Leaning back in his hospital bed, All was slowly beginning to think coming back to UA was a mistake. When Iida was helping him down the halls toward the infirmary, he could see the shocked and worried looks his student had. Other students who were beginning to get up in the morning, shared Iida's worry. Each one looked at All Might, and couldn't believe their eyes. It hurt him to see how afraid each of them was.
But that wasn't the entire reason he regretted coming back. No, the primary reason, was one short old woman, who was beating him over the head with her cane.
"Idiotic numbskull!" Recovery Girl shouted, still smacking him on the head.
"Ow! Ow! Chiyo! Quit it!" All Might exclaimed, covering his head from the angry nurse. Iida, just stood off to the side dumbfounded, unsure of what to do. Wisely though, he decided to stay out of the way.
"I'll quit when you stop running off!" Recovery Girl replied, "What were you even thinking!? You knew you were out of time, and you ran out there anyway!"
"I wasn't thinking-" All Might tried to argue, though realized it was a poor choice of words.
"You don't say," Recovery Girl sarcastically muttered, before taking a deep breath. She'd stopped hitting him by this point and now tapped her cane on the floor. By this point Iida elected to step outside, not believing any of this was his to hear.
"You have to realize other heroes can pick up the slack," Recovery Girl told him. It was the same thing Nezu had been telling him. He couldn't be All Might forever, and his time was running out quickly. Still, All Might couldn't help but disagree.
"Not in this case," All Might replied, "Even I was struggling with these villains. If I'm having a hard time dealing with them, then…"
He trailed off into thought for a moment, lingering on the battle. Sure, every villain had been easy to defeat, normally taking a single blow to knock out. But there were just so many of them. All the villains just bogged him down, making it impossible to save people. With all his strength, he'd been struggling. And if he was struggling, then how were other heroes fairing? How many heroes had died defending the stadium?
How many had died out in the city? How many were dying now? The questions racked All Might's mind, the hero looking over his hand. He clenched it into a fist weakly, before coughing.
"I had a full three hours of strength yesterday… and… it wasn't enough," All Might muttered tiredly, looking toward Recovery Girl. The old woman sighed while leaning on her cane.
"How much time do you have left?" Recovery Girl asked warily. All Might thought the question over carefully.
"I'm… not sure," All Might replied. It had never been a clear feeling telling him how long he had. There was only a spike of pain telling him time was up. But by guessing from previous experiences, he didn't have long.
"Half an hour, maybe forty-five minutes," All Might told her, causing Recovery Girl to again sigh.
"What am I going to do with you?" Recovery Girl asked rhetorically. It brought on an awkward silence though, both of them knowing the gravity of everything. Her question was rhetorical, yet it rang with some truth. All Might as a symbol, was dead. The hero behind it hadn't yet caught up, and Recovery Girl worried that time was coming soon. All Might would never sit on the sidelines, not if he still had the strength to fight.
So, he had weeks, possibly days until the last of his time ran out. Recovery Girl despised the fact she could do nothing about it. It was maddening as the silence continued on. Eventually, though, All Might remembered something. He looked over at Recovery Girl warily, the man coughing slightly.
"How are… how are the students?" All Might asked reluctantly. Recovery Girl looked back at All Might downtrodden, tapping her cane on the floor.
"...Depends on the class," Recovery Girl hesitantly answered, a few tears in her eyes, "Most… most of Gen Ed's first years… most of those kids didn't make it. The business course is in a similar circumstance. The third and second years faired better than most, but… a lot of them are dead too."
Every word hurt All Might, and it clearly hurt Recovery Girl too.
"We tried to save them… but their injuries were too severe," Recovery Girl muttered tiredly, the nurse moving to sit down in a nearby chair. She seemed tired, now that All Might looked at her more carefully. Didn't seem like she slept at all last night. Which, All Might realized, was probably true. Thousands had been injured in the attack, meaning there was no time to rest.
Of course that brought up a new question, as he remembered the first thing he saw the moment the attack started. That being Bakugo, having his arm blown off next to Todoroki.
"The hero course?" All Might inquired, quietly dreading the answer. He saw some of them when he left UA, but he hadn't heard a thing about Bakugo or Todoroki.
"They're alive, but… well, you saw what happened to them out there," Recovery Girl replied, "Bakugo's had his arm reattached, Todoroki's unconscious, and Mineta is as well."
"And Melissa, what about her?" All Might asked, worriedly.
"She's fine. Traumatized, but alive," Recovery Girl replied, causing All Might to sigh in relief. By this point, Recovery Girl stood up from her chair and started walking toward the door.
"I hope you're ready," Recovery Girl told him, the short woman reaching for the door handle, "Now that the world saw your true form, things won't be the same."
"Not like I can be ready. Don't know what I'm gonna say to the press once this is all over," All Might replied, because how did he explain… any of this? He'd have to reveal to the world his injury, possibly even All for One's existence. The world would be in a panic. Of course, Recovery Girl found it oddly funny, finally managing to open the door.
"Well, it isn't just the press you're going to have to explain this to," Recovery Girl told him, as All Might turned to look at her confused. Before he could ask what she meant, she had his answer. It was most of 1A plus Akatani standing outside the room, looking bashfully. Jiro stood the closest to the door, obviously telling everyone what was happening. Of course, All Might found their predicament rather funny as the students scrambled to look less guilty.
Especially as Kaminari tripped and fell on Asui, Yaoyorozu chucked a half-finished stethoscope at a wall, and Iida, of course, quickly bowed to apologize.
"All Might I apologize for the intrusion! I tried to keep everyone calm but when everyone learned you were here-" the teen tried to say, only for All Might to cut him off laughing. The entire sight lifted his mood somewhat, even if it came at the embarrassment of his students. But it wasn't just that. It was just good to see them alive. That even after all of this, they'd survived. Wiping away a tear from his eye, All Might's laughter slowly died down.
"It's fine Young Iida," All Might told him, shaking his head lightly, "I can see you were all just worried about me."
Much of the class nodded, with some smiling. A few held back tears while Recovery Girl shuffled past them. The class looked at him shocked though, just as Iida had done when he first saw Skele-might. It was one thing to see it on camera, it was another to see it in person. Behind their eyes, All Might knew they had hundreds of questions, all laced with fear and worry. Not like he could blame them. The symbol of peace sat before them, looking like a corpse.
They desperately wanted to know what would happen to him, to them. To the world even. How could any of this have happened, to him of all people? Well, they were owed some answers, All Might thought. Sitting up in his bed, All Might looked at the class with his usual friendly smile.
"Ah, don't just stand there, come on in. All of you," he told them, motioning for them to enter the room. The moment he said the words, they all flooded inside like a tsunami. A flurry of shocked, worried, afraid, but most of all, happy teens swarmed around him. They smiled relieved as they entered the room, happy their hero was alive.
"-FLEA RIDDEN SCUM NO BETTER THAN WORMS!" All for One shouted furiously, tearing away what was left of the TV he'd been destroying. It was the sixteenth one he'd broken, all because the impossible had happened. Those good-for-nothing upstarts had gotten lucky, that was all this was! They were scum! Worth less than the gum stuck on a sidewalk! But to think these skull villains, had almost killed All Might, it was unthinkable to All for One.
That in a mere second, his most hated enemy and his brother's quirk would be taken from him in an instant. He would not have it. The blond buffoon was his to kill, and One for All was his to take! And no band of upstarts was going to take it from him. Yet, All for One took a second to calm himself. Retribution would be swift, and painful, but could only be made with a calm mind. Sure, he decided to stay out of Shigaraki's way, for now.
But that didn't mean he would do nothing.
"Garaki!" All for One yelled out, the doctor scrambling to address him.
"Yes, my lord?" Garaki asked quickly, as All for One clasped his hands.
"What Nomus are at our disposal?" he inquired, the doctor thinking it over momentarily.
"Just the weaker ones, unfortunately, the others are still in testing," Garaki replied, causing All for One to grumble.
"Unfortunate," All for One muttered, thinking it over carefully. It was fine, as much as it annoyed him. All the Nomus needed was a bit more time, and everything would go his way. Would help if he stacked the deck in his favor though.
"Call up Giran in the meantime, see if he can get us info on these Skulls. Once the Nomus are ready, I want these pests eliminated," All for One ordered, the scientist nodding slowly. It did give All for One a question though. What exactly would Giran find? It was clear these skulls were well-armed, but something seemed… off. He would have heard about a rising villain group, especially one as large as the skulls.
The only way they could have remained under his radar is if they've done nothing. No grand plans, just building up strength for years. However, to remain hidden for this long and grow so strong, they would have needed a backer. Someone to fund everything they did, without anyone becoming the wiser. Who it could be, All for One didn't know.
"Hmm…I… I think that fixed it, try it again," Melissa said, before rolling out from under the Battle Gear prototype. The AIs inside the massive behemoth took a second before the vehicle's engine began to sound. After a few seconds, the thing sputtered out, failing to start up. Melissa sighed as she looked over the thing, before turning to face a nearby Dr. Soul, Miller, and Snake. The man grumbled as he turned to face the two.
"I told you this was a bad idea," Soul stated tiredly, rubbing his face exhausted, "It'll be a miracle if these things can even be deployed."
"All that matters is that they're here," Miller replied, which Melissa quietly disagreed with. The Battle Gears, while very impressive pieces of engineering, had one fatal flaw. The engine wasn't strong enough. Sure, it could get up and running for a few minutes, but it would be for only those few minutes. The entire machine was being overworked with all the systems it was handling.
"Them being here doesn't matter, if we can't even use these things, Kaz," Snake muttered, turning to look away from the unmanned walker.
"That's where you're wrong. Think of it as a psychological weapon," Miller countered, causing Snake to grumble.
"Actual weapons work better," Soul retorted, while Miller adjusted his sunglasses.
"Look, it's a big scary tank-looking thing. It doesn't have to fight. All it has to do is keep the enemy intimidated for now," Miller reasoned, while Melissa rolled back under the Battle Gear, to quietly tinker.
"They're a bunch of suicidal bastards, I don't think they're intimidated," Snake replied, only for Miller to turn and point at him.
"They were intimidated- no, scared of you," Miller pointed out, with Snake scoffing.
"They were scared of failure, not me," Snake told him, with Miller shrugging.
"Same thing," Miller told him, "They were scared you'd stop them, and that they'd fail. Now add on these Battle Gears, which could shrug off an RPG."
"Theoretically it could. Because may I remind you we still haven't done testing," Soul pointed out with a sigh, "And that's hoping we get them working somehow."
"Look all I'm saying, big scary tank, make's the enemy think they can't beat it," Miller relented, causing Snake to again grumble. At the same time, Melissa continued to look over the vehicle carefully.
"...Are any of these things combat-ready?" Snake asked, with Soul crossing his arms.
"Just the Hornet, Wasp, and Queen Bee variants, though they barely qualify as ready," Soul answered, with Snake raising his brow confused.
"How come?" Snake inquired, with Soul pulling out his Idroid. The device lit up, displaying the 3D model of each variant. One of which had its center turret taken over by a single large cannon. Another had its side-mounted railgun replaced with a 30mm rotary cannon and a side-mounted missile launcher. The final variant had the usual railgun, however, the back was much bigger, holding a small air force's worth of drones.
"Well none of them can move either, but their designs give them some use. For example, the Hornet is a self-propelled howitzer variant, we can just use it as a basic artillery. The Wasp meanwhile is for air defense, and the Queen Bee is… well a land aircraft carrier," Soul explained, the last bit sticking out to Snake.
"Land aircraft carrier?" Snake inquired, confused.
"It's the best I could think of. But it's loaded to the brim with drones of varying kinds. Loitering munitions, scout drones, small quad-rotor attack drones, you name it," Soul replied, putting his Idroid away, with Snake thinking all of it over.
"So… we've got a self-propelled howitzer that can't move, an anti-air system that can't move, and a drone carrier, that can't move," Snake said, slowly turning to look at Miller. The commander very quickly averted eye contact before Snake sighed. Melissa listened to all of this carefully, pondering what kind of action could be taken. Slowly though, Melissa began to think of something, an idea coming to fruition.
"Well… the problem's the engine right?" Melissa asked as she rolled out from under the Battle Gear. Even though it had been said multiple times, she wanted to be sure.
"Right. The damn thing isn't strong enough to get it moving," Soul answered, nodding slowly.
"Was this the first engine you used?" Melissa asked, standing up to dust herself off.
"No, it's the third. Designed two others for it," Soul replied, "By the way things are going, we'll have to design a fourth."
It made Melissa think for a second. They needed an engine powerful enough to get the Battle Gears moving. Only one engine was coming to mind, though she only saw it in action yesterday.
"What if you used an existing engine then?" Melissa asked, with Soul shaking his head before she could continue.
"Did that. Threw in the same electric diesel engine our M1A3s use," Soul replied, slowly walking toward the Battle Gear, before tapping the vehicle loudly.
"I meant something else," Melissa explained, everyone looking back at her curiously, "There was a student I saw during the Festival, who had engines in his legs."
It made everyone pause for a second, as Melissa saw Miller and Snake hold a look of recognition. Seems they knew who she was talking about. Soul meanwhile pondered the idea quietly.
"You're thinking we copy those engines," Soul realized, "Worth a shot, know where he is?"
"Saw him in the cafeteria earlier, if he's not there, look for the classroom 1A. Just ask for Iida Tenya," Snake told him, before looking down at the watch. At the same time, Soul began walking toward the School building.
"Meetings about to start up," Snake muttered, looking over at Miller. The commander nodded before leading the way.
"Oh, and keep up the good work kid," Snake told Melissa while following behind Miller. Melissa took it somewhat with pride, appreciating the small bit of praise. However as they walked away, it left Melissa alone with her thoughts. Again, yesterday began to play through her mind. She tried to force the thoughts out, but they lingered on. Too many people had died, far too many. Looking back, a lot of heroes died in the attack.
Melissa didn't want to think about it for long, but the thought kept coming back to her. It slowly annoyed her, but soon something struck her as odd. In her memories, the dead heroes were normally far worse for wear, than the soldiers. They had been practically torn to shreds, while the MSF was somewhat better. They were still dead, but they didn't look like they were thrown into a meat grinder.
Melissa wondered why that was, before thinking it over. It was the costumes, she realized. The MSF had ballistic plates for most of their soldiers, the heroes did not. Most heroes didn't have cutting-edge or even basic body armor. Not unless it worked for their brand appeal or quirk. Otherwise, it was made of regular cloths and fabrics that could stretch well. It never seemed like an issue before, because… well… villain attacks were never this bad.
Sure some villain attacks were dangerous, but Melissa couldn't remember the last time something of this scale had occurred. Could… could this happen again, Melissa thought fearfully. If… if it did, then the heroes were worriedly unprepared. Ideas began to run through Melissa's mind, trying to find a solution to this problem. There, a new memory came to mind. I-Island exoskeleton development had been working on a sister project.
It was ludicrously expensive, draining much of the island's budget. But that was because they were throwing practically everything they could onto the project. It could be the size of a briefcase, have the strength of All Might, move at supersonic speeds, and a dozen other things. Quietly Melissa pondered the idea. It… was far from completion. But what if she cut back on all its additions? If there was one thing she learned from the MSF, it was that the best wasn't always good. Not if it bore a hole through someone's wallet.
It didn't need All Might strength, if good enough was easier and cheaper to do.
As Night Owl watched the next test subject walk toward the portal, he couldn't help but grumble with a strained smile. He had taken a step back from the Ninth Circle's attack of Musutafu now and occasionally checked in on their progress. Needless to say, he was… concerned. Everything was supposed to go according to plan, and for a time it was. The city had lost power, its police were either dead or under siege, the hospitals had been or would be ransacked, and thousands were dead.
UA still standing was an unfortunate issue, but one that could be fixed with time. However, All Might was supposed to die. He planned it out perfectly, down to the finest details. The Ninth Circle would overwhelm the hero, wasting what time he had left. All Might, being the goody-two-shoes he was, would then leave UA and try to save more lives. To further ensure this point he brought Snake out to the city, so that the MSF lost its key commander, and would take longer to mobilize.
Forcing All Might, to pick up more of the slack, even if it wasn't much. All so that in the end, All Might would be too tired to fight, and finally die. Except, to Night Owl's annoyance, that didn't happen. It confused him as to how. Everything had been planned out, everything! Night Owl knew a dozen different ways this could have gone down, all of them planned for. And yet All Might lived. Saved, by Snake of all people.
It… was a setback, All Might living meant hero society would last just a tad bit longer, but Night Owl was sure he'd think of something. Some backup plan to cover his losses… hopefully. In the meantime, he decided to cheer himself up with his favorite pastime, illegal human experimentation.
"Put your arm in the portal," he ordered over the comm system, the test subject looking at the portal terrified. He complied nonetheless though, slowly putting his arm through the portal. Now Night Owl no longer needed the old dimensional constant to map the multiverse, so the likelihood of the portal opening into a hell dimension was impossible. That said, he still didn't entirely know where the portal led. An alien planet filled with new diseases and technological wonders, maybe.
Medieval Europe, except with more fantasy elements and magic, perhaps. It could even be a dimension exactly like his own, with the only difference being All Might has brown hair instead of blond. Slowly the aide seemed to grab something, before slowly pulling their arm out of the portal. Once it was fully out of the portal, Night Owl looked at the device curiously… before realizing it was just a smartphone.
"Hmm… toss it with the others, and try again. Find something useful this time," Night Owl tiredly muttered, as he turned to face the large pile of smartphones in the back of the room. Cautiously the aide tried again, putting their arm through the portal, before feeling around momentarily. There they pulled out… a small potted plant. Night Owl's smile soured a bit, as he shut the portal closed. Unfortunate, he thought.
His previous ventures had gotten him something of value. But now he seemed to be coming up empty. Ah well, onto the next dimension then. Quietly Night Owl opened up a new portal, it being an odd greenish blue with mist peeling off it. Worrying, but hey, he wasn't the one in the room. The aide stepped forward, same as before, and stuck their arm into the portal. Again, they searched around feeling for something. However this time something yanked the aide into the portal.
The last thing Night Owl heard from them was screaming, while some animalistic monster on the other side of the portal growled. For a second, Night Owl debated on whether he should leave the portal open. What kind of creature was on the other side he wondered… ah, better not risk it. The last thing he needed was demons or some kind of monster flooding into his lab. So, he closed the portal, and opened up a new one, waiting to see what came next.
"Casualties continue to mount as we enter day two of the Battle of Musutafu. From all reports, pro heroes continue to bravely hold the line against the oncoming villains. However, as of yet, no gains have been made in the city. If we look at the map here, we can see a small assault was launched by the pro hero Fatgum and his agency around-"
"Confirmed reports are coming in, Flight 291 was shot down last night over Musutafu. With the disaster authorities are now calling the city a no-fly zone-"
"Heroes have captured two villains driving a truck out of Musutafu, smuggling over forty children. Whether this is the only vehicle doing so is yet to be discovered but-"
"New Star Energy Station was hit yesterday, leaving an estimated forty percent of Musutafu without power. The New Star station's parent company, Hikari Electric, has stated the situation is under control. However, government officials fear a total grid collapse could occur-"
"JSDF guns continue to be found all across the battlefield, with many officials questioning how villains managed to get their hands on them. When questioned Minister of Defence Kudo Hina did not comment, and ignored reporters when she left the government building yesterday-"
"An anti-ship missile has hit the cruise liner the Twilight Springs, with new reports just now coming in. The crew has confirmed the ship is taking on water, and is now evacuating all hands-"
"No news has been found on All Might or his mysterious saver-"
Tsukauchi slowly turned off the TV, as he tiredly looked around the station. The villains outside had made a few more attempts at breaching the station, but they were thankfully pushed back. It was, at a devastating cost though. Dozens more officers were dead, and Tsukauchi wasn't sure Musutafu would have a police force by the time this was over. Hell, with how things were looking the country might not have a police force. Not with how many cops they were calling in.
For the public, the news was trying to keep things hopeful, mainly to keep up the morale of the citizenry. They kept listing off the number of villains defeated, and from what hero beat them—forty villains, defeated by Fatgum. Thirty-five were defeated by Ryukyu. Sixty were defeated by Mirko. The only thing the media didn't list, was the amount of territory taken back, or how many officers had died defeating those villains. For those forty villains Fatgum had defeated, sixty police officers died somewhere else.
For the thirty-five Ryukyu beat, seventy-five officers died elsewhere. The sixty villains beaten by Mirko? A hundred officers were dead, trying to move into Musutafu's suburbs. This wasn't even counting hero deaths. The hundreds of fresh-faced side kicks or new pros coming right out of graduation. Just how many villains were there, Tsukauchi questioned. Of course, this question was superseded when he heard the Chief yell from his office.
"Absolutely not!" the Chief shouted, as Tsukauchi turned to look at the man. Walking toward the Chief's office, Tsukauchi found his superior was on the phone. He attempted to listen in but was only able to make out bits.
"Chief-" Nezu tried to say only for the Chief to cut him off.
"You're asking me to put my trust, in an army of mercs! Them stepping foot into the city is only going to make things worse!" the Chief yelled, slamming his fist onto his desk.
"You don't exactly have much of a choice," Nezu countered, the Chief looking out his office door and spotting Tsukauchi. Quietly he motioned for Tsukauchi to enter, while still furious.
"Oh!? Mind telling me why?" the Chief demanded,
"The villains have cut off all forms of supply into Musutafu. If I'm right, that includes water," Nezu explained, while Tsukauchi sat across the Chief, "Meaning we've got three days at max before the last of Musutafu's water runs dry. Civilians stuck inside the city won't last much longer once that happens."
"The city is surrounded by the country's best heroes. By the time we get to the three-day mark, the villains will have been dealt with," the Chief reasoned annoyed, looking back at Tsukauchi.
"Have you seen the photos circulating the internet? There are heroes with their heads chopped off being paraded in the street! You can't be sure they'll succeed in time," Nezu pointed out, with the Chief sighing.
"I can't. But I can be sure the second that army of villains with you, steps foot into the city, they'll start dropping bombs onto Musutafu," the Chief countered, "You want to bring up civilian casualties, then how about those mercs leveling an apartment building to kill these villains."
"They have assured me they will take all necessary precautions," Nezu told him, with the Chief shaking his head.
"And I'm not risking it. They so much as step foot out of that school, and I'll drag all of them to Tartarus myself," the Chief warned, before abruptly hanging up. With a grumble he looked back at Tsukauchi, the detective very confused.
"What was that about?" Tsukauchi asked, with the Chief again grumbling.
"UA's principal wanted me to allow the MSF into Musutafu," the Chief answered, causing Tsukauchi's eyes to widen.
"And… we're saying no," Tsukauchi commented. Part of him wanted to agree with the decision, but the casualty figures just flashed through his mind.
"You heard what I told him. The city is surrounded by heroes. These villains won't last another day," the Chief replied, and Tsukauchi didn't doubt that. Given enough time, the heroes would defeat the villains. But by the sound of things, they didn't have time. People were still trapped in the city, cut off from all manner of supplies. By the time the heroes did win, how many people would have died? It was a horrifying thought.
"Sir, we haven't made any gains though," Tsukauchi pointed out, with the Chief nodding slowly.
"True, but that isn't likely to last," the Chief replied, "Once everyone's gathered up, and a plan is drawn, the villains outside won't stand a chance."
"But if they do?" Tsukauchi inquired, causing the Chief to think for a moment.
"If they do, then we've got more pressing things to worry about," the Chief replied.
This was getting ridiculous! For nine hours heroes had been attempting to move into the city. And for nine hours, they had gotten nowhere. It was infuriating to Mirko, the rabbit heroine ducking behind a store's counter for cover. Sure, they made occasional gains, taking back a block or two. But those gains were almost immediately lost, as heroes on other fronts began requesting backup.
There just weren't enough skilled or powerful heroes for the entire frontline. It was a never-ending back-and-forth. Of course, this assault was just the latest attempt in the tug of war, much to Mirko's annoyance. She couldn't tell if they were making progress, but no one had called in a retreat. However, there were more pressing matters for her at the moment.
"You cowardly fucks! Come out and fight me!" Mirko shouted over the counter, sick and tired of the gunfire. Not once had she gotten a proper fight, a true brawl between strong opponents. Instead, all she found were villains she could knock out in one kick. Which would normally be nothing more than an annoyance. In this case though, no. This was the third time she'd been forced into cover, and she hated it!
She should be out there kicking ass, but on every other corner, she found a truck with a heavy machine gun bolted on. Actually, Mirko thought for a second, looking out of cover. Yeah no, that was an anti-air gun. Groaning annoyed, Mirko tapped her foot on the floor impatiently, letting her sense tell her what was around. Hearing gave her nothing, as even with her advanced senses, all she could hear was gunfire.
For smell, there was a lot of gunpowder in the air, almost masking everything else. But not entirely, as Mirko counted down the thugs outside. Fourteen in total, each firing into the store non-stop. With a sigh, Mirko looked at her cover for a second, before a smirk took hold of her face. Moving slightly, she quickly kicked the counter, breaking it off the floor and launching it backward. It caught the thugs off-guard and might have crushed two if Mirko heard right.
A bit too much force, Mirko thought, before rushing forward. The villains still stunned by the display, had little time to react. They turned to start firing into the store again, only for one of them to find Mirko in their face. The villain didn't have time to shoot, as Mirko kicked him in the head. Laughing, Mirko jumped about the area, bouncing off walls, continuing to beat down the villains.
"Ah, come on shrimp! Put up a better fight than this!" Mirko taunted, now more annoyed than ever. Each villain tried to shoot her, but she just moved too fast. By the time their guns were aimed at position, Mirko had already jumped away and was kicking another villain. Even the anti-air gun couldn't keep up, as the villains manning it constantly tried to turn the lumbering thing around.
Deciding to put it out of action, Mirko rushed to the truck the gun sat on, before kicking the vehicle's bed upward. In seconds the entire truck's bed was crumpled and flipped over. The vehicle landed back down, crushing the cab, and the gunner's occupant.
"Seriously, it's sad at this point," Mirko muttered, sprinting off towards the last thugs. On and on she went, thug after thug until there were none left. Mirko carefully looked around the area, waiting for something new. Because there was always something new. Another set of trucks, another pair of helicopters, another dozen villains charging at her. Of course, she couldn't see or smell anything new yet.
But then she heard it, an unmistakable whistling sound.
"Oh for fucks sake!" Mirko yelled out, sprinting down the street in the opposite direction. Seconds later artillery shells slammed into where she just stood. If it wasn't bad enough, the whirring of drones soon followed. Quickly Mirko looked up in the air, spotting the first drone. Mirko groaned when she saw it, continuing to sprint away, while searching for something she could use.
More shells began to follow behind her, the drone keeping watch of her every move. Finally, Mirko spotted a chunk of rubble the size of a baseball. Grabbing it off the ground, she turned and chucked it at the drone. It flew forward, smashing into the drone, and sending it plummeting to the ground. Moments later the artillery seemed to lose Mirko, giving the hero a temporary breather.
Of course, she heard more drones following the first. It made her annoyed, not one of these villains could give her an actual fight. No, they had to hide away on rooftops, in stores, or taking potshots at her from a mile away. Or in this case, saying fuck it, and shelling a city block to kill her. She knew that's just how it was though, because these villains were smart. They knew in a fair fight she'd beat them any day. So they refused to give her one, instead hiding away and continually trying to box her, and other heroes into cramped kill zones.
They hadn't worked on her so far, but they had on other heroes. Speaking of other heroes, Mirko heard her phone ding, a new notification popping up. The rabbit heroine grimaced when she heard it, already knowing what it was. Pulling out her phone, she was proven correct.
"All heroes fall back to the defensive line," Hero Network message read, Mirko groaning annoyed. Another assault, with no gain. Grimmly, she could only wonder how many heroes and cops died this time. She didn't linger on the thought long and instead started returning to friendly lines.