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!

243. Chapter 243

A/N Hope you guys had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year's!

Disclaimer: I don't own Boku no Hero Academia

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Chapter 243:

"People of Japan…"

"DEKU!" Bakugo screamed down the street.

"SMASH!" Deku flew towards one of the long legs of the Spider robot that just ripped itself up from underneath the street of Tokyo. His fist slammed into the leg and dented the steel plating in, sliding the point of the foot backwards and dragging it through the pavement. Then the leg caught and stopped, and Deku's eyes bulged as did most others' looking towards him who were stunned by how little his attack did.

Even at only twenty percent, how did it do that little?! Midoriya had to keep in mind how many people were around him. The windows were all shattered and Todoroki's protective ice was gone. Todoroki instead was freezing two of the legs so they became entirely encased in ice and stuck through cracks in the ground he filled in. Midoriya flipped backwards and was falling from the air at the same time that Bakugo launched himself past the side of the giant robot and blasted an Explosion directly into the joint connecting the body of the Spider to the fourth leg that neither Midoriya nor Todoroki had attacked. His eyes glared back through his flames and at the scorch mark on the joint that continued to move without any damage other than cosmetic done to it. The two far legs from where Deku and Explosion King were coming down started to glow red at the same time, and they yanked back and broke apart the ice that weakened from the heat that seemed to turn on automatically as a counter to Todoroki Shoto's ice.

The screams of citizens in the buildings closest to the street filled the ears of the heroes who looked around and started yelling about evacuations and protecting everyone. The force from Midoriya's punch had broken more of the cracked windows or pushed the shattered glass so it became more dangerous, and Deku grit his teeth as he knew that twenty percent was not enough but going any higher while all those people were still around was not a feasible option either. As he was still trying to think of ways to fight despite these drawbacks, his mind racing and focusing on the current task to push away the thought of the absence in the cloud of smoke above him, Bakugo yelled towards him at the moment the two of them were landing. "You need to get there, NOW!"

Deku's eyes widened even more and snapped from Bakugo back to the Spider robot that was over forty feet high and standing out on the street now. The underground below the road was collapsed in with pavement and sidewalk. Heroes had fallen down into it and were pulling each other up or trying to get off huge pieces of rubble that had partially crushed many of them. Deku could see the arm of a hero girl who Underguard was screaming at through his mask, yelling at Death Arms near him to help get it off her. Blood was pooling out from under that large slab of concrete though, and Death Arms already knew what Underguard apparently could not accept about Rubbergirl. Death Arms also had more to focus on, as he looked up and saw five panels on the underbelly of the Spider slide open. Turrets dropped down from it with long black barrels, but none of them were as long as the massive red cannon that slid out the front of the Spider's body below the large hexagonal-shaped head that popped up out of its body and had a glass window all around its bridge.

There was no gap between the explosion and when this monstrosity emerged from the street. Nor was there a gap between it and the city-wide broadcast showing Shigaraki Tomura walking up a steel staircase towards a platform in the middle of a road that Midoriya recognized based on the surroundings. "It's his plan!" Bakugo yelled towards his classmate who he had shot across the Spider to reach, only blasting a small Explosion at it to test its durability while his main focus was on getting to Deku. "This is it! GO! I fucking have this!"

Deku's the only one fast enough. It could be any second! Bakugo was reacting faster than the majority of the pros who were still trying to process that Lifebringer had not killed Nikko Enri. Not all of them were sharp enough to realize what he did in getting that bomb far enough from them that they were still alive, and some were quick enough but understood that their lives could have ended there in a flash and it had them unnerved, confused, and scared. Bakugo could process everything happening around him and still be able to react calmly and intelligently to the unfolding events, but that did not mean he was anything but panicked. He hid it better and made decisions despite that fear he felt himself, but there was no time for pride or cursing at Deku for hesitating himself. He blasted back towards the robot's underbelly to attack the turrets aiming down into the rubble below it at the heroes it had risen above, just as Scorchle leaned his body forward and pointed his own cannons up at it, and Endeavor flew towards the giant robot that Hawks just landed on top of.

No one inside. It's a drone. This one was to be sacrificed, Hawks understood as he landed just outside of the head piece of the robot. The glass window that went around the robot showed him a control room on the inside that nobody was inside of, but he also saw weapons' systems and targeting computers that were illuminated and locking on to his colleagues below. Hawks turned his head partially to the side and looked back towards the front of the Spider as well, as the red cannon sticking out of it started to glow bright green from the back, then into the middle…

Deku turned his head and he ground his teeth while bending his knees in an instant. Kacchan's right! Midoriya bit down harder, cursing and apologizing in his head to the people around him who he was abandoning. He heard people screaming out his own hero name, and instead of helping them, they were slammed by the wind flying off his body as he moved with far more than just twenty percent of his Quirk's strength. Mount Yamagucha! An entire mountain, that Shigaraki Decayed!

"…the society of heroes that has long failed this world…"

FASTER!

"…It comes crumbling down, today." Shigaraki stood on the platform that had cameras pre-set-up all around it. Raijin changed up the angles, showing the side of his face, then from a more aerial view, then directly in front of Shigaraki across the street from him.

"The second Shigaraki Decays Shibuya," Varrenzo started. He looked back at the hundred Jazz members hidden in the same dark cubby as him. "Descend the city into hell. Draw out every last hero and kill them. Kill them all."

Kimmatsu Shi looked just to his left and in front of him at Varrenzo. Varrenzo wore his baggy green costume that his red fur stuck out of on his arms and legs. His teeth were sharp and baring as he curled the corners of his lips up, all four spikes going down his back starting to glow red hot which was fine in his fireproof suit. Kimmatsu Shi did not look at Varrenzo for long but looked back to the same screen that everyone in their underground bunker was watching. Is this really alright?

The current leader of the Bushido Dansei was only in the position because Duke Dread had killed the former leader of the gang, Ramurai, in a fit of rage after his torture at Raijin's hands. Kimmatsu Shi was the strongest of the Bushido Dansei, so he was the natural choice for the position that none of the other members argued about when Duke Dread bestowed it to him. He could not have cared less either way if he was "in charge" of a gang that he only joined for himself. I followed Ramurai because Ramurai knew ways to stay off the radar of heroes. I stayed with him when he joined Duke Dread because I saw no reason to leave or change my lifestyle at all, despite becoming "Jazz." I live freely. That's all I wanted. I do whatever I want.

Do I want this? I became "League" because we did. I just never left. And now here we are. The day of reckoning. Whatever world emerges from it, Kimmatsu Shi gripped his right hand onto the wooden hilt of the katana on his right side. He had on a headband with a metal piece in the front of it. A horizontal slash was cut through the middle of that steel piece. I will live as I always have. Free. I follow Shigaraki today, because this is the path that I have chosen.

"Split off! Whoever kills more heroes by day's end gets first pick of which country you're taking!" Pinoko yelled to her left at the bald man running with her. She only seemed to be grinning more despite the containment of the bomb's explosion they witnessed on an advertising billboard twenty seconds ago.

Meta glared off to his right at the woman who laughed excitedly and then snapped her arms out at her sides. From all six of her sleeves, thin and sharp wires slid down her fingers that were still thin but thicker than her Quirk's natural ability. She spun to her right and slashed with all six arms towards a sidewalk where some people were staring out at her and only just figuring out that she was a villain and they were under attack. Many people had run outside after the city shook from the explosion that did not do as much damage as Meta had been hoping it would. He still felt nervous as he glared behind him towards the direction of all the powerful heroes he had planned on being dead by this time. Are you still so confident in our victory that you're already looking past Japan? Fucking, bitch, Meta looked back towards the side of the street that Pinoko just swung her arms, and after a moment he did smile again at the senseless violence and blood splatter all over the sidewalk and wall of the building behind those dying people.

A half dozen bodies fell with long gashes cut through their bodies, legs, arms, and throats. Pinoko laughed as not one of them even tried using a Quirk to protect themselves. "That'll be sure to draw some over!"

"I'm getting farther from here first," Meta growled, though he kept running away from Pinoko and was not speaking to her as much just muttering to himself. He did cover his left fist in Magma though as he was running, as there was a car driving down the road in his direction with a siren on and the Police Force logo on either side of it. He smirked at the officers in the vehicle whose eyes bulged and who slammed on the brakes when they saw this villain running towards them in Bloodhound's costume, who jumped up in the air and punched down a fist of molten Magma that grew five times in size by the time he slammed it into the turning hood of the car.

The car pushed down into the floor and flipped up from the back, while catching fire and crushing the lower bodies of the officers who landed upside-down and dying in a flaming vehicle behind Meta. Meta cracked his neck to the right and left then let out a nostalgic sigh. "Been a long time since I could just cut loose…" He turned his head and looked back hearing a loud crash behind him. His eyes narrowed and he trailed off, It's not a sure thing. That's what Sonic would say right now. He said it when we were on our way out of Tartaros, and Traxx didn't listen to him. Got himself stuck down there like a fool. I'm not getting caught though, and I'm not going to fall today.

The ground under Meta's feet started to glow red. His legs turned less solid, and he turned his lower body into a wave of Magma that sped down the road quicker than he had been running. Find a place to hold. I know credit for killing Miruko should really be Sonic's. It's the traps that will win us the day, just like it did that day. Meta's eyes shifted to his right as he sped forward on a wave of Magma, and he instantly cut that way as he knew Shibuya was on his left and could see Shigaraki lifting up his hand on a screen he just passed by.

Midoriya Izuku flew through the city as fast as he could without hurting the people around him. Still, even though the explosion outside of Karebo had shaken a few vehicles this many blocks away, Deku passing by them shattered their windows and set off all the car alarms of the vehicles that bounced and slid off the road. "MOVE!" Deku yelled out, screaming at just anyone near windows or on the sidewalks who could be damaged by the force of him passing by them. The possibility that he was hurting people had to get pushed to the back of his mind. Shigaraki's about to do it!

"…Too long discarded, abused, discriminated against in this unfair system. For, no longer." Shigaraki said words that Midoriya heard and made his eyes grow even wider. Shigaraki's voice seemed to carry over the entire city. "Are you afraid?" Shigaraki asked. It was a line they had heard before. A line asked of the City of Villains by Death as he faced down their army. The image was so fresh in everyone's minds, that they could even imagined the rubble and flaming city around Death as he asked. "I am not alone…" Shigaraki said, grinning as he spoke another line from a boy who he had hated and wished could see him right now, as he took that hand he held up for the camera and started to lower it down.

"Here we go," Duke Dread took in a deep breath then pressed the power button and held it down. The engines revved in his personal vehicle that started to unbend its legs and stand up with him standing in the cockpit of it. "Get ready boys," Dread said with a chuckle and a glance behind him and his personal Spider that was a third of the size of the one outside Karebo and had a convertible-like cockpit that he alone stood inside of. Giant speakers pushed out of panels on the front of the vehicle that opened up on his command. "The bomb's failure means my new palace hasn't been damaged at all. Lifebringer's been killed-"

"And the princess?!" A loud voice screamed out from the middle of the force of a hundred villains behind Duke Dread.

"She's all yours," Duke Dread said, looking towards one of his soldiers in their dim staging area. It's about time I fulfilled that promise. Have to keep my word, after all… More like, I was getting worried he was going to lose it one of these days and snap my neck. He hid those anxious thoughts deeper down and reminded himself that there was no need to think further on those concerns anymore. Not after today. After today, the world is ours.

"I'll send out the AANT's now," Raijin remarked, sliding a finger over his tablet and looking voraciously at the screen covered in Battalion #'s that he could activate with the tap of his fingers. "Let's see what you've got for me, Nezu." Anti- Anti-Nomu Terminators. An army of them beyond anything you'll have been able to create with the rules that constrict you, Mr. Principal. Just like Zach, my beating you once was sure to have given you a lot to think about. But unlike him, you will not be giving me my second ever loss.

Shigaraki had yet to put his hand to the floor, but Raijin's mind was on everything going on, everywhere, and all that was yet to come. He kept Shigaraki's face plastered on every screen for a hundred miles, while opening up underground tunnels across the city, and activating thousands of robots at the press of a button that he did not really need to tap with his electricity control. He did tap his finger down on the screen anyway though, his finger moving to it about the same speed that Shigaraki's hand was lowering to the ground.

"Midoriya?!" Todoroki shouted towards Iida who just sprinted up a slanted slab of concrete and landed next to him.

Iida skid on his heels and spoke without looking to his friend on his right side he just slid back a few feet behind. "Shigaraki," Iida's voice was low and he failed at hiding the concern in his voice. He said the one word, the name of their enemy, and both he and Todoroki feared for Midoriya's life against him. Neither spoke that concern aloud though or a desire to go help him. Because as afraid as they were for Midoriya, they were not kids anymore. Graduation was days away, but at this very moment the decision had been made for them. Graduation no longer mattered. Pro hero licenses or provisional licenses meant nothing. At that second, they were heroes.

Yaoyorozu flew up high over the Spider that she saw Hawks and Tokoyami each trying to dig into through cracks and joints of from the top. Hawks had his feather blades and Tokoyami was wrapped in Dark Shadow and clawing away at the steel plating that he was scratching but doing little else to. Yaoyorozu's eyes focused on a cannon at the front of the massive drone that glowed bright green farther down it now so there was a source of energy growing at the end. "Momo!" Jirou yelled off the roof and down towards her friend who had reached a hand towards her glowing chest while flying with a jetpack over the robot.

"Call me Creati, Earphone Jack!" Yaoyorozu yelled. Her best friend whose eyes were full of tears spilling down her face stared in shock back at Yaoyorozu's determined and intense expression.

Endeavor and Bakugo were drawing the fire of the turrets underneath, destroying a few and making sure that they remained the targets rather than the heroes lower down. Scorchle had fired thin boiling jets of water out the pipes from his shoulders and taken out one of the guns, and the other two flying above him had each already taken one down as well, but every shot that they made miss themselves posed a risk to everything behind them as well which was making it much harder for Explosion King and Endeavor to approach the final guns from any feasible angle.

"You draw their fire, I'll blow a hole straight through-" Bakugo started yelling towards the Number 1 hero in the country.

The remaining turrets spinning around under the robot fell limp. The glow on the long cannon that another dozen heroes were focusing on started to dim then fade completely. All the billboards and televisions closest to them cut off as well so Shigaraki's voice also vanished, though that meant there was an eerie silence filling the street as everyone turned their heads in the direction of Shibuya. Yaoyorozu had dropped the pocket E.M.P from her body and then flown as fast as she could towards the roof that Jirou and Ms. Clue were on. The explosive detonated, her jetpack stalled and she fell, but the Spider's systems failed as well.

Yaoyorozu landed down on a foot and a knee. She had gotten low enough not to hurt herself, but when she turned she did not look at the Spider. She already knew she had succeeded there. They had no footage of what was going on not too far across the city. From this rooftop though, they would be able to see it.

Jirou stepped up behind Yaoyorozu, her pro standing behind her and looking terrified as she stared off towards Shibuya. Jirou just looked back and up to her right though, at the remnants of smoke that had yet to blow away. There was no one floating there. No one for her to look to. "Zach… Momo, he's-"

"Focus, Earphone Jack," Yaoyorozu stated. She dove head-first into her job and did not look back. Her eyes stayed locked into the distance, and Jirou's huge eyes staring at the side of her head started shifting that way too at the terror that covered her best friend's face.

This is it! Do or die! Midoriya sped up even more. His teeth clenched harder as he heard the screams of people to his sides looking at screens and recognizing where Shigaraki Tomura was. They stumbled and fell away from the middle of the road. More car alarms went off back behind him as the windows shattered from him passing by. Shigaraki's hand lowering down towards the floor. The screams of the people around him. Wind on his face. Everything focused all at once.

He could hear it in the tone of Shigaraki's voice. He could tell from the look on that villain's face. Shigaraki's Quirk evolved. If the successor to All Might is stronger than he was, then we had to assume the successor to All For One could be stronger as well. How strong? How hard do I have to hit him? If I don't get him in this one hit, Midoriya's heart was racing. His breathing heavy. He was moving so fast that despite the quick beating of his heart and his ragged breathing, everything was slowed down for him when his thoughts still processed as quickly as the speed he was moving.

A voice filled his mind. "Midoriya," he heard a familiar voice echoing in his head. His tone was ominous and dark, and Midoriya saw his friend flying there ahead of him as he said, "You'll need to finish the fight for good before touching down once after you bring the fight into the air." Midoriya lowered down towards the ground nearing an intersection that he knew he needed to reach. It was the right road. The one he recognized on the screens around him that had strange metal steps sticking out of them. "…No. Shigaraki cannot touch the ground after you get him in the air."

I need to finish this fight in one blow. I need- I need to hit him hard enough that he won't land and destroy Tokyo! Tens of millions of lives are on the line! The world seemed to slow more around Midoriya as he blurred by people into an intersection still several blocks from where he needed to be. It was a straight line there though. His head turned as he slid into the intersection, his knees bending rapidly and his body still coursing full of his Quirk that made him so fast that he was in a different district of Tokyo only seconds after leaving the others outside Karebo. I don't know how strong he is.

The realization in Midoriya's head took choices away. His power started to rise faster and faster. The amount of One For All that coursed through him doubled, then tripled. People were on the sidewalks. They were in their cars. They were at their windows. Flashing through Midoriya's head, he saw what happened if he moved at 100% OFA. He saw glass shattering too quickly into buildings. Slashing people and impaling them. He saw people lifted off their feet from where they were standing and thrown back into the walls behind them, and then cars lifted up off the street thrown into those people eliminating all chances of their survival. He could see them already, so he could picture it in detail as those people were the ones in his imagination getting shredded and crushed.

His legs had already bent. I can't- Midoriya thought. Yet then something else flashed through his head. And he watched as Shigaraki's hand touched the floor. The stairs and the ground below him disintegrated in an instant, but the Decay would spread. It spread down the street and sidewalks. It went up the buildings on both sides of the road and past those buildings as well. The walls turned gray and got too weak to stay up. Before they even finished Decaying, they were falling. People were screaming as they slid out of shattered windows, and the Decay caught up to them so they were disintegrating into dust as they fell from their buildings. The city turned to dust all the way up to him and then his body was taken as well and shredded into nothing. If I don't, everyone dies!

If I go at that full speed anyway, I'd snap Shigaraki's neck! Midoriya knew how the fight was ended easiest. And he knew how dangerous his Quirk was. He watched as his fist slammed into Shigaraki's cheek at anything less than 100%, and he saw it spin Shigaraki's head to the side, a little. Then he saw Shigaraki turning and glaring him right in the eyes with a smile on his face. He saw Shigaraki staying conscious from the blow and touching the floor, killing everyone but starting with him this time.

All the options rushed through Midoriya's head. They flashed through his mind in an instant that lasted a lifetime. He had never killed anyone before. He knew what Zach had told him. So many times, his friend had told him that the options would not always be there. Hard choices are hard, because there is no good choice! Sweat would have covered his body if the bodily function that could produce it would have moved faster than Deku was thinking. He was between heartbeats. His breath had inhaled and stopped. Time slowed so much around him, and in his heart and mind he felt the horrible feeling that he recognized. The Danger Sense of One For All's fourth user sent a stabbing pain into him as he stared down the road towards his nemesis. He could feel the sensation of agony of his back Decaying from before Shigaraki's Quirk had advanced to the stage it was at now, back when Shigaraki touching him for a second only resulted in his entire back being covered in scars.

For some reason, Zach's voice filled his mind again. It was not from this past week though that he heard his friend's voice. Only days before, he and Zach had sparred to prepare him for this moment, and yet it was a different conversation with Zach which came back to him now. "Sacrifice? What do you know about sacrifice?" "…Anything? Your good nature and trustworthiness, I guess, because you lie all the time to people around you about your Quirk. You accept that because you think it's necessary though, even if I don't… It hurts, but it's a sacrifice you're willing to make. Same thing with the pain your Quirk used to cause you, sacrificing your own body for the sake of helping people. But Midoriya, all heroes do that. Every single one goes out there knowing they can die, and that's them putting their bodies on the line, but they can't sacrifice anything. They need to protect everything, at all times, and smile while doing it. Unwavering pillars who either win a total victory or die trying. That's what heroes have to be."

He thought of his friend who he was arguing with in Musutafu where they had met one afternoon. Zach's voice continued to fill his mind while his eyes were steadying and losing the panic that had filled them. "…And people call them out on every small mistake though. And those mistakes become who those heroes are. They define a hero's career. One failure. One slip up. And so heroes can't accept any losses, needing to win everything whenever they fight without sacrificing a single thing! Unless it comes to their own well-beings, because that's the one thing the rest of these people are okay with us sacrificing…"

Midoriya's feet pressed down harder on the street and it cracked below him, but the OFA coursing through his veins weakened at the same time. He ducked his body forward and stayed down low as he kicked off. "Of course I know it's right!" Zach's yell was the only sound that filled his head as he shot the gap in the middle of the road where there were no cars. Wind blew to the sides around him but did not hit hard enough that it did more than push people to the floor and crack some more windows. His OFA stayed at a lower strength than he had almost just risen it up to. "You think, I'm not doing the same fucking thing? Bringing people back hurts like hell, and I still do it. And not just the physical toll. All those things I don't think about because I need to smile. Because it's not just our physical states that don't matter as much as the people we're saving, but my mental health doesn't mean shit compared to saving someone's life. That's how I feel! Saving one person is more important than however fucked up I get…"

You were right, Zach. I wish I had paid more attention to the hints you were giving me. I wish I had seen the toll it was taking before you had to spell it out for us. And then, I seriously believed that you had done that horrible- but you didn't! You didn't yet you couldn't handle it! I knew you couldn't! I failed you. One last time, I failed to save you. Right now though, there are others I can save. I won't do it though. Midoriya's left fist clenched at his side. His body flew over the street faster than most anyone else could move. He was not even visible to the majority of people who heard him fly by with a blast of noise and a gust of wind that would hit them only after he was long past them. You were wrong that day. Heroes can sacrifice. We can! It's not as much as you gave up, but we can do it! And we can do it without going that far! Without taking that step that would make it so we aren't heroes anymore!

"…But, it pisses me off when you don't know anything but act like you do." I knew what I was telling you, Zach. I didn't understand your point of view, but I never could. You and I could never see eye to eye on this! But I will prove you wrong! "When the chips are down and the choice you make has a million lives on the line, what are you willing to sacrifice?" Midoriya heard his close friend, maybe his closest friend, ask him that question so long before today. He had asked in apology as if he knew that Deku would one day have to make this decision, "How much are you actually willing to sacrifice when it comes to it?"

I can't sacrifice my friends' lives like you could! I won't sacrifice a few innocents around me to stop Shigaraki from killing millions of others! I can't give up my hope and weaken my line of what is good and evil, just to win! I will never kill! I won't do it. Midoriya's left fist curled even harder. His face distorted in anger. His mind was still racing, and his teeth grit as he saw Shigaraki's eyes dart towards him as he reached the same stretch of road that the leader of the League of Villains was bending forward on. Deku's body was not far off the ground. He was soaring almost at the street-level but just over it after his last kick that he made sure kept him at a low angle, so his feet were still close to the ground at this moment. Closer to Shigaraki, there were fewer people as most had run away. They had ran for cover during his speech, and the road was cleared around Deku as he put his feet down and pulled his left elbow back past his side. But there are things, a hero can still sacrifice.

Midoriya's legs extended and his left fist slammed forward. His fist opened up as it connected with Shigaraki's side. The leader of the League saw him and turned his body, his left hand starting to cross over while his right curled down. The fingers of his right hand were centimeters from the floor. His bent position was too hard to turn quickly in, and Shigaraki tried to reach over at Deku but was hit in his lower right side at several hundred miles per hour. The shockwave sent ripples through the air around them. The steps broke apart, and Midoriya lifted Shigaraki off the platform and up into the air. We're in Shibuya. So, Yoyogi Park is that way! Midoriya's angle upwards shifted slightly, his arm extending out deeper into Shigaraki's ribs, and he could feel and hear the cracking noise of a rib or two inside his enemy's torso…

Deku's hand that opened up after connecting, gripped into Shigaraki's pitch black costume. He gripped the coat and the clothes underneath, gripping tightly into Shigaraki's body itself even. Shigaraki winced when the fist collided with his side. His costume did little to mitigate the strength of Deku's One For All. His left arm was knocked backwards by the force of the collision, but his right was swinging upwards from where it had been extended down in front of him. It swung upwards as if limp, then it bent at the elbow and crossed the front of his body.

They were rising up into the air fast. Wind blew past them as they were nearing a height twice as tall as all the buildings around them and still rising. Before that arc was finished though, Shigaraki's right hand crossed his body, still opened up, his fingers curling inwards. His teeth had grit and his lips pushed apart in pain from the collision, but the corners of those lips curled up high into his cheeks as his face filled only with excitement rather than pain. His right hand curled on Deku's wrist right as the hero released to throw his enemy through the sky.

Too slow! Shigaraki and Deku both thought as Shigaraki was launched from Midoriya much harder than he was just lifted into the sky. The force of Deku's throw was thrice as hard as his previous liftoff now that they were high above the buildings. It took Shigaraki's breath away for an instant, but the leader of the League of Villains started laughing as he shot across the sky while staring back towards Deku who his fingers had touched.

"If his Decay touches any part of the body it will spread unless-"

The voice from a vivid memory blasted in Midoriya's head while he lost all feeling in his left hand that was separating from the top half of his arm. His forearm and elbow had already turned to dust. Midoriya had the memory in under a millisecond, but he was still stunned by how quickly Decay moved up his arm even with how brief Shigaraki's single touch was. Deku's right arm filled with One For All. His eyes were huge and his teeth baring in agony, but he opened up his right fist into an open palm while pushing his left shoulder forward as Decay spread up his arm. "HAAA!" Deku slashed his right hand through his own shoulder and cut off his arm, and the separately falling upper arm and left hand both finished Decaying in the next second.

The spread of Decay did not continue through his body though. Deku still screamed out in pain instead of in rage this time though, the feeling of his own hand cutting through bone and flesh alike too excruciating to do silently. His right hand lost the OFA in it and reached back to grip over his shoulder that spurted blood as it no longer had an arm attached. "AAHhhh-" His eyes slammed shut in the agony, but he squinted them forcefully back open and glared furiously through the sky towards Shigaraki who had stopped laughing and started narrowing his eyes back as he saw Deku glare at him like that.

Shigaraki spun around his body and rose his arms at his sides as the two of them started to descend. His eyes stayed locked on Midoriya Izuku, and yet he could see in the bottom of his vision the park that he was falling over now. They were still much higher up than the roofs of the tallest skyscrapers around the park's edges, but their descent had them on an almost-perfect line for the middle of Yoyogi Park. The waterways in the park that had bridges over them and the sakura blossoms in full boom were recognizable to both hero and villain.

Shigaraki opened his mouth, but Deku darted his eyes down and then flipped his body in midair and kicked the sky above him. He skyrocketed out of the air and into the park, flipping at the last second and kicking below him to slow his momentum before he hit down. His right hand gripped tighter on his left shoulder that screamed in pain, but he had to release it as his eyes darted around at confused and scared people who had been out walking or picnicking in the park. "I need to get you all out of the park!" Deku yelled, and he swung his right arm to the side so blood splashed off his hand. People stared towards the young hero in a green costume who had blood pouring down his left side and just yelled that to them.

They had no time to process what he was telling them. He was not asking them to run, rather he was saying that he would get them out of there. And out from his right hand suddenly extended fifty long Blackwhips. They shot out in different directions, snaking around trees and wrapping around civilians who yelped in surprise and some in panic as they had been too far and did not even know what was happening. Midoriya had yelled to them after kicking below himself to slow his fall, then when his feet touched the ground he had already grabbed all of the citizens with his Blackwhips.

His actions and reactions came instinctively and occurred within seconds. The rest of the city was still awaiting disaster. The empty space on the street in Shibuya now with a destroyed platform on it confused most everyone, while many heroes near Karebo could not even see that due to the miniature EMP that had gone off and were still expecting the worst. Deku shot out of Yoyogi Park up above the trees though, carrying all of the civilians he found with him and grinding his teeth in pain as he carried them all with only one arm. His eyes darted nervously to the blood spilling from his left shoulder dangerously fast. "Deku!" One of the people he just lowered down safely out on a road past the park's boundary shouted up at him. "Your arm!"

Midoriya thought they might be angry at him for suddenly yanking them away, but he looked down and only saw worried and scared looks staring back at him. Then he saw those looks of fear intensify from people looking over his head and higher above the park. He bit down and then yelled at them all, "RUN AWAY FROM HERE!" Midoriya spun around and stared up towards Shigaraki Tomura who had turned his body downwards and was plummeting with his arms at his sides, his head lifted up so his eyes were locked even from that distance onto his enemy.

Deku shot back in the direction of Shigaraki, but the leader of the League held up his right palm from his side and started flipping his own body again. The universal sign for 'wait' made Deku hesitate. Villains like to talk. I'm weakened. If I don't attack now, I'll only get weaker with this blood loss! Can I make it a short fight? If he wants to talk to me, then he won't just Decay everything as soon as he touches down. He thinks that my injury means the fight is over, so he's not going to just try to end it instantly now. Right?! Can I take that risk? If I don't, can I keep him up in the air without losing more limbs? How strong is he? I know I felt ribs crack, but he looks fine.

Midoriya landed on the canopy of a tree and then leapt towards Shigaraki, though he did not put enough strength in to reach his enemy completely. The fingers in his right hand curled though inside of his special glove, ready to flick out at any second towards the ground around where Shigaraki was going to come down. Just as I was able to separate my body from my arm and stop the Decay, I can separate whatever ground the Decay spreads on from the rest of the park! I can do this! Midoriya thought it, even as he felt his stomach turn and his vision get a little blurry. He blinked rapidly to shake that feeling, but the wooziness he felt in his gut did not go away so fast.

Shigaraki fell at terminal velocity. He was not accelerating any longer, but he was still moving so fast that Midoriya hoped for some damage when he slammed down. Shigaraki Tomura bent his knees and the ground broke apart underneath him as he hit the floor, but his head stayed in position with his eyes locked on Deku's. The hero dropped down to the ground in front of Shigaraki twenty feet away. He glared angrily into the small crater that Shigaraki made. That villain stood back up straight and stared into his soul. His smile remained, his lips cracked and dry, his eyes terrifying as he looked at this hero who just stopped him from killing millions.

"Deku," Shigaraki spoke his hero name. Right as he said it, explosions went off outside of the park. Midoriya's eyes grew wider as he heard them, though he did not dare look away from the monster in front of him. The explosions he felt were not just from close-by. Midoriya felt more vibrations and heard lower blasts from more distant explosions. Screams of people far from them still reached their ears and made Shigaraki grin more while Midoriya ground his teeth in even more anger at what he imagined was happening all around the city. "What have you let happen here?" Shigaraki asked, his tone taunting the hero before him who too many times had gotten in his way.

This is a coordinated attack on so many different fronts. Just as Zach entrusted Shigaraki to me though, I know I have to trust my comrades to handle what else is happening. I cannot rush this. I cannot defeat Shigaraki Tomura while thinking of all I have to do afterwards. There may not be an afterwards, for me, Midoriya could feel the pain from his left shoulder. He could imagine the movements of his phantom arm that his nervous system had not fully processed yet was no longer there. He was panting from the blood loss and pain and fear. Find his weaknesses. Take him down. You don't have forever, but do not rush. Take your time. Calm. Analyze him. Use all that the teachers have taught us over the past years. Use all the experience from every pro. Use… everything.

"You, even as the successor, sat there and watched as Sazaki bit the bullet," Shigaraki remarked. He looked up towards Deku from a slightly lower position, but he was looking down his nose at the same time as he taunted, "You couldn't do anything, just as you couldn't that night-"

"You lost Kurogiri that night," Midoriya snapped back. He tried to match the taunting tone that sounded so much more ominous and sincere coming from Shigaraki's mouth.

Shigaraki did not lose his smirk though as Deku countered him. He just tilted his head to the side and wondered at the hero, "Who between us lost more when Sazaki killed Kurogiri?" Midoriya bit down in rage, and Shigaraki smirked with the corners of his lips pulling higher so close to his ears now.

"You killed my friend," Midoriya said, his voice the closest to a growl that Shigaraki had ever heard from him. The righteous anger towards him would have sounded more threatening though if Midoriya was not wobbly on his feet. His left side was covered in blood and he looked off-balanced from the weird weight of his body at the moment.

Shigaraki's smile lowered but only a little. He stared down the hero before him who would have posed more danger than anyone. "You cut your own arm off," Shigaraki remarked. "To stop the Decay. You were almost too slow."

I was. And it would have Decayed my whole body had I stopped first or even hesitated an extra fraction of a second. Midoriya kept panting but felt Shigaraki's taunt resonate deep within him as there was truth in it. He hurt me, but I definitely hurt him as well. I know he's feeling the pain from that hit, even if he barely shows it- but it has to hurt him! That's an area to target for now on. A rib puncturing a lung was able to stop a villain like Stain. Shigaraki can be defeated. I've seen it before. I've gotten close! Deku's eyes narrowed darker towards Shigaraki whose scarred chin he stared at specifically. He remembered headbutting backwards as Shigaraki grabbed him in Breakneck's Trigger lab. The scars on his own back screamed in phantom pain similar to the pain he actually felt on his left side right now.

Deku could see Shigaraki's hand moving towards his face through the portal at USJ as he tried to save All Might. He imagined Shigaraki standing behind him at the mall, his arm wrapping around Deku's throat and choking him. It was one of the most terrifying moments of his life. Yet it was not the most terrifying. That had to be later on, and he could imagine his childhood home in shambles now. He saw All Might in his powerless and weakened form, and Wonderlass dying in his own house as he helped her remove the spike from her chest. The scared look on his mom's face was so vivid in his mind, All because Shigaraki hired assassins to come kill her.

"Next… Next, it's your turn." Midoriya saw that finger pointed straight at a camera but really right at him.

"You will be too slow to save this city too. Always, too late…" Shigaraki closed his mouth and stared darker towards the hero ahead of him. Even though Deku had lost an arm, Shigaraki's attempts to start degrading him and taunting about Zach's death, about how he would fail to save Tokyo, they were failing. Shigaraki stared towards a hero glaring down at him. Standing firm and no longer looking to be unbalanced at all as he glared daggers down into Shigaraki's eyes. Suddenly, he could see what All For One saw in All Might that night in Camino Ward, even after All Might's strong form had disappeared in front of the world. The unwavering look of a hero.

It did not scare Shigaraki, but it did shut him up. His guard was back up and his expression completely serious. "I see you won't be shaken that easily. Good. You're all that stands in my way now, Deku. The one final test to prove…" Shigaraki trailed off and frowned deeper. Then he continued, "The one last thing in the way of our freedom. Our ideal…"

I need to stop the bleeding. He's taking me seriously. His stance is amazing. I can't attack him recklessly. I can't put too much of a distance between us or he'll just touch the floor, but I can't get too close when he's fully focused on me. He moved so fast even after I had just hit him out of the blue. I need to be ready for a drawn-out fight. I'll weaken quicker than he will! How? Midoriya thought back. He imagined why he was so easily able to come up with the idea to slice his own arm off. It did not even come to his mind when he did it, but the instinct had come from somewhere.

Eziano, Midoriya thought. He pictured the assassin fighting Zach and cutting his own arm off, just for a single move on his friend. He almost managed to stab a knife through Zach's skull in the instant after. It was a move he made out of desperation but also in attack. Mine was just to survive. Either way, I thought that Eziano had taken himself out, but Eziano stopped the blood loss. How did he do it? Midoriya's breathing slowed down and his left shoulder tensed up. The muscular control and control over his own body. That's something I have. Something I trained! Putting OFA at different strengths in different parts of my body. Focusing it so my legs were strong enough to get us high but not too strong that they endangered everyone around me back there. Focusing it so my hand didn't go straight through Shigaraki's body! The egg in the microwave. I know the feeling of control.

"But you, to think that my final test would be so weak," Shigaraki continued on to the boy above him whose expression was frustrated albeit focused. Shigaraki's facial expression had narrowed too and was intense as he knew not to underestimate Deku that much, but the look of Deku's left side was too much to deny that he had drastically weakened himself with that first move. "You had the element of surprise, but you could not do it. Your lofty aspirations, impossible to reach," Shigaraki made fun of him. "You have so little time left, because you refused to even try to end me…"

Midoriya slammed his right hand into his left shoulder socket. His fingers curled over his bloody stub of an arm where he had sliced through it. He gripped that stub while flexing the shoulder's muscles and using his Quirk at the same time. Eziano just had Longevity and a lot of time to train! Midoriya reminded himself, as he slowed the blood loss by squeezing the end of his blood vessels, veins, and arteries, all just using the muscles in that area that One For All gave him better control of. He had no Quirk to assist him with this power, but it was not like he could have trained that power either! It was something that he understood the mechanics of. Something that he understood any human with that much muscle control would be able to accomplish. I'm sure Ares could have done it too. And now, Midoriya slowly lowered his right hand from the stub of his arm that had curled in on itself and was no longer bleeding. Thank you, One For All.

Midoriya lowered his right hand down with his blood all over his glove. His skin was paler than a few minutes ago, but he looked in no way weak. Shigaraki only saw the face of a hero in front of him. He saw The Hero, that his entire army had been risen to defeat. The image. So strong. He saw it staring back down at him. And he stared right back, the opposite image in Deku's mind of The Villain that he had long imagined as the root cause of the world's pain and anguish over the past years. In that moment, the two of them were not All For One and One For All's successors. Neither of them were thinking about that.

This was between the leader of the League of Villains, and the strongest student of the graduating class of U.A. The villain who has caused more destruction and devastation than anyone in the past generation in Japan, incited waves of violence and villainy across the world, against the shining hope for people everywhere. The winner of the last Sports Festival. Deku of Class A. Student of All Might. With a Quirk rumored to be even stronger than All Might's was at his peak. He was the hope for the nation. Shigaraki suspected that Deku already understood that himself as All Might's successor. The two of them were not the only ones who knew of that, even if the rest knew nothing of AFO and OFA.

People already thought it even if they were not willing to say it aloud. Most kept it to themselves, but they all held that hope. That Deku would be the next All Might. That he could be, at least. It's what they wanted. Ever since the Trigger Raid in Mosu Esupa, word had been spreading quietly but quickly across the nation. Unconfirmed reports that people held onto that Deku had fought Shigaraki Tomura at that lab and survived. They replayed his New York City Smash in their heads a thousand times each, and the thought that he had faced an enemy like Shigaraki that All Might had failed to capture, brought them hope that he would get stronger and have that fight again. They all prayed for a different result. One that ended with Shigaraki's arrest. Deku had prevented Shigaraki from getting the Chemist back from Breakneck, who was also defeated by Deku. And most people had seen that night that before Best Jeanist, Hawks, and Endeavor arrived, it was Deku who was still fighting to stop Dandy! Deku and Explosion King took down the April Fool's Day Villain again on the day of Lifebringer's return to Japan. Deku had lost Wonderlass, Skylord, and Sir Nighteye, teachers and amazing heroes who passed down their knowledge to the young aspiring hero. He had spent three full years under All Might's close watch and direction at U.A., training to be their hero.

And Shigaraki also knew that when his message of destruction was cut short, it must have happened too fast for most people to have seen it, but at the same time he knew that they would all guess correctly what had happened. They knew who got to him first. Before I can do anything, Shigaraki thought, his fingers all curling at his sides while his body tensed up and his knees crouched to lean him forward. Before I can start any of my plans…

I have to kill Deku, right now.

---

"Deku made it in time, huh?" Raijin extended his arms out in front of himself and cracked his knuckles. The young blond villain shrugged his shoulders and dropped his black jacket to the floor. He picked back up his tablet and tapped on a microphone on the front of his costume while at the same time shooting sparks into the televisions in front of him. His Quirk sent signals up through the wiring to the roof and altered what the radio tower on top of the building was transmitting.

None of the events transpiring were outside of the range of outcomes that he had predicted. He quickly adapted to Midoriya stopping Shigaraki from the mass Decay that was to follow the bomb and Shigaraki's speech. The televisions in front of him switched from the empty footage of the outside of a dark tunnel that Shigaraki had emerged from which was now just covered in debris from Deku's liftoff attack on the League's leader. "A-hem," Kaminari spoke into the tablet's front-facing camera. He placed it down on the control panel in front of himself and stared into it while his face projected all across the city. "League of Villains. Attack."

"Is it out of commission?!" Yaoyorozu yelled down towards Encode who was on the roof of the Spider that Hawks had brought him up to.

"Just in time, it appears," Encode leaned back and let out a sigh of relief. Television screens around them were turning back on. Advertising billboards in their vicinity were turning back on, and they were all met with a familiar face looking back at them and ordering the attack of the League of Villains. Encode's eyes grew huge as he lost his relief that the Spider was offline even with Creati's miniature E.M.P.'s effect wearing off.

Endeavor was down below and yelling at the heroes around him as Raijin made that announcement over Tokyo. The announcement was only inside of Tokyo too, as all radio broadcasts and signals from inside the city were no longer transmitting outside of it. Endeavor was finding that out himself as his sidekicks yelled his way about losing all contact with agencies around the country who they had been in touch with before when the crisis going on was just Lifebringer's assassination of the First Lady. "We've lost contact too, Endeavor," Crust called towards their Rank 1, and Endeavor looked over to see Ryukyu and Assurely both looking back at him regretfully and with some anxiety in their eyes as well. Even those top heroes were feeling overwhelmed in this situation, where every second it felt like a disaster of a devastating scale was being averted, only to be followed by something even worse.

Endeavor and the other heroes spun towards the closest screen which was a television across the street from Karebo inside of a broken window that a civilian nearby it had just turned up the volume of just by touching the side of it. Not far from them, Sato ran up to a girl in his class who was down on her knees and staring up to the sky past the slouched body of the Spider that had been stuck in place to the floor by various heroes' Quirks so it would not collapse after the E.M.P. "Ashido," Sato said as he reached her, crouching a bit so he could help her up. "We need to-"

"He's…" Ashido's voice cracked and her head that was pointed straight up turned slightly so her face was pointed towards Sato's. He flinched at the sight of the lines of tears going down both sides of her face. "He's, really gone. Zach- he, he saved us- ahh," Ashido clenched her eyes shut as her chest filled with even more agony saying those words aloud. "And we looked at him like… like he had, really done that?" Ashido's fists curled and she slammed them into the sides of her head. Her fingers ran through her hair in anger and crushing regret at the thought of it. I just stood there- I just watched him die, for us?!

"But that doesn't mean I wouldn't have come back… When Grater nearly killed you I wouldn't leave China. Or at least the surrounding area where I was within flight distance inside my time limit. It wouldn't have mattered if I was in the middle of a battle. I knew some of my comrades could tell that I had changed our course, and I knew some were going to be upset with me and… and I just kept them focused, while keeping my ears open for your status."

"And Mina, if you died I would have dropped everything and went straight to the hospital you were in. I mean it." Ashido gasped out and her shoulders slouched even more in her knelt position with her feet pointed out to either side. No one else, ever cared that much about me. He cared more than anyone! He loved me so much, and I just stood there and watched him die! "AHhh-" Ashido froze and her voice cut off. Her head turned to the side, just as Sato who was opening his mouth to say something to her also looked the same way.

"This is the Heroally Television Station," Raijin spoke to the city of Tokyo. "Where I am currently transmitting from. Today marks the day that the League of Villains takes Japan. But I will remain here during the battle, along with all these hostages," Raijin continued. He zapped the screens behind him, and they played back images in the background from when he first entered the Heroally building. All of the security footage that he had recorded as he terrified the people in there with his speech, was being played for the people of Tokyo now. They stared at people cowering behind desks and screaming as sparks flew out of computers and door locks. "If anyone comes to stop me, I will execute all of the 223 hostages in this building. That is, except for my old classmates in Class A."

The smirk that spread over Raijin's face was devious and menacing. He stared into the camera and spoke straight to them, "I wasn't expecting Zach to take the full force of the bomb, to be honest. This'll upset my own comrades, but I assumed it would just weaken him for our own fight. But he took it like a champ, and saved everyone but himself. Now I have to settle for the rest of you. Come, my old friends. If any hero outside our class arrives at this building to face me, I'll kill them all." As Raijin said it, he picked certain clips from earlier at certain moments when he had said something especially terrifying, and the people in the recordings reacted as if listening to this speech live like everyone else. "Come. Zach may be dead, but I want my final showdown against Class A."

The footage of Kaminari and Heroally TV cut off, replaced by images from around the city of robots flying out of holes that were opening in the ground. Most of the robots looked like different versions of the ANTs. Certain images that flashed though showed more metal legs ripping up through the pavement. One emerged out from a lake in a park in Shinjuku. The submersed Spider stepped out, and then out from the water emerged semi-aquatic villains charging into the park with costumes on and weapons drawn. Out from a hole opened in a road that two dozen AANTs just flew out of, and a Spider was stepping out from on a ramp, a hundred flying villains flew up out from underground. Others ran up the ramp too, firing weapons in the air and yelling out. An image appeared showing Duke Dread swinging a baton forward from on top of a convertible Spider of a smaller size than others, and the Jazz sprinted ahead to the terror of all those watching.

Todoroki snapped his head to the right as he saw an explosion not that far from them. He watched the explosion closely though, his eyes growing wider at the sight of the blue flames mixed with the blast. His father also glanced that way for an extra second before spinning back and looking around at the heroes gathered near him.

Todoroki Enji's scowl deepened. His flaming body simmered as his face filled with a more thoughtful look. He was slower at reacting than other heroes were hoping for as they wanted to hear his response and be told what to do. The total defense of the city is not my singular concern. That should be somewhat covered already. I do believe that Mr. Principal should have made enough projections to support us. Counter accordingly against the biggest threats. We have little to no contact and the area under attack in immediate need for response is too large to remain in coordination without comms. Endeavor's eyes shifted around the area they were in. "This drone was a contingency," Endeavor announced firmly to the heroes around him who all listened close to what he said.

"The bomb was intended to kill us all. Hawks! Lead the evacuation of the remaining Diet and cabinet members to the Delta Bunker. The executive branch was compromised," Endeavor explained to his fellow hero who knew about this 'Delta Bunker' that 99% of the others around them had never heard of. Endeavor's eyes suddenly snapped around, and other heroes realized the same thing and looked towards the steps of the Karebo Office. Where did Toga run off to? Endeavor thought darkly, not doubting Lifebringer's analysis at all anymore. He hated that he doubted it back then, but this was not the time to regret, or to mourn. "The Karebo Office will be the staging area for our counterattack! There should not be many enemies in this vicinity!" Endeavor yelled to the rest of the heroes besides the man with red wings above him who simply nodded and flew back up for the top of the Spider.

"Endeavor! We're going," Creati landed down on the wide rebuilt slab of street created thanks to Cementoss' Quirk. The road was stable once again and his Quirk had trapped the legs of the Spider in the off chance that it could be put back online. She landed and released her best friend who stumbled ahead of her as it was a rough drop from the roof with only Yaoyorozu's jetpack helping them down.

Endeavor looked towards the girl in red with a provisional license. There was no pretense of just happening to be on the scene this time when they were called to a hostage situation. This was no time for the formalities. "I grant emergency authorization for upgrading all of your provisional licenses," Endeavor said, as it was important to say to remind everyone that they were still within the rules right now. Each of them could feel how close they were to going past that line. Saving the city was more important than certain rules, but once they ignored one that they felt was too bureaucratic just to save time, it was a slippery slope to what they would accept moving forward. Many of them already understood that some rules had to be bent today, just as Nezu understood that they would have to be when he was preparing for this day himself.

"Come, Pinky," Creati said down to her friend who turned her head and stared up at Yaoyorozu with shaking and stunned eyes. Yaoyorozu stepped up to her and reached her right hand down in front of her classmate's face. "We need to stop him. I know, we all thought it would be Zach to do it. But it has to be us now. Take my hand. It will take all of us to defeat him."

Jirou looked to the side of her best friend's face in amazement. Their other classmates still in the vicinity stared at her the same way in such shock at how composed she was. It's because, she's a hero, Todoroki thought as he looked towards someone he thought he would have to be worried about. His concerns about her being emotional or too distracted were replaced by the awe in which she carried herself forward ahead of all their other friends. She lifted Ashido up to her feet then released her friend's hand which allowed Ashido to rub her arm over her eyes. Sato turned and followed after as well, but she shouted, "Todoroki! Iida! Let's go!"

Yaoyorozu did not shout towards Bakugo. That confused some of her other classmates who turned and started looking for him. Their eyes opened wide, as no one knew when it was that Bakugo had run off. Endeavor, Hawks, Lemillion, and Creati had all seen him blast away in the confusion. He had reacted quickly to Yaoyorozu disabling the Spider, and he was gone without needing anyone to give him orders. As everyone else awaited the potential Decaying of everything, Bakugo had blasted off in a different direction.

Bakugo fired constant explosions out behind him to keep himself flying through the air. A pair of AANTs each flew around an intersection ahead of him. They were the first two that he had seen. They did not have the same designs as ones he had seen at school, and the way their red eyes locked onto him and their flight paths changed, he knew. The ones Kaminari stole, Bakugo thought. He was calm, and yet his face still twisted in rage, while at the same time his smile spread ear to ear. "DIE!" He slammed his hands up in the air and blasted himself down, past the legs of the AANTs that stopped and tried aiming down quickly. Their scanners moved back and forth through the explosion below them, and they tracked based on how smoke was moving to see where his trajectory would be afterwards. Their heads started turning and their bodies were even slower, nowhere near fast enough to turn to the boy directly at their backs who was facing the opposite direction of them. His hands were each pointed behind him at point blank into the robots that were barely turned back to him when he fired out two larger blasts and turned the powerful robots into flaming rubble. Those blasts also helped him fly farther down the street to make up for lost time spent dealing with them.

"Aren't you going with them?" Hawks asked his intern who surrounded himself in Dark Shadow. His Black Ankh armor kept him wrapped in darkness and gave him wings that he used to fly with Hawks in the other direction as where Creati just started running.

Tsukuyomi shook his head no. "I trust my classmates. I know that I am not a good match against Raijin, so I will be more help with you."

"Great call, Tsukuyomi," FlyGuy called ahead to the two just flying in front of him. Hawks glanced back at the man behind him who motioned his head to the right, "I'll catch you guys later."

"Good luck," Hawks replied. A former sidekick of his friend Skylord, and then formerly a sidekick of his own before FlyGuy made his own agency, Hawks had known FlyGuy for some time. He watched as FlyGuy turned a different way and flapped his wings to fly down an intersection away from them. Hawks looked back forward and his expression was grim as that man flew off all on his own towards a part of the city where they had just seen villains rising on the broadcast. They all knew that they had to get to those locations as fast as possible to prevent the massive loss of life to the civilian population they needed to protect the most.

Hawks' eyes shifted back to his current sidekick and the intern he had been spending the morning with for their final patrol together. He had pushed Tsukuyomi to start up his own agency after graduation and assisted his long-time intern with the preparations as much as he could. Even though he had been ready to send the beaked-boy out into the world as a pro hero in a few days, he still felt the creeping sensation of fear and the urge to send him back to be with a larger group than just with him. The two of them were flying alone towards a group of Diet members surrounded by police, and only police. Once we get the VIPs somewhere safe, we'll be doing our part as well. Once I see where our presence is needed most after the initial counterattack, we'll be going to where it's most dangerous. Tsukuyomi knows that.

The number of heroes in Japan was dwindling. The Sports Festival Invasion crippled the Japanese heroes as so many had been in the stands of the Sports Festival when Bomber and Kurogiri made their initial assault. Many heroes also jumped in the way of blasts or on top of Bomber's spiked Quirk grenades in order to protect others, and not all of them had Hardening Quirks like Kirishima or Tetsutetsu who had been able to survive similar attempts to protect people. At the same time, Musutafu's heroes took a heavy beating, with heroes like Air Jet and Fullbright dying, along with U.A. teachers such as Snipe and Eraser Head.

After the SFI, villains were galvanized all over the world but especially in Japan at the source of the surge and where the violence was worst due to the Tartaros breakout. Heroes died fast and many others retired in a period of high villain incidents. The villain rate started to decline after many Tartaros escapees causing the immediate chaos were returned to prison, but that rate rose even higher over the following summer and fall. The Foresters grew so large and powerful with such rapid speed that an international coalition was called in to help take them down in December. The Stain Cult specialized in murdering heroes all that time, wiping out entire hero teams, killing over two hundred heroes in their time active. Then, after the Stain Cult's failed attack last January, the 'Close Call' of Musutafu where the Cyclone Bomb missed its mark and Faith and his followers were all captured, people believed heroes might be back in control.

Their hopes were dashed as Yoroi Musha and Floodgate along with other heroes were killed by Camoflora and Intanzo in the Nara Raid. Camoflora also fell that day, but Intanzo became the sole leader of the Radians afterwards and soon became known as the kingpin of Japan, the most powerful and most wanted villain in the nation. The Radians became the most feared villain group in Japan as innocents and heroes alike fell at their insane hands. The Subspace Devils and Jazz were also responsible for killing many heroes, but then U.A.'s previous graduating class made their speeches about stopping them. Fantasma went out in the world with Miruko and became famous for her heroism at home and abroad. Lemillion shot up the rankings further and Fantasma broke the top ten leaderboards too. As many heroes had fallen, strong rookies had also taken their place. And finally the previous Sports Festival, almost a year ago now, showed the next class of graduating heroes was going to be even stronger than the ones before. Everyone had high hopes for Deku, Shoto, the new Ingenium, Creati, Red Riot and Real Steel, Battle Fist, Tsukuyomi, Explosion King, and many others who they expected great things from…

But as much attention as the upcoming heroes had gotten, in reality the true numbers of pro heroes only continued to shrink as the current school year went on. More retirements. More deaths against the various villain gangs still around. Then the Koimou Massacre came and killed so many. If Best Jeanist had suspected that Meta was with the old League of Villains, not that anyone would dare criticize him publicly, but there were murmurs that he should have brought along Endeavor and Hawks too… and Lifebringer.

The return of Lifebringer and his release from prison was as much because people believed in him, as it was because of their fear over the lack of heroes. Some public sentiment regarding Lifebringer's release was fully determinant on his role in becoming a hero afterwards, though no one needed to bring that up as Lifebringer seemed determined to do just that. He defeated the Subspace Devils, and it reassured the public who had released him that he was doing what they thought he would. They had lost some faith in Lifebringer though, and with Fantasma and half the top 10 dead, both faith in the previous graduating class of U.A. and Japan's strongest heroes was shaken at its core. Classes training Quirks at hero agencies became so packed that sign-up sheets were backlogged with people who needed to wait weeks to get training courses under Lifebringer's Law that had yet to have any great editions to it that Nikko had promised on the campaign trail, and which today had been so close to coming to pass. Some people gave Nikko credit for the attempts so far and working towards this, suspecting that the Prime Minister was only being slowed by the conservative hero officials and the bureaucracy of the Diet.

The bomb would have wiped out the last of the nation's defenses. Hawks flapped his wings and flew down towards the officials shouting towards him for help. If not for Lifebringer's sacrifice. Endeavor, Lemillion, all of Class A's strongest, many U.A. teachers, our government's executive and legislative branches. In an instant it all would have been gone. There would have been no chance. Hawks could hear distant screams and the sounds of gunfire coming from multiple directions at once. There's so much we need to protect right now. And there really aren't enough of us to handle it. Mr. Principal, get your ass on the move!

"I, can't believe, you were right," Power Loader was panting while typing as fast as he could into the computers at his control panel to the left of the station three times as large that Principal Nezu was sitting behind.

The principal knocked back his coffee mug to chug it all and then continued typing as rapidly as he could. His expression was fiercely intense but focused and calm too. "Any move they could make would have had to center around eliminating Sazaki from the equation. My only wish, is that I did not have the doubt that caused our hesitation." Nezu's expression was dark and Power Loader's grew similarly grim even as they continued to activate a fleet of remote-controlled robots meant to counter the fleet of AANTs that Raijin just released on Tokyo. The earth over their arsenal was pulling apart to either side, leaving a giant hole in the campus that a couple of general studies' students spun towards as they were running for their dorm that they were ordered to return to.

Power Loader typed fast with both his real arm and the prosthetic that Sazaki had gotten for him. His fingers typed faster still as he ground his teeth in frustration as he thought about how he and Nezu were watching the footage from Karebo and relaxing even as they felt crushed by the sight of him. It had really looked like it was not all a move by the League as they had initially planned for. Power Loader did not realize until he saw the kid being led outside by the heroes arresting him, and until he saw that look on Lifebringer's face, that he was hoping the League was attacking. He only regretted that feeling more now as Nezu tried wrestling control of the radio signals going across Tokyo from Kaminari Denki. "His Quirk is more powerful than these systems," Nezu growled, his face looking scary in Power Loader's peripherals as his small arms moved faster than Power Loader could move his own. Nezu slammed his right fist down next to one of his keyboards, before immediately continuing to type in different codes and orders to what he could control rather than continuing to try and fight against a superpower that superseded his skill behind a monitor.

Out from underneath U.A., fifteen steel robots looking like training ANTs shot up into the sky with jets coming out their backs and from below their feet. They pointed their hands behind themselves too which glowed blue and then fired them off in the same direction. Another fifteen rose up into the sky, and they fired a different direction only angled slightly off as it was still towards Tokyo but for a different district that they were just assigned to. Fifteen more, then fifteen more, and another eight squadrons of Battle-Ants emerged from underground and shot off towards Tokyo. They were painted blue and had the golden 'UA' symbol on their fronts and backs to distinguish them from other robots that might be a part of any potential attack.

A red light beeped on Raijin's tablet. Radars he had set up showed him the fast-approaching dots coming from U.A. He tapped into cameras he had on roofs back in Musutafu and all around Tokyo, and he sent the images up onto the many television screens in front of him. Footage he was broadcasting switched to specific screens on the right side of the wall. Footage of an approaching robot fleet appeared on the center screens, while drones he sent out towards Shibuya flew towards Yoyogi Park only for a gust of wind and huge explosion of dirt up from the ground to blow three of them away and cut the cams. He was more focused on the robots flying his way at full speed though, examining them closely as his cameras attempted to scan the fast-moving defenses.

"You hid their full capabilities well, Nezu. If you've made these to counter the specifications of the ANTs I stole from you, then your army would be quickly destroyed due to the improvements I've made. Assuming you've made your own improvements, at, let's be modest, and say an equal degree to my own, then they would cancel each other out. That is, if you have enough of them." Raijin chuckled then added, "Or so you would think. But if your improvements to ANTs were just to counter my own robots, I do hope you did not lack in your improvements in their actual Anti-Nomu capabilities. After all, despite all the amazing inventions I've provided the Spiders with, and the AANTs, and most of all The Scorpion, it is the League's bio-technology which far exceeds anything you have seen before."

On several screens in the middle of Raijin's control console, he watched as Spiders emerged from six different locations throughout the city. He checked down at his tablet and spotted three more of the same dots appear in the north. Then he watched the biggest red dot emerge with hundreds of tiny signals flying forward much faster their way from the west. If the H-9 and Shigaraki both failed, the best chance at mass destruction comes from The Scorpion. But then again, that's from a single blow. The Scorpion is still mechanical. I could defeat it easily myself. "Haha," his chuckle got darker and his expression more severe as he checked a different screen where a holding cell underground had yet to be opened up. Other than Machia, we have actual Nomus too, including just one success based off High End. Endeavor killed that failure, but through studying it, Dice was able to create one without its nasty personality traits. So even without many Nomus left, this last High End can create more and has been. "I wonder if you can handle it, Mr. Principal. We like to call this one, the Ultimate."

Raijin tapped on a button on his screen labeled 'RELEASE.' Then he tapped a button next to it that played a recording of Shigaraki's voice into the holding cell where the Ultimate was standing, dormant. Its black head was bowed and it was motionless for a few seconds after the release had disconnected it from the chains and metal braces that all fell to the floor. The wall in front of the Ultimate started to open outwards, and red eyes opened up on the face that snapped up as it heard what Shigaraki ordered it to do. It snapped up, and it stared out from its holding location in the Enudora Forest straight towards Musutafu, and directly at the high school campus that had no idea what was about to come for it.

"Over there! We need to help those people!" Mineta yelled out, pointing down a street to his right where three robots just flew around an intersection two blocks down. They looked somewhat like training robots at U.A., angering the students who knew why the villains had that technology on their side. Underneath those robots though and running out of the intersection behind them, were also a group of villains who fired off weapons and their Quirks at the vehicles near them and civilians who started running.

"How long do you think it will be before Kaminari starts executing people at random?!" Jirou snapped towards Mineta who spun back towards her then the other way with his fists clenching harder at his sides at her question.

"If we just take a second," Ashido started.

"Earphone Jack is right," Yaoyorozu shouted at her classmates. "Ingenium! It will always be one more second! There is too much going on, but this is something only we can do. Come on!" Creati shouted towards the teen in full armor who desperately wanted to use his speed to go help those people, but he was also the class representative and a leader among his peers. And he also knew that Yaoyorozu was right. The instant they broke off their current objective to help everyone they could, they would wind up getting stuck in a drawn-out fight and leaving hundreds of hostages in Raijin's clutches to be tormented and killed.

Class A's students continued running past the road. There were screams coming from all directions. The heroes ignoring those screams never felt anything worse than the feelings they felt right now. "There are other heroes who are responding here," Yaoyorozu continued. She spoke aloud to them but also assuring herself of it as she squinted her eyes shut more, "We need to get to Heroally, now. Believe that the other heroes can handle everything else. We need to have that faith so that we can-"

Yaoyorozu darted her eyes to the left. She looked over the roof of a building close to her, where an explosion just went off not too far from them. The explosion itself was not what stopped her mid-sentence. It was the mixture of blue flames with that explosion that had her head turning more and her eyes shaking. Todoroki stared towards those blue flames so close to him. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice strained as he turned his gaze back towards his classmates. Those eyes bulged though at the sight of his fellow students looking back at him.

"We understand," Iida responded back. "But we need to go," he added, his voice strained too as he desperately wanted to go with Todoroki and back him up.

"Go," Mineta whispered. His brother's over there. I can't even, imagine- Mineta shook his head and spun back forward in the direction they were heading. He had just thought something that he did not completely agree with. Because the feeling he had right now, as they went after Kaminari, made him imagine that he did have some sort of an idea as to how Todoroki was feeling at the moment.

"Come on!" Yaoyorozu yelled. She pushed her feet down harder and kept sprinting ahead. "Stay with us Iida. We need to attack as one unit. Everyone!" Creati turned her head and looked back at her friends. She tried not to look farther back at the boy firing himself up a slide of ice by forcing a jet of flames out behind him with his left hand. Good luck, Todoroki. "I have a plan!" Creati yelled at her classmates. "Listen closely…"

"They're sending their robots back this way!" Roady yelled out. He used Speedroute while looking into the sky in the distance and saw the faint green lines off of the robots start getting more defined and then darker too as they approached fast.

Popfire slammed her hands down at her sides and they ignited with orange light. Her eyes glowed the same color and she shot off the ground the same time that Ryukyu transformed and flapped her wings down. Several heroes jumped onto her back including Encode who leapt from the top of the Spider he was still on after permanently disabling by disconnecting its power core from its operating systems. "Get me to any more of these kind of robots that you can find. I need to let any heroes combatting them know where to target," Encode called down to Ryukyu who nodded her head even as she flew straight at smaller robots that all aimed their hands at her and started firing missiles, bullets, and beams of green light that actually made her dodge worriedly.

Mt. Lady grew on the other end of the street and swatted her right hand across the front of her body. The AANT she swung at swerved around her swing that moved too slowly for the great maneuverability of the robot, only for a man on Mt. Lady's back who had held on as she grew to punch his own right arm towards it as he popped up over her shoulder. His Quirk Arbor extended out and caught the robot that he swung back in front of his wife who had moved her hands apart in front of her body right as Kamui Woods released. Mt. Lady clapped in front of her with a thundering boom as she turned the AANT into a pancake that she then dropped-

BOOM! Mt. Lady stumbled forward. "AHH!" She yelled out in pain.

"Yu!" Kamui Woods shouted. He turned his head and looked down his wife's back. Ryukyu also spun her head and looked back to where the green light had passed her and over the deactivated Spider, slamming into Mt. Lady's lower back and leaving a huge scorch mark that burned through her costume and into her skin.

"Don't let the green energy hit you!" Ryukyu warned in a booming voice.

"Underguard, can you handle that?!" Endeavor yelled at a man who had the blood of his sidekick still on his hands.

Underguard nodded his head with no other response. "You four, let's go," Underguard snapped to his left side at other heroes who had gathered at Karebo and needed instruction that Endeavor was now giving out.

Endeavor had a makeshift table in front of him that Cementoss stood on the other side of. The U.A. teacher was trying to give them a better 3D diagram of Tokyo as they had no map on them at the moment and this was the best they could do other than the tablet that Endeavor also had out on the table. It was easier having the larger diorama though, and Endeavor snapped his head to the right and called out, "Midnight, take a team down Arucha Boulevard. Hero presence there is low and there is high population density. Secure Toshima. Fastest heroes congregate here and act as messengers until Class A can take down Raijin and get our comms back up. Lemillion, stay here and act as the coordinator for action moving forward-"

"Where are you going?!" Lemillion shouted back down the steps towards Endeavor.

"On your left!" Scorchle jumped up a few steps closer to his boss and aimed his upper body forward. Thin streams of water fired out of Scorchle's shoulder pipes in jets that moved so fast and cut like lasers through a pair of AANTs, though Scorchle was just amazed that his attack only cut through the front of their body armor as he could not see the streams continue to blast straight out the other sides as he hoped they would. They did explode after a second though as they tried to dodge and got the jets of water dragged through their bodies. One had a green glow on the face of it that was opening up its metallic mouth as if to fire a green burst of energy towards them. Scorchle was relieved for a second, but then he got lifted off his feet and thrown backwards as the explosion came anyway from the AANT that swerved out and exploded on the ground much too close to him.

Lemillion also pulled his body to the side, but he spun towards Scorchle and yelled, "Are you alright?" Scorchle was falling backwards, but he suddenly flipped over and landed on his feet with a hand down on the ground to steady him as he skid backwards.

"Yeah, I'm good-"

Brrr-br-br-br-do-do-do-do

"WALL!" Endeavor yelled at Cementoss who was already raising one up to block a hail of gunfire that just came from an entire squadron of AANTs that dive-bombed between the outer hero defenses of Karebo who spun inwards seeing that they were breached.

"Scorchle!" Lemillion yelled while bullets riddled his own sinking body and went straight through him. He was falling through the steps with the intention of teleporting over them to grab his sidekick, but as he was falling he watched the bullets going through his comrade's back and through the front of his neck and stomach. Blood splashed across the steps, and Lemillion sank into an open hole underneath the Karebo's steps that he landed inside of all alone. There was a single large hole underneath these steps he had started climbing back up to check if Toga was hiding nearby.

Lemillion cursed in anguish but heard the screaming from above and more explosions of people fighting the enemy's robots, and he ran forward and jumped up to phase right through the steps. He averted his gaze from Scorchle's body unmoving on the steps already as he landed on them and sprinted down behind the wall that Cementoss extended his way as well. "I'm sorry, Lemillion," Cementoss apologized to his former student. It was an apology for him having to lose a sidekick like that, but also one telling Lemillion he was sorry that he could not mourn in this moment as he had to stay focused. Lemillion did not need to hear it from his teacher though and just nodded at him before looking expectantly back at Endeavor for a response to the question he asked before that terrible moment.

Endeavor just lowered down the heat sword he had condensed so much before slashing up, only to barely leave a scorch mark across the robot he had hit that other heroes were still fighting now. "Scorchle was amazing," Endeavor said in a low voice after seeing how little his sword did in comparison to those power jets. He stared into Lemillion's eyes then said in a lower voice, "You have to take command here. You have the skill to lead, Lemillion. Use it, and coordinate the response from here on out. I am going to Shibuya." Endeavor turned his head and glared the direction that one hero had flown off already. "I do not know that Deku can stop Shigaraki on his own."

Something had stopped Shigaraki Tomura from Decaying the city. They all imagined it was Deku, but the thought that Shigaraki was defeated was not on any of their minds. "This area is under attack now only by robots because they thought the bomb would kill us all! There are no villains in the vicinity, so use this staging ground to organize evacuations and counterattacks. I am going to assist Deku against Shigaraki-"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Endeavor."

Endeavor had heard the voice before. Everyone there had. They turned their heads and looked to the roof of the Karebo Office where the voice had come from. On top of the lower roof at the top of the steps, standing on the point of the slants in front of the second floor windows, stood a man in a black and red costume. His black hair was spiky with distinctive points that anyone could recognize from a distance. They recognized his costume as well. Long the most wanted man in Japan. Even after the Koimou Massacre, he had remained at the top. No one had ever seen him injured. No hero had ever faced him in battle and won, and most did not live to tell the tale. It was not just heroes either. Sidekicks. Interns. Support staff. Innocents nearby. His appearance spelled doom for them all.

"Intanzo," Mt. Lady whispered in fear. She was staring back towards Karebo after spinning to fight the robots that had attacked from above and got behind her. She stared towards the rooftop and shivered which Kamui Woods noticed on her shoulder as he felt that fear reverberate through her body. He could not tear his eyes off that man either as he stared down towards him.

Intanzo suddenly appeared in the midst of so many powerful heroes, and there was not an ounce of fear on his face. He did not appear nervous. Rather, he appeared like he was about to kill them all. The look in his eyes was bloodthirsty and vile. The tan-skinned villain's eyes burned through his enemies as they started to glow dark green. Intanzo rose up his hands, and Endeavor's feet burst into flames while he snapped both arms back behind him. Heroes near Endeavor yelled out as the wave of heat hit them. "Boss!"

"Help Lemillion!" Endeavor shouted for his sidekicks behind him who wanted to follow him and help fight Intanzo who leapt backwards and did backflips to the higher roof of Karebo. Intanzo turned and leapt away, drawing Endeavor from the rest of the heroes who had all just seen their lives flash before their eyes as Intanzo targeted them like that. Endeavor gave chase to the country's most wanted, but he cursed internally without taking his eyes from the man who was leading him in the exact opposite direction as where he had wanted to go. Deku, the people of this country believe in you. You are not All Might. You made that clear to me. But who you are is someone just as special. Endeavor's eyes narrowed at the man who leapt ahead of him so fast that Endeavor with his flames pushing out behind him was still only just keeping the same speed. You have to defeat Shigaraki. On your own, if need be.

Intanzo leapt from a building's roof into the next road where the skyscrapers were much taller. He bounded from one building to the next across the street, and this time when his feet pressed into the glass of that window, the window bent inwards on his landing. His dark green glowing eyes glared over his shoulder towards Endeavor. Every single window for six buildings back on both sides of the street shattered. Thousands of shards of glass broke outwards from the shattering windows, but gravity did not take them. Intanzo curled his open left hand into a fist, and from every angle the glass shards flew at hundreds of miles per hour straight at Endeavor.

"HEAT SHIELD!" Endeavor roared. His aura burst out twenty times its size, and civilians inside their buildings staring out their now-open windows screamed out from the sight of what looked like a sun flying by them. The heat was far too much for the glass that melted and lost its sharp edges, not that it would have been able to reach Endeavor at all as the force from the heat expelling from his body pushed that melting glass back outwards, only now it was harmless if it hit anyone while pushing the other way.

Intanzo smirked and then the bending inwards glass under his feet bounced out and propelled him three times as fast from a window that Endeavor could not just attack from a distance as he had to assume there were people on the other side of it. The number 1 hero against the number 1 villain. You couldn't leave me to anyone else, but you overestimate Deku. Or you're underestimating Shigaraki. He is Sensei's chosen. The true successor that I was not. If keeping you distracted is what allows his rise to power, to bring back the dark age, then I will carry out this duty without fail. But just because it's my duty, Intanzo grinned as he saw the bright orange in the corners of his vision from the approach of the hero behind him. Doesn't mean I can't have fun with it.

I have to keep Intanzo away from Karebo, but the city is too densely populated. There's no way to get him somewhere that he cannot do so much damage. If that damage was done to all our remaining defenders though, we would be helpless against all the other enemies here today. Jazz, Radians, and League all at once. Powerful robots and likely Nomus as well. It's all come to this, and we failed to prevent it. We failed to predict it! They were right under our feet, and that bomb would have killed myself and all the heroes able to defeat them! Lifebringer saved us all. I doubted him, and Lifebringer saved my life, one last time! The raging aura surrounding Endeavor grew larger and his face twisted in that rage as he yelled out and sped up towards Intanzo's back. He slammed his chest out, his elbows pulled in at his sides with his fists clenched out in front of him, flames shot out his back, and he declared as loud as he could, "I will defeat you! VILLAINS!"

---

"Get back to U.A.! Bring any civilians you can find back with you-"

"Not happening!" Mimi shouted back at Monoma who spun to the girl with a pig snout and pink ears angrily.

"She-Stomp is right!" Turei Ioui shouted towards Monoma who looked to the smart class representative of Class 2-B in frustration. Monoma had been given the lead for his patrol by their pro, but he wanted to rush to central Tokyo from where he was in Musutafu. Turei frowned back towards Monoma and shook his head, "We have provisional licenses. We're not hiding. Not today. This is it, Phantom Thief. Lead us there."

Monoma grit his teeth but then looked back down at his hero tool watch that still had no response from Clean Sweep. No signal at all. Monoma's eyes darkened as he thought of why that would be. He pictured another blond teen he stood in front of in a tunnel of the Sports Festival Arena. He imagined how he had "tricked" Kaminari into telling him who killed the villain at USJ. His eyes darkened more but he thought of the broadcast directed only at Class A, and he shook his head again. "Alright, follow me you two-" Monoma spun his head and the two second years did behind him.

They stared towards a group of fifteen robots flying overhead which all had U.A. symbols on their bodies signifying which side they fought for. "Looks like the Principal-" Turei started.

"Grab hold!" Monoma pointed a grappling gun he whipped up from his waist towards a flying robot above. He smacked his right hand out into the smart younger man part of Class 2-B whose Quirk he Copied, and his right arm turned into solid stone as did his shoulder and parts of his bones and muscles that strengthened as the other two grabbed onto him.

"Ah!" Mimi yelped as they were yanked off the ground. Monoma barely caught on, but the hook of his grappling gun wrapped around the leg of one of the robots that looked down towards him.

"Bring us in!" Monoma shouted towards the face of that robot.

Mr. Principal stared at the three that the robot picked up on. The microphones on those robots caught what Monoma shouted, and Nezu had that robot's head lift back up and catch up with the others. He outmaneuvered me once again. We need everyone we can spare. Nezu was worried for his students, but this was no time to be conserving trained fighters who could step up and protect the helpless. The broadcasting ability he showed off in the Koimou Massacre was one thing I specifically attempted to counter. Raijin had every television across the nation, as if he had hacked the satellites and controlled it all easily, but I knew it was not that easy. I knew the systems he needed to have in place to work that broad of a stream.

Instead of doing it remotely though, which would have been impossible this time, he went directly to a radio tower broadcasting from inside of Tokyo. Measures I've installed at various intermediary towers across the country to prevent widespread unauthorized broadcasts like this one did not pick up on anything or get bypassed either. I had to make those measures known to various officials though, and clearly the government was infiltrated by the League. For how long has Nikko been- It doesn't matter. Nezu stopped his thoughts of regret and frustration at his failures to predict certain events that had already passed today. Yet even as he tried to get his mind off it, he imagined some of his old students who had died the day of the Koimou Massacre. The youngest of those he thought of was only 19 years old, but he thought of Fantasma's face and then immediately imagined Best Jeanist's too. His eyes then squinted in even more anger as he thought of Lifebringer's expression only seconds before that bomb went off.

Many of my students may fall today. Our actions in this room could save them all. Only if I can keep up with him. Only if my countermeasures to his counters to my retaliation are superior. Only if every single one of us does everything we can.

Roughly 300 miles away from Mr. Principal, there were others who thought on the same lines as him. Footage from inside of Tokyo had been cut off. There were no reports coming from any news stations based in Tokyo or from the heroes the country was waiting to hear from. All they had seen was Lifebringer's march out of Karebo, followed by Shigaraki's speech that cut off abruptly the moment the cameras had all started shaking from Midoriya rushing by that spot. No one knew what had happened, as barely anyone had witnessed Deku's appearance before Raijin managed to cut the feed from the rest of the country to just go to full media blackout for everyone outside of the kill zone.

In the city of Yutapu though, students of Shiketsu High had been on patrols or at their houses. Not every student of Class 3-1 and Class 3-2 were on patrols that morning, but Kotsumura Keiji came sprinting out of his front door in full costume that he put on against the protests of his mother. He ran out the door and Anima sprinted out behind him, "Keiji! Wait!" An arm extended out from the doorway behind her and grabbed Anima by her right shoulder. "Dad! Let me go! I'm also a hero-"

"You don't have your license yet," he scolded his daughter who was also in the hero course but a first year unlike her older brother.

Anima opened her mouth to argue but she spun back around to yell for Keiji again first. Her face fell and her eyes opened wider as he had already ran out of sight. "Dad, please let me go too. K-Keiji needs-"

"Your brother will be fine," her father said softer, his hand squeezing less tightly but in a more comforting way now as he stepped forward and pulled her lightly backwards against him. "Trust him." He kept her turned so she was facing forward, not wanting his daughter to see the worried look on his face. His expression of concern was mild compared to the look of terror on his wife's inside where she had fallen to her knees when Keiji pushed off her hand from his shoulder and ran anyway.

Kotsumura was in contact with his classmates and a group call that continued as he ran down the road with his phone in his right hand. All of them were yelling at the same time, but he had some idea of which way to go based on what he was hearing from the voices he tried to single out like Muoko and Tomoki's. Kotsumura snapped his head up as he saw a figure fly by overhead. "Inasa!" He yelled out, seeing another six people already floating behind him and being dragged along by the wind. A gust of wind scooped up underneath Kotsumura who braced for it and just jumped to help out his classmate who rose him up to the others he passed on the way to the same location that Muoko had told her classmates to meet at.

As he rose into the air, Kotsumura looked from Imino and Kameko over to the three students from Class 3-2 along with one of the strongest from 2-1 who he was pretty sure was ranked second in that class. Not all second years at Shiketsu had their provisional licenses, but he was fairly certain that the younger boy did so he said nothing of the fact that he was there with them.

Charging down another street of Yutapu on the legs of a cheetah that he appeared like at the moment, Hisashi Kuredo ground his sharp teeth in frustration which looked terrifying to some people who spotted the hero. Then again, most people in Yutapu were already terrified by the news of what was going on or the national broadcast that had cut off and left them in the dark. They could not get in contact with friends and family in Tokyo. They had no idea what was happening, and Hisashi ran past people crying while curled in balls up against the walls of buildings. He sprinted by people screaming in panic and those running for the grocery stores to prepare themselves in case things went south. There was no time to stop and help them all.

He told us it would happen, Hisashi thought, his sharp teeth clenching even tighter together. I was so mad about everything he was saying. How it all trivialized our work we planned to do as heroes, when the things he was discussing sounded like they would help the world far more. Charities and education and, and- and he said we could only get to the point where that was a better way to do things, if we won. He told us! That we were in a 'transitionary period' that could only finish if we defeated the League of Villains. The peaceful world he saw coming could be ruined if we failed. Hisashi's rage simmered and his eyes became twice as focused. He pushed his legs down harder on each stride and picked up the pace, speeding down the middle of the road then darting to a sidewalk when he was met by obstacles, and leaping over citizens and cars if they were too slow.

Hisashi leapt up and his body started to shrink. His fur replaced with feathers as he shot up high into the air in mid-transformation into a larger-than-average peregrine falcon. In Tokyo right now, the fate of the world is being decided. If villains manage to win… I didn't ever think heroes could completely lose against villains, but if that bomb had killed all of those top heroes and Lifebringer. If it had wiped out our entire government all at once? That's how close it was, and how close it still is! Hisashi dipped himself into a dive and sped up so much more towards the outskirts of Yutapu and a field that he saw several of his classmates being lowered down to by the wind.

"If they lose it's all over," Muoko said in a low voice to her boyfriend standing at her side already at the gathering place. "This is no time to sit around here, waiting for information." Muoko turned her head towards Inasa who was running towards her and opening his mouth already. He could hear her early though as he had her voice carry on the wind to him so he could jump into the conversation. His eyes widened more though as she nodded at their strongest classmate, and said, "It's time to join the fight."

All those amazing things Zach described in his report about what the world could turn into, they'll fail, Flugeru thought frustratedly. He fought so hard and lost so much to make it possible! We can't let all that go to waste!

Drivress sped down a street of Yutapu and curved around the corner with a skidding screech. Her vehicular body sped towards the outskirts and a group of students and teachers that was growing bigger by the second. "Hop off!" She called out, and Holy Hamster grabbed the two eighteen year olds from the back of Drivress' body and jumped off with them. His body grew furrier and surrounded them in some protection which was needed as they dropped into a roll and then came sprinting out of it right on the pavement of the street connecting to that field they needed to run across to get to their classmates.

Himazuri glanced over her shoulder and watched as her pro started a transformation back into a normal humanoid form which was not an instantaneous maneuver for her. She turned back forward though and sprinted to keep up with Dendo and his pro hero who her own worked in a close team with so their agencies were always together. She was panting heavier than Dendo who only darted a look back for an instant to check that she was keeping up with him before snapping his gaze back ahead to the large group gathered just outside of the city.

I wish I had listened to you from the start, Dendo thought in too much regret that he did not want Himazuri to see.

He thought about the live broadcast they had been watching together with their pros though. "I don't believe it." "No, Dendo, I really don't believe it." "Listen! Listen to what I'm telling you. Something's happening! I've been in Zach's head. There isn't a single part of me that believes he did this. Trust me! We need to…" Dendo squinted his eyes in frustration similar to his pro's as Holy Hamster also regretted not just trusting the young girl he should have believed in. Dendo felt twice the regret though as Zach's friend and Himazuri's, to have been cursing at the screen when he thought Zach was attacking the Prime Minister, only for his friend to explode seconds later as he saved everyone.

"Keiji," Reika started as Kotsumura sprinted straight up to her on the field she had reached before him. She opened her mouth to say something else but found herself struggling for the words for a second.

"Everything he worked to make this world into," Kotsumura said. His voice was serious and his eyes holding back tears as he looked from the group ahead of him to just into Reika's eyes on his left side. "The world he built will fall. A world of heroes he saved, is going to crack and break-" Kotsumura bit down in enraged frustration at the idea of it. He saw his friend standing in front of him in the bathroom, losing it and crying in despair and agony. You weren't a bad person, Zach! Kotsumura bent his chin down to his chest and seethed through his teeth, "We can't let that happen."

Hazano Worrod, or Hachiman as he went by during his patrol he just ran here from, saw the looks on his students' faces. He turned towards a group of administrators who were speaking and were approached by Muoko and Kaimie Sazzo, the class representative of Class 3-2. The ranked 1 of Class 2, Sama Ledoni, stepped towards Dendo as his rival from Class 1 got there, but his pro he was just interning with stopped him quickly. Sama had been interning with Kimona, and his pro and the teacher at Shiketsu gave him a look saying not to approach Dendo right now.

"…A resurgence that could only happen in Japan. Where we have the most dangerous villains in the entire world. Ones who if we don't stop them, will make this transitionary period into one that transitions the world into a period of darkness. Four of the top ten? What happens if they get them all?" Dendo heard Zach's words that sounded prophetic at the moment. And then he heard more of Zach's words that made his fists clench and his head to rise up with an insanely intense look covering it, "…Because if villains win, they would rule over chaos and crime and a world on fire. We need to do everything we can to stop them…"

Hisashi transformed back into a normal human and landed near Dendo who he looked towards and his green-haired friend looked right back into his eyes. "We can be heroes, and still accept things like allowing everyone to train their Quirks. Heroes can still keep control, can still maintain order, even in a world where everyone can use Quirks. It's not impossible. It's the only way we can continue progress. But Hisashi, if the League wins then that world I see can't happen. That world of safety, a world full of progress… and a world without villains, can't happen if we don't first stop the League of Villains."

"Not yet," Principal Memuria argued back at Kaimie who was frowning deeply and arguing with the principal.

Muoko kept checking behind her on the status of their classes and how many of them were there so far. Her eyes locked on a few younger boys who she recognized as only first years, and one of them was arguing with a few of their classmates in a conversation some of the third years eavesdropped on only to look away at the content of the conversation being discussed. "I'm sorry," Ivo apologized to his friends again. The shorter boy with the best grades in Class 1-1 shook his head at Obara and Rucco who continued trying to argue with him. "Mizahi and I passed the licensing exam. That is the only reason we can go."

"This is no time for formalities!" Rucco argued. His purple eyes glowed in anger and he snapped at his class rep, "We need everyone for this!"

"If Lifebringer had the chance, then even without a license-" Obara started.

"None of us are Lifebringer," Ivo scolded back. His face was more upset at her bringing his name into this, and he shook his head at the two of them while Mizahi looked away behind him.

Lifebringer didn't do what they said he did, Mizahi thought while staring towards the sun in the distant sky. His breathing was calm even as he kept what they were about to do in the back of his mind. His eyes shifted down from the sun but in that same direction, And now he's dead and Tokyo's under attack! His calm expression wiped and he spun towards the teachers and other teens with provisional licenses like him. The muscular sixteen year old with spiky orange hair snapped towards them, "What are we waiting for?! Let's get this going already!"

Some second years were just arriving then, and they sprinted even faster at the sound of that kid's shout. Principal Memuria glanced towards one of her first years who she grimaced at the sight of. Then she looked a different way, and the other teachers around her turned as they saw what she focused on. A truck sped out of a different road than Drivress was running towards them from after transforming back into a human. The truck drove onto the grass which Drivress had avoided because she made her tires for speed and not off-roading to get them here from the other side of Yutapu as fast as possible. The truck was not a hero in transformation though.

It was just a truck that sped towards them straight from Shiketsu High. Ms. Anastasia and All-Terrain were in the front seats. Students saw them speeding in this direction and quieted down as the large truck approached and then started turning. It backed up and the back of the truck opened up automatically. Not every student had been on patrol. Not all of them had their hero costumes at home or with them that morning when they sprinted to this field. Principal Memuria walked forward and in front of the back of the truck after it opened, "Every student with a provisional hero license has their costume in this truck." So many answered the call. I assume that those who haven't are mostly just late, though I'm sure some are afraid, Memuria thought. All of 3-1 has made it though.

"Alright," Mizahi said, grinning and marching towards the vehicle he was getting his costume from.

Others went into the truck and the class rep of Class 2-2 started organizing the hand-out to the rest of the un-costumed students who cared little for modesty at the moment. Girls and boys alike started changing into skin-tight spandex as fast as they could, some stripping fast into their underwear before throwing on their gear and strapping support tool belts to their waists.

"Not everyone can go," Memuria announced to the huge group gathered in front of her. Her focused shifted directly onto some of the pro heroes who had come, "Vallentina, Recharge, Bug Queen, stay here and protect Yutapu along with-"

"The danger to Tokyo is too much. We have no idea how powerful the force there is!" Vallentina countered. She was in her tight red costume and was prepared to go rushing into the fight that she was certain had already started in Tokyo.

"We cannot leave the city completely unprotected," Norasaki countered back. He shook his head and looked towards his boss in regret but then looked back to the other heroes and said, "I will also be staying here."

"Tokyo's under attack! The nation's capital. And if it's not just the League but the Radians too as some rumors suggested, then we need everyone to go!"

"This is an organized attack on our nation, on Japan itself," Recharge agreed. "We need-"

"Although that may be true," Memuria interrupted them. "Our first wave could fail either way. We are rushing in blind," her voice was extremely dark and the other heroes and students stared at her in surprise. "If Tokyo falls," Memuria continued. The very thought of that possibility being an option shocked people listening to the principal of Shiketsu High. They understood why it was that she was allowing her students to take part in this, because failure would mean they were being dragged in anyway. She went on, "We cannot leave the rest of the nation unprotected from the chaos that would rise after. Every city needs its heroes."

"There's no way," Sama started, his voice with some confidence in it in their ability to go save the day.

"If Tokyo 'falls?' What are you saying-" Tomoki started to agree and argue with the principal.

"The nation has lost many of its greatest heroes, and now Lifebringer as well." She did not sugarcoat it and ignored how many of her students winced at the cold statement. "If the League of Villains has allied with the Radians, and conceivably also the Jazz, and the reports I have heard of their true numbers and power is to be accepted, then we have to realize that this attack has but one purpose." The woman with receding grayish-purple hair finished to a group of young heroes, "The complete destruction of our society. This is an invasion-"

"That doesn't matter!" Dendo yelled out. He spun towards All-Terrain who frowned his direction at how he interrupted the principal. "Sensei! Make us something that everyone can grab onto. And bring the base up over the surface. I'm going to Slice the bottom," Dendo spun towards Inasa. "Can you handle that much weight with your wind?!"

"Easily," Inasa replied to his classmate who looked pissed-off but sounded composed at the same time to come up with that plan.

All-Terrain looked back at Dendo in surprise for a second before glancing over towards Principal Memuria who took a deep breath herself then just nodded towards him.

The black-haired teacher put his hands down on the floor. Sazaki came to me, All-Terrain thought while curling his fingers into the grass. He asked me about how I've tested my Quirk. He wanted to know, all about my terraforming potential… All-Terrain squinted his eyes and closed them with a single tear slipping out as he grew trees up out of the dirt that was also lifting up in a fifty-by-fifty meter area circle. I shouldn't have needed him to bring it up to me! I know the possibilities. I know, that I could do more not being a hero- But right now! Right now I'll do what I can to save Tokyo. Then, I swear, Lifebringer. I'll join one of those charities. I'll be what you saw I could be!

Rucco and Obara both looked at each other and started backing away nervously. Ivo also glanced at them once darkly and even regretfully, unnerving the two of them and others told to stay behind too. In their hearts they understood that the possibility of them fighting this great evil was not erased by them staying here. It won't matter if we don't have hero licenses if everyone else fails, Obara thought. Her hair stood on end and she covered in sweat. We'll be what's left. Us and some Yutapu heroes, Obara glanced towards some heroes who relented to Memuria's decision and backed away. She did not even make the attempt with any of Class 1, and instead it looked like most of the Shiketsu students with licenses were going onto the platform that All-Terrain was lifting up.

Recharge backed up and nodded at his old principal from Shiketsu. The pro hero in his late twenties grit his teeth and felt that immense pressure on his shoulders while he glanced over towards some younger students holding back. How different things will be if we are on the defensive next time instead of rushing in on the attack. These kids will lead the people who have been trained so far… His eyes turned back to his principal and to those other heroes, teachers, and Shiketsu students who were about to leave. Good luck. We can't let the worst-case scenario come by leaving this place undefended, but if you fall, I don't know if we can do anything.

Anima would be in that final line of defense, Kotsumura thought while grabbing onto a low branch of a thick tree that just sprouted on new terrain. We won't let it come to that. I know we won't, because we're going to give everything we have to stop it. His eyes shifted over towards the blonde girl who grabbed a tree near him. She looked back his way and the two each looked hesitant for a moment. It was not because of the fight they were about to go to that they looked like that.

The two had gone on a few dates, but Kotsumura had gotten all serious on the last one talking about post-graduation plans while Reika was trying to hook up with him. She felt he ruined the mood, as she did not want to think about that kind of stuff which made it worse after she got home and realized how little time there was for them to keep going. That was only a couple nights ago, but as she looked at him they did not feel awkward as much as it had been the day before. None of that matters right now, Reika thought to herself, getting back focused and gripping her tree tighter just as Bibi and Manzo did holding the same one as her.

Reika glared at the tree just as Manzo was only even more furiously than her so Bibi was looking at the redhead in pity. Bibi slid her left hand over and put it over Manzo's right for a moment, and she squeezed Manzo's hand which made Manzo bite down in pain at the feeling of that soft touch. I just watched him explode, Manzo thought, her eyes filling with water for a second as she lost some of the rage and almost fell into despair. No time. Focus. Her expression immediately intensified and she just nodded thanks at Bibi before pressing her forehead into the trunk and taking deep breaths to ready and calm herself.

"That everybody who's coming?" Dendo yelled out. His right and left arms pressed together in front of his body and covered in a green aura that got thicker as he planted his feet down harder. He stood next to Inasa who glanced around too at the base of the platform that All-Terrain climbed up onto himself up a six-foot straight drop off the outside of the circle he rose from the field. "Will it hold?" Dendo asked his teacher who nodded back at him from the platform. "Alright, let's go!"

Dendo twisted his body and yelled, "Clear the area!"

Others around the platform all ran towards him and got behind the powerful student and young hero already well-known for his strength in Yutapu. The Cutting-Edge Hero: All Slice, spun his body and swung his connected arms while dipping his body low to the ground. His Slice shot from his arms and cut through the earth in front of him from one side all the way to the other. The force of his swing cut the platform from the ground and started lifting it up on its own, then the wind caught under it and continued lifting it into the air. Inasa swung his arms up while at the same time filling his costume's tubes with air to fly up after it. "Everybody hold on!" Inasa yelled down, as he was about to speed this up a lot. Have to clear the wind resistance in front to not let anyone fall off. Any who do I'll have to catch and slow to pull back up. We don't have the time for any slip-ups.

Inasa glanced down to pick up Dendo and bring him to the platform too, but Dendo slammed his hands down and leapt up with bright blue light shooting out the back of his costume and the palms of his gloves. He flew up into the sky through a tunnel of empty air Inasa made for him, and he landed down next to Himazuri who kept some space open for him. "GO!" Dendo yelled after landing. He gripped onto the tree for dear life and pulled himself close to it as most others did. Some used roots sticking out of the grass as footholds they slid their boots under, others wrapped their arms around trees and some held onto stronger classmates who held on better than they could. Their platform started shooting through the sky at hundreds of miles per hour, surprising those on it who had no idea how they were moving so fast while exposed to the elements and still only barely felt it.

"Speed up, Inasa!" Memuria yelled up at her strongest student who looked down unsure if he should. She nodded at him though. Memuria was amazed by how fast Inasa could move them without them barely feeling anything, but they were heroes. She also believed in the ability of those around her to hold on even if this ride did start getting bumpy. She had glanced at All-Terrain first and he nodded at her which told her the platform was strong enough not to break apart if Inasa did pick up speed. Gale Force looked back up and nodded his head seriously, then he pulled the bottom of the platform up a bit in the back and pushed the wind more directly behind it and himself.

Hang on, Tokyo! Inasa thought. We're coming to save you!

---

"On your right!" Real Steel yelled across the street.

Kirishima ducked his head and then uppercut into the jaw of a villain whose eyes rolled back in his head as blood splashed off his chin from the heavy and Hardened blow. Kirishima then spun around and crossed his arms in front of his body, yelling out, "UNBREAKABLE!"

A green beam of light fired from an AANT flying over his head slammed into him and lifted him off the ground that exploded around him. "Red Riot!" Fat Gum yelled off towards his old intern. The larger hero opened his eyes a little wider in surprise as despite the crater blown by that green explosion, Red Riot flipped out of the smoke and landed down on his feet without a scratch. Fat Gum chuckled and spun, swinging a fist at a villain who leapt backwards and stuck to the side of a building which made the hero tsk that he had missed even after drawing the villain in by pretending to be fully focused on his concern for Kirishima. "Almost forgot how much of a tank you were, kid."

Fat Gum said it under his breath, but Kirishima would not have heard him anyway while yelling out himself, "HAAAA!" He swung his arms out and pulled his elbows down to his sides while screaming down the road. The amount of villains coming out of nowhere and blocking his path was only matched by the number of robots that were flying around and causing even more trouble for the flying heroes and strange blue U.A. robots that had appeared and were assisting them. "Raijin! I'm coming for you!" Kirishima yelled, though he grit his Hardened teeth more while glaring at the villains ahead of him who were not intimidated nor looked about to move out of his way at all. A few streets ahead of him and a couple to his left, Kirishima spotted a huge wave of ice suddenly rise up and it made him bite down even harder. I'm falling behind everyone!

Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu growled himself while looking from Kirishima then down the street in the direction of Heroally. I may not be able to fight that bastard myself, but I'll get my buddy Kirishima there at any cost! He pictured the terrified looks on the faces of the hostages inside Heroally TV, and he ran forward yelling out, "Red Riot! Push right through! I've got this!"

"Do you now?" Bitchess 'N Cream wondered from the back of a sixteen foot tall villain that marched around the closest corner in front of Real Steel.

Manika Esiri cocked her head to the side and stared towards the young heroes ahead of her who looked back with wide eyes. "It's not just the League," Fat Gum muttered as he and the other heroes spotted this woman as well. Her hair was dyed half pink and half black to match her costume, with highlights in either side mixing the colors a bit just as her costume split vertically down the middle had swirls of the other color in the wrong half. They could also faintly see the net-like mesh of her costume showing that there were minuscule holes all over it that allowed for her Quirk to work.

The heroes became cautious instantly at the appearance of the woman who they had all studied. They knew her insanity and the multiple personalities that made her dangerous. And they knew how she had managed to trick and kill Rex and Rover, heroes who they thought about while glaring towards the high-ranking member of the Radians. Kirishima's plans pushed away and Tetsutetsu stopped thinking about just making a hole for his friend to get through. "Ohh, I think those heroes don't like us very much," Manika mentioned with her eyebrows raising up and a sly smile lifting on her face.

That sly smile turned into a more malicious smirk and her eyebrows narrowed towards her nose in the next instant. "No," she responded to herself. Bitchess tilted her head back from where she stood on the shoulders of a ghastly member of their gang who had been experimented on and had stitches all over his neck, face, and where his skin showed on his arms. "But we don't like them either. In fact, we want them dead. Hear that, big guy?" Bitchess patted down on the bumpy deformed head of the brute who carried her onto this road. "Go, Termite."

Her ride broke apart into a thousand pieces. His size and appearance deceived those looking towards him who were in no way expecting the thousand bugs of their enemy to start speeding down the street. Bitchess 'N Cream dropped down on the floor and the Termites separated around her feet while sprinting forward towards their enemies.

Ka-BOOM!

CHH! CRASH!

"This isn't good!" Angelic Angela shouted in fear. She fell back and flapped her wings in front of her in panic as one of the U.A. robots was spinning out in the air near her and dropping with a trail of smoke coming out of it. She just snapped her head to the right at the sound of explosions coming from pretty far away but large enough that they were felt from this far. She spun her head down towards Fat Gum and yelled towards him as he also spun that way and was going wide eyed as he realized what was in that direction. "We need to get people over there- AH!" Angela spun back and flapped her wings to get away from one robot, only for another to fire jets out of its feet so it slammed into her in midair and tackled her through the sky.

"Tetsutetsu!" Kirishima yelled towards his friend. "Guard yourself!"

"Those bugs won't break through-" Tetsutetsu slammed his mouth shut, then he closed his eyes as well and bit down as hard as he could.

The bugs swarmed over Kirishima after Tetsutetsu. Termite's body had broken apart and was all over them while the villains farther down the road behind Bitchess started cheering at the sight of them getting swarmed.

"Push yourselves into the street!" A familiar voice screamed towards her students who smirked when they recognized it. Thirteen pushed his hands out in front of him while all the other heroes on the road behind Kirishima and Tetsutetsu moved to get behind the U.A. teacher too. Termite's front bugs were rushing towards him but all stopped as the tips of his fingers popped open and started sucking inwards. "Black Hole!" Thirteen yelled. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu's feet pressed down harder into the floor that cracked below them. All of the Termites surrounding their bodies were yanked off and towards their teacher who sucked up hundreds of them at once.

"Sensei!" Tetsutetsu yelled out, jumping to the side and wincing as he intercepted ten speeding Cream-Filled streams fired from Bitchess 'N Cream's costume on a straight line for his teacher. He skid backwards on the ground and slammed his feet down hard but Thirteen already stopped using his Quirk in case he accidentally pulled Real Steel back into the Black Hole. The rest of the Termites that were running to the sides of the road to avoid getting pulled in all changed direction and charged back at the U.A. teacher.

"Real Steel! Red Riot!" Another U.A. teacher yelled while slamming his gray blocky hands down to the floor behind his colleague Thirteen.

The ground around the Termites turned less solid and more wavy. The pavement covered in a thick gray cement that moved around and wrapped up the bugs that tried escaping but could not on the moving ground. The two third years at U.A. spun to Cementoss who yelled towards them while the other heroes charged forward past the moving street to fight Bitchess and her fellow villains, "Those explosions came from the Imperial Palace! Quickly! You need to get over there!"

"But," Kirishima started, his eyes darting the other way for a moment.

"Trust the rest of your classmates, Red Riot," Cementoss ordered. He grit his own teeth as he knew the danger of Raijin well and was nervous about taking even one of the heroes who could face him away from that fight. He continued to his students though, "There are too many villains here for us to separate our forces thin. It's not an order I want to give you, but if the Royal Family is being targeted then we need heroes there to protect them. I don't know if anyone else is heading that way and we don't have communications up to check. So I'm leaving it to you! Go! The Royal Guard has special permissions to use their Quirks but the League is sure to have planned for that. Assist them and protect the VIPs! If the first goal of the League was to destroy our power structure and defenses with the bomb, then it only makes sense that they would also be targets!"

"Understood! Cementoss sensei!" Tetsutetsu yelled.

Kirishima snapped his head towards his friend who had a steel coating around his body but was backing away from their enemies ahead of them who other heroes had run past them to fight. One of the most wanted villains in the country was right there and within their reach, and they were being told to run from this fight where their fellow heroes were already severely outnumbered. Kirishima ground his Hardened teeth much harder as he darted his gaze towards the direction of the Palace then towards Heroally behind these villains, then directly to Manika Esiri who Fat Gum was charging at on his own. His fists balled harder and he nodded his head in agreement though, backing up too and turning with Tetsutetsu to run the direction they were ordered to go.

"Understood! Commander!" Kirishima heard voices yelling that in a video he watched during Zach's trial a week ago. The way Tetsutetsu responded to Cementoss had reminded him of it so much that he felt like Tetsutetsu had done it on purpose to get him to follow their teacher's order as well. Kirishima heard a scream behind him from a hero who was hit by an enemy's Quirk, but he bowed his chin to his chest and picked up speed running away instead of looking back towards them. "Let's go!" He yelled out for Tetsutetsu who picked up his own speed into a faster sprint at his side with a grunt of acknowledgement.

The two boys ran down a road of Tokyo and tried to drown out the shouts behind them including one of pain from Fat Gum that made Kirishima's eyes slam shut for a second. They sprinted down a street evacuated of civilians and darted their eyes up and to the right at a building that three U.A.-styled robots were flying around rapidly. They had their backs to the building, and out from large rectangular boxes on these particular robots, steel plating flew out with tiny red drones holding them up. The tinier robots flying out of the large Intel-ANTs sealed up cracked windows and spread the steel plating around lower floors while a speaker blasted out of one of the larger one's heads. The voice coming out of the robot was using a modulator that made it sound exactly like their principal's, only ten times as loud as they had ever heard him speak.

"ALL OCCUPANTS MOVE TO LOWER FLOORS. EVACUATION ORDER IS IN EFFECT. DO NOT GO OUTSIDE…"

They ran into another intersection and swerved to dodge between abandoned cars. They could see down either direction from that intersection. Off to their left was a fight between several heroes and villains, and far behind those people they saw a giant steel leg step past another intersection of a block three roads down. The body and head of another one of those Spider robots moved forward behind that leg, and a glowing green light surging on the red cannon on the front fired out of it and farther into the city. The ground under their feet shook a second later, but the boys had already snapped their attention to the right where they spotted familiar large black and gray creatures, one of which just roared out in a horrifying voice that reached down a block and a half to them.

"Stop the Nomus!"

"Don't let them get into the buildings! Keep the fighting on the street- AH!"

"RRAAAA!"

"We need to keep moving!" Tetsutetsu shouted. It was directed at himself, his head bowing and then snapping towards the direction of the Imperial Palace and that alone. "COME ON!" He yelled out, this time at Kirishima who he felt was likely having the same doubts as him.

BOOM!

An explosion blasted out the windows fifty stories up from them and down half a block on a tall skyscraper. They looked that way and watched as two blue robots flew there along with a few heroes, but the enemy robots that just attacked the building all turned on them and attacked back. Glass and shards of metal fell from the sky that the boys swerved to the right while running to avoid. The shrapnel from the fight above fell behind them as they continued running forward while the raining debris had been coming down.

In central Musutafu, a man stood at the top of his company's skyscraper. He stared out from the top floor that he stood in all alone. Adam Rasheed's eyes were trembling as he stared out into the distance towards Tokyo where he had just seen students from U.A. getting carried towards by robots with their school's symbol on it. His right hand moved forward trembling until he pressed his palm up against the glass. Rasheed's eyes squinted as he imagined Raijin and Dabi standing behind him as he picked up a phone in this very office last year to make an equipment order.

I had my people make support items and weapons for them. "Stolen" shipments, designed for them. Distributed through the villains' ranks. Rasheed's fingers curled into the glass and his eyes filled with water as he looked towards Tokyo. Those support items are being used right now. I know what they're being used for, and who they're being used on- Adam closed his eyes and bowed his head. He pressed the top of it into the glass as his hand slid down it and his arms fell limp to his sides.

So afraid of your "crimes" being revealed, I committed sins far worse than anything you... You! You were a good man, Ganji. And I'm sorry. Adam turned from the window as he heard an explosion in the distance that did not even make him wince this time. He walked towards his desk, tears sliding down his face. "I'm so sorry, my friend," Rasheed whispered. His right hand gripped around the pistol sitting atop his desk. He gasped out in fear but clenched his teeth much harder in the pain and regret he felt, which led him to pick up the gun and put it under his chin.

Bang

"Mr. Principal, this is quite against the rules you know?" Raijin said in a semi-impressed way. He leaned back with his arms crossing and his index and middle fingers of his right hand tapping on his left tricep for a few seconds. "Weaponizing your ANTs to such an extent? Not informing the government of your full armory? And, I suspect that the failsafes in these designated evacuation centers were yours as well." Raijin looked at footage from a drone unlike most of his AANTs which was just quick and had all-angle cameras on it.

On several buildings that heroes had evacuated people off the streets to or from buildings damaged early on making them vulnerable, steel blast doors were dropping down from ceilings or rising from the floors. Not all of them required the U.A. robots themselves to fortify them. I suppose I should not have expected anything else. I made enough of my own editions across the city that stayed hidden under the guise of construction. How Nezu got them in there without me knowing is another thing though. Those blast shields must be Quirk-created. Avoiding any large scale projects that would have caught my eye. Very clever, you rat.

"What will you do if people can't hear your evacuation orders though?" Raijin wondered. He uncrossed his arms and leaned forward to a keyboard of the control console in front of him. Screens all over the city started to cut, his control over the mass media in Tokyo too precise. He grabbed a knob and spun it upwards to maximum volume. And speakers blasted ominous sirens and screeching noises out every billboard and television still on across the city. "Haha- Hahahaha! I'm too fucking good." His eyes narrowed and he turned around his fastest drone to speed it back to the quickest route between Karebo and Heroally. "Now," his voice got calmer and he started in a more menacing voice. "How far out are you?"

"Hold on!" Hawks yelled down towards a pair of robots each eight feet tall. They were about to finish putting up metal sheeting on the first floor of a building that had a few shattered windows and some unconscious and tied-up villains outside of it. The Intel-ANTs had made it there in time to stop the smaller group of villains who rushed inside from hurting the people they were now boarding up to protect in there. Hawks lowered his feathers that he had four civilians riding on towards one of those shattered windows and he sent them right inside.

"I can fight-"

"Just protect this evacuation group then," Tokoyami shouted in at the citizen they had saved when he was about to be killed by a Jazz villain he had tried to fight.

Hawks glared at the man who had rushed back forwards when he pulled his feathers away. "You can only legally use your Quirk to defend yourselves and others around you under current laws," Hawks said firmly and with a harsh look at the citizen. His expression eased after a moment as that older man pulled away in surprise hearing that from Hawks so seriously. "Don't break the law. Just leave it up to us heroes, got it?" Hawks asked the question but then immediately turned to the robots and motioned at them to finish putting up the steel plating which they did and blocked him from the civilians inside.

Tokoyami let out a breath of relief as he looked down at the captured villains these U.A. robots had apparently taken down. This street was quiet which was the main reason they headed to it in the first place with the civilians they rescued. After breathing out to calm himself like that, Tokoyami turned his head and looked in every direction of them. "Where to, Hawks?" He asked. The sounds of violence came from all directions. Explosions and gunfire and screaming filled the city.

Hawks pulled out a special PDA support item and tried getting in contact with other sidekicks. He attempted other heroes in the city who he had left back near Karebo and wanted to check on their situations too without having to rush around and look everywhere. The screens around the city were no longer showing the damage either. Instead, they showed the terrified faces of people in Heroally Station, cowering from the hostage taker who was also responsible for this mass disruption of hero communication across the city. And as loud as any of the explosions and noise of battle, were the ominous sirens and blaring alarms that blasted from speakers and drowned out evacuation orders from Nezu's robots.

"Even if your friend Deku takes down Shigaraki," Hawks started, his voice low and his eyes darting every direction. He was trying to figure out where he needed to go most of all too. There are too many players in the city right now. Electro, what the hell happened?! You were supposed to be watching Nikko. He's probably dead. They both are. Damn it. "Raijin's in full control of this situation. He knows most of our defenses inside and out. If Shigaraki falls, but Raijin is still-"

"Class A will stop him," Tokoyami said. Hawks looked back to his intern who stared back right into his eyes and nodded intensely and without doubt on his face. Hawks tried to trust in Tsukuyomi enough to believe in what the kid believed too. "If the Radians and Jazz are in the city too though, then we have our work cut out for us even if the two of them are defeated. And Todoroki will have Dabi," Tokoyami added, making Hawks grimace at the feeling of the prosthetic arm replacing one Dabi had burned off long ago.

We're really trusting the fate of Tokyo- of all of Japan, to these kids? Deku, Todoroki Shoto, Class A, can they really take out our most dangerous villains? Hawks spun around. "Alright," he said. He looked down the street towards a distant intersection that was only three-way and had a building with a parking garage under it straight ahead of him to end their block. The Intel-ANTs behind them had flown away and this street was secured for the moment at least to the point that it did not need the attention of the 2nd ranked hero in Japan. "We'll move for the Imperial Palace. I don't know if anyone's gone there to check on the Emperor and Princess yet, but we need-"

CHhhhHHH CRR-DOOF! The giant who was skidding back through the intersection just ahead of where Hawks and Tsukuyomi started running slammed his right fist down on the floor and stopped himself. There were two trenches dragged through the street under his legs that he had planted down to stop skidding back so hard, yet wind still blew off his sides and the man who punched his fist down was gasping for breath in his hunched-over position.

"Gargantuan," Tokoyami muttered, his eyes shifting from the giant man over fifteen meters tall and at least eight broad at the shoulders. He looked towards the corner that Gargantuan just got pushed through from an intersecting street perpendicular to theirs that they did not have a great angle of vision down. Neither Tokoyami nor Hawks could see what just caused the giant to come skidding down the street, but they stared with wide eyes as Gargantuan coughed and brought his left hand up in front of his mouth, getting blood all over his fingers.

The blow that sent him skidding down the block was too heavy. Blood dripped between the cracks of his fingers and Gargantuan gasped out for breath while his right fist opened up and curled into the ground. His bowed head lifted up slowly. His chin rose and his eyes were full of rage as he glared down the road he had just come skidding down. Gargantuan looked past Tinsel Tiger and She-Wolf's discarded bodies on the sides of the street completely broken and covered in blood. Broken remains of AANTs and the Intel-ANTs that had assisted the heroes in initially defeating that platoon of them were littered around the road. And a single figure walked forward on that street towards Gargantuan who pushed his right hand down harder while baring his teeth that had blood all over them.

Hawks flapped his wings down while Tokoyami re-covered up in a black veil of Dark Shadow. Hawks was about to move forward, when Gargantuan's voice made him freeze in place. "Ousuno." Tokoyami froze where he was as well with his own eyes growing huge as he recognized that name.

"Hawks!" A voice shouted behind the hero and his intern who could see a sidekick of Endeavor's agency in their peripherals running their way. "The Radians are here too! Endeavor is fighting Intanzo and-"

"How dare you?" Gargantuan snarled. His right fist that opened into a palm on the floor curled so his fingers were digging up the pavement under his hand where he was pressing all his weight to get back up. "Why? Tell me!" He yelled, pushing down harder and struggling back up onto his feet. "Ack- Tracer was your friend! Our, friend-" Gargantuan's teeth grit even harder as he glared towards the villain marching towards him, fingers curled down in front of him with the acrylic plastic clackers on his fingers and palms. "You betrayed us! WHY?!"

His enemy still wore the same white costume that he used to wear as the hero, Thunderclap. Only now he also had on a crimson cape over it with a black X across the whole back. He now wore a black helmet as well that was thicker around his ears in part to protect from his loud Quirk. The gloves with his special support items built in were still white like the rest of his costume, but they had black X-es on the back of them as well now. On those black X-es were tiny holes that worked as speakers to better amplify the power from his hands when he used his Quirk, Clap. Ousuno Kanami was no giant like Gargantuan, but he did stand 6 foot 6 inches tall, broad at the shoulders and muscular all over which was seen through his tight white costume.

In his twenties, he was a rising hero known for getting a higher ranking on the hero leaderboards every year since he graduated from hero high school. On the day he betrayed his fellow heroes, he was already in the top thirty in the country. He had fallen off the radar over the past half a year though before his betrayal and had actually dropped a few spots because of a lack of action in the months before appearing with the Radians. Hawks knew a truth that not everyone did. Something that a few of the most high-ranking hero officials in Japan knew but not many heroes. Not even Endeavor or Gran Torino who had been investigating their enemies closely with him over the past months had a clue as to Thunderclap's infiltration efforts.

We sent him in there. I knew how dangerous it was! I lost my arm. Sazaki lost, so much more. But- it's not the same! He turned. He killed heroes. We saw it! Hawks bit down in frustration and worry at the same time for his intern who his eyes darted towards for a second. He was so strong-willed that he was willing to go that deep despite knowing the risks. I didn't get it. I don't know what changed him, but I know he and Gargantuan are friends! They were. Hawks thought rapidly but not nearly fast enough to deal with everything happening around him all at once.

Endeavor's sidekick Kido started running faster towards Hawks and his intern who were ready for a fight against the enemy Gargantuan was yelling towards. That villain stopped walking though and stood ahead of his former friend who he glared straight into the eyes of. There was recognition in Iscariot's eyes but no hesitation. It made Gargantuan shake where he stood on already wobbling legs from how hard it was just to get up there. He had blood trickling down from the corners of his lips, and his eyes were huge and bloodshot as he stared towards his former classmate and one of his best friends through their years fighting as heroes together.

Gargantuan's bloodshot and huge eyes darted to the side and at the building behind him. "Move!" Hawks yelled to the other hero, flapping his wings behind him while breaking them apart at the same time. "I'll get everyone out! JUST GO!"

Gargantuan held his ground. Tokoyami started running forward, but he stumbled to a stop as the ground under his feet shook too much. CLAP!

Hawks sent his red feathers into the building behind Gargantuan. They broke through windows and grabbed people by their clothes. He tugged them out from under desks and yanked them to the other side of the building away from the windows closer to the street they were on. Hawks yelled down while flying close enough to the intersection to see down it at the villain standing there with his arms outstretched in front of him and his hands clapped together. "Move-" Hawks yelled, but Gargantuan crossed his arms and leaned forward into the shockwave that ripped through the street and slammed into him.

The two trenches from Gargantuan sliding back before were combined into one that went deeper and collapsed a subway tunnel below half of the road on Gargantuan's left side between him and Iscariot. Gargantuan's feet pushed back and he dug his heels down even as his arms were knocked away and the force hit him in the chest again but so much worse from that closer range than where Iscariot last attacked him from. The dent in Gargantuan's chest was visible to Hawks, Tokoyami, and Kido who all stared in shock at the huge circular indent in his costume. Buckets of blood splashed out of Gargantuan's mouth as his back smashed into the office building behind him.

CRASH! Gargantuan's body bent steel and shattered every window for ten stories. Most of the ones above cracked too and the whole building was shaking back and forth on its foundation. "Kido!" Hawks yelled, recovering quickest to what just happened. "Get them to the Chinonji Evac Center! GO!" Hawks pulled people out of the opposite side of the building and pulled them around it and over to Endeavor's sidekick. "Tsukuyomi, go with-"

"I am staying with you!" Tokoyami yelled back.

"I've got them!" Kido called out, assuring Hawks that he could do that on his own as he figured this fight might be a job for more than one person. Little did Endeavor's sidekick wrapped up like a mummy know, Hawks just wanted Tokoyami out of there. Tokoyami understood that enough himself though that Hawks could not even attempt to call out at him that the evacuation was more important here.

Tokoyami walked forward and stopped as a villain stepped into view from that road. The man was already glaring up towards Hawks but his eyes did dart Tsukuyomi's way for a moment as well and acknowledge his presence with the intense eyes of an experienced hero and villain about to start his next battle. Iscariot's fingers curled at his sides and uncurled just enough to stay in a ready position. His eyes did not linger on his old friend imbedded deep into an office that he tried to protect with his own body. Gargantuan's arms that were trembling at his sides and his fingers that twitched like he was trying to curl his hands, finally stopped moving. His fingers fell limp and his eyelids partially closed on his head that bowed out of the indent it made on the wall, though the rest of his body was still stuck there like that even as his heart beat its last.

"Get out of here! GO!" Tokoyami yelled to his left at other people who Hawks put down behind him and who Kido was also yelling at to follow him while waving his right arm after him.

"Thunderclap," Hawks said down to his enemy standing a distance away from him that he doubted his feathers could reach before the former hero could Clap his hands together. Chunks of the road were breaking off and falling into a subway tunnel below. Screams continued to ring out around them muffled by the blaring sirens and evacuation orders that had risen in volume in an attempt to counter that. "What…" Hawks closed his mouth. It doesn't matter. I just need to stop him here. What happened to him, is of no importance today.

One of those enemy ANTs was so strong. It landed a couple of hits. Raijin must have improved them, Tokoyami took in heavy breaths while trying to calm himself and focus on his current fight and how he was doing. Dark Shadow and I overpowered it and ripped it in half. We're strong. With him wrapped around me, I could possibly even take one of those, Claps… Could we? "I don't know! Didn't you just see the same thing I did?! That giant dude just got fucked up!" Gargantuan. That was his name, Tokoyami thought at the dark creature inside him that he had partially wrapped around him at the moment. His breathing got heavier as he saw Iscariot's mouth opening.

"Hawks," the second-in-command of the Radians spoke back to the hero who had started to ask him something. Iscariot's voice was low and extremely deep. Ousuno Kanami locked eyes with Hawks. "Dabi's supposed to finish you off. But seeing as he's not here, I'll do it. Prepare yourself. I'm going to kill Tsukuyomi as well."

Tokoyami's hair stood on end. He felt chills down his spine as he stared towards this man who he recognized. His eyes shook as he stared towards the hero once known as Thunderclap. What happened to him?! Tokoyami imagined a television that was blurry in his memory. He had been on his knees on the carpet in front of the screen though, a smile on his face as he saw All Might standing there on a stage set up for a press conference after he had defeated a group of villains. And he remembered Best Jeanist behind All Might on his right, and he could see Thunderclap standing there on All Might's back-left. He saw the smile on that hero's face as wide as All Might's was, which he had noticed because he could not tell when Best Jeanist was smiling behind that tall collar of his. Now All Might was retired though. And Best Jeanist was dead. Forced into retirement and killed, by the very same allies of the third man who had been on the stage with them that day.

He's killed innocents. He killed heroes! We have to stop him! Tokoyami thought with his fists clenching and wrapping with a stronger dark veil shaping them into claws.

"Iscariot," Hawks spoke again. He called his enemy by what his name really was. He called him by his villain name now. "Your job was to get close to the underworld inside Japan. Not become part of it." Tokoyami's eyes darted towards his pro hero then back to their enemy who kept his glare locked on a hero who could incapacitate him if he was not careful. Hawks narrowed his eyes and had no carefree look on it as he glared furiously at his old comrade. We trusted you! "You would have Tokyo burn? Everything you once stood for, destroyed? Is that what you want?!" What does it matter? He's not getting distracted or sloppy from this. He's not even reacting. We never knew him! There's no point in asking any of this!

"Tokyo will not burn," Iscariot countered Hawks. "Rather, it will thrive in the new age to come. After all that once was, is Decayed. As the heroes who held this world hostage in their broken system finally pay for all they've done-"

"Who…" Hawks' face shifted as his enemy was speaking in that low voice of his that he recognized. What he did not recognize though, were the words that came out of his enemy's mouth. "Who are you?" Hawks asked. "You- you can't be Thunderclap-"

"I am not. I am Iscariot," Ousuno replied. "I am no longer the man who went by that name. Thunderclap is no more." Iscariot's fingers twitched and then curled more threateningly. His legs bent and his eyes filled with more intensity as he prepared to attack if Hawks was not going to. "Now, you heroes will suffer for what you've done. And the League of Villains will take this world by force. You cannot stop it, Keigo, Takami." Hawks' eyes grew wider and in that moment, Iscariot Clapped his hands together towards him while yelling out, "The revolution has begun!"

---

A/N Thanks for reading! Deku stops Shigaraki from Decaying the city! At a cost... The villains have been released on Tokyo! Principal Nezu sends out his countermeasures to stop Raijin who counters him right back. Todoroki goes after Dabi. Tokoyami and Hawks face off against Iscariot. Endeavor takes on Intanzo! Kirishima and Tetsutetsu rush for the Imperial Palace, and Class A rushes to Heroally TV to save the hostages (who Raijin already killed ;(, unbeknownst to them). No sign of Zach anywhere. His friends in Yutapu saw only the start of the battle, but they're rushing to the scene now too! Hope you all enjoyed the new chapter! Leave a review below telling me what you think is going to happen, comments or questions! Response time:

Yamajiji chapter 242 . Dec 19, 2020

HOLY SHIIITTT. This was crazy. I'm happy Zach managed to clear his name. Kaminari has his first fail. I'm looking forward to seeing how you write put "The Battle of Tokyo". It'll be EPIC.

Thanks! Glad you liked it. Kaminari faces a couple bumps in the road, but he doesn't seem perturbed by the countermeasures his opponents put before him. Hope you enjoyed the start of The Battle of Tokyo! And Happy New Year!

cartoonfan9 chapter 242 . Dec 19, 2020

Okay wow this was sick! Didn't expect the bomb, but it makes sense and it was smart. No clue how Zach located it, he's just a god so that's the only explanation to me. There's NO way he's dead. He may be missing in action for a lot of what's to come (maybe most of the next chapter?) but he'll probably show up later when the heroes feel like they're losing.
What is this metal spider? Never heard of it, but Shigaraki is coming after that so maybe Deku vs Shigaraki coming up soon? Maybe? Idk. That'd be hype, but I don't understand how a metal spider is supposed to be so hard with heroes like Midoriya, Bakugo, Todoroki, Endeavor, and Hawks around.
Also how you just gonna kill off Gang Orca like that? :( He's a top 10 hero, I could see him losing if those villains seriously teamed up against him but it just seemed so sudden and they didn't really do much until Meta apparently OHKO'd Gang Orca. Hopefully Zach can revive him, but I doubt there'll be time to go on a revival spree.

Writing out the villains in this story is really a lot of fun because Raijin is that smart of a character. A lot of plans and means of taking on heroes that would seem too OP in a normal story just make sense to me to add in even if they're crazy OP, like, it's hard to explain but I feel like in a lot of stories the question arises: Why didn't the bad guys just _? And that blank could sometimes be: "Why didn't they just nuke the good guys?" Well, Kaminari sees that as a perfectly viable option. Any and all options are on the table for him. And when every option is available, and he knows how much he had to prepare to take on Zach and the heroes, then it only makes sense that the villains explored every one of those options. They didn't just ally with the Jazz and create the Radians. Not just recruiting other villains and assassins like Splodo and Danny. Not just working with corrupt officials and company executives, and forcing those executives to make them better equipment and costumes (RIP Rasheed). Kidnapping scientists and giving their own mad doctors (Dice) all the available materials to make them better tech, and better bio-weapons (like the Ultimate that Raijin thought about and released this time). As for Zach locating the bomb, he's also had all this time to predict Kaminari (even more time if we include the Void where he thought of all he had to do for years). Once he realized what Kaminari was doing, and that he could see how many heroes were around him including ones who should not have been in Tokyo at that exact moment, he figured the bomb had to be somewhere central. Really, Zach just knows Kaminari. He knows him as much as Kaminari knows him. And he has the experience that no one else does to think that fast to switch from actually losing it to being able to convince Kaminari over the cameras that he was still losing it, as he figured out where the bomb was and planned out getting it away from there. Nice prediction on what's up with Zach now though, but no spoilers... As for the Spider, that was something I had foreshadowed for a while. When Raijin and the other villains were shown, a lot of the time it was in huge underground hangars where those giant robots were in the process of being built. Raijin had to fill up generators while other villains around the hangars were hammering away and building the tall robots in the shadows. The one defeated outside of Karebo was not the only one unleashed on Tokyo, and there are hundreds of those Anti- Anti-Nomu Terminators (AANTs), as well as The Scorpion that Kaminari also thought about. There was some Deku and Shigaraki to start this chapter. And finally, Gang Orca. I tried not to insult him and show his top ten status as three of the top ten villains in the country charged at him in disguise as his fellow heroes and a civilian. You have to remember that Sonic and Meta were only defeated by All Might, and they managed to escape Tartaros and still be out of it this long even after most other escapees have been caught. They were responsible for killing some of the strongest heroes in the country. Pinoko herself too was the one to take off Best Jeanist's head. Gang Orca not being able to tell who his enemies were hurt him. If it was just Meta and Sonic, two of the most wanted villains in the country, he might have even won from what we saw of how quickly he was attacking Meta even while Slowed by Sonic who he had knocked down with his paralytic yell. And even when Pinoko attached the strings of her Quirk, Puppeteer, to him, she wasn't able to stop his swing. He was too strong that he pulled her and continued his slash, but she managed to change the direction the slightest amount that Meta, her, and Sonic combined were able to get that surprise attack on Gang Orca. Anyway, I was trying to show how strong Gang Orca was while at the same time showing again the power of these villains who we've only seen in action once at the Koimou raid. Thank you for the review and hope I responded to all of it! XD I'm real excited for the rest of the coming battle, so I hope you enjoyed the start of it and look forward for more to come soon! Happy New Year!

Angryshadow04 chapter 242 . Dec 19, 2020

It's really sad that everyone gave up on Zach and thought he really did kill an innocent person. Of course the best girls supported him and now it seems like Shigaraki is planning to decay a lot of shit which could probs do more damage than the bomb would have.
My only question is that there is no way Zach could die to that bomb right? He didn't die to Ares Muindo range Kamehameha so I don't see him dying to this.

;( Definitely a sad thing to see. And a lot of the heroes are seriously regretting it this chapter as they think of how they had doubted Lifebringer who they imagine just died to save them. It's a crushing feeling for a few of them knowing how they looked at him right before it, but they're trying to keep it from their minds for now as they need to focus on the fight. Best girls def were trying to back him up, (and we see this time that Himazuri didn't believe it either), but even Mina doubted him when she saw his face on that walk down the steps, and she was taking it rough this chapter. As for Zach dying from the bomb. No spoilers. I will say that the Ares attack in the mountains was a lot different though. The fact is that Zach did not contain that blast at all and felt no need to because he was not protecting everyone. He let all of those other assassins right next to him die from the beam because there was no way he could protect all of them and Deku. It destroyed a mountain and left a hole in another, so Zach didn't stop that beam at all. He just created a tiny spot of protection where most of his Death was burned away but managed to protect himself and his friend alone. This time, he had to protect everyone around him and completely stop the blast in place as he wrapped around it from point blank. He couldn't focus all his Death on a single spot, having to spread himself out in all directions equally and much too wide that we saw his thoughts struggling to stay together. It was a Cyclone bomb several times larger than the one in the Stain Cult chapters that was already made out to be this massive danger... Then again, Zach is stronger than he was in the Muindo range too after killing Ares. So, who knows? Shigaraki was stopped from his Decay, for now... We'll see what the battle has in store for us moving forward, as well as news on what's happening with Zach... if he's still even alive. Thanks for the review. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. And I hope you had a very Happy New Year's!

Guest chapter 242 . Dec 25, 2020

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you too, and a Happy New Year! XD