Chapter 297- Tartarus

Tartarus, the maximum security prison in Japan for incredibly powerful or notorious supervillains. A nigh impenetrable fortress, only accessible to the mainland through a landbridge. On the outside, thick steel walls rose from the crashing waves, warding off any would-be sea based attacks. Inside these large walls was a military grade complex, complete with warehouses full of weapons and robots should anyone try to get in or out unannounced, with several high-rising offices overlooking the complex. Spotlights and streetlights mixed along the pavement, creating no opportunity for blind spots, even in the darkened alleys between buildings. In the top right corner of the complex laid the main entrance to the prison below, guarded by a concrete wall and several guards hiding with their guns trained on the entrances at all times.

The individuals held in this complex were incarcerated and heavily monitored inside the deep cell blocks. The infrastructure itself sank deep below the surface of the water, and was guarded by titanium walls on the outside. On the inside, bleak tan halls and yellow overhead lights were the only source of illumination for prisoners and guards alike. They would see no sun from where they were, and would be lucky to even see the outside of their cells. After all, these criminals were some of the most notorious and most powerful supervillains to be captured. Their danger to society was amplified not simply by their quirks, but the destructive nature in which they wielded it- they were not just destructive, but fully competent in the abilities of their quirks. The more severe their crimes, the deeper they were kept within the prison, with the hopes that they would never be able to crawl their way out of their deep pit of solitude.

The time was currently 8:41 PM. The security at Tartarus had been notified immediately of Shigaraki's escape with his Nomus in tow, and had hastily put together their defense force in anticipation of an invasion. They had deployed all of their high grade defense mechs, much like the ones deployed in UA's entrance exam- only these were armed to the teeth with real guns, explosives, and were constructed to withstand some of the strongest attacks known to superhero society. It was rumored that even the strongest punch that Death Grip could muster had merely left a small dent in these robots.

Joining the defense force were twin heroes Gyges and Briareos, a pair of heteromorphic brothers whose quirks were perfect for riot control. With their big bodies and terrifying looks, it was no surprise many mistook them for villains and were intimidated by their presence. Not that they minded; it was thanks to their fearsome appearance that they were able to control crowds so well by scaring off weak-willed villains into a more advantageous position. However, they knew that their intimidation wouldn't work against their expected opponents, should they arrive. It was now 8:42.

Several guards had joined the twins and giant robots at the front gate. If their opponents WERE to come for the prisoners below, they'd have to go straight through them. There was simply no way for them to penetrate the 10 meter thick iron walls surrounding the prison, and even if they could they'd risk sinking the entire prison. Surely if villains were to attack Tartarus, they wouldn't want to drown their allies below.

The guards and the twins stood vigilant, watching the bridge for any movement. The downpour of rain and thunder were perfect to mask the sounds of any approaching villains, and the crashing waves added to the chorus of disrupting chaos. Every guard was aware of this, and yet they could do nothing but continue to stare into the black abyss, awaiting a response from their adversaries. They waited for a breath… then two…

A flash of purple flared in the distance. Before anyone could comprehend it, a series of inhuman cries called out.

And all hell broke loose from there.

"Give us a status report, Briareos, Gyges!"

The control tower wasted no time in pushing all their security measures into overdrive the second they heard the chaos. It hadn't even been a full 10 minutes of waiting when gunfire and explosions could be heard on the bridge, the sounds of fighting reaching the tower in a record time.

"Gyges here…" A frantic voice called on the comms. "Trigger a code red security alert! Briareos is down… they've killed my brother! We need a code red now-"

The comm cut off with a frazzle. Alarmed guards shared a horrified look. Briareos was down, and it was more than likely Gyges had just joined him. The room came to a collective understanding, and began sending out more drones and robots. There was no way they could hold the incoming terror- but an attempt still needed to be made.

It would be their final stand, but they would make it last.

"How uninspiring…" A rather bored Shigaraki proclaimed, as he stalked out of the cover of his Nomu's wings. They had landed on the bridge and began an assault of projectiles using the Nomus's various quirks and Dabi's flames. Dabi made no complaints even in the rain, but he was clearly not putting his all into the assault; he'd much rather be elsewhere.

Bullets whizzed past Shigaraki's head, but he held no concern that any would hit him. One of his Nomu was using a small magnetic field quirk that redirected the bullets as they got close. He had only emerged from behind the wings when the twin heroes were defeated- their projectile quirks couldn't be redirected- and knelt down on the bridge.

Shigaraki could tell he didn't have any of the quirks he had during the war, the failed regeneration still lingering in his mind. But he didn't need them for this; his Dissolve quirk would do for now. Dissolving a part of the bridge in the shape of a large boulder, he stepped away as another Nomu approached it.

"All yours." He said, and in the blink of an eye the Nomu hefted the boulder up, and threw it at one of the massive robots like a baseball. The boulder went clean through the robot's frame, causing it to topple over on some guards standing behind it, as Dabi's flames pushed them closer to the impact point.

It wouldn't be long for them to get past this first pitiful defense, but Shigaraki was still getting impatient. He could sense his mentor's presence at the very bottom of this desolate rock, and he would have to dive deep into Tartarus to finally get his answers. Why All for One couldn't just talk to him with his telepathy he had used before bothered him to no end, but knowing his master he probably wanted to speak in person. How sentimental.

Whatever. If it meant getting an answer from him, then Shigaraki would have to endure. After all, he endured months of inexplicable pain for the very powers he just lost.

'You'd better have something good for me.' Shigaraki thought, as he prepared another boulder.

8:41 PM

"I heard we're welcoming the big oaf to his new home tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, Gigantomachia. He's ol' mushface's big goon, right? What, they couldn't kill that thing?"

An older guard merely snorted as the younger guard kept a watchful eye on the monitor. They had worked together for a long time, and he was used to the younger one being more abrasive with the villains they were meant to keep under guard. He figured if it were up to him, then these cells would be empty and the ocean outside would be littered with the bodies of the biggest villains of the past 3 decades.

"Nope. Guns are useless against a giant like him, and since he's human, they wouldn't just blow him to bits with a missile." The older guard spoke.

"Feh. Human? Hardly." The younger guard spoke, scowling at the monitors once more. "More like a disaster on legs, or a wild beast. Just like the rest of these animals."

"Cut it out. You know we're being recorded. We've already got our hands full with accusations of human rights violations. Heavens know where the leaked information is coming from."

"You know I'm right though." They flipped between the channels of each cell, looking at many villains who had been recently captured, each criminal being more notorious than the last. "They might walk and talk like people, but these disgusting beings... They only managed to mingle with society as long as they did because quirks have warped our standard for humanity."

"Sounds like you've read up on the Quirk Doomsday Theory." The older guard gently laughed. "I can only imagine your wife and son are sick of you reciting it to them."

"It'll come to pass, though. When it does, we'll not be prepared for it, and cells like these won't be able to hold those who use that power for wrong." The younger guard began to glare at a specific image on the monitor. "They'll have to be stopped in more permanent ways." The older guard just sighed. He wasn't going to get him off this topic, and further discussing it could get them in trouble. He wasn't kidding about those unknown leaks about what some of the guards had to say about the people they were meant to watch.

A while back, somebody had leaked a brief conversation many guards had about silently killing off some of the more dangerous criminals in the lower paddocks. The guards had largely been jesting, but there was an undeniable thought passing between them all about what would happen if they took it seriously. This conversation was used by the opposition of the prison system as an example of human rights abuse, and they had spent a long time trying to calm down the masses and assure them that these criminals were not being cruelly mistreated.

How ironic. The people they kept locked in here were being vouched for by the people who wanted them in there in the first place. But that was the balance of respecting human life people had to keep if they wanted to be better than the villains.

Sometimes, though, it was awfully tempting to give up on that balance and just remove the problem outright. Not to mention that the fact that there was a leak at all should be a huge cause of concern for the public. But they had largely wanted to ensure that the prisoners were not being treated cruelly… truly, it was hard to believe that their priorities were actually set straight.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The blaring sounds and red flashing lights caused both guards to shoot out of their seats as a voice on the intercom shouted "CODE RED! SECURITY ALERT, INTRUDERS DETECTED! I REPEAT, CODE RED SECURITY ALERT!" Both men immediately got to work on the computers.

"Sealing off every floor!" The older guard said over the intercom. "All staff, be on high alert!"

"They arrived earlier than I thought." The younger guard snarled. "They won't even take a rest?! No doubt what they're after here!" A few more keystrokes, and outside the drawbridge began retracting from the mainland. "Bridge is being lowered, deploying drones!"

Outside, the drones had flown quickly over to Shigaraki's position with the Nomu on the bridge, surrounding them from the air near instantly, aiming to kill their opposition.

Before the drones could even open fire, Shigaraki had mounted his Nomu and taken to the skies, zooming between many drones and quickly brushing his fingers against each of them, making them dissolve and crumble instantaneously.

"All for One…" Shigaraki groaned. As he had gotten closer to the prison, he could sense his master's presence more clearly. "I know you can hear. These guns above ground won't bother me, but… there's no doubt I'll be more limited as we go below. I can't risk doing too much damage to the structure." He awaited his response. It was no question of if he would get it.

'Shigaraki… You're slowly beginning to understand our connection.' All for One's voice gently called to him. He almost sounded like he was delighted to speak to his pupil once more.

"What's this all about anyways… Why're you talking through my head?"

'Isn't it obvious? We share so much now.'

"We're not sharing my body or my mind. That wasn't what I wanted from this."

'I understand entirely! Please, come to me and I can better discuss this. I want to see you face to face.'

Feh. Of course he was going to make this difficult.

'I can't break myself out from inside… and you are correct, you will not be able to do well on the inside by yourself.'

"So what do you propose?"

'Like I said, my boy, we share so much now…'

An image flashed in Shigaraki's mind. He held onto it for one second, two… Then he smirked and began to give a light chuckle. "Yeah. That'll work."

Shigaraki steered his Nomu over to the main guard tower and swiftly pressed his hand against it, causing the whole tower to crumble. Shigaraki's smirk grew even bigger as he watched the wreckage fall. If he was right, which he should be, that was one of the towers where all the communications and security programs were held. There were five in total, spread across the complex, with the biggest sat right on top of the entrance of the cell blocks. If those were destroyed, then the whole prison should exit its lockdown mode.

From there, it would all be on his Master.

'Perfect.' All for One thought to himself, the large smile on his face growing ever wider. His student was performing so admirably, even with the many questions he had. He truly had set himself free from any doubts that would weigh him down when defeated Redestro- ah, what a perfect learner!

But now was not the time to remain in awe! Shigaraki wouldn't be able to reach him- he wasn't lying to All Might when he said even he would have a tough time struggling against the intricate defense system of Tartarus. So he had spent the past few months quietly learning about the security and all its measures, using a combination of his frazzling quirk to hide his brain waves and his Search quirk to get information on everything about Tartarus, its guards, and its prisoners. He had compiled all this information for this exact moment.

Slowly and steadily, All for One broke free of his restraints, starting with his straight jacket. A quirk surge with his muscle growth quirk caused the jacket to burst with little struggle. He could hear the guards monitoring his room panicking and ordering him to remain seated, but he paid them little mind. The guns trained on him began firing as he snapped out of his restraining belts and cuffs around his legs and hands.

Swift as a hummingbird, All for One ducked out of the path of the gunfire, making sure to keep moving. If he slowed for even a second, those guns would pepper him full of holes- a disgraceful way to go. He fired off his finger tendrils from his right hand into the gun on his left and vice versa, jabbing the guns with the sharp material. After causing them to spread around and jab through the guns multiple times, he finally ripped them off their mounts on the wall, causing the guns to spark and shut off.

That was the first obstacle. Facing the glass wall, All for One grinned. He could tell the guards were arming themselves and preparing to charge his cell. It mattered not to him; from the flickering lights and loud booms he could hear, he could tell Shigaraki had cut down a few more towers. If his calculations were correct, then the last tower should be coming down…

"SUPPRESSION SQUADS, MOVE IN!" A voice boomed over the intercom. "SUBJUGATE INMATES IN ALL CELL BLOCKS!"

Oh? Shigaraki had already destroyed the last tower? It seemed that in his own battle against the guns, Shigaraki had continued to defy his expectations. All for One couldn't feel more pride even if he had done it himself.

"Yes, Shigaraki." All for One spoke aloud as he approached the glass. "This is what it means to escape the inescapable, to do the impossible. You must look at what they tell you you can't do, and look at the reasons why they tell you you shouldn't do it… And you do it anyway." He pressed a hand against the glass. "A break-out from the outside should be impossible. You've done well so far, but if they had more time, they could've knocked you out of the sky long before you got close. As for a break-out from the inside, well… I wouldn't have even made it this far." He began to activate a pressure-based quirk against the glass, causing it to vibrate against his palm. "But what if you did both at once? It sounds impossible… and yet here we are, together, defying what they expect of us." The glass shattered at his fingers, and All for One smiled as a rain of glass fell around him.

He could hear the screams of guards as they were skewered by the cannibalistic villain known as Moonfish, or crushed by the sheer mass of Muscular's body. No doubt both were ecstatic to kill once more. He heard more screams, more villains crying for freedom and blood. He could hear it all, and it made him feel so alive. In all his days in this prison, this was the loudest it had ever been, and it was beautiful- a disruption to the normally quiet and secure atmosphere of this prison was well-needed, in his opinion.

All for One began walking slowly towards the metal doors that sealed off his exit. It wouldn't fare much better than the glass.

Running around the prison, evading fellow prisoners and guards alike, she couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on. The system wasn't responding to her or anyone else's quirk, which meant the power was down and security protocols couldn't be enacted anymore. Somebody had destroyed the towers, which meant there was a break-out happening.

"What in the world is going on here?" She wondered aloud as she dodged a fireball headed towards a guard's chest. Every prisoner had opened their door the second the power went off, and all hell had broken loose from there. Using the doors as cover, she had ascended about 2 floors by now, but she knew she was far from the surface. She had to keep moving.

It wasn't until halfway through her next floor that she had noticed one door remaining shut, but somebody was banging their head on the glass on the inside. She stopped and watched as they desperately slammed against the door again and again, not even looking at her in their desperation to escape. Was their door stuck?

She knew she didn't have time for this… but she couldn't convince herself of that. Old habits, it seemed, were starting to resurface even after all this time. She knew that didn't bode well at all, but before she could stop herself she had already gotten to work on the door, pulling the wheel until it opened.

Out stumbled a young man with short, shaggy brown hair and a five o'clock shadow. The man didn't even thank her as he cried out "Boss!" upon his release, falling to the ground. It was then that she noticed the poor chap didn't have any hands to release himself from the door with, only stubby little knobs where his arms were supposed to meet with his shoulder. He couldn't even pick himself off the floor, deciding to squirm around like a worm instead. Realizing she wasn't done with him yet, she sighed and quickly pulled his shoulder over hers, stumbling along with him through the halls.

Today was getting way too crazy…

8:55 PM

"AW GIMME A BREAK!" Muscular cried out in rage, standing on a pile of rubble and corpses he had made himself. "WHERE'S THE DAMN BRIDGE?! WE CAN'T GET ANYWHERE WITHOUT IT!"

Shigaraki just scoffed. Not soon after he destroyed the last tower, villains had poured out of the prison entrance and scattered across the complex, picking off other guards and destroying the last of the security robots. Shigaraki had taken to sitting near the entrance, waiting for his master, when he saw some old familiar faces emerge.

Muscular kept seething in rage, not even paying his old colleague any mind. He was too focused on escape, it seemed. Moonfish had decided to entertain himself by poking his teeth into the pile of corpses, crying out in glee whenever blood sprayed out from one. Many other criminals were still surrounding the entrance, unsure of where to go next. The complex was only so big, and most of the guards had been taken care of.

"If it's freedom that you want, then I'm afraid you must wait just a tad bit longer." A booming voice called from the entrance. Shigaraki turned his attention to the entrance, alongside most other villains. His master stood, holding a young guard with slanted eyes. He was still barely conscious, it seemed.

"Master…" Shigaraki said, approaching All for One. Muscular finally noticed him, giving out a grunt of surprise when he saw the young villain. Was this the same guy when they first met all that time ago?

"Friends, I want you to hear me out. I'm sure many of you are looking forward to being a part of an army headed by me, with the mission of bringing upon an era of liberation and darkness, befitting my rule." Many villains nodded in agreement, eager to work with the famous supervillain who had terrorized Japan from the shadows for centuries. A world where a man like him controlled everything would mean great things for those who assisted in his mission. Others were more apprehensive, perhaps wanting to enjoy their freedom with no more obligations of fighting, or perhaps they wanted to rebuild their own reputations and killing sprees.

"However, I'm afraid that I cannot be the one to lead this army." At this, many shocked whispers sounded out. All for One raised his hand, calling for silence. "Instead, if you wish to serve me, to create this world of ruin and destruction fitting for those of our title and power, I encourage you to instead, follow this young man."

All for One pointed at Shigaraki, who faced the crowd with a rather uninterested gaze. More murmurs joined the sounds of rain and carnage falling around the villains. "He has created this opportunity for our freedom, and he has worked hard to gain a power more potent than mine. Please, take up your Quirks, and join his ranks! Be a part of this incredible chapter in his life! Witness the birth of a king!" All for One gave Shigaraki a smile, one filled simultaneously with malice and pride. "This will become the story of how he became the greatest demon lord of all!"