Shahryar - It gets worse... for the government :v
(***)
Revival Celebration Day
The girl that emerges from Cloud's warpgate right in front of one of the incoming FRU groups first looks 10 or 11 years old. Aiko decided that it fitted her magical girl aesthetic more. Besides, won't a girl of THAT age from THAT lineage and having THAT much firepower be much scarier? Midoriya agreed to that mostly out of sheer pragmatism.
Her villain outfit is a perfect combination of cute and menacing. It's as if someone wanted to make a magical girl outfit and was clearly inspired by a business suit. On her forehead, a pitch-black circlet contrasting with her white hair nicely. In her hands, a wand topped with a polished human skull.
"Each of the past attempts to overthrow the government were led by two people." Midoriya announces as Apocrypha stops her advance. "Going chronologically: All for One and Re-Destro. Entropy and Overhaul. Miruko and Knuckleduster. Eraserhead and Ms. Joke. And, if you count the New Vigilante Alliance, Ryukyu and Gang Orca. So who am I to interrupt such a beautiful tradition?"
Japan is graced with another introductory shot. Describing the new arrival as Aiko Shigaraki, also known as Apocrypha: The Magical Girl Villain. The Vessel of Judgment, the living god of the Ascending Path cult.
"Let me thus introduce to you the official co-commander of the new Paranormal Liberation Front." Midoriya lets out a small smile. "Judgment, the living god of the Ascending Path. As for her worldly vessel… you see, some time ago All for One decided to groom several children into villains to equal or surpass him. The list includes Entropy, Apocrypha and…" He pauses for a second. For no other reason than some slight amplification of drama. "... me after Kamino. What makes Apocrypha quite special is that she was actually his biological daughter."
And now, once she does her job today, the government is going to start freaking out that she might have inherited his quirk. Good. The more they'll be freaking out, the more mistakes they are going to commit. Psychological warfare isn't a foreign concept to Midoriya.
"And now, the unexpected resurrectee." Midoriya announces. Thirty seconds. Time is running out. But he needs to strengthen his image of an infallible mastermind a bit more. "Getting him out of Tartarus took me… honestly, much less effort than I thought. Final member of our class reunion… Shoto 'Frostfire' Todoroki."
The already white face of Thunderbolt goes even whiter as Shoto Todoroki steps out of the warpgate in front of the second incoming FRU group. Midoriya half-expected him to take a page out of Dabi's school of clothing, but instead he decided to wear a simple T-Shirt and trousers, both in colors of old Endeavor' merchandise. With a fire-resistant walking cane in his hand.
Of course, his clothes are rather fire-resistant as well.
He gets an introductory shot, of course. He was famous back then, but he changed a lot. Especially with his hair losing most of its color. Letting the world know that he is now a part of the League of Villains is an important part of Midoriya's brand promotion.
"This is impossible, this is…" Thunderbolt is clearly losing it. Oh, well. Precisely the reason why Midoriya kept Todoroki's survival hidden. That and, well, they didn't want the Tartarus wardens to realize that they were missing a prisoner. The HPSC would have raised the security of everything nationwide in response.
"Incoming warp in ten seconds." Midoriya says with a triumphant smile on his face. "Give them hell."
"Extinction…" Aiko says calmly while raising her hand. In front of her, a glowing circle filled with eldritch symbols floats in the air. Merely looking at it makes people feel sick and dazed. Behind her, a half-transparent figure of Judgment materialized out of nowhere, the giant woman with hair the color of stars repeating Apocrypha's movements.
"PROMINENCE…" Todoroki yells, raging flames overtaking him, their light only further embellishing the look of sheer madness and satisfaction on his face. It's his moment of vindication. Of revenge.
"NO!" Thunderbolt yells in horror.
"We are h… what?" Contrary to all their plans and preparations, Long Jump's quirk improved slightly recently. The FRU arrives a second before the schedule. But all that Interdict manages to do in that time is open his mouth and say three words, his eyes widening in shock.
He doesn't have enough time to do anything more. None of the heroes have it. Medusa almost managed to activate her quirk in time, though. 'Almost' was the operative word on this.
"...Ray."
"...BURN!"
The world ends.
(***)
Shoto Todoroki's flames were powerful. Much more powerful than they used to be. Partially it was his own deep-seated madness that has unlocked some mental blocks. He could go quite far, beyond the levels of his natural fire-resistance - because he had his ice side to rapidly cool him down afterwards.
His flames weren't blue, but white. Hot enough to practically evaporate the heroes in front of him, including Medusa. The few that had fast enough reflexes managed to jump sideways in time, typically exchanging instant death to slow suffering with massive third degree burns.
Of course, it wasn't going to last for long. Songbird and Biohazard immediately ran towards them with some foot soldiers behind to finish the job. Even Ragdoll is there, getting an introductory shot as a templar of the Ascending Path.
They aren't letting the heroes survive. Even Ragdoll seemed to have gotten over some of her moral qualms. Was it Kouta? Midoriya has only enough time to maintain proper oversight over those closest to him. The family dramas and character developments of the others are beyond his interest and attention.
Aiko's attack didn't burn. Instead, the black ray she fired practically erased everything in front of her. Midoriya didn't even try to figure out what she used to make that particular song. There was a thirty-meter wide hole in the USJ wall now, and in front of it, a small forest of cleanly cut legs, most of them still standing despite everything above them vanishing.
He still remembers the Extinction Ray vanishing the lower half of All For One's body right when he was about to kill Izuku and Tenko. This was… an order of magnitude more. His little sister grew up so much when he wasn't around to witness it. Izuku was so proud of her.
The only new arrival to be still operational was Long Jump, another S-Rank hero and an operator of the warp quirk in question. She appeared in a blink of an eye behind Thunderbolt and between the two now evaporated FRU groups.
Another priority target. If they want to win the war, the Fast Response Unit has to be utterly wiped out right here and right now. And with Long Jump around, it could be quickly rebuilt. But she is still looking around in horror, trying to comprehend what just happened.
"Quicksilver, kill her." Midoriya orders. Quicksilver relocated earlier to have a clean shot. Now she powers up her superspeed quirk and crosses the distance in a heartbeat, the knife in her hand finding its way to Long Jump's throat.
Thunderbolt's eyes are the only ones at the USJ that managed to follow her movement. Because they had the same quirk. Their camera noumu naturally did a close-up of the sudden shock on Thunderbolt's face. Immediately switching over to Quicksilver's introductory shot.
"Yes, Mr. Principal." Midoriya chuckles. They are no longer restrained by time. The nearest reinforcements that could actually change something are at least fifteen minutes away. The hero course student's resistance is broken. The FRU was wiped out. This part of the operation is a total victory. "I faked the death of your daughter at her own insistence. And she was very happy to join our little Revival Celebration if only so that she could fuck your life up as you did hers. Seriously." Sighs. "It takes our beloved prime ministers to make a habitual child abuser into the principal of the most prestigious school in the country."
"YOU…!" Thunderbolt rages. Midoriya doesn't let him finish.
(***)
14 Days Before Revival Celebration
"Okay, let's assume that this will work…" Mastermind speaks first. "... because my quirk is telling me that there is a very high possibility of it actually working. To my undying surprise, honestly."
Midoriya gives him a tired stare. C'mon, have some trust in your boss. Revenant is doing his best, and Mastermind should know that his best is a lot.
"But what next?" Yoshihiro continues. "Because considering the list of people involved in the USJ attack and your earlier words to the rabbit, I can't help but think that there is more planned for the day."
Yes. Midoriya certainly missed working with people that play in even more or less the same league as he does. It's mentally taxing to be the smartest one in the room by far. Mentally taxing and lonely.
"So, a brand promotion to help us with further recruitment efforts, elimination of the Fast Response Unit to give us an edge in deployment speed…" Yaoyorozu summarizes. "... AND a distraction?" She looks as amazed as surprised. "Wait, if THAT'S a distraction, what the hell is the other thing you're planning?"
Midoriya's smile grows wider and wider. If not for the fact that Eri was still in danger, he would deeply enjoy being allowed to spread his wings again. Even if people were going to die as a result. Perhaps especially due to that, considering the sort of people that were going to die.
He gives them a reply. Three seconds later, a riot starts.
(***)
Revival Celebration Day
"I wouldn't be so focused on that little bit if I were you, Mr. Thunderbolt." Midoriya says, his voice deceptively sweet. "Who really cares about people discovering that you were an asshole? What should be REALLY important to you is the fact that with the Fast Response Unit exterminated in front of you, there is no one to interrupt our on-going assault on the Tartarus Prison."
Thunderbolt almost chokes on his rage. Yes, do so. In the meantime, Midoriya gestures to one of the operators that are in the room with him. It's time to switch the feed to something else.
What's the point of assaulting the Tartarus on this day, if the world doesn't get to witness it? They have more people to introduce to the world, after all.
(***)
14 Days Before Revival Celebration
"That's absolutely impossible!" Mastermind shouts back. "Tartarus cannot be captured. Even All for One didn't try that. Yes, if we manage to redirect the Fast Response Unit to the USJ and then destroy it, it will delay the governmental response to the attack severely, but…"
"I have a plan." Midoriya announces, trying not to look cheeky.
"It doesn't matter." Yaoyorozu shakes her head. "Getting Shoto out was miraculous enough, something that I believe was only possible because Tartarus doesn't keep the warp coordinate scramblers active the whole time. Keeping the entire complex under its influences would take way too much energy, not to mention the medical side effects of being under it for so long."
Midoriya nods. That's a very correct assumption. UA had warp coordinate scramblers too, except only for the main complex. Trying to cover the whole area would be insanity. Other than that, only a few more places had those state-of-the-art machines.
"However, once the alert rings, they'll be switched on." Yaoyorozu continues. Few of the others nod in agreement. "This means that whoever will be sent there, will be trapped in a complex with two thousand wardens and a bunch of heroes. With no chances of evac. We won't even be able to get any prisoners out and…"
"Do not worry about that." Midoriya interrupts her with a waive of his hand. "I have it all planned. We just have to work out some details together."
(***)
Revival Celebration Day
Tartarus is a one of a kind place. No other location in the world comes close - there are many inescapable prisons for the worst or the worst, but Tartarus is something else. Something more. Or something less, depending on how you see it.
The bulk of the facility is located one kilometer off the coast of Japan. Only the uppermost layer extends over the waters - the remaining three are under it or, in case of the third one, are located under the bottom of the sea.
The surface layer is the biggest one. It houses close to three thousand A-Rank villains. It has several blocks concentrated around the central spire, which is a fortress within a fortress - its twenty meters tall walls made from the hardest materials that Japan had access to and houses the command center of the entire prison, barracks for the wardens, on-site hospital, and enough weapons and combat robots to wage and win a small war.
It's not often, but sometimes one of the inmates from this level gets to leave the prison. Save for a single block (the one for the most insane and deadly of the A-Rankers), the uppermost layer is a simple, if high security, prison. There are quirk suppressors and ever watchful wardens, but the inmates get to stretch their legs a bit.
There are no such privileges for those housed hidden under the surface, the unofficial 'maximum security wing' of the prison. Once, it was filled with prisoners from other countries that wanted a perfectly secured place for the worst of the worst of their prisoners and were ready to pay Japan to take those off their hands. This changed when Japan's government began to turn for the worse. And sending villains to Japan was increasingly looked down upon.
As a result, many parts on this level were only barely staffed. Still, close to three hundred S-Rank villains were permanently incarcerated on this level. ⅓ of those were connected to various iterations of the first Paranormal Liberation Front, while the rest were a mixture of independents and former heroes (de facto political prisoners).
Beneath that level lies the second underwater segment, this time housing fifty-five SS-Rank villains. Some of them were there because death was seen as a mercy they didn't deserve, while some who were deemed potentially rehabilitable. Of course, this mostly means 'made to obey the government' nowadays.
Situation of the seven SSS-Rank villains housed in the last segment of the maximum security wing (the one under the seabed) is more or less similar.
The entire facility is defended by two thousand wardens, seventy-five heroes stationed there permanently and numerous combat robots and automatic security measures. Wardens and heroes alike had their past screened with extreme attention to details. Even the slightest sign of past misbehavior is enough for the Head Warden to refuse an application.
Everyone still remembers the narrowly evaded mass break-out soon before Deika was destroyed. The MLA slowly infiltrated the Tartarus wardens with their members for close to a decade, with its trademarked pattern of patience. The plot was discovered on an accident, right before it could come to fruition.
All of that was merely a single part of the Tartarus defenses. The waters surrounding are permanently patrolled by a detachment of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Sonars constantly scan underwater for any signs of an attack. Ships themselves are armed to the teeth (with both conventional weaponry and water-oriented heroes) and only give any approaching ships a single warning before annihilating them if they do not change their course.
The only alternative way of accessing the prison are two kilometer-long bridges connecting the facility with the mainland. However, there is another layer of defense there. An escapee that would manage to cross the bridge would have found himself in the middle of the biggest base of the Ground Self-Defense Force. Surrounded by ten thousand soldiers, armed with the best of the conventional weaponry that was created before quirks made those obsolete.
And it's not like it was just a 'normal' military base, as it would be understood by someone from a centuries past. Like Tartarus itself, the entire base was a labyrinth of concrete and steel, overseen by the automatic gun turrets and artillery towers. Less a base and more a massive and interconnected network of bunkers, designed to force the enemy forces to divide itself between core bastions, and then whittle their numbers in numerous killing fields.
Tartarus was designed to withstand every imaginable assault. Unfortunately, the one that Revenant organized was anything but imaginable.
(***)
14 Days Before Revival Celebration
"... a spy?" Yaoyorozu blinks at him a few times. "You have a spy in Tartarus? I mean, that does change a few things, but… how the hell did you find someone like that? They are screened so well that…"
"They are screened while recruited." Midoriya replies with a smirk. "The thing is, it's much easier to screen individual people that are supposed to join the family than to keep perpetual surveillance on everyone that's already in. And I just happen to know someone that grew very, very disillusioned with the prison and the government after working in Tartarus for several years. Someone skillful and cautious for his co-workers to not realize that."
"Yes, but how much can a single person do?" Yaoyorozu shoots back. "There are more than two thousand wardens and heroes inside, with a lot of automatic security systems and.."
"If our spy was supposed to fight them all, yes." Midoriya nods. He is, at this point, truly enjoying it. "But I have a much better idea. A rather… creative application of Cloud's warp quirk. Hatsume, have you managed to create a proper navigational beacon attuned to her quirk, yes?"
"Aye." She looks proud. She has a valid reason to feel that way. "You want to smuggle them into the Tartarus for a precise warp, right?" They don't have Search to guide them this time, after all. When Midoriya nods, she decides to ask another question. "What exactly are you planning to warp in?"
"Bombs." Midoriya deadpans. "Big and mean bombs. Feel free to go crazy with those, Clockmaker."
Mei looked absolutely delighted.
(***)
Revival Celebration Day
Two minutes before FRU arrival at the USJ
The Tartarus wardens stationed around the warp coordinate scramblers at the deepest level of the inner fortress of the prison had about three seconds to realize what was happening. None of them managed to react in time.
Cloud opened several of her warpgates right next to active navigational beacons, left there by the PLF's spy. The Hatsume Industries' engineers pushed several of their beautiful babies through them, before Sunako Oboro closed the warpgates.
Three seconds later several bombs exploded throughout the area, obliterating the warp coordinate scramblers entirely before the Tartarus crew even realize that it was attacked. Some additional bombs detonated within the warden barracks, killing or incapaciting dozens of them. Slightly decreasing the overwhelming numerical superiority that the wardens had over the attackers.
Ten seconds later more warpgates open throughout the Tartarus facility. Through them, the villains step out.
The first wave of the attackers emerged from the warpgate in one of the surface prison blocks. It was composed of Mastermind and sixty villains, most of which came from either CRC or the QLF.
Mastermind was the general commander for the operation. Midoriya didn't have an awful lot of choice on that field. He was the best commander among the villains participating in the Tartarus assault.
On the opposite side of the surface area came out a group of similar numbers, composed primarily of the members of the Inhuman Supremacy Party, with some MLA support. It was commanded by the Lady Murder, although 'command' was a bit of a stretch.
She rushed forward, looking to slaughter as many people as possible. She left issuing orders to 'her' attack party to her deputy. She always preferred to lead by example.
Third attack group exited the warpgate near the top of the maximum security wing, in the area of the prison 'inhabited' by the S-Ranks. It was composed mostly of the MLA, supported by the Ascending Path. It was, technically, led by Trumpet. He was there because he had to, both to shock the world with his survival and because the MLA leader just had to be there.
Jetstream was accompanying him. Both to introduce him to the world properly and to gather some practical experience.
Eclipse exited the warpgate as the last one, immediately deactivating the support item that suppressed her quirk to avoid it interfering with the Cloud's warpgates. She was accompanied by a crowd of QLF soldiers, supported by a handful of CRC and Ascending Path cultists.
Within a minute since the start of the attack, it became apparent that the attack was stalled - mostly thanks to the automatic security systems and the overwhelming numerical advantage of the defenders. The attackers, however, seemed to not be pressing their attack either, something which left many of the defenders significantly confused.
Except, that's when things changed rapidly.
(***)
14 Days Before Revival Celebration
"Okay, that makes perfect sense." Mastermind admits. "Destroying the warp coordinate scramblers sounds perfectly achievable. But we do not have the numbers to try to take the whole prison over. Not with the amount of wardens and the prison security systems."
"... Midoriya, how high is the position of your spy?" Yaoyorozu decides to prove herself as a much more imaginative tactician and strategist when compared to Yoshihiro. She is asking the right question, after all.
"Quite high." Midoriya replies with a straight face. "And a part of the Tartarus Command Center' crew."
Yaoyorozu understood it immediately.
"... oh, you sly son of a bitch." She says, her words filled with an almost childish wonder.
Midoriya would like to be happy about that. Unfortunately, he might be forced to use a caretaker or two from his support network. Because with the situation they're in, he can't divide the regular PLF assets anymore. And he needs a heavy-hitter for it, even if he'd prefer to avoid using that particular person.
(***)
Revival Celebration Day
One minute before FRU arrival at the USJ
"Why the fuck aren't the warp coordinate scramblers working?!" The head warden yells. The people gathered at the Tartarus prison command center clearly don't have the answer for that. The prison's communication network was thrown into a total disarray and the messages are only starting to arrive. "If even a single prisoner escapes, the prime minister is going to demand our heads!"
"At least the attack seems to be more or less contained." One of the officers present decides to be constructive about it. "But… I don't get it. They didn't really think that they could capture Tartarus with, what, less than three hundred people? It doesn't make sense."
He is not only constructive, but also has a working brain. Truly, a rare combination. The biggest irony is that he is the only person in the room who actually wormed his way into the officer corps of Tartarus prison through nepotism. His mother was a very high ranked government official in the Ministry of Justice.
"Maybe they just fucking lost it." Head warden replies. He is sweating badly under his hat, still thinking about the way of explaining this fuck-up to the prime minister.
"Uhm." The sole rationally thinking officer in the room decides to be brave about it. "Does the group that just killed two SS-Rank heroes almost without casualties feels like someone who 'just fucking lost it'?"
Suicidal bravery. Then again, his mother is sleeping with the Minister of Justice. What's the worst thing that they could do to him for speaking out like that? Have his mother ground him?
"There is a mole within Tartarus." Seiji Shishikura, known also as A-Rank Warden Hero: Shishikross, says. He is standing a bit behind the crowd of confused officers, eyeing the large screen in front of them with utmost focus. His career among the Tartarus warden corps was rather fast ever since his graduation.
"You really think so?" Head warden locks onto those words with a ferocity of a starving wolf. It would make an awful lot of sense, but who could it b…
"Yes, I do." Shishikross says calmly while meatballing two of the closest wardens with his quirk.
"Wh…" Someone tries to shout but the voice dies out in chaos. Shishikross dives behind the nearest computer terminal, avoiding the rushed gunfire. Unfortunately to the wardens in the room with him, he was a distraction.
A warpgate opens behind the wardens. Shishikross put the beacon there earlier. A figure emerges from it. Green tentacles, too fast to spot or react to, slam some of the wardens into the walls. The only hero (well, the only hero that didn't switch sides) in the room almost managed to put up a fight, but he failed to stop the vines sneaking up to him from the ceiling.
He is strangled to death, his legs dangling in the air, his quirk failing to save him.
"Eden to Mastermind." Ibara Shiozaki says through her commpiece. The amount of venom accompanying the word 'Mastermind' is rather impressive. "Command center secured. Fleshwarp safe. Head warden…" Shishikross meatballs the person in question before they can do something that they would all regret. The pistol falls to the ground. "... captured. Fleshwarp, how much time do you need?"
"One minute at worst." Shishikross (soon the name will be cast aside officially, and he is looking forwards towards that) walks towards the main computer, dragging the head warden with him. Ibara's vines help speed up the process. "It's made to be quick, but the warden reinforcements…"
New warpgates open. Through them, PLF soldiers step out. Shishikross sighs. Looks like they won't have to worry about that, at least.
(***)
No, I will not elaborate on how exactly Aiko's quirk allows to performs attacks such as Extinction Ray. It's described in Ties that Bind around chapter 62-63, but probably not here. Together with the rest of her quirk and its natural weaknesses and strengths.
Yes, that's Ibara Shiozaki. Currently a caretaker in Midoriya's Support Network. Her case will be elaborated upon sooner or later. Also, yeah, Tartarus. Talk about starting big, hmm? It's not likely doing just the USJ could be a decisive blow to let PLF actually fight against the government rather than struggle for a moment like one more random villain organizations.