Guild Master here once again.

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The train conductor was doing all he could to control the situation and help keep the passengers calm. Having a hole ripped open into the side of a train had its way to incite mass hysteria for the passengers of said train. His valiant efforts to help the injured and assist those in need of immediate medical attention was still lacking in helping anybody on the train. Izuku could tell that the nomu creature that breached the train was a different monster than the one he saw at the DSA invasion. If that one was anything like it's apparent sibling; the amount of danger it represented would be something that even Gran Torino was in danger of.

As much yelling Izuku got from the conductor for him to stay, the boy was out and sprinting with his quirk active to come to the aid of whoever needed his help. Things were going to hell in a handbasket and Izuku knew that whoever needed his help was helpless until he actually got there. He just hoped that he wasn't too late to be there to offer it.

Elsewhere

There was a significant amount of public damage inflicted by the Nomu creature swinging its arms around wildly. It was tasked with killing whatever life it could find that wasn't it's masters or any of those deemed safe from its destruction. All it could do at the moment was to swing wildly at the cables attached to the harpoons that buried themselves in the torso of the Nomu. ESD responders had defenses up and were in the works of restraining the creature with their equipment while utilizing the harpooned tips to grasp at the creature better.

When the Nomu began to tilt a little too close to one group of officers; Gran Torino was gracious enough to offer his assistance to knock the creature back while the ESD were still working to restrain the creature. There were officers still providing temporary defense with the shield bearers doing their jobs, but the assistance was still very much appreciated from Gran Torino.

"Che, these guys are making this way too easy. Makes me almost wish they weren't here in the first place."

Quite honestly, Gran Torino was someone who thought that a defensive measure like the ESD was something long overdue. Their work to assist heroism in Japan and their efficiency to protect the general population was something he respected and saw as progress. So many lives and livelihoods protected and safeguarded by the boys in black.

It was practically over with the now five cables pinning the Nomu to the ground in the middle of the circle of ESD personnel. It kept trying to free itself with little success and could only lie down in submission as the next phase of capture began. Officers armed with rather interesting devices that looked like oversized carpentry routers were brought out with a security detail to approach the intended target for containment.

Each device was planted into the ground in a perfect pentagram from one another and began to burrow into the solid roadwork to prep for the next phase of containment. These devices were designed with a similar design to another piece of ESD medical equipment. From each device shot out strands of some sort that immediately began to seek out nearby copies of other strands from the other devices. An almost bio-organic look to this netting weaved the cordage of these devices together and pinned the creature to the ground.

Not only did it begin to adhere to the skin of the Nomu as well as the street it was trapped against; the netting worked itself underneath the nomu and created a prison of netting that completely immobilized the creature. Procedures were completed before the ESD deemed the beast to be neutralized enough for them to transport.

"Thank you, Gran Torino. Your assistance was greatly appreciated in the capture of this creature."

The lead officer addressed Gran Torino after the beast had been properly restrained and awaiting for the transport to come and pick it up. The old man returned the polite sentiment for the ESD as a whole.

"Ohoho, I'm surprised you young uns still remember a relic from the past like me. Gotta hand it to ya, you boys would have done some real damage back in my day."

The incident passed painlessly enough while the ESD did what they did best and neutralized the threat. The capture of the Nomu was only the first incident resolved for that evening; there was still an active danger to the city that the other officers of the ESD were very much working to neutralize.

Earlier

On his way back to Hozu was Haru in his van, driving down the freeway to return to the district that had his intended target for neutralization and cleanup. Driving with little else to do allowed him enough time to review some recordings he missed out on with his time committed to Iida and the boy's desire to be more physically adept against armed opponents. The information was valuable and lent him a better perspective into the enemy that was still unaware of his presence right under their feet.

His mobile rang with a call and interrupted the recording he was listening to. Things were progressing rather quickly and it was hardly a time for him to be irritated with a call that was likely an important one. He responded curtely and spoke as he usually did with calls from these numbers.

"What?"

He was debriefed as to what was occurring in Hozu and it was something that he was afraid of with who was still in the district. He had no choice but to pull off to the side of the road and just leave the van behind for the sake of time. He was reaching for a compartment hidden under the floor of his van while he barked his final orders to the caller.

"Set the Nomu as capture priority with level 3 classification. I'm going in personally for the primary target; so just get them out there and secure as many of them as possible!"

Haru was geared out with his motorbike with a weapon that was slightly different from the one he used against Stain the first time they officially met. What awaited the killer was something that he was not prepared to pay for just yet.

Present Time Elsewhere

Izuku was following the opposite flow of the panic to find the source of the destruction he saw from the train. His concern for his friends and fellow heroes was at an all time high as he bobbed and weaved through the crowds stampeding in the opposite direction of the immediate danger.

Arriving at the scene was like a reminder of what Izuku saw back at the DSA. He almost forgot how uncompromising these officers were in comparison to the law enforcement they technically matched rank with while being wildly different in terms of delivered results.

All around him were ESD officers working to contain the Nomu with their weapons while the heroes were helping in containing the threat by beating them back with their powers. One Nomu that had wings was harpooned and being dragged back to the earth by the ESD capture devices with heroes pelting it with multiple attacks from multiple sides. Another Nomu was wrapped up in bundles of cables while at least seven ESD capture devices were cranking in the monster to neutralize it enough for detainment.

Off to the side was an ESD perimeter security detail that kept Izuku away from the immediate danger. One hero that was doing what he could to support the effort against the Nomu was saying something that shook Izuku to his core.

"Damnit, Tenya! Where are you?! What could be more important than these things trying to destroy the city?"

Piecing it together was only a matter of time for somebody with a mind that analyzed everything to death like Izuku's did. He knew that Iida's brother had an incident that occured in Hozu that sent him to the hospital with extended care until he was able to return to active duty. Him being here only cemented the fact that Iida was likely here to bring down the serial killer Stain for what he did to his brother.

There was no time for Midoriya to waste as now he was against a clock he had no idea was still running or not. Finding Iida was all he could do with the hope that his friend wasn't already dead by the time he found him.

Elsewhere

Everything was starting to fall apart for Shigaraki once again as one of the three Nomu he was given by his master was already confirmed to be neutralized and in custody already. He couldn't catch a break with how often the ESD kept interfering with his plans to completely collapse society as a whole. His neck was assaulted with incessant itching as he recalled how his master responded to his request to receive more Nomu for his assault against the city.

Earlier

From the monitor his master communicated to him through was a debate for how many Nomu he could receive for the assault against Hozu. It was a bit of a struggle for Shigaraki to convince the man who provided him the guidance he needed to be who he was today to trust him with their greatest weapon against society.

The argument Shigaraki had was that by allowing Stain to run free under their umbrella was to work against their own goals. The mysterious figure relented three of his available six Nomu for Shigaraki to use as he pleased. What would have changed the master's disposition was the information that Stain had on the man in the gas mask that was shared with Shigaraki just before he unleashed the Nomu on the city. Things would have been conducted far differently had the league's master heard such poignant information before dismissing his disciple.

Elsewhere

Barely dodging swipes of Stain's sword while defending what little ground he had was a bit of a rude wakeup call for Iida. How he thought he could have won against Stain before his impromptu training was beyond him. His muscle memory of dodging a broom handle just a few hours ago was still active enough in his body for him to barely keep up with each attack. He couldn't relent too much ground as the injured hero behind him was still defenseless and unable to move to safety.

Time was working against the boy with the far more developed combatant pushing harder and harder against him. Iida was only spared the misery of experiencing Stain's quirk with his armor picking up the slack of shielding the few nicks and grazes against the mental villain that happened to get too close for comfort.

Iida was running out of options with every bit of distance the villain was taking against him. Sooner or later the situation was going to be him dodging and defending another person who was paralysed from the neck down. Taking the attacks he had weathered so far was almost impossible and had quite a bit of luck mixed into the encounter.

"... I get it."

Those types of words were not what the defending party had expected from the mentally deranged villain they had been barely able to defend against for the past hour or so.

"You're truly committed to being a hero, misguided as you are. Tell you what; since I'd hate to waste potential like you, I'll give you one chance to run…"

The jagged blade that had been used by Stain to try and rip into Iida and bleed him dry for some time now pointed to the exit of the alley behind him.

"Leave that sad excuse of a so-called hero and I won't stop you…"

Coming so far and being treated like an annoyance was almost enough to break Iida out of his conviction to stand his ground. Was this delusional sack of wet laundry really what he sought to destroy with his heart and soul? He had twice the conviction that this supposed serial killer of heroes had and it was nothing short of an insult to be treated as lesser by him.

"... How dare you!"

"... What did you say to me?"

Lacking patience for such a contradictory opponent that he was once so obsessed with ending was not an unwarranted reaction from Iida. This cretin had committed so much damage and didn't even have the self awareness to even respect those he fought against.

"I said how dare you, you absolute degenerate! The lives you took! The lives you ruined! You've done enough! After tonight-"

Above the rooftops was another junior hero that was just able to pick up on the commotion from the alleyway and leap down and target Stain as he was too distracted by Iida making his speech against the villain.

"-you will never hurt the innocent again!"

A surprise attack to Stain's left cheek with Izuku unleashing about nine percent of One for All's power sent the villain down the alley and tumbling head over heels. The appearance of a trusted friend he hadn't expected gave Iida a boundless amount of hope against the danger that he felt cornered against. A friend that was as much of a hero to him as any other publicly declared icon of proper justice.

"Don't worry, Iida! I'm here for you!"

The tension that racked his body felt like it was starting to unravel and leave him as he saw his friend come to his aid. He was sure that this would have ended in his loss at the rate he was able to push back Stain. Another emotion that was prominent for the desperate Tenya was a sizable amount of guilt. For days, Iida had done nothing but treat his closest friend like disposable garbage and here he was ready to risk his life to save Iida.

"... Izuku, listen; I-"

"Iida!"

Izuku yelled at Iida in a short and abrupt manner that got the teenager to clam up immediately.

"... Don't worry man; I'm just glad you aren't bleeding out on the floor. SO let's just focus on this guy for now, alright?"

Not a single drop of malice or ill will was in the smirk Izuku shot towards Iida. While Iida was overthinking and ready to take on this killer by himself; people he thought weren't involved with his issues were readily available to offer him help. Even after how he brushed them off and caused nothing but grief for them; they were all still standing by to lend him a helping hand.

"... Thanks."

Both boys were now zeroed in on the immediate threat that was this serial killer of heroes. Stain had been suffering from his current injuries from a few days before while these little shits were ignoring him. What started as a concrete crusade for Stain was beginning to feel like cheap labor. This was all too much for the villain who gave up everything for something he believed to be truly important to him.

"... All of you; just taking your turn in keeping heroism in the trench it's trapped in…"

Stain was truly fed up with everything that had given him nothing but trouble so far. If he didn't kill someone right now; he was sure that his mind would snap farther than it already had so far.

"I'm just gonna have to cut you out as well…"

Being targeted by a crazed killer was enough to send a chill that Iida had never felt in his life down his spine and to his heels. The other boy had been slightly more accustomed to the sensation that sent goosebumps all over his arms. He could tell that this sensation of fear was similar to the one he felt back at the UA Sports Festival. Peering down into that tunnel and feeling that darkness almost reached back out to him was several times worse than what Stain had been giving off. Izuku was able to remain steady and focused against Stain's provocations.

There wasn't much else to be said for the situation. Either Iida and Izuku were to fight off Stain; or Stain was going to have his way and kill everybody else in the alley they all stood in. So much of the hero's advantage had been in their numbers against the killer. A tense moment of silence before Stain and the other two boys felt the tension snap and launch them towards one another.

Elsewhere

Riding on his motorcycle was something Haru did as a faster way to get to where he needed to be without raising too many questions. People would mostly just think down on a rider blitzing through traffic dozens of kilometers over the speed limit and little else. Those prone to report on such illegal behavior would have been at a disadvantage with the license plate being unidentifiable for them to report on.

His helmet had a live feed of the bug he planted in Stain's neck while he was rushing to get to his target farther into the city. Iida had been faring well enough and was still on his feet while Izuku had just joined him in the scuffle. Both of them had a decent chance of going head to head against Stain; especially with the training he gave Iida in avoiding the same type of attacks Stain used.

Only four of the killer's attacks was enough for Haru to figure out the way the demented villain wielded his weapons. Haru had emulated Stain's attack patterns at a higher rate than the villain would have launched them to better help Iida adjust and predict the villain's strikes. Not an easy feat for anybody else to replicate the swings of a curved katana with a broomhandle.

The fight progressed and it was starting to worry Haru with how much of a threat that Stain still posed with the injuries he gave the serial killer during their scuffle. Deep contusions on the abdomen and leg that were severe enough to send a hippo to the emergency ward; had Haru used those very same attacks on said creature. Both boys utilized their enhanced mobility to overcome Stain's extended reach and hold out until more help arrived.

Another voice that Haru recognized as Shoto arrived on the scene and offered his assistance to further corner the villain. Based on the sounds of the battle; Haru was able to map out the precise actions and placements of every individual during the fight's progress.

Shoto was able to give some ranged support while Izuku and Iida began to pick out windows of opportunity to land a strike. At one point the killer Stain managed to nick the young Midoriya and send him crashing to the floor. Thankfully it was Shoto who pulled the boy out of immediate danger and left Iida to block any sort of hard advancement towards them. This went on for a few long minutes before the fight finally came to a close with Izuku and Iida using a pincer maneuver to knock out Stain. With all three classmates working together, they all were able to finish off the infamous hero killer and place him under their custody.

It was unfortunate for them that Haru had finally arrived at his final destination of a building overlooking the street that the alley they were all fighting in was attached to. The hero who was paralysed from the start was finally free from the paralyzing effect of Stain's blood quirk and was walking on his own two feet just fine on his own.

More conversation between the remaining heroes who all fought valiantly through the evening gathered around and gave the junior heroes a fair amount of praise for their efforts. While Iida had confronted Izuku with his poor behavior from the past week and apologized; Haru felt proud for the boy and slightly apologetic for what he was about to do. Stain had served his function and was now outliving his usefulness. The weapon that Haru had slung onto his back was propped up in his arms and calibrated to make the shot that was to bring this whole ordeal to a screeching halt.

Below

Gran Torino gave Izuku a proper kick to the face for disobeying the old man's order and taking off into the night without his knowing. Iida offered a sincere apology for his poor behavior for the past few days against Izuku; though the young Midoriya thought nothing of it and gave Iida more than the benefit of the doubt.

The atmosphere began to lighten up and allowed the earlier tension to dissipate while there were so many heroes around to guarantee the current level of security. Unknown to everyone else was Stain starting to resurface from the deep unconsciousness that he was sent into. All that was keeping him bound was a bunch of rope that his strength was far too effective against.

He broke out and managed to not only retrieve his sword; he nabbed Izuku and dragged the boy with him a few meters away from the huddled cluster of heroes. A wounded animal looking for its final opportunity of freedom was now ranting about his mission for society to recognize the fault of heroism as a whole in today's society. How so many of the so called heroes were nothing more than pretenders seeking to benefit from public perceptions over actually being heroes.

All of his broken and abused psyche poured out to the heroes who were startled by the amount of terrifying intent Stain had against all of them. His desire to restore the concept of heroism was all he could focus on in his deluded mental state.

"Come at me, you pretenders!"

One step after another while his heavy metal boots clashed with the concrete beneath them.

"The only one who can kill me is-"

A sudden cold rush of emptiness swallowed Stain as a whole and silenced him for a brief moment. From the dark void he peered into came something that he needed to tilt his head upwards to peer at as a whole. He had thought that he was something that others needed to fear from the darkness; what he saw looking back at him was something he never knew could exist. Only one thing was spoken from said entity as it loomed over him like a dissatisfied deity.

You've said enough.

The dark swallowed him and claimed him for its own purposes. Though in the real world; something rather similar yet less theatrical had just occurred. Some sort of discomfort began to radiate from the center of Stain's chest. His attention was brought to the source of the sensation and what he saw was a constant spurt of blood spewing from a hole in his chest where his heart should have been.

Blood kept pouring freely from the wound and caused the villain to look up at the rest of the shocked faces looking on in shock and horror over what had just happened. A hole was punched clean through the villain's chest and began to spill his blood in a puddle that was forming in front of him. Nobody could ever get used to the sensation of dying; something that Stain was now faced with as he was suffering from a punctured heart.

"I… I… What?"

His standing body fell flat on his face and bled to death in a matter of seconds after that. Todoroki felt his knees give out from what Stain had radiated just before he fell dead; though it was the more experienced of the group who felt another presence from elsewhere just before the villain himself was rendered lifeless. Behind and above the group radiated something absolutely vile in comparison to Stain's maniacal declaration of war against society.

Gran Torino wasted no time in trying to locate the immediate threat. His eyes snapped to a rooftop where the shot looked to have originated. Even though there was nothing for him there to see; his quirk launched him up and out towards the possible threat. He was up on the rooftop in no time and could hear something like a motorcycle start up and take off down the alleyways. There was little else to go off of, so he took off after the escaping assassin and did what he could to apprehend the killer.

What Gran Torino thought was an advantage at first was starting to get on his nerves the longer the chase went for. Flying overhead and over the buildings was something that allowed the hero to cut corners and evade the obstacles that his quarry had to contest with. The motorbike had no trouble bobbing and weaving through traffic and even managed corners and turns like they were straighways. It was only because of the turns that Gran Torino was able to keep up the way he did. One turn became another and permitted Gran Torino a moment of opportunity to close the gap.

With both hands out and propelling himself with all his might, the human projectile was closing in and now was certain that he would catch the criminal. A slight snag in his plan was when the gunman turned in his seat to aim his pistol at the unsuspecting hero. Gran Torino was certain that his only option was to take the bullet in order to catch the assassin. One well placed shot on his gauntlet threw off his weight and sent him flying towards the sidewalk and right into a trashcan. He wasn't terribly injured; though it was quite the crash and gave the masked man a clean getaway. It was only for a split second, but it was something Gran Torino could recognize as a real problem.

People were gathered around to help the old man up, though he was well enough to return to the scene of the crime and reunite with the other heroes. In his head he was going over every piece of information he could think of as to why after decades of silence; that thing shows it's face out of nowhere and killed Stain in particular. What would drive something so dangerous that even the predecessor of One for All couldn't even touch to resurface like that?

Meanwhile, for Haru his job was done. All three Nomu were in detainment and ready for further experimentation while Stain was dead and unable to do any further damage. That little speech of his would serve Haru's plans even better as now it would bait out those that would serve as fodder for him to utilize for the future.

The Next Day

All three teens who were involved in the fight with Stain were summoned to the city precinct and were forced to await their judgment by government law enforcement. They arrived in their hero attire as a form of keeping up appearances. Eventually the party was called up and brought to the chief of Hozu police in his office. Inside of the office were Gran Torino and Manual awaiting their apprentices with another figure the young heroes in training hadn't yet recognized.

After making his introduction to the three boys, Tsuragamae gave the three youngest members of the room his thoughts on the complicated matter of how it was they intervened in the matter of the hero killer Stain. There were blalant laws that these youths had violated in order to carry out their personal mission to fight the hero killer.

Todoroki had been the most vocal in protesting their treatment of the eyes of the law and had even cussed out the chief of police in Hozu to do so. The rest of the speech that the chief of police had clarified that none of what they did warranted legal repercussions and even earned the respect of the dog-headed chief of police. All that was left was for Iida and Midoriya to formally face their mentors and apologize for their reckless behavior.

All's well that ends well; as they say.

The Next Day

All Might and his former teacher were on the phone; in all honesty, it was more like Gran Torino venting to his former student how troublesome his student was for the elder. The current atmosphere was something akin to the moments before a storm struck in Gran Torino's opinion. Mentions of an old evil that All Might had combated in the past were brought up and discussed for a refresher for the student turned mentor.

"... Toshinori."

A name that he hadn't been expected to be called by on a call such as this. All Might gave his teacher his undivided attention as more critical information was given to the former student.

"You know that me and your former mentor were not only fighting against All For One, correct?"

That much was apparent with how much of an impact they have made on the world as a whole alone.

"There's something else that we didn't tell you. Somewhere out there is something that we saw that was just as much of a threat; if not more. That presence isn't an organization, per se… Just the other night; I saw it…"

Being cryptic wasn't Gran Torino's style. By the sound of his voice, there was quite a lot of apprehension in the old man over even talking about it.

"What? What did you see?"

"... Years ago, me and your mentor caught wind of something that was starting to rack up a body count unlike anything we had ever seen. We looked into it and only could find remains of what were dead bodies… But, they weren't just murdered and left for dead…"

The memories of the crime scenes left by that monster were replaying themselves in his head. No human, not even the sadistic All for One, could have left such a nightmare behind in his wake. All Might was hanging by the edge of his seat in anticipation of what his teachers found.

"They were everywhere. Not a single bit of intact human remains could be seen or found… It had painted the entire room in it's victim's blood."

Chills like he was stuck out in winter without a shirt ran their way down All Might's back and legs. His usually abrasive and boisterous teacher was recalling this killer like it was something that a detective would recall as a traumatizing crime scene. Something so unnaturally cruel and violent that even Gran Torino was unable to keep up the facade of being unaffected by it's memory alone.

"... How? How have I never heard of these murders? Wouldn't something this terrible have made the news?"

"The victims were people involved with illegal dealings. Nobody gave them a second glance and the photos were far too gruesome for a headline article. Plus, nobody wanted to create mass panic over what was a killer of criminals. Things like this eventually just faded over time…"

As far as uncomfortable conversations went; this one must have been a top ranker for how strained his teacher's voice was. There were still more suspected killings; but those were ones that were only found out after the disappearance of people were impossible for the police to ignore. So many of these killings resulted in the involvement of both Shimura Nana and Gran Torino for a significant amount of time. Finally, they had a lead that was good enough for them to catch the killer in the act of his murderous rampage.

"... It was… Something so beyond our understanding of cruelty couldn't have been human; and still…"

Toshinori could only listen in absolute silence as his once thought to be fearless teacher shared with him a memory. A memory that even Gran Torino wished he could have forgotten if he could. Nothing so horrid and foul would ever leave anybody for however long they lived.

Over Twenty Years Ago

Arriving at a warehouse in the middle of a rather vacant industrial zone were Nana and Gran Torino. They finally caught a break in their case and were recently informed of a possible lead that pointed the killer to target this area for a suspected drug deal with some of the city's larger gang members. An informant had leaked the trade off in exchange for amnesty and a new identity somewhere else in Japan.

Landing outside the large loading bay was far too easy since the guards were nowhere to be seen or heard. The door was sealed shut and bolted shut by a series of padlocks on each side of it. Their plan of approach was agreed upon as going in through the widest entrance to better prepare against any sort of traps or ambush. Nana had taken one side while Gran Torino stood at the ready from the opposite side. At the count of three; both heroes snapped the locks and rolled the gate up and out the way with their impressive strength. Seeing the viscera and gore never got any easier for them, no matter how many times they've been subjected to it.

Chunks of unidentifiable flesh still gelatinous with fresh blood littered every square meter of the concrete flooring. Blood was thick and slathered over everything that could have had blood on it. Above them; the ceiling was raining blood down and gave everything in that massive space a look that would be nothing short of what somebody would imagine hell to be like. Limbs and torsos strewn about and hanging off the boxes and shelving with organs soaking in lakes of blood pooling on the floor that were almost ankle deep.

"Oh, god… How could somebody…"

"Don't wander on it, Nana. Focus on the mission and we'll bring all of this to an end."

Gran Torino acted as though he still had his sensibilities, but it was a front to get his friend to stay focused on the task at hand. Had this been just him; he was certain that his sensation to vomit would have gotten the better of him. Ignoring the mess was harder than it was as it was impossible to look around without seeing the disgusting gore. Stepping into the room made the stench of it all profound and cloying to their lungs. All the warm blood had made the room humid and stink of copper. One thing that normal people don't realize when a body dies and is ripped apart, like these ones, is that everything inside of it comes out as well.

It stunk of piss and shit along with the blood. Nana had no choice but to cover her mouth and nose to prevent any more of the air from entering her airways. Her dinner was finding its way rather quickly exiting through the closest exit. What made all of it far worse was when they started to feel the blood dripping down from above begin to rain down on them both. It was still lukewarm and wiping at it did nothing but spread the sticky liquid over their skin and costumes.

Halfway through the warehouse, they heard something approaching from one of the doors at the end of the tainted open space. They both got ready for a fight as the metal door burst open with a panicking man that looked like one of the gang members sent here for the deal. His eyes were bugged while he was nursing a bleeding stomach wound.

"Help me! I need h-"

Before he could even finish his request for assistance; his wild, bleached hair along with the rest of his head burst into pieces and left the decapitated body to skid across the floor and stop in between Nana and Gran Torino. Watching someone getting their head blown off in real time was a different sort of horrible that Nana had yet to get used to. The body was still twitching a little and pouring blood from the gaping wound left behind.

Nana almost threw up and even fought the wretching from overtaking her. The other hero was horrified by what he just saw as a man begging for his life getting his head blown off mere seconds before he was about to be rescued. Not even drug peddling scum like him deserved such a terrible way to go. What drew the attention of both heroes was the sound of footsteps coming from the pitch black darkness where the man escaped shortly before he got his head blown off.

There was no time to hesitate for them. Charging up their abilities in anticipation was all they could do as they waited for whatever was out of their eyesight that was taking its sweet time to reveal itself.

What stepped out of the darkness and into the moonlight was something that even Gran Torino was deeply unsettled by. A man clad in all black with a hooded zip up jacket was completely soaked in what looked and smelled like blood. On his face was a black gas mask that was unlike the ones that either hero was familiar with. He was drenched and still dripping crimson as he stood out in the night light and just looked to be staring at nothing in particular. His weapon looked like one of those old shotgun's from back in the day with it's barrel looking super short from the ones Nana and Gran Torino were familiar with.

He just unloaded the empty shells in his gun and slipped in two more shells before snapping his wrist and closing the barrels with one swift motion. The hard snap and click of the gun made the heroes jump to attention after their first encounter with the one responsible for possibly hundreds of deaths. Nana stilled her voice to the best of her abilities to confront the masked man.

"Your reign of terror is over! We've come to stop you and end all of this senseless killing! You won't ever kill again!"

Dead silence was all she got for the noble speech she managed to put together. The subtle turning of the silent killer's head as he took a moment to look both heroes up and down was all they could get from the assassin. It was beyond unsettling with how little they knew of this man. They weren't even sure if it was entirely human with what they had on this guy. Perhaps he was some sort of vengeful spirit personified; who knows.

His stare was affixed on the woman that was starting to feel unnerved by the killer's silence. Her immediate reaction was to repeat herself to get some sort of response.

"Did you not hear me?! I said-"

It was one thing to be interrupted; to be interrupted by the sound of a gunshot was something that Nana had been completely caught off guard from. What startled her further was that she hadn't been the one shot by the man. Gran Torino was certain that his friend was the one to be struck with the killer's first attack and was blindsided when the assassin shot him in the torso without even looking at him. The force of the shot was enough for him to be sent back and land on the bloody floor with his back.

"Gran Tori-"

"You're out of your depth here. Leave and I won't pursue you two."

A voice distorter made it impossible to know if he was older or younger than he looked. Nana was concerned with her backup and was only reassured greatly when the older man began to cough and sit up off the floor. This killer didn't want to kill these heroes before warning them, apparently. This still equated to assault and got the heroes to commit to the idea that this was gonna have to be a rather forceful apprehension of this murderer.

"Y… You bastard! If you think we'll let you just walk out of here; you're nothing short of the insanity that we've seen from your kind!"

Gran Torino bit back at the killer with a quip at how naive he felt that the Assassin was being with his request of asking them to leave. What they failed to notice was how lenient he was being with both heroes. The shot that was used on Gran Torino was a non-lethal round that was meant for non-enhanced humans. All that he got was a bit of a bruising on his sternum.

"That's right! Don't think for one second that we're just going to… make… thi-"

Something shifted in the atmosphere of the space. Years of fighting against evil villain's loaned Nana a sharpened sense of her enemies and how much of a threat they were in comparison to all the hot air they had a tendency to spew in her direction. Finding her center was a bit of a worthless effort with what she began to feel crawling all over her and into her chest.

"Last chance…"

Last time this sort of sensation was felt was with Nana's arch nemesis; this was something far beyond that. All for One was something that made the air around him feel like a heavy rainstorm soaking you through and through with fear. What this thing did was push you down into the darkest depths of the ocean where you would either drown or be crushed to death. Where not even the light could reach you. One last warning was issued to the paralysed Nana and Gran Torino.

"Leave… Stay, and I start snapping you like twigs on a branch…"

It never raised its voice whenever it spoke. Whatever needed to be said was done so at an even and audible volume. His eyes could be felt through the black visor of the gasmask and upon Nana's face. This really was the last warning he was giving them before he would follow through on his threat.

A hero like her had no reason to back down from even the greatest of villains. The greatest villain of all time was in fact her rival! There shouldn't be anything short of something as evil and powerful as All for One for her to be hesitant to fight the good battle… Yet here she was; unable to choose between doing the right thing and surviving to see another day.

"... No…"

Her resolve mounted itself up higher and higher as she kept recalling what it was she was fighting for. What she sacrificed to protect the world from evil like this thing that was soaked in the very blood of his victims. Leaving now would only be an insult to not only her; but to those who were in need of her protection. A renewed strength gave Nana what she needed to clear her head and embrace the fight ahead of her.

"I won't allow you to simply do as you want! I am a hero; and I-"

The world suddenly spun and began to speed past her as she suddenly began to crash through multiple objects that were being broken against her. It eventually ended with Nana coming to a complete halt at a metal silo across the street from where the murderer had killed the gang members. An indescribable amount of pain was searing through her body in waves as her realization of being thrown through the warehouse and being embedded in a metal wall slowly set in. Gran Torino couldn't even tell what had happened before he was grabbed by the neck and hoisted up in a painful choke.

"Very well, I'll honor your code and give you a fight. Do your best not to die in the meantime."

What followed was a waking nightmare of pain and torture for them as they were just able to squeak by with only their lives afterwards. So much of that night was something Gran Torino was still haunted by through his senior years.

Present Time

For years, All Might was certain that his teacher had fought All for One during that time period. What was new information to him was something that his mentors were struggling with for the past twenty years or so wasn't just All for One; but something that was shrouded in nothing but mystery and bloodshed.

"Be careful, Toshinori; his return isn't something to take lightly. Whatever it may be, know that he alone defeated us both without a scratch. Avoid him if you can."

If Gran Trino was warning him of the danger; then it was something that the old man truly thought to be out of anyone's depth. They both said their goodbyes and hung up. Toshinori Yari, the man known to be All Might to the rest of the world, was brought to a place he knew to be unbecoming of his powerful image.

He was scared for the future.