Chapter Text
“In days past, the people of Japan looked to All Might’s beaming smile to save them all, but today, a much different story is emerging! Where once Japan was protected by a powerful light, they now find themselves hidden beneath a blanket of darkness!” The news chopper hovered just outside of Sapporo city, the cameraman getting a good view of the beaches, where Tenebris stood watch. An F-54 roared past the camera, giving them a good view of the high-tech shadow jet.
“Demons and shadowy figures have long been looked upon as bearers of evil, signs of darkness. Today, they are Japan’s greatest Heroes! At approximately 8 o’clock in the morning, the forces of Russia launched…”
Sung Jin-Woo turned down the tv, turning to the chairman of Korea’s Hero Commission. “We should help.”
Go Gunhee interlaced his fingers, a speculative look in his eyes. He was an old man, but he was as sturdy as a tree, you’d never know the man had a heart condition. “You want me to advocate to the Korean government to help a country - which just recently betrayed us - in a war we have nothing to do with?”
“Without Japan Jeju would’ve been an even more colossal failure,” Cha Hae-In countered. “And they rebuilt the city within a few hours, when it would’ve taken us years.”
Go Gunhee shook his head. “We owe a debt of gratitude to the Shadow Monarchs, not Japan.” He held up a hand to stop the couple from saying anything more. “Even if I thought it was a wise decision, we’d never get approval. To help them after they just betrayed us would look weak. And while I’ve never cared much about public image, the country and its people do. If the Shadows Monarchs personally asked for money, or Magical equipment from Korea’s Hero Commission, I would drop everything to pay them back for what they have done for us. But that does not mean I feel the same way about Japan. Two honorable individuals do not properly represent a country. And that is only their surface appearance, we do not know their true motives. Joining a war is not a gift we can afford to give the Shadow Monarchs.”
Sung Jin-Woo scowled. “If I went to the government personally-”
“They couldn’t stop you from going physically, but they’d oppose it. Do you really want the South Korean government as your enemy? Not to mention Russia and whatever other countries are involved here.” Go Gunhee was just as annoyed by the bureaucracy, but Sung Jin-Woo was Korea’s star Hero, he had to advise him wisely. “Do not mistake me for a callous man. I realize there will be innocent men, women, and children suffering, and it pains my heart, quite literally,” He said, popping a pill for his condition, which was exacerbated by stress. “But it is the duty of every country’s officials to put the safety and comfort of their citizens first. I must put Korea first, just as Japan will put their people first. It is not a perfect system, but this is not a perfect world.” He gave Sung Jin-Woo a stern glare, as if reminding him of this fact, which he was already well-acquainted with. “Think over your decision before you make it.”
With that, he went back to the pile of papers on his desk. His stance was clear, and he said all he needed to. It was up to the Heroes now.
Sung exchanged a glance with his wife, who was fidgeting with uncertainty. He sighed. “Thanks, old man.” He bowed respectfully to the chairman, who responded with a fatherly nod.
“Be well,” He said, as the two took their leave. Once they were gone, he put a hand to his head and took a deep breath. “Curse this old body of mine…”
*******
“A nuclear response is always viable. Russia’s armaments have long since decayed. They are still armed with missiles from the Cold War, which are more likely to detonate before even leaving the launch silo than make landfall in Japan.”
“Are you insane? They haven’t launched nukes yet, you want to invite that possibility?”
The room was filled with high-ranking government and military officials, all convening in a panic to discuss the sudden declaration of war from Russia.
“We mobilize our forces, strike back and end this war before they have the chance to launch a secondary attack.”
“I’m sorry, but do you remember what they told soldiers during World War 2? ‘Berlin by Christmas.’ No war ends that quickly. And with Magical Technology now in play, we’re even less likely to be able to strike a certain decisive blow.”
“I agree, taking Russia lightly and assuming superiority is perhaps the greatest folly we could commit. ‘A skilled hawk hides its talons.’” The Japanese proverb managed to snap some sense into the generals and war-hungry government officials.
“Hmm… Then we simply wait?”
“We need to know what our nuclear defenses are,” The Prime-Minister of Japan, Kazuo Kobayashi finally spoke up. “Which is why I’ve invited a few extra guests to this meeting.” He nodded to the two soldiers standing by the door. They immediately jumped into action and left the room, returning with a sense of importance.
“The Shadow Empress, Kaina Tsutsumi, and the Tenebris General, Loren!”
The three figures strolled inside. Momo and Kaina remained composed and comfortable within the space, but Loren got many nasty looks, aside from one of the Admirals in the room, Mori, who was already familiar with the Tenebris.
Loren, as soon as he entered, took a quick bow. “I apologize for my appearance, I realize it is rather unsightly to humans. However, myself and my people are here to save lives, and we will comply with your government’s wishes in order to end this conflict as quickly as possible.”
Many in the room immediately sobered up, as Loren spoke in perfect Japanese. Not only that, but he read the room like a human would and made moves to correct the atmosphere of tension. There were still many looking at him cautiously, but it was progress.
All three took seats at the long table, close to the Prime-Minister, a very distinguished honor.
“First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude towards our Heroes here,” He gestured to Momo and Kaina, “as well as the Tenebris people for acting so swiftly and preventing the loss of an untold number of lives. Japan owes all of you,” He made sure to meet Loren’s eyes, “a massive debt of gratitude.”
“It’s our job,” Kaina responded for herself and Momo.
“My people have known war for so long, it is their greatest wish to be more than a weapon and to protect, rather than destroy. I am honored to have my people be acknowledged by humanity.” Loren was essentially the new Lord of Hell, and he handled the responsibility with grace.
Kazuo nodded in response. “Now, down to business. Empress, I must inquire into the current state of the Monarch.”
Momo winced beneath her mask. She had already looked up Catalina Island on her phone. She knew that it was trapped beneath some sort of impenetrable dome. She wanted to rush to his side and attempt to break down the barrier herself, but if Thomas Andre failed, it was unlikely she could do much more damage. Her responsibility was to protect Japan at all costs. She knew that’s what Izuku would have wanted.
“The Monarch is… not within this dimension currently,” She responded vaguely. “I’m sorry to say that it is out of my control and his. However, his army stands ready to fight in his name.”
Kazuo pursed his lips, likely wanting to ask more. But as it was, with much of his Awakened forces dead or deserted, he had to accept it as it was. “I see. Between them and the Tenebris we have a strong patrolling defense then, yes?”
“Yes,” Kaina pulled up a map of Japan on the holo-table and began making illustrations to depict their forces. She was so familiar with the system that some of the people in the room became suspicious, not knowing that she had done this many times in her past lives. “With the F-54s, and the leviathan, Quasar, Japan has a strong Magical presence in the air. The Tenebris and Shadow forces on the ground are patrolling tirelessly for any signs of danger. The only thing we do not possess is a sea-fairing presence.”
Kazuo nodded. “And you have experience with the new threats of Russia. Could you please enlighten us?”
Momo called upon Beru, who manifested behind her. “My Lady,” He said, putting a hand over his chest and bowing lightly.
“Russia was in possession of a few dozen Nomu eggs, each of them containing a power similar to this Shadow.” Beru was undoubtedly stronger than his newborn brethren, but their strength was somewhat comparable, and everyone recognized the ant from Jeju. “We're not sure how they got ahold of these eggs or if they have any more, but these eggs are unquestionably the most dangerous weapon in their arsenal. Had we not stopped them in time, much of Japan would crumble into ruins within minutes.”
The room was pale, not just because of that implication, but because of the energy Beru was putting off, it was heart-stopping. Noticing this, Momo returned Beru to Kei’s Shadow, who was hunkered down in the house.
“In addition, all of their vehicles, air, land, and sea, are armored with Magical Metals. How they managed to acquire this much metal and blend it with technology without Mana interference is still unknown. Their weaponry is also Magically augmented. Many of the gas canisters they launched into Sapporo even managed to affect me for a moment.” Momo paused to let that register. Awakened Humans were no longer immune to standard weaponry. “And finally, the soldiers are not in control of themselves.” Momo called Deep Blue to her side, who was no less intimidating than Beru.
“Not in control? What do you mean?”
“Upon defeating a soldier, if they are still alive, they will take a capsule, which I am told contains cyanide,” Loren commented. “They are all killing themselves if they are captured alive and conscious. My people have thankfully been able to knock most captured soldiers unconscious before they could take the pill, upon which it was removed and they were handed over to regular custody.”
“Some soldiers are likely capable of that devotion,” Momo continued, “But an entire force willing to kill themselves is… unnatural. Even some Kamikaze pilots during World War 2 aimed to defect.” Much of the room averted their gaze in shame, not wishing to remember such a tactic.
“As such, my Lady asked me to examine one of the corpses.” Deep Blue pulled a table from a portal, leading to the Luxian laboratory. On it was a dead Russian and a green scaly spike of sorts.
Thankfully, Deep Blue had used some sort of technique to prevent the body from decaying and smelling. But it was still an intense sight for most of the room.
“This can be found lodged into the base of the skull on every Russian soldier,” Deep Blue picked up the stubby spike. “It appears to affect the olfactory senses of whoever it is implanted into, allowing them to smell certain pheromones which control them, much like an ant being controlled by his queen. It will die for the nest if commanded to.”
The room was horrified as Deep Blue turned over the corpse, revealing the hole in their corpse. “Attempting to remove it is incredibly difficult, as it is interwoven into the brain and the spinal cord. I estimate that even the best surgeons of Japan have a 50% chance to successfully remove it. Those estimates are generous,” He added, before wheeling the body back inside the portal and closing it. “It is possible that the likelihood of success rests within the percentages of 20 to 30. There is unfortunately not enough data to conclusively determine the success rate.”
“So where are these spikes coming from?” One of the generals asked.
“They are biological in nature. To think a human could design it is, frankly, absurd.” The room didn’t miss Deep Blue’s slight dig at humanity’s intelligence.
“This is bioengineering beyond anything the world has seen, which means there are only two conclusions to be drawn.” Kaina paused. “One is that Russia has been hiding their true dominance in the field. But the more likely outcome is this… they are being aided by something not of this world.”
Many in the room glanced at Loren, who sighed. “I have lived an exceptionally long time, but even my people are unaware of such a thing. The only forms of mental manipulation we know of are directly Magical. And their effectivity lessens based on how strong the target is. Many of the Russians in the field were Awakened Humans, and they did not show any sign of resistance towards the mental domination, which stands in stark contrast to our understanding of such methods. Even in our myths and legends, there are few beings strong enough to do something like this on such a wide scale.”
“We believe that Russia has something similar to myself and Monarch,” Momo added. “Something that defies all current knowledge, a National-Rank with special powers.”
The room was now well and truly sickened. Many of them were war hungry pigs, but even they balked at the idea of slaughtering helpless soldiers who didn’t want a war in the first place.
“Is it possible that killing this National-Rank would undo the control?”
None of them answered for a moment, leaving the calculations up to Deep Blue. “With the understanding of my Lady’s powers, it is possible that killing the National-Rank will single-handedly end the war. But again, there is no conclusive data. Even if such a simple ending is possible, getting to and killing this National-Rank will be no small feat. There will be many deaths.” His cold eyes scanned the room, commanding them not to get their hopes up. As one of the men so eloquently put it earlier, underestimating the enemy's capabilities was a dangerous mistake. It was better to plan for the worst and act on that belief.
“Then…” The Prime Minister cleared his throat, “What course of action would be advisable?”
“It is the only course of action my people believed in,” Deep Blue responded, referring to his creators, “full frontal assault… and complete annihilation.”
“This is our home,” Momo said. “Our families live here. It doesn’t matter what they’re being controlled by or whom. They invaded us. It’s time to return the favor.”