Hello, everybody. I hope you all enjoyed last week's chapter, because this one was a lot for me to put together just in terms of sheer scale and variety of things going on, as the League of Villains continues its tooth-and-nail conflict with the Meta Liberation Army. I hope this take on the arc is satisfying all your expectations. It's hard to tell, since nobody has said anything to the contrary thus far.

But the numbers of readers each day don't lie, and I'm still just as grateful for that as I've ever been. That's just as much a sign that so many of you out there still care this much to keep reading to this day. Thank you all for that.

And thank you once again to my beta readers, consultants and friends: Mizu, Jonny and Carlos.

And a further enthusiastic thank you to all the incredibly talented artists over on DA that have helped bring Kolya and his adventures to life, piece by piece: Syyndev, Akane Kahomi, AliceKuroCross, Suki-Chan2509, effasempai, Eliza-Frost, Vanera-Taro and Yumake.

Also, as a quick reminder, since the end of April is coming up soon: Please don't forget to vote on my poll on my account page, regarding whether or not I should try tackling any of the MHA spinoffs for this particular continuity or not. Your voices do make a difference, and so far it looks like not one person has voted, but maybe that system is set up to where I only see the results once the poll itself is closed. I guess I'll just have to see.

My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters and the original events surrounding them.

A/N: [[]] indicates that characters are contextually speaking Russian.

Chapter 123

All Alone

(Совсем Один)

The one thing driving Himiko Toga more than anything, even in the chaos of the continuing battle between the League of Villains and the Meta Liberation Army, was her desire to try and save Vukodlak and Twice. The last she had seen right after she'd first gotten attacked, was that the two of them had somehow gotten sucked into the reflection of a window and yanked away.

Her body was in incredibly rough shape. Even she couldn't rightly say how much longer she could keep moving before blood loss would eventually win out. But she was going to make a point of getting her beloved friend and Sensei back, no matter what before that happened. But considering they had been taken away so fast, and into such a bizarre place as a fully two-dimensional plain, it wasn't long after she had taken off from the site of her own battle, that she realized how difficult it would be to catch up with them. Even if that weren't the case, she had no earthly idea as to how she was going to get them out and back into the real world with the rest of them.

'If there's one thing that Sensei has taught me, it's that there's always a way…you just gotta be willing to take the risks to make it work.'

This was the memory that ultimately got her to slow her roll and really think about how to find them. Thankfully, she had managed to slip away into a narrow alley amid the bustling energy of the fight going on everywhere else, and this gave her the opportunity to really close off her sight and hearing to everything else, and try to listen in for something that didn't match up with everything else.

There was so much noise and so many different racing heartbeats coalesced altogether, it was taking all the concentration Himiko could wield to try and block it out and listen as closely as she could; silently hoping Vukodlak and Twice hadn't been taken too far away by now.

But then, something caught her ear; three similarly racing heartbeats; their positions moving far too fast, and at far too great an area in both distance and height for it to be a fight like all the others. They weren't even echoing the exertion and rapid changes in pace that often came with the physical toll of fighting.

It was a long shot, but it was the only shot Himiko had, and by God, she would take it for what it was worth. Fortunately, it all seemed to be centered in on general area that wasn't too far, and there didn't sound to be too many other heartbeats between there and her position; granting her the perfect opportunity to close in.

But once she knew she was within throwing distance of the place, her injuries once again forced her to stop, hide and really think about what she was going to do. 'If I just step out into the open in the middle of their battle; what's to stop the guy attacking Sensei and Jin from simply pulling me in with them and wrecking me more than I already am? There's gotta be some way I can get them out without putting myself at risk.'

A quick scan of her surroundings fortunately presented her with an opportunity: a slightly ajar door to a house, and an abandoned delivery truck sitting just on the edge of the street down from where she was hiding. She currently had no reason to believe the Army had cut off all power to this whole city. After all, Vukodlak had pointed out their security cameras before; they clearly needed power if they were using those things to film all this fighting.

Quickly making her way inside while also listening for either Vukodlak or Twice's trapped and rushing heartbeats, or the heartbeats of anyone else lying in wait to try and ambush her; Himiko soon found herself in a small kitchen; just the place she needed to be. Without hesitation, she hurriedly tried to pull the nearby stove out just a few inches so she could both turn on the fire, and reach behind and loosen the valve to the gas line.

Without a moment to spare, she then hurriedly ran out the front of the house, made a beeline for the delivery truck, and quickly jabbed her knife into the gas tank on the side of it, leaking the fuel out in the direction of the house. From there, she proceeded to run as far away from the site as she could. 'I hope this works, Sensei, Jin! If it does, sorry for any burns. And if it doesn't, or ends up killing you; then we'll all be together soon.'

BKOOOOOM!

Himiko ducked into the safety of another nearby suburban alleyway just in the nick of time, for the moment she did, the gas fumes from the house had finally met the stovetop flames, and with the combination of the fuel leak outside; it all resulted in a colossal fireball that sent a deafening shockwave through much of the neighborhood, leveling the house, and half-destroying all houses on its sides; and even better, shattering every window, mirror, and reflective shatter-able surface for several blocks around. If her desperate hunch would be proven correct, that would be bound to get Vukodlak and Jin out free for quite a while.

The adrenaline finally proceeded to wear off from there, and Himiko could finally feel the agony of all her injuries come rushing back with a vengeance. She was completely and utterly spent, and she knew she was as good as dead if she just passed out here in the open.

Luckily, being in one of the neighborhood alleys lined by the walled-off backyards; she had plenty of places to choose from within which to hide. So with that in mind, she proceeded to quickly vault over the nearest wall, and thank her lucky stars that it had a small little shed in it. She hurriedly squeezed through its little doors, and upon shutting herself inside, finally let her whole body collapse with the exhaustion from all the blood she'd lost.

'No strength…my arms won't move anymore. Colors are fading. Yeah…this is the same sensation as they all felt. Hehe…again…I feel so much closer to them.'

And with those echoing thoughts in mind, and an at ease smile on her face, Himiko finally let her eyelids close, as she finally lost consciousness; now all alone this deep into enemy territory.

Up within the tower, Re-Destro had been especially silent as he watched the incredible battle between his Army and the League of Villains unfold. When he had seen the distant but no-less impressive sight of so many of them floating up into the air only to come plummeting down brutally, it was the first time this whole fight had gotten a physical reaction out of him; one of his hands instinctively clenching into a fist behind his back.

But when he had then seen the huge fireball erupt in the middle of one of the suburban sectors of Deika City, his other hand did exactly the same as he sucked in a deep breath through his long pointed nose. He didn't even care whether or not Giran had the strength to even lift his head to observe this conflict alongside him.

"In Toga Himiko's world, there's no such thing as other people…so because her way of thinking and feeling went against society's grain; they decided to label her a deviant, a Villain. Whose fault is it, really, that she turned out this way? Isn't it odd how society insists on conforming to the old ways of thinking while eliminating anyone who doesn't fit their mold? Especially since we as a species have moved beyond the very notion of normal! Our comrade, Curious; she hoped to communicate that message to the masses via Toga! It's a fundamental truth!"

With perfect timing, the elevator door to this top floor suit opened; allowing his black-suited, long-haired associate, Tomuyasu Chikazoku to step in; wasting no time making his own feelings known with a humorless tone: "Curious should never have been on the frontline. She was a valuable resource for us."

The fact that the man was speaking of her like this had ultimately given Re-Destro all the confirmation he needed as to what had just happened. He didn't look back to either him or Giran, and exercised remarkable emotional restraint as he kept his back to them; a single tear running down his face as he forced himself to respond: "Not just Curious…each and every warrior dives into battle with hopes for the future. Life…is so very precious."

But Tomuyasu was far from a sentimental man; either not noticing, or not caring, about the sadness the Army's Grand Commander was now suffering from. "Well…too bad we can't use Curious' footage, since Toga Himiko herself isn't exactly an ideal fit for the tragic lead of the narrative we're pushing."

"Footage…?"

Giran's voice was especially weak after having been in the pitiful state he was in for this long. But weakness or not, that still didn't stop Tomuyasu from angrily grabbing him by the face. "Huh?! Is something confusing you?! Is this a question you even want answered?! What's keeping you from asking properly; like 'what do you mean by footage?' Do you still have too much pride?! If someone says 'one!', do you go 'one?' like a parrot?! Can you think critically?! Use your imagination?! Are your neurons taking a vacation?! Do you need us to spell everything out and tell you that two plus two is four? Why should we?!"

SMACK!

With an insulting slap to the broker's face, Tomuyasu went off on pacing impatiently in a circle; hands in the air as he continued his rant: "Surveillance cameras throughout the city are recording every second of this battle! Picture it: in the absence of Heroes, these desperate townsfolk are defending their homes from wicked Villains! We'll find plenty of use for that footage!"

"After all that rambling, you told me anyway!" Giran spat back mockingly at the man who had wasted so much time calling him every form of stupid he could think of in this state. "Do you really think this will change anything? You people are insane."

By now, Re-Destro had managed to ride out his sorrow and was now in the middle of wiping away his tears; his focus and confidence fully returned as he saw the rest of the battle continue to unfold. "No, I'm afraid it's everyone else who has gone mad. As I suspected…you certainly lack imagination. Without conviction, hearts and minds will not be moved. "

Vukodlak and Twice's heads were both still ringing like nothing else they had ever experienced after all the time they'd spent getting thrashed around and thrown from one reflection to another. At some point, they had both been left without a clue as to how long they had been stuck like that, and with no idea on how to fight back…until a colossal explosion's shockwave had come rippling through the area, shattering every glass or porcelain object for several blocks; finally managing to free the two Villains and their blindsided captor.

But the near minute that passed which allowed for the duo to recollect their senses, had unfortunately proven enough time for that same Liberation warrior to recover, and quickly realize the disadvantage he now found himself in; taking that opportunity to dive into the reflection in a large enough piece of broken glass, and thus make his escape to regroup and re-strategize.

As Vukodlak and Twice both slowly picked themselves up in the middle of this empty playground they had landed in; the Russian Villain's wounds were thankfully already starting to heal through his Super Regeneration, and the ringing in his head thankfully started to fade enough for him to hear two particularly strong and rushing heartbeats closing in on his and Twice's position; spurring him to quickly get into a ready fighting position. "Brace yourself, Twice-san! We're not out of the woods by a long shot!"

"VUKODLAK-SAN! TWICE-SAN! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?!" Mr. Compress' voice suddenly called out, as he and Spinner came leaping from over the roof of one of the barely still-standing houses in the neighborhood; with a handful more Army warriors hot on their heels with their Quirks at the ready.

Both newly returned Villains knew that this was no time for pleasantries; as Vukodlak and Twice quickly rushed in to help their two comrades; Vukodlak springing himself up off the ground and rending his claws through the warrior at the forefront before he could hope to defend himself, while Twice quickly wrangled and broke the neck of another with his measuring tape; allowing Mr. Compress to hurriedly swoop in and compress the warrior nearest him into a marble, and Spinner quickly drew out his two short-swords to try and fight off the last.

"HOW MUCH LONGER UNTIL WAKEY-WAKEY TIME, COMPRESS-SAN?!" Spinner exclaimed in frustration as he tried to break through his opponent's defenses, while the others were already finding themselves quickly preoccupied by further reinforcements. Compress barely even had the opportunity to check. "One hour and twenty minutes!"

"SERIOUSLY?! EVEN THOUGH WE KEEP KNOCKING 'EM DOWN, THEY JUST KEEP COMING!" Spinner fumed as he finally managed to find an opening and cut one enemy down, only for two more to quickly try and rush him while the others were too busy defending themselves to try and intercept.

But even as Twice was trying to keep from getting ganged upon; his head was still frantically looking this way and that. "Where'd Toga run off to?!"

Indeed, the sight of their youngest ally having gotten caught in an explosion right at the very start had been pressing on Vukodlak's mind as well; as he called out to Mr. Compress and Spinner the moment he'd ducked under another sweeping attack and subsequently gored his attacker with a sweeping kick from the claws on his feet; boosted by his Muscle Augmentation Quirk. "DID EITHER OF YOU TWO SET OFF THE EXPLOSION FROM EARLIER?!"

"It's been taking everything we've had just to try and fight off the lot we've been dealing with!" Mr. Compress quickly answered as he glided from one rooftop to another across the street, hurriedly throwing a marble that released a huge plume of liquid nitrogen in the faces of his pursuers; freezing a handful of them solid, while only half-freezing the rest.

Vukodlak's worry only managed to fuel his rage, as he quickly tackled another warrior with a duck and subsequent lunge of his hand, grabbing her by the face and slamming all of her body weight and his own boosted strength head-first into the ground; snapping her neck like a twig. "Then if Shigaraki-san and Dabi-san aren't nearby; that must mean it was Toga-san that did it!"

Dedicating his focus towards his sense of smell, Vukodlak breathed in deep; mentally shutting away the stench of smoke and burning fuel…and as a result, immediately honing in on the unmistakable scent of Himiko's blood. "I've got her locked on! She's not too far!"

"Attention! I have tragic news to report!"

Suddenly, the sound of the man they now all knew as Koku Hanabata came echoing through the battlefield, amplified by a megaphone from not too far away. This managed to catch the attention of all the Army's warriors, and the Villains alike, as Mr. Compress observed from up above and subsequently reported to his comrades: "He's on an election campaign van the next block over, right where Shigaraki-san and Dabi-san are!"

The four Villains wasted no time rushing to the site, leaping from one rooftop to the next, before finally spotting their two allies still trying to rush for the tower through the legions of warriors still trying to stand in their way; while several feet back, the sharp-dressed politician was indeed speaking through a megaphone to the Army members before him atop a small van with the words 'Hearts & Minds Party' stenciled on all sides: "Ms. Curious has fallen in battle! She has given her life to the Liberation Army's cause!"

The waves of lamentation that ensued from the mobs of warriors were almost physically overwhelming. "I bring further word from our Grand Commander in response to this tragedy! He has said: 'DO NOT LET HER SACRIFICE BE IN VAIN!'"

And with just as equal physical force and animalistic fervor; all of the warriors' sadness had been magically transformed into overzealous rage, as a near flood of them now all began to try and converge on Tomura and Dabi, as well as Vukodlak and his allies on the rooftops above, forcing them to fight even harder on the defensive; Mr. Compress begrudgingly noting: "I see now! Hanabata is playing the role of a preacher gathering his flock! This isn't an army! It's more like a religious sect now!"

"AND TO THINK THERE'S NO MONEY IN RELIGION! THERE TOTALLY IS!" Twice blurted out as he quickly got tackled by another warrior trying to pry off his mask.

But that same warrior quickly got a clawed foot raking straight up his face, as Vukodlak fought him off before just as quickly crushing another handful of warriors with a hastily made and kick-propelled Air Shield straight into their faces. "I CAN TRACK WHERE TOGA-SAN IS THROUGH HER BLOOD! I'LL GO GET HER! TWICE-SAN, YOU HELP SPINNER-SAN AND COMPRESS-SAN GET THESE FOOLS OFF SHIGARAKI-SAN AND DABI-SAN'S BACKS, AND HELP THEM CLEAR A PATH TO THE TOWER!"

Twice was quick to hop back onto his feet, swerving past another strike from an incoming attacker's Quirk, and subsequently wrangling them with his measuring tape. "FAT CHANCE! I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE THINKING! YOU'VE ALREADY GOT ALL TOGA'S ADMIRATION AS HER SENSEI; NOW YOU WANNA BE HER SAVIOR ON TOP OF THAT!"

The warrior unfortunate enough to get immobilized was quickly finished by Vukodlak slamming all the strength through his feet directly into his face, as he likewise argued back: "NO, YOU IDIOT! I'M TRUSTING YOU TO HELP SHIGARAKI-SAN GET TO THE TOWER, BECAUSE I KNOW HOW STRONG YOUR QUIRK ACTUALLY IS, AND HAS BEEN EVER SINCE WE LEFT RUSSIA; DON'T YOU GET IT?!"

Not wanting to waste any more invaluable time, Vukodlak grabbed onto Twice by the scruff of his costume's neck, pulling him along as he began to follow the trail of Himiko's scent. "You may not believe it, but it's the truth: I never once thought you were weak or worthless; nobody here has, and especially not Toga-san! You want her to see how cool you really are, then help us win this thing! I know you can!"

Twice's instinctive flailing about while being carried along by Vukodlak's hand was at first out of protest, but upon listening to his ally's reasoning, was now out of eagerness. "DAMMIT, YOU'RE RIGHT, YOU BASTARD! LET ME GO, AND I'LL SHOW TOGA WHO'S THE REAL COOL ONE HERE!"

With that, and not even breaking his stride, Vukodlak released his hold on Twice, who was already proceeding to leap down from the roof onto the street; proudly proclaiming: "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" on the way down, thus leaving Vukodlak sprinting even faster, completely locked onto Himiko's scent.

But down below on the very same street Twice was leaping to, Tomura and Dabi quickly found themselves getting gained upon by a veritable tidal wave of feverishly driven Liberation Army warriors; whipped up into something beyond a frenzy by Hanabata's words. All of Tomura's allies could see the overwhelming disadvantage he was clearly in, as Twice was already frantically calling his name.

But none of this was what he was focused on; as there was only one thing Tomura could see right now: not a wave of humanity, but an inconceivable black mass rolling its way toward him, while all of his surroundings continued to waver and distort. It was like the sensation one felt when they were teetering on the verge of consciousness and unconsciousness late at night after several days of no sleep…just like what he had gone through.

Even the usually crystal clear voice of Koschei the Deathless in the back of his head was coming in muddled: "Your poise and movements have started losing their coordination, Tomura Shigaraki. What's going on with you? This is not the time to start losing focus! Your allies need you on top of your game!"

'Sleepy.' This was all Tomura could think, both in response to his inanimate benefactor within his pocket, and to himself as he tried to recollect his senses to no avail. 'And when I get sleepy, stuff that's not moving starts coming to life. I start hearing things that aren't there. All this unnecessary input…it's total sensory overload. It's like my whole body's glitching. I know this feeling well. If my Quirk had actually stayed strengthened without those damn bracelets like Twice's; this wouldn't be nearly as frustrating as it is right now.'

And before Tomura's very eyes; that roiling black mass before him suddenly began to take shape…no, it was more that everything around him was changing. Where there had once been a town's road; now he seemed to find himself in what looked like an adult's office in their house. Everything certainly seemed big enough around him; or else he had simply gotten smaller, from the way everything looked from his perspective. 'Oh, what now?'

"Check this out, Tenko! It's a secret!"

The sound of a young girl's voice suddenly drew Tomura's eyes down, and before him, he could now see a little girl with black hair done in twintails; eagerly rushing to the desk at the end of this office, an excited yet mischievous smile on her face as she opened one of the drawers, all the while urging him to come forward, which from his perspective, he actually seemed to be doing without actually willing himself to. 'Another flashback, I guess.'

Within a momentary blackout, as though he had blinked against his own will, Tomura now found he was looking upon an aged photograph of a pretty middle-aged woman with black hair done in a messy ponytail, in the middle of playing with a little boy with short, similarly messy black hair. "So…this is grandma. She was a Hero, I guess."

But even as he continued to look upon this picture in front of his mind's eye and nothing more, Tomura couldn't put together any familiarity for it. 'What's this about again? This memory isn't in my head. All I can recall is the feeling. When I recall this, I feel a weight coming off my chest. But why? What is it?'

"Why did you wanna show me this, Hana?" a little boy's voice suddenly spoke up, as if in cosmic answer to Tomura's own dizzying confusion, as the smiling little girl before him only seemed to smile that much brighter. "Daddy said all that stuff, but…don't worry. I'm on your side, Tenko."

And just as quickly as it had all taken from in his brain, this foggy distant memory ultimately evaporated…and as a result, the exhaustion and frustration boiling over already within Tomura's heart, began to skyrocket. 'Show me the whole flashback and not just bits and pieces, dammit! Why's it gotta be like a busted recording?! IT MAKES ME SO AWESOMELY SICK TO MY STOMACH!'

And like a man possessed, Tomura's whole body suddenly leapt and flipped onto the top of a nearby brick fence, just out of the destruction path of the incoming mob. And without wasting a moment, he proceeded to sprint right at them with his right hand extended; gripping tight onto the face of a man within the human wave, who could only barely blurt out the reactionary words of: "HE'S FAST-!" before the Decay immediately proceeded to tear all the way through his skull, sapping the life right out of him in a heartbeat…

…and subsequently spreading the same devastating effect to the entire mob all at once; reducing nearly a hundred people into nothing but dust in barely the blink of an eye, with Tomura standing victorious with not a hair out of place, save for his violently vomiting as he continued to run.

Not far from there, Spinner had just seen this surprising effective move on Tomura's part play out; and he couldn't hide the shock on his face to save his life, seeing the trance-like euphoric expression on Tomura's face once he removed the severed hand clasped to it: 'Unbelievable! It's like he did what he could in Russia, but without those fancy bracelets this time! Is his Quirk seriously getting that much stronger all on its own now?!'

Further back down the street, Dabi had likewise seen what Tomura had just accomplished; but his naturally cold demeanor hid any semblance of surprise that his comrades couldn't help but show for themselves. "If our dear leader's racking up quite the body count already, then I'm going all in, too. Hanging back and taking the pacifist route was never my style, anyway."

But before he could proceed to ignite his blue flames to the power he deemed appropriate; Dabi's survival instincts quickly picked up on the sensation of an incoming threat; driving him to leap back, just a split second before a pair of massive hands made of ice came slamming down where he once stood; both connected to a single man in thick Eskimo-style garb, with only two illuminated eyes visible from under his hood, as he and the unimpressed Dabi stared each other down. 'This guy's clearly a bruiser, but I still barely noticed him in time.' "Ice, huh? How predictable. Sure, then…but I gotta warn you, I think I've gotten quite a bit stronger…which means I can tell you're pretty tough."

But this hooded warrior, known to his compatriots only as Geten, was far from intimidated; as with his Ice extending from his hands, he proceeded to transform the once giant hands, into a pair of towering icy spires, lifting him further and further up. "Dabi…without Vukodlak here to complicate things; those blue flames of yours currently make you the League's only area-of-effect attacker for me to worry about. But you don't unleash that Fire of yours right away. Why is that? It's almost like you're waiting for something…or do you perhaps have an issue with your Meta Abilities?!"

For this apparent nobody to start talking so big, had Dabi's mouth twitch in annoyance; the stitches lining the side of his face tugging painfully as a result. With a sadistic grin now starting to form, he brought his hands up high over his head: "Wouldn't you like to know! Fine. Consider this a freebie, just for you. Ice melts."

FWOOOSH!

And with a downward swing, Dabi unleashed a massive column of his blue flames scorching down the road straight at his opponent, blasting through the ice keeping him airborne with no effort.

But upon looking up, even Dabi was but slightly surprised to see no visible sign of panic in any of his body language, as the hooded warrior nonchalantly answered: "Is that so? Well, that might be a problem, then."

With but the slightest visible gesture of his enemy's hands, Dabi could soon only watch as multiple streams of ice cubes began to fly out of all the nearby buildings around them in several streams towards him. "Since you seem to be unaware; I can manipulate ice! ALL ICE!"

Within a matter of seconds, Dabi now found himself standing off, all on his own, by his particularly annoying opponent, who was keeping himself up in the air on a floating platform of ice…surrounded by a gigantic mass of the stuff that took the form of a colossal dragon. "I've been perfecting this Meta Ability for a loooong time. Longer than most Heroes. So no school for me. The Grand Commander helped make me stronger."

The sight of such a behemoth show of power from his enemy, finally got Dabi's normally apathetic eyes to widen with anticipation; his fires in-hand similarly starting to grow in heat. "Sounds like you've led quite a life…but kinda SAD!"

"You'd best not think your little campfire can melt my Ice!"

BOOOOOSH!

In a deafening collision of immense powers; the entire neighborhood was suddenly finding itself split in half between two towering walls of incredible ice and fire together; the resulting wind from this collision of two unstoppable forces sending multiple warriors flying helplessly, while Mr. Compress could barely managing to stay on his feet. "DABI-SAN! A LITTLE MODERATION, PLEASE!"

But upon further scanning their surroundings and circumstances, the magician Villain could no longer play ignorant. 'Oh, dear. We've all been scattered! Let's see, Vukodlak-san went to retrieve Toga-san; Dabi-san is down that way we came; Shigaraki-san and Spinner-san are still together a little ways further to the tower; and…wait, where did Twice-san go now? He couldn't have actually managed to get a head start like Vukodlak-san asked already, could he?!'

But if there was anyone that Mr. Compress should have been worried about in this moment, it was actually Vukodlak himself. Whether the Army knew that he had Himiko's blood scent locked in or not; it was as though they'd still counted on him coming this way, as within seconds of his having left to retrieve her; he found himself quickly on the run, with nearly two dozen Liberation warriors poised in the windows of multiple buildings or the alleyways or manholes that dotted his intended path; all of them either attacking him with their Quirks, or actually material firepower like pistols, rifles and grenades. Already he had suffered so many close calls; that his usually collected tone was now brimming with anger:

"YOU SPOUT ON AND ON ABOUT LIBERATION TO USE YOUR QUIRKS FREELY, YET YOU FIGHT WITH THE SAME MEANS OF ANY THIRD-RATE ARMY?! DO YOU HAVE NO CONVICTION AT ALL?!"

"Oh, we have conviction alright, Vukodlak!" The gruff sound of an older man's voice suddenly called out in direct answer from atop a slightly elevated ridge that bordered a higher-up neighborhood. When Vukodlak looked; he was met with the sight of an especially tough older man with grey crew-cut hair and a large scar running down the side of his face. He was dressed in a thick military-style jacket; the kind the Villain recognized as being of the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force. And on both his sides, he was joined by even more of these warriors, as he reached into the folds of his coat and produced a multitude of military-grade weapons for each of them to take; far more than it was physically possible for his getup to hide.

"ARSENAL; THAT'S MY META ABILITY! YOU CAN TRY AND DISARM US ALL YOU WANT, VUKODLAK! MY COMRADES WILL NEVER FIND THEMSELVES UNARMED SO LONG AS YOU AND THE LEAGUE ARE STILL DRAWING BREATH! LET'S END THIS, BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF THE META LIBERATION ARMY!"

Vukodlak had to practically fly off his feet across the rooftops and down to the ground as the soldiers all pursued him like he was a fox in an old-fashioned fox hunt; their explosives and gunfire all biting at his heels as he moved like a hurricane wind; slashing and tearing through any other soldier dumb enough to get in his way.

It wasn't long before Vukodlak had managed to end up killing one who'd already had a lever-action rifle in hand; just the edge he knew he'd need to start trying to whittle his way through these persistent ranks. And that was quickly proving to be true, for as he tried to cut through another house; more of these soldiers had come bursting in through the other side; clearly not expecting him to have armed up the same way as them, as he quickly and methodically picked off the man in the lead with a surgical round straight to the head, before quickly weaving his way through the rooms as they opened fire in return, just for him to pop one after another in one vicious flanking maneuver, using up the last of his bullets then.

But once he'd loaded up on their own guns instead, Vukodlak quickly regained himself the advantage; smashing a flying Air Shield straight out the front face of this house as another handful of soldiers came, ready to tear him apart; subsequently getting flattened into the face of the house across the street, while Vukodlak quickly went rushing down the road, sliding his way behind a car before leveling his aim and unloading the SMG in his hands into another three warriors trying to close in from the rooftops above; after which he tried to cut through another alley.

KRAAASH!

But with the bricks wall to his right immediately exploding mercilessly in his face, Vukodlak suddenly found himself getting wrangled up in the surprisingly sturdy tendrils of another warrior's Grass Quirk; using it to completely bind him up, and subsequently swing him high up into the air with remarkable speed, before ultimately letting him go, sending him hurtling and ultimately crashing through the roof and two floors of another house, into the basement level.

For a good several seconds, Vukodlak's body was feeling pain from head-to-toe, regardless of how fast his Super Regeneration was. It still did nothing for the ringing in his head from landing on it against the concrete floor so hard. It was frankly a miracle he could even hear the approaching footsteps of several more soldiers approaching the hole he'd left from the ground floor above…at least, in time before he could hear one of them call to another to 'smoke him out.'

With no hesitation, a suffocating plume of smoke began billowing straight through the hole, completely filling the basement within seconds; cutting off Vukodlak's line of sight entirely, as he tried to get to a wall so he wasn't just out in the open; drawing out the shotgun upon his back as he listened for the multiple footsteps rushing down the steps to try and get the drop on him. From the sounds of it; they would be coming right around the corner of the doorway he was poised right next to; leveling the barrel at it, waiting for the moment they would kick that door open.

SLAM! BKOOM! BKOOM! BKOOM!

With no hesitation and merciless accuracy, Vukodlak pulled the trigger the moment he heard that door bounce off the wall after getting kicked open, and within three shots and three subsequent split-second screams, he had wasted three more soldiers before they could even get a bead on him.

And when a fourth pair of footsteps suddenly echoed against the ground right behind his back; a fourth soldier having decided to eschew the stairs and simply jump down through the hole itself; Vukodlak was just as quick to react. Without breaking a sweat, he threw the shotgun like a club straight at the head of his fourth enemy; knocking them off balance enough for him to come swooping in from below; sprinting on his feet in an animalistic crouch, and ultimately raking his claws straight up their midsection like a hook; leaving them dead before they'd even hit the ground.

In no time, Vukodlak was back on the surface level and rushing outside to try and get some distance between himself and more of these damned soldiers as possible; his mind simply focused on finding Himiko and getting her out of this place.

But the click of a gun being primed to fire the moment he'd stepped out into the open was the first sound to reach the Villain's ears, as he slowly looked back to find the man with the Arsenal Quirk standing defiantly in the middle of the road with a carbine centered right on his head. "That Super Regeneration Ability of yours is pretty nifty…but even that can't keep a bullet to the brain or the heart from killing you before it can kick in, surely!"

K-KRAK! BKOOM!

In a display of quick-thinking and reflexes that would've made any Western gunslinger red with envy; Vukodlak had swiftly tossed one of the hand grenades he'd swiped from one of the other dead Liberation warriors with an upward flick of his wrist; pulling the pin out in the process. And at the very same moment the Arsenal-user had pulled the trigger; the Villain had likewise swiped his other hand in front of himself to create another last-second Air Shield, just as the bullet ended up colliding with the grenade in mid-air.

The ensuing massive explosion ended up shattering yet more windows all around them, while Vukodlak subsequently kicked the Air Shield forward straight into the face of the stunned old soldier; sending him barreling down the road over a dozen feet.

But just as Vukodlak began to take the first step towards him in order to finish him off; he suddenly felt his body get yanked downward right off his feet, straight into one of the larger panes of broken glass lying flat on the ground beside him. All in an instant did he realize what was happening: that same reflection plain bastard had taken the opportunity to zip into this part of the battlefield and yank Vukodlak into his playing field when he wasn't looking again.

"This was fun at first, but you've killed far too many people seeking Liberation to simply be allowed to take another breath, Vukodlak! It's time for you to die my way!" He could hear the voice of this clearly angry soldier from just behind his back as he felt himself getting forcefully bolted from one reflective surface to another at breakneck speed all over again, barely able to get his bearings or even fight back, until the surface-jumping had come to a sudden stop, and he quickly realized what his enemy was trying to do:

They were now stuck inside the reflection of a half-broken window to a nearly destroyed building overlooking a half-blown up elementary school, and this window just so happened to be at an angle that captured the reflection of an upward pointing broken pipe amid the rubble, which this Liberation warrior was trying to force Vukodlak onto. "YOU GET IT NOW?! THIS IS HOW MY ABILITY WORKS! IF YOU'RE IN THE REFLECTION PLAIN WITH ME, EVERYTHING CAUGHT IN ANY REFLECTION HAS THE SAME PROPERTIES AS IT WOULD OUT THERE…LIKE IF I WERE TO IMPALE YOUR HEART ON THE REFLECTION OF THAT PIPE!"

But as he began to spring himself up off the reflection of one of the few standing walls in range of this pane of glass; ready to drive his weight into Vukodlak's back in order to impale him…the Villain instead brought his foot forward against the skewering pipe; leveraging himself against it as his fangs bared a sadistic smile. "Thanks for the tip."

KRAK!

The back of his head came slamming hard into his opponent's face, easily breaking his nose. Now that Vukodlak knew that physics within this reflective plain worked like they did outside of it, he could fight back much easier. Of course, he couldn't just immediately try to kill this man. After all, how would he know if doing so would actually release him from this two-dimensional plain, or simply leave him trapped within it forever?

But as he turned to face his enemy down; the Liberation warrior himself instead started looking past Vukodlak's shoulder to somewhere outside this reflection; his face white with desperation. "NO, DON'T SHOOT! IT'LL JUST-!"

BOOOM! BOOOSH!

The deafening blast of an anti-material rifle being fired reached Vukodlak's ears just at the same moment the bullet slammed into this glass pane dead-center; shattering it into a rain of crystals, and sending him and his enemy flying apart from each other in opposite directions. Yes, the Arsenal-user, in his own desperation to try and kill Vukodlak for his comrade, had miscalculated what doing so would do against his Quirk. Instead of killing him, it had instead set them free.

Vukodlak's body went slamming straight through the roof of the half-ruined elementary school, while the Reflection-user had been sent into the next block over. His head was still spinning from having been dragged around in that reflection plain for so long, but he could still recollect enough of his immediate surroundings to know he was alone again…but obviously not for long, as he could already hear multiple different heartbeats closing in on his location.

Springing back onto his feet, Vukodlak quickly realized that the power to this building had been cut off as a result of the destruction already wrought to it…which would give him all the advantage he would need, as he quietly slunk into the darkest of the shadows deep inside, just as nearly a dozen more Liberation warriors finally started making their way inside; their Quirks all at the ready to attack.

"I know he's in here somewhere. Spread out in teams of three. And inform our brothers and sisters to kill Toga Himiko on sight. He was heading in this general direction, so she must be nearby as well."

Vukodlak could hear every word these warriors were saying loud and clear, but his anger at the thought of their now deliberately looking for Himiko to execute; especially knowing he had to be listening in; would have to wait. Obviously they were trying to get him to react and give away his position…and he was going to make sure they'd learn the price to pay for prodding at him that way. Right now was all about simply making sure he would be able to get out of here, and they wouldn't.

While Tomura had laid waste to an entire mob of Liberation warriors with a single touch, and Dabi and his opponent were currently laying waste to a good portion of the neighborhood in their own fight; Twice was fighting like a madman against the ever increasing numbers of other warriors trying to tackle him. Curiously enough, none of them were actually trying to kill him like they were everyone else; but his own blind panic made this fact less than noteworthy in the moment.

After all, as he punched, kicked, strangled, sliced and every other fighting move he could think of in order to try and keep clearing more and more of a path to the tower as he could; his mind was still relentlessly racing, bouncing continuously back and forth between optimism and pessimism:

'I can do this! I've totally got this! I'm in way over my head! They're going to kill me! Please be okay, Toga! Vukodlak-san might be the one to save you, but I'll be the one to get us the win, I promise! Even he can't measure up against a force like this, and neither can you! You don't know that! They're both strong as hell, and so am I! So are all of us! But so are our enemies! These guys are totally overwhelming!

'They're all trusting me to get us the win, and I'm gonna make sure we get it, so you shut up! They all believe in me! They all just want you out of the way if you start spazzing out again! Toga needs you, and you're not there to make sure she's okay! She's probably dead already, you dumbass!'

With another vicious snapping of the neck of a last warrior in his path; Twice couldn't keep the conflict in his head in there alone as he cried out frantically with tears running down his face within his mask: "SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT THE HELL UP! TOGA HAS TO BE OKAY! SHE JUST HAS TO BE! SHE AND THE OTHERS BELIEVE IN ME, JUST AS MUCH AS I BELIEVE IN THEM! WHY CAN'T I BELIEVE IN MYSELF LIKE THEY DO?!"

With but a moment of respite with which to collect himself; Twice suddenly reached into his pocket, pulling out the dainty little handkerchief that Himiko had given him back during their experience in the Shie Hassaikai HQ raid; holding it tight in hand like it was the most precious thing in the entire world to him. "Toga…I promise I'll help us win this thing, and you'll come out all peachy keen again! I know how much you believe in me…how much everyone in the League believes in me, even now. Shigaraki-san…Vukodlak-san…but especially you, little Toga…you gave me a place to truly belong for the first time ever! This treasured handkerchief of yours…I promise I'll do everything you know I can to take these bastards out, and give this precious treasure back to you again!"

Up in the tower, Tomuyasu was busily observing everything unfolding on every front of the battle below through his computer, connected to all of the surveillance cameras around Deika City. A sadistic and emboldened grin was stretched across his square-jawed face as he saw how thoroughly the League was already separated from one another.

"Bubaigawara Jin is currently six blocks away from here on Ishiin Avenue, Vukodlak is currently cornered in the Shizukawa Elementary School, and Toga is currently incapacitated in Ikeda-san's garden shed. She's still alive, but for Miss Curious' sake, she must die. For the Liberation Army's sake, they all must die. However, Vukodlak's proving a more able-bodied and relentless fighter than I'd anticipated. I had hoped to avoid putting so much manpower towards taking him out alone. In order to have any hope of incapacitating Jin, then I've had to take matters into my own personal hands. "

TAP-TAP-TAP-T-TAP!

As Twice had continued to cherish the handkerchief in his free hand, he could quickly pick up the sound of many footsteps decidedly approaching him from behind. "Seriously? You see all your buddies here dead, and you still think you can try and take me out?! The League believes in me, dammit! YOU CAN'T STOP M-!"

But the moment he turned around to take on his new bunch of opponents head-on; Twice felt his entire body go still as stone, and his blood turn to ice as his jaw dropped and his eyes widened like dinner plates. He could feel himself soaked with a frigid sweat as every word died in his throat; replaced with horrified gasps for air as his knees began to buckle.

Standing before him and steadily approaching were a multitude of men in matching white suits…every single one bearing his face of short messy blonde hair, empty blue eyes, stubble and a straight stitched scar down the middle of his forehead.

All at once, he was no longer in the middle of the street in this unfamiliar city. Now he was in a dingy apartment, a splitting pain down the middle of his head as he helplessly sat watching as all these people with his matching faces mercilessly killed each other and tried to do the same to him all at the same time. The disgust, confusion and horror all came rushing right back into him at that moment; shattering his very idea of just what around here was real…even himself.

Alone, the mask was the one thing that kept him all together in his head, and as long as he removed that mask of his own free will, he could maintain that stability. But now, looking upon so many duplicates of his face closing in on him like a ravenous mob, any semblance of that stability was gone. As their hands and arms all grabbed onto him tight and began to pry at the hem of his lifeline of a mask; the only sound he could even make was an animalistic shriek of pure desperate terror. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO! STOOOOOOOP IIIIIT!"

With cold and brutal efficiency, the mob of doppelgangers proceeded to throw him like a ragdoll to the ground once they'd finally pried his mask off the rest of the way, before just as quickly pinning him down, pummeling him with their fists to wear down his ability to try and fight back. And all the while, he kept desperately crying out: "STOP IT! WHY'RE YOUR HANDS SO COLD, DAMMIT?! WHO ARE YOU GUYS ANYWAY?! ME?! YOU LOOK LIKE ME, BUT WHO ARE YOU REALLY?!

And as he watched his coordinated attack against Twice unfold so perfectly, Tomuyasu couldn't stop smiling in satisfaction. "Bubaigawara Jin, a.k.a. Twice. Meta Ability: Double. In a sense, the exact opposite of Toga. A man who cloned himself and nearly died doing so. A man who lost sight of what makes him an individual. Living as you were meant to live and liberating your Meta Ability gave you nothing but a wounded soul.

"But you needn't worry; we won't kill you like we will your comrades! With your Meta Ability, we can revive Re-Destro, should the unthinkable happen! Destro's death was tragic, but we will not see history repeat itself! Can you even comprehend, Bubaigawara?! How to best use what you have?! Why can't you see your own value?! WE'RE DRAFTING YOU INTO THE LIBERATION ARMY! ALL OF YOU; HOLD HIM DOWN! GIVE HIM NO MEANS OF ESCAPE OR FIGHTING BACK!"

But as he continued feverishly hammering away at his computer; he paid no mind to how Giran had finally started lifting his head; his attention grabbed upon hearing just who the man was focusing his attacks on right now. "Bubai…gawara…san? What're you doing to him?"

But with a swift intensity, he suddenly found his chin getting grabbed, and his head forcefully turned so he could look into the calm, cold eyes of Re-Destro himself. "We mustn't interrupt him now. Not when he's using his Meta Ability to puppeteer, unless you want another nagging lecture. If you must know, he's handling Bubaigawara; just as we have one of our stealthier lieutenants making the move to take care of Vukodlak and Toga together as well. This all allows our warriors to step back and stay out of danger for the moment.

"But going back to our good friend, Mr. Skeptic; the puppets he's currently controlling all look like Bubaigawara Jin! With his proprietary comms network and micro-transceivers from my own Detnerat, he can manipulate his puppets with deadly precision!" With Re-Destro's proud-sounding proclamation of just how overwhelmingly in the advantage he was; Tomuyasu, now also known as Skeptic, couldn't help but chuckle sadistically to himself.

"Your client data we recovered gave us all kinds of valuable information about Bubaigawara's psychological scars. Are you feeling frustrated, Mr. Broker, knowing that we have the means to kill your clients while we take Bubaigawara into the Army for ourselves because of you?!"

Giran would have sooner choked on his own tongue than give any of these people the satisfaction of an answer. But even then, he couldn't ignore the weight dropping in the pit of his gut like a brick of solid lead. 'Toga and all his friends are in trouble…and a bunch of puppets with his face are keeping him from being able to do something about it? For Bubaigawara-san…that's all gonna hit him like a freight train! The others gotta pull it together and get him out of that state FAST!'

As soon as he had begun to hear the distant heartbeats of strangers closing in on the area he could still smell Himiko's blood leading to; Vukodlak had fought through the Liberation Army forces within that elementary school like a demon; leaving the rest of the building flattened, and the whole group of warriors dead in a spray of blood in his wake.

And he wasted no time relishing in the glory of his victory, as he instead took off, using up the last of the ammunition he had for his guns and the last of his grenades, in order to try and brute force his way through yet another handful that had just gotten onto the scene; barely even having time to try and use their Quirks to defend themselves before being summarily taken out.

With Himiko's scent filling his nostrils and filling every bit of spare room his frantic brain had to spare; Vukodlak took off like the wind, swerving one way after another, leaping from street to rooftop to car roof, truck trailer and ground again in rapid succession, all while he could feel more and more Liberation warriors biting at his heels; forcing him to simply use his Air Shields to try and ward them off, or better yet cripple them if they got plowed into by one head-on.

With his adrenaline rushing as powerfully as it was, Vukodlak didn't even notice at first, when one carefully positioned soldier managed to squeeze off a lucky shot with his own Quirk; shooting out a tiny needle from out his wrist that managed to nail the Villain in the arm, injecting a quickly spreading flesh-eating virus into his bloodstream that already began to severely discolor his veins within the first minute; actually managing to work faster than his Super Regeneration could fix the damage.

He could tell that the scent of Himiko's blood was getting much stronger by now. It would only have to be a few more turns, and he would finally be at her position. And the fact he could still hear those persistent rushing heartbeats getting in closer to that same position from all around, had him practically leaping through the air for the nearest rooftop, ready to come landing and bringing hell down upon the head of whichever fool would be unfortunate enough to be anywhere near her.

BKOOM!

But as he began to jump, Vukodlak soon noticed a strange condensation begin just barely landing against his skin, alongside a familiar rancid smell: that of gasoline.

Then with a single far-flying spark sent from out of nowhere, the air all around Vukodlak suddenly ignited all around him in a split-second explosion; sending him crashing onto a nearby car with a pained and furious animalistic growl; his skin burnt all over, and his body smoking from the dying flames on his burnt clothes.

Up above, two more Liberation warriors made themselves known; both of them smiling quite proudly to themselves and each other. "Gas and sparks; a devastating combination in the proper hands like our own! The opportunity to utilize our Abilities so naturally, and for such a worthwhile cause as the defeat of the League of Villains; that's what the Meta Liberation Army has granted us, and we'll fight you tooth and nail to the bitter end to protect it!"

'For God's sakes, do these self-righteous assholes never shut up?!'

This was the only thing Vukodlak had to think in response, as he immediately rolled off the car and sprinted into the half-open door of another empty house, just as the duo above sent another gas mist and spark his way, igniting another explosion that destroyed the car he had just landed on.

"Do you really think that's going to protect you? We'll just burn you right out!" The two couldn't have sounded more cocky if they'd tried; hurriedly following after Vukodlak while motioning for all the others that had likewise been chasing after him, to group up on them as they approached the house.

"My Virus Ability seems to have actually taken a powerful toll on him already. He can't possibly be able to fully recover from it like that." The warrior with the flesh-eating Quirk stated with the utmost confidence, while the Gas-user was already getting ready to climb up to the second floor window of the house, quietly sliding it open in order to sneak in and try to get the drop on Vukodlak; quickly followed by another warrior with long dreadlocks, which he proceeded to pull out of his head one lock at a time. "Let me go with you. If he's in there, my Iron Locks can immobilize him, then we can burn him to a cinder."

Not wanting to risk losing their element of surprise, the Gas-user motioned for everyone else to stay put, as he and his backup climbed inside, soon completely out of sight.

The near minute that passed by was nothing short of nail-biting, both out of anticipation for the elimination to come, and out of nervousness in case Vukodlak had somehow actually managed to give them the slip.

But soon enough, a sign of movement caught the group's eyes, as the Gas-user poked his head out the window again, urging them all to finally come inside. "WE GOT HIM! HE'S COMPLETELY TRAPPED!"

It took all their collective restraint to not just come immediately charging inside in their excitement; ascending the stairs and soon finding themselves in the master bedroom; wherein they found Vukodlak himself; his afflicted arm now lined with deep grotesque crevasses running down the length of it; his mouth, arms and legs all completely bound shut together by the other warrior's Iron Locks.

"He went off to try and head off any of the others from getting nearer the tower. I'm gonna follow him while you finish up here." The haste in the Gas-user's words was beyond understandable, as the Spark-user stepped forward with his hands at the ready; smiling in anticipation as he could already smell the gas emanating off Vukodlak's body. "My Ability is so minuscule in any other way…but the Army gave it and me a purpose…and you're about to be the testament to tha—

SLAAAAM!

Out of nowhere, the entire mob of gathered soldiers found themselves getting slammed into by a high-flying invisible wall from behind their backs; smashing them into each other and into the opposite wall, breaking bones all around and breaking the neck of Vukodlak sat at the foot of the bed.

And as the Spark-user couldn't even move his head or breathe in the aftermath of it all; he could only barely manage to try and look out the corner of his eye as his vision began to blur; watching as the lone-standing Gas-user proceeded to reach up and peel off his face and entire outfit…revealing Vukodlak himself in his place; the Villain grinning in satisfaction as he saw the effects of the Virus Quirk had stopped spreading down his arm; even if those same crevasses wouldn't heal like his burns already had.

Seeing the confusion on the Spark-user's face, he proceeded to reach for the dead 'Vukodlak' on the floor and peel his face off, revealing the likewise dead Gas-user in the flesh, before then moving to the nearby closet door and tearing it off its hinges, revealing the dead Iron Lock-user with his neck slit. "You Liberation Army people are so damn arrogant; didn't question anything about what you were seeing. Consider yourself lucky I'm in a rush, or else I'd try and make these last moments of yours last much longer."

With that, and taking in another deep inhale to get Himiko's scent back in full, he proceeded to take off in another mad dash, leaving these battered and broken soldiers to either die or suffer where they lay.

As soon as Vukodlak was back outside and looking in the direction of her scent, he was once again off like mad; darting through the alleys and over a garden wall, finally setting eyes on a small garden shed with its door just barely open. His nose made no mistake; Himiko was in there, and while her heartbeat was considerably weaker, the important thing was it was still beating at all. But he knew that if he didn't get her out of here soon, then he could tell all those approaching heartbeats would be here all at once, then he'd have protecting her to preoccupy his fighting instincts.

Vukodlak proceeded to take the first step towards the shed; his focus of swinging the door open and saving Himiko blinding him from the barely noticeable movement of a shadow leaping up over the same wall he had just come over, the two shadows overlapping.

FWOOM!

The moment Vukodlak had the door opened; everything around him was suddenly engulfed in an endless void of pitch black, as though he suddenly found himself in the depths of purgatory, with nothing to make out that could give him some kind of idea where he was, if anywhere at all.

"You fight even more brutally than I was led to believe you would, Vukodlak."

The voice of a dreary young man immediately had Vukodlak bearing his fangs and readying his steel claws, hand and foot, as he leapt to look in the direction of his intruder.

Before him, he saw a single young man, either in his late teens or early twenties, looking at him with tired purple eyes, with his head topped with short but messy black hair with its bangs ending in white; while he himself was dressed in a white suit underneath a hooded black rain jacket.

And to the Villain's hidden insult; this youngster didn't look remotely intimidated by him, as his eyes looked him up and down, visibly unimpressed. "But even if you fight like a monster, there's surely gotta be something in there that scares you more than anything. Even with allies as strong as the League of Villains fighting alongside you, there's no way there isn't even one thing you're terrified of. Everybody has one, even the strongest Heroes; deep, deep inside. I wonder just what it is that would make someone like you tick, that would ultimately drive you to make the decisions that landed you here after all the experiences you've had."

"AAAH…AAAH! I NEED MY MASK…OR ELSE! OH…CRAAAP! GET OFFA ME, DAMMIT!" No matter how much Twice was trying to fight his way from under the pinning holds of all these doppelgangers wearing his face; their strength was unrelenting.

"TWICE-SAN! WE'RE HERE! JUST HOLD ON!"

Suddenly, the driven voices of both Spinner and Mr. Compress came in from the skies above; drawing the attention of Twice and his attackers all in one. And with lightning fast reflexes; Spinner proceeded to tear his short-swords through two of them in a flash of light, while Mr. Compress quickly threw a marble that exploded into napalm in the face of one, while quickly applying his Quirk to compress another.

But even this split second of surprise wasn't enough to permanently throw off these puppets; as several of them quickly dove in and swerved past Spinner's attacks, grappling onto and beating him relentlessly, with Mr. Compress quickly getting yanked back down to the ground by his cape before he could try and fly back up; quickly getting his own white mask torn off before a fist viciously slammed into his face.

And from down on the ground underneath the hands of those puppets that stayed with him at command; Twice could only wail and watch as his two partners were quickly finding themselves overwhelmed. "MY FRIENDS…THE PEOPLE THAT ARE COUNTING ON ME…THEY'RE GONNA DIE BECAUSE OF ME! HOW STUPID AM I, THINKING I COULD DO THIS ALONE?! I CAN'T TAKE THIS SCREW-UP BACK, JUST LIKE MAGNE-NEESAN! THEY'RE GONNA DIE BECAUSE I KILLED THEM! I'M KILLING THEM AND ALL MY FRIENDS! I'M KILLING THEM! THEY ALL GAVE ME A PLACE TO BELONG, AND I'M KILLING THEM! IT'S ME?! IT'S ME?! HUH?! IS IT REALLY ME?!"

And like that, all the horror and guilt on Twice's face was no longer for what he was seeing happen to Spinner and Mr. Compress; or even the thought of what was happening to Himiko, Vukodlak, Dabi or Tomura. Now the horror in his blue eyes was purely on an existential level. "WAIT, SO AM I…AM I REALLY ME?! AM I THE REAL ONE?! OR NOT?! HUHHH?! SPLITTING APART! AM I NOT REALLY ME?! WHO AM I?! I…I AM…!"

Even in the psychotic maelstrom that was overwhelming his mind; Twice could still clearly see some memories…for instance, right now, he could clearly see himself, a much younger version of himself, at the moment sat in a claustrophobic police headquarters' interrogation room; one of his eyes almost swollen shut with a bruise while the two detectives sat across from him stared at him apathetically. He could remember clearly; this was the day when he'd accidentally run over someone with his motorbike while he'd been doing a courier job; all because that same someone didn't bother to look at the traffic lights. And in the aftermath of that crash, he was the one who'd ended up getting taken in as the primary suspect of what people were assuming was a vehicular assault.

Memories like this were so far away and yet still felt like they had only happened yesterday; as the one remaining sliver of coherent focus couldn't help but answer upon seeing this play out all over again

'Something about my eyes always rubbed people the wrong way. Scared them. It all started going downhill when I was sixteen. And it's unbelievable, how far someone can fall from just one little stumble. Nobody around me could have guessed. Neither could I.'

That's right. The detectives had seemed to sympathize with his misfortune enough, even saying such optimistic things as that he would be able to rebound from this misfortune. Clearly they didn't know him and his life nearly well enough, because nobody else among the very few he regularly associated with, were nearly as understanding. Within a day of that incident, he'd been mercilessly fired from his job, and from there, he eventually lost the crappy little apartment he'd been forced to call his home, and subsequently found himself spending all his time on the streets in suffocating loneliness.

'My folks died when I was in middle school. They were killed in some Villain attack. With no other relatives, I was all alone. There was just me to rely on…all by myself. And in modern society, without someone to have roots to, not a lot of people can really empathize with that. I just wanted someone to talk to. Someone I could trust, and who'd trust me in return.'

And that was exactly what he'd ultimately done when the loneliness became too much to take. All this time, he'd had the perfect means to heal his solitude, and it was only now that he'd decided to utilize it. From one clone of himself just to shoot the breeze with; eventually came a third and a fourth. In time, he had his own personal small group of close confidantes…and it only went even further from there as his loneliness and bitterness subsided.

Before anyone could have gathered it; he'd made himself an entire gang of clones, and with them at his side, the man known as Jin Bubaigawara had become a one-man army of hoodlums and thieves; conducting a multitude of successful robberies from city to city. How it affected anyone else outside his inner circle wasn't even an afterthought. The thrill of the experience of doing these things with the closest friends a man could ask for was simply too much to consider anything else.

'I had a blast. When a person's life starts spiraling, what's the one thing they want? Comfort. Am I wrong? Going after that single-mindedly led to one mistake after another. It wasn't until I hit absolute rock bottom that I realized my greatest mistake of all: I couldn't even trust myself.'

Anyone in his position never would've been able to name a more painful lesson than that. After all, they couldn't comprehend the horror he had ultimately come to witness: the day all of his clones turned on him, tied him up and tried to kill him, claiming he was nothing but a clone…before that devolved into a savage all-out-war between all of them; and there was nothing he could do but sit, bleed and watch as all of these people with his face all mercilessly slaughtered each other, each one claiming to be the original, until only he was left, in a destroyed hovel covered in blood and clone sludge all over the place…with nobody or anything around to help him even confirm the one fact he should've had solidified in his head: if he was in fact the real Bubaigawara Jin, or just the one remaining clone who got lucky.

There was no way of telling how much time had passed since that terrible day; just how long that existential nightmare of a question burrowed deeper and deeper into his brain, until it eventually got to the point that he couldn't bear to even keep his own face uncovered; instead opting to wear a paper bag over it whenever he could think to.

And that was no different on the night when he was actually approached by someone, a certain broker of information in the underworld, who had surprisingly sought him out; calling him to a thankfully empty bar to talk. And it was there that he had ultimately related all of this experience to this man, who simply at with a saint's patience, and listened to all of it.

"So if I'm hearing you right, you saw all your other selves kill each other, and it drove you a little batty? And what's the deal with the bag on your head? You got some kinda breathing problem, too?"

"I gotta wear it, or else I'm at risk to split apart. NOT GONNA SPLIT! NOT AT ALL!"

Every time his way of thinking and speaking so sharply bounced from one extreme to the other like this, Jin always worried that it would make anyone with the guts to actually speak to him want to just walk away. And yet, this bespectacled gap-toothed man didn't; instead watching observantly like a hawk. "Fair enough. Continue."

"The clones I make, they vanish after taking enough damage. For a grown man; for example; breaking a bone would be enough to do the trick. So you get why I'm on edge, right? No worries or cares for me."

As he continued to make his case; his surprise companion could only smile as he began to pull himself a cigarette. "This crime spree you and your clones went on; it's put you on the most-wanted list nationwide. Heck, you could probably bring down this whole country if you used your Quirk right. It's truly a terrible thing to see a man with your potential fall so far."

"But what's a guy with nothing left in life supposed to do?" he immediately asked in return; not even trying to hide the desperation lining his tone; absolutely out of ideas for other options.

"Find people who'll trust you." This stranger said so with so much matter-of-factness; that in any other circumstance, Jin would've felt insulted that he could make it sound so easy. "Like who?"

"Friends. Allies." Again, that straightforward answer, as though it was so obvious that a child could've figured it out. But the man showed no condescension or duplicity in his face or words, as he proceeded to offer his pack of cigarettes for Jin to take from; never once breaking eye contact as he did so. "There's a certain gang that's been making a lot of noise recently. I'm sure they could use a man like you. Don't worry. There are plenty of others out there that are just like you. More than you think."

"I AAAAAM!"

With this frantic, hysterical shriek of what was supposed to be defiance; Twice suddenly threw his body into a twist, knocking a few of the puppets with his face off, and thus providing him a chance to try making a run for Spinner and Mr. Compress. "I'M COMING, FRIENDS! I'M SAVING US, NO MATTER WHAT!"

But with machine-like efficiency, one of the puppets standing between him and his comrades swiftly stepped in at Tomuyasu's command, and slammed an unforgiving fist straight into his face; sending him tumbling right back into the others, who now all proceeded to repeatedly stomp him down before grabbing his arms and lifting him up to his knees.

And as he watched all of this from within the tower; all of Tomuyasu's signs of arrogant assured victory were no longer there; now replaced with an indifferent annoyance at his continued struggling. "He actually found the strength to fight back? I certainly didn't expect that. I thought he would either flee or cower in place; either way leaving his comrades to die. I didn't think he'd establish this kind of unity with anyone, let alone his fellow League members. No matter, though. He can't possibly keep fighting after a beating like that. Now, take his arm and break it, then break his legs."

KRRRRAK!

At his command; one of the puppets swiftly jerked its grip on Twice's right arm in just such a way that the whole limb snapped in half on the inside with a sickening sound; instantly echoed by the Villain's agonizing howls of pain; all of which kept landing on nothing but deaf ears up above. "It doesn't have to be this way, Bubaigawara Jin. Just come quietly."

The cries of their ally's pain had likewise reached Spinner and Mr. Compress' ears; spurring them to keep trying to fight tooth and nail to escape the puppets restraining and beating them as well; but it was like they weren't even any flesh and blood; ignoring any blows that could actually connect with them. They both knew that if they didn't escape this and do something fast, then Twice was bound to die, if not all three of them here and now.

And lying pitifully on his knees at the feet of his merciless captors bearing his likeness; Twice had his head bowed down from the shock and pain of his now-broken arm; tortured tears raining down his face as he wheezed and gasped for breath from it all. "CRAP…THAT HURTS! IT HURTS! HURTS, HURTS, HUUURTS!"

The moment Vukodlak even had half the chance to try lunging for this new enemy among countless others standing before him in this black space of pure emptiness; he was going for it with full gusto; snarling like the wolf-man beast of his namesake as he swiped his claws through the air and ran to him with everything he had…but he was met with not even moving a millimeter in distance between them; the cocky young Liberation warrior just smiling when he saw the furious confusion on the Villain's face.

"It doesn't work like that. You're in my world right now. I've completely locked off all your mental commands from the rest of your body. Right now, you're just standing there in that backyard, looking as though you'd just gotten paralyzed, all because you managed to step on my shadow. See, that's my Meta Ability: If anyone were to set foot either on my shadow, or even on a shadow that mine happens to be touching; I can completely engulf their brains in my Shroud. And from there, I can finally get to work digging in and seeing just what it is my targets fear more than anything else in the world. Thankfully, my fellow warriors know not to disturb me when I'm in the zone like this, so I've got plenty of time to really get to know the infamous Hunter of Heroes.

As soon as Vukodlak began to snarl in a threatening manner as the young man before him reached a hand out his way; the black void around them suddenly began to crack, distort, and ultimately shatter into complete whiteout. But his enemy showed no sign of distress as the shards around them began to swirl faster and faster around them, like they were in a vortex.

"I absolutely love my Meta Ability; it was practically tailor-made for me in the line of work I do. Maybe you might've heard of me in passing on the street or on TV or the radio: Fukuzawa Tsuguharu; I'm a painter by trade, always have been, and the one thing I've always sought to capture in my work, like all great artists throughout history, is the purest form of the truth from my subjects. And to me, there's nothing more honest about a person than what they fear the most; that's what I wanted to portray for the whole world to see.

"But that's the most grueling thing of all when you're an artist, you see; society expects you to simply give the customer what they want, instead of pursuing your own dreams for your craft. If you want to survive, let alone succeed; you're expected to just swallow your own wants and desires forever, shut up and just make what you're told to make with a big old plastic smile on your face all the way through it. That's no way for anyone to live, let alone a creative.

"So when I learned about the Meta Liberation Army and their goal to rebuild society to one where we could all live freely, the way we've always wanted to; there was no way I could possibly have said no. As a result, they've given me so many opportunities to live out my true dream as a result…and your enigma of a mind is about to prove my greatest masterpiece yet, once we finish you and the rest of your League of Villains pals!"

Before Vukodlak could spit any kind of defiance in response…his ears suddenly picked up the sounds of screaming children; wailing women and agonized cries of injured or dying men all echoing out from behind his back. And with it soon came the choking stench of smoke, and the chilling dry cold air biting against his skin; a very nostalgic sensation to say the least, enough to drive him to finally turn back and see as the snow white emptiness around them finally began to give way to a solid image.

An image that had the Villain wide-eyed and speechless; his heart hitched in his throat as he felt his knees give out from under him; his eyes burning with tears. [[No…no, this can't be real…not this…not again…!]]

"Oh, yes, that reaction says it all," Fukuzawa answered mockingly as he saw the same image form itself before them just the same as Vukodlak did; the image of a completely destroyed rural village out in the middle of nowhere, as far as he was concerned. But for Vukodlak himself, it was far too painfully familiar: he was back home, in his old Evens village in Magadan Oblast, looking upon the burnt and smoldering ruins of his childhood village after it had been left destroyed by the arrival of those three corrupt Heroes that had destroyed his family, his life and his world as he had known it so long ago: Scarlet Cossack, Midas and Brother Vortex.

None of those three were here in front of his eyes, but the damage that had been left behind was all the same. Vukodlak couldn't take his eyes off of it, no matter how much he tried. There were so many people looking like they were about to keel over from their injuries, or children crying out for parents that weren't there, or people trying to treat their children that had gotten caught in the crossfire.

And before Vukodlak and Fukuzawa's eyes…everyone on the scene all simultaneously turned to look in the Villain's direction, even the once motionless bodies on the ground. With their eyes all boring into him, they all simultaneously spoke out in an inhuman droning in perfect unison: [[Why didn't you do something to help us? The Hunter of Heroes did nothing to save us from them.]]

[[How…? How could I? What would I have even done? I was just a child!]] Vukodlak desperately tried to argue back; this entire unfolding scene leaving Fukuzawa silently but visibly fascinated, as he saw the once brutal and stoic Villain reduced to this kind of state by the image forcibly projected from the deepest depths of his mind.

And without warning, this miserable scene suddenly changed into a disjointed play-by-play of a adolescent-aged Vukodlak moving from place to place, whether they be alleyways, offices, stately homes or even the open countryside, pursuing, torturing and ultimately killing a multitude of sharp-dressed, important looking people…before ultimately ending in even more brutal images of him dressed in a white wolf-patterned Hero costume, similarly slaughtering two other men with animalistic savagery; with one having his faced viciously caved in by a golden mask in the Villain's hands, and another older man having his throat mercilessly slashed right at the head of a dinner table in what looked to be a cabin.

Yet again, Vukodlak knew these memories all very well; especially the last two: his murders of the then-revealed Midas, and that of the Scarlet Cossack himself…the father of Tunguska.

"Well now, isn't this curious? I'm pulling these memories out of the part of your brain that's commonly associated with fear…but why would these parts be something for you to fear? It looks like your entire life's path was started by the simple yearning for revenge…a revenge it looks like you achieved in full. That outfit of yours from back then is definitely quite different, not exactly something I'd call Villainous by any stretch. Just what about this frightens you so much? Maybe we just need to dig a little deeper."

Before Vukodlak could even protest, the images around them began to distort more and more; multiple overlaying echoes of both his and many other people's voices starting to build in mass and volume, to the point it was near deafening; with many of the images forming around them taking the shape of both Vukodlak himself in his old White Wolf getup; images of the New Bogatyrs with him at their side; the three Heroes standing over the ruins of his village; both the younger and present day Tunguska bathed in a fiery red, and finally a myriad of countless unfamiliar people being viciously slaughtered all from what Fukuzawa could only assume was Vukodlak's point-of-view.

But for as abstract as so many of these memory fragments were; the one thing he picked up on the most, was how often they kept reverting back to Vukodlak in his old Hero costume, and the sound of his voice and many others all ultimately voicing the same thing in both Russian and Japanese together: "There's no such thing as real Heroes. They're all selfish, deceitful glorified savages; just glorified attack dogs for those really in power, so they can just keep stomping down on those with none. As long as Heroes and their society exist, there'll always be someone else out there who'll go down the same path as me. For them, nothing will change for the better…unless Heroes the world over are erased."

From there, the imagery suddenly began to distort, crack and shift into the faces of all the League of Villains members, all looking with suspicion and distrust or even hatred in Vukodlak's direction; the sound of Vukodlak's voice now sounding increasingly conflicted: "But how is an ideology like that anything but Heroic? I'm no Hero; I'd rather die than keep living that façade! But this is all I've ever looked for out of life, and the League gave me the chance to pursue it for real! But their goals are born from self-interest…aren't mine, too?

"I just want nobody to live with the pain that I have! I just want a world where all can live freely without fear of being crushed by someone higher! I've hated Heroes virtually all my life…but how do I reconcile my desire with my defiance of Heroes?! What the hell am I really?! The League are my comrades, the first place where I've truly felt I belonged. They trust me, and I even trust them at this point! But what if they can't understand my goal like I do? Do I even understand it anymore?! How does this all end?!"

Needless to say, Fukuzawa was loving every second of seeing this deep into Vukodlak's tortured and fragmented psyche and conflicted heart. "I think we're just about at the very cusp of that answer, Vukodlak…and therein will lie that ultimate fear, that ultimate truth I seek out of you! You used to be a Hero's sidekick; that Tunguska character, specifically. I wonder…did his Heroes' philosophy take root in your head more than you cared to admit to yourself? Is there perhaps some fragment of a Hero still buried deep within you that you try to redress, suppress, re-contextualize in order to give yourself some sense of secured self-identity, just so you don't have to look the ugly truth in the face? Do you fear that the League may learn of this, and consider you an outlier to their goals, maybe even their enemy?"

At this, all the flying fragments around them finally began to collect together, forming into one solid image that left Vukodlak clutching desperately at his head, howling in anguish while Fukuzawa looked upon it with shock and awe:

It was the sight of Himiko, Twice and the rest of the League of Villains lying dead in their own blood, with Vukodlak himself standing over them in his old White Wolf costume, reddened by their very same blood.

Fukuzawa let out a sigh of the utmost satisfaction as he took it all in. "There it is. You put on this mask of the merciless Hero-hunting monster of a Villain, to try and keep the ideal future you've always chased separated from your old role as a Hero…but you've never been able to quite pull that off inside, have you? And you worry that this old part of you might win out if the League were to turn on you, making you a traitor to your only allies, and yourself. Oh, this is just too good."

"Are you finished in there yet, Shroud? We're burning daylight here!"

The sudden intrusion of the Arsenal-user's gruff voice snapped Fukuzawa out of this mental void he'd trapped Vukodlak within; bringing him back to the real world to find the old veteran and a dozen other Liberation warriors all standing in a complete circle around the scene; Vukodlak still standing motionless in a trance while his foot was still upon Fukuzawa's shadow, and Himiko still lying unconscious in the nearby shed.

Popping the joints in his neck, Fukuzawa rolled his eyes. "You lot really need to learn about patience. But yeah, I got what I wanted out of him. Finish them both off."

*GASP!*

Suddenly, Himiko's whole body jerked within the shed as she gasped for a deep intake of air, startling several of the Liberation warriors around…but something far greater.

With that sound of her breathing deep came the explosion of sound of her sped up heartbeat, and the overwhelming scent of her blood; all those things together managing to penetrate through the mental shroud Vukodlak was immobilized by, and snapping his own senses back to reality…and with it, a wholly renewed savage fighting spirit, now that he knew he wasn't alone, and that they were both under threat.

With a cacophony of terrified and agonized screams, all punctuated by one colossal howl that shook the earth, killed the power for half a dozen blocks all around, and plowed a trail through several houses with the warriors caught in the way getting sent flying and listless with all their bones broken; Vukodlak had instantly transformed himself into his colossal white wolf form, spinning his whole body around like a whirlwind to sweep away all of the Liberation warriors around; dismember several more with his steel claws on all four legs, and ultimately catch the Arsenal-user in his jaws and practically break his whole body in half with his biting strength.

And all while this ensued, Fukuzawa was forced to hurriedly retreat as fast as his legs could carry him; unable to comprehend how on earth the Villain had managed to escape his mental shroud while upon his shadow.

"Pa...pa…you…found me…I knew you would…"

The struggling weakened voice of Himiko calling out to him, managed to calm Vukodlak's blind animalistic rage, as he quickly changed back into his human form; rushing to the now-destroyed garden shed she still lay in, watching as her arm was barely able to lift up to try and reach out to him, with one of her eyes barely managing to open.

"Save your strength, Himiko. I'm getting you out of here, so just try to hang on as best you can." Vukodlak's focus on this one task was enough to make him not even pay attention to the fact that he'd actually started referring to her by her given name. And even for as weak as Himiko herself still was, she had heard it loud and clear, and could only form the weakest of happy smiles in response, as the foreign Villain took her up into his arms and slung her upon his back, getting her to fasten her arms and legs around him, before taking off into a mad sprint, ignoring her weight with ease.

"IT HURTS…IT HUUUURTS…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! IT HUUUUUUUUUUUUUURTS! HAHAHA!"

The last thing anyone had expected to hear out of Twice as he kept wailing over his broken arm, was for his cries to start turning into such a psychotic sounding laugh. From where Spinner and Mr. Compress were still struggling, it sounded like he'd well and truly been broken in mind and spirit. Little did they know just how much this had caught Tomuyasu up in the tower by surprise as well.

"IT HURTS LIKE HELL, BUT I'M STILL HEEEERE!"

As Twice continued to laugh and cry with what was quickly becoming an overwhelming sense of joy; his mind was in a state of pure rapture. 'I've been walking on eggshells trying to avoid major injury, even when fighting in Russia or against Gigantomachia! It's because I was so scared of vanishing like all the other clones of mine! For so long! This whole time! Making mistake after mistake after mistake! It would've been simple enough trying to off myself just to know once and for all! But no, I just kept running and stumbling and falling! Until I fell right in with them. With her. Toga…my allies…MY FRIENDS! THAT'S RIGHT! NO MATTER HOW MUCH I SCREWED UP, NONE OF THEM EVER TURNED ON ME! THEY NEVER GAVE UP ON ME! THEY ALWAYS STUCK BY MY SIDE, CHEERING ME ON, PUTTING THEIR TRUST IN ME!'

"MOVE ASIDE, YOU FAKES! I'M DONE MAKING MISTAKES HERE! WE'RE WINNING THIS THING TODAY!"

With that defiant battle cry; suddenly all of the puppets wearing Twice's face were sent flying, catching the attention of Spinner, Mr. Compress, their attackers, and even all the other Liberation warriors around the scene that had just managed to catch sight of what was happening:

They were looking upon a manically grinning Twice, still on his knees, but with a multitude of clones of himself sprouting from out his back, and subsequently creating more clones of him from out themselves; quickly doubling, quadrupling, and further expanding their numbers faster than their enemies could even keep count. Such a sight as this was enough to even give the calculating and unmovable Tomuyasu great pause.

The look in Twice's eyes alongside the vicious grin on his face made him look like a man possessed as he declared: "MY QUIRK IS 'DOUBLE'…AND YOU LIBERATION ARMY BASTARDS…ARE ABOUT TO LEARN JUST HOW TERRIFYING IT TRULY IS! LET'S DO THIS, TWICES! IT'S SLAUGHTER TIME! INFINITE DOUBLES: SAD MAN'S PARADE!"

With an echoing chorus of battle cries and horrified screams from down the first major road he emerged onto; Vukodlak and Himiko upon his back, both looked and found themselves stricken by the sight of a near tidal wave of Twice clones billowing out over rooftops and onto the street; each individual one sprouting two more clones out of itself, who all then proceeded to do exactly the same, and all while laying waste to the Liberation warriors unable to get away in time.

"Way to go…Jin…you're super tough…now…so cool…" Himiko muttered between her wheezing breaths; prompting Vukodlak to shrug his back in order to get her attention back. "I said don't talk too much, Himiko. We need to get you to the others somewhere safe so we can treat your wounds. Hang on tight; we're cutting this trip in half."

As soon as he felt Himiko's hands grip onto his shirt with the strength she had left; Vukodlak took a deep breath, focused his Quirk, and within seconds grew back into his giant wolf form; sending another devastating flying Air Shield Howl attack barreling down the road in the direction of Twice's clone explosion; clearing out half of several buildings, and whatever other Liberation warriors were in the way in the process. With that opening provided; and with Himiko still gripping onto his white fur-covered back with some semblance of conscious strength; he proceeded to go bounding down this new pathway to the rest of their allies.

But as the Twice clones continued to just billow out by the hundreds, quickly flooding every street for the next several blocks in every direction; the original and the newly rescued Spinner and Mr. Compress quickly spotted their lupine ally bounding toward them, with Himiko visibly intact upon his back; bringing a jolt of overwhelming joy to Twice's heart.

But before any of the three of them could call out to Vukodlak or Himiko at all; they were interrupted by the arrival of a new shadow looming over much of the area. Even Vukodlak himself ended up having to dig his paws into the asphalt to come to a stop as they all took in what was coming now.

Towering over many of the suburban rooftops was a giant human-shaped mass, all made up of one Liberation warrior, with duplicates of himself unfolding outward from behind his back like human origami; subsequently linking up with each other by their limbs in multiplying numbers until they'd formed this gargantuan opposable form, looking down on them all with murderous focus. It was easily able to match up to Vukodlak's wolf form in immense size.

But he was far from intimidated, and even farther from having the patience for further distractions, as he immediately unleashed another high-flying lightning-fast Air Shield Howl straight into the face of this new enemy…only for it to barely get knocked a step back off balance, before quickly regaining its fighting stance against him.

With that, Vukodlak knew this was an opponent he'd only be able to take on as opposed to the others, and as long as Himiko was upon his back, she was in far too much danger. As such, as his silver eyes locked onto the original Twice within the mob of his countless and growing number of clones; his voice could just be made out amid his resonating animalistic growls: "Twice-san…Himiko is breathing, but she's very badly hurt. I did my part for her…now I entrust the rest to you."

Twice didn't even hesitate to practically come sprinting up the swelling masses of his clones' shoulders as he reached out for her; Vukodlak just gently enough shrugging Himiko off his back so she could land securely in his arms, before just as quickly bounding off to continue the fight, knowing she was now in the most capable hands other than his own.

And as she watched her beloved Sensei take off to fight further for them, Himiko likewise watched how Twice's sea of clones was wiping the floor with every Liberation warrior around, before finally moving her one open eye to see the original's emotionally overwhelmed face looking upon her; before finally giving the faintest but sincerest smile. "Way to…level up…Jin…"

From up in his high tower, Re-Destro couldn't hide the clear-as-day impression on his face at how the battle was continuing to unfold; watching as each echoing wolves howl resulted in power being knocked out to entire swathes of Deika City, earning an especially frustrated growl out of Tomuyasu as he was losing his beloved security camera footage of the fighting as a result; and all while invisible walls were plowing trails through multiple houses at once like a high-speed bulldozer. And if that hadn't been impressive enough; then between the colliding plumes of fire and ice, or the giant white wolf savagely attacking the giant man-shaped mass born from another of his warriors' Meta Abilities; he could likewise only watch as a literal flood of Twice clones was quickly consuming the streets like mad.

"Well, this is unexpected. I didn't imagine Vukodlak's Ability would have this range of effects when fully unleashed. And this form of Bubaigawara Jin's Ability is unprecedented. Has he perhaps actually managed to overcome his psychological trauma in the midst of all this? Oh, well. A swing and a miss, Mr. Skeptic! How rare it is, for one of your schemes to actually fail."

Re-Destro's demeanor couldn't have been mistaken for anything other than good-humored…but Tomuyasu didn't acknowledge that at all; remaining forlorn and silent as he suddenly closed his computer and rose up to take his leave; but not before glaring at his Grand Commander with one deathly insulted eye; a few angry veins visibly pulsating on his temples. "Fail? Think about what you're saying, Re-Destro! I've only failed but once in my life. Once. In my entire life! Amend that statement, please, because this isn't a failure; I'm just moving on to the next phase!"

But Re-Destro wasn't about to step down either; meeting his associate's glare with his own, while the rest of his face unsettlingly refused to even twitch. "Yes, of course…Mr. Skeptic."

With that, Tomuyasu finally took his leave, and the moment the door clicked shut, Re-Destro could hear Giran chuckling mockingly to himself. "You guys are such a joke; acting like you've done all your homework on the League…and look at what it takes to throw you off. If you were serious about that, you'd know Vukodlak-san has an unbreakable pack mentality, and your little tactic of separating him from his allies just brought that out in full…but Bubaigaawara-san has to be the funniest. I mean, for real? 'Has he overcome his trauma?' Your man's one hell of a shrink…and it all serves you just right, too…because with his shackles gone, there's no holding him back. If nothing else, you've officially lost your numbers advantage."

But with Re-Destro keeping his back turned towards the laughing broker; Giran didn't notice the slowly spreading black marks forming on the Grand Commander's temples as he continued to watch the ongoing battle. "Quality over quantity, then. Right, Geten-san?"

FWOOOM!

With another powerful impact, Dabi and his icy opponent, Geten, still found themselves neck-and-neck. Even as his arms were now starting to smoke from the extensive use of his flames; the stitch-faced young Villain was as cocky looking and sounding as he'd ever been. "Mine's bigger, and you're outmatched, elementally. Your precious ice is practically all gone."

"If you're winning so easily, then would you mind lending me a hand?!" Mr. Compress exclaimed from nearby; drawing Dabi's attention to see him currently releasing a marble that released a large truck to crush a handful more Liberation warriors trying to close in on him after he'd evacuated from his last spot on the battlefield.

"Why should I help? Looks like we've got plenty as it is." Dabi pointed out matter-of-factly as he pointed to the battle going on still between the giant man-shaped mass and the giant wolf Vukodlak further back…and the approaching tidal wave of Twice's clones overcoming even the higher apartment buildings in their rush; every one of them exclaiming all at once: "NEVER YOU FEAR, OLD BUDDIES, OLD PALS! THE TWICES ARE HERE TO SAVE THE DAY! I'M STILL MAKING MORE DOUBLES! DON'T STEP ON MY FOOT, YOU CLOD! TOGA'S DYING! KILL 'EM ALL! WHERE'D SPINNER-SAN RUN OFF TO?! VUKODLAK-SAN SAVED TOGA!"

"I still can't comprehend how you managed to fight out of that trauma of yours in all of this!" Mr. Compress freely admitted while still trying to keep his distance so as not to get caught up in the wave swallowing up whichever of their enemies were foolish enough to stick around.

"LOVE, COURAGE AND FAITH IN GOOD SUPPLY, COMPRESS-SAN! THAT'S ALL IT TOOK!" The clones all gladly answered; each of them careful enough to swerve around Mr. Compress as they continued to spread; like he was a protruding rock in a rushing stream.

"That doesn't really clarify anything…in fact, it almost sounds like a Heroic backstory, despite you being a Villain." Mr. Compress' analysis was obnoxiously straightforward and logical; which was thus sharply slapped away by the overwhelming enthusiasm among the clones as they too answered:

"WHAT GOOD VILLAIN WOULDN'T WANNA SAVE HIS FRIENDS WHO PUT THEIR TRUST IN HIM, DESPITE ALL HIS SCREW-UPS? THERE'S SO FEW OF YOU, TOO, SO THAT MAKES YOU GUYS ALL THE MORE PRECIOUS! WAIT, HOW COME WE AIN'T CLONING DABI-SAN OR VUKODLAK-SAN?! THEY'RE BOTH WAY HANDIER IN A FIGHT THAN ME! NO OBJECTIONS HERE! I'LL CLONE ALL YOU GUYS! I'LL MAKE 20,000 OF EACH OF YOU! FORGET A LEAGUE, WE COULD HAVE A WHOLE DAMN VILLAIN NATION!"

To this, Mr. Compress suddenly came bull-rushing his way through the Twice mob: "WAIT, TWICE-SAN! IF WE DESTROY THIS CITY AND ITS PEOPLE, WHO WILL BE LEFT TO FIGHT AGAINST GIGANTOMACHIA WHEN HE ARRIVES?!"

All of the gusto and fervor among the clones was immediately extinguished with mumblings of remembrance and agreement, with only one even thinking to ask how much time was left, before Mr. Compress checked his pocket watch. "We only have an hour and five minutes remaining."

"GYAAAAH!"

With perfect timing, a bloodcurdling scream of agony came echoing to their ears; prompting Mr. Compress and the clones to all look and see that their giant wolf ally had just burrowed his snarling maw into the midsection of the giant figure, and succinctly tore the original Liberation warrior right out of it, clutching him tight within his jaws before biting down and shattering his bones; killing him, and leaving all of his unfolded origami copies to crumple and wither away. That was one more particular nuisance among the Liberation Army taken care of.

And with that, the enthusiasm among the clones came spiking right back. "COOL! WITH THAT TAKEN CARE OF, WE'LL DOUBLE BACK AND TAKE CARE OF TOGA! WE GOT THIS IN THE BA-!

RRRRMMMMBLL!

Suddenly, a hurricane-strong frigid front of massive ice spikes came tearing down the road, cleaving this portion of Deika City practically in half as it mercilessly bowled over countless of the clones, and even managed to blindside Vukodlak; sending his huge bestial form tumbling through multiple houses with a pained yelp.

While the clones that shielded Mr. Compress from this freezing attack could only cry out in shock and anguish at so many of themselves being wiped out so quick and Vukodlak actually getting thrown so powerfully while they melted away; Dabi remained standing steadfast; the heat emanating from his body easily melting away the remaining frost crystals floating through the air in the wake of this Super Move. "Does this town manufacture ice? Something doesn't add up here…"

"As I mentioned…I MANIPULATE ICE!" The hooded Geten proclaimed with a mocking confidence while still levitating above the burning hot Villain below; whose eyes were only now reflecting the slightest expression of interest. "Oh…I see how it is now. That includes controlling the ice's temperature, too!"

Indeed, as Dabi observed their surroundings, he could now make out a multitude of small ice crystals protruding at intermittent points along the sidewalks; clearly where the town's water lines had to be running. And all while he observed this; Geten simply sounded like he had a cocky grin on his hidden face. "That's right! By shooting some ice into the water supply and cooling things down some, I can extend my power to that water as well!"

But while the Liberation warrior sounded so fully sure of himself; Dabi simply looked less apathetic than normal. "Why don't you just lead with that? So obnoxious, this guy."

But from where Geten was floating, such dismissive words were nothing more than a show of poorly hidden intimidation. "In the future that our Meta Liberation Army foresees, one's rank in society will be directly tied to the strength of one's Meta Ability. Elevating one's ability will be the only way to truly LIVE!"

And with the upward stroke of his other arm, another high-speed towering wall of ice began to erupt from the street in that same direction, annihilating even more of Twice's clones in the process. "Beyond that sheer strength, LIFE HAS NO VALUE!"

"Sounds miserable…so I'm gonna need you to die." Dabi retorted with the same cement block bluntness that would have left anyone else foaming at the mouth with indignation.

But surprisingly, Getenw as still just as visibly self-assured as he'd ever been. "Oh, but the one who's gonna die here today is you, Blueflame. See, I can smell the stench of that burning flesh of yours from here. Keen observation of the enemy's Meta Ability is fundamental for us…and your festering skin looks like it's about ready to slough right off. YOU CAN'T FIGHT FOR LONG, CAN YOU?! NOT WHEN YOUR OWN FLAMES EAT AWAY AT YOU!"

And all while Dabi was silently clenching his fists; the only visible sign that anything Geten was saying was actually getting to him; Mr. Compress had likewise recollected himself enough to truly observe the utter scope of the destruction he'd been spared. 'Such mass destruction! The Iceman willingly sacrifices his own allies to get at us! Out of all of them, he poses the greatest threat by far! I do wish we could send Machia against him right now! Poor Dabi-san is well in over his head here!'

The sheer physical impact of the wall of ice that plowed into him was enough to break Vukodlak's focus and turn him back to his human form. By the time his head had stopped spinning and he could recollect his surroundings again; he found himself enshrouded under one protruding ice spike from overhead. For all intents and purposes, it was like he was trapped in a crevasse in a glacier.

"Son of a bitch…I have just about had it with this whole damn Army!" he growled all the way from the bottom of his throat; his claws leaving marks in the ice as he got back to his feet.

FWOOSH!

And the moment he was standing up straight again; his entire world around him once again enshrouded in pitch blackness, leaving the Villain screaming in rage from within his head, as Fukuzawa stood upon a ledge overlooking his position; the light from the sun allowing his shadow to extend into the shadows of the crevasse Vukodlak was currently in; the perfect trap.

"And we've just about had it with you too, Vukodlak! This number of Meta Abilities you somehow manage to wield together is more than we anticipated! But if we kill you while your senses are unable to be used, then that Regeneration Ability of yours is no longer a problem! And I have just the partner to take care of that!"

With his mind already completely clouded, Vukodlak couldn't even react the moment he felt his body get yanked backwards off his feet in an all-too familiar sensation; the Reflection-user having come onto the scene, and immediately proceeding to yank the Villain into the reflections upon the ice. "All there is to be reflected on is ice, ice and more ice! There's nothing for you to try and ricochet off of or fight back from this time!"

With that, he proceeded to launch himself and his captive from one ice spire to the next; with every single jump, managing to let go so Vukodlak could zap back into the three-dimensional plain, only to crack his face and torso hard against the ice, and subsequently get yanked right back into the reflections mid-freefall, and all while Fukuzawa was hurriedly sprinting along to follow, so his shadow could constantly be in touch with whichever shadows Vukodlak could fall or get sent flying into; granting him no chance to regain his senses and fight back.

And within this shrouded void that now engulfed his mind; Vukodlak likewise found himself being slammed, thrown, sliced up and all-around obliterated between the walls and towers of this icy canyon, barely able to even tell one direction from another as he could feel his body get battered and broken from one second to the other.

But shortly into it, it wasn't even the mocking voices of his two opponents that was reaching his ears. With the combination of the Reflection-user's assault and Fukuzawa's mental manipulation; all Vukodlak could see and hear amid the ice, was the faces of Tunguska, the Scarlet Cossack, Gamayun, all of the New Bogatyrs, and every single Hero he'd killed over all those years; their voices piling on top of each other as they rang deafeningly in his ears between every throbbing impact:

[[How much of a bloody damn hypocrite are you, Vukodlak? You think your goal somehow doesn't make you some kind of a Hero, regardless of how you pursue it? You think these Villains will continue to accept you when the time ultimately comes for you to choose between your goal and theirs? You'll always be alone, Vukodlak!

[[Your blind anger keeps you from belonging with Heroes, and your ideals will forever make you an outlier even among Villains united! You're just an overgrown child, going whatever direction you feel lets you vent your anger through violence the most! Even if you help them see their goals through to the end; then what? You're ultimately making it so the Villains are the ones in power! You really think the powerless and neglected you care so much about will be in any better hands then? You're not just a hypocrite, you're an idiot, too; and you keep projecting your broken ideals on others, just so you don't have to see your stupidity for what it is! You're nothing more than just a Vigilante, pretending to be something else! What kind of life are you trying to build for yourself, so strongly split between dreams and loyalties?!]]

"Shigaraki-san, are you okay?!"

Several blocks away, Spinner had finally managed to catch up with Tomura as the Dabi/Geten battle's effects were even starting to catch up with them. But Tomura wasn't paying any attention to that; instead focused on dodging every attack getting sent his way, and then mercilessly Decaying whoever was responsible without breaking a sweat or his stride. The League's leader was moving like an utter force of nature; his eyes rolled into the back of his head like he was sleepwalking or in a trance. "Just fine. Are you thinking we should've hung back after all?"

The crashing of a sudden airborne chunk of ice landing right behind Spinner as he sprinted; had his alertness already going through the roof. "Well, if we hadn't come to this town, they would've sent a bunch of Heroes after us, so we were kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place!"

"True. We had no choice. But look, Spinner-san; the tower is close…and there are even more of them." True enough, just as Tomura and Spinner crested the last rise in the road before the foot of the tower; they were met by a large contingent of especially tough-looking Liberation warriors lying in wait for them. And after having seen what Tomura had managed to do before; they were clearly taking the precaution of not getting too close to each other for when one of them would finally bring the fight to their two enemies.

Such a sight had Spinner going slack-jawed, while Tomura's face stretched into an inhuman murderous grin. "WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY ALL COMING FROM?!"

WHAAM!

At the moment the warriors all proceeded to unleash their attacks upon Tomura as he began to charge their way; he suddenly found himself getting tackled from behind, while that deluge of attacks took out the handful of Twice clones right behind; with several more even doing the same thing to Spinner at the same time, while others were continuing to serve as generally human bullet sponges. "TWICE-SAN?! SO MANY TWICE-SANS ALL OF A SUDDEN?!"

But Tomura's own surprise was far less animated than his reptilian teammate, as he took in this sudden change in Twice's Quirk. "Whoa…you made more of yourself than ever!"

With all of the attacks having finally stopped; the Twice clones that remained finally got off of him and Spinner; all of them already in the process of creating more clones from themselves and so on. "YOU BETCHA, SHIGARAKI-SAN! THIS IS HOW I CAN FINALLY BE USEFUL! ALL YOU GUYS' TRUST WON'T GO UNREWARDED!"

"GO ON, KEEP MULTIPLYING! YOU'LL ALL STILL JUST BE SACRIFICES FOR OUR REVIVAL PARTY!" This was the unifying war cry of the oncoming Liberation warriors descending upon the gathered Villains; while Tomura calmly got back to his feet.

"Good going, Twice-san. While you're here, think you can open a path to the tower for me? They said their boss and Giran-san are up there; and considering Vukodlak-san didn't react then, tells me they're telling the truth. And the closer we get, the more of these goons show up. That must mean they're guarding it, so for now, forget about keeping them busy until Gigantomachia shows up. Killing their boss takes top priority…and without Vukodlak-san to flatten them, you're the best choice."

"Take a seat and enjoy the show, boss! CAUSE ME, MYSELF AND I ARE GONNA WRECK THIS LIBERATION ARMY ALL ON OUR OWN! HANG ON, GIRAN-SAN! I'M COMIN'!" The leading Twice clone proudly declared; feeling his chest swell with pride at the sound of Tomura's expressed confidence in him; all of his fellow clones quickly taking off in a human wave of unity, meeting the incoming Liberation warriors head-on, and flattening them with ease; while Spinner could only watch in awe.

"I guess Twice-san really can handle the rest of this all by himself." He finally admitted; while Tomura's body was visibly starting to wobble where he stood, as though he were on the verge of losing his last vestiges of consciousness, all while his same sadistic scarred grin remained on his face. "It's because he's too fond of Giran-san. Liberation Army, you're gonna regret toying with a guy's emotions!"

Suddenly, the approaching sound of a vehicle engine caught both Tomura, Spinner and the remaining clones' attention; turning to find the same political campaign van from earlier pulling into the nearby intersection; the man called Hanabata still perched atop it and staring the Villains down specifically. "YOU! RINGLEADER OF THE LEAGUE OF VILLAINS! IT'S REGRETTABLE THAT YOU'VE HAD YOUR WAY OF THINGS FOR THIS LONG! PEOPLE ARE NOT INHERENTLY WEAK! WE ALL POSSESS A GREAT POWER WITHIN OURSELVES! AND WHAT WE HOPE TO DEMONSTRATE WITH OUR REVIVAL PARTY IS THAT GOOD PEOPLE AND THEIR META ABILITIES CAN TRIUMPH OVER EVIL! THROUGH THEIR INNATE POWER, LIFE WILL PREVAIL!

"WE CALL FOR THE DISSOLUTION OF YOUR LEAGUE! NOW, MY FINE PEOPLE, LIBERATE THEM! COMBINE YOUR POWERS AND OPEN THE PATH UP TO THE COMING ERA!"

The resulting cacophonous roar of motivation and growing strength among the remaining nearby warriors only seemed to fuel Hanabata's inner fire that much further, as they all began to charge in on Tomura and Spinner from all directions at once. "SHOW THE WORLD THAT, YES, EVERYONE IS A HERO! AND THAT AT THE SAME TIME; NO ONE IS!"

And just like before, the Twice clones standing guard were finding themselves quickly getting take out by the multiple Quirks being sent their way, while Spinner hurriedly ducked and weaved his way through the mob; never taking his eyes off of Hanabata specifically. 'This just keeps happening over and over again! That Hanabata guy! With every speech he gives, the warriors in this town get more and more riled up! So what now? I can't allow them to wear Shigaraki-san down any more than they already have! What I gotta do…I finally know!'

DING!

"So you're the man himself! THE DUMB CULT LEADER TRYING TO RUIN THE ONE PLACE WHERE I TRULY BELONG!" Twice's impatient voice came shouting out the moment the elevator doors to the top floor of the tower finally opened; revealing him standing victorious over two unconscious or dead warriors that had clearly failed in trying to stop him from reaching Re-Destro; who by now was still keeping his body turned towards the window; and was even smiling in anticipation now that the first of the League; clone or otherwise; had finally managed to make it this far.

"WHOA, YOU GONNA INVENT SOMETHING TO DEAL WITH THAT RECEEDING HAIRLINE?! LIBERATION ARMY?! MORE LIKE CHROME DOME CULT! Pardon me, that was rude." As the clone continued to berate the sharp-dressed, pointy-nosed man before him, it was already starting to form up another clone from itself, completely ignoring the look of bewilderment on the still-bound Giran's face…as well as the black marks now starting to completely span across Re-Destro's eyes and to his temples.

"Unlike my good dearly departed Miyashita-kun…there's absolutely nothing charming about you."

But even as Re-Destro finally proceeded to turn himself around to face his uncouth intruder eye-to-eye; the clone refused to stand down, as it created more and more of itself. "Clearly I'm way faster at making doubles of myself than of anyone else, because I know myself best! SO DIDJA WET YOURSELF YET?! GO AHEAD AND BEG ME FOR MERCY, CHROME DOME CULT MAN!"

But in a show of no fear that somehow even managed to get under all the clones' skin; Re-Destro still kept that condescending old man grin on his pointy face; only chancing a momentary glance to the bodies in the elevator. "I had a good number of soldiers posted down below. It's truly just as Mr. Skeptic said: you have quite the impressive Meta Ability, Bubaigawara Jin."

And as if to try and make one final attempt to break the last of this one man's persistent confidence; all of the Twice clones proceeded to create their own clones of Dabi, Mr. Compress, Tomura and Vukodlak together. "LISTEN UP, GUYS! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT DOUBLES! Even if you kick the bucket, the real you is still out there somewhere! So don't worry; we'll give each of ya a nice funeral! So repeat after me: 'I'm just a double! I can die, but the real me keeps living!' It's kinda freeing, once you internalize that!"

"You dare to replicate your leader and just assume that the clone will die?" "I ain't saying that. And who are all of you, anyway?" "Nice speech, but how about you save the hot air for after we crush Pinnochio over there?"

The Tomura, Dabi and Vukodlak clones all immediatel began biting back with their own instinctive dismissals of the leading clone's motivational speech; until the Mr. Compress clone exclaimed to the other clone that had created him: "Wait, did you actually manage to clone this many of yourself?!"

"Oh, right, this clone double of me didn't meet with the real Dabi-san and Compress-san down on the street earlier, so you're a version of them that still doesn't know that I conquered my fear."

"Oh, so you're not the original Twice-san, either?"

This was the question that finally got the whole lot started: "DON'T BE STUPID! OF COURSE I'M THE ORIGINAL!" "HUH?! NO WAY, I'M THE REAL ME!"

But the leading clone immediately stepped up; furiously shaking his head to do away with the original's creeping traumatizing memories of this very argument: "SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU! IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO'S WHO! NOT WHEN OUR HEARTS ARE IN IT AND OUR LIVES ARE ON THE LINE!"

With that and nothing more, one of the clones, in fervent support, finally took the initial charge toward Re-Destro, ready to drive that grinning big-nosed face straight into the ground and finally free—

SMAK!

In a blur faster than the human eye could track, that charging clone's entire upper half was suddenly gone, leaving the rest of the body to disintegrate away into sludge, while Re-Destro now stood that much closer; the black marks across his eyes now starting to form upon the index and middle finger of his extended left hand; that same unreadable grin on his face all the while.

"So very fragile. And you people don't seem to understand the point of taking a hostage. Bubaigawara Jin…create any more of your Doubles, and I'll kill Giran-san on the spot. He isn't a formal member of your gang, so ending his life wasn't part of the plan, but nevertheless…"

Now, the leading clone couldn't maintain the bold demeanor anymore; his face under the mask clearly reflecting a trembling fear in the face of such a threat, with Giran being right there within Re-Destro's reach.

But the clones of everyone else didn't show nearly as much hesitation; as the Tomura clone didn't hesitate to step forward. "Don't worry, Twice-san. You set us up nicely here. It's still one versus…plenty."

And at his lead; the rest of the clones of the League members proceeded to launch into a simultaneous charge, ignoring the numerous cries from the rest of the Twice clones to stop. "WE HAVE OUR ROLE TO PLAY!" "We're taking our broker back…" "…and putting you and your army in the dirt!"

BWOOSH!

What happened next all occurred so quickly, but this time there was no denying what anyone in this room saw unfold; as Re-Destro's whole body suddenly lurches to his right, as his left arm expanded into a gigantic muscular mass like half his whole height in muscle width; his hand now completely consumed in the black markings.

And despite this sudden explosion in increased size and strength, the speed with which he swung that arm at all of the clones coming his way was like the cracking of a whip; plowing through the immediate Air Shield the Vukodlak clone tried to make as a last second defense like it was nothing, and subsequently annihilating all of the clones at once; their dissolving sludge even managing to reach the ceilings, their destruction was so explosive.

"What awful people. And so foolish to think you could stand up to us." The Grand Commander noted with clear disappointment; only catching a glimpse of half a Twice clone still trying to crawl towards Giran in his tipped over chair, before creating one more whole clone out of itself to close the rest of the distance to the broker before dying at last.

"GIRAN-SAN! SPEAK TO ME! OH, MAN, THEY REALLY DID CHOP OFF SIX OF YOUR FINGERS, AND ONE OF YOUR TOES! THEY EVEN BUSTED UP THE REST OF YOUR RIGHT HAND, TOO! DAMN THEM…*sniffle*…THAT'S THE HAND YOU SMOKE YOUR CIGS WITH!"

But as the Twice clone continued to over-dramatically weep over him; Giran managed a faint gap-toothed grin. "Sorry I ended up rolling over on you guys…some broker I turned out to be, huh?"

Even as the tears continued to rain; the same driven fury overtook the clone's eyes as he refused to let go. "DON'T APOLOGIZE! PEOPLE WHO DON'T DO ANYTHING WRONG DON'T HAVE TO SAY SORRY!"

Suddenly, the clone could feel his nerves tense up as the sound of Re-Destro's footsteps (his arm having by now returned to its normal size) approached; the Grand Commander looking at this display with an unreadable look of apathy. "As I thought, your little band really isn't qualified for this. All those needless emotions only get in the way of your organization's goals. That's why you are destined to crumble in the face of our will."

The coordinated suppression and battering tactic between Fukuzawa and the Reflection-user against Vukodlak had miraculously managed to go for the last two minutes with nothing getting in the way. And with his mind completely overwhelmed and unable to activate his Quirks in defense; his Super Regeneration wasn't kicking in, as the ragged state of his body from the constant beatings were showing quite thoroughly.

But upon realizing they were reaching the end of this particular section of the ice wall Geten had left for them to use, Fukuzawa spotted the highest ice spike overlooking one of the taller buildings still standing. "It's time we finish this! Get him up there, throw him into the air, then propel him down with another grab so we can skewer him on it like a kebab! We need to still do something about Dabi and Shigaraki!"

"Understood, Mr. Shroud," the Reflection-using Liberation warrior responded; gripping Vukodlak tight by the neck within this most recent reflection, before focusing his gaze on the towering spike above, launching himself and his enemy through the air to bounce right into that reflective surface; once more repeating his process of letting go of Vukodlak at the last second so he could have his bones broken and his insides rocked by the impact again, before getting pulled the rest of the way in.

And the moment he had the Villain trapped with him for this final attack, he looked upward and proceeded to send them both rushing at breakneck speed up the height of the ice spike, ready to release Vukodlak straight up into the air the moment they were both out. In a matter of three more seconds, this fight would finally be over.

But at the very last remaining second; the faintest movement from below forced the Reflection-user to glimpse down out of curiosity…only to see Vukodlak's limp body had his hands moving in a sweeping motion while reaching to his side…right before then thrusting his arms out the rest of the way.

KRRRRSSHH!

In a sudden explosion of ice; two simultaneous Air Shields were sent flying out from inside the spike; shattering it, and sending Vukodlak and the warrior flying and plummeting through the air towards the skylight of one of the nearby buildings; the latter now being unwittingly pulled along through the air by maintaining his grip on the Villain on the way down.

KRRRAAASSHH!

And with no mercy or time for him to even try and gather his surroundings in an attempt to try and escape into another reflection to at least break his fall; the two men went slamming through the skylight, bouncing hard off of a steel table underneath; the Reflection-user feeling one of his arms, legs, hips, shoulder and multiple ribs break into multiple pieces on impact.

Furthermore, with Fukuzawa having been caught by surprise just as thoroughly in mid-air, he'd likewise been stunned as a result, and thus hadn't been able to maintain his pace in order to keep his shadow in touch with any shadow Vukodlak was flying through, as they all three came crashing through the skylight. As a result; once the Villain had come to a crash landing, his senses had finally been restored, and his Super Regeneration was already hard at work, mending his muscle, insides, bones and all bruises and lacerations all over his body.

As Fukuzawa tried to get the ringing in his head and the throbbing pain on so much of his body to stop; he found himself getting blinded by the high afternoon sun shining down on them…but that brought the sudden terrifying realization that they were in a position where his shadow was at its shortest even if he was standing upright.

As he rolled and took in their surroundings, he saw Vukodlak was already getting back to his feet; his own shadow only going as far as around his feet. It was the perfect time of day for him to be able to avoid Fukuzawa's Quirk.

But Fukuzawa wasn't the one that had Vukodlak's murderous attention; as another menacing low growl emanated from the pit of his chest as he looked at the pathetically writhing and broken Reflection-user on the ground, trying with only one side of his body to try and get up and run away upon the realization of just how messed up he really was.

And with a bestial pouncing; Vukodlak proceeded to pin his most persistent enemy down under his knees, not even hesitating for a second to finish things by stabbing two of his steel claws straight into the side of his neck…twice, while hissing through his teeth into his ear: "Got you."

The realization of having just lost one of his most useful comrades against such a foe as this, had Fukuzawa's whole body shaking with a chilling terror that overwhelmed his heart and soul; spurring him into running for everything he was worth the moment he saw Vukodlak get back up; his fingers dripping with blood; and look his way from over his shoulder.

And all the while, he could be heard screaming at the top of his lungs: "HOW?! HOW DID YOU GET OUT OF THAT?! OUR STRATEGY WAS PERFECT! HOOOOOW?!"

But for as much as Vukodlak wanted to give chase and remove this other continuous thorn in their side; the adrenaline from knowing he'd eliminated at least one through the way he had; filled the Villain with an irresistible urge to let out an all-powerful human's howl of victory to the sky for all to hear.

Once he had, gasping for breath afterward; he then focused his cold silver eyes on the visible tower outside; turning back into his giant wolf form mid-leap; exploding out through the ceiling of this building, and now bounding from rooftop to rooftop in his rush to get the rest of the way there.

As Re-Destro began to reach to finally finish off the last Twice clone and Giran together, true to his word; he could suddenly feel the hairs on the back of his neck begin to rise…just like one often felt when they felt incoming danger from out of sight.

"Just because you've got some noble dream or whatever?!" The aggressive gravel of Tomura's voice suddenly spoke out; just at the fraction of a moment that Re-Destro ducked his head to the side, just barely missing the clone's Decay-imbued hand grabbing at the air where he'd been. Missing death literally by a hair's breadth.

And the surprise on his face would've been enjoyably palpable, had this fight still not been so close. "You're still alive?"

But that surprise did nothing to dull his own fighting instincts, as he likewise swiped his hand towards the clone in order to try and destroy it; but it was just as quick and nimble on its feet as anyone, hurriedly putting space between them as Re-Destro closed in; the black marks once more forming around his eyes. "'Noble dream', you say? Hehe…no, this is perfect! This is a great chance to see what you're really made of!"

As the Tomura clone continued to stare down his oncoming opponent; before his eyes, Re-Destro's shoulders began to broaden, he began to grow taller…and his muscles began to expand to the point of nearly destroying his suit; the same black marks now becoming more and more visible all over his body; all while his once gentlemanly smile became that much more intimidating with his intensifying stare.

"Once upon a time, a woman gave birth to a child with a Meta Ability. Society was still in chaos after the wars that had consumed the world in those early years as a result of that initial panic when Abilities first became the majority trait among the population. As such, prejudice still existed in droves towards those with Meta Abilities. Metas suffered constant abuse, blatant discrimination. The woman watched as her child was attacked by society at large, day after day. With her small solitary voice, she lambasted the world! 'THIS IS JUST A QUIRK OF MY CHILD! LET THE WORLD BE A PLACE WHERE MY CHILD CAN LIVE FREELY', SHE CRIED!

"BUT HER PETITION WAS LOST IN A SEA OF SNEERS AND SCORN! SHE NEVER GOT TO SPEAK OUT AGAIN! DO YOU KNOW WHY?! BECAUSE THE ANTI-META MOB KILLED HER!"

WOOSH!

And with that same incredible speed and power, he threw his left arm, the size of an elephant's leg, straight at the Tomura clone's head; this time his being the one to barely swerve out of the way in time; only suffering a nick on the cheek as the hand clasped to his face was knocked off, while the entire wall behind him exploded outward on impact; raining debris down on the buildings and people below.

But catching the hand, Tomura stared his enemy down with the same exhausted apathetic glare. "I know the story. She was the mother of the term 'Quirk.' Everybody knows that. Are you mocking me?"

Again, as the black marks progressively consumed his smiling face; there was a thinly veiled murderous intent in Re-Destro's eyes as he continued to swing for Tomura's clone. "Not at all! Sorry, I assumed you hadn't received any formal education. Anyhow, with the rise of Heroes…and Vigilantes, the government began to fight the chaos. During this time of reform, they brought up the woman's complaint.

"'A Meta Ability is just another trait of the individual! Nothing but a Quirk! Long live diversity! Let's change those old ways of thinking,' they said! However…"

WRAAM!

Without granting Tomura's clone a split second to jump out of the way, Re-Destro whipped another massive arm around from his blind spot, snatching his entire body in the grip of his hand. "…the legislation they've enacted since then has only suppressed those with Meta Abilities even more; even though this whole society loves to parade itself around as tolerant and accepting of Meta Abilities the world over! It's a change in name only! All they managed to do was keep people from using their Abilities! But until everyone can wield those powers as they wish, our society will never truly know freedom; no country will!

"After all, with all the recent news finally reaching the rest of the world of just what Russia and the rest of the Slavic world was doing to its own citizens with Abilities for over the last decade since the Siberian Flash, it simply proves that deep down, as soon as a single mistake is made, that Anti-Meta sentiment will come overflowing out in full as much as it did back then! The world hasn't changed a single bit! After multiple generations since the Mother of Quirks; the descendant of her very same child, the original Destro, understood this ugly truth better than anyone!"

From here, Re-Destro's face now looked like he was possessed solely by his rage, as he began hammering the Tomura clone repeatedly against the floor and ceiling his with colossal arm; slowly but surely crushing him within his grip all the while. "'This isn't the future my dear ancestor envisioned,' he said! HE SOUGHT TO REMAKE THE WORLD SO THAT META ABILITIES COULD TRULY BE CALLED QUIRKS! IT'S AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH TO THEM! DO YOU SEE NOW WHY WE PUBLISHED DESTRO'S MEMOIRS?! TO INCITE REBELLION AGAINST THE STATE! TO PURSUE TRUE FREEDOM! I TAKE ON THOSE BURDENS TO SEE MY FATHER DESTRO'S DREAM FULFILLED! YES! HIS BLOOD, THE MOTHER OF QUIRKS' BLOOD RUNS THROUGH MY VEINS! I AM RE-DESTRO!"

By now, with that declaration rippling through every fiber of his being, Re-Destro stopped smashing the clone's body, instead now looking him in his blood red eyes. "Does your pitiful gang of thugs, with nothing but the urge to destroy, carry any of the burden of history that we do?!"

But as the Tomura clone hung limp upside down within the Grand Commander's hand; his face reflected no such thing as fear, instead turning his gaze to the one Twice clone still attending to Giran. "Twice-san…I'm gonna need you to throw Giran-san out the window. When this guy attacked and I was hanging out the window a second ago, I locked eyes with both of them down below. It's his best chance…the real one's about to touch the tower. I know it…because that's exactly what I would do."

"NO HARD FEELINGS, GIRAN-SAN!" The Twice clone immediately exclaimed; carrying the broker as he launched into a mad sprint toward the one open window on this floor; just barely managing to avoid the sweeping hand of Re-Destro's free arm trying to stop him; ultimately using his momentum to throw Giran out the window to the ground twenty stories below.

And the timing couldn't have been more perfect; as the moment Giran felt himself starting to freefall; the real Tomura down on the ground at the foot of the tower planted one hand directly to the wall; spreading his Decay across every single floor in a matter of seconds; sending the top floor collapsing down as the rest of the building exploded into dust before everyone's eyes.

And as the tower disintegrated as he fell; Giran quickly found himself getting snatched safely in mid-air in the flying giant Vukodlak's jaws, once he spotted the broker's plummeting form just before leaping to catch him.

The flesh and blood Tomura continued to stand alone as the clouds of dust settled all around him; listening and watching once he could see further; just to spot Re-Destro's hulking form rise unharmed from the several blocks of rubble. "People are supposed to die, falling from that height…so I take it you're the boss? Hang on…you…you're the guy from those annoying Detnerat commercials."

But any insult Tomura could fling his way meant less than nothing, as Re-Destro kept his head bowed down; now half engulfed in the black marks; his focus entirely on the League's leader while keeping his body hunched over like a bull ready to charge. "I suppose…YOU missed my question earlier. A pity, that."

The moment Twice had caught Himiko when Vukodlak had thrown her to him; he made a point of getting her deep within the concentration of his spreading clones; to serve as the biggest buffer between her and any other Liberation warriors still bold enough to try and fight. And knowing that they wouldn't be at immediate risk of attack, he immediately made a point of pulling out his trusty measuring tape.

"Listen, Toga; teenagers are my worst nightmare. In the prime of adolescence, you have growth spurts everywhere all the time. So, when I measured you back at the Hassaikai's place? That data's no good anymore. I gotta measure you again to make a double! You've lost too much blood, and I don't know your blood type. Even Vukodlak-san said that his Quirk doesn't tell him what a target's blood type is! What kinda half-assed detail is that? The quickest way to do a blood transfusion will be to draw it from your Double."

"Why don't I measure her? No, I'll go look for her blood-sucking thingy. You already made two Doubles, so you're maxed out, aren't you? I haven't made any! I'll measure her!"

The moment Twice could hear more and more of his clones starting to bicker like children amongst each other; he nearly gave himself whiplash with how intensely he looked their way; his already dead-looking eyes now fired up. "THERE'S NO TIME FOR ARGUING! MY FRIEND'S ABOUT TO DIE! I'LL DO IT TOGETHER!"

This thankfully was enough to get all of his clones in line, and within no time, one of them had managed to come through in creating a clone lying right beside Himiko; with the original Twice hurriedly setting up the tube work between them in order to start the transfusion process; all while one of the clones decided to check the perimeter of the small backyard they had taken refuge in. "Your pretty face is such a mess, Toga…I hope you'll heal. Surely Dabi-san must know a good plastic surgeon, just in case. Please…you have to live!"

POW!

Suddenly, all semblance of peace was broken by the sound of a massive impact; snapping Twice and his clones all to attention, just in time to see the perimeter-checking clones be sent flying through the air.

Just outside the barrier of the yard, Tomoyasu stood defiantly in the middle of the road; flanked on both sides by a multitude of identical gorilla-like thugs he was creating out of every inanimate object he touched along his way; his face stretched with a borderline-psychotic grin. "GO! ALL OF YOU, GO, GO, GO, GO, GO! NOW THAT BUBAIGAWARA HAS TRULY FOUND HIMSELF, IT'S TIME TO CAPTURE HIM! I DIDN'T FAIL! YOU HEAR ME, BUBAIGAWARA, YOU SCUM?! I DIDN'T FAIL! I DIDN'T FAIL! I DIDN'T FAIL! I DIDN'T FAIL! I DIDN'T FAIL!"

At the same time, the moment Spinner had heard the echo of Vukodlak's victorious human howl before his wolf form came bounding over rooftops towards the tower; he had likewise fully dedicated himself to finally close in and deal with the persistent threat of Koku Hanabata upon his election campaign van; closely followed and guarded by a near dozen of Twice's clones; either taking the brunt of the Liberation warriors' attacks, or taking them out personally so Spinner could simply focus on getting to Hanabata.

'These people have been fighting near literal tooth and nail ever since that Hanabata said this 'Ms. Curious' person died! She must've been a real high-ranking somebody to these people; they clearly hold their superiors in great esteem! They're gonna be in a rabid frenzy if we go after their party leader…but Hanabata's gotta be dealt with fast, regardless! For Shigaraki-san's sake! For all our sake!'

The moment Hanabata and Spinner made eye contact between the near two dozen Liberation warriors standing guard; Spinner couldn't help but defiantly call out: "COMMAND AND ENHANCERS SHOULDN'T BE ON THE FRONTLINES! IF YOU CAN'T FIGURE OUT YOUR ROLE, YOU'RE GONNA GET AN INSTA-BLOCK!"

Even in the face of such a crude threat, the sharp-dressed politician couldn't help but to smile, revealing the small bracelet upon his wrist as he pressed a single button upon it. "You young people with your inscrutable lingo. No matter what you're trying to imply, I can still tell that you're a clever one."

Suddenly, the bracelet almost seemed to turn into a gravity-defying liquid, quickly flying from his wrist and quickly encapsulating his head, before taking the form of a helmet with a multitude of speakers lining it. "However, such bold claims are hardly befitting of such a weak Meta, Iguchi Shuichi! EVERYONE! DELIVER WELL-DESERVED JUSTICE UNTO THOSE THAT WOULD DO US HARM!"

All at once, Spinner could just feel the reverb roaring through the air from the amplification of Hanabata's new gear; and he and his protecting clones quickly found themselves being utterly bowled over by the resulting bum-rush of the Liberation warriors; every single one of them roaring like blind, rabid animals as they fought back with just as much savagery and blind adrenaline.

The only reason Spinner managed to survive, unlike the clones, was because he'd had a fraction-second's chance to jump up onto the face of a nearby wall, out of the charging warriors' grasp; also allowing him and Hanabata to lock eyes again.

"Your Gecko Meta Ability allows you to cling to walls, but that's about it. I understand you were once a recluse. Mocked and pilloried. And now you do what you do to exact revenge on the world. I'm sorry to say…I CAN'T SEE YOU EVER HAVING ANY TRUE VALUE!"

Before Spinner could think of a response; the wall behind him suddenly vanished in a circle like chalk from a blackboard, right before a short bald Liberation warrior came jumping out, clutching onto the reptilian Villain's body tight, before projecting a number of spikes from all over his own body, puncturing Spinner painfully in multiple spots.

But at the same time, the destruction of the tower had likewise occurred, and that was what had Hanabata's full attention, as he urgently cried out to all forces around: "TO THE GRAND COMMANDER, EVERYONE! THE VILLAINS ARE THREATENING THE VERY CORE OF OUR REBELLION!"

Not only realizing what Tomura had finally managed to do, but even more so the danger he was now in; Spinner's already insane fighting drive skyrocketed; thrashing his body enough to allow to run his short-sword across his attacker's neck, killing him and getting him to let go; thus allowing the Villain to finally start advancing on Hanabata's position again.

And all the while as he did so; the politician's dismissive words were continuing to replay over and over in his head: 'I won't ever have any value? I know that better than anyone. When I get inspired to act, I don't know what the heck I'm doing! I'm just a loser jumping on a bandwagon! Or at least that's what it looks like! So go ahead and call me whatever you want; look at me with those judgmental eyes! I don't care!'

With that resignation clamoring within his heart, as he landed on the ground before Hanabata, swords at the ready; he finally directly answered the man's mocking words, thinking back to the night that changed his life forever; the night he had first seen and heard the Hero Killer Stain on television: "But…I know that already! I'VE GOT NOTHING I LOVE LIKE TOGA-SAN DOES! NOTHING I REALLY WANNA DO LIKE VUKODLAK-SAN, EITHER! But back then, I just know that something lit a fire in my heart for the first time ever."

From there, he could once again feel the reverberation in his very bones, thinking back to his and the rest of the League's first ever meeting with Ujiko the Doctor; particularly the words that Tomura had said that had ultimately earned the old man's favor: "Why not just destroy it all?"

"Listening to Shigaraki-san say something so deeply personal with such conviction…all I could think about then was how much I wanted to catch even a glimpse of the future he had in mind! SURE; I'M JUST A NOBODY WHO JUMPED BLINDLY ONTO A BANDWAGON, BUT WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?! NOTHING, RIGHT?! AND YOU PEOPLE AIN'T MUCH BETTER! AIN'T THAT RIGHT, POLITICIAN?!"

The way Hanabata's mask was designed; it was impossible to tell if he was even granting Spinner the courtesy of eye contact…but the tone with which he answered through the speakers lining his mouth made it abundantly clear that he'd taken those words to heart. "You presume…to compare yourself to us?"

Just on the outside of the area directly effects by the collapsing rubble of the disintegrated tower; the giant white wolf of Vukodlak came land back on solid ground after rebounding off another building's roof. The moment he knew he'd landed, he finally proceeded to open his jaws and finally let Giran free; the broker not even paying mind to the fact he'd been rescued by essentially being turned into a thrown bone or a chew toy for the Villain to catch; whom by now had finally returned back to his human form. "You're not hurt any worse than those bastards had you already; are you, Giran-san? Sorry about messing up your clothes…well, any more than they already were."

Cracking the joints in his neck and shoulders, Giran let out an exasperated sigh. "We're alive; that's good enough for me. I owe you guys big time for this."

Looking at the vast expanse of destruction Tomura had left out of what was once Deika City's tallest tower; Vukodlak likewise sighed in relief. "I wasn't sure if Twice-san's clones would be able to get you all the way out of there unscathed, so I figured you'd all appreciate the backup rescue plan."

But any attempt at conversation between the foreign Villain and the underworld broker was rendered dead silent, as they could finally make out through the thinning dust, the sight of Tomura standing face-to-face against Re-Destro; who now positively dwarfed him in both height and muscle mass.

Between the two opposing leaders; the sight of Re-Destro having become so big didn't even strike a chord of trepidation within Tomura. "Were you always such a hulk?"

Again, the Grand Commander gave no answer; didn't even betray any expression that could give away his emotions; much like Tomura himself, who simply felt compelled to capitalize on this momentary pause in their battle. "Tell me, Detnerat…how're you feeling right about now? Pretty crappy, I bet. Your plan was to let the masses do the fighting while you sat back in your comfy tower. You thought we were beneath you, so you set up this city and sent your mob after us…never, ever expecting us to make it this far. Noooo…not scum like us, who were already tough enough to take down the yakuza and slap the capital of a world superpower right in its face and walk away unscathed. Well, here I am now, and I've knocked you down a peg. So let me ask ya: HOW'S IT FEEL?!"

With that and blink-and-you-miss-it speed, Tomura suddenly planted a hand to the ground; spreading a rapidly growing area of his Decay in all directions at once. Disintegrating the red sneakers on his own two feet; and even spurring Vukodlak to hurriedly grab Giran, and focus his Muscle Augmentation into his legs in order to launch them up and away by nearly an entire city block in order to avoid getting caught up in it; the broker and the Russian Villain both stricken with the same amazed thought: 'Shigaraki-san; his Decay even spread to things he didn't touch! Did he only just now become this much stronger?!'

As he watched Re-Destro hurriedly leap back to avoid getting caught in the effects of his Quirk; Tomura's dry, cracked mouth began to turn into a sadistic smile. "Looks like I've finally leveled up to the point those little boosting trinkets from Russia got me to before."

When the voice of Koschei within his head finally spoke back up; even it couldn't help but sound quite pleased: "Indeed you have. But don't let that start making you reckless, though. You're a conquering future king, and you're about to take this man's kingdom from him…and much like animals backed into a corner; rulers on the verge of losing their legacy always fight at their most vicious."

"It angers me…"

With nary even a sound to signify the man had even jumped; Tomura looked and saw Re-Destro suddenly come descending upon him like a human meteor; the young Villain hurriedly springing himself back just as the Grand Commander's gigantic fist came exploding into the ground; the sheer shockwave firing lightning-fast rubble shrapnel all around that not only managed to punch a hole that destroyed the index and middle finger and thumb of Tomura's left hand; but also completely destroy the disembodied hand that had been clasped to his face.

As he was momentarily airborne, and looking at the damage that had so suddenly been done to his body; even Tomura couldn't hide the shock on his face; all while Re-Destroy was grinning in satisfaction at the sight. "I'm the type to let my rage build up. It's why my forehead looks like this. You killed many of my Liberation warriors on your way over here, right?!"

With lightning speed, Re-Destroy suddenly dashed over and grasped onto Tomura's remaining left hand between two fingers; holding the shocked Villain like a child would a fragile toy. "And was it this hand that committed such unforgivably evil acts?"

"HEY! WHAT'RE YOU TWO DOING, TAKING IN THE SIGHTS?!" The sudden voice of another Twice clone on the scene managed to snap Giran and Vukodlak out of their momentary reverie of watching Tomura's confrontation with Re-Destro.

While the Villain clone was already happily bounding over to see if Giran was hurt even worse than he already looked; Vukodlak quickly spotted the position Tomura now found himself in, as well as the approaching multitudes of remaining Liberation warriors closing in on the scene.

With fangs bared and claws at the ready; he ignored all else as he suddenly exclaimed to his fellows: "Shigaraki-san's in trouble! You: get Giran-san away from here to somewhere you can treat him!"

"Hey, don't tell me what to do, Vukodlak-san! I'll happily do what you say, no matter wha—whoa!"

RRRRRRMMMMMBBBBBLLLL!

Before the clone could try to backhandedly express agreement with Vukodlak's request; all three of them could feel themselves almost getting knocked off their feet as the ground beneath them began to shake and rumble with an earthquake-like intensity…almost as though something were rapidly approaching from beneath it.

And with that distinct animal-like sensitivity to that feeling and subsequent realization; Vukodlak and the clone, as well as every other clone and League member all throughout Deika City, could feel an overwhelming surge of both dread and anticipation that had long been overdue.

Alright! I hope you all really enjoy this chapter! I really tried my best to make Vukodlak's original set of fights in this whole arc as dynamic and interesting as I could, keeping the Quirks of his opponents interesting but able to be reasonably fought against. On top of that, most importantly, I really wanted to try and really give his character and his motivations a big dose of development like so many of the League members get throughout this awesome arc. Please, please, please, let me know how you honestly think I did in that regard here.

With that, I shall see you all next week on 04/29! Have a great week, all of you!