In the darkest of night hours, Shouto sleeps soundly.

Which is precisely what I need to slip away.

In all honesty, I don't want to leave his side, but I had already fixed a meeting with Shigaraki tonight that I cannot postpone.

I brush away a stray lock of white hair from his forehead and kiss his cheek. "I will come back soon, love. Just rest quietly." I wish my heart could do the same. Guilt racks me from the inside. These hands have slaughtered in cold blood, but these same hands protect and caress the boy of my affections. It was this shame that made me tell him to not lavish me with so much adoration earlier today. Yet he admonished me kindly and proceeded to worship me again. The intoxicating sensation of his nectar-like kisses against my skin lingers still. Had he kissed my lips with that passion, they would be swollen. Later, he gifted me with romance novels. More touching were the little annotations and drawings he made in the margins. A reader's dream come true. Speaking of dreams, soon I fell asleep in his embrace and woke up to find my fingers tangled with his and feet just touching. But now I have to do precisely the opposite of that.

I extricate myself from him and all feelings for him as I slip out of the covers without creaking the bed.

Stealthily, I make my way to the attached bathroom and lock the door. It feels wrong to carry this precious indigo moonflower pendant with me when I am going to the den of sin. I remove the symbol of purity and set it on the bath counter. When I come return, I must take a long bath to wash away the dredges of sin before wearing it again. The warp gate materializes instantly from my palm. I waste no time stepping through.

And I am greeted with the nostalgic perfume of river water and the view of city lights. The rain pours torrentially, but I don't mind. It washes away the residues of remorse. Tonight, I will embrace the cold for the spark of tomorrow. I am so caught up in nature's glory that I almost miss Shigaraki's voice amidst the rainfall: "If you're done blowing up your ego, can we head inside?"

How magnanimous of you to ruin the moment. Grudgingly, I follow. It turns out the base which I thought was deep within the forest was only a few meters away, facing the river and city. My ego deflates like a balloon. I feel stupid. And given Shigaraki's victorious smirk, he made that remark earlier on purpose. The urge to hit him with my dragon cane is strong, but then I remember that he was the 'anonymous sender.'

"You think you're clever, aren't you?" I taunt back. "Returning my pride to me only to shatter it later."

"But you're grateful. You loved that cane like it was your baby. Did you cry like one, too?" he retorts.

"No." My firm response is met with a dubious look. "All right. I cried. In front of everyone. Happy?"

He clenches his stomach and falls to his knees, guffawing like a madman. "I! Am! Jubilant! God, I wish I could have seen it! Are you the silent crier, or the one who screams and dribbles snot everywhere? Do your lips do that weird contortion thing, too?"

Now you are pushing it. I hit his shin with the silver portion of the cane. His howl is a balm for my bruised arrogance. "Shall we enter now?" I say, saccharine sweetly.

With a grumble, he opens the door. The sight is pleasantly astonishing: Spinner and Toga are comparing the sharpness of their blades while Twice, Mr. Compress, and Dabi are playing a game of cards. None of them register my presence until I announce, "Did any of you remember to stock up on milk? The cat is hungry."

"I thought you were a snake," Dabi greets without breaking his gaze from his card set.

"It is a misconception that snakes like milk. In fact, their digestive systems cannot metabolize milk. So when it comes to milk, I am a cat."

"No. You're a strutting peacock."

"Peacocks get diarrhea from consuming milk."

"How do you even know something as random as that?"

My patience thins. "Where is the milk?"

He mutters, "Third shelf toward the front of the fridge, you bratty cat with poisonous talons, scaly tail, and blue feathers."

I try to picture the hybrid as I help myself to some, I relay the reception of Dabi's noumu attack. It is safe to assume that the League already watched the repeating footage broadcasted by all the news channels in Tokyo, but what is not safe to assume is how the Pro-Heroes will retaliate. "Endeavor is hospitalized for third-degree burns, and Hawks is playing the role of quick-witted hero. The boy who praised Endeavor while the public was doubting him … companies have released merchandise of him. The fact that the attack occurred on the evening of the latest rankings has not gone unnoticed. Furthermore, that it was the Number One and Two heroes targeted has caused even more of a stir. For the positive, might I add. Their popularity is skyrocketing.

"However, the Pro-Heroes will not sit back. If I were one of the board members, I would be preparing for another war. This time, recruiting all the current hero students in my ranks. At the same time, I would search for ways to diminish the League's strength. It is not a secret that the League lacks in numbers, so perhaps I would send a spy or two to win its members' trust and obtain information. Seal-all-means strategy."

Shigaraki concludes, "So we need to establish an army quickly," at the same moment Dabi states, "You didn't point out Todoroki Shouto's reaction to his daddy getting beaten up."

All of us stare at Dabi with a unanimous silent question: That is what you're concerned about?

The traitorous part of me wants to evade his question because the discussion and moments with Shouto are private, but if I want to prove my loyalty, I will have to answer. The League knows that after dinner with the Hanadas, I went straight to the dormitory. Carefully, I reply, "He was panicking and sweating the entire time the battle was broadcasted. His eyes belied his terror of the noumu and fear for his father." I say nothing about my role in comforting him. It is a good thing I don't. Dabi's turquoise eyes light up with sadistic glee. He is pleased with Shouto's reaction.

And I am curious about his interest in the Todoroki family. Was there another motive to attacking the Number One hero besides the status? The footage did show that ring of blue flames encircling Endeavor. And his question just now … When I look closely, that shade of turquoise seems familiar. Though, it's probably just a coincidence. Fire is also a ubiquitous quirk. I have it, too.

Then I address Shigaraki. I tell him that I read the book, and our ideology and the author's ideology showed similarities. Yet the idea of hoping that we could be allies felt flimsy; Twice's grimace conveyed the same thing, too. "I'm just saying this based on the strong reception from the public. There must be fanatics searching to join its cause, and those fanatics will serve ours."

A hum of agreement passes through, but Mr. Compress brings up another good point. "That process is going to take time. Because we don't know how long the heroes will take to revolt, we can't put all our efforts into one task. Especially, a task that relies too much on chance. After the Eight Precepts of Death, we have to approach this more cautiously."

Now is the moment I reveal my scheme.

"I have an idea that will make the heroes rush to retaliate later. A few months delay, might I say." They look at me, waiting for me to elaborate. I am about to when I notice, "Oh. My milk ran out. I need more."

"Selene, this is not the time to put your stomach before strategy. Stop the suspense!" Twice shouts. A second later, "But what's the hurry?"

I ignore his complaint. After warming my next glass, I speak. "Kill my family. That will keep the heroes on their toes for a long time." Shigaraki scoffs, telling me that he thought I had gone weak after my last murder on my kill list in May. "Granted, it has been a while. But I have dilly-dallied long enough. Now is the time to strike. Hanada-sama has decided to marry off his eldest son next year. So by the end of this year, he and his brothers must die." The plan is that Sama wanted to hand the business reign to his eldest son and retire. Initially, I had just wanted to get rid of said eldest son. But then I paused. Realizing that with all the heirs gone, I would be the last one left. Though he will detest it, he will be forced to reteach those lessons and reorganize his industries for the last member of his 'bloodline.' Society and appearances will compel him to do so. Three deaths means forty-nine luxurious days of mourning. And the biggest reprieve of my life. "What guarantees this is that Hanada-sama has no relatives of his own that he would pass the empire onto instead of me. I am sure he will search for a loophole. But he will be dead before that."

Shigaraki criticizes my plan. "That will make you more suspicious, however. The public is stupid, but not stupid enough that they won't suspect the only unscathed survivor from four successors."

"Who said I was going to be unscathed? Assassinate them when I am not around. Make a statement with their deaths. Something along the lines of 'If we cannot have the girl, neither will you!' Then I will pretend to be scared for my life, giving me the opening I need to start interacting with the heroes."

Toga squeals at the prospect of torture. "I saw pictures of those boys. So handsome already. I want to see how cute they will look when splattered in blood. There are a thousand methods for beautiful death, but that still doesn't explain how we benefit from this."

"It is simple, actually. The Hanada Group of Companies has ventures in airlines, textiles, tea, technology, science, and heroism, amongst many others. Emphasis on the last three: technology, science, and heroism. Remember the bullets we got from Chisaki-sama? Well, the Group uses the latest technology to advance their research in science. It is the same mechanism through which the Group has made a successful debut in hero society, along with my intervention. Imagine if one of those hundreds of factories was dedicated to producing more bullets of better quality. And another factory was designed to provide better gear and equipment.

"Once I am heiress, I have power. I will provide the money and materials; all of you provide results. This transition will be time-consuming. Evidently, the heroes will be outraged at such gruesome deaths. 'The villains couldn't kidnap the girl, so they tried to kill her and her family. Will Bakugou-san be next?,' is what they will say. They will try to mobilize as soon as possible to prevent another murder, but that is where I will come in and divert their attention. Arranging private meetings with them, talking to them at elegant parties, perhaps even seducing some of them … I can extract information about their plans and eliminate those who prove to be a thorn."

My scheme resounds well with them. It is good that all of them acknowledge that brute force is not the only weapon they can rely on. When they ask me who will kill whom and when, I leave the decision to them. "Surprise me," I respond. They return to their activities from before, a new gleam shimmering in their eyes. Spinner, though, is reluctant. The thought of committing fratricide does not sit well with him. But the thought of them forcing me into prostitution does?

As Shigaraki escorts me away, I think he will take me outside in the rain. But he does not. Instead, he guides me to his bedroom, saying that he wants to discuss more with me.

He sits on the edge of the bed and I lie on the rug below. "I know what you are thinking, so you might as well voice it," I say.

He scoffs, "Cocky, much? When we made that agreement, you vowed that you would kill your family personally. You mentioned nothing about taking over or deceiving the heroes. What changed? I don't think it's just the potential wedding that changed your mind."

There is no reason to lie about this to him. "You are right. The reason is that my motives have changed. I have grown more ambitious. I never told you this, but when I woke up in the hospital after All-for-One was arrested, Hanada-sama threatened that he would sell me to the brothels. Turn me into a prostitute in every sense of the word. So my hatred for him has grown even deeper. It's not enough to just slaughter them and bathe in their blood anymore. Just as he has taken everything from me, I will take everything from him. All four deaths will be on my hands, but Hanada-sama is the one I will kill personally. Think of it as my birthday wish."

Shigaraki hums noncommittally. "Makes sense. I think we've all become more sinister since the League first formed."

"That we have," I agree.

The lamplight catches on the silver of my cane.

Staring into its dark eyes, I see my future reflected.

The Devil reclining on the throne of God.

God has ruled long enough.

Now Lucifer Morningstar will ascend the throne.