Trigger Warning:

- slight mutilation

Liberosis.

An obscure name for the desire to care infinitely less about things.

It is a sentiment I enjoy from time to time.

I really wish I could experience it now.

Because the situation I am in is an amalgamation of all the emotions that shout, "I cannot afford to ignore this crisis because if I do, I will literally die!"

It's not my fault; it's the League's fault.

I hiss at Shigaraki, "When I said surprise me, this was not what I had in mind. You better have a bloody brilliant explanation as to how things have descended into chaos."

1. It had been a month since I last saw the League and told them to execute my worthless swines of brothers. Since then - and even before then! - they have been operating behind my back. I count each significant event on the segments of my fingers as every member narrates the tale from his or her perspective.

2. The League had to evacuate from the hideout by the river because some idiot caught a whiff of activity going on. They managed to clean up all traces before fleeing.

3. After that, they were homeless. Even better, low on funds. They resorted to small-time stealing to pay expenses. In the process, they found a shabby, run-down shelter for the time being.

4. Shigaraki decided to contact the "Doctor." All for One's personal physician and the creator of the noumu. Since he and Shigaraki only ever communicated through that monitor, no one recognizes his face.

5. Then Spinner lost his temper understandably and demanded an explanation as to why they were in such a mess. After all, the reason he joined was to carry out Hero Killer Stain's will. Just then a behemoth arrived, surprising everyone, smashing the shelter to rubble. This behemoth was the 'power' that Kurogiri had set out to seek to assist Shigaraki after All for One's capture. However, he was arrested in the process.

6. The behemoth posed a challenge: prove to him that Shigaraki was worthy of becoming All for One's successor, therefore worthy of the behemoth's unwavering loyalty.

7. Since then, the League has been trying to do just that. Every morning they wake up to subdue the titan, every evening they retire unsuccessfully. The area that once was a lush, green cliff is now nothing more than a crater or debris. The titan lamented that Shigaraki was too weak and howled his disappointment by crying out All for One's name every battle.

8. The leviathan - I just have such an extensive inventory of synonyms for the word monster - had a portable radio. Miniature compared to his stature, but he protected that radio as one would protect a diamond necklace. One day, a voice spoke from the radio: the Doctor's voice. The Doctor explained that the leviathan's name was Gigantomachia, All for One's most faithful bodyguard. All for One hid Gigantomachia so that Shigaraki could carry out his wishes even after his capture. When Dabi expressed that this power carried more problems than solutions, the Doctor acknowledged it and played a recording of All for One's voice murmuring Giganotmachia's name. He calmed down like water on fire after that.

9. Shigaraki complained that he did not want such an ally on his team. The Doctor scolded him for thinking that after all this time, he believed he could obtain anything simply by wishing for it; Kurogiri's loss should have taught him better than that. With that, the Doctor teleported the League to his lair. From what the League is telling me, chambers of noumu filled this dark lair. High-end noumu. I make note of that detail for later.

10. Then the Doctor introduced himself. Daruma Ujiko was the alias he gave. Daruma-san proposed a deal: all the noumu in his secret lab in exchange for the kind of future the League of Villains wishes to create. Shigaraki recounted how he had very little memory from the time before he was taken in by All for One. All for One showed him the plaster-mummified hands of his family - the family that he murdered. It triggered traumatizing memories that made him gag and reach for the comfort of those hands - even if they were just horrifying remains of his loved ones. He stated that even now he feels inexplicable rage when he covers his body with those hands, but he also feels clarity. In spite of the fragmented memories, he is still haunted by them. The pain has grown so much that he hates every living thing with every fiber of his being. His wish: destroy the world. His words, I quote, were, "Lend me a hand, Doctor. I'll show you both heaven and hell on earth."

11. Daruma-san laughed at him, calling his dream a child's fantasy. But he was amused nonetheless. Perhaps simply for the curiosity, he accepted the fantasy. The rest of the League … not so much. When Toga worried that her favorite things would be destroyed in the process, Shigaraki promised that their wishes were the exception. They were immensely relieved. Hearing this, so am I.

12. But things got even better. It turned out that all this was simply a ploy. Daruma-san had intended to cooperate from the beginning; he just wanted to see for himself how far Shigaraki had come. Now came the true bargain: Make Gigantomachia yield to the League, receive all of Daruma-san's efforts.

13. While this challenge intrigued Shigaraki, Dabi did not feel the same. Tired of combating the behemoth every day, he told Shigaraki that he would focus on a particular recruit he found. Shigaraki gladly let him do as he pleased. To learn that the noumu Dabi unleashed on Hero Rankings Day was one of the samples that Daruma-san lended him vexes me. Why didn't I learn about this sooner?

14. Daruma-san gave each member an earpiece to contact him from hereon out and teleported them back to the battle with Gigantomachia. The same routine repeated itself for the past one-and-a-half month, albeit with some differences. The most notable being that Gigantomachia attacked relentlessly now (48 hours and 44 minutes nonstop), with only a three-hour nap before resuming; he could easily pinpoint Shigaraki's location because of attuned senses; Shigaraki displayed enormous endurance by withstanding Gigantomachia's attacks with a persistent gleeful smile on his face; the rest of the League were spared for the most part, taking shifts to assist Shigaraki.

Daruma-san gave very basic funds, with which Toga bought herself a cute coat.

Fourteen important occasions have happened, and I was unaware of all of it. Right now, Gigantomachia is asleep and Shigaraki is taking a break. Despite his usually wrinkled appearance, he looks haggard. Cuts and bruises mar his face and hands, but his eyes carry no hint of pain and discomfort.

I wish I could feel the same.

Sparing one moment to reign in my fury by pinching the bridge of my nose, I ask, "Let's do this one by one. First question: if you were lacking money, why didn't you inform me? Did you forget that I can summon jewels?"

"Jewels can be easily tracked; stolen goods stolen from looters, not so much. If we suddenly started selling gemstones in the black market, vendors would notice and get on our tail. Believe me, they would have tried to find the source and take it for themselves. The police and heroes are already after us; we don't need our allies in the underworld to do the same," Mr. Compress explains.

All right. Fair enough. "Next question: why did you keep me in the dark about this?"

Shigaraki answers this one. "Because we needed you at the school, keeping an eye on the movements there. You heard how long we have to fight this damn gorilla. Do you really think you would have been able to help us and remain on school premises? U.A. would get suspicious." I open my mouth to protest that he could have at least notified me of the situation when he interrupts with, "And if we told you earlier, you would have come here sooner or later, being the stubborn little brat you are. You would try to negotiate, then the gorilla would have recognize you, and you would get hurt in the process. At least one of us had to be safe."

I'm honored for the consideration. "Then why tell me about this now?"

"Because I heard winter break is approaching soon for you crappy students, so you'll get plenty of time on your hands." That is pathetic reasoning. Then he continues, "Mainly, the Doctor would like to meet you. Though you asked to be surprised, I'll give you a heads-up now: we're going to kill your family during winter break. After that, if things go the way you anticipate, you will be investing all your time amongst the heroes. Before that, we have to get this meeting out of the way."

That is a much better explanation. But all of this is too much for me. I resist the urge to seethe that if the Doctor had not wanted to speak with me, I would still be kept hidden from all of this. Need-to-know basis, my foot. I sit down on a rock and drink a big swig of milk from my thermos. "When do I meet Daruma-san?"

Toga pipes in, "After the Future King makes Gigantomachia kneel before him!" Shigaraki gloats at the nickname. I get the feeling the story behind this is something they omitted. I'll ask later.

For now, I stare at the resting titan. About twenty-five meters tall, and a horde of muscle. His hair consists of brown spires, and his back looks like cedar-coloured boulders were embedded in his flesh. Though his mouth is carved into a permanent smile, the rows of sharp teeth render it unfriendly. I wonder briefly how much it cost to create custom-made trousers to accommodate his size.

Just then, Twice's phone rings, diverting my attention from the behemoth to him. "It's from Giran," he says.

Mr. Compress exclaims, "What?! It never connected when I called him! As him if he provides damage insurance!" He raises his broken prosthetic arm as proof.

Twice puts the phone to his ear. "Even after he introduced me to the League, he's always been looking out for me. He's a really nice guy!" I wait for his other personality to speak up. It doesn't take long. "You bastard! Why didn't you pick up Mr. Compress's phone calls? You're the worst!" When both are silent for a moment, I take it someone on the other end is speaking. Giran, presumably. But no. Mr. Compress's remark about a voice changer doesn't sit right with me. Although, Twice's instant reply - "New phone. Who this?" - lets out an involuntary giggle from me.

Twice puts the phone on the speaker. Everyone gathers around him. Even me.

An unfamiliar male voice asks politely, "Are you guys in a position where you can check the news right now? I'd like for you all to take a look." Mr. Compress snatches the phone from Twice's phone and pulls up the news channel, never disconnecting the call. The reporter declares that a finger was found. Three days, a middle finger was found pointing toward the former headquarters of the Eight Precepts of Death; an index finger at Hosu City; a ring finger at the highway where the police and heroes were ambushed; the thumb at Kamino Ward; and the little finger from where Endeavor-san's battle with the noumu occurred. Detectives believe that all the digits are from the same person, as many articles of clothing were left at the scene of crime with the appendages.

Mr. Compress enunciates what I have been thinking. "They're all places we've shown up at …"

As if that was the statement the unknown male was wishing to hear, he greets, "I am the supreme leader of the Special Abilities Liberation Army, Re-Destro." I scour my memory for that name. That name is oddly familiar.

"So after the yakuza is a liberation army," Shigaraki complains. "Is retro culture trending again or something? Come to think of it, hasn't that book been selling well lately? Don't get too carried away by passing fads."

Oh! I remember now! Shigaraki told me to read that book and figure out whether we could form an alliance with the organization. But I suppose, he has other thoughts now.

Re-Destro brushes off the insult as Twice demands to know where Giran is and what they want us.

"He's right here and still alive, of course," Re-Destro answers. "My objective is the liberation of special abilities. To create a world where humans can be humans and can unleash 100% of their power. To redefine the boundaries that have governed us to this day."

Mr. Compress comments how their goal seems to align much with ours; Toga considers that they are trying to use our reputation for their gain. Shigaraki doesn't have time for this. He orders Re-Destro to release Giran and call back later. "I'll lend your little revolutionary group an ear once I'm done here."

Obviously, that is easier said than done. Re-Destro denies our offer. Instead he details how much he and his comrades have worked so hard to come this far. I ignore his droning when a particular number catches my ear: 116,516. The Liberation Army has 116,516 soldiers. I start paying attention now.

It's a good thing I do. Because the next scary thing he declares is our location: Niigata. They have a satellite locked onto us, and they will inform the Pro-Heroes if we make any sort of movement.

Damn you, Selene! You just had to come out into open area and jeopardize the entire gang. So much for being a spy!

"Sure is kind of you to give us a warning. What do you bastards want?"

The demand is far more insulting than what the yakuza proposed: Re-Destro desires to organize a war between us to defeat the League and pave the path for the Liberation Army's resurrection.

Essentially, fall at the hands of the Liberation Army or fall at the hands of the Pro-Heroes.

Utter annihilation either way

He gives us one hour to come to Deika City in Aichi.

The call ends.

We stare at each other in silence.

I need another swig.

Note: I have copied some dialogue from one of the English-translated versions of the manga. The links to the chapters are here:

.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-222/

.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-223/