Trigger Warning:
- major character deaths
- death
- blood
- gore
Dark humor is indeed part of the job description.
I find myself regretting my choice of words after comprehending the sight before me.
Toga and Mr. Compress stare at the puddle that used to be Twice.
In fragmented sentences, they gave me the gist of what occurred while I was busy resurrecting Shigaraki. Pro-Hero Hawks betrayed us. I knew that cheap imitation of an angel was suspicious. He killed Twice. Twice used the last remnants of his conscience to summon a final clone to protect Toga and Mr. Compress. It is that clone's puddle whose shadow haunts the three of us.
I am sure that my friends are reflecting on the past. Scrutinizing every memory shared with Twice, reflecting over any unknowing mistake that could have been rectified, denying his death, fuming over his death, bargaining with his death, wallowing his death, accepting his death. I cannot say that I am doing anything different. My mind keeps flashing back to the night the Eight Precepts of Death greeted us. The night the first of us died. Magne. Her death had also been sudden. Unanticipated. History repeated itself. Another traitor killed one of us.
And the second time hurts more because for all of Twice's eccentricities, he was the purest of us villains.
I suspected Hawks from the very start. I should have done something then. Found a way for him to never become a member. Smooth, laid-back talkers like him always have ulterior motives. Of course, he would work as a double agent. Just like me.
No. Preventing him would not have been enough. I should have killed him when I had the chance. He was right there at the villa. One slice across the throat and the threat would have been averted.
"I thought heroes didn't kill people," Toga murmurs so quietly, I am tempted to believe I imagined it. But then she continues, "I thought that's what heroes preached. That killing others was what villains did and saving other was what heroes did."
Mr. Compress shakes his head. "Their statements are as hollow as their foundations. Bunch of drivel to make themselves look good."
Toga stares at the handkerchief in her hands before folding it neatly and tucking it into her coat pocket. Twice's parting gift to her. The aura is so desolate that it feels sickening to say that the news I have brought is good. Goodness, if my tear ducts weren't so dry from crying earlier, I would be weeping right now. In a tone so dissociated I cannot recognize it as my own, I narrate to them that Shigaraki has awakened with full power. The Doctor has been abducted, and Shigaraki is fighting by himself. I even tell them the orders he gave me.
"Thirty minutes. That's how long I can assist you before returning to the hospital. Another thirty minutes there and then I can help again. Do either of you have a watch and tracker?" Mr. Compress nods, taking responsibility for tracking time and location.
Gazing at the puddle again, I bend down and bow. More than a sign of respect, it is a promise of vengeance. Grief has no place on the battlefield. Only vengeance does.
"Forgive me, Toga, for rubbing salt in your wounds."
That is all I say before a volcano of flesh and blood erupts from my back. Hands claw out. Feet lash out. Teeth gnash together. Thousands of Selenes manifest like bacterial multiplication, assembling into an army of bloodthirsty teenage girls seeking to quell their fury with the rain of blood. Twice's quirk, combined with the enhancer drug, make a formidable concoction. All the limitations currently imposed on me are removed from them.
If I am confined to my black hero costume, then they are wearing the monochromatic counterpart, paying homage to villain attire. If my hair is being held back with a single hair tie, then they have the devil horns and chignon to make it difficult for the enemy to reach for their weakest point. If I have to lean against my cane to walk two steps, then plant one hand on their hips and brandish a blade with the other. Knives, swords, shurikens. And the best part? They get to wear flowers, while I don't. At least some part of me is going to look fabulous while slaughtering.
Twice's quirk worked exponentially by the power of two. One became two, two became four, four became eight, with durability diminishing with each round of division. But because of the drug, the factor increases by five.
Third command: compensate all abilities lacking.
A long time ago, All for One ordered me to reveal my absorption quirk just to Shigaraki and Kurogiri. But Shigaraki's verdict has compelled me to break that promise. Sorry, All for One.
The first five Selene-clones have the capacity to withstand the most damage. So it is them to whom I give my orders.
"I'll keep it simple. Three tasks. The first, annihilate every hero that crosses your path. The second, help all and any villains, including the leaders of the Paranormal Liberation Army. The third and most important, always keep the element of surprise on your side. Since all of you are made in the likeness of me, I trust that you will have excellent judgment to take care of any unexpected situations that may arise."
"Understood!" they reply in unison. It feels so strange to hear my own voice echoed back at me. Is this how Twice felt? Speaking of Twice, I look at Toga. She observes the Selene-clones bark orders at each other, forming regiments, dividing into battalions, designating squadron leaders, separating into troops with uncomfortable silence.
Once it appears that the army is ready to attack, Toga speaks up. Loudly. Clearly. "One more thing! Bring me Hawks. Alive." Mr. Compress and I pass a mutual glance at each other. Then I raise an eyebrow at Toga. She handled it better than I had anticipated. The unspoken question must be visible as words on my face because she answers it. "For a long time the League of Villains suspected that you were hiding something. To think that it would be your true quirk … maybe the rage will hit me later. I know you don't mean any harm by using the same ability as Twice. Pragmatism over emotions. I get it. That's why I'm not angry at you, but at someone else." The manner in which she speaks is all too familiar. Cold. Icy. Venomous. My anger is hers, which means that it is only a matter of time before the snowstorm can no longer be contained.
The army disperses, leaving the three of us alone again. Not for long.
Toga jumps over the railing eight stories high to join the melee of war happening below. Mr. Compress and I rush toward the railing, too late to stop Toga from her rampage. Some hero's defense fails because boulders of concrete arc up to greet us in the face. We barely manage to duck in time. The rocks soar past of us, crashing into the wall behind us. Just then, a cocky voice calls out from the same direction. "Mister. Where're the others?" Turning my head around, it is Dabi who has decided to copy the same parkour trick, descending from a few levels above with a single leap.
I'm not impressed, but Mr. Compress is shocked. "Where did you run off to?" he demands. "You're meant to be a lieutenant!"
Dabi drawled, completely unbothered, "Uh, so are you. Besides, the whole regiment system doesn't really work when they catch us off guard. Anyway, wanna blow this joint?" I am about to reprimand Dabi for thinking about consuming marijuana at a time like this, when I realize that he means something else. Good thing I bite my tongue back at the last minute and leave the talking to Mr. Compress.
"I believe Twice was … killed," he begins. Dabi leans over the railing just enough to see Toga crouched on a platform of ice. "Alas, I tried but failed to stop her. Even though jumping into the fray was tantamount to suicide," he remarks. I agree with him. "I've never seen her lose her cool like this."
She opens her mouth to say something. Amplifying my hearing, I parrot to the men what I can hear. "... world where I can live nice and easy … world with just the things I love … but you heroes mess everything up!" Her school uniform melts, revealing a Toga wearing her rage as armor. I am glad to not be on the receiving end of that glare.
No sooner does she finish does her little murder spree begin.
From our vantage, she darts around like a rabid bat. Attacking and bleeding. Knives for teeth and acrobatic movements for wings. With no regard of foe or friend. And I have no interest in being the one to stop her. Sometimes, unadulterated passion is the only outlet for inner turmoil. Who would understand the sensation better than me? That's also how I know that she'll live.
Problem is, Mr. Compress seems desperate to jump into the fray to stop her. Besides Kurogiri, he has been the only other person with substantial emotional intelligence and patience. Courtesy of his acting pursuits. So I will not have my dear showbiz friend die a dramatic death just yet.
In the meantime, I explain to Dabi what I had told Mr. Compress and Toga. This time, I also bring up the drugs. "The Doctor only reached the prototype stage, so every thirty minutes, one of you is going to have to inject an enhancer and anaesthetic into my body because I won't have the strength to do it myself."
"If you're going to fight for half an hour on each site, then doesn't that mean you'll have to be injected as soon as you teleport?" Dabi asks. "Why wait the whole duration? Just take them all now, or take them whenever you get a break."
Mr. Compress is kind enough to give an adequate response to that stupid question. The logic is simple. Too much of anything is the equivalent of poison. I am already embracing the borderline between life and death by consuming so much power in such short intervals. Any variable influencing the two may very well just kill me. And there goes the only advantage the Army has! Write it in my obituary. Hanada Selene. 1 November 2019 – 5 April 2036. Adopted daughter of Hanada Asahi. Hobbies: reading, writing, scheming, murdering. Place of death: Gunga Mountain Villa. Cause of death: overdose of steroid-like drugs.
A pathetic demise like that of the rest of the heirs of the Hanada fortune.
I've come too far to die that easily.
Perhaps I made that volition too soon, though.
The earth quakes.
Corded muscle hardened to stone erupts from a fissure in the ground. Where Toga panted, blood dripping into rivulets from her body, now is nothing more than a hole. Rather, the massive structure shoots up, raising her all the way up until she has returned to the same floor as us. Then what was the point of jumping down? It's a pedantic thought. But really, this whole day has been ridiculously annoying. Perhaps that is why when Mr. Compress has the normal reaction of shrieking like a banshee and raising his blood pressure, I cannot bring myself to pretend to be slightly panicked. Then there is Dabi who always looks utterly bored with everything. No telltale signs on his poker face.
Toga whips around, splattering red droplets onto the rest of us. Her insane glee has crossed into mania territory. Eyes narrowed to slits and teeth stained pink with bits of flesh stuck between them. A quick glimpse of her knives reveals the cracks and dullness that only comes with prolonged use. I clap my hands together. "Did you have a fun time? Want to go again?"
She literally jumps up and down, bobbing her head in yes. I resist the urge to laugh. Remember Selene, she is out of her mind right now.
Another pillar cracks the earth. Two arms. Ten fingers. Then a head. A torso. Finally, the legs and feet. I heard of breech position, but coming out upper appendages first is new. Then, why am I comparing the father of Hulks to a baby?
My one and only favorite titan, Gigantomachia, has decided to be a good boy. If Gigantomachia had softer skin and the inability to kill me with one punch, I would scritch his chin until he yipped of content.
I point toward the behemoth, sniffing the air like a dog. "There's your ride to joy galore!"
Both Dabi and Mr. Compress stare at me as though I should be admitted into the psychiatric ward - which is true, but still hurts - just as Toga swivels around to squeal at her ticket to blissful bloodshed.
I hiss, "Oh, please. Did you really want to chance being skewered by Toga when she's in such a fragile state of mind?"
"She'd be burnt meat before angling that blade at me," Dabi retorts.
"How humble of you," I mutter in response.
"Smart alec doesn't suit you, peacock."
An unrestrained scoff leaves my mouth. "Hmm. Who was it that gave you a warning about the heroes attack? As I seem to recall, it was a peacock whose feathers were in a frenzy trying to save your sorry bums!"
"Oh, stop arguing, you two!" Mr. Compress intervenes. "The important thing is that Gigantomachia is active now. After so many attempts of coercing him to move even a meter. Get on board, everyone! We're going to Shigaraki."
An unspoken truce passes between us as we both understand there are more essential matters present. Dabi excuses himself to fetch Skeptic. I suggest to Mr. Compress that he trap the concrete fragments into his marbles. A precaution, is my reasoning. Then he lifts me into his arms before leaping over the railing onto Machia's back. Toga is already aboard, scrubbing off dried blood from her body. I summon the same shower cloud that I did for Shigaraki. And using Yaoyorozou-san's quirk - some soap and a new school outfit. Amongst the protruding spikes for a spine, Toga finds one secluded enough to clean herself.
I try not to think about how I have played nanny to two villains since this morning.
"Where's Spinner?" I ask instead, noticing how one member of the party is missing.
My question is answered immediately. A familiar, exasperated voice shouts from the fissure, demanding to know why the bloody hell Gigantomachia is awake. Very good question. With a very good story. Perfect way to pass the time on our journey to the final battle. Before any of us can respond back, Gigantomachia scoops him up like a toy and tosses him back. Of all the places, Spinner lands with an unceremonious thud on top of me.
There's Spinner.
Suffocating from the weight, I rasp, "Spinner. Glad I could cushion your landing, but my usage as the world's comfiest pillow will not last much longer if you do not get those swords away from my face." Literally, the fine tips of tens of weapons ache to prick my eyeballs. Now I understand the fear that is elicited from the death by a thousand cuts torture.
"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Spinner cannot scramble fast enough to ease the pressure on me.
The bated breath I had been holding finally escapes my lungs.
"Everybody present?" Mr. Compress asks.
We respond with various versions of 'Aye.'
And receiving confirmation, Machia takes off sprinting.
Bon voyage!
Note: I have copied some dialogue from one of the English-translated versions of the manga. The link to the chapter is here:
.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-273/