Welcome back to "Through the Rough", everyone! The Meta Liberation Arc continues with another chapter filled with tough backstories. Looking back more on this arc, I realize that it wasn't completely perfect. There were some stories I wish were looked into more, like Compress', and I wish we got to see more of how powerful the Meta Liberation Army could be.

But aside from that, I really love how this arc's able to give the villains a chance to really shine. Anyways, last time we left off, we got Twice and Fie powering up to help their comrades out. And now, a new goal's been set for the League. Rather than lure Machia to fight off the Meta Liberation Army, they're planning on earning his loyalty by defeating their foes.

So where do we go from here? Well, let's find out!

THROUGH THE ROUGH

"So… all of Oceans have been defeated, hm?" Rikiya noted from the tower with narrowed eyes. Listening on, both Fabiano and Ijuna gasped.

"They've all lost?!" the former inquired out of shock.

"Are they…?" the latter started to guess, only for Nero to raise his left hand.

"None of them are dead like Curious," he confirmed, "Our soldiers are treating them as we speak," he mentioned further, "That being said, I'm shocked that not a single one of those fools is dead yet," he confessed, "You promised that we would bring an end to the League of Villains, Re-Destro," he pointed out to the Meta Liberation Army leader, getting his attention, "Yet I see none in sight," he added with a hint of frustration in his tone. His colleagues trembled. Rikiya gave off a little grin.

"Maybe a reroll of the dice is in order?" he suggested. Narrowing his eyes, Nero rolled the dice in his hand before having them fall out onto the floor. The eight-sided one tumbled before coming to a stop at Giran's feet, as he was tied to a chair. He looked down at it, seeing the five facing up.

"Fives across the board, sir…" Fabiano confirmed to his superior, who sighed.

"Fabiano, I need you to intercept Shigaraki," he advised of the lone Oceans member, whose eyes widened in shock, "Your Quirk is best suited for dealing with his," he pointed out.

"O-Of course…" the white-haired man stammered.

"Ijuna, you should head to the shelter," Nero instructed of the secretary, making her blink out of surprise, "This tower is going to become a battlefield," he told her.

"Sir, with all due respect, shouldn't I then be—?"

"Do not disregard my order," the Oracion Seis member stated firmly, making her flinch.

"Y-Yes, sir…" she responded with a stutter. She and Fabiano went aboard the elevator, with its doors closing moments later. Giran watched on curiously.

"You're really underestimating Shigaraki if you think some schmuck can beat him," he pointed out, flashing a weak grin.

"He's only going to be stalling, I'm afraid," Rikiya responded to his surprise, "The real challenge for Tomura Shigaraki will be his first battle against a fellow face from the Oracion Seis," he told the broker, causing him to widen his eyes. From the outskirts of the city, the figure of Crow arose from the ground, standing up as he grinned.

OPENING

Insert "Memories" by ONE OK ROCK

Opens with an image of Tenko Shimura crying in his family's backyard with Mon in his grasp as he scratches at his eyes. A shadow looms over him, being that of his older self as Tomura Shigaraki, who narrows his eyes under the hand over his face. Meanwhile, we also see an image of Poseidon Shura looming over his younger self, as he's crying in a corner.

We cut to the opening logo, which is crushed and disintegrated before turning into "My Villain Academia". We see images of Fie, Maria Slime, Daichi, Mr. Compress, Dabi, Himiko Toga, Twice, and finally, Spinner. He sighs as he sees his colleagues loitering around, seemingly doing nothing of importance. Maria looks back at him sadly, dropping her lollipop.

All of a sudden, the ground shakes before shattering around them, with Gigantomachia revealing himself to challenge them. We also get a shot of Doctor Garaki, who grins under his moustache. The scene switches over to the likes of the Meta Liberation Army and those of Nero's forces, including the likes of Deadend Crow. Amidst them, Giran is being held captive in a tower, grimacing with frustration.

The League of Villains arrives in Deika City, being pitted immediately into battle against the Meta Liberation Army. Explosions from Curious blow back Himiko and Maria, as both have sudden flashes of their pasts, with the former trying to live her life in spite of her habits, while the latter looks in a mirror crying before Drakken Joe places a hand onto her shoulder reassuringly. We see green slime coat Maria before turning black and unleashing tendrils violently onto her foes.

Next, we see Twice getting himself trampled by puppets of his own visage. Fie tries to help him, but he's suddenly bombarded by a barrage of cards fired by Lyra. We see a flash of him as a kid having watched a particular hero constantly on TV, smiling brightly. His body flares up in flames, creating a torrential inferno.

Tomura and Shura charge through more members of the Meta Liberation Army, with Spinner, Daichi, Compress and Dabi holding off anyone from following them. We see Fabiano leap in covered in crystals, striking Tomura to send him flying back. Meanwhile, Shura gets blown away by Callum, who uses his Carburetor to tear a hole through the Satan Gravity Quirk user.

The Meta Liberation Army seems so imposing, especially with Re-Destro, Nero and Deadend Crow on their side. However, we witness Tomura and Shura charge through to them, yelling all the while. There are flashes of their pasts, with Tomura meeting All For One as he extends a hand to him, while Shura is introduced to Ijuna as his personal servant. She watches the battles rage on from the tower looking over the city, closing her right hand into a fist as she grimaces.

As the battle rages on, we see Crow and Gigantomachia collide with each other, Tomura losing his jacket and shirt as he disintegrates much of the ground, and Shura having energy lines expand around his body in midair as he faces down his adoptive father, who rolls his trio of dice in his right hand. We end the opening with the young forms of Tomura and Shura looking away from each other, both born into families that resented them. They turn to each other, now aged up to the current time, flashing sadistic grins.

END OPENING

"You really think Shigaraki can stop that guy?" Spinner asked of Maria as they hurried down the streets. After the group had conversed over switching their objectives to defeating Re-Destro instead of holding out for Gigantomachia to arrive, they split up, with the Twice clones and Fie working to clear a path for Tomura to head to the tower. In the meantime, the two heteromorphs would work to keep anyone else out of their leader's way.

"He's worked harder than anyone for this, going through all the shit his way…" she pointed out to her colleague as a reply to his question, "So what we need to do is give him all the time he needs," she affirmed, keeping a firm grip on her rifle.

"Right..." Spinner agreed, "But what about Shura?" he inquired on, "Doesn't he get a fair trade in this?" he presumed.

"He'll meet up with Shigaraki for sure," Maria stated confidently, "Revenge is a dish best served double…" she remarked with a smirk, to which Spinner blinked in surprise at. The two of them then turned a corner... and were immediately met with dozens of liberation soldiers.

"Shit!" the lizard-like man cursed out. However, the Slime Quirk took notice of the fact that amongst the crowd was Koku, who stood upon his truck and looked toward his foes.

"Let's go!" she called out, charging in to her colleague's surprise.

"Hey, wait!" he yelped, chasing after her.

"Maria Slime and Shuichi Iguchi..." Koku listed off, "Two of the League's weaker members, one being with a meta ability that lacks any power... and another with one so pitiful that it doesn't need to be brought up," he noted, rubbing his left pointer finger over his nose, "Do you really think that you can stop me?" he wondered aloud. He then tapped his bracelets, causing them to transform into a mask. It was laced with seven mini speakers. "Behold, the Detnerat patented Sevens Loud!" he announced, putting it on over his face, "Bring down the League of Villains, Liberation Army!" he commanded as the crowd of soldiers started to roar with motivation, "Let out victory be at hand!" he added in declaration.

"So that's his Quirk..." Maria realized, letting off a grin.

"We're screwed without more of Twice's doubles or Fie's sniping…" Spinner pointed out with a grimaced.

"Don't worry, Spinner," his colleague assured, getting his attention as he glanced over and blinked in surprise to see the black slime spreading along her body, granting her a monstrous appearance. Those of the Meta Liberation Army gasped in surprise, including Koku.

"What is that…?" he asked aloud. Stepping forward, the Slime Quirk user chuckled.

"I'll call it Venom Slime…" she told her foes, "Doesn't last for very long and leaves my body totally dehydrated afterward, so I need a couple gallons to recharge…" she explained further.

"Wait, why are you telling them that?" Spinner inquired as he blinked in shock.

"'Cause it's not gonna matter," Maria retorted confidently, "Come on, Mister Politician…" she challenged, goadingly waving her right hand at the commander, "Show us just what you guys got…" she insisted. Elsewhere, Tomura was staggering as he got closer to the tower. His vision was growing all the hazier. He was feeling delirious, with the lack of sleep and food getting to him.

"Don't worry, boss!" one of the Twice doubles assured as they ran past him, "We'll make a path for ya!" he promised. However, he and the doubles heading down the street were suddenly ambushed by someone with arms encased in sharp crystals, reducing them to puddles of brown sludge.

"Huh…?" Tomura uttered, seeing that it was Fabiano who lurked ahead.

"Tomura Shigaraki…" he addressed, "You've certainly caused us quite the trouble…" he commented. The League of Villains' leader noticed the energy lines along the man's face.

"You're an Ether-type…" he noted aloud.

"My meta ability is Crystallization," he told the Decay Quirk user, "I can form crystals on any part of my body," he pointed out, "Though it adds extra weight, it provides me with both a shield and a sword for battle," he mentioned further.

"You think I'm not just gonna disintegrate that the second you come close?" Tomura inquired of his foe. He huffed.

"We shall see!" he exclaimed, zipping forward. Groaning, the Decay Quirk user held his right hand out, grabbing his opponent's crystallized arm. However, he blinked in surprise to find that it wasn't decaying like he assumed. And in that moment, he took a right hook straight to the face from Fabiano, causing blood to go flying from his nose and lips. "Hm," the Crystallization meta ability user chuckled out, "Are you surprised?" he assumed, "My crystals don't particularly age, so your Decay is meaningless against them," he explained.

"So they sent you to stop me…?" the League's leader presumed in response, "I thought that big boss of yours was supposed to be the one…" he mentioned, diving aside to evade another heavy blow from his enemy.

"Our goal is to eliminate the League of Villains from the equation," he proclaimed in response, "Whether it's you, Prince Shura, or any of your lackeys," he listed off additionally, slamming his crystallized fist into Tomura's stomach before he could even reach out to try and grab him, "We'll put an end to your foolish schemes…" he proclaimed, raising his arm as he formed a sharp, jagged crystal upon it, "and start our path to liberation!" he added firmly, attempting to pierce the Decay Quirk user as a wicked smile crossed his face. All of a sudden though, a figure zipped in and grabbed Fabiano by his face. He gasped to find that it was Shura there, as he went ahead and slammed him fiercely against the pavement, shattering the crystals around his body. "GWAHH…!" he exclaimed, blood flying out from his mouth. Sitting up, Tomura looked over at the Satan Gravity Quirk user, who raised his right foot over the man.

"Hey, Fabiano," he said, causing him to perk up, "My old man's up in that tower, right?" he assumed.

"Y-Yes…" the Crystallization meta ability user confirmed with a stutter.

"Good to know," Shura responded, stamping his foot down right next to his head as he gasped with fright. He then glanced over to Tomura, who stood up.

"Don't expect a stupid thank you…" he grumbled, scratching at his face.

"I wouldn't want one from you anyway…" the Satan Gravity Quirk user retorted, stuffing his hands into his jacket's pockets, "So, tower's up ahead…" he noted.

"Yeah…" Tomura said, "Think some of Twice's doubles are heading there now…" he recalled, "We should probably go to help him out," he decided.

"Fine, I'll fly us up there," Shura said, floating up for a moment.

"I got a better idea…" the Decay Quirk user proclaimed to his confusion, letting off a wicked smirk. Back in the streets, several liberation soldiers were enduring the terrible pain inflicted upon them by the roots in their bodies, courtesy of Daichi. Others were being bombarded by debris sent their way from Compress, who had compressed it into marbles beforehand.

"Gah…!" he gasped out, narrowly evading a blast of fire that went astray, "We really are in the thick of this second act, aren't we?" he commented over to the Pain's Tree Quirk user, who giggled nervously.

"Should we turn tail and let the Twices handle things?" he inquired. Compress glanced back to see that Dabi was still at odds against Geten, while more clones of the Double Quirk user were rampaging over the liberation soldiers.

'If we're going through with Slime's plan, then maybe we should try to take all these soldiers out…' he suggested inwardly, 'But with Machia's impending arrival and likely Poseidon Nero getting involved, I'm starting to grow more and more anxious…' he admitted to himself. Back in the scrum of liberation soldiers on the streets, Maria cackled as she blew more and more of them away with the tendrils shot out from her body. Spinner watched on in utter shock. He had never seen the Slime Quirk user like this.

"So this is your meta ability evolved, hm?" Koku echoed thanks to his support item, "Secreting that much slime at once must take a great toll on your body, especially if you can't maintain it forever," he pointed out, "Wring her out to dry, bringers of liberation!" he echoed to the crowd of soldiers, causing them to all yell with determination.

"Oh great, not again!" Spinner complained. Several of their enemies charged in, with Maria protruding more tendrils to knock them away. However, more rushed forward and tackled her to the ground, forcing her to struggle against them. "Slime!" her lizard-like colleague cried out, attempting to hurry over to her. Twice clones were charging in to assist, but they were being easily dealt with by the liberation soldiers. No matter the quantity, they couldn't do a thing to such motivated soldiers. The lizard-like heteromorph found himself getting blasted, stabbed, and struck again and again, unable to do anything. He fell to the ground, bleeding and battered as his blade rested beside him.

"Spinner…!" Maria growled out in frustration as some of her slime was starting to drip off of her.

'Am I already hitting my limits…?!' she wondered inwardly, clenching her teeth, 'Damn it!' she cursed. Spinner groaned, looking around. There were too many soldiers to count. And any Twice clones that were in the area were long gone, either destroyed or off battling elsewhere. He tried to push himself up, gritting his teeth.

Why was he still doing this after all this time? He was here because he followed Stain... and wound up being a lackey to someone he couldn't bring himself to even respect. At least... not until now. Tomura had shown him something that he never thought was possible. He had a drive.

Ever since Gigantomachia arrived, he was driven to be stronger, faster... and more capable than he had ever been in the months prior. And even as he kept failing, Spinner saw that smile on his face. He was determined.

"What can someone like you possibly do?" Koku asked of him. In that instant, he reached for his blade.

"Honestly... I am just a lackey..." he admitted, "I've got no dreams of my own, not like Toga..." he pointed out as he shakily got to his feet, "or anything I really wanna do..." he confessed on. Maria listened from afar as her eyes shimmered a little. "But if I didn't just jump into a group like that, I'd just be an ordinary nobody!" he pointed out, "That's who I am!" he declared, "Got a problem with that?! Huh?!" he inquired of the soldiers surrounding him, "'Cause deep down, we're the same, aren't we?" he inferred, "Ain't that right, Mister Politician?!" he asked of Koku, turning to face him.

"Are you trying to say you're our equal?" he questioned back, "Hmph," he scoffed, "Only a fool like yourself would think that- AGH!" he yelped as a slimy tendril shot out and pierced into his right shoulder.

"Commander Trumpet!" one soldier called out.

"You are our equals," Maria stated with a cackle as she retracted the tendril from her foe's now-bleeding shoulder, which he grabbed in agony as he winced under his mask, "And you're underestimating just how determined we all are..." she mentioned, narrowing her eyes. In an instant, she blew back everyone upon her with tendrils of slime that suddenly protruded from her back. Several of her tendrils then wrapped around the airborne soldiers, bringing them down hard onto the ground. She then managed to make her way through the crowd to Spinner, forming her right arm into a slimy blade to stab a man directly through his skull as he fell and bled out onto the ground, with his blood oozing across the pavement.

"Slime..." the heteromorph uttered out with shaking eyes.

"Just call me Maria, Spinner," she advised to his surprise, "We'll take on as much as we need to," she stated firmly, taking a ready stance in spite of the slime dripping from her body, "For his sake," she added.

"Right," Spinner replied. The two of them stood back-to-back, prepared to take on their multitude of foes. Underneath his mask, Koku growled. Did they really think they stood a chance against him and the entirety of the Liberation Army? It sounded insulting to him.

"Vanquish these fiends in the name of our grand commander!" he roared in command to his soldiers, making them all roar with motivation. But immediately, Maria snatched three of them with her tendrils, flinging them hard against the nearby buildings. Spinner charged in and slashed a woman across the chest, followed by piercing his blade through a man's stomach. Two other men tried to pounce on him, but they were pierced in the head by the Slime Quirk her.

She then found herself getting bitten by a soldier with a shark-like head, enticing her to shape both of her arms into slimy blades. She stabbed him through his skull multiple times before he finally let go of her. Blood ran down her arm with her slime as she breathed raggedly. But she wasn't done yet.

Neither was Spinner, who leapt onto a wall to stick to it and slashed the eyes out of a woman, who screamed with agony before being stabbed through the neck and bleeding out. The heteromorph evaded getting struck by more projectile attacks from his foes as Maria brought them down. She then threw a knife on the ground over to him, which he caught with his teeth before whipping around to stab a skinny man straight through his chest.

Blood painted the street. Koku was finding himself trembling at the sight of his comrades dying in such gruesome manners. But even more frightening than that was the two people killing them. They were essentially ordinary. And yet, here they were, splattering blood all over the place with determination in their eyes.

'What are they...?!' the politician wondered inwardly. He could tell that many of the liberation soldiers were starting to waver. However, one managed to close in Maria, knocking her down as she struck the pavement, with much of her black slime splashing off of her body. She drew a tendril and pierced him through the head, grimacing as she could feel her body starting to get drier.

"Maria...!" Spinner gasped out, getting her attention. Several soldiers had their arms around the heteromorph, keeping him restrained as he dropped his blades. She aimed her right arm in preparation for another bombardment of her slimy tendrils, but she blinked as she found that what was left on her body was no more than what was upon her right leg. She quickly checked around herself for a sign of hydration, only to be surrounded by the liberation soldiers that were still ready to fight.

"Shit…" she cursed.

"Huh..." Koku sighed with relief, thinking that he no longer had to be concerned. "Do you see now?" he inquired of his foes, "In the face of thousands, what can either of you really accomplish?" he questioned on. Soldiers closed in on Maria, who clenched her fists in frustration. She thought back to the satisfied smirk on Tomura's face after he was told of the new plan. And she was going to help see it through by whatever means necessary. She looked to Spinner and nodded, causing him to blink in surprise. However, he returned the gesture. "Seize her and have her killed!" the politician commanded.

As the soldiers closed in, Maria drew something from behind before stretching her right leg, having it wrap around a telephone pole beyond the truck her foe was upon. She ran a few feet to her right before reeling herself up to Koku. Panicked, he quickly drew a gun from behind. But she evaded his shot, planting something onto his stomach and quickly disarming him. She came down, retracting her leg and wrapping her arm around his neck from behind.

"You dare to—!"

"Say another word... and I'll make it go off," she threatened to his surprise. He looked down and gasped upon finding that it was a bomb she attached to him. He trembled in fright. "Cute, right?" she remarked with a chuckle, "Mister Joe gave me this in case things ever got dicey for me," she pointed out, "I'd say this time's perfect…" she added.

"Y-You wouldn't dare..." Koku stammered out, "You'd kill us all!" he exclaimed.

"I'm prepared to die for our Shigaraki's sake just to shut you assholes up..." Maria retorted to his shock, "Are you?" she questioned of her foe, who grimaced under his mask. And then, there was a loud rumble. From afar, the tower collapsed, crumbling away into rubble.

"The Grand Commander..." Koku uttered out.

"Shigaraki..." Spinner said as she and the others watched on.

"You're a goddamn idiot, you know that?" Shura grumbled out as he and Tomura were standing just beyond the rubble that remained of the tower.

"Your plan was too straightforward…" the Decay Quirk user argued, "Besides, your old man would've expected it, knowing who he is…" he mentioned with narrowed eyes.

"Tch," Shura scoffed. The second the pair had finally arrived at the tower, Tomura touched it. And with all five fingers, he made it crumble into debris. However, not everyone inside was killed. The enlarged figure of Re-Destro emerged as dark markings covered his face.

"Normally when people fall from such a tall height, they'd die..." the League of Villains' leader pointed out, "So I guess that means you're the boss, right?" he assumed, "Wait... aren't you from that Detnerat commercial?" he inquired on. Rikiya glared out at him.

"I guess I missed my chance to hear your answer..." he concluded.

"Machia..." the voice of All For One from the radio echoed in the forested area far away, followed by the beast bursting out from the ground upon waking up.

"The master's successor is doing his best all while he's oh so tired..." Daruma's voice noted to Gigantomachia, who sniffed at the air for the scent of the one he was after, "You should go and see how he's doing," he advised.

"The master's successor..." the behemoth growled. He then launched himself in the direction of where he located Tomura's scent, beginning a powerful charge. He was going to find the league's leader... and see if he was worthy or not.

X

Tomura didn't know what to expect when he had touched the tower. He knew some of Twice's clones had gone on ahead and were likely with Giran. So when he destroyed it, they'd be fine. Not that he was focused on that at the moment.

Looming ahead of him and Shura was the hulking form of Re-Destro, who seemed quite cross. Clearly, this wasn't what he envisioned in terms of being able to bring down the League of Villains. But now their leader stood in front of him, ragged and still ready to fight.

"So... how are you handling all of this?" Tomura asked him, "What was it again? A hundred-and-ten-thousand people?" he inquired on, "You assumed you could leave the fight up to your arm while watching from your safe little tower..." he pointed out, "Never thought we'd make it this far, did ya?" he guessed. The Liberation Army leader had yet to respond. "I'm asking how you feel!" he roared out, planting his right hand against the ground and decaying straight ahead, forcing his foe to leap away. Much of what remained of Tomura's clothes were fraying away at the seams. Even the soles of his shoes were threatening to come apart.

"Sheesh, dude!" Shura yelped as he had barely managed to float away from the wave of decaying earth, "Isn't your damn broker in there, too?!" he inquired.

'So that's Re-Destro, huh?' he noted inwardly, 'Guy definitely looks like the bigshot around here…' he mentioned to himself, 'But that said, where's the old man…?' he wondered on, not noticing the blue portal starting to form just behind him. He turned too late as he found himself ambushed by a torrent of water, sending him crashing down onto the ground. Overhearing, Tomura glanced over for a moment.

"You really wanna know how I feel?" Re-Destro inquired, coming down in an attempt to strike his opponent with his enlarged left fist. He dodged, but the ground was shattered as the Liberation Army leader's body had grown. "I'm furious of course..." he admitted, "My power comes from my anger and stress..." he told his foe, "though it doesn't look good for my hairline..." he mentioned in confession as the dark mass around his body grew, "You killed a lot of my men to get this far, didn't you?" he inferred, "And are these the hands responsible?!" he assumed before taking hold of Tomura.

The Decay Quirk user didn't even have a chance to think as his thumb, pointer, and middle fingers upon his left hand were plucked away. Meanwhile, a drenched Shura sat up, only to find himself pinned back to the ground as a booted foot pressed against his neck. He looked out, widening his eyes to see none other than Nero looming over him.

"So you've come this far…" he noted as his trio of dice rolled in his right hand, "I have to admit, I'm impressed with your resolve," he confessed, "And the fact that you've managed to reach me with your ragtag group of thugs is quite remarkable," he mentioned on, "But this is where it ends, my foolish son…" he proclaimed. The Satan Gravity Quirk user gritted his teeth.

"You that confident…?" he presumed, trying to push the Oracion Seis member's foot off of his neck, "Or are those damn dice telling you that?!" he inquired on with a smirk. Nero narrowed his eyes. Blue lines of energy started forming along his arms, followed by a pair of portals appearing beside him.

"You've experienced firsthand how my meta ability works, haven't you?" he questioned rhetorically, disappearing into a rift that appeared behind him, "Of course I'm confident I can defeat you," he affirmed, while another portal appeared right above Shura, who gasped as torrents of water gushed out from the three aimed his way, "Poseidon's Trident!" his father roared. He reappeared beside Re-Destro, pocketing his dice.

Poseidon Nero! Meta Abilities: Hydro… and Wormhole!

Hydro lets Nero manipulate bodies of water with ease, even large ones like lakes or ponds! However, he has to be able to touch the water in order to use it! That's where Wormhole comes in…

Wormhole allows Nero to create portals to wherever he'd like within a radius of over 20 kilometers. Using this ability, he can easily access areas he'd like to, so long as he's got a clear image of them. Both of these powers are scary in his hands.

"Your son causing you trouble, Nero?" Re-Destro assumed of the Oracion Seis member.

"He'll be a nuisance, but one I can deal with," he affirmed, removing his coat. Meanwhile, Shura was finding himself getting bombarded by the torrents of water, gritting his teeth as he tried to repel them. "So…" Nero continued, looking over at Tomura as he grimaced with pain from his missing fingers, "we finally meet face-to-face, Tomura Shigaraki," he greeted, "You're more of a mess than I envisioned," he pointed out. A loud splash then echoed, getting his attention as he glanced back to see his son standing up, drenched in water but still ready to fight. Green lines of energy formed along his arms as he rocketed out at his adoptive father.

"Heavy Bomber!" he roared, attempting to slam into him. Nero braced himself, throwing his left arm to block the tackle, only sliding back a step. A portal was then conjured beneath his son, which then unleashed a torrent of water that sent him upward in an instant.

"You still lack any weight behind your attacks, my son," he pointed out as he tumbled through the air, managing to bring himself to a stop as he clenched his teeth angrily. All of a sudden, he found himself surrounded by ten portals, causing him to grimace in realization. "Poseidon Kraken!" his father bellowed, unleashing torrents of water from the rifts that flew towards the Satan Gravity Quirk user. He weaved his way away from the first few, but then found himself bombarded by all the others. Memories flashed through his mind of him struggling to breathe under such pressure. By the time it finally ended, he collapsed onto the ground, lying face down upon his stomach.

"Hm," Rikiya huffed, looking back at Tomura, "For someone who managed to have Nero's son on his side, he certainly isn't living up to his name…" he pointed out.

"…Who cares about that…?" the League of Villains' leader inquired to his foe's surprise, "Bloodlines? Family? Successors?" he listed off in question, "The only thing that matters… is that you have conviction…" he proclaimed. The Stress meta ability user growled.

"And you say I lack it…?" he presumed. He went on to talk about how meta abilities were directly linked to one's personality and how his opponent's Decay was basically a showing of his. He craved destruction, not creation.

Tomura hardly cared. Instead, he looked back at the one hand that had gotten knocked off when his foe had first attacked. It was crushed and mangled.

'That's... Hana's hand...' he remembered, widening his eyes. He was starting to recollect his past much more clearly. He could see a young girl with dark, medium-length hair that she wore up in pigtails on the sides of her head, short bangs that hung halfway down her forehead, and two shoulder-length, thick strands of hair left out to frame her face. She had dark, cat-like eyes that slanted inwards and towards the middle of her face.

She wore a plain light-colored T-shirt with stripes around the sleeve cuffs and collar. And what Tomura remembered was her taking his hand whenever he cried. Even if her words were just of an innocent child, she was the one who was always with him.

"You're no match for me..." Re-Destro proclaimed, about to pluck the remainder of his foe's fingers from his left hand. But suddenly, he managed to touch his large pointer finger, starting to decay it. Grimacing, the Stress meta ability user chucked his opponent aside, causing a few more of the hands upon his person to fall off and get crushed. He knew that Tomura shouldn't have been able to decay anything without all five of his fingers. But there was a possibility that something else was happening.

"Re-Destro, perhaps I should handle this…" Nero presumed as he stepped forward, seeing their foe getting to his feet. All of a sudden though, he was suddenly bombarded with an array of debris floating in the air.

"Nero!" Rikiya exclaimed, looking back to see Shura back on his feet as well, growling as he held his right hand out. The Stress meta ability user lunged toward him, enticing him to fly back. However, he was suddenly met with a portal appearing right behind him. He noticed too late as he took a strong right hook from his adoptive father, knocking him down onto the ground again in a flurry of dust.

"You're a fool if you think such trivial attacks will be enough to stop me…" he muttered out. He and Rikiya looked out to see Tomura staggering forward, bleeding all the while.

"My head's... splitting!" the Decay Quirk user exclaimed, scratching wildly at his head. He could see the hands that had just gotten mangled. Those were the ones of his mother, who was a woman in her early thirties. Her bangs were parted in the middle from her face and light brown hair in uneven waves that grow to her shoulders. Tomura evidently inherited those uneven waves from her.

She was very caring from what he recalled, always looking out for him. These memories were stirring him. He launched himself at Re-Destro, who evaded quickly. He was very agile now, especially in the wake of the hellish training against Gigantomachia. But even that wasn't enough to stop the torrent of water sent his way from another portal conjured by Nero, holding him back.

"I've honed my Stress for a while myself, so I understand just what a meta ability is capable of!" the Liberation Army leader declared, increasing his size as his suit's blazer and green shirt were ripped away, "Stress Output... Eighty Percent!" he exclaimed, coating himself in his darkness, "Considering that you've yet to disappear, I assume you're the real one, yes?" he inferred, readying a mass of dark energy, "Stress Output... BURDEN!" he bellowed as he unleashed the mass onto Tomura, sending him flying away. More hands upon his person were crushed. They were of his grandparents.

Everyone he remembered was so kind and caring in some way, shape, or form. But that wasn't it. There was something else that he wanted to say and desired above all else. He was barely able to stand.

That last attack Re-Destro sent his way... he couldn't dodge it. So he simply grabbed and decayed it, lessening its impact. Shura was trying to push himself up amidst the raging battle, coughing up blood. He looked out at his ally and widened his eyes. Now he stood up as his hair had turned a vivid white.

"What am I trying to create, you ask?" he inquired of his foe, who was quite stunned by his resilience, "You got your guess right the first time..." he pointed out, pulling out the remaining hand he had left in his coat, "I truly exist... only to destroy..." he said.

"DIE THEN!" Re-Destro bellowed out, "There exists no future without creation!" he proclaimed as waves of dark energy flowed off from his body.

"A future? Who needs that?" Tomura questioned back. His future had already been lost to him once. And he didn't care.

FLASHBACK

"Bothering someone while playing hero again?"

"Kotaro, that's enough!"

"If you want me to stop, then you'll behave yourself."

There was a single rule in the Shimura household. One that everyone had to abide by. No one could talk about heroes.

Tenko Shimura was still just five years old, yet had a very strict father in the form of Kotaro. Everyone else in the house made certain not to disobey him, even at all. The little boy was the only one who seemed disobedient to the rule. He cried in the backyard, whimpering his tears away.

"Don't let him back inside until he apologizes," Kotaro insisted of his family.

"But... it's almost time for dinner!" his wife pointed out, "And his allergies are still acting up!" she mentioned worriedly.

"Haven't you been too harsh on him lately?" her mother inquired of Kotaro, who sat at the dinner table.

"He's five years old already and doesn't have any signs of a Quirk," he told the others, "He needs to give up these foolish aspirations, otherwise he'll just be left suffering," he pointed out, "You understand, right?" he inquired of those around, causing them to all frown sadly. This was a house he built, having his in-laws stay and live comfortably. And what adults said was essentially law.

Tenko was finding himself burdened by wanting to be hero... yet being rejected by the very house he lived in. He just wished that one person, whether it be his mother, grandmother, or grandfather... would tell him what he truly needed to hear. That was when his sister showed him a picture of their grandmother in their father's study.

She believed in her brother and that together, they'd become heroes someday. That motivated Tenko, if only a little. Later that evening, he was playing catch with the family's dog. All of a sudden, he felt a surge of pain his throwing hand. He didn't notice part of the ball crumble away.

"TENKO!" Kotaro angrily bellowed. When the little boy turned to see his father approach, he also noticed Hana out of the corner of his eye crying, saying that her brother forced her to show him the picture of their grandmother. And in turn, Tenko was in trouble. "In order to help complete strangers... heroes hurt their own families!" his father proclaimed before landing a powerful smack to the boy's face.

All that time he was abused so strictly, not one person actually came to help him. All they did was just watch and shout for Kotaro to stop, not taking any action. And that night, everything changed.

"Mon..." Tenko whimpered out while holding onto the corgi dog in his left arm in the backyard, scratching at his irritated skin, "I can't... do this... anymore..." he said sadly as he shed more tears, "I... hate everyone..." he admitted. And at that moment, it happened. His dog decayed into bloody pieces right in front of him.

He couldn't speak. He couldn't comprehend anything. And it only got worse when Hana came out to check on him. She screamed upon seeing the remains of their dog, running back to the house for help. Her brother grabbed her... and she disintegrated as well.

Tenko vomited onto the bloodied grass, while his hair started to turn into a lighter color. His mother and grandparents came out to see what was happening, stunned by the sight of blood and dust. He couldn't control whatever was happening, decaying the ground ahead of himself. But then again, maybe he did know what he was doing.

His family had always been trying to save face for his abusive father, making excuses for what he did. So much had all piled up onto him... for this very moment. Even as his dying mother reached out to him one last him, she disintegrated like her parents. And when Kotaro finally came into the backyard, he was horrified to see what had happened.

"Daddy... I'm so sorry...!" Tenko apologized, decaying the ground once more and turning it into rubble. Kotaro could've reached out to him and told him it'd be okay. He could've calmed him down. But instead, he chose to attack Tenko with the gardening tool he grabbed, cutting his lip open.

"Stop it, Tenko!" he yelled. In that moment, his son actually had an intent to kill. He lunged out... and grabbed his father's face.

"DDDDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" he roared, decaying the very man who denied him, along with the house in which he ruled. An absurd sense of pleasure shot through his body as he did so, smiling crazily. Blood dripped from his hands afterward. His itch was gone.

END FLASHBACK

ENDING

Insert "Calling" by Metro Boomin X NAV X A Boogie wit da Hoodie X Swae Lee

Opens with the dawning sun, causing Shura to wake up as rays of sunlight reach his eyes. He looks over to his left to find Ijuna sitting next to him, smiling lovingly at him. He smiles back, putting his hand atop hers. Elsewhere, we see Spinner sitting atop a building, looking out at the horizon. Maria comes over and sits down next to him. She glances at him for a moment before leaning against his shoulder, much to his surprise as he looks at her. We also see Himiko skipping along a sidewalk as Twice walks after her, holding her handkerchief in his pocket.

We continue with Tomura seemingly wandering through an empty house, having flashes of the past as a kid, running through the house and spending time with his family… except for his father. We see him pick up a picture in a study, narrowing his eyes to see Nana Shimura upon it. He disintegrates it as the house around him also crumbles into dust.

Shura stands at the doorway of his bedroom, remembering every day he'd return with bruises and cuts from his training from Nero, not once being properly taken care of. He blinks and finds himself being tended to upon his bed by Ijuna, who wraps bandages around his arms. A small smile crosses Shura's face. He blinks again… and finds that Ijuna is gone. He lowers his head as Nero looms just behind him.

We get a shot of Fie seated inside a warehouse with a rifle by his side, looking at a picture of himself as a kid with his big brother, Hito. He grimaces before burning the image up. Then we cut to Mr. Compress, who removes his mask and balaclava to reveal his face as he looks in the mirror. He sees a reflection of Harima Oji before it changes back to himself, causing him to clench his lone fist tightly.

From another building, Maria watches a civil rights protest for heteromorphs go on as she winces, with bits of green slime dripping off from her body. A hand comes onto her left shoulder, causing her to look over and almost mistake Spinner for Drakken, who nods to her. We see Dabi wandering about city alleys with cobalt flames in his wake, as smoke emits from his skin like burning meat. Even so, he grins.

The song winds down with the League gathering together, looking out over Deika City. Removing the hand upon his face, Tomura grins determinedly. The others do the same, ready to face whatever they have to in order to fulfill their desires…

END ENDING

And that'll do it for this chapter! I did want to get into Shura's backstory, but I'm gonna save that for next time, just to extend this arc a little more. Trust me, you'll get that story in the next chapter, and it's gonna be tough, I promise.

But in the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next time, we'll see just what the future holds for the League of Villains.