him, Hawkgirl had stayed out of sight to attack from behind which All for One somehow knew, avoiding her without turning his body. With a swipe of his arm, a swirl of air knocked her away from him. His wrist was then caught by Wonder Woman with her lasso, her full strength being used to pull the villain toward her and All for One flying upward to avoid reaching the ground or else be overtaken by Flash.

"The man found that it had been a week since the attacks…Superman had been used as a pawn by such a powerful enemy. There was no way he could fault the hero for this, the protector would never harm innocents. He awaited the efforts by the great, powerful Superman to make amends…but was disheartened to find that the man had become a recluse since the incident," he freed himself from lasso using the force of his arm expanding, pulling the rope afterward to swing the princess into the Martian, and slamming them to the ground.

"He waited for word from the hero, wanting to hear him own up to this mistake that should have never happened and strive to be better and move forward to create a better future. The man's wish came true when Metropolis announced a press conference where the Man of Steel himself would speak on the incident…and the man's blood began to boil," he looked to his left hand before clenching it at the memory.

"Superman…apologized…talked of how it would never come to pass again…and how he would help rebuild…and that was all he said before flying off! He worked hard to rebuild! Metropolis! He apologized! To Metropolis! Not even a mention of all the other parts of the world he had…visited while under that monster's control!" for the first time since meeting this man…his voice went from calm to angry, gravity seemed to increase with this man's heightened emotions.

"And the people he killed? He said nothing…" his voice suddenly became empty.

"The news of the world made it a spectacle…they covered all the deaths…and only criticized for the slightest of moments…before it was turned to how devastating it must have felt for Superman! That instead of a yearly memorial…it would become a year to honor Superman's resolve to make amends for the losses!" he pointed at the Man of Steel. "The only evidence of those lost…the fact that they ever existed…are stone slabs with their names on them!

"Tell me, Superman…have you ever visited one of them? Looked at each name…and equate it to a human?"

The silence was telling.

"I thought not…after all, I'm sure that the news would have a field day covering Superman's visit! Wouldn't they!?" his anger reached a fever pitch at this point. "It sickened him to no end! It made the man realize…that heroes don't care for the citizens they are sworn to protect, no, they care more for their image, the accolades, the admiration that as soon as it is compromised, they disappear to let the anger subside before returning… 'contrite' and promising to do better! And the ones that are left in the wake of these actions are to grit their teeth in bear it in service of the heroes that try their best, and be silent if you have anything ill to say of them!" veins pulsed on his fists with how hard he was clenching his fingers by this point.

"He continued to watch as the world turned its gaze from the tragedy and those lost, to Superman's rebuilding effort in Metropolis. The naysayers becoming fewer and fewer as their hero moved past his trauma, showing they should do the same. Sheep to their shepherd! He could not stand it! His blood boiled and his resolve steeled! He would take his revenge on not only Superman but the society that had placed him in his position of power…a god among men that descends to humanity as long as they worship him!"

"But how could he go about this plan? His body was ravaged…and even if it wasn't, more powerful men with greater resources had tried and failed countless times to end the hero. It seemed his ambition was dead before it could truly start," his grin returned as the Kryptonian's eyes glowed in rage and went wild, attempting to defeat the man who impugned his worth as a hero.

All for One always seemed to be a step ahead of the enraged alien, blocking attacks and dodging all while continuing his story and showing nonchalance as he did battle with the Man of Steel. With an arm raised next to his head, the unwell man held against an attack meant to blast him to the side.

"Fortune smiled on him, though, as one day he was approached by a government official. Thanks to his exemplary service over the years, he was offered a chance to join an experimental procedure with others, using a certain gas that had caused an incident, which would grant meta-abilities to those exposed. They promised him a chance, however small, of a power that could possibly heal him, and one that could give power back to humanity so they would not have to rely on vigilantes."

Both powerful beings punched each other's fists making a powerful burst that pushed them away from the other. All for One had to massage his hand from the impact not having the same level of invulnerability as the Kryptonian, so their clash managed to rattle his bones.

"He had no reason to deny the invitation, planning to use the abilities he received for his own goals once he'd have a chance to acclimate to them. He met with the others that would join him in the procedure and went through with it…and all he'd gained from it were holes in his palms."

The villain held his hands out to show the evidence, two dark holes in the center of his palms.

"No super strength, no invulnerability, nothing discernible. While his colleagues gained many different abilities…he found nothing extraordinary about himself. His fellows comforted him with good-natured jabs, welcoming a fellow veteran with something to prove as they all did as well. They shared a camaraderie but could not stop the feelings the man had and the work he had to do. Weeks passed, and he watched his friends as their skill with their abilities grew and he remained on the sidelines, unable to do anything…that is until he felt something within him stir. Late one night, he'd seen one of his closest friends of the group, a wielder of super strength, out and about, alone, and a voice told the man…to take his power," All for One stared at the hole in his left hand, presumably the hand he'd used.

"Without realizing what he was doing, he took the man by his face…and stole his ability from him. The process must have been painful from his screams, but the man felt his body strengthen from the process. It was then he learned what his ability was, one that could take powers from others and integrate them into his own body…and he was in a den of power users…" he let the sentence hang, the implication not lost on the heroes.

"You…" Superman's eyes were wide in disbelief.

"Unbelievable…" Green Lantern, as a former marine, was sickened that a soldier would turn on his troop like that.

Batman's eyes narrowed, still silent and observing the battle…a plan forming with each exchange.

"Yes…it was with a heavy heart that he took all the abilities available as a starting point. There's were quite diverse and useful, but nowhere near enough to challenge Superman, so he left the hidden compound after destroying anyone and anything to denote its existence to keep himself hidden as he traveled the world to prepare himself," he chuckled darkly with a tinge of melancholy.

"You killed your own friends! All to get back at me!?" Superman couldn't help but feel his hate for this man grow and he'd only just met him.

"I didn't want to…but if I'd left them alive after the process, they'd hunt me down. The hardest choices require the strongest wills…and even now those that I have ended still weigh on me," he pointed a finger to J'onn, "Your Martian friend can attest to this. Within my mind, vestiges of the people live on through their powers and persist within me…looking at me with contempt and hurling harsh words…frightened words…during the early days I would often have nightmares…without the proper drugs to put me under without dreams…I wonder how far I would have gotten."

"You're a monster," Wonder Woman spoke.

"Heh, perhaps I am, but only thanks to what was taken from me. And that brings my tale to an end, as we now find ourselves here. Over the course of my journey, I gained many abilities…you'd be surprised how many meta-humans are out there that have kept themselves hidden, and even picked up a boy that was in a dire situation that I couldn't help but reach a hand out to save him as so many people left him behind to be saved by a hero. My mission spread from me to him, exposing the heroes and having their faults laid before their worshippers, and making them acknowledge that those they hold up are, at the end of the day, human just like them. No matter the means."

"So you kill people!? I understand you lost your family…I get why you're angry with how I handled things! I could have, should have done better…but do you think that doing this will make them happy!? You have powers that could help people, but you're choosing to use them selfishly!" Superman righteously rose to his feet, flying back to the man.

All for One laughed.

"Do you take me for a fool?" he asked simply. "I know that after all the actions I've taken…whatever awaits me once I die will be a punishment worthy for one such as me…I will never see my wife and daughter again."

All for One smile was strained the slightest bit within his mask.

"But this is larger than my pain…this is about the pain your mere existence causes around the world! Treading upon us lowly humans, forgetting those that you don't save and moving on to repeat the process because they have no chance to fight back," All for One moved closer to the Man of Steel, arms spread out.

"But look around you!" the destroyed landscape laid before them all, "One of those nothings that you left to rot has risen to become a dominant power, and he has found two others to share in his vision. We were, all of us, nothings! Yet we have grown into one of the most wanted villain groups today and have managed to outsmart the famed Justice League time and time again! A mere gaggle of rogues, a handful of outlaws…" All for One chuckled.

"A League of Villains!" the villain rose above the Kryptonian.

"And our time in the shadows is over, now we fight back!" All for One countered Superman with the strongest blast of air yet, sending him far along the horizon and into Metropolis. "I shall deal with all of you first, then have the Man of Steel at his lowest."

"I've had enough of this!" Green Lantern flew to meet the villain, using his power ring to create a fist that held onto All for One.

"Ah, John Stewart, were you moved by my tale? As a fellow man of service, I thought you would understand," the villain never lost his confidence.

"I've lost plenty of people, but I'd never take it out on others…you're spitting in the face of everyone you've served with! You're a disgrace!" Lantern growled, adding pressure.

"Nngh, that is unfortunate to hear. I thought we could connect…though I suppose there could be other ways," he broke himself free of the weak bindings. "With your power waning, it seems rather foolish of you to come in close like this. I have a myriad of abilities to dismantle you, remember? Like this one!" he pointed his fingers at the hero and from them, black tendrils with red lines shot from his fingertips and speared through Green Lantern.

"Byōtotsu (Rivet Stab)!"

"Ugh!" blood flew from the man's mouth as he was run through.

"Did you think that I had only taken powers that enhanced my physical abilities? That would be inadequate…brute force is not my cup of tea, I had to acquire many different abilities to round myself. My super strength and Air Cannon were only to keep you at bay and drain your stamina, making it all the easier to take you all apart!" his right arm bulged while he retracted his Rivet Stab from Lantern, placing his left hand on the man's shoulder.

"In your current state, I would hazard a guess that survival might be outside the realm of possibility at this range."

A mace rammed into the side of his head before he could release the Air Cannon, allowing Lantern to fall to the ground where Flash sped over to catch his teammate. All for One was on the receiving end of the Nth metal mace multiple time, the enraged Hawkgirl not giving any quarter to the powerful man.

"Hah! Hah! Hah!" she cried with each swing.

"Ugh! While I…mmm! Have higher than normal endurance…Ah! This is still quite painful, you know!"

*Clank*

Her mace met odd metal-like protrusions from the man's skin that mitigated the impact of her mace and gave him time to recover.

"Byō (Rivets)!" the weapon scraped against the growths with him using them to his advantage, blocking the shots Hawkgirl gave until finally catching the weapon in his rivet-covered palm.

"Zōshoku (Multiplier)!" multiple arms suddenly came from the man's shoulders, holding Hawkgirl's limbs and wings in place so she couldn't struggle. Using his strength he whirled the heroine around, dizzying her, and released her into the side of his former hideout.

"And my rivets aren't just for defense…" he held his palm towards her and had the growths travel down his arm to be fired from his hand, impaling the woman's wings and forcing her to stay in place against the wall. "I'll be back to debone you," he chuckled sinisterly, his extra appendages disappearing with a thought.

Above him, Wonder Woman slammed her fists against his back and forced him onto the ground. Rising from the crater, All for One only had a second to think as he realized his position.

'The ground…this is troublesome,' a punch was felt but no one was seen as a rain of blows started to be felt on all sides. Flash rushed around staying just out of his reach to continue beating on the villain.

"Having trouble, big guy?!" Flash taunted.

'Truly an annoyance, I've no chance catching him with this speed,' he was pushed back by another punch. 'But that can serve as a disadvantage as well,' All for One grinned even as he was tossed around.

'At his speed, reacting will be quite difficult,' All for One felt another hit, 'I just need to await the perfect moment,' using his senses, the villain felt the time to strike approach.

"Sōkotsu (Spearlike Bones)!" Spiked protrusions jutted from All for One's skin, catching the speedster by surprise as he ran headlong into the spikes.

"Ah!" Flash cried in pain.

"I suppose speed does not mean much when stuck like a pig, eh, Flash?" All for One laughed at the hero's misfortune with the familiar tendrils of Rivet Stab forming from his fingers. He would have gone through with his attack, but he heard Wonder Woman approaching from behind.

"Here's one that I don't get to use often," All for One placed his hand on the speedster's chest, "Inō Kyōsei Hatsudō (Forced Meta-ability Activation)!" upon announcement, Flash started to have electricity arc from his body and had his speed activate against his will.

Shooting off the spike, the speedster was forced backward and clashed with the heroine, making them both fall to the ground. Without hesitation, All for One fired a large rivet into Flash's leg, pinning him to the floor.

"That should take care of you," All for One laughed with malice when he heard the pained scream of the man.

"Enough!" Martian Manhunter came from the ground, gripped the villain's head, and assailed his mind again. His eyes glowed orange as he stared into the mask's eyes, doing his best to overpower All for One's will.

"I would think after your last foray within my mind you would be hesitant for a second," All for One grunted at the invasion.

"If it means putting a stop to you, then I shall do what I must!" J'onn growled.

"How honorable," he created another powerful orb of air using both his arms when Wonder Woman had attempted to lasso him again, creating a safe space for himself.

"Even in my mind while planning this encounter, heh heh, I expected more from you all," All for One mocked, angering the Amazon and getting her to get back into the fray.

During all this, Batman moved his cape from his face after protecting himself from debris and formulated a plan of action.

'He never instigates his attacks,' Batman's eyes narrowed, watching the two fight, 'He's always reacting to us. With his powers, he could dominate the battle, but he doesn't.' Batman observed the villain blasting the woman away from him before engaging with J'onn.

'His language during his story…he talked about waking in darkness…and he couldn't see his wife as she died. In fact, he never mentioned what anything looked like after his accident…he's blind!' Batman deduced as he cycled through his memories.

'That would explain why he doesn't initiate attacks…he can't tell his surroundings…but his reaction time means he must have some way to sense things around him,' to test his theory Batman took his first action in the fight and threw a batarang at All for One's unprotected back.

Instantly, the villain turned and smacked the object away from him.

"Ah, Batman, there you are, I was wondering where you'd been!" All for One proceeded to fire rivets in the Dark Knight's direction.

Batman ran from the projectiles, avoiding them with ease thanks to conserving his energy. This attack also confirmed the dark hero's suspicions as the man had no real way of telling something was coming from behind him without extrasensory abilities since batarangs were mostly silent.

'He feels out wind currents!' with this vital information, Batman had a course of action that should guarantee their victory…if he was already on his way back that is.

"Everyone! Attack all at once, rely on each other to avoid anything huge!" Batman yelled.

"Heh, attacking all at once won't do you any good!" All for One turned and kept both Diana and the struggling Lantern at bay along with J'onn. He pushed them back with Air Cannon occasionally for breathing room but otherwise, it seemed he was becoming hard-pressed.

"Hawkgirl! Get back in there!" Batman yelled to the woman.

"Hrrahh!" she painfully tore herself free from the wall, rivets still embedded in her wings with blood dripping but ignored the pain, slamming her mace into the distracted villain.

"Hrn!" All for One used his Spearlike Bones to try and catch her much like the Flash but a timely save from Wonder Woman broke the protrusions…they weren't so useful when attacked from the side.

"Flash!" Batman ran up to the downed speedster.

"Kinda benched here, Bats! No running for a few hours!" Flash cut him off.

"I don't need you to run!" Batman pointed to the others, "Make a wind current with your powers and aim at All for One!"

"What's that gonna do?" he shrugged confusedly.

"Just do it! Don't keep the current the same speed, alternate it!" Batman ran off.

"Okay!" he was unsure but trusted the detective, spinning his arms in a circular motion, and creating a wind funnel that rushed upward.

Engrossed in battle, All for One went to attack the bird heroine as she rushed to hit him. Preparing to blast her with an Air Cannon, he was taken aback when, to his senses, her form distorted and shifted left and right. The momentary confusion allowed Hawkgirl to hit the villain mastermind.

'The wind is shifting!' All for One 'saw' all the heroes surrounding him with their forms slightly off from where they truly were. Believing himself accustomed to the change he adjusted his perception to correct himself only for the wind to adjust as well, rendering his correction moot.

'The constant changes…even a split-second difference is enough for them!' All for One found himself on the defensive now. The swirling winds made by Flash did their job in confusing the villain, and soon he was overwhelmed by the group of heroes.

He needed space.

All for One tensed his arms to make another orb of air from a dual Air Cannon.

And this is exactly what Batman was hoping for.

'His taunting wasn't just for his amusement. It was to rile us up into attacking one at a time…with his preexisting condition he must not have too much stamina on his own, so he needed to funnel us,' Batman thought, the air bubble formed ahead of him and sent all the heroes flying back.

'But I noticed, whenever we'd gang up on him…he'd make sure to push everyone back with that compressed air attack. It gives him space to reorient…but…' Batman waited for the very moment that the attack had finished and threw a batarang.

'Displacing all that air at once leaves him wide open afterward!'

"Ugh!"

All for One cried out in surprise when he felt something rip through the pipes of his mask. The batarang sailed through the air and returned to Batman's hand, observing as the villain landed on the ground, hacking, and coughing as his mask began to fail.

"*Wheeze* Hah, of course…*Cough* Batman…always one to…*Wheeze* exploit the weaknesses…*Gasp* of your enemies…" All for One held a hand to his throat, breathing becoming more and more difficult for him but he did not waver.

"This won't stop me…I still have enough energy…to end you…"

All for One prepared Rivet Stab, planning to spear in all directions to impale the heroes…when a distinct thud was heard behind him. The villain stopped…realizing just who could have arrived at such a time and understood why Batman was so confident that this move would end their battle.

Superman stood behind All for One.

Letting his arm drop to his side, the villain quickly whirled around with his arm bulging to release a powerful Air Cannon.

"Air Can-!" a Kryptonian fist silenced him, and made him spin on his feet.

Raising his hand, All for One tried something else.

"Rivet Sta-!" another punch pushed him back.

"How many people have you killed!? Just to get at me!?" Superman punched the man in his stomach.

"*Cough* Hm, hm, so, so many…but they were necessary losses…Impact Rec-!"

The blow this time managed to crack the villain's headgear.

"You hurt so many people, my friends, my city! You insulted us, me, and tried to drag our names through the mud!" Superman's hands were clenched tightly.

"Frankly, it wasn't all that hard…you're all buffoons…I barely had to do anything. Aw…are you upset you have to take time out of your day to build a rapport with the people again? After another fail-!"

One final punch burst through the dark mask into the flesh of All for One's face, leaving him lying in a crater.

"Shut up!" Superman's eyes began to glow.

"Heh, heh, planning to kill me?" All for One lifted his head.

No eyes could be seen on what could be called his face. All that was there was scar tissue and the vaguest inklings of eye sockets, no nose, and, despite his position, a wide grin on his face as he 'stared' down the enraged Kryptonian.

A far cry from the calm, composed villain the League had done battle with…it was almost sad to see the state their opponent was in.

"Go ahead…I'm half-dead anyway…*Cough*" All for One never lost his confident smirk, awaiting his end.

Just when it seemed that Superman would go through with the act…a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Superman…enough!" Batman frowned and moved ahead of the alien.

"He!"

"…Is beaten…look at him…he can't do anything…he's just a sad man now," Batman looked to the wheezing villain who had a hand on his chest as breathing became harder.

Superman's eyes lost their glow…and even after his brush with death, the villain continued to mock.

"Ha, ha, that's all it takes to stay your hand? *Gasp* Good to know…seems that villains truly can get away with anything," All for One chuckled and coughed.

Batman stopped in front of the villain.

"All for One you are placed under arrest," Batman moved to hook the man's arm around his shoulder, propping him up.

"Ah…I suppose I am…" he sighed.

"He needs medical attention," Batman said seriously, walking from the crater slowly

"He'll just escape!" Superman rebutted.

"And where will he go? I only disabled his life support enough that strenuous activity would kill him…right now breathing will be hard but doable," he cast his gaze to the smiling man, "And I'm sure that he doesn't want to die like that, right?"

The man chuckled darkly, "Heh, you won't receive any more trouble from me…if I am to die…it has to be by one of your hands," he lifted his head, "That way…I'll be proven right."

"I'll help you take him."

"No…you and the others need to do damage control…and find those two before they get too far. I'll take him to the hospital to be treated, then we can escort him to prison," Batman left no room for debate.

They had to handle this situation delicately, let the League recuperate, and cool off. The things that All for One said…they stung…while not right…they weren't entirely wrong either…and the people and the League were starting to understand that.

"Right…let us know when…he's out," Superman flew over to the others to relay their plan of action.

"I feel the world is going to become much more interesting…" All for One said ominously.

The battle in Metropolis had ended…the victors, the Justice League.

But it hardly felt like one.

(In Metropolis Hospital)

Within an Operating Room, a group of three surgeons stared nervously at the unconscious body of the villainous All for One. His body was draped in a sheet with a square hole to allow them to operate on the man…and even though the machinery showed that he was indeed unconscious…his eerie smile remained on his face and was shown through the breathing mask on his face, unnerving all present.

"Let's begin," the head surgeon started by opening the man's torso to assess the damage.

"What are we looking at?" a female colleague asked him, watching the man's eyes widen as he saw the organs.

"His…respiratory system is mostly crushed! How he managed to stay alive for so long without proper medical examination is amazing!" the surgeon had never seen damage so extensive in his entire career.

"Well…this guy did go toe-to-toe with the entire Justice League on his own," the third man said in slight awe.

"What did he expect to happen?" she asked.

"I mean…you heard the story, right? I don't think he was thinking…he just wanted to get back…I don't really blame him…"

"Are you crazy!?" she whispered to him incredulously.

"I'm not saying that what he did was right," he placated, "But you can't deny…do you ever really hear about aftermaths of things like this…how many got injured…or died…we deal with it all the time…but I don't think I've ever thought about it before."

"That's enough…we need to get to work," the head surgeon steered the conversation away from the sensitive subject and started to ask for tools to get the villain in a stable enough condition that he could be incarcerated.

The unconscious All for One's smile grew the slightest bit in his sleep.

(Metropolis-1 day later)

The city was abuzz as the sedated All for One sat in a wheelchair with different medical devices following behind him all while clad in a straitjacket with belts crossed in an 'X' attached to the back of the chair as insurance. He was escorted by none other than the Justice League who were all stone-faced as they walked with the villain into a secure building that would check All for One over before transporting him to Stryker's Island.

As they did this important task, the building was surrounded by civilians that wanted to see this monumental moment, all manner of vitriol was hurled towards the sleeping man for his destruction of the city and his failed attempt at fighting the League…but there were quite a few insults hurled at the heroes as well for taking so long to stop him in the first place.

For the Earth's Mightiest Heroes…they should do better.

"Superman! Do you have any comment on All for One's criticisms of the League!" a reported shouted the question to the Kryptonian.

"What does the League have to say on the villain's tragic tale? Any ideas on his identity?!"

"How will you find the rest of this 'League of Villains'? Do you have any leads on the whereabouts of Tomura Shigaraki and Enid Mettle?"

Question after question rained on them with the heroes giving no comments. If they said anything the media would twist their words and have them take a stance on faulty ground or a position they didn't agree with.

"Any sign of them?" Batman asked in his communicator.

"With these overlapping thoughts, it is difficult…but I do not sense them," J'onn's eyes scanned the crowd searching for signs of Tomura or Enid with telepathy.

"Stay sharp. No way those two wouldn't be here when their boss is being put in the clink," G.L had his power ring ready for round two.

"Nothing on the rooftops…but then again with that warping, they could be anywhere," Hawkgirl swooped down with Wonder Woman next to her, keeping a…what Flash would call, al 'bird's eye view'.

She shuddered at the thought of thinking like that speed freak.

"This could go off without a hitch," Flash sped through every alley he came across, looking in every nook and cranny, but found nothing.

"Thinking like that is what let them get away," Superman had his x-ray vision active and saw no one that wasn't supposed to be inside the buildings.

"Chill, Big Blue, we'll get 'em," Flash appeared next to the man and gave him a comforting smile.

"When he's settled in and conscious, we'll be asking him questions," Batman entered the building with Superman. "We know he loves to talk, figure he might slip up or even brag about the wrong thing," the Dark Knight looked to his colleagues.

"In the meantime, start searching, hard. They could be anywhere…if his story is true, as a soldier he'd be well-traveled so no destination is off the table," Batman ordered.

"Roger," Hawkgirl flew off.

"On it," G.L left next.

"Back in a…Flash…" Flash winked and sped away.

"I shall return to the Watchtower and monitor from there," J'onn flew away.

"Careful with him, you two…he unsettles me," Wonder Woman looked to the man…even with his back to her she could feel that smile on his face.

"We'll be fine, Diana. We'll meet up with you and the others when we finish," Superman placated her and watched her leave them.

The crowd then dispersed with no reason to stick around with the heroes gone.

Unknown to the Justice League…certain individuals had hidden within the crowd all of them intently watching All for One as he was wheeled out of the outside world before leaving once they'd caught a glimpse of…two figures making their own getaway.

(Stryker's Island-1 day later)

"Nnn," All for One groaned as he finally woke from his induced slumber, resting for days after his…activities made sense given he mostly stayed awake.

He attempted to use his senses to 'see' his surroundings but found that he could not. To him, there was a lot of interference as he started with his Infrared abilities, turning his head to the side a whirring could be heard.

"Ah, cameras…and the airflow is minimal as well…a prison then," All for One deduced.

Ahead of him, a door opened but he could not discern who had entered, meaning that his room was separate from the visitor's. A window was between him and whoever had entered…most likely to cut off any chance of help or allow him to make out his surroundings properly.

"Who's there?" All for One asked.

"Can't you tell?" Batman's voice sounded.

"Ah, Batman, is that your attempt at humor?" All for One tilted his head, "As I'm sure you can tell from our fight, I don't 'see' the way that you do. I have a power that I 'acquired' that lets me see in infrared, but not very far and the cameras and sensors in the facility disrupt them as well. I compensate for those weaknesses by reading air currents but within this enclosed room…with limited air conditioning, I'm barely even able to tell the size of it. So, I must go from sound, and sound told me that two sets of feet walked into my abode," All for One explained.

"Tell me, is Superman with you?"

Silence.

"Ha, ha, you know, silence can say more than words."

More silence.

"I wonder…have stares started to set in yet…the skepticism? Standing on shaky ground as the people begin to question whether their greatest protector is truly worthy of that title?" a fist hit the window, but it didn't break, making him laugh derisively. "I suppose that's a yes?"

"No games," Batman narrowed his eyes not that the villain could tell.

"Yes, yes, to what do I owe the visit of some of my closest friends?" All for One chuckled.

"Where are Shigaraki and Enid?" Superman spoke seriously.

"Ah, the question of the day. Let me ask, how long has it been since my capture?"

"No news from the outside."

Batman shot down his question.

"We don't know what you could do with that information."

"Very well. You've no idea the glee I take in telling you, that I have no idea where Tomura and Enid have found themselves."

"Liar!" Superman stepped forward, "You warped them! You have to know where they are!"

"Yet another misconception thanks to your dealings. You believe because I am a villain that I must be lying, but that cannot be further from the truth," All for One's mocking tone made it hard to tell when he was telling the truth.

"I think you'll be shocked to find out that I am actually a terrible liar," All for One seemed to look off into the distance, "And that weakness was very often exploited by my wife. Ha, ha, hiding gifts for birthdays and anniversaries were a challenge…all it would take is a single look from her and I'd let slip what I'd gotten her. It became so bad, I relied on my daughter to purchase them for me so I wouldn't know what they were…" All for One sounded wistful.

"Enough!" Superman was impatient.

"Heh, excuse me, it's been so long since I've had a conversation…I tend to ramble. Now then, onto my warping ability…as I told you during our battle, it is specific to the person of my choosing, allowing no one but who I've targeted to be warped," All for One explained, "Quite the useful ability for quick getaways, but it comes with its share of caveats as well, most likely in return for such specificity. For instance, I am unable to warp myself, or else I would not be here, and I can only bring people to my location or away from my location as long as I have a close relationship with them, so no, I cannot use the ability on the likes of you."

"So, they could be anywhere you've been?" Batman guessed.

"No, another stipulation…and one that is very important is that the distance of my warping is actually very short, I've never had the chance to measure due to my lacking of practice and severely small number of associates. Not to mention, it was a secret even from Tomura so there was no chance for an information leak," All for One revealed with glee getting them to widen their eyes.

"You said you warped them! You did lie to us!" Superman's eyes glowed.

"Hardly, I never said that I warped them out of the city, state, or even the country. You assumed I did…I simply didn't tell you all the details. That's why it is so important to know how long it has been since our fight…because depending on that, heh, heh, they could be any number of places by now."

"You played us," Batman scowled.

"I'm a little shocked that you didn't think of that detective," All for One inclined his head to the Dark Knight.

"Of course, if you really want Tomura and Enid, I could always warp them to my location. Distance doesn't matter when bringing a target to my person, but I'm sure that if I were to do that…well, they'd do everything in their power to free me, and they would most likely fail but not before taking many lives in the process…what do you think?"

"We're done here," Batman got up from the seat in the visitor half of the room and started to make his way out with Superman.

"It doesn't matter if you help us," Superman turned one last time to the blind villain, "They on their own, and there are only two of them…they'll be easy to catch."

"Only two? Oh, no, no, Superman…I imagine you'll have more to deal with than that," All for One's grin stretched.

"Would you like to hear a hypothesis I have?"

When he didn't hear the door close, the villain continued to speak.

"I can only assume that it has been at least a day since the battle took place and from there perhaps two. During the first day, my proteges were most likely distraught at the turn of events before making their way to a hiding spot far from the action. From there, they'd most likely try to keep an eye on my transportation to prison to see if there was a chance to save me, seeing none they would move on. Chances are the rest of your League is searching far and wide rather than close to home, so they've left quite a few blind spots in that case while the two of you awaited me becoming conscious to carry out your interrogation. Gaining nothing from it, you are now back at square one…with Tomura and Enid with a head start," All for One theorized.

"We'll find them…they aren't the type to stay well hidden or under the radar…they're cocky. I wonder where they get that from?" Superman leaned forward, fists on the desk of the visitor's side.

"You're speaking of the versions of themselves when I was around to save them. I've told you, without me, Tomura and Enid will evolve in ways that just wouldn't have been possible in my presence. Now, without me, they are truly their own villains and will work all the harder to get to you all…but they do indeed lack numbers," All for One 'stared' ahead.

"That is where my final favor as their Master comes into play."

Those words made the heroes raise their brows, remembering the man telling his students of a final favor.

"What favor?" Batman asked.

"Ha, a signal fire for our band. Tomura's appearance at that ostentatious statue's unveiling was a good start…it stoked the embers we needed. That attack managed to ignite Enid, but it wasn't enough because he hadn't done enough at the time. Me, on the other hand, I had suddenly appeared and destroyed a portion of Metropolis all while keeping the mighty Justice League at bay, a fantastic show of power. In addition, I shared my story while the world was watching, a tragic story of a good man brought down by the hero society that we all live in…a normal man forgotten by the world," All for One chuckled.

"I'm sure that I don't need to explain further, do I?"

The heroes had a bad feeling.

"Seeing someone so much like them, dismantling the height of this society's power even with a broken body will inspire others that have felt the same burning emotions within them."

(Day after the incident)

"Those that have been wronged by this society."

On a big screen in Metropolis, a crowd of people was watching All for One battle the Justice League. Most of them were rooting for the heroes, calling the names of their favorites as they fought against the suited man.

In the back of the crowd, a tall, young man with hair that spiked upward around his head watched the screen as well. Only, his half-lidded, turquoise-colored eyes were focused on All for One intently. Hearing the villain's tale, the young man felt something swell within him, wanting to see the villain defeat those 'heroes'…but when the man lost…he decided he needed to go see him be put in prison…and see if the feeling he had growing inside was real.

The young man stalked off with his hands in his pockets.

"Those that have been forgotten by this society."

In a brightly lit room, filled with many video games and other electronics, a young girl sat playing a purple handheld system with the words GS2 on its upper half. The glow of the screen showed that her eyes were squinted and her hair was purple and styled in five spikes, three across the top of her head and two on the sides.

Her attention was taken from the game she was playing when she overheard All for One on one of the many televisions that were on within the room. Without pressing buttons on a remote or any of the televisions…all of them except the one covering the story shut off, allowing the girl to stare at the screen and hear the man clearly.

As he spoke, her squinted eyes widened, revealing brown eyes that shone the more she watched All for One battle. Her game system in hand was at her side, forgotten, as she watched in rapt attention, a feat that those that knew her would call incredible.

When Superman had finally defeated All for One…a power surge had gone across the room and all the electronics had gone dead, including the lights. The girl folded her game system up and placed it into her pocket before making her way to the exit.

Exiting the building, one could see that it was condemned with no one living there. It was in disrepair and had seen no maintenance for what could have been years…with the electricity to it having been turned off long ago.

The girl made her way in the direction of Metropolis…it should take about a day with her speed, but she'd be in a new place, so getting there faster would be preferable.

"Those that have been suppressed by this society."

In an underground area, money was being thrown around a large cage as a group of three men, all with meta-human powers, faced a teenager who had a wild grin on his face.

He was clad in a black wife beater and army green, baggy pants. His hands were down by his sides, open as he flexed his fingers in preparation for his fight.

In the corner of the room, a lone television was tuned to the news, broadcasting the battle in Metropolis. Seeing the Justice League fighting the lone villain caught the teen's eyes as he turned to the edge of the cage to address one of the people close to the TV.

"Hey, turn that up!" he called, ignoring the bell that signaled the fight had started.

The closest person obliged the soon-to-be-dead teen and increased the volume of the device.

During All for One's story, the grin on the teen never wavered as he fought the three thugs. When the battle was over on the television, it ended in the cage as well.

The three thugs all lie on the ground defeated, with singes on their bodies but only at specific points, so the attacks were concentrated rather than spread out. The teen that had beaten them grabbed a jacket and made his way out of the cage, intending to leave the fight club.

"I'm outta here, ya bastards!" his red eyes shone with ambition, "I've got bigger fish to hunt!"

"Whoa, you think we're just gonna let you leave kid? You're our moneymaker…you fight when I tell you to!" the headman of this underground fight club blocked the exit.

"Tch, I only stuck around here cuz I could fight. I didn't care about you making money off me, but if I decide to leave that's all me! Go ahead and try to keep me here!" he roared and rushed against the horde of people trying to stop him.

He had somewhere to be.

"Those that are aimless."

In a military facility, two guards stood watch over a large tube in the center of the room with mechanical arms sticking out of it that was in the process of building weapons. Within the tube was a triangular green gem with different wires attached to it that seemed to be siphoning power from the gem to operate the arms. The guards were sat at a console nearby watching a small television for entertainment for their boring assignment.

What they were watching, was the fight with All for One in Metropolis.

"Get a load of this guy!" one of them said.

"He thinks he can beat the Justice League? Ha! Looks like he's about to keel over!"

The two of them laughed, hearing the man's sob story didn't move them either…to them he was just making excuses to cause trouble.

Within the tube…the gem seemed to be glowing brighter, overhearing the news story from within its confines. Somehow, it seemed the object was watching and listening to the broadcast, halting its production of weapons such was it distracted.

"Hey! Who said you could stop?!" the guard took notice of the pause and slammed his hand on a button which administered an electric shock within the tube. The guards watched coldly as the gem's glow grew fainter, turning up the voltage until it started to do its job again.

"That's better!" the other guard growled, turning back just in time to see All for One be defeated.

The mechanical arms of the gem reflected its shock at All for One's loss…the gem within clinking against the tube it was inside as it tried to approach the television screen. Unable to escape currently…the gem started to clench and unclench the mechanical arms…testing something it had never thought of before.

It maneuvered one of the limbs to press it against the tube, checking to see if it was capable of reaching it. It then clenched the limb into a fist and made sure it would still be able to reach.

It did.

With that, the gem had one of the arms punch into the tube, the glass cracked from the impact. It did it again, cracking it more and more with each hit, and alerting its watchers.

"What do you think you're doing!?" the shocks followed the man's exclamation, hoping to stop the gem.

The electricity arcing, the gem shot the arms out at the two guards, grabbing them by their torsos. The painful grip of the metal appendages made their bones creak, they grew frightened as the gem brought them in close to the tube…it began to glow intensely in perceived anger for having dealt with them for who knows how long.

They feared that they would be crushed…

…and they were right, though not in the way they envisioned.

Rather than use the arms to crush the guards the gem used a much slower, more torturous method of ending their lives by repeatedly slamming them against its tube as if they were battering rams. Bones crunched and blood-spattered off their bodies as they met the hard glass over and over, smearing it red and obscuring the gem inside.

Eventually, when their bodies were unrecognizable, the glass finally gave way. Uncaringly throwing the corpses away, the gem shoved the arm into the tube and ripped itself from the wires. Without its power source, the arms began to jerk sporadically then fell to the floor, the one holding the gem unfolding without anything to keep it closed.

The gem shone brightly before a diminutive figure seemed to come from it, testing its body and becoming reaccustomed to moving. A blaring alarm halted this, most likely to denote the figure's escape. Without wasting time, the figure scurried into a vent and made its way out of the facility…it needed to figure out where it was and how to get to the city called…Metra-palis.

"Those in need of a beacon."

In a completely different part of the world, Italy to be exact.

A male figure sat at a table drinking tea while watching the translated news of the incident. His face was unreadable but there was a definite fire that had been lit within them…

He would need to find a way to get to America sometime soon.

While watching the TV…a man with a briefcase, locked with a code and handcuffed to his hand, left from a table beside the first.

Yet somehow, without the briefcase being opened and without him getting close to said man, the young man had gotten ahold of the contents within the said briefcase.

The money he stole would be a good starting point to buying a plane ticket.

"And those that simply hate the way things are."

In a dark alley, hidden from view of any passerby, not that there were any to witness anyway. There was a figure that stood before…something.

Yes, something was the aptest term to describe it.

Whatever the thing was…it had started out alive as it bled from what looked like eyes and ears. The body of the thing was mangled beyond comprehension, distorted in a grotesque way that would cause anyone that saw it to lose their lunch.

The thing groaned a little, trembling in pain brought on from its horrible position all while the other figure observed its struggle with a smile. Unfortunately, according to the observing figure anyway, the poor thing stopped groaning after that, signaling its death.

The figure's heterochromatic eyes, the right gray and left blue, no longer regarded the dead being and turned to leave the alley. An easygoing smile was on the figure's face as he left the darkened area, showing that he wore a shawl that had its left sleeve in three pieces and black pants with white sneakers.

His attention was caught by the news covering All for One's fight, making him smile sadistically at the idea he came up with and chose to go and seek out this villain group the man was talking about.

(Present)

"Before, they were separate, lone voices drowned out by the sheer amount of the common people…but now they know that there are those out there with similar goals to them and they have made a flag to rally behind," All for One laughed.

"You think the name that I had given to our group was simple teasing…but a League is the most proper term to describe ourselves now…and given time that League will devour yours."

"Not if we stop you first," Superman gripped the desk, leaving the imprint of his fingers.

"Please, try your best to do so…the more you fail, the more our message is spread," he heard the heroes finally leave. "And do come again, without news, I will be dreadfully bored just sitting within this room. A chat once in a while would be enjoyable…and a request…if you could get ahold of whatever drugs were used to sedate me, that would be nice. I haven't had such a fine sleep in a long time," All for One called to them.

"Tell me you have something?" Superman asked the Bat.

"There's nothing to have. He was our only lead."

"Come on! You want him to have the last word!?"

"No, but getting riled up like he wants isn't helping anything…all we can do is keep a lookout for them. What I warned you all about is coming to pass…I told you, ideals, philosophy, they're like light to moths. I have no doubt his stunt is working exactly as intended, and we have to make sure that it's stopped before it grows out of hand."

"I'll let the others know," Superman crossed his arms.

"Not good enough. Tell them that unless they're dealing with active cases, they should be out looking for them and if they find them, to call us all in," Batman walked out after that.

"Trust me…I don't think we needed to tell them that."

(When All for One was being transported)

Above the crowd, prone on a building, Tomura and Enid watched as their Master was taken into custody.

"Come on! Let's get him!" Enid was ready to jump into action.

"No! Get down!" Tomura pulled her back.

"He's right there!"

"Surrounded by the whole Justice League…and be quiet…he could hear us…" Tomura's eye narrowed at Superman.

"We've got the element of surprise…we bust in grab the Boss and get out!"

"We'd be overpowered in an instant…" he saw Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl take to the sky. "We have to go…"

"You can't be-!"

"Now! We have to get out of Metropolis…they'll be watching, harder than before. Much harder…" Tomura turned to leave hurriedly, casting one last look at his Master before he disappeared.

Enid scowled but followed after him when she saw how close the heroines were getting.

Below them…five people had managed to catch their retreat and made to follow once All for One had been transported.

(In a hideout)

Enid smashed her foot against an empty crate, throwing a tantrum and raising the temperature of the room.

"He was right there!" she growled.

"Calm down…" Tomura didn't look at her, going over the supplies they had.

"He was right there, and you stopped me from getting him!" Enid's eyes glowed in her anger, focused on Tomura's back.

"Because you were acting out of emotion…you weren't using the brain that I guess is in your head…" he looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"We could…we should…!"

"Nothing. We couldn't have done anything…Master couldn't, so how could we? That's why he warped us…we weren't ready."

"Face it, you were just scared! That's why you left him!"

Despite the temperature, the room grew cold. Tomura's hand gripped the table, decaying it. He slowly turned to the girl with his red eye shaking in anger. He stalked toward her, fingers flexing.

"What did you say?" his voice was deadly.

"You. Were. Scared. I should be in charge…I can make the hard decisions!" Enid didn't falter, leg igniting.

"You think I don't want to save Master…I'm just not overly emotional to the point I can't think clearly!" he raised his hand.

"Take back what you said…

"No…"

Both villains stared the other down…anger making them forget they're on the same side. With an unspoken signal, they lashed out at each other.

Tomura's hand was going for Enid's face and Enid's leg made to cave in his chest.

They stopped mere inches from killing each other when a door was heard opening within their hideout. They stayed in their attack positions, only moving their eyes to see who had entered.

"Wow, not even a full day since the big boss was caught and they're already at each other's throats. Guess the League of Villains is already disbanding," a raspy, sarcastic voice said with indifference to the situation.

This came from the young man that had witnessed the battle on the big screen.

"Oh, it doesn't have to break up if they die, does it? We could just remake it," a playful voice said with a hand on his chin.

This was the figure with heterochromia.

"What are you asking me for?" the young man looked to the overly friendly figure.

"If they're gonna kill each other, I want in!" a boisterous voice smiled, holding his hand up.

This was the teen cage fighter.

"I would advise against that…eliminating teammates will severely limit our functionality as a unit. I also don't think that the Mighty All for One would appreciate us allowing his first followers to terminate the other," a small feminine voice explained, complete with a stolen backpack and laptop inside.

This was the escapee from the military compound.

"Well, you're just a little know-it-all, aren't ya?" the first speaker sarcastically jabbed, but it seemed to go over the small person's head.

"Yes, I know many things…you can praise me later," she said haughtily.

"Tch, that isn't what I meant."

"Heh, heh," the only one that didn't talk was another small girl who had her face buried in a game system but was cognizant enough to take enjoyment from the verbal jabs.

"We weren't going to kill each other," Enid said…knowing that even with all that bravado she wouldn't have gone through with her attack.

"Who are you?" Tomura finally withdrew his hand from Enid's face. He had enough control to stop himself from killing his partner even if her words stung…it wasn't worth killing her.

"Oh, sorry, we should introduce ourselves," heterochromia said with an eerily friendly grin on his face, before making a peace sign on each hand and bringing them up next to his cheeks, closing his eyes as he smiled.

"Weeeeeeeee're…the new recruits!"

His overdramatic intro gave the two villains pause as they looked over the individuals.

Tomura looked at Enid from his periphery and she did the same with him.

"New…" Tomura started.

"…recruits?" Enid finished with her arms folded.

The League of Villains had just grown…and they'd be getting up to major trouble soon.

AN: There we go, much longer than expected but it's finally done.

Very overdramatic, but this is something that I wanted to do. A lot like one of my other stories, in case you haven't read it it's "Silvers D. Naruto" (and my most popular story now if I'm not wrong), this came from the idea that a lot of superhero fanfics on the site that I've read all ask the same question, essentially "What if they kill?" or "What if it was darker and grittier?" and it is never developed from that essential ask, the end all be all is that it is dark or the character kills and the heroes don't like that they do…

…it got old…so I wanted to do something where it's a villain that acknowledges that he is evil and what he is doing is wrong but he is mired in his hatred and his goals that he accepts the consequences as long as his goal is reached. Barebones, maybe, but I feel it's something and hopefully as I continue, it continues to.

I'm thinking I've got one more of these in me before returning to Silvers…people are waiting on that and here I am messing around with a new story that barely anyone has seen, but inspiration strikes in different ways and I don't want to force chapters out of me it'll affect the writing I feel.

Peace.