'WHOOOSH!' Suddenly something emerged from within the dark black clouds hanging in the sky. It was not a bird, but a plane. A normal airplane that you'd see flying in the sky if you were lucky. However, that metallic aircraft wasn't going to stay in the air for much longer. It was quickly descending towards the ground. And the people inside of it were mostly normal civilians. The exceptions were three people. One was a dark-skinned man wearing all black with a pair of sunglasses on even though the sun wouldn't be rising anytime soon. Another was someone who had a similar fashion sense but was 'female' and was Japanese. Finally, there was a Frenchman who wore whatever he had lying around, and his face was rather scruffy looking.
These three people were sitting beside each other on the plane. Though they were missing two of their members, they were still…
… The Boys.
'SKREEEE!' It didn't take long for the plane to touch the ground. And once it did, they all stood up at the same time, grabbed their luggage and left the plane along with the airport behind. The three of them were now in a foreign land. But even though two of them hadn't ever been in the land of the rising sun before, they weren't caught off guard by anything in particular. In fact, quickly after coming out of the airport, they were greeted by a man dressed in all black holding a sign that said 'The Boys' on it. This codename given to their group leaked no intel regarding the identities of the members. The majority of them being mercenaries who have killed for money in the past, or simply to survive.
The sole exception was Hughie Campbell who was currently making his way to Russia with Billy Butcher. But even though he used to be just a regular guy you'd find passing on the street, he too has killed his fair share of people by now. So, his hands weren't exactly clean. As for the rest of his teammates, their hands were far bloodier. They killed whoever was asked for them to kill. Men, women, even children weren't off the table if it meant getting the job done. Though they weren't exactly keen on the idea of assassinating teenagers. Even still, the world was at stake. And they couldn't less their personal feelings get in the way of things. That's why they followed the man in black without saying a word.
The man in black then lead them to a parked car that was also the same color of the suit he was wearing. The Boys wasted no time getting into the backseat of the car. More specifically, Frenchie and Kimiko did, while M.M. chose to ride shotgun since he was bigger than the both of them. This left the man in black in the driver's seat who wasted no time in putting the key into the ignition.
'VROOOM!' At the same time the engine made a loud noise almost as if it was begging to be driven through the streets at over a hundred miles per hour. Though doing that would definitely raise suspicion. Not to mention they had no intention of being suspected by any native Japanese citizens since they were all foreigners. The exception being Kimiko. But her involvement with three people of all different ethnicities (The man in black was a Caucasian American who had lived in the U.S. most of his life.) would naturally draw suspicion. This characteristic made the vehicle an ideal concealment option for all occupants.
'VROOOM!' And that's why there was no reason to wait around. The man in black drove the car out of the area where the airport was located and throughout the streets of Japan until he made his way into the heart of Tokyo. Their bright neon lights caught the attention of everyone within the car. Most of which, the Frenchman sitting in the backseat. He couldn't help but look out the window as the lights to him looked like they were swirling around. Obviously, he was still high on the marijuana he managed to sneak on the plane. Even still, he couldn't help but think of the woman sitting beside him in the car. But he quickly noticed that she wasn't even staring outside and seemed a bit bored.
"Mon Coeur! It's your homeland! What do you think of it?" Frenchie asked with excitement emanating from his voice. In response, Kimiko, (Who communicated through sign language) moved her hands in such a way that told the Frenchman everything he needed to hear without actually hearing her speak. That being-
'These bright lights make me want to puke. I hate this place.' Kimiko communicated her dissatisfaction much to Frenchie's surprise. In the front seat M.M. was casually listening to their conversation.
"Yo, Frenchie. What did Kimiko say?" M.M. asked while looking at them through the rear-view mirror. Though judging from the looks on their faces he could tell that whatever Kimiko thought about Tokyo wasn't good. He still wanted to hear it from Frenchie though.
"She… she does not like it." Frenchie admitted with a saddened expression on his face as he genuinely thought that Kimiko would feel right at home in the country she grew up in. Though her childhood was cut short due to the Shining Light Liberation Army kidnapping her and her brother. Even still, the Frenchman had hoped even in his drug intoxicated state of being that she was enjoying herself a bit. Unbeknownst to him, all Kimiko could think about was the mission. And the fact that she was going to be the one to carry out the assassinations. After all, out of The Boys she was the only one with powers. And her 'power' made her the ideal choice to make sure that this mission goes smoothly. Speaking of the mission-
"Sorry to hear that. But we won't be here for much longer. We've got to get to that island." M.M. replied while looking at the island in the distance. That was the location where ANHS was located. However, one does not simply walk into ANHS. Both metaphorically and quite literally. This is because the bridge that connected Tokyo to the island was destroyed. This was a given after Kiyotaka Ayanokoji declared his intentions to take over the world. The government officials in charge of keeping their citizens safe had no intention of letting him step foot onto the land of the rising sun again. That's why they had the bridge demolished.
However, that wouldn't prevent him from getting back there by simply swimming to shore. Though that's exactly what the government officials were counting on, and to that end they had several of their law enforcement officers armed to the brim with heavy weaponry. The moment that Ayanokoji or any of his allies reaches shore, they will immediately be gunned down no questions asked. This was the extent of what Japan could do to prevent a hostile takeover. The reason for this being that a siege was out of the question considering that there were roughly three hundred people on that island. The majority of which were kids.
To launch an attack on that island would risk the lives of those kids and endanger them more than they already were. Combine this with the fact that Japan was already suffering from a lack of their people reproducing with each other and not only would this create plenty of controversy if there were a high number of casualties, but it would also make things much worse for their country's future. Not to mention that there were several 'gifted' people there. Bright minds that would help lead Japan throughout the Reiwa era and to possibly even greater heights. And even if the sacrifice of the few was worth it to save the many there was another additional problem.
Since the year 1947, Japan has been unable to declare war with the establishment of article nine of the constitution. This was due to their loss at the end of the Second World War. They had no choice but to renounce war as a sovereign right and prohibit the use of military force to settle disputes. This meant that they couldn't use their military offensively only as defense. And if Ayanokoji were to take over then he would be violating the constitution thereby starting World War 3. The government officials are making every effort to prevent such a worst-case scenario.
However, that made things much easier for The Boys. Because as the car drew closer and closer to where the ruins of the bridge were, the man in black made a sharp turn that led them to the shore. It was there that everyone noticed a speedboat conspicuously parked in the foreshore. Along with the speedboat there were several law enforcement officers guarding it. They quickly noticed them. This urged Kimiko to ready herself to kill thinking that she and her comrades were setup. But it was quite the opposite.
"The Japanese government have so graciously agreed to your plan. You can thank Mallory for that. You all can take things from here." The man in black ordered as The Boys emerged from the car without saying a word about anything. The law enforcement officers stood aside with their guns raised upward to the night sky as The Boys walked past them. But just before getting on the speedboat Frenchie turned around to say 'Merci.' Though he was not acknowledged whatsoever by the police. This prompted the Frenchman to tilt his head to the side out of confusion before being dragged to the speedboat by the shoulder by Kimiko.
'VROOOM!' And with everyone on the speedboat, M.M. took control of the ship's helm. This caused the speedboat's engine to roar as it went through the sea. In this boat they would be able to get to the island within the next five minutes with ease. However, that would surely bring attention to them. With their enemies being in close proximity, it would be a dangerous move to lose the element of surprise. This necessitated a significant reduction in their pace, as it was essential to ensure the success of their plan. As a result, their arrival would take roughly twenty minutes now. A small price to pay to guarantee things go smoothly. But with time to kill this prompted them to discuss their next course of action.
"So, once we get to dry land we'll make our way to the school." M.M. ordered. Though the chances of their target being in the school wasn't guaranteed, given how massive that island is. Frenchie realized that tidbit pretty quickly.
"How can you be sure that 'Connard' (French for 'asshole') is even there?" Frenchie asked as he had more than enough reason to doubt M.M. But the African American saw this coming and already had a retort prepared for him in the back of his mind.
"Then we search every fucking part of that island till we find him. But our best bet is that he's somewhere within the school. Just look at it. Its easily the biggest fucking place there. Plus, if I were bent on world fucking domination then I'd want my hideout to match my ego." M.M said. He had a good point to back his theory up. Even Kimiko seemed to agree as she moved her hands to communicate with them.
'It's exactly what Homelander did.' Kimiko said through sign language causing Frenchie to let out a laugh. But in the midst of that, M.M. saw something coming straight for them from quite a distance away.
"All right. Shut the fuck up everyone." M.M. ordered as Frenchie and Kimiko did as they were instructed to do. The three of them then focused their sights on what was inching closer and closer to them. It didn't take long for them all to realize that what was coming for them was a man on a raft. The raft was small, wooden, and crude looking, as if it was made out of a bunch of scraps and hastily put together. As for the man his face could not be seen as it was covered by his hood. This was without question extremely suspicious. So, this prompted M.M. and Frenchie to grab guns that were generously left on the speedboat for them.
"Hands up right fucking now or I'll shoot!" M.M. yelled out while aiming his gun at the hooded man's head. Frenchie did the same as he was fully prepared to cap this 'cretin' (French for 'dumbass') the moment he does anything funny. Surprisingly the hooded man raised his arms into the air without resisting in any shape or form. The raft eventually made its way to the speedboat and when it did M.M. beckoned for him to get on. The hooded man did just that. And then…
"On your knees." Frenchie said as the hooded man replied with 'seriously?' in an unenthusiastic way. Though this wasn't up for debate. Kimiko made sure of that by putting her hand on his neck. The Japanese woman had more than enough power to snap his neck. That much was made clear by the intense grip she had on him. This prompted the hooded man to let out a sigh of exasperation before begrudgingly getting on his knees. But at the same time Frenchie and M.M. realized their new friend was Japanese by what he said. Though they didn't actually know what he said. Kimiko did though.
"English motherfucker. Do you speak it?" M.M. asked while pointing his gun at the hooded man's head. In response the hooded man let out a wry chuckle.
"I know a guy who knows a thing or two about the language." The hooded man replied though his English was a bit broken, it was still able to be understood by the African American. This prompted him to ask the Japanese man his next question.
"Good. Now I want to know what the fuck you were doing on that piece of shit? If I were you… I'd choose your next words very wisely." M.M. asked while midway through speaking he pointed his gun at the raft. He wasn't especially concerned that the hooded man would try anything with Frenchie and Kimiko ready to kill at a moment's notice. Even still he kept his guard up. Once this was all is said and done M.M. had a family he was going to return to. And he wasn't planning on getting killed anytime soon. Though the same could be said for the man with the hood on his head.
"Let's just say I have unfinished business to attend to." The hooded man replied. But this made M.M. point his gun at the man's head once more. After all, what he said was way too vague to be considered trustworthy.
"Not good enough. I need to know whether you're an ally of Kiyotaka Ayanokoji." M.M. asked bluntly getting straight to the point. If he was an ally, then he was going to blow his brains all over the deck of the ship. But if he wasn't then… Though before M.M. could finish that thought, the hooded man merely laughed until he declared his true intentions.
"Nah… I'm gonna kill him." The hooded man declared with a smirk that could just barely be seen within the darkness granted to him by his hood. Though this caught everyone beside him by surprise.
"And why would you go out of your way to do that? Surely T'as pas de coquilles (French for 'you don't have the balls.') to do that." Frenchie asked as he wasn't sure whether to trust this hooded man. M.M. and Kimiko thought the same way. They needed proof. And that's exactly what the hooded man was going to give them.
"You see Ayanokoji is the bastard who put me on some remote island with nothing to eat but whatever fish I can get my hands on. Having that as my meal three times a day for about a month has not made me happy to say the least." The hooded man explained as he recalled being stuck on the island that he and his fellow classmates were forced to survive on for a week like a Vietnam flashback. Such a memory is more akin to a nightmare. A nightmare that enraged the hooded man to no end. But the explanation he gave made The Boys just as confused as they were before.
"How the hell are you still alive after eating all that raw meat?" M.M. asked with a bewildered look on his face. Once again, the hooded man let out a laugh as the African American couldn't be more mistaken.
"Who said anything about raw?" The hooded man or rather Kakeru Ryuuen replied before snapping his fingers and letting out a small spark of blue flame. This caught The Boys off guard as if an exclamation mark appeared right beside each of their heads. That's only natural because they had become well acquainted with people who have powers, 'Supes.' However, this man was obviously a native of Japan. So how in the hell did he get his hands on Compound V?! Furthermore, it was only natural for them to believe that Ayanokoji must have received his powers due to Compound V. Meaning that this man is surely well acquainted with him!
"Now, I need to know how in the fuck you and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji got your hands on V!" M.M. demanded answers. Though the hooded man had no clue just what he was referring to by the letter 'V?'
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Ryuuen said before the grip that Kimiko had on heck tightened in response. This prompted him to let out a grunt of pain as M.M. gestured for Kimiko to loosen her grip. They needed this man alive so that he could give them answers to whatever the fuck has been going on. And he may be the only person who can give them those answers. This made it a necessity to keep him alive.
"Now I'm going to ask you one more time and I expect you to give me a proper answer this time. Just… how in the fuck did you or Ayanokoji get your hands on Compound V!" M.M. yelled out with a look of aggression as he struggled to contain his intense feelings. Even still, Ryuuen had no idea what 'Compound V' was. Though what he could gather, whatever it was, their concern made it crystal clear that it was of high importance. Furthermore, they only mentioned it after he showed them a glimpse of his Quirk. This made it easy to deduce that whatever 'Compound V' was, it was similar to Quirks.
"Look, both me and Ayanokoji… we didn't get our 'powers' by whatever Compound V is. I got my power from him. It's called a 'Quirk.' He also has a shit ton of Quirks of his own." Ryuuen explained. Though his explanation only brought forth more questions.
"You are saying he gave you that 'Feu' (French for 'fire') 'Quirk?' But how did he do it?" Frenchie asked as whatever Ryuuen said next would prove what he was saying was a lie or the truth. Though it was most certainly a lie. That's what they believed. But to their utmost surprise, they were wrong.
"All he did was touch my shoulder for a few seconds. The rest was history." Ryuuen replied as everyone around him grew increasingly surprised. This is because this contradicted how Compound V is administered through the use of intravenous injections! There has been no such case where it can be given simply by touch! But then again if he was somehow telling the truth then… what the hell is a 'Quirk?' Though of course they weren't going to buy such a story so easily.
"Bullshit. Ain't no way you got your power by him just fucking touching you." M.M. replied with a tone of voice that was calm but did very little to hide his hostility toward Ryuuen. Even still, Frenchie couldn't be more interested regarding the topic of 'Quirks.'
"Tell me, just what are 'Quirks' exactly." Frenchie asked with a curious look on his face. At the same time, M.M. rolled his eyes over his comrade humoring this man. Even still, there wasn't much Ryuuen could give them regarding the topic 'Quirks.'
"How should I know? All I know is these Quirks are akin to superpowers and that they come in all sorts of varieties. For example, Ayanokoji is able to create a gateway from one area to another by snapping his finger. He also can turn just about anything into a bomb. I can go on, but I think you're starting to get the picture. Anyway, regarding where they came from exactly my money's on Midoriya. I'm sure he's the 'root' cause of all of this." Ryuuen explained with a grin on his face. At the same time, another question arose from the woodworks. Just who was this 'Midoriya?'
"And is this… 'Midoriya' working for Ayanokoji?" M.M. asked with a straight face that made Ryuuen burst out laughing.
"No! Of course not! Haha! … He's the one who's been trying to stop him for months! Though he ain't exactly doing a bang-up job about it." Ryuuen replied as he could still barely contain his amusement over the absurdity of the question that they posed. It was beginning to become harder for them to believe that Ryuuen was still lying. The way he was going about it was so natural. He's either telling the truth or one of the world's most educated liars. Either way, The Boys needed to know more about all of this. Specifically regarding Midoriya.
"So, if Midoriya is like you then what power does he have?" Frenchie asked as Ryuuen suddenly clicked his tongue out of sheer annoyance and rolled his eyes over being compared to the likes of Izuku Midoriya.
"He's nothing like me. Midoriya and his friends… they are a bunch of goody two shoes. Definitely not my crowd. He also knocked my lights out. And one of his friends, this red-haired dick did the same thing. Except he went the extra mile by knocking a few of my teeth out. So, we're not exactly on the best terms. As for his power… seems like it increases his strength by a lot. He was also able to move throughout the air… somehow. I think he can also… 'obliterate' Quirks. Not that I'd seen that firsthand." Ryuuen explained while smirking and in the process of doing so showcasing a few areas of his mouth that were missing teeth. The information The Boys were given seemed credible. However, it all painted a certain picture that made it look like his enemy was really Midoriya and not Ayanokoji. M.M. decided to comment on exactly that.
"Seems that Midoriya did a number on you. So why are you trying to get rid of Ayanokoji instead?" M.M. asked with a serious expression on his face. At the same time, Ryuuen grew silent. He knew that if he were to lie it would cost him his life. But that didn't mean he wanted to divulge his true motivator for surviving up to this point. Even though that was the case, he had other choice but to do so.
"Ayanokoji… well actually it's this bitch who's working for him… she killed someone important to me. I will not rest until I pay her back for that in full. As for Ayanokoji, he marooned me on an island with nothing to eat but shitty berries and shrooms that were probably poisonous. He left me there to die… and I would have if I didn't make that 'piece of shit.' So, there ya go. I want revenge. Plain and simple." Ryuuen replied in a way that did not the utter animosity he held for both Kiyotaka Ayanokoji and Kei Karuizawa. Speaking of the latter-
"By… 'bitch' do you mean Mademoiselle Karuizawa by any chance?" Frenchie asked while Ryuuen nodded in affirmation before replying.
"Bingo. I'm going to burn her alive the second I see her; you can mark my words on that." Ryuuen declared while recalling Ibuki getting decayed right before his eyes. Just recalling it sent a shiver down his spine along with a fire that burned bright blue deep in his very soul. It was almost as if his 'soul' was crying out for revenge. Anyway, this couldn't be acting. He was telling the truth. Which meant that this 'hooded man' could be a valuable asset to them. And each of them realized that. Especially, M.M.
"It seems that we share a common goal. Cause me and my team have been tasked with assassinating both Ayanokoji and Karuizawa. If you say you want them dead, then it would be in our best interests to cooperate with each other." M.M. said while adjusting his sunglasses. At the same time, Ryuuen's smirk grew wide. And then…
"Yeah… sounds good to me. But I'm killing that bitch. No ifs or buts about it. So, when I so much as look at her… don't you dare get in my fucking way." Ryuuen declared with an intense look and eyes that seemed to burn blue along with his while his right hand. However, after he finished speaking, he clicked this tongue once more before submerging his hand within the water to cool it off. The Boys took note of this and realized that he must not have full control of his flames. Though that didn't make their partnership any less worthwhile.
"Have it your way. Hell, you can even kill Ayanokoji too if you want. Makes our job a whole lot easier." M.M. said while extending his hand toward Ryuuen, the latter of which grasped it without a moment of hesitation.
"I'll consider it." Ryuuen replied while shaking the hand of his new partner. And with that, Kakeru Ryuuen became an honorary albeit temporary member of The Boys. Their goals were completely aligned with each other for the time being at the very least. So, there was nothing more to do than to reach that island. It took about fifteen more minutes, but finally they made it to shore. However, after disembarking the speedboat, they quickly realized hurried footsteps advancing toward them!
"Shit!" M.M. yelled out before grabbing the gun from the holster on his waist! But Ryuuen noticed that out of the corner of his eye and simply waved his finger in response before a sadistic smile formed on his face. At the same time, the enemy emerged revealing itself to be a hideous humanoid monster! A Nomu! Ryuuen recognized the familiar appearance of it when compared to the High End Nomu he briefly fought against last year! But that only made his smile grow even wider as he knew he was going to enjoy this.
"Burn to ashes!" Ryuuen shouted with immense pleasure as he casted flames from his fingertips that shot straight at the Nomu! But the monster was unfazed by his attack and continued to charge until-
'FWOOOOSH!' The Nomu was utterly engulfed by the bright blue flames that were hotter than the sun itself! Before the monster could even close the distance between them and its foe, it crumbled to its knees. It didn't move an inch as it laid motionless on the ground much to the surprise of The Boys.
"Is it 'mort?'" (French for 'dead) Frenchie asked as he considered grabbing a nearby twig off the ground to poke the monster. But before he could the monster disintegrated until there was nothing left but its ashes.
'Whoosh!' The Nomu's ashes scattered into the wind as Ryuuen stood in place for a brief moment until he responded with 'Does that answer your question?' Before advancing without a care in the world. The Boys chose to follow behind him as he just proved to be immensely powerful and would definitely give majority of The Seven a run for their money. Without question he'd be able to kill 'The Deep' at least. Even though his whereabouts have been a mystery ever since around August of last year. But that was beside the point. There were far more pressing matters to attend to. Their enemies were here on this island. And as for their enemies…
… They were well aware of what was coming.
'R-Ryuuen?' Kiyotaka thought internally upon noticing the man himself on one of the monitors in the laboratory. Though there wasn't much he could do to his disembodied head being the only thing remaining of his former body in the container it was in! But that was only the case for Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's human body! Not the Nomu body that he could transfer his consciousness to at a moment's notice! But before doing so, he noticed three other intruders that he had no recollection of.
'What the?! Who are those people?!' Garaki yelled out from within Ayanokoji's mind. At the same time the latter of which took note of who the people were. One was an African American man dressed in black with a pair of shades covering his eyes. Another was someone who appeared to be an American though he couldn't be sure that was the case. For all he knew that man was a foreigner from another country. As for the last one, she was definitely Japanese. Just who are these people?
'It doesn't matter. They will be dealt with. Our 'tools' will handle this before things get out of hand.' Kiyotaka thought internally before transferring his consciousness to the Nomu body under his possession not a moment later! There he awakened in the rundown bar hideout with a few of his allies being close proximity with him. Those being Decay, Kushida, and the one dressed in Twice's costume. Though he wasn't exactly concerned with them. What received his full attention was where his enemies were heading.
'Doctor. Can you see where they are going?' Kiyotaka asked internally as he figured that this plan was a coordinated one. And if it were then they would have a specific location in mind. And that location was most likely-
'It's the school! That's where those pesky brats are going!' Garaki replied with a shout within Ayanokoji's mind as the latter gritted his teeth out of sheer annoyance. He figured that's where they were going. The school is easily the biggest place on this damn island after all! It was fortunate that they hadn't learned where he and his tools were hiding out in. However, ANHS was of grave importance to his plans! Kiyotaka wouldn't let it fall into the hands of his enemies! Especially not Ryuuen who betrayed him! That's why he pulled out a radio to contact his tools that were stationed at the school! And more specifically-
"Tsukishiro. There are enemies making their way to ANHS. Prepare to intercept." Ayanokoji instructed with a whisper as to not alert Decay who could potentially destroy the school if she were to go all out. Plus, this matter was best left in the hands of Tsukishiro, his loyal pawn. Not only was he there, but so was Albert Yamada and the clone of Katsuki Bakugo. Those powerhouses were plenty to handle Ryuuen and whoever he brought with him. Not to mention Okonogi and a good majority of the elite espionage personnel were there too guarding the comatose bodies of the students! And even a few Nomus were there for good measure! This made things very simple. All four of them will be swiftly eliminated at a moment's notice!
"Understood." Tsukishiro replied through the radio he had on hand before taking note of the security camera on his end. Those of which presented his enemies were heading straight for the school! He knew that they were coming. That was confirmed the moment he heard so from Ayanokoji himself. However, even he was taken aback by all of this happening so suddenly and quickly. But even still, he readied himself for what was about to come next.
"The time has come… let the curtains rise." Tsukishiro muttered to himself before swiftly leaving the room he was in and advancing down the hallway. He was no longer dressed in the garb belonging to Mr. Compress and simply wore his regular suit given that there weren't any plans for him to go out of his way to put it on. Plus, he found his suit to be so much more comfortable when compared to that colorful costume. Even still, he briskly made his way throughout the school until he made his way to the entryway. At the same time several of the elite espionage personnel were instructed to follow by Okonogi along with a few Nomu bodyguards for good measure. There they lied in wait for their enemies to make their appearance. And then without any warning whatsoever…
Chapter 70: The Siege of ANHS
'BAAAAAAAAAAM!' The metal doors of ANHS's entrance were broken off their hinges! Not only that but they flew into the air and landed onto the floor a few meters forward much to the surprise of everyone present! This power! This didn't belong to Ryuuen! The doors weren't burnt whatsoever! Whoever possessed such strength must belong to one of the other intruders! But who?! Just who could it be?! But before anyone could figure that out, Ryuuen and The Boys emerged from the broken entryway without so much as a scratch on them. At the same time, the elite espionage personnel froze in place. So too did Tsukishiro. Even the Nomus seemed to marvel at their prey. And as for the intruders-
"Hey. I never caught your name." M.M. said to the hooded man beside him as the latter's hood was flown off his head due to a gust of wind being created when the double doors were broken off their hinges. This revealed Ryuuen's scarred face to everyone that could see with their eyes. His patches of gnarled, wrinkled purple skin sent shivers down the spines of whomever caught a glimpse of them. Though he didn't seem to care and simply answered his partner by giving him his name 'Ryuuen' with a smirk full of sadistic glee.
"Frenchie and I will shoot them. Kimiko fucks up anyone she can get her hands on. Ryuuen goes completely over the top and we support him." M.M. commanded as he grabbed out his gun. At the same time Frenchie replied with 'Oui' (French for 'yes') as he performed the same action. Kimiko acknowledged with a nod and assumed a combat stance. And as for Ryuuen he simply said, 'Let's begin.' Before casting bright blue flames with but a snap of his fingers!
'STEP! STEP! STEP!' At the same time, the Nomus which there were five of them took notice and charged forward while breaking the floor beneath them! But before any of them could so much as touch him-
'FWOOOOSH!' Ryuuen unleashed a blast of his flames that were aimed specifically at the Nomu who was in the center of the ones coming at him! This attack caused the monster's entire body to be engulfed by the flames!
'BOOOOOOM!' The result was a massive explosion of flames that erupted in the center of the entryway! This in turn knocked the other four Nomus off their feet along with several of the elite espionage personnel! M.M. took note of his enemies collapsing to the ground like bowling pins and so did Frenchie!
'BANG! BANG! BANG!' Both of the men did not let this chance slip by them as they began firing their guns at vital areas of their enemies' bodies! M.M. was able to pierce one of the elite espionage personnel in the chest! And as for Frenchie, he took care of two of them by placing bullets in their heads with pinpoint accuracy! In an instant four of their foes were no more!
'STEP! STEP! STEP!' However, that did little to stop the Nomus as they regained their footing and began advancing once more! Though of course Ryuuen figured that this would happen from a mile away!
'FWOOOOM!' Which is why Ryuuen casted a wall of flames that went around him and The Boys, protecting them from their enemies! Though one of the Nomus did not think highly of the defensive wall of fire and tried to break through it. This resulted in that monster being burnt to ashes. This meant there were only three left to deal with. But the foul beasts took note of how dangerous the flames were and stood in place, not wanting to fall victim to the fires hotter than the sun! The same could be said for the elite espionage personnel as none of their bullets would be able to pass through the fires. But that didn't stop a certain woman from making her way through the hellish flames!
'WHOOOOSH!' Kimiko ran through the flames without so much as wincing in pain! She didn't even bat an eye at the overwhelming onslaught of enemies behind the wall of fire! The Japanese woman merely leaped through the bright blue flames much to the surprise of the elite espionage personnel! They thought for sure that she would be burnt to a crisp like the beast had been just moments prior! However, they couldn't be more surprised to see that she had not only sustained minimal wounds, but they were healing at blinding speeds!
'Step! Step! Step!' But this gave Kimiko more than enough time to close the distance between one of her enemies! Her foe was a man. Though his arms were the size of her head! And his stature was almost double that of her own! Even still that didn't stop her from unleashing an attack-
'BAAAAAAAAAM!' That knocked the head of her enemy off of his neck like a soccer ball! The decapitated head flew backward and smashed against the body of the man behind him! This caused him to be flung backward into the wall behind him, killing him in but an instant! The elite espionage personnel who were still alive couldn't even process what had just happened! It was as if one moment their comrades were alive and the next, they were already dead! It was then that they realized quite an unsettling truth. The person who had knocked the double doors off their hinges with such overwhelming power…
… Was this woman right here! And even after performing such a horrific kill, she merely looked for who would be the most suitable for her next target! In that moment the elite espionage personnel, realized that Kimiko was no woman…
… But a demon from hell disguised as one. Tsukishiro was petrified while standing on top of the staircase in the distance while overlooking such the utter carnage on display. And even the chief of the elite espionage personnel, Okonogi (Who was watching the battle take place from within a different part of the school that showcased what was taking place through the security camera footage) was at a loss for words until his anger returned with a vengeance. And then when all hope for his men seemed lost-
"Nomus… ATTACK! KILL THAT WOMAN! KILL HER NOW!" Okonogi shouted at the top of his lungs! At the same time the three Nomus who had been on standby immediately charged at Kimiko! But not in a straight row! Each of them came at her from different angles so that there was no chance of escape! A pincer attack for the ages! But Kimiko merely took note of her enemies' incoming advance and readied herself into another fighting stance! And then…
'POW! WHAM! BAM!' Kimiko landed consecutive hits on one of the Nomus akin to a gun firing an array of bullets! This in turn caused the Nomu to collapse to the ground! But the same thing happened to Kimiko! Though this was a calculated move on her part! She used the awe-inspiring strength in her right arm to lift herself back up from the ground, into the air, and straight at another one of the monsters!
'CRAAAAACK!' And in a span of less than a second she wrapped both of her legs around her enemy's head and spun it around three hundred and sixty degrees till its neck shattered to pieces like glass! This allowed her the chance to tear off the monster's head! But she wasn't done! For her finishing move-
'SLIIIIIICE!' She slammed her leg straight down from the Nomu's head and all the way to his torso that his entire body in half! And without missing a beat she turned her body around to the Nomu who had fallen but moments prior and-
'CRUUUUUSH!' Crushed its head to smithereens! The utter ferocity of the attack made sure that the blood of her fallen enemy sprayed her in the face, painting it crimson! Though Kimiko didn't even acknowledge what happened almost as if the blood on her face was akin to war paint! At this point, the elite espionage personnel might as well have been shitting bricks at the sight of such a merciless demon! However, there was still one more monster that hadn't been attended to yet! And just as it was about to take her head as payment for the demise of their kind-
'FWOOOOOOM!' The final Nomu had been swallowed whole by Ryuuen's flames leaving not even a speck of the monster left on this world! And with that all five Nomus had been exterminated in the span of less than a minute. This left the elite espionage personnel on their own. Five of them were already dead. (Ten if the Nomus were included in the equation.) Though they still had the advantage in terms of numbers. It was twenty against four! They had five times the amount of firepower on their side! And yet…
… None of them actually believed that they would survive to see the sun rise. But even still they-
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Unleashed a battle cry at the same time! A deafening roar that almost seemed as if it was meant for the heavens above! Unfortunately for them, their enemies weren't going to allow this chance to slip by!
'BANG! BANG! BANG!' M.M. and Frenchie let out an onslaught of bullets from their guns aimed straight for the elite espionage personnel! Though surprisingly they were only able to kill three of them! The other seventeen used every fiber of their being to dodge the gunfire and threw something in their direction! Something small but round… no! It couldn't be!
"A grenade?! Hit the deck!" M.M. shouted before taking cover. Though Frenchie watched the grenade head for him in slow motion and smirked to himself. He then took out a hard bottle of liquor (That happened to be empty. The contents of which were drunk completely by the Frenchman himself.) and held it in the air as if it was a baseball bat! And just as the grenade was about to go off-
'BONK!' Frenchie swung the glass bottle with all the strength he had in him! The result caused the grenade to be hurtled all the way back to his enemies. This brought a smile to the Frenchman's face. Along with what happened right after that-
'BOOOOOOOOOOM!' The explosion erupted right where several of the elite espionage personnel were standing! Killing four of them in less than a second! Three more were rendered defeated as their blown off limbs took them off the chess board! They couldn't even fathom that Frenchie would have done something so reckless and stupid! After all, it's who they are! 'The 'elite espionage personnel' weren't actually soldiers! They had no military experience and had only done minimal basic training with firearms! Compared to Frenchie, a man who has killed since he could draw a breath…
… They were absolutely nothing! At this point, Okonogi was gritting his teeth to the point that they could break. Half of his troops that survived past minute number one were gone like the wind! And now the odds were increasingly in the favor of their enemies! As the commander of them, he couldn't bear to let such a humiliating failure commence further! But it was then that he realized that there was one odd man out who wasn't nearly as strong as the rest! And that person was none other than M.M.
"That big oaf with the sunglasses! Kill him! KILL HIM NOW!" Okonogi ordered with an ear-piercing shout that lit a fire under the butts of each of his men who could still fight! All ten of them now had one goal and one goal only!
'Step! Step! Step!' To kill M.M. And that's what they intended to do by coming for him all at once! M.M. wasn't like the rest! He was just a man! He can be killed by a stray bullet hitting his vitals! And if the remnants of the attack squad of the elite espionage personnel were going to hell, then they were going to take at least one of their enemies with them! But the man saw this coming from a mile away while readjusting his shades for a moment. And the very next moment, he pulled something out he had been hiding behind his back that each of his enemies failed to take note of!
"SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!" M.M. shouted at the top of his lungs while quoting a line from one of his favorite movies and holding a Thompson submachine gun! Or better known as… the tommy gun! This piece of heavy artillery could fire six hundred rounds in a single minute! That's ten bullets fired per second! And considering that was the exact number of his enemies left-
'BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!' They were all mowed down in a single second! Each of them with a single attack! Akin to a perfect strike in a game of bowling! After all these 'elite' espionage personnel had nothing special about them! They were merely bowling pins…
… Who all got utterly decimated by the bowling ball that were known as THE BOYS!
"Haah… haah… haah…" One of the three bowling pins that managed to survive due to losing a leg to the grenade from earlier could only crawl as a result of his injuries. And crawl he did, as best he could, but even still-
'BAM! … CRUSH!' The cries of his comrades made damn sure that he had no chance of survival. One fell. And another soon after begging 'No! Please' At the top of his lungs before having his head crushed to pieces! This left him as the sole survivor of the siege of ANHS.
'Step. Step. Step.' Though not for long, as Ryuuen casually strolled behind him until he managed to close the distance between them both with ease. He then gripped the man's head with his hand until he landed the final blow!
"AUUUUUGGGGGGH!" The man screamed from the very depths of his soul as his entire body burst into bright blue flames! The burnt corpse of the man then fully collapsed to the cold hard floor. And with all of their enemies dead, all that remained was the man standing on top of the staircase to attend with. Each of The Boys noticed him, Tsukishiro from a mile away and advanced together side by side until reaching the first step. But then…
'Clap. Clap. Clap.' Suddenly Tsukishiro began clapping. This caught each of The Boys off guard completely. It was then that they realized all he had done was overlook the battle from afar, not participate in any meaningful way. It was at this moment, that what the middle-aged man had said before this battle had taken place… 'The time has come.' …
… Took on a completely new meaning.
"Kakeru Ryuuen…" Tsukishiro said the name was the scarred man below him. At the same time, Ryuuen took note of the man several meters above him. He had no recollection of the man. Though this is not because they had never crossed paths before. Ryuuen simply didn't think anything of the man named Tsukishiro. He looked as if he were nothing more than a servant belonging to that of a master. And by all accounts he was right. Except, that was no longer the case with his master being no more. And for that reason…
"… Use your flames to create a defensive wall around ANHS!" Tsukishiro commanded with a shout. Though this was heard by the radio on his waist! The person on the other end had been listening to the noise produced by the radio this entire time while having the Doctor feed him information on how the battle went. And that person, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji had now learned of the betrayal of his loyal tool.
"Tsukishiro. You dare betray me?" Kiyotaka asked as his voice came out as a whisper due to the radio's speaker being muffled a bit. But Tsukishiro still heard it! And that only fueled his resolve further beyond!
"DO IT NOW!" Tsukishiro yelled out at the top of his lungs. In response, Ryuuen clicked his tongue out of annoyance over being told what to do. But not a moment later, he rushed out of the building just as Nomu reinforcements were about to meet him head on! But before they could-
'RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Ryuuen let out a mighty roar from deep within his very soul before unleashing the full power of his flames in a single attack! But this wasn't an attack but the very opposite of one!
'FWOOOOOOM!' A defensive wall of bright blue flames encircled around the area! But they didn't stop! Not even for a second! They continued to move around until they completely encircled the school! The Nomus could do nothing but stand back as if they made contact with the fire then they would be burnt to a crisp before they could even blink. Though to perform a stunt like this required a massive amount of stamina. And since Ryuuen had already fought his heart out just moments prior-
'Bam!' Him collapsing to his knees was only natural. But he had to stay awake. Because the moment he passes out, the effects of his Quirk will be rendered moot. Even still, he was on the verge of vomiting his own blood due to how spent he was. The Boys noticed this and rushed over to him to prop up Ryuuen. Tsukishiro merely watched this unfold out of the corner of his eye while advancing toward the flames.
"Tsukishiro. You're making a big mistake. You will regret th- Kiyotaka spoke through the radio. But he was interrupted right before he could finish by his former tool.
"Consider this my resignation." Tsukishiro said to the radio before casting it into the flames. It was burnt to nothingness in a nanosecond. And with that, Tsukishiro was no longer tied to the Ayanokoji family as a pawn. He was his own master now. And with a sense of newfound freedom and purpose he turned around to face The Boys. Though of course, they couldn't trust a former 'enemy' so easily. Tsukishiro had to prove himself that he was a changed man. Though he already had a way of going about it. He then proceeded to take out several of his blue orbs that he had dished away in his pocket. And then…
'BAM!' He tossed all of them onto the ground all at once! The contents of which were exposed to The Boys. They were completely taken aback as several teenagers suddenly appeared out of thin air! One of which was a certain red headed man whose eyes shot wide open upon seeing the baffling sight in front of him.
"What the heck happened?! Who are you people?!" Sudo yelled out as he looked all around to see The Boys who he had never seen before in a single day of his life. Hirata was equally astonished and rendered speechless by the presence of the unfamiliar individuals. Not only that but Ryuuen was here too?! Along with the unsettling fact that all he could remember previously was being overwhelmed by a villain dressed in black and white spandex accompanied by several doubles of himself. It was almost as if he had been in suspended animation from that moment all the way up until now. Though the same could be said for-
"AUGH!" Hiyori cried out in agony over immense pain coming from her leg due to the attack from Kushida back in the forest. She hoped to God that she didn't have any broken bones. But it sure as hell felt that way. It was the worst, most unimaginable pain that she had ever felt in her entire life. But this was only made worse as she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the love of her life was unconscious.
'Who… are you?' At the same time a shiver went up her spine as she recalled a nightmarish scene when Deku said those words to her just before losing consciousness. This in turn made her scream out 'DEKU!' as loud as she could. But this caught the attention of his friends as well. Koenji was dumbstruck by what was going on and so was Sakayanagi. But Sudo let out a yell specifically the word 'Midoriya!' And upon hearing it M.M. recalled what Ryuuen had said before-
'He's nothing like me. Midoriya and his friends… they are a bunch of goody two shoes.' The words Ryuuen had uttered back on the speedboat resonated with not only M.M. but Frenchie and Kimiko too. And then…
'Blink. Blink.' Izuku Midoriya opened his eyes as he stood back up to find that his surroundings were completely different from what he had last seen. He was no longer in the forest. Ichinose was nowhere in sight. In fact, there was not a single soul around. And the place he awakened within was of all places… his room? Why here? And why were his All Might posters hanging up on his walls? He had meticulously recreated them from scratch. But ever since the fight with the High End Nomu that destroyed part of the apartment building including his room, he didn't put them back up where they belonged. So then…
… Why was everything just like how it had been just before that battle with that accursed monster took place? But before he could find an answer to that unsettling question-
'Knock. Knock.' Someone knocked on his front door. Before Midoriya knew it he stood up onto his feet and approached the door. He then unlocked it and opened the door to find the very last person he had ever expected to see again-
"S-Sakura?" The name of his deceased friend escaped his lips the moment he saw her in the flesh.
To Be Continued…
Next Chapter: Accept an Unthinkable Future
Go Beyond!
Plus Ultra!