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(Chapter edited May/06/23)
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Chapter 22
Darkness, nervousness, and an incredible worry on each of the pro-heroes' faces could have brought anyone to a state of panic and paranoia. How could it be? Is a hero afraid of the unknown? The answer would be yes. Since for every single one of them, the moment of truth has arrived.
"It's everyone prepared for this?" Endeavor said.
The number two hero, Flame hero: Endeavor brought his fire fist into the air, smirking and showing up confidence in the group of heroes he was in charge of.
"We are ready," one said.
"Good, it's time to rescue our comrades and show those villains who we are!" He said.
They all replied with a thunderous war cry, for soon villains would lose at the hand of justice and righteousness.
In the last few days, around Japan, every police department and the pro-heroes agency has been in charge of searching for the whereabouts of both Mirko and Edgeshot. The investigation, however, was unsuccessful, much to the grief of the pro-heroes who carried the failure on their backs. Yet hope was still there for them.
Not too long ago, an investigation breakthrough brought a sense of faith to all heroes. Yet, among everything, none noticed how much of a setup it was. For a good reason, too, since many were desperate to get their friends back and idols back. They weren't capable of noticing the apparent trap that lay before them.
However, one of them could. High above the sky. The current number three hero, Hawks, glared in with suspicion at the incomprehensible set of constructions ahead of them. It looked like something was burning around that place. Hawk frowned as he saw a large circle surrounding the area, ashes, embers, and more, very recent. Those buildings didn't look like anything Hawks had seen before. They looked like ruins left behind by a failed city or civilization. Or at least a part of a city. However, that couldn't be possible. No records about such a place existed. The ruins just appeared out of nowhere. And that's why Hawke felt so apprehensive about the entire operation.
"I don't like this, not one bit," Hawke muttered slowly as he flew around the place.
"Why is this place here? Where did it come from?"
"Stop fussing around, Hawks! This is our chance. They don't know we are here!"
"This is a bad idea, Endeavor. We should have investigated more! We should have waited for the government approval to use the military!"
"We don't need them!" Endeavor stated arrogantly, not noticing the dangers ahead of them.
Endeavor's voice came from the comms they used to speak with each other. "Just keep an eye out for us, and stop worrying! The government would have stopped us from doing our job!" He said, and many others agreed with him. None of them wanted to leave the glory to others. Nonetheless, Hawke wasn't the only one who thought the same. Neither was the only one who felt worried about the whole thing.
Down below, carefully inspecting the ruins, Ryukyu couldn't help herself but agree with Hawks. It looked way too perfect for a rescue mission. But she did, too, notice the strange buildings. They were nothing like Japan's style of structure.
"I agree with Hawke here. This is suspicious. How can we be sure this isn't a trap?" Ryukyu declared, showing concern.
"Are you afraid, Ryukyu?" Shishido teased.
"I'm worried, that's all," Ryukyu replied. "The Department of Police and the government are unaware of this mission... And I don't like it."
"You don't have to. Our agencies prepared us for any type of issue that could emerge. We aren't alone this time," Yoroi Musha said.
Ryukyu sighed deeply, hearing the voices of her companions coming from her earbuds. She decided to not overthink it. Perhaps she was worrying too much. Nevertheless, a horrible feeling of anxiety and concern creep into her. The place unnerved her. The feeling of being watched, of someone staring at her, made her feel sick. She knew they were being observed by whoever attacked Mirko and Edgeshot.
"Everyone, keep your heads up! We are being watched!" She said.
"Yeah, I was feeling it, too," Shishido muttered slowly.
"I'm ready for anything," Yoroi Musha declared bravely.
"Let them come!" Endeavor communicated, feeling quite anxious but hiding it well, behind a mask of courage.
Mirko's best friend was one of five ground teams. Next to Endeavor, Shishido, Best Jeanist, and Yoroi Musha. Each one of them commanded a group of ten newly recruited heroes. Yet it was not all. Far away, pro-hero Wash, Mt. Lady, Kamui Woods, and Death Arms were waiting with at least five more freshly recruited pro-heroes who all had supportive Quirks. Never, in at least a few decades, such an amount of heroes have united in one group to fight villains. Then again, the situation here was a unique one.
"Hawks, what do you see from up there?" Endeavor asked through comms.
The number three hero sighed, "Nothing out of the ordinary. The buildings looked abandoned mostly. Yet there is the feeling we are being watched. Careful, everyone, no doubt they are waiting for us," he said.
"Mmph! Cowards! Alright! Everyone, let's get going!" Endeavor said.
Each of the teams moved into every single fortification. Each takes their time to inspect their surroundings. Ryukyu entered a dark building. A sort of office, it was hard to say since every building looked as if they stopped building them midway. Yet there was a bizarre aspect in them. They looked battered. No decrepit would be the word. Corrosive.
Some structures were tall blocks made of black stone encrusted with strange symbols. Others were just tall obelisks with a foreign language. The few buildings one could enter had an abnormal emptiness. No furniture, no windows, nothing. Just empty.
A dark abandoned city, for lack of a better term.
But why here? Where did it come from? Ryukyu thought.
"Hawks, there are no documents about this place anywhere, right?" Ryukyu asked.
"None. And there was an entire team looking for any type of information about this place before we came here. There is nothing saying about this place in the middle of Mount Kaikoma," Hawke replied.
"Could it be a private company?" Ryukyu asked.
"Perhaps, but even if they were, who builds something as grotesque as these buildings? Look at them! These ain't apartment complexes!" Hawke exclaimed.
"Enough, both of you. Stop interrupting the comms!" Endeavor said.
"Ryukyu, come here!" A hero said.
"What is it?"
"You need to look at this," the recruit said.
Ryukyu then approached a wall where she saw a painting of sorts. It looked ancient, from many centuries ago. Perhaps even older. Everyone stared at the wall, wondering what it was. The panting showed them a woman with a golden white cloak. They couldn't see her face, but what they saw was a golden staff carrying spheres of different colours. The woman's hands were glowing as if she was carrying a sun in her bare palms. A woman who Ryukyu could say has reached divinity. Yet it was not all.
There was more in the painting. Kneeling before her, a group of people seemed to worship her.
"There are more over here," a random hero said.
Ryukyu nodded as she saw whatever the wall paintings were trying to tell. "Take pictures of everything. Whatever this is, we need to bring it back to HQ!" She said.
"Has anyone else encountered painting on the walls?" Ryukyu asked through her comms.
"Yes, I have found many…." Shishido said.
"I have seen many of the paintings before. All across the world, in my free time, I can assure you all. The paintings we are seeing now are real. When exactly they were made. That I don't know."
"Are you sure about this, Yoroi Musha?" Beast Jeanist asked.
"Without a doubt."
"Everyone, we should take pictures as evidence. Whatever this is, we need to know more," Hawks said.
"Understood."
"Keep radio silence for now. Let's keep an eye open," Endeavor said.
Ryukyu kept on inspecting the paintings on the walls, wondering what type of history they were trying to tell. Every wall inside that strange building had a painting telling an event of sorts. A different scene, but then she saw one that drew her attention. Again, the enigmatic veiled woman with the golden staff appeared. However, in the picture, she was clearly pregnant. The next scene was her giving her baby away to the people who worshipped her. Ryukyu's world stopped as she saw the last scene on the wall. The baby grew up to be a young girl with long white hair and golden eyes, sitting on a shining throne as countless people knelt before her.
"A queen?" She wondered.
Ryukyu sensed as those walls were trying to tell more. A lost history from a lost world.
However, there was something else intriguing her. The girl in the painting reminded Ryukyu of a certain student; she saw during the Sports Festival. The same hair, eyes and even face. But before she could ponder about what it all means. From comms, Best Jeanist's voice boomed in dread.
"I found both Mirko and Edgeshot! They are in terrible shape. We need to get them out of here!" He yelled.
Ryukyu, without wasting time, ran outside the building. "How it's Mirko?! How is she?!" She asked.
"In a rough shape, I don't think she even knows where she is," Beast Jeanist.
"Where did you find them?" Shishido asked from the comms.
"In some kind of underground level, chained to the wall, I don't know what they did to them, but it's not good," Beast Jeanist said.
"Wash, be ready with a medical group! We are on our way!" Beast Jeanist said.
"Trespassers, corrupted seeds, rotten," Wash was about to replied, but soon a voice invaded their comms. It was hard to understand since a sudden static appeared out of nowhere. But it was hostile and incredibly terrifying.
Suddenly, a sharp and penetrating sound of a bell echoed throughout the immense stretch of the mountain, reaching every corner and crevice and capturing the attention of everyone in the vicinity.
Ryukyu and her group exited that awful building, only to be brought to a sudden stop when they saw a strange person standing before them. A small hooded creature appeared. It had a dark hood with a peculiar golden eye symbol on it. It was carrying a strange weapon and the odd golden and long whip around it as if that thing liked lashing creatures. Ryukyu felt something emerging from the said boy. It was definitely not normal.
"Ah, who among you is the leader?" The small person asked.
None of the heroes responded.
Ryukyu stared around her, trying to find any other threat. However, the voice of the boy disrupted her concentration.
"Speak, speak, or I should hunt you, and you will never find peace," The small hooded thing said, and the voice sounded teasing, thrilled even. As if it was anxious to hunt.
"Ryukyu, what do we do?" As the hero spoke, he and the rest, a palpable sense of darkness emanated from it. The others in their group shared the same feeling of danger, all sensing that they needed to flee immediately.
Ryukyu cursed as she found no other way but to attack. She knew the kid was her enemy. She felt it.
"We fight!" Ryukyu said. "Everyone prepare to fight!"
"Not running, no thrill in the hunt," The creature-like thing spoke, disappointed.
Ryukyu, deciding to avoid being taken by surprise, transformed herself into her dragon form. The strange boy stared at her with some kind of excitement. None could see that behind the mask. A creeping smile appeared since it brought a sense of joy to the boy to see a lowly life form transforming into a dragon. Yet there was no time to waste.
"Beasts and creatures, all alike, you should not die today, for I should hunt you forever," for some reason, those words made Ryukyu freeze in place, as she could feel a strange and perturbing gaze on her.
"Everyone alert. We have intruders! I repeat we have intruders! Hawks, are you there? Endeavor?!" Ryukyu yelled, hoping everyone would hear in the comms. However, Ryukyu didn't have to worry about warning others about the attack.
"Worthless seed, a waste, I shall end you all."
Ryukyu saw an immense wall of fire dividing the entire place. She has seen nothing like it before. Ryukyu doubted Endeavor was responsible. "What is going on?" She whispered.
"A prey should be aware of when it is being hunted and when it is pointless to try to escape."
Ryukyu barely reacted to the boy's whip as she saw one of the newly recruited heroes getting split in half by it. Blood sprayed everywhere, and whatever future that hero could have, whatever good he could have brought to the world, vanished in one moment. Outraged by it, Ryukyu attacked the small boy with everything she had. Yet, not a single attack harmed him. Ryukyu grew frustrated at the impotences of her assaults. The boy just stood there, unharmed.
"Useless, not even worthy of being a dragon," the boy declared.
"Stand and witness the weakness of your body."
The boy punched so hard in the stomach that even in her dragon form. The impact shattered the bones and intestines. Ryukyu could barely make sense of what happened. Blood was coming out of her mouth, her insides were smashed, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. What... What happened? She thought as she simply lost consciousness.
"Ah, crap! I hit her too hard!" The boy whispered as he stared at the heroes trying to make a run for it. "I do hope I did well. Those lines were hard to memorize!"
Aura, who was responsible for Ryukyu's current situation and the rest of the heroes fleeing, whispered, groaning slightly, knowing she had to leave that dragon-like lady alive.
"Ryukyu!"
"Take her away now! We will make time!"
"Run!"
"Ah, I should let them take her...? Well, I did what I had to. It was fun."
Aura muttered before moving to the next location and proceeding with the plan.
Far away, deep in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Galadriel Melkor stared at the scenes unfolding before her with keen interest. Yet with amusement as well, since beside her, Albedo sighed, exasperated at what both were watching. It was truly a funny thing to see.
"Aura hit her too hard. She may be dead before they help her," Albedo muttered, annoyed and worried about the implications of failure.
"It's alright, love. Maybe they can save her," Galadriel replied softly, kissing Albedo's hand.
"And look, Mare! He killed almost all of them by accident too!" Albedo stated, exasperated.
"He looks so cute in that outfit! Truly, they all look so good!" Galadriel declared, genuinely excited about what she witnessed.
"My lady, please be serious!" Albedo said, exasperated.
"Okay, don't worry," Galadriel said, smiling.
Galadriel looked at the multiple screens, watching her guardians fight, or well, play with the heroes. The whole point of the operation was to introduce themselves to the world in a manner of speaking. They couldn't kill the top heroes yet. But the rest was fair game. However, the clear gap between the guardians and the rest was clear.
Aura just ended up killing the rest of the heroes accompanying the strange dragon lady. The poor girl seemed troubled by it all. Galadriel, however, was not truly worried about it. The only top-heroes she wanted to keep alive were Endeavor and the flying falcon guy. The rest were expendables. Yet, if they left them alive would allow them to gather more recognition. So hopefully, not all of them died there.
"Mm, they are rather weak against the guardians," Galadriel pointed out.
"How is Rubedo doing? She was against that old man, whose name I can't remember," Galadriel muttered as she looked at the screen.
"Well, let's see," Albedo searched for her young sister, only to groan at the sight of what one of the screens showed her.
"She killed them all."
Albedo said as the screen showed her cleaning her big lance from the blood of the poor heroes he went against her. Rubedo cut the body of Yoroi Musha in half and practically annihilated the rest.
"Ah… Alright."
"Please, forgive me, my lady! I will punish her for disobeying your orders!" Albedo declared as she knelt before Galadriel, who only sighed.
"It's okay, Albedo. He was not an important hero. But, It's my fault too. I should have told them to not kill the pro-heroes specifically. Nevertheless, tell everyone to avoid killing more heroes. We need as many of them alive to spread the word out."
"Understood, my lady."
Galadriel sighed. She should have been more careful. Killing them all was not a good idea. Not that she cared at the end of things, but it would make her plans more troublesome.
Mare, Aura, Rubedo, Demiurge, Shalltear, and Cocytus were part of the new stage of her plans. At first, she thought about just making them into a special villain league, who seek to destroy the world or some cliche like that. But they wanted something more. Pandora's Actor, blessed be his soul, brought some of his lady's favourite comic books for them to investigate. Demiurge thought it would be an incredible idea to be more than just a villain group.
They created an entire history around them. Each one of them has a goal and reason to exist. An entire background to the point it felt overwhelming. Galadriel would give them props for creativity, that's for sure. Demiurge and Pandora's Actor thought it would be an excellent idea to design a mythic figure of immense power and knowledge. A dark figure who could be the reason for Quirks' existence.
Galadriel found the whole thing hilarious and ridiculous. Yet, she was excited to see what else they do. However, she would stop them if they tried to do the whole Infinity War plot from the comics or something else.
"But I admit, it would be a lot of fun to do it," Galadriel whispered.
"My lady, did you say something?" Albedo asked.
"Ah, nothing, my love. So, how are things going?" Galadriel asked.
"Cocytus was able to injure them. He was the only one who didn't kill anyone. Shalltear, remarkably enough, didn't kill anyone yet. But she is having fun with the hero with wings. Mare and Aura are retreating now. Demiurge is dealing with Endeavor. He is ready for the grand ending."
"I see. What would the radio of damage be?"
"The initial explosion will be around 2 kilometres, but the radius will expand for around 10 kilometres."
"Mm, that's a tiny explosion. It's Mare using her protective spells to make sure those heroes don't die?" Galadriel asked.
"Yes, my lady. Demiurge will miss on purpose too."
"He will not use any buff or spell, right? The last thing I needed was another island disappearing from the face of the earth."
"Of course, my lady. Demiurge will not repeat what happened in the Laptev Sea."
"Good, although it was an excellent exercise for everyone."
"Yes, it was."
"I still feel bad about destroying what you all built. It was an amazing set of buildings."
"Don't worry, my lady. We created many of those buildings across the world to make things more believable."
"Oh, I would like to see them!"
"I will tell Demiurge about it."
"Oh, it's starting."
Galadriel said as she saw the screen where Demiurge seemed to be having fun.
Endeavor's fury was palpable as he attacked the mysterious enemy before him. Only to be pushed back by the villain's power. Endeavor couldn't comprehend why the flames weren't working. No matter how he tried, the fire just didn't harm the villain. The number two hero thought that perhaps the villain had a special Quirk or something that made his flames worthless. If that was the case, then Endeavor was in trouble.
"Tch! I don't know who you are or what you are! But I will show you who I am! You hear me! You pathetic villain!" Endeavor yelled.
"Such an interesting person," the masked man said.
"Karmic Raze!" Endeavor's powerful fire engulfed the strange man with a mask. Yet it did little harm to it. Endeavor grew more annoyed to see his attack fail again.
"Well, well, and here I thought you were the strongest one of the bunch. I can't help but find myself… disappointed. To have the blessing of the Ancient One and to squander it. Truly, such a sad thing to see."
"I don't have a fucking clue what you are talking about. But here is the truth about this! I am Endeavor! And you will lose now!"
"Vanishing Fist!"
The number two hero attack again did no damage unto the masked man. As if the fire itself couldn't harm him. How could it be? The whole idea of not being able to hurt someone by fire was absurd.
"You won't ever hurt me with your flames. They have no effect on me. It must have been clear by now."
"I see, so that's how your Quirk works? Tch! Such an annoying person. Then, I will use my fist!"
Endeavor went on the offensive, using hand-to-hand combat to overwhelm his opponent. Yet there was little he could do to stop him.
Demiurge smiled, stopping each of Endeavor's attacks with little effort. However, there was something that worried him, and it was Shalltear. High in the sky, the true vampire seemed to enjoy her time playing around Hawk. The guardian sighed as he ended the charade. They had a lot of things to worry about and to do as well.
"[Aspect of the Devil: Stout Demon's Gigantic Arm]"
Endeavor couldn't comprehend what was happening before him. The grotesque arm unnerved him, yet he didn't stop his attacks. One after the other, Endeavor's barrage of fists found their way unto his enemy's body. However, it seemed as if he was punching a wall.
"Flashfire Fist: Jet Burn!"
"DIE!"He yelled.
Endeavor yelled as he pushed his entire fury into his attack. But the monstrous hand of Demiurge stopped the blast of fire with little trouble. Around him, the fire engulfed the trees, but the demon was unharmed. As it was obvious for any demon with high resistance against fire. Demiurge replied Endeavor attacked with one of his own. Using a bit of strength, he punched Endeavor's stomach. Yet the hero's bones were fine, although damaged, something that surprised Demiurge.
"Mm, I see you are quite strong. A shame, really, that you were facing me."
"Such an annoying Quirk," Endeavor said as he spat some blood.
"Quirk? Oh, no, no, no. I don't have a Quirk. This is the way I am!" Demiurge said dramatically, enjoying his face of confusion of Endeavor.
Before Endeavor could say anything, landing beside him with incredible strength. Hawks moaned in pain as he tried to stand by himself.
"A shame. A disappointment. A waste of blood. Sorry for being too hard on you, pigeon. I hope you don't die on me. I must first taste your sins," a twisted voice emerged from what Endeavor could see: a small girl, on a dark hood and mask, just like the rest of the enemies attacking them. Still, the way they were dressed was from a nightmare, and the voices were twisted and obscure. She landed gracefully next to the masked man. And Endeavor hissed in frustration, feeling the fight would get harder.
"Hey, Hawks, are you in one piece still?" Endeavor asked.
"Barely," Hawks said, looking way worse than one may admit.
Hawks glared at the small girl with ferocity and uncertainty. The moment she appeared flying next to him, Hawks knew things were going south fast. He saw from high above how each of the hero groups was facing a different opponent and how each one of his colleagues lost. How many did they kill? He wasn't sure. But what he knew was that these people weren't normal.
"Endeavor, they ambushed us well. Yoroi Musha and Wash are dead… Shishido and Ryukyu are both in critical condition. The rest are on retreat. We have lost so many," Hawks muttered.
Endeavor said nothing for a few seconds, but Hawks could feel a fury like no other rising in the number two hero. His face was morphed into one of pure anger. So many heroes dead, and it was his fault.
"I wonder if your soul would taste anything different from that girl. Mm, I enjoyed the taste of her blood. Her pain and joys, all for me, all right for the taking," Hawk's face went cold as he listened to those words coming from the little girl.
"Unfortunately, that is not possible. We have obtained all the necessary items. While it may have been tempting to eliminate everyone in the vicinity, it is imperative that we depart at once. Our time, our chains are coming for us."
The strange masked creature stated, looking at Endeavor and Hawks.
"I will not let you!" Endeavor yelled.
"That's not for you to decide, mortal. We are the first. We are the ones who stayed behind, and soon you will all rejoice in the new world our master will create for us!"
"What are you talking about?!" Hawks yelled.
Demiurge and Shalltear smiled behind their masks. This was the opportunity they were waiting for. To make themselves known and to bring attention to them.
"We are The Primordials."
From the sky, a huge meteor engulfed in fire appeared. Both Hawks and Endeavor stared dumbfounded at the size of such a thing. That was not possible to see such a thing in front of them. How was it possible?
"Rejoice, mortals! Rejoice in the power of the first seeds of the world! [Meteor Fall]"
Hawks wasted no time to take Endeavor away, using the last of his strength to carry the massive men as they escaped such a thing.
"EVERYONE LEAVE! I REPEAT EVACUATE THIS PLACE! NOW!"
Hawks yelled, hoping someone would listen, and he was lucky since they did, but nothing could stop such a meteor from falling. Hawks turned around him in time to witness the impact of the meteor. The explosion brought an earthquake to the surrounding areas and what it was, a beautiful mountain peak in the middle of Japan. It became nothing but a memory.
They could compare the explosion to one of a nuclear bomb, and some believed it. The mushroom cloud grew high in the sky, and the shock wave was felt kilometres away. And for the heroes nearby, it was a miracle to be alive. Well, not really. It was the job of one shy elf who throw protection spells on them so they wouldn't die. After all, they needed them.
The heroes who survived would remember the ones responsible for such a massacre. Questions would emerge. Who are they? And what do they want?
Soon, the entire world would learn about the Primordials and about the mystical figure in the walls.