Death

by tmb1112

Death is a Quirk that can only kill. A perfect Quirk for a villain, but what if the boy who manifested that power just wanted to be a hero? Enrolling in U.A. might not be enough when all your Quirk can do is kill people. Follow Zach Sazaki from his first day in Class A on a story that spans years, as he learns to be a hero, finds out more about his Quirk, and too much to summarize!

117. Chapter 117

Disclaimer: I don't own Boku no Hero Academia

Chapter 117:

In an office in Endeavor's Kyoto agency, the top hero in all of Japan sat behind his desk while staring at the wall across from him. The wall was split into four different images that he was watching, a remote in his right hand and a keyboard in front of him for him to control the screens with. At the top of the screens were the letters ADTF written in thick green font, and the bottom of the wall were a few dozen tiny square boxes with pictures of heroes in them used as icons showing who the videos had been shared with.

Faint translucent letters covered the screens that were separated by a blue background. 'CONFIDENTIAL' was written across Endeavor's wall, and he watched the confidential clips that were kept from public release for several reasons. Some of them were too gruesome, some were considered too controversial and would cause too much public unrest, and Endeavor did not care one way or the other whether he was the only one viewing them or not. His flaming eyebrows narrowed, as he glared at the top right screen on his far wall where he saw an amateur video clip taken in a desert in North Africa. His eyes shifted from a vehicle rolling on its side that a dark figure just smashed down on top of, over to a clip on the left showing a dark security camera footage of a street in Sueguon where a couple of black SUVs crashed into an invisible wall. A figure in a purple visor with a cape of the same color dropped down and took a bunch of gunfire point blank like it was nothing, then the SUVs fell through the street before another man ran up and replaced the road in seconds. The man in purple grabbed the other one and bounced up into the sky out of the camera's view, and a few seconds later heroes and police started rushing into the location from different directions before all looking around confusedly for an answer explaining what had happened.

Endeavor looked down to a clip that just switched to a vertical video taken of Death in a city in Egypt. He frowned as he watched the dark figure covered in knives and swords walking through a group of people who were not doing anything to stop him, despite there clearly being heroes and police in the area. Endeavor looked down at a report on his desk to try and shift his attention for a moment, but even the new report was not helping him out at all. Anonymous tips have become the main source of information gathering for heroes. Coming in more than ever. It's like all villain activity around the world is being reported by locals fed up with what's happening. Except…

Endeavor flipped the page that had ADTF labeled at the top in all green letters, and he ground his teeth angrily at the phone logs he saw of conversations in different languages in different countries around the world. The format of certain conversations were similar, too similar, nearly identical. They're so specific. Normal witnesses, anonymous callers wouldn't know so much without digging themselves. They try making it out like they just recognize villains they saw on tv, in the news, but it's oddly familiar. I've seen them talking about anonymous tips on the news as a huge things, but if this is true- Endeavor lifted his head and glared towards his door where one of his sidekicks just ran in. His eyes stopped looking so dark as the woman who ran in was one who he allowed into the loop on the Anti-Death Task Force's operations.

"Sir," Olympia began. The woman in a tight red costume with a red beanie on and a belt of weapons around her waist glanced at the wall covered in screens of Death for a moment. "He was spotted, last night in the Amazon," Olympia reported. Endeavor ground his teeth and slammed a fist down on his desk, a desk luckily made for when he got angry and could take the hit without completely breaking apart.

"Last night," Endeavor repeated in annoyance. "So whoever saw him waited this long to say anything. He's long gone…" Endeavor opened up his clenched fist and he stared down at the clip on the bottom left of the wall that illuminated as someone else in the ADTF who was also examining the clips highlighted it. Endeavor enlarged the clip himself and watched as Death climbed into a helicopter in a town full of people who were shouting something at the helicopter lifting out of the city.

The vertical video was shaking, and the people were all starting to chant the same thing as Death flew off into the sky in his helicopter. The helicopter rose higher and higher up towards a dark cloud, and Endeavor ground his teeth as he saw that cloud again which he had noticed in a couple of videos now. His bottom lip slowly lowered though at the sight of the new clip he had not watched all the way through yet. He stood up and stared forward while his sidekick dropped her jaw too, both of them just gawking at the shimmering air just below that dark cloud. The helicopter changed course a bit to go to the side of the massive black airship with huge propeller engines around the sides of the low curved hull. The sky darkened more around the ship, and the helicopter rose past its side and disappeared above it, dipping out of sight.

Then the ship vanished again as it rose into and above the dark clouds that had thickened out of nowhere. The people chanting around the town started shouting louder, and the shaky vertical camera pointed around at the others who were all yelling the same thing in their town that Death had just arrived in while its heroes were faring badly against a gang of villains. Endeavor finally closed his jaw and he darted his eyes around all the people in the streets whose words he did not understand. "What are they saying?" he questioned his sidekick.

Olympia studied several different languages which was one of the reasons he chose her to help him in the international Task Force. The woman watching the screen had her eyes narrowed at the Egyptians cheering, though she no longer blamed the heroes around them for not trying to stop Death. She turned her head to the side and responded in a low mutter, "'Praise Death.'"

---

"…Whatever your opinions on the matter, keep them to yourselves. The UNGA has labeled this group unanimously as terrorists. That means every one of our countries has given us the order to take them down. Prepare yourselves to do just that."

Endeavor glared ahead in an intense way at the room full of heroes he was in. There was a projector behind him and several webcams set up on tables in front of the rows of seats filled with dozens of heroes. The laptops pointed at the projector had the faces of some heroes on them, men and women in different planes like Endeavor's who were flying from different parts of the world where they had suddenly gathered with the ADTF of their continent. Five planes of heroes listened to the designated leader of the Anti-Death Task Force, Japan's Number 1 hero, Flame Hero: Endeavor. "This is the first time we've called everyone together, because we don't ever get opportunities like this. This is the first time we've known where the Army of Death will be and when they will be there. We all want to get back to our countries and make sure to stop any villains who emerge while we're gone, but if we can deal with this today then we do not have it hanging over our heads any longer."

Endeavor wanted to get back to Japan himself. He had called in all of the heroes on-call with the ADTF who he had been in contact with over the past few months. Only one in the whole world had not responded to his summons about taking on the Army of Death, and that was a Turkish hero who was currently in the hospital which Endeavor only heard about after calling for him and not getting a response. On the plane in front of Endeavor were the other Japanese heroes on the Task Force, the Chinese who had almost as many, a couple of Koreans, as well as heroes from southeast Asia, India, and all over Oceania. "We know very little about the actual members of the Army of Death, as we have yet to acquire any footage of them without their helmets on. However, there are members whose identities we have ascertained, be it through voice recognition, sources, or the reports from heroes who have worked with them so far."

Endeavor ground his teeth in frustration as he did not like giving a presentation like this. It was annoying, and he wanted to designate the task to someone else, but there was no one else who could hold the attention of all the big-shot heroes he had called in himself. He had to take the time out to brief each of them himself. The slideshow flipped behind him so the projector showed a picture of a man in a black suit, combed-over brown hair, a smile on his face with an I.D. badge on a lanyard around his neck. He was in his early twenties in the picture, and he looked like a normal man with a boring job as the badge he wore had 'Analyst' written on it and just a picture of his face looking just like it did in the picture they had of him. "Mark Smith," Endeavor started while everyone looked at the boring man with brown hair on the screen. "His real name is unknown. He went by this name as an operative for the Central Intelligence Agency. Then he went rogue. All records of him before he was an agent were wiped, and all the files that we have been granted by the U.S. government…"

On the screen the picture moved to only cover up one half of it, and a report popped up on the other half instead. Another report popped up over the first one, and then another, and everyone stared intensely at the reports that appeared one by one with very little uncovered by thick black lines. "His mission files are all redacted. Confidential even to us and I haven't been able to go through the hoops to get the UN to order them unblocked."

"Sorry about that," Star-Spangled Man chimed in. "I have tried pressuring my government as well, however there are many steps to even creating a hearing to consider an inquiry for-"

"I thank you for the attempt," Endeavor said, cutting off Star-Spangled Man not in a rude way, but sounding appreciative yet telling him they were short for time. Star-Spangled Man nodded on the other side of his laptop screen from the North American ship, and he stayed quiet to allow Endeavor to continue with the brief. "This mystery agent, Mark Smith, has a Quirk that allows him to control all liquids. Liquid Control is extremely powerful and dangerous, however thanks to the Army of Death's 'no fighting heroes' rule, I do not expect him to use it to kill us."

The gruff man surrounded in his flames grunted after saying it. He flipped to the next slide without another word on Mark Smith or on what he just mentioned about the Army of Death's rule against fighting heroes. He had already told them all to keep their mouths shut about personal opinions on it so no one had anything to say as much as they were all pondering their purposes on this mission. Endeavor turned to a slide that showed a man with short blond hair, who had a very muscular body that was revealed since in the picture of him he was not wearing a shirt.

The tall man with blue eyes was not flexing in the picture but his muscles were bulging. His expression was straight, his lips flat and his gaze serious, instead of having a smile like the CIA operative which now seemed so fake to the heroes who had seen it. This man did not look to be hiding anything though. His expression looked genuine, like he was showing them exactly who he was without hiding anything. In his eyes was a look that some considered crazy, while others could just see such a strong intensity that looked like it was always in those eyes. The serious man in the picture was not facing the camera directly, but was sitting on a chair with a needle sticking into his arm and an i.v. next to his chair that he was plugged into.

"Exodus," Endeavor said, looking back at the picture himself with a dark glare. "His Quirk, Light, is another with incredible power. We discerned his identity because his name was caught in several locations, and his Quirk is unique enough that it was clear the other Exodus with that Quirk was the same man. I repeat, he is incredibly dangerous. He was part of a program designed to create super soldiers who could use powerful Quirks for a country that has requested I keep them unnamed in exchange for this information. The program was shut down, when nearly everyone involved was judged 'Guilty' by Exodus. Those who weren't, survived to tell of how he executed dozens before leaving the program. Since that time, he had not been seen again for several years until the emergence of the Army of Death. We do believe he joined them only after their invasion of Saudi Arabia and deposal of Mongoloid, yet he is still believed to be one of their top members from what we have heard about his proximity to Death in most appearances."

Another slide appeared on the screen with a blue background and humanoid silhouette in it with a question mark in the middle. "Rebel," Endeavor said, and the picture moved to the side of the screen to show dozens of windows popping up on the slideshow. There were pop-up ads, and then reports with information mixed around and the letters rearranged next to the original copies. There were anonymous phone call records sent from different countries around the world with transcripts that had certain parts highlighted to show how similar they were to each other. Then a large number of reports of police stations' firewalls getting broken through appeared, followed by similar reports showing cameras had been hacked, or transportation had been delayed by some technical glitch in the system that was no glitch at all considering the same glitch happened all over the world whenever Death was in an area.

"Do we think they know we're coming for them?" Snowgun, a Finnish hero questioned as he went over all the information appearing on his screen below Rebel's name. "Is that why you have us moving so quickly so as not to even meet up beforehand?"

"He's good," Crack said. Another American hero, the short-blue-haired woman scratched her chin with an impressed yet uncertain look on her face as she looked at the work of another hacker. Better than me, she thought. "If he has our phone lines tapped…"

"We doubt he does," Endeavor said. "All of the times he has entered the systems of police stations or hero agencies he has been very quick to leave those systems to avoid being back-traced. A man that careful would not risk staying tapped on any of our phones."

Let's hope so.

Even if he does, it doesn't mean we're heading into a trap.

The Army of Death isn't after us.

We have the drop on them.

Endeavor sounds confident about all of this, Gilgamesh thought. The Japanese hero felt a bit out of place among the other heroes from his country around him, as even the two youngest heroes in their group were much higher ranked than him on the country's most recent hero leaderboard. Gilgamesh focused on the Flame Hero ahead of him, Never thought I'd ever be able to work with him a couple years ago. Now…

Endeavor took a pause and then put the next figure up on the screen. In an all black costume, with hilts sticking out over his shoulders, with a katana behind his waist, and knives strapped all over his body. They were on his sides on straps over his shoulders and just stuck to the sides of his costume under his arms, around his waist all over the belt that also had a few hilts of sidearms on it. His costume was all black, his helmet's visor too, and the picture of the man they had was caught from the front in the middle of walking forward. His shoulders were fairly broad though not too wide, but despite him being more than a few inches under six feet tall, his appearance was menacing.

"Death," Endeavor started. The picture on the screen moved to the side but did not cover half of it this time, instead shrinking down a bit to only cover the bottom left corner so another picture could appear above it. A picture of a teenager with a scar under his right eye and a split on his left ear appeared above Death's picture. "We have not confirmed it, but there is a high possibility that Zach Sazaki, otherwise known as Lifebringer, is Death. Death has been witnessed in action on several occasions, and his Quirk is similar if not the same as the missing Sazaki's."

The eight other Japanese heroes in the airship with Endeavor all stared intensely towards the screen and the boy who had been missing for over half a year now. Lemillion's eyes narrowed and his usual smile was noticeably missing from his face. Kamui Woods' eyes got darker as he looked at the picture of Lifebringer which switched to a different picture showing him in a dark costume outside of the War Boys' base, a similarly dark costume on with knife sheaths around it. To think that was not even a year ago, Kamui Woods thought, his lips in a deep frown behind his wooden mask.

"If this is Sazaki or not, is not important. What matters is avoiding all physical contact with Death. His Quirk, which we will call Death unless we can confirm that it is not Sazaki, can knock anyone out with the slightest touch. Not only of your body, but any Quirk you may be controlling with your mind. Any part of you can be affected by Death if the dark strands of his power touch you." Endeavor paused and then another image appeared on the side of the screen leaving Lifebringer and Death's pictures still up there. "These advanced stun guns and shock-net cannons will be available options any hero can use to capture Death safely. He is the one we need to capture more than anything, though we will not allow the rest of the Army of Death to escape…"

Endeavor cut off everything that was on the screen and covered it instead with the pictures of Kazania which were originally used to label the Army of Death as a terrorist organization. Then that picture moved to the side and got covered by another showing a flipped-over jeep in the sand with the cabin half-crushed and a man slumped into the steering column with blood all over him. Then a picture of an alley in Korea with a man in two halves slumped on opposite sides of the alley. Another picture of a young man dead in a warehouse in America with some caution tape around him, and then a picture of the burnt rubble of a building with an arm sticking out of it, and then another picture, and another, and another. "They think themselves heroes," Endeavor continued darkly. "They act without oversight, they kill, they flee from the scene of the crime. They invade nations and pressure heroes and authorities to work with them, the same as any villain group would. They have weapons…" Another picture appeared on the screen showing a distant but focused image of a massive ship with a helicopter flying towards it. "They have a large number of followers, upwards of eighty to even a hundred of them, though we have never had reports of more than sixty in any one location."

"The Army of Death is treating this world like it has no order. It acts as if there is no control over the villains, no other way to stop them. But there is a right way. A way that they ignore. And their way, is a way that we can not ignore."

---

"I just want to repeat myself, again," Gentle said, sitting down on a log and leaning back as a fire burned on the ground in front of him. "That this is a very, very bad idea."

"Thank you for at least saying it in a private comms link this time," Zach replied from a different part of the campsite. He was near the east edge of it, staring up into the sky that had thick white clouds covering it that were a little grayer in some areas. There was some strong wind blowing around, and they were at a high elevation, though all of Panzerstan was pretty high in elevation even not up in the mountains. Zach stood near the edge of the camp where a dozen of their vehicles had been re-painted for winter camo, something they did not do often but did for this mission. The tents set up were all white too, though the majority of the actual soldiers were still wearing black armor with only a few wearing white coats over their already thick armor.

There were a couple dozen fires set up around the snowy campground they established. The Cloak was not in sight but hidden a few miles away by its cloaking system. The Army of Death was gathered out in the middle of the open, and all of them were sitting around on logs or rocks, or on metal crates they had taken out of their vehicles and set up near their campsite. There were two trucks in the mix of vehicles they had out there that they were able to bring a lot of supplies in, and they had this campsite set up for almost two hours now. Above some of the fires to keep warm, metal grates had been set up and some of the soldiers were grilling up some food, though they still had their helmets on for now and were only going to take them off if they started eating.

"High risk high reward, Gentle," Zach said after just taking a moment to breathe out a thick white breath of steam in front of his helmet. "Just keep calm, and stay ready." Zach lifted a hand and changed his helmet's communications line himself to a different private conversation. "Fillian. Hideaway. How are things going?"

"No change," Fillian replied. "I don't see any indication that they're worried about you. Thermal readings normal." Fillian lay flat in the snow, wearing heavy winter gear that kept him fully camouflaged just like the man at his side. Hideaway did them one better though on top of their camo-gear, as with his Quirk, Fillian would not even be able to know he was there, or anyone he might be hiding. They were invisible as long as Hideaway kept his hand on Fillian, as he had been doing so for the past three and a half hours before the Army of Death even started making their current campsite. "Even if they know, they're not leaving."

"Keep watching. Any change hail me."

"Understood, Commander."

Zach took in a deep breath and he switched his comms back to a line connected to everyone in his camp. "Everyone look more relaxed. As off-guard as you can be. They might already be around us. Just waiting for their moment."

"We haven't had any sign of them yet though, right?" Grabble asked.

"We won't until we're trapped," Michael replied, then he lifted his helmet off and reached forward to his campfire. He grabbed a stick with a rabbit he caught himself cooking on it, and though it was still a bit raw he brought it back to his sharp teeth and dug into it.

Access and Grabble both looked at him from around their fire and wondered how he looked so uncaring as he devoured that rabbit after what he just said.

"Don't be afraid," Darling said. "Death will protect us."

Zach was glad she said it. He did not want to be the one to have to reassure them all, again, and he was glad he had someone who believed in him so much telling the others that.

Zach pushed his right foot into the floor and twisted it through the snow and into the dirt. The ground was covered in a light coating of snow that was powdery and not melting since it was so cold in Panzerstan in late January. Zach rose up his hands and he rubbed his black gloves together, then he lifted his head and stared up towards the clouds where a dozen hover-jets started dropping out of the sky fast. They were high-tech vehicles that all looked crazy smooth with slick designs, powerful glowing blue lights sticking out of the backs and bottoms of them, and they were fast but could stop moving at any point and change direction while staying in place in the air.

The Army of Death shot up to their feet. Everyone jumped as the jets shot out of the sky, and they all resisted the urges to run or to even reach for their weapons. They were getting surrounded, and Death said quickly while everyone else stayed silent, "Rebel, get me in. Quickly. Right now!"

"It's- almost- Done!" Rebel finished typing so fast that his fingers had looked like blurs to the two men looking at him with dropped jaws. Then he leaned back and smirked, Damn I'm good.

"Endeavor," Zach said, his voice modulated to a much deeper tone as he suddenly hailed the ships above him.

Death's voice was calm. He did not sound surprised even only five seconds after the heroes started descending on them. The soldiers down below were standing and looking up towards the ships, but they were not panicking or running away or even getting ready to fight either.

It's a trap!

They knew we were coming!

Someone snitched!

Those fucking Brits-

Damn Americans-

I knew the Russians couldn't be trusted.

How did they know we were coming?

What is wrong with all of them?!

Did someone turn on us?

Endeavor glared at the console in front of him while he yanked back on his sticks and stopped his rapid descent. "Hold," he commanded. As the entire Anti-Death Task Force thought rapidly about what was happening or even already blaming each other for handing off information to Death, Endeavor's eyes focused solely on his radio in front of him on his jet with twelve heroes on it. "What?" Endeavor asked, growling it in anger as he answered his own comms link that Death was suddenly speaking on. "Did you know we were coming?"

"I want to talk, Endeavor," Death replied. "Please, there's no need to fight. Let's just talk first."

Death stared straight up at the ships, stepping away from his campsite and out into the more open white tundra away from it.

"Endeavor. Even if this is a trap," the Number 2 hero in the UK, Governor Dengar, had stopped his ship too but kept glaring down with an intense expression. "They won't fight us. Let's move in."

"I agree," Fuzzman said. The Indian hero behind Endeavor on his own ship stepped ahead after looking over the side and down at the soldiers all waiting for them. "They still don't look ready for a fight. If we move now-"

"Everyone back up," Endeavor said. All the heroes around the sky shifted their attentions over towards Endeavor's hover-jet that he started pulling back in the direction that Death was walking from his campsite all alone. This doesn't make any sense. "Land behind me. Wait for my orders-"

"I don't take orders from-"

"On this Task Force you do," Endeavor declared it in a deep, even threatening voice as he turned his head. Endeavor glared over towards the Americans' hover-jet that had fourteen of them on it, the country with the most heroes on the force than any other.

Star-Spangled Man stepped to the front of his jet. The top American hero reached down and grabbed the shoulder of the pilot and third ranked hero in his country who glared back at the man who had only recently surpassed him on their nation's hero leaderboards. "Understood, Endeavor. We're following your lead."

"Alright Death, let's talk."

"Move behind him."

"Are we really landing?"

"Bring the capture cannons and stun guns with you as you get out."

"He said to land, not get out of our jets."

Rebel smirked while listening to the communications lines of the heroes. He said in a smug voice to the Army of Death, "These guys ain't a team. They've got no dynamic; sounds like they've never worked with each other before. Might not be great though, seems a few are looking to be the ones to get Death."

"That's what they get only meeting up once to-"

"Everyone stay off the line," Zach said in calmly, as much as he wanted to shout it. He had a bead of sweat on the side of his face and some more on his forehead, but he spoke calmly to his men who he needed to stop distracting him. "Rebel keep listening but only warn me if they're about to attack."

Death stopped thirty meters from the edge of his camp. He closed his eyes, his heart rate speeding up more and more, and then he opened them back up inside his helmet. His red eyes looked up through his dark visor to tint everything in his vision the same color. Think faster. Don't mess up. Everything's on the line.

"Death, something's happening. People are heating up, looks like they're getting worried and moving around a lot."

"They know. Alright, I'll move fast," Zach replied to Fillian, his deep voice a bit scratchier as his red eyes flared more in his helmet.

"We're going to be pressed for time. Everyone prepare yourselves. Remember the plan."

"Death, we're coming up on your six."

Zach turned his helmet the slightest amount and darted his eyes back behind him. His red eyes narrowed and darkened at the sight of six people heading in his direction. Mark was the one who said it to him, but Gentle, La Brava, Exodus, Darling, and Jetflame were all walking with him towards their leader who had not ordered them to do so. He glared at his comrades yet kept his mouth shut, as he felt the six of them were about to ignore his orders and keep going until they were right behind him. "No one else move up. They may feel threatened and ruin everything," Zach said it directed at anyone else considering moving forward, but at the same time he was throwing shade at his comrades who just kept walking towards him and ignoring the tone of his voice.

You've got too much faith in heroes, Jetflame thought. The former hero had been one for over fifteen years, and he did not trust leaving Death all alone with the entire Task Force of heroes from all around the world. The Task Force is made up of heroes in places where heroes use as sneaky of tactics as we do. The majority are from the U.S., Japan, China, and home, but we don't know the exact numbers. They have a lot though. Way more than I was hoping for.

We just need them to stay calm for a minute, Mark thought as he walked forward on Jetflame's left. There's very little holding off the heroes right now. Endeavor accepting Death's request to talk shows he understands better than most what we're doing. Even if he doesn't agree, he realizes there's a reason for this.

The Army of Death knew you were coming but stayed anyway, La Brava thought, trying to calm herself down even as she walked towards a dozen landing jets full of heroes. Think about it you morons. We always get out fast. Ask why we're here. Just ask! That's what heroes are good at right? Asking first then shooting, not shooting first and asking questions later?! Right?!

Gentle wanted to put a hand down on La Brava's shoulder for a moment as he could feel her hesitation and fear radiating off his side. He stayed calm himself though and just walked forward in a confident, steady way. A stupid idea, he added to himself once more while keeping his lips flat. He had a white fur coat on over his purple cape, though his dark purple visor was still visible on his black helmet to distinguish him from the others around him. He was also the only one in the group of six dark figures who moved up to only eight meters behind Death who had on a white coat and gloves, very fashionable ones at that.

Vantage points to the east, west, though flanking positions look empty for now. Defensive powers are ready at those flanks for a full retreat. Support is keeping watch on the rear between the camp and The Cloak. Exodus stared intensely towards Death's back. I will not allow you to fall here. Under any circumstances.

Do it Zach! I believe in you! Darling pursed her lips with the corners pulled up so much as she watched a man stepping out of the hover-jet directly in front of Death. You can do this! I know you can!

Endeavor stomped out of his jet and started forward with flames surrounding him in his hero costume. The snow melted below his feet and made it so he was walking forward through puddles and wet dirt turning to mud. His feet heated up more as he moved forward, and his eyes surrounded in flames shifted behind Death to the visors of the figures who had come close to him but still left a gap.

Mark's visor had shifted a tiny bit down when he saw Endeavor melting the snow, then sweat dripped down his face as the hero glared straight through his visor and into his eyes. The wet ground below Endeavor's feet dried out on his next step, the melted snow heating up more and evaporating by the time Endeavor picked his foot back up again. The action mixed with that glare had Mark's heart pounding, but he stood still and calmed himself despite what he now believed the heroes knew.

Heroes got out of the landed hover-jets behind Endeavor and moved forward. Death's closest comrades stayed a certain distance behind their Commander, and the heroes who got out of Endeavor's hover-jet behind him stopped moving forward as Endeavor moved his right hand away from his side and opened his fist into an open hand. Instead Endeavor walked alone right up to Death before stopping with a few feet gap between them.

Popfire stared towards Death with her breathing calm and her fists steadily clenched at her sides. She stood next to Ryukyu as the pro hero's only sidekick there, and the only other Japanese sidekick other than Olympia who had come. Popfire stared at the leader of the enemy forces who had so calmly called up to Endeavor when they were in the middle of starting their operation. Death never looked towards her, and she focused harder on his figure and costume while thinking, I can't tell if Endo's right or not. He thinks it's him for sure…

I cannot tell, Suneater stood next to Lemillion close to Endeavor's back while other heroes moved up behind them. He did not like how big the crowd was getting around him and he had his shoulders slouched instead of broad and intimidating like Lemillion next to him. Red Riot's positive though. I don't want to be here. I should've just told Mirio I didn't want to do this. He's not in any real danger if it's fighting Death, I think.

Best Jeanist had his arms down at his sides and was carefully watching his enemies behind Death. He saw them looking down the growing line of heroes too, but when he looked behind them back towards the Army of Death's campsite, the Army of Death were starting to do something else. They're packing up. They have to know there is no way they would escape, and why wait for us to arrive before packing? No, they're unloading too. Guns. They keep looking this way but tearing their eyes away like they want to come over… What is happening right now? When faced with overwhelming numbers of some of the top heroes in the world, what could they be thinking? Best Jeanist darted his eyes around but was unable to figure out what those people were doing.

The third ranked hero in Japan's eyes refocused back on the group of six just behind Death. Among them are the clothing sizes for Mark Smith and Exodus. Endeavor noticed the one who is likely Mark looking towards the water at his feet. His blood control is a frightening concept. More so than controlling fibers, he could move our bodies to his whims. Perhaps. Or, if he attempts to start controlling our blood, it may already be too late. Taking him down quickly…

Dengar is here. Couple others, Jetflame examined the British heroes all moving forward at once. A few higher up than Titan was, and Oars moved up to my old spot taking 6th with my "disappearance." Wonder if they'll realize it's me down there. Hopefully not, but I'm not holding back just so they won't. There is no holding back today.

Mark's eyes shifted around all the heroes fast. They did not know the exact make-up of Endeavor's ADTF though most of the heroes involved had publicly stated that they were involved in the Task Force. A few French and Italians with the UK heroes. All the Americans we accounted for are here, two brought sidekicks. More than Japan has. US, Japan, then… China. Eight in total from China, nine form Japan including Endeavor. Only one from Australia, couple Indonesia, a few from the Central African Coalition, Egypt's got three? Endeavor had an excess of heroes to call on then, maybe he told a few to stay less vocal in the first place to surprise us. He picked not just offensive capable ones too. Big margin for error here.

Ivory shouldn't have backed out, Endeavor thought. I need to know what they're thinking right now. The rest of the Brazilian team all came, but he was my first choice. If only we had gotten this information a week ago, before the Amazon incident. What did they do to make you pull out? Endeavor stared at Death after stepping straight up to him, and then he said in a deep voice, "Surrender."

"Endeavor," Death began. His voice was no longer scratchy though still in its modulated tone as he spoke to the hero in charge of the Anti-Death Task Force. If I mess up here everything's over. The thought did not help with Zach's nerves at all, and it actually made him hesitate for an extra second at the idea of his entire army getting thrown into prison. Then his eyes narrowed in his helmet, losing their red glow while he let out a long breath that hovered in front of his helmet as he let it out in the cold air. The thought of getting thrown into prison did not scare him very much, despite having thought that was why all that pressure was suddenly on him. Instead, Zach's eyes shifted down to the floor, and in his head he saw all the places he had been to in the past few months. He saw a thousand faces, and he saw the city of Paris, and he saw the bodies of those who had followed him until now. His eyes rose right back up to look in Endeavor's.

"I didn't come here to surrender to you," Death continued.

The recently-named fifth ranked hero in Japan, Lemillion, stood silently on the side of the hero he had bumped back to sixth place. He and Kamui Woods both got more ready looks on their faces to fight at the sound of Death's last statement and the tone in his voice. The terrorist speaking English spoke darkly and in a fake deep voice, yet his conviction came through the helmet and chilled some of even the strongest heroes in the world more than the cold air around them already was.

"Your intention, is of no importance to me," Endeavor replied. His tone was confrontational, and threatening, and it sounded to the heroes behind Endeavor like he was telling Death to get ready for a fight. "Your group, Death, is a terrorist organization. You are all under arrest."

"Listen to me," Death said. He glared straight up into Endeavor's eyes and took in a deep breath. "Will you just listen, for a second? You have more people than we do. Look around, we're not running."

"You wouldn't escape even if you did try to run," Endeavor replied. Then he hesitated, before growling in a lower voice, "Why did you come here? And if you knew we were coming, why didn't you leave?"

"Because there's a reason you knew we would be here," Death replied. Endeavor ground his teeth behind his lips as it was the response he did not want to hear the most that came out of Death's mouth. Some of the other heroes behind him were partially expecting to hear it, but the majority looked at Death confusedly and then with their eyes growing huge as he continued. "No credible information about us has gotten out to you for months, and suddenly you knew when and where we'd be? I did that on purpose, hoping you would come quickly with the strongest group of heroes in the world to take me on. No one else could ever gather a group like that on their own at such short notice, but the Army of Death moves quickly from one place to another, so you would have to gather everyone fast and come here quickly. So quickly, that there would be no time to inform all the governments and people you report to where you're going, so it would hopefully be only heroes to know the location. I hoped you wouldn't tell everyone before they left where exactly we were going too, so they couldn't report-"

"Why?" Endeavor asked. The single word was followed by a heavy silence as Endeavor's fists clenched at his sides. They shook, his flames grew around him, and all of the heroes behind Endeavor got more ready as they planned to either attack or defend from whatever trap they were in. They all realized with every word out of Death's mouth that they had been put in this situation by the plans of a terrorist who now had them all isolated in an open area with barely anyone who knew where they actually were.

"Because right over that ridge," Death started with a nod behind all the heroes and to an upward slant a couple miles away that they could not see over from there. He continued, "…and forty meters below the ground, is the headquarters of the League of Shadows."

League of Shadows? Kamui Woods looked straight towards Death in utter confusion before shifting his eyes back towards that ridge Death had nodded at which he never looked at closely the first time.

Endeavor's shaking fists froze at his sides. He did not know what he was expecting, but that was very far from it. The League… of Shadows, Endeavor turned his head and looked to his right back behind his jets and fellow heroes and over towards a ledge.

"The League of Shadows is a myth," Blitz called out. The American hero who was ranked third in the country was over sixty years old, and he was once known as one of the strongest heroes in the entire world back when he had been in his prime as the top American hero. After his decades of hero work, he had never once confirmed the existence of the League of Shadows, and he had only heard the rumors from people he never trusted or believed. Just like he was hearing from another untrustworthy source now. They're trying to get out of being captured. That's all this is!

Our numbers surpass the Army of Death's, Endeavor looked back forward at Death who was looking straight at him through his visor. Though there are more than the eighty I'd predicted. Closer to that hundred mark, maybe even more. Still I planned for an error, and we have a hundred and thirty eight of the best heroes the world has to offer here right now. Death, knew I would bring all those heroes here right now, to what? What does he think is going to happen here?

"Your group is as strong, if not stronger than the Army of Death," Death said to the leader of the ADTF standing in front of him. "And we can take them down together."

Is Death serious? Tamaki Amajiki stared straight at Death with a nervous and disbelieving look covering his face. I don't even know what he's talking about. League of Shadows? Are they like the League of Villains?

"The League of Shadows isn't real," Endeavor said to the shorter figure before him. "And even if they were, do you really think we would-"

"They are real," Death countered to the man before him who looked annoyed by the interruption but started glaring at Death to continue. "They are the rulers of the criminal underworld. The very top of all villains in the world," Zach paused and then continued to Endeavor who kept glaring at him but who Zach could see was actually listening despite that angry look. "Khan's drug operation in Mongolia was connected to the League of Shadows. Digger is the one responsible for Khan's huge underground hideout, and he is the one who dug out all the long tunnels and the giant base below ground over that ridge. Their base spreads for miles, and one of my men is monitoring it right now and can verify that there are hundreds of villains just below his feet. Digger makes all the underground bases for villains around the world. He's loaned out to them to hollow out mountains, or make bases big enough to hold huge weapons caches like the ones SISIS used in Gorran. They were the ones who helped Mongoloid set up, and they paid the Syndicate to… We learned about the Shadow Bosses, the leaders of the League of Shadows who each control the biggest villain groups in the world, most of which are ones you know of."

Death did not slow down and continued in an intense tone while shifting his gaze towards the Brazilian heroes, "Bolivar runs the Pueblos, who control all of the Cartels in the Americas. Even when they're warring with each other, the Pueblos operate above them all at the next level. Turbo runs the gun industry around the world, building all the illegal gun manufacturing plants that are making those old weapons so common again. Zolo controls black market trade across all continents of weapons, drugs, information, and he was the sworn brother of Kabo who had married his sister, and who we turned in to the Russian government after capturing him in Sueguon recently."

Zach knew mentioning Kabo was a double-sided sword. On one hand it made what he was saying sound a bit more substantiated, as Kabo's capture was a pretty big deal and he knew most people would have heard of it. The fact that no information ever came out about the League of Shadows though, and that this man had told them so much about it could mean two things though: either the man lied to Death to escape whatever was being done to him, or he told the truth to escape whatever was being done to him. Zach continued to the fiery man in front of him who had yet to move but was still glaring harshly at him, "King, the top mafia kingpin who all the mobs, and the largest gangs, they all know him and have to do what he says. And Eziano Mozcaccio," Death continued with this one last, his voice darker and his eyes narrowed in his helmet at Endeavor whose eyes did widen there too. "Those in the criminal world are afraid to even say his name. The leader of the assassins, the mercenaries, the hitmen, he runs them all as he has been for hundreds of years. He kills public figures and political leaders and has it look like accidents."

"You expect us to believe all of that?" Star-Spangled Man questioned, stepping forward and looking towards Death with a narrowed expression and discerning look.

"It sounds like a giant conspiracy theory," Jupiter said. The Italian hero lifted her head back and glared down her nose towards Death. "And even if there are villains underground over there, you are our target-"

Death turned his head a bit and glared with a furious look on his face towards the woman who started saying that. "Even if what I'm saying is true? I'm telling you that the most powerful villains in the world are right over there, and you'd rather fight me?" He asked it skeptically, and more noticeably in a really angry tone. "Zolo trades in secrets on government leaders, some that he creates himself if need be to get countries to do what he wants. And they have enough money that they don't need to blackmail most of the people that assist them. It's the reason I couldn't just give you information about these villains. It's why no one ever finds out anything about them, because the people you work for don't want the world knowing they exist. They've existed long before the rise of the villains, and even if the world went back to peaceful times they would still exist in the shadows doing whatever they want in ways too smart to be caught by conventional means."

"You're trying to justify all you've done," Lemillion began, and Death turned to look at the young blond hero behind Endeavor. "But whatever you've discovered does not justify the means you used to get there."

"They tried to nuke Paris," Zach said, looking straight at Lemillion as he did. He stared at the confused look on the older boy's face that matched the ones on most of the heroes around him. A few of Death's comrades behind him looked at their leader's back hesitantly. They knew Death did not want to say that, the way he had trailed off before when getting close. It made them feel like things were close to a breaking point, but at the same time him using it was a last resort that they all hoped would work too. Zach turned back to Endeavor who was looking at him in as much confusion as all the other heroes, and a small bit of disbelief though he was also feeling strangely believing of what he just heard used as a defense of the Army of Death's methods. "They hired the Syndicate, to use a kid with a Quirk similar to the power of a nuclear weapon, to blow up Paris on Christmas."

"You lie," Clueseaux called out from between the other three French heroes.

"Believe whatever you want, but it's the truth," Death replied darkly. "They wanted to restart an arms race between all the countries of the world afraid they needed powerful weapons as deterrents. They wanted to start wars indirectly, and profit off of them, and they killed that kid when they realized I wasn't going to let them do it." Zach ground his teeth angrily as he heard Fillian's voice in his ear again, "Now," he continued to the heroes who could hear the frustration in his voice, who were half frozen where they stood after hearing the pain in the deep modulated voice when talking about that kid. "Digger might be down there, and he might be making a tunnel to get the League of Shadows away, but if what we've heard is true then Digger does not move very fast. His Quirk works better for making long-term bases like theirs and not quick getaways underground. There should be some of the Shadow Bosses down there, and they likely have paper trails connecting their operations to all of the different cartels and gun manufacturers and Trigger labs. They probably have information on all the government leaders they're blackmailing, or paying, on all the corruption they control in the world that makes it so real heroes who have to obey the government never know anything about them!"

Death looked from Endeavor to his right and then his left at all the heroes behind him in a pack who had gotten more and more confused and uneasy since they landed. "We're not your real enemy, the villains who've filled this world and do whatever they want are." The teen trying to convince the strongest heroes gathered from around the world was getting desperate. The longer we're here, the more time they have to escape, or to set up defenses that we're going to die going up against. "They didn't know you were coming, or they would have run. Instead they stayed there when it was just us, because they still think they're on the offensive. They still think they're in control, sending mercenaries and assassins after us up until just yesterday even, because they think they're the ones coming after me." Zach ground his teeth and darted his eyes around the heroes again, none of whom were arguing too strongly with him which was something he had been worried about. None are shouting about ignoring everything I say. None are being paid by the League of Shadows, so even if Endeavor had told them- but they could have told their countries. This is the best situation I could have asked for. It's all I needed, but I just need to convince them! It's the last step!

"But I'm the one hunting them," Zach stated firmly, his fists clenched at his sides in determination. They shook in anger and he continued, "They come after me because they know they're still stronger than I am, and maybe they're right. But they're not stronger than the Army of Death and all the strongest heroes in the world, together." Zach took a step closer to Endeavor in what was already a small gap.

"Help me, Endeavor," Death said, his head lifted up and his voice pleading despite his deep voice. "I know your job is technically to stop me, but does it have to be right now? Can you fight with us first?"

This could all be one big trap, to get us into a… to get us… Endeavor stared down into the dark visor and he could not believe what he was trying to tell himself to be cautious of. The Army of Death doesn't fight heroes. They don't take credit for what they do; I didn't even know the Syndicate was them, but of course it was. And all that corruption in Arkistan, it was rooted out by the heroes who weren't guilty. I didn't call any of them to help us because a country so known for corruption not long ago couldn't be trusted for this. A nuclear weapon? War? Why keep these things… if they were made public, it would have been chaos. The things the villains wanted would have happened anyway on a smaller scale. They kept it secret. We don't even have any reason to believe them, so it's not like we would now go and tell everyone what he told us like it was fact. Is that why he's finally said it after so long as a secret? Are all those things he said, are they all true? The League of Shadows? It's a legend, yet if they were good enough, how hard would it be for them to make themselves out like they were nothing but shadows? Chasing after them would be like chasing your own shadow if the ones we report to are reporting to…

"They're the most powerful villains in the world. All organized crime, the biggest organized villain groups at least, they're run by the men just over there." Death paused and he started panting quietly in his helmet. "If you want to come after us afterwards fine. Go for it. But don't just ignore me because I don't follow the same rules as you. Just because I don't have a government controlling what I do, or just because I go too far. It doesn't make what I say untrue. You know, all we want to do is stop villains. That's all."

"Villains around the world think they can keep getting away with what they're doing, but they're wrong… We're coming for them… The Army of Death's only mission, is stopping villains…"

They've never hidden their true intentions. Endeavor stared at the man in front of him with his fists still clenched at his sides. His angry, hesitant, confused, dark expression shifted though. He stared down at Death and then he turned his head and looked behind him at all the heroes behind him who did not know what to believe, what to think about their current scenario. From that first day, they were clear about what they wanted to do. Endeavor took his gaze off the thoughtful heroes behind him and he looked back towards the snowy ridge instead. This world is still, across all of it, being overrun with villains. I convinced myself the Army of Death has been hurting more than anything, making people think ignoring the rules and laws was easy and could even be good… That's still true. It's true but, real villains are clearly the priority. It's why we never gathered before this, because we're all too busy dealing with real crime and villains who are evil.

"I believe, that you knew we were coming. That you planned on making us come here," Endeavor began slowly. The fact that they had never once received a lead this good only to run into the entire Army of Death just waiting around was something that made it easy for him to believe that much at least. "And I also, do not think you are lying just to trick us. I think, that you think you are right." Endeavor lowered his head a bit more from Death and stared down at his feet, at the dried dirt and through it into the ground.

"Death, they're on the move down there," Fillian reported. "There must be deeper tunnels, because so many new signatures keep moving in and out of my range. The cave system could be even more massive than we know."

"Alpha Team is ready," Grabble said.

"Beta awaiting orders," Seraphim added.

"Delta Team on hold," Michael reported.

"Flight Squad ready to go," Iblis addd too.

"Epsilon is set. Team leaders, you finished over there?" Sagitus asked it hesitantly, looking over towards the huge area full of heroes who he was really hoping were not about to charge at them. As he looked towards the heroes again though, his eyes with perfect vision focused in on the men and women lined up in front of Death. Oh hell yes.

"Sending out drones," Cherasaw said from the command post in the US. He typed on his keyboard and panels on the cloaked Cloak opened up to release the swarm of small black drones into the air.

"Starting watch on everywhere for miles, make sure no one is able to slip away aboveground," Rampart said.

Endeavor lifted his gaze from the floor and back into the dark visor in front of him. He glared at Death and his eyes scanned the darkness he was trying to see the face on the other side of. "Who are you?" Endeavor asked.

Zach frowned in his helmet and his eyes narrowed at the pro hero before him. "I am Death," he replied. He knew Endeavor wanted him to take his helmet off. It sounded like he was asking as a sign of good faith for Death to take his helmet off, so they would know who they were working with. Death's response made Endeavor frown deeper, but the boy inside the helmet did not budge. "That's all." Death said it and stood there without faltering while facing one of the most powerful men in the world.

Endeavor continued glaring at Death, and then he said after a few seconds, "We're still going to capture you."

The heroes behind the Flame Hero started looking around at each other. Some of them nodded towards Endeavor's back, having decided already without needing Endeavor to say anything. Others glared at the Japanese hero who just made that declaration. Death's comrades behind him stared towards Endeavor with wide eyes for a second and then smiles that crossed on all their faces except for Exodus's. He just nodded once at the outcome he already suspected was coming considering Death was attempting to get it. "That's fine," Death replied. "Try afterwards all you want, we won't fight you." Though we will run away.

Death turned his back on Endeavor and started jogging the other way. "Mark," Zach said as he started jogging by. Mark nodded back and moved the other way towards Endeavor who was suddenly being shouted at by a dozen different people at once behind him. The others who were behind Zach turned and started jogging with him back the other direction.

Some of the heroes quieted down and Endeavor turned his head back to look at the man in the black helmet behind him. "Rupture and Drop-Mujer. We're planning on using your Quirks, Fissure and Sinkhole to get into the caves instantly. Their headquarters is set up as an underground base with solid walls of stone and steel in some areas, long dirt tunnels in others, though we have no idea for sure what the interior looks like at the moment or its defenses. Our information could be wrong entirely, but we know that each member of the League of Shadows is not your average villain. Even to know about their existence is uncommon for most villains, to actually become a member or to work for them as security as mercenaries means an above-average skill set and usually a powerful Quirk. All of the best assassins work directly for Eziano Mozcaccio…"

Mark started announcing to the heroes who first wanted him to shut up, then got really quiet as they realized this was information they needed right now. They could see behind him, the entire Army of Death running to meet their leaders who had been jogging back their way. Over that army's heads flew five black drones that split off in different directions, and some of the soldiers started grabbing weapons or transforming, some spreading wings out behind them and all of them looking ominous as hell with their black armor. One of the men who had jogged away from them tossed his white coat to the side, and others did the same though more heroes stared straight at him as they confirmed what they already thought at the revealing of his long purple cloak, with the Kanji symbol 死 for Death in the middle of it.

"They know we're up here!" Death called out as his army ran up to him. Beta Squad ran behind Seraphim up to Gentle and La Brava, Michael led Delta towards Exodus, and Iblis brought some of the others who spread wings towards Jetflame before she ignited her own flaming wings and spread them behind her back. Grabble moved up in front of Death with his Pincers sticking out the top of his helmet, and a dozen soldiers behind him all ready for action. Xia and Shang stood side by side with their hands between them holding, and their muscles bulging. Flare curled her fingers in and opened them again then made fists again, and bright red lights glowed through the cracks of her fingers. All of the Army of Death looked towards their leader as he shouted at them, and they all stopped moving while keeping their intense looks and tensing up even more. "This feels like the final battle, yet we've just started! That's because we're not going to wait. We aren't going to sit around and let them keep doing whatever they want, while we try to get stronger and give them time to build up more defenses to match our strength."

Michael nodded towards Death, his teeth sharpened in his mouth and his fists clenching harder than ever at his sides. Access stood behind him with his fists clenched too, only his had steel knuckles on his black gloves that he just put on while putting the tablet he was using away on the pouch on the back of his belt. Miraculu gulped behind him but kept staring towards Death and trying to quell her own anxiety at the confidence in his voice, and it was working. She had a med-kit on either side of her belt, just like Hank who stood over with Charlie Team near Darling, though Hank had a full pack on his back full of medical supplies he was heading in with. Darling had her head turned to the left instead of facing her team, watching Zach with her eyes sparkling as he shouted at their comrades. "Assist the heroes, and even if they betray us later, don't fight any of them. I'll save any of you the heroes try arresting, but right now it's time to face the League of Shadows. The ones who created Mongoloid and his Demons…"

Yusef nodded his head and ground his teeth as he thought about his home country and what those villains did to it. The day he rose up and fought with his countrymen, and his journey chasing after the people who helped them until he finally caught up and joined them himself came to his mind, as it felt like it was all leading up to this day. Skater grabbed the sidearms at his sides tightly, his eyes narrowing darkly as he thought about that day in Jabba. He looked past Sagitus at the front of Epsilon Team and towards the heroes and their team leader Mark who had saved him and Blackstar that day. He thought for a second about his best friend who had lost his lower leg in Frunoco and who was not with them anymore. It's payback time, Skater thought with his hands clenching harder on his pistols' hilts.

"The ones who hired the Syndicate to nuke Paris, who made us go in without enough time to plan!" Zach ground his teeth as he riled himself up more than anyone else shouting that. It was stuck on his mind though after bringing it up to the heroes, and he yelled, "Georgia, and Juno, Akhmed, and Cee! Muhammed, Le-Q, Hummingbird! Tina, Rumble, Aces, Farid, Uni…" Every name out of Zach's mouth had the people in front of him and to his sides getting more riled up. Their teeth ground and their fingers dug into the palms of their gloves.

"Yeah!"

"For the others!"

"For Cee," Michael growled, nodding his head and then shouting out 'Yeah' when Zach called out another name.

"…For all our comrades before us who helped us reach this point!" Death yelled after listing everyone he could think of.

Dead Silence and Replay were more recent additions to the Army of Death but their fists clenched just as hard and they started yelling out with the others. "Yaaa!"

"We've fought villains before, but never on this scale. The fate of entire cities or countries rested on different fights, but the League of Shadows' influence spans the entire world! Spreading hate and chaos and evil around it!" Zach rose his right fist up in front of his chest clenched so hard it was shaking, then he slammed it out to the right and a huge black wing ripped off of his back in that direction with the swing of his arm. "Today we end that terror!"

"RAAA!"

"YEAH!"

"Are you with me?!"

"RAAAAAA!" The yells did not just come from in front of Zach and on his sides. Rampart and Cherasaw yelled at the computers in front of them while their headsets were on, and Rebel was smirking wide as he leaned in towards his computer with just as intense a look even if he did not shout it out. Raylei roared at the computer console in front of her while inside The Cloak with two others in the command room who also yelled. Maelstrom leaned in as she yelled at the windshields where drone footage was showing. She was stuck at The Cloak to create a blizzard if the need arose, but she heard every word Death said and screamed in agreement with her leader. Even Fillian and Hideaway could not help but yell while they were getting up from their prone positions in the snow on the other side of the ridge.

Death turned his head and glared towards the direction of the League of Shadows' base. He glared that way while the heroes back with Mark were staring his direction with huge eyes. Then all those heroes looked back at the man with them who yelled that it was time to move before the villains made their escape. Mark turned and he started running towards the ridge-line himself, because Death started running that way and he was not going to be left behind after hearing all that. The heroes looked at Mark who had just told them how very little information they actually had on what they were running into. Then Mammoth started to transform while he ran forward, the rest of the Brazilian heroes behind him. "I get why Ivory pulled out now!" Mammoth yelled, as he stormed across the tundra and in the direction of their real enemies.

"Everyone," Endeavor began, and he started walking after Death, then broke into a jog. "This is the Anti-Death Task Force, so I can't order any of you to fight villains who aren't Death." Endeavor started sprinting, the flames around his body flaring out.

Drop-Mujer charged forward, and other Mexican and Central American heroes sprinted after her. Rupture tssked and then threw aside his reservations. He ran forward away from the other German hero with him, and she watched him go for a moment before nodding her head and sprinting after him.

Star-Spangled Man took a few steps forward and then turned around fully to face the entire force of heroes who all started arguing amongst themselves or discussing this with their comrades from their own countries. He looked around them and then yelled out, "What are you waiting for?!" All the heroes looked towards the top American hero who rose up his right fist and lifted off the ground and into the air. "Are you heroes or cowards? The League of Shadows is real! If you ever wanted to make a difference, now is the time! Are you going to let the Army of Death be the ones to save us? Let us take back our world! If we allow them to fight alone here, then we have no right to call ourselves the heroes, and them the villains." Star-Spangled Man turned and he shot off leaving a shockwave in the air behind him, flying into the mix of the Army of Death's Flight Team and stopping up near the leader of it who had his hands pointed down at his sides to blast himself forward with flames coming out of his hands.

Governor Dengar looked towards the man who Star-Spangled Man just flew up to, who was flying in a way so familiar to him. In his head appeared the picture of a man he had heard on the news a while back had disappeared, who he had been unable to get in contact with himself. Jetflame, so this is where you were. Dengar started running forward, the same time all of the Americans, and Canadians, and the rest of the Japanese heroes all started running forward. Outback Man started running forward as the only Australian, and the Chinese heroes nodded at each other and turned to sprint after their comrades. A hundred and thirty eight heroes sprinted or flew or moved in various ways after a hundred and four soldiers of the Army of Death who were doing the same.

Lemillion took in a deep breath and his best friend glanced at him nervously from his side, and then Suneater warned him not to rush on ahead by sinking all the way through the floor before the rest of them could get down into the caves to help. Kamui Woods looked all the way ahead straight at Death whose speech he had listened to a bit of over what Mark had been telling them. He realized in that moment something that the Army of Death had already discovered about them. They're a real army. The way they had all shouted together, united in a single purpose, in the comrades they had lost, it showed Kamui Woods the difference between their groups. Even with our numbers, we could never get that way for Endeavor. Not even the Japanese heroes alone would be able to, even if it were against villains not the Army of Death. Yet Death has gotten every one of his men, and, many of us ready to fight an intense battle in… Is that really Zach Sazaki up there?

Zach reached the top of the ridge and looked down a steeper slope before a huge flat tundra much wider than the one they had just been on where the heroes landed all their hover-jets. He looked down and saw Fillian and Hideaway standing there ready for him. His black aura surrounded his body and dark flames danced over his armor, along his arms and legs, over the top of his helmet. He let out a heavy dark breath while his heart pounded like crazy, his body full of adrenaline and his red eyes glaring at the hollow ground in front of him. League of Shadows. Death has come for you.

---

UN Headquarters, New York

"How can we focus on the economic crisis at a time like this?!"

"Before we can consider fixing this deficit, we need people to feel safe when they trade internationally, and Germany does not feel safe keeping up trade agreements with nations whose villains constantly take shipments from us. Pirates, gangs, whatever it is, we lose the goods and no amount of insurance can make up for the-"

"Crime is going down! Villain rates are on the decline, and now we need to focus on other things like climate change and trade! The issues that we can actually do something about! Leave the villains to the heroes-"

"Your country may be safe enough that you can say such a thing, Mr. Ambassador. But you do not speak for the world, and in Indonesia we still need the support of more heroes. Stop wasting time on the floor about petty issues when we need to get to what really matters here!"

SLAM

The UN General Assembly members spun and looked up the semicircular room towards the door in the middle of the top row at the far edge of the room. The center of the room down at the lowest point had a desk there with a couple of men behind it and a woman sitting in the center. They stood up with the woman standing over eleven feet tall, and she called up to the central doors of the Assembly, "Excuse me. What is the meaning of this? We are in the middle of-"

Endeavor stomped down from the doorway onto the steps leading down the round room full of ambassadors looking his way. He was in his hero costume, flames surrounding him, and ambassadors leaned away at the sight of the man. Behind him, another six heroes entered the room: Best Jeanist, Star-Spangled Man, Blitz, Outback Man, Heiping and The Wall who were the seventh and ninth ranked Chinese heroes. Endeavor stopped after stepping a few feet into the room, and his eyes shifted over the General Assembly of UN ambassadors with a dark expression covering his face. "Mikhail Krushkachev, N'dumo M'bakko, Analisé Gomez, and Xander Carmen."

The American ambassador stood from his seat with sweat covering his face. He pulled his head back with a look of panic that had his fellow ambassadors looking his way getting even wider eyes at the way he was reacting to getting called out. "You are under arrest, for the crime of collusion with the villain group- the League of Shadows. Do not-"

Xander Carmen turned to his left and reached out, grabbing the Canadian ambassador by her long brown hair and yanking her towards him as she let out a screeching scream. He spun her body in front of his and brought his right hand up to her throat as he poked his head over her right shoulder, glaring towards Endeavor with a crazed look in his eyes. His right hand's fingers connected and sharpened at the tips, and he snarled in a voice none of the other ambassadors had ever heard him use before, "I want a helicopter, and fifty million cash to-"

A blur raced by Endeavor while he was thinking of a way to end this right then and there. The woman Xander was grabbing felt his grip leave her hair, and a wind slammed into her as the blur passed by her right side. Every ambassador in the room staring towards Xander Carmen opened their eyes huge at the sight of Blitz standing where the ambassador just was, Carmen's head grabbed around the face by Blitz's right hand and pushed up in the air. Blitz slammed the ambassador down onto the table that cracked in front of him, a pissed-off look covering the sixty-two year old hero's face. "Maybe Death has the right idea," Blitz growled in fury, and the other three ambassadors who Endeavor called out rose their hands up in terror of the American hero who just ended that hostage situation in an instant.

Best Jeanist lifted his right hand, and he bound the other three ambassadors who he got a good look at their positions in the room when they lifted their hands. The hero's right sleeve of his costume and his usually popped collar were shredded, his missing collar revealing that his deep frown matched the dark look in his eyes. "The Assembly is cancelled for today," Best Jeanist announced. Police ran into the General Assembly chambers behind the heroes and started rushing to the four captured ambassadors.

Endeavor glared around the room and then called out loudly as all the ambassadors started moving. "Before you leave, I have one thing to tell all of you…"

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"Endeavor! Endeavor!"

Outside of the UN headquarters in New York City, a press conference had been called by the man currently standing in front of the reporters. There were huge crowds gathered behind police lines back past the press, and a large number of American heroes stood in between those civilians and the press whose questions they were waiting to hear the answers to as well.

Endeavor stood behind a podium with his lips flat. He was never good at smiling for everyone when he felt they needed it, though this was one time he did not think it would have been a good thing to know how to do anyway. His hands gripped the podium and he looked around the press who continued shouting at the man in both Japanese and English.

"What happened today at the UNGA?"

"Are you alright? You look injured Endeavor!"

"What happened?!"

"We have just heard unconfirmed reports that the Secretary of Defense has just been arrested? Do you know anything about that?"

"What did Ambassador Carmen do?!"

Endeavor rose up a hand to get all of the press to calm down for a moment. As Endeavor prepared to give his statement, the students of U.A.'s Class 2-A were sitting in their classroom watching the screen that All Might had put up on their board. Other heroes around the world were watching the press conference on tv in confusion, though many more were already moving. In cars, in planes, jets, trucks, boats, heroes were moving fast, but even most of the heroes on the move had tablets or phones out that they turned this press conference on to watch.

"Earlier today, the Anti-Death Task Force that I am in charge of tracked down the Army of Death," Endeavor began. "When we located them however, we also came upon a larger organization of villains. A much larger group, who the Army of Death had been fighting. The villains we fought were a part of an organization known as the League of Shadows." In Class A, many of the confused students glanced towards All Might only to see their teacher staring with huge disbelieving eyes at the screen which all the students quickly spun back to.

"The Army of Death had located the League of Shadows, and we joined in to fight alongside them against a common enemy. And we won." Endeavor paused for a second and then stated firmly, "The League of Shadows consisted of the most dangerous villains in the entire world." All of the press in front of him stared at the hero in shock at his declaration. His tight costume on his left arm was ripped up though, with bandages visible covering wounds with dried blood around them. His eyes were serious and his voice intense as he continued, "They managed to be kept a secret by dozens of corrupt world leaders, including four UN ambassadors arrested here today. All over the world as we speak, men and women in high places in almost every government in the world are being arrested by heroes who have been called and relayed the proof we uncovered in the League of Shadows' headquarters. Among those who were corrupted and colluding with the League of Shadows powerful villains, were five heads of state, hundreds of senators and representatives at different levels of government, corporate leaders who allowed their businesses to be used as fronts, and many others."

"Make no mistake," Endeavor continued to the shocked crowds in front of him. "All of those who were discovered to be in league with these villains, are to be arrested and tried for their crimes."

As Endeavor was speaking, across the world in a government building in Beijing, Li Ping had thrown a painting from his wall to the floor. His steel safe behind it was open and he was pulling out all the cash he could, when the door busted open behind him and he spun with his arms full of money he had been paid for under-the-table acts over his years of service. The money slipped through his fingers as his world crumbled around him, as the police stormed into his office and the heroes marched in between them. "Representative Ping! You are under arrest!"

"The information we received from our raid on the League of Shadows base was not limited to corruption," Endeavor continued. He looked straight into a camera in front of him and declared, "Major villains all around the world were connected in one way or another to the League of Shadows. Be it the weapons they purchase illegally from manufacturers run by the League…"

In southern Egypt, a line of villains chained together at the ankles and wrists were being led out of what had looked like an abandoned factory from outside. Huge shipping containers of guns intended for different continents were being pried open and the police were confiscating all of the contraband. On the east coast of the country in the Red Sea, a ship the weapons that had almost shipped out were meant for was driving away with a huge wake breaking off of it as it tried to escape the police boats chasing behind with sirens and flashing lights going off into the night.

"Or the drugs they peddle to create junkies and give other villains unstable power-ups for their Quirks…"

In a Colombian shoe factory, three heroes slammed down the back doors of the factory floor and busted into a wide secret room in the back where villains spun towards the doors and started shouting in panic as what they were afraid of had arrived. Tables flipped over covered in packages of white powder, and piles that were in the middle of being packaged flew up into the air in puffs that the villains ran through in their panic. Many turned and started running for back door, only for smoke to pour in through that door and the huge face of the country's top hero to appear in the thick cloud of it. "Surrender!" Smokeout roared in Spanish at the villains, many of whom turned and started attacking his smoky body only for him to sweep in and blind and suffocate them all.

Endeavor called out loudly at the press in front of him while looking into the camera, "Today, marks a great victory for heroes. Hundreds, possibly thousands of villains will be caught using the information we obtained over the next few days alone. The supply of weapons and Trigger, and drugs of the kind, will be cut off to villains around the world. All who were able to act with impunity before will find themselves trapped and being cornered by the heroes of the world." Endeavor lifted a fist instead of gripping the podium so hard with it. It was his left fist too, showing the damage done to that arm and making it even more powerful as he added, "In our fight against the League of Shadows, not one hero in the ADTF lost their life. We defeated villains who had been a huge part of the problems our world faces, and in my opinion, I truly believe what we have done here is a step towards a more peaceful world."

The crowds gathered in New York City started cheering before Endeavor had even finished that speech. He was speaking in English, though subtitles appeared for him all around the world. Families smiled at their televisions, and students at the screens in their classrooms, and heroes smiled before putting away their phones and tablets as they headed off to the places Endeavor just mentioned, to capture the villains all over the world who knew now that they were the ones being hunted. Everyone knew it at once, and fear switched hands from the innocent to the guilty. As people in their homes felt safer, villains acting in ways that they thought were safe lost their confidence and got ready to run and hide.

Other villains in the underworld grinned at what they were reading on or hearing from their screens though, as the idea of a world without the League of Shadows intrigued the most ambitious among them. Black market dealers gathered up their wares and packed suitcases full of cash and fake documents. The smartest villains did not panic but were quick to react. Whether or not they were being hunted, they did not know, and yet they left anyway. Though still, for some of them it was too late.

A hundred miles from a shoe factory in Colombia that doubled as a cocaine packaging plant, a sicario for the Valozo Cartel sprinted around a huge swimming pool towards a bar area of a giant mansion overlooking a beautiful valley. He ran towards the drug lords and other sicarios and the beautiful women gathered around drinking and laughing and enjoying their evenings, and he started shouting about their drug plants getting shut down and their comrades getting caught. They had started to pack up, and the armed guards all got ready, but the raid came before they could escape to their safe-houses. A gunfight started there and heroes started what would become a long siege against the group they surrounded in the mansion. It was not the only place where the fighting thickened quickly, and heroes and villains started battling it out around the world.

Endeavor spoke to the world while the heroes he and his ADTF had already alerted were making the first moves against the villains. After his uplifting speech about how the villains of the world were taking a huge hit, the reporters started calling out questions to him. One of them called out louder than all the others though, "What about the Army of Death?! Did you capture them along with the League of Shadows?!"

All the reporters around the man agreed with his question and they looked to Endeavor for his answer. The Flame Hero looked down at the man and then replied in just as intense and serious a tone as before, "Once I learned of the collusion between the League of Shadows and the four ambassadors arrested here at the UN today, I made the decision to ignore the UN resolution labeling the Army of Death as terrorists." Everyone looking at Endeavor opened their eyes wide again at that statement. The pro hero continued, "My own opinion on the Army of Death was of no consequence to my decision. However, I just demanded that the General Assembly of the UN have a new vote on the matter of the Army of Death when they reconvene tomorrow. A new vote is necessary, as Xander Carmen, the American ambassador who was one of those implicated in the collusion, was one of the most vocal opponents of the Army of Death when they were designated as terrorists."

Endeavor leaned his head back and then continued in a low voice while defending himself, "Whether I wanted to arrest them or not, I no longer could with that information, and I had to let them go. As I will not follow the orders of villains," Endeavor declared, his voice ominous yet at the same time sounding so reassuring to everyone watching him. "If that designation was influenced by villains, then I must make sure that an Assembly not influenced by them will come up with the same conclusion. Whatever the new vote comes to show, I will respect the outcome."

"Do you still think of the Army of Death as villains after this? You say you fought alongside each other?!"

"They have broken the law," Endeavor replied. It was a short response, and not a very full answer, however Endeavor stepped back from the podium after it. "I must now return to Japan. Excuse me."

"Endeavor! Endeavor wait! Star-Spangled Man! Can you-"

The man who walked up to the podium after Endeavor walked away started speaking without waiting to hear any questions. "I want to make one correction to what Endeavor said," Star-Spangled Man began. Everyone quieted down and Endeavor just kept walking instead of looking over his shoulder at the top American hero. Star-Spangled Man paused for a moment and then said in a lower voice than the loud one he just called out in, "Endeavor stated that no hero in the Anti-Death Task Force was killed in the raid against the League of Shadows, but that is not entirely true. Yes, every member of our team is still alive, but…"

At U.A., every student leaned forward in their seats in Class 2-A. Eyes widened around the world, though certain students found themselves hard for breath as Star-Spangled Man continued, "I was killed during the raid. As were several of our comrades, both in the ADTF and in the Army of Death. And although the Army of Death's leader brought all of us back to life, there were members of his own forces who lost their lives for good in the fight against the League of Shadows. They may once again be designated as terrorists tomorrow, so before that happens, I am going to thank them for what they did. For saving my life, and helping us stop the League of Shadows. Death, thank you."

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A/N Army of Death and ADTF team-up against the League of Shadows! Zach's making moves fast and taking big risks, and Death comes for the League of Shadows with over two hundred allies to tear them down! Threw the proper order of doing things right out the window. XD Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave a review below telling me what you think!

Yes chapter 116 . Dec 2

I love how zach just kinda opens the hangar and tosses the dude out.

Haha glad you liked that! As I was writing it I imagined the faces of the others near him just dropping their jaws a bit at the sight of Zach throwing him out of the ship, felt pretty f-ing epic XD Thanks for the review!

Gamma-X chapter 116 . Dec 3

Amazingly long and absolutely FANTASTIC chapter! Few questions:
1. Did the girl in the submarine die or did they manage to find her and bring her back?
2. Frickin' LOVED the interaction between Seraphim and Death at that club! Woulda wished he grabbed the bountiful booty, though. And the interaction between Maelstrom, Darling and Seraphim at the club were amazing! I hope you make them the Love Trio who's into Zach because of his kindness and thoughtfulness, and his skills. Will you be making them the Love Trio? Or at least the Love Duo? Thinking of this scene keeps making me so frickin' excited! xD
3. Is Seraphim a better actor than Death? BECAUSE SHE IS SEDUCTIVE AS FUUUUCK~ She tricked everyone and even impressed Death of all people! xD
Please gimme more scenes like dis! Dis too gud! Mesa want more Maelstrom and Seraphim action. xP
Wopping 20/10 for this chapter!
- G.X

Thanks a ton! Actually added in a sentence here to mention Replay since I didn't show her in the end of the last one, so yup they managed to get her out of that wrecked sub. I love that you loved the casino scene! I didn't originally have that scene in the chapter at all (I have most chapter summaries going ahead planned out with at least the most important details), but I had the idea for that scene and worked it in, changed things around. I'm really glad I added it too since it did give more of a feel as to different kinds of Army of Death missions, they're not all just rush the castle like that last one, or Dragons' Den/ Mongoloid. No comment on any kind of romance (as always) but I always like hearing the predictions and ships you guys make! XD Gotta love that bountiful booty on Seraphim! Haha thanks again for the great review!

diddles321 chapter 116 . Dec 3

I kinda feel like all these AoD missions are like Naruto fillers. I know that plot is progressing but it feels like fillers to me. Im just waiting for more progression between Zach and Darling.

Sorry diddles. I get the feeling, even feels like that a bit to me at some times, but I decided not to just go straight to the most important plot things at all times. It's such a big story at this point that I like having some world-building once in a while, and as much as those missions last chapter did not on their own hold much importance to the story on their own, they show more of what Zach's life is right now and what he's doing. Even though they might feel like fillers, hope you can still enjoy them as I'll try keeping them fun, and there will be things in every chapter that do matter in later chapters so it's not like I'm ever writing scenes for no reason at all. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter!